Business Community Weighs In on Council Redistricting

The Hollywood business community appears to have mixed opinions about the upcoming redrawing of Los Angeles City Council districts, which affect which council members will represent Hollywood.

Public hearings scheduled by the L.A. City Council Redistricting Commission are giving residents and business owners a chance to speak out on the issue before a draft plan is adopted later this month.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is urging its 900 members to support maintaining current district boundaries at a hearing planned for Monday at Los Angeles City College.

Currently, Hollywood is represented by three council districts: Councilman Eric Garcetti's District 13, Councilman Tom LaBonge's District 4 and Councilman Paul Koretz's District 5.

“Our position is that the business district should remain as it has for 20 successful years,” Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said. “It has worked well to have the core business district remain under the guidance of one councilman familiar with the area.”

However, Vahe Karamardian, who, along with his brother Harry, owns Sandella’s Flatbread Café at 7021 Hollywood Blvd., is not really concerned about the redrawing of City Council boundaries.

“I don’t think it will affect anything we do,” Karamardian said.

Jeffrey Meyer, who owns Hollywoodland Antiques & Fine Time Pieces at 2699 1/2 Beachwood Dr., is also nonchalant about possible future changes in City Council representation as a result of redistricting. 

“I don’t see much good that gets done,” Meyer said. “They've done absolutely nothing for me.”

Lynn Sheppod, of Sotheby's International Realty, sells homes in the area and said most of her clients would probably not consider redistricting when making a decision to buy a home. However, she said, redistricting could make for some challenges.

"What might be problematic in the long run would be if a congruent, geographic neighborhood were to be split in two, diluting the impact of the voters in that area at the City Council level," she said.

In addition to receiving input at the public hearings, the Redistricting Commission is urging Los Angeles residents to submit their own maps of how they would like to see their neighborhoods look. Training is being offered on how to draw maps, through RedrawLA.org.

At a meeting held Wednesday in Los Feliz, some Hollywood residents urged the commission to .

Monday's public hearing, for the Hollywood area, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles City College Theatre, 855 N. Vermont Ave.

More details on redistricting are available by visiting: redistricting2011.lacity.org.