Committee of 100 and APA Justice co-hosted the second installment of the Alien Land Law Webinar Series, as we examined how nationality-based homeownership restrictions are affecting real estate professionals and homebuyers—especially within the Chinese American community.

With new laws limiting property ownership based on nationality, real estate professionals and advocates are stepping up to challenge these discriminatory policies. This webinar provided critical insights into how these restrictions are reshaping the housing landscape and what we can do to fight back.

The webinar covered:

• Your Rights Under the Fair Housing Act – Understand the legal protections in place to combat discrimination.
• How These Laws Affect Asian Homebuyers & Real Estate Professionals – Hear real-world impacts from industry experts.
• Community & Legal Advocacy in Action – Learn how grassroots efforts and legal challenges are pushing back and how you can get involved.

This webinar was for real estate professionals, homeowners, prospective buyers, community leaders, and advocacy groups looking to stay informed and take action.

Stay ahead of these evolving legal challenges by exploring Committee of 100’s interactive map, which tracks ongoing land ownership exclusion laws, and APA Justice’s Alien Land Bills webpage, where you’ll find the latest updates on lawsuits and policy developments.

Together, we can stand up for fair housing rights and fight back against discrimination.

Hope Atuel
Executive Director
Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA)

Hope Atuel has served as Executive Director of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) since January 2012. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director at AREAA, she served in different capacities from membership, marketing and communications, and government relations in other professional organizations for the last 30 years.

In her spare time, you will find Atuel spending it with family and her rescue pug, Yuki.

Scott Chang
Senior Counsel
The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)

Scott Chang is a Senior Counsel at the National Fair Housing Alliance. Before joining NFHA, he was Litigation Director at the Housing Rights Center, Counsel at Relman, Dane & Colfax in Washington D.C., an attorney at Brancart & Brancart and a sole practitioner. He has litigated fair housing cases in the federal courts and HUD administrative process. The cases Chang litigated include: a precedent setting case establishing that fair housing organizations have standing in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and affirming a large damages award to a fair housing organization, Fair Housing of Marin v. Combs, 285 F.3d 899 (9th Cir.), a fair housing and hate crime case involving a group of Asian American Stanford University students who were intimidated based on their national origin when they attempted to rent a house and a disability discrimination case against a large city in which 4,000 affordable housing units will be made highly accessible for people with mobility and sensory disabilities. 

Cindy Tsai
Interim President
Committee of 100

Prior to joining Committee of 100, Tsai practiced law at a prominent civil rights law firm. Her work focused on combating governmental abuse of power, including cases involving police misconduct, malicious prosecutions and other violations of due process. Tsai’s efforts have led to groundbreaking outcomes, such as securing significant judgments for wrongfully convicted individuals and policy reforms for improved conditions in detention centers.

Before transitioning to law, Tsai had a successful career in advertising and marketing. She managed a diverse portfolio of brands at a global advertising agency, overseeing advertising budgets exceeding $45 million.

Tsai holds a degree in Marketing and Advertising from Syracuse University and a J.D./M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, where she was actively involved in Loyola’s Law Journal and moot court team.

Dr. Jeremy Wu
Founder and Co-Organizer
APA Justice

Dr. Jeremy S. Wu retired from the U.S. federal government after more than 30 years of public service. During his tenure, Dr. Wu maintained a two-track career in statistics and civil rights. As Departmental Director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Transportation, Dr. Wu was principal advisor to Secretary Norman Mineta on civil rights and equal opportunity issues after 9/11. He also served as Acting Chief Statistician at the Department of Transportation. As the National Ombudsman at the Department of Energy, Dr. Wu was advisor to Secretary Bill Richardson on advancing diversity and trust in the workplace. He was the first Asian American career employee to reach Senior Executive Service in USDA after serving 15 years as Chief Statistician for the Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

Dr. Wu managed a pioneering project to integrate multiple data sources and create a national longitudinal household and employment data system at the Census Bureau. He received the Department of Commerce Group Gold Medal Award for Scientific/Engineering Achievements. Dr. Wu is passionate about public and community service. He founded the APA Justice Task Force in 2015 to create a non-partisan platform that addresses racial profiling and selected justice and fairness concerns for the Asian Pacific American community. Dr. Wu was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2022. He served three terms as Chair of the Asian American Government Executive Network. He earned his doctorate degree in Mathematical Statistics from George Washington University. Dr. Wu is a member of Committee of 100.

John Trasviña
Former HUD Assistant Secretary
Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (Obama Administration)

John Trasviña has devoted his professional and personal life to public and community service in California and nationally especially in the areas of constitutional and immigrant rights. A San Francisco native, Trasviña is a graduate of Lowell High School, Harvard University and Stanford Law School.  He currently serves as President of the San Francisco Board of Appeals and is a member of the American Bar Association Advisory Commission on Public Education. He has served in four presidential administrations including as President Obama’s HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (FHEO) and as President Clinton’s Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices at the U.S. Department of Justice. He was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate for both appointments. Previously, he was general counsel and staff director for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.   

As an educator, Trasviña was Dean of the University of San Francisco School of Law and taught immigration law and policy at Stanford Law School. In community service, he was President & General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF), Vice President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 29 national and regional organizations that develops a national policy platform in U.S. presidential elections. He also served as a member of the San Francisco Elections Commission and the District of Columbia Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs. He now advises the UC Law San Francisco’s Center on Race, Immigration, Citizenship & Equality (RICE). Over his career, he has been honored for his civil rights work by leading organizations in the Latino, Asian American and African American communities.