GLENDALE, California —
The three-week wait is over for the Honduran community in Los Angeles. That is the time that the local consulate was closed while they adapted and equipped the new facilities that were inaugurated by Consul Julissa Gutiérrez Villanueva, in a simple and intimate opening ceremony attended by men and women who work with different community organizations.
Amidst a presentation of awards and a symbolic ribbon cutting, the head of the consular mission officially opened the offices located in suite #500 of 435 E. Colorado Street, in the city of Glendale, less than a mile away from the shopping centers. Glendale Galleria y The Americana at Brand.
“The Honduran Consulate in Los Angeles is better located, in an urban area with easier access and circulation,” said Gutiérrez Villanueva in a short speech, in which he highlighted that priority has been given to girls and boys with a children’s play and entertainment area, likewise there is a space for mothers with nursing sons and daughters, and two toilets inside the facilities, among other innovations.
Julissa Gutiérrez Villanueva, Consul of Honduras in Los Angeles, delivers her remarks at the opening of the new offices on August 23, 2024.
(Juli Perez / Los Angeles Times in Spanish)
The new offices, located 10 miles north of the neighborhood Koreatown Where they were before, they have double the space. The previous location had 4 thousand square feet, now there are 8 thousand, which has allowed them to open 10 windows to serve users.
“These new facilities have been possible thanks to the support of our superiors at the Foreign Ministry; thanks to our Foreign Minister Enrique Reina, who very well interprets and executes the vocation of public service of our President Xiomara Castro’s mandate,” the diplomat acknowledged.
The community’s reactions are mostly positive; however, there are people who take advantage of the occasion to expose the challenges that this consulate continues to face in order to improve the quality of services, accusations that fall on the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“There is plenty of space to accommodate more people who come to do business, and they also have bathrooms,” said Haley Amaya, a model and dancer, founder of a Honduran folklore group who was invited to the opening ceremony.
“The change has been positive, the facilities are perfect, a larger and more dignified place was definitely needed,” said Sary Molina, a designer originally from Siguatepeque.
Guests sing the Honduran national anthem at the opening of the new consulates.
(Juli Perez / Los Angeles Times in Spanish)
For some people one of the limitations is that the Metro line does not pass near the consulate, as it happened in Koreatown. Now, non-vehicle users must travel to the Metro station at the corner of Western Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. There they can board bus routes 180 or 217 to Glendale, and get off at the Metro stop. The Americana at Brand and then walk east a couple of blocks on Colorado Street.
“The other place was more central,” said Velky Mejía, a native of the department of Lempira, standing at the end of the consulate hall that on Thursday morning had the largest number of empty chairs. At the same time, Mejía points out that the consular authorities must modify the way they treat their fellow citizens. “They need to improve customer service,” she said, saying that the employees have little tact when giving directions.
On several occasions, different employees were heard over the speakers inviting employees to go to the window, but the jam was at the main entrance, where at least nine people were waiting to be served. In the back room there were another 10 people for data capture and passport delivery.
Milton Quintanilla performs classic Honduran songs following the inauguration ceremony for the new offices of the Consulate of Honduras in Glendale, California.
(Juli Perez / Los Angeles Times in Spanish)
Carmen Lanza, originally from Olancho, took an hour to get to these offices. She didn’t know that the consulate had a parking lot, so she left her vehicle on the street. Users must pay $2 for 30 minutes if they park their car in that building, but there are other options outside.
“The problem is how to make appointments. There are people who are not so technologically savvy, and it is difficult for us,” lamented Lanza, sitting in one of the few occupied chairs in the waiting room.
Some local leaders argue that the new offices will be of little use if there are problems that have been brewing since the beginning of the presidential administration of Xiomara Castro, who came to power at the end of January 2022.
Guests take a tour of the new children’s play area and breastfeeding room at the Consulate of Honduras in Glendale, California.
(Juli Perez / Los Angeles Times in Spanish)
Despite the limitations, the Honduran Consulate in Los Angeles is one of the few offices that best handles requests from users in the United States, which is why dozens of people travel every week from states such as Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Utah to complete their paperwork in Southern California.
“They don’t have enough staff, it’s very important that they hire more employees because it’s a way to speed up the process and so that people don’t waste the whole day waiting for their document,” explains Maynor Sandoval, a businessman originally from El Progreso, Yoro department.
José Bautista, an activist and supporter of the ruling Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) party, questions the fact that the position of vice-consul, which has been vacant since May 2022, has not yet been filled. Currently, there are eight other employees in addition to Consul Gutiérrez Villanueva, but only she has a signature.
The activist believes that more staff is needed to answer a local telephone line, where people can be given information about the requirements they must meet for all procedures.
“More information needs to be made available, and the opening of the consulate needs to be announced through different means,” says Bautista, who knows firsthand what it means to lose a day of work. “The idea is that Hondurans don’t waste their time, that they bring the appropriate documentation, because many times the problem has to be resolved in Honduras before arriving at the consulate.”
Consul Julissa Gutiérrez Villanueva shows the window area at the new offices of the Consulate of Honduras located in the city of Glendale, California.
(Juli Perez / Los Angeles Times in Spanish)
Even though the Honduran Consulate has been operating in Glendale since August 26, 2024, there are still people leaving for the facilities located in the neighborhood Koreatown.
Honduran consular offices are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in suite #500 at 435 E. Colorado Street in the city of Glendale. Appointments must be scheduled on the website. citaconsularhn.com before coming to the facilities.
