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Originally posted on the Korean Resource Center’s website
Asian Immigrants across California Overwhelmingly Support Taxing the 1%FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2012 CONTACT: Dayne Lee 323-937-3718 dayne@krcla.org Asian Immigrants across California Overwhelmingly Support Taxing the 1% San Francisco – Today a coalition of immigrant rights organizations released findings of its statewide survey of Asian immigrants, 85% who overwhelming support taxing the top 1%. The survey “Take Back the American Dream” was conducted by the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), Korean Resource Center (KRC), Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN) and the Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ) as part of the Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV) coalition.
In conjunction with these findings, MIV reaffirmed its support of Governor Brown’s November ballot measure that would raise taxes to help balance the budget. “On the eve of tax day, we want to remind voters that tax revenue pays for vital services that benefit all our communities including schools, hospitals and libraries. Vietnamese voters overwhelmingly supported taxing the top 1% wealthy and corporations to help restore vital services.” said Patricia Diaz, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) “The Chinese voters we spoke with throughout the state overwhelmingly support taxing the wealthy 1%/corporations to help restore vital public services, including our schools, In Home Support Services for seniors and libraries, which help our communities get ahead” said Alex Tom, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association. Over 7,000 Asian Immigrants including Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino were contacted for the survey which measured their views on taxing the wealthy 1% to help fund California’s diminishing budget for education and public services. The overwhelming majority of those surveyed, agreed that the top 1% must pay their fair share. Registered occasional voters were the target of the survey. “We are trying to empower and raise the strength of the progressive immigrant voting bloc in California. We are joined together here today, from counties and cities all across the state, in order to demonstrate the unity that clearly exists among Asian American immigrant communities. It shows that we’re stronger and we share a common political analysis, of what needs to be done, and what kind of investment we need in our state. It shows that immigrant communities have interests in common, and we are stronger joined together by our common interests than we are divided.”, said Dayne Lee, Civic Participation Coordinator at the Korean Resource Center. “Taxing the top 1% ensures a shared responsibility among those who for too long have evaded paying their fair share for the public services we all rely on, including schools and social services. Mobilize the Immigrant Vote supports the Governor’s November ballot measure and will work with our local partners to garner voter approval,” said Aparna Shah, Executive Director of Mobilize the Immigrant Vote.
Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV) is the first-ever statewide campaign in California to organize a multi-ethnic coalition of community-based organizations working within immigrant communities and building their capacity to register, educate, and mobilize their constituents for electoral participation. For More Info: mivcalifornia.org # # # Below: photos from the Press Conference in San Francisco, at the offices of Chinese Progressive Association. Left to right:
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