A PROFILE OF THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY
IN HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN: SEARCH TO INVOLVE PILIPINO
AMERICANS
A Project
Presented to the
Faculty of
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Master
In
Urban and Regional Planning
By
Monica Paderanga
2020
SIGNATURE PAGE
PROJECT: A PROFILE OF THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN: SEARCH TO INVOLVE PILIPINO AMERICANS
AUTHOR: Monica Paderanga
DATE SUBMITTED: Spring 2020
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Dr. Alvaro Huerta ______Project Committee Chair Urban and Regional Planning
Dr. Annette Koh ______Urban and Regional Planning
Fidji Victoriano Director of Operations ______Search to Involve Pilipino Americans
ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gusto kong isulti salamat sa kong pamilya. Salamat kaayo kong mama ug papa, ug lola. Kung wala ang imonng suporta, dili unta ako makahuman sa pag-eskwela.
Genelle ug Megan, dapat kita mahibal-an kung unsaon pagsulti Cebuano aron mapadayon naton nga buhi ang atong kultura.
I also want to thank my committee cohort for helping me develop my project, and for motivating me throughout this past year. We might have been caught up in a pandemic, but our drive, energy, and passion for what we do and what we aim to accomplish will help see us through. Thank you to my friends as well for allowing me to share my project with them and for giving me the confidence at times when I needed it most.
To my client project committee: Dr. Huerta, Dr. Koh, and Fidji, thank you for being endlessly supportive inside and outside of the classroom. Thank you Fidji for taking me on board to work on this project. I am inspired by the work that you do and what the community has done to preserve and grow Historic Filipinotown. Dr. Huerta:
Thank you for your constant communication and encouragement. Your stories and lessons are invaluable. Dr. Koh: Despite only having spent one semester with you, you have dramatically changed the way I view planning and because of it, I feel passionately towards my work and hope that it will never falter. Thank you for challenging my own perceptions on planning, and for pushing me to go beyond.
Lastly, thank you to those who participated in this project. Your input and knowledge helped to make this project come to life.
iii
ABSTRACT
Ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles such as Little Tokyo and Chinatown have become sites for major redevelopment projects within the last decade due to its close proximity to the
Downtown core. These projects are often aimed at improving mobility and public transportation, however, they also serve as opportunities for unhindered growth that can dramatically transform the neighborhood’s physical and cultural landscape. Not too far west from Downtown LA is another ethnic enclave, Historic Filipinotown. Historic
Filipinotown, or HiFi for short, has been and is currently undergoing its own transformation caused by increased investment and attention to the area. This project examines HiFi’s small business community, particularly its more recent small businesses, and considers a community development framework that is rooted in Pilipino cultural values. This project provides an updated profile of HiFi’s small business community as well as a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis using sociodemographic data, business composition statistics, and interviews with small business owners and community members. Participant observations, personal archives, and interviews were also done to support a community development framework based on
SIPA’s practice of Pilipino indigenous values. Findings showed that HiFi’s rich cultural heritage as a main driving force behind the neighborhood’s expanding small business community and overall neighborhood growth. In addition, this was cited as a threat to the neighborhood in the form of rising commercial and residential rent. Most importantly, the interviews revealed a shared vision for what HiFi should be, a Pilipino cultural hub with a strong commercial presence that supports development without displacement.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SIGNATURE PAGE ...... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii
ABSTRACT ...... iv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...... 1
CLIENT: SEARCH TO INVOLVE PILIPINO AMERICANS ...... 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 4
CASE STUDIES: LOS ANGELES’ AND SAN FRANCISCO’S MANILATOWNS .. 4
ETHNIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP ...... 11
BACKGROUND OF HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN ...... 12
SIGNIFICANCE OF PROJECT ...... 15
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ...... 19
A. Participant Observations ...... 19
B. Personal Archives ...... 22
C. Interviews ...... 23
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS ...... 26
PART I: AN UPDATED PROFILE OF THE SMALL BUSINSS COMMUNITY .... 27
A. Context ...... 27
v
B. Profiling Historic Filipinotown’s Small Business Community ...... 28
C. SWOT Observations ...... 29
PART II: REIMAGINAING HIFI: A CULTURAL FRAMEWORK ...... 31
A. Unlocking Pilipino Flavors: A Historical Journey ...... 33
B. A Gustatory Exploration: Historic Fiipinotown’s Expanding Food Landscape .. 35
C. Reimagining HiFi: Kawanggawa, Damayan, Pagtutulongan ...... 39
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ...... 45
LIMITATIONS ...... 45
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS ...... 46
RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 51
REFEERENCES ...... 53
APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL MEMORANDUM ...... 58
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ...... 60
APPENDIX C: SWOT ANALYSIS ...... 62
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Cropped screenshot of City of LA’s Planning Commission map showing distribution of Pilipinos, 1940. Area circled in red is Bunker Hill, Downtown Los
Angeles. (Source: UCLA Library Special Collections) ...... 7
Figure 2: Survey map of South Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles, 1956. (Source: The
Huntington Library, Frederick W. Nelson Scrapbook Collection) ...... 9
Figure 3: Historic Filipinotown and its official borders ...... 13
Figure 4: Map showing Pilipinos make up the largest Asian population in HiFi. (Source:
Mapping the AAPI Community) ...... 28
Figure 5: Makeup of HiFi's Eating & Drinking Places ...... 29
Figure 6: Presentation Board at Sangkap event on the history of Pilipino food, as described by Doreen Fernandez ...... 34
Figure 7: HiFi's Expanding Food Landscape ...... 36
Figure 8: Philippine Indigenous Values Exemplified in HiFi ...... 41
Figure 9: Ellis Act Evictions in HiFi, 2001-2015. (Source: Coalition for Economic
Survival, Los Angeles) ...... 48
Figure 10: Ellis Act Evictions in HiFi, 2001-2020. (Source: Coalition for Economic
Survival, Los Angeles) ...... 49
Figure 11: Reimagining HiFi: A Cultural Framework ...... 52
vii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Historic Filipinotown has been of major interest to the Los Angeles Planning
Department and outside developers who identify the neighborhood to be desirable due to the influx of commercial and residential development in nearby Downtown LA, Silver
Lake, Echo Park, and Koreatown. The rapid rate at which new development has taken place has resulted in the displacement of longstanding small businesses and residents in ethnic enclaves such as Boyle Heights. In response to this accelerated growth, communities have organized to voice their concerns relating to issues like affordable housing and economic justice. With the case for Historic Filipinotown, the neighborhood has undergone a significant transformation since its formal cultural designation in 2002.
The designation itself has drawn in luxury offices, movie studios, and even a major film production company in recent years. Meanwhile, a Pan-Asian culinary movement is also in progress within the community. This is especially true for Pilipino/Pilipino-American owned small businesses like Genever, The Park’s Finest, and Hi-Fi Kitchen. Each of these establishments celebrates Filipino culture while also acknowledging the neighborhood’s unique history.
In the face of a renaissance of development, the Filipinos of Historic Filipinotown have become increasingly concerned about not only displacement but also the erasure of their community. Ever since its delegation, the Pilipino community has recognized that the neighborhood serves as a gathering space for Pilipinos near and far and has empowered them to mobilize to preserve and promote their visibility. This project aims to look at the current strengths and weaknesses as well as identify opportunities and threats to the Pilipino/Pilipino-American-owned small businesses in Historic
1 Filipinotown that will hopefully serve as a preliminary guide for future economic development that is inclusive to the neighborhood.
My objectives for this project will include answering the following questions:
• What are the current resources offered to existing small businesses in
Historic Filipinotown in terms of assistance on financial literacy, access to
capital, etc.?
• What is lacking in the current system that prevents growth and
improvement amongst small businesses, and what can be done to
improve?
• How can future economic development be driven in a sensible approach
that is appropriate to the needs and desires of Historic Filipinotown?
I will be interviewing Pilipino/Pilipino-American and other Pan-Asian small business owners within the neighborhood to help answer the questions indicated above. I will also be speaking with several residents to obtain an understanding as to how they feel towards the small business community and what they would like to see for the future.
Ultimately, I will be providing a SWOT report that will be used as an initial guide for my client’s small business assistance program.
2
CLIENT: SEARCH TO INVOLVE PILIPINO AMERICANS
As a community-based organization formed in 1972, Search to Involve Pilipino
Americans (SIPA) focuses on enhancing the quality of life for Historic Filipinotown and
Pilipino-Americans throughout Los Angeles County. They accomplish this by having established multiple programs centered on youth and family needs through in-home outreach counseling and after-school programs. SIPA later extended its services to improve the affordable housing situation in light of rising rents and has addressed this by constructing affordable housing units in various apartment buildings located around
Historic Filipinotown. In addition, SIPA has also created a small business assistance program to help entrepreneurs and existing small businesses in overcoming barriers to growth and success, especially those of low income and minority backgrounds.
As SIPA routinely assesses the concerns and needs of residents in Historic
Filipinotown, they have increasingly been attentive to the changing landscape of small businesses in the community. Fidji Victoriano, SIPA’s Director of Operations, has observed the transformation of the neighborhood throughout the past few years and indicates the growing number of minority-owned businesses of those in the restaurant and beverage sector. She has even been directly involved in helping some of those small businesses develop, like in the case of Genever, a bar and lounge establishment within walking distance of SIPA’s headquarters and is managed and owned by three Filipinas.
