Tuesday December 4, 2018
Serving the Rio Hondo Community
Volume 57 Issue 13
L A POSA DA PHOTO CREDIT: NOAH GARCIA Rio Hondo Staff enjoying the holiday luncheon with some fresh tameles, tacos and posole along with some folklorico dancing entertainment. NOAH GARCIA
Reporters noah.garcia3720@my.riohondo.edu
The Rio Hondo College Faculty Association and President’s office hosted the All Staff Holiday Luncheon “la Posada” at the Rio Campus Inn, where they treated the hard working RHC staff to lunch, prizes and entertainment, Thursday November 29. RHC’s luncheon treated the staff to food made by Juan’s Great Fiesta Mexican food, where they had a Pinata Breaking raffle as well as a Ballet Folklorico Dancer. Opening remarks were made by Jill Pfeiffer, the RHC faculty Association President, who thanked all the volunteers of the event, introducing the RHCSA executive Officers, as well as acknowledging Nursing Retiree Gail Biesemeyer. Pfeiffer also specifically acknowledged the accom-
plishments of her staff, the donations to those who lost their homes to the paradise fires, as well as the current members of the RHC Faculty Association. Even RHC Superintendent/ President Teresa Dreyfuss took to the stage to greet the crowd and thank them for their hard work. Dreyfuss stated, “I wish you all happy holidays, next week is finals and time goes by so fast, and I hope everyone here has a good year.” The food consisted of tamales, chips, rice and beans and several other salsa’s and side dishes. The Folklorico Dancer is a member of the Esperanza Flores Folklórico, a group which strives to preserve the native dances of Latin Countries. The raffle gave it’s chosen the chance to break open a Pinata, brought direct-
PHOTO CREDIT: NOAH GARCIA President Teresa Dreyfuss took to the stage to greet the crowd and thank them for their hard work
ly from Mexico, where all who failed were given a consolation prize. Volunteer Martha Mesa, Part of disabled students/ Student government, was the one to eventually break the pinata, since none of the raffle winners were able to break it open. The Campus in was decorated with bright colours, with papel picados lining the walls / ceiling, with small pinatas littering the tables. The theme this year was la Posada, which is spanish for inn - which is an overall representation of the journey taken by Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in the bible. This event is basically one of the last major events of the 2018 RHC school year, proceeding the colleges finals week as well as its subsequent closing for the year.
PHOTO CREDIT: NOAH GARCIA Folklorico preformance was provided to the staff od Rio Hondo in honor of ‘La Posada.”
NEWS
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Uptown Whittier Rick’s Christmas Tree Lighting MICHAEL MARTINEZ
Reporter michael.martinez5980@my.riohondo.edu
Uptown Whittier is beginning to get into the holiday spirit at Rick’s Drive In & Out fast food restaurant on Greenleaf and Penn, about 300 people attended the event. For the 24th annual tree-lighting ceremony, which will kick off a number of Christmas events to be held by the Whittier Uptown Association, also featured Santa’s Village, where children will be able to talk to Santa and have a photo taken, several horsedrawn carriages offering visitors rides, and the Christmas parade which will be held on December 8th at 10 am. The Christmas event included performances by Studio Danza which performed different types of dancing from ballet, salsa, Jazz, hip hop and jarabe tapatio which is referred to the Mexican hat dance and lastly the Whittier High School choir sang as well as marching band play Christmas songs as the Christmas tree lit up as the community cheer on. The owner of Rick’s restaurant was born in Germany not only in his family was big on celebrating Christmas but out in the town everywhere had Christmas decorations, and when he moved to the United States to open up his restaurants not many people were as festive as in his hometown, that is when he decided to take that into his own hands and buy Christmas light for all the local uptown stores to decorated each year to make it look more festive, that is when the idea sparked in his mind to decorated his restaurant with
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL MARTINEZ The Whittier High School marching band makes its way down Greenleaf Avenue in Whittier to celebrate the 24th annuak tree lighing ceremony.
the well known Christmas tree that is seen each year, he also said most of the wood decoration he would cut, design, and paint which brought him joy. When he first started
the Christmas tree light display a few people would come out but he never thought it would be like it is today which makes him not only proud but amazed on how strong the Whittier community is with tons of cheer for the Christ-
mas spirit. Jennifer Robles a Whittier resident said her family has been coming to the tree lighting for the past 5 years and has seen the huge impact this event has brought to the community and each
year more and more people come out. Jennifer also admitting to bringing some of her friends from different cities to show how this small town has a lot of Christmas spirit.
