ABSTRACT
The characterization of the Latino role in the 1992 election is sobering. A number of commentators on California politics and many Latino leaders saw 1992 as representing an opportunity for Latinos to be major players in statewide elections. Using the California experience, this chapter offers the following model of conditions that must be met for Latinos to influence any statewide election. These conditions are subdivided into two categories. The first, contextual conditions, is linked in that each represents factors outside Latinos' effective control. The second category, strategic conditions, is linked in that these conditions are largely within effective control of Latino leaders, organizations, electorates, and communities generally. Many new electoral opportunities for Latinos presented themselves for the first time in ten years. The 1992 reapportionment created a congressional seat in the heart of the East Side of Los Angeles, which pushed the three seats already held by Latinos farther east.
