Redistricting: Should All of Hollywood be in one City Council District?

With the release of data gathered during the 2010 Census Los Angeles City leaders have started to turn their attention to the process of redistricting Los Angeles' 15 City Council Districts (Council File 11-0187). The Census Bureau has already released the 2010 Census population totals and demographic summary and will soon release the more detailed demographic, economic, and housing breakdowns that the City uses to guide its redistricting process.

A quick summary of the City's redistricting process: 

• The redistricting process for City Council Districts is established in City Charter Section 204.
• The Charter requires that a 21 member Redistricting Commission be appointed to develop a redistricting plan, which would then be submitted to the City Council for review and adoption. The Council is not required to adopt the plan developed by the Redistricting Commission. The Council has the authority to amend and modify the Redistricting Commission's plan as it seems fit. The City Charter requires that the Council adopt a final redistricting plan no later than July 1, 2012.
• The City Charter requires that Council Districts "each contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the City as shown by the Federal Census" and that they be "drawn in conformance with requirements of state and federal law and, to the extent feasible, shall keep neighborhoods and communities intact, utilize natural boundaries or street lines, and be geographically compact."

Based on the City's official population (as determined by the United States Census Bureau) of 3,792,621 persons, each of the City's 15 Council Districts should contain approximately 252,841 people. FYI: Eric Richardson at blogdowntown has created a cool series of maps based on recently released census data, including one that shows population changes in each City Council District.

 

The City Planning Department's most recent (2009) population estimate for Hollywood is 227,807 persons. If this population estimate is correct than Hollywood has approximately 25,000 fewer people than the 252,841 persons that each City Council District should contain after redistricting is complete.

Currently Hollywood is represented by three Council Districts: Council District 4 (Tom Labonge), Council District 5 (Paul Koretz), and Council District 13 (Eric Garcetti). As the entire population of Hollywood could fit within the population confines of a single Council District, I'm starting to wonder if it would make sense for all of Hollywood be represented in one City Council District?

I don't have much to say on issue, one way or the other, but feel like the question is worth consideration. Off the top of my head I'd say that having three Council members representing Hollywood only seems to dilute (and/or muddle) Hollywood's voice so the idea of having a single voice on the Council speaking for, and to, Hollywood does sort of appeal to me.