Fidji, as well as SIPA hope to see more Pilipino-owned businesses make Historic
Filipinotown their home so that Pilipino culture can continue to be celebrated by residents and outsiders alike.
3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
CASE STUDIES: LOS ANGELES’ AND SAN FRANCISCO’S MANILATOWNS
The Asian-American experience is embedded within the urban fabric; as seen throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco with the formations of Chinatown,
Japantowns, and Thai Town.1 These ethnic enclaves have been the site of ongoing activism that focuses on social justice issues relating to affordable housing, land use, and labor and community preservation. According to Liu and Geron, ethnic enclaves help to retain cultural norms, offer work in, and on occasion the option of owning an intra-ethnic business.2 Moreover, ethnic neighborhoods foster relationships amongst residents through cooperation in community, religious, and cultural organizations.
The creation of ethnic enclaves was first initiated by Chinese, Japanese, and
Pilipino immigrants before World War II.3 They came in large numbers to work in menial jobs for major industries like agriculture and transportation. These enclaves grew with time as indicated by the increasing number of ethnic-owned businesses and were located close to downtown commercial and financial centers.4 Post-World War II
America saw a boom in transportation infrastructure and in downtown areas, which were considered to be slums and heavily blighted. National and global corporations saw the opportunity to redevelop and with aid from city officials, urban renewal plans were established that “often targeted ethnic enclaves.”5 Such plans were made to cater to
1 Liu and Geron. “Changing Neighborhood: Ethnic Enclaves,” 18-35.
2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid.
4 tourists and lacked input from community residents, putting them at risk for displacement.
The erasure of ethnic communities contributes to the forgotten history of spaces and important moments in time such as the case with how Los Angeles’ origin story has been told. On September 4, 1781, El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles was founded by
44 pobladores (settlers) from New Spain, and composed of 11 families.6 However, historians report a 12th settler, Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, a 50-year-old Pilipino man from Manila. Upon his arrival, it was discovered that he was a skilled gunsmith and was sent to the Santa Barbara Presidio in 1783 where he lived for the remainder of his life.7
Today at the El Pueblo Historical Monument in Downtown Los Angeles, a plaque can be found that lists the 11 founding family’s names, having left off Rodriguez for reasons that remain unclear. In contrast, the Pilipino Americans of Los Angeles have fought for
Rodriguez’s remembrance to reclaim their place within the city’s genesis.8
Since Rodriguez’s time, immigration and discriminatory policies affected how
Pilipinos migrated to the U.S. From 1903 through 1948, the Pensionado Act passed by
Congress in 1903 allowed a select number of Pilipinos to study in the U.S. with the aid of funds.9 The program’s purpose was to educate Pilipino students, or pensionados, and have them return home afterwards to support the continuation of American occupation in the Philippines. Pensionados who studied in Los Angeles attended either Los Angeles
Junior College, University of Southern California, or the University of California, Los
6 Masters, Nathan. “Happy Birthday, Los Angeles.” 7 “ Original Settlers (Pobladores),” Los Angeles Almanac. 8 Ibid. 9 “SurveyLA,” 12.
5
Angeles.10 Some Pilipinos chose to remain in the U.S. after having completed their education while others traveled back to the Philippines where they advocated the pensionado program, thus promoting the migration of Pilipinos to the states.11
Apart from the Pensionado Act that enabled Pilipinos to continue their education in America, a large majority of the Pilipinos who migrated to the U.S. came to find work as agricultural laborers. The Immigration Act of 1924 provided them with many employment opportunities since Pilipinos were not included in the halting of Asian workers coming into the country.12 Pilipinos who arrived in Los Angeles took up work as janitors, dishwashers, bus drivers, and house servants. In the 1930s, many Pilipino men resided in Downtown within buildings that contained single room occupancy housing where soon after, a small cluster of Filipino-owned businesses and restaurants formed.13
At the time the area was referred to as Little Manila, and mainly occupied First and Los
Angeles Streets. Pilipino and other ethnically-owned businesses also operated as informal banks, social halls, employment centers, and gathering spaces.14 Los Angeles County soon had the largest population of Pilipinos living within its vicinity, surpassing San
Francisco.15
10 Ibid, 13. 11 Ibid, 13. 12 Ibid, 13. 13 Ibid, 17. 14 Ibid, 17. 15 Ibid, 17.
6
Figure 1: Cropped screenshot of City of LA’s Planning Commission map showing distribution of Pilipinos, 1940. Area circled in red is Bunker Hill, Downtown Los Angeles. (Source: UCLA Library Special Collections)16
America’s entry into World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor in
December 1941 prompted Pilipinos to serve but conscription laws barred them from doing so.17 Manila’s fall to Japan in the following month caused President Roosevelt to revise drafting policies to include Pilipinos where many Pilipino men fought alongside
American soldiers in the Pacific. Those who stayed filled in labor positions left behind by the Japanese who were ordered into internment camps for the majority of the war.18
16 “Distribution of Filipinos.”. 17 “SurveyLA,” 28. 18 Ibid, 30.
7
Pilipinos also had a strong role in keeping up with production in the defense industry.
They worked in aircraft manufacturing companies all throughout Los Angeles which included Lockheed, Douglas, and Boeing, while some worked in naval shipyards located in San Pedro and Wilmington.19 Following the war, the U.S. awarded the Philippines’ independence in 1946, after having occupied the country since 1898.20 Meanwhile,
Pilipinos residing in America were given eligibility to become U.S. citizens through the
Luce-Cellar Act.21 Large numbers of Filipina women came to the States as war brides resulting in major transformations of Pilipino communities and neighborhoods. Post-war opportunities welcomed in Pilipinos once again in the San Pedro area where they found work in fish canneries and defense companies.22
Despite the number of benefits that were offered to Pilipinos and Pilipinas in
America, they still faced exclusion from the then-majority White populous. The passage of the California Community Redevelopment Law in 1945 and 1949 gave local municipalities authority to areas of “urban blight.”23 In response, the Los Angeles City
Council formed the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in 1948. The agency conducted studies on “deteriorating” neighborhoods in which Bunker Hill was found to be one.24 This gave way to the Bunker Hill Urban Renewal Project, and by the mid-1950s the neighborhoods of Little Manila and Bunker Hill were eradicated to make room for large-scale redevelopment. The Temple-Figueroa district encountered the same fate to
19 Ibid, 30. 20 Ibid, 31. 21 Ibid, 31. 22 Ibid, 31. 23 Ibid, 35. 24 Ibid, 35.
8 allow construction for the 101 (Hollywood) and 110 (Harbor) Freeways where over 500
Filipinos and Mexicans were handed eviction notices dating back from as early as 1945.25
Figure 2: Survey map of South Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles, 1956. (Source: The Huntington Library, Frederick W. Nelson Scrapbook Collection) 26
25 Ibid, 36. 26 “Survey Map Of South Bunker Hill.”
9
This was also the case for San Francisco’s Manilatown and the South of Market
(SoMa) neighborhood during the 1960s. Pilipinos came to what was known as
“Manilatown” in the 1920s, then adjacent to Chinatown. It was here that Pilipino day laborers and service workers lived, worked, and gathered. The San Francisco
Redevelopment Agency in the 1950s decided to proceed with the neighborhood’s transformation in the wake of urban renewal projects. Encroaching development in
Manilatown culminated with eviction notices being sent to longtime Pilipino and other
Asian residents residing in International Hotel. In order to put a halt on the evictions, the community, as well as students from San Francisco State University, held demonstrations outside of the hotel in support of the tenants. On August 4, 1977, 3,000 people formed a human barricade surrounding the hotel but the remaining tenants were still forcibly removed.27
Not far from where Manialatown once stood, SoMa was also home to many
Filipino immigrants in the post-World War II era. When the first tech boom in the late
1990s arrived in SoMa it had pushed out Pilipino-owned small businesses and community arts organizations. This signaled an alarm to residents, thus leading them to address gentrification and displacement issues with the narrative of the Pilipino community as their core message in the fight to reclaim their neighborhood. In light of this movement, SoMa Pilipinas was born in 2016.28 The emergence of SoMa Pilipinas was out of an ongoing legacy of the displacement of Filipinos in San Francisco. Currently amid a second tech boom, SoMa Pilipinas has worked diligently to protect their
27 Sobredo, “The Battle for the International Hotel.” . 28 Yu, “ A Community Lost, a Movement Born.”.
10 community and preserve their culture. A monumental moment for the movement was
SoMa’s official cultural district designation as San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage
District. SoMa Pilipinas celebrates the spirit of Bayanihan: “the collective determination to honor and make history, build community, and move forward.”29 Building community through inclusive economic development is the main objective for SoMa Pilipinas. As an offshoot of the organization, Kultivate Labs operates to “create thriving commercial ecosystems by accelerating businesses that preserve culture and community.”30 Kultivate
Labs has a mixture of programs that range from hosting night markets to pop-up restaurants in SoMa. S.E.E.D (SoMa Economic and Entrepreneurial Development)
Business Accelerator and the Allied Merchant Program of SoMa Pilipinas operate on providing access to novice entrepreneurs the necessary tools for their business to succeed.
ETHNIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Ethnic entrepreneurship is described as “a set of connections and regular patterns of interaction among people sharing common national background or migration experiences.”31 Ethnic enterprise is based on three core elements: access to opportunities, characteristics pertaining to an ethnic group, and development strategies.32 A common theme that is recognized within this framework is that ethnic minorities are highly adaptive to the resources that are made available to them. Social ties and their relationship with influencing development strategies play a significant role in ethnic entrepreneurship. Similarly, “in-group ties” within ethnic groups administer support but
29 “Roots: Struggle, Survive, And Thrive.” 30 “Hello, We’re Kultivate Labs.” 31 Aldrich and Waldinger, "Ethnicity and entrepreneurship,”111-135. 32 Ibid.
11 also produce constraints for ethnic enterprises.33 By drawing on the social capital theory, it can be discussed that ethnic entrepreneurs largely rely on in-group ties in the initial stages of business development since these ties provide wide access to resources.
In the 1980s, Pilipinos who were living in Historic Filipinotown at the time recognized the forces in play in nearby Koreatown where signs were being erected to signal motorists that they were entering their community.34 Pilipinos realized that
Koreatown’s recognition was mostly initiated by a strong sense of Korean entrepreneurship in the neighborhood.35 In turn, this caused several Pilipinos to purchase strip malls throughout the Temple/Beverly area and opened up businesses and restaurants. However, these ventures were not as successful in comparison to those being made in Koreatown.36 This was largely due to a recession at the time, paired with individual financial difficulties.
BACKGROUND OF HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN
Historic Filipinotown was officially designated as a district on August 2, 2002, by its former council member and current Los Angeles mayor, Eric Garcetti; and is geographically overlapped by Echo Park and Silver Lake. Its designation was led by longtime Pilipino residents of the community who fought for its recognition for decades.
They worked together to “promote economic, civic, commercial, cultural, industrial, and educational interests and commonwealth of local residents, business owners, and other stakeholders.”37 Residents also advocated in highlighting the history of their
33 Assudani, "Ethnic entrepreneurship: The distinct role of ties,” 197-205. 34 Espiritu, "The rise and fall of the Filipino Town.” 35 Ibid. 36 Ibid. 37 “Historical FAQs,”
12 neighborhood due to it being one of the limited areas where Pilipinos could settle in the early 20th century. Over time, the demographics of the neighborhood transformed as in most cases of ethnic neighborhoods.38 Pilipinos once living in Historic Filipinotown have relocated to other Pilipino enclaves, which are sprawled throughout Southern California such as Eagle Rock, Artesia, West Covina, and Cerritos.39 Today, the neighborhood’s demographic composition is primarily Hispanic or Latino.
Figure 3: Historic Filipinotown and its official borders
As an ode to Historic Filipinotown’s early beginnings, cultural and historical landmarks were established to symbolize the presence of Pilipinos within the community.
Unidad Park was originally a community garden that was then converted into a park and
38 Ibid. 39 Ibid.
13 is now recognized as a meeting place for the community.40 The park features the nation’s largest Pilipino-American mural, Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Panama (Filipino-
Americans: A Glorious History, A Golden Legacy), and was painted by then 22-year old artist Eliseo Art Silva in 1995. The expansive mural depicts a 5,000 year-long history of
Pilipinos and Pilipino-Americans that include prominent figures like Pilipino nationalist
Jose Rizal and activist Larry Itliong. On Crown Hill is the Filipino Christian Church and is designated as a Los Angeles Historical Monument, the only historical-cultural monument in the city that has Pilipino origins. Lake Street Park is home to the Pilipino
American WWII Veterans Memorial and is the first monument dedicated to Pilipino veterans who served in World War II. Cheri Gaulke, the monument’s artist, used five large black granite monoliths in its construction with four of the monoliths recounting veterans’ war experiences and the fifth retelling their quest for benefits.41 One side of the memorial contains a powerful quote from a Bataan Death March survivor which reads,
“Bataan was not our last battlefield. We are still fighting for equity.”
Before Historic Filipinotown’s official designation, a number of organizations were formed to provide essential services to local residents. The Filipino American
Community of Los Angeles (FACLA) was originally established in 1945 and provided a gathering space for Pilipinos. Currently, it is still being used as a gathering space for cultural and social events, particularly among senior citizens.42 Other organizations like the Filipino American Services Group and the Pilipino Workers Center commit to
40 “Historic Filipinotown & “Filipino Americans: A Glorious History.” 41 “Filipino WWII Veterans Memorial.” 42 “Filipino American Community of Los Angeles.”
14 improving the livelihood of Pilipinos, Pilipino-Americans, and other minority groups within the community.
SIGNIFICANCE OF PROJECT
By definition, the Historic Filipinotown neighborhood is an “ethnoscape.” This term was coined by Arjun Appadurai in 1990 and described it as a “landscape of persons who constitute the shifting world in which we live: tourists, immigrants, refugees, exiles, guest workers, and other moving groups and individuals.”43 There are four major ethnoscapes within Los Angeles: Historic Filipinotown, Cambodia Town, Thai Town, and Little Saigon. These neighborhoods are presented in David Weberman’s book, Space
& Pluralism: Can Contemporary Cities Be Places of Tolerance?, as case studies looking at the cultural strengths at each community and its effects on the physical landscape (i.e. main street, mini-malls, strip malls, and enclosed malls). Of the four ethnoscapes,
Historic Filipinotown is identified to be the weakest and there are multiple reasons for this. One is that the Pilipino population is one of the oldest, largest, and most dispersed and assimilated Asian immigrant groups.44 Secondly, the spatial makeup of the neighborhood ranks poor in containing the “essential traits” of ethnoscapes.45 Weberman links commercial establishments as an important contributing factor for the identities of ethnoscapes. He refers to this as the “malling of ethnoscapes” and describes its different settings under four categories: the main street, mini-mall, strip mall, and enclosed mall. It is found that Historic Filipinotown consists of only a few strip malls, thus lacking a
“successful commercial ethnoscape” presence in comparison to Thai Town, Cambodia
43 Appadurai, "Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy," 295-310. 44 Weberman, “Negotiating Identity in the Diaspora,” 195. 45 Ibid, 194.
15
Town, and Little Saigon. Although it is seen here that the neighborhood seems to lack a strong commercial entity, I argue that its rich history and current efforts to retain and cultivate the contributions of Pilipinos then and now are visible.
Temple Street and Beverly Boulevard are the main thoroughfares of Historic
Filipinotown and is home to a number of Pilipino-owned and operated businesses.
Pilipino-owned neighborhood markets, dry cleaners, photo studios, insurance agencies, and barbershops were largely found lined up along these street corridors during the 1940s and 1950s.46 Jimmy’s Market at 1122 W. Temple Street, Morong Café (which later became Little Ongpin), and Travelers Café (now known as Tribal Café) served as a meeting place for residents.47 Prolific writer, Carlos Bulosan, was known to frequent
Travelers Café where he would spend most of his time working on poems, short stories, and plays describing the Pilipino-American experience during the 1930s through the early 1950s.48 Other notable Pilipino figures who settled in Historic Filipinotown during this period were Dr. Primitiva Demandante Asprin, bar owner Ray Buhen of Tiki-Ti, and lawyer G. Monty Manibog. Dr. Asprin was the first Pilipina physician to practice in Los
Angeles, while Manibog was one of the first Pilipinos to pass the California State Bar exam and opened a law practice in the Temple-Beverly area.
Currently, the neighborhood is gradually becoming a hub for culinary entrepreneurs amongst Pilipino and Asian-Americans. Food and culture website, Life &
Thyme, narrates this change by speaking with some of the newer small business owners, in which the majority of them are female and of Asian/Pacific Islander descent.49
46 “SurveyLA,” 37. 47 Ibid. 48 Ibid, 38. 49 Frederick, “Voices of An Evolving Neighborhood.”
16
Genever, a bar and lounge establishment, was the brainchild of three Pilipinas. Roselma,
Patricia, and Tinette chose the neighborhood to be the home for Genever upon hearing of the possibility that there would be a business development zone in place, allowing for more small businesses to come in.50 What was crucial to them though was having initial support from the community for their business. Achieving this was a challenging task and all three women decided to go door-to-door around the neighborhood to introduce themselves and explain their idea of having a bar that would essentially be serving the community. The women would also ask for letters of support from residents despite this not being a requirement by the district or the city. The lengths that were undertaken showed how they truly wanted to cultivate a community that was in approval of their business and their vision. Initially, residents questioned whether or not a bar/lounge was what the community needed and wondered what its impact will be on noise and parking.
It was through complete transparency by hosting open forums at SIPA’s headquarters that residents slowly felt more at ease. Since March 2018, Genever has provided Historic
Filipinotown a sort of gathering space for residents and offers Filipino-fused flavors like calamansi (citrus) and ampalaya (bitter melon) in its drinks.
