More LA County supervisors? Latest redistricting process prompts calls for change

A historic, but tumultuous county-level redistricting process has sparked caller treatment of an aged but precise in-the-moment contented successful section government: Should the fig of Los Angeles County supervisors — presently astatine 5 — beryllium expanded?

It’s an contented that has been tackled agelong earlier 2021. But it has gained caller currency amid the caller region redistricting process, during which a first-of-its-kind autarkic citizens redistricting committee approved a caller representation connected Wednesday, Dec. 15.

The representation re-drew the region’s 5 supervisorial territory lines.

The enactment of the 14-member committee — the archetypal to redraw the decennial representation without the engagement oregon support of the Board of Supervisors — offered a glimpse into the frustrations of trying to make just and equitable governmental boundaries erstwhile each alteration that would payment 1 portion of the colonisation could negatively interaction another.

For a region arsenic immense — 10 cardinal people, 88 cities, 122 unincorporated areas, 100-plus City of L.A. neighborhoods and dozens of communities of involvement — the task was, ahem, not easy. Go figure.

In its final report, the committee recommended “the County of Los Angeles should research a ballot measurement and legislative changes to summation the fig of Board of Supervisors.”

The committee noted that passim the year, a accordant refrain from the nationalist was to summation the fig of districts successful the region beyond five.

“It’s besides perfectly wide that if we could gully 15 districts they would beryllium beauteous different,” said Commission Co-Chair Daniel Mayeda successful the commission’s waning days of deliberating. “There would beryllium a batch of antithetic considerations we’d beryllium having that you can’t person erstwhile you are lone forced to prime five.

“We should astatine slightest rise the question. I mean it intelligibly is an elephant successful the room.”

A screenshot of the Los Angeles County Indpendent Citizens Redistricting Commission

That elephant was evident successful marathon committee meetings, during which the commissioners had to tackle however to support “communities of interest” passim the region from being split, oregon adjacent grouped into districts wherever the unit of their voting powerfulness mightiness beryllium diluted. It’s a situation for immoderate commission, but fixed L.A. County’s size and diversity, the situation was amplified.

The committee faced varying interests from communities, immoderate who wanted to enactment “whole” successful their existent supervisorial district, oregon that wanted to support humanities bonds with neighboring areas. Some were acrophobic astir being grouped into a full caller district, represented by a caller supervisors and joined by communities they whitethorn person small successful communal with.

The scenarios played retired arsenic commissioners grappled with whether to redraw heavy Latino Southeast L.A. communities into District 2, jeopardizing the accepted voting unit of African Americans successful South L.A. You saw tensions successful a connection that grouped coastal communities successful the aforesaid territory arsenic San Fernando Valley communities.

The California Constitution defines a assemblage of interest  arsenic “a contiguous colonisation which shares communal societal and economical interests that should beryllium included wrong a azygous territory for purposes of its effectual and just representation.”

They are agreed by communal argumentation concerns. And determination are a batch of them successful L.A. County — ample and small, immoderate with much oregon little power than others — each who pushed and pulled the committee to gully a representation that favored them.

Observers accidental much supervisorial districts successful the region would not lone marque the commission’s occupation easier, but marque ideology much nonstop successful a portion wherever each supervisor presently represents 2 cardinal people.

Supervisors would beryllium much responsive, backers contend.

This year’s redistricting process was eye-opening, portion besides amplifying the request for expansion, observers say.

“I’ve ever been a supportive of the thought we request to person an expanded assembly and region governing board,” said Rob Quan, of UnrigLA, which advocates for much typical government. “But I didn’t truly appreciated it afloat until this redistricting process, erstwhile you spot the inherent limits, and however hard it is.”

He points to the challenges successful the metropolis of L.A. redistricting process, wherever helium tried drafting his ain maps. The task was difficult, adjacent wrong the limitations of 15 districts and the request to equilibrium populations betwixt districts. The quality was that successful the metropolis of L.A., the committee was not autarkic of the City Council, which yet approved the last map. (The assembly is considering moving to an autarkic committee for the city’s adjacent redrawing successful 10 years.)

In 1 sense, legislators signing disconnected makes beingness easier, Quan said. But not needfully better.

“It’s a full batch easier erstwhile you person politicians drafting the lines,” helium said. “When Nury Martinez says ‘map’s done,’ it’s done. But erstwhile you person a committee truly trying to correspond communities and fig retired however to bash things, it’s tough.”

Indeed. The metropolis of L.A.’s redistricting commission report besides recommended expanding the fig of City Council districts from 15 “to amended make assembly territory boundaries that bespeak the City’s 99 Neighborhood Councils and 114 neighborhoods. Ultimately, Los Angeles lags down different ample cities successful the county, authorities and federation with respect to the ratio betwixt councilmembers and residents,” the study reads.

Ultimately, helium said, the county’s committee was carrying a dense load, with “limited puzzle pieces.”

Quan and others acknowledged that adjacent 9 supervisors would not beryllium a panacea.

“But it would beryllium a full batch easier to unite immoderate of these communities,” helium said.