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL MARTINEZ As soon as the christmas tree was lighting up the choir team from Whittier High School started singing Christmas songs as the whole community sang along and cheer them on.
The Pentagon Accounting Fraud ANAMARIA APARICIO Reporter
anamaria.aparicio8532@my.riohondo.edu
The Pentagon had been ordered to do the first ever audit in history on December 2017. It was most recently announced that this audit was unable to be completed. Ernst & Young and other private firms that were hired to audit the Pentagon were unable to complete this task because the Department of Defence financial records. “The were riddled with so many bookkeeping deficiencies, irregularities, and errors that a reliable audit was simply impossible,” stated The Nation.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan as well stated according to Reuter, that they never expected to pass the audit. It was a $2.7 million audit and “The fact that we did the audit is substantial,” stated Shanahan. Every department and agency has come into compliance except the Pentagon since the passing of the Chief Financial Officers Act in 1990. This act required all departments and agencies of the federal government to develop auditable accounting systems and submit to annual audits. The Pentagon is a large agency with multiple branches of the military, cost-
ly weapon systems, personnel needs, numerous military bases at home and abroad. Because of this the U.S. defense budget for 2018, which ended on September 30th, was about $700 billion. According to The Nation the fraud works like this. According to The Nation, “When the DoD submits its annual budget requests to Congress, it sends along the prior year’s financial reports, which contain fabricated numbers.” These numbers numbers are just a disguise for the merely fact that the DoD does not always spend all the money congress gives them. Instead of returning the mon-
ey to the US Treasure, like the law states, the Pentagon sometimes puts the money in other parts of the DoD’s budget. The Nation also stated that according to Veteran Pentagon staffers say that this practice violates Article I Section 9 of the US Constitution, which stipulates that, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.” One of the many tactics the Pentagon uses is
called the “one-year-money.” These are funds that congress expects to spend in one fiscal year, but then gets but into a “five-year-money” tactic. This is because the federal law does not require the return of unspent money during a five year allocation period. The DoD has $6.2 trillion dollars spent unaccounted for by U.S Army, when the U.S Army was only given by Congress $122 billion. This incident happened because,“Most of these plugs “lack[ed] supporting documentation,” in the bland phrasing of the department’s internal watchdog, the Office of Inspector General,” stated The Nation.
NEWS
STRESSING OVER FINALS?
TAKE A BREAK AND GRAB SOME FREE FOOD! December 3 - December 6, 2018 8:00 AM - 11:45 AM 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM MID-QUAD STOP BY FOR FREE COFFEE BREAKFAST BURRITO IN THE AM AND/OR A SLICE OF PIZZA IN THE PM Limited availability. First-come, first-served. Sponsored by Student Equity Funds & The RioSource Room.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Annual Holiday Art Sale at Rio Hondo Campus JAIME APARICIO A&E Editor
jaime.aparicio2474@my.riohondo.edu
The art gallery at Rio Hondo campus held its Annual Art Sale November 27 - 29. Artists, that mostly come from art majors, shared their pieces to their fellow student peers not only to showcase their latest work, but to attempt to gain a sale or two
for their hard work. Artists such as Jared Chavez, Jose Chavez, Joshua Gomez, Long Bui, Justin Chow, Amy Doyo, Jesus Gonzalez, Stephanie Saenny, Jennifer Rodriguez, Julia Jimenez, and Madeline Kimhanna were all featured in the gallery. The pieces of art, which were reasonably priced, ranged from graphic stickers to pottery, paintings, and comic inspired drawings. JAIME APARICIO/EPM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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VINCENT FRANCO/EPM VINCENT FRANCO Photo Editor
vincent.franco2391@my.riohondo.edu
Christmas has to be undoubtedly the best time of year. You can feel it in the air, and everyone around you even just seems happier. It’s inescapable. One of the best things about Christmas too are the holiday movies. So many classics for just one time of year, and here are just ten of what we at El Paisano think are the best. 10. The Nightmare Before Christmas The debate between whether or not this a Christmas movie or Halloween Movie is endless. Regardless it’s still great for both seasons.
