In the heart of Black Los Angeles, the future of Latino political power emerges

In summary An Assembly election in South L.A. captures the shifting dynamics of ethnic political power in California. One candidate is biracial and pledges to build bridges between Black and Latino voters. Get our weekly newsletter that addresses potential solutions to the widening inequality gap in California. Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. LOS ANGELES — The two dozen volunteers gathered on a Saturday morning at the appropriately — almost cinematically — named Unity House got the message over and over and over again as they reviewed what to tell voters about Sade Elhawary. Her bid for the 57th Assembly District, a historically Black swath of South Los Angeles that is now predominantly Latino, aims to build Black and brown solidarity and the political power of both groups. Elhawary, a 36-year-old former teacher and community organizer seeking public office for the first time, is herself biracial, the daughter of Guatemalan and Egyptian immigrants. “If people learn that stuff,” the deputy campaign manager said as she flipped through a Powerpoint presentation, “they’ll vote for us every time.” Elhawary is running against Efren Martinez, a 44-year-old business consultant and fellow Democrat, at...