CLOSE TO HOME: Today Latinos march, tomorrow we vote
Last Modified: Friday, May 8, 2009 at 6:18 p.m.
''Hoy marchamos, mañana votamos! Today we march, tomorrow we vote!"
This is one of the chants during the Cinco de Mayo yearly marches in Santa Rosa. To what extent is this promise of civic engagement becoming a reality? Latino political representation in Sonoma County became a reality in the Nov. 4, 2008 election. There are now four elected Latino officials: Efren Carrillo, county supervisor for the 5th District, Ernesto Olivares, Santa Rosa City Council member, Laura Gonzalez, Santa Rosa School Board and George Valenzuela, Windsor School Board.
To delve into this question, it is pertinent to review the findings from 554 surveys conducted in five precincts in Roseland prior to the election as part of the Voter Education and Registration Project, Su Voto Es Su Voz. This project was initiated by the Coalition for Latino Civic Engagement (CLACE) and supported by the Community Foundation Sonoma County-Schultz Fund and Roseland Development Fund, Community Action Partnership, and the Hutchins Institute for Public Policy Studies.
These are some of the highlights from the report on the project:
*A significant finding is that 22.96 percent of the total registered voters in the targeted five precincts are Latinos. On the one hand, since Latinos in Sonoma County make up 21.9 percent of the population, this means that Latinos do indeed participate in the voting process well in proportion to their population and proportionally, even slightly higher than their numbers.
*On the other hand, when the focus is on specific precincts, it seems that registered Latinos are not voting as much as non-Latinos. This is evident from the fact that the precincts with the highest turnout (5008, 5118, 5101) do not correspond to those with the highest Latino registered voters.
*Public officials should be concerned that both Latinos and non-Latinos in Roseland rank a forum with them as their last choice. This is not necessarily a negative reaction against politicians, it may also point to the need for increased knowledge on how to interact with elected officials.
*What is contrary to the common public perception is their desire for civic engagement. This is evident in their ranking voter education workshops as number three, above forums on immigration and education.
*When asked for "other" suggestions to help residents get more involved in their community, there were 80 separate requests from Latinos for more community information.
This represents 40 percent of all the suggestions in this second question of the survey. The need for a better understanding of how the political system works is, in effect, the glaring discovery that emerges from the entire survey.
*While it is understandable that immigration is the number three issue affecting their community, for Latinos, it is surprising that it ranks number seven for non-Latinos, since this is supposed to be a hot issue for the general public.
*It is somewhat reassuring to note that "racism and discrimination" comes in eighth (out of 15 issues) place. Optimistically, this could mean that discrimination is lower in the Latino agenda than it's commonly believed. Conversely, it could mean that they are too busy struggling for social and economic survival to think about discrimination.
There is a clear and obvious need for channels of communication to distribute the requested information to all Roseland residents who are thirsting for opportunities to get involved in the community.
In these times of economic crises and the graying of America, we (Latinos and non-Latinos) ignore the pleas for inclusion and information at our own peril. These are cries for transparency in public affairs from the people who will be the backbone of our workforce in the extremely near future.
Francisco H. Vázquez is director of the Hutchins Institute for Public Policy Studies and Community Action at Sonoma State University.
Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka: Peta
Sacramento, California, Aztlan
Yahoo Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
http://anhglobal.ning.com/group/humanerightsagenda
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NetworkAztlan_News/
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