An Exclusive Interview With LA Mayor Karen Bass

by Prosy Dela Cruz | Feb 21, 2024 | Featured Stories, Journal Entries, People

Valuing the ‘community of our humanity’ for the common good: Mayor Bass’ courage, core beliefs, and loving wisdom

“The elder’s invisible productivity, of holding the field, a nonverbal transmission of energy and goodwill aids in our growth. [S/he] carries forward evolution’s higher intentions, stands beside us and blesses us as we struggle to grow beyond our current level of understanding into new light. [S/he] has a dispassionate vision to recognize the fully developed oak tree in our current acorn consciousness. By holding the field – by recognizing our inherent potential, by desiring the fullest expression of our unique gifts, and by empowering us to act through an infusion of loving wisdom – we receive a spark, comparable to a spiritual battery jump, that enables us to embrace our destiny and to move courageously into the future. -Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi, From Age-ing to Sage-ing,1997

I walked into LA City Hall greeted warmly by the front desk staffers and asked to wait after outgoing Police Chief Michael Moore announced his retirement from LAPD at a press conference.

Two plaques were displayed on top of the right-hand bookshelf.

One is the framed Los Angeles Business Journal’s Cover: “LA 500: The Most Influential People in Los Angeles with Mayor Karen Bass as LA’s New Power Player.”

Another is the framed plaque to the Office of Mayor Karen Bass who received the 2023 Rev. George F. Regas Courageous Peacemaker Award, from the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP). Its organizational theme is “Religious Communities Must Stop Blessing War and Violence.”

The award’s inscription reads: “From her first day in office in December 2022, Mayor Karen Bass has shown her commitment to ending the homelessness crisis in the City of Los Angeles, starting with declaring a state of emergency, and most recently allocating a large part of the city’s budget to the issue and going forward with the innovative ‘Inside Safe Initiative’ demonstrating how a city government can respond to a crisis with clarity, effectiveness, and compassion.”

Eduardo Soriano-Hewitt, a city hall staffer who has served four mayors in his professional city career of 20 years: Hahn, Villaraigosa, Garcetti, and now Bass, shared this insight.

Bass founded Community Coalition (CoCo) a non-profit that succeeded to empower community folks, the grandmothers, the parents, even high school students to use their voices to influence positive policy changes.

With its foundational growth assisted by USC for five years, the Center for NonProfit Management in developing the organizational capacities, and board members who became mentors to Bass, CoCo grew. It exists today to listen to more stories, to share them, and to empower residents to advocate for more reforms and policies. CoCo led a campaign to repurpose land use from businesses that fueled the addiction into positive community centers, more supermarkets that offer fresh produce, including laundry mats.

Sylvia Castillo, Bass’ former colleague at CoCo, described the organizational success: ”It is her character, her compass and staying true to that, she sits across from the table – you know who I am and you know who we are…I am only here because you all told me. You are the anchor in our people’s work.”

Historic campaign for mayor: Diversity is her oxygen

Homelessness became a jarring issue with folks on the streets, unhoused, their meager possessions contained in a train of shopping carts.

Groceries resorted to a “brake” technology preventing the carts from leaving their premises.

Tents were resorted to, resulting in encampments, expanding in reach beyond South LA, skid-row downtown, to Brentwood, Koreatown churches, vacant lots to be developed, the Valley, even near the Venice Canal and underneath freeway bridges.

Flyers insinuating homeless folks were garbage to be “swept up and cleaned up,” were mailed by Mayoral Candidate Rick Caruso into voters’ homes, promising to sweep up homelessness and increasing policing. I got that flyer.

His campaign criminalized the unhoused, poor not by choice, but nurtured by structured industry and government failures.

It was a historic campaign for mayor that Karen Bass won.

At the end of the primary, PBS SoCal reported: “Caruso ended up spending an average of $176 for every vote he received, Rep. Karen Bass, who netted more primary votes, spent an average of $11.79.”

