Years ago, back when Hong Kong was still a part of the British Commonwealth — with private clubs populated by old gents who remembered with much resentment the abdication of King Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson — I spent several months in the crown colony writing a restaurant guidebook for Gault & Millau.

It was a glorious exercise for me in single-minded gluttony. And it was where I first encountered the curious notion of the Hong Kong-style café.

The cafés were open from early in the morning to late at night, serving various combination plates of chicken fried steak and fried fish, with sides of stir-fried vegetables and white rice — always white rice. The menus were encyclopedic, with requisite sections of dumplings and buns for breakfast.

But then, if I wanted dim sum, I’d rather go to one of the dim sum palaces. I went instead for what was always headed as “Chinese breakfast,” followed by another heading for “American breakfast.”  The American dishes were familiar, but the Chinese ones edged into a new world for me.

These cafés are where I first encountered the rice porridge called both congee and jook — a Chinese cognate of grits, flavored with pork preserved egg, fish filets, chicken, beef and any number of preserved vegetables. It was as far from Quaker oats as can be imagined. And it can be found hereabouts at multi-branch pleasures like the three Ho Kee cafés, and Delicious Food Corner — which has eight locations around the San Gabriel Valley.

More Merrill: Enjoy Southern barbecue with a Korean edge at this Alhambra restaurant

The ubiquity of those chains tend to obscure the pleasures of the single-location operations — which have styles of Chinese breakfast all their own. Consider, for instance, the wonderfully named Morning Summit (219 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park; 626-766-1317), a storefront on Garvey that’s easy to speed on by as you head for some of Monterey Park’s numerous sprawling dim sum palaces. But despite its finite dimensions, it’s worth waiting for a seat; beginning at 7 a.m. every day of the week, Morning Summit is a peak experience.

The menu does, indeed, offer a fine selection of 11 dumplings, 16 buns, six potstickers and 14 noodle dishes. (Notably, one of the noodles is, according to the menu, made with haggis. Which may make it the only Scottish-Chinese fusion dish … anywhere!) But on one page of the menu, you’ll find 36 breakfast dishes — only two of which are congee rice porridge.

The rest of the dishes are wildly eclectic. There are three soy milks (one of which is described as “cold,” another as “salty”), four soy puddings (one of which is sweet, another salty), and a lot of breads and pastries — fried sugar dough, fried Chinese biscuits, sesame sauce biscuits, biscuits with beef and biscuits with sauerkraut. (German-Chinese?)

My dishes of choice are the green onion pancakes, which are a sort of personal semi-obsession. The beef roll pancakes give much pleasure, as does the crisp bread.

Near the bottom of the breakfast menu, you’ll find a “Big Pancake with Egg.” Which is about as close to an American breakfast dish as they offer.

Contrast that with the menu at Tam’s Noodle House (120 N. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel; 626-782-7666, https://tamsnoodlehouse.wixsite.com/home), where the daily breakfast special includes Spam, ham or sausage and eggs, served with a Hong Kong style pineapple bun, and complimentary coffee, milk tea, Chinese tea or lemon tea.

Tam’s is a local phenomenon, packed at all hours, inside and out, for its encyclopedic menu of noodles — fried and in soup, along with some 60 stir-fried dishes, and dumplings. This is one of the few (perhaps the only) Chinese restaurant I’ve been to that includes a menu heading for … toast — with coconut jam, condensed milk butter, and peanut butter — both standard toast and French toast.

There are 14 congee dishes, including one with abalone and chicken. And the daily breakfast specials also include 10 congee main courses served with a choice of two sides: dark soy sauce chow mein, and a steamed rice noodle roll with dry shrimp.

The specials also include a plate of assorted rolls. And an option for “instant” noodles with Spam and eggs. Which sounds more Hawaiian than Chinese.

Also, I should mention that both Morning Summit and Tam’s have a menu section of “frozen foods” — six bags of dumplings at Morning Summit and 16 at Tam’s. So much tastier than a TV dinner.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.

Members of the Roman Catholic community in the San Gabriel Valley welcomed a new bishop to their area on Saturday, Nov. 4.

The installation Mass of new Auxiliary Bishop Brian Nunes for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was held at the San Gabriel Mission Catholic Church.

Archbishop Jose Gomez led the Mass, joined by more than 100 parishioners and other members of the archdiocese, as Bishop Nunes filled the role once held by the late David O’Connell.

“I am humbled by the Holy Father’s trust in naming me a Bishop and honored by the decision of Archbishop Gomez to appoint me to the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, a vibrantly diverse area of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,” Nunes said in a statement.

The region includes East Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, with 66 parishes, 14 high schools, and Mission San Gabriel Archangel – the first church founded in the Archdiocese in 1771. Liturgies are celebrated in English, Spanish, Chinese, and a variety of other languages.

“Of course, the region has its challenges too, most notably the need to heal after the shocking death of Bishop Dave O’Connell earlier this year,” he added. “So I ask for prayers for myself and for all the Catholics of the region during this time of transition.”

During the Mass, Archbishop Jose Gomez asked for prayers for the new bishop as he continues his ministry. Gomez said he is confident Nunes will be able to do help fulfill the mission of the church in the region.

“We pray for bishops especially today, for you Bishop Brian, we pray that you always give your best and speak of Jesus and follow his example and we pray that you lead us in his humble way and service to others,” Gomez said during the homily.

