Pasadena Mayor, Family on Unofficial Trip to Havana

Pasadena Mayor William M. Paparian and his family are spending this week in Havana, Cuba, on an unofficial trip paid for by the Cuban government, according to a city official.

Because the United States recently tightened its export embargo on trade with Cuba, Paparian informed the State Department before his visit. The mayor said he will not be representing Pasadena, said Ann Erdman, city public information officer.

In February, Jose Luis Ponce, first secretary of the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C., visited Pasadena and other Southern California cities to speak about U.S-Cuba relations, Erdman said.

Statements Paparian made to Ponce echoed the Cuban official’s sentiments and earned the mayor the invitation, Ponce said.

“He expressed, in his personal point of view, a different approach to relations that the U.S. should have,” Ponce said. “He also discussed [creating] better communication between Pasadena and Havana.”

According to his itinerary, Paparian is expected to give a speech on an undisclosed subject this week before the mayor of Havana and national officials, Erdman said.