White House and Vietnamese-American Petition

Tel: 714.636.1121 Fax: 714.260.0236
10501 Garden Grove Blvd. , Garden Grove, CA 92843, USA March 8th, 2012

SBTN PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HUMAN RIGHTS FOR VIETNAM

The Vietnamese American community is united in its desire to promote human rights in Vietnam. More than 130,000 (as of March 5th and in counting) Vietnamese Americans signed a petition to ask for the Obama Administration’s assistance in releasing prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. SBTN created a plaque to memorialize this petition and has tendered the plaque to the White House staff to deliver to the President. After March 8, the White House will issue an official response to the petition.

The White House Office of Public Engagement quickly responded to the need for an open dialogue with the Vietnamese American community by hosting a briefing for 165 Vietnamese Americans from over 30 states on March 5. The briefing was a general meeting to educate participants about different aspects of the U.S. government’s work on diaspora engagement, global partnership, and human rights.

At the briefing, Dr. Quintan Wiktorowicz, Senior Director for Community Partnerships at the National Security Council, spoke about the community’s resilience and spirit and how this is part of the American experience. Dr. Wiktorowicz spoke of partnership with the Vietnamese American community.

Vietnamese Americans were also briefed by a panel of State Department speakers. The panel included: Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner; Director of Global Partnerships, Thomas Debass; and, Acting Director for Mainland Southeast Asia in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Eric Barboriak. Assistant Secretary Posner expressed his efforts to promote human rights issues throughout ongoing discussions with Vietnam. His State Department colleagues emphasized the different ways in which the U.S. government is engaging on these issues with the Vietnamese government.

Briefing participants were able to present their questions and concerns directly to the panel of speakers from the Administration regarding current human rights policy, trade, religious freedom, and other issues. The government panel duly took notes of all the questions and concerns. Dialogue and interaction between the Vietnamese American community and the Obama Administration needs to continue regarding these matters.

Outside of the White House, more than 1,000 petitioners from fifty states stood in Lafayette Square with signs proclaiming “Free Viet Khang” and “Human Rights for Vietnam”, despite the cold weather.

The meeting between the Vietnamese American community and Obama Administration officials is a dialogue that needs to continue. Community members should sign up on the U.S. Department of State website to get regular updates on human rights, religious freedom, trafficking of human persons, internet freedom, press freedom, and many other issues that drove Vietnamese Americans to participate in the We the People petition drive at :

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSTATEBPA/subscriber/new?

Phu Do Nguyen, vice president of SBTN, was informed through White House staff that The Obama Administration needs to hear from Vietnamese Americans regarding violations of human rights. U.S. Department of State officials are open to meetings and briefings with individuals and organizations to provide update on violations and conditions in Vietnam.

As in 2008, President Barack Obama stated, "I strongly believe that the human rights record of the government of Vietnam remains unsatisfactory. Political opposition movements are prohibited, independent human rights organizations are banned, and the government continues to crack down on dissent by arresting political activists and disrupting opposition organizations. It is past time for the government of Vietnam to do far more to protect human rights and to advance the freedom of all of its people." SBTN recognizes the Administration’s commitment to these issues and hopes that the administration will do more to engage with the Vietnamese American community on human rights. Most of all, SBTN desires to see more tangible evidence of Vietnam’s progress towards human rights, as more individuals abroad are reporting human rights violations.

The same petitioners that met the White House officials on March 5 also joined many more Vietnamese Americans on March 6 to secure Congressional support for Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR 1410), Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act (HR 156) and H.Res. 484 “Calling on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to respect basic human rights” and other human rights related bills.

Vietnamese American voices are heard throughout Capitol Hill as more than 700 constituents and petitioners divided into teams to visit almost 100 Senate and 435 House offices on March 6. This is a historic moment for the Vietnamese community as it's the first ever event to bring as many as 700 people to the political center of democracy, organized and united behind one common cause – Human Rights For Vietnam. Truc Ho, CEO of SBTN, believes that President Obama, who is a human rights advocate, will advance the pro-democratic values of the Vietnamese American and that all the petitioners will be with him every step of the way to build a stronger and inclusive America.

