AAPI Engagement in Local Redistricting Equals a Louder Voice for the Community

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011
Time: 2:30-4:00pm
Place: Sakura C

In 2012, most redistricting activity (that is redrawing of district lines) will be occurring at the local level, such county boards of supervisors, city councils, and school boards. The current cycle of redistricting will help determine the political future of AAPI communities.  Will new districts keep AAPI communities together and provide them with an opportunity to elect officials who are responsive to their needs?  Or will new districts split AAPI communities unfairly, muffling their political voice?  In part due to AAPI population size, local redistricting can offer more opportunities for the AAPI community to engage and have a meaningful impact.  Thus, it will be imperative that AAPI voices are engaged in the local redistricting process. The workshop would provide an opportunity to train advocates on how to conduct redistricting outreach to engage communities in local redistrictings and will be able to build on lessons learned and best practices from the current statewide redistricting efforts.

*This workshop is eligible for 1 hour of MCLE credit for California based lawyers

Speakers:

	Jenny Lam Director of Community Initiatives Chinese for Affirmative Action		James Hong Civic Participation Coordinator MinKwon Center for Community Action
	Daniel Ichinose Director, Demographic Research Project Asian Pacific American Legal Center		Deanna Kitamura Statewide Redistricting Manager Asian Pacific American Legal Center
	Carlo De La Cruz Special Projects Coordinator, Redistricting & Voting Rights Asian Law Caucus

Advocacy to Secure Local Compliance with Section 203 of Voting Rights Act

Date: Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Time: 11:00-12:30
Place: Sakura B

In summer 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau will release a new list of jurisdictions subject to the language assistance requirements of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.  Prior to the summer 2011 determination, there were 16 counties located in 7 states that were required to provide bilingual voting assistance in one or more Asian languages.  The 2011 determination is expected to add several new jurisdictions that are required to provide Asian language assistance to voters.  Also, several jurisdictions that are currently covered for Asian language assistance requirements are expected to be subject to additional Asian language requirements.  Community organizations can play an important role in ensuring that these jurisdictions properly implement these requirements during the upcoming 2012 election cycle so that Asian American voters have full access to the ballot.  This workshop will offer a variety of perspectives describing what community groups and organizations can do to ensure that Asian American voters, including the many Asian American voters who are limited English proficient, can in fact exercise their right to vote.

*This workshop is eligible for 1 hour of MCLE credit for California based lawyers

Speakers:

	Dean Logan Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Los Angeles County		Eugene Lee Voting Rights Project Director Asian Pacific American Legal Center
	Nick Kuwada Staff Attorney Asian Law Alliance		John Arntz Director of Elections, San Francisco Department of Elections, City and County of San Francisco

Asset-Building in Immigrant Communities

Date: Friday, October 28th
Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm
Place: Spring A

This panel will focus on education and financial services as two key assets for the long-term economic security of immigrant communities. Immigrant communities face significant challenges in building financial assets and accessing financial services in order to achieve economic security for themselves and their families. This workshop will examine some innovative approaches for building economic security within immigrant communities including lending circles, financial education and financial capacity-building. A recent study revealed that 44% of households in the Mission District, a heavily immigrant district in San Francisco, do not have credit histories. As a result, families are not able to access mainstream financial services in order to achieve economic security. The panel will strategize about how to expand access to financial services for immigrant families, as well as learn about resources and models for financial sustainability that immigrants bring to the US from their home country. Finally, the panel will examine the role higher education plays as an important asset in immigrant communities and innovative approaches to increasing access to higher education in immigrant communities.

Speakers:

	José Quiñonez Executive Director Mission Asset Fund		Wynne Lum National Philanthropy Manager Bank of America
	Titi Liu Executive Director Asian Law Caucus		Curtis Lee Agent State Farm Insurance
	Nick Hutchinson Chief Development Officer Juma Ventures

Broadband Adoption: High Tech Civil Rights

Date: Friday, October 28th
Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm
Place: Sakura B

Broadband access and adoption are increasingly critical to accessing government information, job and education opportunities, and other important services. Broadband also can provide in-language information to limited English proficient Asian Americans and connect linguistically isolated individuals to their communities. While data show Asian Americans are adopting the Internet at higher rates, the studies do not take into account the broad diversity of the Asian American community which likely has many segments that have lower adoption rates. Reasons why some communities have not adopted broadband internet and how to address these disparities at the national, state, and local level will be discussed.

Speakers:

	Anni Chung President and CEO Self-Help for the Elderly		Laura Efurd Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer ZeroDivide
	Alice Kessler Director, Government Affairs Comcast		Jason Lagria Telecommunications and Broadband Policy Staff Attorney Asian American Justice Center.
	Catherine Sandoval Commissioner California Public Utilities Commission

Defensive Messaging on Immigration and Immigrant Rights

Date: Friday, October 28th
Time: 10:45am-12:15pm
Place: Kyoto

In light of the increasingly anti-immigrant climate, this workshop intends to impart defensive messaging and action tools to community advocates. This workshop seeks to educate its audience on the current and potential future of restrictive immigration policies (such as the current debate to strip birthright citizenship from the children of undocumented parents, Secure Communities and E-Verify), and its possible repercussions in the upcoming years. After laying this foundation, the workshop will provide the audience with the talking points to combat anti-immigrant rhetoric and other tools to create defensive messaging. Finally, the audience will also learn how to protect immigrant rights in the areas of labor and legal/citizenship disputes.‬

Speakers:

