Asian American Media Roundtable with Mark Farrell
The second inaugural Asian American Media Roundtable in Santa Clara County, a voter education initiative known as “Know Your Candidates,” Was a significant event. It brought together several prominent Asian media entities with the aim of informing and engaging the Asian community in the political process. By providing a platform for conversations with candidates running for office, this initiative played a crucial role in ensuring that the voices of the Asian community in Santa Clara County are heard and that candidates address the issues that matter most to them.
Led by Diana Ding, founder, and CEO of Ding Ding TV, the voice of Silicon Valley Asian Americans, the 2nd Asian American Media Roundtable was held in person on September 12 at Ding Ding TV Studio in the City of Santa Clara, dialog with Mr. Mark Farrell, the San Francisco Mayor Candidate. The Roundtable was a diverse representation of different Asian communities. It was composed of Vandana Kumar, CEO of India Currents; Minh Thanh Tran, president of Vietnamese in San Jose; Don Orozco of The Filipino Community of Santa Clara County, represented by Yoliesil Pontino, SVP of Global Maharlika Foundation; and Joel Wong of the National Asian American United. The panel questioned Mr. Mark Farrell concerning his position and take on the Asian American community.
Mark Farrell is a former Mayor and former County Supervisor of San Francisco. A legitimate and fool-blooded San Franciscan, he was born and raised in the Presidio area, where an Army base is located. His father proudly served in the US military, and his mother is a flight attendant. Hailed as one of the most successful mayors of San Francisco, his service to the community was cut short when he purposely left public service to be more accessible to his family and, most significantly, to his children.
Mark Farrell, one of the leading candidates in the San Francisco mayoral race, has a clear vision for the city. He emphasizes family as the reason for his return to public service, aiming to ensure that his children, like him, can proudly call themselves residents of San Francisco. He is determined to recreate San Francisco as a safe city and revitalize it, making it a progressive haven for tourists and local residents, including the Asian American community.
With the kind of mess San Francisco is in now, he said he wanted a revitalized, progressive city that would continue to be a haven for tourists and its residents, giving equal opportunity to all ethnic communities, including the Asian American community. It is that the biggest Chinatown in the US can be found in San Francisco, and thus, he said he wanted them to thrive again without the fear of Asian hate. He said that some of his priorities will be to address criminality due to the defunding of the Police by the current mayor. He also said he would address homelessness and try to eliminate drug addiction, which has become prevalent in the streets of San Francisco.
One glaring question from the audience was from Louis Lam from the Chinese American Community. Mr. Lam’s question centered on his policy on Small Business owners, especially the Asian community doing business in San Francisco. Mark quickly pointed out that he already had set up a plan to address and support small business owners and that his experience as the city’s longest-budget official would suffice to address all concerns.
The Asian American Media roundtable has again given an opportunity to examine how candidate Mark Farrell’s administration will go if he emerges as the winner in this upcoming election exercise.
Press Release:
IndiaCurrents: https://indiacurrents.com/on-the-ballot-mark-ferrell-for-san-francisco-mayor/
Vietnamese in San Jose: https://www.facebook.com/groups/941205127291243/permalink/1294518441959908/
Contact: Amy Zhao, info@DingDingTV.com
Ding Ding TV, a California community media outlet, has been the voice of Silicon Valley Asian Americans since 2009.
On September 12th, several prominent Asian media entities came together to hold the Asian American Media Roundtable. It is a part of the voter education initiative “Know Your Candidates.” This initiative aims to inform and engage the Asian community in the political process by providing a platform for conversations with candidates running for office.
* Diana Ding, Ding Ding TV, Voice of Silicon Valley Asian Americans
* Vandana Kumar, Indian Currents
* Don Orozco, Filipino News, host of Radyo Agila Sa Amerika
* Minh Tran, Vietnamese Americans in San Jose
* Joel Wong, National Asian Americans United
Event Details
What:
Mayor Mark Farrell served as the 44th Mayor of San Francisco. Previously, Mark served as District 2 Supervisor for seven years, and was the longest serving Budget Chair in the City’s history. Mark is San Francisco native, lifelong Democrat, and lives in the Jordan Park neighborhood with his wife and three children. Prior to his career in public service, Mark was a lawyer, investment banker, and co-founded Thayer Ventures, an investment firm focused on the travel and mobility sectors.
Mark is running for Mayor to bring to life his vision for San Francisco:
Where public safety is the government’s #1 priority.
A City that believes sidewalks are for everyone and not tent encampments, drug dealers, and drug abuse
A City that is thriving economically where businesses large and small across every industry are successful, offers jobs that support a diverse workforce, and a City Hall that works
collaboratively with our business community to make it happen
A City where families are the priority, and City Hall’s actions and policies are not driven by special interest groups, but a desire for the next generations of San Francisco to succeed
A City that is vibrant: where neighborhoods are alive, tourists are excited to be in town, and a downtown that is buzzing with activity every day
This event represents a collaborative effort to ensure that the voices of the Asian community in Santa Clara County are heard and that candidates address the issues that matter most to them. By participating in this roundtable, the diverse community media had the opportunity to engage with Mark Farrell and gain a deeper understanding of his platform and vision for the future.