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City Beat
Assembly's redistricting plan being challenged
Controversy could postpone putting WG into one district
By Moryt Milo
South Bay communities seem poised to challenge the new state Senate and Assembly redistricting boundaries, signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis on Sept. 27. A challenge could postpone implementation of a plan that would put most of Willow Glen into a single assembly district.
Under the new redistricting bills, the majority of Willow Glen will be reapportioned into Assembly District 24, represented by Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn, a Democrat. Prior to the redistricting, much of Willow Glen was in District 23, represented by Assemblyman Manny Diaz, also a Democrat.
The state redistricting, which occurs every 10 years, was overwhelmingly approved on Sept. 14 by state legislators, but several South Bay community groups--the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting-Santa Clara County and the Berryessa Neighborhood Association--have criticized the redrawing of district lines. They are claiming several communities of interest have been chopped up.
Diaz and Cohn supported the dividing of the San Jose's Berryessa district, whose predominant Asian-American residents are crying foul, saying their voice has been diluted. The Berryessa community, originally all in District 20, splits into four different districts, with Diaz and Cohn each representing a portion.
Under the new reapportionment, Diaz's district will include larger portions of East San Jose and stretch further south, bordering along the west side of San Felipe Road, but Diaz said he will still represent the North Willow Glen Gardner community area.
Although Diaz will have a larger Latino constituency he said, "I didn't support the plan, and thought they divided community interest too much."
But others are accusing Diaz of deliberately trying to fracture the districts so he could represent a greater Latino population.
"We in the Asian community feel like the sacrificial lamb because San Francisco was untouched and Los Angeles was relatively untouched," said Hung Quoc Nguyen, a member of the Asian-Pacific Coalition. "We don't want to make this an issue between Latinos and Asians, but we just want [the redistricting] to be fair for people living in the [Berryessa] district."
If the plan is challenged in the state judicial system, the possibility arises for the lines to be finalized by the California Supreme Court.
"Then the decision is not decided by legislators but by the courts," Diaz said. "Redistricting is like a moving target."
Nguyen said The Asian Pacific Coalition is considering a legal challenge, as their community would be represented by four different assembly members.
"If you don't have an advocate for the community, there won't be funding for community projects," Nguyen said .
Cohn, whose district needed to increase in population to match the average district size, will see her district expand into portions of Santa Clara and northeast San Jose, which includes the majority of Willow Glen and a portion of the disputed Berryessa district. She will no longer represent Los Gatos, Cupertino and Monte Sereno.
"I am looking forward to serving the Willow Glen community," she said.
The community is similar to those she already represents, which include Campbell and Saratoga, but "every community has its distinctions." Cohn said she is planning to familiarize herself with the new neighborhoods by driving around, meeting constituents and talking with business owners.
She has been speaking with Diaz and is looking ahead to a smooth transition when redistricting becomes finalized, she said.
Cohn said legislators are constantly speaking with each other and she plans to maintain a relationship with Diaz and discuss any pending constituency work.
"Rebecca values preservation and is sensitive to the needs of her job," Diaz said.
Although Gov. Davis signed the redistricting bills into law, Diaz and Cohn's representation will currently remain unchanged until all challenges are either dropped or reviewed by the California Supreme Court. Should redistricting be challenged in the courts, the case must be decided, with final lines in place, before the 2002 elections.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
