CAUSE Hosts 24th Annual Gala To Promote Asian Americans In Politics (Alhambra Source)

BY AGNES CONSTANTE

Alhambra City Councilman Jeff Maloney has always been interested in making his community a better place.

So when the opportunity to run for city council presented itself, he decided to enter the race for office last year.

“It was a big decision I had to discuss with my family, but … because I have that interest and that motivation to try to find solutions to all kinds of issues, big and small, I felt that it was the right thing for me to do,” Maloney told the Alhambra Source.

Before the 2016 election, Maloney attended a seminar hosted by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing civic and political empowerment among the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. The seminar helped encourage and prepare potential Asian American candidates for what they should expect and what they should do, Maloney said. He added that it’s one of multiple CAUSE programs from which he has benefited.

Maloney was among elected officials who attended CAUSE’s 24th annual gala Thursday evening at The L.A. Hotel Downtown. The event celebrated and recognized individuals working to make a difference in the APA community. Also in attendance were Rep. Judy Chu, Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, Alhambra Vice Mayor Stephen Sham and California State Assemblymember Ed Chau.

During the gala, Chu said she has been a long-time supporter of CAUSE. As the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a priority for her has been to get more Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) into office.

“For over two decades, CAUSE has played such an important role in building our next generation of leaders,” Chu said. “And that’s why I always have a CAUSE intern in my office every year.”

The organization issued three awards during Thursday’s event: the Partners in Public Service Award to Anthony Rendon, speaker of the California State Assembly, and Annie Lam, principal of Lam Consulting Group; the Community Championship Award to John Kobara, executive Vice President and chief operating officer of the California Community Foundation; and the Corporate Leadership Award to Patrick Niemann, managing partner of Ernst & Young, Greater Los Angeles.

Honorees thanked CAUSE for the work it has done to empower the APA community.

Yet despite the strides the AAPI community has made in the political sphere, it is still underrepresented and underappreciated, Kobara told attendees during his remarks.

“We’ve made progress, but it’s not enough. We’re still ignored, we’re still overlooked and we’re still thinking about where the opportunities can be,” he said. “There is an ocean of untapped talent in this community, an ocean of suffering in this community. We must help others know we are here, that our voices and needs matter and it cannot be ignored.”

Maloney echoes the sentiment and says that mobilizing the AAPI community is crucial.

“If there’s no diversity in our representation, then we aren’t going to be able to express and address the concerns of everyone in our communities,” he said.

In Alhambra, Maloney thinks the city has appropriate representation at the council level and that council members have established a good level of communication with each other.

“It’s been encouraging for to me to see that level of participation and input that all the different communities in our city have in the process,” he said.

Maloney noted that CAUSE, among other organizations, has served as a voice for communities that historically haven’t had one in politics. He also said that for young AAPIs interested in getting involved in politics, CAUSE is a good place to start.

“And I think for the most part, you’ll be embraced into that world and will be presented with a lot of opportunities,” he said.

Multilingual Campaign Aims To Boost Local Voter Turnout In LA (Asian Journal)

BY ERIC ANTHONY LICAS

CITY officials hope Angelenos will take the opportunity presented by the upcoming primary and general elections in Los Angeles to shape the future of their communities.

In an effort to drive more residents to the polls, representatives from the office of the City Clerk’s Election Division launched the “L.A. City Votes!” outreach and education campaign on Thursday, December 8.

Projects staged by the division, along with 25 nonprofit groups and 18 media organizations, aim to reverse the trend of low voter turnout in local elections.

“I don’t think we’ve done a great job in the past of getting the word out about why it’s important for people to vote in local elections,” L.A. City Clerk Holly Wolcott told the Asian Journal following a press conference promoting voter outreach on Thursday. “That’s what we hope to change this year.”

The Election Division and its partners in the campaign will distribute informational materials available in English, Tagalog and 11 other languages designed to educate residents about voting procedures and their options on next year’s ballots.

