LOS ANGELES – A Filipino man being suspected of killing three people is now asking for a public attorney to represent him in court. Carlo Mercado, 30, is the primary suspect in an unsolved triple murder case in San Diego, and is charged with three counts of first degree murder in connection to the shooting…
LOS ANGELES – Filipino groups in Los Angeles recently signed on for a letter of petition asking the US government for administrative relief to address the country’s broken immigration system. Among the things asked by the petition was the immediate designation of the Philippines with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), as way of helping the country…
LOS ANGELES – The jury trial for a Filipino man suspected of killing three people in an Ohio bar shooting was moved to a month later than the original schedule. On July 7, a Sandusky county judge ruled that 33-year old Igmidio Mista’s jury trial be moved from August 4 to September 8, 2014. The…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A neurologist testified Monday that Donald Sterling likely has Alzheimer’s disease as a trial over the $2 billion Los Angeles Clippers sale finally got underway. Dr. Meril Sue Platzer testified that she was hired by Sterling’s wife, Shelly Sterling, to evaluate him and made the diagnosis based on imaging tests and…
Lack of protection and benefits, family’s continuing needs, cited as factors preventing retirement LOS ANGELES – A policy report authored by three Calfiornia-based researchers found that most Filipino elderly caregivers work past retirement age due to lack of employment protection and benefits, their inability to save up for retirement, and the continuing need to provide…
LOS ANGELES — The Filipino man from Culver City who went missing on July 1 has been found in Pasadena. Bernard Gomez, 45 years old, had reportedly gone missing on Tuesday, around 2 pm. A missing person poster circulated on the Internet, detailing Bernard’s appearance and clothing, including some unique characteristics — bipolar condition, psoriasis-afflicted…
LOS ANGELES – On Wednesday, July 2, the Los Angeles City Council confirmed Mayor Eric Garcetti’s appointment of another Filipino American to an LA city commission, further boosting the degree of representation of the Filipino community in city government. Dermatologist and community leader Dr. Mariedel Leviste was recently confirmed by the LA City Council to…
LOS ANGELES — A Filipino from San Diego, Calif. was sentenced to go to jail in connection to what is being called the “Godfather of Camp Pendleton” bribery case. According to a report by Balitang America, Bayani Yabut Abueg Jr., president of MBR Associates Inc., was sentenced to six months in prison and received around $366,000 in fines…
LOS ANGELES – A Filipino-American teacher was recently honored by a local high school in Southern California for his exemplary work as an educator and mentor. Brian Ramirez, 39, was given the Teacher of the Year award at Cypress High School in Cypress, Calif. Ramirez, who teaches high school level biology and chemistry, was voted…
LOS ANGELES – According to Philippine Ambassador the the United States Jose Cuisia Jr., Filipino-Americans are the second top income earners among Asian Americans. Citing a 2010 US Census report, Cuisia said that the average annual income of Fil-Ams is pegged at around $75,000 – a much greater number than the average American’s income, which…
ON Thursday, June 19, the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) held its 8th Annual Giving for All Seasons Fundraising Gala at the Los Angeles Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles. At the event, the APCF renewed its commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector within Asian and Pacific Islander communities (API), and honored those who have…
LOS ANGELES – The 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has come and gone, and it was just like that line from The Fault In Our Stars—slowly, and then all at once. In the weeks leading to E3, rumor mills have been swirling with whispers and expectations on what we will see from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo….
