Battle Of The Airwaves For The Latino Vote

Oct. 18 (KGO) -- Piensas votar? If you're Hispanic and thinking of voting in next month's special election, a lot of attention is being focused on you. Both parties are targeting Latino voters with new Spanish language ads for and against upcoming ballot initiatives.

State Controller and gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly launched Spanish language ads today, urging Latino voters to say 'no' on the governor's initiatives. They're appearing in Southern California's and Sacramento's Hispanic media first, and possibly the rest of the state in the next few days.

Westly ad: "Sus iniciativas perjudicaran a nuestros ninos, nuestros masestros y a la gente trabajadora." ("His initiatives will be a detriment to our children, our teachers and working people.")

Less than two weeks ago, the governor's campaign team launched their own Spanish language ads supporting Propositions 74 to 77. Interestingly, Schwarzenegger is not in them.

Schwarzenegger ad: "Es preferable controlar gastos y balancear el presupuesto que aumentar impuestos." (It's better to control costs and balance the budget, than to raise taxes.")

All this to woo the increasingly influential Latino vote, which is now more than a third of all voters in California.

Assm. Bonnie Garcia, (R) Cathedral City: "If we really want to reach the voters, we have to reach them in a language that they understand on the issues they care about."

To support the governor, Latinos will have to look past his controversial remarks on closing the border and supporting the minutemen. They'll also have to consider his two vetoes denying drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.

Democrats want to seize on what they see as discontent.

Steve Westly, (D) State Controller: "Many of the Latinos who supported the governor in the last election realize that he has not been a champion for their issues."

On the campaign trail today, the Governor downplayed the fact he's courting this ever-important voting group, one third of which voted for him in 2003.

Recent polls show only 17 percent of Hispanics approve of the job he's doing.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: "What is important is California. California people are very important and the Latino voters are part of California."

Political watchers say there's no doubt Latino voters have got the attention of both parties.

Prof. Barbara O'Connor, Cal State Sacramento: "Ad buys in the Latino media really have prove that those voters are much more loyal than the average voter."

The Governor is spending at least a million dollars on Spanish language ads, while his opponent Steve Westly is forking out $250,000.

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