WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2021 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- During the late evening hours of Monday, December 20, 2021, the Commission voted to approve the final Congressional, Senate, and Assembly maps, which can be viewed here. This marks one of the last steps of the redistricting process as the Commission is required to post these maps for 3 days before they will be final. By law, maps need to be certified by December 27, 2021, so they are unlikely to change. Once finalized, these maps will play a major role in the future of our communities and California politics for the next decade.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- A coalition of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leaders and organizations are joining together to raise concerns over California Citizens Redistricting Commission’s draft maps of the San Gabriel Valley (SGV). The draft maps split West San Gabriel Valley cities (WSGV) and East San Gabriel Valley (ESGV) cities with significant AAPI populations into multiple congressional districts. In these drafted commission maps, the AAPI community would face an uphill battle to elect a representative from their own community and reverse four decades of progress by community coalitions and partnerships.
Improving the quality of translated voting materials, broadening government outreach to potential voters and increasing the number of in-person voting sites are key to boosting voter turnout among Asian Americans in Los Angeles, according to a newly published report from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Farrah Su
Senior Communications Manager
Phone: (213) 269-5716
Email: comms@causeusa.org
Los Angeles, CA - October 30, 2024 -- Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) is partnering with Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) to engage the Eagle Rock Neighborhood as part of “Together We Vote: An API Get Out The Vote Fest” on Saturday, November 2nd, from 11am to 3pm at The Oinkster (2005 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, CA 90041),
The event will include music, food, karaoke, voter resources and jeepney rides to the nearby vote center at Eagle Rock Library in PWC’s 1944 Jeepney salvaged from the Philippines.
“Asian Americans make up 1.5 million residents in Los Angeles County and 24% of the residents of Eagle Rock. This celebration of civic engagement is meant to engage our communities with food, music, and jeepney rides!” shares CAUSE Executive Director Nancy Yap.
See more details at: https://bit.ly/togetherwevote2024
This event is part of CAUSE’s Together We Vote: An API Get Out The Vote Fest, a multi-day celebration hosted in Los Angele County’s historic Asian Pacific Islander (API) neighborhoods highlighting community building and civic engagement in the 10 days of early voting leading up to the November 5th General Election.
About CAUSE
The Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan, community-based organization with a mission to advance the political empowerment of the Asian Pacific American community through nonpartisan voter outreach, training, and education as well as leadership development. For more information visit: www.causeusa.org.
About Pilipino Workers Center
Founded in 1997, Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) is a grassroots non-profit that organizes the low-wage and immigrant Pilipinx communities in the United States. They build collective power to demand better living and working conditions in order to secure the dignity, safety, and economic stability of the Pilipinx community. For more information visit: www.pwcsc.org
Los Angeles, CA - October 21, 2024 -- Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) is partnering with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office to bring an official Mobile Vote Center to the largest Halloween party in Little Tokyo, the 8th Annual Haunted Little Tokyo Block Party. This Vote Center will have later hours than typical Vote Centers, staying open until 9pm PT. The later hours combined with the proximity to a community block party that draws thousands of people annually, is meant to create a fun and accessible voting experience for younger voters, a voting age block that often has lower voter turnout nationally.
Los Angeles, CA - October 18, 2024 -- Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) will host a series of events called Together We Vote: An API Get Out the Vote Fest throughout Los Angeles’ historic Asian and Pacific Islander (API) neighborhoods celebrating community and civic engagement in the 10 days of early voting leading up to the November 5 General Election. Collaborating with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and nine other API community based organizations, CAUSE will engage event attendees with activities that highlight historic neighborhoods and encourage increased civic participation.
Asian-American community leaders and elected officials are coming together in support of a Los Angeles County proposal to give Asian Angeleños a voice when it comes to the county’s government while also cracking down on corruption.
A proposal to expand the Los Angeles county board of supervisors from 5 members to 9 and to create an ethics commission will make it to the November ballot.
"By wrapping this package of governance and ethics reform efforts, we know that bringing a package of reform will help to educate people. This isn’t just one change here or there but this is one package to bring broad sweeping change that increases diverse representation by communicating that with the community," said LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
Filipino community leaders believe the added board members would foster more engagement with residents and their local governments.
"There will be better service for residents, there will be more connections to the board of supervisors, there will be more opportunities for residents to make their voces heard," said Nancy Yap of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment.
A proposal to expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has garnered support from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) elected officials, who say that doing so could lead to the creation of a special district for the community.
Prominent AAPI congressmembers, Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36) and Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), joined county supervisors during a press conference on Thursday, July 18 to support a governance and ethnics reform package for LA County.
Some of L.A. County’s best-known Asian American leaders came out in strong support of a plan to expand the Board of Supervisors — and to get it before voters this fall.
Increasing the number of seats from five to nine will create potential for better representation and more diversity on the board, according to the group that includes Congress members Judy Chu and Ted Lieu, municipal leaders and heads of community organizations.
