Representatives looking to establish sister-city ties, but some question trip.
By Cory Fisher. Los Angeles Times. Friday, May 19, 2000
A group of West Hollywood city officials will leave for Cuba on Saturday in hopes of developing a sister-city relationship with a yet-to-be-chosen Cuban city.
Led by Councilman Steve Martin, the group will meet other representatives from U.S. and Cuban cities in Havana for a three-day conference sponsored by the United States-Cuba Sister City Assn. In addition to the pairing of sister cities, the conference will focus on cultural education and
government relations.
Once West Hollywood has been matched with its own sister city, delegates will travel to their assigned region. Other participating California government bodies include the cities of Santa Cruz, Oakland, Richmond, Hayward, San Francisco, San Diego and Marin County.
"We're interested in forming a partnership with a city like Havana," Martin said. "Havana has a vibrant night life, which is what West Hollywood is renowned for. We hope to pair up with a city that has flourishing arts, music and architecture. An artists' exchange could
really add something culturally to West Hollywood."
Martin's deputy, Sarah Bradshaw will join Martin on the trip, along with John Mulcrone, Martin's partner. Mulcrone will cover his own expenses. The trip is expected to cost roughly $3,000 and will be paid for by the West Hollywood Convention & Visitors Bureau. Humanitarian aide supplies
-- such as donated medicine -- crutches and wheelchairs will be brought by the West Hollywood contingent.
In January, the City Council passed a resolution calling for the return of Elian Gonzalez to his family in Cuba. At that time, the council voted to explore a sister-city relationship with a Cuban city. The eight-day trip is the culmination of those efforts.
But not all West Hollywood residents have come out in support of this effort. Some have questioned why city time and energy is being spent on the trip and also why a gay-friendly American city would seek out a relationship with a country whose history has included intolerance of gays and
lesbians.
"This is a local municipality and the council is always making proclamations on foreign policy," said West Hollywood resident James Fuhrman. "In the meantime, the San Vicente Park pool may not be open in time for summer, and business owners are struggling because of the
construction on Santa Monica Boulevard. I think the council has good intentions, but their main goal is to get a free trip to Cuba. Local concerns should be their first priority."
Martin said he hopes to meet with gay organizations and visit an AIDS hospice in Cuba to discuss issues of tolerance.
"People I've talked to who have visited recently say there's a gay life emerging from the shadows, a growing tolerance," Martin said. "Canadian and European tourists have allowed a certain amount of gay culture to flourish."
The goal of the Sister-Cities Assn. is to match similar geographic areas so that cities can meet regionally to support an ongoing relationship and cultural exchange. Six American cities now have sister-city relationships with Cuban cities.
Ray Reynolds -- who was on the board of a sister-cities organization in Dayton, Ohio, before coming to West Hollywood to be its director of community services, said he does not think the historic friction between the two nations will be an issue.
"My experience with sister cities is that it has more to do with the cities than the ideology of the government; it's a person-to-person exchange," Reynolds said. "But it's all very exciting and unknown."
The West Hollywood delegation will return May 27.
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times |