A Hidden Community Emerges : L.A.: The Latino population, now dispersed across the city, is developing new leadership for its complex new needs.

The violence experienced in Los Angeles last spring exposed a new Latino political reality. Not only had the Latino population of the city exploded numerically, it had established itself in geographically diverse enclaves throughout the city. The new Latino Los Angeles now comprised such diverse areas as Pacoima, North and East Hollywood, Pico-Union and, most surprising, South-Central.

As the violence swept Los Angeles, televised images of Latinos joined those of African-Americans and Koreans. The only prominent Latinos seen during the height of the disturbances were actor Edward James Olmos and Councilman Mike Hernandez, whose district was in flames.

It was not a deliberate shunning of the problem by Latino leaders. Most of the community’s leadership and service organizations did not immediately respond to the crisis because they had no ties to the Latino population in the most devastated areas of South-Central Los Angeles and Pico Union. Before last April, Latino issues and focus were concentrated on the Eastside.

The violence last year was a political wake-up call. Our Latino residents through their actions announced that it was time to turn from the traditional concepts of the Latino community and to refocus on assisting and understanding the totality of Latino Los Angeles.

There are those who question whether anyone heard the call. There has been criticism over the past year that Latino leaders and community organizations have not been part of the “rebuilding” process. That the Latino community, especially the Latino community of South-Central, had not been adequately represented. To a degree, these are valid criticisms. They stem from frustration that, within those communities that suffered the most damage and unemployment, there were few Latino leaders and not much of an organizational infrastructure.

As the smoke cleared and an inventory of community resources was undertaken, the stark reality of the scarcity of services and advocacy available to the Latino community in the most affected areas became evident.

Latino leaders have initiated efforts to meet the challenge. The Latino Coalition for a New Los Angeles has been formed to encourage the further development of new or emerging organizations in all Latino areas. In addition, through this coalition, established Eastside community service organizations seek to expand their service area to South-Central Los Angeles and other underserved Latino communities.

New leadership, however, will not come from a coalition. The traditional Eastside circles of power do not have the local constituency needed to extend their influence to the emerging areas of Latino Los Angeles. Their representation and influence is based in the more established Mexican-American population.

Although the majority of Latino Los Angeles is of Mexican ancestry, the burgeoning Central American population has changed the political environment in the Pico-Union area and in some portions of South-Central. In addition, immigrants--both Mexican and Central American--will become an increasingly important factor as they are naturalized and become qualified to vote.

The future representation of these new areas is open. The vast majority of the residents of South-Central, Pico-Union, North and East Hollywood and the other areas are not allied to any of the traditional Latino power structures. This is creating the opportunity for new Latino leadership to emerge--leaders who work with the immigrant population and who understand their issues.

Among the new community voices are Carlos Vaquerano, spokesperson for the Central American Refugee Center, Beatriz Olvera Stotzer, president of New Economics for Women, and Arturo Ybarra, director of the Watts/Century Latino Coalition. They were community advocates before the civil disturbances, and their message on behalf of their Latino constituents has been amplified.

Clearly, this is only the beginning of a much longer process. It will take time for additional leaders to emerge, for organizations to be initiated, for funds to be solicited and for the local Latino communities to reap the representation that they deserve. Unless there is an improvement in the economy or an increase in government resources, change and increased opportunity through leadership and organization will be slow in reaching Latino residents.

A Latino Los Angeles is a 21st-Century reality. The challenge facing these new leaders and emerging organizations is to develop the potential of the Latino community as it matures.

The community is currently being represented, in trust, by others. It will not always be 40% of the population with 8% of the voting power. Leaders with vision are needed today to formulate a blueprint to create a well-educated, economically productive and politically active Latino community as we move into the next century.