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The citizen redistricting commission 'visualization" for the congressional district that Janice Hahn just won shows just how bad it would be for her if the lines stay as drawn — and invents an entirely new concept of community of interest. The district picks up the Republican-leaning Palos Verdes Peninsula, which is bad for Democrat Hahn, but geographically defensible. Just odd, though, is the way the district hugs the coast of Santa Monica Bay to the Ventura County line, and stretches inland to cities along the 101 freeway — Calabasas and Agoura Hills — and takes in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills. So you may think of the L.A. harbor area as a cousin of Long Beach, and Redondo Beach as part of the South Bay community, and Beverly Hills as part of the Westside, but the redistricting folks see those areas as belonging instead with Topanga Canyon and Agoura Hills. And you thought gerrymandering was bad.
Map: WLADT3.pdf
Related: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas endorsed Warren Furutani to succeed Hahn on the City Council. Villaraigosa's past campaign manager, Parke Skelton, is running the Furutani campaign.