In addition, representatives of “L.A. City Votes!” will put on presentations and conduct outreach at college campuses, farmer’s markets, festivals and other community events in hopes of boosting electoral participation across the county.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) typically exhibit a low voter turnout rate, according to Josh Alegado, the programs coordinator for the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE). He hopes that the in-language information offered by the “LA City Votes!” campaign will help many members of those communities overcome perceived language barriers to the polls.

AAPIs, and Filipinos in particular, have the potential to play a decisive role in the outcome of next year’s elections and the development of their neighborhoods, according to Alegado.

“[Filipinos] comprise a large part of the population for a lot of the council districts that are going up for re-election,” he told the Asian Journal after Thursday’s press conference. “We are a big force in Los Angeles and we need to go out and vote.”

Alegado went on to say that, so long as the electorate stays informed, making the choice to be heard matters more than who or what residents vote for.

The information disseminated by the “LA City Votes Campaign” is not intended to sway voters’ decisions in one particular direction or another.

“We’re here to educate, support and just be there for everyone so that they can exercise their right to vote in any language,” Chief of Elections Jinny Pak told the Asian Journal at City Hall on Thursday.

All of the campaign’s educational materials are available on the Election Division’s website.

In addition, the campaign will reach out to the electorate via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Residents can also submit any questions they might have to the election division by phone, mail or email.

Pak also recommended a series of speeches to be delivered by each of the candidates and aired on LA CityView Channel 35 to those who would like to learn even more about the people currently running for office. Transcripts of those speeches will also be made available for those who are unable to catch the broadcast.

“Municipal elections are important because the decision makers you are electing have the most to do with your everyday life,” said Wolcott. “They make decisions about community planning, how budgets are spent in your community, police, trash pickup, things that impact you every day.”

The offices of the Mayor, City Controller, and City Attorney, as well as a number of City Council and school board seats, are at stake next year. Proposals related to education, homelessness, and a diverse collection of other issues encountered by many Angelenos will also seek the public’s approval.

Alegado encouraged families to sit down with each other to discuss the ballot and how their decisions might decide the direction their communities moving forward. He hopes the outreach conducted by the Election Division and its partners will help add substance and context to those conversations.

“Now the city is doing a better job of giving us those resources, making us feel confident, and making us feel like we’re part of democracy,” he said on Thursday.

The primary nominating election scheduled for Tuesday, March 7, 2017 will narrow down the field of competitors for public office. Voters will then cast their ballots for the remaining candidates in the general municipal election on Tuesday, May 16.

East West Bank’s Reach Further: Getting Out The Asian American Vote (East West Bank)

BY ANGELA BAO

Asian Americans have the lowest voter turnout rate than any other racial group in the U.S.

In Los Angeles’ historic Wiltern Theatre, Asian Americans of all ages gathered in the soaring art deco interior for the inaugural #IAmAsianAmerican concert and cheered enthusiastically when popular YouTube singer/songwriter AJ Rafael stepped on stage, guitar in hand. The dark theater was dotted with the lighted screens of dozens of smartphones as people began recording and taking photos of him. Before starting, Rafael expressed his appreciation for being included in the conversation on the Asian American vote and urged the audience to be proactive. “We [Asian Americans] have always been seen as a quiet community,” said Rafael, “but I think we could use our platforms and voices to do things like vote.”

#IAmAsianAmerican was conceived as a way to engage Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) millennials in the voting process by bringing together notable Asian American performers such as Rafael for a free concert. Each performer reiterated the importance of voting, and volunteers wearing #IAmAsianAmerican shirts were available to help guests register to vote.

Although Asian Americans are the fastest growing and best-educated racial group, their voter turnout rates (31 percent) are the lowestamong all racial groups. Amongst registered Asian American millennials (voters aged 18-34), the turnout rates were significantly lower compared to their older counterparts. According to a 2014 report done by APIA Vote, an organization dedicated to engaging Asians and Pacific Islanders in civic participation, only 47 percent of millennials actually voted, compared to the 66 percent in the 35-49 age range and the 67 percent in both the 50-65 and 65-plus categories.

