Draft City Council Redistricting Maps Divide Koretz's District

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz may soon represent a different set of neighborhoods, but for now, Westwood and Century City will remain under his watch.

In draft redistricting maps released Wednesday, Koretz's Council District 5 no longer includes several Valley communities, including Sherman Oaks and Encino. Instead, Koretz may pick up the Miracle Mile and Hancock Park areas, previously represented by Councilman Tom LaBonge's Council District 4. LaBonge would also lose the Toluca Lake/North Hollywood area and pick up Sherman Oaks and Encino, giving his district a much larger focus on the Valley.

Koretz voiced displeasure at the possibility of losing his Valley territory. "I enjoy the areas I’ve represented. I have an excellent relationship with the community groups there," Koretz told the Los Angeles Times.

Seven public hearings will be held from Feb. 1 to Feb. 11 over the draft maps. (See attached.) There is a public hearing before the Redistricting Commission on Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Westchester Senior Citizen Center, 8740 Lincoln Blvd. in Westchester.

Some of the more significant changes in the proposed maps include:

• To the west, Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl blasted an email criticizing the draft maps for "lopping most of Westchester and part of Playa Vista" from his 11th Council district into another. Rosendahl said his 11th District had about 10,000 too many residents, but the commission has suggested "amputating the bulk of Westchester and part of Playa Vista from the rest of our district," instead of trimming along the edges. The councilman noted that the draft map would divide communities that share a neighborhood council, a chamber of commerce and a community plan area. He also criticized separating Westchester from Los Angeles International Airport. 
  
  
• Paul Krekorian, whose CD2 already includes a large chunk of North Hollywood, would now cover the NoHo Arts District and Toluca Lake. 
• In downtown Los Angeles, Councilman Jose Huizar's District 14 would represent the majority of the area and Jan Perry's District 9 would hold on to only the Staples Center and L.A. Live.