Almost 40 Filipino Americans who ran in the November 2020 elections won their races. From California to Hawaii, to Georgia and Utah, to Minnesota and Illinois, this batch of winners represents a record number for the approximately four million-strong Filipino American community. Some have held their positions through multiple election cycles. Others are in the political arena for the first time.  Get to know them here. 

California

Rob Bonta, State Assembly, District 18

Robert Andres “Rob” Bonta is a Democrat representing California’s 18th District, which includes the Bay Area of Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro. He is the first Filipino American ever elected to the California Legislature. In 2013, Bonta introduced legislation that would require California public schools to teach students the contributions of Filipino Americans in the farm movement, and it was signed into law that same year. His mother, Cynthia, was active with the United Farm Workers of America and the Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP). He worked his way through college, cleaning laundry rooms. With financial help, he was able to go to Yale University for his Juris Doctorate. Bonta currently serves as the Assistant Majority Leader in the State Assembly, and sits on the Committees of Appropriations, Communications and Conveyance, Governmental Organization and Health.

Todd Gloria, Mayor, City of San Diego

Gloria is the first person of color (Native American, Puerto Rican, Dutch and Filipino) and the first gay person to serve as mayor of San Diego, a city of over a million people. “All four of his grandparents came to San Diego because of the military and to work in the defense industry,” Gloria said. “It is the place where the son of a hotel maid and a gardener…..has just become your mayor.” Todd was interested in politics from childhood. At age 10, he was runner-up in a “Mayor for A Day” contest, and at 14, he volunteered to work for the Democratic candidates in the 1992 elections. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Diego, with majors in history and political science. His career experience includes working with the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency and as the district director for U.S. Congresswoman Susan A. Davis. His campaign in 2020 focused on issues such as the housing crisis, affordability, public transportation and climate. JoAnn Fields, director of the Filipino Resource Center, said, “He is a Filipino leader that we can not just look to, but talk to and learn from. San Diego is the second largest Filipino community in the United States, and out of all Asian Pacific Islanders, nearly half are Filipino, so with him being in the position, he’s a trailblazer for so many more.”

Rachelle Pastor Arizmendi, Mayor, City of Sierra Madre

This December, Arizmendi was sworn in as mayor of Sierra Madre, California, a town of 11,000 residents located at the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. She has served on the City Council since 2014, being the first person of color to hold a council seat. She is the vice president and chief operating officer of the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE), a non-profit that serves over 40,000 people annually in the areas of job training, employment, business development and early childhood education. Her public service also includes being the board president of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and a member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture after being appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Her parents were immigrants from Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Rachelle was born in Carmel and raised in Salinas. She says there was a period in her life when she “pushed her Filipino identity away,” but numerous trips to the Philippines helped her reconnect with her roots.

Letty Lopez-Viado, Mayor of West Covina, California

Lopez-Viado is the first Mexican Filipina American to be elected as Councilwoman in the City of West Covina where about 11,000 Filipino Americans reside. Her mother hails from Manila and her late father was from Mexico. She has 18+ years of experience in the public sector and active volunteering. She served as a West Covina Community and Senior Services Commissioner from 2013 to 2018, when she was elected to the City Council. She is currently a Senior Director II with the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation & Parks and has a master’s degree in Communication Studies from Cal State Los Angeles. Lopez-Viado hopes to improve the quality of life of West Covina residents through “clean and safe parks, public safety resources, and controlling spending.”

Marico Sayoc, Mayor of Los Gatos, California

In addition to being the mayor of the city, she is the Executive Director of CASSY – Counseling and Support Services for Youth, a nonprofit that partners with Bay Area schools to provide resources and professional, on- campus mental health services to students free of charge. She is also President of the League of California Cities, Peninsula Division in 2020 and currently serves as the President of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County. Marico holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from U.C. Berkeley and a master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University. She began her career working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Malia Vella, Councilmember, City of Alameda, California

A former staffer for members of the California Senate and Assembly from the East Bay, Vella has a background in policy and constituent services. Since 2013 she has worked as a policy director and attorney focusing on labor and employment law. She is also an adjunct professor of practice at Mills College's Lokey School of Business and Public Policy, teaching ethical policy making and an introductory class on economics and policy-making. Malia is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she earned a B.A. in Architecture and Political Science. She earned her J.D. with a special certificate in Public Interest and Social Justice at Santa Clara University School of Law. Malia is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in California and the U.S. Supreme Court. Her family came to Alameda in the 1960s when her grandfather was stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Station.

