Anaheim is a majority Latino city. This has been known to residents living here long before the Los Angeles Times made it “official news” last year with its article “In Disneyland’s shadow, a rising new demographic.” (quick commentary: why do Latinos always have to be in the “shadow” of something: immigrants in fear of ICE raids, brown people of a pinche theme park!) That journalistic effort also pointed out something else that has been glaringly obvious; despite the majority numbers, Latinos as a political demographic, wield little power in the city. The article went on to state:
Unlike Santa Ana, Maywood or Huntington Park, which have all-Latino city councils, the new majority in Anaheim has made few political gains.
“We don’t have the juice up there in the City Council,” said Amin David, leader of Los Amigos, an Orange County Latino advocacy group that meets in Anaheim once a week for breakfast. “We don’t even have an entree. For anything to happen, of course, it takes three votes, and we don’t get much progress.”
As we wind down the year and find ourselves closer to the November elections, it is useful to return to this political question. The position of Mayor of Anaheim and city council seats will be up for grabs in the coming months. Many candidates have already filed, few among them Latinos. A quick look at the City of Anaheim’s 2010 Unofficial Candidate List shows a pool of sixteen of which only three are Latino. Apparently, Republican Brian Chuchua claims his last name is of a Russian, not Latino, lineage. A population representing over 50% of the city’s residents has less than 25% of its demographic represented in the running (and none for Mayor!)
Digging a little deeper, potential progressive Latino representation is even thinner. City council candidate Thomas “Hoagy” Holguin, as readers might recall, supported the return of notorious immigrant basher Harald Martin to the Anaheim Union High School District Board a few years ago!
This year’s election is enough to lament, Anaheim, where are your progressive Latino candidates? A city awaits…
I think you’ve made the assumption, incorrectly, as many do, that Latinos are NATURALLY going to be progressive Democrats. In reality, many Latinos are quite conservative in temperament and actual policy, especially on social issues. That’s where strict Catholicism will take a person.
GOOD POINT POST 1 WHY DOES A LATINO HAVE TO PROGRESSIVE = AKA LIBERAL . THEIR ARE SOME CONSERVATIVE LATINOS
There are scant Latinos; progressives, Democrats, or Republicans in Anaheim seeking office period! They’ve got the numbers, but haven’t even begun to actualize their empowerment.
If there are to be those seeking to represent the city, naturally I’d prefer they be progressive so as to have viable policy positions and solutions to the betterment of the working class Latino community (and the entire community as a whole) whether it be in the schools, policing, development, housing and employment.
The more diverse a city – like Anaheim – is, the more likely it is to break with the tired out traditional mold of conservative political leadership (like the clowns spinning the wheel of hate passing grandstanding resolutions in support of Arizona’s SB1070 than actually DOING something)
And by my last point, I am, of course, referring to Orange County 🙂
San Blogman for mayor!
looks like gabe has been going to the pedroza school of posting . if your for the bill yuor now a hater . how about a AMERICAN CITIZEN . THE REAL CLOWNS ARE THE ONES WHO DONT SUPPORT THE LAW . AND THE NOBAMA /HOLDER SHOW
Anaheim has so much potential. Just hook up the Arabs and the Latinos and poof, the political dynamics shift like that!
Also it’s the only place in the OC I ever see black people. The rest of the county is melanin-starved.
Gabriel,
“Hook up the Arabs and the Latinos.” That already happened in Spain centuries ago. Arab blood is in our veins my friend.
If only it worked like that (hook up the Arabs and the Latinos and poof, the political dynamics shift like that!)
Don’t be such a noob.
Anaheim won’t be going to ANY progressives/libs until we get Wards/districts in our town.
If you look at the foundation of the East Los political machine it started with strong community organizations who pushed for change in the community. Gloria Molina came from the mothers of East LA. Karen Bass came from Community Coalition. LAUSD School Board Member Monica Garcia came from Inner City Struggle.
There will never be a progressive Raza Candidate without the community base. So I think the real and more important question is, where are the progressive, freedom fighting organizations in Anaheim?
gloria molina used 6 million $ of tax payer money to build a hispanic center . karen big mouth bass is nothing but a big tax n spend liberal = aka progressive . are these the example of progressives you really want .
Vern — Very true…
Art — Haha, yes! I am also an Al-Varez!
Luke — Then why did you bother running?
Jose — you pose important points and of course progressive representation comes from grassroots community organizing. On that point, Santa Ana seems to draw Latino activism from Anaheim because of its long established organizations HQ’d there — El Centro Cultural de Mexico, etc. (That and it’s only a five minute drive, haha) However, even in that city’s context, there arises no real Raza candidate of note either. The city council may be all-Latino, but certainly not progressive in my view in terms of being beholden to developers and supporting foolish redevelopment projects with no real support.
The dynamic of community organizations & proper political representation is still in its infancy. Los Angeles is light years ahead of us — although not without its problems — and OC is an entirely different historical-political context. We are in a moment of flux and it will be interesting to see how the future plays out for the county and its every increasing minority residents…
One of the big reasons you wont see “progressive” (read Liberal, tax-and-spend, follow the Democrat play book blindly), is because so many of the Anaheim Hispanics are either apathetic, or too illegal to vote. Of course, that never stopped them from voting…
That’s so true, Jose! They don’t vote because they are illegal, which has never stopped them from voting, and that’s why everything sucks!
HAHA! “Jose Mejia” doesn’t realize how stupid and contradictory his own statement is!
gotta love the posts here talking about their race and being the same people calling whitey racist u guys are clowns
Hey deadwhitemale: If Duane Roberts ran for city council in Anaheim, i’d back him 100% He’s white and progressive (in the truest meaning of the term) and comes out of community organizing. He’d be great for the job.
I’d like to see a multiethnic slate of progressive Latinos, Arabs, Whites (and whoever else) shake up things in Anaheim!
Duane would be great! Maybe whatever publicity he gets from his Senate run would help him with something actually concrete like that in ‘012.
My two sons Brian Jr. and Christopher are both Latnios born in Brazil.
What about yourself?
1/2 Russian, 1/4 Irish, 1/4 Scottish descent, 100% American, Born in Bell, California.