Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

LOS ANGELES – That the second most powerful person in the state of California is a woman will probably surprise many.  Even more so that she is Filipino.

Acting California Lt Governor Mona F Pasquil  was only able to grant a mere five minutes to Asian Journal before addressing an audience at the 2010 Census center in Los Angeles.  But this powerful Pinoy lady was able to sum up what she felt of her appointment and her vision for "the great ethnic mosaic of California."

"I am honored," she said about her appointment as the first Asian, and the first Filipino-American Lieutenant Governor of California. She was named to the position after erstwhile Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi won a seat in the US Congress in a special election last year. Although many Californians are unaware of the achievements of this third generation Filipino-American, Pasquil had been in and out of the corridors of power in California and in Washington, DC for almost three decades. "It’s an honor when you are the first Filipina (to be appointed to the position). It is significant to my family; and they are so honored. I take it very seriously, and so with all the work that we do in the state," Pasquil added.

"This is my second round," she told Asian Journal. "I joined the Lieutenant Governor’s office in January 2009." Before that, she had worked with John Garamendi when he was a State Senator, and had a stint at the California Treasurer’s Office under Kathleen Brown. Her Sacramento experience also included working with State Senator David Roberti of Pasadena.

"I’ve been blessed to work for President Bill Clinton’s re-election, and then at the White House Office of Political Affairs, after Clinton’s re-election," Pasquil said. A life-long Democrat, Pasquil served as a member of the Democratic National Committee from 2003 until 2009. She has also served as a strategic consultant for IBM’s national, state and local government sales team, and vice president of MSHC Partners, Inc., according to the National Council of Asian American Business Council.

Pasquil is a third generation Filipino-American. Her paternal grandfather was a Philippine Scout, and her maternal grandparents belonged to the first wave of farm workers that settled in California. She was born and raised in Walnut Grove, in the Sacramento River Delta. "I have been doing this for about twenty-five years, so I am a public servant through and through," she said. "There are three social workers in my family, and I take it seriously working for the community," she said.

"My vision and my hope is to continue to empower young people and communities that represent that great ethnic mosaic of California; to be involved with the government and communities in all levels," she said.

She is a member of the 2010 Census committee, and the team members of that committee are fanning up and down the state to amplify the importance being counted in the 2010 census. "Think about what you and your family needs," she told a large group of journalists, community and local government officials. "I think about my senior parents who live with me. Are there hospitals nearby? Are there social programs? I think about my nieces and nephews; are there schools nearby? Are there programs for my cousins who are single moms? The bottom line is that we should ensure that we get an accurate count," Pasquil emphasized.

"Make sure that the great ethnic mosaic -- people who work day in and out -- will have all those resources," Pasquil said. "We are talking about billions of dollars of Federal funds. We need to inform our friends, our relatives, and our neighbors that the count is a safe process, and that information is not going to be shared; we need this count."

Her involvement in the census has a special significance. Thirty years ago, her mother worked as an enumerator, visiting neighborhoods in her community to get as many citizens to be counted. "She was a young mom with four kids at the time," Pasquil related. Not everyone was friendly and forthcoming, and one man posed a challenge. But her mother persisted, visiting the uncooperative man several times. "She got him!"

"You will make sure that we get an accurate count in the state of California," she admonished. "We will get billions of dollars and keep the representation that we need in Congress."

Is she in line for the position of governor in the event that Governor Schwarzenegger is incapacitated? "The California Constitution provides that once a constitutionally-elected official resigns, the chief of staff automatically takes over his position (in an acting capacity)," she said. Since she was appointed as acting Lieutenant Governor, she will not inherit the governorship. It will go to the State Senate Pro tem.

Pasquil is the daughter of a gifted jazz pianist and community volunteer who grew up listening to all-night jam sessions. She loves to sing and lives in the Sacramento River Delta with her senior parents and a dog named Manny. n

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( Publsihed February 6, 2010 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. A10 )