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Education
Health
Economic Development
Housing
Civic Participation
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Education
Over 75% of the 750,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) are Latino. In addition, 10,000-15,000 new Latino students enter the district each year. Outside the LAUSD, there are another 500,000 Latino students in the other 81 County school districts. About one-third of the county's student population is English learners and a vast majority of these are recent immigrants. Unfortunately, school construction and effective teaching methods have not kept pace with the incredible growth in the Latino student population over the last 30 years. As a result, our students receive deficient educational opportunities.
ABC will prioritize policies that address rigorous curriculum, school-community collaboratives, parent engagement, small learning academies and the current dropout crisis. ABC is committed to ensuring that our youth are offered a quality education that will prepare them to succeed in universities and the 21st century workforce. Finally, we will work towards quality education for all children within regional public schools.
Health
It is estimated that 34% of Latino adults and 13% of children in Los Angeles have no health insurance. While programs such as MediCal and Healthy Families target lower income households, various barriers prevent eligible Latinos from enrollment and lead to inappropriate loss of coverage. Latinos account for 68% of those below the poverty line, clustered in low-wage occupations that do not provide health insurance and don't pay enough for individuals to purchase health insurance for themselves or their families. The lack of Latino and culturally competent physicians and other health care providers also prevents effective delivery of health care to Los Angeles' large Latino and immigrant populations. Finally, Latino adults and teens aren't getting enough exercise and are more likely to be obese than other ethnic groups. Ongoing education, improving access to health care, and providing more culturally sensitive care are clearly needed to make Latinos and all populations healthier.
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Economic Development
Individuals and families of all races and backgrounds call Los Angeles home and settle here with the aspirations of fulfillng the American Dream. Homeowenership is often central to that dream. Rightly so, as homeownership represents economic power that lends to improved quality of life. Unfortunately, Latinos don't realize this dream as often as others-Latino homeownership in Los Angeles is 39%, while Whites own homes at a rate of 59% and Asians at 52%. This wealth gap persists in part due to the lower median income Latinos experience, approximately $36,272 in Los Angeles compared to $57,497 for Whites. In addition, Latinos experience persistently higher levels of unemployment than do whites. Across California in 2003, Latinos' monthly average unemployment rate is 9.5% while the average unemployment rate for whites is 7.7%. ABC seeks to promote policies and programs that close the income and homeownership gap in Los Angeles.
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Housing
As of March 2005, the median price of housing in Los Angeles County was $440,000 (Data Quick). A family would have to earn at least $100,000 a year to afford the mortgage for a home at that price. Consequently, teachers, policemen, nurses, firefighters and other working professionals are unable to purchase a home in the communities they serve.
ABC seeks to promote constituent awareness and advocacy to promote affordable housing development. We do not believe that our community is aware of the current high end development trends that will ultimately block most Latino families out of quality rental and homeownership opportunities.
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Civic Participation
Latinos have made Los Angeles their home but they have yet to fully integrate into civic life, partially because not all Latinos are eligible to vote. Overall, at 43% of registered voters, Latinos have higher rates of turnout than the population as a whole (40%). Still, a significant proportion of eligible Latino citizens (48%) are not yet registered, underscoring the point that there is much more potential for increases in Latino voter turnout through civic education and registration. ABC seeks to further educate and mobilize the Latino population to be more civically engaged towards a better their quality of life.
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