California becomes first state to ban plastic bags LOS ANGELES — Governor Jerry Brown has made some big decisions affecting the whole state of California this week. In a series of new legislations, Brown has approved of a gun restriction and signed several bills concerning privacy and paparazzi laws, prevention of further abuse of foster…
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti warned on Monday, Sept. 29, that the city government will be ‘coming after’ LAPD and LAFD personnel who might be abusing a program that pays them tax-free salary while out on injury leave. “Watch out. We’re going to make sure that we’re coming after you,” Garcetti…
Advocates call on LA County Supervisors to let ICE agreement, which sunsets September 30, to expire or risk becoming a nation-wide pariah Los Angeles – The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a leading immigrant rights organization in California, warned the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Monday that a vote for…
30 September 2014 – The Multicultural Health Awareness and Prevention (MHAP) Center at St. Vincent Medical Center held a press conference on September 18, in partnership with the Consulate Generals of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, and Thailand to encourage the community to attend the Free Multicultural Health…
AS I minister to seminarians, I can’t help but thank God for the generosity of their hearts. They have responded to the call of God to be priests. They’re willing to make the sacrifice of not having the pleasures of this world to follow Jesus, to be his missionary disciples to the world. It’s quite…
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday, Sept. 22 challenged his administration’s critics to file charges against his allies if they really believe that these officials have been corrupt. “The Ombudsman in particular is ready to investigate complaints, even those coming from anonymous individuals,” said Aquino in response to a question from a Harvard student about…
“HE was already there and he have time to visit a gun store to satisfy his hobby. He’s able to satisfy his stomach by going into [McDonalds] but the community was never given any sense to be with the president,” Dr. Orlando Cagampan of Los Angeles told Balitang America Correspondent Steve Angeles. This was a…
Throughout California’s history, including the last thirty years, there is not a state or federal regulator that does not deserve some, if not substantial, criticism. The collapse of the banking system, which caused five million California homeowners to be desperately underwater, was due to the deliberate lack of oversight by state banking authorities. This should…
SECTION 523(a)(8)(A)(ii) of the current bankruptcy code states that “an obligation to repay funds received as an educational benefit, scholarship or stipend;” is not dischargeable in bankruptcy unless excepting such debt from discharge would impose an undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor’s dependents. An adversarial proceeding is required to determine if a student…
THE Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) recently discussed the immigration implications of certain gang-related offenses. In Matter of Hernandez, 26 I&N Dec. 397 (BIA 2014), the respondent was charged with committing vandalism that caused over $400 in damages in violation of California Penal Code (PC) section 594(a) with a gang enhancement allegation pursuant to PC…
TAX scams via email have become widespread over the last year. Thieves have become bolder. Their bogus IRS website has improved graphics and looks so real that even a veteran IRS auditor unwittingly logged into it. If he can be duped into this bogus website, what about ordinary folks like you and me? The IRS…
When employees are entitled to higher pay ANDREW Prizler worked as an hourly retail sales consultant at AT&T Mobility Services. Being in sales, he was also paid commissions. In June 2012, Prizler sued his employer, alleging that employer failed to pay him and other employees like him, all wages due, including overtime wages. Additionally, when…
ARE you having problems paying your debts? Are creditors calling you day and night threatening you with a wage garnishment, repossession or foreclosure? Are you starting to feel hopeless and depressed about your situation and don’t know where to turn for help? The last few years have been tough for a lot of people. You…
ALTHOUGH the volume of newly-filed applications for benefits is down at the USCIS, the processing times for some applications pending at the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) are longer than ever before. The USCIS holds a monopoly over all immigrants applying for green cards, citizenship and other applications, since the USCIS is the only…
BEING a writer on the frontlines of culture and music, I am faced with the task of writing a piece that will not only tell about a performance, but the story behind the performer. So with grace, tenacity and skill (which I sometimes doubt that I have), I start to dutifully prepare questions; and set…
