Our cartoonist-turned-councilmember

Alex Perez was a pioneering Latino cartoonist for the L.A. Times — and that may have been the least interesting thing about him. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Los Angeles Times] [Essential California Newsletter] PRESENTED BY LA Times* April 22, 2022 [View in browser]( [Click to view images]( young Alex Perez in a 1927 L.A. Times photo. (Los Angeles Times) Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California [newsletter](. It’s Friday, April 22. I’m Gustavo Arellano, and I’m writing from Orange County. In the fall of 2020, L.A. Times editorial library director Cary Schneider and I pondered an unexpected question: Who was Alex Perez? We had received an inquiry about him from a woman who said she was the wife of Perez’s grandson and wanted more information on Perez, who, “I was told, was the first Mexican cartoonist/illustrator hired at the L.A. Times.” Damn. And here I thought it was the Pulitzer Prize-nominated cartoonista Lalo Alcaraz, [author of the comic strip “La Cucaracha”]( that we run. Schneider is the keeper of L.A. Times history, and I’m slowly building a history of Latinos at the paper who predate the late, martyred [Rubén Salazar](. But neither of us had heard of Perez. A quick search through our internal digital archives proved that Perez did have a long career at The Times — but what was his story? The way his son, 84-year-old Charles Perez, describes it, “it’s like a novella.” Born Alejandro Reyes in Torreón, Mexico, he never knew his birth year: Both of his parents died of tuberculosis when he was a child. A childless couple with the last name of Perez adopted him in El Paso, and he joined them when the family moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s, part of the [great migration tradition between that border city and Southern California](. They settled in Lincoln Heights, and Alex attended Lincoln High School. That’s where he got the attention of Times editors after winning multiple drawing contests through their Junior Times children’s supplement. The earliest Perez cartoon I could find in The Times dates to April 5, 1925. Perez would stay with us for 50 years. [A caricature of two men and a woman in front of a band] A 1934 Alex Perez illustration to mark the release of the United Artists film “Palooka.” The film’s caricatured stars are in the foreground of the panel: from left, Stuart Erwin, Lupe Vélez and Jimmy Durante. (Alex Perez / Los Angeles Times) He moonlighted as a beat reporter on Latino affairs, and there are dispatches into the 1950s that suggested Perez translated for English-speaking reporters, which his son said was true. But Perez gained fame largely for his lighthearted illustrations. He jumped between creating the art for stories in the Sunday Los Angeles Times Magazine and doing caricatures of celebrities and one-panel comics for various sections of the paper, eventually settling in Sports. Perez’s style was classic art deco — sharp, vibrant lines a la Al Hirschfeld, with an eye to the good life — and was popular enough that he contributed to Walter Foster’s [popular line of how-to art books]( and even caught the eye of Walt Disney, who Charles said tried to poach his father from The Times. “But you had to buy company stock to join Disney, and my dad refused,” said the retired L.A. County civil engineer from his home in Hawaii. “Dad said, ‘I’ve got a good job at The Times, they pay me good.’” Charles paused, then laughed. “A penny stock then is now worth like $30,000 to $40,000!” [Alex Perez, L.A. Times cartoonist, with a pencil in hand at his desk] Perez at his work desk in 1961. (Los Angeles Times) With the money that would’ve gotten him into Disney, Perez instead bought a house in Bandini, a town that’s now part of the City of Commerce. He became a community leader, helping to start Boy Scout chapters and youth baseball leagues and even convincing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to build [St. Marcellinus Catholic Church]( in 1957. Perez mentored young Latino artists and eventually became a Commerce planning commissioner and served a term as a councilmember from 1968 to 1972 while continuing to work for The Times, a move that wouldn’t be tolerated today by the bosses. (So sorry, Steve Lopez: You can’t run for L.A. County sheriff this year.) “Dad never bragged about what he did,” Charles said. “He never blew his whistle. He only did his work.” Perez finally left The Times in 1975 because Parkinson’s was affecting his ability to draw. “They gave him a good buyout, because they knew he was a hell of an employee,” said his son. “He went the extra yard — no, the extra mile — to do what needed to be done.” Asked how he wants people to remember his father, Charles thought for a bit. “In this day and age, with the bad publicity that Latinos are getting because of that one president [Donald Trump], Dad embodied the spirit of ‘Don’t give up,’” he said. “Continue doing what you do best and don’t give up. And he never gave up.” And now, here’s what’s happening across California: Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. ADVERTISEMENT BY LA Times LA Times Presents | Border City podcast from San Diego Union-Tribune Border City is the story of a journalist who in 1994 impulsively leaves her job and family in Washington, D.C., to report on Tijuana, Mexico, a city commonly known for drug violence and illegal immigration into the U.S. She expects to stay on the border a year, maybe two. But her plans change as she is drawn deeper and deeper into the different worlds that converge at the biggest crossing point on the U.S.