Series for Covered CA: Part 1 – Introduction
OBAMACARE is normally used to mean Covered California (Covered CA) but they not the same thing. Obamacare is the law, the formal name of which is Patient Protection and Affordable…
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Police use of excessive force results in wrongful death recovery
ON April 27, 2014, in Compton, CA, L.A. County sheriff’s deputies were called to a Target store, where a theft was allegedly occurring. Police arrived at the scene and confronted…
EB-5 green card program: A way to bring your entire family to the US
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte recently announced severing military and economic ties with the U.S. He has also recently assailed the U.S.’s strict visa policy. As President Duterte aligns himself with China,…
Consequences of failing to disclose material assets, income, facts and information in a divorce case
THERE is a natural tendency among divorcing parties to hide their assets from their spouse and understate income. This is a common problem that I have observed from practicing law…
I owe the IRS – what can I do?
HERE 10 tips if you cannot immediately pay your liabilities to the IRS: • Pay What You Can: Pay promptly to stop additional penalties and interest from accruing. If you…
Debt problems: 2 things you need to change if you want your life to get better
EVERY day, I meet with a lot of people who are sick and tired of being in debt. And yet when I talk to them, I discover that they are…
Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump: the fight for the White House
Washington may be one of the world’s most powerful cities, but no one is immune to its beauty, the magnificence of its most stunning monuments ever created, world-class museums, ornate…
Joe Heck: A long-time champion for Filipino Americans
By: Renato “Sonny” Vinuya President, Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce I was disappointed to read in the Asian Journal an op-ed attacking Dr. Joe Heck and his record as our representative. Not only…
Revisiting the Sin City with all its raison d’êtres
A much anticipated business cum pleasure commitment last weekend more than enabled me to revisit Las Vegas after sixteen years since I first stepped on its arid ground where I couldn’t resist to…
Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo says she’s 100 percent back to work
After almost two months of vacation (something she has never done before in her longstanding career), Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo is back to work. “Yes, 100 percent back na,” Sarah…
Some issues and pitfalls in pursuing US citizenship
(Part 2) FOR many people, attaining US citizenship is the final step in achieving their “American Dream.” After getting a green card, they eagerly count off the years until they…
USCIS to increase fees by December
EFFECTIVE December 23, 2016, USCIS will increase its filing fees for applications and petitions for immigration and naturalization benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Thus, applications and petitions…
Do you have bad breath?
As a common presumption goes, “One isolated incident of bad breath, like a first time thief who is caught, permanently tarnishes the reputation, and the condemnation sticks for life.” What…
Why I no longer support Heck
by Cristina Llorente-Drost As an independent voter, I voted for Joe Heck three times when he ran for Congress. As his fellow church-goer, I know he is a good man,…
Protecting employees injured at work from wrongful termination
ADAM Prue worked for the Brady Company, a construction company in San Diego, CA. Prue was injured at work and suffered a hernia in June 2011. Because of this, Prue…
EB-5 green card program: A way to bring your entire family to the US
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte recently announced severing military and economic ties with the U.S. He has also recently assailed the U.S.’s strict visa policy. As President Duterte aligns himself with China,…
Excluding foreign earned income
ARE you a U.S. citizen or resident working in a foreign country? Have you declared your foreign income? Have you even filed a tax return? Or are you hiding from…
Bankruptcy: Don’t let your past decide your future
AS a Bankruptcy Attorney for the last 18 years, I have counseled thousands of individuals with all types of debt problems. A lot of these people often feel tired and…
The presumption of ‘undue influence’ in transactions between spouses during the marriage
CALIFORNIA law on the nature of spouses’ rights and obligations with respect to management and control of community property has evolved over the last thirty years from less stringent “good…
Average itemized deductions
FOR taxpayers who itemize their deductions, the chart below should be of interest. But for those who take the odds, this chart should be of very special interest. While it…
Bankruptcy court rules in favor of client for $250K after trial
87-Year-old senior seeks chapter 7 relief I REPRESENTED a foreign company with a $250K claim for a forty foot container of manufactured goods that it delivered to the debtor…
Yankee go home, but take me with you
IF you scan the postings on social media, you would get the impression that the United States is anathema to most Filipinos. Hateful statements that rake up Yankee atrocities during…
Clinton or Trump: Who will you vote as the next US president?
THERE is less than a week to go before America decides who will become the 45th president of the United States. Poll after poll has shown how much people want…
Why Mayor Eric Garcetti thinks LA is a Fil-Am friendly city
A native Angeleno, Garcetti considers himself a friend of Filipino Americans, having worked alongside and for them throughout his political career. The city, which he has led since 2013, is…
Traveling is like feasting at the banquet of life
NEW YORK — Whenever I see gleaming posters of people waving and smiling happily as they hop into a plane, I realize what a lying society we inhabit. Inside the…
85°C Bakery Cafe opens 23rd store in Cypress, CA
Two hours before the doors of the new 85°C Bakery Cafe was scheduled to open in Cypress, California on Friday, October 21, a line began to form, eventually wrapping around…
Goodbye America, hello China
Some thoughts on Duterte’s ‘US separation’ announcement I remember writing about Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte several months ago when he won the presidential election. I may or may have not…
God’s heart revealed
HOW marvelous are the words of the Book of Wisdom for this Sunday’s Liturgy: “For you love all things that are and loath nothing that you have made; for what…
LA city officials flip switch on Historic Filipinotown street light installation
LOS ANGELES City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, the Board of Public Works (BPW), Bureau of Street Lighting, and community stakeholders on Wednesday, October 26 officially unveiled a streetlight project that improves…