Open letter to Los Angeles City Council Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform from CAUSE in support for the reforms to the City Charter that would increase the size of the City Council and create an independent redistricting commission.
After Outcry, Asian-Majority Cities In West San Gabriel Valley Are Now Back Together In Latest Redistricting Map
Redistricting maps are not final until the commission takes a vote on Dec. 27. But Asian American leaders expressed optimism that the west San Gabriel Valley district would stay intact. The communities are currently in the 27th Congressional district represented by Democrat Judy Chu.
“I do feel like the community input really made a difference and made it very clear what [commissioners] needed to do,” said Nancy Yap, who leads the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE).
“So many of the things that we're experiencing as a community — from language translation and cultural competence to also experiences around the pandemic and anti-Asian hate — makes it important that we have a representative that understands our community and represents all of us,” Yap said.
Yap said that CAUSE and other organizations continue to keep an eye on the outcome for Asian-majority cities in the east San Gabriel Valley. Currently, draft maps move Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights and Walnut out of their current district shared with Buena Park and Fullerton, which have large Asian American populations, and groups them with Latino-majority Gateway Cities including Norwalk and Whittier.
The San Gabriel Valley's Asian-Majority Cities Would Be Split Up Under This Redistricting Plan
A proposal before the state redistricting commission would redraw two congressional districts currently represented by Judy Chu and Young Kim. Critics say the move would significantly reduce the percentage of Asian Americans in those districts and diminish their voting power regionally.
The plan arrives at a time when Asian Americans are in urgent need of strong representation in Congress, said Nancy Yap, executive director of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE).
“With all that's happening with anti-Asian hate and COVID-19, and the impact that it’s had [on businesses] in the area, having that community together is meaningful,” Yap said.
CAUSE is among the dozens of Asian American civic organizations and leaders who have been blasting the proposed changes since a draft map came out Nov. 10.