Presidential candidate John Edwards unveiled his APA support on April 19 with a little dig at Sen. Hillary Clinton by noting the endorsement of “former [Bill] Clinton” APA officials – including ex-White House liaisons Liz Martinez Baldick of the Labor Department, Hawai’i’s Jadine Nielsen of the Small Business Administration, White House policy advisor and former National APA Bar Association vice president David Tseng … The dig is indicative that Clinton (who snagged accountant/Assembly Majority Whip Fiona Ma and former SBA director Ginger Lew in March) and Edwards are courting pro-business, centrist Democrats key to winning the White House as Bill Clinton did in 1992 and 1996 … The North Carolina senator also picked up support from San Franciscans State Senator Leland Yee and Korematsu attorney Dale Minami; former legislative chief of staff Bill Wong; legislator Nathan Shinagawa of Ithaca, New York; former Japanese American Citizens League executive director David Ushio; Minami Tamaki attorney Steve Ngo of S.F.; and former Seattle JACL president Arlene Oki.
FIRST APA WOMAN SENATOR? California Democratic Party Vice chair Alicia Wang and Ma — along with Dr. James Yu of Asian Americans for Good Government — threw their support to state senate candidate Wilma Chan. She vies with Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D-14th District) for the seat of termed out state senate pro tem president Don Perata (CA-District 9) to represent the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and Richmond. Chan said one challenge will be drawing out Democratic voters on June 3, 2008. She’s expecting a low turnout election without a contested Democratic presidential primary, now pushed earlier to February 5. A contest of White House Democratic candidates like Clinton, Senator Barack Obama and Gov. Bill Richardson could have boosted the June turnout of women, black and Latino Democrats in a district population that is 25 percent black, 17 percent Asian and 19 percent Latino. Former Assembly Majority leader Chan, if elected, would be the first APA female state senator.
GAY-JEWISH SPLIT: APA Democratic/independent voters making up six percent of State Senate District 3 — covering counties of Marin, Sonoma and SF — are increasing their influence in a split between two LGBT titans - incumbent Carole Migden and Assemblyman Mark Leno. Both are running in a district with a diluted LGBT constituency after a 2000 gerrymander. A split will inevitably attract other candidates – with speculation about Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who represents Chinatown/North Beach and could make the race a Jewish threesome … The reception for Wilma Chan’s candidacy was attended by Police Commissioner Joe Alioto Veronese, who’s introducing himself as Joe Alioto — the name of his late grandfather, SF mayor Joe Alioto. Voters will recognize the Alioto scion as son of former Sup. Angela Alioto and cousin of Sup. Michaela Alioto-Pier, who represents Marina/Pacific Heights, which is also in District 3… If Joe Alioto runs for state senate, the first sign will be his resignation from the police commission. The other could be Assemblywoman Ma’s confidant Francisco Hsieh, a long-time friend of Angela, who could be his Chinatown liaison.