The showdown between Los Angeles City Council Members ended with a 13-2 vote on Friday, as the council supported President Herb Wesson’s vision for city council district maps.
Many say that the new map is a punishment of Council Members Jan Perry and Bernard Parks. It stripped the pair of much of their districts and realigns some of the more affluent areas of the city, solidifying the political power of President Wesson and his allies. The residents, business owners, and community organizers who turned up to the meeting pled for the maps to be reconsidered and then threatened legal action.
The residents of Koreatown, in particular, expressed outrage for being drawn out of the same district where other Asian communities exist. That bifurcation could dilute their political influence, they claim.
 
From the Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a sweeping plan to redraw the borders of its 15 districts, disregarding lawsuit threats that had been lodged by Korean American civic groups and two veteran council members.
Against the distracting backdrop of St. Patrick’s Day bagpipers and a Persian New Year’s buffet, council members realigned political territory across the city, including a move to cut much of downtown out of the district now represented by Councilwoman Jan Perry.
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