Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Negotiations Continue as Redistricting Moves into Final Phases

On February 29, the L.A. City Council Redistricting Commission concluded its work with the adoption of a final draft map that has been sent to the City Council for review and approval.  But even though the redistricting process is moving into its final stages, protests and negotiations continue…both across the city and close to home.

In the Greater Wilshire area, requests were made over the last few months that all of Greater Wilshire be re-united, if possible, within a single city council district (instead of the three it has been divided among for the last 10 years).  In the first draft map of new boundaries proposed by the Commission, Greater Wilshire was reunited…in Council District 5.  Because most of the area has previously been represented by District 4, however, and because it shares many interests in common with other historic single family neighborhoods in CD4, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council and others protested the initial placement in CD5, and requested that the reunited Greater Wilshire area be placed in CD 4 instead.

A second draft map, released earlier in February, did return most of Greater Wilshire to CD 4, but carved out a small portion, north of 4th Street and west of Highland Ave., to remain in CD5.

This division is now drawing requests for further corrections from neighbors.  In particular, the La Brea-Hancock neighborhood, which extends from Wilshire Blvd. to 3rd Street, and from Citrus Ave. to La Brea, has been divided, for the fist time, at 4th Street.  Under the new map, La Brea-Hancock blocks from Wilshire to 4th Street would stay in CD4, while the blocks from 4th to 3rd Streets would fall into CD5.  Neighbors (see the photo above) fear the division will be detrimental to the neighborhood and its ability to negotiate critical issues with the city, and are asking that the southern border of CD5 in that area be moved up to 3rd Street, which is the established boundary between La Brea Hancock and the Citrus Square neighborhood to its north.

The Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance, a 35-year-old group of area neighborhood associations, supports La Brea-Hancock’s requested adjustment, and asks that other neighbors who would like to weigh in contact members of  the City Council Rules and Elections Committee (see the sample letter below) or attend one of the upcoming City Council hearings on the proposed map (see schedule below).

The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council has not yet discussed the final draft map that has been sent to the City Council, but will do so at its Wednesday, March 14 meeting.

City Council Schedule and Public Hearings:

March 5, 2012: Public Hearing in San Pedro – Harbor Commission Board Room, PORT OF LOS ANGELES ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ,425 S. PALOS VERDES STREET SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 – 4:00 PM

March 6, 2012: Public Hearing in Van Nuys – Van Nuys Council Chambers, Van Nuys City Hall,14410 Sylvan Street, Van Nuys, CA 91401 – 4:00 PM

March 7, 2012: Public Hearing in Downtown Los Angeles – LA City Hall, John Ferraro Council Chambers, 200 N. Spring Street, room 340, Los Angeles, CA 90012 – 4:00 PM

March 8, 2012: Deadline for Council Members to submit proposed revisions.

March 16, 2012: Final Hearing in Rules Committee, LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 1060, Los Angeles, CA 90012 – 8:30AM (room subject to change)

March 16, 2012: Final City Council Consideration, LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, John Ferraro Council Chambers,room 340, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance suggested letter to the City Council Rules and Elections Committee:

TO: [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

SUBJECT: Keep All of La Brea-Hancock in CD 4; Re: CF 11-0187-S3

Rules & Elections Committee Members:

I am a resident of ___________________________________ in the Greater Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of our long-established Greater Wilshire residential communities is called La Brea-Hancock. It extends from the east side of Citrus Avenue to La Brea Avenue, and from Third Street to Wilshire Boulevard. There are fifteen blocks in La Brea-Hancock.

The Redistricting Commission has proposed bifurcating this community by creating a new CD 4 – CD 5 boundary line along Fourth Street between Highland and La Brea. For nearly 40 years, the boundary line has been at Third Street, and the La Brea-Hancock neighborhood has been intact within CD 4. This Third Street boundary line wisely kept all of the commercial properties on both sides of La Brea Avenue, south of Third Street, together in CD 4. The Commission’s proposal would put one-third of La Brea-Hancock into a different district and would put the east side of La Brea Avenue in a district different from the west side between Fourth and Third Streets.

We urge your Committee to RETURN the CD 4 – CD 5 boundary line, west of Highland Avenue, to being along Third Street, as it has been for 40 years. Keep intact our neighbors in this 15-block community of interest of nearly 300 homes. Thank you.

Signed,

______________________________________

Read earlier BUZZ stories on redistricting.

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Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN but has lived in LA since 1991 - with deep roots in both the Sycamore Square and West Adams Heights-Sugar Hill neighborhoods. She spent 10 years with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, volunteers at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, and has been writing for the Buzz since 2015.

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