The Brief

After disgraced former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do pleaded guilty in court last year, he disappeared from public view. That is, until recent court filings revealed he has been volunteering with the Los Angeles Maritime Institute — teaching sailing to disadvantaged kids.

So, I headed to San Pedro to see if I could catch a glimpse of him.

Do wasn’t there on that warm Friday afternoon. The institute is right by the iconic San Pedro Fish Market. Families, tourists and locals alike strolled the pier, and a cruise ship blasting “YMCA” floated past. Two sailboats were anchored off the shore, one prominently displaying the name Irving Johnson.

I knew I'd found the right boat — a court filing included a photo of Do aboard the Irving Johnson.

The institute's Jonah Warshay is a captain of one of those sailboats. He confirmed Do has been volunteering a few times a month — sometimes even serving as cook.

“It's been very helpful having him,” Warshay told me.

Warshay recalled Do as having “such a positive attitude,” adding that Do is “well-rounded and educated and just a pleasure to work with and get to know.”

Warshay, however, thought Do was just someone interested in helping out. He said he was unaware that Do had pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge and was awaiting sentencing.

“I don't know what to say,” Warshay said. “I guess, I don't know him that well.”

Do is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, June 9, in the case in which he was accused lining his pockets with taxpayers’ money meant to feed needy seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors are calling for the maximum penalty for the federal bribery charge because Do’s actions left people with “empty stomachs and worsened health conditions.”

Warshay asked for details about Do’s case so he could read up.

He said Do started out like any other volunteer, sorting out inventory in a workshop.

“He even started coming on some of our day sails and voyages and learning how to run the ships, set sail, things like that,” Warshay said of Do. “He was even cook for one of our voyages, so it was very helpful having someone dedicated to meals.”

Those details match the court filings. (Scroll down to the end so you can read the court documents for yourself.)

What else do the court filings say?

In Do’s response to prosecutors calling for the maximum sentence, his lawyers said he has been volunteering around 20 hours each week at the maritime institute. Warshay said Do comes in a few times a month — and doesn’t have a steady shift.

Bruce Heyman, executive director at the institute, wrote in a supporting letter filed with court documents that Do “possesses an unwavering ethical compass.”

“The Andrew [Do] that I’ve come to know has been extremely thoughtful, fair and moral. He approaches each task with fairness, empathy and a genuine desire to make a positive difference,” he wrote.

The programs offered at the maritime institute provide STEM access and socioemotional learning experiences to around 7,000 students — over 90% of whom are students of color and attending schools that mostly serve low income students.

Heyman wrote that he is aware Do has pleaded guilty and said he believes it must have been a “lapse of judgment.”

What's the backstory

Do was one of the highest-ranking elected officials in Orange County. He was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors from District 1, which encompasses cities including Garden Grove and Westminster. He pleaded guilty to a charge related to accepting $550,000 in bribes for voting in favor of and directing more than $10 million in COVID funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter, Rhiannon Do.

Then Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do at a board meeting back in November 2023.

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Nick Gerda

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LAist

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LAist was the first to report the lack of transparency in Do awarding the contracts to the nonprofit, triggering the federal probe that would ultimately result in Do’s resignation, conviction and pending sentencing.

Prosecutors have called for the maximum sentence saying Andrew Do’s actions hurt "the most exposed residents of the county.” They say he was especially duplicitous, publicly touting the successes of the programs helping needy seniors, even as he had actually “abandoned” them and looted the funding that was supposed to help him.

He tried to cover up the misdeeds by routing the bribes he accepted through the nonprofit affiliated with Rhiannon Do and through payments paid to his other daughter, Ilene Do.

Rhiannon Do made a deal with federal authorities to enter a diversion program. Authorities have taken no public action on Ilene Do.

By involving his adult daughters, the supervisor sought to muddy the trail of funds, prosecutors wrote.

“It was not a spur-of-the-moment lapse of judgment but a sustained effort to evade scrutiny through manipulation of personal relationships and familial trust,” the court documents state.

In his own defense, Do defended and downplayed his actions. He said he was “willfully blinded to the violations” and laid part of the blame on his fellow supervisors. You can read more of his statement below.

The court records

What the prosecution had to say

What the defense had to say

Statement by Los Angeles Maritime Institute executive director Bruce Heyman

Andrew Do's letter to the judge

In just four days, the Los Angeles Official Martin Luther King Day Parade will take over South L.A.

