Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
December 6, 2006
Participants: Kathleen To, Fel Amistad, S. B. Woo
Staff Present: Jing-Li Yu and Helen Wang
Nature of the meeting and Duration: Conference call lasting 1.5 hours
Date: December 6, 2006
APPROVAL: All items reported below have the approval of the three participants
plus Larry Ho. Julia Wan, the only remaining member of the Executive Committee
is traveling and cannot be reached.
A) What PAC would like to do in the foreseeable future
PAC and EF (80-20 Educational Foundation) share the same goals. However,
we are independent organizations operating at arms-length from each other.
Regarding PAC, we recommend a focus on:
1. Getting a Congressional Hearing on the glass ceiling above Asian Americans.
To promote the Congressional hearing, 80-20 may need to contact again
with both DNC and RNC. We also need to maintain contacts with Congressional
delegates of both parties who are sympathetic to our cause. We need to
establish a coalition with Asian American political leaders and civic
organizations.
2. Filing a Friend of the Court brief, depending on whether Jian Li¡¯s
case against Princeton University goes to court.
Currently, Jian Li¡¯s case is filed with the Civil Rights
Commission only. If we file an amicus curiae, we recommend that
80-20 take the following position: State that 80-20 strongly supports
diversity and Affirmative Action. We know that diversity will come at
a cost, and we believe that Asian Americans should share the cost and
the vision. However, a disproportionate share of the cost should not be
imposed on Asian Americans, when discrimination might take place.
B) Seize the golden opportunity presented by the 2006 election
To establish a close relationship with the top leadership of the House
of Representatives. The demographics of the Congressional District of
the top leaders are ingredients for a wonderful win-win situation:
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, from CA 08, which is a large part
of San Francisco , i.e., it has the characteristics of an urban district.
Voter registration there is D/R = 83/12; the percentage of people broken
down by race is: W/B/H/AsAm = 43/9/16/29
Steny H Hoyer, Majority Leader, from MA 05 (immediate north of DC and
somewhat south of Baltimore . It¡¯s a suburban area.); D/R
= 69/29; W/B/H/AsAm = 60/30/3/4. My conjecture is that the 4% of AsAms
probably contributed more to Hoyer¡¯s campaigns than the blacks
and Hispanics combined.
For personal information about the 5 Dem leaders in the House, visit
http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/11/house_democratic_leadership_fo.html
C) Membership
80-20 paid insufficient attention to membership this year. There is a
danger that this year's membership may fall below last year's record.
We urge all to make an extra effort to prevent that.
D) The Staff Situation
Helen Wang, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication, has satisfactorily
tried out with us for the month of November. We plan to offer her a one
year contract with a 6 month trial period during which both sides may
terminate the relationship with a one month advance notice.
E) Adjournment -- The meeting was adjourned after about 1.5 hours.
Respectfully Submitted by,
Kathleen To, Secretary ( December 6, 2006 )
Approved by S. B. Woo, President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.
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