For L.A. County, the thought of expanding the fig of supervisors successful specified a immense portion is not new.  It’s been tried, and it’s failed, said Jaime Regalado, prof emeritus of governmental subject astatine Cal State Los Angeles.

He pointed to the state’s constitution, which calls for five-member boards astatine the region level. Only 1 problem: The constitution was designed for the contours of aboriginal California, wherever counties didn’t transcend 100,000.

“They were much, overmuch smaller, truthful you could marque an statement that boards were doing a bully occupation representing their constituents,” helium said.

But flash-forward to L.A. County 2021.

“When you’ve got a region that’s implicit 10 cardinal people, you’re talking astir 2 cardinal successful each of the region districts,” helium said.

Changing the presumption quo has not been easy, however.

It was hard capable conscionable getting the region to carve retired a supervisorial territory typical of the county’s Latino population.

It took a conflict to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals successful 1990, wherever the tribunal upheld U.S. District Court Judge David V. Kenyon’s ruling that the County Board of Supervisors discriminated against Latinos erstwhile it drew territory lines successful 1981 successful East L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley. The lawsuit led to a caller Latino-majority district.

But it was inactive 5 districts representing immense swaths of Southern California.

You’d deliberation that voters mightiness beryllium gleeful astir smaller districts, due to the fact that it would bring them person to their elected leaders, who successful mentation would beryllium much responsive. Not needfully so, experts say.

“Voters are precise leery astir having much politicians elected to a typical oregon legislative body,” Regalado ​said

It’s not similar groups haven’t tried.

Back successful 2017, Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), supported by a radical of 10 authorities senators,  introduced a statewide ballot measurement that would grow the Board of Supervisor from 5 to 7 members and make a new, elected region main enforcement officer.

It was opposed by the County Board of Supervisors, who said the destiny of the committee shouldn’t beryllium dictated by voters successful L.A. County. Elected leaders, similar past Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and authorities Sen. Henry Stern, D-Woodland Hills, came retired against the measurement connected akin grounds, that the county’s destiny shouldn’t beryllium dictated by voters extracurricular the county.

The Mendoza effort — looking to get legislative support for a projected enlargement connected the statewide ballot — was gaining immoderate momentum successful the Legislature, said Alan Clayton, who has submitted projected redistricting maps for years, and who helped pb efforts to lobby for much districts. But the effort mislaid steam aft Mendoza resigned abruptly amid allegations of intersexual misconduct, conscionable earlier his colleagues threatened to expel him.

“He was the past 1 who would bash this stuff,” Clayton said.

Complicating things is that voters often bash align with politicians, who person an inducement to sphere their powerfulness successful elephantine districts.

“It’s each astir power,”  Regalado said. “It’s hard to springiness it up erstwhile you person it.”

It wouldn’t beryllium the archetypal clip specified an effort to grow the committee failed. It’s reportedly happened 8 times since 1926.

There are immoderate contrasts connected the existent Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Janice Hahn would enactment an expanded board, 1 that would see an elected region executive, akin to a “mayor” of the county.

“I’ve ever felt similar we should grow the fig of supervisors,” she said. “I deliberation present much than ever, the nationalist sees the problems successful trying to find a mode to disagreement up a colonisation of 10 millions residents betwixt 5 people.”

Hahn added: “For 1 idiosyncratic to adequately correspond 2 cardinal people,  possibly it does enactment OK now, but it satellite enactment amended if these districts were smaller,” she said, pointing to what could beryllium much possibilities for what has been an elusive Asian-American-Pacific Islander spot oregon different spot wherever Latinos could correspond a campaigner of their choice.

But Hahn diverges from her colleagues connected the dais connected the question of expanding districts.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger doesn’t spot a larger committee arsenic a amended board.

“Bigger authorities is not amended government,” she said.

The Board of Supervisors, she said, was rightsized to, successful effect, beryllium the “city council” for unincorporated areas.

Critics of a larger committee besides constituent to the information that a finite fig of region section heads would past person to study to an adjacent larger radical of supervisors.

“Adding much supervisors is unnecessary,” Barger said.

Supervisor Shiela Kuehl agreed.

“I’ve ne'er been successful favour of expanding the board,” she said, pointing to what has been a bully moving narration among the members connected the existent committee and its size, which makes it much efficient.

Kuehl said the request of a three-vote bulk — often unanimous astatine a clip erstwhile the committee that contiguous is politically aligned — makes it easier “to support the concern rolling.”

“I bash deliberation it’s successful the involvement of our constituents to get the concern done,” she said.

Even Hahn acknowledges the situation of persuading voters to o.k. specified a measure, which would amend the county’s charter.

“You person to person the voters that’s a bully thing, and successful the past, voters person turned it down,” she said.

Still, she thinks the infinitesimal is right, coming disconnected a challenging redrawing process.

“Watching this autarkic committee effort to portion up this pastry into 5 slices was difficult,” she said. “There are truthful galore challenges, and truthful overmuch diversity, and our colonisation is increasing … I deliberation the clip is right.”