Opinion: It’s time to consider expanding the Los Angeles City Council
The City of Los Angeles has 15 council districts and a population of about 4 million. Each council member represents roughly 260,000 people, and the most recently drawn district boundaries, with curves and tendrils winding in every direction, have generally weakened the representation of diverse groups and interests pulled into the same large district.
At the same time, the district maps break up the political power of geographic areas such as the San Fernando Valley. Six different council members represent a piece of the Valley. A drive on Victory Boulevard from West Hills to North Hollywood would take you through Districts 12, 3, 4, 6 and 2. District 7, which encompasses Sylmar, Pacoima and Sunland-Tujunga, also reaches down into North Hills.
The effect is to concentrate power but diffuse responsibility. A single council member can control the approval process for local development projects, while blaming local problems on the intransigence of other council members. Proposals for redistricting reform are circulating in the wake of the leaked recording of then-council president Nury Martinez discussing with two other council members and a top labor union official how to use redistricting to maximize their own political power.
While state legislative and congressional district boundaries are drawn by a citizens’ commission, Los Angeles City Council districts are drawn by a 19-member “advisory” commission that can be overruled by the council members themselves. One possible reform would create a fully independent commission to draw city district boundaries.
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