An American Southwest road trip to find the political soul of Latinos

Good morning. I’m Gustavo Arellano, a Metro columnist for The Times, which means I’m allowed to express opinions. Like:

The American Southwest is cool.

But before I get into that, here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• Here’s what a road trip revealed about the myth of the “Latino vote.”
• As killings continue on PCH, Malibu fights to make its iconic roadway less dangerous.
• Long Beach is getting Olympics-ready to the tune of $933 million in infrastructure upgrades.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

Caminos del Southwest: A road trip through Latino America

Turquoise and silver. Tucson and Colorado. Mountains and deserts. And chiles — so many chiles.

The Southwest has many iconic features, but I was in search of none of these when I hit the road this August.

I was on the lookout for Latinos.

Simple enough, right? Latinos have lived in the Southwest for more than 425 years. We are a plurality of the population yet still seen with suspicion by too many. But I was seeking them for a reason — the reason this year: the 2024 presidential election.

So, over seven days— across seven states and nearly 3,000 miles — I found story after story of the Latinos I know: resilient, independent and focused on fixing what’s in front of them instead of being too concerned with the White House rat race.

The headquarters for the Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos in Antonito, Colo. The group is the oldest Latino civil rights group in the country.

(Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

I went down to the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego and saw the Biden administration finishing off the 30-foot border wall that the Trump administration started. I visited Arizona copper country, which has long sent Mexican Americans to Southern California who went on to impact L.A. politics. I saw two memorials in El Paso dedicated to the victims of the 2019 Walmart massacre, the deadliest attack against Latinos in modern U.S. history.

Drove all across New Mexico talking to farmers. To Antonito, Colo., home of the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights group. Checked in with brewers. Hung out with high school youth conference alumni. Didn’t eat historic tacos, but I did stop to smell roadside sunflowers.

Why, I even did a listicle. And videos!

Curious why Latino voters aren’t a political monolith? Its all about rancho libertarianism

Here in California, we’ve long told the story of how Proposition 187, the xenophobic initiative that voters passed overwhelmingly 30 years ago, inspired a generation of Latinos to favor the Democratic Party and thus turn us bluer than the waters of Lake Tahoe. But as I wrote earlier this year, Latino voters have tired of Democrats using the specter of GOP anti-immigrant policies to scare them into sticking with them.

That partly explains the gains that Trump has made among Latino voters since 2020. But my trip also reinforced my belief in rancho libertarianism, a term I coined in 2018 to describe Mexican American voters who aren’t fully liberal or conservative and embrace individualism while still working to better their community.

I found distaste for Trump among the people I spoke to but little enthusiasm for Harris, either.

What Voltaire has to do with Latinos in the ’24 elections

Latinos I talked to weren’t in a doom spiral like too many Americans: They were too busy fighting for and defending their lives and communities, especially against far-away bureaucrats who only think of them come election time. This approach to America at this point in time reminded me of the idea underpinning Voltaire’s finale to his classic satire, “Candide”: Humans need to take care of what’s in front of us instead of obsess too much about the rest of the world.

“I want people to hear the local voice and apply that to the local condition,” Michael Montaño told me, “versus applying everything to the national narrative.” Montaño, with his cousin, owns the legendary Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino.

If only more people thought like him. Anyways, read the whole series here, and don’t forget to cultivate your garden — mine needs some watering. Howzabout yours?

Today’s top stories

Former classmates and friends of Pepperdine students killed on Pacific Coast Highway last year gather in front of the “Ghost Tire” memorial Thursday in Malibu.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Public safety and crime

• As killings continue on Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu fights to make its iconic roadway less dangerous.
• Irvine police arrested two men on sex-trafficking charges, alleging they advertised a brothel on fliers.
• A California foster dad was sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing children, some of whom had been torture victims.

Elections, politics and power

• Times enterprise reporter Noah Bierman spent three days in the “blue wall” states. Here’s what voters told him.
• Labor and religious leaders square off over City Hall’s affordable housing rules.
• Doyle McManus: The presidential race won’t be over on election night. Here’s what can go wrong after that.

Climate and environment

• Lighter winds, cooler temperatures and rising humidity are aiding the crews fighting wildfires in the Golden State
• As bird flu outbreaks rise, piles of dead cattle are shocking the Central Valley dairy industry.
• We went inside the battle to save Mountain High ski resort from a monster California wildfire.

Sports

• The Dodgers defeated the Mets and will face off against the Yankees at the World Series.
• On a rollicking Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers silenced the critics, embraced their birthright and returned to the World Series, columnist Bill Plaschke writes.
• The World Series begins on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

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Commentary and opinions

• Robin Abcarian: Hello, my name is Robin, and I have presidential election poll derangement syndrome.
• Jackie Calmes: Here are the top 10 reasons not to vote for Donald Trump.
• Commentary: What more does Kamala Harris have to do to win?
• LZ Granderson: How will the Mideast bloodshed end? Not with a bullet.

This morning’s must reads

(Al Seib/For The Times)

When the Olympic Games land in Los Angeles in 2028, neighboring Long Beach will also play a supporting role. The city plans to host eight Olympic events and will spend $933 million on infrastructure ahead of the Games. A little more than $210 million of the money will be spent on Olympics-focused projects,” The Times’ Thomas Curwen wrote. “But some caution that even with that commitment, the Olympics could distract from solving the city’s problems.”

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Gusto Bread owner Arturo Enciso sprinkles sugar on freshly baked pan de muerto that has been brushed with melted butter.

(Shelby Moore / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

• 🍞 Make a stop at Gusto Bread, where owner Arturo Enciso is redefining Mexican pastries.
• 🎻 San Diego’s renovated symphony hall looks great, but how does it sound?
• 🌌 Stroll through history at Caltech in Pasadena for PST Art’s “Crossing Over” exhibition.

Staying in

• 👻 This creepy cocktail (and other Halloween concoctions) will help you commune with the holiday spirit.
• 🍪 Here’s a recipe for brown butter espresso cookies.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What’s something that recently made you smile?

Was it a surprise from a friend? A night at your favorite restaurant? Or seeing the Dodgers head to the World Series?

Feel free to email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might be included in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times staff photographer Brian van der Brug.

A crowd watches as movers transport pieces of the Space Shuttle Inspiration, a full-scale mock-up of a space shuttle, along Bellflower Boulevard on Thursday in Downey. The city’s space shuttle prototype is headed to a temporary housing location until its new home at Downey’s expanded Columbia Memorial Space Center is completed, slated for early 2026.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break

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