California's Asian population grew by 25% in the past decade, becoming the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country's most populous state.
More than 6 million people of Asian descent live in the state.
In this week’s “In Focus SoCal,” host Tanya McRae kicks off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti launched an initiative called "AAPI LA" to amplify and address the needs and challenges of AAPI communities.
McRae meets the co-host of "Asian American Stories," a podcast under the initiative that is providing a platform to AAPI voices.
"I think it's important to tell, just for all sorts of reasons, just the immigrant stories that really drive all these various industries that are vital to Los Angeles," said Andy Wang, co-host of the podcast.
LA City Councilman John Lee joins the conversation and sits down with McRae to share about his family's immigrant story, the 1992 LA Riots and how the 12th district has changed over the years.
"CD12 has just become a true sort of melting pot, where so many cultures call home," said Lee. "It's gone through an amazing transformation, in that we now have a lot a lot more eclectic food choices than we had back then."
"In Focus" visits LA's Historic Filipinotown, where a new gateway arch was installed after two decades of planning. While Filipino Americans are one of the largest Asian American groups in California, they don't have the same level of visibility as some other Asian Americans.
Send us your thoughts to InFocusSoCal@charter.com and watch at 9 a.m. and noon Sundays.