LOS ANGELES — The LA City Council voted on Wednesday to impose a higher minimum wage, at least $15.37 an hour, to workers at big hotels in the city. The new minimum wage requirement is one of the highest in the country. With a 12 to 3 vote, it was a huge victory to the…
LOS ANGELES – Filipino Ralph Deleon from Ontario, Calif., and his colleague Sohiel Omar Kabir were found guilty Thursday, Sept. 25 for their involvement with radical jihadist militant groups and plotting to kill Americans overseas. Both Deleon and Kabir, who initially pleaded not guilty during the first few weeks of trial, were each charged with…
Police and protestors clashed briefly on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., hours after Chief of Police Tom Jackson issued a video apology to the family of Michael Brown, the black 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a white police officer just last month. Jackson appeared outside the St. Louis suburb’s police department, not dressed in…
Standing tall beyond his actual stature following the recent successful stage production of his latest play, prolific Filipino-American writer-actor-stage director Florentino Aquino Capili couldn’t contain his ecstatic sensitivity by merely sitting on his laurel enjoying the view from the top. Sans a much-needed respite the low-key playwright has his mind crowded with more ambitious ideas…
LOS ANGELES – Filipino Ralph Deleon from Ontario, Calif., and his colleague Sohiel Omar Kabir were found guilty Thursday, Sept. 25 for their involvement with radical jihadist militant groups and plotting to kill Americans overseas. Both Deleon and Kabir, who initially pleaded not guilty during the first few weeks of trial, were each charged with…
LOS ANGELES — The LA City Council voted on Wednesday to impose a higher minimum wage, at least $15.37 an hour, to workers at big hotels in the city. The new minimum wage requirement is one of the highest in the country. With a 12 to 3 vote, it was a huge victory to the…
CERRITOS – Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that serves the Filipino-American community in Southern California, held a small business seminar in Cerritos on Wednesday, Sept. 24 to promote entrepreneurship. In staging the event, SIPA partnered with the City of Cerritos and three local Filipino American Chambers of Commerce: Orange…
LOS ANGELES – A Filipino marketing professional and social media expert recently launched a blog that celebrates all things Los Angeles, and promotes local brands and companies that show the diversity and color of the city. Gwen Paja is the lady behind www.thelagirl.com, a blog that ‘spills LA’s secret sauce on cool brands, hot spots…
In previous editions of this article, the process of obtaining permanent residence through marriage was explored. Discussion of that procedure began with the supposition that the couple was married, and continued with the various steps to ultimately gain permanent residence. In many cases, however, a problem exists in even getting to the point at which…
NEW YORK— Manila has called on the US government to approve its request for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing undocumented Filipinos living in the US to help the Philippines rebuild from the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. In letters to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Foreign…
In 1973, Rizal Governor Adelina Rodriquez sponsored the first Green Revolution Trade and Exposition Industrial Fair in Pasig that was highlighted by the nationwide search for Miss Green Revolution. I was the chairman of the beauty competition, whose winner was none other than Rosario Navarro Santos, now known as Charo Santos-Concio, president of ABS-CBN 2,…
Despite having only limited knowledge or understanding of immigration laws, some people attempt to strategize and handle their immigration case on their own. They follow the advice of friends or relatives or listen to gossip or rumors they hear on the streets or at parties. Partial or incomplete information about immigration law and benefits can…
A Filipino-American’s success is generally measured by the steady flow of balikbayan boxes that show up on our relatives’ doorsteps in the Philippines, as well as our ability to readily provide for their needs. Sadly, though, the real stories of our day-to-day struggles are hardly ever told. People come to the US with hopes of…
LOS ANGELES — The LA City Council voted on Wednesday to impose a higher minimum wage, at least $15.37 an hour, to workers at big hotels in the city. The new minimum wage requirement is one of the highest in the country. With a 12 to 3 vote, it was a huge victory to the…
What is Body Art? Body Art is a popular fad among adolescents and young adults, which includes tattooing or body part piercing. The tattoos are usually on the chest, arms, belly, butts, ankles, or on just about any area of the body. They come in different shapes, design, color and various objects, like a girl,…
