LE MAOTA

Community Space

Le Maota announcement:

It is with so much gratitude & hope for the future that we announce our last day at Le Maota on Mahler Road was Monday October 20, 2025. After 3 years and 3 months of being our community space, we had to make the tough decision to close & seek out a new space to c our pragmatic needs i.e. Night Markets, gatherings, library, storage office space etc. While we have yet to find the perfect space, we will be relocating to a smaller space temporarily until funding allows for a more permanent home. For the last 8 months, we went through intense fundraising & applied to different grants. While our fundraising (thanks to all of you) & contract projects were successful in keeping our doors open for the last 8 months, it just wasn't a sustainable & reasonable solution.

As we look to the future we're so excited for the possibilities ahead & as our Faga has put it "No matter where we go, we will always have a Le Maota, because it is the home that was built in our hearts for 14 years before ever manifesting physically."

We want to say a huge thanks to all the hands & hearts that came out last week to help us pack up & move everything into a temporary storage. It was an emotional week but being with each of you truly helped to lighten the load & lift our spirits.

WE'LL KEEP PUSHING FOR SPACE FOR OUR PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS NEEDED & WE DESERVE IT!

We will keep on advocating and pushing for a space for our people because we know the value & impact a space of our own can have on our Pacific Islander Community. We know that our space is needed for our people & that we deserve it.

Here are a few of the reinforcing ways that we know this to be true: Since opening Le Maota has been influential in the following:

Launched & hosted 11 Nesian Night Markets:
- 240 Vendor spaces
- 4,765 attendees
Hosted 4 Youth Summer Programs focussing on:
- Entrepreneurship
- Photography & Videography
- Trades
- Academic & Athletic Enrichment
Allowed for the Pacific Islander Initiative (PII) to resume in person for monthly meetings. Host location for 20 PII meetings & 2 MHFA Certification Trainings
Hosted 3 - week long Art Exhibits for Pasifika Creatives
Launched AGANU'U Community Teach In Series (7 sessions)
Home to Partner program Journey to Empowerment (41 sessions)
Community outreach hub for the following initiatives:
- Mental Health Services
- Immigration Services
- Education Support Services
Host for community partner programs & events:
- Asian American Recovery Services a program of Health Right 360
- Elite Financial
- Fa'atasi Youth Services
- Office of Diversity & Equity - SMC
- Pacific Islanders Encouraging Fun, Engineering Science & Technology (P.I.E.F.E.S.T.)
- Pacific Islander Task Force
- Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center
- Phil Good Cuts
- San Mateo County Office of Education
- Taulama for Tongans
- YAYA Outdoor Education
- Young Life Institute
Home to the only Pasifika Library open to the public in San Mateo County.
Community Arts & Creatives Space/Workshops:
- Fale Su'isui (sewing workshops)
- Falelalaga (traditional weaving group)
- Lego Lounge (building in community)

In 2022, Samoan Solutions was awarded a grant from the Asian American Futures Fund. As an organization, we were over the moon excited to have the opportunity to map out how best to use the award. We considered different needs of both the community and capacity of Samoan Solutions. After much deliberation, we elected to put the bulk of the grant funding towards securing a community space in San Mateo County.

Once we decided on a community space, we jumped right in to make it all happen. Developing the space took a ton of time and care. Some of the tasks were a bit overwhelming as none of our team had ever tackled a project such as this. It was certainly a beautiful challenge for our team, and one worth taking.

The space is currently open & available for use to our Members & Community Partners. To take a look at how to become a Member, visit our MEMBERSHIP page.

Take a look at the intentionality & hard work put forth to bring the space to life.

THE VISION

Space for our Pasefika Artists to showcase their work
Workshop/Meeting/Fellowship space for our community
Access to Pasefika literature
Samoan Solutions storage space
Connection Point for Community & Resources
Space to help support our Pasefika Businesses

PRIORITY IDEALS

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT - We wanted to be sure we did our best to furnish the space with second hand pieces.
- 89% of Le Maota is furnished with gently used second hand pieces - saving 140 items that may have been thrown out & ended up in land fills.
- MEASINA COLLECTION - In the process of scouting for gently used pieces, we came across an advertisement on Craigslist of Samoan goods for FREE, we were fortunate to secure the pieces and we lovingly refer the collection as our "MEASINA COLLECTION" that is on display in the PUNA'OA Media Workspace.
SHOP PASEFIKA - We wanted the space to be grounded in PASEFIKA representation. One such way was by ensuring we used Pasefika professionals to develop the space in every way possible.
- Mural Installation - By Artist Jason "JP" Pereira, California
- Room Signs - By WoodCetera, Utah
- Floor Mats - Partywish, California
- Space Development - Xavier Siataga & David Siataga, California

TIMELINE

Each step we took towards officially opening the space, was HUGE in our eyes. Below is the timeline .

