The Indian Panorama

Tag: Parminder Aujla

  • Two Telangana women, on US job hunt, killed in California car crash

    Two Telangana women, on US job hunt, killed in California car crash

    • Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): A car accident in California has claimed the lives of two young women from Telangana, Pullakhandam Meghana Rani and Kadiyala Bhavana, both 24, who were pursuing their dreams in the US. The accident occurred while they were returning from a trip with friends. The incident has left their families and community in shock.

    Meghana, affectionately known as Chikki, and Bhavana were close friends and roommates in California. They had recently completed their Master’s degrees and were seeking employment opportunities. Meghana’s father, Nageshwara Rao, runs a Mee-Seva center in Garla, while Bhavana’s father serves as the Deputy Sarpanch of Mulkanoor village.

    Local authorities in the US have launched an investigation into the accident, and efforts are underway to bring the mortal remains back to India. A GoFundMe page (link below) has been set up to support Meghana’s family with repatriation expenses. “Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us give my sister a dignified farewell and will mean more to us than words can express,” the page reads.
    Bringing Meghana Rani Home for Her Final Journey to India
    Help Us Bring Bhavana Chowdary Kadiyala Back Home to Rest

  • Indian American Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal Joins California Governor’s Race

    Indian American Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal Joins California Governor’s Race

    • Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO, CA (TIP):  Silicon Valley is stepping into California politics once again. Tech entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal, best known for founding the audio fitness app Aaptiv and the fintech platform The Coterie, has announced his candidacy for governor in the 2026 election. The 40-year-old Democrat is positioning himself as a pro-growth candidate who wants to pair the state’s progressive values with business-minded pragmatism.

    Agarwal’s story begins far from the campaign trail. Born in 1985 in Montreal and raised in Los Gatos, California, he grew up in the shadow of innovation. His father, Vinod K. Agarwal, was a professor who later founded LogicVision, a semiconductor company that became public in 2001. Young Ethan excelled at the Harker School before heading east to Johns Hopkins University, where he earned two bachelor’s degrees in just three years while also serving as student body president. He later graduated from the Wharton School of Business with an MBA in finance.
    His early career followed a conventional Wall Street path — investment banking at Lehman Brothers, hedge fund work, and consulting at McKinsey & Company. But long hours and constant travel left him out of shape, and in trying to fix his own fitness routine he stumbled onto his first big idea. In 2016 he launched Aaptiv, an audio-based workout app that quickly grew into a global brand with more than 200,000 subscribers and backing from firms like Amazon and Disney. After Aaptiv was sold, Agarwal turned to fintech, co-founding The Coterie, which attracted millions in venture capital before being acquired earlier this year.
    Now, Agarwal says, it’s time to apply the same principles that built successful companies to rebuild California. He argues that the state’s cost of living, housing shortages, and energy prices are driving both residents and businesses away. Central to his platform is a pledge to overhaul — or scrap — the California Environmental Quality Act, which he calls a well-meaning law, turned obstacle to progress.
    On social issues, Agarwal aligns with the Democratic mainstream: he is firmly pro-choice, supports gun control, LGBTQ rights, and immigration. But unlike some of his rivals, he frames himself unapologetically as a capitalist. “I believe in meritocracy,” he has said, pitching himself as a candidate who can marry social progress with economic growth.
    His campaign is already drawing attention in Silicon Valley, where Y Combinator’s Garry Tan and DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang is hosting fundraisers. Still, Agarwal faces an uphill climb in a crowded Democratic field that includes high-profile names such as Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, and Antonio Villaraigosa. His greatest challenge may be building name recognition outside the tech and venture capital circles where he is well known.
    In his first campaign ad, Agarwal struck a dramatic tone, warning that “we’re all screwed” if California doesn’t embrace bold reforms. Whether voters will embrace a political newcomer with a tech-first approach remains uncertain, but his candidacy adds a distinct Silicon Valley flavor to the race.

  • Indian American physician Sion Roy runs for California state Senate in District 24

    Indian American physician Sion Roy runs for California state Senate in District 24

    • Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): Indian American physician Sion Roy is running for California state Senate in District 24 representing West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Roy, a cardiologist and vice chair of the Santa Monica College Board, hopes to replace Sen. Ben Allen who terms out in 2026.
    Announcing his run Thursday, Roy, 44, who lost his family home in the Palisades fire, promised to fight for “better access to healthcare, increased educational opportunities, and recovery and rebuilding from the devastating Palisades fire.”
    He said he will “cut the red tape” in Sacramento, and “bring resources back home to help our community rebuild—because I’m living this challenge alongside you.” He described himself as “a champion who will bring real solutions to these challenges.”
    “As a physician, professor, and education advocate, my career has been about service—to my patients, our students, and our community. I’ve worked to expand opportunities for everyone,” he wrote.
    Roy, a cardiologist at Harbor UCLA public hospital in Torrance, Roy said as the youngest ever President of the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA), he helped guide the region through the Covid-19 pandemic, working with legislators to better inform policy decisions and keep the public safe.
    He was elected to the Santa Monica College (SMC) Board of Trustees in 2018 and now serves as the board Vice Chair. As a Trustee, Roy said he had championed healthcare workforce programs like Certified Nursing Assistant & Home Health Aide Certificate programs, as well as leading the opening of SMC’s new 25,000-square-foot Malibu campus.
    As the father of a young son, he had served as PTA President of Webster Elementary School in Malibu, where he spearheaded community-building initiatives and helped pass Measure MM to improve local public schools.
    “Like so many other residents of Malibu and the surrounding communities, our family lost our home in the devastating Palisades fire,” Roy recalled. If elected, he promised to “push to cut the red tape and bring resources back to the district to help us quickly and safely rebuild our communities.”
    “Our family is going through this process with you in real-time, so I am uniquely aware of the challenges residents face in rebuilding their lives,” he added.

  • Three Indian Americans appointed to key jobs by California Governor

    Three Indian Americans appointed to key jobs by California Governor

    Parminder Aujla
    SACRAMENTO (TIP) : California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed three Indian Americans to key posts in his administration. aginder Dhillon, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Program Support in the Division of Rehabilitative Programs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
    Hemant Dhingra, of Clovis, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California, while Nisha Devi Rodrigo, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
    Dhillon has been Associate Director at the Corrections department since 2019 and served in several positions in the Budget Management Branch from 2008 to 2010, including Staff Services Manager I and Associate Budget Analyst.
    Dhillon was a Branch Chief at the California Department of Housing and Community Development from 2017 to 2019. She was a Branch Chief at the California Department of Public Health from 2012 to 2016 and a Health Program Specialist I there from 2010 to 2012.
    Dhillon was a Research Analyst I at the Employment Development Department from 2006 to 2007. She was a Staff Services Analyst at the California Department of Transportation in 2006.
    Dhillon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, Davis.
    This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,008. Dhillon is a Democrat.
    Dhingra has been Chief of Medical Staff at the Saint Agnes Medical Center of Fresno since 2023, where he was Founding Program Director of Internal Medicine.
    He has been President of the Nephrology Group since 2014. Dhingra is a member of the American Society of Nephrology and the California Medical Association.
    He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his Fellowship in Nephrology at Texas Tech University. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dhingra is a Democrat.
    Rodrigo has been the founder of Kala Wellness since 2012 and an Eastern Medicine Practitioner with the United Nations since 2018.
    She was the founder at the InFocus Wellness Institute from 2004 to 2012. Rodrigo did Communications for MP Graham Allen in the House of Commons in the UK Parliament from 2000 to 2001.
    She was a Hansard Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2000. Rodrigo did Communications in the White House Counsel’s Office from 1999 to 2000.
    She is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being and of the Yoga Alliance Board of Directors.
    Rodrigo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Loyola Marymount University and has studied Eastern Medicine Modalities since 2001.
    This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodrigo is a Democrat.

  • First Indian American elected Ash Kalra named chair of California Assembly Judiciary Committee

    First Indian American elected Ash Kalra named chair of California Assembly Judiciary Committee

    • Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): : Ash Kalra, the first Indian American elected to the California State Assembly, has been appointed Chair of the Assembly Committee on Judiciary by Speaker Robert Rivas.
    “At a time when California must be vigilant in protecting civil rights, fostering a just legal system, and ensuring everyday consumers are protected, it is an honor to serve as Chair of Judiciary Committee,” Kalra stated after his appointment on Nov 22.
    “Having served on this committee for the past seven years under Chairs Stone and Maienschein, I am grateful for their leadership and ready to hit the ground running,” he added. “I am thankful to Speaker Robert Rivas for his confidence and this opportunity to further serve the people of California.”
    “The justice system is foundational to keeping Californians safe and holding offenders accountable. I’m confident Assemblymember Kalra will fight for the rights of the people who matter most, while ensuring the system itself is just,” Rivas said. The Assembly Committee on Judiciary’s primary jurisdictions include family law, product liability, tort liability, Civil Code, and Evidence Code (excluding criminal procedure).
    Kalra had most recently served as Chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee for the past five years.
    He was first elected in 2016, becoming the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history, and was re-elected to his fourth term in 2022.
    In the State Assembly, he has authored successful legislation promoting secure and peaceful communities for all residents, including protecting and preserving civil rights and civil liberties, and has dedicated his tenure in public service to equity and social justice issues, according to his website.
    Kalra represents California’s 25th Assembly District, which encompasses the majority of San José, including downtown and open space areas in southeast Santa Clara County.
    Kalra has a law degree from Georgetown University and was a Deputy Public Defender for Santa Clara County for 11 years. As a public defender, he represented indigent clients in both felony and misdemeanor matters.

