Los Ángeles is the county with the largest number of Latinos in the nation. New information coming from the Census Bureau offers no big surprises, given today’s immigration trends, birth rates and the history of our city, but it reveals only a fraction of what this means for our future.
Latinos —both immigrants and the American born— comprise approximately half of the residents in our county, one characterized by a large income disparity. Hispanics concentrate typically in the bottom, filling the ranks of the poorest. Thus, improving their situation would have a positive impact throughout the entire region.
In 2006, United Way published a scorecard grading the conditions faced by Latinos in Los Angeles. The area of education and housing got a D, while economic development and health received a C.
Moreover, in the city of Los Ángeles, Hispanics are already a majority. But even though they are both the present and future of California they are not being readied to fulfill their part.
These shortcomings must be fixed. Disparities in the area of health must be closed. And in education, the sophisticated labor force required by a competitive economy in the 21st century is not being trained, either.
These improvements need a concentrated effort and investment aimed at this community. It is matter of priorities which must be taken into account, especially in the current crisis.
The demographics of Hispanics are beyond question. This is where the capital for California’s progress lies. Let us act now! The future will not wait.
