Coconut meat tacos, carrot lox toast, a spicy fried “chicken” sandwich made from tofu — these are some of the standout items at Jewel, a Los Angeles restaurant where vegetables are the main ingredients. Behind the three-year-old restaurant in the heart of LA’s Virgil Village is Filipina American Sharky McGee, who is welcoming back customers…
AS a kid growing up in Canada, Eric Bauza was drawn to the world of animation — emulating characters’ voices and sketching along while sitting in front of the television. That childhood fascination is now Bauza’s career as he embodies some of the most famous animated characters out there, including several from the Looney Tunes…
UNITED States Vice President Kamala Harris proclaimed that Asian Americans “have the right to be recognized as Americans, not as the other” and can turn the pain of the past year of racially motivated violence into action. Speaking at the virtual AAPI Unity Summit hosted by AAPI Victory Alliance on Wednesday, May 19, Harris condemned…
MALIA Vella, the current vice mayor of Alameda, California, is vying to be the first Filipina American elected to the state Legislature. A workers’ rights attorney and adjunct professor of practice at Mills College, Vella is now running in the special election for the 18th Assembly District seat, which became vacant after Rob Bonta assumed…
From stay-at-home mom to Yamashiro’s first female executive chef UP until four years ago, Vallerie Castillo Archer was a stay-at-home mom of three, but had a burning desire to do something food-related. Following her formal culinary education, Archer landed her first job in 2019 in the industry at Yamashiro, the historic Hollywood Hills landmark that…
Miguel Delos Santos, 27, remains hospitalized after suffering several gunshot wounds A FILIPINO American family is seeking answers after their 27-year-old son was shot multiple times in an encounter with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies during a mental health call in late April. Miguel Delos Santos remains hospitalized at St. Francis Medical Center in…
IN the wake of violence against Asian Americans, local Filipino American groups in Carson, California are coming together to host a workshop teaching vulnerable community members how to protect themselves from physical harm. Billed as “Defend Our Elders: Self-Defense Training,” the 90-minute event at Carson Park on Saturday, May 8 will feature a demonstration from…
President touts pandemic recovery, reforms in first 100 days DURING his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, April 28, President Joe Biden called on the House of Representatives to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act approved by the Senate last week. Biden thanked the Senate, which showed bipartisan support with a…
An anthem for the Asian American community ACTRESS and singer-songwriter Ella Jay Basco released the music video for her single “Gold,” a song of empowerment featuring Bay Area rapper Ruby Ibarra, on Thursday, April 29. Known for her role as Cassandra Cain in “Birds of Prey,” the Filipina and Korean American breakout star is also…
“MY name is Lila Macapagal and my life has become a rom-com cliché.” The opening lines of “Arsenic and Adobo,” the debut novel from Chicago-based author Mia P. Manansala, read like a typical romantic comedy. The leading lady, who this time happens to be a Filipina American named Lila Macapagal, moves back to her suburban…
GINA Ortiz Jones, a Filipina American Iraq War veteran who ran for U.S. Congress twice, will be President Joe Biden’s nominee for undersecretary of the Air Force. Jones, who is openly gay, is tapped to be the No. 2 in command in the military branch where she served as an intelligence officer during the “Don’t…
AAPI groups call on more community-centered policies WITH overwhelming bipartisan support, the United States Senate on Thursday, April 22 approved a hate crimes bill in response to the recent surge in violence and discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 94-1 vote, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes…
IT’S official: California now has its first Filipino American attorney general. The state Legislature on Thursday, April 22 confirmed Assemblymember Rob Bonta as the next chief law enforcement officer, a month after he was nominated by Governor Gavin Newsom. The 48-year-old progressive Democrat received 29-6 votes in the Senate and 62-0 in the Assembly, where…
CHEF Reina Montenegro is ready to continue her reign as the queen of vegan Filipino comfort food. Montenegro — a restaurateur who formerly operated three Nick’s locations in the San Francisco Peninsula — has opened a brick-and-mortar under her own brand, Chef Reina, along Visitacion Avenue in Brisbane, California. At the new storefront, which held…
LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered his annual State of the City address on Monday, April 19, in which he proposed a slew of programs that tackle recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuous calls for racial justice. Speaking from the Griffith Observatory on Monday night, the mayor’s speech comes as the city seeks…
