[COLUMN] Circles, cycles and the seasons of our lives
IT is November. And we are coming full circle. Again. A circle is perhaps the perfect geometric structure there is. Although some would claim the triangle or a square to be better structures because of their stable nature, the circle and all its derivatives — the orb, the sphere, the globe and every structure on…
‘Community has always been No. 1’: LA mayor candidate Karen Bass visits Historic Filipinotown
Bass meets Filipino American community leaders LESS than a week before the contentious general election in which Los Angeles residents will be electing a new leader, mayoral candidate Karen Bass is confident that her decades-long experience in public office would breathe new life into city leadership. The race between Bass and her opponent, real estate…
Shopping for ACA health insurance? Here’s what’s new this year
It’s fall again, meaning shorter days, cooler temperatures, and open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance — sign-ups begin this week for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2023. Even though much of the coverage stays the same from year to year, there are a few upcoming changes that consumers should note this fall, especially…
California patients fear fallout from third dialysis ballot measure
ELK GROVE, Calif. — Toni Sherwin is actually looking forward to the procedure that will relocate her dialysis port from her chest to her arm, which will be easier to keep dry. Since she started dialysis in February — as part of blood cancer treatment — she has washed her hair in the sink and…
Los Angeles County vote centers open ahead of November 8 election
WITH less than two weeks to go until the 2022 election, eligible voters are able to cast their ballots in-person beginning on Saturday, October 29. Hundreds of vote centers will open across Los Angeles County ahead of the November 8 election, where voters can exercise their civic duty in person. Los Angeles County is home…
[COLUMN] Your workers’ compensation policy is audited. What now?
Relax. This is a normal process. Think of it as an end-of-year review of records to ensure that your business has paid the correct premium for workers’ comp insurance. During the audit, your insurance provider usually cross reference the payroll and other records estimated at the beginning of the policy with the actual payroll and scope of work…
[COLUMN] California’s leave rights expanded to care of ‘extended relatives’ and ‘chosen family’
The family and medical leave rights under California Family Rights Act (CFRA) have been expanded. It now applies in instances when a worker needs to take leave to care for their “chosen family” or “extended relatives.” AB 1041 was recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and will take effect starting on January 1,…
[COLUMN] Revolutionary cancer treatment, good news for hopeless patients
Everyone suffers from large and small ailments during their lifetime. In particular, cancer has long been a terrifying disease that has long been thought to be an incurable disease, with no known cause and no cure. However, with the remarkable development of modern medicine, cancer is no longer an incurable disease. If you had cancer,…
[COLUMN] Part I: The basics of bankruptcy
Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution authorizes Congress to enact “uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies. Pursuant to this grant of authority, Congress enacted the “Bankruptcy Code” of 1978. This Code is codified as title 11 of the United States Code and has been amended several times since its enactment with…
[COLUMN] On appreciating beauty and goodness in everyone
Greetings! The Book of Wisdom (11:22-12:2) in our First Reading, this Sunday’s Mass, states: Before the Lord the whole universe is a grain from a balance or a drop of a morning dew come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people’s sins…
Registrar reminds voters to vote early
IF you’re a registered voter and haven’t cast your ballot yet, you’ll soon get a reminder from the Registrar’s office that you have just over one week to cast your ballot for the Nov. 8 Statewide General Election. The Registrar sent over 1.7 million reminder postcards to registered voters in San Diego County who had…
Ambulance company to halt some rides in Southern California, citing low medicaid rates
For 23 years, the private ambulance industry in California had gone without an increase in the base rate the state pays it to transport Medicaid enrollees. At the start of the year, it asked the state legislature to more than triple the rate, from around $110 to $350 per ride. The request went unheeded. In…
San Diego County launches respiratory virus surveillance report
THE County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is introducing a new combined Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report that will provide San Diegans with a detailed snapshot of common respiratory illness activity in the region on a weekly basis. The new report will be released each Thursday and contains, for now, both flu and COVID-19 activity,…
