Supervisors decide not to create second Latino-majority district

After hearing hours of emotional testimony from hundreds of speakers, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a redistricting map late Tuesday largely preserving the status quo, protecting incumbents and rejecting demands from Supervisor Gloria Molina and Latino activists that the board draw a second Latino district.

In the end, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who had been an ally of Molina, changed his vote from supporting a second Latino district  to supporting Supervisor Don Knabe's plan largely preserving the existing districts.

Ridley-Thomas had been a staunch advocate for redrawing political lines to add a second Latino-majority district, but said he didn't want to have the board deadlock and hand over the decision to a trio of other countywide elected officials — Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, Sheriff Lee Baca and Assessor John Noguez.

Molina and Ridley-Thomas hugged after the 4-1 vote, which was also supported by Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael D. Antonovich.