NCVA REPORTER - September 28, 2004

In this NCVA Reporter:

Events

• Grand Opening of the Cambodian American Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial - Oct 7 & Oct 9, 2004

Funding Opportunities

• Pulte Homes Provides Support for Company Communities
• Sabbaticals for Activists of Color
• Support for Financial Education and Workforce Initiatives
• Support from Allstate
• $10,000 Grants Available to Md., D.C. Nonprofits
• Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
• BRICK Awards for Young Community Leaders

Jobs/Internships

• Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project - Advocates Program Co-Director

Tips/Resources

• YRBSS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
• HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Modern-Day Slavery in Your Backyard
• 2004 Voter Fact Sheet

News

• Safety handbook widens net (Houston Chronicle)
• Heflin faces another test: re-election (Houston Chronicle)
• Woman calls for end to human trafficking (Associated Press)
• Vietnamese health barriers found (Houston Chronicle)
• Digital divide of kids narrows Almost all children have used the Internet, but the at-home access gap is still wide (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Candidate Investigated Over Homes (Los Angeles Times)
• Los Altos weighs limit on nail salons: Some See Overtones of Race & Image in the Council’s Stance (Mercury News)
• Court translators: Vital need, haphazardly met (Scranton Times Tribune)

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EVENTS

GRAND OPENING OF THE CAMBODIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM & KILLING FIELDS MEMORIAL

The Cambodian Association of Illinois (CAI) is honored to invite you to attend the open house for our newly renovated Cambodian American Community Center and Grand Opening for the Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial.

This event will commemorate the more than 2 million lives that were lost in Cambodia's Killing Fields and celebrate the achievements of the Cambodian American community as we overcome tremendous obstacles to settle in our new homeland. This historic community event will be held at the community center on

Thursday, October 7th
& Saturday, October 9, 2004

AGENDA
Thursday, October 7th (by invitation only)
5:30 PM: Welcome
6:00 PM: Program Begins
7:00 PM: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
7:30 PM: Closing

Saturday, October 9th (open to the public)
4:00 PM: Welcome
4:30 PM: President's Welcoming Remarks
4:50 PM: Guest Speaker
5:00 PM: Invocation of Spirits
5:15 PM: Buddhist Ceremony
6:00 PM: Blessings by Monks & Maha Bangskol
7:00 PM: Reception

For more information, please contact Ms. Dary Mien at the number below.

Cambodian Association of Illinois
2831 West Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
Phone: (773) 878-7090 ext. 203
Email: CAI@cambodian-association.org

http://www.cambodian-association.org

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

PULTE HOMES PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR COMPANY COMMUNITIES
Pulte Homes Charitable Giving Program

The Pulte Homes Charitable Giving Program primarily supports nonprofit organizations in company communities, with emphasis on the Detroit, MI metropolitan area. The grantmaking focus areas currently open for application include education, with support directed to improving programs targeted toward the Residential Homebuilding Industry at U.S. universities; environment; and health and human services. Nonprofit organizations in company communities in the 28 states where the company operates and Washington, DC are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted year-round.

(http://www.pulte.com/about_us/contributions_missionstatement.asp)

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SABBATICALS FOR ACTIVISTS OF COLOR
The Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program

The Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program is committed to advancing progressive social change by helping to sustain long-time activists of color. Awards of $15,000 are made to organizers for sabbaticals of three months or more. The sabbaticals provide an opportunity for reflection and renewal and may be used to explore new interests, travel, relax, visit with other activists, and other activities that the Fellows think are necessary to prepare for their future work. Individuals of color throughout the United States and its territories who have more than ten years experience as community activists and are committed to continuing to work for social change are eligible to apply. The application deadline is December 1, 2004.

(http://www.alstonbannerman.org/)

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SUPPORT FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION & WORKFORCE INITIATIVES
Key Foundation

The Key Foundation's objective is to improve the quality of life and economic vibrancy of the places where KeyCorp customers, employees, and shareholders live and work. Support is provided to organizations and institutions that promote economic self-sufficiency through financial education and workforce initiatives. Nonprofit organizations in communities where the company operates, including communities in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

(http://www.key.com/templates/t-ak2.jhtml?nodeID=A-12.3)

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SUPPORT FROM ALLSTATE
Allstate Foundation

The Allstate Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations for national programs and for local programs in company communities throughout the United States. The Foundation focuses its support on three areas: tolerance, inclusion, and diversity, including teaching tolerance to youth, alleviating discrimination, and ending hate crimes; safe and vital communities, including catastrophe response and mitigation, youth anti-violence, and neighborhood revitalization; and economic empowerment, including financial and insurance education, economic literacy, and entrepreneurial business skill development. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Visit the above website for more information.

(http://www.allstate.com/Community/PageRender.asp?Page=foundationmain.htm)

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$10,000 GRANTS AVAILABLE TO MD., D.C. NONPROFITS

Three $10,000 grants will be awarded to nonprofits serving the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas through the John Chandler Baldwin Community Grants Program, sponsored by the Baltimore law firm Ober/Kaler.

The award will focus on educational programs for at-risk youth, improving living standards for lower income families, and helping underprivileged children.

The deadline for application is Oct. 1, 2004. Eligibility is restricted to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.

For more information, see the Ober/Kaler website.

(http://www.ober.com/grants/grants_guide.html)

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PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARDS

Applications are being accepted for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. The award is open to middle- and high-school students in the 5th grade or higher who have participated in a community-service activity after Sept. 1, 2003.

The deadline for submission is Oct. 29, 2004. Applications should be submitted by either a school principal or the head of an accepted local community organization. Acceptable organizations are the Girl Scout council, county 4-H organization, Camp Fire USA council, YMCA, member Volunteer Center of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, or an American Red Cross chapter.

