SR-106-019 (2)
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Council Meeting Augus~3, 1983
Santa Mon~, Cal~fornia
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TO:
Mayor and City Counc~l
FROM:
Clty Staff
SUBJECT:
Establishment of a Task Force on Latino Affalrs
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends the estab11shment of a Task Force on
Lat1no Affairs to study and make recommendations on increasing
service dellvery to and involvement of the Lat1no Community In
City Government.
BACKGROUND
During FY 1983-84 tne Latlno Resource OrganizatIon conducted a
needs assessment which consisted of 615 face-to-face lnterviews
with Latino resldents of Santa Monlca. The proJect was approved
by Council as part of LRO's submltted workplan for the year. An
area of need which was pointed up by the survey results was to
Increase the involvement of Latino resldents in City government
and improve City service delivery to Latlno residents. As a
resultl Alfredo Ortiz, DIrector of LRO, proposed to City staff
the establishment by the City Councl1 of an officlal body
composed of representatives of the various cultural, sports,
religlous
and town-of-orlgln group1ngs (some of which are
bUSlness oriented) which make up the maJorIty of Santa MonIca1s
Latino communlty to deal wlth the identlfied problems. What
follows lS the result of conversatlons between Mr. Ortlz and
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City staff which covered the nature of such a body, 1ts role, the
duratlon of its task, and the appoIntment process.
MEMBERSHIP
LRO has identifIed groupings of individuals in the Latino
commun1ty which are natural communicatIon networks for those
involved. These groupings may involve families who all have
roots in a partIcular town in Mexlco, people who are organized
around a particular sport, or individuals who belong to a church
or community service organlzation. Composition of the Advisory
Task Force should as much as poss1ble include individuals wIth
ties to identified community groupings. (See attached lIst of
actIve LatIno organizatlons and associations.) Individuals would
apply for the Task Force through the City's applicatlon process
and be appoInted by the C1ty Council to serve for 18 months.
DURATION OF TASK FORCE
To avoid the problem of extending the life of a task force beyond
Its usefulness. It is suggested that the Task Force on Latlno
Affairs convene for no more than l8 months. Two deadllnes would
be observed In the deliberations of the Task Force. By May, 1984
a prelImInary report, which wIll 1nclude a 11st of
recommendations related to Clty Department operations, wlll be
received by the C1ty Council and Clty Manager to coinc1de with
the development of Clty department goals and obJectives. By
December. 1984 the flnal report and more extensive
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recommendations of the task force will be submitted to C~ty
Council for its review and adoption.
SCOPE OF THE TASK FORCE
The Task Force on Latino Affairs will be charged w1th review~ng
various C1ty departments in theIr delivery of serV1ces to the
Latino community. This will include but not be limited to
Recreation and Parks, Rent Control, Clty Clerk, Fire Department,
Library and Po11ce. The reVIew of departments shall result in
specif~c suggestIons for increasing participation of Latino
residents in a var1ety of relevant programs.
The Task Force w111 also review the serV1ces of commuu1ty
agencies with an eye towards Lmproving serV1ce de11very to the
Lat1no community and 1ncreaslng participatIon of Lat~no residents
1n varlOUS agency efforts. Recommendations in this area w111 be
made to the Social Service Commission for reV1ew prior to
transm1ttal to the CIty Council.
In the course of its review process, members of the Task Force
WIll 1ncrease their knowledge of the workIngs of Clty government
which w1ll ideally lead to increasing their partlcIpat10n 1n C1ty
government 1n the future.
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STATUS OF TASK FORCE
It is important that the courtesles given to other City boards
and commisslons be extended to the work of this Task Force. That
wlll allow the
being
revlewed.
Task Force to request and receive relevant
City departments and City
Any requests, however,
of staff time, will be referred to the City
staff on programs
which lnvolve an
information from
extenslve amount
Manager for approval.
STAFFING OF TASK FORCE
Alfredo Ortiz, Dlrector of the Latino Resource Organization will
provide admIn1strative support to the Task Force in the
preparation of ffilnutes, technical assistance and organlzatlon of
meetlngs. Community Liaison Vivian Rothstein w~11 attend Task
Force meetings to maintaIn contact between Task Force and City
departments.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. It is recommended that the City Councl1 establish a task
force on Latlno Affairs which wl1l be composed of no more than 15
representatives of the Santa MonIca Latino communlty to serve for
a period to end In December, 1984.
