Valley Representation at Stake in School Board Redistricting

The map chosen tonight by the commission redrawing Los Angeles’ school district boundaries is expected to have serious political implications for the representation of the San Fernando Valley and the reelection chances of incumbent board members.

The city’s Redistricting Commission for the Los Angeles Unified School District will select one of two proposals and send it to the City Council for approval.

One map, drawn by an appointee of school board President Caprice Young, keeps North Hollywood and Studio City within the confines of a Valley district, but puts the southwest Valley into another district along with West Los Angeles.

The other proposal, drawn by the California Latino Redistricting Coalition and presented by an appointee of board member Julie Korenstein, places North Hollywood and Studio City in the West L.A. district, but puts the southwest Valley into a Valley-only seat.

Each district represents 635,000 residents. The Valley, with a population of 1.44 million, requires representation by the equivalent of 2.2 board members.

Currently, Korenstein represents the East Valley and parts of the central and West Valley. Young’s district includes Studio City. The competing maps would land either Korenstein or Young in a district centered on the West Valley, which, with a majority of white voters, could increase the board member’s chances for reelection.

Neither Korenstein nor Young said that representing the West Valley was a factor in drawing the proposals. Young said her chances of reelection would not necessarily improve with the map she favors, because she would lose the vast majority of her current constituents. With the map she supports, more neighborhoods, such as Boyle Heights and Koreatown, as well as high school feeder zones, would remain intact, she added.

“It keeps neighborhoods whole,” she said. “And that’s the most important thing.”

Korenstein said the Valley would be disenfranchised if its southwest region, with such communities as Woodland Hills, were not included in a Valley seat. The current map, drawn a decade ago, has four board members representing the Valley.

“The map I’m backing gives the San Fernando Valley back the possibility of having two clear votes,” Korenstein said. “The other map plays havoc with the Valley again.”

Both maps would create a Latino stronghold in the East Valley, a development seen as much needed in a school district in which 70% of the students are Latino. The only question is whether Korenstein or Young will represent it. Jose Huizar, who represents southeast Los Angeles, is the only current Latino board member.

At a meeting last week, neither map received the eight votes needed for approval. Each got seven votes on separate motions. Those involved say the close vote could be a sign of how contentious the issue may be, even after it reaches the City Council later this month.

The City Council must adopt new boundaries by June 30. The first school board election using the new boundaries will be held in March 2003.

Commission meetings have been attended by labor groups, supporters of board members, and district residents.

Lou Calanche of Boyle Heights, who worried that her community would be divided, pleaded for the commission to support the map favored by Young.

“All we have [in Boyle Heights] are our public schools,” she said. “It’s all the equity we have on the Eastside.”

Cathy Gordon of Encino hopes Korenstein would continue to represent her community; she wants the commission to vote for the second option.

“It would be very hard to watch years of incredibly hard work go down the drain,” said Gordon, a member of a parent group at Lanai Road Elementary School in Encino that has been supported by Korenstein. “To start a new relationship sounds very daunting.”

Groups with vested interests of maintaining favorable board members have also joined the debate. Earlier this week, United Teachers-Los Angeles distributed fliers that accuse Young of using “lackeys” in hopes of packing the school board with “cronies.”

The union, which has a strong relationship with Korenstein, said Young is a challenge to teacher contracts and benefits and that the commission should vote against the map Young favors.

Young, who denounced the fliers, said the commission’s choice should be based on keeping neighborhood schools together.

“Ideally, the school board should be focused on the kids and education, but there are so many special interests that it gets pulled off to adult agendas,” she said.

The dispute is emblematic of the different agendas being played out over the fate of the districts. There is concern that a district with more than 900,000 students is too large to be governed by seven board members.

“There’s no question that both maps have lobbyists,” said board member David Tokofsky. “There are e-mail wars and all sorts of stuff going on. The most important thing causing this is that the board member districts are too large.”

Every 10 years, the commission must redraw boundaries to take into account the current racial makeup of communities and the population of registered voters and high school feeder zones.