Despite many political firsts, Latinos see slow progress reaching equal representation in local elected office

Caroline Bañuelos, photographed before she set out to canvass a neighborhood near West Park during her run for District 5 City Council in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. This is her fourth run for a City Council seat and she’s been campaigning since May. (Erik Castro / For The Press Democrat)

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT For Caroline Bañuelos, a longtime Santa Rosa resident and civic leader, the alarms started going off more than 30 years ago. Sonoma County, and Santa Rosa especially, were changing, with an influx of Latino families settling down in the area.

Local governments weren’t prepared to serve them, Bañuelos recalled. Nor were many of the new constituents able to engage easily with local leaders.

The changing demographics put greater pressure on schools, city and county government and beyond to meet the needs of a more diverse community. The situation also revealed gaps in services and showed local governments, in some cases, were ill equipped to step up, Bañuelos said. Caroline Bañuelos, canvassing a neighborhood near West Park during her run for District 5 City Council in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Erik Castro / For The Press Democrat) Schools struggled with integrating Latino students into […]

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