Skip to content

Filipinos In Government

Government

Designed by: Elaine Elefante-Leano, Sal Flor, Nancy Nieto-Castro, and Felix Tuyay

With over 250 community organizations, Filipino Americans have a history of civic engagement. Filipino American government officials from the South Bay have served on city councils, college/school boards and as judges. Each reached out to the broader community and proudly represented our Filipino American community.

Lita David, Sweetwater Union High School District Board Member

Courtesy of David Family

LITA DAVID

Lita David is one of the 1st Filipino immigrants elected to serve on the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) Board. She was an elementary school teacher in the San Ysidro School District when she served on the Board. During her term, she served as the Board President. Lita strongly advocated for the hiring of Filipino teachers and counselors and the teaching of Filipino language classes to reflect the rapidly growing Filipino student population of SUHSD.

Honorable Lillian Lim, Retired Judge of San Diego Superior Court

Courtesy of Dario Villa,
Filipinos in San Diego
HONORABLE JUDGE LILLIAN LIM Judge Lillian Lim is one of the 1st Filipino Chinese judges in the United States. She was appointed as Municipal Judge in 1986, Superior Court Judge in 1998, and retired in 2007. Previously, she worked as Deputy Attorney Office for the State Department of Justice for 9 years. She served as California Asian Pacific Judge Association President in 1992/1993. She has been active with the Filipino American Lawyers Association and the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association. In 2010, she established the annual  Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Rights June 30, 2010, through the California Legislature. Judge Lim grew up in Berkeley, California, graduated from Brown University in 1973 in Political Science, and completed her degree at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1977.

Officer John Deguzman, San Diego Police Department

Courtesy of Family of John Deguzman

JONATHAN M. DEGUZMAN

Jonathan Deguzman is known as “JD” to family and police officers. Since October 2000 he dedicated 16 years of service with the San Diego Police Department. He began his career as a patrol officer in the Mid City division, later joining the Gang Suppression Team and a member of the SWAT Team. Earlier in his career, he earned a Purple and a Meritorious Service Award. On July 28, 2016, he and his partner Patrolman Wade Irwin were patrolling the southeast area. While conducting a patrol stop, they met gun fire. JD was shot and died in the line of duty while Wade Irwin was able to survive his injuries. The outpouring of support from the community led to a Chula Vista Post Office named in his honor and establishing the Jonathan M DeGuzman bridge overpass above Interstate 805 at 400 East Palomar Street. In his honor the Filipino American Law Enforcement Organization, San Diego Chapter established a Jonathan “JD” Deguzman Scholarship Fund.

Arlie Ricasa, Sweetwater Union High School District Board Member

Courtesy of Arlie Ricasa-Bagaporo,
Filipinos in San Diego

ARLIE RICASA BAGAPORO

Arlie Ricasa Bagaporo was born and raised in San Diego and the youngest of 10 children. Her parents are Narciso and Antonia Ricasa, longtime community leaders in the Cavite Association, Filipino American Veterans Association (FAVA), and many other Filipino Community organizations.  They set the path for their children to become community leaders in their own right. Arlie graduated from Mar Vista High School, completed her BA at UCLA in Psychology, and completed her MS at San Diego State University in Counseling.  At Southwestern Community College, Arlie worked as a Counselor and Advisor to Bayan Student Organization and served countless students and mentored them to success.

Retired Assistant Police Chief Cesar Solis, San Diego Police Department

Courtesy of Cesar Solis

CESAR SOLIS

Cesar Solis is one of  the highest ranking Filipino Americans in the San Diego Police Department. He retired after 32 years of service in 2014 while serving as Assistant Chief of Police in his last 6 years of service. He was previously appointed as Captain of Investigations II, Commanding Officer of SWAT Team, Executive Officer of Emergency Negotiations Team, and Border Crime Prevention Unit. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Award and the American Legion of Valor. Most importantly, he has served on numerous boards and commissions and has represented the needs of our community. He now serves on the Advisory Board of the Filipino American Law Enforcement Organization. For his demonstrated commitment to the City of San Diego, Cesar was honored with the establishment of the Cesar Solis Community Park. This marked the first park in SD City History to be named after a Filipino American and is located at 4901 Del Sol Blvd, San Diego, CA 92154.

