DOCUMENT RESUME .ED 022 589 RC 002 576 NEGROES AND MEXICAN AMERICANS IN SOUTH AND EAST LOS ANGELES, CHANGES BETWEEN 1960 AND 1965 IN POPULATION, EMPLOYMENT, INCOME, AND FAMILY STATUS; AN ANALYSIS OF A SPECIAL U.S. CENSUS SURVEY OF NOVEMBER 1965. California State Dept. of Industrial Relations, San Francisco. Fair Employment Practices Commission. Report No-76123-501-12-66-2M Pub Date Jul 66 Note-40p. EDRS Price Mr-'41025 HC-$1.68 Descriptors-ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGEMENT, *EMPLOYMENT LEVEL, EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS, *FAMILY STATUS, GFETTOS, HOUSING DEFICIENCIES, LOW INCOME GROUPS, MARITAL STATUS, *MEXICAN AMERICANS, *NEGROES, ONE PARENT FAMILY, POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, *URBAN AREAS, URBAN POPUt ATION Identifiers-California, *Los Angeles, U.S. Bureau of the Census A special survey of South Los Angeles (predominantly. Negro) and East Los Angeles (predominantly Mexican-American) was taken by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in November, 1965, and the results were compared with 1960 census statistics. Although total population declined in both areas, further "ghettoization" took place as percentages of major culture groups increased. Housing conditions and family status deteriorated in both areas. Increases were shown in women heads of households and children living in one-parent homes. Unemployment rates decreased slightly, but not in keeping with the nationwide drop in unemployment. Although median family income increased slightly in both areas, purchasing power fell significantly at a time when real income in both the nation and the west increased. In addition to widespreadproblems of education and job preparation, cultural discrimination was a major problem in South and East Los Angeles. (JH) huT NEGROES AND MEXICAN AMERICA in South and East Los Angeles CHANGES BETWEEN 1960 AND 1965 IN * POPULATION * EMPLOYMENT * INCOME * FAMILY STATUS . :::::;:;:;:, 2.::::: AN ANALYSIS OF A SPECIAL U. S. CENSUSSURVEY OF NOVEMBER 1965 giiiiiili ::::::::::::: 1.:::::::::::: ::::::::. :::::::. %%:::: STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DI\ISION OF FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES San Francisco, California July1964 STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLYAS RECEIVER FROM THE PERSONORORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICEOF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. NEGROES AND MEXICAN AMERICANS IN SOUTH AND EAST LOS ANGELES Changes Between 1960 and 1965 In Population, Employment, Income,and Family Status An analysis of a U. S. Census Survey of November 1965 FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE COMMISSION DIVISION OF FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES 455 Golden Gate Avenue San Francisco, California July 1966 Reprinted January 1968 This report was prepared for the Division of Fair Employment Practices by DIVISION OF LABOR STATISTICS AND RESEARCH California Department of Industrial Relations Other reI 0rts in this series based on 1960 Census data Negro Californians 1963 Californians of Spanish Surname 1964 Californians of Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino Ancestry 1965 American Indians in California 1965 CONTENTS Page 5 INTRODUCTION 9 SOUTH LOS ANaELES 12 Racial comoosition . 13 Residence ftve years earlier 13 Age 14 Marital status 15 Wbmen heads of families 16 Children living in atwo-parent home o 17 Housing . e 17 Labor force and unemployment 19 Occupations 20 Income of families . 0000000000000 . 23 EAST-LOS ANGELES 0000000 . 24 Racial composition . ooo . 0 . 25 Residence five yearsearlier . ******** 25 Age 26 Marital status . ***** ******* 6 27 Women heads of families 27 Children living in a two-parenthome 6 6 0000000000 28 HoUsing 28 Labor force and unemployment . 00000 . o . 000000 00000 30 Occupations . 66666.6411,6410. Income pf families ooieoe 000 6. LIST OF TABLES Page Table lTozal population, Negro, and Spanish surname population. 34 0 2Residence five years ago of populationfive years old and over . 35 It 3Tenure, vacancy rate,gross rent of renter-occupied units, and market value of owner-occupied units 36 4--Men and women in the labor force andnumber unemployed 37 5. -Family income OOOOO O 000 2 OOOOOOOO 38 6--Median family income in currentdollars and in constant 1965 dollars . 0 4 0 0 OOOOOOOOOO OOOOO 39 II 7--Persons in families with male and femalehead and proportion with income belowpoverty level 0 0 40 MAPS AND CHARTS CHARTPROFILE OF THE POPULATION, NOVEMBER 1_965,SOUTH AND EAST LOS ANGELES . O 0 O OOOOOOOOOO 4 0 0 0 6-7 MAPSOUTH LOS ANGELES AND EAST LOS ANGELES AREAS COVEREDBY SPECIAL CENSUS, NOVEMBER 1965 OOOOO 0 ..... 