LIHU‘E — Mona Pasquil, 49, made history as the first female, first Asian-Pacific islander and first Filipina lieutenant governor in California’s history.
And though the six-month stint was only temporary — as a battle ensued over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s permanent replacement, Abel Maldonado — she made the most of her time in that office by impressing on younger generations that shooting for the stars is what they must do.
She said her grandmother came from Siquijor, a small island in the Visayas islands of the Philippines, and they came to Hawai‘i to work in the sugar plantations.
Hanapepe resident and former Kaua‘i Fire Chief Alejandro “Ale” Lomosad’s mother and Pasquil’s grandmother are cousins. While Lomosad’s family came to Kaua‘i and stayed, members of Pasquil’s family continued to California. Pasquil was born in Sacramento, where she still lives.
“It was a journey, and it wasn’t always easy,” Pasquil said of the family emigration. The move involved “love and a lot of sacrifice.”
There were two “ah-ha” moments during her time as lieutenant governor, Pasquil said in a recent phone interview. They are both the basis of children’s books she is writing. One involved a fifth-grade girl on a tour of the Capitol who asked to see Pasquil’s office.
“I didn’t know girls could have an office like this,” the wide-eyed youngster said, impressing on Pasquil the fact that there are “kids today who still don’t know what they can become until they see it.”
That encounter led to one of Pasquil’s mantras: “You can be anything you want to be.”
In real ways that’s her story, too. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Marymount College of Kansas and a passion for writing speeches, Pasquil intended to be an English teacher. That never happened, and she made her way into politics.
“My real love has been in public service,” she said.
Pasquil also served as President Bill Clinton’s Western political director and, naturally, supported Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2008 as a superdelegate and member of the Democratic National Committee.
“It was a wonderful job, probably the best job I ever had,” Pasquil said of her time working under Bill Clinton. “He gave me a chance.”
She said she learned firsthand how those in government can help people, and assist them in connecting with their government. Part of her job was to provide political briefings for and about candidates.
It was a fifth-grade boy involved in her other “ah-ha” moment, when she asked a class what they would do if they were the swing vote on a controversial proposal to allow drilling for oil in the Santa Barbara area after a 1960s oil spill fouled the scenic shoreline.
A boy in the back of the class caught her eye. He said he would vote against drilling, because he wants his and future generations to be able to enjoy going to the beach, and there was no guarantee that any spill might cost more to clean up than oil companies were offering to contribute for the rights to drill.
Pretty heady stuff for an 11-year old. And it had a lasting impact on Pasquil, instilling in her the fact that her actions today also impact the future.
The California lieutenant governor automatically serves as a member of the University of California Board of Regents and California State University Board of Trustees, as well as other boards and commissions including the State Lands Commission, which the oil issue was before.
Schwarzenegger favored the plan, state Comptroller John Chiang opposed the plan, and Pasquil was to be the deciding vote on the three-member panel. When the oil company couldn’t get her advance assurance she would vote to support the plan, they withdrew their proposal. Pasquil said she would not make her decision without first hearing what the public thought of the plan.
Pasquil was also chief deputy to Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who resigned from office to run for a seat in the U.S House of Representatives, which he won.
By California law, gubernatorial and lieutenant governor elections are separate, and when a mid-term vacancy happens in the lieutenant governor’s office the chief deputy assumes the lieutenant governor’s office until the governor names a successor.
A protracted battle over Maldonado’s confirmation led to Pasquil serving for six months, then, subsequently, assisting with the transitions from herself to Maldonado and, more recently, from Maldonado to former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who won the office in the Nov. 2 general election.
In between all that, she managed to jet off to Kaua‘i to get married at Plantation Gardens to Chris Rogers, a retired U.S. Army man now involved in the railroad industry.
Neither had time for a honeymoon, but they plan to rest and relax on Maui in either March or April of 2011, during which time they will also shop for a house to retire to on Kaua‘i, she said.
“We didn’t want to be stressed” with a honeymoon with everything that was going on back in Sacramento, said Pasquil, now heading up a crisis-communications and campaign-consulting company.
Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Nalani Brun sang the “Hawaiian Wedding Song” at their Po‘ipu wedding, prompting the bride and groom to cry throughout the rendition, Pasquil said.
Lining up Carvalho was a wedding present from Donn Ariyoshi, son of former Gov. George Ariyoshi, and Mike Amii, who worked in the administration of former Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, said Pasquil.
“It was their great idea,” she said. “We were really honored. It really made the evening.”
Also, the harmony between Carvalho and Brun was amazing, the bride said. Although they had to rush off to other engagements, it was nice also meeting Regina Carvalho, the mayor’s wife, Pasquil said.
• Paul C. Curtis, assistant editor and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
