co-present
A Breakfast Reception with Assemblymember Warren Furutani
Friday, October 14 (8:00 - 9:30am)
Harley Ellis Devereaux
601 S. Figueroa St., Suite 500
Los Angeles CA, 90017
Co-Hosted by Harley Ellis Devereaux and Brookfield Properties
Advance RSVP Required. Limited Capacity
RSVP to Will Wright at Will[@]aialosangeles.org or Martha Cox-Nitikman at mcoxnitikman[@]bomagla.org
Parking:
AIA|LA recommends to ride METRO. Brookfield Properties will also graciously validate parking.
This breakfast reception is being co-presented by AIA Los Angeles and BOMA of Greater Los Angeles as a collaborative effort to further integrate our respective memberships.
Assemblymember Warren Furutani
Warren Furutani was re-elected to the 55th Assembly District in 2010 for his second two-year term representing the cities of Carson, Lakewood, (North and West) Long Beach, and the Los Angeles communities of Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Wilmington.
With over 40 years of experience in education and public service, Warren has always been a staunch advocate for equal opportunity especially as it relates to education.
Beginning as a civil rights activist in the 1960s, Warren worked tirelessly to establish admissions programs for students of color at colleges and universities throughout the United States. He helped many campuses establish ethnic studies programs and was instrumental in UCLA and Long Beach State University adopting an Asian American Studies program. Warren's activism at this time is documented in the Japanese American National Museum's exhibit "Common Ground." He was also interviewed in the anthology "Roots: the Asian American Reader."
In 1969 Warren was one of the founders of the Manzanar Pilgrimage, an annual event to honor the 110,000 Japanese American men, women and children who were forced to leave their homes and were incarcerated during World War II. In 1970 Warren helped to create the Manzanar Committee that worked to get Manzanar designated as a national historical site. Today, thousands of people participate in the Manzanar Pilgrimage every year on the last Saturday of April.
In the mid 1970's Warren worked as a counselor at the Central Continuation High School in Downtown Los Angeles. He later joined the Asian American Student Services Center at UCLA where he worked as an administrator and developed programs to recruit, mentor and tutor students as well as encourage them to be active in community projects.
In 1987 Warren was the first Asian Pacific Islander American to ever be elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education - the largest school district in California. In 1999 Warren was elected to the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board of Trustees - the largest community college district in the country. Warren is the only person to have been elected and re-elected to the Los Community College Board and the Board of Education. He also served as president of both boards.
During his time with LAUSD and LACCD, Warren was known as a problem solver and consensus builder. He brought parents, teachers, staff and the community together to develop "school based management" which improved our schools. He was an early and strong advocate for the LAUSD and LACCD construction bonds, which directed billions of dollars into repairing and building new schools and remodeling and constructing new facilities on our community college campuses.
While a Board Member at LAUSD, Warren led the effort to grant honorary high school diplomas to Japanese Americans who were unable to finish high school because they were forced into internment camps during World War II.
In the California State Legislature, Warren is using his wealth of experience in education. He is Chair of the Select Committee on Career Technical Education and Workforce Development where he is focusing on preparing students with the training they need for 21st century jobs. He also founded the Community College Caucus and is a member of the Higher Education Master Plan Review Committee.
Warren was appointed Chair of the Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security committee, and serves on the following standing committees: Utilities and Commerce, Transportation and Labor. He is also chair of the Asian Pacific Islander American Legislative Caucus.
Warren's work in the Capitol includes legislation related to career technical education, community colleges, clean air quality, and support for small businesses. He also successfully advocated for State resources to help rebuild the Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach, which is expected to generate 4,000 jobs for at least five years in the community.
In 2008, he authored Assembly Bill 37, which granted honorary college degrees to Japanese Americans whose education was disrupted due to their wrongful incarceration during World War II. This past year, Warren also authored Assembly Bill 1775, which establishes January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. Mr. Korematsu challenged the law that imprisoned Japanese Americans during WWII, and so this day of significance will provide California schools an opportunity to teach the importance of civil liberties and the protection of a citizen's constitutional rights. Both bills were passed unanimously in both houses and signed by the Governor.
Born in San Pedro and raised in Gardena, Warren is fourth-generation Japanese American. His grandfather was a mechanic on Terminal Island in San Pedro who repaired motors on tuna boats. During World War II, Warren's grandparents and father were forced to leave their home in 48-hours and were sent to an internment camp in Rohror, Arkansas. Warren's father was in high school at the time, and while at camp he met Warren's mother who was from Elk Grove, California. Warren's father was drafted into the military while still incarcerated. After the war, his parents returned to San Pedro to start their family.
Warren is a product of the Los Angeles public education system. He graduated from Gardena High School in 1965. He then attended several community colleges including Los Angeles City College, El Camino College, and the College of San Mateo in the San Francisco Bay area. He graduated from Antioch University with a liberal arts degree. He is married to Lisa Abe Furutani and they are the proud parents of two grown sons.
For more information, please contact:
Will Wright
Director, Government & Public Affairs
AIA Los Angeles
(213) 639-0764
Will [at] aialosangeles.org
Martha Cox-Nitikman, MPA, JD
Senior Director of Public Policy and Education
BOMA of Greater Los Angeles
700 S. Flower St., Ste. 1408
Los Angeles, CA 90017
p-213-629-2662 ext. 108
f-213-624-1031
mcoxnitikman@bomagla.org
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