2. The Task Force members be appointed by the City Council after
an appllcatlon process and charged wIth developing
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recommendations
to improve service del1very to the Latino
Community and Increase Latino partIcIpatlon in City government.
3. The Task Force be expected to make ava11able preliminary
recommendatIons to the Council in May, 1984 related to C1ty
budget and grant priorit1es and a f1na1 report 1n December, 1984
related to overall City operations and goals.
Prepared By: V1vian Rothstein
Community LIaison
Attachment: List of associations ~n
the Santa Monica LatIno
community
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PROSPECTIVE CAXDIDATES FOR THE
LATIKO ADVISORY CO~WITTEE
Recognizing that LatInos are an amalgam of several dIstinct ethnlC
groups llnked by their Spanish heritage, they are also marked by
substantial dlverslty. They differ with respect to cultural traits,
social class, race, levels of acculturation, community involvement
and partICIpation, awareness, exposure to local government, Indivl-
dual interests, and other condltlons.
Because of the dIfferences, the LatIno Resource OrganIzatIon re-
commends that the fifteen-member Task Force on Latlno Affalrs should
be comprised of:
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fJ
both men and women
both young and older adults
professional and non-professional
representatIves of local communIty serVIce groups,
religious groups, and sports clubs
small business owners
lndlvlduals who bv the very nature of theIr work
have organized or'developed a constltuancv, and
who can adequately represent the interests of
their communIty
a)
b)
c)
d)
~oTeover, the L.R.O. would like to recommend that the followlng
groups and individuals be seYlously considered for appointment.
Club Social Valle de Guadalupe, Inc.
Club Valle de Guadalupe IS a Santa Monica based co~nunity
service organization founded ln February, 1977 by a group
of familIes whose town of origln is located near Guadala-
Jara ln the State of JaIISCO. All of Its members are long-
tlme residents of Santa Monica. Like other LatInos across
the natlon, these famllies have formed this voluntary asso-
clatlon to function as a support system for the LatIno
reSIdents of Santa Monlca. Thus, the organlzatlon set for
Itself the following goals:
- To benefIt the quality of lIfe of the LatInos
Ilvlng in Santa ~onIca,
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- To offer serVlces and resources to the Latlno
communlty by lmproving communIcatIon with local
community and municlpal serVlces, organIzations,
and other government agencies;
- To promote educational programs by provlding
scholarshIps for youth, and by encouragIng theIr
particIpatIon in recreational and sports activity;
and
- To give economIc, SOCIal, and educational aSSIS-
tance to the community, as necessary.
Club Pegueros, Inc.
Llke Club del Valle, Club Pegueros was founded by a group of
famIlIes Interested in organizIng an associatIon. Club Pegueros
was originated two years ago as a sports club which~ more re-
centlv~ has evolved Into a non-profit serVIce organization.
SImilar to Club del Valle, Club Pegueros serves as a VIable
support unit serving the LatIno communlty of Santa ~onica. Its
one hundred members are longtlme residents of Santa MonIca. The
purposes of the organIzatIon are:
- To help local Latino residents become better ac-
quaInted with the community and its resources;
- To assist in developing resources for meeting the
needs of the Latino community;
- To prOVIde scholarshIps for young LatInos llving
in Santa Monica and in the hometo~n of club members,
- To create and maintain a unlon between
pegueros and other Latlno clubs and organlzations.
Asoclacion Guadalupana
The "Asociacion Guadalupana" is a relIgious organ1zatlon which
was organlzed in honor of the Virgln of Guadalupe. "La 'll rgen"
is known to them as the Queen of ~fexlCo and patron salnt of the
Americas. The Ocean Park based associatIon IS but one of many
independent chapters throughout Los Angeles County organized to
venerate the Virgen de Guadalupe. Although ItS one hundred strong
membershlp 15 comprised of Venice and Santa Monlca residents~ the
majority are longtime residents of the Santa ~onica Ocean Park
communIty. The purposes of the assoclatlon are:
- To venerate the Vlrgin of Guadalupe on each 12th day
of the month with special religious celebrations (mass,
rosary and conferences);
To give economIcal assistance to the Church for paro-
chlal school;
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To give support to the Church for maintenance of the
faCIlIties;
To gIve economical assistance to community agenCIes
In Ocean Park.
