DISTRICTING BILL BACKED BY ASSEMBLY; LAW WOULD PROMOTE KEEPING AREAS INTACT.

Byline: Terri Hardy Sacramento Bureau

It took two years of intense lobbying for Don and Prudy Schultz to get Van Nuys signs posted at points on the community's perimeter.

The seemingly simple request was made almost impossible because Van Nuys is split between five different City Council districts, and the Schultzes had to get approval from each council member.

Those bureaucratic hoops could be lessened by a bill the state Assembly approved Thursday in a unanimous vote.

Assembly Bill 186, authored Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, would require cities and counties to try to keep communities intact when local legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years after the U.S. census.

Hertzberg said he hopes the bill, which will be considered next by the Senate, will become law and will result in new districts that respect neighborhoods with common interests and identities.

``It's horrible what goes on - in government, we should do everything we can to promote communities,'' Hertzberg said.

Hertzberg, who said the fracturing of communities into several districts is a particular problem in the San Fernando Valley, introduced similar legislation last year. The Legislature approved the measure but Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed it, concerned that hearings required as part of the district redrawing would be too costly.

With a fellow Democrat in the governor's chair, Hertzberg said he is hopeful that his measure will be signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis and become law.

Besides Van Nuys, several other Valley communities are carved up among City Council districts.

North Hollywood and North Hills both are split among three council districts.

Mission Hills, Panorama City, Sherman Oaks and Sylmar each are divided into two council districts.

If enacted, the ``communities of interest'' law will be as much a part of the redistricting process as are the population and ethnic makeup of an area, which already must be taken into account during redistricting.

Current law permits, but does not require, local governments to consider various factors, including communities of interest, geography and topography, according to legislative sources.

Hertzberg said his bill does not conflict with provisions in the federal Voting Rights Act that protect the voting strength of minorities.

A state analysis of the bill found that it attempts to ``protect local communities and make government more understandable, accessible, and responsive to the people it serves.''

Don Schultz, who is president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Association agrees, saying the present situation in his community has stymied their attempts to get things done.

``These divisions have been destructive, not constructive,'' Schultz said.