Letters to the Editor: A new L.A. council district map that makes sense? Yes please!
Dear editors, this issue has been a busy one for a new Los Angeles council district map coming before our city council this week. But perhaps the map’s most controversial feature is the new boundaries to the 12th district, which includes the communities of Boyle Heights, Chinatown, Mid-City and Watts.
The 12th, which currently contains several neighborhoods in South L.A., was created when the 13th was carved up into five districts.
The 12th, which is geographically the largest — and most diverse — of the five districts, is home to the majority of current City Council members, including our current mayor, Eric Garcetti, who lives in neighboring Boyle Heights. The district is also a hot spot for immigrants and a major area of contention between LAPD and community members.
Here’s why we believe the map makes sense:
The largest Los Angeles neighborhood
The new 12th district contains four neighborhoods that together make up the largest LA neighborhoods, as well as the city’s Chinatown neighborhood.
The five-year-old Boyle Heights now has more than half the population of the previous 12th district that contained three neighborhoods.
The 13th district included five neighborhoods, including Mid-City with 15,000 residents, and Watts with roughly 10,000. The new 12th district includes the six neighborhoods that make up Boyle Heights and Chinatown, along with Downtown, a historically black district with 7,000 residents.
The new 12th’s population has increased by more than 5,000 people, while Boyle Heights and Chinatown remain relatively unchanged.
The new district’s residents include Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Caucasians, Asians, Pacific Islanders, African-American immigrants, and Latinos.
The City of South Los Angeles
The south Los Angeles neighborhoods of Lincoln Heights, South El Monte and South Gate have been cut into four districts, with the new 11th district including the three communities.
There are also several large, historically African-American neighborhoods in the new 11th district: Koreatown