For many Westside residents, there's a new state senator in town.
Due to California's redistricting, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), who currently represents the 28th District, will also be the state senator for some cities and communities outside the boundaries of the old district, including: Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Westwood, Beverly Hills, Beverly Glen, West Hollywood and parts of Hollywood. His other new communities also include Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates.
Only odd-numbered senate districts elected a senator last year, leaving even-numbered districts such as this one, with so-called "deferral areas"—neighborhoods without any coverage from a state senator. A decision by the Senate Rules Committee confirmed that Lieu will provide "constituent services" to citizens in the deferral areas until the 2014 election, when those areas are incorporated into the new 26th District and they elect a senator to serve a four-year term in 2014. Should Lieu decide to run for re-election in 2014, he would be on the ballot for residents of the 26th District, including those currently in the deferral areas.
Lieu currently represents the 28th District, which encompasses much of the South Bay and, as of Tuesday, also includes the "deferral" areas.
This brings the number Lieu's constiuents to nearly 1.3 million, according to a press release from Lieu's office. Before redistricting, Lieu represented coastal communities from Venice down to Redondo Beach and San Pedro.
Lieu was elected to the state assembly in 2005 and served the 53rd District until 2011, when he won a special election to represent the 28th State Senate District, replacing Jenny Oropeza after her unexpected death.
Lieu lives in Torrance with his wife and two children. He is a former member of the Torrance City Council, a graduate of Stanford University and Georgetown School of Law. Lieu served in the United States Air Force as a prosecutor. He is a member of the USAF reserves. To read more about Lieu, click here.
To send an email to Lieu's office, click here. Below is contact information for his offices:
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 4061
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-651-4028
916-323-6056 (fax)
District Office
2512 Artesia Blvd., #320
Redondo Beach, CA 90278-3279
310-318-6994
310-318-6733 (fax)
