Latino population growing

Lolita Harper

Just say the city’s name, and you’ll know that Latino roots are dug

deep in its history.

Costa Mesa means “table (or plateau) by the coast” in Spanish.

Mesa Verde (green table) and Mesa del Mar (table by the sea) also

boast Spanish names.

Latinos, who in 1990 made up 20% of the city’s population, made up

31.8% in 2000, according to the 2000 census.

Despite the recent boom, the Latino population has a long history

in the city, from its agricultural to industrial era and now to the

service and entrepreneurial era.

Mitch Barrie, a member of the Costa Mesa Historical Society, has

said that many of the Latinos living in the city were farm workers

who lived near the farms on the Westside.

“Mexicans have always been here,” he said. “This was Mexico, of

course, and some of them stayed after California was annexed. In the

class pictures of schools on the Westside, you always find Mexican

children and also some Japanese children. The [Latinos] are never

identified in the pictures, though, so people probably didn’t mingle

much. Many were laborers who worked on farms and didn’t make much

money, so they weren’t able to live in the good parts of town.”

In 1930, the Monte Vista School opened for Mexicans only. Some

believe the separate learning institution was proof of racial

tensions, but others felt it was the most beneficial for all the

children involved.

Costa Mesa Grammar School Principal Dale Evans “was convinced that

the district’s Mexican students -- the majority of whom were having

language difficulties -- would learn more in their own school,”

according to “A Slice of Orange: The History of Costa Mesa,” by

Edrick Miller.

Just around the time of the city’s incorporation, the Supreme

Court ruled on Brown vs. Board of Education, overturning the notion

of “separate but equal” facilities for different ethnic groups.

The city continued to grow, and the children began learning

together. As time went on, Latinos, like others, moved away from

agriculture into industrial, service and business. Racial tensions

were present, but not consuming, and like today, different segments

of the city chose whether they wished to intermingle or not.

Longtime resident and activist Paty Madueno said she has noticed a

positive change after 1980, when she moved here.

“When I came here, we were people who were afraid to walk on the

streets,” she said. “People didn’t appreciate seeing us and didn’t

like for me to speak Spanish. Some people still give me dirty looks

because they think I’m saying bad things about them, I guess.

“We were still struggling to get a Spanish Mass at St. Joachim

Church,” she said. “By 1986, we had two or three of them. The Latino

population gradually increased, and acceptance came gradually as

well. Now it’s much better. It is much different from that time.

Costa Mesa is a different city, a friendlier city.”

In the late 1990s, many Latino organizations began to form. The

Latino Business Council began in 1997 with a mission to promote

Latino businesses citywide. Since then, it has expanded its focus to

build relationships with the City Council and the Costa Mesa

community.

The Latino Community Network formed in 1999 to get involved in the

city’s Westside planning efforts.

While the Westside is still home to the largest percentage of

Latinos, those of Latin American decent have found success citywide.

Many growing businesses, such as El Chinaco, Taco Mesa and El Matate

line 19th Street, while many with Spanish surnames fill the towering

offices at law and accounting firms in South Coast Metro.

“That’s why we like Costa Mesa,” Madueno said. “It isn’t square;

it adapts to the needs of families. A lot of our families, legal or

not, are day laborers or low-salary workers, and Costa Mesa has a lot

of the businesses that our families work for.”

Given all indications, the Latino community will continue to be a

big part of Costa Mesa history.