Are there cubans in california

They voted for President Reagan and consider themselves politically conservative. They hate the Castro government and believe the United States should remain militarily strong and fight communism. Some, such as the Carlos Caravia family of Villa Park, have been remarkably successful.

But multimillion-dollar corporations are the exception. Most Cuban-owned businesses are small grocery stores, beauty salons or travel agencies, and the majority of these businesses rely heavily on Cubans and other Latino customers. Behind the counter, Avila, a portly, year-old Cuban who left Havana in , explained how to prepare bacalao , or salted fish, over the din of a fast Cuban rhythm on the phonograph. He saved money, and eventually bought the market at Lemon St.

He has earned enough to live comfortably, and to help his parents, in-laws, and sisters and brothers emigrate to Miami and Orange County, he said. Despite their success, however, there is growing concern among Cuban-Americans about preserving their heritage.

About 16 other circulos are active in Southern California, the largest in Huntington Park and Glendale. Hernandez, 44, formerly secretary of the court system in Guantanamo, is now a quality-control manager for a Costa Mesa smoke detector manufacturer.

Ties to Cuba are still strong in the community but they are eroding every day, he said sadly. Like the Italian and German immigrants before them, their children have grown up in schools where there is pressure to emulate English-speaking peers. Will traditions disappear by the year , with the death of our grandparents? Almost a million Cubans and Cuban-Americans live in the United States, and about 55, of them have settled in Southern California, according to U.

Census figures. Inside, a bust of Jose Marti, the writer and Cuban patriot who lived in exile in the United States from until his death in , adorned a high shelf. Men sat and argued over dominoes while others played Liars, a favorite Cuban game in which players hide dice under a cup and try to bluff one another. Women socialized, sharing photographs of grandchildren, while others read Spanish-language newspapers. A few youngsters cavorted noisily about the hall.

It is for many a shelter to live in the past. El Cochinito opened in Silver Lake in Cuban cuisine developed from a blend of indigenous Cuban cooking traditions with those imported — along with ingredients — from Africa, Spain, China , France , Italy , Haiti , and broader Caribbean traiditions. Gilbert and Jennie de Cardenas immigrated to the US in October and Gilbert originally worked odd jobs as a handyman.

Gilbert de Cardenas founded Cacique in and, with his son Gil Jr. Later that year, Cacique opened a plant in Lakewood. After several moves, it settled in Industry in from until , when it moved to Monrovia. Today Cacique makes several cheeses which are distributed at over 25, grocers.

Athansius Episcopal Church , offering English classes to its members. Cuban festivals and organizations are rare in Los Angeles today. In the past, there was a Cuban festival in Long Beach — the L. Cuban Festival. There are several prominent Cuban Americans who at least at one time or another were also Angelenos, including:.

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