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Politics as a Tool of Inuence
Compilation of Case Stdies
Action,Power,InuenceProles in Courage
Andrew Angeles
Sungwoo Chon
Connie ChuRebecca Han
Ellen Hou
Anh Thu Tran
Matthew Wong
Alexander Zou
2011 CAUSE Research Project
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2 foreword
forewordThe CAUSE interns are proud to present the 2011
research project, a compilation of case studies of
prominent individuals ranging from local politicians
in Southern California to state ofcials. In addition
to this compilation, the CAUSE interns have em-
ployed social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and the
CAUSE website, in an effort to share the case stud-ies and project our message.
The number of Asian Pacic Islander (API)elected ofcials is rising. Today, there aremany examples in our federal, state, and
local governments. As a community we havemade signicant progress, yet there is somuch more we can do. The purpose of thisproject is to encourage political participationin the Asian American community. Throughthese case studies, we hope to motivate andinspire Asian Americans to become moreinvolved in our government. Politics
determine the rules and norms that mold ourreality, and we owe much more to ourselvesand to each other than to sit back and let thepolitical process unfold without our input.
sincerely,2011CAUSEInterns
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3table of contents
table of contentsForeword ..................................2
Case Studies
Sukhee Kang .........................6
About the Case Studies ............4
Mike Gin ...............................8
Miller Oh .............................10
Steven Ly .............................12Leland Yee ...........................14
John Chiang ........................16
Ronald Lew ........................18
Jeremy Yamaguchi .............20
Fiona Ma ............................22
Gary Yamauchi ...................24
Tam Ngoc Tran ...................26
Call to Action ..........................28
About the Interns ....................30
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about the case stdiesOur case studies run the gamut, from statewide ofcials to local city council-members. Yet they all have one thing in common: the experience of being an
Asian American in the United States. Below are the individuals whose stories
serve as models for others to follow.
4about the case studies
Position: Mayor of IrvineEducation: Korea University
Ethnicity: Korean
SUKHEE KANG
Position: Mayor of Redondo Beach
Education: University of Southern CaliforniaEthnicity: Chinese
MIKE GIN
Position: City Councilmember of Buena Park
Education: University of California, Los Angeles
Ethnicity: Korean
MILLER OH
Position:Mayor of Rosemead
Education: University of California, Los Angeles
Ethnicity: Chinese
STEVEN LY
Position: California State Senator, District 8
Education:UC Berkeley (Bachelors), San FranciscoState University (Masters), University of Hawaii (Ph.D)
Ethnicity: Chinese
LELAND YEE
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5about the case studies
Position: 31st California State Controller
Education: University of South Florida,
Georgetown University Law CenterEthnicity: Taiwanese
JOHN CHIANG
Position: U.S. District Court Judge
Education: Loyola Marymount University,
Southwestern University School of Law
Ethnicity: Chinese
RONALD LEW
Position: Mayor Pro Tempore of Placentia
Education: California State University, Fullerton
Ethnicity: Japanese and Caucasian
JEREMY YAMAGUCHI
Position: Speaker Pro Tempore, California State As-sembly; California State Assemblymember,12th DistrictEducation: Rochester Institute of Technology,Golden Gate University, Pepperdine UniversityEthnicity: Chinese
FIONA MA
Position: Mayor of Alhambra
Education: Gardena High School
Ethnicity: Japanese
GARY YAMAUCHI
Position:Immigration Reform Activist
Education: University of California, Los Angeles; Ph.D
candidate at Brown University
Ethnicity:Vietnamese
TAM NGOC TRAN
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Today, Irvine, California is
about as close to an urban
utopia as one can nd in the
United States. In fact, in 2008,
Money Magazine ranked Irvine
as the fourth best place to live in
the country, and last year the FBI
named Irvine as the safest big
city in the country. Furthermore,
Irvine is among the company of
the wealthiest and most edu-
cated cities in the United States.
And the man at the helm of this
metropolitan wonderland is themayor, rst-genera-
tion Korean-Amer-
ican Sukhee Kang.
Upon rst glance,
Sukhee Kangs story
doesnt seem to pro-
vide for a natural seg-
ue into the mayorsofce. After earning
his bachelors de-
gree at Korea Univer-
sity in Seoul, Kang
immigrated to the United States.
Like many immigrants of his gen-
eration, Kang had no intention of
entering the realm of Americanpolitics, let alone heading a major
American city. After all, he was an
immigrant who had little familiar-
ity with the new people and cul-
ture that surrounded him. He had
neither experience in politics nor
an established political network
in which to ground a potential
political career. For immigrants
like Kang, politics was not the
prioritymaking a living was.
But there are often certain inci-
dentstipping pointsthat gal-
vanize people to action, that trig-
ger the latent leadership qualities
of seemingly ordinary citizens.
Sukhee Kang was one of those
seemingly ordinary citizens, and
his tipping point was the 1992
Los Angeles Riots. Kang notes,
The 92 incident
wasa wake-
up call to me.
The 1992 riots
devastated many
communities within
the City of Los An-geles, resulting in
dozens of deaths,
over a billion dollars
in property dam-
age, and worldwide criticism and
mockery of Los Angeles. The Ko-
rean-American community was
particularly hard hit. The Korean-
American community not onlysuffered severe property losses,
but also fell victim to systematic
injustices perpetrated by faulty
legal and governmental systems.
As a Korean American himself,
But there are oen cer-
tain incidentstipping
pointsthat galvanize
people to action, that
tigger the latent leader-
ship qualities of seemingly
ordinar citizens.
SUKHEE KANGpolitical eureka!
6sukhee kang
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Kang felt compelled to act. The
LA Riotswas my inspiration
to get involved in the Korean-
American community, he says.
