Japantown Bowl Property Sold
January 26, 2001
- Editor’s note: The following letter was sent via mass e-mail.Dear Editor: Despite months of promises to work with the Japantown community to find a buyer from within the community, Kintetsu Enterprises Co. of America dropped a bombshell by apparently selling the former Japantown Bowl property to a group of investors that includes John E. McInerney, III, local real estate investor and member of the S.F. Board of Appeals.
The Kuroyama Group, headed by local attorney George Yamasaki, Jr. appeared to be the only bidders at the table and had continued to dialogue with community groups regarding community benefits for the property’s continued use in Japantown.
No formal announcement has been made, but contact with McInerney confirmed that escrow has closed and title has transferred out of Kintetsu Enterprises Co. of America hands. No contingencies on the sale were made.
McInerney has been a member of the powerful Residential Builders Association, and apparently is well-connected in the San Francisco commercial development arena. He stated his initial plans are to demolish the popular, former bowling center, and build sublevel parking with high-end retail stores at street level and condominium housing above.
However, the 1790 Post Street property — in the heart of Japantown — sits under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Western Addition A-2 Redevelopment Project area and is zoned for Community/Commercial use. Any change of use must be approved by the agency, which has pledged to hold thorough community hearings before any new project would be considered for approval.
Japantown Bowl served 250,000 bowlers annually,
President Bush’s Pride
January 26, 2001
Although he was not the presidential candidate favored by many traditional civil rights and community activists, President George W. Bush, Jr., is to be heartily commended for shattering the glass ceiling for women and people of color who seek to serve their government at it its highest level. For Asian Americans, the Bush appointments of Norman Mineta as secretary of transportation and Elaine Chao as secretary of labor are particularly significant.
The API community had long been denied representation in presidential cabinets in part because of a lack of a potent and unified national political base. Last year, when Mineta was appointed secretary of commerce, Asian Americans applauded, even though it was largely a symbolic gesture made during Clinton’s last six months in office.
Bush, however, has ushered in a new era for APIs in politics. The presence of Chao and Mineta in senior cabinet positions at the beginning of a presidential administration will forever change mainstream views of the contributions of Asian Americans.
Some have argued that cabinet secretaries appointed by President Bush do not hold philosophies that are consistent with the communities they are supposed to reflect and thus, cannot be truly counted as appointments of color. We at AsianWeek frown on such arguments. For the same reasons that Asian Americans and others believe so fervently in the strength of diversity, so too should we welcome the difference and diversity of ideas within our own community.
By creating the most ethnically diverse cabinet in U.S. history, especially with the appointments of two Asian Americans, President Bush has now set a tone and standard to which all future presidential administrations will be compared. It is a standard that will demand those future presidents, whether Democrat or Republican, to fully consider the rich source of commitment, knowledge and energy of all its people when making federal appointments.
AsianWeek congratulates President Bush for defying convention and maximizing the potential of his administration and the nation by tapping the talents and enthusiasm of America’s very diverse population.
SUNY Wrestler Involved Another Assault
January 26, 2001
By Associated Press
SIDNEY, N.Y. — A former Binghamton University wrestler awaiting sentencing for assaulting a Korean American student last year is accused of punching another man in the face in an unrelated incident.
Sidney Village Justice Dennis Martin on Jan. 17 refused to dismiss third-degree assault charges against Chad W. Scott, 19, of Walton. The misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of up to one year in jail.
Scott is scheduled to be sentenced next week in Vestal Town Court for a campus assault last February that left a Korean American student with a fractured skull.
Two other students also pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the assault, which authorities said was racially motivated.
Here Comes the Bride
January 26, 2001
Pulitzer winning writer marries fellow American in Indian wedding
By Chandra Banerjee/AP
With the chanting of Vedic hymns and the blowing of conch shells, Pulitzer prize-winning Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri married fellow New Yorker and journalist, Alberto Vourvoulias, in a traditional Hindu ceremony on Jan. 15.
