UCLA Report Examines Racial Redistricting and Asian American Representation in Los Angeles City Elections

LOS ANGELES – May 30, 2023 – A new report from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center has found that race and ethnicity played significant roles in determining both citywide and local Los Angeles City Council elections in 2020 and 2022.

 

The report, “Asian American, Latino, Black, and White Voters in Los Angeles City Elections:  Racial Diversity and Representation in 2020 and 2022,” examines how Asian American voters faced barriers against electing their preferred candidate of choice due to the strategic way representative districts have been drawn, as well as the degree of Asian American underrepresentation in Los Angeles city government.

 

“This report provides a much-needed look at the impact of race and ethnicity on elections in Los Angeles,” said Karen Umemoto, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. “It is clear that Asian American voters are facing significant barriers to electing their preferred candidates, and that more needs to be done to ensure their voices are heard.”

 

“It was extremely important for the East West Bank Foundation to participate as a sponsor of this study. This report is a valuable tool for understanding the challenges that Asian American voters face in Los Angeles,” stated Travis Kiyota, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Corporate Affairs of East West Bank.

 

The report found that Asian Americans are more likely to be the minority voting group in each district, and that this makes it more difficult for them to elect their preferred candidates. The report also found that Asian Americans are less likely to be represented in local government than other racial groups.

 

“This report is a wake-up call for Los Angeles leaders,” said Bill Fujioka, chair of the Japanese American National Museum Board of Trustees. “We need to do more to ensure that Asian Americans have a fair chance to elect their preferred candidates and to be represented in local government.”

 

The report provides several recommendations for how Los Angeles leaders can address the issue of Asian American underrepresentation in local government. “This report shows that the lack of representation is at its root a structural problem that can be fixed. We can take action as Asian Americans to both get our communities registered and voting, but also to call on everyone who values a strong democracy to fix this issue,” noted Aquilina Soriano, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center.

 

“We hope that this report will help to spur action on this important issue,” said Natalie Masuoka, associate professor of political science at UCLA, and one of the primary authors of the report. “Asian Americans are a growing and important part of the Los Angeles community, and they deserve to have a fair voice in our city government.”

 

“This report is a clear call to action for Los Angeles leaders,” added Nathan Chan, assistant professor of political science at LMU, and the other primary author of the study. “We need to take steps to ensure that Asian Americans have a fair chance to elect their preferred candidates and to be represented in local government.”

 

The report was released this morning at a press conference at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy – Japanese American National Museum. A copy of the report can be accessed at:

 

https://www.aasc.ucla.edu/resources/policyreports/RacialDiversityandLosAngelesCityElections.pdf