Filipina felony conviction reduced to misdemeanor
ON February 27, 2015, the Hon. Keith Schwartz, Presiding Judge of Department 144 at the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse, sentenced a Filipina to 3-year summary probation with suspension of imposition…
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10 tips to avoid stress from last-minute filing
• FILE your tax records neatly and orderly during the year. If you are not an organized person by nature as some of us are, just throw tax documents in…
US Supreme Court sets rules for identifying pregnancy discrimination at work
PEGGY Young worked as a part-time driver for United Parcel Service (UPS). Her responsibilities included pickup and delivery of packages that had arrived by air carrier the previous night. In…
Prepare a durable power of attorney before you become incapacitated
QUESTION: It’s too early to prepare a Durable Power of Attorney. I’m healthy and don’t see the need. Answer: Most people wait until it is too late. Multiple times people…
How to stop debt problems from getting worse
ARE debt problems making your life a living hell? Doing your best to pay but creditors just won’t leave you alone? Maybe you get nervous every time the phone rings…
AAPI community organizations make push for immigrants to apply for DACA
THERE are roughly 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the US today, and 1.5 million of those are Asian Americans. In California alone, at least 40,000 of the half a million…
California drought could raise food prices
FOOD prices in the United States may rise as California farmers cope with the state’s fourth year of drought by reducing water use and planting fewer crops. The Golden State…
California senate committee passes bill to limit vaccines exemptions
CALIFORNIA lawmakers on Wednesday, April 8, approved a bill that would ban parents from opting out of vaccinations for their school-enrolled children due to personal or religious beliefs. In a…
LA to spend $1 billion to fix sidewalks
THE Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, April 1, agreed to spend more than $1 billion to repair the city’s sidewalks as part of a lawsuit settlement filed by residents…
$25-billion Sacramento-San Joaquin delta tunnel project reconsidered
CALIFORNIA Governor Jerry Brown’s administration is overhauling its proposal for a controversial tunnel project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, despite public doubts on whether water exporters can meet the stringent…
California appeals court rules yoga does not infringe on religious freedom
A CALIFORNIA appeals court on Friday, April 3, upheld a lower court ruling that incorporating yoga into physical education at a San Diego County school district does not violate the…
Stanford waives tuition for students whose parents make less than $125K
WHO doesn’t like free college? If you’re an accepted, incoming student at Stanford University whose parents make less than $125,000 a year, you’re in luck. For the first time in…
Filipina mom of teen who fell to death in Hong Kong released on bail
THE Filipino mother of a teenager who fell to her death from the 21st story of a Hong Kong apartment was released on bail Thursday, April 9, after being charged…
BMW, Nissan recall more than 165,000 vehicles for potential fuel pump issue
Nissan Motor Co. and BMW AG announced Friday, April 10, a global recall of more than 165,000 vehicles due to possible fuel pump failures that could stall or prevent an…
PACCAL: Reaching further heights, accomplishing valuable services
“The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi AFTER having meticulously assessed all possible resources, conscientiously brainstormed the brightest…
Fifth Circuit strikes down challenge to Obama’s Executive Action
On April 7, 2015, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit challenging Pres. Obama’s 2012 original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This ruling is a good sign,…
LA to spend $1 billion to fix sidewalks
THE Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, April 1, agreed to spend more than $1 billion to repair the city’s sidewalks as part of a lawsuit settlement filed by residents…
Exemptions to inadmissibility bars for employment-based adjustment applicants
Foreign professionals wishing to immigrate to the US (as permanent residents) may do so under 3 general classifications: • 1st Preference (EB1) – extraordinary ability foreign professionals; outstanding researchers and…
USCIS warns about immigration scams
The USCIS recently issued warnings to the public about potential immigration scams. This is especially important in connection with President Obama’s November 2014 announcement of executive action, including expanding eligibility…
Wedding bells but no date yet for Toni Gonzaga and Direk Paul Soriano
Although actress, singer and TV host Toni Gonzaga and fiancé director Paul Soriano have announced their engagement and their plans to tie the knot this year, no date has been…
Starbucks now offers employees 4 years of college tuition
Starbucks will now offer four years of free college tuition to its employees, up from its previous tuition plan of two years, the coffee company announced on Monday, April 6,…
3 types of endorsements to use for your business
How much would you pay Manny Pacquiao to endorse your business? Envision this. Manny would be in all your advertisements: TV, Radio, Billboard, and Internet. He would be available for…
Health and air travel
How safe is air travel? There are more than 4000 accidents, mostly non-fatal, that occur around the world each year in general aviation, varying in degree of gravity, mostly involving…
The riddles of life
I don’t know the answers to the big questions of life. But everything is relative, everything has a story. Yes, I’ve met amazing souls, and the lights fill me—flattering lights…
Observing Holy Week
Lenten season is the time when Christians — Catholic and other religious denominations — remember Christ’s passion (his suffering and death) and resurrection. Ash Wednesday (40 days before Easter Sunday)…
Filipino nurse charged in Singapore with sedition, lying to police
A FILIPINO nurse who allegedly insulted Singaporeans on social media in January was charged in court Tuesday, April 7, with sedition and lying to the police. Ello Ed Mundsel Bello,…
Young Fil-Am forced by police officers to fight another inmate gladiator style
WHAT would you do if your own young son was forced by police officers to fight another inmate more than twice his size, gladiator style, just so they have a…
Mayor Garcetti releases eco-friendly sustainability plan for LA
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a citywide sustainability plan on Wednesday, April 8 that seeks to reduce the amount of imported water used by Angelenos, improve overall air quality…
Jury reaches verdict in Boston Marathon bombing trial
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev found guilty of all 30 charges in deadly attack Almost two years after two pressure-cooker bombs exploded through a crowd of spectators near the finish line of the…