Apica 2008 Annual Report

Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA) 2008 Annual Report

December 2008 Dear APICA Members and Supporters: In our third year as a non-profit organization, the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA) continued to grow. Our membership climbed to its highest level ever in 2008— more than 90 official members—and expanded to involve more members from the Third House and Executive Branch. Through the generous support of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Institute and Assembly Members Fiona Ma, Mike Eng and Warren Furutani, APICA completed fifteen successful projects in 2008. This annual report summarizes these projects, which included networking events, guest speakers, advocacy and membership services. As my term as President comes to a close, I would like to thank you for joining the APICA Board in helping make 2008 such a productive year for our organization. With your continued support, we will continue to build an even stronger Asian Pacific Islander American community in and around the California State Capitol in the coming years. Happy Holidays and best wishes in the New Year! Sincerely, Kiyomi Burchill APICA President

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I. History and Background In 1975, a small group of Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs) that worked in the California State Capitol formed the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Staff Caucus. Three decades later, in 2005, the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA) incorporated as a non-profit organization to institutionalize this legacy and continue to support a growing community of APIA professionals that work in and around the State Capitol. Beyond Capitol staffers, APICA’s members now include lobbyists, legislative advocates, staff from the Executive Branch and public relations professionals. II. APICA Board of Directors In December 2007, APICA elected its Board for 2008: Kiyomi Burchill, President Sarah Takahama, Vice-President Shirley Kim, Secretary Francis Choi & Jonathan Tran, Treasurer* Annie Lam, At-Large Representative Yang Lee, At-Large Representative Jennifer Wada, At-Large Representative *Upon Francis Choi’s departure from Sacramento in July, the APICA Board appointed Jonathan Tran as Treasurer.

Following the Board’s appointment of the three At-Large Representatives, the Board held a successful retreat in March in Bodega Bay, California where it developed its goals and calendar of events for 2008. III. Constitutional Changes in 2008 APICA members voted unanimously in July to revise the APICA Constitution. The approved amendments: modified selection of all board members to be by election and not appointment; specified roles for all board members in the future by replacing At-Large Representatives with Membership Director, Communications Director, and External Affairs Director; clarified that officer terms last one year and not one legislative session; and made technical, clean up changes. IV. Generous Support APICA was fortunate to receive a grant for $1,000 from the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Institute, the philanthropic arm of the Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus, to support APICA’s leadership development activities. Additionally, Assembly Members Fiona Ma, Mike Eng and Warren Furutani became Gold Level Member Sponsors of APICA by each contributing $500 to APICA to make its events possible. V. Summary of Events in 2008 Annual Welcome Back Reception On January 30, APICA welcomed back legislators to the Capitol for the second year of the legislative session with its annual reception in the State Capitol. Board Member Yang Lee presented APICA’s Unsung Hero Award to Gene Wong, Chief Consultant of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for his mentoring of APIA staffers in the State Capitol and service to the California Legislature. This event was made possible with generous support from Assembly Member Fiona Ma. “Department of Finance 101”: Brown Bag with Tom Sheehy On February 29, APICA held a brown bag luncheon in the State Capitol with Tom Sheehy from the Department of Finance. Nearly a dozen APICA members attended this intimate luncheon where Mr. Sheehy discussed his personal background, the budget process and his role as the Deputy Director of Legislation at the Department of Finance.

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“From Community Activist to State Legislator”: Brown Bag with Assembly Member Warren Furutani On April 2, APICA members brought their lunches and gathered in the State Capitol to hear from newly elected Assembly Member Warren Furutani. Assembly Member Furutani talked about his background as a community activist, shared his thoughts on the future of the APIA community and fielded questions from APICA members curious to learn more about California’s newest legislator. This event was made possible with generous support from the Asian Pacific Legislative Caucus Institute. API Heritage Month Reception On May 27, APICA hosted a reception in honor of Asian Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month in the State Capitol. The reception featured various food and drinks from a number of APIA ethnic groups and an art exhibition of the work of Vietnamese American visual artist Châu Thuy of Orange County. This event was made possible with generous support from the Assembly Member Mike Eng.