San José Police Department Recruiting Police Officers

Interested in becoming a police officer?

The San José Police Department is currently looking for highly motivated individuals who are looking for an exciting career in law enforcement.

To find out whether you meet the minimum qualifications and to learn about the hiring process, be sure to review the "Hiring Process" and "Qualifications" at:

www.sjpd.org/JoinSJPDBlue.

After reviewing the SJPD website, if you still have questions:

contact a recruiter or call (408) 277-4951.

Supervisor Dave Cortese & President Obama

Jade Buddha of Compassion & Supervisor Dave Cortese

Dear Vietnamese-American Leaders:

 

 

On behalf of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the Di Lac Temple, I would like to invite you to attend a Ceremony for Greeting the Jade Buddha of Compassion in San Jose, which will be held at 11.00 AM on March 3rd, 2012 at Unify Center, 765 Story Road in San Jose, CA.

This ceremony will feature the world acclaimed Jade Buddha of Compassion, which is one of the largest Buddha carved from gemstone quality jade in the United States of America. The Jade Buddha is a solemn and prayerful symbol of compassion, empathy, love and peace and it arrives in San Jose for the first time.

It is a privilege and honor for Santa Clara County to have been selected as a host site for the Jade Buddha of Compassion. This beautiful statue serves to encourage and inspire all citizens of the human race to reflect on love and compassion; compassion and love within the community, compassion and love within each of us, compassion and love within the family. I feel extremely humbled to have been asked by the Di Lac Temple to help organize this unique opportunity and I hope you will join us in this awe-inspiring experience.

The Grand Opening Ceremony will be attended by diverse representation from the faith, political and grassroots communities, and will include a special prayer for world peace and compassion.

The Jade Buddha of Compassion is a spectacular sight for all to see and I hope you can make time to participate in the ceremony. For more information or to RSVP, please contact The-Vu Nguyen in my office at (408) 299-5038 or the-vu.nguyen@bos.sccgov.org or Venerable Thich Quang Bao at (408) 888-2062 or dilactemple@gmail.com.

Thank you for your consideration of this invitation and I look forward to seeing you at the event.

Sincerely,

Dave Cortese

Co-Chair of the Jade Buddha of Compassion Committee

Santa Clara County Supervisor-District Three

Tyler Diep Quits the Race for State Assembly

As has been rumored since last week in Little Saigon,  Tyler Diep officially announced his intention to quit the race for 72nd Assembly District.  This is a newly drawn district where Asian American voters will be a deciding factor in the race.   His reason - " A new tactical change and also the situation is not favorable".     He felt that since there are 2 other Vietnamese-American candidates in the race, he does not want to be in a three-way battle vying for the Vietnamese-American votes.

This is quite strange for somebody who was supposedly the strongest candidate with the support of well known Republican leaders and also his amazing ability to raise money.  Within 2 months of his announcement to run, he has raised over $130,000. 

The other two Vietnamese- American candidates so far could hardly raise any money.  One of them is a perenial candidate for state assemblyman for the last 10 years,  Long Pham.   He is considered to be a joke within Little Saigon and has decided to take out a $100,000 loan instead of trying to go about raising money.

What even more puzzling why he was so unsure of himself is that  he has the personal support of the editor-in-chief of Nguoi Viet Daily News.   Matter of fact,  Nguoi Viet Daily News has indirectly promoting his campaign by giving him extensive media exposure for the last 2 months.   This is the largest newspaper in town and still quite influential.

So Tyler must know something that everybody in Little Saigon knows,  Van Tran and his cohorts are not well liked within the Vietnamese-American voters in Little Saigon.   He does not have a Vietnamese-American base since the voters rather vote for a political jokester like Long Pham than him.

