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Los Angeles City Council

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The Los Angeles City Council is the lawmaking body for the city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council districts that are spread throughout the city's 501 square miles of land.

Los Angeles City Council
Type
Type
Term limits
3 terms (12 years)
History
FoundedFebruary 25, 1889
Preceded byLos Angeles Common Council
Leadership
Marqueece Harris-Dawson
since September 20, 2024
President pro Tempore
Bob Blumenfield
since September 20, 2024
Assistant President pro Tempore
Vacant
since September 20, 2024
Structure
Seats15
Political groups
Officially nonpartisan
  •   Democratic (14)
  •   Independent (1)
Elections
Last election
November 8, 2022
Next election
November 5, 2024
Meeting place
Los Angeles City Hall
1 John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3224
Website
lacity.gov/city-council

The head of the city council is the president, who presides over meetings of the council, gives assignments to city council committees, handles parliamentary duties, and serves as acting mayor of Los Angeles when the mayor is unable to perform their duties. The current President is Marqueece Harris-Dawson from the 8th district. The current president pro tempore is Bob Blumenfield from the 3rd district. The assistant president pro tempore position is vacant.

As a nonpartisan council, the city council does not have a majority or minority leader, but the council is currently controlled by a Democratic majority with one Independent. The city council has been nonpartisan since the passage of the 1909 city charter.

Council members are elected every four years, with the city council redistricting every ten years based on the previous United States census. Elections happen concurrently with other local and national elections, doing so since 2020.

Composition

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Post-2020 redistricting City Council districts map (from 2022)
(Interactive version)

Council leaders

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Position Name Party District Since
President Marqueece Harris-Dawson Democratic 8 2024
President pro Tem Bob Blumenfield Democratic 3 2024
Asst. President pro Tem Vacant 2024

Current members

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District Member Party Incumbent since Began term Map
1   Eunisses Hernandez Democratic December 12, 2022
(1 year, 340 days) 		2022
Map
 
2   Paul Krekorian Democratic January 5, 2010
(14 years, 316 days) 		2009
Map
 
3   Bob Blumenfield Democratic July 1, 2013
(11 years, 138 days) 		2013
Map
 
4   Nithya Raman Democratic December 14, 2020
(3 years, 338 days) 		2020
Map
 
5   Katy Young Yaroslavsky Democratic December 12, 2022
(1 year, 340 days) 		2022
Map
 
6   Imelda Padilla Democratic July 5, 2023
(1 year, 134 days) 		2023
Map
 
7   Monica Rodriguez Democratic July 1, 2017
(7 years, 138 days) 		2017
Map
 
8   Marqueece Harris-Dawson Democratic July 1, 2015
(9 years, 138 days) 		2015
Map
 
9   Curren Price Democratic July 1, 2013
(11 years, 138 days) 		2013
Map
 
10   Heather Hutt Democratic September 2, 2022
(2 years, 75 days) 		2022 appointment
Map
 
11   Traci Park Democratic December 12, 2022
(1 year, 340 days) 		2022
Map
 
12   John Lee Independent August 30, 2019
(5 years, 78 days) 		2019
Map
 
13   Hugo Soto-Martinez Democratic December 12, 2022
(1 year, 340 days) 		2022
Map
 
14   Kevin de León Democratic October 15, 2020
(4 years, 32 days) 		2020
Map
 
15   Tim McOsker Democratic December 12, 2022
(1 year, 340 days) 		2022
Map
 

Salary

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Members of the City Council earn $218,000 per year, the highest salary in the nation, due to a decision to make elected officials' salary equal with the salary of municipal judges.[1][2][3]

City councilmembers can have their salary rescinded if they are suspended from the City Council. The Council can also control who can get pay if a member is suspended; when Mark Ridley-Thomas's pay was suspended by City Controller Ron Galperin after his suspension from the Council, his pay was reinstated after a council vote as he was not indicted.[4] The decision was then reversed by Galperin's successor, Kenneth Mejia.[5]

Law

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The John Ferraro Council Chamber in 1997.

The Los Angeles City Council is guided by the Los Angeles City Charter. The Charter defines the City Council as the city's legislature, with the Mayor of Los Angeles serving as the executive branch of the city's government creating a strong mayor–council government, though the mayor is weaker than in cities such as New York City.[6] The City Council approves department heads and commissioners picked by the Mayor, amends or approves the Mayor's annual budget, and approve the Mayor's local emergencies to which it reviews afterwards.[7]

The Charter also gives powers for redistricting, as the City Council picks some of the members on the charter commission to advise the council on redistricting but with the City Council having the ability to overrule the commission.[8][9]

The City Council also has a direct line of communication between it and the 99 local Neighborhood Councils, which serve as advisory groups for the officials.[10]

History

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Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889)

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Main article: Los Angeles Common Council
 
Actors recreating the first meeting of the Los Angeles Common Council in 1948.

