LA City Council adopts the already contested redistribution map – with a few changes keeping an eye on it – Daily Breeze

The Los Angeles City Council will take up the Redistribution Commission’s proposals to shift the city’s political boundaries on Tuesday, November 2, with several members expected to make major changes to the map.

Revisions to the map recommended by the Redistribution Commission are seen as likely, with powerful Los Angeles City Council members including President Nury Martinez having issued statements in recent weeks criticizing the advisory board’s recommendations.

Alderman Paul Krekorian, whose district is one of two in the San Fernando Valley that could see extreme changes, has made the toughest attacks on the map and recently described the proposal as “embarrassingly bad”.

In the meantime, Councilor Nithya Raman would possibly drop herself into a district of the West San Fernando Valley that has no overlap with the area she now represents, which was elected almost a year ago.

Raman supporters have called the card lines a “back door recall” and opposed the majority proposals, while Raman’s Commissioner Jackie Goldberg was among six on the panel to reject the card and final report.

And council members could already begin working on proposed revisions. They are told to have their council motions ready for submission by the Tuesday session, November 2nd, according to a memo from the senior legislative analyst sent to councilors on Thursday, October 28th.

While it is unclear where other members stand, West San Fernando Valley Councilman Commissioner Bob Blumenfield fought to keep the proposed district lines now passed to the council and was supported by the majority. Allies on the commission who helped advance the current recommendations include those appointed by Councilors Monica Rodriguez, Gil Cedillo and Paul Koretz.

During the commission’s hearings earlier this month, several community groups – particularly in the West Valley – have come together to oppose the map recommended by the commission. Some of these groups argued that the map concentrated a largely white homeowner population in the Blumenfield district and cut out their own economically disadvantaged communities like Canoga Park and Reseda into a new West Valley District that could possibly be represented by Krekorian or Raman.

These groups managed to get some small changes to the map by adding Pierce College and part of the Warner Center, an economic hub in the valley, to the same district as Canoga Park and Reseda.

But some of those map opponents have since also said that they would support more major revisions to the Valley portions of the recommended map if it becomes possible once it reaches the city council. Some envision changes that would reintroduce parishes removed from the 3rd ward in the southwestern San Fernando Valley, represented by Blumenfield.

In addition to approving a final recommended card on October 21, 15-6, the Redistribution Commission voted 14-6 on Thursday, October 28th to approve a final redistribution report detailing the performance of the commission and the reasons for it The recommendation listed are the proposed card.

Victories claimed by the Commission majority include unifying Koreatown into a single council district and awarding 5.7 districts to the San Fernando Valley, which could increase the area’s influence on the council to six of 15 councilors.

Commissioners appointed by Krekorian, Raman and Council President Martinez were among the dissenting votes on both the map and the final report, and commissioners appointed by Mitch O’Farrell, Curren Price and Buscaino joined them.

In the meantime, the final report also reflects on the redistribution of the city of LA itself and contains extensive recommendations to revise the entire process of redistributing the city to make it more independent, reduce the influence of elected officials on the process and increase the boroughs from the current 15 raise.

While both the state and the county conduct redistribution through an independent commission, the LA City Council and LA Unified School District political redistribution process is conducted through an advisory commission made up of members appointed by elected officials who have a direct interest in where the district boundaries are.