ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the make-up of California's population particularly in terms of its changing diversity. It looks at domestic migration as well as immigration from abroad, tracing where Californians originated and why they have come. By the turn of the 20th century, Japanese immigrants began arriving to fulfil their dreams of economic prosperity. Contrary to many immigrant groups, Vietnamese Americans enjoy a higher rate of home ownership in California. Fewer live in poverty, compared to other immigrant groups. Opponents of illegal immigration argue that the state of California must send them away because of their overwhelming numbers and consumption of costly state services. In his research on Mexican immigration, Tomas Jimenez observed businesses that discriminate against immigrants hurt themselves because of lost revenues. The equality issue extends back to the days before California attained statehood and when the Spanish, and then Mexicans, mistreated the Native Americans simply because of their race and unwillingness to accept western European traditions.