Kangs latent leadership had
been triggered, and he had be-
gun his impressive journey as a
community advocate and pub-
lic servant. In 1993, at the rec-
ommendation of a friend, he
joined the board of the Korean
American Scholarship Founda-tion, where he would eventu-
ally serve as President in 2002.
Kang also became involved in
the Korean American Demo-
cratic Committee, achieving the
position of President. Through
his participation in the com-
munity and local politics, Kang
gained recognition as one who
was able to bring dissimilar peo-
ple together for progress, and
those around him urged Kang
to run for elected ofce. Kang,
after much thought, decided to
run for a seat on the Irvine City
Council, which he narrowly won
thanks to a robust fundrais-
ing effort and a tireless door-
to-door grassroots campaign.
The rest, as the adage goes,
is history. Sukhee Kang would
be reelected to City Council in2006, elected Mayor in 2008,
and reelected to the May-
ors Ofce in 2010. Currently,
Kang is embarking on a cam-
paign for a seat in Congress. If
elected, he would be the only
Korean-American in Congress.
What makes Sukhee Kangs story remarkable is that it trulyembodies the rags-to-riches ideal in the political sense. Kangarrived in California as a Korean immigrant who has now po-sitioned himself to be a serious contender for a Congressionalseat. He was inspired to political activism out of anger towardsthe injustices that his fellow Korean-American immigrantshad suffered. He had no political background to give him aninitial boost; instead, he relied on his personal conviction that
an entire communitys voice could not be ignored in the main-stream political world. When asked his reason for enteringpolitics, Kang simply responds, I wanted to do good for thecommunity. He relied on a strong coalition built on trust andgood old-fashioned hard work to propel him to his current po-sition. I [strongly] believe that if you put in one hundred per-cent of your effort, then the result is always there, he says.
perspective
7sukhee kang
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MIKE GINa te statesman
8mike gin
Mike Gin is not your typi-
cal Republican. He is
progressive. For ex-
ample, Gin strongly supports
the pro-environment agenda. He
is gay. Gin was married to his
spouse in 2008 when same-sex
marriage was legal in California.
He espouses the Tea Party, pre-
ferring to work across the aisle to
reach pragmatic solutions. Gin is
also Asian American, one of the
few minority elect-ed ofcials of the
Republican Party.
Today, Mike Gin
is the mayor of Re-
dondo Beach, a city
with a population
of approximately
66,000 people.
Throughout his life, Gin
has always had an interest for
politics. In high school, he was
elected student body presi-
dent. Gin was also elected to
the student senate at the Uni-
versity of Southern California.After moving to Redondo
Beach, Gin became a charter
member of the historic preser-
vation commission in 1989. Over
the years, he continued to be
involved in the Redondo Beach
community, serving on com-
missions that dealt with archi-
tecture, land use, and planning.
In 1995, Gin threw his name
in the hat to become a member
of the City Council. It was an
opportunity I was interested in at
the time, he said. Despite bat-
tling against three better known
opponents, Gin won the election
with about 60 per-cent of the vote;
thereby, avoiding
a run-off election.
Since 2005,
Gin has been
mayor of Redondo
Beach. As mayor,
his main focus
has been to bring
the community together. Gin
wanted to create an environ-
ment where our residents and
stakeholders in the community
feel they can take ownership
of issues. As a result, Gin has
been a major proponent of citi-zen task forces. For example, in
2005, the Redondo Beach har-
bor had an algae bloom prob-
lem. Under Gins leadership,
I wanted to bring
a dierent voice to
the debate, a voice of
problem-solving and
solutions
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million- the estimated number of U.S. residents of Asian descent.17.3
perspective
9mike gin
a water quality task force was
established.
Frustrated with partisan poli-
tics in Washington, D.C., Gin ranfor the seat of U.S. Congress-
woman Jane Harman this year.
I wanted to bring a different
voice to the debate, a voice of
problem-solving and solutions,
Gin said. Had he won, he would
have been an independent and
progressive Republican. Gin
said, I would cast votes and
make decisions on what I felt
would work best for our district
and work across the aisle rather
than have hard ideological posi-
tions that very frankly dont ad-
dress the needs of our nations.
Gin, the youngest and only
son in his Chinese family,named his parents as his role
models. He said, They always
made sure the needs of myself
and my sisters were provided
for. While his parents are no
longer with him, Gin expressed
his gratitude what they taught
him: the importance of educa-
tion, working hard, and having
good relationships with people.
As for his identity of being an
Asian American elected ofcial,
Gin said, Its part of who I am.
The story of Mike Gin is truly remark-able. It was because of Gins passionfor politics and his community that hedecided to make a run for elected of-ce. Perhaps, what is most important,
is Gins realization that politics requiresworking with your enemies, or thosewho you disagree with on the issues.Whether you are a Democrat or Re-publican doesnt matter, what mattersis what you can do for the communi-ty as a whole. That is essentially whoMike Gin is. His willingness to work
with those across the aisle showsthat he is a true American statesman.
Source: 2010 Census Brief Overiew of Race and Hispanic Origin h://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf
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Miller Ohs story is the sto-
ry of an ordinary Asian-
American. He wasnt
anybody special; he didnt have
connections to inuential gures;he didnt have family members
with a background in politics. I
never thought aboutpolitics;
Im not a politician, he says
when interviewed.
Mr. Oh was simply a
normal person who
one day, exasper-ated by the citys
interference with his
business, decided
to do something about it. Today
he is serving as the rst-ever
minority City Councilmember in
the Orange County suburb Bue-
na Park, a city where three outof four residents are non-Asian.
Mr. Oh was born in South
Korea in 1957, just after the
Korean War. Like many fel-
low immigrants, he didnt vote
or pay attention to political
news, concentrating instead
on his business and his family.