9. Die Hard What’s Christmas without a little “Dad Flick” action to get you into the holiday spirit. The popularity of this 80s film only cements itself further into popculture with the creation of the meme featuring Alan Rickman’s character, Hans Gruber, falling to his demise with the caption, “It isn’t the holidays until you see Hans falling off the Nakatomi Building.” 8. Home Alone 2 Even though it’s just the first Home Alone but in New York, you can never go wrong with some Macaulay Culkin mischief.
7. All the Tim Allen Santa Clause movies Just the right amount of cheese in all of these four movies, that personally will never get old.
minutes. Charlie Brown’s Christmas will teach you more about the true spirit of the holidays in these 30 minutes than any other movie.
6. Jingle All The Way This unnecessarily action packed movie is perfect for those who don’t believe Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie.
3. Home Alone This untimely classic will always hold its place as at least one of the top three Christmas movies of all time. A celebration of pranksters worldwide, it’s a surprise that little Kevin McCallister didn’t kill those two robbers.
5. ELF One of the funniest holiday movies ever (you can find me at the newsroom B112 if you want to debate). 4. A Charlie Brown Christmas Definitely the shortest of the list, clocking in at 30
2. Gremlins To this day I wish those little furry animals were real. There have been many rumors regarding a remake or possibly another sequel
featuring the little critters for quite sometime now. Whether one of the two will ever see the light of day is still up for debate with fans wanting practical effect creatures to be used in the next possible film. 1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas Jim Carreys, almost creepy, adaptation of this classic childhood book character is marvelous and definitely something that will never get old. I think it’s safe to say that the movie will forever be the best Christmas movie of all time, and will continue to spread the joy of Christmas for generations to come.
LIFESTYLES
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Starbuck’s Juniper Latte Tastes Like a Christmas Tree MICHAEL MARTINEZ Reporter
michael.martinez5980@my.riohondo.edu
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tarbucks displays and expresses their holiday joy through the most trendy and unique drinks each year, such as Chestnut Praline Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Eggnog Latte, and Gingerbread Latte, but this year Starbucks is hoping the Juniper Latte can join the trendy drinks. The drink, which Starbucks describes as a “hint of juniper and sage, an evergreen aroma and citrus notes,” is made with the company’s signature espresso and steamed milk that’s been
infused with “juniper syrup.” It is topped with foam and green pine-citrus sugar. Even though the drink first debuted last year at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle, but this is the first time the drink is available at coffee shop locations nationwide. Juniper berry, known for its sharp, pine-forward and slightly citrusy tang, is the main flavoring agent in gin, Starbucks fans who heard about the new drink were not too sure about the pairing of the piney flavor with coffee. Many people were conflicted about the Juniper Latte. Some consumers enjoyed it while others disliked the flavor, comparing it with grass and dirt, pine-sol, air fresheners that look like the Christmas trees. On the other hand, others thought it was delicious and they would try it again, and compared it to “a walk in the forest, breathing in the crisp,
winter air and fresh pine with a whisper of snow!” Customers can order the Juniper drink hot or cold, or as a Frappuccino, which is also made with juniper syrup. A customer can choose between a cream base or blended coffee. For the sake of a review, I decided to try the drink myself, keep in mind I am not a coffee lover or one who heavily drinks it. The Juniper Latte smells minty with a hint of citrus while I tasted the drink. I would compare it to any regular coffee taste, but to a frequent coffee drinker who may have different taste buds might taste the minty flavor. As for me, there was no excitement to this new holiday drink and most likely I will not order the drink again. If you’re into the holiday drinks I recommend giving it a chance. It will definitely get you into the holiday spirit.
