FYI: The Districting Commission released its second draft of the City Council’s new political map this week. In response to community input, the commissioners boosted the number of Latino-majority districts from 10 to 12, consolidated an Asian American voting bloc in Sunset Park and upped the Republican count in District 19 in northern Queens, among other changes. They didn’t, however, link Chinatown and the Lower East Side, angering Asian American community activists. Nor did they put Brighton Beach back into the 47th district, which prompted a Russian-American Voters Education League protest rally this morning. The group says taking Brighton Beach out of that district weakens the overall Jewish vote and dashes dreams of electing a Russian American. A Districting Commission spokesperson told the Extra the committees heard conflicting feedback from voters in the 47th, and sorting out its fate will be a priority in the February round of community hearings. For now, this draft goes to the City Council for comment. [12/20/02]