January 21, 2011 | 4:32 PM | By

Compton: A shifting population, except in City Hall

FILED UNDER: Culture/Identity, Politics/Justice, 2010 Census, Compton, Latino voters, Los Angeles County, South Los Angeles

NYTimes.com

Screen shot of a race and ethnicity map of the Compton area from the New York Times' "Mapping America: Every City, Every Block" interactive project. Blue dots represent African Americans, yellow dots represent Latinos, red dots represent Asians and green dots represent whites. Each dot represents 25 people.

When the initial 2010 census results were released last month, the attention quickly turned to the nation’s growing Latino population and, in turn, how it will shape the political landscape.

While the U.S. Census Bureau has yet to release new data on race and ethnicity, it’s already clear that some of the states with the biggest population growth, and which will gain Congressional seats, also happen to be states where Latinos have come to represent a bigger chunk of the population in recent years. But does this necessarily translate into more political clout for Latinos? And as these population shifts take place, what shape do they take at the neighborhood level, culturally and politically?

An interesting case study is playing out in Compton, a working-class Los Angeles County city that was long predominantly African American (some may remember it as the Compton of N.W.A’s 1988 hip hop classic Straight Outta Compton) but where Latinos now make up two-thirds of the population.

California’s population gain in the past decade, including among Latinos, has been relatively minor compared with many other states. Still, a demographic shift has been felt throughout the past decade across a broad swath of Los Angeles County where African Americans were once the majority.

Compton, due east of South Los Angeles, is in the throes of a cultural and political struggle between its traditional residents and its newer ones, as both groups compete for political clout and limited resources in a community where the 2009 annual per-capita income was a little over $13,000.

To recap:

  • In December, three Latina residents sued the city under the 2001 California Voting Rights Act, claiming that Compton’s at-large city council elections violated Latinos’ civil rights by weakening their voting power. Though the city is now majority Latino, all four city council members and the mayor are African American. Since 2000, half a dozen Latino candidates have run for office and lost.
  • Earlier this week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a request by the plaintiffs to delay Compton’s city elections until a trial determined the outcome of the lawsuit. A primary election is set for April primary, with the general election in June.The idea of the lawsuit is to change the way the city votes, moving from the at-large system to district-restricted voting, which the lawsuit alleges would give Latino candidates a better chance as voters choose candidates within a district.
  • At the same time, only 7 percent of Compton’s voting-age population turned out for a 2009 primary election, according to the Los Angeles Times. Critics of the lawsuit have pointed to this and wondered whether that’s the real problem, and how much of a factor is the inability of some Latino residents to vote.

What’s happening in Compton has happened to one degree or other in neighboring communities, such as Lynwood. In a way, it may also exemplify how a growing Latino population doesn’t necessarily translate into a political edge, at least not yet. As we pointed out earlier this week, the polling firm Latino Decisions recently delivered this analysis in relation to the census:

The difficulty for Latinos in the reapportionment and representation process is this: states will gain legislative representation due to surges in Latino population, yet millions contributing to the net population growth are not able to vote due to age or citizenship status.

One-third of all Latino American citizens are too young to vote, and another 12.8 million Latinos are not eligible due to citizenship status.

About a third of Compton’s population is under 18, and close to a quarter are non-citizens. Still, some question whether better voter outreach among eligible Latino voters in the city could be enough to gain a council seat. One man posted this comment on KPCC’s website after the Patt Morrison show recently featured a segment on the Compton lawsuit:

60% Latinos with only 7% voter participation shows me that the Latino community has not used all the avenues available before going the lawsuit route. Exhaust all that and then sue.

  • 1tag

    There is many predominantly Latino communities and very few predominantly Black communities. And the ones we have are so fragile. We need the space tackle the bad and develop the good. Just when that was starting to happen, BAM, we’re hit with the demands with the needs of an outside culture we are not equiped to handle. Give us some space will you? There are many other communities you full of Latinos, You’ll probably be more happy there….Space please!!!