MICHAEL MARTINEZ/EPM
A tall Juniper Latte ordered at the Starbuck’s location in Whittier. The festive drink will be available in hot, cold, and as a Frappuccino throughout the holidays.
A Playlist to Give You Christmas Vibes BETSY SEGURA Reporter
betsy.segura4835@my.riohondo.edu
Halloween and Thanksgiving passed in a blink of an eye. Now we’re hearing holiday music wherever we go. Unfortunately, it’s the same songs over and over. “All I Want For Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey or “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano. We’ve taken it to Spotify to find a different playlist this time. Titled Christmas Songs Holiday Music, this playlist has classic music with modern singers. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” covered by John Legend and Esperanza Spalding will lift your Bah Humbug mood. It’s perfect background music for a get together with friends and family. It’s like Legend knows what we want. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande is a welcomed change from the classics. Grande had stated that she didn’t want to sing a cover of a Christmas song leading fans to believe that maybe she wasn’t feeling the Christmas Spirit. But Grande surprised her fans when she took to Twitter
in order to notify her fans that she had co-written a new Christmas song. Jim Carrey’s portrayal of the Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas astonished those who saw the 2000 film. The film has a soundtrack featuring the hit “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”. Illumination Entertainment decided to turn it into a 3D-computer animated comedy keeping a majority of the songs. Tyler, The Creator’s rendition of “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” is an interesting change for the song, but I definitely recommend it. Another song written for the 2018 film is “I Am the Grinch” by Tyler, the Creator featuring Fletcher Jones. And in case you want to sing along, Pentatonix, an American a capella group, would be perfect for you. Pentatonix has covered several different genres, including Christmas music. They’ve covered “Little Drummer Boy”, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, and my personal favorite “Hallelujah.” Whatever you decide to hear for Christmas, El Paisano wishes you a Happy Holidays!
ERIKA SUAREZ/EPM
LIFESTYLES
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Winter Break is a Big Mood For Rio Students BETSY SEGURA Reporter
betsy.segura4835@my.riohondo.edu
Family is important to a lot of people, including photography student Xitlali “Ali” Trejo, who plans on visiting relatives near Las Vegas, Nevada. Ali implied a pit stop at Las Vegas to party and honestly, can you blame her? Finals have us crazy stressed. Which is why Heidy Garcia’s trip of going on a road trip with her 3 dogs and maybe a couple of friends (in that order) is a perfect trip if you want to reward yourself after Finals. Since birth, we go on vacations with our family, so why not change it up? Drive around the best sights that California has to offer with a woman’s best friend. Daenna Gamez is keeping it real, visiting her relatives in Mexico where abuelas and tias cook all day with love.
You’re either kicked out of the kitchen because you’re doing something wrong or you’re awkwardly trying to answer why you don’t have a significant partner with your 4.0 GPA. One thing that I can guarantee you Daenna, is that the food will be delicious. Kimberly Salazar will be attending an Honors Conference to improve her chances of getting into UC Berkeley. If you’re done with applications, the only thing left to do is to wait, but Salazar refuses to worry and wait. She will take advantage of every program at her disposal. We’re rooting for you, Queen! Now, I have to admit this has to be one of my favorite answers. Evan Oliva, another photography student, will be treating himself to concerts, Disneyland, everything and anything that is fun. If you have some money saved up, plan a day out with your
ERIKA SUAREZ/EPM
Fall semester is closing in while students of Rio Hondo College prepare for finals. Their big mood is starting Winter Break as they think about their plans. friends. Enjoy your Winter Break! If they’re not on board, you can always have fun by yourself. For now, we urge you to
focus on your college finals but please don’t stress about it. Once they’re over you can lounge around at home all day in your pajamas, go
clubbing with friends, or continue with your studies. El Paisano wishes you the best of luck!
