Que pasa? - PEOPLE AND EVENTS

* She and her colleagues took a place of confinement--the old Lincoln Heights Jail--and turned it into a place of light and creativity. And for her work with the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, actress Carmen Zapata has been awarded the Civil Order of Merit by Spanish King Juan Carlos I. “What gives meaning to my life is the legacy that we will leave behind in this community in terms of our culture, tradition and language,” said Zapata, whose foundation presents theatrical productions in both English and Spanish. Her work on stage and in movies and television, she said, “pays the bills so that I can devote myself to the important part of my life--our theater.”

* “Unfortunately, many Latinos do not know there is a place to turn for this very great problem,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Ernie Garcia, a frequent speaker at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. “Alcohol abuse in the No. 1 enemy of the Highway Patrol.” Garcia, 42, broadcasts traffic conditions on radio and television, and he has his own weekly Spanish-language radio show on which he explains points of traffic safety and advice on dealing with the courts and traffic laws. “I love what I do,” he said. “My job in law enforcement and my knowledge of Spanish give me the ability to help the folks who are just getting adapted to this country.”