In and outside City Hall, some have begun discussing a dramatic step to address the public’s outrage in the wake of the scandal: scrapping the maps of the council’s 15 districts and drawing new ones.
“I don’t think that these [district] lines are credible at this point in the eyes of many in the city,” City Atty. Mike Feuer said Thursday. “The only way to erase the taint of what was recently disclosed, and to assure the legitimacy of the lines we have, is to redraw them.”
At one point, Martinez warned Cedillo, who is Latino and represents an Eastside district, that one proposed map could leave him with a higher concentration of white voters and “Berners” — younger residents who voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders for president.“I’m just trying to get a majority of a good district so that you all can get reelected,” said Martinez, who resigned last week after the audio became public.
City leaders needed to comply with the Voting Rights Act, which seeks to safeguard Black and Latino representation. At the same time, they had to ensure that race was not the “predominant” factor when drawing the maps. That would violate the equal protection clause contained in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, the city’s lawyers warned in a memo.
Los Angeles City Councilmen Gil Cedillo, left, and Kevin de León at a meeting last week where protesters demanded their resignation.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Racist audio leak has 'tainted' L.A.'s redistricting maps. Should they be scrapped?In the furor over the racist leaked audio, calls are growing for the city to throw out the boundary lines drawn last year for the council’s 15 districts.
Read more »
Racist remarks in leaked audio of L.A. council members spark outrage, disgust🎥 Explainer: Audio leaked from a meeting involving L.A. City Council members includes racist, coarse comments. But it also captures the politicians and a powerful labor leader plotting to strengthen their power via redistricting
Read more »
Racist remarks in leaked audio could lead to redistricting changes in LA political mapsThe effort by three Latino politicians to maximize their influence in Los Angeles backfired and could have broader legal and political consequences.
Read more »
Politicians continue to react following Los Angeles City Council fallout over leaked audioLos Angeles City Hall was in still in chaos with the massive fallout from last week's racism scandal.
Read more »
Apple Music’s spatial audio is coming to select Mercedes-Benz modelsMercedes-Benz vehicles will natively support the format.
Read more »
Case 63 Trailer: Julianne Moore & Oscar Isaac Star in Spotify SeriesJulianneMoore & OscarIsaac bring their vocal talents to Spotify audiodrama series Case63, set for October 25. Here's a listen to the trailer. / spotifypodcast Spotify Gimletmedia
Read more »