For Latinos, Let Election Setbacks Be Call for Action

Boy, last week’s election results hurt. They hurt because many Latinos now think most Californians don’t like them.

It hurts that Proposition 187 won by a wide margin. It hurts that the measure’s chief shill, Gov. Pete Wilson, won reelection by such a big margin. It hurts that despite all the talk about growing political power for Latinos, who make up 25% of California’s population, the group turned out a paltry 8% of the vote. It hurts that Art Torres lost his chance to be the first Latino in statewide office in more than 100 years.

“As of Nov. 30, I’m out of a job,” Torres said, trying his best to deal with the reality that term limits and last week’s results have ended his 22-year political career. “Sure it hurts, but on the other hand, I don’t know any Latino who can claim that 3.2 million people voted for him in California.”

The stinging rejection was felt by many of the 600 people who attended a black-tie banquet staged the other night in Century City by MALDEF, the nation’s leading Latino civil rights organization.

One of the night’s honorees, Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles, reassured the subdued dinner crowd that there will be better days ahead.

“The forecast is for rain,” Becerra said, “but there is sun behind those clouds.”

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Beneath the pain expressed at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund dinner was a resolve to fight back. Some were gritting their teeth, while others, acknowledging the long odds, know they have nothing else to lose by waging an uphill struggle.

Some of the fights may seem minor to most, but their significance to L.A. Latinos is anything but that.

For example, greeting friends at the MALDEF dinner was Alhambra civil rights attorney R. Samuel Paz, whose nomination for a federal judgeship in L.A. has been held up by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which must pass on such appointments.

With the GOP now firmly in control of the Congress, Paz--whose nomination was considered a cinch by Democrats--now has little chance of ever getting that judgeship. “I’m going to be renominated in the new Congress and I’m fighting to the end,” Paz said.

Much larger questions loom in the wake of last week’s decisive election results. In addition to campaigns aimed at coaxing more Latinos to become citizens and vote, and to fight Prop. 187 in the courts, here are some strategies that Latinos can focus on to lessen the pain:

* Claim the immigration question as their issue. Rather than opposing short-sighted measures such as Proposition 187, Latino leaders should admit there is an illegal immigration problem and come up with solutions that will highlight U.S. sovereignty, such as: merging the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Customs Service into one super agency; tightening visa requirements for visitors and those seeking political asylum; charging $1 to $2 for those entering the U.S. through border crossings and airports, raising funds for more border guards; and sending criminal aliens back to their home countries to serve sentences there for crimes committed here.

* Show more political savvy. It’s now clear that the large Downtown L.A. protest against Proposition 187--complete with thousands of Mexican flags--was a mistake. Whites thinking of voting against the measure were turned off by the preference of the marchers, who insisted on claiming their American rights by showing off foreign symbols. “If you’re going to play the game in this country, you have to respect the rules,” said Dr. Harry Pachon, president of the Tomas Rivera Center in Claremont.

* Build on what was accomplished in the recent campaign. The record numbers of Latino high school students who marched against Proposition 187 signaled that they’re ready for more political involvement.

Like their predecessors in the 1960s, these protesters learned some valuable, hard lessons about this country. Nearly everybody I talked to at the MALDEF dinner was ready for the next election struggle, knowing these students will be older--ready to vote--and wiser.

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Before the Thursday night dinner in Century City, I caught up by telephone with Torres, who was in the midst of pondering his future and cleaning out his state Senate office in Sacramento.

Torres, a veteran of the ‘60s struggles, said Latinos can overcome disappointments like his defeat.

“Don’t give up,” he said. “There’s too much as stake for future generations. Edmund Burke once said that the only way evil triumphs is when good people do nothing. This is a very critical time for Latinos.”

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