Prizes range from a certificate of achievement at the local level, to a $5,000 award for national honorees.

For more information, visit Prudential Insurance online.

(http://www.prudential.com/overview/0,1468,intPageID%253D4141%2526blnPrinterFriendly%253D0,00.html)

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BRICK AWARDS FOR YOUNG COMMUNITY LEADERS

Do Something is offering a series of education scholarships and grants for youth who have "implemented innovative solutions to problems in their local communities in the areas of community building, health, and the environment" through their annual BRICK awards.

Six winners in the 18-and-under age group will receive $5,000 individual scholarships. Three winners in the 19-to 25-year-old category -- new to this year's contest -- will receive grants of $10,000 each. In addition, winners will receive engraved bricks as well as other services and recognition.

The application deadline is Nov. 1, 2004.

Forms, application, and guidelines are available online.

(http://www.dosomething.org/brick-awards.htm)

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JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP)

Advocates Program Co-Director

Background:
Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1995 in response to the lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate services for Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) battered women in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1996, DVRP's mission is to address and prevent domestic violence in A/PI communities in the DC area. DVRP is a non-hierarchical organization structured on mutual respect, shared responsibility, trust and equality supported by a collaborative style of leadership.

DVRP’s Advocates Program utilizes trained community members to serve as bilingual or volunteer advocates to provide free social service assistance to A/PI women in present or past abusive relationships.

Advocates duties include: providing survivors of domestic violence with information about domestic violence; peer support; safety planning; accompaniment to court, legal and social service providers; referrals for shelter; counseling; legal assistance; life skills development; and interpretation services.

The Advocates Program Co-Director is a full-time, salaried position.  The primary duties of the Advocates Program Co-Director are to manage and carry out the semi-annual, 40+ hour, Advocates Program training as well as create and implement evaluation tools to monitor the effectiveness of the Advocates Program.  S/he is also responsible for overseeing grant reporting for the Advocates Program and assisting with grant writing for additional Program funding.  Position requires some weekend and evening hours.

This position will work closely with its co-director, other staff and volunteers and the Board of Directors.

Responsibilities:
* Coordinate and conduct DVRP’s Spring and Fall Advocates Program training;
* Organize recruitment of new advocates;
* Research trends in best practices and training curricula;
* Develop, update and administer client satisfaction and program evaluations;
* Supervise Advocates Program interns;
* Write monthly reports for DVRP’s board and quarterly reports to grantors;
* Assist in grant proposal writing for additional Advocates Program funding; and
* Provide education and referral information to individual A/PI survivors of domestic violence, if necessary.

Qualifications:
* Bachelors Degree or higher educational degree;
* Familiar with domestic violence training modules and curricula;
* Experience in organizing and facilitating trainings;
* Experience with grants, especially with grant report writing;
* Experience in working with Asian/Pacific Islander communities;
* Experience in working in a multicultural environment;
* Excellent writing, oral communication and presentation skills;
* Strong administrative, communication, and organizational skills;
* Ability to multi-task; and
* Ability to speak an A/PI language is preferred.

Salary range: High $20s to low $30s

DVRP IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, or political affiliation.

SEND COVER LETTER, RÉSUMÉ, AND TWO REFERENCES TO:
EMAIL: info@dvrp.org
FAX: (202) 986-9332

Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project,
Attention: Co-Director Hiring Committee
P.O. Box 14268
Washington, DC 20044

Application Deadline: COB Friday October 8, 2004

No phone calls please.  Due to the high volume of inquiries received on a daily basis, we regret not being able to answer your questions.  Should you be selected for an interview, questions will be answered during the interview or prior to, through the interview scheduling process.

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TIPS/RESOURCES

YRBSS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

The Center for Disease Control's Division of Adolescent and School Health has released the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS), with data on the health risk activities of students grades 9-12 in six categories: tobacco use; unhealthy dietary behaviors; inadequate physical activity; alcohol and drug use; sexual behaviors; and behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence. Results from the survey, fact sheets from 32 state surveys and Youth Online (a Web-based data query system) are available at the link below.

(http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm)

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Trafficking Hotline  1-888-3737-888
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: MODERN-DAY SLAVERY IN YOUR BACKYARD

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery in which people are exploited for labor or commercial sex through force, fraud or coercion. The US government estimates that between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year and that half of those victims are children.  Sadly, the United States is not immune from this scourge. The US government estimates that 14,500 to 17,500 victims are trafficked into this country every year.

Victims can be found anywhere in the United States - in big cities, small towns, rural settings, and very likely in a community near you.

They hail from countries spanning the globe and their ranks include men, women and children.  They are enslaved for a variety of purposes, including as agricultural and sweat-shop laborers, domestic servants, nannies, restaurant and hotel workers, landscapers, manicurists, prostitutes and pornographic models, actors and dancers.

Traffickers use various techniques to enslave their victims. Some traffickers keep victims under lock and key. But more frequently, they use less blatant techniques, including debt bondage (forcing the victim to work for the trafficker to pay off a debt); isolation from the public, family members, and members of their ethnic and religious community - or making sure that any contacts they do have are monitored or superficial in nature; confiscation of passports, visas and/or identification documents; use or threat of violence against the victim or their loved ones; threats of shaming victims by exposing their circumstances to family; telling their victims they will be imprisoned or deported if they contact authorities; and control of the victims' money.

