The Citizens for a Fair Redistricting of Westchester-Playa del Rey plan a press conference
 where we would like to see as many people of our community come out to attend.

• You cannot strip us of our voting rights. We demand the right to elect our representatives.
• Our Westchester-Playa del Rey community must maintain its geographic integrity.

The Council’s indifference toward our community is resulting in a growing sentiment that we will be best served by a smaller, more responsive city.  Campaigns in support of Valley, Harbor, and Hollywood secession have begun.

Westchester-Playa del Rey is organizing in preparation for the November vote.  One of the benefits of secession will be a more favorable redistricting of Los Angeles.

Westchester-Playa del Rey residents and business owners turned out in large numbers to express concerns at the only meeting held on the Westside by the L.A. Redistricting Commission appointed by the Mayor, City Attorney, Controller, and each Council member.  Our voices were further articulated by hundreds of letters, faxes and e-mails to the Commission.  The Commission released their report recommending a small piece of Westchester-Playa del Rey be ceded to District 8.  Furthermore, they proposed moving the remaining portion of our community to a newly formed coastal district that was assigned to District 11 in preference to District 6.  The action disenfranchises our entire district by stripping our ability to vote for our City Council representative and assigns us to a representative that we did not elect.  This action also prohibits us from voting in 2003.

The City Council formed a five member Ad Hoc Committee which held additional meetings to review and amend the Commission’s recommendations.  This Committee held an outreach meeting in the Westchester Senior Center on April 23, 2002.  An overflow crowd of more residents were forceful and repetitious in stating their objections to the Commission report.  One Venice resident attending the meeting stated succinctly, “You vote on redistricting, then we vote on secession.”  

The Westchester-Playa del Rey community sent even more letters after the meeting, and 110 residents and business owners traveled, again, to City Hall to attend the next to last Ad Hoc Committee meeting.  The Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee has turned a deaf ear to our cries for justice. 

Council members continually repeat that it is a “NEW DAY IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES” and that they are listening to the will and intent of the voters.  They may be listening, but they are not acting in our best interest.