Volume 17, Issue 4 

2006

 

Vinit Mukhija and Paavo Monkkonen

 

In this article, we compare colonias in Texas and California and evaluate
the federal policy relating to them. In Texas, designated colonias are recently
subdivided but unregulated housing settlements that lack infrastructure. California’s
designated colonias are old communities, with varying demographics,
infrastructure needs, and jurisdictional authority. Because subdivisions are
strongly regulated in California, we did not expect to find designated colonias
there. In actuality, there are over 30.

However, federal policy is based on Texas colonias, and we argue that it is
too broad because it fails to distinguish between inherently distinct areas and
investment needs. Paradoxically, the federal criteria for defining colonias are
also too narrow. Many locally designated colonias in California do not qualify
for funding because they are not close to the Mexican border or exceed the
population ceiling. Ironically, some of the colonias that fail to qualify have the
worst housing conditions.