“I’ve always been defined as the angel that saved my sister’s life,” said Ayala. “Now, this is a time for me to be on my own and to be defined as something different.”

Ayala and her sister have a remarkable bond. It’s not something, however, they talk about often.

“We are just two normal sisters,” said Ayala. “We just happen to have this amazing story behind us.”

“Yeah, I think that’s true,” added her sister, Anissa Brackett. “I don’t think there are days where we talk about this.”

Ayala’s birth and bone marrow transplant was the subject of a 1993 movie by NBC titled “For the Love of My Child.” Mary Ayala, Marissa’s mother, admitted the criticism had her questioning her own decision and faith.

“While I was pregnant, I thought about it, and thought, did I really do something wrong? I didn’t know,” she said.

Mary Ayala said now, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“She (Marissa) is the perfect daughter — OK, not the perfect daughter! Let me tell you, we get into it,” she said. “But it’s been a great, great journey.”

It is a journey that has just begun, according to Ayala.

“I feel that I’m so blessed to have my sister and my family story, but that’s just one part of my life. It’s not my entire life. My whole life is just starting and I’m so excited to take those next steps and see what’s next.”

Ayala wants to become a speech pathologist. She has planned to move in with her sister this summer.

Garcetti, 42, who made a mark helping resuscitate neighborhoods from the gritty edge of downtown to Hollywood, held a 53 percent to 46 percent margin over city Controller Wendy Greuel, with about 60 percent of the precincts reporting and tens of thousands of mail-in ballots tallied. Both are Democrats.

Garcetti was upbeat in a speech to cheering supporters in Hollywood.

“We have sent a message tonight, and that message is that Los Angeles is ready to put the recession in the rear view mirror and become the city of opportunity that I grew up in once again,” he said.

Greuel sounded guarded as votes were being counted, telling supporters that “no one said it was going to be easy or quick.

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“When you’re playing in the championship of LA politics, sometimes the game goes into overtime,” she said.

The winner will replace two-term Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who exits July 1.

Garcetti shares a Latino heritage with the outgoing mayor – he has Italian and Mexican roots from his father – but he has a far different resume than Villaraigosa, the product of a broken home from the tough streets east of downtown.

Garcetti is the son of a former district attorney who grew up in the San Fernando Valley’s tony Encino enclave, attended Columbia University and enjoys playing jazz piano.

Despite record spending, turnout at polls appeared sluggish after a campaign that centered on the city’s ailing economy and the influence of municipal unions. Only one of four voters in the nation’s second-most populous city were projected to cast a ballot, possibly a historic low in a city known to shrug at local politics.

Garcetti, who could become the city’s first elected Jewish mayor, and Greuel, 51, who could become the first woman to hold the job, occupy so much of the same policy turf they’ve been dubbed “Greucetti.”

A steady stream of negative advertising from the campaigns and outside groups has helped obscure the candidates’ promises about free-flowing traffic, new jobs and better schools in coming years.

Voters also were judging three competing ballot proposals to manage the city’s proliferation of pot shops, forcing residents to weigh the needs of the sick against complaints about crime around the dispensaries.

While some cities successfully managed pot collectives, Los Angeles fumbled and dispensaries sprouted across the city. Proposition D would cap the number at 135 – the total that opened prior to 2007 – and raise taxes slightly; Proposition E would cap the number at the same level but raise no new taxes; Proposition F wouldn’t limit the number of pot shops but would put stringent controls such as audits and background checks on employees while also raising taxes.

The proposition with the most votes wins – if it collects a majority. If none of the measures receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the issue could bounce back to the City Council.

Greuel and Garcetti emerged from a March primary in which no candidate secured the majority needed to win outright, leading to Tuesday’s runoff. Only about two in 10 voters went to the polls in that race.

The mayoral contest has seen record spending – over $30 million overall – and the outcome was expected to swing on appeal with key voting groups, including blacks and Latinos and turnout in the Valley, South Los Angeles and other battleground neighborhoods.

