Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories impacting the lives of the Filipino-American community in the State of California.
by Mark Kreidler Denise Herrmann was only a few months into her new job as principal of a Palo Alto, Calif., high school in fall 2014 when a student took his own life. By the next day, Herrmann said, she and some of her colleagues at Henry M. Gunn High School were in conversations with…
Law will allow reusable containers and food ware to be used at temporary events, concerts, fairs, and restaurants SACRAMENTO — A bill authored by Assembly member David Chiu (D-San Francisco) to allow the use of reusable food ware at temporary food events like concerts or fairs was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom…
SACRAMENTO – THE National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), the National Diversity Coalition (NDC), pastors, housing advocates and members of the state legislature’s Senate and Assembly Republican Caucuses celebrated the recent court victory on the return of the $331 million to the National Home Mortgage Special Fund with a press conference and victory rally in front…
National advocacy organizations that sought the return of $331 million to a fund for struggling homeowners attended a victory rally in Sacramento on Wednesday, August 14. The National Asian American Coalition and the National Diversity Coalition, which led the lawsuit against then-California Governor Jerry Brown and legislative Democrats who diverted the funds for debt repayment,…
Earlier court ruling ordered state to divert funds from 2012 lawsuit AFTER the California Supreme Court ordered the state to return funds from a 2012 settlement to a legal fund for renters and homeowners last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday, August 7 a plan to redirect the $331 million that lawmakers illegally spent…
Filipinos are one of the largest Asian populations in the United States with a population exceeding four million. In California alone, 1.6 million Filipino Amercans all the state home, making them the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group. Yet despite the large numbers, Fil-Ams lack in civic engagement and political representation. Of the 19,432,609…
AFTER a California court found that the state was misappropriating funds from a past settlement with a housing counseling organization, state Republicans are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to restore the funds to the state’s mortgage fund. As previously reported by the Asian Journal, the California Supreme Court on Thursday, July 18 sided with the National…
THE California Supreme Court denied review of a lower court ruling on Thursday, July 18, ordering the return of $331 million to a fund for struggling homeowners. Led by the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), a housing counseling organization, the case sought to restore money to the National Mortgage Special Deposit Fund, which was created…
AB 1482 guarantees and expands rent control to more rental units CALIFORNIA is now closer to having statewide rent control after the California Senate Judiciary Committee approved AB 1482 on the evening of Tuesday, July 9. AB 1482 is an “anti-rent gouging bill” that would make it illegal for property owners to raise rents higher…
THIS year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is expected to allow customers to make transactions via credit card but will charge a fee. Currently, the DMV does accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards through internet, over-the-phone transactions and payments at self-service DMV now kiosks and has never imposed fees for…
Under AB 392 the state would establish one of the strongest police use of force laws in the country SACRAMENTO — On Monday, July 8, the California Senate passed landmark legislation to strengthen the law on police use of force and reduce the number of deadly police shootings in the state. Assembly Bill 392: The…
Caltech seismologist and county officials urge residents to stay calm amid predicted aftershocks in the weeks to follow Mississippi has hurricanes, Kansas has tornadoes and California, as we in the Southland were reminded of last week, has earthquakes. In case you missed it, Southern California experienced two strong earthquakes last week: a 6.4 magnitude quake…
Those who hit the road for the July 4 holiday in California may have noticed an increase in gas prices resulting from a new gas tax that went into effect on Monday, July 1. The tax hike brought California’s already high gas prices up an additional 5.6 cents per gallon. According to the AAA Fuel…
by Barbara Feder Ostrov THE California agency that regulates doctors is investigating at least four physicians for issuing questionable medical exemptions to children whose parents did not want them immunized. The Medical Board of California’s investigations are unfolding amid the nation’s worst measles outbreak in more than a quarter-century, as California lawmakers consider controversial legislation…
The California Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus led a Philippine Independence Day celebration at the state Capitol on Monday, June 24. The reception was attended by Assemblymember Rob Bonta — the first Filipino to be elected to the state’s Legislature — who delivered remarks, community leaders from across the state, and special guest,…
