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> Home > ***WNMD ONLY*** > News + Media2 > News Releases 2004 > APR 1504 PEOPLE IN POLITICS FOLLOW-UP
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:
URBAN DEMOCRACY AT THE CROSSROADS - LOS ANGELES'
TRANSFORMATION IS TOPIC OF "PEOPLE AND POLITICS IN LOS ANGELES" AT
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
April 15 Conference Includes Fernando Ferrer, NY Mayoral
Candidate, L.A. Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, Calif. Lt.
Governor Hon. Cruz Bustamante, former US Treasurer Rosario Marin,
Senator Richard AlarcOn, La OpiniOn's MOnica Lozano, L.A.
Councilman Bernard Parks, And Others
April 6, 2004 - The rapid growth of
Los Angeles' first- and second-generation immigrant population,
together with the decline of its Puerto Rican, African American,
and white populations, are changing the face of the city.
To explore the implications of the profound demographic
transformation now under way in Los Angeles, the conference "People
and Politics in Los Angeles," will be hosted by Loyola Marymount
University's Center for the Study of Los Angeles on April 15 in St.
Roberts Hall.
The conference seeks to facilitate a dialogue between elected,
activist, academic and media leaders on urban issues, and to make a
contribution to the future of Los Angeles electoral politics by
identifying key lessons drawn from the recent political histories
of Los Angeles, New York, and other large cities.
Featured speakers at the one-day conference include key California
and New York political influencers such as Antonio Villaraigosa,
L.A. City Council member and former L.A. mayoral candidate;
Fernando Ferrer, president of the Drum Major Institute and former
Bronx Borough President; California's Lt. Governor, the Hon. Cruz
Bustamante, former US Treasurer Rosario Marin, California Senator
Richard Alarc�n, La Opini�n's M�nica Lozano;
LA City Councilman, the Hon. Bernard Parks; former L.A. City
Councilman, the Hon. Michael Woo; California State Assembly Speaker
Emeritus, the Hon. Robert Hertzberg; and Miguel Contreras,
Secretary Treasurer of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, among
others.
Sponsored by The Center for The Study of Los Angeles at LMU, The
Drum Major Institute, and Dr. John Mollenkopf of the Center for
Urban Research at the City University of New York, the Los Angeles
event follows a successful New York conference exploring the same
urban issues.
Both events are based on a study commissioned by the Drum Major
Institute entitled "People and Politics in America's Big Cities:
Challenges to Urban Democracy," written by leading demographer
Mollenkopf in conjunction with John Logan of the Lewis Mumford
Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research.
The study explores the patterns and political implications of
racial and ethnic succession in the urban settings of New York and
Los Angeles. The report underscores that significant demographic
changes have complicated the electoral landscape. The result is a
growing gap between the racial and ethnic backgrounds of those who
govern and those who are governed by them. Experience has shown
that cities failing to confront the nature of this "representation
gap" will pay a heavy price.
Initial findings include:
- Latinos and Asians are increasingly
prominent in cities where racial diversity used to be understood in
terms of black and white. This is impacting political competition,
governance, service delivery, and, potentially, the image and
economic fortunes of cities.
- Whites hold political office in
both cities at far higher rates than their populations share and
African Americans hold offices at about parity with their
population or a little more. However, Latinos and Asians hold much
less representation than their population share.
- There is a 20-year "representation
gap" for Latinos and Asians in New York and Los Angeles. The
current level of representation of these groups matches their much
smaller population share twenty years ago.
- The increased diversity in the two
cities led by new immigrant groups has complicated the process of
constructing multi-ethnic coalitions seeking minority empowerment
and introduced challenges for white incumbents, who must seek new
ways to construct a political majority.
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Specific findings with regard to Los
Angeles' demographic transformation will be shared during the
presentation portion of the day, beginning at 1:45 pm. Solutions
for closing the representation gap between the ethnicities of those
in office and the people they represent in Los Angeles will be
discussed during an afternoon panel beginning at 2:15 p.m., and a
separate panel beginning at 4:15 pm will address how coalitions can
be created for a future multi-cultural city. A closing roundtable
at 6 pm will include some of LA's most prominent Latino leaders on
the past, present and future. For more detailed information, see
the attached schedule of events, or for further information on the
day or to RSVP, contact The Center for The Study of Los Angeles
directly at 310.338.4565.
About The Center For The Study of Los Angeles
Using Los Angeles as a laboratory for understanding the urban
experience, the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola
Marymount University has become an academic leader in developing
multidisciplinary courses, producing highly regarded applied
research, and promoting civic involvement. Loyola Marymount
University in Los Angeles is the largest Catholic university in
Southern California. With a strong base in the liberal arts, the
university serves more than 5,300 undergraduates and nearly 3,000
graduate students. For more information, visit the LMU website at
www.lmu.edu.
About The Drum Major Institute For Public Policy
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan,
non-profit organization dedicated to challenging the tired
orthodoxies that impede the achievement of social and economic
justice. Originally called The Drum Major Foundation, DMI was
founded by Harry Wachtel, lawyer and advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. during the turbulent years of the civil rights
movement. Energized by the nationally recognized leadership of
Fernando Ferrer, the Institute's new president, the Institute is
committed to adding a rigorous progressive voice to compete in the
marketplace of ideas, with a goal to change policy by providing
progressive competition. For more information, visit the Institute
website at www.drummajorinstitute.org.
PRESS PLANNING TO ATTEND SHOULD CONTACT LMU'S MEDIA RELATIONS
OFFICE DIRECTLY AT 310.338.2389.
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