Hardeman Facing New District as He Finishes Vacation : Reapportionment: Inglewood councilman says he regards move as politics in its purest form.

Inglewood Councilman Garland Hardeman will return from a monthlong vacation next week with a district vastly different from the one he left, courtesy of his City Council colleagues with whom he has been feuding.

Hardeman’s district once included the Forum and Hollywood Park racetrack, politically influential Centinela Hospital Medical Center and the gated community of Carlton Square. But on Tuesday night, the City Council redrew the four councilmanic districts to redistribute the city’s population, stripping Hardeman’s District 4 of both prestigious landmarks and political gold mines.

The reapportionment plan was passed without comment by Mayor Edward Vincent, District 2 Councilman Anthony Scardenzan and District 3 Councilman Jose Fernandez, all of whom have clashed with Hardeman in the past. District 1 Councilman Daniel Tabor, a Hardeman ally who will receive the District 4 properties, was absent for the vote.

Hardeman said in a telephone interview last month from Detroit, where he caught wind of the proposed changes while vacationing, that he considered the redistricting to be politics in its purest form.

“It is stunning to take out things and reorganize my entire district while I’m out of town,” said Hardeman, who is traveling through Africa this week.

Besides losing Inglewood’s two prized athletic facilities, Hardeman, a Los Angeles police officer with aspirations to becoming mayor, stands to lose some of his political strongholds.

Carlton Square, an upscale gated community with large voter turnout, strongly backed Hardeman for reelection in April. Staff members at Centinela have actively supported candidates in the past with both endorsements and campaign contributions. Hardeman’s newest territory, Darby-Dixon, is a low-income area near Morningside High School without strong political involvement.

The plan’s supporters defended the redistricting as a routine move to redistribute the city’s population according to the 1990 Census. The new boundaries, prepared by City Clerk Hermanita Harris, include each councilman’s residence and were drawn to incorporate much of the former district, according to Harris.

Vincent scoffed at Hardeman’s objections.

“He is serving people no matter what geographic area,” said Vincent, a former District 4 councilman himself. “The horses (at Hollywood Park) don’t vote. The Lakers don’t vote either. . . . Personally I would rather have his district than any of the others because there is an opportunity to make people’s lives better.”

As required by state election law, Inglewood redraws its four councilmanic districts after every census, so each councilman represents roughly one-fourth of the population, or in this case 27,400 residents. More shuffling was needed than usual this time because of large population increases district in some neighborhoods, spurred in large part by a 134% increase in Latinos since 1980 in Districts 3 and 4, city officials said.

Tabor viewed the new plan as part pragmatic and part political.

“If you look at the past performance of the council, it’s easy to make the assumption that there are politics involved in the new boundaries,” said Tabor. “But I don’t think it’s purely a ‘Get Garland Hardeman’ sort of thing. In terms of keeping the districts contiguous this is the most reasonable plan.”

Hardeman, in his interview Sept. 19, said his colleagues were using the redistricting to punish him for past disagreements. But he vowed to make the best of whatever territory he gets.

Hardeman has been making waves from the moment he entered Inglewood politics in 1987. He challenged the mayor’s handpicked candidate, Ervin (Tony) Thomas, in that year’s District 4 council race. When Thomas edged Hardeman after last-minute campaigning by the mayor, Hardeman accused the Thomas campaign of election fraud and filed suit to overturn the election.

After two years of legal wrangling, with the city backing Thomas, the Los Angeles Superior Court overturned Thomas’ election, ousted him from office and ordered a rematch. Testimony during the trial suggested that Vincent pressured some voters to cast ballots for Thomas, charges the mayor denied. Despite a vigorous anti-Hardeman campaign launched by Vincent, Hardeman won the runoff election in October, 1989, and won a second term in April.

Since his election, Hardeman has had a difficult time getting support for his initiatives in the council. He also has been criticized by colleagues for traveling excessively at city expense. His current trip is privately financed.

The 1990 Census reflected significant changes in Inglewood’s population, with the population increasing 16% to 109,602.

A huge influx of Latino immigrants in District 3 on the city’s west side, and in District 4, in the south, created a significant imbalance in the councilmanic districts. The city’s northernmost area, which is part of District 2, also experienced growth due to the development of numerous apartment and condominium complexes.

In contrast, District 1, a predominantly black, single-family home area in the city’s eastern portion, experienced a slight population decrease over the past decade.

The redistricting plan approved Tuesday was one of two options first considered by the council Sept. 17. The other would have kept the Forum, Hollywood Park, the hospital and Carlton Square in Hardeman’s district but shuffled residential neighborhoods to create an odd, C-shaped pattern for District 4.

Profile

* Name: Garland Hardeman

* Age: 35

* Occupation: Los Angeles police officer

* Electoral History: Narrowly defeated for Inglewood City Council seat by Ervin (Tony) Thomas in 1987 in a disputed election. Thomas’ victory was nullified two years later when a judge found irregularities in the election. Hardeman won the 1989 court-ordered rematch. He was reelected to a four-year term this April with 63% of the vote, defeating three challengers.