Asian Americans

In 1986, lawmakers decided the problem of illegal immigration had to be dealt with. More than 3 million people were living in the United States after crossing the border illegally or overstaying their visas. A new law signed by President Ronald Reagan gave legal status and a path to citizenship to most of those unauthorized residents - helping many secure a slice of the American dream but also giving fuel to critics who sought to turn "amnesty" into a pejorative. Less than 30 years later, the number of immigrants living in the country illegally is thought to have nearly quadrupled, and the freighted baggage of amnesty looms over new efforts to reform the nation's immigration laws.

As the Republican National Committee begins to chart its path after stinging losses in recent presidential elections, a major focus of its spring meeting in Hollywood is how to draw more support from communities that have shunned the party in large numbers, notably Latinos, Asian Americans and single women. Much of Thursday's agenda is focused on reaching out to such groups. This afternoon, committee members will take part in workshops about messaging, ethnic media, minority communities and women.

Holmes Stoner's proposal sounded about as logical as pouring soy sauce on a burrito. While there were Cinco de Mayo parties all over Southern California two weekends ago, Universal Studios was hosting an Asian-American festival. Figuring that it wouldn't attract many Latinos that weekend anyway, it chased after the Asian-American market instead.

As the 168 members of the Republican National Committee head to Los Angeles for their spring meeting - a visit meant to illustrate the party's commitment to broadening its reach even in the bluest of states - Chairman Reince Priebus announced two new hires who will focus on stepping up the party's efforts to engage voters in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.  The hirings of Stephen Fong as a national field director and Jason Chung as a...

For many Southern Californians, summer is the season for beaches, chaise longues and the quest for the perfect tan. Not for Margaret Qiu. She and thousands of other Asian American women are going to great lengths to avoid the sun -- fighting to preserve or enhance their pale complexions with expensive creams, masks, gloves, professional face scrubs and medical procedures.

Jeanne Cooper Emmy winner starred in 'The Young and the Restless' Jeanne Cooper, 84, the enduring soap opera star who played grande dame Katherine Chancellor for nearly four decades on CBS' "The Young and the Restless," died Wednesday in her sleep, according to the network. Cooper's son, actor Corbin Bernsen, said last month in Twitter messages that she had been suffering from an undisclosed illness. A Los Angeles resident, Cooper joined the daytime serial six months after its March 1973 debut, staking claim to the title of longest-tenured cast member.

Some staggering new figures about Asian American consumers are out this month: Their buying power is up 523% since 1990, reaching $718.4 billion this year. If the demographic were a nation, it'd be the 18th-largest economy in the world. Within five years, Asian American buying power will surge over $1 trillion, according to a report this month from Nielsen. At the moment, 28% of households in the group have annual incomes greater than $100,000, compared with 18% of all Americans.

Three decades ago, Paul Kim was a 15-year-old immigrant from South Korea who barely spoke English; he was living in a small Oklahoma town and wondering what future America held for him. This week, Kim, 44, whose Korean name Myung-Chun means "bright sky," was named a captain in the Los Angeles Police Department--the first Asian to achieve that rank in the city's history.

When her son was born underweight, with facial deformities and one shrunken hand, Gloria Saito was prepared. Saito, a Temple City resident, had pursued a special-education teaching credential before her pregnancy and was armed with an above-average knowledge of disabilities and public services for disabled individuals. She registered her son, now 7, with the state Department of Developmental Services, availing him to services provided by the state's system of regional centers.

As the dust settles on the presidential election, there seems to be a new theory daily as to why Mitt Romney lost and what it signals for the future of the Republican Party. Common to nearly all the speculation are the partisan implications of demographic change. The United States is shifting gradually toward a majority-minority electorate, with ever-growing numbers of Latino and Asian American voters. Notably, these groups are increasingly voting as Democrats. According to exit polls from Nov. 6, 73% of Asian Americans and 71% of Latinos voted for President Obama.