However, the lack of voter participation does not mean Asian Americans, millennials or otherwise, are unenthusiastic about the political process. In a 2016 report, overall Asian American voter enthusiasm has increased drastically since 2014, jumping from 28 percent in 2014 saying they were “more enthusiastic” to 51 percent in 2016. So what’s preventing AAPI people from voting?

GETTING AAPI INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS

Charlie Woo, chairman of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), believes that it all starts with proper voter education for immigrants. According to Pew Research Center, immigrants make up 74 percent of the adult Asian American population, and 38 percent of Asian Americans speak limited English. Factor in the diversity of cultures and languages, Asian American immigrants can find the voting process a bit intimidating—hence, why Woo makes a point of properly educating immigrants on the importance of voting. “There are a lot of propositions on the [voter] ballot,” says Woo. “Unless you’re extremely well-versed in the political process, you won’t really understand. Because of the language barrier, the cultural barrier, it’s very difficult for immigrant communities…but once they understand the importance of [voting], I think they will voice their opinions.”

In the 2016 APIA Vote report, surveys showed that 54 percent of Asian Americans felt disengaged from politics because they believed politicians “didn’t care” about their opinions. At least part of that disengagement stems from the tendency to lump all Asian Americans into one category, when in reality AAPI people come from many different countries and speak dozens of different languages and dialects. Taking the time to understand the differences and preferences—cultural, political and generational—between each Asian ethnic group can greatly benefit any organization trying to increase AAPI engagement. Although Asian Americans as a whole lean Democratic, there are striking discrepancies between individual ethnic groups. For instance, only 18 percent of Indian-Americans lean Republican, whereas 40 percent of Filipino-Americans favor the right. “The Asian American community is not homogeneous—it’s extremely heterogeneous,” states Woo. “Some immigrants need more help in education or healthcare, and some just want help to start their business—their needs are very different.”

For Asian American millennials, social media is the best way to reach out. Asian American millennials are tech-savvy and spend more time on the Internet than the average consumer. #IAmAsianAmerican wisely utilized social media to appeal to the millennial demographic by incorporating a hashtag into the name and encouraging guests to live tweet about the event, which were then displayed on screens on the stage. Imprenta Communications Group, a firm that helps businesses and organizations market to people of color, produced a Public Service Announcement for APIA Vote that featured Asian American celebrities such as George Takei, Constance Wu and John Cho that many millennials will recognize. “Millennials are the key,” says Ronald Wong, the founder and CEO of Imprenta Communications Group. “Lower voter turnout affects us all. Voting is fundamental to our form of democracy—just look at the importance of political activism and how it’s helped Asian Americans gain leadership roles in a relatively short amount of time.”

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INCREASED AAPI VOTER TURNOUT

Asian Americans who don’t vote, whether for a political candidate or for a policy change, might inadvertently be working against their own interests. “People need to see that all of these decisions have a direct economic impact on communities,” says Wong. “There are government policies that help create business, but also ones that hurt business, like the increased regulation on laundromats. Years ago, there was an environmental ruling that affected the dry cleaning business and subsequently closed a lot of Asian businesses. In San Francisco, there’s a tax impacting sugary drinks—that would affect boba tea shops. The Asian American community needs to understand that these policies and politicians have a direct impact on our business—in a sense, voting is a return on investment.”

Woo notes that increased Asian American participation could affect future business and political leaders. “[CAUSE’s] thinking is, voters become engaged when they see an elected official from the community,” says Woo. “So if we train 10 or 20 elected officials in the issues [relevant to Asian Americans], they become a spokesperson for the community. The most effective way to communicate is to develop leaders who share our motivations, share our values.” The ripple effects of increased voter turnout and representation go beyond just politics; Woo believes it will also benefit the business world. “In this world, whether you’re in politics or business, you get ahead not just because of what you know, but who you know,” says Woo. “Any business leader that does not have political knowledge will not be able to rise to the top because, in this society, it’s business leaders helping political leaders, who in turn help business leaders. All of the civic leaders work together.” By increasing political representation and voter turnout, Asian Americans can make significant gains in the business world.