The result of such techniques is to paralyze victims with fear of interacting with members of the public and of contacting law enforcement. The victims' feeling of isolation is made worse because many do not speak English and are from countries where law enforcement is corrupt and feared. Consequently, you and other caring citizens are victims' first and best hope of regaining their freedom and restoring their dignity.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched the nationwide public awareness campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking. Through the campaign, we ask you and the members of your organization to be on the alert for victims of human trafficking.  Many victims are in our midst, coming into regular contact with us as we go about our daily business.  Looking beneath the surface, reading the full story of a human being and knowing what you are seeing, are key to helping these victims.

If you know of someone who may be a victim, or suspect you have encountered a victim, help is now immediately available.  Call the multi-lingual, toll-free national Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline at 1-888-3737-888.  The hotline is manned 24/7 by trained crisis counselors who work with a nationwide network of non-profit service providers to get victims the help they need to gain their freedom and rebuild their lives. Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, victims can apply for special visas and for federally funded benefits and services.

For more information, please visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking where you can:

1)  Obtain free public awareness materials and
2)  Join the "Rescue and Restore" campaign so that we can periodically send you information and resources.

Thank you.

Steve Wagner
Director
HHS Human Trafficking Program

(www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking)

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2004 VOTER FACT SHEET

This is a nonpartisan Voter Fact Sheet on statistics and issues important to the Asian American community created by APIAVote (www.apiavote.org) and the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans.

In English
(http://www.ncvaonline.org/archive/APIAVote04_FactSheet_en.pdf)

In Vietnamese
(http://www.ncvaonline.org/archive/APIAVote04_FactSheet_vn.pdf)


Other related item: NCAPA’s Call to Action: Platform for APA National Priorities 2004
(http://www.ncapaonline.org/2004_Call_to_Action.pdf)

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NEWS

August 22, 204

SAFETY HANDBOOK WIDENS NET
City unveils first English, Chinese edition

By BETTY L. MARTIN
Houston Chronicle

From routine traffic violations to domestic violence — residential or business burglaries and auto or identity theft — a new 48-page book spells out exactly what Houstonians can do before, during and after crime hits.

It's in English and, for the first time, in Chinese.

On Sunday, leaders and business owners within the Chinese community met with city officials and Houston Police Department officers at the Ranchester Storefront, 9146 Bellaire, to unveil the first 10,000 printed copies of the city's Crime Prevention Handbook.

"Houston is blessed to have a growing Chinese-American community," said Mayor Bill White.

"This book and its translation is one step along the way. It's colorful and vibrant, just like the community."

The book was the idea of Alice Chen, a media personality and community volunteer, who presented a copy of a similar handbook distributed in Richardson at a town hall meeting hosted nine months ago by At Large City Councilman Gordon Quan in southwest Houston.

At that meeting, Chinese-American business owners and city officials discussed the increasing violence in the southwest Houston area and what crime prevention measures citizens could take to help police — and themselves — create safer neighborhoods.

Chen volunteered to help the city distribute the book and has provided Chinese civic organizations, Quan's office, District F City Councilman M.J. Khan's office and southwest Houston police storefronts with copies for distribution to the public for free.

Other language editions planned
Now that the template for the handbook has been established, it will be more easily translated into other languages.

Houston Police officer Muzaffar H. Siddiqi, formerly with the Sharpstown Storefront and now with HPD's Public Affairs Office, said the city's South Asian organizations have already found several sponsors for the book's translation into Arabic, Hindi and Urdu.

Rogene Calvert, who works in the mayor's office, said Houston's Vietnamese community has been rounding up sponsors for a book, and the Korean organizations also have expressed an interest in having a translation.

Calvert estimated that the cost of printing the initial 10,000 copies ran to about 60 cents per book, or about $6,000.

Police officers assisted in the Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese translations, she said.

Vican T. Tan, president of Tansco Development and Management, supported the booklet by placing full-page ads in it.

"It's really well thought out to help the Chinese community to prevent crime and to protect families and also inform how to help the Houston Police Department. The book is very helpful, because it gives precise information about who to call," said Tan.

It also includes ads from Viet Hoa International Foods and Kingsway Buffet in southwest Houston.

"Front to back, we support it," Tan said.

Other project participants to whom White presented plaques included Southwestern National Bank, Stone Mountain Properties, Southern Chinese Daily News, Chinese Community News, Jean Lin and USA Printing, HPD Sgt. Lily Yep and Chinese-speaking officers.

Khan said the book includes a lot of "common sense in the Chinese language" for first-generation immigrants and longtime residents alike.

"This looks easy, but it's not so easy. We had to work on translations, but nine months later, we're ready to issue this," Quan said.

Citizens need to stick together
White said that the police, despite how hard they work at their tough jobs, can't shoulder the burden of crime prevention alone, especially when criminals find it easier to try and destroy — rather than to help build — communities.

"Law-abiding citizens need to stick together," White said. "We need to be very supportive of people who report crime. Criminals want people not to report crime. That makes it easier for them to do their job."

Assistant Chief Brian Lumpkin said that the handbook's logo, a pair of handcuffs outlined by a gun scope under the city skyline, showed the city is zeroing in on crime prevention.

betty.martin@chron.com

(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/thisweek/zone13/news/2808811)

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August 28, 2004

HEFLIN FACES ANOTHER TEST: RE-ELECTION

By RICK CAUSEY
Houston Chronicle

Chances are if you don't live in the Alief area of southwest suburban Houston, you haven't heard of Hubert Vo.

But if you go to the Web site of the Texas Democratic Party, you'll find his photo leading the home page.

Vo, a successful small-business man who immigrated from Vietnam as a teenager in 1975, is considered by the party as one of its best prospects to knock off a Republican incumbent legislator.

And not just any legislator.

Vo's target is none other than Talmadge Heflin, the powerful Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

The state Democratic Web site also characterizes Heflin as "currently under investigation on perjury charges in a controversial child custody case called 'grotesque' by the Houston Chronicle."

