GRANGER -- Initially, it was complaints about police and city hall that drew the nation's oldest Latino rights group to this Lower Valley town.

But after discovering that many residents lacked a basic understanding of city government, the League of United Latin American Citizens started making plans to set up a local shop with a long-term goal of serving the entire Yakima Valley.

Its plan: Educate residents about local government and motivate the Latino community to vote.

"It is so very clear to us that the Yakima Valley is in dire need of education," said the group's Northwest vice president, Maria Salazar of Vancouver, Wash. "What info do they have a right to have? Where to go to get it? Who do they call if they're not getting info?"

Among the concerns it's heard from residents: Repeated complaints about overcharged water bills and police who didn't respond to calls.

Compounding problems, residents said they never got answers from city officials about their complaints.

"Some residents felt powerless," Salazar said. "Some went to the City Council with no avail."

Some change has already begun. In January, Ramona Fonseca became mayor after defeating a longtime incumbent. Police Chief Robert Perales was placed on leave a short time later.

Meanwhile, however, LULAC is planning classes and meetings to teach residents about the structure of city government, what information they have a right to access and how to participate at city council meetings, Salazar said.

Formed more than three-quarters of a century ago, Washington D.C.-based LULAC has a goal of advancing economics, education, political influence and health and civil rights of Latinos.

Among its successes, the organization sued to integrate California's Orange County School System in 1945. Nine years later it forced the state of Texas to halt its exclusion of Mexican-Americans on juries.

Today, LULAC holds voter registration drives and citizenship

awareness sessions, sponsors health fairs and tutorial programs, and raises scholarship money.

If LULAC is successful, Granger could see some of the same programs as in Austin, Texas, where it takes credit for getting youth involved in their communities.

It's anticipated Latinos will be the largest segment of the population in Texas by year 2020, and that communities are going to need Latino leaders, said the group's Austin regional director, Angel Abitua.

In Granger, Latinos account for more than 85 percent of the population. In Yakima County, Latinos are about 40 percent.

In Austin, LULAC has seen membership grow from about 150 to more than 300 the past year since starting a program in which college students work with immigrant high school students, showing them how to access financial aid and register for college, Abitua said.

High school students are being prepped to conduct that same outreach when in college, he added.

"We know, hey, it's an emergency," he said. "These young people need to take over."

Closer to home, Pasco recently started a group chapter, but it's too early to gauge its effect, said the group's state representative, Ricardo Rico.

Among other efforts, it is working to mobilize Latino residents to vote. Volunteers are holding seminars teaching residents how to register to vote and where to cast ballots, he said.

Salazar, who holds an unpaid volunteer position with the organization, said having the office in Granger will be part of a larger project to educate and motivate Latinos throughout Yakima County to vote in the presidential election.

"We need to let them know how much power their vote has," she said, noting that the Latino community is the largest voting bloc in the county, but has the least participation.

The office will also be evaluating whether the federal Voting Rights Acts are being followed, such as the availability of bilingual voting information and whether adequate staff are available to help Spanish speakers understand ballot information, she said.

The nonprofit group has more than 700 chapters nationwide and formed in 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The group is mostly staffed by volunteers, including Salazar, and is funded by membership dues.

"They come from a pretty reputable background and they've always identified themselves as providing civic awareness to Mexican-Americans," said University of Washington history professor Carlos Gil. "That was the main task back in Texas. How to raise consciousness, how to raise political duty on behalf of Mexican-Americans."

In Granger, resident Maria Gonzalez said there are many residents who want to get involved, but lack understanding.

"There are a lot of people that go to City Council meetings, and they'll go but they don't understand city agendas and what's going on," she said. "I was one of them."

Fonseca, who campaigned on increasing access to government, said she's confident residents will become more involved once they have a better understanding.

"That's a big part of it," she said. "Civic participation is a big part of every community."

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.