Anyway, the winner in this new landscape is Do Vinh, the democratic candidate and the husband of Dina Nguyen, the one time supervisor candidate against Janet Nguyen.

What is next for Tyler,  the rumor is that he will be running  for mayor against Tri Ta.    What would even be more interesting is to see if Andy Quach would test the water and also run for the mayoral seat in 2012?  He and Tyle Diep have a big fallout recently because of their personal business competition against each other. 

John Tran Guilty of Bribery & Van Tran Cohorts

John Tran, a member of the "Gang of Seven" of former state Assemblyman Van Tran, recently pleaded guilty for bribery.  Basically when he was the mayor of Rosemead, he used his office to bully a developer in paying him money on the side in order to get the building permit approved.    Appearantly, he is not as smart as his "Gang of Seven" cohorts, in this case, Andy Quach and Tyler Diep, city council members of Wesminster.   But first let us read the news as published by Whittier Daily News -

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19890654

There had been rumors of corruption but it took a developer who has the gut to be the informant for the FBI to bring down John Tran.

According to the Whittier Daily News -

Cathy Satterfield, president of the El Monte Union teachers union, often questioned Tran's integrity during his tenure at the district.

While Tran has not been charged with any wrongdoing at the school district, Satterfield said she had concerns about how the board was awarding contracts and taking bids on projects

I don't know what to say besides, 'I told you so,"' she said. "When you make a decision like that, you can't turn back the clock." ........

Now let us go back to Tyler Diep and Andy Quach.  It is well known that both Andy Quach and Tyler Diep have their own consultant firms involving in helping client getting permits from housing development, opening a restaurant to liquor license. 

The business is booming it seems for each of them have multiple houses and at least two Mercedes in their respective garages.   This is a perk that goes along with being a council member in a small town where it is not a full time job. 

When Van Tran was still in power, his underlings Tyler Diep and Andy Quach knew that in order to be successful, they had to learn how to share the actions.   Well, now without adult supervison,  Quach and Diep are at each other throat vying for every bit of business.    It is not a suprise in Little Saigon that Quach is not endorsing Diep for assemblyman or even provide Diep with any politcal support. 

In the mean time, poor John Tran.   He was a strong supporter of Van Tran and the Trannie as they were vying for political offices.     But now, according to his wife, none of the  members of the  "Gang of Seven" even bother to reach out to him during his trying time.

Luna New Year's Greetings - Janet Nguyen, OC Supervisor

Lunar New Year's Greetings - Dave Cortese, County Supervisor

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Dear Vietnamese-American Community,

In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, I wish you and your family a joyous year of prosperity, harmony, and good health.

I congratulate the Vietnamese American community for its special and unique contributions to Santa Clara County and for enriching our cultural diversity.

What is crucial to strengthening our County? It is your participation in local events and government so your voices could be heard and your needs can be met. Please join me in improving the Vietnamese American community.

Once again, “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới” and let’s continue to work together to build a better County.

Warm Wishes,

Dave Cortese

Santa Clara County Supervisor

Happy Lunar New Year from President Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd7tbOVJKZg&feature=email

Tet Celebration in San Jose, Jan.21 & 22

Tet Celebration from The Vietnamese Consulate in San Francisco

For the last 12 years,  the Vietnamese Consulate in SF has been organizing  eleborate Tet celebration receptions for their guests and staff.   It is usually a well-attended event with live music, open bar and traditional Vietnamese New Year's food.

For the first few years, there were a number of anti-communist demonstrations but nowaday, nobody seems to mind any more.  People of all ages come and have a  great time to bring in the Lunar New Year at the expense of the consulate.  It has become part of the cultural norm of Little Saigon in the Bay Area

2012 Fellowship for Journalists Writing about Immigrant Women

Women on the Move”How to report on the intersection of immigration and gender

Women are now the majority of immigrants, not just in the United States, but worldwide. Learn more about how immigrant women are integrating into the diverse communities where they live throughout the U.S., how the current immigration laws enacted by various states affect women, and why immigration is a feminist issue.

