Prop. 13 and race, a Little Tokyo plan, and the Kenzo boycott

Vol. 86, No. 25, June 30, 1978. 8 pages. View this issue

Proposition 13 led this eight-page issue. Sen. George McGovern and minority leaders said the Jarvis-Gann tax measure had racist undertones, and Howard Jarvis called the charge “asinine and inept.” Reports from Sacramento and Los Angeles showed minority and poor districts voting heavily against it. The front page also covered new building plans for Little Tokyo, a JACL boycott of Kenzo apparel over his use of a derogatory label, and the death of National JACL Credit Union treasurer Albert Yutaka Oshita.

The commentary pages looked back and ahead. Jim Murakami wrote a tribute to George J. Inagaki, whose own final column appears on page 7. Bill Hosokawa’s “Faces and Places” and Kari Nobuyuki’s call for a Japanese American television series are also here. The Seattle Evacuation Redress Committee weighed in on redress payment proposals, and Harry Honda reported on the California JACL track meet.

What’s in this issue

National

• Racist undertones seen in Prop. 13 vote, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. George McGovern and minority leaders claimed Proposition 13 had racist undertones, a charge Howard Jarvis called asinine and inept. Reports from Sacramento and Los Angeles showed minority and poor districts voting heavily against the measure.
• Enomoto predicts overcrowded prisons, by P.C. Staff, page 1. State Corrections Director Jerry Enomoto warned that California’s men’s prisons will be dangerously overcrowded next year. Projections show the male felon population rising from 17,800 to 19,600 by mid-1979.
• Supreme Court denies import curb, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Treasury Department need not impose higher tariffs on imported goods to offset foreign tax benefits. The decision rejected Zenith Corp.’s claims against Japanese television imports.

Community

• Little Tokyo redevelopment: more new buildings proposed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California First Bank and Tashiro/Kobayashi Enterprises received a priority agreement to develop a Little Tokyo parcel with an office building and parking structure. A 64-foot replica fire watchtower was installed at Japanese Village Plaza ahead of an August 17 grand opening.
• JACL credit union treasurer dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Albert Yutaka Oshita, National JACL Credit Union treasurer-manager, died of a heart attack at age 53. He had also been active with the Japanese Church of Christ, Beehive Golf Club, and the Issei Center Board.
• Anti-Kenzo boycott launched by JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL members launched a boycott of Kenzo apparel over his use of the derogatory Jap label, including informational pickets and a trade-paper ad. The campaign followed a Bullock’s Wilshire ad and letters to multiple stores demanding the line be dropped.

JACL

• JAYS convention set for July 13-18, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 7th Biennial JAYS convention, themed Breezin’ 78, will be held at the University of Utah with workshops, sightseeing, and social events. The package costs $68 and includes dorm lodging and meals.
• JAL-JTBI-JACL cultural heritage winners named, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four students were chosen from twelve finalists for the 1978 Cultural Heritage Fellowship based on written essays. The winners will spend six weeks at Sophia University in Tokyo followed by two weeks of travel in Japan.
• S. Stephen Nakashima for Nat’l JACL Vice President, Membership Services, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Candidate S. Stephen Nakashima outlines his JACL platform, emphasizing programs that are enjoyable and meaningful. His background includes long service in West Valley JACL and the NCWNDC, plus legal and accounting credentials.

Obituaries

• Dr. Henry Takahashi, 74: Co-founder of S.F. JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Optometrist Dr. Henry Moriya Takahashi, who co-founded the San Francisco JACL chapter, died June 19 in Berkeley. He was the first Nisei to practice optometry in America and was also a noted photographer and civic leader.
• Giichi Aoki Memorial award administered by Nat’l JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. JACL will administer a new freshman scholarship in memory of Giichi Aoki, a Sacramento music store founder and early Berkeley graduate. Aoki, who died in 1973 at age 98, was honored by the Emperor of Japan for U.S.-Japan community work.

Sports

• JACL California track meet staged, by Harry Honda, page 3. The first annual California JACL track and field championships were held at West Los Angeles College, with 62 events and new meet records. The South defeated the North 582-412, and Janice Matsuoka of Reedley was named outstanding athlete.

Commentary

• Thank You, George, by Jim Murakami, page 4. JACL President Jim Murakami remembers George J. Inagaki, national president from 1952 to 1956, whose funeral he attended. He recalls Inagaki’s dedication to chapters and membership and his parting words asking members to carry on JACL’s work.
• Nikkei Experience, by Kari Nobuyuki, page 4. The columnist argues that JACL must present an accurate public account of the Japanese American experience through mass media, especially television. He says a serious series of programs, told by Japanese Americans themselves, is needed now.
• Japanese Family Tradition, page 5. A Salt Lake City writer recalls growing up in a large, poor farming family and contrasts it with exaggerated success stories told at a party. She reflects that memory is stronger than myth in shaping Japanese American history.
• Faces and Places, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa’s column covers a Denver jockey’s career, a fundraising effort for track star Cathy Newman, and a birth certificate search tip. It also notes Isamu Noguchi’s coverage in Smithsonian and praise for I.M. Pei’s National Gallery East Building.
• Callahan’s Corner: Whatever happened to Tats Kushida?, by George Inagaki, page 7. In his final column, George Inagaki recalls former PSWD director Tats Kushida and shares a humorous story from a 1950s chapter visit. Inagaki notes Kushida’s later career in insurance and that Inagaki himself died June 14.

Incarceration & Redress

• Common Sense and Redress, by Seattle Evacuation Redress Committee, page 4. The Seattle Evacuation Redress Committee critiques the JACL National Committee for Redress’s April decisions on payment and trust fund proposals. It argues for fair individual payments, inheritance rights for heirs, and funds kept under government control until claims are paid.

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