O.C. Latinos, Whites See the Economy, Future Differently

Latinos and whites in Orange County have strikingly different views about the economy and their prospects for the future, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The findings in UC Irvine’s latest annual Orange County Survey found that Latinos consider the faltering economy and crime to be among the biggest problems they face; whites pointed to the county’s exploding growth, traffic and transportation problems.

The survey also showed a growing countywide concern about the health of the local economy, with nearly a third of those polled saying their financial situations worsened over the past year.

A majority said they supported the voter-approved initiative to turn the closed El Toro Marine Air Station into a Great Park instead of an international airport, but more than half also said they would rarely -- if ever -- use the park.

Survey director Mark Baldassare said the gap between Latinos and whites in Orange County is strongly influenced by differences in income and education. With Latinos now accounting for nearly a third of the county’s 2.9 million residents, those differences are reshaping the area’s once monolithic social and political landscape.

“Latinos clearly remain behind in terms of economic progress but [are] optimistic that, as individuals and as a group, they are going to catch up in the years ahead,” Baldassare said. “Whether or not that happens will be extraordinarily important not only for Latinos but for the entire county, economically and otherwise.”

The telephone survey of 2,007 Orange County adults was conducted by UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology and the Public Policy Institute of California, a private nonprofit organization that conducts public policy research on economic, social and political issues in the state. The study was sponsored in part by the Los Angeles Times. The poll questioned a random sampling of county residents from Nov. 6 to Nov. 14. Of the people included in the poll, 1,255 identified themselves as white, 475 as Latino, 133 as Asian and 26 as black. The remainder included people of other races or ethnicities, plus those who declined to answer.

The interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2%.

Baldassare said answers by Asians and whites were nearly identical. But the poll found Latinos and whites had vastly different opinions about public policy issues, including the following:

* Latinos were twice as likely as whites to be concerned that they or someone in their family would lose a job over the next year, and 23% of Latinos said they don’t have enough family income to pay their bills--compared with 10% of whites.

* Latinos tend to be more hopeful than whites about the future. Of those questioned, 43% said they believe Orange County will be a better place to live in during the years ahead compared with 29% of the whites.

* When asked to name the county’s top transportation priorities, 42% of whites said freeways and highways and 25% listed a light-rail system. Among Latinos, 27% named freeways and highways, 22% said the public bus system and 22% picked local streets and roads.

* On the issue of the county’s infrastructure needs, 57% of Latinos said schools should be the top priority, compared with 41% of whites.

Newly elected Anaheim Councilman Richard Chavez said he was not surprised by the disparity in views.

“A large percentage of Latinos who live in Orange County are immigrants and have a tendency to have lower-paying jobs and live in more crowded conditions,” Chavez said. “What I’m touched by is the optimism. I think that reflects very highly on Latinos.”

Araceli Solorzano, a 23-year-old single mother from Stanton, concurred with many of the views expressed by those surveyed, although she did not participate in the poll. She said her biggest concern is crime, even though she lives in a good neighborhood, and by the cost of living.

“It’s been rough. Everything is so much more expensive. If I wanted to buy a house right now, there’s no way I could afford it,” Solorzano said. “But I wouldn’t say things are that bad. At least I have a roof over my head and a car to get to work.”

Despite the negatives, the majority of Orange County residents surveyed said they were happy with their quality of life--giving the area higher ranking than people living in Los Angeles and San Francisco have done in similar polls. Nearly 89% of the Orange County residents polled said things were going very well or somewhat well. Only 75% of those living in the San Francisco Bay Area and 80% in Los Angeles felt the same way.

“For the most part, people in Orange County are pretty grateful,” Baldassare said. “Relative to the rest of the state, quality-of-life ratings in Orange County are very strong.”

The controversy surrounding the fate of the El Toro Marine base -- the county’s most divisive political issue the past few years -- has “dropped off the radar” of most residents since the passage of Measure A in March, Baldassare said. Voters decided the best option for the base was a Great Park and, in effect, scuttled the proposed airport.

The UC Irvine survey found that 65% of county residents favored the Great Park plan, although only 49% said local tax dollars should fund it.

And not too many residents said they would actually get much use out of the park. Only 13% of those surveyed said they would use the park’s recreational facilities “often.” Just under 40% predicted they’d never use the park, and 14% said they would “rarely” visit.

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, who led the campaign in favor of the Great Park, discounted those findings. No tax dollars will be needed, he said, because of plans to raise funds by selling some land for development.

Most people in the county also don’t realize the proposal includes hiking and riding trails, more than 50 athletic fields, educational centers and other major recreational facilities, he said.

“Great metropolitan parks are a lot different than neighborhood parks,” Agran said. “We’re talking about something comparable to, but even larger than, San Diego’s Balboa Park or San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Millions of people will use it.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

One county, two views

The annual UC Irvine county survey found that Latinos and whites have contrasting views when it comes to the quality of life and the economy in Orange County.

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Q: What do you think is the most important issue facing Orange County today?

Population growth and development

All adults: 20%

White: 25%

Latino: 8%

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Traffic and transportation

All adults: 16%

White: 17%

Latino: 13%

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Housing issues

All adults: 12%

White: 12%

Latino: 10%

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Jobs and the economy

All adults: 8%

White: 6%

Latino: 13%

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Schools and education

All adults: 6%

White: 5%

Latino: 8%

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Crime and gangs

All adults: 5%

White: 3%

Latino: 12%

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Q: Which infrastructure project do you think should have the top priority for public funds in Orange County?

All adults: 45%

North Region: 46%

South Region: 43%

White: 41%

Latino: 57%

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Q: What type of transportation project should have top priority for public funds in Orange County?

Freeways and highways

All adults: 39%

North Region: 39%

South Region: 38%

White: 42%

Latino: 27%

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Light-rail system

All adults: 21%

North Region: 18%

South Region: 27%

White: 25%

Latino: 9%

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Local streets and roads

All adults: 16%

North Region: 17%

South Region: 13%

White: 14%

Latino: 22%

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Public bus system

All adults: 14%

North Region: 15%

South Region: 13%

White: 11%

Latino: 22%

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Carpool lanes

All adults: 7%

North Region: 8%

South Region: 6%

White: 5%

Latino: 15%

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Q: In general, how would you rate the economy in Orange County today?

All adults: Excellent/good

1992: 19%

2000: 79%

2002: 58%

All adults in 2002

Excellent/good 58%

Fair: 34%

Poor: 6%

Don’t: know 2%

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The findings of this survey are based on a telephone survey of 2,007 Orange County adult residents interviewed from Nov. 6-14. Interviews took place on weekend days and weekday nights, using a computer-generated random sample of telephone numbers, and were conducted in English or Spanish. The sampling error is +/- 2%.

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Source: Public Policy Institute of California