Consulates Los Angeles

For years the Polish government had tried to open a consulate in Los Angeles. For years the U.S. State Department said no. Remarkably, many Polish immigrants didn't want one in Los Angeles either. "We did not want to have the communist agents here," explained Chris C. Kolski, president of the Polish American Congress. The fear was espionage.

The Armenian genocide. The Turkish government denies it ever happened. But to the throngs of Armenian Americans who marched Tuesday through the streets of Hollywood on the Armenian Day of Remembrance, that denial only fueled their zeal to never forget what occurred during World War I. Blocking parts of Hollywood and Sunset boulevards, thousands chanted slogans, waved flags and walked 1 1/2 miles to honor the 1.

People mourning the death of Francois Mitterrand can pay tribute to the former French president by inscribing a message in a condolence book open for signing at the French Consulate in Los Angeles. The book will be available at the consulate's Westwood office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday. "They can write something personal to remember [Mitterrand's] importance," said Jean-Marie Lebon, consulate spokesman.

On her first day on the job, Martha Irene Lara seemed effervescent. "This is your home," she repeatedly told assembled reporters in her initial news conference as Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles. Her welcoming style, while at odds with the traditionally stiff demeanor of Mexican officials, is indicative of the changed political reality in Mexico, where a new president eschews the studied formality of his predecessors.

Fausto Zapata Loredo, who served as governor of San Luis Potosi for 13 days last year before controversy forced his resignation, has been named Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles. In a terse statement issued Wednesday night, the Foreign Ministry said that Zapata, 51, would replace Jose Angel Pescador Osuna, who has been recalled to Mexico City.

County prosecutors declined to file charges Monday against a South African consular official who allegedly assaulted his wife, but referred the case to the Los Angeles city attorney's office for review. Mpendulo Kumalo, 42, the second-highest ranking official at South Africa's consulate in Beverly Hills, initially claimed he had diplomatic immunity when police officers responded to his North Hollywood home Thursday.

The television screens at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles showed images of a towering, somewhat self-deprecating man who spoke of a Mexico purged of blatant inequality, injustice and criminality. "He appears like a normal person," said Javier Castellanos, slightly taken aback at his own observation. "He seems very honest," added a clearly surprised Maria Camara. "After all this time," concluded Cecilio Mata, "we deserve a break."

On her first day on the job, Martha Irene Lara seemed effervescent. "This is your home," she repeatedly told assembled reporters in her initial news conference as Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles. Her welcoming style, while at odds with the traditionally stiff demeanor of Mexican officials, is indicative of the changed political reality in Mexico, where a new president eschews the studied formality of his predecessors.

Highlighting the increasing tensions between Mexico and the United States over the border, the Mexican Consulate is taking a highly aggressive stance against law enforcement actions toward illegal immigrants in Southern California, encouraging both publicity and litigation.

The Armenian genocide. The Turkish government denies it ever happened. But to the throngs of Armenian Americans who marched Tuesday through the streets of Hollywood on the Armenian Day of Remembrance, that denial only fueled their zeal to never forget what occurred during World War I. Blocking parts of Hollywood and Sunset boulevards, thousands chanted slogans, waved flags and walked 1 1/2 miles to honor the 1.

The television screens at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles showed images of a towering, somewhat self-deprecating man who spoke of a Mexico purged of blatant inequality, injustice and criminality. "He appears like a normal person," said Javier Castellanos, slightly taken aback at his own observation. "He seems very honest," added a clearly surprised Maria Camara. "After all this time," concluded Cecilio Mata, "we deserve a break."

County prosecutors declined to file charges Monday against a South African consular official who allegedly assaulted his wife, but referred the case to the Los Angeles city attorney's office for review. Mpendulo Kumalo, 42, the second-highest ranking official at South Africa's consulate in Beverly Hills, initially claimed he had diplomatic immunity when police officers responded to his North Hollywood home Thursday.

About 50 peace activists protested nuclear testing in front of the Pakistani Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard on Friday and then met with Consul General Tariq Azizuddin. The demonstrators condemned nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in recent weeks. Among the protesters was James Yamazaki, the physician in charge of the U.S. Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, which was sent to Nagasaki, Japan, in 1949. "One misstep could be such a holocaust," he said.

Highlighting the increasing tensions between Mexico and the United States over the border, the Mexican Consulate is taking a highly aggressive stance against law enforcement actions toward illegal immigrants in Southern California, encouraging both publicity and litigation.

People mourning the death of Francois Mitterrand can pay tribute to the former French president by inscribing a message in a condolence book open for signing at the French Consulate in Los Angeles. The book will be available at the consulate's Westwood office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday. "They can write something personal to remember [Mitterrand's] importance," said Jean-Marie Lebon, consulate spokesman.

Koichi Haraguchi, Japan's new consul general in Los Angeles, came to town at a time that most diplomats might consider inauspicious. One of his predecessor's last duties was to huddle with former Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu at the New Otani Hotel as rioting spread through the city on April 29. With Korean-American merchants targeted for looting and arson, Little Tokyo was gripped by fears that wanton violence against those of Asian origin might follow. Suddenly it seemed that the coveted L.A.

In from the warmer reaches of the Cold War comes a generation of activists, drawn back together by an old cause with new life: the fight to contain or eliminate nuclear weapons. Today, several dozen of the antinuclear campaign's stalwarts are expected to plant the flag outside Los Angeles' Pakistani Consulate. Their message: Just because the Berlin Wall came down and Soviet communism collapsed doesn't mean the world is safe from nuclear devastation.

Koichi Haraguchi, Japan's new consul general in Los Angeles, came to town at a time that most diplomats might consider inauspicious. One of his predecessor's last duties was to huddle with former Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu at the New Otani Hotel as rioting spread through the city on April 29. With Korean-American merchants targeted for looting and arson, Little Tokyo was gripped by fears that wanton violence against those of Asian origin might follow. Suddenly it seemed that the coveted L.A.

Fausto Zapata Loredo, who served as governor of San Luis Potosi for 13 days last year before controversy forced his resignation, has been named Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles. In a terse statement issued Wednesday night, the Foreign Ministry said that Zapata, 51, would replace Jose Angel Pescador Osuna, who has been recalled to Mexico City.