County Bd of Supes Hears Polarized Testimony, Continues to Sept. 6 Redrawing Its District Lines; Alternative Map Could Move Sup'r Knabe Out of LB, Put Most of LB In Coastal Dist (Yaroslavsky) w/ NLB in West-Central dist (Ridley-Thomas)

Multiple Knabe-District Electeds & Chambers Favor Keeping Line Basically As-Is; ACLU/MALDEF Say Voting Rights Act Calls For Latino Opportunity District

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A proposed map (A-2) supported by six of ten members of a Board-appointed advisory panel supported leaving Supervisor Knabe's district basically as-is (below).

A-2 (retains lines mainly as-is). Caveat: Doesn't include Knabe-proposed amendments offered Aug. 9 that would include additional Latino areas from Supervisor Molina's district

An alternative map (S-1), supported by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and ACLU -- with Board colloquy favorable comments from Supervisor Gloria Molina -- could put most of Long Beach in a coastal district currently represented by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and move part of NLB into a West-Central district currently represented Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas.

S-1 alternative, overall

S-1 alternative, LB area close-up

A long line of southeast L.A. County and south bay area elected officials and multiple Chambers of Commerce (including the LB Area Chamber) testified in support of proposal A-2 (maintaining lines basically as is). Sporting a red-white-and-blue tie, Long Beach Area Chamber President/CEO Randy Gordon testified as follows (screen save photo from Bd. of Supervisors webcast):

Mr. Gordon: We strongly support and urge you to keep the City of Long Beach as part of the 4th Supervisorial district of Los Angeles County in the final outcome.

Any possibility of Long Beach being split up into multiple County Supervisorial districts would have a negative impact on the County's second largest city.

The fourth district has been Long Beach's home for many years, establishing a firm relationship with Supervisor Knabe, and this has been critical in tackling problems.

In a distict that's very reflective of the County as a whole, and that is racially and geographically diverse, is made up of a number of communities of interest that share the idea and they are well represented now with Supervisor Knabe and we wish to stay that way in the future.

Now is not the time to disrupt the historical contiguity by dividing Long Beach into multiple districts forcing Supervisors unfamiliar with Long Beach to balance its needs with that of other cities...

Signal Hill Mayor Larry Forester praised Supervisor Knabe, as did multiple Councilmembers/Mayors from (not a complete list) Rolling Hills Estates, Palos Verdes, Manhattan Beach and others. They urged that Supervisor Knabe's district remain as-is to avoid disruption and the need to establish relationships with a new Supervisor unfamiliar with the area. A few were more pointed in their criticism, calling the alternative map a political power grab.

The Long Beach City Council hasn't taken a unified policy position on the issue.

In praising Supervisor Knabe, Mayor Mike Mendez of Norwalk said it's not whether one speaks Spanish, but rather "who you are" as a person. Several speakers said focusing on race instead of one's record and individual character is an anachronism.

Several representatives of LB's Cambodian community also spoke in support of Supervisor Knabe.

At the Aug. 9 Board meeting, Supervisor Knabe proposed an amended map that would add Latino areas to his current district, taking them mainly from Supervisor Molina's district...which didn't satisfy supporters of alternative map S-1

Alternative map S-1 (which was backed by four of ten members of the Board-appointed boundary advisory panel) was backed by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D., Norwalk) who said the mainly status quo map (A-2) was in effect a way to reelect incumbent Supervisor Knabe. Cudahy Mayor Josué Barrios said that 48% of L.A. County is Latino, and said the Board's job isn't to protect incumbents but is to protect residents of L.A. County.

ACLU and MALDEF reps also supported the S-1 map and variously cited the federal Voting Rights Act and a previous successful lawsuit against L.A. County. Their position was supported in Board colloquy by Supervisor Gloria Molina.

The Board ultimately decided to continue the hearing to Sept. 6 and allow additional proposed maps to be submitted no later than Aug. 16 (5 p.m.).

A vote by four of five Supervisors is required to adopt a final redistricting map.