COMPTON—There is a new player in the Rancho Dominguez annexation sweepstakes, and the Hub City is taking its shot.

The City Council adopted a resolution at its Jan. 17 meeting opposing the city of Carson’s annexation plan and amending its 2030 plan maintaining its sphere of influence in the area.

On Jan. 4, Compton received notice from the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) that Carson filed an annexation application for approximately 1,710 acres of unincorporated Los Angeles County land known as Rancho Dominquez, contiguous with the southern corporate boundary of Compton. The proposed annexation border area is bound by Charles Willard and Apra Streets to the north, the 710 Freeway to the east, Del Amo Boulevard to the south and Carson to the West.

“Carson is still two years away from being able to annex the area,” interim Planning Director Robert Delgadillo said. “This gives us time to act accordingly and protect the city’s interests.”

The purpose of LAFCO is to eliminate unincorporated areas that have to be governed by the county in which they are located.

Cities adjacent to these areas are given the option to annex them. Voters within the areas can also choose to incorporate as a separate city.

Long Beach also has an application for annexation submitted in 2007 for the west half of Rancho Dominguez. However, Los Angeles County has expressed a desire to have all of the Rancho Dominguez annexation area annexed at one time by one city.

“The county is not going to approve annexation of the revenue-generating west half, leaving the residential east half as an island,” Delgadillo said. “Rancho Dominguez is an all or nothing deal.”

If LAFCO certifies the proposed Carson annexation plan, Compton loses a significant potential source of future revenue from the existing industrial and commercial businesses within the annexed area and the opportunity to double the acreage of industrial land uses in the southern portion of the city.

“Carson Mayor Jim Dear has been trying to annex that area for a number of years, but we have a sphere of influence in that area,” Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux said. “It is to our advantage to keep it.”

The action puts both LAFCO and Carson on notice that Compton wants to annex the area, and pursue it aggressively.

“The area is fully developed with commercial and industrial properties,” Delgadillo said. “It is not in the city’s best interest to let Carson annex the property.”

The area currently has a joint sphere of influence (Long Beach, Carson and Compton) which is no longer allowed by LAFCO. “This is a first-come, firstannex situation,” Delgadillo said. “LAFCO took the easy way out because of the competition between the three cities and regrets it.”

Services in the area become the city’s responsibility if it acquires Rancho Dominguez.

The final annexation decision will come from the LAFCO board.

The next Compton City Council meeting is on Tuesday, Feb. 7.