Dear Friends,
Last Friday, the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission released their latest draft map of the proposed new City Council districts.
The Commission has proved once again that the numerous public hearings held throughout the city were a complete farce and intended only to give the illusion that the public had any say in the process.
When 74 percent of the public who gave testimony at the Feb. 11 Commission hearing at West Angeles Church spoke in favor of keeping the current Eighth District boundaries, why did the Commission decide to radically change the Eighth, by removing all of Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Vista, Village Green and Leimert Park?
When 89 percent of the public who gave testimony at the hearing supported the current boundaries of the Ninth District, why did the Commission radically change the Ninth by removing nearly all of downtown, adding USC, and transferring hundreds of residents to the Eighth District?
The answer is becoming very clear: race.
On-the-record comments from Commissioners and emails show that they are far more concerned about residents’ color of skin than about their opinions, their wishes, and the fabric of their communities.
This narrow-minded view that holds the voter in such low regard is not only backtracking on decades of progress in Los Angeles politics, it’s also a clear violation of the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. According to the law, race cannot be the sole factor in determining district boundaries. In order for race to be considered, there must be evidence shown of racially polarized voting. There has been no evidence presented that has shown racially polarized voting in any of the 15 City Council districts in Los Angeles.
With the new map released Friday, there is no doubt that the Commission is arrogantly ignoring the will of the people, and also violating the Voting Rights Act.
This prompted Councilmember Jan Perry and me to send a letter to City Atty. Carmen Trutanich and Commission President Arturo Vargas detailing these violations of law and warning that the proposed maps will not hold up to legal challenges.
I encourage you to stand up for honest and open government and let the Commission know you will not tolerate narrow-minded racial politics that seek to divide communities in violation of the law.
Tomorrow the Redistricting Commission will hold what could be their final meeting, and they are expected to vote on the proposed maps. This may be your last chance to let them know what you think. Please attend.
Wednesday at 4 o’clock, Los Angeles City Hall,
200 N. Spring St., Council Chambers, Room 340.
Los Angeles.
Comments also may be emailed to the commission at redistricting.LACity@lacity.org.
Councilman Parks may be contacted at bernard.c.parks@lacity.org
