Neighborhood Council Prefers Unified Highland Park

The will urge the Los Angeles Redistricting Commission to reconsider recently proposed city council boundary lines that divide the neighborhood and splinter it from northern neighbor Eagle Rock.

The board on Thursday evening voted unanimously in favor of writing a letter to the commission with their critiques of the proposed boundaries.

In the recently released maps, most of Highland Park would be encompassed by Council District 1--a district bordered at the South-West by West Adams Boulevard in the neighborhood of Jefferson Park. A large portion of Mount Washington would also be included in the new Council District 1, save for a chunk of land between Division Street and El Paso Drive.

Council District 14 winds its way around Council District 1, starting at the north in that swath of land between Division Street and El Paso Drive, before curving its way toward Downtown by way of Eagle Rock and the eastern most portion of Highland Park in Garvanza.

For many neighborhood council members--who earlier in the month urged the commissioners to unify Northeast Los Angeles into one district--the proposed maps were unacceptable.

Neighborhood Council President Chris Smith said the board's letter would urge to reunite Eagle Rock and Highland Park, and if possible, unify the entire northeast into a single district.

"I think the consensus is that we don't like these maps," Smith said.

Neighborhood Council Prefers CD 14

Should the Northeast be unified, most of council members said they hoped it would be under Council District 14.

Tina Gulotta-Miller, who also serves as co-chair of the Garvanza Improvement Association, said the that the small Highland Park enclave had flourished thanks to the relationship between residents and Council District 14 representative José Huizar.

"We have benefited quite a bit from being in Council District 14," Gulotta-Miller said. "The skate park, the baseball field, the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone--those all came as a result of our relationship with the councilman."

Cathi Milligan, director of the NELA Arts Organization, said she also preferred to work with Council District 14 staffers.

"There's a revitalization going on along York Boulevard, and Councilman Huizar has been a big part of that," Milligan said. "I'm absolutely in favor of Council District 14, because I don't think Council District 1 cares about the arts."

Neighborhood Council member Mauro Garcia said that, Council District 1 Representative Ed Reyes' attention was often drawn away from Highland Park to the the Southern portion of his district, where most of his voters lived.

Not All Members Support Unification

Neighborhood Council member Teri Bonsell spoke in favor of the proposed maps, saying she preferred to have Highland Park represented by two council districts.

"I like have two council districts--I like being able to call two council districts when we need something," Bonsell said.

Forum Set for Monday

Northeast residents will have their chance to weigh in the proposed maps on Monday, February 6 .