Tag: California

AAPI Run: David Kim, Candidate for Congress, CA-34

David Kim, Candidate for Congress CA-34

Posted By Jenn

Once again, a record number of Asian Americans and a growing number of Pacific Islanders are running for public office at the local, state, and national level.

Every week, Reappropriate will profile progressive AAPI candidates for higher office, as well as officials serving in public office. Check back at Reappropriate throughout 2020 to learn more about these candidates and find out how you can get more involved in their campaigns.

What is your full name?
David Kim

What office are you seeking?
I am running for Congress in California’s 34th District.

The district includes Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, Boyle Heights, Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, Little Tokyo, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Westlake, MacArthur Park, Historic Filipino Town, Little Bangladesh and surrounding neighborhoods.

When is the election date?
The general election will take place on November 3, 2020.

What is your party registration (if any)?
I am a registered Democrat.

Continue reading “AAPI Run: David Kim, Candidate for Congress, CA-34”

AAPI Run: Godfrey Santos Plata, Candidate for CA State Assembly, District 53

Godfrey Santos Plata (Photo credit: Plata for Assembly 2020)

Posted By Jenn

Once again, a record number of Asian Americans and a growing number of Pacific Islanders are running for public office at the local, state, and national level.

Every week, Reappropriate will profile progressive AAPI candidates for higher office, as well as officials serving in public office. Check back at Reappropriate throughout 2020 to learn more about these candidates and find out how you can get more involved in their campaigns.

Godfrey Santos Plata is endorsed by Run for Something, which recruits and supports talented, passionate young people who advocate for progressive values now and for the next 30 years, with the ultimate goal of building a progressive bench. Since its launch on inauguration day 2017, they’ve recruited 16,000 young people to run for office.

What is your full name?
Godfrey Santos Plata

What office are you seeking?
California State Assembly, District 53. I’ve qualified as one of two candidates for our general election, following our March 3rd primary.

When is the election date?
November 3, 2020

What is your party registration (if any)?
Democrat

Continue reading “AAPI Run: Godfrey Santos Plata, Candidate for CA State Assembly, District 53”

AAPI Run: Alex Lee, Candidate for CA State Assembly, District 25

Alex Lee (Photo Credit: Alex Lee for State Assembly)

Posted By Jenn

Once again, a record number of Asian Americans and a growing number of Pacific Islanders are running for public office at the local, state, and national level.

Every week, Reappropriate will profile progressive AAPI candidates for higher office. Check back at Reappropriate throughout 2020 to learn more about these candidates and find out how you can get more involved in their campaigns.

What is your full name?
Alex Lee (李天明)

What office are you seeking?
California State Assembly District 25

When is the election date?
November 3, 2020

What is your party registration (if any)?
Democratic

Continue reading “AAPI Run: Alex Lee, Candidate for CA State Assembly, District 25”

California Poised to Restore Affirmative Action After Nearly 25 Years

Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, left, is congratulated by Assembly members Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, center, and Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, after ACA5 passed today. (Photo credit: AP/ Rich Pedroncelli)

Posted By Jenn

Nearly 25 years ago, California voters passed Proposition 209, a state constitutional amendment that barred public institutions (such as public universities and state agencies) from considering race, gender, or ethnicity in admissions, hiring, or contracting. In so doing, California became one of only eight states in the US to ban the use of race- or gender-conscious affirmative action.

The aftermath of Proposition 209 was immediate and stark. A year following passage of Proposition 209, Black, Chicanx, Latinx, and Native admission rates to UC schools fell precipitously — by nearly 30% at some campuses — and remained depressed for the more than two decades that followed. Barriers in government contracting also led to an estimated annual loss of $1 billion in contract dollars by minority- and women-owned small businesses.

In the nearly 25 years since Proposition 209’s passage, the loss of affirmative action has only served to further crystallize the ways in which structural inaccess disproportionately excludes Black and Brown communities. We have seen an erosion of Black and Brown enrollment in California’s public universities, and fewer state contracts awarded to minority-owned businesses. Proposition 209 was clearly decided in error, and it is time for a new generation of California voters to be empowered to correct the persistent exclusion of so many Californians of colour.

Continue reading “California Poised to Restore Affirmative Action After Nearly 25 Years”

BREAKING: California Legislators Introduce Bill to Reinstate Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity For All

Legislators and activists announce ACA5, a bill to repeal Proposition 209 and to restore affirmative action in the state. (Photo credit: Magali Kincaid / Twitter)

Posted By Jenn

Nearly 25 years after ballot measure Proposition 209 ended race- and gender-conscious affirmative action in the state of California, several California legislators are working in partnership with a broad multiracial coalition of advocacy groups and have introduced a new bill — Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 (ACA5) — to repeal Proposition 209 and to restore equal opportunity for all Californians.

The bill, announced in a press conference at the California State Capitol this morning, cites the damage enacted by two decades under Proposition 209 to women, people of colour and minority-owned businesses, many of whom have become increasingly underrepresented in California state schools and the professional sector.

Continue reading “BREAKING: California Legislators Introduce Bill to Reinstate Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity For All”