Only family members of the bride and groom and close friends were invited to the wedding. Lahiri had made known her wish that the marriage would be a “very personal affair.”
Indian newspapers have been carrying stories about Lahiri ever since she won the Pulitzer in 2000 for her book, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories mainly about Indian immigrants in New England and her childhood home in Calcutta.
At a press conference last week in Calcutta, capital of the eastern Indian West Bengal state, Lahiri expressed surprise at her sudden celebrity status, but refused to answer questions about the wedding ceremony, saying she wanted it to be a private event.
Throngs of journalists, photographers, television crews, fans and curious onlookers waited in vain outside the gates of the sprawling house in a south Calcutta suburb where the wedding was held.
However, relatives who attended the wedding said Lahiri was dressed in a traditional red bridal sari, with red and white flowers in her hair and gold jewelry she had inherited from her grandmother.
Vourvoulias, a journalist with Time magazine in New York, wore a typical Indian dhoti or sarong with a silk kurta, or shirt, and hand embroidered shoes.
One of Lahiri’s uncles told journalists that the wedding was a traditional Bengali one, with priests reciting prayers and chanting verses from Hindu texts as the couple sat in front of a ceremonial fire. Female relatives blew conch shells to mark the auspicious moment when the couple walked around the fire to solemnize the marriage.
Lahiri, 33, born in London of Indian parents, went to school and university in the United States.
Sumo Champ Steps Down,Akebono, sumo’s first foreign-born grand champion, retires
January 26, 2001
By Eric Talmadge/APHawaii-born Akebono, the first foreign wrestler to reach sumo wrestling’s highest rank, is quitting.
The 6-foot-9, 510-pounder, formerly Chad Rowan, informed the Japan Sumo Association on Monday that he intends to retire.
“My body doesn’t listen anymore,” the wrestler said at a news conference at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena. “This wasn’t an easy decision. I really agonized over it.”
Akebono sat out the New Year’s Grand Sumo Tournament, which ended on Jan. 21, because of chronic knee problems.
Reports of his expected retirement were carried on the front pages of two major Japanese newspapers, the Asahi and the Yomiuri, on Jan. 22.
The 31-year-old Akebono’s retirement marks the end of a pioneering and very successful career.
Akebono — originally from Honolulu and a naturalized Japanese citizen — made his sumo debut in 1988, and has won 11 tournaments, including the final tournament last year. He has been ranked as grand champion for 48 tournaments, the fourth-longest tenure ever.
“By becoming a grand champion, I’ve done what the average person doesn’t have a chance to do,” Akebono said. “I’m so thankful to everyone.”
Though Akebono’s rise through the ranks of sumo was one of the fastest in the history of the tradition-laden sport, many purists opposed his promotion to its top rank of yokozuna, or grand champion.
Many in Japan initially opposed Akebono’s promotion, in March 1993, because they thought only Japanese-born wrestlers should be considered. There were also concerns that the sport would be overrun by bigger, stronger foreigners.
But Akebono has silenced most of his critics, and another Hawaii-born wrestler, Musashimaru, later joined him as grand champion.
In sumo, two wrestlers try to force each other out of an elevated clay ring. There are six sumo tournaments each year. Wrestlers face a different opponent on each of the tournaments’ 15 days, and the one with the fewest losses is declared the winner.
Unanswered Questions
January 26, 2001
Man sues police over handling of sister’s suicide
By associated press
A man who claims he was beaten and handcuffed during the investigation of his sister’s suicide is suing the city of Portsmouth, N.H., and its police department.
In his federal lawsuit, David Lee contends that he called police on the night of Jan. 13, 2000, to report a shooting. When police arrived, they handcuffed Lee and repeatedly kicked and punched him as he tried to explain what happened to his sister, who was lying in a pool of blood on the front lawn.
