Patsaouras Courts Latino Vote

Reaching out to the city’s emerging Latino majority, Nick Patsaouras is the first Los Angeles mayoral candidate to tape a Spanish-language radio commercial.

THE AD: Speaking in fluent Spanish, Patsaouras talks about his emigration from Greece at age 17, starting up a business and marrying a Mexican woman. “ Me case con una chica de M e xico, “ he says. Patsaouras adds that his plan for Los Angeles will “create jobs, make the streets and the schools safe, and improve life in our city.”

THE ANALYSIS: Patsaouras is seeking to beef up his political standing by courting Latinos, who make up 40% of the city’s population but just 11% of its voters. Spanish-language radio station KLAX-FM--one of the stations on which Patsaouras is planning to air his commercial--is popular not only among immigrants but with second- and third-generation Latinos who are bilingual and vote, said Bob Williams, local sales manager for the station. Richard Martinez, head of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, predicted that Patsaouras’ ad will reach at least 25% of Latino voters. He praised Patsaouras for reaching out to Latinos but said some could be offended by Patsaouras’ reference to his Mexican wife: “It’s very patronizing.” Patsaouras campaign strategist Bill Carrick said he believes that Patsaouras’ Spanish-speaking skills will play well with Latino voters. “This race is likely to be decided by a small number of voters. It’s worth trying to expand your constituency.”