Front row, from left: Kristy Kim Kuroyanagi, Japangeles; Miya Iwataki, vice president, Little Tokyo Historical Society; Ann Burroughs, president and CEO, JANM; Kristin Fukushima, executive director, Little Tokyo Community Council; Bill Watanabe, president, Little Tokyo Community Impact Fund; Helen Ota, 2026 president, Nisei Week Foundation.
Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra visited Little Tokyo during Nisei Week to meet with community leaders and visit neighborhood businesses.
“Nisei Week is a celebration of Japanese American history, culture, and community — and there’s no better place to experience it than right here in Little Tokyo,” Becerra said.
“As governor, I’ll fight to make sure small businesses have the opportunity to succeed, families have the opportunity to thrive, and everyone who comes to California chasing a better life has a fair shot at making that dream a reality.”
On social media, Becerra posted a video he recorded with actress and community leader Tamlyn Tomita, highlighting Little Tokyo businesses such as Bunkado, Fugetsu-Do, Japangeles, and Cafe Dulce.
“Coming from different backgrounds, we get to share in the joy of sharing the foods, the clothing, the culture … What it means to be American is to share our part of the world with each other and to be a Los Angeleno here in the greatest city in the world,” Tomita said.
Becerra, a Democrat, is a former congressman, California attorney general, and U.S. secretary of health and human services. After finishing in the top two in the June primary, he will face off with Republican Steve Hilton in the November general election. The winner will succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is termed out.