In November voters will be able to remove councilmembers’ influence beyond their own district lines, hopefully moving us closer to a system that reflects the best interests of Angelenos, NOT the interests of political players.
In recent years, the City of Los Angeles has been plagued with political scandals that have led to a real erosion of trust between residents and their elected representatives. The leaked tapes that rocked City Hall a year ago brought a new urgency and focus on the need for robust governance reform.
Last week, the City Council took a key step toward enacting that reform, unanimously voting to put the creation of a truly independent redistricting commission for the City of Los Angeles on the ballot in November 2024. Because changing how the lines are drawn for LA requires charter reform, this change requires voter approval.
Beyond the abhorrent racism on display in those leaked tapes, the conversations were clear evidence that our City’s 2021 redistricting process was manipulated for personal political gain. Councilmembers on the recordings were also explicit in their intent to reduce the voting power of renters — at a time when renters in the City were in their most vulnerable moment due to COVID.
But under our current legislative structure, this leaked conversation about redistricting was completely within the bounds of the law. In our current redistricting process, councilmembers appoint their own redistricting commissioners and they’re allowed to have ex-parte conversations with them.
Commissioners can serve even if they are lobbyists who have business in front of the city. Appointed commissioners can run for office in the same districts they helped to draw. AND, once the maps come to Council, the Council has full discretion to redraw the lines.
Council District 4 was the most impacted by our last redistricting process by far — and after my experience with it, I introduced a motion to put a true independent redistricting system in place. That effort stalled for a full year, thanks to resistance from our former Council President, one of the three councilmembers on the tapes. It was only after the tapes leaked that the process moved forward in earnest.
Voters will now be able to vote in November to remove individual councilmembers’ influence over their own district lines, hopefully moving us closer to a system that reflects the best interests of Angelenos, NOT the interests of political players.
It has taken a long time to get here, and it has been a hard-won fight. I ran for office — and I enthusiastically serve in this role — because I really believe in the power of government to do good — but that requires a governance system that is anchored in integrity. Now, we are one step closer to achieving this vision of the government we deserve.
Nithya Raman is the City Councilwoman representing District 4. Her district s at the center of Los Angeles, reaching into Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire on the south; through the Miracle Mile, Fairfax District, and Hollywood Hills; into Sherman Oaks on the west; through much of Hollywood and over Cahuenga Pass into North Hollywood on the north; and through Los Feliz and Griffith Park into much of Silver Lake on the east. She can be reached at contactCD4@lacity.org