Club_Tepatlplan, Club Uch~tlan, Club Tlacolula
Club Tepatiplan, Club Uchltlan and Club Tlacolula are Santa
~onica based sports organizatIons. These groups sprung out
of the need for socIal organizatIons on the part of LatIno
familIes. Each club is named eIther for the CIty of origIn
of the founding members of the respective group, or In honor
of a person or place of hIstorIcal importance. These sports
associations function as a social network and a support sys-
tem for the families who are involved. They have the common
goal of raISIng money to help the needy, b~th here and in theIr
CItIes of orIgIn.
Local Community Representatives
Benny VIllalobos - A resident of Santa Monica and DIrector of
the Santa Monica SerVIce Center of Clare Foundation, Benny has
been an actIve supporter of the L.R.O. since its inceptIon. He
IS a member of the LatIno Cultural Committee, and has been gene-
rous In volunteerIng hIS tIme and labor on man v occasions. Benny
is dedicated to serv1ng the communIty, gIVIng unstIntinglv of
hImself in order to better the quality of lIfe for all reSIdents.
Federico Carranza - A resident of Santa MonIca for twenty-one
years, FederICO was born in Pegueros, a state In JallSCO, ~exIco.
He 1S the owner of a tire sales and repair busIness on Pica Blvd.
in Santa ~onlca, and IS the President of Club Pegueros, Inc. He
works with Club Pegueros to help needy people living both In Santa
Monica and In Pegueros, ~exlco. Federico has partIcipated In many
Neighborhood CommunIty Meetings, and IS a member of the Latino
Cultural Committee, workIng to improve the qualIty of life of
the Latino lIving In Santa MonIca.
Franklin Heredia - Born in Santa Cruz, BOlivia, Franklin Heredia
has been lIving in Santa Monica for eIghteen years. In 1978, he
Joined the staff of the FamIly Social Service Agency in Santa
~onIca as a communIty worker. At the end of the same year, he
became DIrector of SOCIal Services at RegIS House, where he is
still working. Franklin has a degree in Human SerVIces, and is
dedicated to improving the lIfe of the LatIno living in Santa
~onica.
Laura Mansur - Laura Mansur came to CalIfornia In August of 1982
from New York City, where she lived for eleven years. She was
born In ~endoza, Argentina. In Kew York City, Laura worked as
ClIent CoordInator for the mentally retarded, and was an active
leader in a nursing home. She is currently working in Santa
~onica as a SOCIal Worker with the Head Start State Pre-School.
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Laura has a B.A. degree ln Psychology from Clty University in New
York, where she graduated summa cum laude. She is a member of the
Latino Cultural Commlttee, and is anxious to have the opportunity
to motivate LatIno Involvement In community affairs.
Crisofero G. Garza, ~. D. - Dr. Garza is sole owner and dIrector
of the Brentwood Fertllity ~edical ClInIC, Inc., and IS staff
phYSIcian and surgeon with Santa ~onlca HOspItal and St. John's
HospItal In Santa ~onlca. He 15 currently lecturIng at the OB-
GY~ ~ur5lng Department at Santa Monica HospItal, and is a clinical
Instructor of ObstetrIcs and Gynecology at U.C.L.A. School of
~fedIcine. ~oreover, Dr. Garza IS currently serVIng as President
of La Raza CalIfornia ~Iedlcal Association, and has served as
Chalrman of the ChIcano Health CoalItIon at U.C.L.A. School of
~Iediclne. Dr. Garza has, over the years, demonstrated his dedIca-
tIon to serVIng the needs of the LatIno and the communIty as a
whole.
Ruth ~aClas - Born In Santa ~onica, CalIfornIa, Ruth was raIsed
in Mexico, where she lived for SIxteen years. She has an A.A.
in ChIld Development, and is presently working on her B.A. degree.
Ruth has been working with Delta Sigma Theta Pre-School Head
Start for four years: two years as ASSIstant Teacher and two years
as a Social Worker. For the past twenty years she has been actIve
as a volunteer WIth the P.T.A., and was formerly President of
Sociedad de Guadalupe In Santa ~Ionlca. Ruth IS a member of the
Latino Cultural CommIttee, and has been a strong resource person
for the L.R.O. in serVIng as a liaison between the L.R.O. and
parents' groups at the various Head Start Centers In Santa )lonica.
Rosie Herrera - Rosie Herrera was born in New NeXICO, and has
been living in CalIfornIa for alflost fifty years. She is a hIgh
school graduate who began as a volunteer social worker with Head
Start in Santa MonIca and Venice. In 1972 she JOIned K.A.P.P.,
a local socIal service organIzation, and worked In the Venice
office. She was later transferred to the Los Angeles offIce, and
IS now working at the X.A.P.P. Center in Santa ~onica.