Eric Arias, Councilmember, City of Bakersfield, California

Arias was elected in November 2020 to serve Ward 1, Southeast Bakersfield, which includes the culturally diverse communities of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Casa Loma, Southgate and parts of Greenfield. Eric was born and raised in Bakersfield where his veteran father instilled the value of service and hard work. Arias aspired to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve in the U.S. Marines, but was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt’s Lymphoma during his second year of college. He went into remission and chose a career in public service instead. Working in the family’s party rentals business, retail jobs, and delivering pizzas, Eric saved for college. After attending local public schools, he balanced several jobs, paying his way to graduate from University of California, Santa Barbara. Since 2014, Arias has served the community through the offices of County Supervisor Leticia Perez and State Assemblyman Rudy Salas as a field staffer. Beyond his role on the City Council, he spends his free time volunteering for Leaders in Life, a local youth leadership mentorship program, and We the People, a civics education program that teaches high school students about the importance of public service and civic engagement. At 24 years old, he is the first Filipino to be elected to the Council.

Corey Calaycay, Concilmember, City of Claremont, California

Calaycay is serving his fifth term as a member of Claremont City Council (December 2020-2024) He has previously served three one-year terms as mayor. His father is from the Philippines and, shortly after Corey’s birth in Chicago, his family moved to Claremont where he has resided for the past 46 years. He went to Loyola Marymount University, receiving a degree in Business Administration in 1992. At the age of 19, he became actively involved in the community. He has over ten years of experience working as a staff member with the California State Legislature where he served constituents in more than 30 communities in Southern California. Calaycay is the chair of the L.A. County Public Library Commission and the Pomona Valley Transit Authority Board.

Ariel Pe, Councilmember, City of Lakewood, California

Pe was elected to the Lakewood City Council in March 2020. He is a product of the Lakewood community and local schools, having lived in the city for over 48 years. He attended Saint John Bosco High School and earned his Business Administration degree with a marketing emphasis from California State University, Long Beach. He is a small business owner, starting Labwerkz Print Shop after a successful marketing career for global apparel and product companies. Prior to joining the City Council, he was involved with numerous community groups. He has served on the board of directors of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Lakewood, Lakewood Family YMCA, Long Beach City College Foundation, St. Joseph High School, Knights of Columbus, Bellflower Unified School District's Career Technical Education Board, Lakewood Meals On Wheels and Pathways Volunteer Hospice. Pe is the first Filipino American council member in Lakewood history, and his current term on the City Council runs through March 2024.

Gabriel Quinto, Councilmember, El Cerrito, California

Initially elected in 2018, Quinto is serving his second term. He is the city's first LGBTQ and first Filipino mayor; the position rotates among the council members. He is also the first known HIV-positive mayor in the region, and only the second out mayor to serve in Contra Costa County. He is also former board member of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club. He got started in the environmental movement through volunteering. “Especially as a Filipino American, I wanted to make sure our community did the right thing when it came to the environment. After many catastrophes, like typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and rising sea levels back in the Philippines, I volunteered with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) to present hundreds of signatures advocating for an end to the use of coal in the Philippines. We delivered our petition to the Consul General of the Philippines in San Francisco, urging the government to begin transitioning to renewable energy and away from harmful fossil fuels,” he said. He believes in increasing representation of the Filipino American community in public service. Last year, as president of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the League of California Cities, he worked to create a pipeline for more people of Asian descent to run for election across California.

Juslyn Manalo, Councilmember, Daly City, California

Early in her career, Manalo became a Community Service Worker providing direct service to the Filipino World War II Veterans. She also managed the Bill Sorro Housing Program (BiSHoP), which helps low-to-moderate-income families find, defend, and sustain their housing. Currently, she is a Community Engagement Manager, building partnerships to create community development opportunities such as affordable housing, jobs, open space, and youth development. She was an appointed Personnel Board Commissioner for the city of Daly City, was previously chairwoman for the SamTrans Citizen Advisory Committee ensuring that local community voice is represented. She is also on the board of Senior & Disability Action, an organization that fights for policy locally and on the state level. Manalo earned her master’s in Public Administration, from San Francisco State University's School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. She has also attained a Bachelor of Arts, in Asian American Studies and a Minor in Women Studies from San Francisco State University.