New America Media’s 2012 Fellowship for Journalists Writing About Immigrant Women

When: April 19-20, 2012 (Thu & Fri)

Where: Institute for Women’s Policy Research
1200 18th Street NW, Suite 301
Washington, DC 20036

Who: 10 Fellowships Available, five journalists from the ethnic media sector in the U.S. and five from mainstream media outlets in the U.S. Open to bloggers and online journalists.

New America Media is offering a fellowship program covering immigrant women’s issues for journalists within the United States, with funding support from The Atlantic Philanthropies.

This fellowship will be made up of two parts: 1) participation in a two-day training program to be held in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and Friday, April 19-20, 2012; and 2) the publication of an in-depth, substantive story (or series) focusing on the challenges and/or triumphs of immigrant women in the United States, before August 30, 2012.

Two-Day Training: The two days in Washington, D.C. will consist of a series of lectures, discussions, and journalistic training related to immigration policy, the history of the women’s movement, and the intersection of immigration and gender. Each fellow is expected to bring a well thought-out story idea to the fellowship training, and information from these sessions will assist in the development of proposed articles.

Training sessions may include such topics as sex trafficking; the separation of families; immigrant women and the economy; immigrant women in the American South; domestic violence; immigrants and reproductive rights; sexual abuse in immigrant detention centers; the next generation of women leaders, etc.

Ten fellows will be chosen for the program. Former fellows are welcome to apply. New America Media will cover two nights of hotel, travel expenses, as well as lunches for the two-day fellowship training. Fellows will receive a $2,000 stipend following publication of the fellow’s proposed story. Fellows are required to submit finished story to NAM editor Elena Shore prior to publication for discussion and approval.

Applications are due on Monday, January 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm Pacific Time. All application forms must be sent to womenimmigrants@newamericamedia.org. Please direct any inquires to Project Co-Director Elena Shore eshore@newamericamedia.org or 415-503-4170. Applications may also be faxed to 415-503-0970.

Vietnamese-American Armed Forces Association Celebration Event in San Jose, Jan. 20

Tet Greetings from SF Mayor

Happy and Prosperous Year of The Dragon

There are a number of Tet events in the Bay Area.  The first one will be in SF on Sunday, Jan. 15.    Happy New Year everyone and enjoy a wonderful and prosperous new year. 

Tam Truong Running For San Jose City Council

San Jose Mercury broke the news recently that Tam Truong, 30,  is planning to run against the incumbent Kansen Chu for D4 council seat with Mayor Chuck Reed's blessing. 

http://www.mercurynews.com/internal-affairs/ci_19572562

This is a district where Vietnamese-Americans make up about 20% of the registered voters.   It is a surprise to many people in Little Saigon since Tam Truong is unknown in the community.    Nevertheless,  it is good news for Little Saigon to see new young faces who are interested in political office. These candidates, whether they win or lose, are the upcoming leaders of the community. So it is nice to see them taking on the political challenge and make a name for themselves.

The first sighting of Tam Truong at a Vietnamese community function was in early October 2011.   It was an event for Vietnamese veterans held at Dynasty restaurant.  He was accompanying Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and was introduced as a SJPD detective.  Some people in the crowd thought he was there as her police escort.

At any rate, this should be an interesting race since Tam Truong will get the powerful support from Reed and Nguyen.   He is good looking and as a young fresh face, has no political baggage.  Conventional wisdom suggests that it will be a competitive race.   Kansen Chu will need all the help from his Vietnamese-American friends that he has built up the relationship since his last election and of course his Chinese base.  The Chinese-American voters compose about 12% of the total voting bloc. 

