Census Gives Data Behind Dramatic Metamorphosis of Long Beach

By Southern California standards, Long Beach chalked up a rather average growth rate in the last decade, preliminary Census Bureau statistics show. While some cities have been sprouting like concrete mushrooms out in the desert, population in Long Beach grew 17%, to 423,394.

But behind those numbers are dramatic changes that have altered the character and course of what was once a predominantly white bedroom city that some called Iowa by the Sea.

In the last decade, thousands of Latino and Asian immigrants have flocked to Long Beach, transforming neighborhoods into colorful blocks of markets and restaurants and filling the city’s schools with the sounds of more than 60 languages.

Demographers predict that by the year 2010, whites will no longer be in the majority.

Officials said about 40,000 Cambodian refugees, many fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime, have arrived in Long Beach, creating one of the world’s largest concentrations of Cambodians outside of that Southeast Asian nation.

“We’ve turned into Little Cambodia by the Sea,” said Glenn Walker, an information specialist with the city’s Planning Department.

The transformation has not been without its tensions, as the city’s new arrivals bump against each other and longtime residents in their search for turf, services, jobs and identity. Growth has become an explosive issue in Long Beach, as residents call for a halt to the influx of people into their neighborhoods.

“We’re bursting our seams,” said Alan Lowenthal, president of Long Beach Area Citizens Involved. “The city is experiencing tremendous demographic changes it may not have the resources to pay for.”

But there have been benefits as well, officials said, as formerly crumbling and desolate stretches of the city have filled with new businesses and diverse crowds.

City officials said they hope that developers regard the newcomers as a pool of ready labor. “They could be our salvation rather than some sort some albatross around the neck,” Assistant City Manager John Shirey said.

Long Beach was one of 19 cities in Southeast Los Angeles County to record a growth rate of at least 10% during the 1980s, the preliminary census data showed.

The growth rate generally was highest in cities such as Hawaiian Gardens, Bell, Cudahy, Maywood and Huntington Park, which have become teeming landing pads for immigrants from Latin America. Hawaiian Gardens’ population, for example, has grown 28% to 13,473 in the last decade.

The figures provided few surprises for officials of those cities, who say they have long been wrestling with the challenges of rapid growth that has strained city resources, packed neighborhoods and schools, and triggered unending debates over development.

Despite the documented growth, officials in Long Beach and other cities expressed concern that census takers missed thousands among the homeless and immigrant populations.

Long Beach activists estimated that up to 5,000 homeless people and thousands of Latino residents may not have been counted. They said they believe that the city’s true population is closer to 450,000.

An accurate count is important because county, state and federal funding is based on a city’s population.

City officials said that they may challenge census counts for parts of the city but that the total matches their expectations.

Activists said officials are not complaining more loudly about an undercount because they do not want to broadcast the fact that Long Beach is populated by large groups of immigrants and poor people, a development that could scare away businesses, young professionals and families who might otherwise settle in the area.

“The city is caught between its marketing image and reality,” Lowenthal said.

City officials and activists said Long Beach’s growing and changing population is having an impact in several areas:

* Schools. Some area schools have been converted to year-round schedules to help accommodate enrollment increases averaging 1,200 students a year. Officials predict that the year-round program will continue to expand.

One of every four Long Beach students does not speak English, creating enormous problems for teachers and the children, said Lewis Prilliman, director of research for Long Beach schools.

* Crime. Violent crimes were up 39% from 1988 to 1989 and have continued to increase for the first part of this year, according to police. Crime involving ethnic groups is expected to increase. Earlier this year, for example, there was a deadly feud between the city’s Cambodian and Latino gangs.

* Traffic. City streets have become increasingly congested; several studies are under way.

* Health care. City officials said many immigrants come from poor countries where their children have not received immunizations. Recently there have been outbreaks of measles and tuberculosis countywide because many poor immigrants have lacked access to health care. Infant mortality and a lack of prenatal care is another problem.

* Politics. Activists expect that minority groups will become increasingly aggressive in seeking more representation on city commissions and agencies. “The Latino population is just bursting at the seams,” said Roberto Uranga, state deputy director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. The white Establishment “can only hold onto their power so long.”

* Growth issues. In the last 10 years, neighborhoods of California bungalows have given way to multistory housing. The city has permitted 18,541 new housing units.

The City Council has responded to growing pressure from neighborhood organizations by slapping building moratoriums on developers.

“We’ve gone overboard on development,” Councilman Wallace Edgerton said.

Times staff writers Howard Blume and Tina Griego contributed to this story.

CENSUS TOTALS FOR SOUTHEAST AREA CITIES Following are preliminary 1990 U.S. Census totals for Long Beach and 24 other cities in Southeast Los Angeles County, compared to final figures from the 1980 Census.

Percent Population City 1990 1980 Change Change Artesia 15,364 14,301 +7 1,063 Bell 33,813 25,450 +33 8,363 Bellflower 61,495 53,441 +15 8,054 Bell Gardens 41,990 34,117 +23 7,783 Cerritos 53,088 53,020 0 68 Commerce 11,995 10,510 +14 1,485 Compton 86,999 81,286 +7 5,713 Cudahy 22,696 17,984 +26 4,712 Downey 91,020 82,602 +10 8,418 Hawaiian Gardens 13,473 10,548 +28 2,925 Huntington Park 54,969 46,223 +19 8,746 La Habra Heights 5,328 4,786 +11 542 Lakewood 73,177 74,654 -2 -1,477 La Mirada 40,354 40,986 -2 -632 Long Beach 423,394 361,334 +17 62,060 Lynwood 59,741 48,548 +23 11,193 Maywood 27,602 21,810 +27 5,792 Montebello 59,260 52,929 +12 6,331 Norwalk 93,739 85,286 +10 8,453 Paramount 47,340 36,407 +30 10,933 Pico Rivera 58,747 53,459 +10 5,288 Santa Fe Springs 15,541 14,520 +7 1,021 Signal Hill 8,276 5,734 +44 2,542 South Gate 86,211 66,784 +29 19,427 Whittier 76,838 69,717 +10 7,121 TOTALS 1,554,174 1,360,702 +14 193,772 L.A. County 8,719,699 7,477,503 +17 1,242,196