More than 1,800 of you from across the country signed letters in support of Judge Chen — and this demonstration of support has made a difference.

But time is running out. It is important that Judge Chen be confirmed by the Senate before the August recess which could start the first week of August. Once again, we ask your support in urging the Senate leadership to schedule a vote on Judge Chen’s confirmation.

If you’ve already signed a letter of support for Judge Chen, please forward this email and ask others to visit http://fairjudges.net to sign the support letter. If you haven’t signed a letter, please visit http://fairjudges.net. Signing the letter online takes only a few minutes.

Judge Chen’s nomination is important. He would be the first Chinese American ever to serve on the district court that serves the diverse San Francisco Bay Area. And Judge Chen has a long history of public service and commitment to justice:

• Judge Chen represented Fred Korematsu in Fred’s historic suit overturning his WWII conviction for refusing to comply with the Japanese internment order;
• Judge Chen has represented victims of race and language discrimination and sought to protect civil rights throughout his legal career;
• As a federal magistrate judge for the last 9 years, Judge Chen has earned a sterling judicial record and gained the support and respect of all sectors of the bar.
• Judge Chen received the highest rating possible from the American Bar Association — unanimously well qualified.

Again, time is running out. It is important that Judge Chen be confirmed by the Senate before the August recess.

Your continued support is needed and appreciated.

Visit http://fairjudges.net and show your support by signing the letter today!

I’m proud to join an event host committee that includes David Chiu, Phil Ting, Fiona Ma, Steve Ngo, Angelica Jongco, Colbert Tse, Genevieve Jopanda, Gladys Soto, Keesa Ocampo, Lisa Le, Andy Wong and Zoe Dunning.

The event takes place on Thursday August 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Mercury Lounge, 1582 Folsom Street (between 12th St and Norfolk St), in San Francisco.

Suggested donation levels are $35, $100, $250 and $700. Contributions to Jennifer Pae for Oakland City Council 2010 (FPPC #1326068) are not tax deductible. Maximum contribution of $700 per contributor. For more information, visit http://jenniferpae.com.

RSVP via email at vote@jenniferpae.com. Or on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132435350131230

If you don’t know Jennifer, here’s in her own words why she’s running.  I hope you can join me in supporting her!

Jennifer Pae: Now is the time

Oakland faces significant challenges in unemployment, schools and safety. Budget decisions we make this year will impact our lives for years to come. So we need fresh solutions and leadership that brings a deep commitment to community into City Hall. My campaign is grounded in the belief that local government can better serve our basic needs and set up our community for long-term success. It’s possible for us to regain our faith in Oakland City Hall. With your support and investment in my campaign, I will champion a set of policy solutions that will help create a city that will make us proud.

I’ve been listening

I have spent months listening to the concerns of hundreds of parents, merchants, and community leaders in District 2, and we all agree that we face serious and deeply rooted problems. It is not surprising that Oakland residents have lost faith in their government.

I know we can do better, and I am prepared to help lead the way. I hope you will join me, and together, we will build a strong future for Oakland.

Bringing my national experience home

I grew up watching my mother, a first-generation immigrant who raised two children while working and studying to become a nurse, demonstrate what hard work and perseverance can create. Thanks to her success, I have been able to serve as a community organizer, public policy advocate, and an effective leader for change at the local, state and national levels. I served as President of a national organization where I worked closely with the White House, Department of Education, and Congress on key issues affecting education. I currently serve on the Oakland Community Policing Advisory Board and advocate for better public safety policies in our neighborhoods.

I’ll need your time and financial support to make this campaign a success. Please consider investing in our campaign for Oakland by making a donation and signing up to volunteer.

Your support will help us reach voters who want to believe in Oakland again.

Together we can,
Jennifer Pae

The Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS) was founded in 1988 to provide immediate crisis services to domestic violence survivors and children, especially those who are immigrants and refugees. AWS connects these women and children to legal, medical, and long-term services, and has provided thousands of shelter bed nights to them. 100% of women and children improve their nutrition and health while residing at AWS. AWS is committed to every person’s right to live in a violence-free home. Please support and join us in creating a future free from violence.