Mandarin was my first language, but once I started school, I refused to speak it. As the only Asian kid in my class, I felt alien enough. I wasn't about to bust out in another tongue, even in the privacy of my own home. My parents were too laissez-faire to enforce a Chinese-only regimen, as my uncle did with my cousins. We soon switched to English instead of Chinese, forks instead of chopsticks. My mom made spaghetti for my brother and me, stir-fries and soups for my dad. The one time I went to Saturday Chinese school, I told my parents I hated it and I wasn't going back.

Assi Natural Market carries dozens of kimchi products. There are more than 200 kinds of dumplings. Its carts mimic the red and green of Sriracha sauce bottles. All of which seems to indicate a pretty standard Asian grocery. But once it opens this month in Irvine, Assi aspires to be a hybrid of cultures - like the growing and increasingly moneyed population of second-generation Asian Americans it hopes to draw into its aisles. The goal, manager Thomas Yoon said, is to become the Whole Foods of ethnic supermarkets.

In a bold bet on the digital future of entertainment, Time Warner Inc. has named Kevin Tsujihara as chief executive of its Warner Bros. studio - ending a fiercely fought battle for one of the most powerful jobs in Hollywood. Tsujihara has been president of Warner Bros.' home entertainment unit, which is responsible for home video, online distribution and video games. In winning the top spot, he edged out rivals overseeing the larger and more prestigious film and television divisions.

In the scramble to make the GOP more diverse, a lot of people are looking at Asian Americans, whom many believe are a natural constituency for the party. I would love it if Asian Americans converted en masse to the Republican Party, but the challenge for Republicans is harder than many appreciate. President Obama did spectacularly well with Asian Americans, garnering nearly three-quarters of their vote. This runs counter to a lot of conventional wisdom on both the left and the right.

As the dust settles on the presidential election, there seems to be a new theory daily as to why Mitt Romney lost and what it signals for the future of the Republican Party. Common to nearly all the speculation are the partisan implications of demographic change. The United States is shifting gradually toward a majority-minority electorate, with ever-growing numbers of Latino and Asian American voters. Notably, these groups are increasingly voting as Democrats. According to exit polls from Nov. 6, 73% of Asian Americans and 71% of Latinos voted for President Obama.

Some staggering new figures about Asian American consumers are out this month: Their buying power is up 523% since 1990, reaching $718.4 billion this year. If the demographic were a nation, it'd be the 18th-largest economy in the world. Within five years, Asian American buying power will surge over $1 trillion, according to a report this month from Nielsen. At the moment, 28% of households in the group have annual incomes greater than $100,000, compared with 18% of all Americans.

Much has been made of the Latino vote and its crucial role in boosting President Obama to victory, but it was Asian Americans who made the most dramatic shift in support for the president Tuesday. Exit polls show that 73% of Asian Americans backed Obama, an 11-point increase since 2008.  Asian Americans came out in such force for Obama that they topped Latinos as his second-most supportive ethnic group, behind African Americans. Latinos, who made up 10% of the electorate, went 67% for Obama, 5 points higher than in 2008.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - They may be the fastest-growing and best-educated racial group, boasting the highest average income in the country, but when it comes to politics, Asian Americans have historically spent little time in the political spotlight of either the Democrats or Republicans . But on Monday, a group of leaders at the Asian American and Pacific Islander caucus meeting at the Democratic National Convention said they see signs of...

In the days after the election, inner-city schoolteacher Mark Takano flew to Washington, picked up his laptop, office key, voting ID and posed for photos with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi - all part of the orientation drill for an incoming member of the 113th Congress. Going from a bipartisan reception to touring the marbled halls of the Capitol, a thought swirled through Takano's head. "The thrill of being elected to higher office comes with a responsibility to represent the least of us," he said.

There are many ways to illustrate the descent of the California Republican Party into oblivion. A starting point is the demographic breakdown of the members of Congress elected last week in the state. Assuming the leaders in the few remaining close races hold their leads, there will be 38 Democrats and 15 Republicans representing California in Congress come January. Of those 38 Democrats, 18 are women, nine are Latinos, five are Asian Americans, three are African Americans, four are Jews and at least one is gay. Just 12 are white men. Of the 15 Republicans, on the other hand, all are white men - not a woman, let alone a member of a racial minority or a Jew, among them.