Compares and contrasts the effects of social structural factors on the size and generation composition, intraethnic stratification, composition of ethnic elites, and degree of articulation with the larger society of Mexican-American communities in three very diverse California towns: Santa Barbara, Fillmore, and Mendota. (Author/SB)

This study investigated how communities limit teenage childbearing among Latinas, despite high rates of poverty. Data from documents and 167 interviews in eight California communities with low or high birthrates for Latinas aged 15-17 found that communities with low adolescent birthrates had more Latino residents, stronger social networks, and…

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) increasingly is being used to study and address environmental justice. This article presents the results of a cross-site case study of four CBPR partnerships in the United States that researched environmental health problems and worked to educate legislators and promote relevant public policy. The…

This report examines the state of child care in the communities of Livermore, Pleasanton, and Dublin, California. The report's findings indicate that: (1) the area's population of young children has increased 20 percent in the last 5 years, with nearly one-third of these 20,819 children requiring paid child care; (2) although between 1988 and 1993…

A sparsely populated, agricultural area, San Benito County (California) provides library services in conjunction with the Hollister city library and in cooperation with the San Juan Bautista city library. Financing comes from the county general fund. There are no written goals or policy statements and no professionally trained librarians. As…

This report focuses on the increasingly widespread concern over the ability of local government to exert sufficient leverage on population, economic, and spatial growth to make a difference in what happens and to do so in a way so as to effect agreed-upon public policies. Concern over the ability of local governments to manage urban growth and…

This project was undertaken to provide more information on the condition of Asians. More specifically, it sought to: (1) obtain descriptive and demographic data on Asians; (2) determine the extent of usage of existing social services. Structural and attitudinal factors which facilitate or inhibit usage were examined; (3) identify what Asians…

A study was conducted by East Los Angeles College (ELAC) to determine the economic, demographic, and ethnic composition of ELAC's service district. The study involved the examination of community data collected from a variety of sources, including the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department, the Los Angeles Times Marketing Research…

The relationships among community characteristics and community well-being were examined for all 366 rural California communities with a population of 1,000-2,000. High proportions of Latinos and new immigrants in a community population were positively related to unemployment, percent children, and employment in agriculture, and negatively related…

Using in-person questionnaires, 553 newcomers and 106 long-term residents were interviewed in late 1979 and early 1980 in 5 small northern California communities to explore the role of newcomers in developing the rural economy, and especially to analyze the resources emigrants bring with them: their skills, education, background, and business and…

This ethnographic study of the Japanese American community in San Francisco is stated to be aimed at showing how the cross cultural study of personality changes throughout the life style can enrich the understanding of man. Chapters describe collective life in Japan Town against the background of its history; inspect respondents' perceptions of…

Census data were used to predict average district scores on standardized achievement tests for grades one, two, three, six, and twelve, in 716 California school districts. The following census variables were used: education, income, college, poverty (families); poverty (children); professional occupations; housing; Spanish surnames; and Black.…

Whether considered as Asian Americans or as a distinct minority group, the Samoans in the United States are ignored by social program planners. The study reported in this document was designed to provide baseline data on the needs of the Samoan community in southern California. Such information as household size, sex and age distributions of…

This book contains abbreviated accounts of eight community case studies and various reviews of a cluster of recent studies relating to race and education. The foreword discusses three phases of school integration, and the introductory chapter relates law, violence, and civil rights. The eight case studies on Evanston, Berkeley, New Haven,…

A socio-economically stratified sample of 368 randomly selected adult women residents of the Chaffey College district were interviewed to determine their demographic characteristics, educational needs and interests, perceived barriers to educational participation, and the adequacy of current college programs to meet the needs of women. Results of…