Cal.
Sen.Richard Polanco Announces an Amendment
to Expand the Board of Supervisors
The following is the partial text of
Senator Polanco’s remarks at a Press Conference in February 1999 announcing a
proposed Constitutional Amendment to Expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
I have called this news conference to announce the introduction
of Senate Constitutional Amendment 7. SCA 7 would present—for California voter
approval—an amendment to Section 4 of Article 11 of the California Constitution. It
would simply read "that in a county with a population of more than 5 million the
charter shall provide for a governing body of 7 or more members."
Currently the minimum number of board members is five. My measure would raise the
minimum number of board members to seven.
This is a moderate proposal to make county government more accessible. The County
of Los Angeles was established in 1850—the same year California was admitted into the
Union. They had a five-member board back then and about 5,000 people lived in the county.
Each board member represented about 1,000 people. That made sense in 1850. A lot has
changed since then.
Today, the population is conservatively estimated at 9.6 million people. Nearly 150
years have passed and the number of Supervisors has remained static while the population
in each district has grown nearly 2,000 fold.
I think that fundamentally we ought to
let the voters
device this important question.
How big is the population in L.A. County? It is the largest county in
America. In fact, L.A. County has a larger population than 42 of our states. Experts
predict that unless something is done, each supervisorial district in L.A. County will
soon exceed two million residents.
If we do nothing, supervisorial districts will be more than three times the size of
a congressional district… and more than twice the size of a California Senate
district.
There comes a time when we need to revisit issues of governance. There comes a time
when we need to increase the number of representatives in order to provide the most
effective representation. Now is the time.
Not only is board expansion long overdue, but also now is the smart time to do it.
Let me explain why.
The census will be conducted in the year 2000 and reapportionment—the
redrawing of district lines—is legally mandated in 2001. If California voters approve
my measure in the year 2000, the Board of Supervisors themselves would simply use the new
census data to draw seven districts rather than five in the year 2001. It would be a
seamless transition. |
This proposal makes perfect sense and allows local control
since the board members themselves would continue to have the authority to draw the
district lines. And, it need not cost a penny more. Instead of slicing the budget pie in
five pieces, you slice it into seven pieces. There needn’t be additional cost.
Many of you [in the press] have seen a proposal by the County Chicano Employees
Association that was crafted by Alan Clayton. I have a copy of the map right here that was
drafted by the County Chief Administrator’s Office using Alan’s data. His
proposal demonstrates that board expansion can be done.
This map is evidence that smaller districts can be crafted in a way that benefits
all county residents.
An expanded board would give the African American community a much better chance of
electing an African American Supervisor for decades to come.
The plan promises the emerging Asian community new opportunities by consolidating
heavily Asian communities into two districts.
The plan would likely add an additional Latino to the Board.
And, two districts would have a majority of their residents drawn from the San
Fernando Valley, ensuring the San Fernando Valley a strong voice on the board.
While I believe that his proposal works, ultimately, it is up to the County Board
to draw the districts and I am sure that Alan’s proposal will in many ways be a part
of that process.
Finally, as you may know, my measure to place the question on the state ballot is
not the only way to accomplish board expansion. The Supervisors can do it themselves.
The Board of Supervisors can elect to place the question on the county ballot if
three board members support such a motion.
I welcome local leadership on this important issue of governance and
representation. I think that fundamentally we ought to let the voters decide this
important question. • |