Latino numbers in Census remain a mirage in CA’s Central Valley

The news delivered recently by the 2020 U.S. Census should be great news for Latinos residing in the San Joaquín Valley, anywhere between Arvin in the south and Stockton in the north.

That’s because Latinos, already the majority in six Valley counties, have added to their numbers. In fact, Stanislaus County (currently with a 48.1% Latino population) could join the 11 California counties with a Latino majority when the 2030 census comes out.

The face of the Central Valley, long considered a conservative bastion, keeps getting browner with every census count.

Can you believe Kern County is 54.9% Latino? Yes, the home base for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has more residents who probably favor the crooning of Vicente Fernández over that of country music legend Buck Owens.

Tulare County leads with a 65.5% Latino majority, followed by Merced (61.8%), Madera (59.6%), Kings (56.%), and Fresno (53.6%).

The top universities in the Valley – UC Merced and Fresno State – have Latino majority enrollment.

Some days, Spanish-language programming on KFTV Channel 21 Univisión outperforms that of its English-language counterparts.

Even the all-American sport of baseball has embraced Latino culture with the introduction in 2018 of the Copa de Diversión where minor league teams adopted alternative IDs. The Fresno Tacos, the Visalia Toros, the Modesto Alebrijes and the Caballos de Stockton have proven popular with their uniforms and merchandise.

But, there is something missing.

Unfortunately, those numbers/percentages are not reflected in areas like education, economic stability, housing, health and political representation.

Nowhere else are Latinos just about invisible than in education.

Check this out: In Fresno County, 20.1% of the adult population have at least a 4-year college degree; but only 8.9% of Latino adults have one.

In neighboring counties, the data is worse. Kings County (12% overall vs. 5.6% Latino), Madera County (13.8% overall vs. 6.5% Latino), and, Tulare County (13.8% overall vs. 6% Latino).

Why is education so important?

Because someone with a college degree in California earns an average of $80,000 a year. Someone with only a high school degree can expect to make $36,000 annually.

Education is the great equalizer. It gets families out of poverty. It begins a domino effect in getting other family members to complete college. It leads to a better workforce.

Another area where Latinos lag in is in health care. Not many of them are doctors, nurses or pharmacists. Despite accounting for almost 40% of California’s population, Latinos account for 5% of the state’s doctors, 8% of its nurses, and, 4% of its pharmacists.

That’s sick ... using the old definition.

There are no Latino/Latina judges at the superior court level in four majority-Latino counties in the state: Colusa, Kings, Madera and Merced.

But, nowhere else are Latino shortcomings more glaring than in politics, where publicly elected folks determine where funds go, where growth goes, who gets government contracts, what problems get tackled, and so much more.

Sure, there is a Latino majority in the City of Fresno but the glaring under-representation is at the county level.

You would be wrong in assuming that Fresno, Kern, Merced, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties – all with Latino majority populations – have more than one Latino/Latina on its boards of supervisors.

If the population was reflected in the 30 supervisor seats in those counties, there would be at least 15 Latinos making decisions. Instead, there are six. Or, 20%.

With numbers comes responsibility. If Latinos don’t become part of the solution, don’t expect to see improvements in these dreadful numbers.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 22 de agosto de 2021, 11:35 a. m..