The deans, regional office staff, regional pastoral council, deacons, and lay ministry leaders who will be helping him serve the pastoral region were also introduced to Bishop Nunes during the installation.

Parisioners welcomed Nunes with open arms.

“It’s a blessing,” Hilda Espinosa, from La Puente, said in Spanish about having a new bishop in the region.

“What I hope is the best for our new bishop and also to continue the work that (Bishop O’Connell) was doing in our community, and hopefully (Nunes) will have new ideas to share with us parishioners,” Espinosa said, “because we need help moving forward after the tragedy that we experienced with the loss of O’Connell.”

For many, having a new bishop was bittersweet.

Memories of O’Connell, who was slain at his Hacienda Heights home in February, are still fresh. He was a popular local leader, whose death echoed all the way to the Vatican.

At the same time, parishioners and leaders were hopeful about Nunes’ willingness help the community heal.

“We started to see the excitement of getting a new bishop,” said Sylvia Woodson, executive assistant to the regional bishop. “Being around Bishop Brian and just getting to know him is a wonderful thing and glad it all came together. He is a good addition because he wants to help us heal and he knows the needs in the region and he wants to do that, like wanting to meet all the priests, working with the schools and talking with the students.”

Auxiliary Bishop Brian Nunes grew up in the Archdiocese, attending Catholic schools and working as a business writer before becoming a priest in 2008.

His past assignments include St. Gregory the Great Parish in Whittier and Mary Star of the Sea in San Pedro. He also worked in the archdiocese as priest secretary to the Archbishop, vice chancellor, and most recently the vicar general and moderator of the curia, succeeding Bishop Bahhuth.

“It’s a huge honor,” Nunes said after the Mass. “It’s very humbling but it’s exciting and I need to count on everyone’s prayer, it’s the only way this is going to work.”

LGBTQ+ community members and allies want more queer folks to be visible in the San Gabriel Valley.

Around 35 people, including community leaders and residents, gathered at the region’s 2nd annual State of Queer and Transgender Pride event, held Thursday, Nov. 16, at City of Hope’s Cooper Auditorium in Duarte. The event — hosted by the El-Monte-based San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center — included a dinner, panel discussions about youth and the community’s future, vendors and resources.

In their remarks, San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center board president Camila Camaléon and vice president Christian Port highlighted the center’s achievements, programs, and future inclusive efforts to support the region’s LGBTQ+ community.

Officials celebrated hosting the first-ever SGV Pride Tour in June during Pride Month, which included eight different cities hosting events that brought in thousands of residents, celebrating and standing together for Pride. They also recognized the nonprofit’s ongoing Building Pride Campaign to help increase LGBTQ+ visibility and support local cities, schools and organizations taking a stand.

“We heard loud and clear that LGBT residents of the San Gabriel Valley want more safe spaces to be their true, authentic selves,” said Port.

Though highlighting wins in LGBTQ+ representation, Port and Camaléon also acknowledged growing hate and rhetoric over the last year.

The California Department of Justice reported a rise in anti-trans, gay and lesbian hate crimes in 2022 in its inaugural State of Pride Report. Between 2021 and 2022, the report states, there were over 391 reported hate crime events motivated by sexual orientation bias — an increase of 29% from 2021.

Camaléon — the San Gabriel Valley LGBT Center’s first trans woman of color board president — said that being transgender “can still be met with hostility and prejudice… across the United States, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented wave of legislation and attacks against queer and transgender people.”

At least 15 states have passed laws that restrict or ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

In the San Gabriel Valley and greater Los Angeles region, some schools and public places have become a battleground for LGBTQ+ issues — from the burning of a rainbow flag at North Hollywood school in May, to heated protests in school districts like Glendale, Pasadena and Glendora.

Recently, California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed several laws that protect LGBTQ+ students and their privacy — including AB 233, the Transgender Youth Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of minors applying to legally change their gender or sex identification by sealing those court records; and SB 345, which protects insurance providers against the enforcement of other states’ laws that criminalize or limit reproductive health care services, or gender-affirming health care.

Over the summer, L.A. County officials created an LGBTQ+ Commission to expand gender-affirming care and programming.

Having such public Pride and awareness events, Camaleon said, are “stark reminders of the challenges our community continues to face.”

Officials highlighted the Transgender Day of Remembrance on Monday, Nov. 20, honoring transgender people who were killed. They also recognized the ongoing Transgender Awareness Week.

“Our commitment (is) to a future where events like Transgender Day of Remembrance are commemorations of a past struggle, not a current reality,” Camaléon said.

Angel Silva, club director of the Boys and Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley, said that hosting the State of Pride event has been “complicated,” but things have “gotten a lot better.”

“I feel like if I was asked in 2020, we wouldn’t be where we’re at,” Silva said. “The thing about the area is that we’re prepared to support the LGBT community — and it really took the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, as well as the cities partnering together, to host our first Pride in 2021, led by us. It was great to see that the whole city celebrated Pride, finally.”

After the pandemic, the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center reopened its doors to the public again in its new location in El Monte. The nonprofit’s mission is to create a welcoming, inclusive environment for individuals of all orientations and gender identities, and aims to do so through community resources and culturally competent programming.

For more information and upcoming events, visit sgvlgbtq.org.

