Politics & Government

New Voting District Map Groups South Pas With S.G. Valley

A state redistricting commission released another potential redistricting plan for L.A. County, and this one would put current Rep. Adam Schiff outside of South Pasadena's district.

A  that could mean totally new electoral boundaries for South Pasadena took another twist last week as the commission examined a new district concept that could mean current South Pas representative Adam Schiff would no longer represent the town.

The Congressional conceptual district, which is displayed on right, was part of a staff report from the commission's meetings last week, and will be part of the discussion on what the ultimate district could end up looking like.

It is radically different from the original draft district the commission released on June 10. That draft district groups South Pas with "East L.A.—Boyle Heights" and includes Los Angeles, Maywood and Vernon. 

Find out what's happening in South Pasadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The new proposal draws boundaries along the west side of South Pas grouping it with San Gabriel Valley rather than the east side of town. This new district includes La Canada Flintridge, Sierra Madre, Duarte, Monrovia, Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, Temple City, Arcadia, Rosemead and Monterey Park.

Find out what's happening in South Pasadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This should come as good news to the many residents who voiced concerns regarding Congressional boundaries at the recent redistricting meeting held in Whittier. 

“Any rep from East LA would have neither the time or the inclination to address the needs of South Pasadena,” resident Alex Maltun said at the meeting. “We may be a small community, but we are a real and strong community.”

To read what other residents had to say, click here. 

Yet the final district is still totally up in the air. The first proposal was a draft district that coincided with a state-wide proposal for districts. The second was used as a discussion point for possibly changing the original draft proposal when the final districts are released in August.

If the district does end up looking more like the latest proposal, the biggest beneficiary could be Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, who has announced his intentions to run for Congress in 2012.

The Foothill District proposal would put Portantino in the same district as Schiff, which would make it likely that Portantino would have to . The new district also bears a close resemblance to the current Assembly district that Portantino represents, so voters in many of the towns would be familiar with him.

But the latest proposal would put Schiff's town of residence, Burbank, into a district with Glendale and parts of Los Angeles, making it more likely he'd run in that district.

The newest map could also benefit Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas. The new concept would put his home town of San Dimas in a district with some of the East San Gabriel Valley foothill cities that he currently represents.  The June 10 proposal has San Dimas lumped with more Democratic leaning cities south of the 210 Freeway.

Whether the commission adopts a district that looks more like the latest proposal, the June 10 proposal, or something else entirely is still completely up in the air.  The  have already passed, but residents can still submit an official comment on the proposals online.


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