Winter -Spring 2026 newsletter

Welcome to LACEAAA!

Hello, valued members:

LACEAAA is YOUR organization! Your Board Members have been busy preparing a number of seminars, luncheons and activities for you this year!

We hope to see you at some of our events.

LACEAAA was founded to ensure equal employment opportunities for Asians and other minority groups -Les Hamasaki, founding LACEAAA President 1972

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 24 - LA Foodbank
February 28 - Lunar New Year Lunch
February hike - to Hollywood Sign

It's the Year of the Horse!

Lunar new year is the Horse Year.

Recent Highlights

On January 24, several of us helped at the Los Angeles Food Bank (1734 E 41st, Los Angeles 90058) from 9am to 1pm and helped bag apples into red plastic mesh. Helping out was Betty Dong and her husband Frank and son Justin; Lou Quan and Sonia Padilla. We bagged about 4 pallets of green and red apples, contributing to the total 75,621 pounds of produce sorted! Afterward we enjoyed a hearty and delicious lunch at Farmers Boy restaurant. May we all enjoy good karma for the rest of the year!

Our picture rotated on the screen above us with each group. We were to remove any bad apples and bag eight apples per bag.

Lou Quan, Betty Dong, Sonia Padilla

Frank Dong, Betty Dong, Justin Dong

Betty and Lou bag humongous cabbages. Only one per bag.

Other helpers worked off the conveyors belt to sort carrots and potatoes.

Some of the other groups that helped were from UCLA, Don Bosco Highschool, the LA Wave girl soccer team; plus many more!

Susan Liem sworn in for LACERS Board on October 14, 2025

Susan Liem, one of our LACEAAA treasurers, was recently sworn in as the newest LACERS Commissioner.

Susan and Annie Chao are both LACERS and LACEAAA Board Members

Susan with colleagues from the Fire and Police Pension Fund

Susan with LACEAAA members

Other Announcements

Interest groups

We want to invite you to join others in participating in things you already love. If you love music, like playing an instrument, want to network, try new food, or hike then join like-minded LACEAAA members. Join others with shared interest and help encourage one another and make a friend!

Interest Groups Highlights

On November 8, the Foodie Group organized a group lunch at Sichuan Impression in Alhambra. Eight of us joined and enjoyed a delicious meal featuring Sichuan spicy dishes, including mini lamb skewers, tea smoked pork ribs, impressive cold noodle etc. The food was rich in flavor and perfectly complemented by great company. We had such a wonderful time and are looking forward to our next adventure. We already have a long list of restaurants to try!

LA Food Bank Volunteer on January 24, 2026

Please sign up to volunteer.

We will be packing produce from 9-1pm at 1734 E 41st, Los Angeles 90058

You also need to register with the LA Food Bank here.

Hike to Hollywood Sign in February

For those who are interested, please sign up for the Interest Group and choose Hiking.

We are choosing a date of possibly Feb 7 or Feb 9 or Feb 28

Reminder, EAA Union has negotiated 5 furlough days to save EAA positions from layoffs. Fewer days or none if targeted staff take the transfers. This is also the same agreement with the Coalition.

If the unpaid holidays go into effect, this is the schedule:

Monday, February 9, 2026 (the day after Super Bowl Sunday)
Friday March 27, 2026 (the day before the Cesar Chavez Holiday)
Monday April 6, 2026 (contained in a no deduction pay period)
Friday, May 22, 2026 (the day before Memorial Day Holiday)
Monday, June 22, 2026 (the day after Juneteenth Holiday)

Chinatown Tour on October 30, 2025

On October 30, City Planning had its annual Planning Day outing and one of the tour sites was the Union Station/Chinatown Tour that Betty Dong was one of the tour leaders. We hired Eugene Moy, President of the Chinese Historical Society along with other docents to give a tour of Chinatown. We started at the Chinese American Museum where we learned that there is a plan to build a monument to commemorate the 1871 Chinese Massacre where a white mob killed 19 Chinese men. On Spring St, we saw once vibrant businesses now boarded up due to the Red Car Properties, which is a development company that has been buying up properties in Chinatown, displacing businesses and rebuilding Office space. There was a theater that once showed movies and now is boarded up with plans to build office space and high end residence. The Chinatown Community Land Trust is trying to raise money to buy property in Chinatown to help low income residences remain there. Another challenge is the fight against the Dodgers Stadium Gondola, sponsored by Frank McCourt. It will cut 3 acres from the State Historic Park, virtually cutting it in half. This project was originally declined by CEQA, but has been restarted by Metro. The City Council is also opposed to it. Chinatown feels it will be invasive to have a permanent gondola overhead, and it will reduce business to Chinatown.

Eugene Moy (left) at the Boarded up bakery and movie theater (right)

The Long Family Pastry shop is one of the few family owned businesses still in place

Parking Lot 45 on Spring St is county owned land and approved for 100% low income housing

United Foods building is owned by the Chinatown Community Services and Development Corporation; various vendors rent space in here

Dynasty Center is a commercial building made of many separate shops. Red Car company has purchased this building and will be displacing the tenants once they are approved to build a new structure.

This shop is the original shack that started the Dynasty Center. The window on the right is a false window to give the impression of a continuous building

843 N Spring St is an office building opposite the Chinatown Station. This is a RedCar development project, which knocked down the original building called The Shop, displacing the tenants to move to the Dynasty Center. The company was already advised that office space is in a slump in downtown, but they went ahead to build this building, and never was able to lease it. It has been sold at a loss to a new company that is thinking of converting it into high end residential space.

Chinese Historical Society Celebrated 50 years

The Chinese Historical Society celebrated their 50th year on November 8 at the Golden Dragon restaurant. Many dignitaries were there including President of the Chinese Historical Society, Eugene Moy, Assembly person Mike Fong, Council person Traci Park and many others. There were books published by the Society about Chinatown by author Jenny Cho who was present to autograph the books. There was a silent auction and two memorable art works by Tyrus Wong. The art work once were on wooden panels that decorated a restaurant in Chinatown. The restaurant owner's daughter eventually outbid the other bidder, who is related to Tyrus Wong. Tyrus Wong is also known for Illustrating the Bambi movie. His daughter was present as well as the artist who restored the artwork. There were also lion dancers. LACEAAA members in attendance were Betty Dong, Lou Quan, Mei Ong and Mike Fong.