Last time Kansen Chu ran against a Chuck Reed's candidate, it was in 2008.  Hon Lien was also an unknown in the community with little political experience.  But with the mayor's support and Vic Aljouny helped managed the campaign, she ran a surprisingly competitive race against Chu.  However, Chu was not the incumbent in 2008 and his Vietnamese-American base was not as strong.   The white votes will make up about 30% of the total votes.  They are the minority majority that will play a crucial role in either re-electing or replacing Chu.   Reed and Nguyen ability to wield influence with the white voters will be the key to defeat Chu.

Merry Christmas from Vietnam!

Hung Phuong Nguyen & His Libel Lawsuit

In his heyday, former State Assemblyman Van Tran, who was often referred by the media as  "The Godfather of Little Saigon Politics", used to have his henchmen roaming Little Saigon and attacking his political opponents (mostly Vietnamese-Americans)  as communist sympathizer, communist agent or traitor working for the communist.   These henchmen would be paid by his campaign coffer to terrorize political candidates (via radio shows, TV shows, and newspaper ads)  who Van deemed to be a threat to him regardless if they were running against him or not.  Some of the familiar faces showing up at anti-communist rallies and in the news about their anti-communist redbaiting are Nhon Ky Phan,  Ky Ngo, Hung Phuong Nguyen, etc..   

For these people, who also proclaimed themselves to be the community gatekeepers against communism in Little Saigon, everything can be concocted as an infiltration plot by the  communist to bring unrest to Little Saigon. 

Recently, the Little Saigon community has a brewing conflict created by one of these henchmen, a vocal anti-communist activist named Hung Phuong Nguyen.  Hung, as you recalled, was aslo a representative for Van Tran's campaign

http://bolsavik.com/2008/12/goodbye-hung-phuong-nguyen-hello-hung-phuong-nguyen/

Earlier this year, Hung attended a welcoming reception for the new Vietnamese consulate general, Nguyen ba Hung.  His wife was one of the singers for the event.  He also decided to go back to Vietnam after 36 years.  He travelled to Vietnam as part of the overseas delegates invited specially by the communist government to attend a conference on "Presevation of Vietnamese Culture and Language for Vietnamese Overseas Community".   Along with him were the 3 people from Viet Weekly newspaper.

It was an emotional moment for him as he started bawling the minute he arrived at the Tan San Nhat International Airport.  Later on he would explain in his many interviews with Viet Weekly: " I was overtaken with emotion.  I left Vietnam 36 years ago and vowed never to come back until the country changes.  Because I was an anti-communist activist, I did not come back to Vietnam to even say goodbye to my parents before they passed away. Now I realized I was wrong for the country is much different than what I had envisioned..."

During the long two weeks trip, the overseas delegates were the VIP of the communist government.  They were taken to to see tourist places, talked to various vice ministers (including Nguyen Thanh Son, vice minister of Foreign Relations) and attended a reception at the US Consulate in Vietnam.   Viet Weekly reported their trips on their newspaper and it was posted on Hung's Website for a broader audience.

Well, of course this did not sit well with the dwindling anti-communist activists.  How could one of them, who actually was the leader of the protest against Viet Weekly in 2008, is now collaborating with Viet Weekly to write op-eds that are favorable to the communist government while openly attack the overseas community for being extreme in its anti-communist stand.

http://bolsavik.com/2008/06/protesting-viet-weekly-the-end/

http://www2.ocregister.com/articles/community-viet-weekly-1781601-protest-vietnam

And worse, Hung is using his Website to poke fun of his former comrades-in-arms.  He even displays the communist flag side by side with the so called Freedom Flag on his Website, http://kbchn.net/
The idea is that since the war is long over, it is time to come together and do whatever is best for the country, no matter what side you are with.   This is the same policy that the communist government has been pursuing with the overseas community over the last 20 years.  The official propaganda lingo is hoa hop, hoa giai.  It means to come together, unite and to reconcile the differences with the goal to help rebuild the country.

