A fight over redistricting might be brewing on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Proposed and Current Redistricting Maps | Recommendation From BRC
The five-member board has until Oct. 31 to approve a redistricting plan. If the plan does not receive the four votes required for approval, the issue would go before the county's three elected officials -- Sheriff Lee Baca, Assessor John R. Noguez and District Attorney Steve Cooley.
To reach that four-vote requirement, supervisors have some work to do, and it started Tuesday with an initial public hearing to discuss proposed boundary changes that would redraw districts. No vote was scheduled for Tuesday.
The process is mandated by state law, which requires the board to adjust boundaries after each 10-year U.S. Census in the interest of fair representation. The districts are adjusted to ensure that districts are "as nearly equal in population as may be," according to state elections codes.
In July, the county's Boundary Review Committee (BRC) submitted plans to revise the district boundaries. The BRC, which has members appointed by the five board supervisors, recommended Plan A2, which proposes minor changes to district boundaries.
Committee representative for Supervisors Gloria Molina and Mark Ridley Thomas supported an alternative plan -- Plan S1. Molina said the county needs a plan that reflects demographic changes in LA County.
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Latinos make up 48 percent of the county's population -- that's a three-percent increase since 2000, according to U.S. Census data.
Plan S1 would mean changes for the districts of
(District 4) and
(District 3). Committee members who backed Plan A2 said they were concerned about "major changes" in current districts if Plan S1 was approved.
Knabe's district is along the county's western and southern coastal edges, and it includes portions of Diamond Bar, Downey, Bellflower, Long Beach, Whittier and other communities. Click here for a map of the district. The district would be redrawn as a new majority Latino district as it reaches east toward the San Gabriel Valley.
Yaroslasky's current district is made up of large parts of the San Fernando Valley. Much of that would become part of Molina's new Central LA district, taking in Sylmar to the north and Canoga Park to the west.
Western and southern parts of Knabe's district would move into Yaroslavsky's district. Those areas include Long Beach, the South Bay and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Yaroslavsky will term out of his county office in 2014. He's considered a possible mayoral candidate.
Knabe is eligible for one more term.
An initial public hearing regarding the plans was conducted at Tuesday's board meeting. Knabe spokeswoman Cheryl Burnett said minor changes recommended for Plan A2 at Tuesday's hearing "further unify communities of interest while not splitting up any cities."
There is another option: Supervisor can proposed their own maps by Aug. 16.
A public hearing on the map recommendations is scheduled for Sept. 6.
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