This is more than a little distortion. There are no perjury charges in connection with Heflin's testimony in his failed attempt to take custody of a 20-month-old boy away from the boy's mother, an immigrant from Uganda.

Heflin testified in court that the woman was a guest in his house and that he and his wife took care of the boy while she was away for days at a time working. She testified that she was a paid maid.

DA's appropriate lip service
In a bald publicity stunt, Democratic Chairman Charles Soechting last week sent District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal a letter demanding Heflin be investigated for perjury.

While Heflin may have been guilty of insensitivity in the first degree, there's no serious reason to think he perjured himself or that he had anything but the best intentions.

Rosenthal responded appropriately, with lip service. He said he would look into the matter after the election. There is no investigation, and there will be none.

Candidate Hubert Vo, who has been active in the community and is on the Super Neighborhood Council, is smarter than the state party chairman.

He is making no statements on Heflin's ability to get a judge to send a constable to take the baby away from its mother or his spectacularly clumsy argument on the stand that "we all know the terrible problem that black male children have growing up into manhood without being in prison."

Nor did Vo take the campaign slogan suggestion of one volunteer: "Vote for Vo: He won't steal your baby."

Suburbia Houston-style
Vo knows the media have already alerted voters to the Heflin baby controversy. He is sticking to issues that could play well in a district that looks nothing like the population that first elected Heflin 22 years ago. District 149 is mostly in Alief and stretches up above Westheimer to Memorial west of Dairy Ashford. What used to be a standard American suburb is now suburbia Houston-style.

The 2000 census put it at 36 percent white, 21 percent Hispanic, 20 percent black, 18 percent Asian and 5 percent other.

Among the minorities, Vo, who speaks Spanish as well as Vietnamese, expects Heflin to be hurt by his record of using his appropriations chairmanship to cut state school funding and children's health insurance. In addition, Vo is playing up Heflin's proposal of raising sales taxes and expanding them to such things as car repairs.

University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray estimates the district's 71,300 registered voters trend to 52 percent Democrat. But fewer of the lower-income voters counted as Democrats make it to the polls.

Two years ago, Heflin beat a poorly funded opponent 56 percent-44 percent. But turnout was only 34 percent in that nonpresidential election, giving Heflin a margin of just 2,600 votes.

What's more, Gov. Rick Perry is believed to have turned out his vote effectively, while Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez didn't.

A normal presidential-year turnout could be 50 percent higher, and most of those additional voters would likely vote Democrat.

Vo is running a well-funded, professionally staffed campaign. He expects to spend $300,000, and he has been personally knocking on doors since the beginning of June.

The conventional wisdom among the pros is that Heflin will win, though not by much. But then, the conventional wisdom was that Bill White wouldn't make a mayoral runoff.

You can write to Rick Casey at P.O. Box 4260, Houston, TX 77210, or e-mail him at rick.casey@chron.com.

(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/casey/2764925)

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September 3, 2004

WOMAN CALLS FOR END TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Laura Wides
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES - A Filipino woman who won $825,000 in a lawsuit claiming a Hollywood executive and his wife enslaved her called Thursday for an end to human trafficking.

"Slavery still exists, and I want to tell victims they should not tolerate it and should not be afraid to seek help," Nena Ruiz said at a news conference.

Ruiz, 60, is a former schoolteacher from the Philippines who worked as a domestic servant for James Jackson and his wife, Elizabeth.

Jackson is vice president of legal affairs for Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In a lawsuit filed last year, Ruiz claimed that she was paid $300 for a year's work at the couple's Culver City condominium.

Ruiz said she often worked 18 hours a day and was forced to do strange household chores such as heating chicken nuggets and cutting up bananas or pears for the couple's two dogs while she was fed leftovers and slept in a dog bed.

She alleged that Elizabeth Jackson repeatedly slapped her and pulled her hair.

She finally left the couple to stay with a neighbor in the condominium complex.

Last week, a jury awarded her back wages and punitive damages against the Jacksons, finding them liable for involuntary servitude, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, negligence and fraud. Elizabeth Jackson also was held liable for assault and battery.

The U.S. attorney's office has begun a criminal investigation into possible civil rights violations.

The Jacksons filed for bankruptcy protection days before the civil trial began. Their attorneys have asked the judge to overturn the punitive damage award and indicated they may appeal the entire case.

"This is a case of credibility when there are no witnesses. The plaintiff says one thing, and my client denied it all and still denies it," attorney John Daniels said.

His client was suspended from Sony on Monday and "it is my understanding that he will be terminated," Daniels said.

Sony Pictures spokeswoman Susan Tick said she could not immediately comment on the case.

Ruiz, who is seeking a waiver to remain in the United States, said she hoped her case will shed light on other immigrants who may be held against their will.

"I want others who are enslaving people to know that they could have the same future as the Jacksons," she said.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than 15,000 people are trafficked to the United States each year, many to work as sex slaves or in restaurants or domestic positions.

Los Angeles, New York and Miami are the top three destinations, said Kay Buck, executive director of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking, which has helped Ruiz become certified as a nursing assistant.

Buck said traffickers often play on the immigrants' fear of authorities by threatening to turn immigrants over to police if they complain.

(http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/9571785.htm?1c)

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September 15, 2004

VIETNAMESE HEALTH BARRIERS FOUND
Survey shows language gap, traditions often block treatment

By LEIGH HOPPER
Houston Chronicle

In certain pockets of Houston, Vietnamese refugees live much as they did at home, in close-knit neighborhoods with gardens where they grow food and medicinal herbs.

They also face similar health issues.

