Latino Groups Say Proposed Senate District Weakens Vote : Minorities: They offer their own boundary plan that would exclude affluent Anglo areas in Encino from Alan Robbins’ region.

SACRAMENTO —  Latino political groups in the San Fernando Valley complained Monday that the proposed new boundaries of Sen. Alan Robbins’ district would dilute Latino voting strength and were drawn to protect the Democratic lawmaker’s reelection.

The groups, instead, would leave out affluent Anglo areas in Encino and would increase Latino representation from about 44% under a Senate proposal to about 46% by adding precincts in Sylmar, Burbank and Glendale, increasing prospects that Latinos will become a majority in the 20th Senate District.

Under a Senate reapportionment plan released last week, Robbins’ district would add Encino, where the veteran legislator lives. Encino was left out of the district in the remapping of the 1980s. Robbins is registered to vote in his current district in North Hollywood.

The flap over Encino surfaced Monday at a hearing of the Senate Elections and Reapportionment Committee, which is reviewing a redistricting proposal put forth last week by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) and Republican Senate Leader Ken Maddy of Fresno.

The Legislature, which redraws the lines once a decade based on census figures, is scheduled to finish its remapping chores by Friday night when lawmakers adjourn for the year. The Legislature is drawing new lines for Assembly, Senate and congressional districts as well as the state Board of Equalization.

Unlike a decade ago, federal law and court decisions require that the voting strength of minorities not be diluted. Moreover, minorities are pushing the Legislature to use adjusted census figures that would add about 1 million people--most of whom are presumed to be minorities--to California’s population.

Last week, the Latino Redistricting Coalition, a state coalition of Latino groups and community leaders, released its own redistricting plan to maximize Latino representation.

Political map-makers are listening carefully to the coalition’s arguments because a lawsuit filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund led to the redrawing last year of Los Angeles County supervisorial districts. MALDEF is part of the coalition.

Edward Guzman, vice chairman of the Mexican-American Political Assn. of the San Fernando Valley and a coalition member, said the Senate reapportionment proposal would dilute the voting strength of Valley Latinos and “protects incumbency” for Robbins.

“The concerns and issues of Encino are going to be much different from the concerns and issues of people” in largely Latino parts of the district, including Pacoima, San Fernando and Van Nuys, said Ruben Rodriguez, chairman of the Latino Coalition for Fair Redistricting of the San Fernando Valley.

Rodriguez and Guzman, both of San Fernando, acknowledged that the plan released last week by the Latino Redistricting Coalition would boost Latino population by only 3% at most. However, they maintained that the increase, coupled with the use of adjusted census figures, would give Robbins’ district a Latino majority.

They said such a change would prompt more Latinos to register to vote and make it possible for Latinos to field a competitive candidate for Robbins’ seat.

But it was unclear whether lawmakers were buying the argument put forward by Rodriguez and Guzman.

For instance, at Monday’s hearing, Roberti said that in the past 20 years, any time a Latino has been on the ballot, “the voters in Encino have given that candidate a majority.”

On Monday, Robbins was observing the Jewish New Year and was unavailable for comment. Teri Burns, a Robbins spokeswoman, said she had not seen the proposal by the Latino coalition but said: “I don’t think we’re closed to any options.”

Under the once-a-decade redrawing of lines, each Senate district must hold about 744,000 people.

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