PRESS RELEASE CONTACT:

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION Rachanee Srisavasdi, 213-241-0227

Feb. 22, 2011 Communications Director

APALC CONGRATULATES LITIGATION DIRECTOR JULIE SU ON

APPOINTMENT AS CALIFORNIA’S LABOR COMMISSIONER

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), a member of Asian American
Center for Advancing Justice, congratulates long-time APALC Litigation Director Julie A. Su on her
appointment by California Governor Jerry Brown to be the next Chief of the Division of Labor Standards
Enforcement. Also known as the Labor Commissioner, the position is responsible for setting priorities for and
enforcing state labor standards and, as such, plays a significant role in protecting California’s large low-wage
and immigrant workforce.

“Julie Su has been an incredible and inspiring advocate at APALC, and we will miss her greatly,” said
Stewart Kwoh, APALC executive director. “But there is no one better suited for this job than Julie, who has
devoted her legal career to civil rights and particularly to fighting for the rights of low-wage and immigrant
workers. APALC will miss her but we also are proud that in her new role, she will be able to make a
difference for workers all across the state.”

Su has worked at APALC since 1994, when she joined the organization on a Skadden Fellowship, and she
served as lead counsel in a ground-breaking federal lawsuit in 1995 to hold brand name garment
manufacturers and retailers liable for utilizing slave labor to manufacture their clothing. The case involved 80
Thai and Latino garment workers who worked behind barbed wire for years in an apartment complex in El
Monte, California. Su and APALC have litigated numerous cases on behalf of low-wage workers. Su has also
litigated to end discrimination and segregation in education and in the workplace. She has represented African
Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans in cases ranging from a challenge to UC Berkeley’s admissions
policy to confronting Abercrombie & Fitch’s discriminatory hiring practices.

“I am truly honored to have been appointed by the Governor to lead California’s labor law enforcement
agency,” Su said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to make an impact and I look forward to the challenge of
ensuring a more fair and just workplace for both employees and employers. APALC is where I started my
career and where I have had the absolute privilege of fighting for civil rights alongside amazing advocates.
This appointment is a recognition of the critical leadership role APALC has played and continues to play in
making our state and the nation a better place.”

Su is a past recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant, and has also been honored as an international human
rights activist, named in 2006 by the Gruber Foundation for its international Women's Rights Prize and
receiving the Reebok International Human Rights Award in 1996.

Su is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and earned her law degree from Harvard Law School and her
undergraduate degree from Stanford University.
Founded in 1983, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for civil
rights, providing legal services and education, and building coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Pacific Americans
and to create a more equitable and harmonious society. APALC is a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice,
which also includes Asian American Institute (Chicago, IL), Asian American Justice Center (Washington, DC) and Asian Law
Caucus (San Francisco, CA).
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