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Nominate a Local Hero!

PBS SoCal is looking for outstanding individuals who are providing great leadership and making significant contributions to improve and enrich the lives of others. Since 1998, the PBS SoCal Community Advisory Board (CAB) has paid tribute to exemplary leaders who are making a difference and enriching the lives of others by improving our community, region, and the world at large. We look forward to continuing this tradition today by recognizing local heroes who have performed exemplary deeds of service outside of their regular jobs.

Nominations must be received by Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Read more about Local Heroes nominee criteria & eligibility rules, FAQs about the nomination process and submit a nomination at the form below:

Local Heroes poster 2024
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Local Heroes

Meet the Local Heroes 2024 Nominees and Honorees

Virginia Nguyen, Stacy Yung
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Local Heroes

Local Heroes: Stacy Yung and Virginia Nguyen

Alberto Roman
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Local Heroes

Local Hero: Dr. Alberto J. Román






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Meet the Local Heroes 2020 Honorees
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Meet the Local Heroes 2020 Honorees
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ben Caldwell and Tam Nguyen are 2020’s three Local Heroes honorees.
Meet the Local Heroes 2021 Honorees
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Meet the Local Heroes 2021 Honorees
Chancee Martorell and Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey are 2021’s Local Heroes honorees.
Meet the Local Heroes 2022 Honorees
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Meet the Local Heroes 2022 Honorees
Marjorie Lee and Cynthia 'Big Mama' Mendenhall are 2022's Local Heroes honorees.
Meet the Local Heroes 2023 Honorees
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Meet the Local Heroes 2023 Honorees
Brandon Tsay and Meymuna Hussein-Cattan are 2023's Local Heroes honorees.
A woman with long black hair in curls, wearing a bright blue blouse with a hot-pink pineapple print, smiles a toothy grin at the camera as she stands against a plain, light-pink background
Local Heroes Honoree: Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, Empowering Refugees, Immigrants and Communities In Need
Born in a refugee camp, 2023 Local Heroes honoree Meymuna Hussein-Cattan's personal journey inspires her unwavering commitment to empowering refugees and immigrants — as well as other humanitarian causes — through the Tiyya Foundation and Flavors from Afar.
An Asian American man with a dark mustache and beard and dark hair falling over his forehead looks directly at the camera, wearing a white dress shirt buttoned all the way to the top under a dark jacket. In the background, the branches and leaves of large jade plants are visible inside a room with beige walls.
Local Heroes Honoree: Brandon Tsay, One Man Whose Courage Saved the Lives of Many
Local Heroes 2023 Honoree Brandon Tsay disarmed the Monterey Park, California mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations on January 21, 2023.
Updated Local Heroes Poster
Meet the Local Heroes 2023 Honorees
Brandon Tsay and Meymuna Hussein-Cattan are 2023's Local Heroes honorees.
A woman wearing glasses and a black visor hat smiles as she stands on a golf course green in a V-neck shirt that reads "Latina Golfers" and holds a white flag with the Latina Golfers logo by a handle.
Local Hero: Azucena Maldonado, Transforming Latinas' Lives Through Golf
Meet 2023 Local Heroes nominee Acuzena Maldonado, founder of Latina Golfers Association.
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Local Hero: Victor Narro, Uniting Car Wash Workers Across L.A.
Local Heroes 2023 Nominee Victor Narro, an expert on immigrant rights and low-wage workers, is a founder and the president of the advisory board of directors at the Clean Car Wash Worker Center, the country’s first center advocating for car wash workers.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a light-blue ruffled, short-sleeved top sits and smiles gently at the camera, with a view of an office or coworking space in the background.
Local Hero: Evelyn Aleman, Advocating for Low-Resource Students and Their Families
Meet Evelyn Aleman, a 2023 Local Heroes nominee for her advocacy in education, offering bilingual resources though the online community Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education.
A man with slicked-back, short, dark hair wearing a white V-neck T-shirt under a dark suit jacket smiles slightly at the camera as he stands outside in the sunshine, with trees and other greenery visible in the background.
Local Hero: Remigio 'Remi' Mateo, Helping Make the Great Outdoors More Inclusive
Remigio "Remi" Mateo, a 2023 Local Heroes nominee, encourages diverse communities to experience Mother Nature by leading hikes for Latino Outdoors.
A man with a dark beard wearing a dark blue T-shirt smiles at the camera as his eyes crinkle in the daylight.
Local Hero: Ova Saopeng, Elevating the Refugee and Immigrant Experience
Ova Saopeng, a 2023 Local Heroes nominee, is co-artistic director, producer and theatre-maker with Los Angeles-based TeAda Productions, which stages plays that provide perspectives from global refugee and immigrant communities.
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