Authorities later determined that Grace Lee, 34, had shot herself in the temple.
David Lee’s lawyer, Lawrence Vogelman, said not only was his client handled with force but was held for several hours at the police station.
“I don’t know whether it was bad supervision at the scene, bad training, or what. Rather than simply containing Mr. Lee, who had made the 911 call in the first place, the police came on like a SWAT team before conducting any minimal investigation and separated him from his family in what was a terribly traumatic time for him,” Vogelman said on Jan. 18.
“Whether it was a lack of sensitivity to racial and ethnic differences, I don’t know, but clearly they totally misread the situation,” he said.
The lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of money to compensate Lee, who is of Chinese descent, for his physical and emotional injuries.
City Attorney Bob Sullivan called the allegations of racism “reckless and irresponsible.”
“I most certainly sympathize with Mr. Lee and his family for their loss. It was a tragic situation. I do, however, absolutely support my officers and the conduct they displayed,” he said. “When they got there, they had no way of knowing who they were dealing with.”
Businessman Claims He Gave Money to U.S. Diplomat
January 26, 2001
National Monument Status Stirs Memories — and Controversy
January 26, 2001
Former internee recalls life in Japanese American internment camp
By Melanie Carroll/AP
Seichi Hayashida remembers the 1943 train ride from Seattle to the Japanese American internment camp in south-central Idaho.
“We traveled only at night,” Hayashida, a second-generation American said. “The blinds were drawn so no one could see in or out.”
Hayashida, 81, of Caldwell, was one of 120,000 people of Japanese descent who were interned at the Minidoka Relocation Center and nine other similar sites during the anti-Japanese hysteria that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
On Jan. 17, President Clinton named the Minidoka center as one of seven newly selected national monuments, preventing commercial use of more than 1 million acres of federal land.
“We believe that our future and our land, air and water are one, that we must not only protect our historical treasures, but our natural treasures as well,” the president said.
Little remains of the Minidoka site, northeast of Twin Falls, where Hayashida spent two years. Tumbleweeds slide over smooth lava rocks where tarpaper-covered bunkers housed 9,400 Japanese from 1942 to 1945.
The remnants of a stone guard tower and a visitors waiting room remind Hayashida of the time he spent at the camp — from age 22 to 24 — and why he supports making it a national monument.
“It’s very important so it does not happen again. The Japanese citizens didn’t matter,” Hayashida said. “If you were one-eighth Japanese, you were taken away. It was almost as bad as Nazi Germany.”
Hayashida worked as a farmer — growing strawberries and other produce in Bellevue, Wash. and selling the goods in Seattle — before he was ordered to turn himself in.
Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942, effectively ordered the evacuation of all Japanese Americans from the West Coast as a wave of paranoia swept the country.
Before being transported to Idaho with his two younger sisters and mother — who were each allowed one suitcase — Hayashida recalls seeing Chinese people in Seattle who feared being mistaken as Japanese.
“They wore badges that read ‘I am Chinese,’” so officials would not come after them, Hayashida said. “A lot of Caucasians cannot tell the difference between the two.”
As a prerequisite of being released in 1945, the young man had to answer numerous questions about his political allegiance to the United States.
“You had to answer a lot of questions to prove your loyalty,” Hayashida said.
When he returned to the farm he leased in Washington state, all his equipment had been sold.
“There was a government bill of sale,” he said. “Everything including the tractor was gone.”
So Hayashida settled in Idaho, and after working on a Nampa farm for four years, became the co-owner of a local bowling alley. After his partner died, he became the sole proprietor of the Nampa establishment, and managed it for 46 years before retiring.
The place where he spent two years is still very much alive in his mind.
“Those camps were hastily built,” Hayashida said. “They used green lumber and there were half-inch cracks in the floor.”
