Want More Supervisors? Look to EMILY : Diversity: Latinos, blacks, Asian-Americans need to unite to make their voices heard.

With the failure of propositions B and C--establishing a county executive and expanding the Board of Supervisors--are the hopes for a more diverse and representative Board of Supervisors ended?

Not necessarily. Perhaps this is just a wake-up call for those committed to greater board diversity to develop a more forward-looking agenda. We also need to make the supervisors accountable to the needs of the new Los Angeles County majority--about 38% Latino, 10% black, 10% Asian-American. How can we do this?

We already know that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the NAACP opposed propositions B and C. They obviously feared the dilution of power of their respective supervisors with expansion. They knew there were no guarantees any new board members would represent their interests.

Score zero for increased diversity on the board. We need to educate the power brokers in MALDEF and NAACP to re-align turf politics along mutual economic interests and see this as an opportunity for new politics. We also need to listen to the voters who are not convinced that an expanded board is in their best interest. Given the strong “no” vote on these propositions, expansion of the board soon is unlikely.

Has the diversity game been lost? In the short run, we have to accept the status quo with five supervisors and target the next election to enhance diversity on the board. We must identify ethnic minorities and women who could effectively compete in underrepresented districts.

One way to do this would be to develop an ethnic EMILY’s list. (EMILY’s, for Early Money Is Like Yeast, is a women’s political-action committee.) An ethnic list would identify candidates and target fund-raising to campaigns in districts where it might be most useful. One criterion in targeting an individual for support would be the ability of that person to enhance the economic base of his or her electorate by providing jobs, better schools and safer streets. The litmus test then goes beyond sex and skin color, to the ability of the individual to serve the community.

But the term “community” also has to be redefined to be more inclusive and more representative. We can do this by promoting true representational and multicultural democracy. We must redefine who is eligible to vote in countywide elections. Why not include all county residents who pay income and sales tax as voters? Those who use county services and also contribute to its economic base should have the right to vote for county supervisors.

A leadership role should be taken by established institutions such as the Tomas Rivera Center, Leadership Education for Asian Americans and the Urban League to develop an interethnic EMILY’s list. These organizations have in place the skills to prioritize key voter interests in the targeted districts and identify like-minded supervisorial candidates. They also can help develop the critical donor list for funneling money to recommended races.

It is clear that an ethnic partnership is required to achieve a diverse Board of Supervisors. It’s time Latinos, Asians and blacks share resources, identify the intersection of their interests and promote candidates who share their vision for a multicultural Los Angeles.