LOS ANGELES (November 29, 2023) - Today, by unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council approved a proposal for creating an Independent Redistricting Commission to draw future City Council District boundaries.
The recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, led by Council President Paul Krekorian and Committee Vice Chair Nithya Raman, will now be delivered to the City Attorney to be drafted in the form of an amendment to the City Charter that will appear on the November 2024 election ballot.
Speaking to the press prior to the Council vote, Common Cause Program Director Kathay Feng, a nationally recognized expert on redistricting reform, praised the model being adopted by Los Angeles as “the gold standard” for independent redistricting.
“For 100 years, the Los Angeles City Council has effectively designed its own districts,” said Council President President Krekorian, “When this charter amendment passes, we will finally have a process where the voters choose their Councilmembers, instead of the Councilmembers choosing their voters.”
In Council today, three amendments were made to the Committee’s recommendations:
Increasing the requirement for applicants to the Redistricting Commission from three years’ residence in the City of Los Angeles to five years’ residence.
Changing the language instructing Commissioners on the disposition of local economic assets in drawing district lines from “may consider” to “should consider.”
Reducing, from four years to two years, the amount of time a former City employee must be retired from City service before becoming eligible to serve on the Redistricting Commission.
BACKGROUND: Almost 100 years ago, the City of Los Angeles adopted a district-based council system. Since then, the Councilmembers themselves have voted on the boundaries of their own districts. The last round of charter reform, over 20 years ago, created a redistricting commission that was independent in name only. In fact, the members of the commission were appointed by the Councilmembers and other elected officials, and the Council had authority to veto and replace any maps the commission drew.
The last round of redistricting, following the 2020 census, was so transparently compromised that Councilmembers Krekorian and Raman proposed creation of a new independent process, but that motion languished under Council leadership of the time.
The following year, an offensive audio recording revealed three Councilmembers trying to manipulate the redistricting system for their own advantage by dividing and disenfranchising entire communities. Release of this recording brought about both a change in Council leadership and an irresistible public demand for a change in the district drawing process.
Over the next year, the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, led by Council President Krekorian and Councilmember Raman, crafted recommendations for creating a process in which the City Council will play no role whatsoever.
Now, for the first time in its history, the Los Angeles City Council has voted to take redistricting out of the hands of the Council and entrust it to a Commission that will be selected -- and carry out its work -- through a process that is transparent, inclusive, and entirely independent.
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