According to a new report touted as the first-ever in-depth look at the health of this fast-growing community, Vietnamese refugees are unlikely to have health insurance, more likely to self-treat illness, and prone to higher rates of liver and cervical cancer.

The report is significant, organizers say, because health issues facing Houston's more than 60,000 Vietnamese have not been well-understood.

In contrast, health concerns in Houston's black and Hispanic communities are better-documented and are the subject of numerous outreach efforts.

"We knew no one else had done this," said Jane Peranteau, community outreach manager for St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, which organized the two-year project.

" It's been little-studied, nationally and locally. Just (learning of the) existence of 'villages' and gaining access was significant. We were very lucky to get in."

The study focused on two areas of Houston where Vietnamese refugees are concentrated. Alief, in southwest Houston, has nearly 8,500 Vietnamese residents.

Park Place, at the intersection of Loop 610 and the Gulf Freeway, has nearly 4,000 Vietnamese living in several dilapidated apartment complexes that function as "villages" with names such as "Saigon," "Thanh Tam" and "Dalat."

The study found that this refugee population has:
* More emergency room visits and longer hospitalizations.
* A liver cancer rate 11.3 times higher than among white Americans.
* A cervical cancer rate five times higher than among white Americans.
* Is more likely to experience conflict between younger and older generations in a family.
* Is more likely to be isolated by language.

"So many things stand between them and the hospitals and the doctors," said Dr. Lan Trinh, who practiced medicine in Vietnam and now works in community outreach for the Harris County Hospital District.

"Culturally, they want to try herbal medicine first."

Trinh said lack of transportation, language differences and lack of money keep many Vietnamese from visiting a physician until an illness reaches a serious stage.

Peranteau said Episcopal Health Charities, which is part of the St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, became interested in the Alief community after reviewing census data and learning that the Vietnamese population is Houston's fastest-growing population segment.

In addition, a representative of the "village" at the St. Joseph's apartment complex on Park Place contacted the group and asked that his community be included.

Through focus groups, one-on-one interviews in Vietnamese and a high school writers' workshop with Vietnamese students, researchers documented common concerns among residents of the neighborhoods.

"People here live just like the way they lived in Vietnam," said one resident in an interview. "They don't think preventive care is important. What they are eating and cooking at home may not be healthy at all," the resident said.

Many are worried about preserving their culture in the face of assimilation into U.S. culture, particularly for their children. Learning English while speaking Vietnamese at home poses another problem.

Vietnamese in Alief vocalized a need for mental health services, particularly relating to intergenerational conflict.

Vietnamese in Park Place have concerns about their apartment complexes, particularly the ailing sewer system, but are worried about losing their homes if they make their problems known to city authorities.

Steps recommended by the study include:
* Launching twice-monthly visits to Park Place by Shalom Mobile Health Ministries.
* Applying for federal money to run a health clinic.
* Collaborating with the Asian American Family Counseling Center and the Houston Area Women's Center to provide mental health services.
* Providing English-as-a-second-language classes on a regular basis.

Other projects of Episcopal Health Charities have included bringing a mobile health clinic to Houston's East End.

The charity has awarded more than $50 million to service programs, mostly health-related, in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. "Once we start in a community," Peranteau said, "we stay there."

leigh.hopper@chron.com

(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/health/2796215)

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September 17, 2004

DIGITAL DIVIDE OF KIDS NARROWS
Almost all children have used the Internet, but the at-home access gap is still wide

Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer

The digital divide has narrowed to the point that nearly all children, regardless of ethnicity and family income, have used the Internet.

Now, the issue is more about how often children log on, where, and at what age.

These are the findings of a report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit group that focuses on health issues.

The study shows evidence of significant progress in improving the access of low-income and minority children to the Internet during the past few years. But the group says that more can be done.

"The question is about the quality of the Internet access and the experience," said Vicky Rideout, a vice president for the Kaiser Family Foundation of Menlo Park and director of its program for the study of entertainment, media and health. "That's where you see a continuing divide -- less visible but more intransigent."

Among the key findings is that 96 percent of all children between ages 8 to 18 have been online at least once. That number varies by only a few percentage points when broken down by ethnicity and family income.

The Kaiser study didn't cover previous years to see how children's current Internet use compares with earlier patterns. However, a separate survey by the U.S. Department of Education found that only 60 percent of students had used the Internet in 2001.

Kaiser found that the current gap becomes much larger when looking at whether the children have Internet access at home, according to the Kaiser study. The survey found that 80 percent of whites have such access, compared with 67 percent of Latinos and 61 percent of African Americans.

Access to the Internet at home is considered to be important because children can spend as much time as they want online. Those who log on only at school or in libraries are often limited to how long they can cruise the Web.

The Kaiser study found that family income plays a large role in whether children use the Internet regularly. The richer the family the more likely the child is to log on to the Internet on a typical day.

Kaiser's survey found that 71 percent of children from families with incomes above $50,000 are online on a typical day. However, only 54 percent of those with family incomes below $35,000 go online as regularly.

The Kaiser survey of youngsters ages 8 to 18 was based on questionnaires from a nationwide sample of 2,032 children. The organization also conducted a survey of 1,065 parents of children between 6 months and 6 years.

Computer use among this younger group diverged widely based on race. Only 24 percent of white children ages 4-6 had never used a computer, while the total among non-whites was 41 percent, the study found.

Tony Fleming, executive director of Oakland's Eastmont Computing Center/OCCUR, a program that helps at-risk youth and other disadvantaged people learn about computers, disputed the Kaiser study's findings that virtually all children have used the Internet. Fleming said he frequently encounters children who have no online experience or lack enough skills to know what to look for online.

Fleming's organization serves about 100 people per day. However, the need for computer skills outpaces what anyone can teach, he said.