A San Gabriel Unified School District assistant principal is facing charges that he sexually abused two teenagers he coached two decades ago at Woodrow Wilson High School in El Sereno.

Michael Guzman, an assistant principal at Gabrielino High School, has been charged with four felony counts of lewd acts with a child, according to a criminal complaint filed Nov. 30 by county prosecutors. He also is named in a civil suit filed last year by his accusers.

Guzman, who began working in the San Gabriel Unified School district in February, was “immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings and is barred from any district property,” according to a letter sent to parents by San Gabriel Unified Superintendent James Symonds.

There is no information to suggest that the alleged victims are affiliated with Gabrielino High School or any San Gabriel Unified School District campus, Symonds wrote. Woodrow Wilson is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

‘Deeply troubling’

“Hearing that a person entrusted to work with students may have committed a crime such as this is, of course, deeply troubling and disturbing, and our thoughts are with the alleged victim or victims in this case,” Symonds wrote in the letter.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollenbeck Division arrested Guzman, 57, on Nov. 13, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s inmate locator. He posted $120,000 bond at a subsequent court hearing and was released from custody.

The arrest came nearly a year after the two accusers sued him. Both the criminal and civil cases allege that Guzman, while serving as a teacher and basketball coach at Woodrow Wilson from 1997 to 2000, abused his position to groom, manipulate and sexually assault two of his teenage basketball players. The girls were freshmen in high school when Guzman, in his 30s at the time, began making sexual advances. Neither was old enough to consent to the sexual relationships that followed, the lawsuit states.

Guzman’s attorney in the civil case declined to comment. Guzman, representing himself in July, broadly denied the allegations against him in a filing at the time.

Suit: LAUSD failed to protect students

The lawsuit, filed in December 2022, also names Los Angeles Unified as a defendant. Attorneys for the two victims allege the school district failed to protect its students and either knew, or should have known, about Guzman’s actions.

The lawsuit states that Guzman drove the girls to and from school in his vehicle and was caught by other teachers, coaches and security guards spending time alone with each of them in his classroom, the gym and other locations at the high school. Guzman allegedly took the girls to an attic at the school or to a hotel in San Gabriel to have sex.

Guzman is alleged to have told one of the girls that the principal at the time was aware of his sexual relationship with her, but that he wasn’t concerned because he “had knowledge of sexual misconduct involving the principal and another teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School,” the lawsuit states.

One former teacher apologized decades later for not doing more to stop the “relationship,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit indicates Guzman allegedly was being investigated by school officials at the time the suit was filed and was told to refrain from teaching classes.

Unaware of civil suit at hiring

Guzman took the job at San Gabriel Unified just months later. In an email, Symonds said the district was not aware of the civil lawsuit at the time of Guzman’s hiring.

“The District conducts industry standard and legally required background checks for all employees, including for Assistant Principal Michael Guzman,” Symonds said. “These background checks reveal information regarding any criminal convictions or charges and do not include civil lawsuits.”

The criminal complaint against Guzman indicates that his alleged crimes were reported to authorities in May.

He is not scheduled to appear in court again in the criminal case until Jan. 29.

A transient stole a San Gabriel Fire Department ambulance on Sunday, Dec. 31, and led police on a crash-filled pursuit that injured five people before he was arrested, the San Gabriel Police Department said.

The man, who is in his late 40s, stole the ambulance about 3:25 p.m. while it was on a call in the 700 block of Sunset Avenue, a police news release said. No one was in the ambulance.

Police found the ambulance and gave chase. The driver struck several other vehicles, resulting in minor injuries to five people. Three were hospitalized. The pursuit ended in the 2800 block of Canterbury Road in San Marino and the driver was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto and felony evading.

The driver suffered minor injuries as well and was hospitalized. No police officers were reported injured.

The ambulance was damaged and taken out of service.

There’s no sushi on the menu at Ducks Restaurant. There’s no sashimi. There are no exotic rolls made with cream cheese and Wagyu beef. There’s no uni. There’s no 15-course omakase, running $300 and up.

Here’s what you will find: Japanese food like we used to eat before sushi became the dominant dish, the defining food of Japan. Theirs is an exercise in pure nostalgia, in retro chow, in comfort dishes that taste ever so … comforting. And it’s a treat to eat here. How curious it is to realize that a meal of tempura and sundry rice bowls have become an occasion filled with memories.

They also don’t serve duck at Ducks Restaurant. But they sure do serve some terrific chicken. It’s a chicken bowl called oyako don, that’s basically a chicken egg foo young — chicken mixed with scrambled eggs and a mildly sweet sauce — served over rice. It doesn’t sound like much. But like a lot of dishes that sound modest, it tastes just great. And at $16.95, it’s a terrific deal.

But then, so is most everything at this quirky mini-mall storefront on the eastern edge of San Gabriel, just a short jog from Temple City. This is a restaurant you go to because you know how to get to it. Happening upon Ducks by accident is possible, but unlikely.

It’s a plain room — just a box, really — decorated with a few ducks, but also with cats and flowers. It attracts an eclectic crowd of locals who are, very possibly, taking a break from the many nearby Chinese dumpling and noodle houses, and Szechuan eateries.

Sometimes, you just want a simple meal that fills you well, without raising hackles or a sweat. Sometimes, you just want curry over spaghetti or rice. It’s such an … easy dish.

