Remap Has Politicians Uncertain : Redistricting: The court plan has clouded the political futures of some lawmakers, whose districts were dramatically redrawn.

Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) is likely to find himself seeking reelection next year on some unfamiliar political turf: the San Fernando Valley.

The state Supreme Court’s redrawn map of legislative districts would place the veteran Westside lawmaker’s home in a district stretching from his political base in Santa Monica to Malibu and across the Santa Monica Mountains to Woodland Hills.

Even though the district is only 49% Democratic in registration, Hayden said he assumes he could win the seat. “It’s a district that Democrats beat President Bush and Gov. Wilson in by safe margins,” Hayden said.

Although declaring it to be a district he likes “very much,” Hayden stopped short of announcing his candidacy. A source close to the lawmaker said Hayden is likely to seek election from the new district, but is looking at other options, including newly reconfigured Senate and congressional seats.

The court plan, released on Monday and subject to approval in January, has clouded the political futures of some other Westside politicians, whose districts were dramatically redrawn, in part because the area’s population growth failed to keep pace with the statewide growth patterns.

For example, there appears to be only one strong Democratic district suitable for three Democratic Assembly members with close ties to the political organization of Representatives Howard Berman (D-Panorama City) and Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles). The Assembly members scrambling to find new political homes are Democrats Terry B. Friedman, Barbara Friedman and Burt Margolin, all of Los Angeles.

“It’s a complete reshuffle of the deck,” Margolin acknowledged. “The lines are all new, and we’re still assessing registration and demographic data.”

Indeed, Margolin said he is studying whether to run for Congress from a West San Fernando Valley district or to seek reelection to the Assembly from a Fairfax area seat. His friend Terry Friedman also could run for the Assembly seat or a San Fernando Valley Senate district that would have been the seat of Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys) until his recent resignation.

The Valley Senate seat also could be the new home of Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles). The Senate president pro tem now finds his Los Feliz home in the same Republican-leaning Senate district as Sen. Newton Russell (R-Glendale). Roberti is leaving open his options and isn’t sure where he’ll run.

“I’m running for reelection, but I’m still looking at the districts,” Roberti said. Among the other options for Roberti are a race for Congress or entering a special election for Robbins’ seat.

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

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

Assemblyman Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) said that he believes the plan will eventually help the GOP take control of the Assembly. But, he said, “This shouldn’t be viewed as a Republican plan or a Democratic plan, but as being of benefit to the voters because they’ll have more competition, more choice” among candidates, because the districts will be more evenly balanced between registered Republicans and Democrats.

Although the release of the plan is a significant step, the redistricting process is far from finished. The high court said it does not expect to adopt the plan until the end of January, after hearing 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 considered 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 district boundaries will take effect for next year’s elections. Each new Senate district will have about 744,000 people; Assembly districts about 372,000, and U.S. House districts about 572,000.

On the Westside, here are some of the effects of the remapping plan: The 41st Assembly District would extend from Santa Monica into Woodland Hills.

* The 42nd Assembly District would be the only purely West Los Angeles district. It would cover Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Westwood and Hancock Park. Assemblymen Terry Friedman and Margolin are considered potential candidates for the strongly Democrat district. Margolin, however, said he would not challenge Friedman.

* The 43rd Assembly District would include Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Burbank and Glendale. The homes of both Assemblyman Nolan and Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman (D-Los Angeles) are in the district.

Nolan said he is planning to run for the seat, where registered GOP voters outnumber the Democrats 47% to 42%. Nonetheless, Democrats maintain that Assemblywoman Friedman, who currently represents part of the area, also could do well in the district. The assemblywoman said she could run in the Los Feliz area district or another seat to the south that would include Koreatown.

* The 47th Assembly District would cover Culver City and the Crenshaw area, both currently represented by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles).

* The 53rd Assembly District would extend from Venice and Marina del Rey through Torrance. No incumbent lawmaker appears to live in the newly shaped district, where Republicans would outnumber Democrats 44% to 43%.

Highlights of the state Senate plan include:

* The 21st Senate District would cover the Los Feliz area and would include the homes of Senators Roberti and Russell.

* The 23rd Senate District would be strongly Democratic and cover Hancock Park, Westwood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Malibu and stretch into the San Fernando Valley. Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles) now represents most of the area. “My initial reaction is that I guess there’s a place for me to run,” Rosenthal said. “I know I’ll win there.”

* The 26th Senate District would cover strongly black areas in the Crenshaw District and around Exposition Park, as well as Culver City. Parts of the area are now represented by Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles), who is seeking a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles), who has announced he would not seek reelection.

* The 28th Senate District would run along the coast from Venice to Torrance and then stretch into Carson and Compton. Parts are now represented by Watson, Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach), Sen. Ralph C. Dills (D-Gardena) and Greene. The district would seem to favor the Democrats because they outnumber Republicans by 52.6% to 35.8%. Although Beverly lives in the district, he is studying his options, which include moving so he could run in a more heavily Republican district centered in Long Beach.

In Congress, the main Westside battleground is expected to be the proposed 29th District. Rep. Waxman and another liberal, Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles may square off in next June’s Democratic primary there. The district covers most of the Westside, including Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.

The plan also drew a new 36th Congressional District that would run from Venice and Westchester to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. With 46% of the voters registered as Republicans, the district would appear to favor a GOP candidate.

A third congressional district, the new 32nd, would cover Culver City, the Crenshaw District and Exposition Park. Rep. Julian Dixon (D-Los Angeles) now represents much of the area.