MISSING EXECUTED LEGISLATION FORM
89172
Resolution / Ordinance Number:
MAY 172022City Council Meeting Date
2%Agenda Item No.
wyRecorded Vote
Statuskof Resolution/Ordinance:
I I No signed version will be filed
I I No signed version will be filed
Filed without signature
I I Council amended legislation
Author Contact Information:
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APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
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CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT NIKKI FORTUNATO BAS AND COUNCIL
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE SHENG THAO
RESOLUTION IN CELEBRATION OF MAY 2022 AS ASIAN AMERICAN
AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH AND HONORING
ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS WHOSE SERVICE
AND LEADERSHIP IN OAKLAND CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE
VIBRANT AND JUST CITY
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have made essential and enduring contributions to the history of Oakland, California, and the nation, helping to build, defend, and strengthen our nation - as farmworkers and railroad laborers, entrepreneurs and scientists, soldiers, public sector workers, health professionals, community activists and leaders of government; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have endured hardships, including unjust working conditions, prejudice, and discrimination in some of the darkest times in our country’s history, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, naturalized citizenship ineligibility, the Alien Land Law, anti-miscegenation laws, and Japanese interment; and WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans continue to cultivate and advance innovative knowledge, economic growth and unique cultural vitality in the fields or art, fashion, business, technology, medicine, science, education, government, law, humanities, sports, and entertainment; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans have led and joined a long legacy of activism and organizing in the United States in the movements for civil rights, immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, and environmental justice, much of which took root in Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area during the 1960s and continues today; and
WHEREAS, Oakland is home to nearly 70,000 Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are one of the fastest growing ethnic populations in California and the United States; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans comprise more than 17 percent of Oakland’s population and represent diverse ancestries that include, but are not limited to, Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Burmese, Cambodian, Chamorro, Chinese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Iu-Mien, Iwo Jiman, Guamanian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Maldivian, Mongolian, Nepalese, Native Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Okinawan, Pakistani, Samoan, Singaporean, Sir Lankan, Thai, Tongan, and other Pacific Islander; and WHEREAS, there are many challenges that predominantly Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander members of the diverse Asian and Pacific Islander American community are facing, including higher rates of poverty, incarceration, health disparities, and limited English proficiency; and
WHEREAS, the federal government and the State of California officially designate May as “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month”; and
WHEREAS, the celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month offers Oakland residents an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, challenges, and history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans; and WHEREAS, the Oakland City Council would like to honor the following individuals for their contributions to a more vibrant and just Oakland; and WHEREAS, District 1 is honored to recognize SGI-USA Oakland Buddhist Center located at 3834 Opal Street in North Oakland. The Center is part of a community of 12 million people in 192 countries. Daisaku Ikeda, the current President of SGI is a Buddhist leader, peacebuilder, prolific writer, poet and educator, as well as the spiritual founder of a number of cultural, educational and peace research institutions around the world. One block of Opal Street was commeratively renamed Daisaku Ikeda Way in May 2021 and many of the neighborhood discussion facilitators are from AAPI communities. The SGI-USA Oakland Buddhist Center serves as the physical hub for over a thousand SGI members in Oakland and thousands more in the East Bay who discuss, uphold and promote the ideals of peace, humanity, and cross-cultural understanding through informal dialogue with all peoples; WHEREAS, District 2 is honored to recognize Andrew Park, Executive Director of Trybe. Park’s leadership of Trybe during the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years has had a tremendous impact on our Oakland community, especially households in the flatlands.
Since 2020, Trybe has served 9,500 families and provided 8 million meals and meal equivalents in the San Antonio, Eastlake, Fruitvale, and East Oakland neighborhoods, to families that have been primarily Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Last summer 2021, Trybe provided sports programming and summer camp activities to over 250 children and youth, encouraging children and youth to be active while learning new skills and confidence with sports. Summer camp activities also included cooking, nutrition, and food safety. Trybe’s Ambassadors play an important role connecting with the community and promoting safety in San Antonio Park, as well as supporting community events at Clinton Park, Bella Vista Park and Franklin. Park’s leadership has provided critical emergency wellness and safety support to Oaklanders, and District 2 is grateful for his service, vision, and love for our community; and 2 WHEREAS, District 3 is honored to recognize Chris Nguon, author, Program Manager at Lincoln Families and convenor of West Oakland Community Collaborative. Nguon’s strong dedication towards equitable education for our students and bringing together resources for West Oakland residents via firm grounding in cultural competency and increasing community awareness contributes towards making Oakland a vibrant and just city. District 3 is grateful for his dedication and care to our community; and
WHEREAS, District 4 is honored to recognize Jubilee Fano Taufete'e, who has shown her dedication to her community by supporting young people in organizing food drives around Oakland, volunteers her time at the Alameda County Food Bank, assists our youth with college preparation, and helps organize golf tournament fundraisers for scholarships; and WHEREAS, District 5 is honored to recognize Bruce Vuong, the owner of Quality Tech Automotive. Bruce is passionate about helping people and providing Oakland residents great quality customer service at his shop. Bruce Vuong is also actively involved in community Toy Drives, charities, Safety Neighborhood groups, and promotes youth programs at the YMCA.
