Pinoy power in California

CARSON, California – Once again it’s election season in the Southern California city that’s home to a sizeable Filipino community. However, there are only two Filipino candidates for city council positions; and oddly, enough they are not on the same team.

For the upcoming March 8th election in Carson, there are 11 candidates vying for two seats in the city council. One of them is Filipina registered nurse Lina Razon-Philipp.

"Carson has been to a lot of chaos and being a registered nurse for 30 years, and per statistics, the number one trusted professionals are nurses. So here I am, I want to bring integrity and honesty to the city right now," she said.

One of the four mayoral candidates for the city is Filipino certified public accountant and lawyer Cesar F. Crisostomo.

"The past few years, what’s happening in the city is that there’s a fiscal mismanagement. My experience is in accounting, auditing. I have 26 years of experience so I believe I could handle the fiscal mismanagement that’s happening right now," he said.

Recently, the Pilipino American Alliance (PAA), a Filipino-American political organization in Carson City, held a press conference to endorse Philipp’s candidacy. PAA president Rose Bonoan said it was PAA who groomed Philipp into a possible public servant and she was very proud to support her.

For 15 years now, Philipp has been running a childcare business in Carson. In addition to this, she has been active in the city’s community affairs. As planning commissioner, this health care professional has been tasked with overseeing a $100 million annual planning budget. She has also co-chaired the Carson Health Fair.

"Many people have asked me to put my energy and drive to work for Carson. I am humbled by your support, and will work hard to earn your trust as Carson’s next councilmember," Philipp wrote in a leaflet she gives out as part of her campaign materials.

But PAA is only supporting Philipp and not Crisostomo. During the press conference which was attended by PAA members and some community leaders, PAA officers and members also expressed their support for another city councilmember candidate – Harold Williams –- the United States Army veteran and civil engineer who was elected by almost 5,000 voters in November 2004 to a three-month term in the city council. Williams hopes to continue what he has started for the development of the city and is now running for reelection.

Also running for reelection is current Carson City Mayor Jim Dear and he got the endorsement of the PAA.

"Mayor Jim Dear is a very good friend of the Filipino community. He is very giving. In fact, whenever we have fundraising or anything that we need, he has always been very supportive, eager to help every one of us and I think it’s time now for us to give back our sense of gratitude for the good things he has done for us," said Bonoan.

"Well it’s a wonderful endorsement because the PAA is the premier political organization of the Filipino community in Carson. And when a candidate has a PAA endorsement that says a lot," replied Dear. He also added that he is very delighted to receive the PAA endorsement, especially since he’s also running against a Filipino.

Understandably, Crisostomo is not happy about the PAA endorsement of Dear.

"I don’t wanna say this but that pains me a lot. To me I can call it as misguided principle. We are in politics, I understand that. But you know, if you are truly Filipino. . . They have nothing against me. I am relatively new in this field so they don’t have any issues against me. Why they are supporting somebody else, you and I can decipher what that is about. But your guess is as good as mine," Crisostomo lamented.

But the PAA leaders said Crisostomo left them with no other choice.

"The Filipino mayor running came to me and we advised him not to do it this time because we don’t even know him. It was our first time to hear his name. It was our first time to see him. So we advised him not to run this time so PAA can support him next time and he did not listen to our advice," Bonoan explained.

Although he did not get the PAA endorsement, Crisostomo is nonetheless enjoying the support and endorsement of the only Filipino councilmember in the Carson City Council – Elito Santarina. Surprisingly, however, Santarina is only endorsing Crisostomo, not Philipp.

"Lito Santarina has been groomed by PAA. We have given all our support to him. But he has not done anything to the community and it’s unfortunate that he’s not endorsing a Filipino, the only Filipino candidate. He’s endorsing a Black and Japanese and you ask him why he’s doing that," Bonoan said.

Santarina is endorsing former Carson Mayor Mike Mitoma and former police officer Mike Gipson for the councilmembers.

"I believe that they have all the necessary preparations. They are very experienced and we are on the same page as far as my agenda are concerned," Santarina said. "It has not been my practice to put ethnic underpinnings in all my years of service in Carson City. Philipp and I have philosophical differences. Besides, she filed her candidacy awfully late. By then, I had already given my word to the two other candidates that I will endorse their respective candidacies."

During the press conference, Philipp admitted that she only made her decision to run for office on the last day of filing upon prodding of several organizations and individuals for her to represent the Filipino people in the coming election.

"So here I am, psychologically unprepared, physically unprepared, and I’m here just to serve the Filipino community," she said.

Both candidates stress that they are for the unity of Filipinos in Carson.

"I am here for you Filipinos, my fellow kababayans. And I think I’m here not to unite Filipinos, but we have to work as a team," Philipp said.

"Now as far as Lina Razon is concerned, she being a Filipina too. It’s so happened that we both have divergent views. But I believe that she’s working her way and I’m working my way. But I’m still all for the unity of the Filipinos," Crisostomo said.

According to the 2000 US Census, Carson is home to 19,000 Filipinos. This translates to a solid vote. But unless the Filipino candidates support each other and unite, the Filipino vote will only be divided.