However, motivation came
when the stubborn bureaucracy
of Buena Park collided with his
business. When I need some-
thing, when I need help, they
[the city employees] couldnt
helpthey just punished me,
he states. I couldnt accept it.In December 2009 he made up
his mind to run forofce.
When Mr. Oh decided to run
for City Council, he like many
people had no
idea how to start.
This difculty was
compounded bythe fact that he
was an immi-
grant, less famil-
iar with the norms and cus-
toms of the United States.
He eventually found out what
to do by asking questions and
talking with people. First was
Charles Kim, President of the
Korean American Coalition, who
directed the businessman to
Fred Smith (now mayor of Buena
Park). The future mayor gave Mr.
Oh much-needed advice and
contacted Josh Chebat, a man
deeply involved in city politics.
Mr. Oh hired Josh Chebat as
his campaign manager a key
I never thought
about...politics; Im not
a politician.
MILLER OHan average joe
10 miller ohmillion- the estimated number of Califoria residents of Asian descent.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redisticting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summar File, Custom Table 3, h://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/redisticting.htl
5.6
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step: He brought me a cam-
paign plan for three months,
day-by-day. So I followed ev-
ery single step that he asked
me to do. I walked 8,000
houses, and I attended any
event in the city 6 months pri-
or to the November election.
Another step involved court-
ing the senior vote. Every single
week, Mr. Oh says, he went to
the Buena Park Senior Cen-ter to greet and meet every-
body. At that place 300 to 600
seniors show up every day. It
paid off; three weeks before
the election, the president of
the senior center endorsed him.
That was huge, Mr. Oh states.
There were other endorse-ments. Mr. Oh received the sup-
port of all the former Council-
members. He did this by arguing
that as the Korean population
is growing every single day,
an individual who could rep-
resent and communicate with
the community was necessary.
As a rst-time politician, Mr.
Oh encountered some difcul-
ties during the campaign. The
letterhead the candidate used
came under scrutiny, as did the
place in which he lived and even
his age. At the time, he says, no-
body thought I could make it.But Mr. Oh did make it. The
candidate took 16.2% of the vote,
second to only Elizabeth Swift.
This was enough to ensure his
election to the City Council. Not
bad for an ordinary Asian-Amer-
ican businessman who had had
no interest in politics until today.
Remarkably, Miller Oh has succeeded in getting elect-ed in a city in which Asians are still very much in the mi-nority. Buena Park, according to 2010 Census gures,is 26.4% Asian-American. That Mr. Oh still was electedin a city with three out of four residents being non-Asianspeaks to his skill at appealing to a diverse electorate.
Mr. Ohs example shows that anybody with the will anddedication has a chance of becoming elected. You donthave to have a long history of political activism; youdont have to be a second-generation Asian-Americanborn in the United States; you dont have to speak Eng-lish perfectly. All you have to do is to take a chance.
perspective
11miller oh
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STEVEN LYpaving the ftre
12 steven ly
For many young adults,
politics is never a topic of
open discussion within a
social atmosphere. It would be
more acceptable to talk aboutthe latest trends in technology
or reality television shows, rath-
er than discuss upcoming cam-
paigns or issues that are affect-
ing the state budget. For those
who do get involved and run for
an elected position, they do so
at a much later age.Mayor of Rosemead,
Steven Ly, is an ex-
ception to this rule.
Steven Ly has al-
ways been interest-
ed in the politics and
played a very active
role in his commu-nity at a young age.
He views politics as
a way to effect change- posi-
tive change- in the community
and to truly make a difference.
Politics is a way to better your
community through your own
philosophy- whether youre a Re-publican or Democrat, Ly said.
Ly always knew he would be
involved in politics, but never
thought he would run for the
position of a public gure or an
elected ofcial. He stated that
he would have done the behind
the scenes work or kept it as a
hobby. His young age was actu-
ally one of the reasons why [he]decided not to run for [city coun-
cil] for a really long time. Even
with a background in politics, a
B.A. in Public Policy and Politi-
cal Science, Ly still felt uncom-
fortable running for an elected
ofce, due to the fact that [he]
was so young.
After much en-
couragement from
community mem-
bers, Ly decided to
run for the Rose-
mead City Council.
Citizens of Rose-
mead felt that Lywas like the Son
of Rosemead. [He]
grew up in Rosemead, lived in
the city since the age of three,
attended all the local schools
and remained deeply involved
the community. Even throughout
college, he worked on local is-sues such as building a Walmart
Superstore in the city. Citizens
felt that Ly was one of the few
people who fully [understood]
the community and knew all the
He views politics as away to aect change-
positive change- in
the communit and
to tly make a
dierence.
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The percentage gowth of U.S. residents of Asian descent beteen the 2000 and 2010censuses, which was more than any other major race goup.46
Steven Ly is an extraordinary example foryoung adults to be politically active. Atage 24, he never thought of running foran elected position, yet he defeated theodds, ran a successful campaign, andwon. In March 8, 2009, Ly made history.He feels that it is absolutely importantto be involved in politics, whether itsattending city council meetings, read-ing the newspaper, or even speaking tocity council members on a regular ba-sis. Speaking as a young adult himself,
Ly continues to engage other youth tobecome more politically active throughpublic speeches, community events,and providing support for those organi-zations that focus on youth leadershipdevelopment. Ly also participates ina number of community organizationshimself, such as Boys State and Stu-
dents Advocating to Voter Empower-ment (SAVE), to help educate youngergenerations about politics and the im-portance of becoming politically active.
perspective
3steven ly
issues affecting the community.
In March of 2009, Steven Ly
ran for councilmember in the
City of Rosemead. After a toughcampaign against an incumbent
and a school board member, Ly
won a seat on the Rosemead
City Council by an astonishing
25 votes and became the young-
est councilmember in history of
Rosemead. This was an amaz-
ing accomplishment for the API
community, as well as an inspi-
ration for younger generations.
