Que Pasa? : PEOPLE

Alfred Ramirez says he was asked to submit his resume by President Clinton’s transition team. But Ramirez, who in October became president of 2000 Regional Partnership, says he is back in Los Angeles to stay. Ramirez, 34, originally from East Los Angeles, spent many years in New York and in San Antonio, where he worked with former mayor Henry Cisneros. The nonprofit partnership was created in 1989 to implement the goals envisioned in the report “L.A. 2000.� Its efforts now address problems throughout Southern California. “If there’s going to be any change in this country, it’s going to happen at the local level. L.A. is a model of what can go wrong but also of what can go right--I want to be a part of that.�

Elderly Latinos are “tremendously overlooked� in this country, says Maria Arechaederra, executive director of WISE Senior Services of Santa Monica. Consequently, she was very pleased when United Way recently gave her organization a grant to reach out to senior Latinos. Every year, WISE helps 32,000 seniors in the Los Angeles area, providing in-home and day care services for those who want to live at home and serving as an advocate for those in nursing homes. “There are a lot of people who treasure their independence so much. Older people are not expendable,� said Arechaederra, whose 81-year-old father stays with her several months each year. A native of Cuba, Arechaederra, 51, came to this country more than 30 years ago and with her husband has raised four children here.