Carza v. County of Los Angeles: Preservation of Minority Group Voting Strength as Justification for Deviation from One Person-One Vote Standard

Abstract

In Garza v. County of Los Angeles, a consolidation of two civil suits filed in August and September of 1988 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has been charged with violating the 1965 Voting Rights Act by re-drawing its five districts in 1981 in such a way as to scatter the County's Latinos and deny them representation.' The suit could become one of the nation's most significant voting rights cases in terms of population affected. With 8.3 million residents, Los Angeles County is among the most populous counties in the United States.2 The 1965 Voting Rights Act bars any governing body from reducing the electoral participation of any minority group.3 The suit names the