Negotiating For Your Rights

What the 4.29 Center can do for you

Last month a woman called into the 4.29 Center at KAC asking for help. She stated that her husband had agreed to purchase a car for a set price, signed a contract, and later learned that he had been charged more than $10,000 above the agreed upon price. The man had negotiated his purchase in Korean but his contract was executed in English. Trusting the contract reflected his verbal negotiation with the salesperson, he was shocked when he discovered that he had been overcharged.

Upon receiving the call, staff at the 4.29 Center informed the couple that AB309 — passed in 2003 — requires contracts verbally negotiated in Korean, Chinese, Tagalog or Vietnamese be executed in the same language. In this case, the man had a legal right to receive his contract written in Korean. Because the law states that contracts failing to comply with the law are considered null and void, KAC was able to assist the couple in returning the car and receiving a full refund. KAC was also able to educate the car dealer about its legal obligation to comply with the law so as to avoid future contract problems.

KAC’s third national convention at the Denver Hyatt Regency in Colorado.

The case above illustrates just one of the services offered at the 4.29 Center. The 4.29 Center provides dispute resolution services and mediation that is voluntary, confidential, fast, effective and inexpensive for cases involving merchants/consumers, employers/employees, landlords/tenants, neighbor/neighbor, community/government, and interethnic disputes. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact the 4.29 Center at (213) 383-4290, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Do you want to help mediate community conflicts? The 4.29 Center is now accepting applications for volunteer mediators. Please contact Kara Inae Carlisle for details at (213) 383-4290.

Satellite School

LACC Koreatown campus still open

On Oct. 6, KAC organized a meeting with Los Angeles City College (LACC), the Work Source Center, the Wilshire Center–Koreatown Neigh-borhood Council and the office of Assembly member Mark Ridley-Thomas. KAC invited the community to help shape the educational program at the LACC satellite campus located on the fifth floor of 3550 Wilshire Blvd. Originally slated for closure, community-led efforts preserved LACC’s satellite campus in Koreatown. Now, LACC is soliciting the community’s assistance in recruiting students and identifying educational and training priorities for the local campus. KAC is working to support the local campus and encourages the public to offer suggestions for LACC programs by contacting our office. Please direct comments on this or other Koreatown-related issues to Elliot Lee at (213) 365-5999, ext. 104, or elliot@kacla.org.

Citizenship Update

Mock interview classes begin

KAC’s citizenship department began mock interview classes in November to provide practice for citizenship applicants. Intended for those who have mastered the U.S. history and government content of the interview but need help with the language skills, each session will give students a one-on-one opportunity to practice simulated interviews with volunteer tutors who have extensive translation experience with citizenship interviews. Each session will be limited to six students. Please call the citizenship hotline at (213) 380-6175 for more information.