Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories impacting the lives of the Filipino-American community in the State of California.
by Rachel Bluth California lawmakers are barreling toward an end-of-month deadline to pass or kill bills amid the biggest public health crisis the state has faced in a century. Yet even in a year consumed by sickness, they’re considering significant — sometimes controversial — health policy measures that aren’t directly related to COVID-19. Much of…
Undergraduate students of the California State University system — the largest public university system in the United States — will be required to take an ethnic studies or social justice class in order to graduate. The new “Ethnic Studies and Social Justice” requirement comes as the university’s Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday, July 22,…
LA County cracks down on businesses, infection rate among younger adults increases As Californians grow more restless over the coronavirus pandemic, the state continues to break its own records. This week, California now, cumulatively, has the most COVID-19 cases in the country with over 409,000 cases, surpassing New York, the former leader in cases, according…
California Governor Gavin Newsom this week announced another round of closures, from bars to indoor shopping malls, as positive cases and hospitalizations associated with the coronavirus continue to be reported across the state. The order, made in coordination with the California Department of Public Health on Monday, July 13, directed the closure of indoor operations…
COMMUNITY advocate and pioneering civil rights lawyer Robert Gnaizda passed away on July 11, 2020 surrounded by his loving family. He was 83. Gnaizda, known as Bob to his colleagues, friends and even to his adversaries across the aisle, was a fiery, articulate and thoughtful community advocate who fought for equality, minority rights and social…
As the United States’ decennial population count is underway in the midst of the pandemic, one Filipina American is tasked with making sure California residents, particularly those that are the hardest-to-count, respond to the 2020 Census. Going into July, the state’s self-response rate now stands at 63.2%, but Ditas Katague, director of the California Complete…
Napa, San Benito and Yolo counties now added to COVID-19 county watch list As cases and hospitalization numbers increase, California officials are once again doubling down on its statewide response to mitigate the continued spread of COVID-19. The COVID-19 outbreak, this week, continues to worsen in the Golden State as 11,694 new cases were recorded…
Coalition and Treasurer aim to help California firms meet state’s 2018 gender diversity goals SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma has teamed up with the Thirty Percent Coalition in a new effort to accelerate the number of women named to public company boards in California. While the state was the first to mandate gender diversity in…
The county reports a whopping 7,232 increase in cases over a three-day period Despite warnings from lawmakers and officials that the public should continue to practice social distancing and pandemic safety precautions, Californians continue to socialize at newly opened establishments, according to new and improved data processing. The rise in cases came to a head…
AS of mid-June domestic workers are now included in workplace protections guaranteed by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA. The Health and Safety for All Workers Act, SB 1257, brings a historic end to the exclusion of household domestic workers from Cal/OSHA protections, which requires employers to provide safe and…
THIS upcoming November election, California voters will get to decide whether or not the state should restore affirmative action after a measure was approved by the state Senate on Wednesday, June 24. The state Senate voted 30-10 to include ACA 5, a proposed constitutional amendment that would reverse Proposition 209, a prohibition on affirmative action,…
In response to President Donald Trump’s usage of a racist term related to the coronavirus, Filipino American Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and California Medical Association President Dr. Peter N. Bretan released a joint statement denouncing the president’s choice of words. Trump recently used the racist term “kung flu” at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on…
Critics of the new addition to the curriculum argue the state should not impose academic decisions UNDER new state legislation passed last week, students attending California State University (CSU) schools will now be required to take courses in ethnic studies. Starting in the 2021-2022 academic year, the CSU is required to offer courses focusing on…
The California Department of Public Health on Thursday, June 18 released updated guidance that requires Californians to wear a face-covering in high-risk settings. A growing body of scientific research has shown that people with no or few symptoms of COVID-19 can still spread the disease and that the use of face coverings, combined with physical…
UNDOCUMENTED Filipino immigrants in California are encouraged to apply for the state’s disaster relief fund that grants up to $1,000 per household. Governor Gavin Newsom in April announced the Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants (DRAI) program, a one-time fund of undocumented adults impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who are not eligible for other forms of…
