Public Testimony on Your Community of Interest

Input from the public is critical to help inform the Commission about your Community of Interest. The Commission has prepared a Public Comment Form to provide the public with a way of submitting information on characteristics that may define your Community of Interest.. If you would like the Commission to consider a particular Community of Interest, we invite you to complete and submit a Public Comment Form, to speak at a Public Hearing or to submit your written comments to the Commission via our website, email, or fax. All personal information

Submit a Map

Maps are another may for the public to provide their input to the Commission. We will accept any size map, small or large, in any format. Whether it's your neighborhood, community, Council District, region, or the entire City, these maps will be considered by the Commission. Maps submitted to the Redistricting Commission are considered part of the public record. In addition to being distributed to the Commission, maps submitted will be made available to the public upon request. If submitted in an electronic format, the maps may be uploaded to the Commission website. If you do not have the map available in an electronic format, Commission staff can scan it for uploading upon request. Submit A Map

Online Redistricting Tool

The Commission is making available a free online tool for the public to develop, share, and submit maps. 
Access the tool: Draw the Districts

Note: You are not required to use the online software to submit input or a proposed map. The Commission will accept suggestions in any format of your choosing, such as an image or written description. For more information on ways to provide input, please visit Submit Map Form or Submit Public Comment Form or contact our office anytime.

Map Presentations by Individuals or Organized Groups

The Commission has established rules and procedures for the presentation of maps by individuals or organized groups at the Tuesday January 17, 2012 and Wednesday January 18, 2012 regular Commission meetings.

• Rules and Procedures

Commission meetings for the presentation of citywide and regional plans have been scheduled for Tuesday January 17, 2012 at Van Nuys City Hall and Wednesday January 18, 2012 at Los Angeles City Hall. While Individuals or groups may present plans at these Commission meetings, proposed maps, suggestions, and comments can be submitted to the Commission for its consideration without requiring the submitter to make an oral presentation. If an individual or group submits proposed maps that are smaller than a Council District (e.g. Neighborhood Council, neighborhood, other communities of interest), these proposals will not be considered for an oral presentation. Individuals or groups planning to offer highlights of their plans at one of the above-referenced Commission meetings should present a request to the Commission no later than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meetings. The request should identify the name of the individual or group presenting the plan, the types of plans being submitted (citywide, regional, single district), and the amount of time requested to present highlights to the Commission, subject to the limitations set out below. Requests should be sent to: redistricting.lacity@lacity.org

The Commission will provide one time slot per group or individual, with preference given to the Commission meeting closest to their place of residence or business. The Commission will provide no more than ten (10) minutes for regional plans and twenty (20) minutes for citywide plans for representatives to provide highlights of their proposed plans and to answer questions from the Commission and its staff and consultants. Depending on the number of submissions and requests to testify at the public hearings, this allocation of time may be reduced, but in no case will it be less than five (5) minutes. Presenters should provide key highlights of the plans and are urged to budget sufficient time within their total time allocation for questions and answers.

Presenters who wish to use PowerPoint or any other presentation software to highlight their plans should submit an electronic copy of their presentation at least 48 hours prior to the Commission meeting. Presentations should be sent to redistricting.lacity@lacity.org

• Submission Format

The Commission strongly encourages developers of plans to submit copies of their plans well in advance of the January 17th and January 18th meetings. The following guidelines should be followed in submitting citywide or multiple district plans:

A version of the plan(s) should be submitted using the Maptitude for Redistricting online software package available on the Commission’s website. As an alternative, an electronic version of the plan(s) contained on a CD, DVD, or USB drive should be submitted. Maps should be submitted in PDF format or in a commonly used graphics file format. Accompanying reports should be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word format. Block equivalency files compatible with the Maptitude for Redistricting software package should be submitted along with the maps and accompanying reports. Equivalency files may be submitted in .dat, .dbf, or .txt format. Additional .shp files may also be included.

Printed copies of maps and accompanying reports are not required, but may be included in the submissions.

All materials should be sent to the following address:

ATTN: Citywide/Regional Plan Submissions
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission
200 N. Spring Street, Room 275
Los Angeles, CA 90012

• General Map Criteria and Guidelines

It is suggested that maps submitted by the public for Citywide and multiple Council District plans should contain a map or set of maps accompanied by a report that provides a description of the proposed district boundaries and the justifications for those boundaries. The accompanying report should confirm that the proposed districts are consistent with the legal requirements of the Los Angeles City Charter, as well as applicable municipal, state, and federal law. Presentations of maps to the Commission and posting of maps on the Redistricting Commission website does not in any way imply endorsement or support by the Redistricting Commission. Posting is provided only as a service to the public to maximize access to Redistricting Commission proceedings.

These requirements include the following criteria:

1. Equal Population Principle – Council districts must contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the City. This principle is established in the City Charter and also in the United State Supreme Court’s “One-Person, One-Vote” decisions;

2. U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause – The United States Supreme Court has held that race cannot be used as the predominant factor in drawing district lines such that traditional redistricting criteria are subordinated to considerations of race;

3. Voting Rights Act of 1965 – The Voting Rights Act prohibits voting practices which result in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of race, color or language minority status. Redistricting plans must be analyzed under the Voting Rights Act to ensure they do not deprive minority voters of an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice in violation of the Act;

4. Traditional Redistricting Criteria – Federal, state and city law have established several traditional redistricting criteria all of which shall be considered to the extent feasible when drawing district lines:

• Contiguity – all parts of a district should connect
• Compactness – districts should be geographically compact
• Existing Boundaries – districts should consider boundaries such as geographic, street and political boundaries
• Communities of Interest – districts should preserve communities of people sharing common interests;

5. Council Districts should have an ideal population of 252,847; and,

6. If your proposal deviates from the ideal population a Council District as listed above, you must include a written explanation and justification of such deviations.