If you’re a denizen of the Curry House chain, you know the rituals of Japanese curry dishes. Curry House is a good deal of a restaurant, with an overwhelming number of options; if you don’t feel like curry there, the alternatives are more than sufficient. But I’ve always felt that their curry errs a bit on the salty side; after a few mouthfuls, my body is crying out for me to drink more, to drink lots more.

At Ducks, by comparison, the sodium hit seems much milder and under control. This is not a low-sodium meal. But it is a lower sodium one — which my internist certainly appreciates.

More Merrill: Sushi and Japanese food delight at this Alhambra restaurant

It’s not a very complex menu. The basic curry choices are beef, chicken, pork cutlet and chicken cutlet, served mild, medium or hot. They’re served over good, old-school spaghetti, nothing fancy there, just an ingredient from back in the day that numerous of us, who have spent the past few decades chewing on fettuccine, linguine and the like have forgotten the pleasure of.

Let me say this: spaghetti is good. Our folks were right to serve it to us — even if my mother did flavor her spaghetti with ketchup, which is less awful than it sounds. Kind of.

The chicken bowl at Ducks is found under the heading, “Donburi,” along with a pork cutlet, fried karaage chicken, fried shrimp katsu and shredded beef, served with a sweetish tonkatsu sauce, over rice. I especially like the option of the pork cutlet. I eat so much chicken, I’m beginning to sprout wings.

If you want to move away from curry and spaghetti, there are numerous udons and ramens, grilled teishokus, soups and salad — and lots of combinations, some with tempura, some with curry, some without.

There also are sides to order for a few dollars more — fried chicken, fried fish cakes, shrimp and veggie tempura, crispy dumplings.

It can get a bit complicated. But the thing is, it doesn’t really matter what you order. The food is good, the portions generous, the staff affable, the prices low. A little pointing at random never hurts; you’ll be amazed what wonderful flavors you may find at Ducks Restaurant. All sorts of flavors — except for duck. And sushi, sashimi, rolls or any of the foods that dominate Japanese eating today.

Like our numerous old school Mexican, Italian and steak restaurants, Ducks is a journey to a time best not forgotten. It’s just ducky!

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.

Ducks Restaurant

• Rating: 2.5 stars
• Address: 1381 E. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel
• Information: 626-287-8743. https://ducks-restaurant.business.site
• Cuisine: Japanese
• When: Lunch, Wednesday through Monday;  dinner, Wednesday through Sunday
• Details: Beer and sake; no reservations
• Prices: About $15 per person
• On the menu: 5 Donburi Rice Dishes ($15.95-$16.95), 3 Teishoku Grilled Meat Dishes ($15.95-$16.95), 4 Udon Noodle Dishes ($14.50-$16.95), 6 Curried Rice Dishes ($14.95-$16.95), 5 Ramen Noodle Dishes ($14.50-$14.95), 5 Spaghetti Dishes ($13.50-$14.50), 4 Soups and Salads ($1.50-$9.95),m 8 Combination Dishes ($19.95-$29), 3 Lunch Specials ($14.50)
• Credit cards: MC, V
• What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.

A purple-and-pink-hued poster, decorated with Chinese lanterns and advertising the upcoming play “Dance with New Year’s Eve,” reads: “Cheer or fear, which fate is near?”

The producers of the show, on June 8 and 9 at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, are hopeful about its intended tone. Showrunners with the Elite Performing Arts Group USA, a nonprofit based in the San Gabriel Valley, said their production reflects on the mass shooting that happened one year ago at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on Jan. 21, 2023 — the eve of the Lunar New Year.

The “Dance with New Year’s Eve” play was originally scheduled to run at the playhouse this past weekend, Jan. 20 and 21 — on the 1-year mark of the harrowing tragedy, when a gunman entered the studio and killed 11 Asian dancers, all seniors.

But the play was postponed to early June due to recent “COVID-19 challenges” with some cast and crew members, producers said. They also faced scheduling conflicts with the city’s candlelight vigil for the shooting victims last Sunday, and didn’t want to have the show at the same time as the anniversary.

With two performances — one in Mandarin and one in English, with two different casts — planned, June was the soonest available weekend at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, showrunners said.

Angela Sheng, a producer and president of the Elite Performing Arts Group, said that “Dance with New Year’s Eve” is meant to shine a light on the arts as a way to heal, mental health issues, and to show what Star Dance truly meant to people — especially immigrants.

Sheng said that the show is also partly a musical, concluding with a “tribute to peace and harmony” for the victims that features original songs she composed, and dance performances.

“The main purpose of the whole play is for the remembrance of Star Dance, the community, the innocent people who passed away. Hopefully it will bring attention to human nature,” Sheng said, reminding audiences to “not be so cold; pay more attention to those around you; those who might be lonely or isolated. Be kind.”

The producer said that the show will have elements of the Lunar New Year, and of the shooting itself — but will “not show a killer, or any (dead) bodies.”

“At the beginning we thought about portraying it (the shooting),” Sheng added. She and other show-runners were concerned about how that would resonate with audiences, then toyed with the idea of a gunshot being heard offstage instead, and the stage — and house lights — going dark.

“You hear the sound of a gun off stage. And then the theater will go dark,” Sheng said. “We know that it’s a drama. But if many people feel it’s not comfortable, we can modify… just gunshot (sounds). No dead people lying on the stage. Then you can leave it to the audience’s interpretation.”