The LA Local recently spoke with Sabra Wady, the parade’s lead organizer, who said this year’s parade will look much the same as recent years.

So, whether you’re attending the parade or watching it on TV, here’s everything you need to know about Monday’s parade:

The procession will begin at 10 a.m., with ABC7 set to begin a broadcast at 11 a.m.

What time does the parade start? How can I watch? Is anything happening after?

Wady said the best place to catch the parade in person is the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. King Boulevard, or “camera corner,” where the parade will culminate and organizers are planning a live preshow. Bleacher seats, though, will be limited.

The Metro K Line runs directly to the intersection, dropping people off at the Martin Luther King Jr. Metro station.

Onlookers can also post up along the parade route with folding chairs and other self-arranged seating, Wady said.

The parade broadcast will run until 1 p.m., but Wady said the procession is expected to keep going until mid-afternoon.

“After the cameras stop rolling, it’s the people’s parade,” Wady said.

LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmembers Curren Price and Heather Hutt – who represent council districts 8, 9 and 10, respectively — will organize the annual MLK Freedom Festival in the Leimert Park Plaza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What route will the parade take?

The route will remain the same, running down King Boulevard from Western Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard before turning south down Crenshaw and heading to Leimert Park. Much of the route will be closed to traffic overnight before the parade.

More than 150 groups, including bands, floats, horseback riders and marchers, will trek down the boulevard. Wady said organizers cut off new sign-ups weeks ago in order to keep the parade manageable.

What will road closures look like?

Colin Sweeney, a spokesperson for the LA Department of Transportation, said in an email that the department will close off traffic down the main parade route overnight.

Here are the roads that will be closed to all vehicles for the duration of the parade and festival.

• King Boulevard from Vermont Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard 
• Crenshaw Boulevard from King Boulevard to 48th Street
• Leimert Boulevard from 8th Avenue to Leimert Park 
• Degnan Avenue between 43rd Street and Leimert Park

Sweeney said only residents will be allowed to drive into the band of neighborhoods directly along the length of the parade route. That includes the blocks from 39th Street to 42nd Street along King Boulevard and the blocks between McClung Drive and Victoria Avenue along the Crenshaw closure.

The transportation department will allow traffic to cross the parade route at major intersections — including Western Avenue, Arlington Avenue and Stocker Street — but those crossings will be shut down at 10 a.m. All closed roads will stay blocked off until the parade and festival wrap up and transportation officials determine crowds have sufficiently dispersed, Sweeney said.

Wady said the parade is expected to peter out around mid-afternoon. The festival at Leimert Park Plaza is scheduled to end at 5 p.m.

Vehicles parked in the parade assembly area, parade route and disbanding area will be subject to impound or tickets, Sweeney wrote.

Topline:

By the numbers: Film and television shoot days totaled 4,625 in the final three months of 2025, up 5.1% in that timeframe. But overall last year, there were 19,694 shoot days, which is down 16.1% from 2024's total of 23.480.

Why it matters: Production in Los Angeles has been slow to rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hollywood writers and actors strikes in 2023. There is also increased competition from other states that offer appealing film tax credits and other incentives for productions that decide to take their shoot outside of California. This summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded California's Film and TV Tax Credit Program in an effort to lure productions back to the Golden State.

What's next: Film L.A.'s Phil Sokoloski says that many of the productions approved under the expanded tax credit program are just now getting underway, and he hopes the industry will start to see the effects of not only the tax incentive expansion in 2026, but also L.A. Mayor Karen Bass' directives to streamline the permitting and shooting process in the city.

In L.A., there is no shortage of events to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year.

Since 1986, the federal holiday is observed on the third Monday of January to honor the life and legacy of the Civil Rights leader.

California African American Museum

The California African American Museum is hosting a King Day scavenger hunt on Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. On Monday, it is hosting an all-day event honoring King that will culminate with a performance by the Inner City Youth Orchestra of L.A., which is billed as the largest majority Black youth orchestra in the country.

Orchestra at Skirball

The orchestra will also perform at the Skirball Cultural Center on Saturday evening. The free event is already at capacity, but you can try your luck by signing up for the waitlist here. Earlier Saturday, the orchestra will join the Santa Monica Symphony for its annual MLK concert.

