A recent phone survey of 2,500 Californians conducted by the non-partisan Public Policy Intitute of California (PPIC) found that less than half (48%) of the state’s Latinos have a home computer as compared to 86% of whites, 84% of Asians and 79% of African-Americans.  The report on the survey, Californians and Information Technology, also provides findings on computer and internet usage by race, income and gender, with low-income persons, not surprisingly, having the lowest usage.  In Latinos lagging far behind in internet use, report says (Sacramento Bee, June 26, 2008), UC Santa Cruz economics professor Rob Fairlie attributes the divide to disproportionately low education rates and lower incomes among Latinos.  The effect of the divide?  In the Bee article, Liz Guillen, legislative and community affairs director for Public Advocates opines, "Latinos and poor communities are already struggling to get access to the opportunities that will move them beyond poverty, that will lead to things like education and homeownership. . .[t]he lack of Internet access is really a lack of access to information, and information is what one needs to move forward in today’s society."