What happened in Monterey Park, Sheng said, is “one case. But we can’t just say that these things happened and not do anything about it. That’s society’s whole problem.”

Her colleague Sherry Lin, a director with the Elite Performing Arts Group, noted that the “motivation” for putting on the play is to “wake people who are asleep,” unaware of growing, ongoing attacks targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

“We want to put it on a stage, to let people know to pay attention to people’s loneliness. When we are immigrants, Americans sometimes look at us differently,” Lin said. “We want to get recognized for who and where we are. To be seen ‘as an American.’ When they tell us to ‘go home’… we think it’s about time for us to wake up, speak up for ourselves. And there should be a window for us to vent our anger, sadness and emotions.”

Both Lin and Sheng are aware of the mixed reactions, and controversy, that a play with this sensitive nature invites. But they said that overall, the shooting survivors, Monterey Park and Asian American communities welcome the play – including Star Ballroon owner Maria Liang. The producers said Liang — along with other survivors — was consulted for and “will be part” of the show.

Liang said in an interview Friday, Jan. 19 that she terminated the studio’s lease with the building’s landlord a few months after the mass shooting. Liang decided to retire and not return to the business, but has since returned to dancing as her own way of healing, after the loss of so many friends.

Liang said she will not be acting in the “Dance with New Year’s Eve” production. When approached by the show’s producers, she said she at first “didn’t like the idea,” and was “afraid” of dredging up bad feelings.

“… But they said that they’re going to tell the audience about the studio — the history. The studio was around for (around) 30 years in the community, and was very well known,” Liang said.

Liang noted that the Star Ballroom studio offered world-renowned instructors, who were world champion dancers in their own right; different styles of dance lessons, social events, even modeling classes. And many friendships, a budding community especially for immigrants, were formed inside her studio.

Because Liang was told the play will focus on more positive aspects of her studio, she said, “I support the play.” She may give remarks in the show, but won’t be acting in it, Liang said.

Community, family, survivors’ reactions

Fonda Quan’s aunt My Nhan was killed in the shooting. Quan said that based on the way the show is advertised, she “personally won’t be going.”

“The poster is a little… kind of in-your-face. Like a thriller?” Quan, who now helps run the MyMy Nhan Legacy Fund in her aunt’s memory, said. “Purely based on that, I don’t think I’m interested in going — on top of that, being something that’s actually for-profit.”

Quan said the funds from ticket sales “should go to the survivors, honestly… they are the most important group this play should definitely respect,” and include their valued opinions. Or, she said, “if this (show) is going to be something to commemorate … then it should be free.”

“The fact is, this mass shooting has impacted everyone differently, some directly, like family members, like us,” Quan said. “Whatever is being done, it’s a part of someone’s healing… the way people heal is different. If having a play can take people away from thinking about this tragedy, help them move on with healing, I’m all for that.”

When rehearsals began, and the show was publicly announced last fall, Elite Performing Arts Group members said they had received support from local actors “willing to perform for free,” and their show was full. A few survivors and Star Ballroom regulars even volunteered and joined the English or Mandarin casts, Sheng said.

In a Chinese news conference last fall, former L.A. County Police Commissioner Alex Villanueva praised the spirit and social responsibility of the Elite group. He expressed his expectation for the performance of this play, organizers said. Villanueva said the tragedy was “not just for Asians, but across all ethnic groups in our entire social group. Each of us should have a high level of concern for the safety and mental health of our communities.”

Others in the community, including survivors, shared their thoughts and concerns.

Brandon Tsay — the now 27-year-old hero who wrestled the gunman who targeted his family’s Alhambra dance studio next, minutes after he attacked the Monterey Park ballroom studio — said Tuesday, Jan. 23 that the upcoming show is a “tricky but worthwhile venture.”

“I hope that this play depicts accurately the emotions, and creates an imaginative way to display the story,” Tsay added. “Of course I hope it does well in audience attendance.”

Lloyd Gock — who was just 10 feet away as the gunman entered the Monterey Park studio — said he is opposed to the production. Gock believes it uses the shooting as the backdrop for survivors’ stories, “dramatizing” their experience. With the one-year mark now passed, memories of the shooting resurface, and putting on such a play is “particularly insensitive to the struggles of survivors” like him, Gock said.

“We survivors don’t support the play at all,” he said. “The flyer says, ‘Cheer or fear, which fate is near?’… That language is very insensitive.”

The important thing is allowing people’s lives to return to normal, rather than reliving traumatic events through theatrical representations, he added.

The storyline 

Taiwanese director Tuen-Ping Yang and the other “Dance with New Year’s Eve” showrunners said that they first approached studio owner Liang, other survivors and community members about their stories as early as March 2023 — a few months after the shooting. They talked to Liang first about the idea, and the rights to use the studio’s name.

Liang “felt that our group can truly express what happened, who and what Star Dance is, and what it meant to people — not just a dance club,” director Lin said.

The roughly 70-minute performance is divided into three “segments,” Lin said — the first telling people what happened at the studio and the New Year’s Eve celebration, plus news footage, heavily showcasing dance and musical performances, “to contrast the sadness in the story.” Performers from the Elite group will showcase different ballroom dance styles.