The talented PULSE band started in SF Japantown over 25 years ago, and is still going strong playing Funk, R&B and Rock music. The band is a favorite at Bay Area community events and clubs, and is composed of some of the best-known Asian American musicians in the Bay Area. PULSE remains true to its goal of providing exciting music with veteran musicians Billy Shen on guitar, Carey Huang on keyboards, Derrick Tong on bass, Arthur Wong on drums, and vocalists Mel Banez, Eva Chew, and Cris Dumandan-Garcia. www.myspace.com/PulseSF

Colette Ikemi is Japantown’s legendary diva who has performed with bands Hiroshima and Pulse. She has a truly soulful and romantic style of singing. Colette is a local favorite jazz/R&B singer who continues to perform at many community events such as the Cherry Blossom Festivals and Nihonmachi Street Fairs. www.ColetteIkemi.com

An AWS former resident says it best, “Since the first day I moved to AWS my world has turned from darkness, paranoia, and fear into a better life. No longer do my children and I have to cry. Now the three of us have only smiles, music, and laughter. We have learned more about human rights, law, communal living, and language.  We have a second chance in life.”

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to buy tickets or sponsorships, please call June at 415-271-3290 or email June at AWSdance@yahoo.com.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the Honorable Tani Cantil-Sakauye as his choice for chief justice of the California Supreme Court.

“Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a distinguished history of public service and understands that the role of a justice is not to create law, but to independently and fairly interpret and administer the law,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

“She is a living example of the American Dream and when she is confirmed by the voters in November, Judge Cantil-Sakauye will become California’s first Filipina chief justice; adding to our High Court’s already rich diversity.”

Cantil-Sakauye has roots in Hawai’i.

Since 2005, Cantil-Sakauye has served as an associate justice for the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. Previously, she was a superior court judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court from 1997 to 2004 and a municipal court judge for the Sacramento County Municipal Court from 1990 to 1997. Cantil-Sakauye worked for the Office of Governor Deukmejian as a deputy legislative secretary from 1989 to 1990 and as a deputy legal affairs secretary from 1988 to 1989. She was a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office from 1984 to 1988.

Cantil-Sakauye is a member of the California Judicial Council, and is vice chair of the Rules and Projects Committee and Judicial Recruitment and Retention Working Group. She is a member of the Commission on Impartial Courts, chair of the Judicial Branch Financial Accountability and Efficiency Advisory Committee and president of the Anthony M. Kennedy Inn of Court.

“It is a privilege and a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to serve as chief justice of the California Supreme Court,” said Cantil-Sakauye. “I have had the distinct pleasure of being a municipal court judge, a superior court judge and an appellate court justice. Being nominated to serve on the highest court in California is a dream come true. I deeply respect the inspirational and visionary work of Chief Justice Ronald George and hope to build upon it. As a jurist, woman and a Filipina, I am extremely grateful for the trust Governor Schwarzenegger has placed in me. I hope to show young people what they can achieve if they follow their dreams and reach for their full potential.”

Cantil-Sakauye, 50, of Sacramento, earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis. Cantil-Sakauye is a Republican.

The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Chief Justice Ronald M. George on January 2, 2011. The compensation for this position is $238,010.

The Governor’s nomination for chief justice must be submitted to the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Once confirmed by the commission, the nominee will appear on the November 2nd ballot for voter approval.

UPDATE 7/25: Event has been moved to Aug. 7 so that we can hold at 111 Minna.  See doctorstohaiti.orgfor the most up-to-date information.

The host committee includes Dave Lu, Kevin Lee, Benjamin Wan and Darlene Lee. Grace and Yuni, aka KC Productions, are organizing this fundraiser to supplement the cost of sending these ten volunteers to Haiti.

RSVP on Facebook.

Five days after the earthquake, JIA was there beginning the work that continues even today. In fact, the president of JIA just left last week for Haiti again, continuing to help Haitians rebuild and recover from the devastating earthquake that demolished Port-au-Prince in January of this year.

It has been over six months now, but let’s not forget the devastation that took place there with over 230,000 lives lost.