0 0 11 INTROIYUCTION For the past five years the California ecozomy like that of the, Nation', has prospered.. But it has been selective prosperity, reserved largely for the well educated,. white Anglo, Eng Iiisk-speaking citizen. Many Negroes and people of Spanish surname do not share in this prosperity. Their deprivationl has been most heavily felt in the State's largest urban complex, Los Angeles, where high unemployment for minorities, low income for those who are worldng, substandard housing, and one-parent families constitute the past, present. and probable future of many residents in the South and East areas of that metropolis.. Indeed, there is evidence that minority communities in some sections. of Los Angeles,. far from advancing, are steadily sinking below previous levels. Purchasing power of average family income in South and East Los Angeles fell. by $400 between 1960 and 1965. Wh.:Te in the Nation as a whole the unemployment rate of nonwhite men was cut from 12 to 6 percent, the unemployment rate for men in South Los Angeles remained virtually un- changed--Il percent in 1960 and 10 percent in 1965. These harsh facts emerge from a special census survey made in South and East Los Angeler three months after the Watts eruption of August 1965. Some of the deterioration may be attributed to lower averages resulting when the more successful minority families move out of the depressed areas. Such successes are not measured in this report. But the difficulties confronting those who remain in the ghettos continue to multiply; the statistical analysis here supports long-voiced demands that their crushing socio-economic problems be faced clearly. It has often been surmised--and much repeated in the numerous studies that followed Watts--that South Central Los Angeles was a port-of-entry for unschooled, unsophisticated Negroes from the South who buckled at their first encounter with the pressures of urban life. Yet the special census reveals a high degree of residen- tial stability among residents: 87 percent had lived in the Los Angeles area for five or more years. Only six percent fit the description of the newcomer from the South. Again, the report indicates that cultural attributes that once seemed strong enough to survive ghetto pressures are in fact being eroded. The familial cohesiveness or interlocking neighborhoodrelationships that serve to support an individual through his worst times aregiving way to relentless economic and social pressures. Among Mexican Americans, as well as Negroes, the number of broken families is increasing. Casting dark shadows over all the statistics in this report are the fundamental issues of jobs and housing. Along with widespread problems of education and job preparation, discrimination because of race or national origin remains a major problem for the residents of South and East Los Angeles in their pursuit of good jobs or decent housing. Equal opportunity for all, based on merit and ability, is the goal of the Fair Employment Practice Commission. To achieve this end, it joins with other governmental agencies, federal, state and local, and with educational institutions, community groups and all responsible citizens, in working to find solutions to the problems posed by the serious inequities shown in this report. PROFILE OF THE POPULATION South Los Angeles WATTS CENTRAL AVALON FLORENCE PopulationIn Thousands Total: 29,990 Total: 15,510 Total: 41,690 loo 100 100- POPULATION 80 80 80 - Negrola Other III 60 60 60- 40 40 Spanish 1 20 20 20- Surname 0 0 FAMILY INCOME Median family income, 1965 $3,803 $3,743 PERSONS IN FAMILIES WITH INCOME BELOW "POVERTY Lexia.M . Percent of all persons in families 41.5 34.6 34.3 28.0 Percent of all persons in families headed by a woman 66.6 59.7 60.8 I 59.8 MARITAL STATUS Percent of women 147aars and older: Married, husband present 41.9 41.9 39.5 53.3 Separated 13.8 11.8 11.6 9.4 Divorced 7.5 9.3 11.0 6.8 Widowed 11.3 17.8 19.9 11.3 Single 25.5 19.2 18.0 19.2 WOMEN HEADS OF FAMILIES Persons in families with female head as a percent of all persons in families 36.5 29.5 33.2 I 21.9 CHILDREN IN A 2-PARENT HOME Percent of all children under 18 living in a 2-parent home 53.2 53.3 52.1 I 64.9 LABOR FORCE AND UNEMPLOYMENT Percent of men in labor force 57.9 6o.5 64.0 67.8 Percent of women in labor force 25.9 32.3 38.4 32.9 Unemployment rate:men 13.2 12.2 13.1 8.5 woman 13.1 5.7 14.0 9.5 HOUSING Median gross monthly rent $73 $72 $73 I $74 Percent of dwelling units: Renter occupied 66.1 77.3 71.9 63.8 Owner occupied 33.9 22.7 28.1 36.2 Dilapidated 4.2 11.0 6.9 8.4 Deteriorating 22 .2 43.8 37.1 36.7 NOVEMBER, 1965 East Los Angeles GREEN MEADOWS EXPOSITION WILLOWBRO010130YLE HEIGHTS CITY TERRACE EAST L .A. Total: 91,360 Totah 66,920 Total: 31,750 Total: 86,940 Total: 21,970 Total: 69,420 100 - 100 - 100 100- 190 100 80 - 80 - 80 - 80 - 80 80 77.qn, 60 - 60 - 60 - 60- 60 60 40 - 40 - 40 40- 40 40 20 - 20 - 20 - 20 20 20 0 0 0 0 $ 5 009 $5,010 $607 $4,858 $5, 508 $5,305 26.4 25.2 20.0 27.3 21.2 22.7 58.9 53 .1 54.4 54.9 43 .3 44.0 52.3 44.6 56.8 48.2 54.9 53 .7 8.1 9.4 6.1 5.9 4.4 4.4 8.9 10.1 6.6 7.7 4.3 6.