As commercial development interest increases within Historic Filipinotown, community organizations like SIPA wish to see more local businesses reflecting the culture of the neighborhood and its heritage. Fidji Victoriano, SIPA’s Director of
Operations, currently does not have information from existing Pilipino and Pilipino-
American – owned businesses to better understand as to why they chose the neighborhood to be the site of their establishment, the challenges they faced in the
50 “Serving Cocktails and Culture in LA’s Historic Filipinotown.”
17 process of getting their business started, and what they would like to see in the future of small businesses in Historic Filipinotown. This client project will address the following questions:
• What are the challenges (i.e. financial, political, etc.) that new and longstanding
small business owners face?
• What recommendations (i.e. ways on strengthening relationships among small
business owners) can be made to aid small businesses in Historic Filipinotown?
• What can be done to attract economic development that is sensitive to the
community’s concerns and rich cultural history?
The findings gathered in this project are organized into two sections:
I. An Updated Profile of the Small Business Community
II. Reimagining HiFi: A Cultural Framework
The information presented in these sections will help to further the discussion as to how community development in the neighborhood can better reflect its rich history and culture. In addition, it will also yield insight into how Historic Filipinotown’s small business community can thrive in the face of change and growth occurring in the neighborhood.
18
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
For this project, I used several techniques that are established in the Grounded
Theory method. I analyzed data collected from participant observations, personal archives, and interviews to gain insight within the social, spatial, cultural, and economic contexts of Historic Filipinotown. In addition, this analysis will aim to identify the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the neighborhood’s small business community. The aforementioned data collection procedures were submitted and approved by the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Institutional Review
Board, and was assigned protocol number IRB 20-3 (Appendix A).
A. Participant Observations
As someone who identifies as Pilipina-American, I believe that it is
important to connect with community members and provide support towards
community efforts in protecting the character of Historic Filipinotown.
Popular events in the neighborhood and nearby areas include open mic nights
such as Sunday Jump and cultural celebrations that aim to educate and honor
the community’s heritage. Community organization meetings and workshops
that are made available to all were also some of the events that were chosen.
By participating in these events, I had the opportunity to build a firm social
network within the community.
I conducted participant observations throughout five events from
November 2019 to March 2020. I took field notes, photographs, and video
recordings during these events, thus the analysis that will be shown is based
upon my personal experiences and objective observations. The framework
19 used for this project is rooted in Burawoy’s Extended Case Method (ECM).
ECM presents a more “reflexive perspective” when performing research that is primarily rooted in ethnographic techniques. According to Burawoy, the researcher is able to move “with participants through their space and time” when exercising reflexive science in their study. By utilizing Burawoy’s
Extended Case Method in my participant observations, I can translate
“situational knowledge” from attending community events into “social processes” that help to further describe numerous relationships between community members and Historic Filipinotown’s small businesses; and their spatial connections with the neighborhood.
On November 30, 2019, I attended Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB) / Pro-
People Youth’s Solidarity Night held at SIPA. KmB is a community-based organization that “aims to raise the social consciousness of the next generation” and has done community organizing work in Historic
Filipinotown for the past 20 years. Their efforts have been dedicated to local issues such as standing in solidarity with the community’s Filipino World War
II veterans and advocating for Pilipinx studies within schools and universities.
The significance of hosting the Solidarity Night event on November 30 was that it is the birthdate of a Filipino national hero, Andres Bonifacio. In 1892, he was the founder of a secret society known as Katipunan, a group dedicated to not just overthrowing the Spanish that has colonized the Philippines for centuries but to also uniting Filipinos across the country’s many islands. KmB continues to honor Bonifacio’s legacy through their community work and by
20
also highlighting issues that are faced by Filipinos in the U.S. and abroad.
The second event I attended was held on February 29, 2020 at the El Pueblo
Historical Monument. The event titled, Sangkap51: An Exploration of the
Fusion of Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, and American Influences on Filipino
History, is described as a Filipino food history experience presented by four
prominent chefs in the Los Angeles area. A Historic Filipinotown native,
Johneric Concordia, was one of the chefs invited to speak and provide tastings
from his restaurant, The Park’s Finest. Another chef, Isa Fabro from
IsaMADE, is a Filipina with years of experience as a line cook in various LA
restaurants who later became critically acclaimed for her pastries. She also
made a showing and provided food at KmB’s Solidarity Night event a few
months prior. Sangkap also featured a presentation on Pilipino food history
that was led by Professor Susie Ling of Pasadena City College, art
installations, and cultural dance performances by the Malaya Filipino
American Dance Arts. The event was referred to as “the first of its kind” as it
was intended to celebrate and cultivate awareness on the Filipino food
movement taking place in Los Angeles.
The following two events, Heartspeak Open Mic and John DeCastro’s
DIY Papermaking Workshop were both hosted by Sunday Jump and were held
at Pilipinos Worker Center in Historic Filipinotown. Sunday Jump is a
Filipino-founded community open mic series that hosts open mic events every
first Sunday of the month. Their objective as an organization is to “facilitate a
51 Sangkap is the Pilipino term for “ingredient.”
21
safe space for marginalized voices to share stories and make genuine
connections through the arts.” Heartspeak took place on March 1, 2020, and
featured three musicians, one artist, and a local chef from a restaurant known
as HiFi Kitchen. This was the first open mic night of Sunday Jump’s 2020
season and their theme for the year was “With Love, Without Shame.” The
second Sunday Jump event highlighted local artist, John DeCastro, where he
conducted a workshop on DIY paper-making techniques. In addition to
hosting open mics, Sunday Jump presents workshops that are free to all. John
DeCastro is a visual artist and also teaches paper-making classes in nearby
Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock. The workshop consisted of a brief
presentation on modern and contemporary paper-making artists from Korea,
China, and the Philippines; as well as creating paper from blended scrap mail
and banana leaves for students to take home. These two events were
concentrated on bringing artists, locals, and ethnic entrepreneurs of all ages
together to commemorate Historic Filipinotown’s past, present, and future. At
the end of both events, Sunday Jump’s creators led a unity clap that originated
from the United Farmworker’s Movement of the 1960s referred to as “Isang
Bagsak.” In Tagalog this means “one down, onto the next” representing that
we and our allies all rise and fall together. The unity clap begins slowly and
gradually increases in speed and ends with the proclamation, “Isang Bagsak!”
B. Personal Archives
A second data set that was collected is personal archives inclusive of
photographs taken throughout my participant observations. Including images
22
within the current methodology allows the researcher to discover additional
meanings or dimensions to the already existing data.52 Since my
methodological techniques are rooted in the Grounded Theory method, the
framework used to analyze images is referred to as theoretical sampling. This
framework is used when visual data that is to be analyzed is considered to be
“auxiliary materials in the project in order to generate theories of actions and
interactions or other processes.”53 Theoretical sampling consists of three
steps:54
1. Collection of Images
2. Collection of Contexts (Inner and Outer)
3. Collection of Perspectives of Seeing the Events and Actions
I applied this framework to the sampling and analyzing procedures of my
visual data set.
The images date back to November 2019 and were organized using Google
Photos.
C. Interviews
Interviews were conducted with small business owners and community
members to help answer the following questions:
• What are the current resources offered to existing small businesses in
Historic Filipinotown in terms of assistance on financial literacy,
access to capital, etc.?
52 Glaw et al. “Visual Methodologies.” 53 Konecki, “Visual Grounded Theory,” 137. 54 Ibid, 150-151.
23
• What is lacking in the current system that prevents growth and
improvement amongst small businesses, and what can be done to
improve?
• How can future economic development be driven in a sensible
approach that is appropriate to the needs and desires of the
community?
In addition, the interview also covered the participant’s background information and their relationship to Historic Filipinotown. More importantly, these interviews provided deeper insight into the community’s small businesses as it relates to the neighborhood’s history, its present state, and its foreseeable future. All interview questions were open-ended so that participants can freely express their perspectives and opinions (Appendix B).
The participants involved in the project were divided into two groups: small business owners and community members. Sampling for small business owners and community members varied. Initially, 15 small business owners and 20 community members were selected to participate.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted contact efforts for both groups. The situation resulted in the final selection of five small business owners and five community members. For small business owners, the sample size was determined through SIPA’s list of businesses that they have assisted in the past as well as other known small businesses within Historic
Filipinotown. The sample size for community members was determined from following SIPA’s official Instagram account where they actively post about
24 upcoming community events. The same recruitment methods were used for both small business owners and community members in which selected participants were contacted via email.
Lastly, interview responses were transcribed and inputted into Microsoft
Excel. The analysis of interview responses included the coding of certain patterns that were then aggregated into themes, ideas, and potential conflict.
25
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS
This project aims to look at the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the small business community in Historic Filipinotown, which will hopefully serve as a preliminary guide for future economic development that is inclusive to the neighborhood. The following questions guide this analysis:
• What are the current resources offered to existing small businesses in Historic
Filipinotown?
• What is lacking in the current system that prevents or hinders growth amongst
small businesses, and what can be done for improvement?
• How can future economic development be driven in a sensible approach that is
appropriate to the needs and desires of Historic Filipinotown?