As for the future, Ly wants
to nish his term as mayor andcontinue making an impact on
the city. At the age of 26, this
is just the beginning of his jour-
ney. He will surely be an inspi-
ration for many years to come.
1
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redisticting Data (Public Law 94-171) Su mmar File, Custom Table 3, h://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn123.htl
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LELAND YEEshaering the glass ceiling
14 leland yee
The number of Asian
Americans in elected
ofces throughout the
state of California is climbing.
On November 8, yet anotherglass ceiling may be broken.
The person who became the
rst speaker pro tempore of
Asian descent is now compet-
ing to become the rst elect-
ed Chinese American mayor
of San Francisco.
That man is
none other than
California State
Senator Leland Yee.
Yee, whose
launch in politics
was in response to
ensuring challenging curricu-lum for his children, was rst
elected to the San Francisco
Board of Education in 1988. As
a school board member, Yees
goals were to improve schools
and instruction. His lasting leg-
acy there: preventing a program
that helped immigrant kids to
ease the transition from their
old homes to new homes from
being cut. According to Yee,
the program gave immigrant
children teachers who could
speak the childrens primary
language and who understood
the history and culture of the
newcomers. As a result of his
opposition to closing the pro-gram, a number of education
centers, Latino Education Cen-
ter, Chinese Education Cen-
ter, and the Filipino Education
Center continue to exist today.
Over the years, Yee con-
tinued to rise in
California politics.In 1996, he was
elected to the San
Francisco Board
of Supervisors. Six
years later, in 2002,
Yee was elected
to the State As-
sembly. In his rst year as a stateassembly member, Yee was ap-
pointed to the leadership team
and served as the rst Asian
American speaker pro tempore.
In 2006, Yee was elected to
the State Senate. One of Yees
most signicant pieces of leg-islation was a bill to ban the
sale of violent video games to
minors. He said, parents should
have more of a say over
what our kids learn and play.
On November 8,yet another glass
ceiling may be
broken.
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percent of Asians tred out to vote in 2008 up 4 percentage points om 2004. Atotal of 3.4 million Asians voted.48
Leland Yees rise in local and state poli-
tics has been a long, steady climb. Yee,who probably never intended to runfor elected ofce, has achieved whatfew Asian Americans have been ableto achieve. His accomplishments, ofwhich there are many, came about asa result of his dedication to his work inwhatever elected capacity he has held.
Yees continued presence in Americansserves as a positive testament to all,especially to the growing Asian Ameri-can community. His continued suc-cesses show that truly, anybody, canachieve what was once thought of asthe unachievable. The Asian Americancommunity should be proud to have
such a role model in the political realm.
perspective
1leland yee
A psychologist, Yee says
these violent video games
are harmful to kids. Un-
fortunately, his law was
deemed unconstitutional
by the U.S. Supreme Court.
This year, when then-Mayor
Gavin Newsom resigned to be-
come Lieutenant Governor, the
San Francisco Board of Su-
pervisors appointed Ed Lee to
become interim mayor. Lee be-
came the rst Chinese Ameri-
can mayor of San Francisco.
We are making tremendous
progress in representation,
Yee said in response to the his-
toric moment. However, the
one we have never been able
to achieve is mayor, he added.
That position is what Yee hopes
to call his on November 8.
5
Source: Voting and Registation in the Election of November 2008 h://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/voting/cb09-110.htl
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JOHN CHIANGa position of power
1 john chiang
Most dont really know
what the state control-
lers job is, but in the
middle of June 2011, people dis-
covered how powerful this po-
sition is. The chief scal ofcer
actually handles disbursements,
money, cash, unclaimed prop-
erty and more. He is essentially
our states accountant. June 15
marks the constitutional deadline
of the state budget. Every year
the California legislator struggles
with devising a budget on time.The budget has been
notoriously know to
be months late, but
in 2011 it was dif-
ferent. California
Democrats passed
a budget on time in
order to avoid pun-ishment. The year before Califor-
nians voted on and passed prop
25, which allowed legislators to
pass a budget with a mere ma-
jority, but if it was not passed
by the deadline pay would be
withheld. Therefore lawmakers
wanted an on-time budget; theproblem, however, was that the
rst budget they passed was not
truly balanced rather, it used
a variety of tricks and gimmicks
to create the appearance of a
balanced budget. The governor
Jerry Brown swiftly vetoed the
rst budget passed leaving Cali-
fornia without a nancial plan. In
2004, Californians made it illegal
for legislators to pass or a gover-
nor to sign an unbalanced bud-
get. Does this dilemma meet the
standards to withhold pay of leg-
islators? Even though lawmakers
passed a budget on time, does
it really have to be balanced?
John Chiang is the states
controller and is responsible forissuing the pay-
checks of govern-
ment employees.
Chiang made a de-
cision that forced
lawmakers into ac-
tion. Chiang used
his judgment to try
and better the community. Chi-
ang saw that a balanced bud-
get was necessary. Chiang sus-
pended the pay of legislators.