Glenn Sylvester, Councilmember, Daly City, California

Sylvester has resided in Daly for the past 32 years. He is proud to have served the community for over 44 years and continues to do so currently as Mayor/Councilmember. He also serves on the Board of Directors and is former chair of the Police Credit Union, Treasurer of SF Operation Dream, President of the San Francisco Veterans Police Officers Association, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Fil-Am Democratic Club of San Mateo County, former Director of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of San Mateo County and former President of the Filipino American Law Enforcement Officers Association. One of his major accomplishments was becoming a Master Instructor through POST (Peace Officer Standards of Training) in 1999, with a discipline in computer crime and forensics. He has traveled throughout the state of California, teaching law enforcement in identity theft and cybercrime. He provides pro-bono training to seniors and community groups in the area of fraud and online protection. Sylvester is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and made California his home in 1970 before moving to Daly City in 1988. He attended public schools in San Francisco and later joined the San Francisco Police Department in 1975 before retiring as a Sgt/Insp. of Police in March 2011.

Gina Dawson, Councilmember, City of Lafayette, California

Dawson, whose father is from the Philippines, is a graduate of CSU Chico with a double major in Organizational Communications and Psychology and has worked in technology companies. Since moving to Lafayette 12 years ago, she has volunteered to publish the weekly newsletter for Burton Valley Elementary and formed a Lafayette gas safety alliance. Her top three priorities: create diverse housing for an inclusive community; pursue the highest community safety measures; hold public utilities accountable; and foster a thriving downtown. She also founded Save Lafayette Trees.

Evelyn Chua, Councilmember, City of Milpitas, California

Chua made history as the first Filipina elected to the Milpitas City Council, receiving the second highest amount of votes. Her family lived in poverty in the Philippines and her father passed away when she was five years old. Her older brother, Ted, enlisted in the U.S. Navy and petitioned for her and her mom to come to the U.S. But during the Vietnam War, at only 29 years old, Ted was killed. “Because of my brother’s loyalty to this country, that’s why I am the way I am,” she said. Before being elected to the City Council, she served on the Planning Commission, the Emergency Preparedness Commission, and the Community Advisory Commission. Her priorities now include the City’s financial stability, enticing new industrial and commercial development, easing the homelessness problem, and beautifying Milpitas.

Rozzana Verder-Aliga, Vice Mayor of Vallejo, California

Born in Manila, Philippines to a WWII veteran-corporate executive father and a teacher-school principal mother, Verder-Aliga immigrated to California in 1981 with her husband, Nestor Aliga, a U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran. She was the first Filipino American woman elected to public office in Vallejo and Solano County, and she has been serving since 1993. She holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University, a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from the University of San Francisco, and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of the Philippines. She is a member of several community nonprofit boards and has received numerous awards.

Alexander Walker-Griffin, Council Member, Hercules, California

Walker-Griffin’s interest in public service started at the age of five when his late father would take him to city council meetings in Oakland. In Contra Costa College, he was very active in community organizing and student government. He was appointed to the California Community College Board of Governors by Governor Jerry Brown to represent 2.2 million students and help govern the nation’s largest system of higher education. As a 23-year-old Filipino American, Walker-Griffin is the youngest elected councilmember in Hercules. His mother is “black and white” while his deceased father was Jamaican and Filipino. He would like to learn more about his Filipino heritage. “My knowledge about anything Filipino is very basic: lumpia and lechon,” he says.

Diana Colvin, Councilmember, City of Colma, California

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Diana has been actively involved in a number of community and volunteer activities and organizations since 1998, including the Colma Historical Association, where she has been Membership Chair since 2003 and an annual volunteer in support of the organization’s fundraising activities, a past board member of the North Peninsula Emergency Food Pantry and Dining Center of Daly City, and a volunteer of Rebuilding Together (Mid-Peninsula Chapter) for ten years. Diana was appointed to the Colma City Council in 2008 for a term of seven months to fill a vacancy. She was elected to the Town Council in November 2008 and selected to serve as Mayor in 2010. She is a member/alternate of the following commissions: City/County Association of Governments; Emergency Services Council; Peninsula Congestion Relief Alliance; San Mateo Council of Cities; League of California Cities.

