The proposed redistribution of the Los Angeles map will deprive voters of the right to vote, say two LA city council members

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – Every 10 years after the census, the Los Angeles Redistricting Commission proposes changes to the LA city district maps.

But their only suggestion after the 2020 census has two council members, Paul Krekorian and Nithya Raman, who are angry and at risk of losing the neighborhoods they currently operate in.

“This card is outrageous. It is disenfranchising half a million people in these two districts, and under those cards only 10% of those 500,000 people would be represented by someone they had a chance to vote for, ”Krekorian said.

Krekorian represents Council District 2 in the San Fernando Valley. Raman, who has only been in office for 10 months, represents Council District 4, which includes Los Feliz, parts of Koreatown, the Hollywood Hills and Sherman Oaks.

If the LA city council approves the new map, the Raman and Krekorian counties would be redesigned and one of them would represent an entirely different area.

“I’ve spent almost two years telling the people in LA that their voice matters. “Now, thanks to the actions of some unelected commissioners, the votes of hundreds of thousands of Angelenos are being wiped out.”

According to Krekorian, the new map is not based on changes in population or demographic data over the past 10 years.

“I think the outcome that they put the public in for comment is the result of deals and politics, and I don’t think this process should work that way,” Krekorian said. “This process should be open and transparent, with the public being able to comment on many different options.”

In a statement, commission chairman Fred Ali said in part, “The focus of the LA City Council’s Redistricting Commission has always been and continues to be to ensure that the creation of city council districts is based on 2020 census data, interest group testimony, and federal legislative acts and other relevant data sources and not on how it helps or harms elected officials. “

The Commission will hold a virtual public opinion meeting on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. If you want to participate, click here.

Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.