As Women's History Month comes to a close, I'd like to announce the four outstanding women I have chosen as our district's Women of the Year. They have made a meaningful difference in our communities, forging paths to a better future for the under-served.

Rose Chung from San Francisco's Russian Hill
Rose Chung is Board Chair of APA Family Support Services, Vice-President of Portsmouth Square Garage and past President of Jung Family Association. As a former legislative aide at City Hall, Rose champions causes close to her heart. She is the visionary behind the Miss Asian Global Pageant, which celebrates nearly four decades of empowering women. Rose embodies the ethos of "women lifting women," leveraging their collective compassion to deliver meaningful change in society.

Juslyn Manalo from Daly City
Juslyn Manalo has served on the Daly City Council since 2016 and is the current Mayor of Daly City. Mayor Manalo continues to fight for Seton Hospital, affordable housing and public safety. Manalo is the first Filipino woman mayor of Daly City, the city she was proudly raised in. Early throughout her career, she advocated for Filipino World War II Veterans as a Community Service Worker at the Bayanihan Equity Center and founded the Bill Sorro Housing Program.

Susan Pfeifer from San Francisco's Outer Sunset
A retired advertising/entertainment professional, Susan Pfeifer is passionate about registering people to vote, particularly new citizens. Susan has been a Certified Enrollment Counselor for Covered California for the past 10 years, assisting people with their healthcare coverage. She resides in and represents California's 12th Congressional district for a national political party.

Monthanus Ratanapakdee from San Francisco's Fillmore District
Monthanus Ratanapakdee is a passionate advocate for the rights and equality of Asian Americans, drawn to this cause in 2021 by the tragic loss of her father, Vicha Ratanapakdee, a pivotal event that gave even more momentum to the Stop Asian Hate movement. She's now the visionary Founder and CEO of the Justice for Vicha Ratanapakdee Foundation, and serves as a board member at the Southeast Asian Development Center.

A big thank you to everyone for sending in their nominations. I could not consider many of them because the nominee did not live in Assembly District 19. Nonetheless, all were deserving of consideration.

Please join me in honoring Rose, Juslyn, Susan and Monthanus at my Budget Town Hall, which is Thursday, May 16 at 5 p.m. at Argonne Elementary School in San Francisco. You can RSVP for the event here.

I hope you are able to honor the impactful women in your life for Women's HERstory Month.

PHIL TING
Assemblymember, 19th District