Though the lawmakers passed
a budget on time, Chiang saw it
as unbalanced and it did not t
the requirements. Chiang said, It
comes out with my signature andif it comes out with my signature
I have to make sure that it is le-
gal. Salaries were withheld forc-
ing lawmakers to collaborate and
make cuts into the budget. The
You never do
anyhing you
believe is wrong
6
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million- the number of businesses owned by Asian-Americans in 2007, an increaseof 40.4 percent om 2002.1.5
Chiang served as chief of staff to BradSherman, a member of the California
Board of Equalization. When Sherman de-cided to run for U.S. Congress and wassuccessful, this left his position on theboard of equalization open. State law saysthat whoever is chief deputy shall dis-charge the position until the governor putsup an appointment. People told Chiang togo after that position because it is one ofthe 12th highest ofces in the state. Heinitially didnt want to do it. Chiang com-mented I was always interested in socialjustice, so I said Okay, Ill give this a go.Continuing on to the Board of Equalizationput Chiang into a position to run for statecontroller. As state controller Chiang ndsthe most rewarding part of this job is thatyou help people. However, he nds that
the most challenging part is trying to edu-cate the public. He nds that involvementis essential because everything govern-ment does has an impact on your life.
perspective
1john chiang
governor was pushed into nu-
merous meetings to consider the
budget. Legislators were angered
and irritated by Chiangs decision.
On June 30, Jerry Brown
signed into law a new balanced
budget of the state of California.
This was a rarity. This was the
second time in a decade that an
on time balanced budget was
passed. The balanced budget
was signed just two days shy of
the new scal year. This allowed
legislators to receive their pay
one again. Those two weeks of
deliberation, bickering, and panic
paid off with a balanced budget.
Chiangs decision gave the statehope to try and get out of a nan-
cial crisis. Without his decision
to suspend pay, the budget may
have been late by months. Legis-
lators had to cooperate with the
governor to create a necessary
budget. This would not have been
done so quickly without the Con-troller John Chiangs decision.
7
Source for the statements referenced in this section, unless otherise indicated: 2007 Surey of Business Owners via American FactFinder h://factnder.census.gov/home/sa/main.htl?_lang=en
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RONALD LEWan early tailblazer
1 ronald lew
When it comes to one
of the rst trailblaz-
ers in the Asian Pa-
cic Islander American com-
munity, the Honorable RonaldS.W. Lew is by far one of the
most inuential.
Lew is more than
just notable for his
prestigious job
in 1987, he was the
rst Chinese Amer-
ican judge ever
to be appointed
as a Federal Dis-
trict Judge in the
continental U.S.
For Lew, his fa-
ther proved to be
the greatest inu-ence on his life and
motivated his ca-
reer path. His father
immigrated to the U.S. from
China at the time that the Chi-
nese Exclusion Act emerged.
As a result, it took many years
until the family began raisingchildren in the U.S., with the
future judge born as one of
nine. As an Asian American
who grew up in the 1940s and
1950s, Lew faced tremendous
discrimination and confronted
crime that his community in-
stilled on its own, paving his fu-
ture as an attorney and leader.
Though the Chinese com-
munity in Los
Angeles was
very tight-knit,
even Lews fam-
ily members and
friends knew this
isolated way oflife was not sus-
tainable. This
would be no way
for them to sur-
vive long-term,
especially as mi-
norities continued
to face prejudice.
Lew has said,
Since law is the
key to this inte-
gration [between our com-
munity and the greater com-
munities in America], I started
working immediately withcommunity groups to help at
integration in the eld of law.
After being drafted into the
U.S. Army, Lew began to prac-
tice law, not only for his fathers
Since law is the key to
this integation [be-
teen our communit
and the geater com-munities in America], I
stared working imme-
diately with commu-
nit goups to help at
integation in the eldof law.
8
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The number of single-race Asian militar veterans. About one in threeveterans was 65 years and older.158,183
As a Federal District Court Judge, Lew exemplies a power-ful, inuential Asian American. His father may have inspiredhis path, but he ultimately stuck with it because he loved thesubject eld. Judge Lew notes, It was a different era. Wehad to struggle to exist, that [was] the key. His statementrings true; todays generation is living in a much more pro-gressive age. Albeit all the advancements achieved, muchimprovement still needs to be made. Judge Lew said, We
are so far ahead from where we were in the past, but we stillhave a lot of problems... try to make a difference and createa greater consciousness for fair play and equal opportunity.
perspective
1ronald lew
dream, but also because he
wanted to see an Asian in-
volved in public service. He
wanted to bring about the in-
novation his parents talked
about, that the immigrants
had to be reliant on the greater
community and begin to trust
their new environment. Start-
ing off at the City Attorneys
ofce, Lew continued to climb
in the ranks, later serving as an
appointed judge at L.A.s Mu-
nicipal and Superior Courts. In
particular, Lew had to deal with
the crime that was rampant
in his Chinese community, as
gangs emerged and preyed
on their own residents, and he
worked to convince people that
the foreign court system could
be of help. He remained exten-
sively involved in API commu-
nity organizations, also looking
to the court as a way to act for
the publics interest. Since his
appointment from President
Reagan in 1987, Judge Lew
continues to serve on the fed-
eral bench in the Central Dis-
trict of California, and most re-
cently, took the time to ll in for
the late Arizona Federal Judge
Roll, who was killed in the
2011 Tucson shooting, prov-
ing he is an API that is never
afraid to make an impact.
9
Source: 2009 American Communit Surey h://factnder.census.gov
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JEREMY
19and counting
20jeremy yamaguchi
Elected as a city coun-
cil member of Placentiain 2008 at the age of 19,
Jeremy Yamaguchi is one of the
youngest elected ofcials in Cal-
ifornia and the youngest in Or-
ange Countys history. Further,
Yamaguchi ran in a race with six
candidates for three open seats
and he received the highest to-tal vote count. The
question becomes
how did he do it?
If you talk with
Yamaguchi, the rst
thing he will tell
you is that he did
not intend to get
involved with poli-
tics. Instead, what
Yamaguchi did, was
get involved with the commu-
nity through his volunteer work.
