Davenport Institute

Research Reports

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The Changing Face of the San Fernando Valley

Joel Kotkin & Erika Ozuna

2002

THE CHALLENGE TO LEADERSHIP

The road to building a successful Valley on a mestizo model will not be an easy one. The process of ethnic change is both dramatic in its effects and gradual in terms of overall integration into the general society. The first generation - whether Latino or Armenian, Vietnamese or Iranian - inevitably will be slower to adapt to the new reality than their children. Similarly, the children of Anglo Valley residents may be more amenable, and influenced, by the growing diversification of the region than many of their parents.

For these reasons, it is critical for the leadership of the Valley - religious, political and economic - to focus on those issues that will help ease the region's transition towards the mestizo model. In many ways churches, mosques, Buddhist temples and synagogues may have the most critical role in the early stages of the integrative process. There are at least 1,500 such institutions in the Valley, and many of them play an important role as providers of social services to immigrant and poor populations as well as to both elderly and youth. Notes Rever end Ronald J. Degges of the San Fernando Interfaith Council:⁷⁴

"All across this Valley, there is great religious diversity. People are all over the spectrum. Change is the one constant that confronts us all. There are many stumbling blocks facing our religious leaders and their communities of faith. Tested daily by the pressures of their vocation and the external focus of culture, they continue to serve, give and celebrate."⁷⁴

This focus on creating a greater sense of unity within diversity requires similar inspiration from the community and the political arena. Valley leadership, as can be expected in a sprawled, semi-suburban environment, tends to be very localized, with little focus on the broader issues impacting the community. There is a need, as Pepperdine graduate student Luci Stephens suggests in her study, to develop vehicles for celebrating the Valley's new identity as an increasingly diverse, cosmopolitan community.

This could take the form of Valley-wide festivals that would stress that the community's diverse segments are part of an encompassing commonwealth. It could be seen in the current drive to preserve and celebrate the Valley's history - including its ethnic past - as part of a general identity. The idea, as Ms. Stephens suggests, is to create a "loved tradition for many generations to come."⁷⁵

Ultimately, these initiatives also need to be supported by enlightened business and political efforts. The fundamental problems facing the Valley - education, housing, and crime - cannot be disassociated from the changing complexion of its population. They are essentially the same thing; just as the greater cultural vibrancy, economic and demographic economic and demographic dynamism are also reflective of these changes.

In tackling these challenges, the Valley's leadership must work not only to address these issues but do so in a way that stresses the common challenges an increasingly diverse population faces. There is no Latino housing crisis, or Armenian crime problem, or Vietnamese education deficit. These are common problems faced by all Valleyites; they can only be solved by this community acting as one.