LInda Orrante - Linda both lIves and works in Santa ~onica. She
has been actively partIcipating In communIty affaIrs for most of
her adult life, and has been Involved WIth the L.R.O. for over
two years. Linda has a B.A. In Sociology from Stanford UnIversity
and a ~.S.W. from USC. In her professional capacity as a SOCIal
worker with the Rape Treatment Center of Santa ~onica ~edical Cen-
ter, she has given educational forums and presentatIons VIa L.R.G. 's
Keighborhood Community Meetings in the Latino communIty. She is
currently serVIng as co-Chairperson of the Latino Cultural Committee.
Beulah Juarez - Beulah Juarez lives and works in the City of Santa
Monica, as a group worker WIth senIors at the CYO, located at
St. Anne's Church. Beulah has a long history of community in-
volvement, inc1udlng her active particlpatIon in LULAC
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and In the CIty of Santa Monica's Commission on Older Americans,
of which she is an original member. Beulah has cooperated wIth
the L.R.a. In its educatlonal and cultural programs Slnce this
organlzation's lnceptlon.
~arla Naldi - Marla was born in Texas and grew up in Californla~
where she has been living for thirty-slx Years. She works as a
pre-school teacher aIde with the Head Start program in Santa
~onIca. Before that, she worked with the Los Angeles Unlfied
School District for SIX years. She is currently attending
Santa ~onlca College, ~orking toward a degree in Education. Maria
belongs to several organIzations that are involved in socIal
and polItIcal concerns deallng wlth Latino lssues. such as MECHA
(Santa Monica College), and CISPES (l\estside Los Angeles), a
solidarIty group working to help the needy from and in EI Salvador.
~aria is a member of the Latino Cultural Committee, and is dedi-
cated to workIng toward the goal of empowerIng the Latino community.
Lorenzo Sotomayor - Lorenzo IS the PresIdent of Club Deportlvo
Tlacolula, which was founded a year ago. He was born In Tlacolula,
a small town in the State of Oaxaca, MeXICO, and has been llvlng
ln California for sixteen years, nIne of them in Santa Monica.
Lorenzo 15 aware of the many problems confronted by LatInos llvlng
in Santa MonIca, especially in the area of housing. He works as
a production supervisor in a clothing warehouse in Los Angeles.
In the past he served as the Presldent of a young people's base-
ball group in Santa Monlca.
Vicente Gallegos - Born In Tepatiplan. Jallsco, ~exico, VIcente
has been living for eighteen years In Santa Monica. In 1976 he
Joined Xew Start) provIdIng lndividual and group counsellng for
drug related problems, and servlng as a llaison between the Latino
communIty and organizatlons. In 1980 he was a founding member of
the Board of Dlrectors of both Latlno Resource Organization and
BarrIOS Unldos. Vicente has given educatIon forums for the L.R.O.,
addressing groups of LatInos on drug abuse, and has always been
\villlng to make his experIence in this field available to agencles
and organi:atlons working with LatInos.
Elena Popp - Elena was born in the State of Guerrero, Mexico, and
has been lIving In CalIfornIa for the past fifteen years. She 15
the current Director of Centro Legal, an organizatIon formed by a
U.C.L.A. law students group WhICh Narks with Westside Legal Ser-
Vlces in Santa MonIca. Elena, a second year law student, is a
member of the Latino Cultural Committee. She has worked closely
WIth the L.R.O. in glvlng forums and presentations at community
meetings and serving as a resource person.
Linda LongorIa - Linda lIves and works in Santa ~ronlca. As a
member of the Board of Directors of P.~.A., she has been actively
involved in community affairs for several years. Linda has worked
with the L.R.O. through its Cultural Commlttee, and is currently
Chair of the PublICIty Committee.
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Other businesses and individuals for conslderatlon.
Restaurants
Lares
GuadalaJara
Casa Casillas
Gl1berto El India
Don Pepe's
Carlllos
Campos
IndlVlduals:
Yolanda Becera Smlth, Senior Health and Peer Counsellng
Victor SlIva, resIdent
Frank Juarez, FE
Lucla AparicIo, Famlly Services of Santa Monica
Olivia Chavez Villalba, Latlna Maternlty Program
Gloria de ~ecochea, D.C.L.A.
Vera Martinez, D.C.L.A.
Betty Maclas, a.p.c.c.
Grocery Stores
La Chiquita
Laura's y1arket
CarIllo's ~arket
Gallegos Tortillas
La ;\lexicana Del i
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