OCC to honor owner of Santa Ana bookstore

Orange Coast College announced its “Citizen of the Year” this week and will honor the recipient at the school’s commencement Thursday.

Rueben Martinez will be given the award for his service to OCC’s Puente Program and his work with the school book festival, according to an OCC representative.

Martinez, owner of the Libreria Martinez Bookstore in Santa Ana, is one of the largest sellers of Spanish-language books in the U.S.

Martinez has also hosted a number of the school’s Puente Program events, which help students get their college degrees through counseling, writing programs and mentoring.

Martinez received a grant from the MacArthur Foundation in 2004, which he used to establish Literature, Enrichment, Achievement, Plus — or LEAP — a program focused on encouraging children to write and read.

— Daniel Tedford