Some of the organizations he
has been involved with include
Placentia Neighborhood Watch,Placentia Heritage Parade and
Festival, Placentia Cultural Arts
Commission, Placentia Cham-
ber of Commerce, Placentia
Police Department, and the
Boy Scouts of America. Yama-
guchi came to realize that hiswork throughout the community
brought him closer to politics by
coming into contact with com-
munity leaders and the play-
ers in local government. It was
through volunteering that Yama-
guchi gained insight to how
the city operates. Therefore,Yamaguchi while
younger in age had
an edge over the
other city coun-
cil candidates.
Y a m a g u c h i
says that his need
to give back to the
community comes
from his family who
are community-ori-
ented. His father is a sergeant
in the citys police department
and his mother volunteers with
the citys neighborhood watch.
He lives by the statement thatthe greatest things in life arent
necessarily what you get in a
paycheck but the people you
meet and what you can take
back. As a result of his work
Yamagchi ran in a
race with six candi-
dates for three open
seats and he received
the highest total votecount.
YAMAGUCHI
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Percent of the single-race Asian population that was under age 18 as of July 1,2009 while 9.6 percent was 65 or older.23.6
Jeremy Yamaguchi is a perfect exampleof how young adults can be politicallyactive and make a difference. Eventhough during his campaign, peoplequestioned whether he could do the jobof a city council member because of hisage, Yamaguchi has proved that age is
not a negative factor. When asked howto get young people active and involvedin politics, he suggested peer pressure.Not the negative connotation that thephrase has, but the act of young peopleand their peers learning and research-ing about the issues together and evengoing to vote together. He believes it is
essential to get young people politicallyactive because they pay taxes and liveunder the same rules and regulations ofgovernment that older Americans do.
perspective
21jeremy yamaguchi
and close ties to people in the
community, he was able to gain
support for his election. He had
name recognition because of
his visibility in the communityand the network of contacts of
people he met from his volun-
teer work with the city, nonprot
organizations, and the school
district. In fact, Yamaguchi has
a historic record of three thou-
sand community service hours!
At Yamaguchis swearing-in
ceremony, a reporter pointed out
that he was now his dads boss,
since his dad works for the city.
However, Yamaguchi was more
interested in getting to work for
the residents of Placentia. He is
currently nishing his rst-term
in ofce and plans to run for re-election in 2012. Outside of his
work for the city, Yamaguchi is
currently a senior at Cal State
Fullerton majoring in political sci-
ence with a minor in music. Af-
ter graduation, he plans to con-
tinue his education by attending
law school. Yamaguchi is un-sure of what his political future
holds, but dont count him out!
Source: Population estimates h://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.htl
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FIONA MAchanging our views
The projected number of U.S. residents in 2050 who will identif themselvesas Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races. They wouldcomprise 9 percent of the total population by that year.
40.6
22fona maSource: Population projections h://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-123.htl
One out of ten Asians has
hepatitis B. If there is
liver cancer in an Asian
family, it is probably from hepa-
titis B. When Speaker pro tem
of the state assembly Fiona
Ma rst found out that she in-
herited this silent disease from
her mother, she re-
members, I didnt
know what to say.
I didnt want to tell
anybody, but people
need to talk about
it. She rst started
talking about it ve
or six years ago,
and now consis-
tently puts the spot-
light on hepatitis B
in hopes of raising awareness.
Most dont understand that
hepatitis B is a blood born and
blood related disease. Through
education and awareness this
people can recognize that hep-
atitis B is not passed by touch
or breathing the same air. Masaw the stigma of having this
silent disease and wanted to
ght against it. She used her
position in politics to make May
2009 hepatitis B awareness
month in California. She also
used government to introduced
Assembly Bill 158, which tried
to get MediCal expanded for
those with chronic hepatitis B.
Mas work with
hepatitis isnt the
only way she has
utilized politics.The speaker pro
tem has also done
work on domestic
violence. Before
Ma got elected to
the San Francisco
Board of Supervi-
sors, she was at a press con-ference for a family. A young
woman in the Richmond district,
not far from where she lived, had
been brutally murdered in front
of her children. Ma thought,
How could our system fail
someone like that? The man
that committed the murder hadve different felony accounts
and he was still allowed out on
I didnt know what
to say. I didnt wantto tell anybody, but
people need to talk
about it.
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Though Ma represents the most Asian population in SanFrancisco, getting the Chinese to vote was very hard. Votingmentality differs among Asian ethnic groups; in China, gov-ernment is not popular and so, Mas parents tried to dissuadefrom politics for seven and a half years. However, Ma ran for
the San Francisco board of supervisors and ran in the Sun-set District, realizing that education was essential to show whyyou elect Asian Americans. She had to show that we under-stand the culture and we are going to be there to ght for thethings that we care about. Ma also utilized direct targetingwith language through newspaper or TV. Language matters, soshe had eight different pieces of language. Every vote countsso she had to gure out a way to connect with the individu-als. Most Asians dont care or dont see the point, but educa-tion to make them realize that government does matter is thereal challenge. However, the Asian vote in her elections wasntthe only votes she had to have. Her goal was to get at least1/3 of the Asian vote and also get her share of other culturese.g. German, Italian, Hispanic. Ma utilized the strategy of con-necting with people in her elections and has been successful.
perspective
3fona ma2
the streets. Ma realized that
the system was a mess and it
had to be xed. She is now the
Chair of the Select Commit-
tee on Domestic Violence. She
authored and co-authored nu-
merous domestic violence bills,
from making it easier for judges
to give restraining orders to
re-allocating money to domes-
tic violence shelters. These
two issues are just a glimpse
of what the Assemblywoman
ghts for. She has an array of
matters that she is both pas-
sionate about and utilizes gov-
ernment to help x the system.