Puppy Therapy on Campus VINCENT FRANCO Photo Editor
vincent.franco2391@my.riohondo.edu
VINCENT FRANCO/EPM
Being pet by all those students can sure be exhausting. This Husky has surely gotten its fair share of massage therapy
VINCENT FRANCO/EPM
Little daisy just can’t get enough pets from students at Rio’s lower quad.
VINCENT FRANCO/EPM
Students help guide back in an escape, Who let the dogs out?!
VINCENT FRANCO/EPM
VINCENT FRANCO/EPM
It’s hard to tell who is more excited to see who, the students or the dogs?
These two dogs on the other hand don’t look like they’re having as much fun as their fellow canines.
OPINION
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Do Immigrants Deserve the Abuse At the Border
CESAR GONZALEZ/EPM Flu shots are known to be an effective way to prevent oneself from getting sick, however, many people shy away from the thought of needles. While others completely avoid the idea of flu shots actually working, many people believe it is too good to be true. DANIELLE ANZURES Reporter
danielle.anzures8473@my.riohondo.edu
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o say the topic of immigration is tricky one would be an understatement, to say the least. Each side has their own opinions and thoughts on the situation and neither side can seem to come to a compromise. But if there is one thing everyone should be able to agree on it would be that the abuse exercised on immigrants at the border is inexcusable. No human being
has the right to treat another living person in that way. There is no way to justify the separation of families at borders. There is no way to make sense of such a cruel and sad act, and there is absolutely no possible way to look at tear gas being sprayed on immigrants and justifying it. It’s a horrific thing to have had happened in the year 2018. This is history repeating itself. If using tear gas is outlawed in international welfare then how can it be
tolerated so close to home? Let alone used on immigrants, these people are not even just adults there are kids involved too. Tear gas can be dangerous, if someone is hit with it they can possibly lose their eyesight, experience bruising or endure skull fractures. And yes in a worst-case scenario death could be involved. How is that a non lethal force? The fact the only bright side is that it does not suppose to kill people does not help
the argument for it. Neither does beating up someone, but that’s discouraged for obvious reasons. There are rules set in place that allow border patrol officers to keep the peace or protect lives if seen fit. But looking at the reports a few rocks or objects being thrown at only four agents does not justify spraying tear gas into a crowd where there are children; and this incident parallels another event in history, it was a long time ago, but it’s
in almost every middle school book. The Boston Massacre happened in 1770 and it involved soldiers shooting into a crowd of unarmed people because they threw rocks and snowballs at the soldiers. But unlike that story where it’s now mostly accepted that the people throwing things were in the right, it looks like we’ll have to wait for the history books at adding this event in for people to realize how horrible and unjustified it was.
Spongebob Squarepants: A Cartoon Series of its Time CESAR GONZALEZ Opinion Editor
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cesar.gonzalez6118@my.riohondo.edu
egardless if you’re an elementary-level student, or a senior at your community college, everyone and I mean EVERYONE knows who Spongebob Squarepants is. From the premiere of its first episode back in 1999, to the infamous “Spongebob memes” that have consistently broken the internet, Spongebob has one way or another impacted our lives in some way. Spongebob Squarepants was created by Stephen Hillenberg, who according to wikia, was a former marine biologist and animator, that could very well explain the whole underwater-marine life theme. For those of you who do not know the plot or storyline of Spongebob Squarepants, it takes place in the Pacific Ocean under island known as “Bikini Atoll” (fictional), in a city called Bikini Bottom. Spongebob is a pineapple
