by Michael Bustamante

Since its founding in 1885, California has had, to put it politely, a complicated relationship with Hispanic and Latino Californians. Los Angeles, despite being founded by Latinos in 1761, has a similarly challenged history.

Dating back to the 1840s, anti-Latino prejudice led to illegal deportations, school segregation and even lynching – forgotten events that harken back to the civil rights violations of African Americans in the Jim Crow-era South. From the Zoot Suit riots of the early 1940s to farmworker exploitation and “repatriation” of the 1920s and 30s, Latinos have endured much in their fight for equality.

Latinos have consistently struggled to have their voices heard and be “seen” by non-Latino whites. While California’s Latino community has made some progress, considerable work needs to be done to ensure we are adequately represented in government, finance, the entertainment industry and among journalists. A glaring example of this underrepresentation in the journalism field is underscored in a report released by UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Initiative, “Unseen and Underheard: The Underrepresentation of Latino Voices and Stories in the Los Angeles Times Opinion and Editorials Section.”

The report found that only 4.3% of opinion pieces published between January 2020 and May 2021 were authored by a Latino/a, and that the L.A. Times has the worst Latino representation on its editorial board (11%) compared to peer newspapers. Yet the Times is the “paper of record” for a county that is 48.6% Latino and one of the most influential newspapers in a state with a Latino population of nearly 40%.

Why is it important that Latinos be “represented” in the Times’ editorial boardroom? Quite simply because our life stories, concerns, perspective and issues that are important to our community are not being fully represented. Worse, the public’s perception about Latinos continues to be galvanized by what isn’t being reported and a narrative that lacks authenticity. The opinion section of America’s major newspapers, of which the L.A. Times is one, have long-lasting effects on shaping public opinion and policy debates. Influencers and policymakers pay close attention to the viewpoints shared on the pages of the L.A. Times as with other newspapers.

Among its findings, the UCLA report also found:

• Latinos are underrepresented on the national boards of comparable newspapers, including The Dallas Morning News, The New York Times, The Miami Herald and The Washington Post.
• Only 4.3 percent of L.A. Times op-ed pieces were authored by at least one Latino.
• Almost 96 percent of all op-eds did not include any Latino voices. 

Latino communities, their stories and their policy needs are mostly invisible in the content of the L.A. Times editorial pages. Latino communities were not mentioned in over 95 percent of all op-eds published between January 2020 and May 2021.

During the past several years California companies and corporations, along with government and non-profits, have made strides to improve equity and diversity among its ranks. Some progress has been made. Much more is needed. California’s communities of color continue to suffer from the same issues we’ve endured for decades – lack of access to capital, underperforming schools, a gaping digital divide, affordable and culturally competent health care, among other challenges – all issues that begin with a fair and accurate portrayal of a community that represents the largest growth in population in California the last 20 years.

It is well past time for the L.A. Times to take the Latino community seriously and realize our community’s diverse opinions matter. As the UCLA report highlights, the Times can start by increasing the ranks of Latino editorial board members and its line-up of columnists; address the gross underrepresentation of Latino voices by increasing the share of published opinion pieces authored by Latinos; and institute an effective editorial review process that closes the invisibility gap between opinion pieces and their explicit inclusion of Latino issues.

We’re watching! Baby steps won’t work. Demonstrable progress must be made immediately. Anything less is unacceptable for a once proud newspaper in America’s second largest city that’s home to the country’s fastest growing ethnic group.

Michael Bustamante is president and founder of the Latino Consumer Federation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of the Latino community and its growing consumer base. Ironically, the L.A. Times declined to run this opinion piece.