Panel Is Urged to Offset Census Undercount

A panel redrawing Los Angeles City Council district boundaries was urged by civil rights leaders Thursday to adjust U.S. census figures to make up for an undercount of minority residents in some parts of the city.

The City Council Redistricting Commission heard from representatives of Latino, African American and Asian American groups arguing that districts with high concentrations of minority residents should be drawn to be smaller in population than others to balance the clout of undercounted minorities.

“Every survey that has been done indicates an undercount is prevalent, and especially in the inner-city areas,” said Larry Aubry of the NAACP. “There is no question there should be special attention to that. Otherwise it dilutes the voting strength of people.”

The commission has a moral responsibility to make sure that minority residents do not suffer a reduction in their political voice because they are undercounted, said Amadis Velez of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The commission directed its staff to collect data for possible adjustments in the census data--such as poverty rates--but put off a final decision.

Some commissioners sounded sympathetic to the request to draw heavily minority council districts with 2.5% fewer people than other districts.

But other members of the panel said they will fight any attempt to draw districts using data other than that collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“An adjustment of U.S. government figures will adversely affect the San Fernando Valley,” said Commissioner Richard Close, who is chairman of the group Valley VOTE. “It will reduce our chance of getting a fifth or sixth council district that we are entitled to.”

The commission heard from demographics experts, including Leo Estrada and Eugene Grigsby, both of UCLA, that formulas exist to determine where undercounts are most likely.

The 2000 census is believed to have undercounted Los Angeles’ population by about 2.1%, or 76,000 people, according to Assistant City Atty. Jessica Heinz, citing a national study.

Estrada said studies indicate many of those not counted are poor and minority residents and include the homeless and immigrants.

But because the Census Bureau will not release raw data on possible undercounts at the census-block level, the city will have to use other methods to determine which parts of the city have high concentrations of undercounted residents, experts said.

Estrada said poverty rates, the percentage of people renting versus owning their homes, and household sizes are indicators that can identify areas of likely undercount.

Using that data, the demographics experts said the greatest undercount is believed to be in South-Central, East Los Angeles and part of the east San Fernando Valley.

Grigsby said the amount of potential undercount last year was small compared with previous censuses because of minority outreach programs.