On Monday, Greuel sent off a final round of recorded endorsements from former President Bill Clinton, in whose administration she once worked, while Garcetti was on campaign stops arguing a simple point to mostly indifferent residents: The election matters.

While Garcetti could become the first Jewish man elected mayor, he would not be the first Jew to hold the job. Bernard Cohn was mayor briefly in 1878, after being appointed to fill a vacancy.

Voter Angela Beltran, a nonprofit research analyst, said her choice was not a gender issue.

“It was more a matter of who has done a lot of the work in the community and in the city,” she said. “I’ve just seen Eric Garcetti really flourish and grow here in Los Angeles.”

The lack of public interest ran counter to what’s at stake. A key issue has been the city’s shaky $7.7 billion budget and the prospect of living with less. Spending is projected to outpace revenue for years, and rising pension and retiree health care bills threaten money that could otherwise go to libraries, tree-trimming and street repairs. Villaraigosa urged his successor to try to block a 5.5 percent pay increase for civilian employees.

With so much common ground on policy, the race became a duel over character issues as well as a referendum on who was closer to politically powerful municipal unions often criticized for landing generous raises and benefits.

Garcetti’s commercials labeled Greuel “DWP’s mayor,” a reference to the Department of Water and Power, whose workers financed ads to help install her at City Hall.

Greuel’s attack ads hit Garcetti for a fundraiser organized by a developer who she says once served prison time for fraud.

—

Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton and AP video journalist Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.

Most residents probably won’t notice.

A scant turnout is expected Tuesday when voters choose between two City Hall regulars who failed to bring much sparkle to the contest to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who exits office July 1 after two up-and-down terms.

Only 1 of 4 voters in the nation’s second most populous city is projected to cast a ballot, possibly a historical low. And the tightness of the race suggests a winner might not emerge on Election Day, and it might take days to count all the ballots.

Democrats Eric Garcetti, 42, a city councilman who could become the city’s first elected Jewish mayor, and city Controller Wendy Greuel, 51, who could become the first woman to hold the job, occupy so much of the same policy turf they’ve been dubbed “Greucetti.” A steady stream of negative advertising from the campaigns and outside groups has helped obscure the candidates’ promises about free-flowing traffic, new jobs and better schools in coming years.

Voters also will judge three competing proposals to manage the city’s proliferation of pot shops, forcing residents to weigh the needs of the sick against complaints about crime around the dispensaries.

While some cities successfully managed pot collectives, Los Angeles fumbled and dispensaries sprouted across the city. Proposition D would cap the number of collectives that opened prior to 2007, about 135, and raise taxes slightly; Proposition E would cap the number at the same level but raise no new taxes; Proposition F wouldn’t limit the number of pot shops but would put stringent controls such as audits and background checks on employees – and also raise taxes.

The proposition with the most votes wins, but only if it collects a majority. If none of the measures receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the issue could bounce back to the City Council.

Greuel and Garcetti emerged from a March primary in which no candidate secured the majority needed to win outright, leading to Tuesday’s runoff. Only about 2 in 10 voters went to the polls in that race.

The mayoral contest that has seen record spending, over $30 million overall, and the outcome will swing on appeal with key voting groups, including blacks, Latinos and women, and turnout in the San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles and other battleground neighborhoods.

On Monday, Greuel sent off a final round of recorded endorsements from former President Bill Clinton, in whose administration she once worked, while Garcetti was on campaign stops arguing a simple point: the election matters.

While Garcetti could become the first Jewish man elected mayor, he would not be the first Jew to hold the job. Bernard Cohn was mayor briefly in 1878, after being appointed to fill a vacancy.

Greuel has critized Garcetti, whose Jewish gransparents emigrated from Mexico and have Italian ancestry, for wearing a “Latino mask” to win the election in a recent Spanish-language ad. Garcetti, who speaks Spanish fluently, is leading ahead among Hisapanics.

