Supervisor Molina Proposes Redistricting Map That Would Let Supervisor Knabe Keep Most of LB & Lakewood While Creating New Latino District; Ridley Thomas Submits Proposal That Would Put Most of LB In Coastal District, Give Knabe NLB & Lakewood

Knabe proposes keeping lines mainly as-is but w/ add'l Latino area

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Supervisor Molina proposed map

Under Supervisor Molina's proposal (which she says is Voting Rights Act compliant), Supervisor Knabe could retain [and thus seek 2012 reelection in] a district extended along the coast into affluent parts of WLA and the SFV while creating a new Latino opportunity district stretching from the eastern San Fernando Valley through North Hollywood into part of Hollywood and southeastward into areas near Cudahy.

Supervisor Molina's map would redraw her own district to include large parts of the San Gabriel Valley, with the new new Latino opportunity district areas created within parts of the City of Los Angeles currently represented by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (who's termed out on the Board of Supervisors but said to be mulling a run for L.A. Mayor),

Supervisor Molina submitted her proposed map after the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and allied groups urged the Board to create a new Latino opportunity district by putting most of Long Beach in the coastal district now represented by Supervisor Yaroslavsky and move part of NLB into a West-Central district now represented Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas.

MALDEF previously submitted S-2 map

At the same time on August 16, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas submitted a proposed map, that he labels a "Community Empowerment Plan," which would put most of Long Beach in a coastal district now represented by Supervisor Yaroslavsky with Supervisor Knabe retaining NLB and Lakewood and San Gabriel Valley areas.

Ridley-Thomas "Community Empowerment Plan"

Supervisor Knabe has also submitted a proposed map that would leave his district lines basically as they are now but with the inclusion of some additional Latino areas taken mainly from Supervisor Molina's district (cross-hatched area on map).

Knabe proposed map

As previously reported by LBReport.com, at an August 9 Board of Supervisors hearing, advocates of creating a second Latino opportunity district cited a taxpayer-costly 1990s federal court lawsuit that overturned a Board adopted map (and created the district represented by Supervisor Molina now.

On the August 9 Board meeting reported by LBReport.com, 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 maintaining lines basically as is. Sporting a red-white-and-blue tie, Long Beach Area Chamber President/CEO Randy Gordon testified in favor of keeping Long Beach in Supervisor Knabe's district (screen save via Board of Supervisors website):

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...

A hearing on the proposed L.A. County redistricting maps is scheduled on September 6. A vote by four of five Supervisors is required to adopt a final redistricting map. Failing tat, boundaries would be decided by three County-wide electeds: the District Attorney, Sheriff and Assessor.

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