New Inglewood Chamber Aims to Give Latinos Clout

So far, the fledgling Inglewood/Lennox Latin American Chamber of Commerce has a logo, a powerful political sponsor and just a handful of members.

But the founders of the new chamber say their group represents the commercial and political wave of the future.

They point to some numbers: Lennox, an unincorporated community of 18,000, is more than 60% Latino. Inglewood’s population of 104,000 is about 30% Latino, and its school population is nearly 40% Latino. That number could increase if Inglewood decides to annex parts of Lennox, a plan that is being considered.

Especially in Inglewood, which has no Latino elected officials, barriers of language and culture have kept Latinos largely in the shadows when it comes to political and civic activity. Henry Cabrera, an Inglewood grocer involved in the new chamber, said a Latino organization could provide a much-needed voice.

“The Latin people need to be heard,” he said. “There’s quite a few of us. We have no representation in the city. It’s really needed.”

The man behind the Inglewood/Lennox Latin American Chamber of Commerce is Jose Marrero, a Cuban-born Inglewood real estate agent. The man behind Marrero is Inglewood Mayor Edward Vincent, for whom Marrero has organized several fund-raisers in the Latino community.

It was at one of those fund-raisers, Marrero said, that he and several businessmen discussed the idea of the chamber with the mayor.

Vincent said: “I think it’s a great idea. I helped form it. Hispanics should have equal opportunity. There should be a Hispanic on the City Council and a Hispanic on the school board, and I’m going to work toward that end.”

As Vincent and others have pointed out, Inglewood is changing.

In 20 years, the city has experienced a dramatic shift from predominantly white to predominantly black to its current mix of about 55% black and 30% Latino, with the balance being Anglo and Asian. The future growth of Inglewood’s Latino community is apparent in the large number of Latino elementary school children.

Marrero said his organization could increase Latino political participation, groom future leaders and provide a network for what he describes as a prosperous but sometimes fragmented Latino business community.

“For example, if you want to open a Latin grocery and you go to the current chamber, you might have difficulty explaining” the venture, especially its cultural appeal, he said. “You might prefer talking with someone who knows the Latino market well. You might be more comfortable speaking in Spanish. It’s not only a language question, it’s a cultural question.”

But Marrero--a member of the more established Inglewood/Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the defunct Cuban-American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles--concedes that the idea is barely off the ground. The new chamber has 12 members at most (other members say a half dozen), has not held formal meetings or elections and needs a full-time administrator, he said.

Furthermore, several Latino business people in Inglewood and Lennox hadn’t heard about the group when they were asked about it last week. And they were divided about whether it would be best to form a separate Latino chamber or a group that would work within the Inglewood/Airport Area chamber. Such diverse sentiments, they added, reflect the fact that Latinos in the area have not yet come together politically.

Not Been Contacted

Francisco Bilbao, a shoe store owner who is president of the 23-member Lennox Business Assn., said he knows Marrero but that he and the other association members, most of whom are Latino, have not been contacted by the new chamber.

“It’s a good idea,” said Bilbao. “I like the idea of expanding and creating a network.”

Told of Bilbao’s comments, Marrero said he plans to spread the word to Bilbao and others at a brunch in January.

Meanwhile, the manager and members of the Inglewood/Airport Area chamber, the largest in the area, have suggested that Marrero’s group consider merging with them.

The manager, Roger Scott, said forming a Latino chapter or committee within the Inglewood/Airport chamber would be a better option for all concerned.

“That way they could work within the structure of the existing organization,” he said. “If they feel the language barrier is insurmountable, they can form their own committee.”

Separate Group ‘Weaker’

Emilia Hernandez, an Inglewood jewelry store owner and chairwoman of the downtown branch of the Inglewood/Airport chamber, said Latinos would benefit more from a chamber committee than from a new business group.

“I think it would be weaker to have a separate organization,” she said.

Scott plans to meet with Marrero and his associates and urge them to work within the current structure.

While Marrero is willing to consider the idea, others in his group disagree.

“I would think a Latino (chamber) was needed,” Cabrera said. “The Latinos would be more apt to get involved. You could have meetings in Spanish. Something like this is overdue.”

Mayor Vincent said the current Inglewood chamber, which is politically nonpartisan, would benefit from competition.

“The chamber hasn’t been overly aggressive about working for (Latinos),” he said. “They have separate needs and desires. They need to do their own thing. They’ll strengthen the chamber through competition, and they’ll work with it.”

Annexation Plans

Inglewood’s Latino population, as well as the potential significance of the Latino chamber, could increase if Inglewood officials move forward with plans to annex parts of Lennox.

Inglewood officials have said annexation would improve public services and redevelopment efforts in both communities.

The city of Hawthorne has already having annexed small chunks of Lennox south of the curving route of the Century Freeway. Inglewood officials have not said when a decision will be made on their own annexation project.

According to Francisco Arreola, a Lennox baker involved in Marrero’s chamber of commerce, Mayor Vincent has told Latino supporters that annexation by Inglewood would be logical because the freeway, to be completed in 1991, will form a natural southern border for the area.

“In the future it will be better if we become part of Inglewood,” said Arreola. “Lennox is very small. If we get bigger, we will get stronger.”