Who is Gabriel Balboa from Tropic of Orange: A Novel and what is their importance?

Gabriel is a professional journalist who works for a major Los Angeles daily newspaper. He worked his way up to reporter and editor from the lowest job at the newspaper. Many years previously, Gabriel had been inspired to pursue journalism as a career by a famous Hispanic journalist in Los Angeles. He spends all of his income on improving a property in Mexico near the city of Mazatlan.