2022-07-21-102716033.mp4

JULY 21, 2022 - WE GOT THE KEYS!!!
JULY - SEPTEMBER 2022 - MOVE IN & FURNISHING
SEPTEMBER 19 - 21, 2022 - MURAL INSTALLATION
SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 - SOFT OPENING
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2022 - SPACE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
JANUARY 14, 2023 - "Le Maota" Grand Opening

2023 - Samoan Solutions Board Members at Grand Opening of

Le Maota

Fulu Tuitele - Late night run to prepare the space.

David Siataga - Installing our EXIT signs.

Puataunofo Aumavae - Repairing a part of the Measina Collection for the Soft Opening

Jason "JP" Pereira - Mural Installation - Drawing out the Taupou on the TAUTUA panel

LE MAOTA COMMUNITY SPACE

PUNA'OA MEDIA WORKSPACE

A co-working and meeting space for Pasefika Businesses and Partners. Also currently housing Measina Samoa exhibit, donated by the Geer Family of Burlingame, CA

MALAMALAMA PASEFIKA LIBRARY

Community Pasefika Library that houses literature and periodicals from the Pacific Islands

ACE TAGO VISIONARY SPACE

A multipurpose/flex space that can be transformed to meet the needs of different member events and art exhibits.

The space name is a tribute to Samoan Community Leader - Ace Tago, who was the first to bring the prospect of an owned & operated Samoan/Pacific Islander community center to us. In 2014, Ace approached Samoan Solutions requesting support for an owned & operated Samoan/Pacific Islander Community Center in San Mateo County. Ace invested time & resources to scout a potential site location & building. He even had remodel plans developed for the location. We came on board and conducted a community needs assessment based on the project. The results of those surveyed, showed a strong desire for a space such as this to exist. The project was put on the back burner for a number of reasons. Even still, it is our hope that naming the flex space after the late Ace Tago and displaying the remodel plans will help keep the vision alive until it becomes a reality.

WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT ALONE...

This space is made possible through the generous support of: Asian American Futures & the talents of David Siataga, Xavier Siataga & Ursula Ann Siataga. As well as all the many hand & hearts that helped us get the space together:

Design, Moving, Setup:

Fuluula Tuitele
LaVerne Maliga
S.V.I.P: Elder Joe Kaulave & Junior Tagata
Laveaina & Dorothy Faalau
Gaynor Siataga
Ursulann Siataga
Sylvia Selinger-Tauala
Puataunofo Aumavae
Talavou Aumavae
Rochelle Tuitele
Dominina Tuitele
Donnavyn Tuitele
Regina Tuitele
Alicia Tialavea
Aaliyah Aumavae
Lita Lene
Petey Toilolo
Seipua Misa
Karla Guerrero

Mural Installation & Artistic Contributions:

Jason Pereira - Mural Artist
Sekio Fuapopo
The Living Room Media
Petey Toilolo @petey_petey209
Adrianna Toilolo
Elijah Toilolo - @k.o.m_big.e209
Janelle Sua - @sua_sisters
LaVerne Maliga
Donnavyn Tuitele
Rochelle Tuitele
Alicia Tialavea
Aaliyah Aumavae
Loimata Misa
Roger Moali'itele

Measina Display Items:

The Geer Family, Burlingame, CA

Space Signs:

@woodcetera - Utah
Ruta Toilolo
Tatiana Toilolo

Floor Mats: @partywish_

Pasefika Books & Gifts:

Tago Family - Redwood City, CA & Utah
Anastacio Jr. Flores
Manufou Anoa'i
Anna Mahina
Ursulann Siataga - @siataga415
Sekio Fuapopo
All My Uso's (AMU) - @allmyusos
Asian American Recovery Services (AARS)
Samoan Community Development Center (SCDC) - @scdc_sf
Tongans Rise Up (TRU) - @sftongansriseup
Pacific Islander Community Partnership (PICP) - @picp.bayarea
SF Fa’atasi Youth Services
SFUSD Fa'aSamoa Initiative
SFUSD Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Education Programs - @sfusd_nhpi
S.A.L.L.T.
The Pacific Islander Resource Hut - @pacificislanderresourcehut
PasifikaByDesign - Carl, Nackie, Lia - @pasifikabydesign

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