Maniolas

Lawyer  Joe Sayas explains civil rights case against the City of Long Beach as Mharloun Saycon’s family  looks on. AJPRESS LOS ANGELES – The City of Long Beach, California faces a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Mharloun Saycon alleging that his death at the hands of police last December was an unjustified murder. The suit announced on Thursday, July 29 accuses the city and two of its officials of failing to train the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) to properly approach situations involving people suffering from mental illness. Attorneys Joe Sayas, Dan Stormer and Caitlan McLoon say the patrol officer Vuong Nguyen, who shot Saycon, made no attempt to peacefully interact with the Filipino American before shooting him eight times inside Looff’s Lite-A-Line arcade on December 4 of last year. Police statement Representatives of the LBPD issued a statement saying Saycon, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was waving around a knife and frightening customers before officers arrived. “The suspect failed to comply with any of the officers’ orders. Officers then deployed less lethal options, which included an electronic control device and baton,” according to the statement. LBPD officials say the officer opened fire only after non-lethal measures failed to subdue Saycon. However, the family’s legal team said Saycon hadn’t even risen from his chair before officers attacked him. On Thursday, the Saycons’ attorneys said they have collected video evidence and witness statements corroborating their understanding of the events. “They made no effort Read More …

Filipino American community member asking questions to the guest panelists during the open forum of the Philippine Embassy’s Talakayan on the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program held at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy on July 28.. CONTRIBUTED   WASHINGTON, DC – Officials of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services are trying to smooth out the process for the reunification of Filipino veterans of World War II in the US and their relatives from the Philippines, USCIS representatives told Filipino American community members and veterans’ rights advocates. “We are always looking for ways to streamline this program and to make it more user-friendly and make the processes quickest as we can,” Allison Kent of the USCIS stated at a Talakayan on July 28 at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy on the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program. In July 2015, the White House released the report “Modernizing and Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System for the 21st Century” that announced the parole policy to enable eligible individuals to provide support and care to their aging veteran family members who are US citizens or lawful permanent residents. Consul General Emilio Fernandez delivering the opening remarks at the Talakayan on the WWII Veterans Visa Parole Program. CONTRIBUTED Since last June 8, USCIS has started to allow certain Filipino World War II veteran family members who are beneficiaries of approved family-based immigrant visa petitions a chance to receive a discretionary grant of parole on a case-by-case basis, so Read More …

San Diego, California police officer Jonathan De Guzman was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop. AJPRESS LOS ANGELES — A gunfight in San Diego on Thursday, July 28 between police and at least one gunman claimed the life of a Filipino American veteran police officer while leaving his partner and one suspect hospitalized. At least one unnamed suspect opened fire on officers shortly after being stopped by Jonathan “JD” De Guzman and his partner, Wade Irwin of the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) in the city’s Southcrest neighborhood, according to a statement released by the department. De Guzman, who had served 16 years with SDPD, suffered multiple gunshot wounds while Wade, a nine-year veteran of the police force, was struck in the torso. Both were transported to the University of California San Diego Medical Center where De Guzman was later pronounced dead on Friday, July 29. Wade is expected to survive his injuries. During a press conference on Friday, SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman said the violent incident unfolded “extremely quickly…in seconds to a minute or so.” An individual thought to have participated in the shooting is in custody and is currently in critical condition while recovering from a gunshot wound. Officers found the suspect in a ravine near the location of the shootings. Before 8 a.m. on Friday, police investigations led officers to a house in the neighborhood of Shelltown, about a half-mile away from the initial crime scene, according to the Associated Press. SDPD surrounded the building Read More …

DACA Los Angeles Media Roundtable held at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA’s Community Room. HIYASMIN QUIJANO LOS ANGELES — Several Asian American advocacy groups urged undocumented immigrants to immediately take advantage of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA and other existing policies that provide relief from deportation The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, and Ready California expressed this urgent message during a media roundtable hosted by New America Media on July 28. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is an immigration policy that provides relief from deportation and a work permit for eligible undocumented youth. Over 130,000 individuals of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States may be eligible to request DACA, yet requests for DACA remain disproportionately low in the Asian and Pacific Islander community, according to a report by New America Media. WATCH: DACA recipient Anthony Ng explains the impact of program. HIYASMIN QUIJANO White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Senior Policy Advisor Reva Gupta said that opportunities that are available to DACA recipients allow them to come out of the shadows and become a part of mainstream society and the economy. Gupta said, “At this point we see very low rates; only about 14.6 percent of Asian Americans who are eligible for DACA have actually requested DACA.” ‘Go to trusted organizations’ Los Angeles District United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Chief of Staff Martha Flores, announced that her agency has a list of reputable Read More …

INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau December 23rd, 2015 01:19 AM SAN JOSE, California – A translation and interpretation firm that provided services to the federal government and other clients violated federal labor laws and underpaid its nationwide corps of interpreters by $1.47 million in wages and benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. A Wage and Hour Division investigation found that Monterey-based Language Line LLC failed to calculate properly overtime payments due to employees working beyond 40 hours in a workweek, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. As a result, the division ordered the firm to pay more than $500,000 in back wages and damages to 635 employees. The division also initiated a separate investigation to determine whether Language Line paid its translators required prevailing wages and benefits when working on federal contracts covered by the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act. When the division determined that Language Line did not comply with the law, the division directed Language Line to review its federal contracts for compliance with SCA prevailing wage and fringe benefit requirements. After review, 2,428 translators nationwide will receive nearly $970,000 in back wages and benefits. “Contractors that do business with the federal government must abide by the law, pay their employees the required contractual rates and benefits, and keep accurate and complete payroll records,” said Susana Blanco, director of the Wage and Hour Division in San Francisco. “The Service Contract Act provides protections not only to workers, but also to employers who depend on the department to Read More …