These questions are addressed in two parts:
I. An Updated Profile of the Small Business Community in Historic Filipinotown
II. Reimagining HiFi: A Cultural Framework
Part I responds to the first two questions stated above. A Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted to culminate Part I of my findings which were gathered through interviews with small business owners and community members. The final research question is answered in Part II by discussing in- depth the reclaiming of HiFi culturally and spatially through the culinary endeavors of a younger generation of Pilipino and Pilipino-American entrepreneurs.
26 PART I: AN UPDATED PROFILE OF THE SMALL BUSINSS COMMUNITY
A. Context
In order to better understand Historic Filipinotown’s existing small business
community, context of the neighborhood is provided in this section. According to
2013-2015 American Community Survey Data, Los Angeles has the largest Filipino
population in the United States with 495,000 living in the region, followed by San
Francisco and New York.55 As presented by Dennis Arguelles of SIPA, Historic
Filipinotown has an estimated population of 25,000 in which 60% are Latino and
25% are Pilipino/Pilipino-American.56 However, Pilipinos make up the largest Asian
population in the area which consists of several census tracts with some overlapping
in other neighborhoods of Westlake and Echo Park.57 The average income of Historic
Filipinotown residents is about $45, 576 annually.58 This is shown to be lower than
LA’s median household income of $64,251.59 In addition, majority of those living in
the neighborhood have less than a high school diploma whereas the educational
attainment of the city shows that most have received a Bachelor’s degree. Lastly, the
neighborhood contains households mainly occupied by renters. Average rent in
Historic Filipinotown is $1,218, which is below LA’s gross rent at $1,390.60
55 “Top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas.” 56 Pastor, “In L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown.” 57 “Asian-American Community.” 58 U.S. Census Bureau, “2014-2018 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile.” 59 Ibid. 60 Ibid.
27
Figure 4: Map showing Pilipinos make up the largest Asian population in HiFi. (Source: Mapping the AAPI Community)61
B. Profiling Historic Filipinotown’s Small Business Community
This section is centered on summarizing Historic Filipinotown’s small business
community with a focus on eating and drinking places. A reason for this is that the
neighborhood’s food industry has grown and gained significant attention in recent
years. Eating and drink business points were identified and taken from Simply
Analytics, a GIS tool that depicts recent data on businesses amongst different
geography types. Census tracts that make up the neighborhood were used to
determine these business points. The chart below shows that most eating/drinking
places in the area are Filipino, followed by Mexican/Latin and Asian/Pan-Asian
61 “Asian-American Community.”
28 establishments. The results show that it is reflective of the neighborhood’s population demographics.
A Profile of Eating & Drinking Places in Historic Filipinotown
5% 2% Filipino 7% 24% Asian Fusion/Pan-Asian Mexican/Latin 7% Italian American Chain Restaurants 12% Bakery/Baked Goods Cafés 15% Bars 3% Nightclubs 3% 22%
Figure 5: Makeup of HiFi's Eating & Drinking Places
C. SWOT Observations
The SWOT observations were collected from in-person interviews with selected small business owners and community members, as well as responses compiled from a content analysis of a written set of past interviews with other small business owners in Historic Filipinotown. These observations along with the preceding sections are intended for further discussion and implementation of strategic goals for SIPA to help improve and grow economic development in the community, with a focus on its small businesses and its relationship to the neighborhood. More specifically, the small businesses chosen for this SWOT analysis consist of eating and drinking places due to the sector’s growth in recent years and its impact on the neighborhood’s physical landscape. The SWOT observations are highlighted below and summarized in a matrix (Appendix C).
29
Strengths
The primary strengths that were found on Historic Filipinotown were that: (1) the area has a rich cultural history that dates back to the 1920s when Filipinos first came in large numbers to Los Angeles and has attracted a new generation of Filipinos who wish to be a part of the community, and (2) the small business owners in the neighborhood are well-connected with one another, while some have personal ties with the community.
One respondent noted that a majority of the small business owners have an email thread in which they communicate monthly. The area’s more affordable rent was also mentioned as a strength.
Weaknesses
The primary weaknesses identified were: (1) a lack of easily noticeable community markers, (2) a lack of sanitation services and graffiti, and (3) a shortage of outside customers and visitors coming into the neighborhood compared to other LA ethnic enclaves like Little Tokyo and Koreatown. When asked about the second weakness, one respondent voiced “I think there are some parts of this neighborhood which are still rough around the edges and are making it hard for business owners to embrace it. For me, I think that’s what makes the neighborhood unique—although I do wish some parts were cleaned up a bit more.”
Opportunities
The primary opportunities were recognized as: (1) showcasing Historic
Filipinotown’s history in a more visible and interactive way and (2) allowing for more permanent art installations, such as murals that portray Philippine/Filipino-American history. As for the first opportunity noted, a respondent suggested on “…having a history
30 boards showing major historical moments at busy intersections, or establishing a museum containing an exhibit on the history of the area.” Another respondent, a small business owner, recommended providing every small business a summarized fact sheet of how
Historic Filipinotown came about—“anything like that to help us tell the story to people who are new to the neighborhood.”
The opportunities presented above were suggestions made by respondents who want to bring more visibility to the community, especially to outsiders. These suggestions focused on improving urban design in the area such as adding vibrant and eye-catching art installations in the form of murals and similar urban art concepts that reflect the community’s history and diversity. It emphasizes the priceless value of knowing a community’s past and its role in shaping the community’s future. The effects of beautifying ethnic neighborhoods through art are often met with praise and criticism, nonetheless, it is an instrumental tool for minority and community-based artists to proclaim space in the city.
Threats
The primary threats identified were that: (1) the increasing popularity of the neighborhood and (2) the rising rent in the area. Both weaknesses are intricately linked since one is usually the result of the other. According to one respondent, a small business owner, the growing popularity of the neighborhood is what will attract more ethnic entrepreneurs to the neighborhood. However, in another interview that they previously did with the LA Times they expressed that “People love our culture and our space. But in that process, they lose it. The neighborhood just becomes something they can brag about.
We’re the decorative backdrop for your selfie.” This contradiction suggests a common
31 theme amongst “up-and-coming” neighborhoods in which that popularity often comes as a double-edged sword.62
Historic Filipinotown’s growing restaurant scene is a clear example of investment and cultural reimplacement within the neighborhood. It has helped to increase visibility of the HiFi community by putting Pilipino cuisine in the spotlight. However, the expansion of small businesses in the area has also attracted the interests of real estate developers and the film and entertainment industry. It is unclear whether their presence has raised residential and commercial rent in the area and so it is important to implement a process that will examine their impacts (i.e. social impact assessment process) on the neighborhood. This process should also apply to new businesses as well. In addition, small businesses that have closed down in recent years due to high commercial rents should be recorded by community organizations that work closely with the small business owners. This information can help form comprehensive recommendations as to how
HiFi’s existing small businesses can thrive without having to be priced out of the community.
The subsequent section examines how Historic Filipinotown’s small business community, particularly its restaurant industry, has expanded in a cautious and courteous manner, as well as explain what could be in store for its future through perspectives gathered from in-person interviews and a content analysis of prior interviews with small business owners and community members.
PART II: REIMAGINAING HIFI: A CULTURAL FRAMEWORK
“Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinangalingan, ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.”
62 Shyong, “As Historic Filipinotown gentrifies.”
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He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his
destination. – José Rizal
A. Unlocking Pilipino Flavors: A Historical Journey
Pilipino food in Los Angeles’ culinary landscape was largely underrepresented for a long time and was most sought after by Pilipinos and Pilipino-Americans. In recent years, however, traction has been building behind the Pilipino food movement throughout the city. Led by second and third-generation Pilipino and Pilipina-American chefs and entrepreneurs, they aim to strengthen the foothold of Philippine cuisine in not just Los
Angeles but also in America. Their ambitious endeavors are not simply inspired by being able to cook the dishes that they love, but also stems from their childhood experiences and passion towards creating understanding and appreciation for Pilipino food fare that has long been misunderstood and disregarded.
Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, the late Pilipina writer, cultural historian, and food critic, was one of the first who championed the movement. A relatively unknown figure to Americans of Pilipino descent, her name and work have gained recent recognition for changing people’s perceptions of Philippine cuisine. She explored food from the bottom- up, a process and skill that involved giving yourself to what was before you in the moment and then following each bite on a journey to its extensive past which informed
Fernandez of its regional origins. Noting the fact that the Philippines faced centuries of colonization from Spain and later the United States, Fernandez argued that we should not focus on searching indigenous cuisines but rather the indigenization of it.
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Figure 6: Presentation Board at Sangkap event on the history of Pilipino food, as described by Doreen Fernandez
When asked the question, “What are some indigenous Filipino foods?” Sangkap panelists answered as a whole that in order to understand the cuisine, you must understand the land. “[Take] for example, [the] Illocos region. It was hard to get to [for geographic reasons] and so their cuisine was their own. Their food is known to be hearty and filling,” cites Johneric of The Park’s Finest. Charles Olalia, the chef of Ma’am Sir in
Silver Lake, also shares this notion in both theory and in practice. In an interview with
The New York Times, he cites that Fernandez’s “research showed that Pilipino food was more than a motley of imposed external influences.”63 Ingredients and techniques from
63 Mishan, “She Was Filipino’s Food Greatest Champion.”
34 other cultures weren’t simply borrowed, but adapted and “indigenized” as she put it, “to please the local palate.”64 Today, Olalia serves traditional Philippine dishes like sisig and lechon at Ma’am Sir, but he finds that what makes his food unique is that he incorporates different flavor profiles from different culinary styles which have produced some of his popular dishes such as the “longganisa burger,” a burger containing the Philippine- sausage equivalent to the Spanish chorizo. This culinary effect also seems to be taking hold amongst the new chefs based in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles’ next food hub for Filipino cuisine.
