2025 Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project

Hello! My name is Brooke Nam, and last week I participated in the 2025 Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, or APYLP. APYLP was established in 1990 by Asian Pacific Islander Capitol staffers and legislators to build new foundations for Asian Pacific Islander (API) youth to become involved in community and public service in California. With former participants like Dan Nguyen-Tan, the first Asian American and youngest member elected to the Chico City Council in 2000, and South Asian actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj, the program’s primary goal is to foster API representation and collaboration in the public sector.

As participants, we met with incredible API leaders like Mona Pasquil, Director of Public Policy for California for Meta and previous acting lieutenant Governor of California, David Chiu, San Francisco City Attorney, Mai Vang, Councilmember of South Sacramento, and Assemblywoman Stephanie Nguyen of District 10. It was an honor and throughly enriching experience to be in the presence of such powerful and passionate leaders of the API community.

Throughout the conference, we consistently practiced the roles and legislation of government, acting as lobbyists for our own drafted resolutions and bills and meeting with staffers of Assemblymembers to lobby for our own legislation. We performed mock legislature (which I got to be a Vice Chair of!), visited the Capitol, and even got to sit in the chairs of the Assembly Chamber while speaking with Chief Clerk Sue Parker.

Ultimately, the conference transcended the education of government and public policy. What APYLP accomplished was cultivating a sense of advocacy in all of us. It taught us how to filter out the noise of politics and inundating media in order to listen to the signals of community and empowerment in our own lives and work. I truly enjoyed my time at APYLP, and I encourage all passionate and engaged API youth to be a part of this incredible class that continues to grow every year.

Cerritos Mayoral Transition

Mark Pulido was sworn in to the Cerritos City Council, doubling the number of Democrats on the council. After years of being bypassed, Frank Aurelio Yokoyama was unanimously selected as Mayor of Cerritos! He received a standing ovation from the many excited Democrats in the crowd. With Mark back on the council and Frank as our new mayor, they are already working hard for residents. I am excited to see Democrats’ priorities being discussed in the city. They have approved 8 new pickle ball courts and are working on public safety with 2 more community safety officers approved to be hired and increasing automatic license plate readers to reduce residential burglaries. The City of Cerritos has seen a noticeable reduction of residential burglaries thus far in April.