The National Park Service will manage the Minidoka camp and roughly 90 acres of adjacent federal land as a unit of the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
“I have mixed feelings about it. It’s a part of our history and we need to remember,” Rod Malone, the principal of Valley High School, about 10 miles from the former camp, said. “I’m a little bit opposed to the government coming in and taking over. It would be infringing on people’s rights.”
U.S. Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, echoed that sentiment.
“While I joined the rest of the delegation last week in supporting the designation of the Minidoka site as a national monument, I am disappointed that the president has decided to take this eleventh hour, unilateral action to designate without addressing the concerns of the local communities of interest affected in the Magic Valley region,” Craig said in a prepared statement.
Preserving History
January 26, 2001
The following is an excerpt from former President Clinton’s proclamation to make Minidoka a national monument. The Minidoka Internment National Monument is a unique and irreplaceable historical resource, which protects historic structures and objects that provide opportunities for public education and interpretation of an important chapter in American history — the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the Secretary of War and military commanders to designate military areas from which “any or all persons may be excluded” and to “provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary.” Starting in early 1942, military authorities began designating military exclusion areas in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and the territory of Alaska. Following the signing of Executive Order 9066, American citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry living in the designated exclusion areas were ordered to evacuate their homes and businesses and report to temporary assembly centers located at fairgrounds, horse racetracks, and other make-shift facilities. To provide more permanent accommodations for the evacuees, President Roosevelt established the War Relocation Authority (WRA) in March 1942. The WRA oversaw the construction of ten relocation centers on federally owned lands in remote areas of six western states and Arkansas, including the Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho. Alaskan Native residents of the Aleutian and Pribiloff Islands and members of other ethnic and religious groups were also relocated or interned during the course of the war. Established in August 1942, the Minidoka Relocation Center, also known as the Hunt Site, was located on federal lands in Jerome County, in south-central Idaho. During its operation from August 1942 to October 1945, the population reached a peak of 9,397 Japanese Americans from Washington State, Oregon, and Alaska. The center included over 33,000 acres of land with administrative and residential facilities located on approximately 950 acres. The center had more than 600 buildings including administrative, religious, residential, educational, mess, medical, manufacturing, warehouse, security, and other structures. Living conditions at Minidoka and the other centers were harsh. Internees were housed in crude barracks and cramped quarters, and they shared communal facilities. Internees engaged in irrigated agriculture, livestock production, and light manufacturing to produce food and garments for the camp. Approximately 1,000 internees from Minidoka served in the U.S. military. Fifty-four Japanese American servicemen from Minidoka were killed in action. Section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431), authorizes the president, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the government of the United States to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of lands, the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected. Whereas it appears that it would be in the public interest to reserve such lands as a national monument to be known as the Minidoka Internment National Monument: Now, therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, U.S.C. 431), do proclaim that there are hereby set apart and reserved as the Minidoka Internment National Monument for the purpose of protecting the historic structures and objects of historic interest contained therein, all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the United States within the boundaries of the area described on the map entitled “Minidoka Internment National Monument” attached to and forming a part of this proclamation. The Federal lands and interests in land reserved consist of approximately 72.75 acres, which is the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the structures and objects to be protected.
Inaugural Musings
January 26, 2001
Bush’s beginning accompanied by setbacks for Asian Americans
The inauguration of President Bush last Saturday in Washington was symbolic of the continued divide in our personal and political lives in this new millennium. Republicans cheered their standard-bearers, but were muted in their cheers for Democrats Al Gore and ex-president Jimmy Carter. Democrats, Greens, and even some Republicans denounced the election process, and created the largest contingent of inaugural protesters since 1973, during the Vietnam War. Police called in to maintain order created a sense of siege, reinforced by the misty, rainy weather. Washington felt like a militarized zone, with checkpoints, large numbers of nightstick-carrying officers, and concrete barricades blocking off key streets.
