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<p> A group of community leaders representing a diversity of voices met on June 8 to show its support for a new Latino-majority district in the San Diego City Council.</p>
<p> The proposed new district would use the diverse area of City Heights as the foundation of this second majority-Latino district.</p>
<p> Mateo Camarillo, chairman of the Latino Redistricting Committee, said at a news conference that the new district will represent the growth among Latinos in San Diego.</p>
<p> “According to Census data, the greatest growth in the city has been within our communities of color,” he said.</p>
<p> The news conference was attended by a coalition of African-American, Asian-American, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) leaders.</p>
<p> San Diego’s Redistricting Commission will be releasing a preliminary map before the end of the month, but the Latino Redistricting Committee has already released a proposed map that includes the new majority-Latino district with City Heights as its “backbone.”</p>
<p> “We included input from community groups, from residents of the area,” Camarillo said.</p>
<p> Barry Pollard, chair of the 4th District Redistricting Committee, said that African-American communities in San Diego will be strengthen by a new Latino district.</p>
<p> “The purpose of the redistricting process is to have better representation for everyone,” he said. “The numbers speak for themselves: The demographics of our city clearly illustrate that Latino residents deserve an additional City Council district.”</p>
<p> City Heights is home to more than 80 languages, including many African languages brought by refugees from countries such as Somalia. The majority of its residents are Latinos.</p>
<p> Monica Rocha, who has lived for almost 20 years in City Heights, said that the community deserves better.</p>
<p> “We’re interested in being better represented,” said Rocha, who is with Latinos y Latinas en Acción, a local grassroots group. “We want the city council to pay more attention to City Heights, we deserve more resources.”</p>
<p> The 2010 census results showed a 32 percent growth in San Diego County’s Latino population.</p>
<p> The San Diego City Council currently has a majority-Latino district, District 8, which includes San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and South San Diego.</p>
<p> “We want the empowerment of our communities,” Camarillo said.</p>
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