The play will not feature any real names or stories, “out of respect for the victims,” producers Sheng and Lin said. But its two central characters play immigrants from Taiwan, who rediscover their love for dancing — and each other — on the stage. Other characters are hardworking families and friends, longtime studio-goers, seniors who find community — along with physical and mental health benefits — at the Star Ballroom.

Lin hoped that by telling general, relatable immigrant stories, they will break any cultural stigmas or prejudices about people who go to social dance parties. It’s a way to showcase people “who just love to dance,” and to express themselves.

The producers also hope that that any survivors, victims’ family or community members in the audience will come up to share their experiences — which is the second segment of the show.

“But,” Lin added about the proposed gunshot scene to end the play’s storyline, “we thought the best way was to not let (survivors) go through that again… we know it will bring back memories, but we want audiences to see behind all that. To see people struggling and guide them to a place where they need help, and hopefully people will find the peace they’re looking for.”

The show’s final segment is a musical scene, which will feature Elite group children onstage dressed as angels, dancing and praying for those whose lives were lost. Composer Sheng’s original music will play, and candles will be lit.

Art as a form of healing 

Sheng — who lived down the street from the Monterey Park studio, and knew some of the people who died or who danced there — acknowledged that some survivors or family members may not want to come to the show. She recognized that it “may not be good for them” to think about those memories.

“We respect that. We’ve heard different voices, others who are very supportive of the show. But we believe we have a responsibility to (let) people know… the truth of what happened. We are writers and artists. It’s in our memory… but in life, we’ll still dance and sing.”

L.A.-based Rhonda Waller Dang is a board-certified clinical art therapist, who works with AAPI clients and creatives to unpack grief and trauma through artistic practices. She said that, neurologically, the processing of trauma stops when “we’re in the middle of surviving — like when (you see) someone die, when a trauma happens.”

“In trying to make sense of it, we can get stuck in just surviving. Making art turns our prefrontal cortex on; it gets us back into a place of processing, where our brains are actually doing the work of trying to make it through,” Waller Dang said. “Art-making is a ritual, a practice — whether it’s dance, music, visual art, writing a play, a book… it is a ritual, and that process is healing. Art is a universal language. For some, it could even bring closure, though not for everyone … and that’s OK.”

Waller Dang suggested a trigger warning for audiences of “Dance with New Year’s Eve,” and that people should know if the show’s content is “something you can withstand.” Having resources and trained, bilingual community members and therapists present, who can help people process, might also help.

Sun Jin “Nancy” Choe, an art therapist based in the San Gabriel Valley, agreed that “engaging with trauma through a medium that holds significance for the community can be a powerful part of the healing process.”

“By reflecting on and processing the traumatic event through these cherished dance practices, it may help individuals and the community as a whole to find some measure of healing,” Choe said. “I think the performance will be a way of reclaiming the narrative, transforming the collective grief into a shared journey towards recovery.”

Actress Lee Chen, who plays the show’s female lead, said she used to take Latin dance classes at Star Ballroom. She said the show represents the stories of immigrants who came to America, like herself, to pursue their dreams — and are met with many mental and external challenges along the way.

“At the beginning when I was asked to do it, I was a little hesitant. But I do think it’s important,” Chen, who joined the Elite group last fall, said. She highlighted the need for gun control and mental health resources for AAPIs. “Asian, immigrant stories often generally get buried … we’re known for not standing up, for being the ‘model citizen.’ But it’s one way to see that we need to stand up for ourselves; we need to fight back. That’s a strong message I felt with this show… immigrants can and do contribute something to society.”

Chen’s character has an original song and dance number, “First Love.”

“I hope that (through) my role in the story, people will learn to cherish life. Don’t wait. Be there for your elders, call your loved ones,” she said. “We hope the stories we tell will help with healing.”

Staff writers Linh Tat, Teresa Liu, Victoria Ivie and Christina Merino contributed to this report. 

The trimming of grants for open streets events in L.A. County that ban automobile traffic to make way for bicyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorized uses left most events with inadequate funding that could prevent events from happening, organizers said last week.

Grants approved by the LA Metro board on Thursday, Jan. 25 reduced funding by up to 20% for events set to take place within the next two years, requiring organizers to scramble to make up the funding gaps or cancel events.

Of the 16 events that received funds,12 were given 80% of the amount requested, making it nearly impossible to put on events when facing inflation of the cost for public safety, traffic control and insurance, organizers said. Metro did not fund 12 other events requested by cities and nonprofit groups.

“This means fewer than one event per month in a county of 10 million. Cities across the world host Ciclovias weekly. Surely a county of 10 million can realize a goal of at least one event per month,” said Wes Reutimann, deputy director and founder of ActiveSGV, a group that has staged six “open streets” or Ciclovia events since 2017, including ArroyoFest 2 that attracted nearly 50,000 people to walk and bike on a closed part of the 110 Freeway on Oct. 29, 2023.

Those not funded included two events planned for the San Fernando Valley, one on Ventura Boulevard for December and another in Northridge scheduled for May 2025. Events in Wilmington, Long Beach, Hawthorne, Lincoln Heights and MacArthur Park also were not funded.

The Metro board of directors approved spending just under $5.5 million for 16 open streets events for 2024-2025 without discussion. Chair and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass denied those who wanted to speak, saying they had their chance to make one-minute comments at the Metro Planning and Programming Committee on Jan. 17.

