LATINO PORTRAIT : Growing Numbers, Growing Challenges

Of all the social trends of the 1980s, none was more dramatic in the San Fernando Valley than the explosion of the Latino population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Latinos more than doubled during the decade.

Although communities in the northeast Valley such as Pacoima and Arleta have long been home to substantial Latino populations, elsewhere in the Valley, communities as diverse as North Hollywood, Sylmar and Chatsworth saw large influxes of Latinos during the 1980s. Latinos now account for nearly a third of the population of Valley areas of the city of Los Angeles

A demographic profile of Latinos in the Valley paints a bleak picture. They rank at the bottom of the table in almost every economic and social indicator. Key statistics show Latinos suffering from low income, low educational achievement and poverty. Families have wilted under urban pressures--16% are headed by females and, of those, 42% are living below the poverty line.

Fighting for Acceptance

“The Valley ain’t what it used to be. What’s happened here has happened elsewhere in the city.... People in the Valley are not prepared to deal with it. They felt insulated and safe. They didn’t have any minority group members around.”

The decline of the region’s industrial base--and unions--has contributed to the Latino community’s problems, he adds. “If you start paying people decent wages, you might have a solution to the problems of Latinos.... It’s not a problem with Latinos that they don’t work. Eighty-two percent are in the labor force. The big problem is they are not getting paid enough.”

--Rudy Acuna, Cal State Northridge professor of Chicano Studies

A New Ethnic Landscape: Percentage of Population of Latino Origin Arleta/Pacoima: 70.2% Sun Valley: 52.3% Sylmar: 52.0% Mission Hills/Panorama City/North Hills: 43.6% North Hollywood: 39.4% Van Nuys/N. Sherman Oaks: 33.9% Reseda/W. Van Nuys: 25.8% Sunland/Tujunga: 25.0% Canoga Park/Winnetka/Woodland Hills: 17.2% Northridge: 16.3% Chatsworth/Porter Ranch: 12.8% Granada Hills/Knollwood: 11.3% Encino/Tarzana: 7.9% Sherman Oaks/Studio City/Toluca Lake: 7.0%

Latinos in Arleta/Pacoima Population: 73,639 % of total population: 70.2 Population growth (1980-90) +73.6% Median age: 23.0 High school dropout rate: 24.4%* Unemployment rate: 10.4%** Median household income: $34,063 Individuals below poverty line (%): 20.3% Owner-occupied housing units (%): 60.2%

Latinos Valleywide Population; 392,898 % of Valley population: 31.1 Population growth (1980-90): 108.6% Median age: 25.4 High school dropout rate (%): 21.6%* Unemployment rate: 7.9%** Median household income: $30,832 Individuals below poverty line: 18.3% Owner-occupied housing units: 37.4%

Los Angeles County Overall Population: 8.9 million Population growth (1980-90): +18.5% Median age: 30.7 High school dropout rate: 14.4%* Median household income: $34,965 Unemployment rate (%): 8.6%** Individuals below poverty line: 15.1% Owner-occupied housing units: 48.2%

National Origins Mexican: 70.9% Salvadoran: 10.2% South American: 5.1% Guatemalan: 4.2% Other Hispanic: 3.7% Puerto Rican/Cuban/Dominican: 2.7% Other Central American: 2.2% * Dropout figures include only students who started high school ** Unemployment rate does not include people who have dropped out of the work force Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Researched and written by Matthew Heller