Carmen Oriana made one long trip to get to the U.S., and she covers a shorter distance to get to work Downtown every day. Oriana works at the newsstand near the northwest corner of 7th Street and Broadway, offering newspapers and magazines to passersby. She came to the U.S. from her hometown of Zacapa, Guatemala, in 1999, and now lives in Long Beach. Oriana rides the Metro Blue Line to the newsstand on the edge of the Jewelry District, where she has become a familiar and friendly face to merchants and workers. She says she likes the job because she enjoys talking with her customers—and she adds that any job is a good job these days. Oriana says he also likes working in Los Angeles because she has two sisters—Melba and Noemi—who live nearby. A third sister, Amparro, lives in Miami. The Blue Line doesn’t go that far, but the Garment & Citizen hopes that the four sisters will be able to get together for a reunion sometime soon.
Local Hero - 05/02/2008
Esmeralda Miranda only works three days a week at the Sweet Undys hosiery shop at 766 S. Los Angeles Street, but she’s a c ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/25/2008
Jaime Chavez is determined to make up for lost opportunities. Chavez is a resident of the Chinatown district who works as ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/18/2008
Carlos De La Rosa knows how to spot an opportunity. That’s how he came to be the owner of KC Bargains, a convenience store ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/11/2008
Last week we told the story of one family’s adventure with the shuttle buses that took fans between Dodger Stadium and the ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 04/04/2008
Fred Sandoval knows about climbing ladders. He started working Downtown as a parking lot attendant more than 20 years ago, ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/28/2008
Erica Ramos is at home even when she goes to work. Ramos works as a dispatcher for the South Park Business Improvement Dis ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/21/2008
Fit models Sean Durrie (left) and Erin Bennett (right) pause to pose with Songhai Miguda-Armstead (center), who serves as ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/14/2008
Ana Guerrero has traveled a long way to her current post as chief of staff for Eric Garcetti, the representative for the 1 ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 03/07/2008
Now here’s a little fellow you might be seeing around town from time to time in the years to come. This is Simon Luis Huiz ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 02/29/2008
Digna Alvarado has more reasons to smile than ever. Smiling is nothing new for Alvarado, who’s been sharing grins with cus ... [ Full Story ]
The Los Angeles Garment & Citizen is the community newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, including the Arts District, Chinatown, Echo Park, Little Tokyo, Pico-Union, Silver Lake and Westlake.The Garment & Citizen reaches more than 20,000 readers weekly, an audience that spans the demographic makeup of the city and serves as the leading edge of statewide and national trends.