Despite nominating former Missouri Governor and Senator John Ashcroft, an evangelical right winger, to the all-important post of attorney general, President Bush sounded themes of conciliation and inclusion in his 14-minute inaugural address. The president made positive references to synagogues, mosques and immigrants, and afterward an African American minister said a prayer (though his reference to Jesus Christ was striking in a town where non-denominational prayers are far more common). Asian Americans were present both as attendees and protesters at the inauguration.
The outgoing Democratic administration was a mixed story for Asian Americans and other Americans in its final week. Former President Clinton had promised us an ethical administration eight years ago, and had reinforced his words in 1993 by issuing an executive order barring senior administration officials from lobbying their former places of employment for five years after leaving office. Just as he and his colleagues are set to hit the job market, however, he revoked that order, lending credence to critics who allege opportunism in some of his actions.
Another under-reported setback for Asian Americans was that Indonesian millionaire James Riady pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States in connection with an illegal fundraising scheme for Clinton. In the papers Riady signed two weeks ago to settle the criminal case, Riady said that his offer to raise money was motivated by his quest for certain benefits, including “Most Favored Nation status for China, open trade policies with Indonesia, normalization of relations with Vietnam.”
Clinton denied that his policies were influenced by the donations of Riady or Riady’s associate John Huang. Hired by the Clinton Commerce Department, Huang raised $3.4 million in mostly-illegal contributions to the Democratic National Committee. There is no doubt that the actions of the Riady-Huang cabal were a major setback for the political empowerment of Asian Americans. Their actions, and those of Charlie Trie, Nora and Gene Lum, and other major donors triggered inquiries and press reports during and after the 1996 election that unfairly targeted and intimidated lawful Asian American campaign donors.
More bad news for Democrats came last week with the revelation that Clinton’s pastor-confessor during the Lewinski scandal, Rev. Jesse Jackson, had himself engaged in an extra-marital affair and had fathered a child out of wedlock with a staff member of his Rainbow/Operation PUSH organization. When Jackson was counseling Clinton after the Lewinski story broke, his child by his mistress was already conceived.
Jackson has done much to further affirmative action, civil rights, and other issues benefiting Asian Americans over many decades of public service. However, both he and Clinton engaged in sexual activity with subordinates in the workplace that would have resulted in the firing and possible prosecution of leaders involved in comparable activities in the business sector. While there should definitely be a divide between public and private lives, those who aspire to the highest levels of public confidence should set examples by their deeds, as well as their words.
Among the positive developments for all Asian Americans last week was the new report by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which was championed by Clinton. While reading it, I was struck by two things. Firstly, it is wonderful that those testifying before the initiative’s commissioners, as well as the initiative’s own commissioners and staff, were so diverse, reflecting the rich tapestry of our community. South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders were especially prominent in their participation.
On the other hand, I was amazed at how little the findings and recommendations had changed from reports I had participated in or read since the 1970s. For example, the United States Commission on Civil Rights issued “The Tarnished Golden Door,” “Window Dressing on the Set,” and a host of other baseline-setting reports in the 1970s and 80s, which called for more inclusion, more research, and more advocacy. The findings of “A People Looking Forward,” the AAPI Commission’s first report, shows that, despite how far we as a community have come in 20 years, we still are not where we need to be.
For a copy of the AAPI report, go online to http://www.aapi.gov. For more on the report, see our feature story on page 18.
Making Minorities Count,By Neela Banerjee
January 26, 2001
Whether or not to adjust for the damaging undercount of racial and ethnic minorities in the 2000 census is quickly shaping up to be one of the major civil rights issues of the new millennium.Statistical agencies, civil rights organizations and community groups are all pushing for the use of sampling, along with the raw data from the head count, to give a more accurate picture of the American population.
President George W. Bush must decide whether or not his will be the first administration ever that would allow for this data to be used to redraw Congressional district boundaries and distribute $185 billion in federal funds.
Historically, the census undercount has adversely affected racial and ethnic minorities, as well as poor people and immigrants. The 1990 raw census tally excluded some 63,000 Asian Americans in California and 22,000 in New York.
