Saturday, December 10, 2011
6:00-8:30 PM.
Home of Jean and Arnie Fong,
734 Palmera Court, Alameda.
(510) 908-3731

Please join us at our Annual Holiday Potluck Dinner! Guests are invited to bring an appetizer, main entrée, side dish, or dessert serving 8-10 people. Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.

There will also be a short general meeting to vote on a revision of our By-laws and to elect new officers for 2012. If you would like to look at the By-laws beforehand, a copy of the current and proposed ones are available on our website, http://apacaucus.org/by-laws.

The Nominating Committee has submitted the following slate of new officers: Co-Presidents: Calvin Fong and Phong La. Treasurer: Ken Pon. The positions of Vice-President and Secretary are unfilled. Unless there are nominations at this meeting, these two positions will be vacant for 2012. Members of the Executive Board will take then take turns as secretary at meetings.

We look forward to seeing you at the party. Please feel free to bring a guest/potential new member. You may RSVP at http://apacaucus.org/contact. If you’re unsure as to the category of food to bring, we will be happy to advise you.

Long-time Party activist, former Alameda County Supervisor, Alice Lai-Bitker (right) and a fellow awardee.

Alice Lai-Bitker was honored as The Democrat of the Year by the Alameda County Democratic Party at their Unity Dinner on October 1st. “It was one of the easiest choices the Committee has ever had to make,” said Robin Torello, County Central Committee Chair. “Alice’s is a generous and experienced mentor for new candidates or those considering running. She works hard to get other Democratic candidates elected – walking, phoning, organizing for their campaigns.”

Well-known Alameda pastor, Rev. Michael Yoshi, praised her saying “One of the things I’ve appreciated about Alice as a leader is that she has never lost her moral compass nor personal integrity while serving the community. This is a rarity in politics today where all are challenged by difficult decisions.”

Caucus Co-President Marilyn Ng said, “We’re so proud of Alice. She was a founder of the APA Democratic Caucus. For an Asian immigrant to run for political office is remarkable and noteworthy. She has been dedicated and passionate in incorporating the values of the Democratic Party into social and economic programs.”

Torello notes that Lai-Bitker – a long-time Party activist known for being a ‘un-politician’ who has focused on community and issues rather than politics – attended just about every Democratic event in the East Bay. “Alice practiced Democratic ideals when governing,” said Torello. “She worked hard for her constituents, especially those who did not have a voice — the poor, the elderly or mentally ill.”

During her 10 years on the Board of Supervisors, she worked tirelessly to make government services more accessible to residents. Among her many achievements are increased awareness of domestic violence, a safe house for sexually exploited minors, and streamlined enrollment for health insurance. She implemented initiatives to tackle health disparities and worked on economic redevelopment in the unincorporated area of Alameda County.

The Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus is one of her visions – to serve as a vehicle for the Asian American voice in the Democratic Party. Five years later, the Caucus has emerged as an important endorsement, eagerly sought by candidates running for political office at all levels. We salute Alice and extend our warmest congratulations
on her well-deserved award.

• Jennifer Pae of the East Bay Voters Consortium gave a PowerPoint presentation on how the newly drawn district lines have shifted API and other minority communities.
• Michelle Romero presented the Greenlining Institute’s viewpoint on what the nonpartisan Redistricting Commission did and how they responded to community feedback on the new district lines.
• Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski of the 20th Assembly District expressed his concerns on representing divergent groups in different cities that were not previously within his district.

Senator Majority Leader Ellen Corbett made a guest appearance and gave her opinions and overall viewpoint on the redistricting changes and how it would impact the Democratic leadership in Alameda County. She also noted that ours was one of the best redistricting presentations she has attended.

Thank you one and all for participating in this forum. Special thanks go to our panel of presenters for their time and effort. Many thoughtful questions from the audience were elicited.

We are also grateful to Board member Raj Salwan for arranging the use of his father’s home and for the delicious Indian cuisine. Last but not least to Board member Arnie Fong and the Event Committee members for all their work in putting together such a successful program.

