California Atty. General Rob Bonta Los Angeles has begun pressuring political leaders to sign a legal agreement that would force them to draw new boundaries for the city’s 15 council districts — a dramatic move that could send shock waves through City Hall. Is.
The draft legal document prepared by Bonta’s office, a copy of which was reviewed by The Times, would require the city to finalize new council district maps in time for the 2026 primary election. The confidential document said council members would be barred from considering their own political fortunes when approving those maps.
The document does not indicate whether city elected officials have agreed to any of Bonta’s demands — or plan to push back on them. It also does not say whether Bonta’s office found any legal violations or other wrongdoing during this period. The city’s 2021 redistricting process.
However, two sources familiar with the discussions said Bonta’s legal team has expressed concerns in recent weeks that the map approved by the City Council in 2021 does not currently provide adequate representation for Latinos in some parts of the city.
Bonta’s office identified two council districts on the Eastside – one represented by Eunice Hernandez, the other represented by Kevin de Leon – as areas of concern, saying those districts lacked sufficient numbers of Latino voters. The numbers aren’t there to ensure that Latinos get the opportunity. Elect the candidate of your choice, according to the sources, who declined to be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
In briefings with council members, city lawyers said Bonta’s team also discussed the possibility of creating a third “Latino” district in the San Fernando Valley — which would have a significant concentration of Latino voters, two sources said. . The idea was proposed by the city’s Civic Redistricting Commission in 2021 but rejected by the council.
Bonta is investigating city council’s Controversial redistricting process For about two years. He announced his investigation in the wake of a scam secretly recorded conversations About the proposed maps
Council President Marques Harris-Dawson declined to discuss Bonta’s demands, which were the subject of a lengthy closed-door session of the council last week. He referred questions to City Atty. Heidi Feldstein Soto, whose office declined to comment.
Joan Adams, deputy director of communications for Bonta’s office, also declined to comment, saying only that the attorney general’s investigation into L.A.’s 2021 redistricting process “will continue.”
The draft document, titled “(Proposed) Prescribed Decision”, does not say when negotiations with the city began or when they are expected to end. Several council members declined to comment, saying they were barred from discussing legal matters raised in closed session.
The document calls for the city to draw a new map that complies with the federal Voting Rights Act and the state Fair Map Act, which requires district boundaries to be drawn to ensure that underrepresented groups, such as blacks, And Latino voters, have the capacity. Choose the candidates of your choice.
Any stipulated judgment will need to be signed by both parties and approved by a Superior Court judge.
The conversation between Bonta and the city comes at a surprising moment. Candidates are running fierce campaigns to represent three council districts in the November 5 election, whose boundaries were Accepted in 2021 And the final was accepted. Voters will also decide next month whether to create an independent redistricting process in L.A. — where the council has no involvement — starting in 2031.
Redrawing council district boundaries by 2026 would potentially conflict with the city’s new charter reform commission, which is in the process of forming and is expected to expand the size of the City Council next year.
Redistricting typically occurs at the beginning of each decade, following the release of US Census data. Till now in LA, the final decision on maps was with the City Council. The process has been politically complex, with neighborhoods, advocacy and civil rights groups, as well as council members, pushing for boundaries they believe will best serve them or their constituencies. Will get it.
The demands from Bonta’s office could raise new questions about whether the council could have done more to increase Latino voting power in 2021, when the map was approved. Although Latinos make up nearly half of the city’s population, only one-third of the council seats – five of 15 – are held by Latinos.
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A new redistricting process could also force the council to revisit what has been a particularly tumultuous period.
In 2022, the public heard a secretly recorded audio in which three council members – De León, Nuri Martínez and Gil Cedillo – were discussing redistricting with a high-ranking labor leader. That conversation, which took place in 2021, included rude and racist comments, as well as comments about Latino political clout, or lack thereof. The participants also discussed how to redraft the council district map being prepared by the Citizens Redistricting Commission.
In the wake of that scandal, activists packed the council chamber, accusing three council members of working to weaken black voting power. Martínez immediately resigned. Cedillo completed the remainder of his term, having already lost re-election.
De Leon apologized for things he said and did not say during the conversation. But he denied trying to reduce Black voting power, noting that the council left three districts with Black representatives almost entirely unchanged in the 2021 redistricting.
Neither De Leon nor Hernandez would comment on Bonta’s investigation or the notion that there may be issues with Latino representation in their districts.
Bonta announced his investigation days after the audio leaks surfaced, saying the redistricting process is “fundamental to our democracy and to the ability of our communities to have a voice.”
He said at the time that the leaked audio had cast doubt on that process.
“We will strive to bring the truth to light to help restore confidence in the process for the people of our state,” Bonta said.
The 2021 redistricting process was particularly controversial, with several council members at odds with the 21-member citizens’ commission. that commission Major changes recommended To the boundaries of districts located in or near the San Fernando Valley.
During deliberations, the commission called for the creation of a new council district in the West Valley with a majority Latino population. Nearly 40% of the voting-eligible population would have been Latino, potentially increasing the chances for a Latino council member in future years.
That proposal would require major changes to the districts represented by Martinez and three other council members — Paul Krekorian, Nithya Raman and Bob Blumenfield. At one point, Raman and Krekorian faced the possibility of losing their entire districts.
Ultimately, the City Council rejected many of the changes proposed for the valley, leaving the final district maps closer to the original.
This is not the only time the city has faced outside scrutiny over redistricting and Latino representation. In 1985, the federal Justice Department sued the city, accusing council members of distorting the political influence of Latino voters in maps approved a few years earlier.
The lawsuit alleged that the city’s 1982 redistricting process dispersed Latino residents living in or near the city across multiple council districts. It also alleged that the maps were drawn in a way that weakened the strength of Latino voting in the Northeast Valley.
Council resolved the matter create a new district Near downtown – one with a high concentration of Latinos. He also made major changes to the lines in the San Fernando Valley, increasing the number of Latinos in the district that includes Sylmar and Pacoima.
Although the document prepared by Bonta’s office does not say whether investigators found specific wrongdoing, it highlights other areas of concern.
The document calls for council members, their staff and all other city employees to take a training course on the state Ralph M. Brown Act and the California Public Records Act, designed to ensure transparency and open government. Are.
The city will also be required to create new safeguards over communications and record keeping by its employees. City officials would be required to develop a policy prohibiting the use of “personal accounts” to conduct city business.