The lack of public interest runs counter to what’s at stake. A key issue has been the city’s shaky $7.7 billion budget and the prospect of living with less. Spending is projected to outpace revenue for years, and rising pension and retiree health care bills threaten money that could otherwise go to libraries, tree-trimming and street repairs. Villaraigosa is urging his successor to try to block a 5.5 percent pay increase for civilian employees.

With so much common ground on policy, the race became a duel over character issues as well as a referendum on who is closer to politically powerful municipal unions often criticized for landing generous raises and benefits.

Garcetti’s commercials labeled Greuel “DWP’s mayor,” a reference to the Department of Water and Power, whose workers are financing ads to help install her at City Hall. Greuel’s attack ads have hit Garcetti for a fundraiser organized by a developer who she says once served prison time for fraud.

Credits:

Feliciano Garcia – Producer/Host

Mike Tomczyk – Editor

Brian Caraveo – DOP/Audio

Steven Diaz – Camera

Lorena Tapiero – Camera

Theresa Avila – Camera

Javier Garcia – Asst. Editor

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Bruno Mars and teen star Selena Gomez are also confirmed to take the stage at the Billboard Music Awards, joining fellow performers Taylor Swift, Prince and Justin Bieber.

Latinos are also well represented as nominees during the music awards event. Mars is a finalist for Top Male Artist, in a category that includes rappers Drake and Flo Rida, as well as country crooner Jason Aldean and Justin Bieber. Mars is also up for Top Pop Artist and Top Pop Song (for “Locked Out of Heaven”), while Latino fan fave Pitbull is a finalist for Top Rap Artist against the likes of Nicki Minaj and Korean sensation PSY.

RELATED: Bruno Mars reveals the reason for changing his Latino last name

“Adorn” by Miguel – who made a splash earlier this year as the first R&B artist of 2013 to perform on Saturday Night Live – is a contender for Top R&B  Song against hits by Alicia Keys, Trey Songz, Rihanna and Frank Ocean.

There’s also an entire category for Top Latin Artist; with finalists Don Omar, Prince Royce, Romeo Santos, Shakira and Jenni Rivera, the competition is the definition of fierce. Rivera is also a finalist for Top Latin Album, with three of her records – “Joyas Prestadas: Banda,” “Joyas Prestadas: Pop” and “La Misma Gran Senora” – in the running against Prince Royce’s “Phase II” and “Formula, Vol. 1” by Romeo Santos.

RELATED: Don Omar comes out on top at the Billboard Latin Music Awards

A host of some of Latin music’s hottest men – think Juan Magan Michel Teló and Wisin Y Yandel – are competing against each other for Top Latin Song. Don Omar is also a contender in that category, with two of his recent tunes – “Hasta Que Salga El Sol” and “Dutty Love” – named as finalists.

Hosted by comedian Tracy Morgan, the 2013 Billboard Music Awards will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on Sunday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

“I wore a double corset day and night for three months,” Alba confessed in an interview with fashion site Net-A-Porter. “It was sweaty, but worth it.”

While Alba said her weight loss technique is “not for everyone,” there’s no doubt that the 31-year- looks better than ever in a bikini after two pregnancies. And it seems like hubby Cash Warren agrees, helping make their marriage of four years stronger than ever.

RELATED: Shakira reveals her post-baby bod weight loss secret

“We like each other; we really are best friends,” Alba shared with Net-A-Porter. “We both chose the right person.”

Alba – whose famous looks have launched her to Maxim’s “Hot 100” list – seems intent on making it clear that while she may have shed the physical evidence of pregnancy, her decision to begin a family has truly enhanced her life and her career.

RELATED: Jessica Alba gets honest about food, fashion, home and style in new book

“My approach to acting now is so different,” said the actress, who will next be seen in Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete Kills” alongside Lady Gaga and Sofia Vergara.

“I’m fearless because I have nothing to lose. Before [children] my identity was wrapped up in every decision – now, I don’t care.”