Before the incorporation of Los Angeles in 1850, members (regidores) of a municipal council (ayuntamiento) were chosen by the residents of each pueblo since 1812, with the number of regidores being based on the population.[11] By 1835, the new city had four regidores, alongside two Alcaldes (Mayor) and one Síndico Procurador (City Attorney).[12] On April 4, 1850, the Los Angeles Common Council was established alongside the office of Mayor under The Act of Incorporation as the city grew from a remote town of 5,000 residents to a city of 15,000 residents.[13][14] At its creation, the council had seven seats elected at-large with the members being elected by drawn lots. In 1857, the officials that were elected on May 6 were deposed and the officials from the previous year were reinstated, though they never took office.[15] The council added three seats in 1868.

On July 14, 1870, the council switched to a ward system with three new wards with three seats.[16] The Third ward added a fourth seat in 1871, three years before the First and Second wards added a fourth seat. In 1878, the First and Second wards removed the fourth seat while the third ward removed it in 1881. In 1878, the council created two new wards, the Fourth and Fifth wards, each with three new seats.[17] By the end of the first ward system, the council had fifteen seats.

The councilmembers had various responsibilities for governing the city which included being appointed to committees, which included a school committee which later became the Board of Education for the Los Angeles City School District and later the Los Angeles Unified School District.[18] The office of the President of the Los Angeles City Council was also part of the Council's creation, with the first President being David W. Alexander.[19][20]

Creation of Los Angeles City Council and second ward system (1889–1909)

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In 1888, voters in Los Angeles passed a new charter that changed the government. The Common Council was now called the City Council and had nine seats for nine new wards.[21] Members were elected to two year terms beginning in 1890, with one member being elected from each of the nine wards by a plurality vote. The change was granted by the California State Legislature, with the first election being in August 1889.[22] The first election under that charter was held on February 21, 1889, and the last on December 4, 1906.[23] Only Austin Conrad Shafer of the 5th ward was re-elected to the new City Council.[24]

During the ward system, the City Council requested the annexation of six parts of the adjacent area: Garvanza, the University area, Colegrove, the shoestring area, Wilmington, and San Pedro.[25]

Second at-large system (1909–1925)

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By 1909, the ward system was leading to corruption within the city council and its elections, and various newspapers suggested that the City Council have ten seats and five at-large seats, resulting in fifteen seats total, or moving to an at-large system.[26] That year, voters replaced the ward system with an at-large system through the Direct Municipal Primary law.[27][28] They also voted to adjust the party system to have all offices become nonpartisan.[13][29]

In the first election, candidates were labeled as part of the Good Government Organization, created by political boss Meyer Lissner, or part of the "political machine" with S. P. Yoke, as the city had installed a new nonpartisan election system.[30][31] In 1923, candidates were either a part of the Municipal Conference, also organized by Lissner, the People's Campaign Committee, the Socialist Party of America, or independent.[32]

In 1915, journalist Estelle Lawton Lindsey was elected to the City Council, being the first female City Councilmember in the City Council just four years after women had voted in municipal elections for the first time.[33] She would be the only woman to serve during this system as well as the only woman to serve in the City Council until the election of Rosalind Wiener Wyman in 1953.[34]

Creation of fifteen-member council (1925–2000)

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A City Council meeting in session in the new City Hall, 1928.

On July 1, 1925, Los Angeles voters passed a new city charter and replaced the at-large system with a district system with fifteen new single-member districts.[35] Each district was to be approximately equal in population, based upon the voting in the 1922 California gubernatorial election, and would redistrict every four years. The numbering system established for the City Council districts began with the 1st district in the San Fernando Valley and ended with the 15th district in the Los Angeles Harbor Region. In 1928, the new Los Angeles City Hall was completed, and the City Council moved to a room there from the previous Romanesque Revival building used.[36][37]

By 1986, the City Council was under a court ruling to redistrict itself to provide more representation for Latinos in the city. On August 12, 1986, Councilman Howard Finn died, leaving the 1st district vacant, and the City Council and residents debated how the districts would be redrawn.[38][39] The City Council voted to have the 1st district drawn to be northwest and north of Downtown Los Angeles while the 2nd district, represented by Joel Wachs, was placed in the Sunland-Tujunga and Van Nuys areas.[40][41] In 1993, voters approved the adoption of term limits for the City Council, with the new limits being eight years of elected service.[42]

After the creation of the fifteen-member council, politicians who were not white men increasingly were elected to it. On July 1, 1949, Edward R. Roybal became the first Latino American elected to the City Council.[43] On January 28, 1963, Gilbert W. Lindsay became the first African-American to serve on the Council, being appointed to serve out Roybal's term after the latter was elected to Congress.[44] On April 16, 1963, the first elected African-American on the Council, Tom Bradley, was sworn in, which also gave the Council a Democratic majority for the first time in recent history.[45] On July 1, 1985, Michael Woo was sworn in, the first Asian American to serve on the Council. On February 3, 1987, Gloria Molina was sworn in as the first Latina elected to the Council.

