Matt Ortega

Several months ago, Marisa Treviño declared in USA Today that “Latinos need our own Obama.”

Politicians have described Barack Obama as “inspiring,” a “leader” and a “visionary” of late. Indeed, he finds himself in an enviable position. He has begun to establish himself as a leader capable of uniting not just blacks but the entire country. His political ascent has been remarkable and historic, yet Latinos have reason to watch wistfully. Why? It reminds us of what we don’t have: a leader of national standing who can unite us.

Treviño correctly identified one key complication that would hinder the rise of a unifying, national Latino leader: our community is incredibly diverse with different interests — for instance, American immigration law treats Latinos differently.

Speaking of Mexicans and Cubans specifically, Treviño dryly suggested “Try finding one voice for these two groups.” We are white and Latino. We are black and Latino. We are Asian and Latino. Unite us and the prospects of bringing the country together does not seem so far fetched.

Moreover, for some Latinos of mixed background, we have a Barack Obama … Barack Obama. Born to a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya, many of us see ourselves in the Senator from Illinois. Some may identify with the Midwest background or the proud African ancestry. Others may simply relate to the idea of being “mixed” and the social pressures that come with it.

It is true, however, that folks (even some Latinos) come up short when prompted to name Latino leaders — current or past. This was true even for me. But they are there and will continue to grow.

From 1996 through 2007, the country saw a 37% increase in the number of Latinos elected. That’s the good news. The bad news: 68% of them held seats at either the municipal or school board level. These Latino upstarts need help finding the national stage.

Young Latino leaders, like California State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, New York City Councilman Joel Rivera, California 80th Assembly District candidate Manuel Perez and countless more, are emerging across the country. There is much work to be done to cultivate these rising stars but we are getting there.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom launched an exploratory bid for the California governorship in 2010. He stated that he expects to make a decision by year’s end.

In an interview today, Newsom said he was mindful of the city’s somewhat eccentric reputation and alluded to the “values” issues — political code for gay rights and other left-leaning positions — that opponents may try to use to his political detriment. “Bring that on,” he said just after signing the papers creating his campaign committee.

“We’re about civil rights and equal rights, you better believe it,” Newsom said. “I’m proud of that, I’m not going to hide from that . . . So now let’s talk about healthcare, education, the environment. Let’s have a conversation about your kids and what you want this state to look like five, 10 years from now.”

The stage is set for the last remaining Republican-held Bay Area seat in the state legislature. Republican San Ramon Mayor H. Abram Wilson will defend the 15th Assembly District seat of termed-out fellow Republican Guy Houston against Democrat Joan Buchanan, a longtime San Ramon school board trustee.

Houston is the only Republican representing the Bay Area in Sacramento. If Buchanan defeats Wilson in November, the region’s Capitol contingent would all Democrats.

Mayor Wilson pulled out the GOP nomination against former Livermore businessman Robert Rao by a slim 281-vote margin.

According to Tim Clark, a consultant for the vanquished Rao, Wilson won the primary almost solely on name recognition alone.

Despite of raising and spending the least amount of money among the four Republican candidates, Wilson won because of name recognition, Clark said.

“Abram began with a good $200,000 to $300,000 worth of name recognition,” Clark said. “People know who he is and people like him.”

The reason why Wilson was spent the least amount of money was because he sought re-election as mayor of San Ramon in an uncontested race and a local blogger/activist called it last September. No Democratic candidate was fielded against him, if only to bloody his nose a bit rather than lube the local political machine for his imminent run for the State Assembly. The positive name recognition enjoyed by Wilson, as evidenced in polling months before the Republican primary showed, carried him to the nomination.

It was a missed opportunity at building the Democratic bench in a moderate Republican area. Do not missed this opportunity: help Joan Buchanan take the last Republican Bay Area seat in the state legislature.