When Kent Wong died Oct. 8, labor and immigrant rights leaders across the country mourned the loss of a giant. For decades, Wong’s calm presence and iron will spurred significant advances in protections for immigrants and workers, especially those who were undocumented.

In Los Angeles, where the activist, organizer and educator was born and lived, the sense of grief among Wong’s friends and his longtime colleagues has been palpable. But the immigrant and labor movements also are wrestling with a different issue: What will happen to the myriad projects throughout California of which Wong was such a driving force?

“I worry about what the future’s going to be like without him,” said David Sickler, the former longtime regional director of the AFL-CIO, who was among the earliest organizers of

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