Asian Americans are California's new 'sleeping giant'

By Paul Ong

In the 1980s and 1990s, Latinos were considered the "sleeping giant" in California politics because of their growing numbers. New research conducted by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, together with the University of California's Asian American and Pacific Islander Policy Initiative Multi-Campus Research Program, shows that Asian Americans are now the "sleeping giant" of state politics.

The center's research points to several major demographic trends that began to take shape in the 1990s. First, the Asian-American population has increased steadily. From 2000 and 2005, the number of Asian-American residents in California increased from 3.8 million to 4.7 million, accounting for 38% of the 2.2 million overall net gain in California's population.

During the same period, the number of Asian Americans in California eligible to register as voters climbed by more than half a million. If this growth continues, more than 3 million Asian-American adults will be eligible to register to vote by the end of the decade, making up about 14% of all Californians eligible to register.

Asian Americans are also showing an increase in their citizenship rates. As many as 71% of Asian-American adults are U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization, illustrating how Asian Americans have gone from being an "alien" population to one fully integrated into society through citizenship. In addition, Asian Americans are making a significant impact on both state and national politics as donors, politicians, state officials and community groups.

These demographic trends bring both new opportunities and challenges for Asian Americans. As they contribute to the nation's cultural diversity and economic success, the remarkable growth in the number of Asian Americans means that public services and elected representation will also need to grow to accommodate the particular needs of the community, as Judy Chu, vice chair of California's State Board of Equalization has said, echoing an opinion widely shared by other community leaders.

However, fully transforming their demographic power into voting power remains a significant challenge for Asian Americans. Recent data suggest that Asian Americans are less likely to register and vote than non-Latino whites and African Americans.

The good news, according to leading Asian American scholars, is that Asian Americans can become an effective voting bloc by formulating a common political agenda that appeals to the community regardless of its racial, cultural, linguistic and economic differences.

As sociologist Yen Le Espiritu, a graduate of UCLA's Asian American Studies program, has noted: "History has shown that Asian Americans can overcome differences to build viable, pan-Asian, political coalitions to promote and protect both their individual and their united interests."

Ong is a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Asian American studies.