Bill limits the medical exemptions to avoid immunizing children before school enrollment Despite hundreds of parents’ emotional opposition to proposed changes to California’s immunization requirements in a five-hour hearing, a public health committee in the California Assembly passed a bill that would tighten those requirements on Thursday, June 20. The Assembly Health Committee passed the…
SACRAMENTO – A Filipino American community leader was recently elected as the new president of the California Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists at its commissioners meeting in Southern California last June 13. Dr. Fel Amistad was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2015 and re-appointed in 2018. His mentors include Alice Bulos…
$214.8 billion budget inches state towards universal health care plan, includes expanding health care for undocumented immigrants Over the weekend, the California State Assembly met the deadline for a new spending package and approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first budget plan that allocates $214.8 billion for some of the boldest, progressive bills ever proposed in the…
California is closer to becoming the first state to guarantee health coverage for eligible undocumented immigrants after state Democrats on Sunday, June 9 agreed to the plan first proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. As previously reported in the Asian Journal, Newsom’s May budget revision includes a statewide health care plan that would expand Medi-Cal (California’s…
Among the state’s many concerns, California Governor Gavin Newsom this week detailed the state’s plans for two of the most pressing issues plaguing the state: the cost of health care and the growing homeless community. In a teleconference with Asian American media, Newsom doubled down on his plan to move the state towards a universal…
by Ana B. Ibarra CALIFORNIA has some of the nation’s strongest protections against surprise medical bills. But many Californians still get slammed with huge out-of-network charges. State lawmakers are now trying to close gaps in the law with a bill that would limit how much hospitals outside of a patient’s insurance network can charge for…
Police use of force, housing, worker rights, data privacy, and healthcare rates among considerations THE California Legislature has until Friday, May 31, to decide whether to pass or reject bills that originated in either the Assembly and Senate. Closely watched are bills having to do with addressing the state’s housing issues, use of force by…
By Jennifer Gollan, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting Across California, at least 20 companies providing care for the elderly, disabled and mentally ill continue to operate illegally after being cited for failing to pay their workers more than $1.4 million in back wages and penalties. “There’s no accountability,” said Hina Shah, an associate…
By Jennifer Gollan, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting She alights from a black Ferrari convertible, her Christian Louboutin stilettos glinting in the sunlight. The lid of her black lacquer grand piano is propped open in the living room of her plush Beverly Hills home. “I own a chain of elderly care facilities,” she…
by Ana B. Ibarra / Kaiser Health News CALIFORNIA will ban the use of a widely used pesticide in the face of “mounting evidence” that it causes developmental problems in children, state officials announced on Wednesday, May 8. Several studies have linked prenatal exposure of chlorpyrifos to lower birth weights, lower IQs, attention deficit hyperactivity…
THE Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and the California Domestic Workers Coalition have unveiled the California Homecare Agency Labor Violations Tip Line, a hotline that allows caregivers, consumers and agencies in California to anonymously report labor violations and unethical behaviors of homecare agencies. “We have to regulate the homecare industry to ensure that workers have safe…
By Samantha Young/Kaiser Health News CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to provide health coverage to low-income young adults who are in the country illegally, but his plan would siphon public health dollars from several counties battling surging rates of sexually transmitted diseases and, in some cases, measles outbreaks. Public health officials describe the…
Life can change in an instant, whether it’s your health or your personal situation. Elvira of Los Angeles lost her health insurance when the auto dealership she worked for closed its doors suddenly at the end of January. “I did not want to be without a job and without health insurance. You never know…
by Samantha Young California regularly portrays itself as a national trendsetter on political issues, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is claiming that title on prescription drugs. Newsom has a plan to take on the drug industry, and at an April 17 news conference in Southern California, he declared that two other governors already want to…
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