For California’s Latinos, population milestone is “call to action”

From NBC Latino:
Latinos now match non-Hispanic whites — both are currently 39 percent of the state’s population. And by 2014 - according to the California Department of Finance, California will then become the second state in the U.S. where Latinos are the largest ethnic group after New Mexico. By 2020, Latinos in California will make up 40.7 percent of the state’s population, while whites will be 36.6 percent. The shift has already brought political changes to the state — and it has benefited the Golden State’s Democrats, according to Louis DeSipio, professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine. “Latinos are now part of the governing coalition in California,” says DeSipio. “Their position is ensured by the presence of a sizable number of white Democrats. When they vote together, they ensure Democratic victories in statewide offices and an increasing number of Congressional and legislative seats. Based on this alliance, the Democrats now dominate the Congressional delegation and have large majorities in both houses of the state legislature,” he explains. “This was not the norm as late as the mid-1990s, and the growth of the Latino vote, along with some additional movement into regular Democratic voting, explains much of the change,” DeSipio adds.

For the full story, please visit http://nbclatino.com/2013/07/05/for-californias-latinos-population-miles....