Since the cost of law enforcement coverage, insurance and street controls such as barricades and signs has risen, Reutimann expected a bump in funding, not cuts. He asked Metro to increase its total awards by $2 million. Metro’s annual budget is $9 billion.

“These events introduce tens of thousands of people to Metro service,” he told the committee. “We cannot do ambitious events like the ArroyoFest under current funding levels.”

Others agreed that Metro was shorting events that introduce residents to pollution-free transportation, such as walking, bicycling or using battery-operated scooters. Also, ActiveSGV events are paired with Metro rail lines. For example, most of the 4,000 10K racers in the recent ArroyoFest rode Metro rail to the South Pasadena A Line Station, where the event began.

“This is the best marketing for services that Metro provides and for getting people out of their cars. We need 10 times more funding than this. And this is such a small amount of money,” said Eli Lipmen, executive director of the nonprofit Move LA, speaking at the committee meeting.

Some ActiveSGV open streets events are funneled through the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG), which helps with contracting. The ActiveSGV and SGVCOG’s “626 Golden Streets, Mission Meets Eclectic” planned for April 28 received $400,000, 20% less than the $500,000 requested. That event scored very high in Metro’s ranking for proposed events.

“Our application scored well but our events are being recommended for partial funding,” said SGVCOG spokesperson Ricky Choi at the committee meeting.

The committee agreed with the staff recommendation to cut most of the requests by 20%, especially those from nonprofits and governmental agencies that had experience with putting on similar events in the past. The full board voted in favor of the awards as recommended by staff, without modifications.

Ray Sosa, Metro’s chief planning officer, explained that the new approach was intended to spread the monies around to include other areas that hadn’t had an open street event. “We took this approach to try to reach as many new users as possible,” he said. He hoped the experienced organizers would find other sources of funding to make up the gap.

L.A. County First District Supervisor and LA Metro board member Hilda Solis was pleased that a new open streets event planned for East Los Angeles for fall 2025 was funded at $400,000, the requested amount. “I’m glad to see East Los Angeles is included,” she said at the committee meeting. “It’s a large, unincorporated area and where we are trying to get them to use public transportation.”

Third District Supervisor and LA Metro board member Lindsey Horvath noted that L.A. events, known as “CicLAvias” received most of the awards. Of the 16 funded, nine were “CicLAvia” events. Also, the city of West Hollywood, where Horvath served on the City Council, received $400,000, a 20% cut from the requested amount, for its “Meet the Hollywoods “CicLAvia” planned for Aug. 24.

“I love ‘Ciclovia.’ I try to go to a lot of them and I certainly see the value of them,” Horvath said at the committee meeting.

Reutimann said he’s not sure if open streets events that were planned for 2024 or 2025 can still take place because of the drop in funding from Metro. He said he cannot skimp on public safety, as threats from active shooters and cars ramming through barricades become higher level concerns these days.

Instead, he’s considering cutting out games and arts, such as crafting tables, kids’ rides and live music, he said.

Despite calls from many who wanted to see a third ArroyoFest on the closed 110 Freeway in Pasadena, South Pasadena and Los Angeles, Reutimann said he can’t risk putting in an application next year if grants are leveled at $400,000 or less.

“They know that public safety costs have gone up. How can they expect us to do these events for less money?” he said in an interview after the vote.

In the last 10 years, LA Metro has spent $26 million on open streets events, the staff reported.

The Lunar New Year kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 10 and this year marks the Year of the Dragon, which is associated with nobility, wisdom, wealth and luck in traditional Chinese culture.

Lunar New Year is observed by cultures across Asia and, of course, here in Southern California as well. Here are 11 ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year in 2024.

Chinese New Year Festival at The Huntington

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 10-11

Where: The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino

Cost: $29

Information: huntington.org/event/chinese-new-year-festival

This event features lion dances by Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, mask making, martial arts demonstrations, music, Chinese floral arts displays and calligraphy demonstrations. Festivities take place in and around the Chinese Garden and other performance spaces.

Disney California Adventure

When: Through Feb. 18

Where: Paradise Gardens Park at Disney California Adventure Park, 1313 S. Harbor Blvd,. Anaheim

Cost: Park admission is required

Information: disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/lunar-new-year/

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the world famous mouse and his friends. The celebration will include Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, Disney characters dressed in special costumes, Asian food specials and a Wishing Wall made of ornamental lanterns.

Downtown Pomona Lunar New Year

When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 10

Where: 197 W. Second Street, Pomona

Cost: Free

Information: downtownpomona.org/lunar-new-year

The city welcomes the Year of the Dragon with vendors, lion dances, a food court and even a karaoke and talent show.

Golden Dragon Lunar New Year Parade

When: 1 p.m. Feb. 17

Where: 943 North Broadway, Los Angeles

Cost: Free

Information: lachinesechamber.org

This is one of the biggest celebrations around with more than 100,000 spectators expected to line the parade route along North Broadway in Chinatown. The parade takes place from 1-4 p.m. and will include lion dancers, marching bands, dance troupes, music groups and more.

Historic Main Street in Garden Grove

When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 10 and 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Feb. 11

Where: 12987 Main Street, Garden Grove

Cost: Free

Information: ggcity.org/events/flower-street-historic-main

To mark the Lunar New Year Historic Main Street in Garden Grove comes alive with vibrant floral displays as part of the Flower Street Festival. There will be live music, lion dances, folk games, a flower fashion show, and more activities.

