The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, Feb. 15, took a stand against proposed state legislation that would let state lawmakers, not local officials, determine an independent redistricting commission for the city – but not before a tense exchange of words between Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Kevin de León, who played a central role in the city’s recent redistricting scandal.
Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson also appeared irritated by de León’s participation in Wednesday’s council discussion, as he paced around the council floor and at one point tweeted “GALL.”
GALL
— Marqueece Harris-Dawson (@mhdcd8) February 15, 2023
Also during the debate, Monica Rodriguez, who along with de León backed the proposed state bill, accused unnamed city elected officials of wanting to “slow walk” redistricting reforms and “exploit” the redistricting process again.
In the end, the council voted 11-2 to support a resolution put forward by council President Paul Krekorian, and seconded by Councilmember Nithya Raman, to oppose Senate Bill 52. SB 52 would allow the state Legislature to establish an independent redistricting commission for the city. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, who represents state Senate District 26, which includes parts of L.A.
A redistricting commission is charged with drawing the boundaries for each city council district in an attempt to balance the size of each district based on population changes over time. This redrawing of council maps, known as redistricting, typically takes place every 10 years based on updated U.S. Census data.
The city’s current redistricting process involves commissioners picked by councilmembers, and the council can reject the commission’s mapping recommendations.
Calls for an independent commission, in which elected officials can’t manipulate the process so that certain desirable neighborhoods or revenue-generating attractions are placed in their districts, were…
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