Latino Leadership Task Force
BACKGROUND: As the 2012 Presidential election approaches, both political parties are eager to secure the vote of America’s large and influential Latino population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the Latino population in the U.S. will grow to 133 million by 2050, the equivalent of adding a city one third larger than Phoenix (our nation’s fifth largest) – populated only by Latinos – every year until then. Latinos contribute significantly to federal, state, and local tax bases, drive job creation, and even augment the salaries of native-born workers. The purchasing power of Latinos is expected to top $1.5 trillion by 2015. In fact, if the Latino market were a nation unto itself, in four years it would be one of the ten largest economies in the world. As a potential voting bloc, the power and significance of this burgeoning community is considerable, but the “Latino vote” defies uniform definition: Latino communities across the country are diverse and their interests are sometimes contradictory.
The Latino Task Force was convened by the Pacific Council to examine the complex landscape of Latino voters in the United States and formulate specific foreign policy recommendations to President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney in advance of the 2012 presidential elections, advising both candidates on how policy must change to recognize and respond to the growing strength of the U.S. Latino community.
The Pacific Council’s role as southern California’s foremost convener of innovative leaders from the business, political and academic communities adds unique qualification for the undertaking of this Task Force. California has the largest Latino population in the United States, with a majority of the population residing in the southern part of the state. The Council is dedicated to exploring global issues that have special resonance to the Western region of the United States, and to providing a voice for the region’s perspective in order to affect policy on those issues.
Under the direction of Task Force co-chairs Antonia Hernandez and Solomon D. Trujillo, the Pacific Council Latino Task Force is composed of a number of prominent Latino leaders, primarily from southern California, with representatives from the business community, the not-for-profit sector, academia, and others.
TASK FORCE REPORT RELEASE
Additional resources:
Download a PDF list of Task Force members.
View the biographies of the Task Force co-chairs.
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For more information on the Task Force please contact Melissa Lockhart Fortner, Senior External Affairs Officer.