Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Oakland Vice Mayor Henry Chang Endorses Hillary Clinton

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of Oakland Vice Mayor At-Large Henry Chang, and named him Northern California Co-Chair for "Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) for Hillary."

"Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to bring about the change this country needs," said Vice Mayor Chang. "She recognizes the importance of the AAPI community, and is committed to equal rights and expanding opportunity for all Americans."

A Chinese-American immigrant, Chang has resided in the East Bay for over 55 years, and has stood as an important voice for a city with large populations of Asian-Americans and Chinese-Americans. As Co-Chair, Chang will join other AAPI leaders in the committee (listed below) and help lead the effort to grow this group of committed supporters and get them involved in new and existing campaign activities.

"I am honored to have Henry's support, and delighted that he will help lead our efforts in California," said Clinton. "We're not taking any vote for granted, and I want the AAPI community to know that I hope to earn their vote. Together, we can rededicate our efforts to creating better opportunities and brighter futures for all Americans."

In the Senate, Hillary has championed numerous initiatives to improve the lives of AAPIs, their families and communities. Last year Hillary introduced legislation that would reunite families who have been separated by the immigration system. In addition, she sponsored the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act to restore access to Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for legal immigrant pregnant women and children and introduced the Access to Employment and English Language Acquisition Act to provide more job training funds for individuals with limited English language skills. As president, Hillary Clinton will promote an agenda that provides the opportunity, support and tools that AAPIs need to realize the American dream and address the challenges facing the community, including discrimination, language barriers, and poor access to affordable health care.

About Henry Chang

Chang was appointed to his current post as City Councilmember At-Large in 1994 to fill a vacancy and was re-elected in 1997 and again in 2000 and 2004. Chang currently chairs the City Council's Life Enrichment Committee, co-chairs the Education Partnership Committee and serves on the Public Works Committee, the Community and Economic Development Committee, the Port Liaison Committee, and the Rules and Legislation Committee. His involvement with these committees reflects some of the key issues he has remained committed to through his career: education and youth, promoting Oakland's economy, responsible gun legislation, community development and support for the elderly. He has been selected by his fellow City Council members to hold the position of Vice Mayor for several terms, with the most recent term beginning in January 2007.

Vice Mayor Henry Chang began his career in public service in 1974, when he joined the Oakland Planning Commission. Since that time he has served in various community positions including the Oakland Art Commission, Oakland Community Development Commission, the Oakland Port Commission and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. He has been a board member for the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and was one of three state appointees to the Oakland State Building Authority. He has served as president of the Northern California University of California Chinese Alumni Association. He is a recipient of the "Americanism Awards" presented by the Daughters of American Revolution and "Immigrant of the Year" presented by the International Institute. He is presently serving as Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Authority and the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority. Vice Mayor Chang is also the former Chair and present board member of the Alameda County Lead Prevention Joint Powers Authority.

AAPIs for Hillary Steering Committee

National Chair: United States Representative Matsui

California Co-Chairs

• California State Controller John Chiang
• California State Assemblyman Michael Eng
• California State Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi
• California State Assemblywoman and Majority Whip Fiona Ma
• Phil Ting, San Francisco Assessor
• Alicia Wang, Vice Chair, Democratic National Committee
• Julie D. Soo, Chair, CA Democratic State Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus

Northern California Co-Chairs

• Otto Lee, Mayor of Sunnyvale
• Henry Manayan, former Mayor of Milpitas; California Filipino American Caucus Chair
• Mona Pasquil, former Deputy Political Director of Constituency Outreach for Kerry-Edwards 2004
• Henry Chang, Vice Mayor of Oakland

Southern California Co-Chairs

• Rajen Anand, Chairman, National Federation of Indian-American Associations (Affiliation is listed for identification purposes only)
• Charmaine Manansala, former advisor to Speaker Nancy Pelosi; former senior policy analyst, White House Initiative on AAPIs
• Elena Ong, former Southern California Chair, California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (Affiliation is listed for identification purposes only)
• Trung Ta, President of the Vietnamese American Democratic Club