"Our issue is that we can't get funding anymore," Fleming said. "When the digital divide fell out of favor, our funding dried up."

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A lingering Internet gap

-- 96 percent of children have been online at least once.
-- 80 percent of whites have Internet access at home compared with 61 percent of African Americans.
-- 24 percent of whites ages 4-6 have never used a computer compared with 41 percent of non-whites.

Source: Henry Kaiser Family Foundation

E-mail Verne Kopytoff at vkopytoff@sfchronicle.com.

(http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/09/17/BUG578QEHO1.DTL)

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September 21, 2004

CANDIDATE INVESTIGATED OVER HOMES
Paul Loc Hoang Tran, running for council in Garden Grove, faces residency questions.

By Mai Tran, Times Staff Writer

A Vietnamese American talk radio host who told listeners he has homes in two Orange County cities is being investigated by the district attorney's office to determine if he meets the qualifications to run for the Garden Grove City Council.

Paul Loc Hoang Tran, 45, faces accusations that he actually lives in a Mediterranean-style house in Irvine rather than a 1962 single-story home in Garden Grove, where his parents and sister live.

If it's determined he lives in the two-story house in Irvine's Westpark community, he could be disqualified as a candidate and even face criminal charges, officials said. Because the city ballot has already been printed, it would take a court order to remove his name and reprint the election card, election officials said.

Tran is registered to vote in Garden Grove, one of the criteria that help election officials establish residency. His wife is registered to vote in Irvine, however. Tran takes a tax exemption on his home 12 miles away in Irvine. He said his driver's license shows the Garden Grove address, but his cars are registered in Irvine.

A county prosecutor and an investigator from the district attorney's office confirmed they were looking into whether Tran broke any election laws by saying he lives in Garden Grove. Potential charges include perjury, false registration and false declaration of candidacy, which could be felony offenses with a maximum punishment of four years in state prison.

Local candidates are required to live in the jurisdiction they are seeking to represent. After a person files papers to run for office, the city clerk verifies where the candidate is registered to vote.

In Tran's case, Garden Grove City Clerk Ruth Smith said she verified with the Orange County registrar of voters that Tran was registered to vote in Garden Grove.

Officials say it is up to the individual to reregister if he or she moves.

Though candidates are allowed to own more than one home, there can be only one domicile, attorneys and experts said. Residency is determined by "the home in which the person intends to return to," said Dana Reed, a Los Angeles attorney who specializes in election law.

Other factors that help determine candidates' residency include the address on their driver's licenses and car registrations, the location of their children's school and where they get their mail.

Tran, one of nine candidates competing for two seats on the Garden Grove City Council, denied any wrongdoing.

"I live in both houses. I work in Irvine and I live in Irvine, and I live in Garden Grove too," Tran said.

A longtime community activist, Tran recently was elected president of the Vietnamese Overseas Journalist Assn. He hosts a Vietnamese-language radio talk show in which he goes by the name Tuong Thang.

During a recent segment of the "Voice of Vietnamese" show on KXMX-AM (1190), Tran was discussing the housing market when he detoured to talk about "painful lessons" he learned when he bought his first house.

He explained that his taxes nearly doubled when he removed his sister's name from the title of the home, which was bought in 1984 for $105,000. After her name was removed, the house was reappraised and his annual taxes rose to about $2,000, he said.

He went on to explain that he later bought a home in Irvine and returns to Garden Grove on the weekends to be with his parents.

Several days after the show aired, the district attorney's office obtained copies of the program and investigators called the city clerk and requested his candidate filings and statements, a prosecutor said. Two investigators visited the neighborhoods last week.

According to public records, Tran took over sole ownership of the one-story, 1,473-square-foot home in a working-class neighborhood on Starboard Street in Garden Grove in 1991.

After he got married, he and his wife bought a two-story house in Irvine's Westpark neighborhood in 1993 for $275,000.

In an interview, Tran said he and his family spend weekends in Garden Grove to help care for his elderly parents and his sister, who he said is mentally ill.

"Three days a week, I help them and I sleep there too," Tran said.

He said he lives at the Tiara address in Irvine during the week to be near his job at Toshiba Inc., where he has been a computer engineer for 12 years. Tran said he takes his homeowner's mortgage tax exemption in Irvine because it provides bigger savings.

Residents on Tiara said they considered Tran an Irvine resident.

"He goes swimming every other day when I go," said Kathy Shinozaki, 21. "We say hi."

Shinozaki's mother, Thu, 40, said she picked up Tran's mail in December while the family was vacationing in Texas.

She said his children attend the local grade school and are dropped off at the Tiara home after school.

Legal experts and political observers said conflict over a candidate's residency is a common complaint in local politics.

"It's often a political issue, and voters think the candidate is a carpetbagger who truly doesn't represent himself and his beliefs are not in the city," said Frederic Woocher, a Santa Monica lawyer who specializes in election law.

In January 2003, West Covina Unified School District board member Peter Sabatino Jr., 49, was sentenced to probation and community service as part of a plea agreement after he pleaded guilty to falsifying his residency.

The year before, Huntington Park Councilwoman Linda Luz Guevara was sentenced to 180 days in jail and five years' probation after she was convicted of falsely stating her residence. And Richard Mayer, a former South Gate City Council candidate, was sentenced to six months in county jail after his conviction for lying about his residency.

County prosecutors did not say when they expected the Tran investigation to be completed. The city election is Nov. 2.