Parades and celebrations

Cedric the Entertainer will be the grand marshal of this year’s official L.A. MLK Day Parade on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Western and Crenshaw avenues on Monday. If you’re looking for a parade earlier in the weekend, you can head to Long Beach’s MLK Day parade on Saturday. Also on Saturday is a celebration of King’s legacy at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Culver City.

Volunteer opportunities

In 1994, President Bill Clinton officially decreed MLK Day as a day of service. If you’re looking for opportunities to volunteer, grab free tickets to Monday’s MLK Day Volunteer Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

Free access to state parks

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that more than 200 California state parks will be free to enter on Monday. The move comes after the Trump administration eliminated MLK Day and Juneteenth from the list of days when it’s free to access national parks. There are 12 free state parks on the list in L.A. County, including Los Angeles and Will Rogers State Historic Parks, as well as Topanga and Malibu Creek State Parks. See the full list here.

A 2017 Los Angeles Times article tells the tragic story of Lai Hang, a terminally ill woman who killed her 18-year-old son George, who’d been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

It’s a carefully reported story by journalist Frank Shyong about a family, about the shame and stigma that can surround mental illness in Asian American communities, and how media portrayals of people with mental disorders can perpetuate harmful misconceptions.

So when Shyong was first approached about the idea of adapting the story he wrote into a narrative film, he had some “very intense” concerns about whether a film would get the story right.

But after conversations with the filmmakers, and thinking through the potential value of telling fictionalized stories based on real-life events, Shyong says, “ I think I realized that my story was in a lot of ways incomplete.”

Nine years later, the film, titled Rosemead, is finished. Directed by Eric Lin and written by Marilyn Fu, the film stars Lucy Liu as Irene, a character based on Hang, and Lawrence Shou as Joe, who’s based on George.

And Shyong, who is credited as an executive producer and served as a consultant on the film, says “it’s sort of completing the circle a little bit” — fleshing out Hang and George as “full 360 degree human beings” and giving glimpses of how their story might have ended differently.

Reporting on trauma in Asian American communities

Back in 2015, when the events depicted in Rosemead happened, the breaking news coverage revealed the basics of what was known at the time — that a woman had fatally shot her son in a Rosemead motel and turned herself in.

“ I think a lot of people probably realized there was more story there,” Shyong says. But the only person who knew the details, Hang’s longtime friend Ping Chong, had declined to talk to the media.

Still, Shyong kept following up because the court records hinted at a story that he thought should be told.

The court records revealed that Hang had been dying of cancer, and that Chong continued to visit her after she turned herself in, performing Buddhist rituals for her.

“Just knowing those two facts,” Shyong says, “and knowing Asian American families, and how complete and terrifying the sense of responsibility that a parent can feel toward a child, I just thought there's gotta be something there.”

He would visit Chong’s shop, a traditional Chinese pharmacy, leaving notes for her and talking to her about why he wanted to know more. And he gained her trust.

 ”You just have to say, ‘This is [the] story I think is here. And do you think that story is true? And if so, can you help me tell it?’ And that's all I did,” Shyong says. “I think that's all any journalist ever does.”

It’s a story that Shyong says he would come to learn is more common than many may expect.   “When you are a caregiver in these communities,” Shyong says, “you can find and name a tragic story like this in probably every zip code.”

How filmmaking and journalism can complement each other

Shyong’s article ends with this poignant quote from Chong, about her friend: “People will only know her as the mother who killed her son [...] But she was more.”

The piece itself goes a long way toward dispelling Chong’s concern, including details about Hang’s life — that she was a talented graphic designer, that she was “beautiful, smart and ambitious,” that she’d lost her husband to cancer, and that she deeply cared about her son.

But “in this case fiction,” Shyong says, “could give closure to characters in a way that I couldn't in reality. It could tell the fullness of this family story.”

The film shows Liu’s character Irene having fun with her son at the beach, and joining his therapy sessions at the urging of a psychiatrist, despite being visibly uncomfortable doing so.

It shows George (Joe in the film) with his friends, who come to visit him after he has an intense schizophrenic episode at school.

The sound design gives a sense of what it’s like to experience schizophrenia, and a part of the film where Joe runs away shows how quickly a boy with a mother and friends who care about him can become an unhoused person who someone might fear on the street.

Ultimately, the film ends on a note of hope, which grew out of something that Shyong learned from Chong after the article was published. In a way that he couldn’t do in print, “It added parts to the story that I wanted to see depicted.”