PLATFORM : Invest in Diversity

The Ethnic Coalition of Southern California wants Gov. Pete Wilson to know that people of color have strong economic and environmental interests, and they should be acknowledged in his growth management plan for the state. While Gov. Wilson has taken the first courageous step by coming forward with a growth management plan for California’s future, we would caution that his program does not reflect the influences that people of color bring to bear on the state’s resources and land uses. There is only token reference to the socioeconomic considerations that our state’s diverse population will require in any meaningful strategic growth proposal.

Soon, over half of the state’s population will be people of color. Without direct input and participation in the policy-drafting efforts by a representative sample of California’s population, there is a risk of having a growth strategy that is elitist and irrelevant. All Californians want a strong business climate, permanent, well-paying jobs and a quality of life that protects our environment and conserves our resources.

The governor’s Growth Management Council recommends using the Council of Governments in an expanded regional planning and coordination role. We would add to this recommendation that, as the governor tackles the reforming of the existing bodies, he ensure that the participants in the Council of Governments are representative of the people in the region they are to oversee. The decisions that will be made affecting California’s diverse peoples should have the participation of those peoples. Land-use decisions, resource allocations and housing programs are concerns of people of color.

The governor’s report, “Strategic Growth: Taking Care of the Future; A Blueprint for California,” will be nothing but empty words and a poorly thought-out thesis, unless the governor recognizes that issues for people of color are not limited to civil rights. What California needs is a growth strategy that defines a quality-of-life policy as if all people mattered.