RNC Honors Paul Bannai As A "California Trailblazer"

Above, Armand with Paul Bannai in 1977 in Sacramento.

As I mentioned in this post from January, 2013 marks 40 years since the special election in the old 67th Assembly District (Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena, Torrance) in which Republican Paul T. Bannai was elected to fill the vacancy after the death of Larry Townsend.

I was a part of that campaign and went on to work in Bannai's district office as a field representative handling constituent problems.

Above, Paul Bannai (center) at a Japan Expo at the Los Angeles
Convention Center (circa 2002).  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Fittingly, Bannai was honored with three others by the Republican National Committee last month at their Spring Meeting in Los Angeles.  A luncheon was held honoring Bannai, Dr. Tirso Del Junco, Dr. Sammy Lee and Charles House.

On Bannai, the RNC said:

Paul Bannai was the first Japanese American elected to the California State Legislature, where he served from 1973 to 1980. He is also a former Gardena City Councilmember and served as the Chief Memorial Affairs Director for the Veterans Administration’s National Cemetery System. In World War II, he served in the United State Army’s 442nd Infantry Regiment and Intelligence Service.

To read the article on the California Republican Trailblazers honored by the RNC, go here.