LA City Council approves new redistricting plan

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to approve a redistricting plan that would move USC to the 9th District.

Los Angeles County requires district lines to be redrawn every 10 years. The area that will now be within the boundaries of District 9, which is represented by City Councilmember Jan Perry, includes the University Park Campus, University Village, Exposition Park and the Coliseum.

Thomas Sayles, senior vice president of university relations, said USC is satisfied with this change.

“The only request we made was that we be placed in a single district. We want to be treated like any other college in Los Angeles, and we are happy that we are now in one district,” Sayles said.

Sayles said, portions of USC were previously in both the 8th and 9th Districts.

City Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, who represents District 8, said USC’s request to be in one district was legitimate, but he disagrees with the overall redistricting decision. Parks also said he and other councilmembers have pledged to take legal action if Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs the redistricting proposal.

“I think [USC] is going to be a part of a legal battle,” Parks said. “These changes were made without any community input. None of this was requested by anyone in the 8th or 9th Districts.”

Parks said moving to District 9 might delay the university’s plans for expansion and renovation. He said USC’s current and future projects might not receive the same attention from District 9 officials as they did when situated in District 8.

“We have worked for three to four years on these projects,” Parks said. “Moving to a new district would be starting from scratch.”