Nevada’s Hispanic population growth has yet to hit Legislature

Friday, Sept. 1, 2000 | 4:16 a.m.

That's up from just 7 percent in 1980 - and state Demographer Jeff Hardcastle expects the figure will climb to 21 percent by 2010.

At 17 percent, Nevada has the fifth-largest concentration of Hispanics in the nation. New Mexico ranks first with 40 percent, followed by California and Texas, each with more than 30 percent, then Arizona at 22 percent.

As of July 1, 1999, 304,364 Hispanic residents lived in Nevada, a state once part of Mexico that is named after the Spanish word for its snowcapped mountains.

But none of them served in the state Legislature.

In contrast, five of the 63 legislators are black, although the black population of the state is 140,031, less than half of the Hispanic total.

The lack of Hispanic legislators has prompted Spanish-surnamed community leaders to try to register more Hispanics and get them to the polls. And they are looking for young residents interested in politics.

"It will happen," said Brian Ayala, president of Alianza Latina in Las Vegas. "The basics come first. Register and vote. It takes time. Quality Hispanic candidates will surface and get a lot of support."

Alianza Latina, Hispanics in Politics and other Hispanic organizations in southern Nevada have launched Project 2000, a nonpartisan drive to register Hispanics. They show up at nationalization ceremonies and try to register all the new American citizens.

So far they have registered more than 3,000 people. About 80 percent are Hispanic.

Former legislator Brian Sandoval said it takes time for Hispanics, many of whom have lived in Nevada only a short while, to gain knowledge about politics and to want to participate in public service.

"It may be a generational thing," said Sandoval, a Reno lawyer. "The first-generation families aren't familiar with the state and aren't comfortable with the political process, The second generation is more comfortable. I believe the Hispanic population will be an integral part of state politics in the next 10 years."

Sandoval served three years in the Assembly, but resigned in 1998 when he was appointed by then-Gov. Bob Miller to serve on the high-profile Nevada Gaming Commission. Last year, Gov. Kenny Guinn named him the commission's chairman.

Former Assemblyman Arthur Espinosa of Henderson, elected in 1966, is credited as Nevada's first Hispanic legislator.

Since his time, the only members of the Legislature with Hispanic surnames have been Assembly members Nash Sena of Henderson, Dario Herrera of Las Vegas and Sandoval.

Longtime state Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, also has a Hispanic background from his mother's side of the family.