http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/issi_clpr_wp/rss Recent eScholarship items from CLPR Working Papers Sat, 1 Aug 2026 06:18:37 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4016z13d This essay is a Rashomon-like case, in which students wanted to attend college.  It is alternatively an admissions case, an immigration matter, a taxpayer suit, a state civil procedure issues, an issue of preemption,  a question of tuition and higer education finance, a civil rights, case, and a political issue.   https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4016z13d Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Olivas, Michael A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9542p3vc <p>The 1990 U.S. Census estimates that there are over half a million Salvadoreans in the U.S., which means that approximately one of every six Salvadoreans may now reside in the United States. The experience of Salvadoreans differs from that of Mexican immigrants, the largest Latino immigrant group, in that Salvadoreans left a war-torn country and their large-scale migration to the U.S. is relatively recent. In this paper, I analyze the centrality of social networks in Salvadorean migration to the United States. In contrast to most studies of immigrant social networks that emphasize the supportive and generally cohesive side of these social ties, I focus on instances where networks may weaken and even break down, and consequences of this situation for the lives of Salvadorean newcomers.</p><p>This study is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in San Francisco, from late 1989 to 1992. Fifty Salvadorean men and women who had arrived in the U.S. within the previous five... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9542p3vc Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Menjivar, Cecilia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t20159p <p>Increasing numbers of Central Americans, primarily from El Salvador and Guatemala, began arriving in the United States in the early 1980s, fleeing brutal military repression and counterinsurgency efforts in their home countries (Hamilton and Chinchilla-Stoltz 1991, 1998; Julian 1994; Bens 1996; Burns 1988). The Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) concludes that 200,000 people were killed or disappeared, and that state forces and related paramilitary groups onslaught, from 1981 to 1983, as many as 1.5 million people were displaced internally or had to fee the country, including about 150,000 who sought refuge in Mexico (CEH 1999, 30). The Guatemalan Peace Accords in 1996 signaled an end to overt hostilities but no to bitter social tensions, political violence, stark inequality, and severe economic hardship, all of which fuel emigration pressures.</p><p>Numerous scholars have documented the factor contributing to immigration, particularly the critical connections... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t20159p Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Manz, Beatriz Perry-Houts, Ingrid Castaneda, Xochitl https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fn1v3r2 <p>Mexican immigrants and persons of Mexican descent constitute an important and rapidly growing segment of California’s labor force (18 percent in 1990, up from 13 percent in 1980). They are also among the most economically disadvantaged workers in California: in 1989, Mexican-origin households earned on average 33 percent less than non-Hispanic white households, 30 percent less than Asian households, and 6 percent less than black households.</p><p>Disagreement persists over the prospects for Mexican Americans joining the economic mainstream of American society. Chavez (1991) claims that the large inflows of recent immigrants from Mexico create a deceptively pessimistic picture of Mexican-origin workers in the U.S. labor market, and that U.S.-born, English-speaking Mexican Americans have enjoyed rapid progress over the last couple of decades and are approaching the labor market status of non-Hispanic whites. According to Chavez, Mexican Americans are making steady progress... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fn1v3r2 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Trejo, Stephen J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68v9378k <p>The United States, a self-styled nation of immigrants, is debating its outlook toward newcomers once again. The policies of increased immigration and expanded legal and political rights for immigrants ushered in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Lemay 1987; Shuck and Smith 1985) are under attack. Today, the political landscape is littered with proposals to reduce immigration, seal the border with Mexico, and reduce government expenditures by limiting the access of both legal and illegal immigrants to government services and benefits. As the policy conflict intensifies, politicians and interest groups on both sides of the issues are striving to shape mass opinion with arguments about the value and cost of immigration (Clad 1994; Passell and Fix 1994).</p><p>This paper thus focuses on the foundations of public support for restrictionist demands. In this context, our principal concern is the precise role of economic motive in determining policy preferences. This... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68v9378k Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Citrin, Jack Green, Donald P. Muste, Christopher Wong, Cara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63r3m85r <p>This study examines key characteristics and external factors that influence health promotion and disease (HPD) programs serving Latina and Latino (L/L) youth. It also explores challenges associated with program development, sustainability, and the relative capacity to respond to historical and emergent problems experienced by this population.</p><p>California is experiencing an increase in risk behaviors among L/L youth at a time when there are significant pressures to limit public sector funding for health and social programs. L/L youth are increasing more rapidly than any other ethnic youth cohort; by the year 2000 they will comprise 39% of all California youth. This rapid population growth is accompanied by an increase in poverty and deterioration in L/L quality of life. By 1991, Latinas under 20 were twice as likely as non-Latina Whites to commence childbearing, and Latinas comprised 56.6% of all unmarried mothers under 20 in California; a 10% increase since 1998. A... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63r3m85r Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Vega, William https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fv83188 <p>The current debate concerning job competition between immigrant and nonimmigrant has intensified because of the large increase in immigration and the simultaneous growth in urban poverty rates for African Americans and other ethnic minority groups during the 1970s. The debate focuses on the possible wage and displacement effects that an increase in immigration would cause for the U.S.-born population. Empirical research on the displacement effects of increased immigration focuses on aggregate, national samples, industrial and occupational sectoral studies, and analysis of labor market outcomes across differences and never considers industrial change (i.e., growth or decline) and institutional barriers, such as high-skilled and low-skilled labor markets.