Santa Ana’s Mexican Cultural Center Faces Eviction

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El Centro Cultural de Mexico, a long standing non-profit in the city of Santa Ana, faces eviction by mid-July. The award-winning organization has been housed for the past five years at the Knights of Pythias building on the corner of West Fifth Street and Broadway. The location had been one of stability for El Centro’s numerous free programs, including their notable son jarocho jarana classes, even as multi-year leases with the building’s landlords transitioned to a month-to-month contract. Then, on June 9, unexpectedly, the non-profit received a 30-day notice–the minimum allowable–to vacate the premises.

“For five years, we’ve made rent every month” says Centro board member Carolina Sarmiento. “This eviction is not about our ability to pay rent.” Sarmiento and Yenni Diaz, a volunteer with the non-profit, don’t know the reason for getting the boot beyond property managers claiming to have a new partner who has a new vision for the second floor of the building above the El Curtido restaurant.

Read more about the breaking news on El Centro Cultural de Mexico’s eviction notice on my latest OC Weekly Heard Mentality Blog post:

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2011/06/el_centro_cultural_de_mexico_f.php

About Gabriel San Roman