9:45am | Gustavo Arellano writes the nationally syndicated column, “Ask A Mexican,” which originates from the OC Weekly. He also writes the “Hole in the Wall” column, and covers local politics and other issues. He’s also written a memoir of sorts, called “Orange County: A Personal History.” Published by Scribner, the Los Angeles Times review by Luis Alfaro praised “its lovely poetic simplicity,” and described Arellano’s voice as “unmistakably young and passionate.”
Arellano is coming to Long Beach City College this Wednesday, April 14th, and will be reading and signing books in the English Lounge, Room P110, at 1:00pm. His appearance is part of the school’s Puente Program, a two semester accelerated program designed to ‘increase the number of Latino and other educationally underrepresented students who transfer to a four-year college or university, earn college degrees, and return to the community as mentors and leaders.”
Gustavo took some time to speak with me about a variety of subjects, including Santa Ana politics, his book, and the demise of The District Weekly.
Sander: So, you’re coming to LBCC. We’re all very excited about that. Can you tell me a bit about how this came about?
Gustavo: The glories of Facebook. A professor there (Liz Gonzalez) is my Facebook amiga, and apparently liked my Orange County book so much she asked me to speak about it. In addition, she’s the adviser to the PUENTE program there and also wanted to know if I could speak to them. Of course!
Sander: What have you discovered about life in Orange County?
Gustavo: Given that I’m a native son, and that my family has lived here for nearly a century, the most fascinating thing I’ve discovered is our astounding capacity to delude ourselves about our realities. Civic realities, that is—both contemporary and historical.
Sander: Can you give me an example of a deluded reality?
Gustavo: The idea that Santa Ana is somehow a Third World city. It’s a great town, yet it’s synonymous in Orange County with “Mexican,” given it’s one of the most-Latino cities in the United States. And “Mexican” in Orange County is always a stand-in for “poverty” and all that nastiness. But most of those people who say that live in that Orange County bubble that doesn’t allow them to realize that our “slums” would be working-class neighborhoods anywhere else in America.
Sander: As someone from outside Santa Ana, my experience with it has been as a forward looking cultural mecca. Do you think these are simply old, ingrained prejudices?
Gustavo: They might be old, but they get refreshed for every generation. And I wouldn’t describe such prejudices as ingrained—more like hard-wired into our collective psyche!
Sander: I’ve had OC residents express fear about coming to Long Beach, so I really do understand.
Gustavo: Yeah! Sure, there are rough spots in SanTana, just like in Long Beach, but that’s all they are—spots.
Sander: So, is there a solution? Should we care what people think, or find a way to change their minds so that reality, and their impression of it, align?
Gustavo: Of course there’s a solution, but whether people want to accept it is another story. All I can do as a reporter is report the truth, and leave it up to people to decide what they want to do with it.
Sander: Sure. I guess I meant “is there an institutional, or municipal, solution.”
Gustavo: Problem is, almost all government is corrupt. SanTana has a Mayor-for-Life that loves his conflict-of-influenza, and minions who are also affected by it. They constantly trot out plans to “revitalize” the area, but they’re little more than get-rich schemes that want to ignore the demographic reality of the city in favor of some back-to-the-past historical trip.
Sander: Why does he keep getting elected, then? Is he extremely good looking?
Gustavo: [laughs]. Because Don Papi Pulido is the Devil, corrupting innocent rookie councilmembers and forging alliances with everyone. Politics in this city have turned me off to the Democratic Party forever.
Sander: I’m willing to wager that turn-out for municipal elections is fairly low. If that is the case, it seems that finding a way to activate the disenfrancised majority of non-voters might be a way to go. Would that be possible?
Gustavo: That’s what’s being attempted this cycle around with the candidacy of Alfredo Amezcua, but a people-powered campaign hasn’t worked in the city since the 1980s. We’ll see…
Sander: I ask because we have similar challenge in Long Beach. We typically get about 20% of voters participating in municipal elections. The only way to make a difference in local politics is to make people understand that their lives are in the balance.
