COUNCIL DISTRICTS FOCUS OF MEETING.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Members of a committee of the elected Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission on Thursday night discussed how to best increase the number of City Council districts to improve residents' involvement in government.

``We don't want to split communities as a result of the districting,'' said Bennett Kayser, chairman of the commission's Committee on a More Responsive City Government With An Involved Citizenry.

Among the issues discussed Thursday night at the Department of Water and Power building in downtown Los Angeles were the number of council districts that should be created to better serve Los Angeles residents and the criteria for boundaries, Kayser said.

The chairman said the six members decided to continue discussions in about a week in order to better map out how the city could be divided into council districts.

The group aims to keep communities together, rather than the division seen in such areas as Van Nuys, where there are five council seats, he said.

``We weren't able to give answers,'' Kayser said. ``We want the City Council districts to be compact and contiguous.''

The committee has agreed that it wants to increase the size of the current 15-member City Council in order to better represent constituents. The change would shrink the size of City Council districts, which represent about 250,000 people each - the most nationwide.

If the council districts are increased to 35, about 100,000 residents would be represented. If the committee should recommend 25, about 140,000 residents would be included.

After the panel makes a recommendation, the issue must be considered by the full commission, which will make recommendations for proposed changes in the City Charter. The revamped City Charter will go to voters citywide on the April 1999 ballot.