II. Reapportionment

In 1981 California Latinos were highly organized under the banner of Californios for Fair Representation.I Almost every major Latino organization in the state was part of that coalition.The goal of fair reapportionment and increased Latino representation was one that all Latinos could support.Unlike prior years, Chicanos had a cadre of technical experts, including demographers, businessmen, media experts, community organizers and civil rights experts-all working for a common goal. 2 The Californios media committee played a crucial role in the undertaking.The committee engineered and coordinated a public education and outreach program that touched every major population center in the state.Such charismatic leaders as Miguel Garcia (Californios' Chairperson), Dr. Armando Navarro (Executive Director), Leticia Quesada (Los Angeles Regional Representative), and Pedro Carillo (San Jose Regional Vice Chairperson) emerged in the public eye as spokespersons for the Chicano movement.These individuals gave the movement political clout, and their visibility would not have existed without the media coverage engineered by Californios.Oddly enough, Chicano politicians were not part of the Californios movement.Some criticized Californios as being a pawn of the Republican Party.Most were interested in little more than making their already safe districts safer.Californios' goal was to maximize the political influence of Latinos.There was no flat percentage approach used to draw the district lines.Since each community, although perhaps predominantly Latino, is unique in terms of national origin, citizenship, education, income, and voter registration rate, local Californios groups drew plans for their areas.Those plans reflected political pragmatism and shared hope for improved representation.Californios did not seek a "guaranteed" Latino seat.An increase in elected Latino representation is something that cannot be guaranteed.Yet the opportunity to offer a candidate which the Latino community might elect can be guaranteed by drawing lines that fairly reflect the Latino population's community of interests

Political science · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Turkey's Politics and Society