Supervisors Take Steps for Vote on Larger Board

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took preliminary action Tuesday toward placing a measure before voters that would increase the five-member panel to seven--and possibly nine--seats to improve representation for the county’s 8.8 million residents.

The supervisors instructed their advisory Boundary Commission to draft district lines for the two proposals by Nov. 1. The supervisors have expressed a preference for a seven-seat plan.

But some Latino groups have expressed fear that a seven-seat plan would dilute their voting strength. The groups waged a 10-year court battle to create a district that led to Gloria Molina’s election as the county’s first Latino supervisor this century.

Such a plan would require approval of the U.S. Justice Department. For that reason, supervisors instructed the Boundary Commission to draft a nine-seat plan that would be submitted to the Justice Department if the seven-seat plan is rejected.