What’s Fair about Fairs and Fares
I had to laugh at the inaccuracy of your headline “McGoldrick Fee Squeezing Asian Fairs?” (Aug. 11). If only I had such powers. This legislation was a result of working with Mayor Gavin Newsom during the budget process. Call it the Newsom-McGoldrick fee, McGoldrick-Newsom fee, or “McNewsom” legislation.
Supervisor Jake
McGoldrick
San Francisco, Calif.
In a “victory of sorts” for Filipino Americans, San Francisco relented and issued the permit requested by the organizers of the August 14 Pistahan Parade. The permit allowed the parade participants to assemble on Beale Street. Everyone should be commended for contacting and communicating the importance of the additional 2 blocks on Market Street to San Francisco officials and, made it possible to extend the parade route.
Rudy Asercion
San Francisco, Calif.
Let My Son Choose
Your article resonated for me, as I wait impatiently for my travel orders to adopt my 8-year-old Uyghur son (“APA Voices for Allah,” Aug. 11) now located in a Chinese orphanage in Urumqi.
We have already connected with the small-but-tight Uyghur community here in Los Angeles, and plan on offering him the option to pursue his religious faith and ethnic connections. But over and over, friends and relatives discourage my plans. I find that hard to understand. Freedom of faith and celebration of ethnic diversity is why we started out, and what we stand for in this country.
Marianne Davis
Encino, Calif.
Looking for Elaine’s Response
Asian Pacific Americans have the worst chance to rise to the top.
According to federal data, APAs have only 55% of the chance to rise to the top rank in the private industries (1.9 million APA workers), 41% of the chance in the universities (70,000), and 30% of the chance in the Federal government (86,000), as compared with that of an average American worker in the same positions.
80-20 sent to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao a letter and charts that are quick views of how poorly APAs have it.
After 3 months, Secretary Chao has not replied. She has the obligation to go to bat for APAs using Executive Order 11246.
S. B. Woo
President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.
Via e-mail
United as Americans
The Asian American Pacific Islander, American Muslim and Arab American communities have everything in common and every reason to work together. Our central concerns are civil rights, civil liberties and the political empowerment of new immigrant communities. This article (“APA Voices for Allah,” Aug. 11) goes a long way to raising this important commonality.
Hady Amr
Asian-American Action Fund
Via e-mail