Luzerne County Hispanic VAP
My name is Guillermo Lara. I am a member of the Luzerne County Democratic Executive Committee and a 30-year resident of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and an advisor to the Pennsylvania Mexican Consulate. I am commenting today in my own capacity and not on behalf of any official organization. I thank the Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC) for the opportunity to comment. As a proud Hispanic resident of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I believe it is important to have fair maps that allow for fair representation. Luzerne County is one of the fastest growing Hispanic areas in the Commonwealth. According to some estimates, the Hispanic population has grown by over 400% since 2010. Many of these new Hispanic residents are new families that have moved from large metropolitan areas to the NEPA region for better educational and workforce opportunities. The current LRC-proposed maps aim to increase Hispanic representation in the Legislature. However, the current boundaries for the 116th legislative district create a situation where not only is the VAP for Hispanic residents non-compact, but could potentially lead to a situation where a Representative from outside Luzerne County - and in turn - the Hazleton Area School District, assumes office. This would further diminish the voice of Hispanic residents. As the LRC considers potential revisions, I strongly recommend the Commission consider a Luzerne-Schuylkill County split that encompasses as much as the Hazleton Area School District as possible and more fairly and increase the Hispanic voting age population. As a father and husband, I empathize with new families looking for the greatest educational opportunities for their children. The LRC has an opportunity to not only institute a fair redistricting process, but offer meaningful representation to thousands of children. I urge the Commission to take this opportunity and endorse a map with similar boundaries to the one linked here: LINK: https://app.districtbuilder.org/projects/a688888f-9ffb-4e19-b36e-c1ca8ad005c1 Very respectfully, Guillermo Lara