Caruso had actually spent $110 million, a corrected amount I got from Mayor Bass, who had raised $9.7 million, a ratio of 8.9 to 1, while the primary saw a much higher spending ratio of 14:1.

If one considers Los Angeles’ diversity, “that LA residents speak over 224 languages,” as the U.S. Census reported, running for mayor might have been insurmountable.

550,000 LA City voters came out to give Karen Bass a 10% margin win, who mobilized a diverse grassroots campaign, while five billionaires supported Rick Caruso.

It was a movement campaign, which Jenny Punsalan Delwood, Bass’ deputy chief of staff described, prompted by the Mayor, to share her insights.

“At the heart of Mayor Bass’ campaign, in terms of her operating style and her genuine core belief in the power of the people, we are able to say, we are going to run a campaign that truly listens but also showcases the power, the beauty of, and the diversity of Los Angeles. When that‘s the core, people come and they show up, they bring their friends, they host pop-up canvasses in their homes, and house parties in their communities. Mayor Bass ran a campaign centered on the unity and diversity of Los Angeles,” Delwood shared.

It was not surprising to find many “Davids” in the ethnic communities who defeated the Goliaths billionaires’ infusion into the multimillion-dollar Caruso’s campaign. It communicated the power of the people, and as Bass said, “That became my oxygen. I enjoyed campaigning.”

She recalls a similar movement campaign when she ran for California’s 37th Assembly District in 2004.

Bass served in the state Assembly from 2004 to 2010, serving as Assembly speaker during her final term.

I thanked her for saving state jobs, including mine, as part of the State Department of Public Health, instead of resorting to the default cuts that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted, fearing recall from conservative constituents.

Fellow Republicans whom she worked with, recognized Bass as kind, patient, and respectful. She was the only woman in a Group of Five, as Assembly speaker, who was part of the difficult budget negotiations to resolve the state’s budget deficit. Some of the deficit cost-cutting measures were rest stop closures along major state highways, including the closure of California’s jewel park, Big Sur.

Years later, the state recognized that their deficit-compelling decisions cut into their income streams. They later sponsored renovations of rest stops, the use of developmentally disabled in maintenance, and initiated state parks improvements, increasing visitors.

Accountability and public trust: the currencies of her public service

I shared with Mayor Bass that she was a trustworthy congressional representative whose currencies were accountability and public trust, derived from regular conference calls, and in-person town hall meetings, as well as reporting back to her constituents on what she has done on their behalf.

As a representative for the 37th Congressional District serving from 2010 to 2021, she regularly held accountability meetings.

My neighbor and I attended, hungry for information that we could trust, particularly during the tenure of the 45th former U.S. president, whose media releases were lacking in facts.

The Washington Post catalogued “more than 22,000 false or misleading statements in nearly four years of [Donald Trump], including 189 on a single day in August, as published by the New York Times on Nov. 3, 2020.

One key conference call that I remember involved folks hearing the latest about the social security cuts, proposed by the former 45th U.S. president. He consistently infused national conversations with cuts to social security, creating unnecessary fears on seniors with limited incomes.

7,000 participated in that conference call.

In an aspirational tone, Mayor Bass asserted: ”I want to do that again. Before you know it, there will be another campaign. I don’t want to wait. I want to go to the people now; I want to do a one-year accountability report. I don’t want to be somebody who just shows up at the next campaign. I mentioned that a couple of times, and I want that scheduled.”

Two staffers were present during the hour-long interview with the Asian Journal, and her deputy chief of staff responded, “It will be done.”

It is at this point that I shared my intention behind this interview – for the Asian Journal and our Filipino American community to know the essence of Mayor Karen Bass, even before the next round of campaigns.

It is in this circle of accountability, with staffers listening in during the interview, being reminded of what the mayor wants done, while in the presence of the press, that I realized that her currencies of truth and accountability are really her daily habits, even her several decades-long code of ethics, and her code of responsibility.

