Congresswoman Laura Richardson released the following statement this week regarding the redistricting of California’s Congressional districts and her intention to seek another term representing the cities that the California Congressional Redistricting Commission (CRC) has designated, including Carson, Compton, Florence-Graham, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Wilmington and Willowbrook.
“Over the past two weeks, by unanimous votes, the CRC has repeatedly released Congressional District visualization maps, which would split the city of Long Beach between two counties (Los Angeles and Orange). The proposed maps also split the city of Carson, dividing the region’s well-established, decades-old Cambodian, Filipino, Samoan, African-American and other communities, which is inconsistent with the citizens’ recorded testimony and create a legally questionable majority Latino, Section II Voting Rights Act District,” Richardson wrote in an email that was sent Monday. “Since approximately over 65 percent of the current 37th Congressional District lies within the communities of Carson, Compton, North Long Beach and Wilmington, which I have represented on the local, state and federal levels over the past decade, having lived in San Pedro in the 1990s and growing up near Florence-Graham, South Gate, Lynwood and Walnut Park, I look forward to continuing to work hard for these communities and expanding on the constituent service and legislative work I have provided in my last two-and-a-half terms in Congress.”
Assemblymember Warren Furutani has announced his plans to run for Los Angeles City Council. Furutani represents the 55th District, which includes the cities of Carson, Harbor City and Harbor Gateway, Lakewood, and parts of Long Beach and Wilmington.
“I was born in San Pedro and have lived in the 15th Council District for almost 20 years,” Furutani said. “I’m an LA guy and I’m very excited at the opportunity to work closely with the community on important issues like job creation, gang prevention, education, transportation, air quality and improving the great neighborhoods of San Pedro, Watts, Wilmington, Harbor City and the Harbor Gateway.”
Furutani began his career in Los Angeles as a community organizer during the Civil Rights movement. He later worked as a counselor at a continuation high school for dropouts in downtown LA to keep at-risk kids out of gangs and in school.
If elected, Furutani would be the first Japanese-American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, and only the second Asian-Pacific Islander, after Michael Woo, who served from 1985 to 1993. ß
