Issue Position: Asian Pacific Issues

Issue Position

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans make up about 16% of the 7th Senate District and include ethnic Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Filipinos, just to name a few.

Important issues to this community include the desire for a high-quality K-12 education, access and affordability in higher education, a robust economy that supports small businesses and good paying jobs and transportation infrastructure, including an efficient and affordable BART system.

Young people in the API community as well as the broader community are at risk from drugs, bullying and truancy. We all need to work together to guide our young people in safe and positive ways.

Health care is a universal concern, but certain Pacific Islander communities have a greater percentage of health problems, such as diabetes and Hepatitis B.

We all need to encourage greater community involvement in civic and cultural affairs. This would be my observation with the API communities, although the API community seems to be actively engaged in educational matters.

Increased communications is essential to expanding understanding and engagement with the API community. This should include translation services.

There are many leadership opportunities in local and state government and we should look for ways to ensure that the great diversity of California is represented in these important positions.

I look forward to working closely with the API community during my service in the State Senate.

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