Local Impact: Proposed City Council Boundaries Released

Highland Park residents who hoped the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission's draft maps would reveal a united neighborhood got what they wished for on Wednesday--sort of.

The commission's map, released on Wednesday after a series of closed door meetings, shows Highland Park to be mostly united in Councilman Ed Reyes' first district, except for a portion of the neighborhood east of North Figueroa Street, which remains in Councilman José Huizar's Council District 14.

You can view a comparison of the new and old districts via the L.A. Times here.

The neighborhood of Eagle Rock would remain intact stay in Council District 14.  Also remaining in Huizar's district would be the neighborhood of Garvanza, serving as a link between Eagle Rock in the north and key voting blocs in Boyle Heights and Downtown.

Garvanza is also represented by the , and is seen by many residents as an integral part of the greater Highland Park area.

The neighborhood of Glassell Park would also be unified under Council District 4--splitting from Eagle Rock.

Major Changes for Mount Washington

Should the new council district maps be approved, Mount Washington would shift almost entirely from Council District 14 to Council District 1--save for a portion from Division Street spanning east to El Paso Drive, which would be retained by CD 14.

Currently, Mount Washington is mostly encapsulated by Council District 14, with the southwestern portion represented by Council District 1.

The new maps could also be a political game changer for the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition, as the new boundaries would mean a move from council district 14 to 1.

It would also mean that Mount Washington residents will likely be paying closer attention to the upcoming race for Council District 1 in 2013, as a field of new candidates will vie for the seat to be vacated by Reyes.

The effort to reallign the city council's 15 districts is required to take place every ten years following the release of United States Census data, and must reflect changes in population.

Council districts must be contiguous and as close as possible in population.

The draft maps must make the tour of the city for public comments, before being voted on by the Los Angeles City Council.