“Sampling techniques were integrated into the 1990 census, but they did not use the numbers to adjust for the undercount of racial and ethnic minorities or the double count of traditionally white, affluent communities,” New York-based Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund lawyer Glen Magpanty said.
In California, the unadjusted data listed the minority population at 43 percent, while the adjusted data reported that the actual minority population was closer to 76 percent. The state stands to lose some $5 billion over the next decade if the unadjusted numbers are released.
“Conservatives argue that the Constitution only allows a strict enumeration, or a strict head count,” Magpanty said. “So if you are going to get counted, you have to fill out a form or answer the questions of a census taker.”
But AALDEF and other civil rights organizations argue that the Constitution says that everyone has to be counted, and therefore the numbers need to be adjusted.
The undercount happens for a variety of reasons, but especially because people are fearful of repercussions due to their immigration status, trouble with the law or language barriers.
“If census takers go to the door and they knock, and then they hear ‘shhhh’ and the lights get turned off, they know there is someone in there. But regulations say they must put down zero,” Magpanty said.
Ted Wang, of Chinese for Affirmative Action in San Francisco, said that places such as Chinatown in San Francisco are full of hidden housing that the census board almost always misses.
“There are a lot of dormitories in Chinatown that do not have a real address, but many people live in them,” Wang said. “Also, there are many multiple family homes, which only get one form, and then only one of the families there will fill it out.”
Politically, most Republicans are against the use of statistical sampling to adjust the census because they say the method would create Democrat-friendly districts, and could cost the GOP its slim majority in the House.
“The court very clearly directed the federal government to rely on the actual numerical count,” Kevin Nguyen, executive director of the Sacramento-based American Civil Rights Institute, said. “Until there is an amendment, nothing can be done.”
Nguyen said that Republicans and Democrats have to move beyond the fight over adjusted figures and work together to make sure there is a way to have a more accurate count.
A recent report by American University history professor Allan Lichtman looks at the 10 most undercounted states in the 1990 census. The report states that “the use of corrected rather than uncorrected data had the potential to significantly affect opportunities for minority voters to participate fully in the political process and elect candidates of their choice.”
The 10 states are California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland and Louisiana.
Lichtman’s report shows that the use of corrected data would have increased the numbers of majority-minority districts. For all 10 states, the use of the corrected data would have had the potential to affect minority voter opportunities in more than 40 state legislative seats.
“New York has the second largest Asian American population in the country, and we have never seen an Asian American elected to city council, state legislature or Congress,” Magpanty said. “Part of that is that our community has been misrepresented because we haven’t been counted in the census.”
Magpanty explained that when people know they are the majority in a certain area, they are more likely to get involved in the political process and vote.
“When you know your numbers are strong enough to really affect things – then you would certainly get involved,” Magpanty said.
Lichtman’s report states that even though the adjustment would have a significant effect on minority voter opportunities, it does not appear to have serious partisan effects as the minorities would almost always be added to districts that were already predominately Democratic.
Magpanty pointed out that the overcount is also a very significant problem.
“It might be in the conservatives’ interest to double count the suburbs, the people who have two homes and who have kids in boarding schools,” Magpanty said. “The fewer people of color there are, poor people, people in cities, the better it might be for distributing resources to those upper classes. That is unconstitutional and wrong.”
The Census Bureau would use the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (ACE) sampling method. Over the summer, the Bureau sent out enumerators to interview 314,000 households throughout the country. The results of the ACE survey will provide the base for the adjustment.
“The 11 top professionals at the Census will look at all the data, including the ACE and decide whether or not to release the data,” explained Census Monitoring Board spokesperson John Chambers.
The Census Monitoring Board is a bi-partisan board established in 1997 to monitor all preparations and conduct of the Census Bureau. Four Democratic members were appointed by the President, and four Republican leaders were appointed by House and Congressional leadership.
