Victor Abalos, Executive Director, SoCa Latino Policy Center
May 4, 2016
This month’s issue of our newsletter features interviews with who many of us are calling “The Children of Prop 187” – the generation of young Latinos that came of political age in 1994 when the controversial Prop 187 measure, known as the Save Our Streets initiative sparked a kind of revolution. As high school and college students, these young Latinos stormed the streets of their California cities outraged by the anti-immigrant measure that many believed was a direct attack on their families. California voters would narrowly approve the measure but Prop 187 would eventually be ruled unconstitutional by a federal court.
Many of those young people were transformed by that experience and instead of following whatever job or career path they were on, they created the vanguard of a new political generation that continues to shape California politics and public policy.
The members of that generation include state legislators like Lorena Gonzalez from San Diego (featured in this 2014 KQED report) and Miguel Santiago from LA. And many local policymakers like Maria Machuca from the Coachella Valley. Veteran journalist Abelardo de la Peña, Jr. has their story.
Why explore that period of California political history this month? Thanks to the histrionics of a certain presidential candidate we may be witnessing the birth of another Latino political generation – let’s call them the “Children of Trump.”
This month we will begin featuring two Policymaker Profiles each month – attempting to maintain a gender and political balance. Both of our profiles feature young up-and-comers – elected officials representing a generation of well-educated professionals who bring much needed passion and energy to their policymaking.
Our Ethics Advisor Ruben Duran counsels us on how to manage a crisis – whether natural or man-made. There are clear steps policymakers can take to ensure their constituents are well-informed without “stepping into it.”
We’ve also added a “News” section highlighting key stories gleaned from news media media. In June look for a new Survey feature asking for your opinion about the critical issues you face as policymakers.
Enjoy the start of your summer!