-Mexico border. Click [here to listen to Border City podcast]( available on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, and all your favorite podcast players. End of advertisement L.A. STORIES Tenants complain about mold and broken pipes at South L.A. apartments, even after city intervention. Landlord Mike Nijjar’s companies own more than $1 billion in real estate, mostly in Southern California. [Los Angeles Times]( He’s terminally single and getting old. What’s next for P-22, L.A.’s favorite wild bachelor? The mountain lion that launched a million memes needs to try OKCougar or something. [Los Angeles Times]( A week in Orange County on a $330,000 joint income. Judging by the tastes of this person, I’m pegging them as a resident of either Yorba Linda or the bougie part of Costa Mesa. [Refinery29]( MLB star Mookie Betts is the hardest-working man in professional … bowling? Let’s see him try to beat the regulars at Linbrook Bowl in Anaheim. [InsideHook]( Our daily news podcast If you’re a fan of this newsletter, you’ll love our daily podcast “The Times,” hosted every weekday by columnist Gustavo Arellano, along with reporters from across our newsroom. Go beyond the headlines. Download and listen [on our App]( subscribe [on Apple Podcasts]( and follow [on Spotify](. POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT L.A. says it can’t take care of its sickest and most vulnerable. The county isn’t buying it. A settled lawsuit, and no solution to homelessness in sight from either the City Council or the Board of Supervisors. [Los Angeles Times]( How the gay rights showdown threatens Disney’s unprecedented self-rule in Florida. The perfect example of the right thing done for the wrong reasons. [Los Angeles Times]( 49ers break the bank for San Jose mayoral candidate. The NFL team should be more concerned with keeping star receiver Deebo Samuel than the politics of a city they’re not in, you know? [San José Spotlight]( CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING Why shoplifters keep heading to Canoga Park. Another reason for me to think about the San Fernando Valley neighborhood besides mi compadre Pingo. #mexicannicknames [Crosstown L.A.]( Soledad Luna and the St. Francis Dam Disaster. An eyewitness account of the second-deadliest calamity in California history. [American Experience]( Support our journalism [Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.]( ADVERTISEMENT HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT “I’m not all better”: How long COVID upended the life of an L.A. teen. It’s real, folks. [Los Angeles Times]( The farm that grows luffas. For more than 20 years, Deanne Coon of Nipomo has grown natural sponges — and not the kind from the sea. [Modern Farmer]( “Beyond outrageous”: L.A. company faked COVID test results, authorities allege. Sameday Technologies will pay more than $20 million in a settlement announced by Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer. [Los Angeles Times]( CALIFORNIA CULTURE San Francisco: An index of influence. Thirteen sites that transformed the city, and the nation — though they look mundane today. [Places Journal]( “Pacific Magazine Billing” sent me a bill for a magazine I don’t subscribe to. Thank God I always throw away the mail sent to me by the San Marcos-based company. [BoingBoing]( Oral History Center releases project documenting founding generation of Chicana/o Studies. Among the local legends interviewed: Rudy Acuña of Cal State Northridge, Vicki Ruiz of UC Irvine and Mario T. García of UC Santa Barbara. [The Bancroft Library]( The L.A. Taco Guide to eating and drinking in Coachella and Indio. My former Orange Coast College student Sean Vukan does me proud AND beats me on a story I held on to for too long — don’t get beat, folks! [L.A. Taco]( Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at [latimes.com/games](. CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles: Turning sunny and cool, 67. San Diego: Brief morning showers, then sunny with winds, 64. San Francisco: Partly sunny and cool, 61. San Jose: A passing morning shower, then partly sunny and cool, 65. Fresno: Partly cloudy, 68. Sacramento: Cool and cloudy, 66. AND FINALLY Today’s California memory is from Madeline Contreras: It may have been in April of 2001, when I was chaperoning a high school trip to San Francisco. Two teenage girls and I were taking a cable car back to our hotel late on a cold, misty evening. As the cable car almost reached the crest of a hill, seven or eight young Italian men leaped onto the car, grabbing the handrails, and locked eyes with my two girls. In unison, the men burst out singing “Funiculi Funicula” in beautifully trained voices. They stood on the running board, backs arched backward as they held onto the handrails and gestured to the dark sky with their free arms. At the end of the song, they leaped off the car like acrobats, blew kisses to all, and shouted, “Buona notte.” If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, [share it with us](. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. 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