LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY

Thursday, June 22, 2006 | 7:10 a.m.

One of the county's largest unions has criticized Clark County's proposed redistricting plan because of its impact on minority populations.

The Culinary Union, representing about 60,000 workers in the Las Vegas area, told the consultant the county hired to study redistricting that the proposed plan might violate federal voting laws because it disproportionately affects blacks and Hispanics.

"We really are disturbed with what it does to the minority population, especially in District F," said Pilar Weiss, the union's political director.

That district is home to Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald, a Republican. Under the proposed redistricting, her predominantly Democratic district would become primarily Republican.

Among the county's seven districts, District F would see the largest shifts in Hispanics and African Americans of voting age.

Under the plan, District F would lose almost two-thirds of its Hispanic voters, dropping from 31,074 to 11,207.

The number of African-American voters also would change more in District F than in any other district, declining from 10,179 to 4,956.

"This is politically motivated," Weiss said. "It disproportionately - and possibly illegally - divides minority groups."

Boggs McDonald dismissed such claims. The county's only motivation is to create districts that have similarly sized constituencies, she said.

Hispanics are being shifted from her district to those that already have a strong Hispanic presence, she said.

"Their position is being strengthened," she said.

Redistricting is normally done after the decennial U.S. Census, but officials say it is essential to redraw the lines now because lopsided growth since the 2000 Census has created a 45 percent population deviation between the smallest and largest districts.

Those deviations would be reduced to about 5 percent under the proposed redistricting plan, which initially would assign the fastest-growing districts slightly smaller populations than slower-growing districts.

The county is seeking input on redistricting and could make adjustments based on feedback from the community. The last of eight public input meetings on the proposal is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Mountain Crest Community Center.

Don Burnette, the county's chief administrative officer, said the consultant would take into account comments from the union in drafting a final plan to present to commissioners.

County officials are hoping to turn around the valley's dismal record on recycling with a program that would simplify and streamline the process.

The county is hosting the last of three public meetings to get community feedback on the proposed new program at 6:30 tonight at the Wells Fargo Resource Center at 112 South Water St. in Henderson.

The Las Vegas area's effort has never amounted to much, especially when compared with other cities nationwide.

Nationally, about 28 percent of all waste is recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many Western cities recycle at rates close to 50 percent - but not Southern Nevada.

Republic Services, the county's primary solid waste manager, collected 2.6 million tons of solid waste in 2005, of which about 2 percent was recycled.

Overall in Southern Nevada, about 18.5 percent of the region's trash was recycled in 2005, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

Those figures fall far short of the EPA's national recycling goal of 35 percent and the state's 1991 goal of recycling at least 25 percent by 1994.

Under a plan being considered by the county, health district and cities withing the county, residents would receive two containers - one for a wide assortment of recyclables and the other for the remainder of the household garbage. The containers would be collected once a week on the same day as normal service, but by different trucks. The program would be free to residents.

Now, residents must grapple with three small red, white and blue bins for three categories of recyclables that are picked up every other week.

"This system generates very little recyclables," said Roma Haynes, a Clark County management analyst, of the current system.

The county is hoping a pilot program can begin in August or September, following approval by the county, the health district and local cities. A location has not been chosen.

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