Melissa Ramoso, Pro Tem Mayor, Artesia, California

Last December 14, the Artesia City Council appointed councilmember Melissa Ramoso as Artesia’s second-in-command. She will serve with Mayor Rene Trevino for a one-year term in a city with a population of 16,758. She was elected to the council for a four-year term in 2018, becoming the city’s youngest councilmember. She credits her family, who emigrated from the Philippines, for her career in public service. Her grandfather was a WWII veteran, her mother is a retired registered nurse, and her father was a U.S. Army veteran and retired postal worker. Ramoso initiated efforts to place moratoriums on rent and mortgage payments and an ordinance against price-gouging. She says her door is always open and she will be accessible to all.

Jose Paolo Magcalas, Anaheim Elementary School District Board of Education Trustee

An assistant professor of education at California State University, Los Angeles, Magcalas won re-election as a governing board member of the AESD’s Trustee Area 3 with 64.19 percent of the vote. Under his leadership, the Anaheim board passed the first elementary ethnic studies resolution in California this past February. Magcalas says he will fight to “ensure that the implementation of this curriculum is not watered down.”

Vigdis Asmundson, Governing Board Member, Davis Joint Unified School District

Vigdis Asmundson (Source: Davis Enterprise)

Asmundson is the daughter of former Davis, California mayors Vigfus and Ruth Asmundson, the latter being the first Filipina American mayor in the city. In an interview in The Davis Vanguard, Vigdis said that her mother, Ruth, was proudly Filipino and raised her and her siblings to be proudly Filipino. Vigdis has spent her entire professional career in education, in which she has over 20 years of experience --19 years as a K-12 teacher and, for the last two years, with the California Department of Education. She served in community health education with the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa, and later was the Chair of Liberal Arts during the founding year of the Abaarso School in Somaliland. While teaching in a local Title 1 school for nine years, she also served as the science department chair, as an instructional coach for fellow teachers, and coached her school's soccer team. In addition, she volunteered as a leader for an anti-bullying program and served on the School Site Council and district-wide planning and curriculum adoption committees. She founded a nonprofit to support science education and coordinated the inaugural - and now annual - District Science Fair. Davis-born Vigdis was educated in Davis from K-12 and the University of California, Davis graduate school. She is currently a Ph.D candidate in Educational Policy at UC Davis and has a master’s in Educational Administration.

Hon. Benjamin Reyes II, Judge, Contra Costa County Superior Court, California

Reyes was born in Olongapo City, Philippines. He graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in political science and earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he later taught the school’s Intensive Advocacy Program, and at Stanford Law School’s Trial Skills Program. Reyes worked as a city attorney for Union City and the City of Pinole representing the cities in code enforcement, First Amendment issues, premises liability, excessive use of force allegations, land use and competitive bidding matters. He was first appointed to the Superior Court by Governor Jerry Brown in 2017. While on the bench, he has presided over the Criminal Division at the George D. Carroll Courthouse. He is a member of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, the Asian American Association of the Greater Bay Area, the National Asian Pacific Bar Association and the National Filipino American Lawyers Association. He is the first Filipino American judge on the Contra Costa bench, and only the second Filipino American trial court judge appointed in the nine San Francisco Bay Area Counties.

Georgia

Marvin Lim, State Representative, Georgia

Lim assumed office on January 11, 2021 as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 99. He graduated from Lakeside High School, earned degrees from Emory University and Yale Law School. He worked with the Holcomb and Ward Law Firm and was a legislative advocate with the ACLU in Georgia. In the State Legislature, he serves on the committees of Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Retirement and Special Rules. As an immigrant and former recipient of public assistance, Lim understands the issues of equal opportunity and believes that factors like race, immigration, and socioeconomic or any other status should not hinder access to opportunities, including the right to health care.

Hawaii

Joy San Buenaventura, Hawaii State Senator, 2nd District

San Buenaventura first entered the political scene when she ran for a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives, District 4. She won the primary, and in the general election, defeated the Republican nominee. She assumed office in the House on January 2015. She ran for re-election a second and third time and won both times. She was the Majority Whip, chair of the House Human Services and Homelessness Committee, and Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. In May 2020, she ran for a seat in the Hawaii Senate and won. San Buenaventura was born in the Philippines. She received her B.S. in Mathematics from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and her Juris Doctorate from University of California, Hastings College of Law. Her experience includes working with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Henry Aquino, Hawaii State Representative, 38th District

Aquino earned his AAS from Honolulu Community College, his B.A. in Public Administration from the University of Hawaii-West Oahu, and his M.A. in Communication from Hawaii Pacific University. He is currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, which has policy and budgetary responsibilities over Hawaii’s state highways and freeways, harbors, and airports. He also serves on several House committees including Housing and Consumer Protection and Commerce. He worked as a Program Coordinator with the Waipahu Community Association and Catholic Charities Hawaii.

