Latinos Themselves Must Remedy Lack of Representation

On Tuesday voters will go to the polls to elect their representatives to the Ventura City Council, a biennial ritual that is sure to draw a low voter turnout. This time the city has a dozen council candidates but none of them is Latino--in a city that boasts a population that is one quarter Latino.

Ventura has so far escaped official notice for its lack of Latino political representation but we should not expect this status quo to last much longer. Quite possibly, this city--like Santa Paula and others in Ventura County--should be required to switch to a district system for electing members to its City Council.

But we should not expect the City Council incumbents to go along with this without a fight. Just as campaign finance reform is not about to be enacted by those who benefit from the current lack of effective regulation at the federal level, why should the folks who have been elected to the City Council threaten their own tenure in office by enacting a district system?

A similar situation exists in Port Hueneme, where 30% of the population is Latino but where there have been no Latinos on the City Council since the 1950s. Perhaps the election of a Latino would result in more Latinos being hired by City Hall, hopefully at the management level.

I believe Latinos all over Ventura County are tired of being closed out of city jobs. The election of Latinos as city council members throughout the county would increase the number of Latinos employed here. As it is, Anglos benefit from the good ol’ boys network that Latinos are not a part of. This is an example of institutionalized discrimination at its worst, because it is the least obvious.

The lack of Latino representation on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors is perhaps the worst example of Latino underrepresentation. Although 35% of the county population is Latino, Latinos are not employed by the county in proportionate numbers, a situation that has been ignored by the liberal majority of the board.

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Now is the time for Latinos interested in public service to start thinking about running for city councils, school boards, the Board of Supervisors, and other offices. There are many opportunities for ambitious Latinos seeking to make a difference for their communities. They should not wait for someone to approach them about running for office, because that may never happen. Instead, potential Latino candidates need to take the bull by the horns and start to talk to key people such as Latino officeholders and political players.

When it comes to planning a campaign, one can never start to organize too early. Increased Latino political representation is not going to happen by itself but is going to require sacrifice and commitment.

Getting the city councils in Santa Paula, Fillmore, Ventura and Port Hueneme to make the switch to district elections is only one possible strategy for empowering Latinos. Finding the right candidates and the right issues may be just as important.

It is time for all potential Latino candidates out there to start taking action, as opposed to playing it safe and letting others do all the work. It is time to stand and deliver.

Venceremos!