PH Consul General Calls On Bakersfield’s First Asian-American City Mayor
Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz briefs Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh of the plight of Filipino community in Bakersfield. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
LOS ANGELES 20 September 2019 — Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz called on the 26th Mayor of Bakersfield City, Karen Goh, on 29 August 2019 at the Bakersfield City Hall along Truxton Avenue.
The Republican Mayor is the first Asian-American to be elected to the post and only the second female to hold the office of mayor since the city began electing its Mayor in 1957.
During the meeting, Mayor Goh informed the Consul General that Bakersfield is the ninth largest and most populous city in California, and the most populous city in Kern County. According to the Mayor, most recent estimates puts the population count at over 386,000. Given the rate of population increase, Bakersfield could soon become the eighth largest city in the state.
The Consul General took the opportunity to highlight the fact that Filipinos are part of the Asian demographic that are seeing success both in local and national politics. He also mentioned that the Filipino-American community in Bakersfield is united and Filipinos are increasingly beginning to vote as a block.
The two discussed a number of bright prospects for cooperation in agriculture between educational institutions in the Philippines and Bakersfield, as well as the hiring of special education teachers from the Philippines to fill in the city’s need for professionals in said field.
Consul General Cruz presented the Mayor with a box of Malagos Chocolates, an award-winning Filipino brand of chocolates, as a token of appreciation.
Filipinos in Bakersfield number 8,193, comprising 2.2 percent of the city’s total population. Agriculture and petroleum-based industries are the main drivers of the city’s economic growth. END
Consul General Cruz (left) presents a box of Malagos Chocolates to Mayor Goh. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
Mayor Goh (center) with Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles Consul Rea Oreta (right) and Information Officer Mary Grace Leaño (left). (Los Angeles PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.