  • Indian American business owner Shivinder Singh running for Yorba Linda City Council

    Indian American business owner Shivinder Singh running for Yorba Linda City Council

    • Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): : Indian American business owner Shivinder Singh is running for City Council in Yorba Linda in northeastern Orange County, California vowing to prioritize preservation of Yorba Linda’s unique identity and empowering residents.
    Shivinder Singh, currently serving as the Chair Pro Tem of The Yorba Linda Planning Commission, brings decades of proven leadership and community activism to ensure Yorba Linda remains the “Land of Gracious Living,” according to his campaign website.
    Singh’s platform prioritizes the protection of local control, property rights, equestrian rights, parental rights, public safety, economic growth, transparency, accountability, and the promotion of community engagement through education and empowerment, it said. “He will work tirelessly to unite the residents and preserve Yorba Linda’s heritage and safeguard Yorba Linda’s exceptional quality of life!”
    A licensed Electrical Engineer with over 25 years of public service, a master’s degree in computer & electrical engineering, and certification in Project Management, he has a background in business and technology including artificial intelligence, active transportation and intelligent transportation systems.
    Singh’s core values revolve around family, faith, education, and liberty, firmly believing in the transformative power of education and emphasizing the importance of family and faith, his campaign states, according to his campaign.
    Singh is also a successful business owner and CEO for over 23 years. He serves as an appointed delegate from the 40th Congressional District. Dedicated to community service, Shivinder has held diverse roles.
    In the City of Brea, he served as the President and Secretary of a Homeowners Association and held a position on the Traffic Committee for four years. Singh served as Traffic Commissioner in the City and is currently contributing to the Community as a Planning Commissioner for the past three years.
    Active in local business and cultural spheres, Singh is a member of the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce, actively involved with the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, and a supporter and volunteer at various Yorba Linda events, according to his campaign.

  • Indian American Krishna Ramachandran appointed as Health Transformation Leader by Blue Shield

    Indian American Krishna Ramachandran appointed as Health Transformation Leader by Blue Shield

    Parminder Aujla

    OAKLAND, CA (TIP): Blue Shield of California has appointed Krishna Ramachandran as senior vice president of Health Transformation and Provider Adoption to lead the nonprofit health plan’s bold strategy to reimagine health care. In this role, Ramachandran, an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India, is responsible for leading partnerships and innovations to improve healthcare quality for members, bring tools and support that benefit providers, and promote health equity and healthier communities throughout California, according to a company release. “At Blue Shield of California, our goal is to come together with a diverse group of providers to improve the quality of patient care for our members while lowering healthcare costs to ensure that all Californians have access to the care they deserve,” stated Peter Long, executive vice president of Strategy and Health Solutions at Blue Shield. “Krishna’s experience, talent and leadership will help us make that a reality for our members and communities throughout the state.”
    “California is big, beautiful state rich with diverse people, geography, and cutting-edge technology,” said Ramachandran. “It is thrilling for me to step into this role and continue the trailblazing work Blue Shield of California has started to support healthcare providers and transform the system to make it worthy of family and friends and sustainably affordable.”
    Ramachandran brings more than 20 years of experience to Blue Shield, offering unique leadership experience in technology, provider, and health plan organizations, according to the release.
    Most recently, Ramachandran served as regional senior vice president of Illinois Health Care Delivery at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
    Previously, he began his healthcare career at Epic Systems before moving to Duly Health and Care. He is also a lecturer and scientific advisor at the University of Chicago.
    Ramachandran earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani, India, a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and an Executive MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
    Oakland based Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.7 million members, over 7,800 employees and more than $22.9 billion in annual revenue.