“Our lives are about social change,” she said, looking to me. I nodded as for five decades now, it has been the life’s mission of my husband and mine to serve the people.

For disclosure, my husband, Enrique serves as one of the Human Relations Commissioners in LA City.

Annie Nepomuceno, president of the United Chambers of Commerce, member of the Fil-Am community, a business entrepreneur, and a musician, attested to the mayor’s accountability:

“I had the privilege of interviewing Mayor Bass at the 17th annual luncheon of the United Chambers of Commerce. 

360 folks came to the Skirball Museum. She spoke of the San Fernando Valley’s economic health at other events, but this time, on a one-on-one interview with me, discussing safe streets, building housing for all income levels, and increasing transit accessibility. 

Seeing firsthand how in demand she gets, that her presence is important to many, she has the most efficient staff that plans and manages her time down to the minute, so she may make the numerous appointments, daily. It seems that she masters conserving her energy when she is out of the public eye, as she seems on point and very present in the conversation. 

Her team has been reaching out to the United Chambers more than ever. From her Deputy Mayor for Economic Development to the Community Engagement team and many others in between, I can see the emphasis the Mayor has on what her constituents have to say. We value their efforts in fostering strong partnerships and appreciate their dedication to ensuring the economic vitality of Los Angeles.”

On homelessness affecting Filipino Americans

Rose Ibañez, member of LA City Mayor’s Transition Team following Bass’ victory, shared how she saw an encampment of unhoused Filipinos.

“After working for decades as a City of Los Angeles employee (currently retired) for the unsheltered community, it was heart-wrenching to be faced with an encampment with the largest number of Filipinos, 20 families, near a middle school. Not immune to this housing need to secure a job, we also saw additional cultural and language barriers they were faced with. With the support of many partners: Mayor’s office, City and County departments, social service agencies, and community volunteers working together, these unhoused Filipino families are now in transitional housing. We will continue to assist the most vulnerable and in need, as community volunteers,” said Ibañez.

Ibañez was describing her firsthand encounter of the encampment that was referred to us by Cecile Ochoa. Ibañez called Deputy Chief of Staff Delwood, who got Eduardo Soriano-Hewitt involved.

When Soriano-Hewitt made his visit, he was devastated to see how folks lived, and distraught that they were without a safety net, and without a job. He cried that evening and vowed to do more for them.

The city of LA delivered: 20 families got their temporary housing. Persistent calls of follow-up came from concerned Ibañez, a resident of Carson.

The Filipino Channel’s Steve Angeles documented the transition of this encampment of 20 families on television, broadcasted around the world in their news segment. Now in transitional housing, these folks can begin to look for a job, for without an address, they cannot even apply.

During the Mayor’s interview with Trevor Noah, she informed the listeners that these unhoused families will stay in transitional housing for 24 months until permanent housing can be secured. She identified structural barriers in the use of federal housing vouchers and she negotiated with HUD to remove the barriers that made no sense and to qualify these unhoused residents, primarily veterans whose military pension became a barrier to using federal housing vouchers.

By the end of Mayor Bass’ first year in office on Dec. 12, 2023, 21,000 folks had been moved to temporary housing, with 3,000 into permanent housing. During her campaign, she promised that 17,000 would be off the streets.

Around Thanksgiving 2023, a conversation topic amongst our family was the prevalent and pervasive encampments. We were concerned about the rains forecasted and how exposed they were to chilly winds and rains.

By Christmas 2023, these encampments had been vacated. The streets had been cleaned up, and the sidewalks became accessible public squares. It gave us all a chance to exhale.

Like Soriano-Hewitt, we are affected by suffering.

Like Mayor Bass who saw blood, guts, lost limbs and lost lives, firsthand as a physician assistant and then a nurse, she is not beyond feeling the pain and suffering.