(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-residence21sep21,1,7364294.story)

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September 27, 2004

Los Altos weighs limit on nail salons
SOME SEE OVERTONES OF RACE AND IMAGE IN THE COUNCIL'S STANCE

By Julie Patel
Mercury News

The posters in an empty downtown Los Altos storefront promised ``Not Just Another Nail Salon.'' Pinkies plans to throw bridal showers with champagne and hors d'oeuvres and Princess Pinkie birthday parties when it opens next month.

Peeking through the window, Charles Halleck didn't get it. ``Whether or not they're going to throw parties doesn't change the fact that it's another salon we don't need,'' said Halleck, a photographer whose work is featured in a downtown gallery on a block with five salons.

He can already get his cuticles trimmed and toenails pampered at 23 places within a 10-minute stroll in the heart of Los Altos, one of the Bay Area's toniest towns. In their quest to revive their downtown's village ambiance, city leaders have already banned plastic sidewalk furniture and rejected a new Quiznos sandwich shop. On Tuesday, they will consider a ban on new personal-grooming businesses in an effort to keep Los Altos from becoming the nail salon capital of Silicon Valley.

But some Asian-American leaders and downtown salon workers wonder whether the moratorium has as much to do with race and image as it does with a glut in nail care.

Many of the nail-care shops that have opened in the past decade among Los Altos' antique stores and clothing boutiques are considered discount salons, owned and staffed by Vietnamese immigrants. In California, about 80 percent of nail salons are Vietnamese-owned, according to Nails Magazine, a trade publication that researches the nail service industry.

Special permit needed
Open the door at many of the shops in Los Altos, and you're greeted by a sharp smell of nail polish and the upbeat chatter of Vietnamese. Nail technicians dip feet in warm tubs of water and paint nails in bright, glossy colors. Some sell lotions, soaps and polishes in every shade of the rainbow.

City leaders have already required special permits for new personal-grooming businesses downtown during the past three years, similar to Los Gatos, which is also crowded with salons.

But just as the Los Altos City Council was considering an all-out ban on new salons on State and Main streets, Pinkies owner Rob Weaver showed up with a polished pitch for a European-style salon, prompting the council to temporarily table talk of a moratorium.

Pinkies' approval has enraged Tee Tran, who opened For Your Nails about two decades ago on State Street and has watched six of her employees leave with loyal customers to open their own salons within blocks. Before Pinkies, she thought supporting a ban on new salons made business sense, but now she thinks the whole idea is discriminatory.

``There's something fishy going on,'' said Tran, who collected 300 signatures from nail technicians, salon owners and clients urging the city to keep Pinkies from opening. ``It's not fair.''

City leaders scoff at the suggestion that race has anything to do with their support of Pinkies.

``I would support a high-class shop no matter what the ethnicity of the owner,'' Councilman Ron Packard said.

Weaver promised the city his salon wouldn't be another ``gossipy'' nail parlor like the ones popping up in strip malls and downtowns throughout the Bay Area. ``They're known for cutting corners, having unlicensed technicians, not training them properly,'' Weaver told Los Altos planning commissioners. ``We won't do that.''

He and his wife fell in love with chic salons -- with their state-of-the-art chairs and soothing music -- while traveling through Europe and decided to open their own version in Lafayette, a quaint, upscale city in Contra Costa County. Los Altos, with a median family income of about $150,000, seemed like a natural for Pinkies' second location, Weaver said.

Salon owner surprised
He never imagined his salon would become such a controversy.

``I don't know if I got special treatment,'' said Weaver, who is white with some American Indian ancestry. ``I haven't seen any evidence of that, but I can't look into people's minds and see what the motivation is.''

Hung Nguyen, president of the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, said the knock on so-called discount salons is based on isolated examples and tinged with racial undertones.

Nguyen, whose family members own nail salons in the Bay Area, said it's ironic that wealthier cities have a greater demand for nail care but are trying to keep out the discount salons -- even though they are popular and drive down prices.

``It's not like night clubs or bars that bring in riffraff,'' Nguyen said. ``It's just another service.''

Still, many owners of long-established salons say discount nail salons -- which charge up to $20 less for manicures and pedicures -- are hurting their business.

``The problem with these discount salons is that they're sloppy, their workers work long hours and don't get paid well,'' said Diane Walz, owner of Balisimo Salon, a popular high-end salon. ``Don't tell me we need another one of those.''

``It's like being at a San Jose flea market,'' agreed Lu Ann White, a Balisimo manicurist who described one nearby salon as ``Hong Kong, U.S.A.'' because it sells knock-offs of name-brand items.

Little support
It's not just competitors who are complaining about the number of salons in Los Altos: 44 of 48 downtown business owners said they don't want to see another nail salon in town because they worry such businesses won't enhance the image of Los Altos, according to a recent survey by the Los Altos Village Association, a downtown commerce group.

Palo Alto, by comparison, has 11 salons downtown, half of them specializing in nails. Mountain View has eight salons downtown that offer manicures.

Arlene Kansora, a longtime customer at Los Altos salons, said she started noticing more Asian owners and workers in the past five to 10 years.

She said a ban on new nail salons wouldn't be fair, especially to Asian women who increasingly opening their own nail-care shops.

``When you talk to the Asian women who work at the shops, you find out many are highly trained and were professionals in their home countries, but they can't necessarily use those skills here,'' she said. ``So what are they supposed to do?''

Contact Julie Patel at jpatel@mercurynews.com or (650) 688-7550.

(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/9770707.htm)

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September 27, 2004

COURT TRANSLATORS: VITAL NEED, HAPHAZARDLY MET

By Michael McNarney
Scranton Times Tribune Staff Writer

With activity swirling all around him, Duc Mai spent his last six trips to the Lackawanna County Courthouse handcuffed and alone.

Thursday he got his ticket to freedom.

