El Independiente

              Clinton lunches at local cafe
President's surprise visit
leaves memories at
South Tucson restaurant
By SUSAN CARROLL
Ernest Lopez thought he was dreaming Feb.
25 when the door of his South Tucson restaurant
swung open.
Lopez came out from behind the counter of Mi
Nindito Cafe to greet President Bill Clinton amid a
crowd of smiling local residents and security.
"When he stepped in the door, t couldn't
believe my eyes," said Lopez, the cafe's owner. "I
never thought he would come to the south side."
Clinton caught another influential South
Tucson official off guard. Mayor Shirley Villegas
was dining at the cafe with her sister and daughter.
"It was like sve were dreaming," she said. "i
really think it meant a lot lo the people of South
Tucson -.-- it being a Hispanic community. It
brought a lot of enthusiasm."
Accompanied by Sen. Ed Pastor and Pima
County Supervisor Dan Ekslrom, Clinton mingled
inside the Mexican food restaurant, 1813 S. 4th
Ave., posed for photos and shook hands. Lopez
said the restaurant has passed out about 300-400
photos since Clinton's visit.
Also captured in Lopez's memory was the
presidential food order. He started off with gua-camole
salad, moved to a bean tostada, didn't stop
with a chile relleno and ate a whole enchilada.
Lopez would have never guessed his small
restaurant would be a slop on the president's tour.
In early February, Lopez got a call from Tucson
officials, who said Clinton "liked Mexican food."
"i forgot alt about t. I told Jimmie - my boy
who runs the restaurant - he'll never show up
here," he said.
Hours before tise president arrived, u waitress
noticed two "suspicious men" peering around the
restaurant. Unaware of their identity as Secret
Service, she pegged them to be easing the restau-rant
and called up the boss.
But the end result was a handshake and the
promise of a presidential visit.
"That's when we knew. When went out front,
und all of a sudden t see him - I'll never forget
that montent. Never, never, never," he said.
Villegas had a seat at Clinton's table and chat-ted
during the late lunch with the president.
"Being toy city, or course I'm going to be cor-dial
enough to stick around," she said.
See CLINTON on 3
City's oldest business runs on Pueblo upset in state tournament
By SUSAN CARROLL
City othcials emphasized the
importance of Social Security and
Medicare for South Tucson residents in
the wake of President Bill Clinton's
first official visit to the Old Pueblo.
Clinton's speech Feb. 25 focused
on ensuring federal aid for Americans
older than 65 a topic Ihat South
Tucson City Manager Rene Gastelum
said acutely affects many South Tucsu
residents.
"We have a lot of elderly that
maybe count on Social Security more
than people in more affluent communi-
¡'nom nr n/CHAR!) CL/ne
Damaged by a fire, this vacant home is just one of many honses Sonth Iucson
considers for demolition,
MARCH
President pushes for Social Security
ties,'' Gastelam said.
South Tucson is home to about 500
people that meet the, age requirement
for Social Security benefits - about IO
percent of the population, according to
the 1990 census.
President Clinton predicted in
his speech that the number of
Americans over 65 will double
within the next 30 years, and urged
the next generation to act quickly
to support the growth.
With a second consecutive year of
budget surplus, the country should
focus on paying off the deficit and for-
President Clinton
meets with some of
TUC5ofl'5 younger
residents during
lunch at Mi Nidito
restaurant, Clinton
stopped by South
Tucson for a meal
before heading lo
Tucson Electric Park
to watch Ihn
Arizona
Diamondbacks
practice.
tifying Social Security and Medicare,
Clinton said. He added that the alterna-tive,
a tax cut, will be less attractive in
the long run.
"i think he (Clinton) is right that
there are some tough choices for the
'ature," said Gastelam, who attended
Clinton's speech.
He said conscious decisions need
tobe made at the federal level to ensure
a safety net for South Tucsonans work-ing
toward retirement.
Fernando Castro, South Tucson
assistant city manager, said Clinton's
See SECURITY on 3
City works to demolish vacant homes
By TERESA HANSEN
Empty houses arc potential prob-lems,
but the U.S. Marine Corps
helps the city by demolishing aban-doned
homes.
Last August, a survey of vacant
housing was conducted by the city.
Eight homes were found empty in
South Tucson perimeters. However,
only four -of them were actually
vacated and liad to he leveled, said
Ethan Orr. economic and community
development specialist.
"A lot are actually homes of peo-ple
who are moving out and they are
only vacant for a short period of
titne," said 'foui Stevick, a South
Tucson building inspector and fire-fighter.
However, if these homes are
accessible to others, then a problem
is created and the city has to take
City experiencing "little
housing boom" PAGE 2
action.
"They tend to he used by drug-dealers
and prostitutes and the home-less
who unofficially live there," said
Richard Salaz, South 'lucson's direc-tor
of planning and zoning, public
works and personnel.
"We have to try to convince lie
property owners that it is a liability
'sr theta and they have to put/i fence
around the property," lie added. But -
in the case where a home actually is
vacant and no one el/oms to own
it,then he city li/ls the rightlo have il
torn down.
To level the abandoned homes,
the city works with the Marine Corps
See VACANT on 2
SOUTH TUCSON'S ENGLISH/SPANISH NEW SPA PER
GRATIS/FREE el independientt 1999
"They
knock down
buildings to
help South
Tucson,
which in
- turn gives
my Marines
training."
JAMES
DUNCAN
Stall Sql.