Strong mayor-council system (2000–present)

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Pre-2020 Redistricting City Council Districts (does not reflect current members)

In 1999, voters approved a new city charter that would go into effect on July 1, 2000.[46] The new charter helped create the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and helped strengthen the office of Mayor in relation to the City Council.[47] Voters also voted against expanding the city council, remaining with fifteen seats.[48][49] In 2006, voters approved a ballot measure that changed the term limits from eight years to twelve years.[50]

In 2015, voters in Los Angeles approved a charter amendment to move the election dates from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, in line with other national elections, in an effort to boost political engagement.[51] Because of the change in dates, officials elected in 2015 or 2017 had their terms extended. In 2022, after a highly publicized scandal involving three City Council members (including Council President Nury Martinez) and the redistricting process, Acting President Mitch O'Farrell introduced a motion that would create a ballot measure in 2024 to expand the Council.[52] In 2023, the first all-female council committee was formed, with the six women on the council forming the committee.[53] In November 2022, the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform was formed, chaired by the next President Paul Krekorian, to reform the redistricting process.[54]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "L.A. City Council earns highest salary in nation: Is the system giving too much?". PublicCEO. April 30, 2009.
  2. ^ "L.A. City Employee Salaries Database". Los Angeles Times. August 6, 2010.
  3. ^ "AMAZING LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL SALARIES: $171,648 PLUS GOODIES". LA Weekly. October 16, 2008.
  4. ^ "LA Councilman Ridley-Thomas to receive salary, benefits again as he faces corruption trial". KABC-TV. December 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "LA Controller Mejia backs predecessor's decision to suspend Ridley-Thomas' pay". Los Angeles Daily News. December 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Wesler, Ariel (February 25, 2022). "How much power does the mayor of LA really have?". Spectrum News 1.
  7. ^ Hernández, Caitlin (December 12, 2022). "LA Explained: With A New Mayor In Town, What Powers Does Bass Actually Have?". LAist.
  8. ^ Hoeven, Emily (October 11, 2022). "Will LA City Council fiasco lead to redistricting reform?". CalMatters.
  9. ^ "It's time to consider expanding the Los Angeles City Council". Los Angeles Daily News. January 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Lee, Brianna (February 14, 2023). "Neighborhood Councils Are As Local As LA Government Gets. Here's How They Work – And How To Join One". LAist.
  11. ^ Clare Wallace, Los Angeles Public Library Reference File, April 26, 1939, with sources as listed there
  12. ^ David, Leon Thomas. "THE HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES" (PDF). The California Supreme Court Historical Society. pp. 277–319.
  13. ^ a b "LOS ANGELES: STRUCTURE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT" (PDF). League of Women Voters.
  14. ^ Finkelstein, Alexander (2017). "Los Angeles's 1863–1876 Boom: A New Order of Economy, Power, and Race". Southern California Quarterly. 99 (2). University of California Press: 140–183. doi:10.1525/scq.2017.99.2.140. JSTOR 26413442.
  15. ^ Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, 1867-1868 section, page 1, second iteration
  16. ^ "From Los Angeles". The Sacramento Union. July 15, 1870.
  17. ^ "The Ward Boundaries". Los Angeles Herald. November 12, 1878.
  18. ^ Splitter, Henry Winfred (June 1951). "Education in Los Angeles: 1850-1900". The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly. 33 (2). University of California Press: 101–118. doi:10.2307/41169019. JSTOR 41169019.
  19. ^ Newmark, Marco R. (1948). "Ordinances and Regulations of Los Angeles 1832-1888: Part I". The Quarterly: Historical Society of Southern California. 30 (1). University of California Press: 26–41. doi:10.2307/41168148. JSTOR 41168148.
  20. ^ Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, 1868-1869 section, page 11
  21. ^ "OFFICIAL. RESOLUTION NO. 1,304". Los Angeles Herald. February 17, 1899.
  22. ^ "ELECTION NOTICE". Los Angeles Herald. August 19, 1889.
