Mich. Congressman Clarifies Nagasaki Comment
Following his comments made at a March 25 townhall meeting in Dundee, Mich., Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) issued a statement to clarify news reports in which he invoked Japanese cities that were atom bombed during World War II with regard to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Responding to a question at the meeting about the U.S. spending money to construct a temporary floating pier from which to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, Walberg, 72, said, “We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid. It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick. The same should be in Ukraine. Defeat Putin quick.” In a statement issued by his office, Walberg said, “As a child who grew up in the Cold War Era, the last thing I’d advocate for would be the use of nuclear weapons.” Rather, he referenced the two Japanese cities to emphasize ending both conflicts as quickly as possible.
RFK Jr. Taps Shanahan as VP Running Mate
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced March 26 that Oakland, Calif.-born political neophyte Nicole Shanahan, 38, will be his vice-presidential running mate in his bid for the White House. Shanahan, whose mother emigrated to the U.S. from Guangzhou City, China, and whose father emigrated from Ireland, is an attorney and former spouse of Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin. So far, the only state in which Kennedy is on the ballot is Utah.
Jury Finds Former L.A. Deputy Mayor Chan Guilty
A jury in a federal corruption case on March 27 found former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, 67, guilty on 12 of 12 counts, including racketeering conspiracy and bribery. The focus of the case was on financial benefits from real estate developers. Chan was tapped by former Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as deputy mayor over economic development. Sentencing is scheduled for June 10.
UCLA Law School to Recognize Alumna Gee
When the UCLA School of Law bestows its Alumni of the Year Awards on May 2, it will present its Distinguished Alumni in Public Service to Judge Dolly Gee, a 1974 graduate of the law school. In 2009, President Obama nominated her to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; Gee was inducted in 2010 and became chief judge on March 31. The law school will also present its Distinguished Alumni in Professional Achievement to William Kahane.
Coach Yoshikawa Leads West Valley College to Championship
The No. 1-seeded West Valley College Vikings of Saratoga, Calif., defeated the second-seeded College of the Sequoias Giants 59-51 on March 17 at the California Community College Athletic Assn. men’s basketball championship game held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. The Vikings were undefeated in their season, finishing 33-0 and were led by head coach Danny Yoshikawa, a San Jose native who played for the Vikings before graduating from the University of California, Davis, with bachelor’s degrees in international relations and Japanese and earning a master’s degree in kinesiology from San Jose State University. Yoshikawa has won Coach of the Year honors on multiple occasions and also spent two seasons as a head coach in Japan’s professional basketball league.
LTSC’s Shimada Retires
After a 15-year stint at the Little Tokyo Service Center, Margaret Shimada retired at the end of March. She served as director of Service Programs. According to the LTSC, in that role she oversaw mental health programs, advocacy efforts, case management and domestic violence support, as well as helped to spearhead the creation of LTSC’s Homeless Services program, which is focused on outreach, direct services and housing navigation.
United Methodist Church Issues Statement on Nakagawa
The California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church issued a statement March 7 that it has begun a “formal complaint process” over the actions of Mark Nakagawa, a retired clergyman who also recently retired as a district superintendent. In the meantime, Nakagawa’s attorney has issued an apology on his behalf for drawing a graffito resembling a swastika on a Jewish neighbor’s groceries. Nakagawa, long active in Los Angeles-area Japanese American and UMC communities, was recorded on security video shot in the late evening of Dec. 5, 2023, using a marker to scrawl an image resembling a swastika, known in Japanese as a manji, on a box of seltzer water that had been among groceries delivered onto neighbor Leah Grossman’s doorstep of the condominium complex in which both she and Nakagawa reside. In video that was shared with TV news outlets in March, when Grossman, who was alerted by her video security system, confronts Nakagawa, he denies any involvement or knowledge about what had happened. Nakagawa later was reported as saying his intent was to teach Grossman that the symbol, which was inaccurately rendered, stood for love. In its statement, the UMC said it “does not condone any form of hate or discrimination.”
Terusaki New BCA National President
Steven Terusaki of Albany, Calif., was installed as the president of Buddhist Churches of America in late February. He is the founder and CEO of SEIDO Consulting.
Sacramento’s Nakaoka Earns Eagle Rank and Gold Award
Kianna Nakaoka, 17, recently earned the rank of Eagle as a member of Scouts BSA Troop 50G and the Gold Award as a member of Girl Scout Troop 569. Both troops are sponsored by the Buddhist Church of Sacramento. She is a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, where she co-founded its powerlifting club and has set several records in her division.
— P.C. Staff