B. A Gustatory Exploration: Historic Fiipinotown’s Expanding Food Landscape
Historic Filipinotown’s evolving food landscape can be viewed as a celebration of its past, an ode to its future, or both. As mentioned previously, Pilipino food was mainly consumed by homesick Pilipino immigrants and their children. Attracting a broader audience was a challenge and also a threat to tradition. Recognizing these barriers, budding Pilipino chefs in Los Angeles began to experiment with the recipes that they learned from their elders. Other chefs fused their Pilipino roots into the foods that they grew up with while living in the city. The Park’s Finest is an example of the latter, in which they describe their food as “American cuts of BBQ with a Filipino flavor.”
Established in 2009, The Park’s Finest invoked a desire to give back to the community in the form of providing a welcoming restaurant space and serving locally-inspired dishes with Filipino flavors. One dish, named “Mama Leah’s Coconut Beef,” is a beef stew cooked with coconut cream, vinegar, chili, and fish sauce, which are widely used Pilipino ingredients. Now a neighborhood staple, Johneric Concordia of The Park’s Finest paved
64 Ibid.
35 the way for other Pilipino chefs to not just make a name for themselves but also for
Philippine cuisine within Los Angeles, with keeping the focus on serving the community in mind.
The Pilipino restaurant scene in Los Angeles during the late 2010s saw a period of growth. Chinatown, Downtown, and Silver Lake welcomed spots like Sari Sari Store in
Grand Central Market, Ma’am Sir, and LASA. Its creators were pushing Philippine cuisine to the forefront of Angeleno’s palates. I argue though that what was lacking in the scene was the ability for people to connect their gustatory experiences to that of the community that they were in.
Figure 7: HiFi's Expanding Food Landscape
2018 for Historic Filipinotown was an important year for the neighborhood. HiFi
Kitchen and Genever opened their doors to the public and since then, they have gained a following not just from locals but also by food critics and foodies alike. Reasons for why these establishments chose Historic Filipinotown vary, but they all echo the same
36 sentiment: community. As a longtime resident of the neighborhood, Justin Foronda of
HiFi Kitchen wanted to bring more visibility to the community by doing something that was meaningful. Justin is a nurse with a creative soul who has a passion for cooking and was involved in dance groups and community-based organizations. His deep appreciation for the community and his heritage encouraged him to start HiFi Kitchen. His rice bowls appear to be traditional in name, but he takes a modern approach by applying non- traditional flavors and ingredients.
Over at Genever, they follow a similar approach with their cocktail beverages.
Using 24 different kinds of gin, they integrate pandan, calamansi, bitter melon, pantusa, and tapioca flavors into their drinks. Influenced by the women who ran their own speakeasies during the Prohibition Era, the three Pilipina women behind Genever reflected heavily on their Filipina identity and their connection to the neighborhood. They wanted Genever to be a place where they could celebrate their Filipina roots while also being a neighborhood bar at the same time. Upon learning that Genever’s current space was once leased to SIPA as their headquarters during the 1970s, the three women felt that it was an opportunity for them to invest in the neighborhood that had played a big part in their youth. They were once volunteers at the community-based organization and so having those ties helped to solidify their vision of opening a bar in Historic Filipinotown.
In addition, they hoped that their presence would help to bring in other like-minded small businesses into the area. A little over a year later in 2019, Genever welcomed in two more neighbors, Porridge + Puffs and Woon.
Taking notice of the potential brewing in Historic Filipinotown, Chef Minh Phan of Porridge + Puffs decided that the neighborhood would be the perfect home for her new
37
Asian porridge restaurant. Phan felt a connection to the area and its small business owners when she was scouting for potential spaces for Porridge + Puffs in Chinatown and Mt. Washington. Recognizing that her fellow small business owners were a young generation of Asian-Americans like herself and that changes were coming to Historic
Filipinotown, Phan saw the opportunity to be a part of the neighborhood’s growth. More importantly, she hoped that the changes would encourage other Asian-American entrepreneurs to conduct their business and build community in Historic Filipinotown.
Keegan Fong of Woon, which had opened earlier in the year, observed how the area was growing and noted that it was developing in a way that its adjacent neighbors,
Echo Park and Silver Lake, had not. Fong stated that he wished for the neighborhood to be more of a “destination location” with the prospect of creating community. His notion of “creating community” mirrored that of Phan’s hopes of doing just the same. Fong did not want to render Woon as “just some new hip restaurant” in Historic Filipinotown. He truly wanted to embrace and connect with the community. What is normally seen as obstacles for most small business owners, Fong acknowledges its rough history and appreciates the fact that the neighborhood is gradually transforming while also still retaining its heritage. When he is not busy in the kitchen cooking homestyle Shanghai noodle dishes, he is involved with other Asian-American local small business owners:
Porridge + Puffs, Genever, Doubting Thomas (café), Valerie Confections, The Park’s
Finest, and HiFi Kitchen. When asked about particular social ties within the neighborhood, Fong mentions Johneric from The Park’s Finest as the “biggest social tie within this community.” His influence has been largely felt amongst the current small business owners and residents of Historic Filipinotown. “He keeps us in check to remind
38 us where he came from and what makes this neighborhood what it is,” says Fong. “At the same time, he doesn’t ever look down on us for evolving the neighborhood, he encourages it.”
Change appears to be unstoppable in Historic Filipinotown, and with change comes a snowball effect of displacement and dispossession. The heavily gentrified neighborhoods of Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Highland Park have all come under scrutiny for its rapid development that has left its longtime residents and small business owners have forgotten in important conversations as to how the community should flourish. On the contrary, Historic Filipinotown’s small business owners share a common goal in which they each want to play role in reclaiming HiFi spatially, culturally, and economically. It is clear that they are not against change as long as it is done thoughtfully, but how can that exactly be done when there is no framework or guideline that will help inform the decision-making process? The next section discusses a narrative approach that aims to assist in creating action plans which will provide an inclusive future for Historic Filipinotown.
C. Reimagining HiFi: Kawanggawa, Damayan, Pagtutulongan
“Imagine a vibrant HiFi where Filipino-American professional, business, student, and
community groups and organizations bring their small meet-ups and big events. Imagine
a daring, disparate band of Filipino-American and Philippine-based investors,
entrepreneurs, and visionaries bringing their act to HiFi, buying land, erecting homes,
housing, commercial and cultural centers—physically building the Filipino community
39
before our HiFi gets completely gobbled up by competing market forces and unfettered
American capitalism.”—Imagine HiFi Movement65
The excerpt above originates from a group of residents, artists, activists, and small business owners of Historic Filipinotown who work together in order to make their reimagining of HiFi real and are known as Barangay HiFi. Their efforts are aimed at making HiFi a cultural and commercial hub for the Pilipino community, while also being accessible and visible to people from all walks of life. I chose to start the final section of my findings with this passage because it exemplifies the lifeblood of the neighborhood.
Historic Filipinotown’s small business community, a group of young generation Asian-
Americans who want to play a role within HiFi’s narrative, has expanded in such a way that it has caught the attention of curious individuals who either wish to capitalize on its growth or see to it that it continues to evolve according to the community’s desires. When a neighborhood such as Historic Filipintown with its rich cultural history, “affordable” rent, and proximity to Downtown Los Angeles, is gaining the sort of attention from press and media outlets who refer to it as an “up-and-coming neighborhood” or name it as one of the top five “coolest neighborhoods in the world,” it becomes difficult to understand the heart of a community when the focus is centered on its façade. For a community to grow, we must tend to its heart, and in this case, it consists of the community’s multi- faceted voices. The following sections highlight those voices by organizing them into three categories based on SIPA’s core values which in turn stem from Filipino indigenous values: Kawanggawa, Damayan, and Pagtutulongan.
Kawanggawa
65 “Imagine HiFi.”
40
Having conducted and written my project during a health and economic crisis brought upon by COVID-19, I have witnessed numerous generous acts being done by the small business owners and community members of Historic Filipiontown. Kawangawa is the Filipino term for “shared humanity” or “charity.” Awa refers to “compassion” while gawa refers to “action.” Other related translations include “a kind act” or a “deed of mercy.” Examples of kawangawa within Historic Fiipinotown are illustrated here, thus indicating the significance of serving the community.
Figure 8: Philippine Indigenous Values Exemplified in HiFi
1) The Park’s Finest’s Feed the Frontliners Project was an idea that started soon after the mandatory state closure of non-essential businesses. Staff at The Park’s Finest wanted to recognize healthcare professionals and other pandemic frontliners for their service instead of opening their business for take-out and curbside pick-up orders only. A
41
GoFundMe page was created to support the project and the goal was to raise $50,000. A few weeks later they have now raised $36, 692, which is $13, 308 shy of their target.
