Top Latino opinion makers in Los Angeles release new survey on future of L.A.'s emerging Latino majority

August 26, 2002



City's Prominent Latinos Discuss Critical Issues During Day-Long Event At Loyola Marymount.



MORE THAN 100 of Los Angeles' top Latino leaders today discussed the challenges affecting the city's emerging Latino majority as identified by a new survey released at Loyola Marymount University.

The top five priority issues resulting from the survey and discussed in roundtable discussions during the day are, in order of concern: Education, Housing, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Health Care.

The current survey of influential Latinos is one part of an ongoing effort by United Way of Greater Los Angeles, LMU's Center for the Study of Los Angeles, and UCLA's Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture to bring attention to the challenges that face the area's entire Latino community, including both the working poor as well as a large, upwardly mobile, assimilated group of Latinos also living in L.A. County. The survey asked 224 Latino community leaders from the business, academic, government, and non-profit sectors to give their views on significant issues facing L.A.'s Latinos. The Latino Leadership Summit is intended to serve as a preliminary step to the development of 10 indicators on the Latino community's well being.

"This survey is not just about numbers, it's about placing in context the progress that Latinos have made since the American Dream Makers Report two years ago," stated Fernando Guerra, director, LMU's Center for the Study of Los Angeles. "Today's summit and survey results re-affirm the growing Latino influence on the cultural, political, educational and economic landscapes in Los Angeles County."

Added Mónica Lozano,president and chief operating officer of La Opinión and chair of the Latino Leadership Summit steering committee: "The top Latino leadership that participated in this summit are acutely aware that L.A. doesn't need yet another listing of facts about Latinos. What we are seeking to accomplish goes beyond merely identifying those critical problems preventing the Latino community from succeeding, our plan is to create a unique and useful 'report card' that will outline specific action steps and a system to track and measure our leadership's success in meaningfully impacting those key areas."

During the daylong event, five discussion groups convened seeking consensus on action items to create better policy and positively influence public opinion around the top five critical issues identified by the group. Moderators and panel guests included L.A. Latino opinion makers Lozano , Guerra , David Hayes-Bautista - director,UCLA'sCenter for the Study of Latino Health & Culture, Rocky Delgadillo - Los Angeles city attorney, Antonio Villaraigosa , assembly speaker emeritus, Antonia Hernandez - president & general counsel, MALDEF; Liam McGee - president, Bank of America-California; and Mary Salinas Duron - first vice president, Countrywide, among many others.

This latest survey follows a landmark report on the status of Latinos in L.A. County entitled American Dream Makers: Facts and Opinions about L.A.'s Emerging Majority, also jointly conducted by the three parties and released in January 2000. The report provided a portrait of Latinos, their contributions to L.A.'s growth, and the challenges to be faced by the city if progress is not achieved in key areas, and was championed by the United Way.

"United Way is committed to continue being a facilitator and convener in issue forums like the Latino Leadership Summit," stated Joe Haggerty, president of United Way. "Identifying and implementing mechanisms that will address key issues and monitor the future progress of the emerging Latino majority is critical for the overall well being of L.A. County."

The Latino Leadership Summit will reveal its definitive findings and recommendations in an Indicators of Latino Well Being Report Card to be released in the spring of 2003.

About The United Way
By examining the trends with community leaders and donors, United Way of Greater Los Angeles is Bridging the Gap in our community - helping more than 3 million people improve their lives with new opportunities, and empowering our community to reach its full potential. By funding programs in three specific goal areas, United Way is helping provide community solutions where they are needed most.

About The Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles was chartered in 1994 by Loyola Marymount University. The Center focuses on undergraduate education, using Los Angeles as a laboratory for understanding the urban experience. The Center is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding in order to promote a more just and ethical community. In that spirit, the Center's research and programs assist students, faculty and the University in becoming agents for change that leads to justice.

About the Center for the Study of Latino Health at UCLA
The Center for the Study of Latino Health/ Centro de Estudios de Salud Latina (CESLA) is an entity of the Division of General Internal Medicine of the UCLA School of Medicine. Through its various projects, CESLA provides a focus for teaching, research, evaluation, technical assistance and provides training in different facets of Latino health. CESLA was established in 1992. Under the leadership of Professor David E. Hayes-Bautista, CESLA has informed the public about Latino health, demographics, and issues related to welfare and immigration.

About La Opinión
La Opinión is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the nation. It is distributed throughout the five-county Southern California area and reaches over 489,000 readers daily. The Lozano family has published the newspaper since its founding and owns a fifty- percent stake in Lozano Enterprises, the corporation that publishes La Opinión.