SALVADORANS IN L.A. CELEBRATE ELECTIONS.Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer Salvadorans across Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. celebrated Sunday's elections in their homeland, where a half-dozen U.S. citizens ran for office and at least one Californian won. Ramon Cardona, the former executive director of the Central American Central America A region of southern North America extending from the southern border of Mexico to the northern border of Colombia. It separates the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean and is linked to South America by the Isthmus of Panama. Resource Center in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , won the alternate congressional seat to represent the El Salvadoran state of Libertad. While Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, resident Mario Matute lost his bid for alternate for the territory of San Salvador, officials were still counting votes and will determine by Saturday whether Werner Marroquin of Pomona won a seat on the Central American Parliament The Central American Parliament, also known by the abbreviation Parlacen (from the Spanish Parlamento Centroamericano) is a political institution devoted to the integration of the Central American countries. , or Parlamento Centroamericano. The election was closely watched in Los Angeles, home to more than 1 million Salvadorans, many of whom fled the country in the 1980s to escape a violent civil war. ``The elections were so important to us,'' said Francisco Pineda, vice president of Salvadorans around the World. Pineda, who has lived in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, spent most of Sunday night switching channels to get results. ``There is a personal pride as a group that left long ago to have us winning.'' The elections marked a shift in political thinking for many in the small country of 6 million, which has now embraced those living abroad. ``It's the first time so many immigrants participated,'' said Mauricio Turcios, spokesman for the Tribunal Supremo su·pre·mo n. pl. su·pre·mos Chiefly British One who is highest in authority or command, as of an organization. [Spanish and Italian, supreme, supremo, from Latin Electoral. ``They bring a vision that is more global and interested in development.'' In 2004, Salvadorans in Los Angeles sent $2.5 billion back to their families in El Salvador. Like Mexicans, who this year for the first time gained the right to vote from abroad, they are increasingly pushing to gain political muscle in their homeland. Dozens of Salvadoran political associations have emerged out of older party ties in the Los Angeles area. And groups like the Salvadoran Action Committee founded by Pasadena resident Randy Jurado Etrell are propping up Salvadoran-friendly political candidates to run in the United States. ``The community is increasingly aware of their political clout,'' said Douglas Carranza, director of the Central American Research and Policy Institute at California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an . Rachel Uranga, (818) 713-3741 rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com |
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