  • Indian American Sacramento based Sikh community condemns shooting at gurdwara

    Indian American Sacramento based Sikh community condemns shooting at gurdwara

    Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): Sacramento area Sikh leaders have condemned the shooting that wounded two men at a Sikh gurdwara Sunday and marred what had been a weekend of joyous celebration.
    Two men were critically wounded in the afternoon shooting at the Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society on the 7600 block of Bradshaw Road, in Sacramento County’s Vineyard area where thousands had gathered Sunday for the temple’s first Nagar Kirtan, a traditional neighborhood celebration and parade.
    “There is no honor in causing harm to others including your own community,” Bobbie Singh-Allen, Elk Grove mayor and a parishioner of Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society told the local media.
    She was surrounded by parishioners and temple officials, at a Monday afternoon news conference on the gurdwara’s grounds. “We came to this country for a better life through the sacrifices of our parents and grandparents,” she was quoted as saying. “This is not the dream they imagined for their youth.”
    Two of the men were involved in a fistfight, the pair exchanging punches. A friend of one of the men shot a friend of the other combatant, Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi said.
    The men, all in their 20s, were not part of the parade, but knew each other, Singh-Allen said Monday. “These displays of violence go against our Sikh faith. It is unfortunate that they brought their issues to a place of worship where everyone should feel safe.”
    The two men are expected to survive, Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesman Amar Gandhi said. The suspected gunman, 21-year-old Karman Sandhu, was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of attempted murder charges and is being held without bail.
    One of the men who was shot will be booked into Sacramento County custody once he is released from the hospital, sheriff’s officials said. Gandhi said the men were of East Indian descent but did not know if they were of the Sikh faith.
    Gandhi said another firearm was found Monday on the temple grounds and that investigators were reviewing hundreds of interviews from witnesses who had crowded the festival.
    What brought them to the festival remained unclear Monday. “People don’t usually come to a place of worship to start trouble,” Gandhi said. Private security firm NorCal Security was hired to patrol the event but did not search or find weapons at the temple site.
    Organizers envisioned the Sikh Society’s first Sikh Parade as a replica of the traditional annual Sikh festival and parade in Yuba City, home to one the nation’s oldest Sikh communities. The festival draws tens of thousands of the faithful each year to agricultural Sutter County to celebrate faith and community. “It was just as beautiful as that,” Varinder Singh, a parishioner and one of the festival’s organizers said Monday.
    Sunday’s parade across nearly seven miles of south Sacramento County, was to be a capstone, according to the Bee. Then shots rang out. No one else among the thousands of revelers was hurt.
    The parade was halted briefly out of caution but soon resumed. Many of the revelers returned to the grounds for the evening’s services, a show, Singh-Allen said, of the community’s resilience.
    Singh-Allen and others singled out Gandhi, the sheriff’s sergeant, who ensured the Sikh holy scripture, carried at the parade, was returned to the gurdwara during an active crime scene.
    The Sacramento Sikh Society said it is unbowed. It plans for the weekend festival to be an annual event. March 31, 2024 is already marked for next year’s festival.
    “This is holy ground. This is a sanctuary. Everyone should feel safe and welcome here at the gurdwara, or any gurdwara,” Singh-Allen was quoted as saying.
    “This will not deter our community from coming together and openly celebrating our faith. We will work hard to make sure all future events will continue. We will not live in fear.”

  • Three Indian origin persons charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, opium and ketamine

    Parminder Aujla

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): Three men were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on Thursday and were scheduled to appear in federal court Friday afternoon following a six-month investigation that court records say included undercover drug buys in Canada and the United States, cellphone surveillance and encrypted communications conducted in Punjabi.

    Parampreet Singh, 55; Ranvir Singh, 38; and Amandeep Singh Multani, 33, are charged in a federal criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, opium and ketamine, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency describes as a “short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects” that is “sometimes used to facilitate sexual assault crimes.”

    They also face a count of distribution of a substance containing cocaine.

    All three are being held without bail, and online court records did not list an attorney for them Friday morning.

    The three men “have offered to supply up to hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, opium, and ketamine at a time, in both Canada and the United States,” according to an affidavit filed in court by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Joshua Matas. “They have also stated that they have drug trafficking connections to Mexico, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Germany, in addition to the United States and Canada.”

    American DEA agents based in Ottawa began investigating the operation in June 2020, and contacted agents in the Sacramento area in October, court records say.

    The probe included the use of an undercover officer from the York Regional Police department, near Toronto, who arranged for undercover buys alternately communicating in Punjabi, Spanish and English, court records say.

    The agent coordinated through cellphones, WhatsApp and Botim, an encrypted application that Parampreet Singh advised the undercover agent to use, court records say.

    “Based on my training and experience, I believe Singh’s consistent use of encrypted apps shows his level of expertise in his attempts to avoid detection of his drug-related conversations by law enforcement,” Matas wrote.

    The investigation ultimately led to drug purchases in Canada and in Sacramento, where an undercover agent picked up a green plastic bag containing cocaine from Ranvir Singh and Multani in the parking lot of the Cheesecake Factory on Arden Way, court records say.

    Agents eventually obtained search warrants for Parampreet Singh’s home on Goshawk Street in Davis, as well as a Chevron mini-mart he operates on Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento, court records say. Other warrants were issued for a Natomas Park home on Baines Avenue owned by Ranvir Singh, a Stansfield Drive home in Roseville associated with Multani and five vehicles, including a Hummer SUV and an Audi sedan registered to Parampreet Singh and a Mercedes-Benz SUV driven by Ranvir Singh, court records say.