Recalled Santa Ana Trustee Lost Even His Latino Base

Nativo V. Lopez knew he’d lose the white vote and the anti-bilingual vote. But an analysis of Tuesday’s election, in which the Santa Ana school board trustee was overwhelmingly ousted, shows that Lopez also lost the heavily Latino neighborhoods he dominated just two years ago.

Lopez, recalled by 71% of voters, lost each of the 16 consolidated precincts where ballots were cast -- from the wealthy, mostly white north Santa Ana neighborhoods where residents rallied against a school Lopez wanted built there, to the trustee’s political base.

Lopez acknowledged Wednesday that recall proponents, armed with campaign cash from anti-bilingual education crusader Ron Unz, were able to sow doubt among his supporters while mobilizing opposition. More than 21% of eligible voters cast ballots Tuesday, more than what was expected in a special election.

“No other Latino local school board officer or city councilman has ever been vilified and demonized to the extent that I was for such a prolonged period of time,” said Lopez, who was halfway through a second four-year term. “Not withstanding all the work we did, my constituents did not perceive their material interest was at stake sufficiently to motivate them to go out and vote and protect their interests.”

A Times analysis shows that in precincts north of 17th Street -- the traditional dividing line between rich and poor, Anglo and Latino in Santa Ana -- nine in 10 voters cast ballots to remove Lopez. Turnout in those areas was heavy, ranging from 39% to 48%. In the city’s more affluent southern reaches near South Coast Plaza, the turnout was somewhat lower, but the anti-Lopez sentiment was just as strong.

But even in Latino neighborhoods that straddle McFadden Avenue from the Santa Ana River to Grand Avenue -- Lopez’s stronghold in the 2000 election -- nearly six out of 10 voters chose to remove him from office. Turnout in these areas was only 18%.

Lopez, a well-known immigrant-rights activist, faced an energized opposition that included Mayor Miguel Pulido and was funded by more than $400,000 -- three times what Lopez raised.

“There was incredible consensus in this election. It didn’t matter if you lived north or south of 17th Street,” said Paul Giles, president of the French Park neighborhood association. “People want change.”

Rob Richardson, winner of a four-way race to replace Lopez, said voters’ dissatisfaction with the school district -- one of the most overcrowded and lowest-scoring in the state -- crossed racial lines.

“I think the vote demonstrates that whether a community is Anglo or Latino or whatever, folks ... want things to be done right,” he said.

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Times staff writers Mike Anton, Claire Luna and Daniel Yi contributed to this report.