Mabalon was born on August 17, 1972, in Stockton, California to Filipinos who had immigrated to the United States from the Philippines; her father was a guerrilla during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Mabalon's grandfather, Pablo "Ambo" Mabalon, ran the Lafayette Lunch Counter, an important hub in the community and one of the longest surviving Filipino American businesses in Little Manila. Many Filipinos frequented the restaurant, including Carlos Bulosan. It remained in business until 1983, and the building it had occupied was torn down in 1999. Mabalon's maternal grandmother, Concepcion Moreno Bohulano, was the first school teacher of Filipina descent in the United States. Mabalon was also the niece of Fred and Dorothy Cordova; who were involved in the founding of the Filipino American National Historical Society.