  • Anonymous

    For God sake, they are ILLEGAL ALIENS! How can illegal aliens use the 2001 California Voting Rights Act to confiscate the electoral system? Easy. This is California.

    Can you see where this is going? If the courts rule in favor of the plaintiffs, then the illegal aliens will effectively be given the right to vote. Then illegal aliens can levy taxes against US citizens and take everything they have! Don’t say it can’t happen. We are already forced to pay for their education and health care. Seriously, we are almost to the point at which US citizenship is more a liability than an asset.

  • Quiz_cat

    One of the bedrock political principles of Marxism-Obamaism is that prosperous Western societies have the duty to cede their soverignty to hordes of illegal aliens in order to refashion prosperity into the miserable Third World societies they come from.

    To effectively impose global tyranny over humanity the Left must first destroy all borders (but only First World borders, mind you) so that the resulting anarchy creates the demand that an all-powerful government “do something” to restore order.

    It’s at that point where Marxism-Obamaism becomes the reincarnation of Stalinism and official State Terror.

  • Fritay07

    The laws are plain, you must be a citizen to vote. And rightly so, if you are in the country illegally, then you give up all rights associated with citizenship.
    If the case were to be anything other than this, then Mary is right, it’s more of a liability (at least fiscally) to be a citizen, than to be an illegal.
    Any questions, I’d urge you to consult Websters and look up the definition of illegal !

  • Willi

    No where in the article does it say illegal aliens will be given the right to Vote It is against the Constitution PERIOD. These observations are wrong and the logic behind the arguments by Mary and Quiz will never be changed, these people hold views and make comments that have NO basis in Law or Fact.

    In fact they are incapable of any civil discussion without attack or blame. These are exactly the tools Hitler and every crazy ideology has used to cause ruin. Appealing to the lowest common denominator ignorance and misplaced rage.

  • Brimstone

    Willi wrote:
    “No where in the article does it say illegal aliens will be given the right to Vote…”

    What the peice does say that:
    “The difficulty for Latinos in the reapportionment and representation process is this: …millions contributing to the net population growth are not able to vote due to age or citizenship status.”

    HUH? God I hope it’s as difficult as possible for non-citizen, law-breaking foreigners to vote in American elections and you should too.

    And people voting purely with regard to ethnic considerations are racists no matter what color they are. Vote for what’s right, not for what’s right for your “people”.

    And I have a problem with the tagline of this series which states:
    “generations of immigrants are creating a new fusion of cultures”

    There can’t be “generations of immigrants”. Everybody after the first generation that immigrated here is born here and is American. That’s what they should call themselves and how they should think of themselves and most of all how they should act.

  • Swolf

    The article does not state “illegal ” aliens; the word illegal does not appear except in some minds…

    It’s a leap from citzenship status and age to illegal.

  • Brimstone

    Swolf wrote:
    “The article does not state “illegal ” aliens; the word illegal does not appear except in some minds…
    It’s a leap from citizenship status and age to illegal.”

    Well, Swolf, since you so very carefully read the piece you must have seen this:

    “another 12.8 million Latinos are not eligible due to citizenship status.”

    Yeah, that’s right, 13 million OR MORE Latinos are here but are not citizens. So you want to get stupid and pretend that those 13 MILLION folks just, you know, are permanent residents or are here on tourist visas or whatever. Is that right? How many of them would you say are here in violation of U.S. immigration law? Which would, you know, make them ILLEGAL ALIENS? None? A couple? Half?

    As long as Latino advocates refuse get real and admit the fact that millions of Latino foreigners have invaded our country illegally, as long as they continue to try to talk around the issue or euphemism it or just plain lie about it, Americans are going to continue to distrust and oppose them. Can you blame us, really? Would you trust people who sneak into your country behind your back- and then try to say they’re not really doing anything wrong?