Becoming Neighbors in a Mexican American Community: Power, Conflict, and Solidarity

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments From conception to completion, this book has benefited from the help and support of many people. Without their assistance and encouragement, I could not have written it. First of all, I am deeply indebted to all of the residents of La Puente and the surrounding communities who opened their doors and shared their stories and knowledge with me. Also, individuals from the La Puente Valley Historical Society, the Hacienda–La Puente Uni- fied School District, the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, and the Claremont Colleges’ Honnold Library each introduced me to their archives and made available crucial documents. From the early stages of this project, I was fortunate to have been guided by several supportive individuals. While I was at UCLA, Vilma Ortiz, my graduate advisor, was instrumental in guiding me toward the skills, knowledge , and determination to carry out this work. Edward Telles, John Horton, and Karen Brodkin, my dissertation committee members, shared with me their insights and suggestions as well. Pomona College has been an environment conducive to teaching, researching , and writing. Travel and research grants in addition to Pomona College’s Steele Leave were crucial for allotting me the necessary time and resources to complete this project. I appreciate the support from students and colleagues, particularly in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Studies and the Department of Sociology. I have also been fortunate to have worked with many wonderful research assistants, most of whom were funded through Pomona College. Four who assisted me in the final stages of this project were Emily de Ayora, Juanita del Toro, Dianna Moreno, and Daniela Pineda. In particular, Daniela Pineda’s critical and thoughtful readings of earlier drafts of this work were extremely helpful. During the – academic year, colleagues at UC Irvine’s Chiix cano/Latino Studies Program provided a welcoming atmosphere in which I was able to complete a final draft of this book. Director Leo Chavez, Program Manager Stella Ginez, and Professors Gilbert Gonzalez and Raúl Fern ández were instrumental in arranging for my stay as a visiting scholar and in helping to foster a stimulating working environment. Over the years, the following friends and colleagues have offered advice and encouragement: Estela Ballon, Ray Buriel, Edith Chen, José Calderon, José De Paz, Yvonne Garcia, Jill Grigsby, Sondra Hale, Ester Hernandez, Manuel Maldonado, Daniel Malpica, Lynn Rapaport, María Soldatenko, Garrett Terrones, Alicia Velázquez, and Kris Zentgraf. I am especially grateful to Kimberly Nettles, who painstakingly read multiple versions of this work, each time providing invaluable comments. My work has benefited from the financial support of institutions including the American Sociological Association’s Minority Fellowship Program , the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, the Social Science Research Council, UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women and Women’s Studies Program, Pomona College, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Faculty Fellowship. Special thanks to the University of Texas Press, especially to Theresa May, Lynne Chapman, Allison Faust, and Tana Silva. This book was improved by the thoughtful suggestions of Martha Menchaca and an anonymous reviewer. My family has inspired and sustained this work. My parents, Henry José Ochoa and Francesca Palazzolo Ochoa, nurtured the sense of home and community that impelled me to research the very communities, La Puente and Hacienda Heights, in which they settled and worked. My brother, Enrique C. Ochoa, a Latin American historian, has read and commented on multiple versions of this work and has always offered encouraging and helpful advice. Finally, thanks to Eduardo Ruiz, who accompanied me on my return to La Puente in  and assisted in some of the data collection process . I especially appreciated his words of encouragement at those critical moments of research and writing. x Becoming Neighbors in a Mexican American Community Becoming Neighbors in a Mexican American Community THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...