The anti-communist crowd reacted swiftly with their public declaration that Hung is an agent of the communist government trying to spread communist propaganda.   The written declaration was signed by 64 well known anti-communist activists in the community.  They also held demonstration against Viet Weekly with signs denouncing Hung.   There were about 30-40 people showed up for the demonstration.   Viet Weekly, sensing the lack of support of the community for the demonstrators, decided to have a demonstration of their own against the demonstrators.   They brazenly called out Phan Ky Nhon and Nguyen Xuan Nghia, two of the leaders of the anti-communist demonstrators, as anti-democracy and trying to suppress the freedom of the press.

In the meanwhile,  Hung has decided to take these people to court for smearing his good name.  He declared that he is now a free-lance journalist and not an activist anymore.  He filed a libel lawsuit against 31 people who signed the declaration.  The other 33 people decided to drop their names from the declaration out of fear when Hung confronted them with the lawsuit. 

This week, the court ruled that Hung failed to establish a case against the first defendant.  Hung apparently is suing each signer individually.  The judge granted the motion to strike against Hung's complaint.  The anti-communist group held a press conference to explain the court decision on the same day. 

So what does it mean for Hung?  For now he is not responding to the press inquiry about his next step.   At the hearing, he was by himself.  His English was weak and his grasp for the law was weaker.   A month before, he  declared on his Website that he had retained the service of "one of the top legal firms in the country".  He was referring to the same one that just won a multi-million dollar judgement in Virginia for a defamation lawsuit brought on by Vietnamese-American woman.   In this case, she was libeled as a communist agent.

Christmas Cheers in Little Saigon

In the wonderful Chrismas spirit of sharing and giving, three organizations within the Vietnamese-American community in San Jose have been giving out gifts to families with kids in the Bay Area.

Last Sunday,  Viet Dreams and Viet Tribune gave out 200 toys at the headquarters of Viet Tribune. Dave Cortese (President of Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara County) stopped by playing Santa Claus to the kids and then honored  Vivian Truong Gia Vy (Publisher of Viet Tribune)  with a commendation for her longtime contribution to the community in general

The day before, Asian American Center of Santa Clara County handed out 1,200 toys in their annual toy-for-kid event.  The nonprofit foundation is headed by Mylinh Pham who used to be the director of Viet Volunteer Foundation.

This coming Saturday, the Viet-American Voters Coalition will also have their first Christmas celebration where toys will also be given to low-income families.  It will be from 9 AM to 12 PM on 2290 Tully Road.

Vietnamese American Business Association Gala - Dec 2, 2011

Chamber Music - November 20, 2011

Grants For NGO Work in Vietnam

Center for the Encouragement of Self-Reliance (CESR)

Announcement

The Center for the Encouragement of Self-Reliance (CESR) wishes to announce its intention to award grants worth between $1000.00 and $10,000.00 to selected members of the VA-NGO Network, other NGOs, and individuals inside and outside of Vietnam that work to help needy fellow Vietnamese. 

The grants will be awarded before December 31, 2011, and are expected to total $200,000.00.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for award, an organization or individual shall meet the following criteria:

1. Has been working to help the needy Vietnamese inside or outside Vietnam for more than one year with proven financial records and tangible results.

2. Can match the grant dollar-for-dollar with funds from other sources or with in-kind contributions that could be clearly monetized.

3. Has an on-going program that could use the grant in 2012.

4. Submits electronic applications before November 30, 2011.

Who Could Apply?  

• A member of VA-NGO Network or any NGO anywhere operating a program that helps needy Vietnamese in improving the seven human security (which CESR calls happiness) factors promoted by the United Nations. These are food, health, economic, individual, community, environmental, and political security.

• A citizen or group of citizens that operates inside or outside of Vietnam, independently from the government, with the goal of helping needy fellow Vietnamese.

Applications

Applications shall be no more than 10 pages, font 12, 1.5 spaced, with the following sections:

1. Eligibility. Affirmation that the applicant satisfies the four eligibility criteria listed above. Monetization of in-kind contributions that is not clear, realistic and reasonable could be reason for elimination.

