Hi Rebels!
Los Angeles is about to look a little different at City Hall.
For the first time in history, Asian Americans will hold all three citywide elected offices. Nithya Raman won the mayoral race and Marissa Roy was elected city attorney. They will be joining City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who is currently serving his second term.
Jensen Huang’s exit from Nvidia also caught our attention as new allegations emerge and Asian women express concerns about getting caught up in the backlash.
Plus, California billionaires spent hundreds of millions fighting a wealth tax, Grace Meng is renewing her push for a federal Diwali holiday and toxic haze is taking a deadly toll in Indonesia.
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Asian Americans sweep Los Angeles’ citywide offices
LA’s next mayor is Indian American, its new city attorney has Indian roots and its controller is Filipino American. Nithya Raman, Marissa Roy and Kenneth Mejia will soon make up the city’s entire slate of citywide elected officials. All three will start their terms Dec. 14 under the City Charter.
The nation is scheduled to certify the results by Nov. 27.
What else we’re tracking
Deepening scandals sink Nvidia’s Jensen Huang
While Jensen Huang’s 33-year run as Nvidia’s CEO has ended, the revelations haven’t stopped. Hours after his resignation, another alleged relationship involving a different company employee made headlines. This new development now adds to the controversy that already involves suspected Chinese espionage, a shareholder lawsuit and growing scrutiny from Congress.
The U.S.’ under-30 population is now majority-minority
For the first time in history, most Americans under 30 are racial or ethnic minorities, a new analysis of Census Bureau data has revealed. The share has reached 52.8%, partly driven by growth among Latino, Asian American and multiracial populations, with Hawaii and California showing some of the highest percentages.
Asian women fear becoming collateral damage in Jensen Huang scandal
Controversies surrounding former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are now affecting Asian women who have nothing to do with the allegations. Some female workers are concerned that jokes about Chinese spies and romantic relationships could make the workplace even more discriminatory for women. Meanwhile, the Asian American Journalists Association is calling out headlines that turn Asian surnames into punchlines.
California billionaires pour in $378 million to defeat proposed tax on their wealth
How much does it cost to fight a billionaire tax? In California, opponents and their allies spent more than $378 million across three ballot measure campaigns, including $102 million from Google’s Sergey Brin. Voters ended up rejecting the proposed 5% wealth tax.
Meng renews push for federal Diwali holiday amid growing anti-Indian hostility
Rep. Grace Meng is making another attempt to turn Diwali into a federal holiday after a racist disruption at a Seattle festival. Her bill has 20 co-sponsors and would make the Hindu festival of lights the nation’s 12th federal holiday. Previous versions never made it out of committee.
El-Sayed jabs Vance with reminder their wives are both Indian American
Abdul El-Sayed and JD Vance have been trading criticism for months. Now, the newly elected Michigan senator is bringing up something he and Vance have in common: they’re both married to daughters of Indian immigrants. He says that makes Vance’s comments about who gets to be American especially frustrating.
Young Kim’s six-year House run ended by fellow Republican
Korean American Rep. Young Kim has lost her congressional seat to fellow Republican Ken Calvert after redistricting forced the two incumbents into the same Southern California race. During the campaign, both candidates started trading accusations about loyalty to Trump and alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Indonesia’s toxic haze linked to over 5,200 deaths as families struggle to breathe
Thousands of deaths have been linked to Indonesia’s forest and peatland fires, while more than 425,000 respiratory illness cases were reported as choking smoke spread into Singapore and Malaysia. A new study found that human-caused climate change made the hot, dry conditions favorable to the fires about three times more likely.
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