However, The Park’s Finest could not have carried on with the project if it were not for the community members and other supporters. Johneric and staff show patrons where their money is exactly going by frequently posting on their Instagram photos of them delivering food directly to local hospitals and fire stations.
2) HiFi Kitchen’s HiFi Hospitality began not long after the “Safer-At-Home” order was enacted in California by Governor Newsom. Following in the footsteps of The Park’s
Finest, HiFi Kitchen came to the call to show support for local healthcare providers. The project has been funded by staff who have donated their tips as well as other contributors who wish to donate. One contributor was the team behind This Filipino American Life podcast, a podcast series discusses the “nuanced experiences of Filipinos in the United
States.” Local open mic organization, Sunday Jump, also donated to the cause.
3) Genever’s efforts to support their staff and other bartenders who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 include giving their supporters discounts to their gift cards in which a portion of the funds go directly to their staff, or to a certain organization of
Genever’s choosing. The first organization chosen was a non-profit known as Women’s
Foundation California. Currently, Genver has been promoting more often about another non-profit called Art Beyond the Glass, an arts-based organization that highlights bartending artistry. Genever has stated that with each customer purchasing a gift card through their online store, they will allocate some of those funds to the Art Beyond the
Glass COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Damayan
42
Damayan is the Pilipino term meaning “to help each other.” Damayan is integral to Historic Filipinotown in the sense that the community has evolved in the way that it has due to community members and small business owners ongoingly supporting one another. I mentioned previously in the SWOT analysis portion that one of HiFi’s strengths is the robust amount of social support that its people provide for each other.
When Keegan Fong first opened Woon SIPA employees John and Lyle came into the restaurant to give a friendly welcome to the neighborhood. “Since then, they have kept us in the loop and brought groups to share our story,” Fong says of their relationship.
Similarly, Justin of HiFi Kitchen emphasizes the social resources that exist thanks to
SIPA “…who have been accommodating, [and] keeping them in mind by connecting
[them] to [other] local small businesses.” Lastly, what best exemplifies damayan is
Sunday Jump’s unity clap that they refer to as “Isang Bagsak,” or “one down, onto the next.” Two of Sunday Jump’s creators, Steph and Eddy of spoken word duo WriteSteady, also have a piece of the same name. In this piece, the spirit of isang bagsak and damayan are intertwined. WriteSteady describes a timeline of Philippine/Philippine-American history and ends with the remark that we still have ways to go in gaining social justice as an ethnic group that has long been misinterpreted and disregarded in history. Isang bagsak is a call for the next generation of social justice activists to organize, and damayan is their mission to support each other and advocate for the oppressed.
Pagtutulongang
The act of pagtutulongan is persistent in Historic Filipinotown. The Filipino term for “collaboration,” pagtutulongan manifests itself in a variety of ways. In some instances, they are more discreet, like with SIPA’s display of John DeCastro’s artwork
43 for their monthly showcase that was curated by Eddy of WriteSteady. DeCastro is a promising Filipino-American artist who creates to express art through community versus the gallery system. He was formerly preparing for his next show titled, “Young, Brown,
& Gifted” but it has since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic has placed certain plans and events on hold, some people have taken this time to their advantage. HiFi Kitchen posts regularly onto their Instagram page of new dishes that they wish to test out. One dish, the “chicken afritada pizza” was a creation they used to collaborate with Genever as part of their “Cocktails To Go” menu.
Another example of pagtutulongan is Public Matters’ cross-cultural audio walking tour dubbed, “The Chicharrón Chronicles.” The project yielded a rich narrative of Historic Filipinotown told by community voices of Pilipinx and Latinx descent. A two- year undertaking, the project came about through Public Matters’ collaboration with
Pilipino’s Worker Center as part of the “Hidden HiFi” series. Their work towards the series has spanned over a decade with more projects in line for the future which encapsulates the final words said in WriteSteady’s Isang Bagsak, “we have so much more to do.”
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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
Historic Filipinotown is a dynamic neighborhood with a profound past and has no shortage of cultural heritage. Despite the area now being majority Hispanic, the manongs
(male elder), lolos (grandfather), and lolas (grandmother) still reside in the area who often reminisce of what used to be but is excited for HiFi’s future. As much as the community’s designation is a recognition of its past, Historic Filipinotown in its current state hopes to grow and mobilize to become a central hub for Pilipinos and Pilipino-
Americans of a new generation that celebrates its roots, small businesses, arts community, community-based organizations, and their social justice allies. Community- based organizations such as SIPA is seen as an integral entity within the neighborhood through their contributions to affordable housing, small businesses, youth programs, and mental health services. SIPA has come to notice the evolving landscape of Historic
Filipinotown and while change is inevitable, they intend to be a part of its narrative.
LIMITATIONS
This project centers on Asian-American small businesses within Historic
Filipinotown, with a focus on Pilipino/Pilipino-American owned establishments.
Although the objective of this project is to help HiFi’s small business community flourish, my research did not delve into the other ethnic-owned small businesses in the area, particularly those owned by Hispanics since they are the majority racial demographic. Additional time and effort should be used to interact with this group as well as other minority and White-owned businesses in order to capture a more comprehensive picture of Historic Filipinotown’s small business community.
45
A second limitation is that of the COVID-19 pandemic that began during the early fieldwork process of my project. The pandemic has enforced social distancing measures, closure of non-essential businesses, travel limitations, and stay-at-home orders to put a halt on the spread of COVID-19. These preventative actions led me to alter my data collecting methods since I could no longer conduct in-person interviews. It has also impacted my communication with small business owners since the onset of the pandemic has caused many small businesses to undergo drastic changes that have financially impacted them. In turn, some of my interviews with small business owners have been supplemented by prior interviews that they have done with various local media personnel.
Since this project mainly focused on newer small businesses in HiFi, it only explored the perspectives of younger small business owners. In addition, the majority of the community members that were interviewed also skewed more to a younger population. HiFi is home to older and notable small businesses with restaurants like
Bahay Kubo and Tribal Café, which have remained in the neighborhood for decades.
Future research should look towards involving longstanding small businesses and community members to better understand their connections to the neighborhood as well as the challenges that they face. This can also potentially help older small businesses to pivot in the midst of a difficult economic period, such as that brought upon by the
COVID-19 2020 pandemic.
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
Historic Filipinotown’s expanding small business community, particularly its dining sector, has attracted interest not just from curious outsiders but also from real estate developers and entrepreneurs. Tucked below Echo Park and Silver Lake, HiFi has
46 experienced encroaching development from its northern neighbors that have already undergone their own transformation from being violent-ridden and economically depressed neighborhoods into brunch and nightlife hotspots. A majority of changes in
HiFi can be seen along its two main corridors, Temple St. and Beverly Blvd.
In terms of residential development, a luxury apartment complex by the name of
Alexan Bahay on the intersection of Temple St. and Westlake Ave. just opened its doors this past month. A studio starts off at $1,880, and a one-bedroom apartment at $2,625.66
The complex markets itself to potential residents as being located “in one of the coolest neighborhoods in LA.” Prior to Alexan Bahay, two modern apartment complexes have also sprung up in recent years with rent starting from $1,900 for a one-bedroom.67
Combined with LA’s ongoing affordable housing issue, state laws have perpetuated this crisis by favoring the interests of real estate developers rather than that of renters and mom-and-pop landlords. California laws like that of the Ellis Act and Costa
Hawkins Act are prime examples of how rent control is largely difficult to enforce within the city and are even considered to be predatory in nature. The Costa Hawkins Act limits the expansion of rent control onto buildings built after 1978 and extends to “vacancy control” in which landlords are allowed to raise rent following a tenant vacancy.
Complementing the Costa Hawkins Act is the Ellis Act, another California law that permits landlords to rehabilitate the property and increase its rent drastically. In theory, the Ellis Act was made to protect mom-and-pop landlords who were going into retirement and could no longer care for the property. In practice, the Ellis Act was seen as a financial opportunity for developers and landlords to transform these properties into
66 Sharp, “Alexan Bahay Unwrapped.” 67 Sharp, “Rendering vs. Reality.”
47 upscale apartments or condos, boutique hotels, or as vacated units on Airbnb. The months of May, June, and July of 2019 saw an increase of Ellis Act evictions within the 90026 zip code, which encompasses Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Historic Filipinotown.68
Figure 9: Ellis Act Evictions in HiFi, 2001-2015. (Source: Coalition for Economic Survival, Los Angeles)69
68 Chandler, “657 rent-controlled apartments stripped.” 69 “Map of Ellis Act Evictions in Los Angeles.”
48
Figure 10: Ellis Act Evictions in HiFi, 2001-2020. (Source: Coalition for Economic Survival, Los
Angeles)70
In conjunction with residential development, HiFi’s commercial landscape has grown in recent years and is visible within its small business community and beyond. As described previously, there has been an increase in Pilipino and Asian-American owned small businesses, particularly in food and drink establishments. Similarly, the entertainment industry has also made itself present in the area with the welcoming of Dan
Lin’s Rideback Ranch and Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY. Both media campuses are owned by a person of color who each saw Historic Filipinotown’s culturally-rich environment representative to their goal of providing a platform for a diverse mix of creatives. The commonality that current small business owners and Dan Lin and Ava DuVernay have is that they all recognize that HiFi is first and foremost an ethnic enclave that is home to a
70 Ibid.
49 vibrant community of color. Most importantly, they acknowledge the impacts of gentrification and felt that supporting and serving the community within their capacity as a way to protect HiFi.