	Erin Oshiro Senior Staff Attorney, Immigration and Immigrants' Rights Program Asian American Justice Center		Connie Choi Staff Attorney/Citizenship Network Manager Asian Pacific American Legal Center
	Lisa Chen Community Advocate Asian Law Caucus

Investing in Worker Training and Adult English Language Learning Programs

Date: Thursday, October 27th
Time: 2:30pm-4:00pm
Place: Oasaka

About one-third of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have limited proficiency in English, and in some communities nearly half of the population is LEP.  Our communities recognize the importance of mastering English, but many who seek to learn find that demand for English courses is often greater than the supply.  More programs that integrate English language learner and vocational training programs – helping newcomers to develop job skills while they learn English – are needed.  The Workforce Investment Act is up for reauthorization and is one of the few potential bipartisan legislative efforts for this Congress.  During this session, speakers will examine how well the Act has worked for AAPI communities, discuss what reforms and model programs should be supported, and explore how we can advocate for the resources and support that are needed to help AAPIs to attain self-sufficiency and succeed in American society.

Speakers:

	Homer Teng Coordinator Chinatown Families Economic Self-Sufficiency Coalition		Marita Etcubanez Director of Programs Asian American Justice Center
	Emma Oppenheim Manager, Workforce Development Policy Initiatives National Council of La Raza		Barbara Baran Senior Fellow California Budget Project
	Maeve Elise Brown Executive Director Housing and Economic Rights Advocates		Joanne Low Associate Vice Chancellor City College of San Francisco

Reforming ICE's Secure Communities Program in California and Beyond

Date: Friday, October 28th
Time: 10:45am-12:15pm
Place: Spring A

Secure Communities (S-Comm) is a controversial and relatively new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Program that automatically conducts immigration background checks on all fingerprints taken by police at the point of arrest. To date, S-Comm has resulted in the mass deportation of over 100,000 people nationally. The program began rolling out throughout the country in 2008 and is now active in over 40 states despite requests by several counties and states to opt out of participation in the program. S-Comm has been criticized for encouraging racial profiling and undermining community policing strategies. Learn about the work that is being done to push back against S-Comm in California and beyond.

Speakers:

	Angela Chan Staff Attorney, Criminal Justice Reform Program Asian Law Caucus		Michael Hennessey Sheriff of San Francisco San Francisco Sheriff's Department
	Gabriela Villareal Policy Analyst California Immigrant Policy Center		Chris Newman Legal Director National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
	Raj Jayadev Director Silicon Valley De-Bug

Responding to the Foreclosure Crisis as a Civil Rights Imperative

Date: Thursday, October 27th
Time: 11:00am-12:30pm
Place: Spring B

A recent upsurge in foreclosure starts bears witness to the protracted weakness in the jobs market and prevalence of negative home equity, and there are no clear signs of a recovery.  The housing collapse has also revealed itself as a civil rights crisis, with API communities having been more exposed to aggressive loan terms yet receiving less attention in the ongoing regulatory efforts to prevent unfair losses. CBOs and service agencies have retooled their capacities in light of this neglect, with studies, campaigns, outreach, counseling and legal assistance.  This panel will discuss what we’ve learned and the progress we’ve made since the onset of the collapse four years ago – all from the perspective of discerning the underpinnings of a salient strategy going forward, knowing that there may be no silver bullet. In this context, we’ll also explore new and potential challenges and responses, such as the need to amend the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to help inform sound policy, minimizing servicer abuses, like dual tracking and mod denials as a language access issue, the recent implementation of the Hardest Hit Fund, California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ backing out of the 50-state settlement discussions with lenders, and overcoming the resistance to the inclusion of principal reduction as part of the loan mod arsenal.

Speakers:

	Faith Bautista President and CEO National Asian American Coalition		Maeve Elise Brown Executive Director Housing and Economic Rights Advocates
	Jane Duong Director of Programs & Advocacy National CAPACD

Strength in Numbers: How to Make the Asian American Vote Count

Date: Friday, October 28th
Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm
Place: Kyoto

This workshop will explore why strategic electoral work matters in building the political voice of the AAPI community. Come learn about approaches to electoral organizing that include pre-voters and voters, examples of how electoral actions can be tailored to the different facets of the AAPI community, and walk away with some ideas of how you can build movement in your local community through electoral organizing. A panel will share their insights on making the Asian American vote count, and a small group session will encourage dialogue between organizers, activists, and educators on approaches that work to include all AAPI community members.

Speakers:

	Lawrence Benito Deputy Director Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights		Aparna Shah Director Mobilize the Immigrant Vote
	Alex Tom Executive Director Chinese Progressive Association		Kathleen Fernicola Policy Director Asian American Institute

The Health Care Reform Jigsaw Puzzle: Understanding How Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Fit In To Implementation Efforts

Date: Friday, October 28th
Time: 10:45am-12:15pm
Place: Spring C

There has been a lot of confusion about the new health care reform law that was passed in March 2010 and much misinformation about the new health care reform system that will come into effect on January 1, 2014. How is health care reform being implemented on the federal, state and local level, and what is to come? How are AAPIs and other immigrants specifically impacted by these implementation efforts? Why do advocates need to get involved in the implementation process, and how? This workshop will try to answer these questions and others that you may have, as well as offer you a chance to learn the truth about health care reform.

*This workshop is eligible for 1 hour of MCLE credit for California based lawyers

Speakers:

	Jonathan Tran California Policy Advocate Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)		Doreena Wong Project Director, Health Access Project Asian Pacific American Legal Center
	Cary Sanders Director Policy Analysis & Having Our Say Coalition California Pan-Ethnic Health Network		Wendy Ho Research & Policy Analyst Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum