Commentary:
By Herman Baca
President, Committee On Chicano Rights
History will judge. To no one’s surprise, voters in National City (NC), with a 90% minority population; approved Prop “D” the 200 million so-called penny sale tax for 20 years!
The political question is why would NC, S.D County’s poorest city, third in California, 70% Chicano population, with a medium income of $37,000; vote to tax themselves to pay obscene salaries and pensions for city employees, that don’t even reside (the majority) in NC? Example; 22 police and 33 firefighters are paid over $100,000 a year, but only 5 policemen (out of 82) and 1 fireman (out of 41) reside in NC? A simple explanation would be Winston Churchill quote, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
However, history is never that simple. A historical analysis of Prop “D” and the 2014 elections manifests a deeper historical social, economic, and political problem affecting not only NC, but numerous poor Chicano communities (such as Bell, CA) thru-out the South West.
The reason, a tsunami demographic change that has made Chicanos/Mexicanos/Latinos the majority and whites the minority population in numerous communities. In my 45 years of being involved in community issues this demographic change instead of bringing about solutions to the myriad of issues afflicting our people has instead brought an increase of police repression, and economic rip-offs by the shrinking white minority political establishment. Proving the old political axiom, “The privilege never gives up their privilege voluntarily.”
Who can deny that police repression has increased with over 2 million Mexicans being deported, and more of our youths being in prisons than in colleges? Who can also deny that majority Mexican communities such as Bell, and now NC, CA are being economically rip-offs by white politicians (supported by their hired Mexican supporters) increasing salaries, benefits and pensions for predominately white employees? Why, because they know that sooner or later the present white political power system will be replaced by the increasing Mexican majority.
Unfortunately, at the present time our demographic explosion has obviously not been reflected in either the 2014 national elections or local elections. At the national level the defeat of the inept Democratic Party that lost the U.S. Senate and numerous Governorships to the racist right wing Republican Party, while still maintaining control of the House of Representatives.
The Republican Party’s control of both houses will insure that issues of concern to our communities, such as immigration reform, the Dream Act, jobs, education, etc., will now be totally ignored, and the militarizing of the U.S./Mexico border will increase.
At the local level, another example of our political powerlessness was the humiliating defeats suffered by His & Her Panic mayoral candidates, and the election of never do nothing His-Her Panic candidates in cities with clear majority Mexican populations.
In NC with a 70% Mexican and a 9.8% white population the His-Panic mayoral candidate received 27% of the vote, while the white entrenched Mayor received 73%! In the city of Escondido with a 51% Mexican and a 39% white population the Her-Panic candidate received 33% while the dye in the wool racist elected Arab mayor received 60%! With our Chicano/Latino population in the U.S. numbering over 55 million (from 7 million in 1970) the 2014 national and local elections clearly manifested that something is drastically and fundamentally politically wrong in our communities.
The question of why this continues to happen in every election with our massive population is always raised by individuals concerned with our empowerment. Obviously there are numerous external and internal reasons as to why, but the best way I can address this question is by recounting a recent dialog I had with a young student. He stated he was attending college and asked if he could ask me a question? “What is your question?”
My question is, “How many gringos live in NC?” I responded, “Allow me to answer your question this way, if we lined up 100 residents from NC, 10 of those persons would be gringos.” In turn he responded, “How many Mexicans live in NC?” I responded, “If you line up the same 100 persons, 70 of those persons would be Mexicans.”
He stated, “I didn’t know that” to which I responded, “let me ask you a question, who is the Mayor of NC?” His responds was, “Isn’t it a gringo?”
“Let me ask you another question?” “When the gringos were 70 persons out of the 100 and we were 10, do you think they would have elected a Mexican as mayor?” He started to laugh, and I asked him, “What’s wrong with that picture?” He responded, “I never thought about it that way?”
“Let me ask you another question, how many people are on the NC City Council?” He said “No se?” I responded “there are 4, how of many of them are Mexican?” Again he responded, “No se?” I informed him “all 4 persons are Mexicans, and if they had flunked math?” His response, “Why do you state if they flunked math?” I responded, “I told you there are 4 Mexicans on the council, and if it only takes 3 votes to do anything, why don’t those 4 council Mexicans ever say, or do anything about NC being the poorest city in SD County?” Again he responded by stating, “I never thought about it that way?”
I proceed to inform him, “look you’re going to college, so I am going to explain to you what you’re asking me. What you are asking me is called a historical problem. That problem was here before you and I were born, it’s here right now (if you open your eyes), and it’s going to be here until something is done to correct it.”
I continued to inform him that, “what the gringo mayor being elected tell us, is that the 10 gringos control NC economically and politically. What the 4 don’t say, or do anything Mexicans council members tell us, is that the 4 council persons are nothing but employees just like the workers that pick avocados in Fallbrook. And they can be hired and fired anytime the 10 gringos want. If you don’t believe me, ask little Ralphie Inzunza, that’s if he’s out of prison.”
“There’s one other problem?” To which he responded, “What’s that?” I told him, “you and the 70 Mexicans out of the 100!” He exclaimed, “Why?” I told him “because you don’t even know (and you’re going to college) who the mayor is, so what’s the difference if there’s 10 gringo or 2, you don’t know about it? Also, you don’t know who the Mexican council people are that supposedly represents you, and spend your money.” I finally stated “Let me ask these questions, are you registered to vote, and do you vote?” He responded, “NO” to both questions. To which I responded, “Why then are you wasting my time? You not only not know, and even if you did you and the 70 Mexicans (I have to assume) can’t do anything about it anyway!”
His final response was, “I never thought about it that way?” I then closed by telling him, why don’t you go back to college and think about it?