Bone Marrow Drive On June 6, APICA members volunteered with the Asian American Donor Program at the Florin Road Festival to register APIAs and other people from other underrepresented groups in the National Bone Marrow Registry. "How to Talk to the Press" Discussion Panel Luncheon On June 25, APICA co-hosted a panel discussion luncheon with API Capitol Bureau reporters with the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Sacramento Chapter. AAJA Sacramento President Judy Lin (Sacramento Bee) moderated the impressive panel of Matthew Yi (San Francisco Chronicle), Kevin Yamamura (Sacramento Bee) and Lonnie Wong (Fox 40 News). Panelists talked about covering the Capitol and provided attendees with helpful tips for talking to the press. This event was made possible with generous support from the Asian Pacific Legislative Caucus Institute. Brown Bag with Assembly Member Mike Eng On June 25, APICA held a brown bag luncheon with Assembly Member Mike Eng. The group discussion was very active and intimate. At the luncheon, Assembly Member Eng shared with APICA members candid views about his background, politics and the legislative process. This event was made possible with generous support from the Asian Pacific Legislative Caucus Institute.

Mid-Year General Body Meeting On July 18, APICA members met to review the events of the first half of the year and create committees to organize events for the second half of the year. APICA members also assessed the APICA Constitution and voted unanimously to transform the appointed At-Large Representative positions on the board to three elected positions: External Affairs Director, Membership Director and Communications Director. APICA 2008 Annual Report | Page 3

Fellows and Interns Barbecue Dinner On July 24, Ron and Maeley Tom hosted APICA for what has become an APICA tradition: an annual summer barbecue dinner to assist Capital Fellows and interns completing their programs in finding jobs in and around the State Capitol. Board Member Jennifer Wada moderated a panel of well-respected members of the APIA Capitol community: Maeley Tom, Ron Tom, Georgette Imura, Wendy Notsinneh, Joyce Iseri and Bill Wong who shared their career stories and suggestions for job searching. This event was made possible with generous support from the Asian Pacific Legislative Caucus Institute. My Sister's House Run/Walk On November 8, a team of APICA members and friends braved a cold Saturday morning to represent APICA in the charity annual run/walk that benefits My Sister’s House. My Sister’s House is the Central Valley’s only domestic violence shelter that specifically identifies and addresses the unique needs of APIA women and children impacted by domestic violence. Fellows Welcome Reception On December 2, APICA teamed up with the California Latino Capital Association, LGBT Staff & Friends and the Black Youth Leadership Project to once again host a reception to welcome the 2008-2009 Capital and Polanco Fellows. This year’s reception at Marilyn’s on K Street in downtown Sacramento proved to be yet another success with a packed crowd mixing and mingling. This event was made possible with generous support from Assembly Member Warren Furutani. VI. Additional Projects in 2008 Advocacy For the third year in a row, the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program interview panel lacked an Asian Pacific Islander American member despite past reassurances that the panel would be more representative. In response, the APICA Board sent a letter on April 22 to the Director of the program expressing its concern and encouraging the program to include someone from APIA community. The program, and the Center for California Studies where it is housed, heard APICA’s call and committed to working with APICA to identify potential APIA panelists for future years’ selection panels. Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus In April, the APICA Board made a presentation on APICA to the Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus about the history and programs of APICA to encourage greater collaboration between the organizations. Resume Binder Once again, APICA created a binder of members’ resumes that it distributed to senior APICA members and supporters in December in an effort to connect job seekers with job opportunities. Email Listserve Throughout the year, APICA continued to provide information on events around the Capitol and job announcements to its members via its email listserve. Once again, thank you for your continued support of APICA. Here’s to another successful year in 2009!

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