AAPI Voices in Government – Federal, State and Local Perspectives

Panel 1: A Federal Perspective
Congressman Mike Honda, Chairman, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Daphne Kwok, Chair of President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (invited) Gloria Chan, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

This past Friday, Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA, 15th District), held a community forum on Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices in Government focused at the federal, state and local level. The event was an Asian Americans who’s who in civic leadership at all levels. Besides Congressman Honda, California State Controller John Chiang was in attendance, as well as many former and current mayors and city council members. What I found most interesting was that Honda and others were already calling Chiang the future California governor in four years (assuming that if Jerry Brown wins, he’d serve only one term, or if Meg Whitman won, Chiang would run against her). I’m not sure if he will be California’s next governor in four years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was California’s first Asian American governor in eight or twelve years. It was terrific that newly appointed Daphne Kwok, Chair of President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, was able to attend. Local mayor Evan Low of Campbell, California helped moderate all the sessions.

Watch the state and local perspectives panel, as well as Congressman Honda’s closing remarks after the jump.

Panel 2: A State Perspective
State Controller John Chiang
Asssemblymember Fiona Ma, Speaker pro Tempore
Assemblymember Paul Fong

Panel 3: A Community Perspective
Bea Pangilinan, Staff Attorney, Asian Law Alliance
Dr. Mae Lee, Professor & Project Director, IMPACT AAPI, De Anza College
Michele Lew, President & CEO, Asian Americans for Community Involvement

Closing Remarks by Congressman Mike Honda