Please see the event website (http://www.doctorstohaiti.org) for more information about the event.

$25 donation for admission; any and all additional donations will be appreciated. Your generosity makes a life-changing difference to the lives of many Haitian victims. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please e-mail events@gracekeh.com.

We hope to see you all for this exciting event!

Cross-posted from keithpr.com.

The Asian Law Caucus and three affiliated Asian American civil rights organizations yesterday announced the adoption of “Asian American Center for Advancing Justice” as the new name for the affiliation of the four groups.

The organizations announced the new brand at the second annual Advancing Justice Conference, a three-day event focusing on issues of special interest to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. The four affiliating organizations—the Asian American Institute (AAI), Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC)—jointly host the conference, which has brought together hundreds of participants from across the country.

“This represents a tremendous opportunity not only for the Asian Law Caucus and our sister organizations, but for the larger Asian American community,” said Titi Liu, executive director of ALC, the nation’s oldest Asian American civil rights organization. “Through Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, we will have a larger platform from which to speak about issues that affect our community.”

Asian American Center for Advancing Justice will address many of the issues that are currently the focus of headlines across the country, including immigration, LGBT, civil rights and worker’s rights.

“We are very excited to be part of this partnership of equals at a time when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a greater presence—both in numbers and in prominence—than ever before,” said Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of APALC, the nation’s largest organization addressing the civil rights and legal services of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The four groups will adopt their shared identity in stages over the coming years, explained AAI Executive Director Tuyet Le. “By affiliating gradually, we will maintain our identity and presence in our local communities. AAI is the leading pan-Asian organization in the Midwest, and we will continue to speak to local issues. Asian American Center for Advancing Justice gives us a voice to speak to national ones as well.”

Each organization will continue to be based in its home city: AAJC in Washington, D.C., APALC in Los Angeles, AAI in Chicago and ALC in San Francisco. AAJC will continue to serve as the lead on federal policy as well as other areas in which it has expertise. However, all member organizations do some work at the national level. On a given issue or area, any one of the member organizations may be the national lead for Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.

“As independent organizations coordinating around a set of shared vision and values, we will work to promote a fair and equitable society for all; strengthen civil and human rights; and empower the Asian American, Pacific Islander and other marginalized communities’” said Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of AAJC, one of the premier national Asian American civil and human rights organizations. “In formalizing relationships that have existed for many years, we are expanding our reach and effectiveness and speaking with one unified and powerful voice.”

For more information on Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, please visit www.advancingjustice.org.

Poker players of all skill levels are welcome! Reserve your seat today as seating is limited. Non-poker players can enjoy our ongoing blackjack tournament for their chance to win an iPod Touch!

The buy-in is $35 with unlimited $20 Re-Buys for the poker tournament until 9 pm. This is a 21+ event. ID’s will be checked at the door. Pizza and beer will also be available.

Help us spread the word with the e-flyer (http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/183722/1b53ab73ac/ARCHIVE) and the Facebook event page (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=122679004426769)

OACC is excited to offer readers of foundasian.org a special rate to participate in the tournament! Receive $5 off your buy-in (applicable only to credit card payments processed directly through OACC staff and cash / check payments received at the door or prior to tournament) if you tell us that you are on the Foundasian.org guest list.

Special Thanks to our Sponsor: PokerSavvy.com.

For more information or to register for the tournament, visit http://www.oacc.cc/supportus/donations/pokertournament.html or contact OACC Co-Director Roy Chan at (510) 637 – 0455.

All proceeds benefit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

About OACC: OACC is a thriving first class community arts organization in Oakland and the Bay Area that promotes cross- cultural understanding for present and future generations. Local artists and their cultural art forms are promoted through a variety of programming and community collaborations. Your valuable contribution will enable OACC in continuing to provide innovative and artful APIA programs and services to the San Francisco and greater East Bay Area community.

Here’s your chance to drink, network, and meet Project by Project’s core members. Project by Project is proud to announce its 2010 partnership with APA Family Support Services (APA) based in San Francisco.

APA’s mission is to promote healthy families and to prevent child abuse and domestic violence in API communities. APA addresses a variety of Asian immigrant health issues including health disparity, access, awareness, and education through in-home visitation, parent support, mental health services, and community advocacy and development.