It was DUI day, as is every Thursday in Central Court. Defendants, lawyers, and cops streamed in and out of the rundown courtroom while Mr. Mai sat in the back row with the other prisoners who couldn't make bail.

Mr. Mai, 35, hasn't talked with the other prisoners because they can't understand him. He hasn't talked with his lawyer, because until Thursday he didn't have one, even though he was arrested and charged with drunken driving in Scranton's Hill section seven months ago.

Mr. Mai's problem is that he can't speak English. His preliminary hearing was postponed again and again not only because of difficulty finding a translator, but because court officials weren't even sure what language he spoke.

Without a means of communication, the public defender's office wouldn't represent him. Without a lawyer, there was no one advocating for him. Without an advocate, Mr. Mai's case languished.

The manila folder

Mr. Mai is one of a small percentage of criminal defendants who require a translator. Though no statistics are kept locally, less than 2 percent of county residents speak English less than 'very well,' according to the 2000 census. And Court Administrator William J. Murray said he calls infrequently on interpreters.

Nevertheless, even the small number of people who need translators in court sometimes see their cases delayed for lack of them.

The translator list for Central Court is in a dog-eared manila file folder.

In it are 39 area residents and a handful of businesses on call to translate Bosnian, Chinese, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, American Sign Language, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.

The majority, 20, list Spanish as at least one language they translate. Another 10 translate sign language.

Some are noted as especially competent. Others are noted as 'not certified' even though there is no standard certification for court translators in Pennsylvania.

Some have taken standardized language proficiency tests and submitted detailed resumes. Others just happen to speak a language. Some are sought out at the recommendation of lawyers. Others call the courthouse and offer their services.

While translators negotiate some of their own deals, the going rate is $35 an hour.

Beyond what's spoken

Farrar Whitiak of Archbald is the only Chinese speaker on the list at the courthouse. A native of China who is now an American citizen living, Mrs. Whitiak said she's been called more than once to interpret for an Asian defendant who police simply assume speaks Chinese but in fact speaks another Asian language.

Though China is a land of countless dialects Mrs. Whitiak compared it to Archbald and Clarks Summit each having its own dialect she speaks Mandarin Chinese, China's official language. Mrs. Whitiak follows the judge's order to simply translate what's spoken with no legal advice or 'he said' when she's in the courtroom as an official translator.

However, she said when she's on her own when friends call for help or if defendants call her directly and ask her to interpret privately for them -- she will often counsel them to plead guilty if they admit their guilt to her.

Mrs. Whitiak wasn't tested before she started translating for the court.

"Nobody asked me to do that," Mrs. Whitiak said. "I thought I'd have to pass a certain test, and they said no."

Lives at stake

Aida Velez of LaPlume describes herself as a "very low profile" Spanish translator, yet she is one of the more frequently called upon.

Ms. Velez, who manages the circulation desk at the Keystone College library and tutors Spanish students there, said she took and passed the Spanish College Level Examination Program test before taking up translating. A native of Puerto Rico who grew up in New York City, Ms. Velez said translation is "a very important area where people's lives are at stake."

Ms. Velez gets called to translate at the courthouse once a week, sometimes more. She meets with defendants beforehand to learn what she can about them, she said, so their lawyer can represent them better.

It's especially important, she said, for non-English speakers to be able to tell their side of the story to counter arrest affidavits and other police-prepared documents.

Why does she do it?

"I think it comes from here," Ms. Velez said, tapping her chest. "The caring and making sure they are being treated the right way."

What about Duc Mai?

Most of the efforts to get Mr. Mai a translator were well-intentioned but inept.

Mrs. Whitiak, the Chinese translator, was called once to translate for him despite the fact she does not speak Vietnamese. Mr. Mai was also put on the phone once with someone who allegedly spoke Vietnamese, but the two could not communicate. It was later learned that the woman may have been Laotian and not Vietnamese.

Mr. Mai was picked up last month after failing to make a court appearance. By the time he was released Thursday afternoon, he had spent at least six weeks in jail; a common sentence for drunken driving is a few days.

Hong Nguyen, a University of Scranton professor and South Abington Township resident, translated for Mr. Mai. Mr. Nguyen said Mr. Mai had been in the United States 10 years, and came here as part of a program to resettle Amerasian young people -- the product of wartime unions between Vietnamese women and American servicemen.

"A lot of them are not anchored to anything, so they turn to a lot of things -- drugs, drinking," Mr. Nguyen said.

Public Defender Joseph Kalinoski worked out a deal where Mr. Mai would plead guilty to drunken driving in return for time served. Judge Vito Geroulo ordered Mr. Kalinoski to see if he could instead get Mr. Mai into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program, which -- if Mr. Mai stayed out of trouble -- would leave him with a clean record.

"There's no reason why we shouldn't give him the same options and opportunities afforded to other people" without a previous conviction, the judge said.

The judge ordered that Mr. Mai be released immediately.

No one to talk to

Across from the closed East Scranton Junior High School on Quincy Avenue, Mr. Mai's roommates live in a well-kept home.

They said they were sad about what happened to him but there wasn't much they could have done.

"He's just a friend," Tony Lee, 19, said. "We really don't have money for him."

Mr. Lee said they worked together at a local beverage manufacturer.

On the coffee table in the living room was prison mail from Mr. Mai to Chung Lam, the friend whose car Mr. Mai drove the night he was arrested.

Mr. Lee said Mr. Lam could have translated for Mr. Mai, but he's in San Diego on vacation. Mr. Lee whose first language is Chinese but speaks English well and calls the Bronx home said he's glad he's not stuck in a jail where no one spoke his language.

"You'd be by yourself," Mr. Lee said. "Nobody could talk to you."

(http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13012702&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6)

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About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.