[img]1717|exact|Mr. Curren Price||no_popup[/img]
[img]1757|exact|Ms. Ana Cubas||no_popup[/img]
Advantage: Curren Price.
Or is it?
In the May 21 showdown for the Jan Perry-vacated 9th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council, the state senator who – for the moment – represents Culver City in the state Legislature, appears to clutch the most significant marbles in any political race:
- Fundraising.
- Name recognition.
- On-the-job experience, a euphemism for exposure.
Add one more:
- Momentum, having won last week’s seven-way primary.
But disturbing potential glitches lurk in the shadows for Mr. Price in this otherwise serene portrait as he warms up for a run against the exotically named Ana Cubas, former chief of staff to Councilman Jose Huizar.
Biggest Hurdle?
Start with the most mesmerizing one that also is the most difficult to unravel:
Demographics – which probably should be the opening thought on the minds of Ms. Cubas and Mr. Price every morning before they begin campaigning.
This historically black region, which stretches from a surviving piece downtown, chopped up in last year’s redistricting, on the north to 92nd Street on the south, no longer is.
Sort of.
In modern times, dating back to mid-20th century when the endearing Gil Lindsay was elected, the 9th has elected black representatives, from Rita Walters to Ms. Perry without a Latino in sight.
Can Mr. Price, who has a hefty but not superstar profile, keep the streak going?
Not clear because blacks no longer are dominant. The neighborhood drastically has changed, to 77 percent Latino, a huge number of whom are grittily poor. Merely 16 percent black, which leaves the remaining 6 percent, Asian and white.
But Look Who Votes
More than one-third of the Latinos, 37 percent, officially are impoverished. Half of the children in the district are so classified.
As native Americans, to coin a contagious phrase, black residents are far more disposed to participate in the democratic process than the Latinos, who include a huge batch of immigrants.
Among the 9th’s registered voters, blacks comprise 40 percent, a key gain for Mr. Price.
Last Tuesday night at Mr. Price’s victory party, halfway down south Broadway at the Paradise Baptist Church, the celebrants, unsurprisingly, were dominantly black, with a sprinkling of Latinos.
If Mr. Price is to repeat last week’s 294-vote victory, 2452 votes to Ms. Cubas’s 2158, there is no doubt he will need to master the 9th’s primary culture.
And avoid what happened at a late-campaign debate:
Tall, handsome, seasoned and oozing charm, the personable Mr. Price greeted the largely Latin audience in a language he is working on mastering.
“Buenas tardes,” he said.
Their response was marred by amazed chuckles.
It was 10:30 in the morning.
(To be continued)