Saturday, Nov 12th, 3pm. Alameda

Two items of importance to the membership will be discussed: the revision of the Caucus By-laws and the Alameda County Democrat Party’s plans for the 2012 elections. For the latter, a representative from the Central Committee will be present to cover key points for the upcoming election year. Included topics will be the roles of chartered clubs, the effects of redistricting, and the endorsement process for the top-two primary election.

Mayor: ANA APODACA

City Council (2 seats): No endorsements. None of the three candidates received 60% of the membership vote as required by our By-laws.

City of Newark’s Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Remember to VOTE!

Mayoral candidates:

• Ana Apodaca (Statement) (website)
• Alan Nagy (Statement) (website)

City Council candidates:

• Rick Bensco (Statement) (website)
• Maria de Jesus “Sucy” Collazco, (Statement) (website)
• Jack Dane (Statement) (website)

Caucus members are invited to hear the candidates and ask questions.  Voting for endorsement will follow.

2011 Fall Educational Forum
Saturday, October 15, 4pm – 6pm.
Home of Board Director Raj Salwan, 2118 Harrisburg Ave., Fremont.
Light dinner served.
RSVP to (510) 522-7797 or 908-3731.
Donations appreciated, $10 – $20

The first-ever Citizens Redistricting Commission in the state of California has redrawn the boundary lines for Congress and the state’s Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization districts. This is a major significant change from the previous practice of State legislators setting the boundaries for the areas they wanted to represent.

What are the results of the redistricting by this nonpartisan commission chosen for their impartiality, skills, and representation of our state’s demographic and geographic diversity? How have their decisions changed the political landscape in Alameda County? What do these new district lines mean for the Asian Pacific Islander community? Is the API political power enhanced or diminished and will our concerns be adequately addressed?

Scheduled speakers are 20th District Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski and Jennifer Pae of the East Bay Voters Consortium.

We look forward to seeing our members. Friends and family interested in the impact of redistricting are also welcome.

To be eligible for endorsement, local candidates had to submit questionnaire for review, attend an endorsement meeting where a statement was given and reviewed, and receive at least 60% of votes casted from paper ballots.

We’d like to congratulate all our winners on their hard work and wish them continued success in office. The Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus supports a limited number of candidates for each election cycle. If you would like the Caucus to consider endorsing your candidacy, please contact us at membership@apacaucus.org.

We’d like to congratulate all of the winners and thank all of our members for voting.

We sure knew how to pick winners in 2010:

Governor – Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown
Attorney General – Dual Endorsement of Kamala Harris and Ted Lieu
Insurance Commissioner – Dave Jones
State Board of Equalization, District 1 – Betty Yee
Secretary of State – Debra Bowen
Controller – John Chiang
Treasurer – Bill Lockyer
State Superintendent of Public Instruction – Tom Torlakson (Nov run off)
United States Senator – Barbara Boxer
United States Representative, District 9 – Barbara Lee
United States Representative, District 11 – Jerry McNerny
United States Representative, District 13 – Fortney Pete Stark
Member of the State Senate, District 10 – Ellen Corbett
Member of the State Assembly, District 14 – Nancy Skinner
Member of the State Assembly, District 16 – Sandre Swanson
Member of the State Assembly, District 18 – Mary Hayashi
Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 3 – Wilma Chan
District Attorney, County of Alameda – Nancy O’Malley
Superintendent of Schools, County of Alameda – Sheila Jordan
Superior Court Judge, County of Alameda, Ofc 9 – Victoria Kolakowski (Nov run off)
Proposition 13: Limits on Property Tax Assessment. Seismic Retrofitting of Existing Buildings – YES
Proposition 16: Imposes New Two-Thirds Voter Approval Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers – NO
Proposition 17: Allows Auto Insurance Companies to Base their Prices in Part on a Driver’s History of Insurance Coverage – NO

To be eligible for endorsement, local candidates had to submit questionnaire for review, attend an endorsement meeting where a statement was given and reviewed, and receive at least 60% of votes cast from paper ballots.

