California Civil Rights Panel Appointed

WASHINGTON, June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights has appointed 18 people to its California Advisory Committee.

Martin Dannenfelser, staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights,
announced the appointment of Luis A. Alejo of Watsonville, James A. Bolton of
Pasadena, Sharon L. Browne of Davis, Jack Citrin of Berkeley, Marc L.
Dollinger of San Rafael, John L. Dodd of Tustin, Percy Duran of Los Angeles,
Thomas J. Gray of Culver City, Gail Heriot of San Diego, Joe R. Hicks of Los
Angeles, Lance T. Izumi of Sacramento, Manuel S. Klausner of Los Angeles,
Sanford A. Lakoff of San Diego, Karen Joy Lugo of Riverside, Leonard W.
Mitchell of Santa Monica, Velma K. Montoya of Los Angeles, Matthew A.
Rosenthal of Los Angeles, and Maimon Schwarzschild of San Diego to the
California Advisory Committee. Commissioners appointed Velma K. Montoya as
chair. The appointments are for two years.

An independent bipartisan federal agency, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
conducts research and advises the President and Congress on civil rights
issues. Its members appointed by the President and Congress, are Chairman
Gerald A. Reynolds, Vice Chair Abigail Thernstrom and Commissioners Todd
Gaziano, Gail Heriot, Peter N. Kirsanow, Arlen D. Melendez, Ashley Taylor, and
Michael Yaki.

Congress has directed the Commission to establish advisory committees in all
states and the District of Columbia to assist in its fact-finding function.
These committees receive reports, suggestions, and recommendations from
individuals, public and private organizations, and public officials, and
forward advice and recommendations to the Commission. Members of State
Advisory Committees serve without compensation and conduct civil rights
reviews and investigations and report to the Commission.

SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Lenore Ostrowsky of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, +1-202-376-8591