Editorial: Redrawn supervisor districts can't give L.A. County the representation it needs (via latimesopinion)
With only five supervisors, each representing more than 2 million people, L.A. County is poorly represented. Redrawing district lines does little good.
It need not be that way. The problem with new boundaries that put, for example, the Hollywood Bowl and the Mojave Desert in the same district is not that the lines were drawn wrongly but that there aren’t enough of them. Supervisors with 2 million constituents apiece can pick and choose which of those residents to champion and which to ignore. They should have at most a third that many people to represent.
Do the math and you’ll see what that means — at least 15 districts with 15 supervisors. It’s a needed change but a heavy political lift. Current supervisors certainly don’t want their individual power diluted by a larger board, andThere can be tension between swift action and adequacy of representation.
Los Angeles County hasn’t had a dictator, but for more than a century beginning in the 1870s its leadership was essentially a white men’s club that locked out others by drawing districts to perpetuate its power, even as the proportion of Latino residents continued to grow. The result was a kind of hardening of governmental arteries, manifested in backward-looking programs and policies that were constantly 10 or 20 years behind the needs of changing constituencies.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Long Island county leader on why he won't enforce mask mandate: 'Not necessary'An incoming county executive on Long Island told Fox News New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's new order mandating masks was unnecessary, and he would not enforce it.
Read more »
L.A. County Reports 9 New Covid-19 Deaths And 3,512 New Positive Cases Among Rising Concerns About Omicron Variant—Sunday UpdateSUNDAY UPDATE: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 9 new deaths from Covid-19, as well as 3,512 new positive cases. The number of deaths and confirmed cases reported today m…
Read more »
Joe Manchin says he 'just can't' vote for Biden's Build Back Better Act: 'I tried''If I can't go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can't vote for it,' the senator said Sunday.
Read more »
The Best Items to Buy for a Good Night's Sleep In The New YearReady to give yourself a solid night's rest? ET pulled together everything you need to get your Z's every night of the week.
Read more »