Not only has the artist made a mile worth of murals, he’s also connected the community through painting — an art form he says he learned from his father — as a sign painter for local restaurants and businesses, who is also a muralist.

“That’s how I got started,” says Ponce, who started his own sign painting business in high school, which put him through school. “In college, I really pushed myself. I majored in animation…On the weekends, I started doing these murals to give back. Immediately after the first one, I was on the first page of the paper. I saw what a difference it made — it impacted the community.”

He says he officially started in December of 2011 and hasn’t stopped since — the biggest of about a dozen independent and 30 collaborative works is 20 feet by 70 feet and the smallest, 12 feet by 20 feet.

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“Born in the East Valley” on Van Nuys Blvd. and Bartee Ave. in Pacoima, Calif. (Courtesy Levi Ponce)

“Lady of the Valley” on Van Nuys Blvd. and Arleta Ave. in Pacoima, Calif. (Courtesy Levi Ponce)

Levi Ponce painting a shop with his father at age 4, 1991. (Courtesy Levi Ponce)

“Pacoima Art Revolution,” featuring the Mexican Mona Lisa. Located at Van Nuys Blvd. and Tamarck Ave. in Pacoima, Calif. (Courtesy Levi Ponce)

Levi Ponce (left) and Danny Trejo (right) in front of the mural of Danny Trejo. (Photo/James Forrest)

“The Day Music Died” on Van Nuys Blvd. and Telfair Ave. in Pacoima, Calif. (Courtesy Levi Ponce)

“Girl with Hoop Earring” on Van Nuys Blvd. and Lev Ave. in Pacoima, Calif. (Courtesy Levi Ponce)

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“Everybody has a good time,” says the 25-year-old. “I’m able to engage the entire spectrum of society. I get teachers to come out, I get homeless people, I get gangbangers.”

He says none of his work is vandalized, because he approaches the local gangs and asks them to join in.

“Everyone’s allowed to participate,” says the friendly-voiced Ponce. “They’re usually on board, because they’re used to being rejected and pushed away…They are excited to exhibit their skills and artwork. They bring food, materials and spray cans. It’s incredible. Before you know it, everyone wants their neighborhood to be beautiful.”

He says what he’s witnessed is that gang members crave beauty too.

“It really changes their attitudes,” says Ponce. “The same people that would graffiti my mural are the same people who go around at night protecting it.”

He says while painting his first mural, it was just him, but four others joined in towards the end. During his last mural, 50 people participated.

“It’s kind of getting out of hand,” he says laughing. “I have to find jobs for all these people. I find myself painting less and organizing more.”

He says one of his all-time favorite murals was of the Mexican Mona Lisa he painted last June.

“It has to do with a mural ordinance that was drafted in Los Angeles last spring…a lot of murals were going to be destroyed,” says Ponce. “Regardless of what it said, I was going to keep painting them. If you push art, art’s going to push back. The Mona Lisa…combined the warrior idea with Chicano culture — showing how art would push back.”

Since then, he says the ordinance has been redrafted four times, but no matter the outcome, he says he will never stop making murals.

“If I was blind, I’d still be doing murals,” says Ponce. “I want to be the premiere LA muralist, and in the future, I want to be a premiere world muralist like Kent Twitchell — he is my idol.”

To earn a living, Ponce works as a freelance animator — mostly motion graphics for independent films.

“I’m not as experienced as I am with a brush, but it does pay well,” says Ponce, who also teaches at a San Fernando High School through Urban Arts Partnership. “I teach integrative art, algebra and creative writing through the arts. I compare math to painting, and I trick the kids into learning math.”

Ponce says the precise reason he came back to Pacoima was to give back and help give everyone a second chance.

“Danny Trejo is from Pacoima,” he says. “He was a criminal there and was in and out of state penitentiaries for 30 years, but he changed his life around completely…It shows anybody can change. He still sponsors people in AA meetings, and he didn’t change addresses.”

