Forum on City Council Redistricting Tonight

The lines just keep on shifting.

With the for State electoral lines recently completed, and c--Los Angeles residents still need to brace themselves for another political boundary battle. 

The Los Angeles Redistricting Commission must submit their revised political boundary maps to the city council by March 2012. Then council then has until July 2012 to approved the redistricting plan.

Northeast Los Angeles residents who want to plug-in to what promises to be a lenghty and complex battle over political lines can attend a redistricting workshop hosted by the Northeast Los Angeles Coalition on Thursday, August 25 at 6 p.m. inside the Glassell Park Senior Center on 3750 Verdugo Road.

The forum will feature a presentation by Erica Tealsey Linnick, a civil rights attorney and coordinator of the African American Redistricting Collaborative (AARC).

Shifts in Population, Shifts in Council Districts?

According to section 204 of the revised Los Angeles City Charter, districts shall be formed to "to contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the City as shown by the Federal Census immediately preceding the formation of districts."

In March, Blog Downtown completed a mapping project which estimated the shifts in population across all 15 of Los Angeles city council districts.

Blog Downtown's maps show that while population has remained stable in Council Districts 1 and 14, both of which contain large portions of Highland Park, Mount Washington and Eagle Rock, there has been a considerable decline in the population in nearby Council District 13, which encompasses Echo Park.

Could that dip in population mean that portions of CD 1 or 14 might be annexed by Council District 13?

Who Draws the Lines?

According to the city charter, the Los Angeles Redistricting commission comprises 21 members. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appoints three members while Council President Garcetti appoints two. Every other member of the council, as well as the city attorney and city controller, is required to appoint one member to the commission.

Local input is required as well.

At Monday evening's meeting of the , Hermon representative stressed that it was important for smaller communities like his to make their voices heard throughout the redistricting process.

Riser said that the 2000 redistricting effort almost saw the tiny and traditionally united community of Hermon split between council districts, until a last minute intervention. 

Clifford Mosely, a Hermon representative on the ASNC, volunteered to serve as a liaison to the redistricting commission.

What Would Change Mean for Northeast Los Angeles?

The city charter also requires that "to the extent feasible, [the redistricting commission] shall keep neighborhoods and communities intact, utilize natural boundaries or street lines, and be geographically compact."

While Eagle Rock and Echo Park are both encompassed by single council districts, 2000's redistricting effort saw both Highland Park and Mount Washington split in two.

There are diverging theories as to the benefits and pitfalls of being represented by multiple council districts.

Some argue that being represented by multiple council members means having more voices speaking for their community in city hall, while others prefer having a single representative that is focused on the needs of their entire neighborhood, not just a portion.