Senator Brian Jones earns perfect score on legislation affecting small businesses and their employees
EL CAJON – On its recent “CalChamber Vote Record,” the California Chamber of Commerce announced that Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) was the only State Senator to receive a perfect score, concurring with the Chamber’s position on 15 major jobs, business, and economy related measures. “Senator Brian Jones has always been a solid vote for creating…
City of San Diego kicks off naming contest for new electric mini street sweeper
Mini sweeper offers zero emissions and less noise, helps collect trash and debris from narrow roadways like bicycle lanes SAN DIEGO – With the goal raising public awareness of the importance of street sweeping to neighborhood quality of life, the City of San Diego on Thursday, October 27 kicked off a naming contest for its…
[OPINION] Los Angeles has the most to gain from Prop 30
By Mariela Ruacho Californians know increasingly well what it’s like to wake up every day to the stark realities of climate change. Shattered heat records. Smoke-filled skies. Drought. And along with these, feelings of frustration, fatigue, and helplessness. Growing up in South Los Angeles, I dealt almost daily with the fallout from air pollution, climate…
LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs Celebrates National Immigrants Day with Grants to Immigrant-Focused Community-Based Organizations
10 nonprofits to receive first round of grants to strengthen their capacity to serve the County’s immigrant communities Los Angeles – The Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA), in the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), celebrates National Immigrants Day on Friday, October 28, 2022, by recognizing 10 immigrant-focused Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)…
City of San Diego offers a ghoulishly good time with Halloween events at local recreation centers
Candy, costume contests and spooky movies among free options for families to enjoy SAN DIEGO – It’s the “ghost” wonderful time of the year, and the City of San Diego is hosting a variety of fun and hair-raising Halloween activities at local recreation centers. There will be something for everyone, and residents are encouraged to…
Hiraya Foundation continues to blaze the trail with Baile Filipiniana
With cultural promotion and heritage preservation among its goals, the officers of the Hiraya Foundation staged one of the most lavish and memorable events the Filipino American community has seen in recent memory, the Baile Filipiniana 2022 Filipino American Heritage Ball. “We Filipinos, both from the motherland and of the diaspora, have distinct and unique…
[COLUMN] New COVID surge
BRACE yourself. A new surge in COVID-19 is expected this fall and winter as the new Omicron sub-variants, BQ.1, BQ.1.1 and BF.7, are evolving as the dominant strains infecting people in the United States (and around the world), just after BA.4 and BA.5. In December 2021, the Omicron variant followed the Delta strain, which was…
[COLUMN] Ian Veneracion: Not in it for the fame or money
POPULAR showbiz leading man Ian Veneracion recently celebrated his 40th year in showbiz. He seems to be enjoying doing various things, including movies, teleseryes and concerts. The actor revealed in a PEP.ph article that fame and fortune are not the reasons why he has lasted this long in the biz, but other things like passion,…
‘Ancestor Altars’ honors loved ones who have passed away during the pandemic
Inspired by annual Filipino festival “All Souls Day,” Balay Kreative, local artists and community members come together to create altars to commemorate their deceased loved ones SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino Cultural Center Balay Kreative artist Cece Carpio and artist TITTY are collaborating with Filipinx/a/o and BIPOC community members to honor their deceased loved ones through…
South San Francisco celebrates Filipino American History Month for the first time
City Council proclamation lauds city’s Fil-Am community SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer took part in the first-ever official celebration of Filipino American History Month in South San Francisco, California, spearheaded by the city’s first Filipino American Mayor Mark Nagales and first Filipino American Vice Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas on…
LA Consul General Badajos sits down with Atty. Gurfinkel in new, special episode of Citizen Pinoy episode
MANY are familiar with the word “consulate” and many Filipinos in the U.S. know that there could be a Philippine Consulate General near their area. But does the community really know what the Philippine Consulate General does, aside from issuing passports or visas to foreigners? In this special episode, Citizen Pinoy’s special guest is Consul…
