Asian Americans are the third-largest racial group in Los Angeles, but a new report shows their numbers don’t translate to political clout.
No district has an Asian American majority or plurality, so their votes alone can’t clinch wins for their candidates of choice, according to the report.
“Only when Asian Americans vote in coalition with other racial groups will Asian Americans’ preferred candidate win the election,” said Natalie Masuoka, chair of UCLA’s Asian American Studies Department and the report’s co-author.
The report provides the first detailed look at the role Asian American voters and candidates have played in recent city elections, and examines where there is untapped electoral potential.
There are large concentrations of Asian American voters in places such as Koreatown, Chinatown and Thai Town, as well as on the West Side. Council District 5, which includes Westwood and Encino, has the largest Asian American population in a district: 21%.
Impact of redistricting
But the report indicates that the geographic dispersion of Asian Americans across the vast city poses an electoral challenge, as does a redistricting process that has not…
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