Latinos Urge Board to Settle Remap Suit With New District : Voting rights: Coalition assails supervisors, especially Schabarum, urging them now to ‘do the right thing.’

A coalition of Latino politicians and community leaders confronted the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday with a packed hall of vocal supporters and a bitter demand that the board settle the festering voting rights lawsuit.

The group accused the board of diluting Latino voting strength through the drawing of district lines and singled out Supervisor Pete Schabarum for what they said was a “cynical” and “malicious” maneuver to keep Latino politicians from running for his seat.

In waiting until the last minute to disclose that he would not seek reelection, Schabarum left Latino elected officials little choice but to file for reelection to their own offices, they said.

Coalition leaders implored the board to use the opportunity afforded by Schabarum’s retirement to “do the right thing” by settling the lawsuit and redrawing district boundaries to improve the chances of a Latino winning a seat on the five-member board.

The group--led by U.S. Rep. Esteban Torres (D-La Puente) and Los Angeles City Council members Gloria Molina and Richard Alatorre--said the Latino community is united in its demand for a settlement.

Its leaders said that a Latino has little chance of winning in Schabarum’s 1st District in the June 5 election--and they do not intend to field a candidate.

“None of us will run, or support those who do, until the (voting rights) issue is resolved,” Molina said. “We will settle for nothing less.”

Hundreds of Latinos, many of them bused in by churches and community groups, packed the regular Board of Supervisors meeting. When they loudly applauded Molina and the other speakers, Board Chairman Schabarum repeatedly pounded his gavel and threatened to recess the meeting.

Despite the public appeal, the supervisors took up the settlement issue in a private, executive session and continued the matter for a week.

The redistricting trial continued Tuesday in federal court despite the calls for settlement. The suit by the Justice Department, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union alleges that the supervisors drew district lines in a way that violates the voting rights of Latinos and prevents a Latino from being elected to the board.

At the board meeting, the calls for settlement were openly resisted by a majority of the board. Supervisor Deane Dana--who had supported an unsuccessful attempt to settle the suit last December--on Tuesday joined conservatives Schabarum and Mike Antonovich in arguing against settlement.

Dana and Antonovich said that even if district lines must be redrawn, they prefer to do it after the 1990 Census is completed and better data is available.

Supervisors Kenneth Hahn and Ed Edelman had expressed hope that Schabarum’s decision not to seek a fifth term in June’s election would make it easier to resolve the redistricting dispute.

The board’s deep divisions were evident even as they debated procedural points. Hahn wanted the Latino speakers to be placed high on the meeting agenda, while Schabarum wanted them to follow other business.

As Torres assured Schabarum that he would be brief, the crowd suddenly broke into a standing applause and loud hoots and whistles that lasted more than two minutes and silenced the board.

Torres, Molina and Alatorre were then invited to address the supervisors, though Schabarum warned the crowd that he would have them all ejected and the meeting recessed if there was another outburst.

Torres said Schabarum’s decision has provided the board with an opportunity to reverse what he said was systematic denial of voting rights for Latinos. He encouraged the board to carve a predominantly Latino district from Schabarum’s district.

As Schabarum sat impassively, Torres and Molina attacked him for keeping his election plans secret.

Torres was interested in running for supervisor but had to file for reelection to the House of Representatives on Thursday--one day before the filing deadline for Schabarum’s seat.

Schabarum took himself out of the race only after he was certain that “an uppity Mexican-American didn’t file,” Torres alleged.

Molina said that Schabarum’s last-minute decision “if innocent in intent was nonetheless malicious in effect.”

Alatorre, an expert on redistricting, said it is time for the supervisors to “rise above the pettiness that sometimes goes along with redistricting.”

Then he turned to Schabarum and said, “Let’s do the right thing, Pete.”

During the debate, Dana tried to reassure Latinos by saying: “We have a very fine Hispanic (running for office) that you should get behind--Sarah Flores.” Flores is a Schabarum aide.

Torres labeled Dana’s remarks “condescending” to Latinos and said: “The community needs to make its own choices.”

When Antonovich also suggested Latinos back Flores’ candidacy, there was a loud round of boos.

Today at 5 p.m. is the deadline for candidates to file papers to run for the 1st District seat, which includes the San Gabriel Valley. By late Tuesday, nine candidates had taken out papers to run for the seat, including former U.S. Rep. Jim Lloyd, Superior Court Judge Gregory O’Brien and Flores.