The Los Angeles City Council approved the final map for the city’s 15 council districts Dec. 7. The map, based on 2020 Census data, will take effect at the beginning of 2022 and will define district lines in Los Angeles for the next decade. Councilmembers unanimously approved the map, with Councilman Joe Buscaino absent and former Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas suspended for allegations of bribery and fraud. This comes as Angelenos call for a fully independent redistricting process after the council president tossed out over a year’s worth of work by a citizen-led commission and developed a new map under an Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee. “Because the process in Los Angeles was ultimately decided by the council, instead of through an independent commission, the public input only matters so much,” David Burke, founder of Citizens Take Action—an organization advocating to reform the city’s redistricting process and ultimately for an independent redistricting …