ELECTIONS ’92 : Latinos May Gain Impact in Assembly

When roll is called at the California Assembly’s opening legislative session in January, the event could be of historic proportions for the 7.7 million Latinos in California, especially for the 5 million in Southern California.

So proclaim political observers and the Latino candidates for office who, if elected on Nov. 3, will make up the largest bloc of Latino Assembly members in the state’s history.

Seven Latinos, all representing Southern California Assembly districts, will probably have seats in the next legislative session, according to observers. Previously, there have never been more than four. Six are from districts in and surrounding Los Angeles; another is from a San Bernardino district. All are heavily favored to win because they are Democrats running in districts with dominant Democratic majorities.

When combined with the three current Latino state senators--Art Torres of the 20th District, Ruben Ayala of the 34th and Charles Calderon of the 26th--the Legislature’s Latino contingent would grow to 10 for the coming term. None of the three state senators is up for reelection this year.

The growth of this Latino political muscle also may be felt in Congress, with the expected net gain for next term of one Latino congressman from Southern California. The four expected congressional seats would be occupied by two incumbents, Esteban Torres and Matthew Martinez, and two current Assembly members who are expected to join them in the House of Representatives, Xavier Becerra and Lucille Roybal-Allard.

Two other Latino congressional candidates are in the running, though both are considered long shots. Democrat Robert Banuelos is vying against conservative Rep. Robert K. Dornan in the 46th District, which covers Garden Grove and Santa Ana. Anita Perez Ferguson, formerly of East Los Angeles, is running against incumbent Rep. Elton Gallegly in the 23rd District, which encompasses Ventura County.

Already referred to as “Los Siete, “ (“The Seven”), the Latino Assembly contingent is led by incumbent Richard Polanco, chairman of the Latino Legislative Caucus. The six hopefuls are: Louis Caldera, 46th District; Diane Martinez, 49th District; Martha Escutia, 50th District; Hilda Solis, 57th District; Grace Napolitano, 58th District, and Joe Baca, 62nd District.

Veteran political observer Joe Cerrell, head of the Los Angeles political consulting firm of Cerrell Associates, believes the growing Latino community of Southern California is finally beginning to gather political power commensurate with its numbers. “The (state’s) future is with the Latinos; it’s just taken an awful long time for this momentum to build up,” he said.

Another longtime political observer, Larry L. Berg, director of USC’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, agrees that the election of this group would be historic. “The voice becomes louder” when several people deliver the same type of message, he said.

Caldera called the likely outcome “very significant” for Latino causes. In terms of numbers, he noted that a bloc of seven Latinos would represent nearly 10% of the 80-member Assembly. “More importantly,” he said, “we could have seven votes of the 41 (that comprise a simple majority). This is a very substantial number,” he said. He added that, for the first time, Latinos would have strength in numbers.

But beyond the numbers, there also is a potential for synergism that could result from a perceived “good chemistry” among the potential new legislators. Caldera noted that their different backgrounds should mesh well and make them an effective group. He noted Napolitano’s experience as a mayor (She is mayor pro tem of Norwalk); Martinez’s and Solis’ experience in public education; Escutia’s experience in law and the nonprofit sector, and his own experience in law and economic development.

These backgrounds could give impetus to some of the legislative priorities the candidates have stated.

Education for Latinos ranks first. This is certainly Napolitano’s position. She cites educational attainment for Latinos as a key to becoming more productive. Creative ways must be found to keep classrooms accessible to Latinos, she said, pointing to one such approach in the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District. Faced with a projected 8% budget deficit, the city instituted a temporary utility tax to make up the deficit instead of making cuts that would affect the less affluent, including many Latinos.

Similarly, “ways must be found to make college available to all Latinos, perhaps by allocating more dollars into the classroom and less into administration,” she said.

Echoing the strong support for education, Solis, vice president for the board of trustees of the Rio Hondo Community College District, sees education as a strong component in the issue of “family preservation,” which is her top priority. She sees a need to open more doors for Latinas by providing education, child care and job training. She cites the fact that four of the candidates are Latinas, providing a rallying point for these causes.

Baca, whose district is centered in San Bernardino County, said he believes budgetary reallocations will be the order of the day during the next term, in view of the state’s fiscal crisis. “I’d rather take the preventive (measure) . . . of spending on education versus spending on prisons,” Baca said.

Escutia sees considerable excitement building in the Latino communities because of the prospect of greater political clout. She too plans to stress education among her constituents to overcome the low pay and lack of health benefits that are common in her district, which covers the southeastern portion of Los Angeles and adjacent cities.

Martinez, candidate for the district that covers much of the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles, says a much-needed increase in Latino credibility would result if a group this large were elected. This credibility, she said, could help create jobs in her district, which is a top priority with her. “In order to open up jobs, the Legislature, must, for example, support business in such a way that job training becomes a tax incentive,” she said.

