AAA-Fund Endorsed Candidates for 2007-08 (as of September 1, 2007) Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund) 700 H Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20001 email: info@aaa-fund.org phone: 202-236-2048 For more information about the AAA-Fund, visit our website at: www.aaa-fund.org Copyright (c) AAA-Fund 2000-2007, All rights reserved. ========================== L.A. COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD MEMBER Warren Furutani www.warrenfurutani.org Running for election as State Rep. in CA's 55th A.D. With the recent election of Laura Richardson to the United States Congress, Warren has announced his candidacy to fill the vacancy left in the 55th Assembly District. A Special Election will be announced in late 2007, and Warren's campaign is already off to a great start. Mr. Furutani has the distinction of being the only person to serve as president of the board of both the Los Angeles Community College and the Los Angeles Board of Education. His no-nonsense but compassionate approach to getting the job done has earned him praise from all quarters. His extensive list of supporters includes state and local government leaders, business leaders, union representatives, and many parents — whose only cause is a better chance for their children. A fourth generation Californian born in San Pedro, Furutani attended Los Angeles public schools, graduated from Gardena High School, and attended several local community colleges before getting his B.A. at Antioch College. Aside from his many charitable and public service activities on the local level, Mr. Furutani is a respected leader on the state level as well. He currently works as a senior consultant to the Speaker of the California Assembly, the Honorable Fabian Nuñez, and has served in that capacity for the last three Speakers as well. ========================== COMMUNITY ADVOCATE Pakou Hang www.pakouhang.com Running for Election to St Paul, MN City Council, Ward 6 When supporters are asked to describe Pakou Hang, a community and political organizer who is vying for the Ward 6 seat on St. Paul, Minnesota's City Council, they often use adjectives such as "energetic," "optimistic," and "hardworking." "Politics," she says, "should not be a struggle over power. It should be a struggle to empower all people politically." Although Hang is a first-time candidate, she is no stranger to Minnesota politics. She managed the historic campaign of Minnesota State Senator Mee Moua, whose 2002 victory made her the first Hmong-American state legislator in the nation. She has also worked for Senator Paul Wellstone and the Minnesota chapter of America Votes. Hang was born in a Thai refugee camp and immigrated to the United States when she was fifteen days old. Hang graduated from Yale in 1999 and is currently on leave from a doctoral program in political science at the University of Minnesota. Her awards include a Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Award, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, a MacArthur Fellowship, and DFL (Minnesota's Democratic Party) Rising Star Award. ========================== UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE Mike Honda www.mikehonda.org Running for Re-election to U.S. Congress, California's 15th CD Mike Honda, the President of the AAA-Fund Honorary Board of Directors, was elected to represent California's 15th Congressional District in 2000. He also serves as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and House Democratic Senior Whip. He serves on the Appropriations Committee, with postings on that body's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Commerce, Justice, and Science, and Legislative Branch Subcommittees. Mike was born in California, but spent his early childhood with his family in an internment camp in Colorado during World War II. His family returned to California in 1953, becoming strawberry sharecroppers in San Jose. In 1965, Mike interrupted his college studies to answer President John F. Kennedy's call for volunteer service. He served in the Peace Corps for two years in El Salvador, returning with a passion for teaching and fluent in Spanish. Mike earned Bachelor's degrees in Biological Sciences and Spanish, and a Master's degree in Education from San José State University. He has worked as a science teacher, principal at two public schools, education researcher at Stanford University, and member of the California State Assembly (1996 to 2000). ========================== BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR Sam Yoon www.samyoon.com Running for Re-election to Boston City Council In November 2005, Sam Yoon won an At Large seat on the Boston City Council, becoming the first Asian Pacific American ever to hold elective office in Boston. He is running for re-election in a primary that will be held on September 25 and a general election to be held on November 6, 2007. Born in Seoul, South Korea, he came to this country with his parents when he was only ten months old. At ten years old, he became a naturalized U. S. citizen. He attended Princeton University, where he earned a teaching license along with a Bachelor's degree in philosophy. He subsequently taught in two of New Jersey's most troubled public school systems before moving to Boston to earn his Master's Degree in Public Administration at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Building on his work for the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), Boston Aging Concerns, and the Community Builders (the nation's largest non-profit developer of affordable housing), Sam has made economic development, public education, affordable housing, and public safety the centerpieces of his work. He serves on the Education, Human Rights, New Bostonians, PILOT Agreements (Special Cte.), and Youth Affairs committees.