Castillo recalls that they [Bass and Castillo] would be in a meeting and “we were somewhere and she turned to me – we have to do this. Our people are dying on the streets. The intensity of malformed inhumanity, that she is reminded of the slave ships. For her, it is not leadership, we are doing this. It is leadership based on her values and her deep love for the people. She’s clear on who she serves. We are here and our life’s purpose is that we are committed to each other to move forward…all of our work is an adjunct of that. She has the light and sees light in others. Ask the people who do know. That’s is her leadership style.”

“Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice,” Victor Frankl wrote in his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” in 1959.

We still find our city of LA in this state of suffering from those unhoused.

“His book is a meditation on the irreducible gift of one’s own counsel in the face of great suffering, as well as a reminder of the responsibility each of us owes in valuing the community of our humanity,” Patricia Williams said in praise of Frankl.

For us in LA, we are comforted by a new ethos, a new insider culture of caring, responsive, accountable, effective City Hall, from the Office of Mayor Karen Bass and its constituent departments, council districts, commissions and various departments.

We, the citizens, hope we can mirror the same care and concern for our neighbors and communities.

A paved alley, working street lights, trimmed trees, and well-maintained roads are all indicators that we all care for one another and we trust our city government works for its residents.

[COLUMN] Jennifer Punsalan Delwood: Journey To LA City Hall Marked By Grit, Glow And Grace

by Prosy Dela Cruz | Jan 6, 2024 | Featured Stories, Journal Entries, People

“I feel that she [Jennifer Punsalan Delwood] fully embodies the best of our people’s values and demonstrates that with her calm, thoughtful leadership style that enables her to be inclusive and to build movements.”- Former City of Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido, 2023

“Authentic leadership is a type of management style in which people act in a real, genuine, and sincere way that is true to who they are as individuals. Proponents of authentic leadership say this type of leader is best positioned to inspire trust, loyalty and strong performance from employees.” –TechTarget.com

with volunteers who were working with unhoused families. Photo courtesy of Rose Ibanez

When I asked to do an interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, it was the week marking her first year in office. She was doing the rounds of how the Inside Safe Program was taking root in Los Angeles, with 41,000 unhoused folks. She promised to house 17,000 folks by the end of that week, while 21,000 have been placed in temporary housing, some in permanent housing.

L.A. Magazine, Trevor Noah, LA Times, Evan Lovett, CALMatters, KTLA, NBC4, San Fernando Valley Business Journal, LA Business Journal, LA Magazine, ABC 7, NBC 4, KTLA, LA Daily News, Fox 11, Spectrum, and The New Yorker have interviewed her. My slot for that first week in December was rescheduled for 2024.

Though the Asian Journal was sharing communication space opportunities with the mainstream press outlets, LA City Hall’s staffers were gracious, staffers met me at the lobby, and ushered me to the office of Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer Punsalan Delwood.

After 45 minutes of interview, Delwood brought me to the conference room where seven Filipino American staffers at the LA City Hall’s Mayor’s Office joined her for photos. They are Jeminnie De Quiros (Accountant), Rodielyn S. Aguiluz (Accountant), Max Reyes (Senior Director of Economic Policy), and Dr. Janice Lumen Andrade (newly minted EDD, Community Engagement Manager) and Anthony Ancheta (Graphic Designer). That impressed me in how inclusive she is, sharing the space with her fellow kababayans, one of whom is my community-adopted nephew, Eduardo Soriano-Hewitt, whose deceased parents were our long-time friends. Eduardo is the Chief of Public Engagement Strategies, Mayor’s Office of Public Safety. Another Filipino, Ebony Cobb (Accountant), was covering a work assignment.

Jennifer “Jenny” Punsalan Delwood is the deputy chief of staff to LA Mayor Karen Bass. She oversees a portfolio of constituent services, public engagement, legislative and governmental strategy, international affairs, budget and innovation team, operations and scheduling. She served as the former Executive Vice President at the Liberty Hill organization providing oversight on programs, grant making and strategic planning. She served as chief deputy for children, youth and families for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was Bass’ legislative director, according to the LA City website and her Linkedin. She has done many tours of duty with Bass.

