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Assembly committee hears bill to designate Oct. 25 as Larry Itliong Day
Summary
The Nevada Assembly Committee on Government Affairs held a hearing on AB 83, introduced by Assemblywoman Erica Mosca, to designate Oct. 25 as Larry Itliong Day and to request a gubernatorial proclamation; the measure drew broad labor and Filipino American community support and limited opposition arguing the designation is not Nevada-specific.
Carson City — The Nevada Assembly Committee on Government Affairs heard testimony March 17 on Assembly Bill 83, which would designate Oct. 25 each year as Larry Itliong Day in Nevada and request an annual proclamation from the governor. Assemblywoman Erica Mosca presented the bill and was joined by labor leaders and Filipino American community groups who urged passage.
Proponents said the designation would raise awareness of Larry Itliong’s role in the farm-labor movement and provide an occasion for education and community events. "Organizing is not an act of charity, but an act of justice," said Erica Watanabe, a healthcare worker and chair of SEIU Local 1107’s API Caucus, during testimony in Las Vegas. Gloria Kawili, a retired union official and founding member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, told the committee that Asian and Pacific Islander residents represent roughly 10 percent of Nevada’s population and that Filipinos are the largest segment of that group, arguing the day would honor a history often omitted from school curricula.
Mosca opened the hearing with a short video about Itliong and framed the measure as an effort to recognize the Filipino American contribution to labor history. Witnesses from the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, the Asian Community Development Council, the Las Vegas Filipino Short Film Festival, and multiple unions — including the Nevada State AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America, IATSE Local 363 and SEIU Local 1107 — testified in support. Supporters said a named day can serve as a focal point for educational events and community organizing; several speakers described showing the committee’s video at local festivals and schools to introduce Itliong’s role in the Delano grape strike.
Opposition testimony was limited. A caller, Matthew Winterhawk of Las Vegas, said Itliong’s organizing work occurred in California and argued the state should prioritize recognition of "Nevadans' own workers and labor history." He described the measure as symbolic and tied to identity-based politics.
The committee did not take a vote during the March 17 hearing. Chairing remarks and the bill’s presentation clarified the legislative request: AB 83 would designate the day and ask the governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging educational and public observances. The hearing record contains multiple expressions of community and labor support and one on-record opposition comment. The committee closed the hearing on AB 83 and did not record formal committee action on the measure that day.
Background: Larry Itliong was a Filipino American farm-labor organizer noted in testimony for his role in organizing Filipino workers in the 1960s and joining with Cesar Chavez in the Delano grape strike. Supporters told the committee they aim to use a designated day as a tool for public education about that history.
Next steps: No committee vote was recorded at the close of the hearing; the bill remains pending further committee action or scheduling.
