The End of ‘Go Along, Get Along’ for Chicanos : Bell Gardens: The City Council recall was the opening of a campaign to turn Latino numbers into political clout.

After more than 20 years of struggle for a greater voice in Los Angeles politics, the concept of “go along to get along” simply hasn’t worked for Latinos in general--and particularly for Chicanos. Loyalty to and respect for those in power have brought few gains. The Chicano leadership is convinced it’s time to gain political and economic empowerment by gaining control of the system, even if it means taking it one city at a time.

Out-of-touch politicians who still saw Latinos as the sleeping political giant were jolted by opening salvo of this movement--the stunning recall of four Bell Gardens City Council members. Even some of the recalled council members--all Anglos--still can’t understand what happened (if you believe their comments in the media) and that in itself is telling of what prompted the voters of the city, which is 90% Latino, to turn out the council by a 60% margin. The recall of almost an entire city council is unprecedented in Southern California, except in criminal scandals.

The only scandal here was that as Bell Gardens became more Latino, the established Anglo politicians tried to use a down-zoning ordinance to slyly reduce the impact of brown faces and Spanish voices. The town’s supposedly non-voting Latinos, backed by non-Latinos fed up with an unresponsive council, tossed the rascals out.

Was this Latino voter turnout a fluke? No. Bell Gardens is the first domino in a carefully planned move by Latino leaders to tap their numerical political power. Bell Gardens’ neighbors in the southeast part of the county are next.

Despite claims by one recalled politico that this movement is led by “fanatics,” the forces of change include both ends of the political spectrum. For more than a year, a Mexican-American group has identified communities such as Bell Gardens, where Latinos are the majority population, but not represented on the city council. Businessmen, community activists, public sector leaders, the cream of the crop in the Chicano community--all have embarked on a new strategy.

There’s no denying that the changing face of Los Angeles has its problems and that large numbers of new faces and foreign voices have frightened some old-timers. But Bell Gardens and other towns have erred in failing to involve Latinos in problem-solving and power-sharing.

The new Latino leadership is committed to seeing Bell Gardens (and future targets) succeed with a new council, and to proving that Latinos have the ability to lead and to solve problems.

One of the notable elements of the recall effort was its political range. Business owners and public-sector leaders, Democrats and Republicans, carefully put aside political differences and egos to place Latinos at the center of Los Angeles’ political decision-making.

Latinos are more than 40% of the county’s population and must share the opportunity and responsibility to lead. If we are perceived by some, rightly or wrongly, to be part of the economic problems facing this great region, then we must also be part of the solution.

While we in the Chicano leadership hope to work within the existing political system, we aren’t going to wait for an invitation. We have the talents, the people, the desire to succeed. And, as those homemakers, blue-collar workers and political neophytes proved in Bell Gardens, we have the votes to make a difference.