CDCAN REPORT 066-2008

CDCAN DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
California Disability Community Action Network

Advocacy Without Borders: We Are One Community

News Impacting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors & others, including Asian Pacific Islanders, Latinos, African Americans communities across California and beyond

Goes out to over 45,000 people, organizations, policy makers across California

Marty Omoto - martyomoto@rcip.com website: www.cdcan.us

Report #066-2008 - April 13, 2008 - Sunday

Conference In Sacramento

* 4th Annual Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit 4/15-16

* Sponsored by Legislative Asian Pacific Islander Caucus

* Disability-Mental Health-Senior Workshop Led By CDCAN

* Asian Pacific Islander 2nd Largest Minority In California

SACRAMENTO (CDCAN) - The 4th Annual California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit is set to open at the Sacramento Convention Center April 15 and 16 (Tuesday and Wednesday) which includes for the first time, a workshop that will focus on advocacy and inclusion of Asian Pacific Islanders with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors.

That workshop, organized and led by CDCAN, includes a panel of several Asian and Pacific Islander disability, mental health and senior advocates and is scheduled for April 16th, from 11 AM to 12:15 PM in Room 312 in the Sacramento Convention Center.

To download or view the summit agenda and registration materials, go to the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us

Asian and Pacific Islanders are one of the fastest growing minority groups within California and among people with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors. It is the second largest minority group among people with disabilities after Latinos in California. Latest US Census figures show that of California's estimated total population of 36,457,549 (2006), 4,510,534 are Asians and 153,193 are Pacific Islanders.

Workshop Focus on Asian Pacific Islanders With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors

The workshop will focus on children and adults with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors within the Asian Pacific Islander communities in California. The panel of advocates will talk about the barriers and obstacles and also about rights and services that are available through in‐home services, Medi‐Cal programs, housing, employment, transportation, regional centers, senior programs, mental health programs, special and adult education.

The workshop will also include discussion around advocacy and inclusion in the Asian Pacific Islander disability, mental health and senior community and beyond.

Asians and Pacific Islanders make up not only a growing number of the children and adults with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors - including increasing numbers of children with autism, the population also makes up a growing segment of the workers who provide supports and services to persons with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors.

Other Workshops Focus on Wide Range of Policy Issues

Several other workshops focusing on a range of other critical issues including Asian Pacific Islander youth issues, media training, legislative and policy advocacy, family immigration issues and more. The summit also has a dinner scheduled the evening of Tuesday, April 15th.

Policy roundtables scheduled to close the summit on April 16th, will focus on social justice issues, mental health, aging, voting rights, housing and community development, environmental justice and more.

Summit Organized by California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit "Reaching New Heights" is organized and convened by the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus in partnership with Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE), Asian and Pacific Islanders California Action Network (APIsCAN), California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Institute and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs

Registration At Door For Both Days

Persons can register at the door at the Sacramento Convention Center.

REGISTRATION (does not include dinner registration which is separate):

* Two day registration is $115

* One day registration is $65 3.

SUMMIT CO-SPONSORSHIP:

Funds generated by co-sponsorships will help to support conference scholarships

* Champion Co-sponsor: $500
* Advocate Co-sponsor: $250
* Supporter Co-sponsor: I commit to mobilizing constituent s to attend the Summit through listservs, websites, person al
contacts, newsletters and other means

If you have any questions, please contact the following:
• California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Pam Chueh 916-319-3686 or Linda Tran 916-319-3594

Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Members Reach Historic Number

Now in its seventh year, the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, chaired by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (Democrat - Torrance, 53rd District), [pictured left] and represents the growing and diverse Asian Pacific Islander communities in California.

The Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, one of 9 caucuses that focus on a specific group or issue in the Assembly, consists currently of the seven Democratic Assemblymembers and Senators Members of the California Legislature. A Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus also exists to allow Democratic and Republican members who are Asian Pacific Islanders, to work jointly on common issues facing the Asian Pacific Islander communities in California.

