Redistricting Could Turn The Santa Monica Mountains into the Hollywood Hills

The Calabasas City Council this evening will discuss the City’s position on redistricting.  Just to make sure we’re all talking about the same thing, redistricting is the process of dividing the state up into groups of relative equal population, used for legislative representation in the State Senate, Assembly, and by the Board of Equalization.

According to State Senator Fran Pavley’s report, voters approved Proposition 11, the Voters First Act, in November 2008, shifting the responsibility of drawing legislative and Board of Equalization district lines from the Legislature to a “Citizen’s Redistricting Commission.”  The Commission has until August 15 to finalize its maps, and will hold a public meeting at the City of San Fernando Council Chambers this Saturday, April 30, from 2pm to 5 pm.

Pro-conservation groups have pointed out that any action that breaks up the Santa Monica Mountains into multiple legislative districts will eventually compromise the ability of citizens to manage development in this region.  Naturally, dividing up the Santa Monicas as a legislative district is the agenda of developers as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy.  How interesting that City Manager Mr. Coralles should place on the City Council agenda an opportunity for the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) to speak up in favor of including Calabasas with the San Fernando Valley, breaking Calabasas away from the Santa Monica district.  VICA probably thinks they’ve been asked to speak for pro-business reasons.  But doesn’t it seem odd that Fred Gaines, prominent attorney for developers and City Council member, is also on the Board of Directors for VICA, and a past Chairman of it’s Board?  Could this be first class manipulation for a pro-development agenda?

Currently, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and West Hills are joined with Malibu and Santa Monica as a single legislative district, presenting a unified voice for the Santa Monica Mountain region.  You can work to keep it this way.  Attend the City Council meeting tonight, fill out a form to speak during agenda item 11, and let the City Council hear what you think.  The City wants the Council to present an official opinion on redistricting to the Commission.  The best action the City can take is to express no opinion, or to express an opinion in favor of keeping Calabasas within a contiguous district that encompasses the Santa Monica Mountains.

You can also submit a comment directly to the Commission.  Call them toll free at 1-866-356-5217,  send them an e-mail at votersfirstact@crc.ca.gov, or send your comment using the Commission’s online form.

Before commenting, it’s wise to learn the basics of redistricting.  Here are some useful links that can quickly give you a sense of the deciding factors:



An argument that should resonate in favor of maintaining a single legislative district for the Santa Monica Mountain region is that it “represents a contiguous population having a shared economic and social interest regarding development of the Santa Monica Mountain area.”

Let’s face it.  We moved here to get away from Los Angeles.  Let’s not let the politicians turn the Santa Monica Mountains into the Hollywood Hills.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 .