Bruce has also contributed to Councilmember Gallo’s weekend clean-up work in District 5. Mr.
Voung strongly believes that service to the community should come before profit and he is always pleased that no one is turned away from his business.
WHEREAS, District 6 is honored and proud to recognize Sima Patel, a self-made CEO and dedicated community leader who has experienced a lifetime of groundbreaking milestones.
As the CEO of Ridgemont Elospitality she has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, beginning at age 16 when Patel moved across the ocean from Surat, India to join her husband, Pravin, in Oakland where she began working in a family-owned hotel. In 1985 Patel sowed the seeds of what would become her own hospitality enterprise when she and Pravin acquired the land on which they would build their first hotel, The Regency Inn. In 2004, Patel became the first Indian woman to chair a national or state lodging association in the United States, the California Lodging Industry Association. In 2016 she became the first industry-elected chair of the nation’s biggest destination marketing organization, Visit California.
Today, the family-owned and operated company runs Oakland’s-Hampton Inn Downtown City Center, Holiday Inn Express, and Hampton Inn & Suites, Alameda’s Home 2 Suites By Hilton, and Mountain View’s Hotel Vue. Throughout her career Patel has remained an inspiring leader whose commitment to her community is unwavering. Locally in Oakland she has not only served as chair of the Independent Lodging Industry Association and is an active member of the Oakland Rotary Club and the Oakland Airport Area Business Association, but she has also secured critical funding for Visit Oakland and gained approval for an Oakland Tourism Business Improve District by the Oakland City Council. Sima also serves on the California Chamber of Commerce Board and Executive Committee and remains a leader within the Indian-American community and founded SAAHELI. a global online community for South Asian women and has worked to support human trafficking survivors; and
WHEREAS, District 7 is honored to recognize Nik Dehejia, Chief Executive Officer for the Oakland Zoo, which is located in the beautiful rolling hills of East Oakland, in District 7. As a 14-year veteran of Oakland Zoo, Nik Dehejia’s role as Chief Executive Officer is integral to all Zoo operations. Nik’s passion for advancing the Zoo into the future, both in wildlife conservation and as a visitor destination, has been key to establishing Oakland Zoo as we know it today. A member of the prestigious AZA Honors and Awards Committee and the AZA Trends Committee, as well as a board member of the Regional Parks Foundation, Nik’s twin goals of 3 Taking Action for Wildlife and over-arching future progress drives successful projects across the Oakland Zoo. His leadership has strengthened the Zoo’s financial position, their relationship with the local community and increased equity and inclusion across the organization. Along with conservation efforts, he is making it a priority for deeper involvement in the local and greater community and developing programs to increase access and inclusion across the Oakland Zoo as an organization. Universal access to the Zoo, across all demographics and capabilities, is part of his vision; and
WHEREAS, the At-Large Council Office is honored to recognize the Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC). APSC provides direct support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and raises awareness about the growing number of AAPIs being imprisoned, detained, and deported. Based in Oakland Chinatown, APSC has led programs in prisons, organized anti-deportation campaigns, provided resources to “lifers,” and developed culturally relevant reentry programs since 2002. These programs include the ROOTS program - Restoring Our Original True Selves - where APSC sponsors a weekly class at San Quentin State Prison modeled after ethnic studies curriculum, which seeks to increase understanding about immigration/refugee history, intergenerational trauma, leadership development, and reentry planning. For reentry services, APSC supports formerly incarcerated AAPIs and others via peer support and mentorship, community immersion opportunities, and reentry navigation. APSC also conducts anti-deportation campaigns for currently and formerly incarcerated community members, helping AAPI individuals gain their freedom from ICE, advocating for policy changes to prevent or reverse deportations, and securing gubernatorial pardons. APSC facilitates impactful programming and support services to AAPIs and other currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through community-based reentry services, educational programs in prisons, and deportation defense campaigns; and WHEREAS? the Mayor’s Office is honored to recognize Dr. Russell Jeung for his outstanding contributions to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Dr. Russell Jeung received a BA in Human Biology and a MA in Education from Stanford University. After working in China and in the Mayor's Office of San Francisco, he obtained his PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000. He joined San Francisco State University's Asian American Studies Department in 2002. Dr. Jeung is the author of numerous books including: Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese Americans, Moving Movers: Student Activism and the Emergence of Asian American Studies among others. In 2020, Dr. Jeung launched Stop AAPI Hate, a project of Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, and SF State Asian American Studies. The project tracks Covid-19 related discrimination in order to develop community resources and policy interventions to fight racism. Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council recognizes May 2022 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and celebrates and honors the service and leadership of these individuals and organizations contributing to a more vibrant and just Oakland.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
4 AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES-
ABSENT -
ABSTENTION-
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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