‘Too many positions . . . are still not open to non-Anglos.’

To represent a diverse population is as enthralling as it is challenging. Oxnard is like taking a short walk through the world. Oxnard is the world. Although the U.S. population as a whole is still derived primarily from Europe, Oxnard is dominated by a population derived from Asia and Latin America, especially Mexico.

I have been chosen several times to represent this unique, fascinating and harmonious community. In this essay, I will try discuss my roots, my constituents’ roots and steps that I have taken to represent this population. I will also lay out some challenges for the new millennium.

It was gold that initially attracted my father’s family to California. Seventy years later, oil was the magnet that brought my mother’s family to the state. Finally, oil brought my father and mother to the Avenue in Ventura, which in the 1920s had the largest known oil patch in the world. After I was born in Ojai, my family lived on the Avenue for a time, then moved to a remote, rural area in Santa Barbara County. Farm labor--hard work--in the fields was common for us. We had a good home life in those days during and following the Great Depression, but certainly no luxuries.

Therefore, my early beginnings were similar to those of many of my constituents today. Their families also were drawn by the promise of California. They too may have few luxuries in the beginning. The criticisms leveled at new immigrants today are comparable to those aimed at Irish and Chinese immigrants in the last century and at the Dust Bowl refugees and the Japanese in this century. However, California, with few exceptions, is populated by the descendants of immigrants.

Through immigration, the district now is much more international than when I was first elected in 1972. I have evolved with the population so that my constituents can have a strong voice on the Board of Supervisors.

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I have a representative staff and offices in south Oxnard, mid- to north Oxnard (my home) and El Rio. Nyeland Acres and La Colonia will soon have an office in donated space on Fridays. The residents of the beach areas never hesitate to communicate their wishes to me.

My staff and I can communicate with constituents who feel more comfortable speaking Spanish. If callers speak another language, we will find a way to communicate. One does not develop a relationship with any group of people without working at it. This takes active participation in the community, knowing everyone you represent.

I communicate with the news media almost every day to make certain that my constituents know what I am doing. My representatives on various commissions and committees are reflective of the population. Neighborhoods know me for working with them on projects such as after-school programs. I or a member of my staff can be found at church activities, cultural programs, schools, workplaces--almost every activity that happens in the district.

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However hard I work, I know that there are challenges to be met. The future for my district--and all of California--holds many challenges. Too many positions in the higher levels of business, industry and government are still not open to non-Anglos. Too many new businesses and industries that come into the county import their management from somewhere else.

In some cases we have not prepared extensively enough for the skills that are needed by these industries and businesses. Institutions such as Oxnard College are continuing to change curriculum to attract students who need education and training. Enrollments at Oxnard College have skyrocketed because of the opportunities present there and the recognition by young and not-so-young that they need education and training. The recognition of the need for change to meet changing needs must also come from the community itself.

These changes have already begun. The Neighborhood Councils, the South Oxnard Business Assn. and the South Oxnard Revitalization Committee are examples of community organizations that are meeting the challenges and the needs of the future.

We know that the population demographics are changing rapidly. However, not until after the decennial Census of the year 2000 will we know how much the characteristics of the population have changed. Funding from major private foundations, as well as government revenues, is dependent upon how well we identify and meet the challenge of change.

We must, regardless of the demise of affirmative action, see that all levels of employment are integrated, with well-educated and trained people. These are measurable goals--these are the achievements for which we will be judged by history.