Committee’s New Boundary Map Draws Criticism : Census: The proposed county supervisorial districts displease some activists, but even they don’t agree on what’s best.

A committee redrawing Los Angeles County supervisorial districts to reflect population shifts carved up the San Fernando Valley on Monday, leaving neither community nor political representatives wholly satisfied with the results.

The 10-member Supervisorial District Boundary Review Committee was formed to study how district boundaries need to be changed to reflect the 1990 census results, which indicated rapid growth in the northeast Valley.

The committee came up with a new map, which must be voted on by county supervisors by Oct. 1, and returned some portions of the West Valley to Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s district, where they had been located before a court-ordered redistricting plan was enacted in March.

In return for the West Valley changes, parts of the northeast Valley coveted by Antonovich would remain under Supervisor Ed Edelman. But Olive View Medical Center, the county hospital in Sylmar, would return to Antonovich’s district, a plan that drew criticism from some Latino activists and from Edelman’s committee appointees.

Ruben Rodriguez, a member of the northeast Valley’s Latino Coalition for Fair Redistricting, said the plan would separate the public hospital from most of its patients. Rodriguez said it would create a situation in which Antonovich, who has been credited with speeding the construction of the hospital, would not have to respond to political pressure to improve the hospital when problems arise.

“He would be politically insulated,” Rodriguez said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people who would be served by that hospital would be out of his district.”

When Supervisor Gloria Molina took office in March, the supervisors took over their new districts, which were drawn by a federal judge in response to evidence that Latinos were underrepresented. At that time, Antonovich lost all but the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley to Edelman.

Under the plan approved Monday, Antonovich would regain Olive View Medical Center and parts of West Hills, Canoga Park and Chatsworth, and would continue to represent areas north of the Simi Valley Freeway as well as the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

Edelman would retain Sylmar and part of Granada Hills--which he would have lost under previous committee proposals. He would also continue to represent the remainder of the Valley.

Latino activists testified that the northeast Valley communities--including Sylmar, Pacoima, Arleta, Panorama City and parts of North Hollywood and Van Nuys--should be consolidated into the same district to avoid diluting Latino voting power.

But they disagreed over which supervisor could best represent them.

Lou Garcia, a founder of the Northeast Valley Health Coalition, said Antonovich “has been the most responsive supervisor we’ve had . . . and he’s become more responsive to human needs.”

But Rodriguez disagreed, saying: “Our experience with Mr. Antonovich has not been quite the same as theirs. . . . He has not been that responsive to us.”

Some of those who testified at Monday’s meeting, members of the audience and the committee, criticized the new map as unabashed gerrymandering aimed at ensuring reelection of incumbents.

As he walked out of the committee meeting, political consultant Allan E. Hoffenblum, one of two Antonovich appointees, angrily interrupted Edelman deputy Richard H. Llewellyn’s explanation of the proposed boundary changes.

“What he’s doing is trying to compact as many Republicans out of his district as possible,” Hoffenblum said.