Circus act forced out of Baldwin Park, CA

Circus act forced out of Baldwin Park

By Maritza Velazquez Staff Writer Posted: 05/04/2010 04:31:11 PM PDT

BALDWIN PARK - A family-owned circus is packing up its act due to a contract disagreement, a circus co-owner said.
Baldwin Park police responded to the site Tuesday morning to tell circus owners to vacate the property at Francisquito Avenue across from In-N-Out Burger, officials said.
"From my understanding, we went out to notify the owners of the circus that they had to get off the property because the property owner didn't give them permission to be on the property," Lt. Joseph Bartolotti said.
The circus, Circo Hermanos Caballero, was scheduled to perform through May 10 and already held several shows since it opened Friday.
Ruben Caballero, Jr., co-owner of Circo Hermanos Caballero, said he and the landowner, Meruelo Maddux Properties, could not agree on the lease agreement and his $2 million insurance policy.
He said they requested a $10 million policy and that he was willing to comply.
"We found (an insurance policy) but they didn't even give us the opportunity. They just said, `No,"' he said.
Three calls to Meruelo Maddux for comment were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Circo Hermanos Caballero has been performing without a contract in place, Caballero said. He said property owners allowed them on the property last week, but they could not agree on the contract as of Thursday.
"We don't know what to do," he said. "We're not from this country and we don't have anywhere to go."
He said he's trying to arrange to arrive early in Oxnard to perform one weekend ahead of schedule.
"All of these people depend on us every week," Caballero said as he pointed to a dozen trailers, which serve as the temporary residences of about 30 performers.
Circo Hermanos Caballero is based in Guadalajara, Mexico. Caballero said his great-great-grandfather founded the family business more than a century ago. Many of the performers are members of the Caballero family.