The Los Angeles County Redistricting Commission late Wednesday approved a finalized map for Board of Supervisors elections, creating a district that has majority San Fernando Valley constituents.
The new map for District 3, currently represented by Sheila Kuehl, adds Chatsworth and Granada Hills to its boundaries and loses parts of the Southeast Valley and the Cahuenga Pass, including the Hollywood Bowl, to District 5. The new District 3 will cover 72.6 percent of the Valley, with the remaining portions in District 5, currently represented by Kathryn Barger.
The commission, made of 14 volunteer citizens, decided on the new map in the first Los Angeles redistricting since Senate Bill 958 passed in 2016. SB 958 shifted the power to determine these district lines, a process which occurs once every 10 years, from the five-member Board of Supervisors to the larger, citizen-run panel that attempts to take into account the demographic and political make-up of the city.
Business advocates, including the Valley Industry Commerce Association, praised the new map as a success for increasing Valley representation on the Board of Supervisors. VICA members had submitted suggestions and map drafts to the commission over the course of their considerations in an effort to “improve economic interest” throughout the region.
“VICA worked tirelessly, drafted proposals, and sought changes to ensure the Valley’s voice is heard, and we appreciate the compromises that the county commissioners made to benefit Valley communities,” VICA President Stuart Waldman said in a statement. “The Valley has not been receiving the attention we deserve as a region that one in five Los Angeles County residents calls home. We are hoping that these districts will require our representatives to direct more time, resources and staff toward the Valley.”