Ty Cullen, Hawaii State Representative, District 39

Cullen earned his B.A. in Sociology and Political Science and his master’s in Public Administration at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His work experience includes working as a program coordinator at Hale Kipa, Inc. a nonprofit that serves at-risk youth. He also volunteers as an HIV/AIDS prevention instructor, an assistant coach for youth baseball, and a tutor at St. Joseph’s School. He is currently the Chair of the Legislative Management Committee and Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. He is also a member of the Housing and Transportation Committees. Cullen has been a member of the Hawaii House of Representative since 2013.

Della Au Belatti, Hawaii State Representative, District 24

Belatti’s professional experience includes working as a research attorney with the Hawaii State Senate Research Majority Office from 2005-2006, and as a law clerk with the Honorable Simeon R. Acoba, Hawaii State Supreme Court and the Honorable Dexter D. Del Rosario, Hawaii First Circuit Court. She is a member of the following committees: Consumer Protection and Commerce; Legislative Management; Human Services and Homelessness; and Health. She graduated with an A.B. in History from Princeton University in 1996 and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law. She has been a member of the Hawaii House of Representative since January 2007.

Lorraine Inouye, Hawaii State Senate, District 4

Inouye was elected to the Hawaii County Council in 1984. In 1990, she ran in a special election to serve the remainder of the term of Bernard Akana, who died in office, as Mayor of Hawaii County. She defeated Stephen K. Yamashiro by 76 votes, becoming the first Filipino American woman to serve as the mayor of a U.S. County. She ran for re-election in 1992 but lost to Yamashiro. In 2012, Inouye ran for District 4 in the State Senate. She was defeated in the Democratic primary election by the incumbent. In March 2014, Inouye won the primary and the general election for the seat. Inouye graduated from Hilo High School. Prior to running for political office, Inouye worked as a hotelier. She is married to Vernon Inouye and is the president of Aloha Blooms, the family-owned anthurium farm.

Gil Keith-Agaran, Hawaii State Senate, District 5

Agaran was adopted and raised by his grandparents when he was three years old because his maternal grandfather wanted someone to carry on the Agaran name. His mother was an only child. They lived in Paia, Maui for most of his youth and later on in Kahului. He attended Yale College and the University of California, Berkeley. He is Vice Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee through which all major bills pass. He has also served as chairman of the Judiciary Committees in both the House and Senate. “I admire my grandfather and my dad—they came to Hawaii before airplanes made the journey a matter of hours rather than months on an open ocean. They came to Hawaii without first seeing the sand and surf on television or the internet. They came knowing only the people who disembarked on the ships with them. and at some point, Maui became home.” Agaran said in a Star Advertiser interview.

Donna Mercado Kim, Hawaii State Senate, District 14

Kim’s father is Korean while her mother is of Spanish, Filipino, and Portuguese heritage. She is a graduate of Farrington High School in Honolulu and Washington State University. From 1982 to 1984, she was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, and from 1986 to 2000 she served on the Honolulu City Council. She was elected to the Senate in 2000 and served as Vice President from 2003 to 2008 and again from 2011 to 2013. She became President of the Hawaii Senate in 2013 to 2015. After two unsuccessful campaigns for a congressional seat, she won a State Senate seat in 2000 and re-election on August 2020. She was assigned to the Education and Judiciary Committees.

Bennette Misalucha, Hawaii State Senate, District 16

Misalucha ran for the Hawaii State Senate and won in the special general election on November 3, 2020. Her professional experience includes working as an executive in banking, public policy, and marketing. At the time of her joining the state legislature, she owned a business strategy and communications organization that she first founded in 2008. Misalucha was previously the Vice President and Regional Director for Government and Community Relations for Actus Lend Lease and has also worked as a journalist in Hawaii (KHON Channel 2 News) and in the Philippines. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii-Manoa. She has received numerous awards such as: Woman of Distinction in Banking by the Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Award in Banking and Finance from United Filipino Community Council, and Woman of the year by the Filipino Women’s Civic Club.

