On Tuesday, we commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Japanese Garden and Tea House in Orange County’s Civic Center.

The garden is an expression of the resilience and vibrancy of the Orange County Japanese community, and I am proud that it is in the District that I serve.

Special thanks to the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles, the Honorable Akira Muto and his wife Misako Muto, WWII Veteran Don Miyada of the 442nd Infantry which was almost entirely Japanese-American, descendants of the members of Japanese American Community Services Inc., SELANOCO JACL, the Orange County Nikkei Coordinating Council, the Orange County Gardeners Assn., the OC Archives, and the City of Santa Ana.

Thank you to all Veterans who have served our country with courage and dedication. As a refugee forced to flee Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon, I am personally grateful for the sacrifices of our Armed Forces in the defense of our freedoms.

On November 10, the U.S. Marine Corps celebrated their 245th Birthday.

Thank you to all Marines, service members, and Veterans for your contributions to our great nation.

Last week, I was proud to support the dedication of the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center in Westminster.

The Justice Center is being renamed to honor the late Judge’s legacy of groundbreaking successes and to serve as recognition of the contributions of Asian Americans to Orange County and the United States.

Last week, the CalOptima Board appointed Richard Sanchez as the permanent CEO.

Richard’s 36 years of experience in health care, together with his strong leadership at the Orange County Health Care Agency as interim CEO for CalOptima through the difficult challenges of COVID-19 the past seven months, will allow him to be a strong leader in delivering a member-focused health care system centered on quality, increased access and equity.

CalOptima is sponsoring a scholarship essay contest for students pursuing careers in health care or social services.

Deadline:

11/13/20 @ 5pm

Submit via Email:

contest@caloptima.org

Submit via Mail:

CalOptima Attn: Scholarship Committee (505 City Parkway West, Orange, CA 92868)

Questions:

714-246-8729

Award:

$750 scholarship to the first-place essay by a high school senior

$750 scholarship to the first-place essay by an adult who is a future or current college student

Click here for more details.

Get ahead, build skills, and improve your future!

If you’re between the ages of 14 to 21, enroll in the OC Community Investment Division’s Youth Earn and Learn program to earn $13 an hour to take entrepreneurship classes that will help you turn your ideas into income.

Click here to apply.

Last weekend, my Senior Policy Advisor, Chris Gaarder, volunteered to help assemble hundreds of face coverings as part of Rotary OC Digital’s Project Face Shield.

These face shields will be deployed to frontline workers in Santa Ana and Anaheim. While face shields alone are not sufficient, when worn along with face masks, shields can help slow the spread of COVID-19 in high-risk environments.