While describing her core duties, Delwood described her two other colleagues, Solomon Rivera and Celene Cordero, who are also deputy chiefs of staff.

Her self-described traits are curiosity from community learning sessions, listening and asking questions, learning, understanding the political landscape and leveraging her knowledge and understanding community organizations and shareholders.

She speaks of her solid relationship with her boss and role model, Mayor Bass, who puts a very high value on relationship building as a collaborator and former organizer.

“I try to emulate her by always acting from a place of value and integrity,” Delwood said.

Grit: Passion and perseverance towards social justice and equity

Angela Duckworth wrote a book on grit, wherein she studied the traits of over 67 geniuses. While their traits were varied, she synthesized what was common to all: passion and perseverance to a long-term goal, not deviating in attention, a persistence of motive, a degree of will, and perseverance to stay the course. In the face of obstacles, grit is acquired by overcoming the struggles, akin to climbing mountains, powered by experiences, and after ascending a summit, a confidence is gained to try something new.

One might surmise that Pulido’s assessment of Delwood’s leadership might be overly kind, yet when one considers her ascent to important organizational leadership roles, there is verifiable proof to Pulido’s evaluation. Every climb up the ladder has been climbing a growing tree, with branches of equity, justice and progressive inclusion and unity. I was struck by the sustained commitment of her professional choices.

That period of the 1980s to the early 1990s was marked by turmoil and vigorous student activism, Pulido asserted as UCLA student body president. Delwood became the university’s second Filipino American student body president, serving from 2005 to 2006.

“Previously, we saw the largest social upheaval, the Anti-Vietnam War movement, the Black Power movements, following that, a progressive student movement evolved from these social justice movements, as well as the farmworkers’ movement, the anti-martial law struggles against Philippine dictatorship of Marcos, Sr. to the 1980s fight against apartheid in South Africa and the defense of affirmative action.

“It saw the rise of Third World Coalition at UCLA, a coming together of students of color organizations. Each of these diverse organizations maintained their unique voices, as together we built a coalition that emerged stronger following the 1992 Los Angeles Rebellion/Riots. At the start of the unrest in Los Angeles on April 29, 1992, we called for a moratorium on campaigning during the student elections that were already underway, as other universities and schools throughout Los Angeles had suspended classes, while UCLA stayed open,” Pulido shared the context at UCLA.

He continued, “When the elections for student council resumed a week later, I was elected, the first Filipino American elected to that position. Further, the largest contingenet of Asian Americans ever was elected, 9 out of 13 seats available.”

He added, “Student Power was the name of our slate and our rallying slogan.”

“There was a new sense of urgency in that decades of the 1990s: from Mandela getting released, the fight for affirmative action, to 1986 when Marcos Sr. was ousted, the Black-Korean crisis in 1992, etc. UCLA’s student organizational politics became increasingly concerned about the politics of Pico-Union, South Central and Filipinotown. After the 1990s in the mid 2000’s, coalition began to facture and by 2005, Delwood and Samahang Pilipino reached out to [me], she helped revive and restore what was at risk of being lost, I believe because of her deferential and humble style,” Pulido asserted.

Delwood, who was pursuing her bachelor’s degree in international relations and sociology, jokingly said to me during an interview: “I majored in international relations and sociology, but I studied activism.”

Delwood credited Samahang Pilipino for “ground[ing] me to my identity and in the organization, I deeply explored my identity, including how to be in solidarity with people of color and queer student activists.”

Delwood ran with a slate of folks of color and queer students “to exert our student power within the system.”

“Our fight for diversity, outreach, and just retention policies included divestment of retirement investments from Sudan [who was at war], to protect these pension funds. Mark is a dear mentor, Glo and Mark are dear mentors of mine. Mark is a foundational student leader who built foundations for subsequent generations to build activism in student government, Samahang Pilipino has been part of that coalition, [grew] into a stronger form of being active in student government,” Delwood recalled her UCLA college days.