Donovan Dela Cruz, Hawaii State Senate, District 22

Dela Cruz is Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and a Member on the Committee on Education. He also serves on boards or is a member of various organizations nationally and locally such as the National Council of Environmental Legislators, Leilehua Alumni and Community Association, and Leeward Community College Culinary Institute Board just to name a few. Prior to becoming senator, he also served on the Honolulu City Council for eight years, and was its Chair for three years, being the youngest chair in the history of the Council, at age 30. Dela Cruz is a graduate of Leilehua High School and the University of Oregon where he earned a B.A. in Journalism and Communication Studies, a master’s in Organization Leadership from Argosy University, and is studying for a doctorate in Architecture at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Greggor Ilagan, Hawaii House of Representatives, District 4

Ilagan won his seat after Joy San Buenaventura decided to run for a seat in the Hawaii Senate. He was born in a remote province in southern Philippines and came to Hawaii when he was seven years old, speaking very little English. He attended Waiakea High School and Hawaii Community College. He served in the Hawaii Air National Guard for two years and in the Ohio Air National Guard for four years. He has extensive experience in digital marketing. He is assigned to the Finance and Housing Committees. Ilagan wants to leave a legacy the next generation would be proud of. He remembers how he lived as a young child in the Philippines and does not take for granted how fortunate “we all are to be living in paradise.”

Sonny Ganaden, Hawaii House of Representatives, District 30

Prior to elected office, Representative Ganaden had been a lawyer, college instructor, journalist, youth mentor, and artist. As a lawyer, he was a staff attorney at the Domestic Violence Action Center, a court-appointed attorney with the District Court, and handled civil litigation for small businesses. He has taught in the American Studies and Ethnic Studies Departments at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, edited and written for local magazines, managed a youth program for young men and boys at the health care center Kokua Kalihi Valley, and supported contemporary art as an artist and community organizer. Ganaden earned a B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of California at Los Angeles in 2003 and a J.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2006.

Val Okimoto, Hawaii House of Representatives, District 38

Born in Lihue, Kauai, Okimoto graduated from Kauai High School magna cum laude, Brigham Young University – Hawaii cum laude with a degree in Accounting, and Chaminade University of Honolulu with a Special Education Teacher Certification. She spent 18 months in Cebu, Philippines for a church service mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She sits on the following Committees: Lower and Higher Education; Tourism and International Affairs; Transportation and Agriculture. She is president of the local Relief Society, one of the largest women’s organizations in the world, overseeing welfare matters of women and children.

Radiant Cordero, Honolulu City Council, District 7

Radiant Cordero is a second-generation Filipina American who grew up in the Kalihi Kai community in Honolulu. Her dad hails from Narvacan, Ilocos Sur and emigrated to Kahului, Maui at the age of eight. Her mom is Ilocana, Cebuana, Tagalog, and Chinese with roots in Baclaran, Parañaque, and Manila. At 24, her mom and aunt Alice opened a sari-sari (convenience) store on Kopke Street in Kalihi where they also started a graphic design business, producing cards and souvenir books for businesses and community, which led to the birth of the Fil-Am Courier, Hawaii’s longest running and leading Filipino publication. Cordero attended the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and American studies as well as a master’s in Public Administration. She is a former radio host for The Pilipinx Collective, KNDI Radio 1270 AM and former secretary of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. She volunteers with KaBATAan: Filipino for Kids Hawaii, and Hawaii Bicycling League.

Augie Tulba, Honolulu City Council, District 9

Tulba is a radio personality on KPHI, branded as "Shaka 96.7,” based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was also a successful radio personality on KDNN and on KQMQ-FM. He started his career in comedy in the 1990s but came to prominence in the 2000s. Augie was born in 1968 and is the second oldest of six children. He grew up in the Kamehameha IV Housing Project in Kalihi Valley, a working-class area in Honolulu. He became a champion boxer at age 16. In 1991, Tulba got his first taste of stand-up comedy, taking top honors during an open mic night at the old Honolulu Comedy Club. He developed his earliest material with help from local comedian Andy Bumatai, who taught him that it isn't always necessary to use profanity in order to get a laugh. In 2002, he was voted Comedian of the Year in Hawai'i by the Honolulu Star Bulletin and MidWeek. He is recognized as one of Hawai'i's Top 100 Influential Filipinos with an exhibit at the Bishop Museum. He was the recipient of the prestigious Pacific Business News "Forty Under 40" award. On March 2, 2019, Augie held his final public comedy show with Andy Bumatai and Frank Delima at the Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, ending his nearly three decades of comedic career. Tulba assumed office on January 2, 2021.

