In the ongoing struggle over which congressional district to put Little Saigon in, the latest proposal may end up lumping it in with Long Beach.
The OC Register's political reporter Martin Wisckol reports that the recently revealed map puts Little Saigon and other parts of Orange County in a congressional district, which he says is “dominated by Long Beach.”
Little Saigon has proved problematic for the redistricting folks in the past.
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Based on the first map, Little Saigon was the heart of its proposed district, but doing that pushed Santa Ana into a coastal district, Wisckol writes. So then, the next proposed map put Little Saigon and Santa Ana together. What was the problem with that? Well, it pushed Anaheim into a predominantly Anglo district, much to the chagrin of activists who complained that the move weakened the Latino vote.
Aside from Little Saigon and a big portion of Long Beach, the proposed district also includes: most of Lakewood, Stanton, Cypress, Buena Park, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and Hawaiian Gardens.
If this proposal actually pans out “it would set up an interesting dynamic,” Wisckol writes, hazarding a guess that the new district would probably lean Democratic, citing Van Tran's criticism of it.
In an email, Tran, the onetime assemblyman from Westminster and Republican candidate for Congress, told the Register:
“The draft congressional district lines are very bad, splitting not only the bulk of the Asian-American community into two different districts, but also putting the residents of Orange County at a disadvantage.”
The good thing about this congressional redistricting hullabaloo is that each immiinent deadline–like the Aug. 15 one for the Citizens Redistricting Commission to decide on a final set of maps–means we're one step closer to the end of the process.
But, if you're a glutton for punishment, don't worry. The public hearings for redistricting of the supervisorial districts will stretch into September.
The Board of Supes' first meeting to discuss the plans recommended by the Orange County redistricting committee is next Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Hall of Administration, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd.
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