Originally published in the Los Angeles Times February 28, 2005
Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times
By Raphael J. Sonenshein, Raphael J. Sonenshein, a political scientist at
Cal State Fullerton, is the author of "The City at Stake: Secession,
Reform, and the Battle for Los Angeles" (Princeton University Press,
2004).
When people talk about the L.A.
mayoral race, four voter blocs are almost always discussed: African
Americans, Latinos, Jews, and Republicans. Yet one of the largest
groups in the city is rarely mentioned: Asian Americans.
The
2000 census revealed that Asian Americans represent about 10% of the
city's population. When it takes as little as 25% of the vote for a
mayoral candidate to make a runoff, 10% matters.
Additionally,
Asian American voters in California are increasingly showing a partisan
orientation, moving into the Democratic column. From the late 1990s to
the present, national and statewide Democratic candidates have been
beating Republicans among Asian Americans by a 2-to-1 margin. Even in
nonpartisan L.A. mayoral races, Asian Americans picked favorites,
supporting Mike Woo in 1993 and James K. Hahn in 2001.
So,
if they have the numbers and are showing signs of group voting, why
aren't they more prominent in the power equations of city politics?
Citizenship
and voting rates among Asian Americans are part of the problem. They
may represent 10% of the population, but Asian Americans make up only
around 6% of the city electorate. But that cannot be the whole answer,
because even a 6% bloc that makes a clear choice in big races should be
a factor.
One reason for their low
political profile is that, district by district, Asian Americans in Los
Angeles lack opportunities to win elective office or to control who
does win. And yet this is the level where leverage is created and
issues that build a constituency get articulated. Los Angeles election
districts are simply too big and Asian Americans are too scattered to
get a foothold.
There are 15 City Council
districts in Los Angeles, each with about 230,000 residents. Latinos
account for a significant share of the population in half a dozen
districts; African Americans hold voting majorities
in three; Jewish voters are concentrated in several Westside and Valley
districts; and Republicans are numerous in the northwest and eastern
Valley.
By contrast, Asian Americans are
numerous everywhere, but dominant nowhere. Even Koreatown has a
majority Latino population. And because neighborhoods with lots of
Asian Americans are divided geographically from each other, they cannot
be easily combined into one or two council districts. That means Asian
American candidates are most likely to emerge in heterogeneous
districts. Mike Woo was elected to the City Council from the old 13th
District, including Hollywood, where no blocs dominated. Woo had a
quality that Asian Americans must cultivate to solidify their clout --
crossover appeal.
The role of demographic
concentration can be seen in comparing Asian American political
prospects at the state level with the situation in Los Angeles. There
are eight Asian Americans in the state Assembly, five Democrats and
three Republicans. Most of them represent districts with higher shares
of the Asian American population than Los Angeles, such as San
Francisco, Monterey Park and Garden Grove, and they are more likely to
represent suburban than urban areas. Of course, even in these races
Asian American candidates must build crossover coalitions.
One
way to jump-start Asian American electoral success in L.A. would be to
create smaller City Council districts or separate boroughs, with their
own elected councils, but such ideas may never materialize. More
immediately, the city's new neighborhood councils provide leadership
opportunities with a real electoral future, and these positions could
supplement current Asian American civic participation as public
employees, community activists and members of city boards and
commissions.
The more Asian Americans who
get elected, the more the population will have a political focus. With
that may come even more voting and wider citizenship efforts in a
reinforcing cycle that can make Asian Americans a major force to be
reckoned with in Los Angeles politics.