Fil-Am groups gear up for redistricting hearing

SAN FRANCISCO, California—San Francisco’s Filipino-American groups are primed to turn out in high numbers for a public hearing to address the redistricting of the city’s sixth district.

In fact, the president of the Filipino American Arts Exposition Pistahan Parade and Festival  and San Francisco Entertainment Commissioner, Al Perez, made sure that “all bases are covered” with last week’s preliminary meeting.

Perez is reminding Filipinos that another meeting is scheduled for this weekend.

“We decided to hold another one, a follow-up one, to make sure that we come prepared,” Perez announced. “We cannot afford to be complacent.”

In their last meeting before the actual hearing, which takes place this Saturday night, Perez and other Filipino community leaders finalized their presentation’s talking points – who would speak about each particular issue.

“Since each person will be given three minutes each, we need to maximize the use of the time so we can cover different points in the presentation,” said Perez. “Different people will have different point of reason/rationale and legal criteria.”

Perez also shared that their most recent meeting, last Thursday, was more of a debriefing than anything.

“We invite all in the Filipino community to attend the public hearing  become involved, speak up and urge the commission to keep the Filipino community intact and not divide us,” Perez appealed.

The public hearing for District 6 will be held on January 21 at 10 a.m. inside the Bayanihan Center, located at the corner of 6th street and Mission Street in San Francisco.

In District 6, which is believed about to be officially declared as a “Filipino Neighborhood” (Filipino Social-Heritage Special Use District), are Filipino landmarks such as the Victoria Manalo children’s park (named after the Filipino American Olympic diver), the Bessie Carmichael school (where a substantial number of Filipino-Americans students are enrolled), as well as St. Patrick’s Church, and the locale of the Pistahan festival.

In the last 2010 census, it was determined that District 6—which comprises the areas of Tenderloin, South of Market (SOMA), North Mission, Civic Center, South Beach, Mission Bay, Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island and Downtown—has an overpopulation of 21,585 people, thus needing redistricting.