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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1982)
Page 2 Portland Observer, June 3, 1962 The minority mozaic in California politics--------------------- ----------- and races — M a rio O bledo is running w ith all the risky candor o f the darkhorse. He's not seriously expected to threaten Bradley, but by ru n n in g a decidedly ethnic campaign, Obledo is striking chords among m in o rity voters, especially those Latinos who feel they have too long been relegated to a second class status. “ A fte r 1948 (when C a lifo rn ia passed from Mexican to US hands) we were dem olished so cia lly, p o litic a lly and e c o n o m ic a lly ,'* Obledo said in an interview . “ We were made to feel inadequate as a people. We have the assets and the history and made the contributions, but the last tim e an H ispanic held statewide o ffic e in C a lifo rn ia was over 100 years ago . . . and this is su ppose dly the most enlightened state in the nation.” S A C R A M E N T O — When Ronald Reagan occupied the g o v e rn o r’ s mansion here only eight years ago, C alifornia was still the model o f an Anglo-Am erican state, noted fo r its spread-out suburbs, alternative life styles and high-tech economy. T o day, thanks to im m igration, a drop in the A n g lo b irth rate and a booming Latino birth rate, the real C alifornia is a world away from the s till fa m ilia r surroundin gs o f the presidential ranch at Santo Barbara. Since the Reagan days, the p o p u la tio n m ix has changed dramatically. Hispanics are now the largest m inority and w ill make up 51 per cent o f the state by the year 2000. In the 1970s, more Chinese and refugees fro m Southeast Asia chose C a lifo rn ia fo r th e ir new homes than any o ther state, changing the human landscape o f scores o f neighborhoods and small towns overnight. The biggest ju m p recorded in the last census was _ among Pacific Islanders, while the number o f Filipinos has grown more than 160 per cent in ten years. C a lifo rn ia — no longer New Y ork — is the m e ltin g p o t state: a fu ll quarter o f the nation’s foreign-born live here. Together w ith the su b stantia l co m m u n ity o f blacks, w ho have become m ore p o litic a lly adept in recent years, the sheer numbers o f th ird w orld arrivals and long-tim e m in o rity residents mean an A nglo political candidate is no longer the surest bet. In a num ber o f sm all towns in the C e n tra l V a lle y, C hicano slates have captured c o n tro l o f local governm ents and boards o f education. Los Angeles M ayor Tom Bradley, who is black, governs the state’ s largest c ity , where the school population is now 75 per cent non-white. The large and e co nom ically im p o rta n t A sian com m unity remains w ith o u t much electoral influence, the least visible m in o rity in the p o litic a l spectrum. Nevertheless, certain local Chinese leaders have tried — unsuccessfully this year — to persuade Secretary o f State M arch Fong Eu to run fo r governor. The cu rre n t D em ocratic P arty guberna torial p rim a ry is only the most obvious exam ple o f this developing mosaic, leading up to an election that m ight w ell put the country’ s first black governor inthe seat so recently occupied by the president. Aggressive registration drives are ta k in g place in the ba rrio s, th ro u g h o u t C hinatow ns and other m inority neighborhoods that comprise this “ o ther” face o f California. In the June 8th primary, which Mayor Bradley is expected to w in h a n d ily , one o f his main challengers is another m in o rity candidate, M ario Obledo, Governor Jerry B row n’s form er Secretary o f H ealth, Education and W elfare, a Latino who has developed a vocifer ous, though long-shot, challenge. Obledo sees himself as representing the state’ s in creasingly visib le Latino population, campaigning on a platform o f parity fo r m inorities — especially L a tin o s — in state government. Tom B ra d le y’ s cam paign m inim izes any sense o f racial politics, yet he successfully conveys the potent image o f the great American success story: from son o f an A labam a share-cropper to a p o w e rfu l p o litic ia n whose constituen cy today includes m in o ritie s , w hite lib e ra ls and e n viro n m e n ta lists, and, most s ig n ific a n tly , the southern C alifornia corporate com m unity — bankers, lawyers and the c h ie f executive o ffic e rs o f the key m ultinationals so prom inent in the s o u th la n d 's business w o rld . Perceived as a winner, he has made su b stantia l inroads am ong the business e lite in the n o rth o f the state, and even among the politically potent agricultural barons. It was a different story when Tom Bradley firs t ran fo r mayor o f Los Angeles in 