Asian Law Caucus Selects Hyeon-Ju Rho as New Exec. Dir.

Posted on 17th November 2011 in law, people

The Asian Law Caucus board of directors today announced the appointment of Hyeon-Ju Rho as the organization’s new executive director.  Rho succeeds Mina Titi Liu, who announced in September that she would be stepping down.

“The Caucus’s vision of progressive API activism as part of a broader movement to secure equality and justice for all, is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago,” said Rho. “I am honored to be joining the talented team at the Caucus to build on this powerful legacy.”

Rho brings valuable litigation, advocacy and executive management experience to the position. She began her career as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program, and subsequently practiced poverty law as a staff attorney at the Urban Justice Center in New York City. Most recently, as the Country Director of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) China Program, Rho managed the national office and led the implementation of ABA ROLI’s social justice programs in areas including public interest lawyering, criminal justice reform, women’s rights and environmental protection.

Rho’s selection comes after the Caucus board conducted a nationwide search with assistance from CompassPoint Nonprofit Services.

A member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco is the nation’s oldest organization advocating for the civil and legal rights of APIs. The mission of the Asian Law Caucus is to promote, advance and represent the legal and civil rights of API communities, with a focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved individuals. In addition to supporting clients with legal expertise, the Caucus seeks to bring together elements of policy advocacy and community organizing so that through one person’s individual struggle it is able to achieve broader results for the community.

Source: Asian Law Caucus news release

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Asian Law Caucus and Affiliated Groups Launch New Branding

Posted on 25th June 2010 in Uncategorized

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.

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Angela Chan Newest S.F. Police Commissioner

Posted on 4th June 2010 in Uncategorized

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.

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More Asian American, Pacific Islander Applicants Sought for California Redistricting Commission

Posted on 11th January 2010 in politics

Every ten years, the voting lines in California are redrawn to evenly divide the voting districts based on the latest census data. How the lines are drawn can determine who will run for office and who will win, and whether communities are kept together or split unfairly.

In the past, the State Legislature has drawn the district maps for the State Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization. Because of Proposition 11, a 14-person citizens commission will be in charge of redistricting in 2011. The application process for the commission began December 15, 2009, and will be open until February 12, 2010.

As of January 5, 2010, only 192 of the 4,724 applicants (4.1 percent) were Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI). People of color as a group make up less than 18 percent of the applicants. AAPIs represent nearly 15 percent of the state’s total population, and communities of color make up over half of the state’s total population.

Unless additional people of color including AAPIs apply, there is significant risk that the commission will not reflect California’s diversity.

Up-to-date statistics can be found at https://application.wedrawthelines.ca.gov/statistics.

The commission will hold public hearings throughout California, evaluate relevant materials, and eventually draw the new district maps. The commission may hire staff and consultants in order to support its work.

The maps the commission draws will determine whether Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are kept together or split by district boundaries. “It is critical that the commission reflects the diversity of California, including Asian Pacific Islander representation,” said Mina Titi Liu, Executive Director, Asian Law Caucus.

Commissioners will serve until 2020; however, the vast majority of the commission’s work will occur from January to September 2011 since the district maps must be completed by September 15, 2011. From January 2011 until the adoption of the maps, the commissioners may spend 10-40 hours a week or more on their responsibilities. The commissioners are paid $300 per day plus expenses when doing commission business.

To apply for the commission, applicants must fill out an online form. The form can be found at http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov and is due by February 12, 2010.

The Asian Law Alliance (ALA), Asian Law Caucus (ALC), and East Bay Asian Voter Education Consortium (EBAVEC) will conduct application workshops in the Bay Area during January and the first part of February to provide interested individuals with information about the commission and assistance with the application process. ALA, ALC and EBAVEC held workshops in early January in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

After the application period is over, the 14 commissioners will be selected in a multi-step process that is supervised by the California State Auditor. A panel of three government auditors will review the applications and select 120 applicants for interviews. The panel will then choose a final list of 60 applicants from which eight commissioners are randomly chosen. These eight commissioners will then pick the remaining six commissioners.

The commission members will be appointed by December 31, 2010. The commission will be made of five registered Democrats, five registered Republicans, and four individuals who are either decline-to-state or registered with a third party.

To serve on the commission, an individual must be a registered voter in California for at least the last five years with the same party (or non-party) affiliation; have voted in at least two of the last three statewide general elections; and have relevant analytical skills, be impartial, and appreciate California’s diversity.

An applicant will be disqualified if, within the past ten years, he/she or a member of his/her immediate family has been in or a candidate for federal or state office; been appointed as a member of a political party central committee; served as a paid congressional, legislative, or Board of Equalization staff; been a registered lobbyist; or contributed $2,000 or more to any congressional, state, or local candidate in a year.

Additionally, individuals who are appointed to the commission face restrictions on future political activities. Until the end of 2020, they may not run for federal, state, county or city office. Until the end of 2015, they may not be appointed to federal, state or local office; serve as paid staff for the state legislature or any individual legislator; or register as a federal, state or local lobbyist within California.

For more information about the commission or the workshops, call the Asian Law Caucus at (415) 896-1701 ext. 121, Asian Law Alliance at (408) 287-9710, East Bay Asian Voter Education Consortium (925) 933-6778 or visit http://www.tinyurl.com/capafr2011.

Also, the California State Auditor has information translated in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese posted on its website at http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov/toolkit.html.

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