Delwood made a mark at UCLA in changing hostile academic policies of excluding folks of color in large numbers for admission, according to a history written by Pinoy Bruins. During the period when UCLA had a hostile anti-affirmative action policy, the university accepted only 99 Black students. Delwood learned to be an activist, participated in die-ins, rallies, marches, workshops in campus and inside the administrative offices. She credited a number of student of color organizations: “Mecha, Asian Pacific Coalition, African Student Council, whose friendships lasted my entire life.” They advocated for reforms, towards a more wholistic criteria to be applied and after, more students of color were admitted into UCLA.

“I wanted to engage the students. I was in campus from 2001 to 2006. I stood on the shoulders of students of color activists before me, like the Samahang Pilipino. I was part of PCN (Pilipino Cultural Night), I was dancing, stomping my feet, in a circle, when the beads of my necklace broke during the performance, we had to stomp on those beads, and it hurt as we danced,” Delwood recalled.

Grit: ‘It hurt as we stomped our feet on those beads

Typical of her deferential style, Delwood responded to my question about her life’s journey likening it to a growing tree with branches of equity, social justice, progressive inclusion and unity, as coming from the examples of her grandparents and parents, who taught her public service with integrity and passion.

The fruit does not fall far from the tree, as the saying goes.

Her grandpa, Lt. Col. Leon Flores Punsalan of San Simon, Pampanga, lived to 91 years. He retired after 31 years in the U.S. Army, having served in WWII. He was the talk of the town, a graduate of West Point’s Class of 1936, whose academy graduates included General William Westmoreland and General Creighton Abrams.

He was the only one from the Philippines, out of 500 who took the exams, to go to West Point in 1932, with only one slot allotted. His mother went around the province to solicit financial support, as they had no means to send him to the U.S. The provincial folks of Pampanga responded with generosity, despite their very limited resources. He endured racial insults and hazing, yet excelled in physics and engineering. “It was the depression, so I had to suffer,” as reported in The Virginian Pilot, entitled “The Untold Battle Leo Punsalan Faced Envy at Home, Bigotry Abroad.”

He also received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and got a patent for his rifle cartridge ejector invention.

Her grandma, Rosario Macrohon Punsalan, born in Zamboanga City, lived to 103 years and raised six children, 15 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. Her “legacy is compassion and grace. Grandma was there for all of their life’s milestones and day-to-day adventures in between,” Delwood wrote on her Facebook post.

Her mom is Frances Punsalan Wood, who taught at Val Verde Unified District, as an elementary school teacher. Her dad, Daniel Wood, worked as assistant superintendent. This photo was taken prior to her graduation at Harvard Kennedy School in May 2015, where Delwood earned a Master’s in Public Administration in the one year, mid-career program. She also continues to be involved in CORO fellows, a graduate of their leadership program.

Delwood paid homage to her ancestors, more than describing her own accomplishments. It was only after I raised more questions that she shared more of herself. I asked: “How did you manage to have your wedding, recalling three photos of an artsy image inside Renwick gallery, a photo in front of Culture House and two pairs of heels with ONLY sign, to become a community affair, mobilizing Metro DC?”

Glow of mutual love

With a huge smile, Delwood shared that then-Congresswoman Karen Bass officiated her wedding to Christine Delwood, which The Blade reported on. They had their first date four years prior, with a bike ride and later, attending Taste of DC food fest.

Inspired by that first date, they got married in a similar fashion, exchanging vows in front of family members and friends in attendance, with a reception at Taste of DC food fest. There, a special booth was prepared for them with a huge banner announcing their marriage, including getting up on a crane to get an overview of the entire food fest. That combination of intimacy and a broad overview must have solidified the ‘sense of purpose’ of their relationship.

They bought entrance tickets for their guests to the Taste of DC food fest, and they received a gift from the organizers, a giant Jenga game, which Delwood and Christine are fond of playing. Delwood simply sent an email to the organizers, a cold-call so to speak, and the organizers responded generously.

