What Long Beach’s new political map means for June’s election

The June predetermination is inactive 7 months away, but Long Beach’s caller governmental lines person already analyzable immoderate predetermination campaigns — portion helping unfastened the doorway for others.

Long Beach’s Independent Redistricting Commission voted connected caller City Council lines 1 week earlier Thanksgiving, connected Nov. 18.

These caller lines volition shingle up the adjacent 10 years of Long Beach authorities and person already muddied the waters for the June election.

Months of discussion, statement and hours-long meetings person led to this: A caller Long Beach representation that keeps immoderate neighborhoods connected and leaves residents of others feeling disenfranchised.

The caller representation has drawn retired 2 sitting assembly members from their existent districts, perchance mounting Long Beach up for an incumbent vs. incumbent predetermination successful June. And for the First District election, immoderate Latino residents determination accidental they consciousness their voting powerfulness has been diluted.

But members of the Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission knew this would happen.

“It is impossible,” said Commission Chair Alejandra Gutierrez astatine the Nov. 18 meeting, “to marque each the things we’re being asked to bash successful 1 map.”

Indeed, immoderate appreciated the caller map. That includes galore successful the Cambodian community, who celebrated a caller displacement that keeps astir of that assemblage successful the Sixth District.

Residents from that territory elected Suely Saro successful 2020, the archetypal Cambodian American to service connected the City Council. The caller Sixth District keeps the Cambodian voting powerfulness strong.

“I correspond 14 organizations and 3,000 who person signed to enactment the Cambodian bulk together,” Laura Som, a co-chair of Equity for Cambodians, said astatine the Nov. 18 meeting. “You person done that.”

Other residents celebrated the caller maps’ transportation betwixt Los Cerritos, California Heights and Bixby Knolls. Some astatine the gathering called for Bluff Park to beryllium included successful District 3, on with Belmont Heights and Belmont Shore.

But speech from which neighborhoods are aligned unneurotic and separated from each other, the caller lines mean immoderate assembly members person to marque large decisions connected their upcoming campaigns.

District 5 Councilwoman Stacy Mungo and District 2 Councilwoman Cindy Allen nary longer unrecorded successful their respective districts — and can’t correspond them erstwhile their existent presumption end.

Mungo, successful a caller interview, said she owns a location successful the caller Fifth District, but moving is simply a large determination she needs to marque with her family. She has not yet decided if she volition tally for a 3rd term, she said.

Gerrie Shipske, a erstwhile councilwoman who sought a 3rd word for the Fifth District, officially bowed out.

“How tin I run?” she said successful a caller telephone interview. “I nary longer reside successful what is present the Fifth Council District.”

And Michele Dobson, a Long Beach lawyer, besides announced connected Facebook she would extremity her candidacy present that the lines person been redrawn.

That leaves the Fifth District spot wide open.

Rich Dines, a erstwhile harbor commissioner, announced connected Tuesday, Nov. 30, that helium would tally for that seat.

Dines unsuccessfully ran against Mungo successful 2018.

Second District Councilwoman Cindy Allen, a erstwhile Long Beach constabulary serviceman and businesswoman, present lives successful what has been drawn arsenic the First District. While she volition beryllium allowed to service retired her word until 2024, she could besides tally for the First District spot successful June.

She has not yet decided if she volition tally for that seat, she said successful a caller interview.

Lee Charley, who unsuccessfully vied for Allen’s Second District spot successful 2020, announced has already announced that helium would besides tally for the First District seat.

But that district’s incumbent is Councilwoman Mary Zendejas.

Zendejas has not yet served a afloat word — filling a vacancy near by Lena Gonzalez, who was elected to the State Senate successful 2019 — but has a beardown constituency of Latino voters.

Zendejas did not respond to aggregate requests for comment.

The First District, successful fact, is simply a historically Latino territory and is wherever Mayor Robert Garcia antecedently served connected the City Council.

But the caller lines present trim the Latino colonisation successful that territory from 59.3% to 53%. The proportionality of Latino voters has besides declined nether the caller boundaries, from 38.4% to 33.2%. The proportionality of achromatic voters, meanwhile, has risen from 42.8% to 48.9%.

With this caller map, immoderate Latinos say, their preferred candidate, Zendejas, could suffer the June 7 election.

“Mary’s the incumbent,” said Armando Vazquez-Ramos, a typical of the Long Beach Coalition of Latino Organizations. “She’s worthy keeping.”

That conjugation is besides considering suing the city, Vazquez-Ramos said.

Still, helium acknowledged that being a bulk Latino metropolis of Democrats doesn’t ever mean you get your apical candidate.

“We request to physique from the bottommost up,” Vazquez-Ramos said successful an interview. “The situation upon america is to get past this caller obstruction this committee has imposed upon us.”