</p><p>Using 1970 and 1980 census data (PUS and PUMS files, respectively) for Los Angeles, by specific types of labor markets (industries and occupations), and according to race and ethnicity (white, black, Mexican, Latino,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fv83188 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Valenzuela, Abel, Jr. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g5598p1 <p>Over the past 40 years, the city of San Jose, in the Santa Clara Valley of northern California, has experienced explosive population and economic growth, fueled by the development of the high-technology industries. Along with the need for large numbers of engineering, technical, and managerial workers, the rapid industrialization of the Santa Clara Valley generated a huge demand for workers in unskilled, low-wage occupations, especially in the manufacturing assembly and maintenance service sector. This vast supply of unskilled, low-wage jobs played a central role in attracting immigrant workers to the region, especially from Mexico and Central America. As Latino immigrant workers have settled in San Jose, there has been an expansion of low-income urban enclave, especially in the Eastside where most of these workers live. In contrast to urban slums resulting from economic decline, these poor immigrant enclaves are the relatively new result of the successful, but highly unequal,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g5598p1 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Zlolniski, Christian Palerm, Juan-Vicente https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3j837022 <p>This report examines the labor force position of Latina and Latino immigrants in California. There has been considerable immigration from Latin America throughout the 20th century, with much of this migration coming from Mexico. In the last 20 years, immigration from Central and South America has increased significantly. How immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries fare in the U.S. economic system is a critical research and policy issue. Prior research points to the particular low status position of Latino immigrants in the labor force (Morales and Ong, 1993). Immigrants are typically concentrated in low wage manufacturing jobs, particularly in the garment, plastic, and furniture industries, as well as in low level service jobs, such as restaurant workers, janitors, and private household workers.</p><p>Overall, it was found that individual factors—especially education and English language ability—were important in explaining the especially disadvantaged... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3j837022 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Ortiz, Vilma https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37c3d7fr <p>This study goes beyond previous studies of Latino immigration, employment in agriculture and related conditions to examine the transformation of whole communities into “colonias” and the impact of Latino concentration on California’s rural areas. Over 140 communities are studies with over 25 facts collected on each community covering Census information on population and socio-economic conditions. The study uses simple regression and cross-sectional analysis to consider whether “colonias” are experiencing possible “underclass” conditions and/ or “exploitation” of rural Latinos and farm workers. On the other hand, the study also examines the possibility that Latinos are developing the positive enclave conditions of self-employment and private business activities in places where they are the majority. In general, we find that colonias are becoming impoverished communities of largely Spanish-speaking laborers and that the challenges facing colonos (the residents of “colonias”)... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37c3d7fr Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Rochin, Refugio I Castillo, Monica D. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/21s0x204 Monitoring in the Garment Industry: Lessons from Los Angeles https://escholarship.org/uc/item/21s0x204 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Esbenshade, Jill https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0jh4j7m0 <p>The Mexican-origin population in California is one of the fastest growing groups in the state, due to high immigration and fertility rates. Despite the presence of a variety of risk factors associated with poor pregnancy outcomes in other populations, Mexican-origin women enjoy low rates of infant mortality and low birthweight. This striking epidemiological paradox in such a significant portion of the state’s population merits close examination.</p><p>This working paper brings together a number of studies that have sought to explain the phenomenon of positive birth outcomes in the at-risk Mexican-origin population. Past studies center around four hypotheses which suggest that 1) selective migration might favor more healthy mothers; 2) protective socio-cultural factors could outweigh many of the risk factors associated with adverse birth outcomes; 3) excessive fetal death within the population eliminate weaker fetuses before birth; and 4) infant death may go unreported.</p><p>An... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0jh4j7m0 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Guendelman, Sylvia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/74j5h83m <p>This working paper examines the relationship between the transformation of labor markets and the role of immigrant workers in a regional context. It analyzes the participation of Mexican immigrants in the labor markets of the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1980s, using data from the Bureau of the Census (Public Use Microdata Samples). In order to analyze employment trends, the paper compares the performance of three groups: native-born, Asian immigrants, and Mexican immigrants.</p><p>The study focuses on tow Bay Area counties that experienced a very high influx of immigrants during the 1980s: Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties. Santa Clara County is home to the Silicon Valley, the most successful high-technology region in the world. The labor demands of Silicon Valley have attracted both highly educated and unskilled immigrants. Contra Costa County, with a history of using Mexican-origin agricultural labor, has recently seen the rapid growth of such sectors as finance,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/74j5h83m Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Alacron, Rafael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sb6r5vn <p>This paper examines the relationship between regional development and labor migration to the United States in the context of NAFTA. To this end, mainly through ethnographic work, the migration experience of people from Tlacuitapa, Jalisco is analyzed to see whether or this flow can be reduced through the implementation of NAFTA.</p><p>The paper develops two principal arguments. First, the current migration process between Mexico and the Untied states is not only the result of push-pull economic factors, as is generally assumed, but also the result of well-developed social networks and the implementation of government policies in both Mexico and the United States as manifested by the formation of a number of “transnational communities,” like Tlacuitapa. The term transnational community describes rural Mexican communities that specialize in the production and reproduction of international migrant workers. This observation leads to a second and related argument: the additional... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sb6r5vn Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Alacron, Rafael