Join us after work for drinks on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 111 Minna Gallery to:

• Learn about our 2010 campaign and how you can help
• Get involved in our many upcoming volunteer opportunities and events
• Meet our team and network with others interested in non-profits, food, and wine!

RSVP for the event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128142783881713

Angela F. Chan was sworn in Wednesday as San Francisco’s newest police commissioner. Her appointment was approved by an 11-0 vote by the Board of Supervisors. She fills the seat on the commission previously held by Vincent Pan, whose term ended. (Photo by Kenneth Lu)

The Police Commission sets policy for the Police Department and conducts disciplinary hearings on charges of police misconduct filed by the Chief of Police or Director of the Office of Citizen Complaints, imposes discipline in such cases as warranted, and hears police officers’ appeals from discipline imposed by the Chief of Police.

Angela is a staff attorney in the juvenile justice and education project at the Asian Law Caucus (I serve on the board of ALC). She represents immigrant families with youth in the juvenile justice system and youth who are harassed or discriminated against in the education system based on race, ethnicity and other protected categories. Angela is also an instructor in the Raza department at San Francisco State University where she teaches “race, crime and justice” and “issues in the criminalization of Latino youth.”

Previously she served as a clerk to Judge Napoleon A. Jones in the Southern District of California. While in law school, Angela was a clerk at the Harvard civil rights project, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Harvard prison legal assistance project, the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office , the NAACP legal defense fund, and Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll.

She earned a juris doctorate, cum laude, from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Occidental College.

During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt recruited soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who were then U.S. nationals into American military service. Approximately 250,000 Filipino soldiers fought alongside the U.S. Army against the Japanese and were promised the same benefits that were given to the U.S. Army soldiers. In 1946, U.S. Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped the Filipino soldiers of their promised benefits. The Rescission Act said Filipino soldiers “shall not be deemed to have been active military, naval, or air service for the purposes of any law of the United States conferring rights, privileges, or benefits…” For over 60 years, Filipino veterans have fought to get official recognition of their honorable U.S. military service during World War II and to be declared eligible to receive full veterans benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In February 2009, President Obama signed a law called the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) which set aside $198 million for their benefit. The Department of Veteran Affairs assured them that they would be able to receive the long delayed benefits that had been promised them for serving in World War II. Filipino veterans living in the U.S. would receive $15,000 and Filipino veterans living in the Philippines would receive $9,000.

Many of the Filipino veterans who sent in their applications to the Veterans Affairs office had their applications denied because they were not on a so-called “Missouri List”, a database that was intended to include all of the personnel who served in the U.S. armed forces in the 20th century. This list is an authoritative source of reference but is not an exclusive list of military veterans. On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel files. Of those destroyed, 80 percent were Army personnel who were discharged from November 1, 1912 to January 1, 1960. There were no duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed. As the VA acknowledges, Filipino veterans were dissuaded from putting their name on this list because the Japanese military had access to that information and would find and kill the family members of those veterans who put their name on the List. Despite this historical fact, the VA has denied the applications of all Filipino veterans who are not on the List and have made no effort to develop any alternative mechanism for verifying service in World War II. Many of these Filipino veterans are in their late 80′s and 90′s and the VA’s actions may make it impossible for this country to fulfill the promise it made decades ago to these brave men and women.

According to Pete McCloskey of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, the lead attorney in this case, “As a veteran myself, I know the sacrifices that have been made by these soldiers in both blood and tears. Compounding one injustice made decades ago with new injustices today do not reflect the true spirit of America. Hopefully, this suit will serve as a catalyst to convince the VA to do what is right.”

A copy of the complaint can be found at http://www.cpmlegal.com.

Mark Grafilo
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy
(650)697-6000
www.cpmlegal.com

Lourdes Tancinco
Tancinco Law Offices
(415)397-0808
www.tancinco.com

Luisa M. Antonio
Veterans Equity Center
415.255.2347
www.vetsequitycenter.org

COTCHETT, PITRE & McCARTHY

TANCINCO LAW OFFICES