Illinois

Anjana Hansen, Judge of Cook County, Illinois

Hansen received her undergraduate degree from St. Norbert College in 1994 and her Juris Doctorate from the John Marshall Law School. She ran her own general practice and was an administrative hearing officer for the City of Evanston. She also held an aldermanic seat in the 9th Ward of Evanston from 2005 to 2009.

Minnesota

Nikki Villavicencio, Councilmember, City of Maplewood, Minnesota

Villavicencio is known around the Twin Cities as a disability advocate. She uses a wheelchair to get around, having been born with a rare congenital joint condition known as arthrogryposis. “When I was door-knocking, people would very bluntly ask me, 'Why would somebody like you want to run for office,'" she recalls. “I say to them 'If I can make the community accessible to me, and people like me, it's going to be more accessible for the moms with strollers, and the senior citizens who want to walk to the grocery store.'" In 2018, Villavicencio lost in the council race by five votes; but this time, she won by more than 700 votes. “Everybody has the right to be seated at the table of power," she says. "When we have more voices, we become more diverse and have better solutions at that table." She is the recipient of the Political Courage Award from the Women’s Candidate Development Coalition. Her husband, Colson, also is in a wheelchair, born with cerebral palsy, and runs a nonprofit for people with disabilities. In 2012, they became parents to a healthy baby girl, Alley. Her grandfather, Celso Villavicencio emigrated from the Philippines in the 1920s as a physician. However, his marriage to a white woman was illegal at the time. Despite this discrimination, her grandfather volunteered at church, schools, or anywhere else he was needed. “My grandfather is one of the main reasons I do a lot of what I do in the community,” Villavicencio says.

North Carolina

Maria Cervania, Wake County Commissioner, North Carolina

Born in Oakland and raised in Sunnyvale, California, Cervania graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a Biology and Physical Education degree. After graduation, she led a staff of 75 people at the local YMCA. She pursued a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Illinois in Chicago and served as president of the American Public Health Association Student Caucus and became a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Public Health. She moved to Austin, Texas looking for a “hometown feel” like what Sunnyvale used to be in the 1980s. She met her husband there, and together they moved to Wake County, North Carolina. Cervania is a trained epidemiologist and biostatistician with over 20 years experience in public health. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020, assumed office on December 7, 2020 and her term ends on December 5, 2022.

Utah

Sean Reyes, State Attorney General, Utah

Reyes’ father is an immigrant from the Philippines with Filipino and Spanish ancestry while his mother is of Native Hawaiian and Japanese descent. He was raised in Southern California, and is a cousin of former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay. He earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Brigham Young University and his law degree from University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He worked for 14 years at the law firm of Parsons, Behle & Latimer where he became the first person of color to become a partner. Reyes served as a state small claims court judge, and partner and co-founder of the venture capital firm, Accelerate Ventures. He ran for Attorney General of Utah against John Swallow in 2012 and lost. But a scandal forced Swallow to resign and Reyes was chosen to replace him. He won the election in 2014 to finish out Swallow’s term. Immediately after taking office, Reyes appealed a ruling that struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban. He is a longtime supporter of President Trump.

Virginia

Robert “Bobby” Scott, U.S. House of Representative, Virginia

Scott was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Newport News, Virginia. His father, Dr. Charles Waldo Scott, was an African American surgeon while his mother, Mae Hamlin, was an educator whose father was of Filipino descent. He is the first American of Filipino descent to serve as a voting member of Congress. He received his A.B. in government from Harvard College and his Juris Doctor from Boston College of Law. He started his political career at he Virginia House of Delegates in 1977, then the Senate of Virginia in 1982. He ran for Congress in 1986 but lost; ran again in 1992 and every two years thereafter and won each time. He has supported increases in minimum wage, elimination of anti-gay bias in the workplace, and voted against the Patriot Act and the Iraq war resolution under the Bush Administration.

The Magazine

Empowerment: Fil-Am Winners in the 2020 Elections