Over 123,000 Californians have enrolled for health care coverage through Covered California since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis began in March. Erik Wolford enrolled in early-April, and he got covered just in time. Wolford, 49, is a cinematographer in Hollywood, enrolled right after coming back from filming a documentary in Africa. A few days after his…
California now has 117,687 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,361 deaths, according to the state Department of Public Health. As of June 2, local health departments have reported 10,293 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 63 deaths statewide. As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, the California Department of Public Health…
Hair salons, barbershops and some in-store shopping also reopen with strict guidelines AS the collective anxiety over the inconveniences brought forth from shelter-in-place measures skyrockets across the Golden State, California is now moving forward in reopening churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship. Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, May 25 gave churches and other…
In a historic move to accommodate changes due to the coronavirus pandemic, the University of California (UC) Board of Regents on Thursday, May 21 eliminated SAT and ACT scores from its admissions requirements until fall 2024. In its unanimous ruling, the board’s decision to eliminate the requirement for in-coming freshmen until 2024. This decision was…
Undocumented immigrants in California this week can start applying for up to $1,000 per household in disaster relief under the state’s coronavirus emergency assistance plan. Governor Gavin Newsom last month announced the Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants, a $125-million coronavirus disaster relief fund that would provide a one-time disbursement for undocumented adults who are unable…
The dramatic change in the governor’s COVID-19 approach signals wider reopens by the first week of June As cities and counties in California grow more anxious to reopen local economies, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a drastic relaxation of public health criteria to reopen the state in a move that could allow most counties to reopen…
From denouncing anti-Asian sentiments to explaining economic relief options, several Filipino American elected officials in California came together in a recent town hall to share resources available to the community during the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted by the Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats (PALAD) on Saturday, May 2, the conversation included officials on the federal, state…
Although the number of cases and deaths related to the novel coronavirus continues to rise, state and Los Angeles County officials have begun relaxing some of the shelter-in-place rules to slowly reopen the California economy. LA County reported 51 new deaths due to the COVID-19 virus, adding to the county’s overall death toll of 1,468…
As California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan this week to begin loosening some restrictions, Filipino American business owners whose retail stores have been closed for the past two months are mulling whether to reopen under new modifications. Newsom on Monday, May 4 unveiled stage two of reopening lower-risk workplaces — which were previously deemed…
After crowds of people packed beaches across Orange County during last weekend’s heatwave, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, April 30 shutdown beaches across the Orange County coastline, prompting ire from local officials. Newsom’s decision to close down Orange County beaches — in what he called a “temporary pause” — follows a weekend heatwave in which…
When the coronavirus pandemic turned daily life on its head, it caught Americans off-guard with little time to sort out finances. As the number of cases and deaths continues to mount, the likelihood of lockdown measures lifting and the return to normal life gets further and further away. But community leaders, local and state lawmakers…
With COVID-19 creating a critical need for community support and volunteers across the state, Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, April 21 announced California Volunteers’ #CaliforniansForAll service initiative to connect Californians with safe volunteer opportunities and encourage those unable to physically volunteer to think creatively about ways to make a difference in their communities. “Across the…
As millions of Americans started receiving their stimulus payments from the federal government this week, one group was largely left out of the relief plan: undocumented immigrants. In light of this, California has announced a $125 million Disaster Relief Fund for the state’s undocumented workers, becoming the first in the nation to provide this type…
California to work in conjunction with other states to reopen the West Coast CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom this week unveiled a framework for reopening the state’s economy and society. Though he provided no exact timeline (the statewide stay at home extends through May 3), Newsom said that he would base his decision to reopen on…
CALIFORNIA’S number of coronavirus cases is nearing 17,000, as of Wednesday, April 8. The amount of positive cases stands at 16,957, based on figures from the California Health and Human Services Agency. Of those cases, 2,714 are in the hospital and 1,154 are in intensive care units. The leading county with the most cases is…