The issue of job development in California is a general goal--not for Latinos alone, said incumbent Polanco. But for Latinos, who have one of the state’s highest jobless rates, the need for jobs is urgent. Polanco, who has served in the state Legislature since 1986, has introduced a bill intended to create jobs in the state. He has also called for action to improve the quality of life for the farm worker population.

Polanco concluded that the significance of having seven Latino legislators in the Assembly with common interests is just a beginning. He sees, by the year 2000, a growth in Latino political power coming from the next reapportionment and from the attainment of U.S. citizenship by most of the 1.7 million people in the immigration amnesty program.

‘The Seven’

Richard Polanco, District: 45

Louis Caldera, District: 46

Diane Martinez, District: 49

Martha Escutia, District: 50

Hilda Solis, District: 57

Grace Napolitano, District: 58

Joe Baca, District: 62

‘The Seven’

Joe Baca, 45, was born in Belen, N.M. and has lived most of his life in Southern California. He has been a resident of Rialto for the last 17 years. He is a small business owner in San Bernardino. Baca graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He later earned a credential in pupil counseling. He is a candidate for the 62nd District Assembly seat, which covers San Bernardino, Rialto, Fontana, Colton, Loma Linda and Bloomington. He is running against Republican Steven Hall, a firefighter.

Louis Caldera, 37, was born in El Paso, and came to Los Angeles in 1960 with his parents from Mexico, where the family resided. He graduated from the U.S. Army’s Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor of science degree. He later earned both a law degree and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard. A Los Angeles attorney, he has served as deputy counsel for Los Angeles County. He seeks election to the 46th Assembly District, which includes Boyle Heights, Bunker Hill, Central City, Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire, Pico-Union, Westlake and parts of East and South Central Los Angeles. He will run against Republican David Osborne, an executive assistant.

Martha Escutia, 35, was born in Los Angeles and lives in Huntington Park. She is an honors graduate of USC with a degree in public administration. She then attended Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., where she earned a law degree. She has served 10 years in various public sector positions, some in Washington. She is an attorney in Los Angeles and is vice president of public and government affairs for United Way. She is a candidate for the 50th Assembly District, which covers an area southeast of downtown Los Angeles and includes Bell, Bell Gardens, City of Commerce, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood, South Gate and Vernon. She faces Republican Gladys Miller, a city government employee.

Diane Martinez, 39, was born in Los Angeles and has lived in Monterey Park most of her life. The daughter of Rep. Matthew Martinez, she attended East Los Angeles College and was elected to the Garvey School Board in 1987, where she serves as president. She is a candidate for the 49th Assembly District, which includes Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead, San Gabriel, South San Gabriel and portions of East Los Angeles and Temple City. Her opponent is Republican Sophie Wong, a member of the Alhambra Board of Education.

Grace Napolitano, 55, was born in Brownsville, Texas, and lives in Norwalk. She graduated from high school in Texas and has attended various colleges in Southern California. The Norwalk councilwoman is serving as mayor pro-tem. She seeks election to the 58th Assembly District, running against Republican Ken Gow, a research engineer. The 58th District includes Montebello, Pico Rivera, Whittier, South Whittier, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, parts of South El Monte and unincorporated areas of Los Nietos.

Richard Polanco, 41, was born in Los Angeles. He graduated from East Los Angeles College and attended the University of Mexico and the University of Redlands, where he studied business administration. He was elected to the Legislature in 1986 and has served there since. He is running for reelection in the 45th Assembly District, which encompasses northeast Los Angeles and South Pasadena. Polanco is running against Republican Kitty Hedrick, a teacher.

Hilda Solis, 34, has resided in the San Gabriel Valley all her life. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal Poly Pomona and a master’s degree in public administration from USC. She is vice president of the Board of Trustees for the Rio Hondo Community College District and is director of a student opportunity program with the Whittier Union High School District. She seeks election to the 57th Assembly District Seat, which covers La Puente, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Irwindale, Azusa, Valinda, Bassett, Baldwin Park and parts of South El Monte. She will run against Republican Gary Woods, a Citrus College board member.

Voting Information

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 3. For those wishing to vote by absentee ballot:

* Fill out the form included in sample ballot booklet or request absentee ballot by writing. In Los Angeles County write: Registrar-Recorder, P.O. Box 30450, Los Angeles, CA 90030-0450. In Orange County, write: Registrar of Voters, Box 11298, Santa Ana, CA 92711. Requests must be received by Oct. 27. They must include home address, the address where ballot should be sent, and signature (using name as signed on original voter registration form).

* Absentee ballots can also be requested up to Election Day by going to the Registrar-Recorder office at 5557 Ferguson Drive, Commerce. In Orange County, the address is 1300 S. Grand, Building 3, Santa Ana.

For information on the election or on absentee ballots: call (213) 727-1100 in Los Angeles County or (714) 567-7600 in Orange County.