Stats: Race and ethnicity in city politics

Mike Bonin, the chief of staff to Councilman Bill Rosendahl, posted to Facebook some illuminating census data about Los Angeles city council districts. Here's a map of where the districts are located. He was using the data to prepare for a meeting of the city's redistricting panel. Gleaning from his stats:

Seven of the 15 districts have majority Latino populations. The highest: District 7 in the Valley, represented by Richard Alarcon, 79.51% Latino. Followed by Jan Perry's CD9 at 79.47%.

Largest white population is CD5/Paul Koretz – 72.09%.

Largest black population is CD8/Bernard Parks – 41.68%.

Largest Asian-American population is CD4/Tom LaBonge – 20.72 %.

Latinos are at least 48% of the population in the three districts that elected black councilmembers: Perry (79.47%), Parks (49.14%) and Herb Wesson (48.41%.) The black population dropped significantly since 2000 in all three districts.

Whites are the majority in three districts: CD5/Koretz, CD11/Rosendahl (58.71%) and CD2/Krekorian (52.63%.)

Alarcon's Valley district (CD7) has a white population of 8.5%. Mitch Englander's CD 12 in the West Valley fell to 44% white from 54% white in the 2000 census.

The percentage of Asian-Americans rose in all 15 districts.

Inside: the "leasts."

Least Latinos: CD5/Koretz (8.86%.) Least whites: CD9/Perry (3.6%.) Least Asian-Americans: CD8/Parks (3.2%.) Least African-Americans: CD1 (3.00%.)

District 15, where a special election is behind held to replace Janice Hahn, is 62.23% Latino, 15.85% white, 13.75% black and 6.44% Asian