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Gary Yamauchi began his
career as a professional
bowler of all things. Be-
ing an elected ofcial was one of
the last things on his mind. In
fact, he had no political ambi-
tions. But what he did have wasa call to service. Yamauchi was
very involved in the community
as a member of the Alhambra
Rotary Club, the West San Ga-
briel Valley YMCA, and the Al-
hambra Chamber of Commerce
and it was this fact that thrust
him into the localpolitical arena. Yam-
auchi himself calls
his path into local
government an un-
usual story. During
that time in Alham-
bra, the city council
was divided. Oneof the ve members
was hospitalized
and could not return
for votes. As a re-
sult, the council was
split two against two. It put the
city in a stalemate and no work
could be done. There needed to
be another council member to
break the tie. The council knew
that they would need to appoint
someone, but they had to agree
on a person together. Thus, the
city council looked to Yamauchi
who is extremely active in the
community and friends with all
members of the council. He was
asked by the council if he would
take the position and Yamauchiagreed. But before Yamauchi
could be appointed, the city
councilman who was hospital-
ized returned. However, this set
the stage for Yamauchi to run for
elected ofce. When the seat
for city council was open, Yam-
auchi ran on a plat-form of community
involvement and
service. Yamauchi
said that he wanted
to run for the city
council because he
believes that the
city council posi-tion is the highest
level of community
service. This was
his very rst elec-
tion in 2004 and
he won! He ran again in 2008
unopposed and was re-elected.
It is evident when you meetwith Mayor Yamauchi that he is
genuinely concerned about the
Not only was he ableto help Mimi, but it
showed him how
all these goups and
various organizations
in the cit are able tocome together for a
cause.
GARY YAMAUCHIom bowling alley to cit hall
24gary yamauchi
The percentage of single-race Asians 25 and older who had a bachelors degee or high-er level of education. This compared with 28 percent for all Americans 25 and older.
50 Source: 2009 American Communit Surey h://factnder.census.gov
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people of Alhambra. He shared
a very touching story which he
views as one of his proudest
moments as an elected ofcial.
As mayor, Yamauchi started acampaign fundraiser for Mimi
Alvarez, a young lady with an
unknown disease in which she
cannot be in any form of light.
Nobody knew what Mimi had
and the only possible form of
hope was for her to travel to
Boston and meet with doc-tors there. Unfortunately, Mimi
needed to travel in a private jet
and have caretakers with her
because of her disease. Mayor
Yamauchi created the campaign
in order to raise funds for her
to travel to Boston. He called
the campaign Mimis Journey
of Hope. Yamauchi planned to
raise ten thousand dollars, but
with the help of the community
raised around forty thousand
dollars! He said that the best
part of this was when she re-
turned and he saw her outside in
the sun at an event. Yamauchi
got a little choked up when he
related how the family sent him
pictures of Mimi at the voting
booth voting for the rst time.
This was a denite highlight for
Yamauchi and one of the mostemotional times for him as may-
or. Not only was he able to help
Mimi, but it showed him how
all these groups and various or-
ganizations in the city are able
to come together for a cause.
As the rst Asian American
city council member in Alham-bras history, Yamauchi feels
the need to set a good exam-
ple as an Asian elected ofcial.
Yamauchi says that he needs
to be better than average and
a step ahead of other coun-
cil people, in order to help the
next Asian who comes along.Yamauchi hopes that people
will look at an Asian candidate
and say our last Asian coun-
cil member wasnt so bad, lets
give this candidate a chance!
Gary Yamauchi is an example of an individual who made thetransition from community service to public service, which in
Yamauchis eyes are essentially the same thing. He passion-ately supports Asian political empowerment and would like tosee all Asian Americans get involved in their own communities.The involvement in organizations provides an Asian presencewhich in turn could prompt others of Asian descent to becomeactive. It is from this group of active Asians that candidateswe need for elected positions in government will emerge.
perspective
2gary yamauchi 5
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Almost unparalleled, the
issue of immigration in-
spires the ercest de-
bates and the loudest outcries.
Yet a surprisingly prominentface in the midst is that of a
young Vietnamese student, Tam
Ngoc Tran, who is described
as reserved but has empow-
ered thousands, even after her
tragic death. In a rather unique
situation, Tams parents were
rescued by the Ger-man navy after ee-
ing Vietnam as boat
people. During their
time in Germany,
Tam and her young-
er brother were
born, but the family
planned on reunit-
ing with relatives in
California. As Tam
once said about
this decision, af-
ter all, this was America. In
the hopes of being sponsored
for citizenship, they arrived to
the US when Tam was six, in
search of the American dream.
However, the family was de-
nied political asylum in the US,
while unable to return to Viet-
nam for risk of persecution and
refused entry back to Germany.
Without birthright citizenship,
Tam Tran was ofcially state-less. Lingering in immigration
limbo, they settled in Orange
County, where she graduated
from Santiago High School in
Garden Grove. She would go on
to earn her Bachelors Degree
from UCLA before pursuing a
Ph.D at Brown Uni-versity, but there
is no question that
Tam considers
herself a Southern
Californian through
and through.
In May 2007,
Tam testied be-fore a House Judi-
ciary Committee,
where she pas-
sionately advocat-
ed for the Development, Relief
and Education for Alien Minors
(DREAM) Act. For the budding
lmmaker and activist, this wasan unprecedented stage to ex-
plain the struggles of being an
I am lucky... to sharemy stor and give voice
to thousands of other
undocumented stdents
who cannot. But I know
that when I retr home
tonight, Ill become mar-ginalized once again.
TAM NGOC TRANcaliforia DREAMer
26 tam ngoc tranNumber of Asian Americans in the Califoria Legislatre.
11 Source: h://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/apilegcaucus/members.ht
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undocumented student: to
be pressured to turn down pres-
tigious fellowships, to be forced
to make compromises so young,
to simply be used to thislos-ing things [she has] worked hard
for. While creating a path to
citizenship for striving students,
the proposed legislation was not
only a matter of using her college
degree to the fullest. It was also
a matter of a lifelong identity.