He says his trick to unifying his community has been concentrating on people’s similarities rather than their differences.

“My very neighborhood inspires me,” he says. “It’s everything we have in common.”

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich announced the sum to KNBC-TV Los Angeles, and an attorney representing the women confirmed the amount to The Associated Press.

The settlement must still be approved by the Los Angeles City Council.

Margie Carranza and her 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez, were delivering papers around 5 a.m. on Feb. 7 when LAPD officers blasted at least 100 rounds at their pickup.

Hernandez was shot in the back and Carranza had minor injuries.

The settlement means they cannot pursue any future injury claims against the city.

Attorney Glen Jonas, who represents the women, called the amount fair and said it spared the city from defending a case that involved eight police officers and would have likely cost millions of dollars.

“The only certainty was the litigation was going to cost everyone a lot of money and a lot of time,” Jonas said.

Jonas sent a 9-page demand to the city more than a month ago that provided an opening to negotiations. He said he negotiated with Trutanich for weeks before the deal was reached on Monday night.

“We’re two veteran trial lawyers trying to settle a case, and we both understand the reality of litigation and what it costs to both sides,” Jonas said.

The women agreed to receive the payment after June 30 – the end of the fiscal year – to help the city with its budgeting. The agreement came in addition to a separate $40,000 settlement reached earlier for the loss of the women’s pickup truck.

“For them, the money is not the issue as much as (the city) just doing the right thing,” Jonas said. “Everyone agreed that they were wronged, but we didn’t know whether responsibility would be assumed … It’s pleasant to get that done without having to go through years of litigation.”

The pint-sized singer and Voice coach has been slapped with a $100 million lawsuit in California by Antonio de la Rua, who claims that he built the “Shakira brand” and was the brains behind her hits “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka,” according to court documents.

De la Rua filed the lawsuit on April 12, after initially filing a $250 million lawsuit against the star in New York last November. Shakira filed a motion March 28 asking the court to dismiss that lawsuit because they do not have jurisdiction over her and because de La Rua has failed to state an actionable claim.

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Dimas Castillo is an owner of a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Dimas Castillo, 43, is from Guatemala. He owns his own restaurant, Restaurant y Pupuseria Salvadoreña in Los Angeles, where he sells a combination of Latin foods. “I wanted to go to school to learn a profession so I could become a better person” says Castillo.  Though he has already created a menu for his restaurant, Castillo still hopes to go to culinary school.”If people come to do good things then they will be accepted, but if they come to do bad then they will not be welcomed,” says Castillo in Spanish when asked if immigrants were welcomed in this nation.

Maria Flores works in her mother’s jewelry business, which they have been running for years.

Maria Flores, 36, from Guatemala, works in sales in her mother’s jewelry business in downtown Los Angeles. Flores came to the U.S. following her mother searching for a better life than they had in their country. Flores’ brothers and sister stayed in Guatemala. “I wanted to work hard so that I could bring all my brothers and sister here with me and my mother,” said Flores. “We are not equal in this country, we are not given rights,” Flores says in Spanish when asked if immigrants were welcomed in this nation.

Jorge Lillo immigrated to the U.S. looking for adventure but the changes in Chile’s government made him settle in Los Angeles.

Jorge Lillo, 68, from Chile is a dentist practitioner. “I came for adventure, not economic need,” says Lillo in Spanish. Initially he wasn’t looking to stay in the U.S. permanently, he was just looking for adventure, but Lillo’s father suggested he stay to get away from political upheaval in his native country. “Chile became communist so I stayed in Los Angeles for a new start,” he said. Lillo up to this day believes that this is a country of opportunities.

Sandra Perez Gluschankoff is an Argentinian writer who just published the novel “The Last Fernandez.”

