THE POLITICS OF ETHNIC CHANGE: CRASS-ROOTS RESPONSES TO ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESTRUCTURING IN MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA

Abstract

This paper offers an in-depth analysis of grass-roots responses to urban economic and demographic restructuring. It is a case study of the politics of ethnicity and slow growth in Monterey Park, California, a city rapidly changed by the recent influx of Asian immigrants and capital. Focusing specifically on the ethnic actors and political currents surrounding the City Council election of April 1988, the research addresses two questions: (I) What have been the major political responses to community change in Monterey Park? (2) How have new Asian immigrants and established residents - Latinos, Asian Americans, and Anglos - lined up in the political process? Answers to these questions, which are based on data drawn from ethnographic observations, interviews, and an election exit poll, cast light on the issue of how people are actually living the process of urban restructuring.