QUE PASA? : Former Justice Reynoso Appointed to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Former California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso has been appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Reynoso, who was appointed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Maine), is the only Latino on the eight-member board. President Clinton will choose the commission chairman from among the eight. As a non-salaried commissioner, Reynoso, a law professor at UCLA, will attend the commission’s meetings once a month in Washington, D.C. Residents of Los Angeles will have a chance to see Reynoso in action next month, when the commission has scheduled public hearings June 15 to 17 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, 333 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. It will focus on issues related to last year’s civil unrest, including economic development, the media, and administration of justice.

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Verdicts in Cristal’s Case: Cristal Flores Anguiano was shot in the heart Feb. 2, 1992, when gunfire erupted between two carloads of rival gangs as the 11-year-old walked toward an ice cream truck in front of her 84th Street home. Two gang members who were found guilty in the shooting have been sentenced to life in prison. Sean Payton, 17, was sentenced last month, and Payton’s uncle, Zarricor Glassper, 28, was sentenced in December. Cristal, now 12, managed to carry her 2-year-old brother to safety after being shot.

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A Diamond for Amaya: A baseball field in Belvedere Park has been named Joe Amaya Diamond in honor of the coach and sports organizer known as the “Grandfather of East L.A.” Joe Sotero Amaya, 72, was honored for coaching baseball and football to four generations of Eastside youths since 1935 and for organizing the Maravilla baseball league, Los Angeles County park officials said.

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BFA’s 20 Candles: The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts is marking its 20th anniversary year by continuing its celebration of Latino talent in the theater and in literature. It recently honored actor and producer Hector Elizondo, perhaps best known for his part as the hotel manager in the movie “Pretty Woman.” He was awarded the “El Angel” Artist Award by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit group. Elizondo most recently starred in “The Prize,” an Arthur Miller play that just completed a run on Broadway. At its annual awards banquet last week at the Biltmore Hotel, the foundation also posthumously recognized artist Margo Albert with its Lifetime Achievement Award for helping establish Plaza de La Raza as an East Los Angeles cultural center.

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Aiding Fire Victims: Many groups and individuals pitched in as heroes and helpers when fire left 10 dead and dozens injured recently in the Westlake apartment complex. Cardinal Roger Mahony and the Catholic Archdiocese weighed in by helping to arrange discounted mortuary services and air fares for three families to bury their loved ones in Mexico and Guatemala. Aid to the victims started even before the blaze was put out, as friends and neighbors helped rescue and treat the injured. At the scene, KTTV Channel 11, reporter Christina Gonzalez became a rescuer and refused to let the camera show her when, responding to a firefighter’s request, she helped resuscitate a child.

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Latina Honors: Six Latinas, among them members of the boards of more than a dozen community organizations, were in the spotlight last month when they were honored by the Hispanic Women’s Council and the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation at two separate banquets. Among the foundation’s honorees were KABC-Channel 7 anchorwoman Laura Diaz and immigration law attorney Alma Rosa Nieto. Meanwhile, the council, which honored Hillary Rodham Clinton as its Woman of the Year, also paid tribute to Dr. Faustina Nevarez of Kaiser Permanente, design company owner Alycia Enciso, Sharon Martinez, administrator for UCLA’s School Management Program, and Gisselle Acevedo, a lawyer who fights to protect the rights of the developmentally disabled.

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On the Move: Celeste De Armas, who recently became the highest ranking Latina in the Nestle USA company when she was named vice president of strategic planning and new business development.