Sandra Perez Gluschankoff, 45, from Argentina, is a screen writer and author of the novel “The Last Fernandez” published by Martin Sisters Publishing. Perez immigrated to the U.S. in 1991 with a student visa, with the aspiration of finishing her degree in only a few months, but her tourist visa couldn’t help her qualify as a potential student at UCLA. Being in a new country, her aspirations changed. “Conquering a language I knew little of became my priority and I concentrated my studies in English and Literature,” Perez said.”Immigration is about synergy, one creates its own welcome and with it the acceptance by others spreads out,” Perez said.

Alejandro Kunne immigrated to the U.S. pursuing his dream of becoming an actor.

Alejandro Kunne, 36, from Aguas Calientes, Mexico, is an actor. Kunne came to the U.S looking to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. He acts in plays and is still trying to make it big. Kunne works in public relations promoting the plays he has worked in and teaches martial arts as well. “My passion for acting and martial arts are the reasons that have kept me in this country,” Kunne says in Spanish. “This nation is an exemplary nation; other countries are worse, in this country coming from different origins or economic status can’t stop people from being successful,” adds Kunne.

Francisca Aviles works in a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles were she has been working for over three years.

Francisca Aviles, 47, from Guerrero, Mexico, works in a restaurant in Los Angeles were she has been working for over three years now. “I came to the United States for a better future and now it is better,” Aviles says in Spanish. Now she is able to provide a better life for her kids and give them an education. Aviles thinks that this nation does accept immigrants because there are many more opportunities for families and their kids in this country than in their country of origin.

Monica Barrios is a professor at California State University of Northridge.

Monica Barrios, 25, from Guadalajara, Mexico, teaches international students to acquire the English language at California State University of Northridge. Barrios and her family left their country because they had economic troubles and wanted a better life and future. “I remember having beans and tortillas everyday. Whenever we would go out, I always wanted to buy candy or food but my dad always said ‘no hay dinero (there’s no money),’” says Barrios.  She feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend college and find a job, something that wouldn’t have happened in Mexico.

Pedro Jimenez has been working in construction in Los Angeles for the past seven years.

Pedro Jimenez, 40, from Pachuca, Mexico, has been working in construction for seven years now. Jimenez came to the United States for a better life, “My goal was to help my family economically but also build a house in Mexico,” he says in Spanish. Now Jimenez is able to send money to his family in Mexico and help them economically, and is still working on building a house in Mexico one day. Jimenez believes that this nation accepts immigrants because they are a necessity in the country.

Socorro Vasquez is a stay at home wife who used to reside in Las Vegas and now is in Los Angeles.

Socorro Vasquez, 55, from Jalisco, Mexico, is a stay at home wife who used to live in Las Vegas and has recently moved to Los Angeles. Vasquez came six years ago to the United States chasing love. “I fell in love and he was only visiting so I decided to leave and come with him,” she says in Spanish.  Besides taking care of her family, she is taking classes to improve her English.

Olga Lopez is a nurse assistant in Los Angeles and is going to school to expand her English knowledge.

Olga Lopez, 41, from Hidalgo, Mexico, is a nurse assistant at a convalescent home in Los Angeles. She is currently attending school to learn and improve her English speaking so she can get a better job and provide a better future to her 15-year-old son.”This nation does welcome immigrants because there are many good opportunities provided for us,” Lopez says in Spanish.

Jorge Espinoza, 14 years old, and his father, Martin Espinoza, who is a mechanic in Los Angeles.

Martin Espinoza, 42, from Pachuca, Mexico, is a mechanic. “I want to one day build a house in Mexico,” Espinoza says in Spanish, which was his reason to coming to the U.S. Although it’s been over ten years since he came to the U.S., Espinoza doesn’t lose hope that one day he will have his own house in Mexico.  Espinoza says being an immigrant can be hard at times. “Immigrants have to be looking out for the police to not get stopped and avoid being asked for documentation,” he says in Spanish.

Miriam Lopez works in customer service in a store in downtown Los Angeles.

