The Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council is organizing workshops in preparation for AAPI advocacy efforts in the upcoming redistricting process. The drawing of district lines is a crucial political affair that plays a particularly vital role in representing AAPI community interests. On Tuesday, voters' approval of Proposition 20 and rejection of Prop. 27 made redistricting all the more important, with the power to draw district boundaries now in the hands of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

We highly encourage you to attend the workshops to find out how you can make a difference on behalf of the AAPI community.

Find out more below:

AAPI Redistricting/CAPAFR workshops (please RSVP):

Los Angeles Metro & Koreatown

Monday, November 8, 2010 at 6:00 pm (refreshments served)

Asian Pacific American Legal Center

1145 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90017

San Gabriel Valley

Monday, November 15 at 6:00 pm (refreshments served)

San Gabriel Adult Recreation Center

250 South Mission Drive (not Mission Road), San Gabriel 91776

South Bay

Tuesday, November 16 at 6:00 pm (refreshments served)

Japanese Cultural Institute

1964 W. 162nd Street, Room 204, Gardena 90247

In the past, the AAPI communities in the L.A. Metro area and particularly Koreatown were carved into different legislative districts, diluting our political influence. In the San Gabriel Valley and South Bay, AAPI advocacy was more successful in including adjacent AAPI neighborhoods in common districts. But these districts are now at risk with an entirely new Redistricting Commission starting out with a blank sheet.

We are positioning ourselves to influence the process but we need your involvement. Through the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting (CAPAFR) we recruited applicants to the Commission, and 10 AAPIs are among the pool of 60 finalists. The 14-member Commission will be selected by January 1. CAPAFR is now preparing to develop a statewide redistricting mapping proposal that respects the integrities of our AAPI communities. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which anchors CAPAFR, is doing much of the legwork in analyzing the 2010 Census maps for AAPI populations.

The Commission could begin holding public hearings in early 2011. The Commission must now include Congressional redistricting and submit the maps to the Secretary of State by August 15, 2011.

Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have ruled that race and ethnicity by themselves cannot be primary factors in drawing up districts.  But being a "community of interest" can be a key factor, and Prop. 20 defined a "community of interest" as "a contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation."  Explaining the "common social and economic interests" of our communities is the task of our advocacy.

Join us in reviewing preliminary maps and organizing a strong and just voice from the AAPI communities that the new Commission will listen to and respect.  If you cannot attend, please let us know you are interested and we will keep you informed about this work.

For more information and to RSVP contact:

Mark Masaoka, Policy Coordinator

Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council

Phone: (213) 239-0300

Cell: (323) 356-6352

E-mail: Mark.A3PCON@live.com

CAPAFR website: www.capafr.org

Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment

260 S. Los Robles Ave., #118

Pasadena, CA 91101

626-356-9838

info@causeusa.org