Letters to the Editor: A new L.A. council district map that makes sense? Yes please

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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Los Angeles City Council 6th district representative Nury Martinez
Former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez's racist comments caught on tape have raised questions about the city's redistricting process. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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To the editor: I am delighted that the district maps drawn by the Los Angeles City Council are being reviewed.

My husband and I sat through countless hours of public meetings on Zoom with fellow residents and city planners fine-tuning a much better district map that addressed the needs of communities. We were extremely disappointed that all that work was disregarded by the City Council, which decided to keep the current nonsensical boundaries for their own political gain and interests.

As a San Fernando Valley resident of Council District 4, I hope the city adopts a map that keeps like-minded areas together.

Ilyanne Morden Kichaven, Sherman Oaks

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To the editor: Other people harmed by the city's redistricting process in 2012 were members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

I happened to be at one of the City Council meetings when members of the Korean community their allies testified at length about the need for a council district centered in Koreatown that would allow their community to be at the table. Among other facts, they reminded council members that it had been nearly two decades since Michael Woo, the only Asian American ever on the council, had left his seat in 1993 to run for mayor.

Personally, I felt heartbroken and helpless to make a difference, as I watched what felt like a tragic injustice unfold. I had learned when I worked briefly for Woo that he provided access to many people beyond his 13th Council District, serving immigrants and people of color who finally felt empowered to ask for assistance from someone who looked like them.

Those Angelenos were being denied a seat when the demographics and the maps certainly made a case for them. With state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta now entering the picture, maybe we have an opportunity to get it right.

Sally Richman, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Thanks so much for printing that totally dysfunctional council district map. These are definitely not communities.

These maps should be drawn solely by geographers and demographers, untouched by politicians. This would be simple and fair.

Planaria Price, Los Angeles

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.