Commentaries : Middle-Class Values, Underclass Sociological Standing : Stereotypes: Leaders would do well to understand poverty-plagued Latinos, who could be California’s largest minority by the year 2000.

One of the biggest challenges facing President-elect Bill Clinton is to become familiar with Americans he knows little about. Given that Arkansas is 0.8% Latino (1990 census), getting acquainted with the Latino community should be at the top of his list.

In California, non-Anglos are projected to become the majority by the year 2000. And it isn’t only for this reason that our new President should get to know us, but because existing stereotypes, misinformation and faulty statistics about Latinos abound.

In San Diego, Latinos are often blamed for the rise in crime--from car thefts to drug smuggling to drive-by shootings. We’re the cause of burglaries, break-ins and even the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King verdict. We are typically characterized as part of the urban underclass, a sociological term for a group of people permanently mired in poverty.

In getting an accurate picture of who Latinos are, Clinton should begin by taking a close look at research results by David E. Hayes-Bautista, a professor in the School of Medicine and director of the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA. His recently published results, “No Longer a Minority: Latinos and Social Policy in California,” are significant to help guide social and economic policy.

Hayes-Bautista and his colleagues point out that while enduring poverty-level income, Latinos in California demonstrate middle-class attitudes and behavior toward the basic institutions such as family, education, work and citizenship. We are not part of the urban underclass, as commonly believed.

The study shows that Latino males have, and have had for 50 years, high levels of participation in the work force. Rather than leave the work force when employment conditions are difficult, Latinos in California continue either to work or to seek work.

Latinos demonstrate one of the strongest commitments to family in comparison to other ethnic and racial groups. Latinos are more likely to marry and have children than any other ethnic or racial group, and have done so for the 50 years for which data is available.

Latinos have one of the lowest rates of welfare use compared to other ethnic or racial groups. When on welfare, Latinos receive the least amount of assistance.

Latinos live longer, have longer age-adjusted mortality rates, have relatively healthy babies, drink less and smoke less than Anglos or African-Americans.

Latino educational attainment has increased dramatically from the first to third generations in the United States; however, it stops suddenly at college level.

Latinos demonstrate a great sense of allegiance to churches, schools, community and government.

The tragic discovery among all the good news is that, “Latinos show that in today’s economy it is possible to work very hard and still live in poverty. Part of the reason for Latinos’ poverty levels is that they work in low-paying, dead-end jobs that afford little opportunity for occupational mobility and advancement,” the research shows.

By the year 2000, Anglos will account for about 48% of California’s population while nearly 52% will be non-Anglo. The largest non-Anglo group will be Latino, composing about 33% of the state’s population.

There is nothing to fear from a majority of Latinos in California, as some misinformed alarmists would lead many to believe. What doesn’t augur well for California or the nation’s economic future is to do nothing about why Latinos work in low-paying, dead-end jobs.

An integral part of income is health care. According to the San Francisco- based Latino Issue Forum, up to 80% of Latino children are without access to preventive medical care even though 95% of their parents are employed.

The fact that Latinos are seriously under-represented in higher education cannot continue to be ignored. To prohibit undocumented children from getting an education is also a deadly mistake, since the aging population must depend on the productivity of the younger population for its Social Security benefits.

It can no longer be business as usual for banks to discriminate against Latinos. A recent analysis by the Latino Issues Forum found that Sumitomo Bank made a total of six home loans to Latinos in the state. The Bank of California made only eight home loans to Latinos in the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco areas combined. Bank of America denies loans to upper-income Latinos at a greater rate than to lower-income Anglos.

The UCLA study concludes: “Latinos’ behavior regarding work, family, education and health present many strengths to the society and economy of California. The state should invest in their well-being, validating these behaviors and attitudes and empowering Latinos so that they may contribute to the California economy in the 21st Century.”

I have every reason to believe that Latinos will be part of the new Administration, that we will be known, heard and respected. We may pose a considerable economic challenge to President-elect Clinton, but he’ll be relieved to know that by all other standards we’re doing the right thing.