(Oct 25, 2014) For Immediate Release
Contact person: Frank Xu 858-215-1162 info@sdaafe.org
Subject: SDAAFE Endorses Chris Cate for San Diego City Council District 6
San Diego Asian American for Equality (SDAAFE) strongly endorses Mr. Chris Cate for San Diego City Council District 6. We endorse Mr. Cate for his firm stand against SCA5 and his in-depth knowledge of local issues and his clear action plan to address them.
SDAAFE is a non-partisan political action committee with 1,700 members. Our mission is to advocate full equality for San Diego Asian Americans through civic and political engagements.
Mr. Cate has built a broad coalition to reach out to every community within District 6, including part of Rancho Penasquitos (PQ). This coalition helps him get better grasp of the community needs and develop comprehensive policies to address issues pertinent to our community. His plan for District 6 is specific, measurable and pragmatic, where his opponent mostly offers sound bites. Also worth noting is Mr. Cate’s positive working relationship with Mark Kersey, the city council member in District 5 (which includes the majority of PQ). This strong and constructive relationship would serve as a solid foundation in developing coherent planning for community with common geographic border and similar socioeconomic conditions.
In addition, we appreciate Mr. Cate’s clear stand against Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 (SCA5). On Feb 1, 2014, the Democratic Party supermajority controlled California Senate rammed through SCA5, a proposed amendment allowing racial discrimination by removing “public education” from California constitution, and by removing “UC/Public School System” from the definition of “State”, in an effort to achieve racial balancing in California through “race conscious” college admissions. SCA5 was temporally halted after an Asian American uprising during which we received scant support from public officials, including those of Asian American descent. We remain extremely wary of the Democratic Party’s supermajority, be it at a state level or at a city level. We believe Mr. Cate would provide proper counter balance in the city council to allow rational debates on important issues.
Mr. Cate’s stance on important issues and his detailed and sensible plan for District 6 earned him our endorsement.