Fideles Ungab, National City Council Member

Courtesy of Ungab Family

FIDELES UNGAB

Fideles Ungab served four years as Councilman for National City. He also had served on many other National City Boards and Commissions. He was past president of the Filipino American Community of National City. Fideles grew up in National City, California. He graduated from Sweetwater High School and completed his AA at Southwestern College.

Florence Ungab, National City School Board Member

Courtesy of Ungab Family

FLORENCE DARAL UNGAB

Florence Daral Ungab is one of the 1st Filipino Americans to win the Miss National City Title in 1972 and to be elected to the National City School Board in 1976. She was reelected to 3 successive terms.  Florence continued to work in the field of Education as she worked for over 20 years at the State Board of Education and returned to National City working as a Deputy Labor Commission Office. Her parents were community leaders in the  National City Filipino American Organization and set the stage for a family of community service.  Florence graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1972. She attended San Diego State University, was a founding member of Andres Bonifacio Samahan, a Filipino Student organization, and graduated with a Liberal Studies degree with an emphasis in Special Education.

Terri Valladolid, Southwestern College Board of Trustee

Courtesy of Terri Valladolid

TERRI PASCUAL VALLADOLID

Terri Pascual Valladolid is one of the earliest Mexican Filipinos (Mexipino) to serve on the Southwestern Community College Governing Board for four terms totaling 16 years. During her tenure she assisted in opening 3 higher education centers and approving bonds to build more infrastructure. For her recognized community service, the City of Chula Vista and the County of San Diego declared November 12, 2014, as Terri Valladolid Day. She organized voters through the Southwest Voter Registration Project and was an active member of MANA, League of Women Voters, and South Bay Forum. Terri graduated from Imperial Valley Community College and transferred to San Diego State University to complete her BA and MS degree.

Rosalie Toledo Zarate, National City Council Board Member

Courtesy of Rosalie Toledo Zarate

ROSALIE TOLEDO ZARATE Rosalie Toledo is one of the earliest Mexican Filipino (Mexipino) and woman to be elected to National City Council. She was the daughter of Jimmy V. Toledo who bought 8 acres of land in National City in the early 1950’s.  His family farmed the land and established the first sari sari store, Toledo Produce, on Plaza Boulevard. Rosalie was a businesswoman who advocated for both the Mexican and Filipino American Communities.

Description, Courtesy of:

  1. Lita David, Sweetwater Union High School District Board Member – Picture,  Swearing in Ceremony, David Family
  2. Lita David – Campaign Flier, David Family
  3. Arlie Ricasa, Sweetwater Union High School District Board Member – Picture, A. Ricasa Bagaporo, Filipinos in San Diego
  4. Arlie Ricasa – Picture of Campaign, A. Ricasa Bagaporo
  5. Florence Ungab – Picture, Miss National City, 1972, Ungab Family
  6. Florence Ungab, National City School Board Member (1976-87)  – Campaign Flier, Ungab Family
  7. Fideles Ungab, National City Council Member – Picture, Ungab Family
  8. Honorable Lillian Lim, Retired Judge of San Diego Superior Court (1986-2007) – Picture, Dario Villa, Filipinos in San Diego
  9. Terri Valladolid, Southwestern College Board of Trustee – Picture, T. Valladolid
  10. Terri Valladolid – Campaign Card, T. Valladolid
  11. Terri Valladolid – Campaign Button, T. Valladolid
  12. Rosalie Toledo Zarate, National City Council Board Member – Picture, Rosalie Toledo Zarate
  13. Retired Assistant Police Chief Cesar Solis, San Diego Police Department, Cesar Solis
  14. Officer John Deguzman, San Diego Police Department – Picture, Family of Juan Deguzman

Want to Learn More About This Exhibit?

Check out our presentation slide show to get an in-depth look at the history of Filipinos in the military.

Download Now

Schedule A Tour

Schedule a tour today to learn more about Filipino and Filipino American history in South Bay.