"Hayes-Bautista has long argued that Latinos in the United States, generally, and Mexican Americans, specifically, are members of a civil society--and not some dysfunctional minority group, as commonly imagined. As Americans lately have discovered America within the Americas, Hayes-Bautista now gives us an excellent guide to the nation's future, by describing the new possibility of California--the largest Hispanic state in the union."--Richard Rodriguez, author of "Brown: The Last Discovery of America<P>"For more than two decades, Hayes-Bautista has been on the forefront of social scientists researching the developing Latino identity of California. The cumulative result is "La Nueva California, a tour de force of social science, enlivened by convincing detail, historical imagination, prophetic power, and--above all else--great hope."--Kevin Starr, author of "Americans and the California Dream series<P>"For more than a decade, David Hayes-Bautista has accurately charted the trajectory of the New California. He is the best qualified scholar to explain the pattern of Latino growth in California and its importance for California as a whole. His analysis is persuasive and sets forth constructive initiatives to allow the Latino presence in California to be a positive force for sustaining California as a state of opportunity and achievement."--Henry Cisneros, Chairman and CEO, American CityVista

Since late 2001 more than fifty percent of the babies born in California have been Latino. When these babies reach adulthood, they will, by sheer force of numbers, influence the course of the Golden State. This essential study, based on decades of data, paints a vivid and energetic portrait of Latino society in California by providing a wealth of details about work ethic, family strengths, business establishments, and the surprisingly robust health profile that yields an average life expectancy for Latinos five years longer than that of the general population. Spanning one hundred years, this complex, fascinating analysis suggests that the future of Latinos in California will be neither complete assimilation nor unyielding separatism. Instead, the development of a distinctive regional identity will be based on Latino definitions of what it means to be American.