An interesting case study in the pitfalls of defining Latinos as a monolith can be seen in the sharply contrasting voting results from from Huntington Park and Montebello, two largely Latino blue-collar suburbs of Los Angeles with similar population numbers--more than 60,000 residents each--but widely varying demographic make-ups.
Huntington Park, where 92% of residents are Latino, is a new-immigrant enclave that is home to growing numbers of recent arrivals, especially from Mexico. Montebello, with a 68% Latino majority, is a more middle-class bedroom community, home to many multi-generational U.S. residents of Mexican ancestry. In Montebello, residents voted 58%-41% against 227, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. But voters in Huntington Park weighed in against the anti-bilingual education measure by 71% to 28%--almost matching the 3-to-1 margins by which Latinos statewide rejected Proposition 187 four years ago.
The two cities' voting trends also show the more unified opposition to 226 among Latinos. In Huntington Park almost 80% voted against restricting union ability to fund political measures.
* * * The Latino Vote Primary Turnout
1994: 6% 1996: 8% 1998: 12%
[This is percentage of all voters in primary, not percentage of eligible latino voters. --tc]
* * * Proposition 227 Yes: 37% No: 63%
* * * Proposition 226 Yes: 25% No: 75%