that lives under the sea, along with his closest friends, Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles, Sandy Cheeks, Mister Krabs, Plankton, and Gary the snail. What most don’t know about this show however, is how the characters are representations of the seven deadly sins. That’s right, your beloved Nick-toon characters actually have meaning behind their individuality. The site ranker.com lists the following characters and their deadly sin counterparts: Spongebob – Lust Patrick – Sloth Plankton – Envy Mr. Krabs – Greed Gary – Gluttony Squidward – Wrath Sandy – Pride However, this “theory” has been flowing around the internet for a hot minute. While others believe this list is the one true list, others have argued that Sandy is actually wrath and Squidward is pride. For better understanding, one can take note of each
deadly sin’s attributes understanding one can take note of each deadly sins’ attributes. Erin Witsi of ranker.com’s article states, “In the Bible, ‘sloth’ is described as excessive laziness and Patrick certainly fits the bill. Patrick Star, recipient of an award for doing nothing in ‘Big Pink Loser,’ definitely represents this sin because he spends the bulk of his time sleeping under a rock and eating excessively.” It’s obvious to see that Plankton is envy due to coveting Mr. Krab’s successs, which led him to foiled attempts to always thwart Mr. Krab’s and steal his secret burger formula (krabby patty). In the show Plankton tells his computer wife, Karen, how much he wishes he could have the success Krabs’
has with his well-known restaurant, the Krusty Krab. With that being said, Krabs is the deadly sin of greed. Did I mention he sold Spongebob’s soul for a dollar? Witsi stated, “Greed is marked by an excessive love for money and material things. Mr. Krab is the perfect embodiment of this trait. He refers to customers in monetary terms (i.e., “That’s my money walking out the door”) and runs the Krusty Krab under the philosophy, ‘The money is always right.’ He even loses his arms and suffers a severe head injury in one episode in an attempt to pull a dime out of the garbage disposal.” Gary the snail who is Spongebob’s pet, represents gluttony. Simply because besides “meowing” every episode he appears, he is either eating or drinking, in a nutshell that is gluttony. Spongebob being lust, not because he has an sexual appetite, but because he shows extra love for others. So much
so he has a hard time realizing when someone is showing him hatred or sadness. Now Squidward represents wrath, due to his nature to hate everyone and everything, and Sandy is pride because she represents Texas to the t. In one episode she even attacks both Spongebob and Patrick because they diss her home-state of Texas. Spongebob Squarepanats was even named one of the best cartoons by TIME Magazine in 2007. It has surpassed other cartoon favorites like Rugrats and holds the record of fourth longest-running cartoon series next to The Simpsons, Arthur, and South Park. Overall, whether you watch the show to add on to the theories behind the cartoon, or just for pleasurable enjoyment, Spongebob Squarepants has definitely made a huge mark on the history of cartoons. For all of that, we thank you deeply Mr. Hillenburg, your legacy will live on.
COMMUNITY
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Winter Choral Concert
poster 2.qxp_Layout 1 11/8/18 8:37 AM Page 1
Join us for an evening of selected choral works performed by our talented Rio Hondo students. d Pre-reception at 7pm with beverages and light snacks.
December 5, 2018 7:30 pm
Rio Hondo College dWray Theater APPROVED PUBLICITY REMOVE BY 12/6/18
Rio Hondo College 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier CA 90601 • www.riohondo.edu. Admission is FREE. Parking $3. Call 562-908-3492 for more information.
El Paisano Newspaper Editor-in-Chief
SABRINA TORRES
News Editor
CYNTHIA RIZO
Opinion Editor
CESAR GONZALEZ
Lifestyles Editor ERIKA SUAREZ
Sports
IGNACIO CERVANTES
Sci.&Tech
RAMON ALVARADO
A&E Editor
JAIME APARICIO
Photo Editor
VINCENT FRANCO
Managing Editors DIANA JUAREZ JENNIFER ESPAÑA
Copy editor
ALYSSA ESQUIVEL
Happy Holidays
Advisor
WENDY CARRERA
Reporters ANA APARICIO MADELYN GASTELUM ARLINE CHAIDEZ BREANNA CHAVEZ EVELYN VARGAS LEO JOHN VILLANUEVA CYNTHIA OLVERA DANIELLE ANZURES BETSY SEGURA JARBAS FARIA MICHAEL MARTINEZ
3600 Workman Mill Rd. Whittier CA 90601 (562) 692-0921 EXT. 3345
A Congressionally Recognized Publication
From El Paisano