The California Asian Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus, formed in January 2001, consists of:

Assemblymembers Mike Eng (Democrat - Monterey Park, 49th District), Warren Furutani (Democrat - Gardena, 55th District), Mary Hayashi (Democrat - Hayward, 18th District), Ted Lieu (Democrat - Torrance, 53rd District), Fiona Ma (Democrat - San Francisco, 12th District), and Alberto Torrico (Democrat - Fremont, 20th District)

State Senator Leland Yee (Democrat - San Francisco, 8th District)

Note: Eng is husband of former Assemblymember Judy Chu, now member of the State Board of Equalization. Torrico is half Asian (his mother).

Three honorary members are:

State Controller John Chiang and State Board of Equalization Members Judy Chu and Betty Yee (all Democrats).

The three Republicans who are Asian Pacific Islander and work with the Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus are: Assemblymembers Alan Nakanishi (Republican - Lodi, 10th District), Van Tran (Republican - Costa Mesa, 68th District) and Shirley Horton (Republican - San Diego, 78th District)

Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Reflect Growing Population in California

Reflecting the growing population in California, the representation in the California Legislature of Asian Pacific Islanders reached a historic high of ten members with the February 5, 2008 special election of Warren Furutani to the 55th Assembly seat (vacated last August by Laura Richardson who was elected to the US Congress)

The Asian Pacific Islander population in California currently makes up over 14% of the state-wide population and one-third of the nation’s Asian Pacific Islander population.

Caucus Formed in 2001

* In 1998, then Assemblymember Mike Honda (now in US Congress) was serving in the Legislature when George Nakano, a Democrat from Torrance, was elected to the Assembly .

* Honda and Nakano served together until Honda was elected to Congress in November 2000.

* That same election also brought two more Asian Pacific Islanders to the Legislature with the election of Wilma Chan, Democrat from Oakland and Carol Liu, Democrat from La Cañada Flintridge to the Assembly, increasing the total number to three.
* In January 2001, then Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg officially sanctioned the formation of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, with Nakano as the first Caucus Chair.

* In May 2001, Judy Chu, Democrat from Monterey Park, was elected to the Assembly in a special election, increasing the Caucus membership to four.

* In November 2002, Leland Yee, Democrat from San Francisco, was elected to represent the 12th Assembly District, bringing the Caucus membership to five. Also elected that year was Shirley Horton, Republican from San Diego (she is an Asian) and Alan Nakanishi, Republican from Lodi, both to the Assembly - bringing the total number of Asians Pacific Islanders to 7.

* In November 2004, Assemblymember George Nakano left the Assembly due to term limits but the Caucus maintained its membership of five with the election of Alberto Torrico, Democrat from Newark. Also elected was Van Tran, Republican from Costa Mesa, who was also the first Vietnamese American to win election to the California Legislature. That brought the total number of Asian Pacific Islander members of either party in the 120 seat California Legislature to 8.

* In September 2005, Ted Lieu was elected to the 53rd Assembly District in a special election – bringing the membership of the Caucus to six (9 including the 3 Republican members)

* In February 2008, Warren Furutani, Democrat from Gardena) was elected to the 55th Assembly District in a special election. His election increased the Caucus membership to seven.

* Furutani's election also raised the total number of Asian Pacific Islanders in the Legislature of both parties to an historic high of ten: seven Democrats and three Republicans out of the total 120 members of the California State Legislature.

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MANY MANY THANKS to Alta California Regional Center, FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment), Friends of Children with Special Needs, Life Steps, Easter Seals California, Parents Helping Parents, UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Work Training, Foothill Autism Alliance, Arc Contra Costa, Pause4Kids, Manteca CAPS, Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, , Strategies To Empower People (STEP), Harbor Regional Center, Tri-Counties Regional Center, Asian American parents groups, Resources for Independent Living and many other Independent Living Centers, several regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other self advocacy and family support groups, developmental center families, adoption assistance program families and children, and others across California