PRESIDENT Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on Thursday, April 15 in the wake of recent anti-Asian attacks and other issues facing the community during the pandemic. The meeting at the White House came nearly a month after shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that…
A NEW park in San Jose, California is paying homage to the city’s Filipino American community and the manongs’ contributions to one of the most significant social justice movements in American history. Delano Manongs Park will be the name of the public space on Gimelli Way, near North Capitol Avenue, in East San Jose after…
EMERGING Filipina American actress Tisha Custodio is getting a shot at her first television role. Custodio plays Carolyn “Mouse” Smith, a teenage basketball player who comes from a military family in “Big Shot,” a new drama-comedy set to premiere on Disney+ on Friday, April 16. The series, developed by Dean Lorey (“Arrested Development”) and David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies”),…
Golden State to expand vaccinations to 16 and older this week AS California is slated to broaden its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to younger residents this week, the state is heeding the federal government’s recommendation to halt the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The announcement to “pause” the type of vaccine on Tuesday, April…
THOUGH no incidents of anti-Asian hate have been reported in Southern Nevada, members of the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community were joined by Governor Steve Sisolak at a recent rally denouncing the violence occurring around the country. A crowd of over 100 individuals, many of whom represent local organizations, gathered at…
SENATOR Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) visited a Filipino American-owned restaurant on Wednesday, April 7 to discuss how the American Rescue Plan and other relief measures are supporting Las Vegas’ small business community. The senator met with Truffles N Bacon Cafe owner Magnolia Magat and staff about the impact that COVID-19 has had on the business. “During…
FOR Myrla Baldonado, daily walks outside have provided some solace during the pandemic lockdown. But in addition to being vigilant about COVID-19 every time she steps out of her door, she is hyper-aware of her surroundings, knowing that older Filipino Americans around her age have been targeted across the country. “I need to get my…
ANDRE Cadiz was having lunch outside of Dollar Hits in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown on Saturday, April 3 when he heard a man yelling incoherently. The 26-year-old Filipino American graphic designer, who was sitting facing the restaurant with his back toward the strip mall’s parking lot, chose to ignore the remarks and kept eating. Then,…
There’s an outpour of support for Vilma Kari, the 65-year-old Filipina immigrant who was violently attacked on her way to church in New York during the start of Holy Week. A GoFundMe page — started by Kari’s daughter Elizabeth days after the brutal incident in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood — has garnered over $85,000, as…
A Filipino American U.S. Army veteran from San Francisco was recently subjected to a racist tirade and injured in a physical attack in what is being considered a hate crime. Ron Tuason — a 56-year-old longtime Bay Area resident who is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent — was waiting for the bus after a…
IN February 2020, Los Angeles-based social worker Maxie Villavicencio Pulliam took a trip to the Philippines to help with relief operations following the Taal Volcano eruption. While in Taal, Batangas, where her mother’s side of the family hails from, Villavicencio Pulliam noticed a main road and a monument dedicated to her great-great-grandmother: Gliceria Marella de…
The White House on Tuesday, March 30 announced several actions in response to the latest string of anti-Asian violence and racism in the United States. The move comes two weeks since the Atlanta mass shooting that left eight individuals dead, six of whom were Asian women, and as nearly 3,800 hate incidents have been reported…
WHEN California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Assemblymember Rob Bonta as his pick for attorney general, Filipino American leaders and community members across the state joined in applauding the move. On Wednesday, March 24, Bonta was revealed as the choice to succeed outgoing Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead…
CALIFORNIA is set to have its first Filipino American attorney general. Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), who became the first Fil-Am in the state Legislature, is making history again after Governor Gavin Newsom nominated him to be the next chief law enforcement officer on Wednesday, March 24. “Thank you, Governor Newsom, for the privilege and honor…
ASIAN American lawmakers and community leaders are observing #StopAsianHate Virtual Day of Action and Healing on Friday, March 26 in the wake of the Georgia shootings that killed eight individuals, including six Asian women, and as nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents have been recorded across the country. The initiative, first started by Rep. Grace Meng…