LOS ANGELES – On Friday, the Los Angeles City Hall joined the Filipino community in LA in celebrating Philippine Independence Day. The celebration was organized by the Los Angeles Filipino Association of City Employees (LAFACE), and was sponsored by the office of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell. O’Farrell represents council district 13 (CD13), the area in LA…
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles-based Filipino community organization Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) continues its call for action on the advocacy campaign that asks the US government to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the Philippines. In a news release on Monday, PWC called on their supporters to join the “Kulit Brigade,” keep on calling the government hotlines,…
PWC to continue support for DACA-eligible Pinoys LOS ANGELES – On Thursday, June 5, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the details of the process for individuals to renew their enrollment for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA is a DHS-initiated administrative relief for certain people, who were brought to the…
LOS ANGELES – For most of the candidates hoping to become the next Sheriff of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), the final straw which pushed them to run for office was Sheriff Lee Baca’s retirement in January 2014. However, former undersheriff Paul Tanaka is not like most candidates. Even before Baca announced his…
LOS ANGELES – Only weeks since the recent appointments of Joel Jacinto and George Villanueva to separate commissions in the local government of Los Angeles, another Filipino-American was named by Mayor Eric Garcetti as commissioner for a key governing body in LA. Cris B. Liban, deputy executive officer for the Environmental Compliance and Services Department…
LOS ANGELES – On Thursday, May 22, six individuals from the City of Los Angeles will be honored by community group Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) for their work in uplifting and empowering the Filipino-American community in LA. They will be honored at SIPA’s 42nd Anniversary Awards and Benefit Dinner, which will be held…
PACOIMA – In a press conference on May 7 at Superior Market in Pacoima, CA, officials from California’s and Los Angeles County’s Departments of Public Social Services (DPSS) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) clarified that applying for CalFresh (formerly known as Food Stamps) is not sufficient grounds for someone to be…
LOS ANGELES – Asian American lawmakers in the US House of Representatives appealed to House Republicans on Tuesday to join them in enacting comprehensive immigration reform into law. On Tuesday, April 29, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) hosted a press call urging House Republican leadership to act on legislative proposals for…
Confirmed by LA City Council on April 30 LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti’s appointment of a Filipino-American to the East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission was confirmed on April 30, by the LA City Council. George Villanueva, 33, was confirmed as one of the new members of the Commision after all city councilmembers present…
LOS ANGELES – The Filipino community in Los Angeles gave a warm welcome on Friday night, April 25, to Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim, who took over the reins of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles (PCG-LA) from former Consul General Hellen Barber-De La Vega. Herrera-Lim was appointed to head the LA consular post because…
SIERRA MADRE – The first non-white and first Filipino-American member of a quaint suburban city in Southern California was sworn into office on Tuesday, April 22. Rachelle Arizmendi officially joined the Sierra Madre City Council on Tuesday night, during a city council reorganization meeting at the Sierra Madre City Hall. City Clerk Nancy Shollenberger administered…
LOS ANGELES – Another Filipino has been elected to a key city council position for a quaint suburban city in Southern California. 60-year-old Sonny R. Santa Ines, was recently elected by his fellow members in the Bellflower City Council to become the city’s next chief executive. He was elected to the city council in March…
LOS ANGELES – On April 8, Rachelle Arizmendi became the first non-white and first Filipino-American member of the Sierra Madre City Council. Arizmendi edged out re-electionist Gene Goss and two other newcomer candidates for the council seat during the general municipal elections on Tuesday in Sierra Madre. Arizmendi joins the five-member Sierra Madre City Council…
IN SUPPORT OF TPS FOR PH LOS ANGELES – With affirmative votes across the board, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution on Wednesday, April 2, to express “support of legislation and/or administrative action to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Philippine nationals to prevent their deportation while their country recovers from Super Typhoon…
LOS ANGELES – Filipinos cried ‘foul’ over the supposed inaccuracies of the Hollywood biopic, Cesar Chavez that premiered in Los Angeles . Directed by Diego Luna, the film tells the story of the heroic rise of United Farm Workers (UFW) movement leader, Cesar Chavez. Filipino protesters pointed out that there was a lack of representation of Filipino…
LOS ANGELES – The groundswell movement, urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to grant full Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the Philippines, has become bigger and stronger. Recently, key politicians in the United States expressed their support for granting TPS to the Philippines, which is still recovering from the devastation caused by Super Typhoon…
BEVERAGE LOBBY GROUP SAYS LOS ANGELES – According to a state-wide lobby group opposing the so-called ‘soda tax’ bill introduced in the State Legislature, consumer education and smaller serving sizes are more sensible solutions to the obesity epidemic instead of adding a penny-per-ounce tax on all sugary drinks sold in California. These sugary drinks include…
BURBANK – Women from all walks of life were honored on Tuesday, March 25, by Soroptimist International of The Verdugos (SITV) for being role models and trailblazers for women everywhere. Young and old, students and professionals, survivors and advocates — these women were recognized for their work towards the betterment of society. “March is International…
