Japanese Tourists Flock To LA To See Shohei Ohtani

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, June 5, 2024… 

• The tourism industry in Los Angeles is still rebounding from the pandemic. But it’s gotten a big boost, with the arrival this year of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. Since the baseball season started in March, Japanese fans have come by the thousands to L.A. despite a historically weak yen, in hopes of seeing the Dodgers star slug a home run. And many are visiting the area of Little Tokyo.
• Votes in the election to recall the controversial conservative school board president in Temecula are still being counted. Early results show the effort to recall Joseph Komrosky winning  by a slight percent margin. Under Komrosky, the school board pushed policies to ban critical race theory and force schools to notify parents if their child is transgender. 
• State lawmakers have advanced a measure urging the President and Congress to address, with effective policies, the issue of service members who they say were unjustly discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and to restore benefits.

Love Of Ohtani Is Bringing Thousands Of Japanese Tourists To New Corners of LA

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has not only been a hit on the field. He’s also having a huge impact on the local economy.

The tourism industry in Los Angeles is still rebounding from the pandemic, but thousands of Japanese tourists are visiting L.A. to see Ohtani and the Dodgers.

When the Dodgers are playing at home, half of the Miyako’s rooms are occupied by Japanese tourists. Before Ohtani’s arrival, they had little reason to visit Little Tokyo, as some perceive areas near downtown as dangerous. Though it is a cultural hub for Japanese Americans that’s rooted in history, Little Tokyo is not widely known in Japan.

Early Results Show Temecula School Board President Losing Recall Election

Early indications are that a controversial school board president in Temecula will be recalled.

Although votes are still being counted, the effort to recall Joseph Komrosky is winning by a slight margin. 

Komrosky was elected in 2022 along with two other candidates all backed by a conservative Christian PAC. Under Komrosky, they pushed policies to ban critical race theory and force schools to notify parents if their child is transgender. They also sparred with Governor Gavin Newsom over social studies curriculum because it mentions gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk. 

If Komrosky is recalled, the board can either appoint a new member or hold a special election.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Measure Moves Forward In Sacramento 

A measure urging the President and Congress to address the issue of service members who they say were unjustly discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has passed the state Senate.

It also asks to restore their benefits. Merced Democratic Senator Anna Caballero introduced the measure. She said many veterans that were discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” lost access to their military benefits, such as healthcare, college tuition assistance and retirement benefits.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was enacted in 1994. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. It led to the discharge of more than 14,000 service members. In 2010, President Obama signed a repeal of the policy into law, which went into effect the next year.