by Selen Ozturk Ethnic Media Services As humankind grows increasingly urban, planting trees and parks — far from merely beautifying cities — increasingly becomes a matter of life and death. At a Friday, Dec.ember 1 Ethnic Media Services briefing, Los Angeles Forestry officials and urban greening experts discussed the city as a case study of…
Third annual contest invites city’s K-12 students to submit essays about how they would make San Diego a better place as mayor SAN DIEGO – Mayor Todd Gloria announced the launch of his third annual “Mayor for a Day” contest for City of San Diego K-12 students. The winner will get to shadow Mayor Todd Gloria…
Far South/Border North grant program brings jobs and public awareness campaigns to San Diego, Imperial counties SAN DIEGO – This month, residents in San Diego and Imperial Counties will begin seeing 60 artists and cultural practitioners in their neighborhoods, creating projects that aim to engage and bring awareness to urgent issues shaping our region. Recently,…
Carbon Disclosure Project bestowed the honor to only 119 cities worldwide SAN DIEGO – The City of San Diego recently received global recognition for its ongoing climate action and sustainability efforts. The nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reviewed input from 939 cities across the world this year, and granted A-list status to 119, including San…
THE County approved the environmental review documents for Alpine Community Park on Wednesday, December 6, clearing the way toward hiring a contractor to begin phase one of Alpine’s first county-managed Park. The Board of Supervisors also approved a four-way crossing to support pedestrian and bicyclist safety near the park’s entrance. The Board’s actions bring the…
The approved legislation will move forward 100 changes to the Planning Code to improve the small business permitting process and help fill commercial vacancies faster SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor London N. Breed’s latest round of small business reforms was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, December 5. The legislation, which was co-sponsored by Supervisors…
Dubnation and basketball fans in the Bay Area were treated with a night of Pinoy culture in the first Filipino Heritage Night of the Golden State Warriors of the 2023-2024 NBA Season, held at Chase Center in San Francisco on November 18, 2023. The Filipino Heritage Night featured performances by martial arts group Global Arnis…
Hate crimes in Los Angeles County surged in 2022, with attacks targeting a wide spectrum of racial and ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. The increase is attributed in part to a rise in reporting locally, but also tracks wider state, national and even global trends. The latest data comes from LA County’s Commission on Human…
Initiatives designed to make communities safer for San Diego residents
THE County of San Diego announced on Wednesday, November 29 that it received a $125,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to support its Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program. This grant will allow the county’s Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities to promote safe practices for pedestrians and bicyclists and provide education about the importance…
THE County of San Diego has been chosen to team up with a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) global research center, which will provide technical assistance on the evaluation of a county pilot program aiming to keep low-income seniors from becoming homeless. The County’s Office of Evaluation, Performance and Analytics (OEPA) will work with the…
THE San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is being recognized by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association for giving men and women in county jails a second chance to successfully prepare for their return to our communities. During the Taxpayer’s Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards on November 16, the Sheriff’s Department received the “Public-Private Partnership Award”…
Forever Young club president Tess Gregorio, also known as the Filipino American community’s Singer for All Occasions, celebrated her 82nd birthday with a luncheon held at Isla Restaurant in Newark on November 12, 2023. The occasion was made special with the presence of more than 100 of her family, relatives and closest friends. Top photo…
Police have conducted 40 operations at local retailers leading to over 300 arrests and will be expanding these efforts going into the holiday shopping season SAN FRANCISCO – With the holiday shopping season starting, Mayor London N. Breed on Monday, November 20 announced that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) will be continuing and expanding its retail theft blitz strategy that has led to significant arrests in retail establishments across San…
THE 21st Annual Parol Lantern Festival takes place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YCBA) located at 701 Mission Street in the South of Market area in downtown San Francisco on Saturday, December 9 from 3 to 8 p.m. The community is invited to participate in the Taste of Christmas, Parol Stroll and…
