Kami, Minamitani, Yamauchi Are DTLA JACL, JWSSC’s Women of the Year
The Downtown Los Angeles JACL chapter and the Japanese Women’s Society of Southern California have announced their choices for 2026 Women of the Year honors: Kay Shizue Kami, Izumi Minamitani and Shigeko Yamauchi. The trio were chosen for their respective “service to the community, their dedication to advancing Japanese culture, their professional excellence and their unwavering strength and courage in the face of adversity.” The luncheon event will take place at 12:30 p.m. (check-in @ noon) on May 3 at the Quiet Cannon (rooms Crystal 2-4), 901 N. Via San Clemente in Montebello, Calif. For ticket availability and more information, call Amy Tambara (English/evenings) at (323) 722-3897, Rodney Nakada (English/Japanese/days) at (213) 628-1808 or Toshie Kawaguchi (Japanese) at (323) 434-3899.
Patsy Ishiyama Among 6 Presidio Trust Board Members Sacked by Trump
Along with fellow Presidio Trust board members Mark W. Buell, Charles M. Collins, Lenore Eccles, Bonnie LePard and Nicola Miner, Ishiyama was terminated April 8, more than a year after President Donald Trump inked an executive order (see tinyurl.com/muhbwy6m) targeting “ … unnecessary governmental entities and Federal Advisory Committees that should be terminated on grounds that they are unnecessary.” In a statement, the Trust said: “We anticipate that we will receive new board members and are awaiting information on the new appointments. We have a long history of wonderful leaders serving the Presidio, and we look forward to welcoming and working with the new members.” The executive order also targeted the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace. All six Presidio Trust board members had been appointed by President Joe Biden; Ishiyama, along with Collins, were tapped in 2024, and their terms were supposed to last through May 2027. She is vp of Ishiyama Corp., president of the Ishiyama Foundation and vice chair of the board of directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The San Francisco landmark is the site where the “I Am an American” exhibition (tinyurl.com/wuej5ydn) opened Feb. 20 and is slated to continue through July 31.
GFBNEC’s ‘Courage and Compassion’ Exhibition to Open May 9 in Florida
Coinciding with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, an exhibition titled “Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American World War II Experience” is slated to open May 9 at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Fla. Produced by Go For Broke National Education Center, “Courage and Compassion” tells the story of Japanese American service and sacrifice in World War II, with a local tie-in to the legacy of Boca Raton, Fla.’s historic Yamato colony, which was established in the early 1900s. Brothers Jun and Kenjiro Yoshida, who were born at Yamato Village in Boca Raton, both served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, some members of which trained at Florida’s Camp Blanding. The Morikami Museum is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach. “Courage and Compassion” runs through Aug. 30.
Japanese American National Museum’s Announces More Board Members
Joining JANM’s board of trustees is entrepreneur Gene Ochi. Tapped for membership to its board of governors are Michigan State University Museum Director Devon Akmon; Capital Group Compliance Director of Client Services Darin Y. Kita; and Los Angeles Community College District Chief Facilities Executive Dr. Leigh T. Sata. “Their expertise in business, entrepreneurship and arts and culture will strengthen JANM’s mission, reach and vision,” said William T. Fujioka, chair of JANM’s board of trustees.
Muratsuchi Joins Assemblymembers Bid to Limit Smartphones in Schools
Perhaps apropos of his goal to become California’s next superindendent of Public Instruction, termed-out Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D–Torrance), Assembly Education Committee chair, has joined a bipartisan group consisting of Josh Hoover (R–Folsom), Josh Lowenthal (D–Long Beach) and Buffy Wicks (D–Oakland) in introducing Assembly Bill 1644, which aims to impose a “bell-to-bell” limitation on the use of smartphones “ …throughout the school day, with appropriate exceptions” for the state’s TK-12 students. Muratsuchi, who represents the 66th Assembly District, authored AB 272 in 2019, which “ … authorized all school districts and charter schools to restrict student smartphone use during the school day.”
— P.C. Staff