2. Description of the organization or individual(s). The description shall be made specifically for this application. Off-the-shelf material that is less than 10 pages could be included in an appendix that needs not follow the font and spacing criteria of the main application. Exceeding the page limits could lead to elimination. 

3. Plan to use the grant. Emphasis shall be put on encouraging self-reliance and empowering the honor of recipients. Emphasis shall also put on the use of money in a reasonable, controlled, and transparent fashion. Expected results shall be described.

4. Recommendation. Letters of recommendation by two respectable individuals who have known the application’s work for more than a year. These two letters do not count in the page limitations described above.

Scope of Work

Any work that benefit needy Vietnamese, inside or outside of Vietnam. 

Who is CESR?

CESR is a small private charity organization established in 1997 by Dr. Doan L Phung and Ms. Thu-Le Doan using their personal savings. CESR has assisted members of VA-NGO Network for many years, and, since 1999, has operated Trung Tâm Khuyến Khích Tự Lập (TTKKTL) in Hue, Vietnam. TTKKTL has helped more than 20,000 families in over 35 communes to pursue a trade to be self-reliant. 

The United Nations has conferred CESR the UN Habitat- Civil Society Innovation Award in 2008.  Many members of VA-NGO Network have also conferred CESR awards of Compassion or Achievements. The current policy of CESR is to assist others to help needy fellow Vietnamese in accordance with the principles upon which CESR was established.

Contact Information: doanlphung2@gmail.com

Vu Trinh for San Francisco DA. November 8, 2011

http://informant.kalwnews.org/2011/10/qa-candidates-for-district-attorney-part-v/

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/08/new-da-contender-piques-san-franciscos-interest

Vu Trinh, a graduate of University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, is a former deputy public defender and veteran trial lawyer who has served for over twenty years in the state and federal criminal justice systems, in his community, and in government. He is the current Commissioner for the State Bar of California's Criminal Law Advisory Commission (CLAC) to the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.



Like so many others, Trinh and his family immigrated to America in 1975 to pursue the promises of a better life, a life free from government oppression and corruption. Since then, Trinh has been able to achieve the American dream. Upon receiving his law degree and passing the bar in 1992, Trinh worked as a deputy public defender in Orange County where he handled a high volume of criminal law cases. Even after his tenure there, he continued to represent indigent clients by serving on the Orange County Homicide Panel, an organization that appoints attorneys for indigent defendants facing homicide charges.



Trinh is dedicated to finding ways to improve his legal skills and knowledge. In 2000, Trinh was certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in the area of criminal law and began building his private criminal defense practice, handling cases investigated by some of government's best investigative agencies. Within the legal community, Trinh has established a reputation for being a tenacious advocate for those whose voices are often ignored by society. Throughout his career, Trinh has not merely taken on cases, but causes. In 2009, due to his vast experience in the criminal justice system, the State Bar of California Board of Governors appointed Trinh as a commissioner for the Criminal Law Advisory Commission (CLAC) to the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. His term ends in 2012. Trinh is committed to fighting for truth, equality, and fairness in the criminal justice system.



As the only candidate that is a certified criminal law specialist and has extensive criminal defense experience, Trinh has seen first-hand that the phrases "innocent until proven guilty" and "to serve and protect" are law enforcement mottos that have long been forgotten. Rather, by fault of both prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, the criminal law field has become more adversarial, unconcerned with finding the truth and more concerned with winning the case. Trinh has the well-being of others firmly in his heart and truly believes in establishing justice. This is why he is running for district attorney: to achieve justice and ascertain the truth.



Vu and his wife, Helen Phan, live in the SOMA district of San Francisco with their two children, Chloe and Daniel, both of whom are attending San Francisco public schools.

