Suburban governance structures and administration

¶ … New Campaign for the New Mayor of Los Angeles:

"Angels of Many Faces, One L.A." -- The Changing Face of L.A.

Attn: The L.A. mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa

Priority 1:What is required for minority political incorporation for the future administration?

In the increasingly diverse and non-white community of Los Angeles, it is critical that alliances be forged between different racial and ethnic minorities to move the city into the next millennium. The urban scholar R.P. Browning, in his 2003 text: Racial Politics in American Cities (edited by Browning, Marshall & Tab, 2003) has called for what the author calls a policy of racial incorporation to meet this challenge. Racial incorporation calls for a leaving behind of purely community and uni-racial-based urban and suburban affiliations. This policy calls for alliances between different groups of similar political interests within new political coalitions, without requiring the groups to wholly do away with their previous ethnic alliances. It is a policy neither of a melting pot, but nor is it a vision of an urban mosaic -- rather both melding and group identification is allowed for in this idealized conceptualization.

Priority 2. What are the representative and policy responses expected from minority takeover of city government?

Racial incorporation might prove easier at this current juncture of the city's history for the new administration, because the current non-white political base of African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Pacifics has grown in number in comparison to Anglos. The need for economic development and addressing community concerns of violence, poor schools in urban areas, as urban crime unites all of these non-white and traditionally disadvantaged and discriminated-against groups, as does a similar sense of alienation from the interests of wealthier Anglos.

However, Anglos may feel threatened by the perceived 'takeover' of minority groups in traditional communities. Also, the burgeoning illegal immigrant community, supported by many Latinos, has been a source of ire and 'lost jobs' between Latinos and African-Americans. Also, Asian-Pacific individuals may find themselves stigmatized as a model minority, given that certain Asian second-generation immigrants may be wealthier than members of other minority groups. They may be perceived as not in need of affirmative action, in contrast to African and Latino-Americans, even though there is tremendous diversity of income ranges within the Asian community.

Priority 3. What advantages and disadvantages do African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Pacific individuals face in forming political alliances with each other and Anglos?

As not all Asian-Pacific are wealthy, and thus share common interests with other marginalized groups such as African and Latino-Americans, they share an interest in expanding the social services open to new immigrants. With Latinos, the Asian-Pacific community shares the common, recent experience of new immigration to the United States. Many members of the community are in need of advice, settlement, services, and language instruction for first-generation immigrants. But in terms of affirmative action programs in schools, which have often been used against Asian-Pacific peoples, this might perceive a common interest with Anglos in limiting liberal affirmative action programs for businesses and universities. Also, many Asian-Pacific peoples are independent business owners who do not support restrictive affirmative action policies upon business owners, or onerous restrictions upon businesses in general.

In contrast to Asian-Americans, African-Americans may share a common anti-colonialist sentiment with Latino-Americans against Anglos -- and they are more apt to be employees of businesses and government, than owners of sole proprietorships. But as long-standing community residents, as opposed to recent immigrants, the African-American community may share some interests with Anglos in limiting immigration. Thus, there is no seamless ideology of racial incorporation that can please and unite all groups, but no group shares a lack of common interests with other groups.

Issues of specific concern to the mayor

Overcoming the different interests and ideologies of the city's disparate constituencies

Stressing education, a common interest of all parents, is critical. All communities desire improved and safer schools, with greater access to special service and language instruction in specific, targeted areas.

Avoiding the backlash among the Anglos that comprise the majority of the city's actual voters?

Better quality lower and higher education, safer streets, and better quality access to social services to all will improve community life for all residents, not simply minority voters.

How do you preserve the intra-ethnic solidarity of your Latino core supporters?