The future of Latino political power emerges in the heart of black Los Angeles

“We cannot be divided,” Wilson said. “This is not the Olympics of oppression. “We were both under pressure.”

District Councilor Reggie Jones-SawyerWho is black? Represented South Los Angeles for 12 years and maturities expire in December. He said he’s heard occasional talk about bringing a Latino representative into his seat, but that it hasn’t been pursued aggressively because he has a strong record of supporting Latin American issues, such as bills providing overtime pay for farmworkers and resources for undocumented immigrants. — that was even better than some Latino legislators.

“My vote was very important to the Latino Caucus,” he said. “I think that saved me over 10 years of trying to get re-elected.”

He faced a fight for political survival in 2020 when Martinez upset him in the first two primaries. Jones-Sawyer said she held a focus group with Latino voters in the district who were more concerned about being able to access public services and get food on the table during the coronavirus pandemic than the civil rights protests that have dominated political discourse post-George Floyd. time.

“It was like lightning,” he said. “Everything we thought was the right course of action was wrong.”

Jones-Sawyer said she refocused her campaign on food deliveries and other direct services, which helped her fend off Martinez. disgusting second round campaign.

“That’s what won people over. “It’s not racist policies,” he said. “I hope we don’t start a war. Because if Latinos and African Americans are fighting each other over resources in a poor area, we both lose.”

Does a multiracial message still resonate with voters?

What sparked Elhawary’s Assembly bid was the racist tape scandal, which showed exactly what such a fight would come to a head in city politics.

Elhawary, a longtime youth organizer with the Community Coalition who was then working on Bass’ mayoral campaign, said he felt compelled to speak out both “as a Black person who knows this is wrong” and “as someone who understands that Latinx people need this, too.” . kind of bringing our community together.” his experience He made a statement at the city council meeting He encouraged her to lead in a different way on behalf of the Black Los Angeles Young Democrats, and a few months later she decided to run.

His campaign emphasized his biracial identity so heavily because Elhawary said it was important to help voters understand his focus on solidarity and social justice. He believes he can play a unique role in the Legislature; She believes she can offer a Latino voice to help build support around black issues like reparations and black issues.

“Folks see every day how we are underinvested in, underserved, and this community has fewer resources,” he said. “And I think that means people know we’re in this together.”

But Elhawary’s past is also something he says he always has to justify; This includes the voters he is currently seeking support from.

During the March primary, Martinez ran an ad calling Elhawary “shady” for using her middle name, Sade, rather than her first name, Zeinab; the Allies was publicly criticized This message for trying to “Blackize” Elhawary to scare Latino voters. Another candidate, reparations advocate Tara Perry, campaigned as the “only African American woman” in the race, implying that Elhawary was not Black because she was not descended from slaves.

“Especially if you can’t connect to the internet, you vote based on who you know,” Elhawary said. “For someone like my uncle, who grew up not far from here, ‘I go down by name,’ he says. ‘Whoever talks like he’s Latino, I’m voting for him because that’s what feels good.’”

It’s unclear exactly what will influence voters in what is likely to be a close race. In the first two primaries, Martinez, whose campaign emphasized public safety, won about 33 percent of the vote, while the uninhibited Elhawary won about 31 percent, while the other three candidates split the rest.

Martinez did not respond to repeated interview requests from CalMatters.

Housing issue stands out as the most important issue in the meetings with voters. But the campaign has also been flooded in recent weeks. Millions of dollars in foreign spending — from labor unions, trial lawyers and Uber for Elhawary, from oil companies, law enforcement groups, and from dialysis clinic operator DaVita for Martinez. A significant part of it is funding attack ads that hit Elhawary for not growing up in the area and Martinez for his affiliation with a terrorist organization. abusive campaign worker.