A question of choice
It is said that choice is destiny’s soulmate. You have a choice to accept or refuse, to take one turning down the crossroads to the future or another. By not…
Read More
Monterey Park pledges its commitment to electrical safety awareness as a ‘powerful city’
ROSEMEAD, Calif. — City leaders and community groups gathered at Monterey Park City Hall last week as the city pledged its commitment to electrical safety awareness during National Electrical Safety Month. Marissa Castro-Salvati,…
The City of Cerritos, At a Glance
A model for families, public services and local economy Twenty miles (or roughly thirty minutes of travel) to southeast of Los Angeles is Cerritos — an upper-middle class city which…
Free citizenship information at local public libraries in Southern California
USCIS Will Showcase Civics, Citizenship and Other Products and Services LOS ANGELES – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will present nine naturalization information sessions at public libraries from May 12,…
Motherhood
DESPITE economic improvements, the Philippines’ ranking in the 15th global “State of the World’s Mothers” report (released by Save The Children, a non-government organization) has slipped four notches — placing…
A special milestone on Mothers’ Day
MOTHERS’ DAY this year is extra special for me. It is a milestone because this 2014, I have also became a grandmother with the birth of my first apo — Azshara…
Section 1031 exchanges defer capital gains
UNDER Section 1031 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. §1031, the exchange of properties used for investment or trade or business, but not for personal use, may…
Means test misstatement may be proof of fraudulent intent
THE means test is the IRS based form of calculating disposable income in bankruptcy to determine if the case should be a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13; and if a…
How IRS scores your income tax returns for audit Part 2
(Part 2 – Master Files) LAST week we discussed how tax returns are received, verified, and reviewed for completeness. Let’s now discuss the second of a three-part series on how…
Working beyond your regular duties: Should you be paid?
Q: I WORK at a retail company and every employee is required to “pitch in” when it becomes busy. Stocking shelves, cleaning, and putting away merchandise are not part of…
Are you sinking deeper into debt every month?
TOUGH financial times are pushing strapped consumers over the edge. Delinquencies and balances on delinquent credit cards are on the rise with no signs of slowing down. Faced with layoffs…
New relief available for aliens previously removed/deported, but are now in same-sex marriage
Many in the LGBT community (in the pre-Windsor era) were placed in removal/deportation proceedings and were ordered removed/deported. This is because they had no “form of relief” available for them…
Songs that my mother taught me
On this big production called Mother’s Day, a whole nation of sons and daughters will pause to remember their mothers. My first knowledge of the world and about life came…
Musing in Valyermo
WHILE enjoying a quiet dinner with the monks of St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo, California during my day-off last Thursday, Fr. Francis, the former abbot, was on the microphone reading…
A Mother’s Day retrospective: Vignettes, anecdotes & canticles for ‘Inang’
THERE is something strange about the gravitational and magnetic forces that attract a child towards his mother than how intensely it is with the father. The reason could obviously be…
The importance of obtaining proper legal advice
Recently a man came into our office to discuss his immigration case. He was very excited and confident that now was the time he would be able to file for…
Availing of CalFresh not sufficient grounds for ‘public charge’ – DPSS, USCIS
PACOIMA – In a press conference on May 7 at Superior Market in Pacoima, CA, officials from California’s and Los Angeles County’s Departments of Public Social Services (DPSS) and the…
California Court’s power to make divorce orders when one spouse does not live in California
THIS is a common question among people contemplating divorce in California when the other spouse does not live in the state. The California Courts has the power to grant a…
ConGen Herrera-Lim meets with Carson Mayor Dear and Mayor Pro Tem Santarina
LOS ANGELES – Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim paid a courtesy call on Mayor Jim Dear and Mayor Pro Tem Elito Santarina at Carson City Hall on April 5, 2014. Mayor…
Overseas Filipino voters encouraged to register at PCG-LA
LOS ANGELES – The Philippine Consulate General started registration for Overseas Voting (OV) to overseas Filipinos in relation to the upcoming May 2016 national elections in the Philippines. All Filipino…
Jericho Rosales marries Fil-Brit gf Kim Jones
CONGRATULATIONS to the newly married award-winning actor Jericho Rosales and Filipino-British TV host/model Kim Jones! The couple tied the knot in an intimate garden wedding at the Shangri-La Resort in…
Proposed rule allowing work authorization for H-4 spouses
On May 6, 2014, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed rule allowing spouses of certain H–1B workers to apply for employment authorization. Under existing regulations, H-4 spouses…
Brushing up on toothbrushes
YOU may have heard that you should replace your toothbrush (or toothbrush head, if you use an electric toothbrush) every three months, or at the beginning of each new season. …
Bike Ride for a Cause – Sikad ng Bayan 2014
by Marili Raymundo Nearly 400 cyclists rode their bicycles through scenic Orange County on Saturday April 26th to raise funds and awareness for underprivileged children affected by Typhoon “Yolanda” in…
Focusing on Mother Earth this Mother’s Day
SUPER Typhoon Yolanda. Heat waves, drought and wildfires. Torrential rains and flooding. Many of us have been asking why these calamities have been happening more frequently these days. Do we…
Use Chapter 13 to handle student loans and taxes
CHAPTER 13 has been popular to strip down junior liens such as 2nd trust deeds and home equity loans. But it can also be used to handle student loans and…
Now showing: Life in 4 minutes at PNR
Funny how life happens in a fast-forward pace – so fast that we cannot see and hear it anymore. Even funnier is the irony that we can best observe life…
Relief for beneficiaries of deceased petitioners
IN 2009, President Obama signed into law amendments to the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA) reversing the longstanding rule that a “visa petition dies with the petitioner.” The new law…
Inside the death chamber
IT was my first police beat assignment. We felt that we had no right to do what we were doing. The killing of a fellow human being was repulsive and…