1969 against incumbent Sam Y o rty . Then he had little corporate support and was subject to what one candidate called “ the dirtiest, most vicious election in L A history.” Against a background o f racist d ir ty tric k s , B radley lo s t. W ith in fo u r years, how ever, Bradley had successfully put together the fir s t o f his w in n in g coalitions, adding an environmental constituency and a better showing among Latinos. Today, after eight years in o ffice , the mayor is extra o rd in a rily p o p u la r w ith his key c o rp o ra te co n stituen cy, yet maintains his liberal cachet and the image th a t has become his most significant political weapon: that o f the black candidate w ho is not perceived as a threat by A n g lo voters. In fact, as the prim ary campaign draws to a close, Bradley increasing ly appears to represent the old m inorities, who largely have melted in and whose most visible concerns are now indistinguishable from the fa m ilia r concerns o f the establish m ent. M a rio O bledo, m eanwhile, may be speaking fo r those m inorities who believe wholeheart edly in the A m erican way and institutions, but who also say, “ Yes, we are d ifferent, we don’ t intend to melt in or melt away, but we intend to participate, as w ell.” I f B ra d le y ’ s cam paign p ro nouncem ents are restrained sometimes to the p o in t o f vagueness, attempting to project the image o f the man fo r all seasons — Aaron Mitchell and Son Plumbing * Experienced Plumber * Licensed and Bonded Established in business for 25 years Have lived in the Portland Area for 40 years WE STAND BEHIND ALL JOBS 1703 N.E. Alberta « 288-4040 actions on the part o f anxious m in o ritie s . A nd c o n tra ry to (he o fficia l US stand, Obledo came out squarely fo r A rg e n tin a in the M alvinas dispute. “ We ought to stick together in this hemisphere,” he said. I f th ird w o rld candidates are operating here now w ith legitimacy and a fair chance o f winning, it does not mean (hat am ong themselves m inority groups are unified, or that the specter o f racial politics w o n 't rise again. Obledo, fo r instance, at times has attempted to use conflicts between Latinos and blacks to undercut some o f (he support Tom Bradley has gained among Hispanics. Bradley, in tu rn , in his developing embrace o f C alifornia agribusiness, has created fears that he w ill be fa r less a supporter o f Cesar Chavez’ farmworkers than his A nglo predecessor, Jerry Brow n. And when Bradley faces either Mike Curb or George Deukm ejian as his Republican opponent in November, there is some fear the election might well witness a reversion to covert racial themes rem iniscent o t early campaigns. Yet Tom B radley rem ains the front-runner, not just fo r June but November as w ell. A nd M a rio Obledo, despite hs poor showing in the polls, has accom plished his prim a ry (ask: gaining some c re d ib ility fo r a L a tin o candidate fo r higher o ffic e . W hatever the outcome o f C a lifo rn ia ’ s campaign *82, i t ’ s clear that p o litic a lly and dcm ographically the Golden State w ill never again be (he same as when a form er actor on the way to the White House held sway. Copyright Pacitk Nr»» Service odays sound! LOS ANGELES MAYOR TOM BRADLEY by M ary Jo McConahay Robert Gottlieb Pacific News Service O bledo acknowledges he is running a campaign “ addressed to the traditional non-voter.” Latinos have the lowest vo te r tu rn -o u t record among C a lifo rn ia 's cultural groups, and m uch o f O bledo's cam paign has been aim ed at increasing registration. In fact, Obledo seems less to be running for governor than using the governor’ s primary race to heighten p o litic a l and ethnic awareness among fe llo w H ispanics. Recent events have underscored his self- styled cham pion’s role: In the wake o f highly-publicized jo b sweeps by the Im m igration and Naturalization Service aimed at fin d in g undocum ented w o rke rs, and a probe by the US attorney o f persons requesting bilingual ballots, Obledo emerged as one o f the strongest voices condem ning the federal turn it on! take it along for anywhere pleasure - left volume right volume Folding handle tone control tim er FM antenna Pause $99 LED level, indicator' Sanyo AM/FM stereo cassette recorder External speaker- -ja c k s AC/DC Power A utom atic level control Battery LED indicator Telescopic Cue & review A utom atic stop Tone control Tape control buttons 2-way 4 speaker system Top scan tuning antenna' Fold away handle $135 Balance control d Sony AM/FM stereo-radio portable cassette Headphone input — Radios, all stores For free copy of warranty write M&F 621 S W. 5th, Portland, OR 97204 A utom atic tape shut-off 2 4-in. full range speakers Soft eject 2 Built-in m icrophones meierirfrank OREGON’S OWN STORE