Miriam Lopez, 50, from El Salvador, works in customer service in a store in Los Angeles. “I wanted a better future for myself and for my kids,” Lopez says in Spanish, which was her reason for immigrating. Lopez came to the U.S. leaving behind a son and a daughter in El Salvador, which was very hard for her. About six years ago, Lopez was able to bring her daughter and re-unite. Her son is still in El Salvador, but her hard work has allowed him to get an education and become a recent college graduate. “Immigrants contribute to this country’s wealth,” says Lopez in Spanish.

Eduardo Diaz is a factory worker in Los Angeles.

Eduardo Diaz, 25, from Guanajuato, Mexico, is working in a factory in Los Angeles where he is a sample maker. “I want to help my family have a better life,” Diaz says in Spanish, which was his motivation when coming to the U.S. Now that he has a stable job and makes more money than he would in his country, he is able to economically help his family in Mexico.

Hortensia Tafolia is the owner of a hair salon in Los Angeles.

Hortensia Tafolia, 53, from Mexico City owns a hair salon, Modeling Beauty Salon in Los Angeles, which she has been running for the past seven years. “I came for vacation and fell in love so I decided to stay,” Tafolia says in Spanish.  In Mexico she also worked in a salon, but it was here where she found the opportunity to open her own business.

Irene Tabora has worked in the medical field for years in Los Angeles.

Irene Tabora, 62, from El Salvador, has worked in the medical field for over fifteen years. Tabora had no plans to come to the U.S. before she meet her boyfriend at the time. “I fell in love with my boyfriend and I came following him,” she says in Spanish. She immigrated in her early 20s and had the opportunity to attend college and work in a hospital. She later had kids and remained in the U.S. to give her daughters a better life.

Ruben Cardenas is the current vice president of Gano Excel.

Ruben Cardenas, 43, from Zacatecas, Mexico, is a businessman who is the current vice president of Gano Excel. Cardenas came to the U.S. following his parents, who had decided to leave their country. Cardenas knew at a young age that he wanted to become a businessman and once being in the U.S. he pursued his dream. Now he considers himself successful, fulfilling his dream which he wouldn’t had accomplished if he had stayed in Mexico. “There is a lot of stigma against immigrants,” he says when asked if immigrants were welcomed in this nation.

Flora Hernandez has lived in Los Angeles for over 30 years and is now retired.

Flora Hernandez, 76, from La Paz, Mexico, is retired now and has lived in the U.S for over thirty years. Hernandez immigrated to the U.S. in her early 30s. “I came to the United States following my mother who was already in this country,” she says in Spanish. Once in this country, she got married and became a stay at home wife. Hernandez thinks that immigrants are welcomed in this nation because there are better opportunities for them here than in their countries, like jobs and health care.

Brian Espinoza, 11 years old, and his mother, Erika Gracia, is a factory worker in Los Angeles.

Erika Gracia, 38, from Pachuca, Mexico, was a teacher in Mexico, but in Los Angeles she is a factory worker. “I wanted to save money so I could buy a property in Mexico,” Garcia says in Spanish, which was her motivation to move to the U.S. In Mexico, Garcia taught elementary school, but decided to immigrate planning to stay here for only three years, save up and go back. Garcia now has three sons and going back to Mexico has become difficult because she knows her sons have more opportunities here.

Ruben Santiago is a director who is currently working on a play in Spanish.

Ruben Santiago, 36, from Guerrero, Mexico, is a director and actor. “Being in the U.S. changed my way of seeing life and I decided to stay,” says Santiago, who followed his sister to the United States.

Sandra Varona participated as a production manager for the film Filly Brown.

Sandra Varona, 29, from Mexico City is a producer and owner of Varona Productions. Varona and her family came to the U.S. for a better life because in Mexico they were having economic difficulties. Her goal once in the U.S was “to learn English, have a career and pursuit the American Dream.”  She now is working in producing different projects and was the production manager for the movie staring the late Jenni Rivera, “Filly Brown.”