LAUSD DISTRICTS REDRAWN WITH COUNCIL OK, TWO AREAS WOULD REPRESENT VALLEY.

Byline: Erik N. Nelson and Jason Kandel Staff Writers

A citizens commission plan for redistricting school board seats for the Los Angeles Unified School District now goes to the City Council, which has until June 30 to adopt the proposal or set different boundaries.

The school board Redistricting Commission voted Wednesday night, 9-to-6, in favor of recommending a plan originally proposed by its chairman, Michael Keeley, who was appointed by board President Caprice Young. Under the plan, Young, a Studio City resident, would represent a predominantly West Valley district, while Julie Korenstein would represent a heavily Latino district covering much of the East Valley.

``This is the best for all,'' said Young. ``I hope the City Council approves this. It keeps school families whole, addresses the Valley's concerns of having two Valley seats and meets the requirements of the Voting Rights Act.''

The map will be submitted to the City Council, which can reject, change or adopt it. The map marks a major change for Valley representation in that it gives two complete districts - of seven total citywide - to Valley residents instead of the current one district.

``This map represents a huge step forward,'' said Coby King, spokesman for the redistricting commission. ``For the first time, this process has taken place in public. Hundreds of people attended the meetings. The map recognizes the diversity of the Valley by creating a district that preserves the Latino community of interest in the Northeast Valley.''

A decade ago, the district lines were drawn so only Korenstein's West Valley District 6 was wholly in the Valley. The rest of the Valley was carved up between Districts 3, 4 and 5.

Board member David Tokofsky's District 5 will move out of the Valley completely under the commission-approved map, and become a mainly Eastside district. Westside board member Marlene Canter would keep the hillside communities in the Valley.

Labor unions pushed hard for Young's district to be in the East Valley while Korenstein, long backed by the teacher union, would get the West Valley.

Authors of the plan assume that Korenstein, officially a Tarzana resident, would opt to make her second home in Porter Ranch - in the proposed Northeast Valley District 6 - her legal address if she runs again in three years.

``I am disappointed,'' Korenstein said. ``I can't say I'm shocked. I knew who was pulling whose strings. I am deeply disappointed that there wasn't really any attempt to make things better for the children of L.A. Unified and to make sure communities of interest stay together.

The approved map would give Latino voters a chance to elect three Latino board members. There are currently two Latino-dominated districts, although one is represented by Tokofsky, who twice has narrowly won election.