IN BRIEF

The Latin Business Assn. presented its “Piramide Del Sol” (Pyramid of the Sun) awards last month at its annual banquet.

Honored were La Agencia de Orci, an L.A.-based advertising company; TELACU, a community development firm, and Southern California Edison Co.

“Advocate of the Year” honors went to Alan Clayton, executive director of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and Assemblyman Richard Polanco, the chairman of the Latino Legislative Caucus.

Librarian Salvador Guerna at UC Santa Barbara is putting together the first comprehensive list of Chicano artworks. Proyecto CARIDAD (Chicano Art Resources Information Development and Dissemination) will assemble a collection of 18,000 slides of paintings, posters, murals and other works by Chicano artists.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

* Edward Avila, who had been deputy Los Angeles mayor, has taken over as interim head of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. He will be in charge until a permanent chief is selected. Avila, 47, said he will pay close attention to rebuilding communities and work for affordable housing while he leads the the nation’s largest redevelopment agency.

* Monica Lozano Centanino, associate publisher of La Opinion newspaper, has been elected to the USC Board of Trustees. As a member of the board, she will help guide the university. She is also the publisher of El Eco del Valle.

* Vilma Martinez and Ralph Ochoa have been appointed to the new UCLA Board of Visitors, which will act as an advisory body to Chancellor Charles E. Young. Martinez is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Ochoa, current president of the UCLA Alumni Assn., is a partner in the Sacramento-based law firm of Ochoa and Sillas.