Remap Creates Hard Choices for Lawmakers : Redistricting: One district will disappear. Others are carved up and reconfigured. Some incumbents may be forced to move.

The state Supreme Court’s plan to redraw legislative and congressional districts could force Assemblyman Dave Elder (D-San Pedro) to make a hard choice next year if he wants to stay in the Assembly.

Elder could choose to run against Assemblyman Gerald N. Felando (R-San Pedro) in a heavily Republican district stretching from the Palos Verdes Peninsula through most of Long Beach.

Or he could square off against Democratic colleague Richard E. Floyd of Carson or another incumbent in a Democratic seat that includes western Long Beach.

Or he could run for a new seat in a marginally Democratic district covering North Long Beach and Lakewood.

Elder, who now represents much of Long Beach, said he is evaluating where he could best win reelection if the redistricting plan is adopted. He described his reaction to the plan, released Monday, in this way: “It’s a little bit like somebody telling you, ‘We’re going to move the plant in a year and we’re going to be moving it out of state.”’

Felando immediately announced that he would seek the Palos Verdes to Long Beach seat, boasting: “I believe I could eat Dave Elder up.”

The sweeping changes proposed by the court could have a strong impact on the political futures of many longtime area politicians. Among the changes proposed by the court are carving Rep. Glenn Anderson’s congressional district and the Democratic Senate districts of Ralph Dills of Gardena and Cecil N. Green of Norwalk.

Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach), who now represents much of Long Beach, could be forced to move in order to run for reelection in a safely Republican seat.

At the same time, the plan creates new heavily Latino Assembly and Senate seats in Southeast Los Angeles County.

At stake in the plan is control of the 80-member Assembly and 40-member Senate, both currently controlled by Democrats, and the 45-member congressional delegation, which is adding seven seats because of population growth. Democrats now hold a 26-19 edge in the state’s congressional delegation.

The release of the plan, drawn by a three-judge panel appointed by the high court, triggered a scramble among politicians to figure out in which district they lived and the impact of the plan. Overall, it was viewed as boosting the chances of Republicans to gain majorities in the Legislature, especially in the Assembly, and among the state’s congressional delegation.

Though the release of the plan is a significant step, the redistricting process is far from over. The high court said it does not expect to adopt the plan until the end of January, after hearing oral arguments on Jan. 13.

Until then, it is still possible for the Legislature and Gov. Pete Wilson to agree to a compromise plan, although that is unlikely. The failure of the governor and lawmakers to come up with a proposal led to the court taking over the once-a-decade redrawing of political boundaries.

The Legislature is required to redraw the lines to reflect population shifts reported in the 1990 Census, and the new boundaries would take effect beginning with the 1992 elections. The new Senate districts will have 744,000 people; Assembly districts 372,000, and congressional districts 572,000.

The newly configured congressional seats in the Long Beach and Southeast areas break down as follows:

* The 33rd Congressional District appears to be a new seat covering downtown Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate. Latinos make up 84% of the population and 48% of the registered voters. State. Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) is considered a potential candidate for this seat.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), whose current district covers South Gate, said her district would be shifted to the west without hurting her chances of reelection. Waters’ current 29th District is about 40% black, while the new district--the 35th--would be 42% black.

* The 34th Congressional District would cover much of the area now represented by Rep. Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente). It would include Montebello, Pico Rivera, Norwalk, La Puente and part of Whittier. “On balance, it’s not a bad district,” Torres said. But he voiced disappointment that the plan failed to provide for more than one new Latino congressional district.

* The 37th Congressional District covers much of the area now represented by Rep. Mervyn M. Dymally (D-Compton). It would encompass Watts, Compton, Carson, Wilmington and downtown Long Beach. According to the court, minorities make up 88% of the district’s population. The court said, “The largest minority in the district is Latino at 45%, but Latinos constitute only 13% of the registered voters.” Blacks would make up 33.6% of the district’s population. Voter registration figures for blacks were not immediately available.

* The 39th Congressional District is a new strongly Republican seat that runs from Hawaiian Gardens through Cerritos and La Mirada to Whittier and parts of Orange County. Sen. Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim) is considered a strong contender for this seat.

Rep. Anderson, whose district runs through Long Beach, Lakewood and Hawaiian Gardens, could not be reached for comment. An aide said the congressman had not had an opportunity to review the redistricting plan, which appears to parcel out portions of his district to newly configured districts.

In the state Senate, the highlights of the plan are:

* The 27th Senate District covers much of the area now represented by Beverly, but not his home in Manhattan Beach. Beverly said he is considering moving to run in the new district that would stretch from GOP strongholds on the Palos Verdes Peninsula through most of Long Beach to Lakewood and Downey.

* The 28th Senate District runs from Venice and Torrance to Carson and part of Compton. The district’s registration is 53% Democratic. Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) currently represents part of the area, but she is seeking a seat next year on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

* The 29th Senate District includes part of Whittier and La Mirada. Sen. Frank Hill (R-Whittier) said he plans to seek election from the district.

* The 30th Senate District is a strongly Latino seat that includes Huntington Park, Montebello and Norwalk, which has been the home base of Sen. Green. Sen. Dills said that since he currently represents the 30th District, he plans to represent this new area until his term expires in 1994. But if Watson wins the supervisorial race, Dills said he might run for the 28th District.

Meantime, Sen. Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) said he plans to run for the 30th District. Calderon maintained that Dills, whose political base is in Gardena, is not known in the new strongly Latino district. “He’s virtually invisible,” Calderon declared.

Dills said that Green, whose Norwalk area district was wiped out, is planning to retire because of poor health and other reasons. Bill Gage, a Green spokesman, said the senator has discussed retirement but will not firm up his plans until the final maps are drawn in January. Meantime, Gage said, Green has moved his home to Buena Park in Orange County, where he could run for another Senate seat.

The highlights of the Assembly plan are:

* The 50th Assembly District appears to be a new heavily Latino seat in Huntington Park, South Gate, Maywood and Bell Gardens. Part of the area is now represented by Assemblywoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles). Roybal-Allard said her East Los Angeles home is in the same district as Assemblymen Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) and Xavier Becerra (D-Monterey Park). But she said she wants to avoid running against a colleague and is studying her options.

* The 52nd Assembly District would include Watts, northern Compton and Lynwood, now represented by Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson (D-Los Angeles).

* The 55th Assembly District would cover southern Compton, Carson and western Long Beach. Assemblyman Floyd lives in Carson and could face a challenge from Murray or Elder.

* The 56th Assembly District would cover Lakewood, North Long Beach, Cerritos, Bellflower and Downey. Parts of it now are represented by Murray and Assemblyman Bob Epple (D-Norwalk).

* The 58th Assembly District will cover Montebello, Pico Rivera, western Whittier and Norwalk, which currently is Epple’s base.

* The 60th Assembly District would include La Mirada and part of Whittier as well as West Covina and Diamond Bar in the San Gabriel Valley. Much of it is now represented by Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R-Hacienda Heights), who said he plans to run for the seat.