Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo visited the KHEIR Center on January 23 to tour the new facilities and address issues in the Korean American community.

City Attorney Delgadillo, a native of the Eastside of Los Angeles, grew up in the Highland Park area and began his professional career as a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Prior to being elected City Attorney in 2001, he served as the Director of Business Development for Rebuild L.A. and as the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development. As City Attorney, his top priorities include decreasing crime in Los Angeles City, improving quality of life in our neighborhoods and reducing the city’s civil liabilities.

One of the most exciting programs that the City Attorney is working on is the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program. It is the first time in the city’s history where a prosecutor is assigned to work in a specific neighborhood in order to get to know residents on a first-name basis and attack quality-of-life crimes where they occur. Neighborhood Prosecutors work with residents, elected officials and city agencies to eliminate such problems as illegal dumping, graffiti and street racing. The City Attorney’s office offers residents of Los Angeles important services such as providing support for victims and witnesses in cases prosecuted by City of Los Angeles and investigating and protecting victims involved in child and domestic abuse situations.

As the highest-ranking Latino to win citywide office in more than 100 years, Rocky Delgadillo understands the difficulties recent immigrants and limited- or non-English-speaking individuals experience. The Immigration Fraud Strike Force was developed to protect immigrants and educate them on their rights. They stress that an immigration consultant cannot provide you with any advice on your legal matters. They are not lawyers and should not and cannot give you advice. An immigration consultant may only provide assistance with translating information, locating and securing documents on your behalf and completing forms with answers that you provide.

Identity theft is also a concern in the Korean American community. It is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your identity and proceeds to ruin your credit or commit crimes in your name. The easiest way to safeguard against the crime of identity theft is to protect your personal information by not intentionally or unwittingly giving it out to businesses or persons. Personal information includes your name, address, social security number, driver’s license and mother’s maiden name.

It is important to know that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office does not ask or look into an individual’s citizenship status. This allows all residents to work with the City Attorney by reporting crimes and harmful activities and utilize its services without fear of being reported. 

The KHEIR Center thanks City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo for acknowledging and responding to issues important in the Korean American community. We look forward to working with the City Attorney in ensuring all Korean Americans in Los Angeles will be safe and protected.