Calabasas sings the redistricting blues
By Gregory Koteles
Special to The Acorn

In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln ran for reelection with the slogan, "Don’t swap horses."

Franklin Roosevelt also used it during World War II in his 1944 presidential campaign. And U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Woodland Hills) might want to dust off the old slogan now in his bid to keep his district intact.

The redistricting of Congressional representation that occurs every 10 years following the national census has caused more than the usual dissension, particularly in the San Fernando Valley and its neighbor to the west, Calabasas. Under the plan drafted by the state legislature, Sherman’s 24th District would shift considerably east, putting Calabasas in the 29th District, that of U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles).

Though both Sherman and Waxman have similar voting records, Calabasas Mayor Pro Tem Lesley Devine expressed concern over the proposed reapportionment during a recent meeting of the city council.

"We’d be a pimple of the district," said Devine bluntly.

The proposed district would include Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and West Los Angeles, which Devine argued would far outweigh the voting power of Calabasas and the surrounding communities (Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills, etc.).

Devine said that districts should be "formed with sensitivity to a community of interests," and called the proposed redistricting "disturbing."

"We have had very good service from our existing congressman," she said, and proposed that the council draft a letter to Sacramento requesting that Calabasas remain within the 24th District.

City Councilman Michael Harrison disagreed, arguing that Waxman would serve Calabasas well. Harrison, whose cousin heads Waxman’s political action committee (PAC), called the congressman "a leading congressional environmentalist," and urged the council to support the proposed changes.

"He’s not a fool," Harrison later said of Waxman. "This man’s an experienced congressman."

Though City Councilman James Bozajian expressed little concern about exactly which one represented Calabasas in the House of Representatives, he felt the change would be "unhealthy" for the city. Since its incorporation, Calabasas has had three congressmen, too high a turnover rate, according to Bozajian, for effective links to be established between the city and its national representative. Before Sherman was elected, the district was served by former congressman Tony Beilenson, also a Democrat. He retired several years ago.