County Faces Loss of 2 Seats in Assembly : Redistricting: Fast-growing Inland Empire and San Diego County gain at expense of L. A. area, census figures indicate. Latinos post big gains.

SACRAMENTO —  Los Angeles County is likely to lose two seats in the state Assembly to the fast-growing Inland Empire and northern San Diego County in this year’s redistricting, figures released Tuesday show.

Because of a population surge in these areas, coastal regions of Los Angeles County stand to lose representation in both houses of the Legislature. At the same time, Latinos are likely to gain ground in state politics as a result of the once-a-decade reapportionment. The growth of the Latino population in Los Angeles has been so dramatic, in fact, that Latinos now constitute a majority in at least five Assembly districts.

District-by-district census figures released by the Assembly show that the districts on the Westside of Los Angeles, the South Bay and Long Beach have lagged in population growth. As a result, two Los Angeles County legislators are in danger of losing their seats in the 80-member chamber and others will find their districts expanded to take in more inland territory.

“If you look at San Bernardino, Riverside and northern San Diego County, that’s where the state grew,” said one Assembly aide. “This is a continuation of the same pattern we saw 10 years ago. People are moving where land and housing are cheap.”

Based on California’s population growth, the average Assembly district must have about 372,000 people after redistricting is complete. Assembly members are most vulnerable in those areas where the population of adjoining districts has fallen below that target.

On the Westside, the district of Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles) is short 70,732 residents. The district of Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) is 64,766 below the goal. And Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles) is down by 43,123 people.

“Because each of the Westside districts needs population, all of Los Angeles will have to be reconfigured somehow,” Hayden said through a spokesman. “All I know is, with an ocean at my back, my district won’t move west.”

Farther south, the district of Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles), which encompasses Marina del Rey, Baldwin Hills and Crenshaw, is short 52,383 residents. The district of Assemblyman Curtis Tucker Jr. (D-Inglewood) is down by 46,641 people. The district of Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Carson) has fallen 43,478 below the target.

“From what I hear, they are talking about collapsing two districts in Los Angeles County,” said Tucker who represents the 50th Assembly District. “We just don’t have the population like we did. So I think it’s clear we’re going to lose two--I just hope the 50th isn’t one of them.”

The surge in the county’s Latino population means at least two districts represented by black Democrats--Teresa P. Hughes and Marguerite Archie-Hudson--now have Latino majorities.

In Northern California, the population of the San Francisco Bay Area has failed to keep pace with the state’s growing suburban communities and is likely to lose at least one seat, the figures show.

At the same time, districts in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties have been among the fastest-growing in the state and are likely to pick up the seats that Los Angeles County loses.

The district of Assemblyman Steve Clute (D-Riverside) has 148,860 people over the 372,000 target population. Assemblyman Jim Brulte (R-Ontario) has a surplus of 126,847 constituents. In Northern San Diego County, the district of Assemblywoman Tricia Hunter (R-Bonita) has an extra 147,906 residents.

One area of Los Angeles County that has experienced rapid growth is the Antelope Valley, as demonstrated by the district of Assemblyman Phillip Wyman (R-Tehachapi), which is 135,208 constituents above the redistricting goal.