Latino Times Celebrates 25 Years

By Julia Barnes
When Andrew Ysiano launched Latino Times 25 years ago, he was driven by a “simple dream” yet a profound mission, to provide a bilingual publication celebrating the achievements and contributions of Latinos both locally and nationally. As he explained, “My goal was to inform and inspire our readers by sharing positive achievements of Latinos in areas that included, business, healthcare, education and activism.”
One of the reasons Andrew was passionate about founding Latino Times was because he remembered what it felt like to be discriminated against as a young boy, as he recalled,
“I was taking a photography class and could hardly wait to use my first camera. However, the teacher showed favoritism, by only giving cameras to the white children, leaving us, who were children of color to wait until they were done before we got to use them.”
At that time, he thought, “Is this the way it is? Is this the way it is supposed to be? Even at an early age, I knew that we were not being treated right. Later in life, I saw the same thing happening to myself and other people of color in the job market. We could be doing the same job, but only white workers would be promoted. That is when I decided to make some changes, by creating my own opportunities, which included founding Latino Times.”
When Latino Times was launched 25 years ago, there were over 55 Latino newspapers from Sacramento to Merced. Today, Latino Times is proud to be one the only bilingual publication, serving the largest demographic of minorities in the California marketplace. With a readership of over 500,000 e-readers and 35,000 print readers, the newspaper is also delivered to over 3500 high traffic drop-off locations each month and is distributed throughout the other parts of the country.
As a result of Andrew’s innovative leadership and Latino Times’ diverse platform of services, in both the print and social media, the newspaper has become one of the most successful publications in the country.
Andrew credits his success to mother, Petra R.Contreras Ysiano, who inspired him to always believe in yourself and have faith in his dreams. He went on to say, “I was blessed and fortunate. My mother was a woman of God who taught me the core values of life and being respectful of others.”
Petra was born in Holly, Colorado and migrated to Stockton in her early twenties where she married and raised her children. Andrew remembers his first job was working beside his mother in San Joaquin County’s migrant summer camps, before she began a successful career with American Standard.
“My mother taught us from a young age about working hard to become successful. She would say to me that because our skin is brown, we have to work harder and do your job better than the next guy. You do it right, don’t complain and take advantage of every opportunity.
And that is exactly what I did to become successful.” Andrew stated. Upon retiring, Petra continued to live a life of service. Along with her husband, Bill Repinski, she opened the doors to St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store in downtown Stockton, which they operated for ten years. In addition, they also provided bread and care packages to comfort the homeless and those in need in South Stockton.
Although she had faced many personal tragedies Petra, whose name means the Rock, was a incredibly strong woman and had an unwavering faith in God. She was a two-time breast cancer survivor and encouraged others with hope through faith and prayer. She believed that with “God all things are possible.” Above all else, she loved her family and enjoyed cooking and frequently surprising everyone a jar of with her delicious homemade salsa.
Petra was a member of St. George’s Catholic Church and attended Mass daily. She loved people and was passionate about life and helping others. She would often say with compassion, “I have to help my people” and gave tirelessly of her love and generosity. This week, January 10th, will mark the seventh year of her passing.
Just as my mother, I am extremely passionate about helping people.” Andrew continued, “Whether they pick up a copy Latino Times at a local store or visit our website, it’s our hope that our readers will find something beneficial and relevant to enhance their life and the lives of their families.”
As we have in the last 25 years, Latino Times will continue to stand up against discrimination of all ethnic groups, including Latinos, African Americans, Asians, Jews, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer). Last year, Latino Times was proud to be chosen as recipient of Latino Media Collaborative’s Grant for our participation in Stop the Hate Program and featuring articles in our publication.
Andrew would also like to thank the dedicated Latino Times team, as well as special thank you to Judy Quintana, Vice President and Editor for her incredible loyalty and amazing service for over 20 years. In addition, Andrew is very grateful for his son, Andres C. Ysiano, and is blessed to be able to help him achieve his dreams. And most of all, we want to thank our dear readers and advertisers. We are truly appreciative of the support you all have given us throughout the years and realize that our success would not have been possible without you all.