Power of Pulling Together

Newly released census figures confirm the ethnic diversity that Orange County residents see on the sidelines during youth soccer games, in classrooms and workplaces, and in the variety of churches, synagogues and temples being erected.

The snapshot culled from long-form census questionnaires also shows a county in danger of splitting along economic and education fault lines. It underscores the need for political leaders who are capable of identifying and implementing solutions to the potentially dangerous divides.

The census figures provide solid evidence that the ethnic and socioeconomic divisions that once separated Orange County from Los Angeles County disappeared during the 1990s. The two counties that once reveled in their differences now share many of the same problems and promise. There’s even some rumbling that South County might one day catch the secessionist fever now rolling through the San Fernando Valley.

The stereotype of a county that served as a bastion of white flight clearly is dead. More than a million of the county’s 2.8 million residents--41.4%--speak a language other than English at home. That’s not far behind Los Angeles County’s 54%.

Increased diversity creates isolated problems, of course. Recent headlines tell of one Irvine family that drew police scrutiny for allegedly turning a 12-year-old Egyptian girl into a servant.

Radio talk show callers were buzzing about an immigrant father who caught his son stealing candy and meted out the same punishment his mother did years ago in Guatemala--burning his hand over a stove.

Both cases underscore the need for government, schools, churches and other institutions to actively provide social services that help immigrants to understand the role of citizenship in a democracy and learn what’s best left behind in the old country.

Diversity can’t be measured solely by ethnic backgrounds. The census also describes a county dangerously close to being split into haves and have-nots on education and income. The census numbers also confirm that a new “Orange Curtain” threatens to divide the county’s older, northern cities, where many of the less-affluent immigrants live, from the newer suburban areas to the south that house many upper-middle-class and wealthy residents.

Sociologists describe the dramatic differences in household income in the county as the result of a “barbell” economy. One end of the county’s economy is heavy with poor, ill-educated immigrants scrambling to make a living; the other is populated by wealthy, educated citizens. The county’s high cost of living continues to push more residents below the poverty line.

The county must embrace and welcome ethnic diversity and ensure that educational opportunities are in place for poorer immigrants and their children. Institutions ranging from the grand jury to the local PTA must continue to lobby newcomers to join in community and political processes or risk fracturing into divisive factions.

Political leaders can dig in their heels and try to cling to the image of a county that once served as a bastion for an insular brand of politics. Or, they can find ways to harness the power of the county’s diverse population to improve the local economy, improve overall quality of life and ensure that the county has the muscle needed to advance its political interests in Sacramento and Washington. These challenges will test the imagination and commitment of residents, but they also provide an opportunity to make the county an even better place to live and work.