L.A. Times: California exit polls show 30% of voters Latino

"Thirty percent of voters surveyed in exit polls from the Feb. 5 Democratic primary in California identified themselves as Latino. If that number is accurate, it's a milestone. The percentage of Latino voters in the 2004 Democratic presidential primary electorate was a mere 16%; in 2000, it was 17%. On the Republican side, the numbers appear to be climbing as well: Latinos made up 13% of the voters on Feb. 5, according to the exit polls, up from 8% in the last competitive Republican presidential contest, in 2000. Of course, these numbers should be viewed with caution. There is justifiable skepticism about exit polls in general and especially when they survey Latino voters. Sample sizes are often small, and the 2004 presidential election exit polls purporting to show that more than 40% of the Latino vote went to President Bush were largely discredited."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-mathews24feb24,0,7258797.story