Poli 103A California PoliticsIncorporation of Minority

Groups

- Midterm on Tuesday, BYOBlue Books

- http://www.next-ten.org/

Incorporation of Minority Groups

Barriers to Minority Participation•Why does the sleeping giant sleep?

•Alternate forms of participation

Barriers to Representation and Incorporation•Taking nativist arguments

seriously

•The importance of geography

Why does the Sleeping Giant Sleep?

California Voter Turnout, by Ethnicity (CPS, 2000)

67.2

29.5

62.5

33.2

60.4

24.5

52.5

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

White Latino Black Asian

% Registered

% Voting

Barriers to Minority Participation

Latinos and Asian-Pacific Islanders have been considered the “sleeping giants” of California politics.

•In 1990, Latinos were 26% of California’s population, 15% of eligible voters, 10% of registered voters, but just 6% of actual voters in June primary. (Citrin & Campbell, p. 287)

Barriers to Minority Participation

What stops residents in the population from being eligible voters?•Some are not old enough (18) to vote.

Latino and API populations are younger than African-American and white populations.

•Some have felony convictions, which disfranchises you in California. Conviction rates vary by ethnic group.

Barriers to Minority Participation

What stops residents in the population from being eligible voters?•Many Latinos

and API-Americans are not citizens

Barriers to Minority Participation

What stops eligible voters from becoming registered and turning out to vote? •Political socialization

•Language barriers

•Dual citizenship

•Education and income levels

Alternate Forms of Participation

“Political participation” is any action that individuals take with the goal of affecting politics and policy. •Voting is the most common, but not the

only, form of political participation.

•Minority groups that cannot exert much influence at the polls often engage in other important forms of participation.

Alternate Forms of Participation

Don Nakanishi notes that API communities in California have also fulfilled political and policy goals by:•Engaging in labor organization

•Mounting legal challenges (Fred Korematsu)

•Movements and justice campaigns

•Contributing $$ (Al Gore at the buddhist temple)

Barriers to Representation and Incorporation

Minority representation occurs when members of minority groups have the ability to elect a representative of their choosing.

Minority incorporation comes when “a minority group’s interests are reflected in the development of policy and the allocation of resources.” (Saito, p. 45).

Taking Nativist Arguments Seriously

Society and politics argument:•Some nativists have asserted the

right to a homogenous society, arguing that those who share a value system, common history, and language will agree on political decisions. Diversity will lead to divisiveness.

Taking Nativist Arguments Seriously

Economic argument:•Immigration, whether it is legal or

illegal, can take away high-wage (H-1B) and low-wage jobs, and increase the demand for services. This puts an especially large fiscal burden on state and local governments. Citrin and Campbell cover this debate on p. 278-284.

The Importance of Geography

For a group to elect a representative of its choosing, that group must be sufficiently populous and concentrated to exert influence in a political district.

•Racial gerrymandering, which was especially prevalent prior to the civil rights era, often forcibly split minority communities to dilute their voting power

The Importance of Geography

Residential patterns can also fragment a group’s political power. •Under a proportional representation

system, 6% of population would get a voting block 6% of seats.

•Under our district-based system, API voters spread out across the state aren’t guaranteed 6% of seats.

The Importance of Geography

Chinese-Americans in San Francisco

Filipino-Americans in San Francisco

The Importance of Geography

African-Americans in San Francisco

Discussion Section Questions According to Leland Saito’s account

of Monterrey Park, what were the key conditions that led to API electoral success?

Discuss Richard Loya’s statement

(The Reluctant Metropolis, p. 92) that “Just because we’re all Latino doesn’t mean there will be harmony.”