Gustavo: I agree, but I’m always skeptical of who those campaigners for the better good are. Altruism only exists in the real world with the Catholic Worker and Food Not Bombs.
Sander: I think that people of a certain age, somewhere between your age and mine, need to start actively recruiting candidates. They’re out there. We’ve had some small success with that here, but have a long way to go.
Gustavo: I agree, but I’ve yet to meet the fearless rookie pol that hasn’t yet connected into the System. Very ‘The Matrix,’ politics is…
Sander: If we agree that party politics is like making sausage, and grass roots movements have yet to work… Where does that leave us?
Gustavo: No, grass roots movements CAN work. I’ve seen them work. They just require a lot of patience and selfless people.
Sander: So, does this mean you’re announcing your candidacy?
Gustavo: [laughs] I’d never run for office; I’m much more effective as a reporter. If I ran, you might get a rare union of Republicans and Democrats smearing the same person.
Sander: If you don’t mind, let’s shift over to the family history you share in your book. Was it difficult getting people to open up, to tell their stories?
Gustavo: Of course. But once I explained to them that I wanted to give a history of modern-day Mexican migration, warts and all, they were more willing to open up. I don’t claim that our family is perfect, but I do think people can get from our story a tale of redemption and virtue in hard work.
Sander: In researching, did you uncover any surprises?
Gustavo: The story of my grandpa fleeing flying potatoes. Really, I grew up with everything else. Just a matter of fleshing it out.
Sander: Do you think that people currently immigrating, legally or otherwise, have the same challenges and opportunities your grandparents faced?
Gustavo: Depends on the situation. There wasn’t that big distinction between legal and illegal in those days; you just worked. At the same time, there wasn’t as large a support network then as there is today.
Sander: As a kid, did you have a vision for yourself, of what you wanted to be, or do, as an adult?
Gustavo: The only vision I ever had for myself was that I’d have a lot of books, and be involved in a profession that involved a lot of reading. True story!
Sander: Where do you think that came from?
Gustavo: From a young age, my mom would take my best friend, my sister and I to the library. I enjoyed learning about anything and everything, although in those days I most liked biographies and true crime. The more things change…
Sander: What do you think about The District shutting down?
Gustavo: Having worked with most of the staff there at the OC Weekly, I think it’s a damn shame they met the fate they did. It was a good paper, and Long Beach deserves more than the scraps we give them and the zero LA Weekly gives ustedes.
Sander: It is a tough market, and ad sales need to be backed with results.
Gustavo: I really thought Long Beach would’ve supported the District more, given that Ellen, Dave, and Theo had such strong Long Beach ties. It’s easy to say that the District failed on its own, but I do believe Long Beach also failed the District.
Sander: The District focused on a very narrow demographic. That demographic is active and engaged but, if it doesn’t have disposable dollars to spend on supporting advertisers, it doesn’t make sense to advertise. Also, because they were so critical of many municipal institutions, some advertisers were scared that, if they gave money to The District, it might harm their relationship with the City. That’s what I’ve been told, anyway.
Gustavo: Then the advertisers are cowards, and we’re left with the civic corruption we discussed in the beginning of this interview.
Sander: Cowards, or pragmatists. Either way, the result is the same.
Gustavo: Cowards. If you know there is corruption and don’t fight it, you might as well be on the SanTana City Council.
Sander: Which is why I believe that younger, energetic progressives and forward thinkers must step up, and become active in the political process. Failing that, we can expect the status quo.
Gustavo: I applaud anyone who does, but will remain scrutinizing throughout!
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Parking for the LBCC event, which is taking place on the LAC campus, near Carson and Clark, is available in any of the student lots. Permits are required, and cost $1. If you plan to attend, arrive early because parking is tight. If you can, take the bus!