Agent Orange Conference in Berkeley - Oct 28 - 29

http://makeagentorangehistory.org/conference/

VN Help Fund Raising Concert - Oct 22, 2011

Vietnamese American Business Association Gala

Joe DoVinh Running for Assembly District 72nd

It seems that Joe DoVinh has made up his mind for now to run for the newly created Assembly District 72nd seat in next year nonpartisan primary.  He will be running as a Democrat against at least 3-4 more candidates.  One of the candidates is of course Tyler Diep Truong (R), a Van Tran's disciple or "The Trannie" as the main media would refer.  Joe DoVinh is a court translator and used to work for Viet Star, a small local tabloid in Little Saigon.

Since this is nonpartisan primary, anything could happen.   Joe DoVinh is banking on the fact that Tyler Diep Truong is a controversial candidate in the eye of the mainstream and has a high negative in the Vietnamese-American community.   With the usually strong turnout of the Vietnamese-American voters,  he hopes that they will choose him instead of Truong and this will be enough to carry him at least to the run-off.    He gave Phu Nguyen (D) a run for his money in the democratic primary for the 68th assembly district last year without even putting in any effort.   And Phu Nguyen was the darling of the Democratic Party with all the supports of the unions and political heavyweights. 

Joe DoVinh is a smart candidate and knowledgeable journalist and he understands the sentiment within the community.   It is very clear that they are still sick and tire of the Trannie.  Tyler Diep Truong has a job cut out for him to distance himself from Van Tran even though he still needs Tran to help raising fund.   Joe DoVinh can run as a "Anti-Trannie Candidate" and most important of all, a fresh breed of  candidates free from the shenanigans and gangster-like politics of Tyler Diep Truong and Van Tran.

However, Little Saigon politics is unpredictable.   As mentioned at the beginning of this article,  Joe DoVinh for now is planning to run.   However,  Van Tran and his cronies will likely try their best to cut a deal with Joe DoVinh.  Little Saigon insiders are already whispering the possibility of Van Tran buying Joe DoVinh out  - How about some ad money to support your newspaper so that you would not run? 

It is unlikely that Joe DoVinh will back down for he understood that this is his biggest chance.  After all, this is race where everybody is a wild card in the primary.  And if Joseph Cao could beat the odds in 2008,  why couldn't he?  Fortune will lie with those who take chances

Three Successful Mid-Autumn Festival Events

http://www.freevietnews.com/tintuc/detail.php?subaction=showfull&id=1315800274&archive=&start_from=&ucat

Great job by all three organizers!

Mid-Autumn Moon Festivals - Sept 10, 2011

This year in San Jose, there are three major Mid-Autumn Festivals planned for on the same day - Sept 10, 2011.   LSI is listing them all here for those who are interested.   All of them are free except for  the event at Independence High. 

Feasting Meets Philanthropy Event - Sept. 18

http://go.onevietnam.org/streeteats/

Billing as a charity gala,  the organizer is transforming the historic Ferry Building on the San Francisco waterfront into a  culinary experience with the help of two dozen local chefs and vintners.  Expected to be an exciting event as star chefs are rolling up their sleeves to bring favorite street eats from their home country to benefit OneVietnam Network. 

OneVietnam Network is a nonprofit social network designed for Vietnamese all over the world.  Co-founded by James Bao and Uyen Nguyen, the organization received various grants to support its mission.  The largest grant so far came from the Ford Foundation.  Here is an excerpt from its blog announcement a year ago sending out to its supporters

" OneVietnam.org is launching on Monday, July 19. We are a new online network dedicated to connecting Vietnamese communities worldwide. In celebration of our public launch, we will host a release party at Butterfly restaurant in San Francisco on Sunday, July 18. We invite you to come join us in the celebration and help us spread the word.

The Ford Foundation Grant

OneVietnam recently received a $100 thousand grant from the Ford Foundation as part of the “Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin.” Ford Foundation has distributed nearly $16 billion in grants worldwide since it’s inception. We will work with the Ford Foundation and other special initiative grantees to raise awareness and help ease the harmful effects of Agent Orange."