Tam stated: I hate lling outforms, especially the ones that
limit me to checking off box-
es for categories I dont even
identity with. Place of birth?
Germany. But Im not German.
Ethnicity? Im Vietnamese, but
Ive never been to Vietnam.
However, these forms never askme where I was raised or edu-
cated. I was born in Germany,
my parents are Vietnamese, but
I have been American raised and
educated for the past 18 years.
Three days after the 24 year-
old testied, Immigration and
Customs Enforcement arrested
her parents and brother as fugi-
tives from justice, though theyhad been regularly reporting to
ofcials for work permits. As
Tam temporarily went into hid-
ing, a movement of DREAMers
was sparkedRep. Zoe Lof-
gren and the public rallied for
the familys eventual release.
On a Saturday morning inMay 2010, Tam and Cinthya
Felix, her best friend and fellow
DREAMer, were hit in an auto-
mobile accident. By 6pm that
day, two extraordinary leaders
of immigration reform would be
lost. As the community reects
one year laterafter the DREAMAct reached its rst Senate hear-
ing in June and after the Cali-
fornia DREAM Act was signed
in Julywe see that the legacy
of Tam is still very much alive.
Tam Tran shatters the misconceptions about undocu-mented immigrantstheyre uneducated; they dont paytaxes; and they dont want to contribute to society. For thethousands who qualify for the DREAM Act, they look for thepassage of this bill to get a higher education, to contribute tosociety, and to fully use their talents to help their community.
perspective
2tam ngoc tran 7
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28 call to action
call to actionThough you may not be interested in a career as a lawyer or anelected ofcial, these stories should spark a desire to become moreinvolved and aware of the government, its ofcials, and their poli-cies. No matter your eld of work, government impacts everything inyour life. Take ahold of the power and inuence you have as a rising,young API and act now. As our community struggles to improve,we need more to rise and help us grow and truly thrive, as a betterinformed, inuence-yielding, united people.
Dont be surprised by
an unwelcome change.
be informed
VOTE!And not just in the
general election;
vote in that City
Council election
nobody is payingattention to.
Tell them what you like and dont likeabout the community.
contactcommunity leaders
A small bit of assistance,
in a timely fashion, can
do tremendous good.
donateVOLUNTEERCommunities can
always use the help.
RUN
You never know,
you might just win!
FOROFFICE
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2call to action
The calls that members of Congress receive aretheir number one way of judging public opinion.
contact your
get
Theres no telling what you can achieve
just by being involved.
involved
Its the only wayto achieve lasting
change.
stay in touch
9
member of Congress
Political participa-
tion requires rst-
generation immigrants
to realize that what
happens in America
is just as important as
what happens in Indiaor China. It requires
getting immigrants
to ll out ballots in a
language they arent
familiar with, and to
do this on a regular
basis, time and again.Change, to quote a
famous man, will not
come easy. But, with
the proper
strategies and institu-
tions championing it,
change can be done.
PARTICIPATE
We are so far aheadfrom where we were in
the past, but we still have
a lot of problems try to
make a difference and
create a greater con-
sciousness for fair play
and equal opportunity.-U.S. District Court
Judge Ronald S.W. Lew
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meet the intersYear & School: Freshman at Univerisity of ChicagoOfce Placement: CA Senator Kevin De LeonRole of Projecxt: Project Lead, Staff Writer for FionaMa and John Chiang
Year & School: Junior at Princeton UniverisityOfce Placement: LA Public Works CommissionerPaula DanielsRole of Project: Community Relations Coordinator,Staff Writer for Sukhee Kang
Year & School: Sophomore at UC Santa BarbaraOfce Placement: CA Assemblymember Mike EngRole of Project:Design Editor, Staff Writer for Steven Ly
Year & School: Sophomore at UC San DiegoOfce Placement:CA Assemblymember Warren FurutaniRole of Project: Public Relations/ VolunteerCoordinator, Staff Writer for Judge Ronald Lew
3 about the interns
Andrew Angeles
Connie Chu
Sungoo Chon
Rebecca Han
Year & School: Graduate of Loyola Marymount UniversityOfce Placement: U.S. Congresswoman Judy ChuRole of Project: Social Media Coordinator, Staff Writerfor Gary Yamauchi and Jeremy Yamaguchi
Ellen Hou
0
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Year & School: Sophomore at George WashingtonUniversityOfce Placement: CA Senator Lou CorreaRole of Project: Copy Editor, Staff Writer for Tam Tran
Year & School: Graduate of UC DavisOfce Placement: CA Senator Carol LiuRole of Project: Community Relations Coordinator,
Staff Writer for Mike Gin and Leland Yee
Year & School: Junior at Pomona CollegeOfce Placement: State Controller John ChiangRole of Project: Staff Writer for Miller Oh, Researched
Call to Action Information
1about the interns
Anh Thu Tran
Mahew Wong
Alexander Zou
We would like to thank the 2011 CAUSE Leadership
Academy sponsors Southwest Airlines, Southern California
Edison, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, and Mr. Nelson
Tan. We would also like to thank the CAUSE Board,
especially Charlie Woo, Chairman, and Carrie Gan, Director
of Programs. Both have put an incredible amount of
dedication and effort to empower the next generation of
leaders. As interns, we have had the opportunity to interactwith the API community and to develop as leaders. During
our meetings with community leaders and elected ofcials,
we have gained political awareness and insight into API
issues. Thank you for providing us with an invaluable and
unforgettable experience.
THANK YOU
3
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CAUSE Leadership Academy
Center for Asian Americans
United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE)260 S. Los Robles Ave. #118
Pasadena, CA 91101
Ofce: (626) 356-9838
Fax: (626) 356-9878
A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Mr. Nelson Tan