  23. ^ Schiesl, Martin J. (1975). "Progressive Reform in Los Angeles under Mayor Alexander, 1909-1913". California Historical Quarterly. 54 (1). University of California Press: 37–56. doi:10.2307/25157543. JSTOR 25157543.
  24. ^ Luella Sawyer and Clare Wallace, Los Angeles Public Library reference file, 1935–36
  25. ^ Guinn, J. M. (1914). "How the Area of Los Angeles City Was Enlarged". Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California. 9 (3). University of California Press: 173–180. doi:10.2307/41168702. JSTOR 41168702.
  26. ^ "WARD REPRESENTATION IN COUNCIL". Los Angeles Herald. February 28, 1908.
  27. ^ "THE LOGICAL COUNCIL". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1909. ProQuest 159379554.
  28. ^ Stevens, Mark H. (2004). "The Road to Reform: Los Angeles' Municipal Elections of 1909: Part II". Southern California Quarterly. 86 (4). University of California Press: 325–368. doi:10.2307/41172235. JSTOR 41172235.
  29. ^ Stevens, Mark H. (December 1, 2004). "The Road to Reform: Los Angeles' Municipal Elections of 1909: Part II". Southern California Quarterly. 86 (4). University of California Press: 325–368. doi:10.2307/41172235. JSTOR 41172235.
  30. ^ Los Angeles Herald, Volume 37, Number 69, 9 December 1909 — "Vote for Councilmen"
  31. ^ "LOS ANGELES: STRUCTURE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT" (PDF). League of Women Voters.
  32. ^ Stevens, Mark H. (2003). "The Los Angeles Municipal Conference of 1913: Stemming the Neo-Conservative Tide". Southern California Quarterly. 85 (1). University of California Press: 29–32. doi:10.2307/41172148. JSTOR 41172148.
  33. ^ "A Sweeping Victory for Good Government," Los Angeles Times, December 6, 1911, page I-1
  34. ^ Dave Lesher, "The Unsinkable Roz Wyman,", Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2000, page 12.
  35. ^ Vankin, Jonathan (June 7, 2021). "District vs. At-Large Races: The Final Frontier of Voting Rights". California Local.
  36. ^ Cecilia Rasmussen (September 9, 2001). "City Hall Beacon to Shine Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  37. ^ Pacific Electric (March 22, 2013). "Early Los Angeles City Hall on Broadway". Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  38. ^ "Candlelight Service for Finn to Be Held Tonight in Sunland". Los Angeles Times. August 20, 1986. p. V_A7. ProQuest 154693266.
  39. ^ Boyarsky, Bill (September 11, 1986). "Ethnic Remap Plan Proves to Be a Bitter Pill for Many". Los Angeles Times. p. SD3. ProQuest 154870861.
  40. ^ Merina, Victor; Simon, Richard (September 17, 1986). "Wachs Fails in Last-Ditch Effort to Halt Remap Plan: REMAP: Bid to Stop Plan Unsuccessful". Los Angeles Times. p. B1. ProQuest 154873482.
  41. ^ "Los Angeles' Realigned City Council Districts". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 1986. p. B3. ProQuest 154826193.
  42. ^ Fox, Sue (March 11, 2003). "Term Limits Closing the Door on an Era at L.A. City Council". Los Angeles Times.
  43. ^ Underwood, Katherine (1997). "Pioneering Minority Representation: Edward Roybal and the Los Angeles City Council, 1949-1962". Pacific Historical Review. 86 (3). University of California Press: 399–425. doi:10.2307/3640203. JSTOR 3640203.
  44. ^ Scott Harris, "Lindsay Praised Fondly at Burial," Los Angeles Times, January 5, 1991
  45. ^ "First Negro Elected to City Council Sworn In," Los Angeles Times, April 16, 1963, page A-2
  46. ^ Brain, Jeff (June 13, 1999). "Charter Vote Affirms Desire for Change". Los Angeles Times.
  47. ^ Purdum, Todd S. (June 10, 1999). "Los Angeles Reinvents Itself, Adopting New City Charter". The New York Times.
  48. ^ O'Connor, Anne-Marie (August 30, 1998). "Move to Increase City Council Size Deadlocks Panel". Los Angeles Times.
  49. ^ Hernández, Caitlin (October 17, 2022). "Expand The LA City Council? Leaked Tape Could Change Nearly 100 Years Of Concentrated Power". LAist.
  50. ^ "Council now available to three-timers". Los Angeles Daily News. November 6, 2006.
  51. ^ Smith, Dakota (March 4, 2015). "Election 2015: Voters back measures to change Los Angeles election dates". Daily Breeze.
  52. ^ "LA City Council proposes measure to expand council". KTTV. October 11, 2022.
  53. ^ "LA Council committee makes history as first all-women committee". Spectrum News 1. January 25, 2023.
  54. ^ Hayes, Rob (November 11, 2022). "LA City Council takes aim on corruption: 'We're at a turning point in the history of this city'". KABC-TV.
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