Their first dance was to their favorite, ‘Brown Eyed Girl, ‘ by Van Morrison, some lyrics excerpted here.

Hey, where did we go?

Days when the rains came

Down in the hollow

Playin’ a new game

Laughin’ and a-runnin’, hey, hey

Skippin’ and a-jumpin’

In the misty morning fog with

Our, our hearts a-thumping and you

My brown-eyed girl

And you, my brown-eyed girl

And whatever happened

To Tuesday and so slow?

Going down the old mine with a

Transistor radio

Standing in the sunlight laughing

Hiding ‘hind a rainbow’s wall

Slipping and sliding

All along the waterfall with you

My brown-eyed girl

You, my brown-eyed girl

Do you remember when we used to sing?

Grace of mentoring and working with others

Grace, coming from a Latin girl’s name, comes from the word, gratia, meaning generosity, respect, action, compassion for others and the spiritual energy that catalyzes change, also known as God’s favor or blessing.

To witness organizations transformed in one’s lifetime is grace. A more common definition is the unmerited favor of God toward man or man-made transformative actions towards the common good.

I asked Delwood if she has witnessed organizations transformed, or cultures changed, while in them. She referred to what Bass has done through the Inside Safe program, where out of 41,000 homeless, 17,000 she promised, 21,000 are housed, after her first year in office.

While at Liberty Hill Foundation, Delwood was the Executive Vice President for five years. From a base of private donors, led by Sarah Pillsbury, with a theme of Change, not Charity, the organization engaged tenants in seminars, workshops and allies, educating them on tenants’ rights, preventing homelessness, evictions, and staying housed. Before, the organization was dependent on private funding, and later, expanded to receiving public grants. It grew from 16 to now, 40 plus staffers.

“I have always viewed mentoring others as part of my civic duty, my passion, and it is nice to work with youth in public affairs program. I look to my foundational mentors like Mark and Gloria Pulido, who give back as well. Like CORO, it is an ideals project about what an organization should be, and something I enjoy,” Delwood explained the motivation behind her choices.

While working for the federal government, under Ralph Lopez, during the Obama administration, Delwood participated in full team retreats “where together, we were inspired to do more rapid rule making, focused on runaway youth, child welfare, domestic violence, and always, in a spirit of collaboration and teamwork.”

She formed her workstyle, by collaborating with Bass, who at one time, co-founded the National Foster Youth Institute, with her: “on the belief that organizing foster children, they can lead the changes for welfare reform affecting them and their families. It is how former foster youth are also part now of the oversight body,” she added.

Delwood described that she and her partner have also fostered children and shared a photo of a child on her desk, and above it, a framed kulintang (bronze gong) award from the National Federation of Filipino American Associations as an inspiring young leader. “From shadowing leaders, sitting in meetings, I learned to shift mindsets by working in communities,” she added.

Delwood shared that cultural change happens when everyone participates. She believes deeply that we have to be together, “to step in, to step up,” in order for things to be done. At this point, she informed me that Mayor Karen Bass, through the Inside Safe program, has now housed 21,000 folks.

It was a qualitative change that happened as Bass welcomed strategic advisors, their direct input and feedback, as “Mayor Bass is both visionary and chasing details on that vision,” she continued.

For self-care, she does hiking, camping, biking and “during my wedding, Christine and I rode a pedicab. A large part of my self-care is my relationship with my spouse.”

“Mayor Bass believes in family and a commitment to our personal life, making investments with our loved ones. She has a big picture, her vision, and we need to be able to execute on the little details, and not just talking. It is about getting people housed: of bringing together the city departments,” Delwood reflected on Bass’ leadership style,

“I am very fulfilled and love working with Mayor Bass, locking arms and the whole of government involved,” she added. “I am very grateful to be a small part of what is happening. I feel very fulfilled.”

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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 12 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the U.S., in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.