What a Long Strange Trip It's Been
On March 16, City Council accepted, without any serious debate and few amendments,
the final map submitted to them by the Redistricting Commission.
CD10 gained a little bit more of Koreatown and relinquished the street Councilman Parks lives on. After the city attorney drafts the resolution it is expected to come back to council for a vote in May.
The map has forced Councilman Wesson, newly elected President of the City Council, to defend himself against accusations of misusing his new power to punish and reward. It has also resulted in cries of corruption by one of the commissioners and two city council members, brought on accusations of back room dealings and accusations by Koreatown activists of financial extortion by Councilman Wesson’s office.
On the day City Council was scheduled to vote on the map, the council chambers were full with a majority speaking out against it. Student activists from Councilwoman Jan Perry’s district pleaded for City Council to reconsider taking development funding out of her district as it provided much needed revenue for their schools. Preachers from Councilman Bernard Parks district claimed Tom Bradley would roll over in his grave at the lack of respect being shown their communities and three lawsuits have been threatened. Yet it was all an exercise in futility. Ignoring the issues brought up by the pleading crowd, the City Council voted without much debate, 13 to 2 to accept the map.
The media has not minced words.
The Current CD10 Boundaries
