Redistricting Map Proposes Big Changes for City

Under the recently proposed revisions to U.S. congressional district boundaries, Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman would no longer represent Calabasas.

Draft maps for the new districts for Congress and the state Legislature were released last week by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The boundaries decided by the commission are part of an ongoing project and won’t be complete until Aug. 15.

Under the proposed boundaries, Calabasas, located in the 30th Congressional District, would likely have a different representative in Congress. The boundaries for the state Legislature were left mostly unchanged.

The new 30th Congressional District would extend to Van Nuys and the Hollywood Freeway on the east to parts of Santa Clarita to the north. It would eliminate the area south of Calabasas to Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu.  The draft boundaries for Calabasas extend toward the city of San Fernando.

Calabasas Mayor James Bozajian said he welcomes the change and would like to see a congressional representative who pays more attention to the city and its constituents.

Bozajian said he only remembers one time in the past 10 years that he’s seen Waxman, who is based on L.A.'s Westside, in Calabasas. Bozajian would like a representative who has a greater interest in his city.

“It’s not the way it should be,” Bozajian said. “It’s a good idea to have a congressman who lives nearby.”

Waxman said in a prepared statement that he has long enjoyed representing Calabasas and he was disappointed that under the current draft, he would no longer “have that privilege.”

“However, I recognize that the process of redrawing district lines is not final and the final maps created by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission may differ from the most recent drafts,” Waxman said. “I have no control over what the commission decides, but when the final lines are drawn, I would be pleased to have the privilege of continuing to represent the citizens of Calabasas.”

Bozajian said he doesn’t expect the draft maps to stand and favors voters having a different choice of congressional candidates in the next election.

In a letter to the Citizens Redistricting Commission, Mayor Pro Tem Mary Sue Maurer requested that Calabasas be included in a congressional district that includes other mountainous communities. She listed a number of government agencies and other entities that Calabasas shares with neighboring communities including Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Malibu, Topanga, Encino, Tarzana and Woodland Hills.

As examples of shared agencies, Maurer listed the Las Virgenes School District, the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, the Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“There is virtually no organization that links us to West Los Angeles and the surrounding areas or to Ventura County,” Maurer wrote in her letter to the commission. “We should definitely not be included in districts that cross into Ventura County or the West Los Angeles area. We also do not desire to be part of a district with East San Fernando Valley communities such as Burbank or Glendale, because we do not share enough common interests.”

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the new districts in California could put as many as five more Democrats in the House of Representatives and give the Democrats in the state Legislature a two-thirds majority.

The is expected to discuss the new district boundaries at its next meeting on Wednesday.