In Los Angeles County, civil rights and equal employment in the local government workforce have been historically defined as a Black-White issue. This parochial definition has served to restrict and minimize Hispanic public employment opportunities. One rationale used to accountfor and justify Hispanic underrepresentation, by both government officials and Black employee leadership, is a myth of a lack of an educated and qualified laborpoolfrom which to meet equal employment goalsforHispanics. Hispanics constitute the only major ethnicdracial group that remains underrepresented in virtually all segments of this local government workforce. Perpetuation of the myth of the lack of an educated and qualified Hispanic labor pool has relied heavily on references to the lower rates for Hispanic high school and college graduation compared to rates for non-Hispanic minorities. The current research discloses that from 1979 through 1992 the actual number of Hispanic high school and college graduates in Los Angeles County and Hispanic college graduates in California was greater than that for Blacks, and in many cases exceeded thatfor all other minorities combined.
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