Prop. 14 struck down, and Jr. JACL prepares for San Diego

Vol. 62, No. 19, May 13, 1966. 4 pages. View this issue

The California Supreme Court’s 5-2 ruling that Proposition 14 is unconstitutional led this four-page issue. The measure had nullified the state’s fair housing laws, and the P.C. Staff reported that minority leaders and JACL welcomed the decision. Youth were the other big subject. Connie Yamaguchi reported on PSW preparations for the July national JACL convention in San Diego, while Jerry Enomoto and Elaine Yamada wrote about what a national youth organization might look like.

Elsewhere, Mike Masaoka wrote twice about the conditions facing American Indians, and Bill Hosokawa’s “From the Frying Pan” profiled George Togasaki. Harry K. Honda made the case for advertising in the paper. Community items included the Portland chapter’s bid for the 1972 national convention, Taul Watanabe’s election to lead Los Angeles’s Human Relations Commission, and a call for interviewers for the JACL-UCLA Japanese American Research Project.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Youth Prepping for San Diego, by Connie Yamaguchi, page 1. PSW youth are finalizing preparations for the July national JACL convention in San Diego, following a successful pre-convention rally in Long Beach. The article reviews the revised convention youth schedule and reports on delegate selections and local events.
• Miss Portland Jr. JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tritia Toyota was crowned Miss Portland Jr. JACL from a field of twelve candidates and will compete in the PNWDYC contest. Judges evaluated the finalists on an impromptu speech about their ideal date.
• PNWDC quarterly session May 22, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Northwest District Council will hold its quarterly session in Portland on May 22 to prepare for the national convention. The session includes business meetings and the district oratorical contest.
• Selection of 10 Nisei songleaders at school objected, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Students at Washington Junior High in Pasadena protested the faculty selection of songleaders, leading to racial tension that required police and fire response. School officials met with parents to prevent a recurrence.
• Sansei’s prejudices about Mexican Americans changed after attending leadership conference as observer, page 2. James Hamano, a Hollywood Jr. JACL officer, reports on a leadership conference for Mexican American youth he attended as an observer. He says the workshop changed his prejudices and that Mexican Americans showed determination to solve their community’s problems.
• Taul Watanabe to chair rights group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Taul Watanabe was elected president of Los Angeles’s new Human Relations Commission. The Oregon-born Nisei businessman and attorney was among nine members appointed by Mayor Sam Yorty.
• Role of sit-in, boycott topic of Seattleites, by Elmer Ogawa, page 3. Seattle’s Jackson Street Community Council director Kenneth Latchola resigned for a Commerce Department job, and the council will host a discussion on whether children should be used in civil disobedience. The article also covers local job market efforts and industrial expansion news.
• Need more history project interviewers, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 3. The JACL-UCLA Japanese American Research Project seeks bilingual interviewers to conduct second-phase Issei surveys in several Southern California areas. Interviewers are paid $20 per session.
• Hiraide bids for assembly slate, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei attorney Toshiro Hiraide is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 67th Assembly District in Southern California. His platform emphasizes education funding, tax reform, traffic and smog control, and farmworker protections.
• CRCSC to mark 20th anniversary at May 22 fete, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Community Relations Conference of Southern California will hold its 20th anniversary dinner May 22 in Los Angeles. Founded to assist returning Japanese American evacuees, the group later expanded to help other minorities.

Commentary

• Youth: Their Identity, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto examines the JACL youth program’s challenges, including the gap between Jr. JACL and senior membership and the need for a national youth structure. He urges adults to engage with young people’s interest in social issues rather than holding them to tradition.
• Newspaper Advertising, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Editor Harry Honda argues that advertising helps organizations maintain visibility among newcomers and young people, using a telephone directory example. He invites JACL members to advertise in the Pacific Citizen to support the paper.
• Civic Responsibility, page 2. A reader’s letter praises jury service and urges citizens not to avoid it, describing the experience as rewarding and the judges as deserving respect. The writer argues greater public participation strengthens the justice system.
• Structure of National Jr. JACL, by Elaine Yamada, page 2. Yamada argues that the emerging national Jr. JACL needs a structure that improves communication, uses funds efficiently, and distributes leadership among chapters and districts. She suggests these principles should guide the design of the national organization.
• American Indian problems, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka describes the severe poverty and living conditions facing American Indians and the appointment of Robert Bennett as the first Indian Commissioner of Indian Affairs in a century. He argues that disadvantaged minorities should join forces in the civil rights movement.
• Washington Newsletter: American Indian problems, by Mike Masaoka, page 3. Masaoka reports on Interior Secretary Udall’s plans to reorganize the Bureau of Indian Affairs following Senate pressure over poverty on reservations. He notes Indian leaders’ skepticism about promised reforms and their desire for self-management.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa profiles George Togasaki, who received Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun, and describes a visit with his family. The column also reflects on a Sansei stewardess and a reader connection made through the Mainichi Daily News.

National

• Calif. Supreme Court voids Prop. 14, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that Proposition 14, which nullified state fair housing laws, is unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution. The decision was welcomed by minority leaders and JACL, and the state attorney general pledged to enforce anti-discrimination laws.
• Federal Housing Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Following the California ruling, Northern Democrats may push for fair housing provisions in President Johnson’s civil rights bill. Critics argue the bill lacks adequate administrative enforcement mechanisms.

JACL

• Portland to bid for ’72 confab, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Portland JACL chapter voted to bid for the 1972 national JACL convention. The board also formed committees on job discrimination and political action and supported Japanese American student activities.
• Issues facing Convention aired by Planning board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Planning Commission reviewed key issues including youth engagement, the need for clear organizational direction, and staffing for the PSW regional office. The commission recommended reports from national committees before the July convention.

Obituaries

• Final rites held for Fred Tayama, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fred M. Tayama, a 1000 Club Life member and prewar JACL Southern District Council chairman, died May 9 after a prolonged illness. He had been the unanimous choice for district governor covering California and Nevada.

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