Tucson, Arizona Saturday, 30 November 2002
By Barrett Marson
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/21130HISPANICS.html
Hispanics gained one seat in the new Legislature, failing to turn dramatic population gains into political clout.
Census figures show Hispanics make up nearly one in four Arizona residents. But when the 46th Legislature goes into session in January, 13 of the 90 lawmakers - or about 14 percent - will be Hispanic.
That doesn't bode well for shining a light on an agenda that already gets little attention, especially considering conservative Republicans will run the show in the Legislature, said Lorraine Lee, vice president of Chicanos por la Causa in Tucson.
"Unfortunately, the agenda that we have many times does not coincide with their agenda," Lee said. "There has to be a realization of the numbers that Hispanics have in this state."
The current Legislature consists of 12 Hispanics, and Democrats have some control in the Senate by virtue of a 15-15 split. Next year, the House and Senate will be solidly Republican. All of the Hispanic legislators are Democrats.
"We always hope that the few representatives that are there are active. But it is almost impossible for them to marshal all the bills through that are important to the Hispanic population," said Pepe Barron, the head of Luz Social Services in Tucson.
Issues close to the Hispanic community certain to come up next year include dialysis treatment for undocumented workers, money for English immersion in the classroom and allowing illegal immigrants to obtain a driver's license.
Whether those issues will get a fair hearing may depend on an Anglo woman - Gov.-elect Janet Napolitano.
Sen. Pete Rios, D-Hayden, said Napolitano must use her office to bring Hispanic issues forward.
"The fact that we have a Democratic governor enhances our position to some extent," Rios said. "It all depends how Janet utilizes the bully pulpit."
Napolitano said she plans to step up. She already questions why the state does not allow illegal immigrants to obtain an Arizona driver's license.
Several other states, Napolitano said, allow it.
"I view this as an insurance issue more than anything else," Napolitano said. "The states that have done this have not had an upsurge in illegal immigrants."
Sen. Ramon Valadez, D-Tucson, said Hispanic leaders have a challenge to translate significant population into strong voter turnout.
"A sleeping giant has been prodded," Valadez said. "We need to capitalize on this opportunity."
Hispanics certainly have the population numbers to make an impact at the polls.
According to the 1990 U.S. Census, about 688,000 Hispanics populated Arizona. The state's total population was about 3.7 million. In the 2000 census, Arizona's population grew to 5.1 million, with the Hispanic population ballooning to 1.2 million.
Valadez said it is not enough to order early ballots or inform voters of the issues. Rather, a high turnout could be accomplished through personal contact with voters.
"That's the only thing that seems to work. There needs to be a direct person-to-person approach," he said.
Hispanics - and Democrats - still have a chance to bring some muscle to the Legislature. However, they will need help from the courts.
Democrats are trying to redraw the legislative map, claiming the current map violates the provisions of a voter-approved initiative that districts must be politically competitive.
Valadez said dispersing the Hispanic vote into several districts makes more political sense.
* Contact Barrett Marson at 602-271-0623 or at bmarson@azstarnet.com.
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