VALLEY INSIDER: Postage Stamp Honor

How many Valley residents have their picture on a postage stamp? Count one with Kathy Hao of Winnetka, owner of TCW Global Legal Group in Pasadena. In connection with its 70th anniversary, the Chinese government selected 70 expatriates worldwide to honor. Hoa, an attorney who has brokered the establishment of Chinese companies in the United States and handled immigration for Chinese celebrities, was among those chosen. Last month she attended a reception at People’s Hall next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, followed by a trip to the Great Wall and an awards ceremony. “All 70 were at the Great Wall, and we got to climb it,” Hao told Valley Insider. The honor also includes her image on a Chinese stamp. A Valley resident since 1990, she received her law degree from the University of West Los Angeles in Woodland Hills, formerly named the San Fernando Valley College of Law. … If you ever feel life is one big obstacle course, you can sympathize with Juan Ros. The financial planner at Forum Financial Management in Thousand Oaks participates in Spartan Races, a fitness competition that features about 15 obstacles. They include rope climb, cargo net, crawl under wire, sandbag carry and monkey bars. “If you don’t complete an obstacle, then the penalty is 30 burpees,” explained Ros, who has developed a special relationship with the spear-throwing segment of the race. “You only get one chance to throw it into bale of hay,” he said. “When I practice at the gym, I miss nine out of 10 times, but in competition I’ve hit it every time. … When I ran and I hit that spear on the first try, I had a feeling of elation. I couldn’t believe I didn’t have to do the burpees.” Ros hopes to achieve a trifecta – competing in three categories of Spartan Races in one calendar year – by the end of 2019. Staff Reporter Michael Aushenker contributed to Valley Insider, which is compiled by Editor Joel Russell. Send submissions to [email protected].