Federal Offices

United States Senator – Barbara Boxer
United States Representative; Dist 9 – Barbara Lee
United States Representative; Dist 13 – Peter Stark

State Executive Offices

Governor – Edmund “Jerry” Brown
Lieutenant Governor – Gavin Newsom
Secretary of State – Debra Bowen
Controller – John Chiang
Treasurer – Bill Lockyer
Attorney General – Kamala Harris
Insurance Commissioner – Dave Jones
State Board of Equalization, Dist 1 – Betty Yee
State Superintendent of Public Instruction – Tom Torlakson

State Assembly

CA State Assembly; Dist 14 – Nancy Skinner
CA State Assembly; Dist 16 – Sandre Swanson
CA State Assembly; Dist 18 – Mary Hayashi
CA State Assembly; Dist 20 – Bob Wieckowski  

State Propositions

Proposition 19 – No Position
Proposition 20 – Oppose
Proposition 21 – No Position
Proposition 22 – Support
Proposition 23 – Oppose
Proposition 24 – Support
Proposition 25 – Support
Proposition 26 – Oppose
Proposition 27 – No Position

Alameda County

Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Dist 2 – Liz Figueroa
Alameda County Superior Court, Seat 9 – Victoria Kolakowski
AC Transit, At Large – Joel Young
AC Transit, Ward 3 - Elsa Ortiz 

City of Alameda

City of Alameda Mayor - Marie Gilmore 
Alameda City Council: Two Seats: Rob Bonta and Lena Tam
Alameda Unified School Board – Mike McMahon

City of Berkeley

Berkeley City Council Dist 1 – Linda Maio 
Berkeley City Council Dist 4 - No Endorsement
Berkeley City Council Dist 7 - Cecilia “Ces” Rosales 
Berkeley City Council Dist 8 - No Endorsement
Berkeley Unified School District: Three seats:Leah Wilson and Karen Hemphill and Josh Daniels 

City of Fremont

Fremont City Council – Anu Natarajan and Bill Harrison

City of Oakland

Oakland Mayor – Jean Quan 
Oakland City Council, Dist 2 – Jennifer Pae
Oakland City Council, Dist 4 – Libby Schaaf
Oakland City Council, Dist 6 - No Endorsement
Oakland City Auditor – Courtney Ruby 

Ohlone Comm. College

District Board of Trustees – Garrett Yee
Union City
Union City Council – Subru Bhat

City of San Leandro

City of San Leandro Mayor – Joyce Starosciak
San Leandro City Council, Dist 1 – Mike Gregory
San Leandro City Council, Dist 4 - Pauline Cutter

City of Berkeley Measures

Measure H – Support
Measure I – Support
Measure R – No Position
Measure S – Support
Measure T – Support

City of Oakland

Measure L – No Position
Measure V - Support
Measure W - No Position
Measure BB – Support

Governor – Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown

Lieutenant Governor – Janice Hahn

Attorney General – Dual Endorsement of Kamala Harris and Ted Lieu

Insurance Commissioner – Dave Jones

State Board of Equalization, District 1 – Betty Yee

Secretary of State – Debra Bowen

Controller – John Chiang

Treasurer – Bill Lockyer

State Superintendent of Public Instruction – Tom Torlakson

United States Senator – Barbara Boxer

United States Representative, District 9 – Barbara Lee

United States Representative, District 11 – Jerry McNerny

United States Representative, District 13 – Fortney Pete Stark

Member of the State Senate, District 10 – Ellen Corbett

Member of the State Assembly, District 14 – Nancy Skinner

Member of the State Assembly, District 16 – Sandre Swanson

Member of the State Assembly, District 18 – Mary Hayashi

Member of the State Assembly, District 20 – Garrett Yee

Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 2 – No Endorsement

Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 3 – Wilma Chan

District Attorney, County of Alameda – Nancy O’Malley

Superintendent of Schools, County of Alameda – Sheila Jordan

Superior Court Judge, County of Alameda, Office 9 – Victoria Kolakowski   Our Recommendations on Propositions

Proposition 13: Limits on Property Tax Assessment.  Seismic Retrofitting of Existing Buildings – YES

Proposition 14: Elections.  Increases Right to Participate in Primary Elections – NO

Proposition 15: California Fair Elections Act – YES

Proposition 16: Imposes New Two-Thirds Voter Approval Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers – NO

Proposition 17: Allows Auto Insurance Companies to Base their Prices in Part on a Driver’s History of Insurance Coverage – NO For non-endorsed candidates and their questionnaires, click on the “Non-Endorsed Candidates” tab under Endorsements or click HERE