Compiled by Ruth Bayang
Northwest Asian Weekly
1. We now have two new State Senators of color — Joe Nguyen and Mona Das. Nguyen won the 34th District, becoming the state’s first Vietnamese American legislator and the district’s first person of color to hold that seat. Mona Das beat long time Senator Joe Fain in the 47th District race. Both are immigrants.
2. Steve Hirjak was named an assistant chief in the Seattle Police Department (SPD), the first assistant chief of Asian descent. The 25-year SPD veteran has consulted agencies across the country on issues of police use of force and addressed committees of the Washington State Legislature and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
3. Martin Pang was released from prison in late September. He was convicted of setting a fire in his parents’ Chinatown-International District warehouse in 1995. Pang was sentenced to 35 years in prison, but got out after serving only 20 years, reportedly due to “good behavior.”
4. A street sign was unveiled in August to honor the late Al Sugiyama. Al Sugiyama Way is at the intersection of South Nevada Street and 15th Avenue South, just a few blocks away from Sugiyama’s former home. The longtime community leader died in January 2017 after a long battle with cancer.
5. The King County Sheriff’s Office Use of Force Review Board found that the deputy who shot Tommy Le in June 207 was justified. Le’s family has filed a civil-rights lawsuit against King County Executive Dow Constantine and John Urquhart, the sheriff at the time of the shooting. A formal King County inquest of Le’s death is pending.
6. Phnom Penh Noodle House closed its doors for good on May 28, after over 30 years in business. Sam Ung, who escaped the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, opened the restaurant in Seattle’s International District in 1987. Ung’s daughters, Dawn and Darlene, came to the decision to close the business after a family emergency.
7. Every single elected official of Asian American descent in the state legislature voted for Senate Bill 6617. The bill would have kept years of state lawmakers’ past records — such as emails, text messages, and calendars — private, only subjecting email exchanges with lobbyists and calendars generated after July 1, 2018 to public scrutiny. Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed the bill.
8. Residents of The Firs Mobile Home Park in SeaTac had to relocate after a bill granting financial assistance fell short of a vote before the end of the state legislative session in March. The landowner, Jong Soo Park, wanted to redevelop to capitalize on the economic boom.
9. Various immigrant rights groups, including Asian Counseling and Referral Service — joined forces to oust the director of the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Pat Kohler resigned in April following revelations in January that the DOL was sharing residents’ personal information with immigration-enforcement authorities.
10. Marilyn Strickland was named the president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Strickland — whose mother is Korean and father is Black, was Tacoma’s first elected Black mayor. Prior to public service, she held management positions with the American Cancer Society, Starbucks Coffee Company, and JayRay Communications.