Local leaders of the Filipino-American community hailed Tani Cantil-Sakauye as an inspiration and her nomination as a step forward for the community.
“She represents what can happen in the next generation,” said Larry Asera, the first Filipino-American elected to the Vallejo City Council.
Cantil-Sakauye, 50, was picked by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week as his choice for chief justice of the state Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would become the first Asian-American and the first Filipino-American chief justice while giving the court a female majority.
“I’m so overwhelmed and so happy about it. … And a woman? A woman breaking that glass ceiling!” said Rozzana Verder-Aliga, a Vallejo resident and member of the Solano County Board of Education.
Cantil-Sakauye and Rozzana Verder-Aliga have both been past recipients of the Filipina Women’s Network’s Most Influential Filipinas in the U.S. distinction.
Like Asera, Cantil-Sakauye came from a farming background, first from Hawaii, then in the Sacramento area. Asera praised her working through her humble beginnings, while Verder-Aliga held the nominee up as an example of the power of public education.
Cantil-Sakauye attended public schools throughout her entire life, including Sacramento City College, the University of California, Davis, both for her undergraduate and law degrees. In 2005, she was appointed by Schwarzenegger to an appeals court and now awaits to be confirmed by a panel and the voting public in November.
Both Asera and Verder-Aliga stressed that Cantil-Sakauye was a qualified person for the job — the fact that she’s also Filipina-American is a bonus.
“It’s a very big step forward (for the Filipino community), but it shows you can earn your way up,” said Asera of Cantil-Sakauye’s rise from a district attorney to the state’s highest court.
Nonetheless, her nomination can open doors for other Filipino-Americans in politics, Vallejo City Councilmember Hermie Sunga said.
“Hopefully, it’ll open up other future possibilities for qualified Filipino-Americans in higher positions of government,” Sunga said.
Still, Asera warned that being nominated to a position is different from running a campaign and being elected. Few Filipinos end up running for office, he said.
But Cantil-Sakauye will be a good role model for the next generation, local leaders said.
“I’m sure she’s going to get several invitations to come to Vallejo,” Verder-Aliga said.
Source: Times Herald Online
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