Their support will be instrumental in the coming years as Historic Filipinotown continues to change and face new design standards introduced by the Los Angeles
Department of City Planning (LADCP). The North Westlake Design District Ordinance
(NWDDO) was originally proposed in 2014 with two goals in mind: (1) creating a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood by ensuring that future development is compatible with the character of the neighborhood, and (2) promoting mixed-use development as well as small businesses.71 However, the ordinance would prohibit certain amenities in the neighborhood such as auto-repair shops and drive-through restaurants that would threaten the livelihoods of many residents. For instance, a McDonalds located on Glendale Blvd. and Alvarado has been the site where many elderly Pilipinos would come to socialize.72
Realizing that the ordinance was brewing unrest within the community, the LADCP chose to postpone further discussion until 2017 when it was reintroduced again without its list of prohibited uses. Although revisions were made to the ordinance, community members still found the proposal to be threatening towards the neighborhood’s character since it suggested a new set of restrictions pertaining to commercial signage, parking, and construction.
Opposition to the revised draft led community organizers to prompt residents to dispute the proposed ordinance by noting that not all residents were able to receive a flyer sent by the LADCP, and nor were they translated into Spanish or Tagalog. Los Angeles
71 Jurado, “Losing Historic Filipinotown.” 72 Ibid.
50
Tenants Union (LATU) along with Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB), a local Pilipino organization, successfully campaigned with community members against the NWDDO.
The LADCP agreed to work on a new draft once more, but their process in doing so has remained inaccessible to residents and community members.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Historic Filipinotown has been and is currently undergoing a transformation that will have a significant impact on its Pilipino population and beyond. It is a shift towards bringing HiFi to life through the preservation of historic and cultural monuments/places and the strengthening of its diverse small business community. Nonetheless, HiFi’s changing landscape should not continue the narrative of displacement and dispossession that has been apparent in many other ethnic enclaves. Instead, progress and improvement within the neighborhood should be done in the benefit for its people rather than in favor of those who can simply afford to stay.
If Historic Filipinotown were to grow in a thoughtful way and transform into a cultural and commercial hub on its own terms, then community members must come together and develop a vision/plan for HiFi that will inform planners and stakeholders to ensure that development is inclusive to the neighborhood. One approach that has been already mentioned is to view HiFi’s future though a cultural lens by applying Pilipino indigenous values within the dialogue focused on the community’s growth.
Kawanggawa, damayan, and pagtutulongan embody the spirit of HiFi and its people, thus they should be used to help inform HiFi’s future. Understanding and respecting these values promote a bottom-up approach to the neighborhood’s growth where change is fueled by HiFi’s multi-faceted and multi-cultural voices.
51
Figure 11: Reimagining HiFi: A Cultural Framework
Hoping to achieve change within the community that is rooted in advocating for equitable and culturally-driven development is a recently formed organization by the name of HiFi Coalition. An informal group, HiFi Coalition is made up of small business owners, real estate developers, community-based organizations, artists, and activists of all ages with the objective “to identify and cultivate opportunities for Filipino-Americans through organization, collaboration, and unification.”73 The coalition has been working towards creating a vision that is comprehensive of the community’s needs and desires and hopes to inform planners and stakeholders of their plan for HiFi. Their efforts are especially crucial as the LADCP will be updating the Silver Lake and Westlake
Community Plans. The coalition looks to South LA’s and Central City United’s (CCU:
73 “Coalition of Filipino Organizations.”
52
Skid Row, Little Tokyo, and Chinatown) People’s Plan as resources to help inform them while they generate their own plan that is written by and for the community. These two plans focused on many of the same goals that the coalition listed related to promoting equitable development, stopping displacement, and preserving cultural heritage.
As found within Historic Filipinotown, South LA as well as Skid Row, Little
Tokyo, and Chinatown are facing the same threats of displacement and dispossession brought upon by developers’ interests, transit-oriented development projects, and revitalization proposals. These projects often do not benefit the majority of existing community members and residents as they fail to prioritize their needs. Alternatively, these investments are what enable a once dilapidated neighborhood to become attractive and cool with its boutique shops and upscale dining options. A neighborhood should not be considered “cool” because a “new, hip restaurant around the corner” has suddenly shown up. An excerpt from “The Chicharrón Chronicles” states that “Cool isn’t limited to new; it’s not limited to old or old-school.” Rather than asking “What makes a neighborhood cool?” we should ask “What makes a neighborhood great?”
53
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57
APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL MEMORANDUM
Memorandum California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Institutional Review Board -- Office of Research Compliance Federalwide Assurance 00001759 -- IRB principles: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice Date: March 13, 2020 PI Name: Monica Paderanga; Department/College: Environmental Design, Urban & Regional Planning Co-PI(s): Alvaro Huerta IRB Protocol Number: IRB-20-3 Protocol Title: A Profile of the Small Business Community in Historic Filipinotown Protocol Submission Type: Initial; Review Board Type: CPP IRB members Review Type: Expedited Decision: Approved
Dear Investigator(s),
The protocol as described above has been reviewed by the Cal Poly Pomona Institutional Review Board (IRB) by the expedited review method. It was found to be in compliance with applicable federal and state regulations and Cal Poly Pomona policies regarding the protection of human subjects used in research. Thus, the Cal Poly Pomona IRB grants you approval to conduct the research. On its behalf, I thank you for your adherence to established policies meant to ensure the safety and privacy of your study participants. You may wish to keep a copy of this memo with you while conducting your research project. You may initiate the project as of March 5, 2020 It would be appreciated that you advise the IRB upon the completion of your project involving the interaction with human subjects. Please use the "Closure or termination of the protocol" form in the Cayuse system. Approval is conditional upon your willingness to carry out your responsibilities as the principal investigator under University policy. Your research project must be conducted according to the methods described in the final approved protocol. Should there be any changes to your research plan as described, please advise the IRB, because you may be required to submit an amendment (with re-certification). Additionally, should you as the investigator or any of your subjects experience any “problems which involve an undescribed element of risk” (adverse events in regulatory terms), please immediately inform the IRB of the circumstances. There are forms for both in the Cayuse system. The committee wishes you success in your future research endeavors. If you need further assistance, you are encouraged to contact the IRB.
58 Sincerely,
Heather Taylor Wizikowski, Ph.D. Chair, Institutional Review Board Associate Professor, Education College of Education and Integrative Studies
59
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Small Business Survey
Completing this survey will help to provide an updated profile of Historic Filipinotown’s small
business community by identifying its current strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
The responses from this survey will be used to develop a preliminary guide for future economic
development that is inclusive to the neighborhood.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
(1) Which race do you identify with? (2) Age?
(3) Neighborhood Residence
QUESTIONS:
(1) What prompted you to open your small business in Historic Filipinotown?
(2) Did you have any pushback when you were trying to establish your small business in the neighborhood?
(3) (If applicable) What was your experience like working with SIPA in helping you set up your small business?
(4) Upon opening your small business, what resources have proven to be largely beneficial to you? (e.g. tech resources, social resources, etc.)
(5) Do you think the neighborhood should work better to provide small business assistance programs for entrepreneurs, specifically ethnic minorities?
(6) Are you close with any of the local small business owners in the neighborhood?
(7) What are some obstacles that you think other ethnic entrepreneurs have faced when wanting to start a small business in Historic Filipinotown?
(8) In your opinion, what do you think will attract more ethnic entrepreneurs to the neighborhood?
60
(9) Do you have any social ties within the community (i.e. artists, activists, organizations)?
(10) How important do you think it is to establish these connections?
(11) What sort of improvements should be made in order to encourage development that recognizes and supports the community’s heritage?
Community Member Survey
Completing this survey will help to provide an updated profile of Historic Filipinotown’s small
business community by identifying its current strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
The responses from this survey will be used to develop a preliminary guide for future economic
development that is inclusive to the neighborhood.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
(1) Which race do you identify with?
(2) Age?
(3) Neighborhood Residence?
(4) What is your role (i.e. artist, activist, resident, etc.) within the community?
QUESTIONS:
(1) What are your thoughts on Historic Filipinotown being referred to as an “up-and-coming” neighborhood?
(2) Do you have any concerns with the neighborhood’s growing visibility?
(3) What do you view to be important community markers (i.e. murals, monuments, community- based organizations, etc.) that symbolize Historic Filipinotown’s rich heritage? Should there be more? If so, what do you think should be added?
(4) Do you think it is important for small business owners to have strong ties with the community? If so, how should they achieve this?
(5) What do you think the community lacks in terms of businesses and services?
(6) What sort of improvements should be made in order to encourage development that recognizes and supports the community’s heritage?
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APPENDIX C: SWOT ANALYSIS
62