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, represented by Vice Consul Adrian Baccay, joined the 60th anniversary celebration of Neighbors Abroad on October 27, 2023 at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto, California. Vice Consul Adrian Baccay conveyed Consul General Neil Ferrer’s felicitations to Neighbors Abroad President Sarah Burgess, and joined the Palo Alto-Palo,…
DALY CITY – San Mateo County Supervisor David J. Canepa made the following statement recently as American consumers are expected to spend more than $12 billion online, marking the beginning of ‘porch pirate’ season perpetrated by organized crime rings. Canepa is hopeful a $267 million infusion to police departments across the state to combat organized…
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, led by Consul General Neil Ferrer and Madame Miriam Ferrer, attended the 37th anniversary gala and fashion show of charity organization Philippine International Aid at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on October 29, 2023. The annual event featured a fashion show of PamPinay, a modern Filipiniana clothing brand that aims to introduce…
SACRAMENTO – Lithium Valley is on track to become one of the world’s largest sources of lithium, positioning California to be a global hub for battery production and a leader in securing a clean energy future. A new report led by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimates that there’s even more lithium available than previously thought, with up…
SACRAMENTO – To date, California has remediated 5,679 encampments in the state right-of-way and has provided $415 million to locals to move people from encampments into housing and get those encampments cleaned up. Now, the state is making an additional $299 million available to locals to build on the state’s progress and assist an estimated 10,000 individuals…
The Federal Trade Commission has a new strategy for battling fraud. As of this fall, its Language Access Initiative provides interpreters who can take fraud reports and provide advice in many more languages than just English and Spanish. At a November 21 press briefing the federal agency hosted with Ethnic Media Services – simultaneously translated…
AS Medi-Cal expands next year to include all undocumented immigrants and new services well beyond the doctor’s office, California is on the national front lines of transforming public health care. In a November 15 briefing co-hosted by Ethnic Media Services and the Department of Health Care Services, DHCS experts and ground[1]level community health workers discussed…
by Annie Walters Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Nevada Social Security imposter scams continue to be widespread across the United States. Scammers use targeted, sophisticated tactics to deceive you into providing sensitive information or money. If you receive a suspicious letter, text, email, or call, do not respond. We want you to know how…
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election nears, misinformation threatens to make the race more of a battleground than a civic activity. At a Friday, November 17 Ethnic Media Services briefing, experts in fair elections, civil rights, and digital justice discussed how misinformation, as an urgent threat to the 2024 elections, is spread by obstacles to…
THE county’s Office of Ethics, Compliance and Labor Standards (OECLS) has a new report out highlighting their accomplishments in the 2022-23 fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors formed the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement in May 2021 to serve as a central location for education and resources for employers and workers, undertake research and…
City of San Diego provides important tips to avoid sewage issues that could result in costly repairs SAN DIEGO – A clogged sewer line is the last thing anyone wants to deal with during the holiday season, which is why the City of San Diego is reminding people not to pour fats, oils and grease…
SACRAMENTO — On Tuesday, November 21, the Newsom Administration released a report outlining the state’s opportunities to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) while highlighting potential harms. This is the first of several expected reports and deliverables required by the Executive Order the Governor issued two months ago. “This is an important first step in our efforts to fully understand…
New joint office, new hub for caregivers in San Diego SAN DIEGO – On November 20, 2023, the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California (PWC) and the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW-AFSCME Local 3930) were joined by the community of San Diego to celebrate the grand opening of their new joint office, located at…
Pier was damaged again by high surf this month; upcoming winter storms may pose additional risk SAN DIEGO – As a result of recent damage and with the potential for additional structural impairment from the upcoming storm season, the City of San Diego will keep the Ocean Beach Pier closed through the early part of…
STARTING November 20, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. If you didn’t order tests since the program reopened in September, the site will let you place two orders for a total of eight tests. Order your test kits through COVIDtests.gov. Orders…
