Fight Discrimination

Resolution to aid candidates attacked on basis of race (passed in 2002)

80-20 has a powerful resolution to protect APA political candidates from racist attacks. See below:

Whereas, more racist attacks on APA political candidates will occur, as the number of our candidates and the importance of the offices they seek both increase;
Whereas, there are at least two alleged racist attacks on APA political candidates reported to 80-20 during the 2002 primary (see Footnotes attached below);
Whereas, our candidates under racist attacks are under extreme disadvantage and are often not in the best position to defend themselves;
Whereas, the most severe attacks are often sprung a day or two prior to election time; Whereas, such last minute racist attacks are normally designed by the political consultants working for the candidates although candidates themselves must give the approvals;
Whereas, racist attacks are the most dastardly of negative political attacks that should not be tolerated;
Therefore, be it resolved that 80-20 establishes a investigative committee to look into reported racist attacks on APA candidates and report back, with maximum speed, to the Executive Comm. with recommendations for actions:

In marginal cases, 80-20 may provide support to attacked APA candidates, and

In the worst cases where the racist attacks have clearly crossed the line of decency, 80-20 will (1) help the attacked candidates with its resources so as to win the race out right, (2) aim to defeat the attacker in the next election, if the attacker wins the current election, and (3) greatly publicize the name(s) of political consultant(s) and his/her firm and boycott both, if the person(s) is from an established political consulting firm.

Be it further resolved that
Written notice be given to the steering committee members each time there is a plan to spend $10,000 or more under this authorization; and that 80-20 acts as a passive body in any alleged racist attacks on APA candidates. That is, an APA political candidate and/or his/her campaign organization must file a formal complaint with 80-20, before 80-20 may begin its investigation.

Footnotes:
(1) Cabaldon's race for CA Assemblyman in the 18th Dist.; he lost in the primary. The following report is from Alex Esclamado, an 80-20 Steering Comm. member:

"COUNCILMAN CHRISTOPHER GABALDON, former Mayor of West Sacramento, is running for State Assemblyman in the 18th District. He is the front-runner in Tuesday's Democratic Primary. His two white opponents are slapping him with racist black propaganda in desperation. Among the campaign rhetoric used are: Gabaldon's supporters are from Filipinos who live outside the district; Filipinos are raising questionable contributions from somewhere outside of Sacramento -hinting that the money is coming from the Philippines. All of these are untrue. Gabaldon has proven himself to be a very competent public official and should not be judged "by the color of his skin!""

(2) Alice Lai-Bitker's race in Alameda County as reported to 80-20 by Kate Quick. Alice will be in a runoff with the supposed "attacker" this coming November.

"Here's an alert on a race for County Board of Supervisors in Alameda County, CA which is taking on anti-Asian racist overtones. In the primary, Alice Lai-Bitker, a Chinese-American was opposed by two other candidates, Ralph Appezzato and Tony Daysog (Tony is Filipino-American). Alice is the appointed incumbent - appointed by the members of the Board when her predecessor, Wilma Chan, was elected to the State Assembly. Ralph Appezzato is supported by some pretty heavy hitters. He produced two racist mailing pieces, one with pictures of all the Board of Supervisor Members (one white male, one white female, two African-American males, and Alice) with the line "What color is your supervisor?". It was really about a team-building thing the supervisors had done where the consultant assigns "colors" to personality types, but the double-entendre was clear. The other piece was a listing of predominantly Alice's Asian-American supporters (selected from a list of many supporters, who were quite mixed) which had as its final statement "Is it us or them?"