LOCAL : Edelman District Takes the Hit as Conservative Remap Prevails
The County Board of Supervisors, split along conservative and liberal lines, voted 3 to 2 today to reshape the 3rd District of Supervisor Ed Edelman into a territory that includes a majority of Latino voters.
The five supervisors were acting under a deadline of 3 p.m. today imposed by U.S. District Judge David V. Kenyon to redistrict Los Angeles County.
Kenyon ruled June 4 that supervisors deliberately spread the county’s Latino population across several districts when they changed voting boundaries after the 1980 federal census.
Edelman emerged from a closed-door meeting and said the plan “does great violence to the Hispanic community.” Edelman and fellow liberal board member Kenneth Hahn had pushed to increase the supervisorial districts to seven to meet Kenyon’s demands.
“It’s not fair to the public, and the court will see that it’s unfair,” Edelman said. “It’s an attempt for the conservative majority to keep control.”
The plan approved today is subject to approval by Kenyon, who has set a July 5 hearing.
The judge has said that if the plan fails to correct the violations of the federal Voting Rights Act, he will redraw the district with consultation from the plaintiffs.
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