Asian, Pacific Islander American Month kicks off in Los Angeles

Angelenos marked the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Month on Friday, with a celebration to honor three APIA leaders.

"Asian Pacific Islanders are part of the fabric of Los Angeles, so this is our chance to honor them, a way to tell their stories," City Council President Eric Garcetti said.

Those honored include Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama, making her the first Vietnamese American Article III judge; Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, who was interned during World War II and has advocated on social justice issues; and actress, model, and Grammy award winner Tia Carrere.

"I'm particularly delighted to be included among such beautiful, inspirational and talented women such as my co-honorees," Nguyen said. "Across Los Angeles County, there are countless Asian Pacific Americans who with their hard work, their dedication, their sacrifice, their perseverance, truly represent the spirit, the dream, as well as the hope of Los Angeles."

According to a city report released on Friday, the number APIAs is growing in Los Angeles and around the state, and so is the community's influence in business, government, the arts and as a voting block.

The report, compiled by the Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Committee, enumerates APIA successes in city and state government, including Governor Jerry Brown's appointment of Julie Su as state Labor Commissioner.

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans make up about 11 percent of the 326 city commissioners appointed by the mayor and about 15 percent of all city employees, the report said.

The report found that businesses owned by Asian and Pacific Islander Americans ranked second nationwide behind white-owned businesses in payroll dollars -- about 84 billion dollars to nearly 3 million employees.

There are 112,305 registered Asian and Pacific Islander American voters, making up about eight percent of the city's electorate, the report found.

"Our research shows that Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the city of Los Angeles have turned dramatic population growth into real power at the ballot box," said Dan Ichinose, director of demographic research at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. "We have arrived as a political force."

According to 2010 census data, the APIA community now makes up about 11.4 percent of the city's population, behind Hispanic/ Latinos (44.5 percent) and non-Hispanic whites (32.9 percent).

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