Los Angeles, CA - January 23, 2024 -- Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) will provide vote information for the Primary Election on March 5, 2024 at the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Festival from January 27th through 28th, 2024 with the support of the World Journal. Led by participants of the 2024 CAUSE on Campus college student program, CAUSE will engage with festival attendees to increase voter turnout and overall civic engagement in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. These activities are supported by the Stop the Hate (STH) Program, administered by the California Department of Social Services and in consultation with the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.
An open letter to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in support of Agenda Item 10 to ensure inclusivity for Los Angeles County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, & Inclusion (ARDI) Strategic Plan through an outreach plan that actively engages vulnerable communities and populations that include Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Los Angeles, CA - May 23, 2022 - Chinatown and Koreatown voters will now have several in-person voting options in their neighborhoods for the June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election, thanks to the efforts of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE), Korean American Coalition (KAC), AAPI Equity Alliance, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA).
Through a thread on Twitter on May 9, it was discovered that there were ZERO Vote Centers in both Chinatown and Koreatown residential areas for the 2022 Primary Election.
When asked, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk (RR/CC) reported having trouble working within their current criteria and policies to identify available spaces for this primary election. While we hope to work with them in the long-term to identify where county policies and practices are leading to inequitable service of our communities, we can't let those policies stop us from seeking immediate solutions for this primary. In previous election years, there were locations throughout Koreatown and Chinatown. These sites were overwhelmingly popular and experienced long wait times to vote. We believe this indicates a need for more voting sites, rather than the elimination of all of them.
With Election Day weeks away, we are taking action to determine how we can expand voting access for Chinatown and Koreatown residents who would have difficulty going to a Vote Center outside of their neighborhoods. Access to these Vote Centers is critical as Vote Centers offer key services such as obtaining a replacement vote-by-mail ballot, language assistance services, etc.
At this time of increased Anti-Asian Hate, where 3 out of 4 Asian Americans are worried about physical violence, in the recent poll by CAUSE, asking Asian American, Pacific Islander voters to walk one to two miles, or even several blocks to cast their ballot does not take into account their physical safety. Nor should they have to risk such physical violence in order to be meaningful participants in U.S. civic life. In addition, sites in Koreatown and Chinatown provide language services unavailable at community centers at the edge of their community boundaries.
On Monday, May 16th, CAUSE, KAC, AAPI Equity, and AAAJ-LA met with RR/CC to understand why this happened, what has been done in the past week to fix the problem, and what else could be done before June 7th. At this meeting, we learned the following:
Securing Vote Centers
Since last Monday and with the assistance of community leaders, one location has been identified in central Chinatown and three are being vetted in the northern half of Koreatown for a 4- or 11- Day Vote Center. The locations are yet to be confirmed, but look promising.
CAUSE, KAC, AAPI Equity and AAAJ-LA advocated for multiple Vote Centers in both neighborhoods in addition to Flex Centers which run for a shorter time in smaller spaces. RR/CC is open to more sites if identified quickly.
Staffing Capacity
These Vote Centers will need staff and volunteers to work between Saturday, May 28 and Tuesday, June 7. RR/CC said it may still be possible to staff newly added Vote Centers IF they are confirmed by the end of the week (5/20/22).
Communications about new Vote Centers
RR/CC planning for social media, postcard/mailers, and work with CBOs. Translations will be at a minimum in Korean, Chinese and Spanish.
Community Asks
Do you have suggestions for potential Vote Center sites in Chinatown and/or Koreatown? In particular, we are seeking assistance in locating a site in the southeast area of Koreatown (sites are being identified north of 6th, but not closer to Olympic – and in particular, in the area of Koreatown that is closer to Olympic between Normandie and Vermont) and any senior centers in both neighborhoods.
Full Vote Center site requirements: https://lavote.gov/docs/rrcc/election-info/VC-Requirements.pdf?v=2
Flex Vote Center site application (please submit even though deadline has passed): https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=SHJZBzjqG0WKvqY47dusgdc4Siti35NOvV0uvKxwaxZUQVBZUlBYSVIzQjVBUUNBSDRLMUVLVFJUQi4u&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=&wdLOR=c69E0E773-6DC6-4101-83F3-C13CA50B7E9C
Are you available to work as a volunteer between Saturday, May 28 to Tuesday, June 7? Can you help us spread the word about this need for volunteers?
We are in the process of scheduling future meetings with RR/CC and we will keep the community updated on future developments.
Thank you for your support, and please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information.
Sincerely,
Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment
Korean American Coalition
AAPI Equity Alliance
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles
CAUSE the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board of Trustees’ decision to appoint Dr. Kelsey Iino to fill a vacant Board position. Upon reviewing her qualifications, CAUSE has full confidence that Dr. Iino will be an informed and effective advocate for AAPI students on the LACCD Board of Trustees.
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