L.A. Chinatown Firecracker 

When: 8 a.m. Feb. 24-25

Where: Los Angeles Chinatown Plaza, 943 N. Broadway, Los Angeles.

Cost: $38-$75 to register for races, free to attend festival

Information: firecracker10k.org/

Now in its 46th year, the L.A. Chinatown Firecracker is one of the largest and oldest-running races in the country. It includes the Lunar New Year run, walk, cycling and dog walk events happening on Feb.24-25. In addition to the race, the weekend includes a Lunar New Year festival in Chinatown that celebrates the new year with lion dancers and the traditional lighting of 100,000 firecrackers.

Lunar New Year at USC Pacific Asia Museum

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 10

Where: USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena

Cost: Free

Information: pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/

The USC Pacific Asia Museum celebration will include traditional lion dances, storytelling, calligraphy and food trucks.

Lunar New Year at Pacific Symphony

When: 8 p.m. Feb. 10

Where: Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: $72-$79

Information: pacificsymphony.org

The Pacific Symphony’s annual Lunar New Year concert includes musical performances, dancers, chorus singers and fusions of musical traditions from the East and West.

Lunar New Year of the Dragon

When: 3-4 p.m. Feb. 10

Where: Baldwin Park Library, 4181 Baldwin Park Blvd., Baldwin Park

Cost: Free

Information: visit.lacountylibrary.org

This celebration is aimed at the young dragons ages 5-11. Kids will learn about the origins of the dragon and will create their own lunar dragon. Advance registration is required.

San Gabriel Lunar Lantern Festival

When: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 17 and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 18

Where: San Gabriel Mission District, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel

Cost: Free

Information: sangabrielcity.com/1517/Lunar-New-Year

Live music, a marketplace, kids zone and free lanterns for children make up this Lunar New Year celebration.

The Alhambra Lunar New Year Festival

When: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Feb 18

Where: Main Street between First and Third Streets.

Cost: Free

Information: alhambralunarnewyear.com/

The Alhambra Lunar New Year Festival includes vendors, kids zones, a Culinary Stage that showcases cooking demonstrations inspired by Asian cuisine and The Performance Stage for cultural performances that include Korean fan dancing, bands and a breakdance competition.

More than 800 people gathered at the San Gabriel Mission Church on Saturday, Feb. 24, to remember San Gabriel Valley Bishop David O’Connell, a year and one week since the beloved Los Angeles Catholic priest was fatally shot at his Hacienda Heights home.

“We gather this morning for this memorial mass for Bishop Dave O’Connell, it is a moment to give thanks to God for his life and his ministry among us and celebrate his beautiful life,” said L.A. Archbishop Jose Gomez to parishioners, after he and priests from all over the Los Angeles diocese followed a procession led by his picture.

It was one year ago, Feb. 18, when O’Connell, 69, was found shot and killed in the bedroom of his Hacienda Heights home. The priest’s death stunned Southern California’s Roman Catholic community, including Pope Francis, who had appointed him to administer churches in the San Gabriel Valley under Gomez.

O’Connell was long on the front lines of leading and organizing for the poor, and for helping migrants find a foothold.

His ministry in the Southland began in 1979, mostly serving South L.A. It would grow to serve the poor and the marginalized – a theme that ran through his work, even when he was named auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles by Francis in July 2015.

During the homily at Saturday’s Mass, Msgr. Timothy Dyer – a good friend of O’Connell’s and pastor at St. Patrick Church in South L.A. – shared how many may still remember hearing the news of O’Connell’s death.

“Jesus and Dave O’Connell were not concerned about appearance,” Dyer said. “Like Jesus, Dave’s whole life was genuine. That’s why we’re here, we saw something. Dave did not care how he looked. He cared about who he was looking at.”

It was that intense focus on the other that Dyer said O’Connell will long be remembered for.

“I won’t be here when Rome proclaims him a saint, they wisely take a long time for a canonization,” Dyer said. “But our archbishop has said he’s in heaven and that’s enough for me.”

The Mass was a chance for many in the diocese to reflect publicly on a year since the shooting.

“I miss my friend,” said Msgr. Jarlath Cunnane, pastor of St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Long Beach. “It’s just not the same.”

Cunnane, a fellow Irish native whose ministry in L.A. overlapped with O’Connell’s as young priests, said the late leader’s humor and compassion have had a lasting impact on ongoing initiatives within the diocese.

“It’s quite lovely to still see the impact Bishop Dave has had on everyone,” said Nancy Nazarian-Medina, who works at the San Gabriel Pastoral Office.

She started working at the office after O’Connell’s passing, but she said “his spirit is very much still at the office and the culture there.”

Nazarian-Medina said that many are carrying on with his mission of helping people through their religious journey and other service work.

After the Mass, an exhibit on O’Connell was christened by Gomez. The exhibit shares O’Connell’s personal items, such as pictures, notes, a book of jokes, Bible, a statue of the Virgin Mary and more, which people can see when visiting the Mission on regular operating hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.

“I feel like Bishop David is at home here,” said Terri Huerta, director of Mission Development at the San Gabriel Mission. “He was a huge advocate for Mission San Gabriel, for the community of the Mission, for the renovations that we accomplished.

“We’re really honored, we feel privileged, it’s like having him home,” she said.