Congressmember Alan Lowenthal signs a petition that aims to rally support to redistrict the city so that the greater Cambodian community in Long Beach is in one council district. A coalition of Cambodian organizations hosted a petition-signing event on March 18 at the La Lune Thmey restaurant, and invited the public to sign the petition and support the community’s cause.
Throughout the mid to late 1970s, the Khmer Rouge communist regime carried out a genocide of nearly 3 million Cambodians. Regime leaders felt that educated individuals— such as those with artistic, medical or political backgrounds— threatened their idea of an agriculture-based society.
Those who escaped “the killing fields” moved to the United States and settled in Long Beach, resulting in the second-largest concentration of Cambodians outside the Asian country itself.
During the petition-signing event, Laura Som, executive director of the MAYE Center, an organization that treats traumatized survivors, said families that lived under rule of the Khmer Rouge were oppressed and never allowed to protest for what they believed in— speaking up against the Khmer Rouge sometimes meant death. The MAYE Center aims to heal genocide survivors through meditation, agriculture/farming, yoga and education (MAYE).
Som said she began to notice that her meditation students— survivors of the genocide who are now mostly seniors— began to rediscover their own voices and opinions, which the Khmer Rouge once sought to forcefully silence.
The petition to gather support for council redistricting is a physical embodiment of that voice, Som said. The idea is to have a representative in a leadership position who reflects the greater Cambodian community in the city.
She said a council district with a majority of Cambodian voters in its boundaries keeps the community alive, gives them voting power and helps make Long Beach their home.
“Healing yourself isn’t enough,” she said. “Standing up for your community is what it means to be alive.”
The plan to redistrict began when members of the MAYE Center participated in a course that teaches about local governments called the Civics, Organizing and Government (COG) program.
Data collected in the 2016 U.S. Census shows that Long Beach has a population of 469,793 people. The Cambodian population stands at 17,641— 4 percent of the total population. Fifty-two percent of Cambodians in Long Beach currently reside in the 6th district.
Som said that readjusting the 1st, 2nd and 4th council district lines would allow for a stronger presence of Cambodians in the 6th district in time for the 2020 election.
Ultimately, it is up to the city council to decide which district a majority of the Cambodian residents will find themselves in, however, Som and other coalition members say they are inclined to believe it will be the 6th district.
An Equity for Cambodians memo states that Section 103 of the Long Beach City Charter allows for the City to change district lines every five years or whenever the council feels that it is necessary.
In 2011, the City adopted its redistricting criteria. Item seven of the document states that “splits in neighborhoods, ethnic communities and other groups having a clear identity should be avoided.”
Despite this statement, the City divided the Cambodian community in 2011. Most of the area was divided between the 4th and 6th districts due to the use of Gardenia Avenue as the north-south dividing line, according to the memo.
Som told the Signal Tribune during a phone interview Wednesday that the initiative to redistrict fits the criteria needed to be put into action. She said that individuals afraid of the change may not agree with the plan.
“There might be some pushback from those that are affected,” she said.
During the event, Uranga said the Latino community has undergone a similar situation. The councilmember referred to that community’s efforts in the early 1990s to have a seat on the city council designated for a Latino or Latina. These efforts were successful and resulted in the election of Jenny Oropeza to the 1st district in 1994.
Congressmember Lowenthal also made comments during the event and showed his support for redistricting.
“This is a major step toward democracy,” he said. “Now, it’s time for them to be active, to have their own representation.”
Lowenthal was the first to sign the petition. Shortly after, Uranga and Saro added their signatures alongside the congressmember’s.
During the event, Charles Song, Equity for Cambodians coalition co-chair, said that anyone could sign the petition. He stressed that the signatures were only to show the city council how much the community supported redistricting. Those who signed did not have to be registered voters.
The petition also aids in sparking interest on the topic among the Cambodian community.
The coalition is hoping to present the petition with signatures to the city council on April 24.
“This is an opportunity for all of us to give a voice,” Song said. “We need a massive petition, and we are going to take it straight to City Hall.”