“Now that the counting is done, our role has shifted to make sure the census data is the most accurate data available,” Chambers said.
Former Census Bureau director Ken Prewit resigned earlier this month, when he was not asked to stay on by President Bush. The decision may fall into the hands of new Commerce Secretary Don Evans, who has not yet come out with his opinion on the issue.
The undercount in San Francisco was over 20,000 in the 1990 census count. The Department of Human Services estimated that approximately $53 million was lost in federal and state funding because of this undercount.
But with huge education and outreach efforts by a coalition of community organizations, return rates were up this year, according to Wang.
San Francisco is also a site for a census bureau pilot program called the American Community Survey. This survey is slated to replace the census long form by the year 2010.
“The long form is the one that asks all the detailed questions,” Wang explained. “But by the time the data is released, it is already outdated. We are still using 1990 data results to make policy decisions.”
Wang said that this makes no sense, especially in a place such as San Francisco where some parts of the city have a completely different population than 10 years ago.
“The idea behind this survey is the Bureau will sample three to five percent of the population, so the census data is constantly updated,” Wang said. “So even if the actual adjusted results are not released, there will be a constant check to show what is really going on.”
Underscoring Our Needs
January 26, 2001
The President’s Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders faces an uncertain future under a new administrationBy Joseph Hong
One of the last testimonies of the evening at the Los Angeles Town Hall meeting held last year, was that of a single Asian American mother, limited in her English skills. The woman described her frustration in trying to find information in her language that could help her better support her special-needs child.
“And there was nothing, just nothing available for her,” said Tessie Guillermo, a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
| Making Minorities Count: Community groups pressure Bush and the government to change the Census to include the undercount of minorities.National Monument Status Stirs Memories — and Controversy: President Clinton proclaims the Minidoka internment camp a historical landmark; a former internee recalls his years while imprisoned there.Also in National & World News… • Businessman Claims He Gave Money to U.S. Diplomat • Australian Universities Accused of Asian Favoritism • Man sues police over handling of sister’s suicide • Sumo Champ Akebono Steps Down • Phillipine President Estrada Ousted • Jhumpa Lahiri Gets Married • SUNY Wrestler Involved in Another Assault • Washington Journal |
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Help Rico: Eight-year-old boy’s life depends on finding the right bone marrow donor to treat his leukemia.Recount Update: District 7 election recount on, off, and on again.Also in Bay Area & California News… • Supes Roundup • Chinatown Youth Sweep in the New Year • Chinese Ambassador Calls Falun Gong ‘Evil Cult’ • Political Potstickers: YODA Is Dying. |
| Asia in 2001: A Peek Ahead. Experts have reservations about the coming year for Asia’s economy, but they are optimistic overall.The Shattered Ceiling: Q&A with Anirvan Chatterjee, cofounder of BookFinder.comAlso in Business… • Indian Tech Boom Reaching Out to Nation’s Poor • Tokyo Again Tops List of Expensive Cities • Common Cents: Retiring or Changing Jobs? |
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The Wonderful World of Shiga! An interview with quirky comic book artist and mathematician Jason Shiga.Affairs of the Heart: Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung reunite in director Wong Kar-wai’s smart and stunning In the Mood for Love.Also in Arts & Entertainment… • Hot ‘n Sour Dish: YiYi. A-One and a-Two. • Koto master Kazue Sawai to Perform in Bay Area. |
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Emil Amok: Bush’s First Days. Columnist Emil Guillermo analyzes the new president’s inaugural words and actions.Lead Editorial: President Bush’s Pride. Why we should commend Bush for the nomination of Elaine Chao and a diverse cabinet.Also in Opinion… • Letters to the Editor |
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A&E Calendar This week’s arts, entertainment, and community events around the country, listed alphabetically by region and category.Community Calendar This week’s announcements, workshops, and opportunities for community, family and career. |
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