Palo Alto's South Asian Community in Focus: Diwali Dining and an East Palo Alto Hate Crime Case
Two stories shaped the South Bay's Desi headlines in the months leading into 2026: Ettan restaurant in Palo Alto brought Indian culinary nostalgia to Diwali dining, and East Palo Alto resident Lathan Johnson faced prosecution on more than a dozen hate crimes targeting elderly Hindu women for their gold jewelry. Together they offer a portrait of a community that is both celebrated and vulnerable — seen through the lens of a festive table in Palo Alto and a courthouse in Santa Clara County. Both stories touched off wider conversations: about the meaning of Indian food as cultural expression, and about the safety of visibly Hindu women in the Bay Area.
🎉 Bay Area Restaurants Mark Diwali, Ettan Palo Alto Leads With Festive Menu
Several Bay Area restaurants honored Diwali with special celebratory meals in October 2025, with events spanning San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and San Francisco. Among the participating locations, Ettan, a restaurant in Palo Alto, dressed its dining space with Diwali decor for the occasion, providing local diners a festive South Asian atmosphere during the Festival of Lights. The initiative was led by Srijith Gopinathan, the executive chef overseeing three Bay Area restaurants that hosted Diwali celebrations that season. In an interview with Patch, Gopinathan reflected on the cultural significance: "Many of us feel very nostalgic about these traditions because we grew up with them. We're excited to replicate our favorite dishes in a way that also celebrates the part of the world we now live in." He described the menus as a conversation between childhood culinary memory and what Bay Area diners love about California cuisine. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights observed between October and November, is closely linked to the goddess Lakshmi and carries deep cultural significance for Hindu families across the Indian American community. Ettan's participation placed Palo Alto at the center of a Bay Area trend toward curated, culturally meaningful dining experiences that allow South Asian restaurants to honor tradition while serving a broad and diverse local audience. [2]
East Palo Alto Man Charged in Wave of Hate Crimes Targeting Hindu Women
Lathan Johnson, a 37-year-old East Palo Alto resident with a criminal record in Santa Clara and Alameda counties, was charged with more than a dozen hate crimes targeting elderly Hindu women of Indian descent. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's office held Johnson without bail for targeting at least 14 Hindu women wearing traditional attire and gold jewelry in a two-month robbery spree; victims ranged in age from 50 to 73. In some cases he allegedly broke victims' arms and beat their husbands. DA Jeff Rosen said the conduct was worse than ordinary property theft: "Rips off their jewelry, drags them down the street, breaks their wrists, beats up their husband — terrorizing them is much worse than a property thief." Gold jewelry carries ceremonial and sacred significance in Hindu culture. Samir Kalra of the Hindu American Foundation called the prosecutions a meaningful step: "Our community feels vulnerable and fearful. We are facing an uptick in hate crimes and online Hindu-phobia. Seeing that we're making progress in prosecuting to the fullest sends a strong message." Shankar Kenkre, whose mother was separately targeted in a non-violent jewelry theft in Foster City, shared the incident on Nextdoor and was flooded with responses from Indian community members across the Bay Area reporting similar experiences. [4]
Sources: [2] Patch · [4] ABC7 Bay Area