In October 2022, in response to the racist and hateful leaked audio recording between then-Los Angeles Metropolis Council members Nury Martinez, Kevin de Leon, and Gil Cedillo, and within the midst of ongoing corruption scandals plaguing the Metropolis Council, the Council voted to explore amending the City Charter to create an impartial redistricting fee (IRC) and a bigger metropolis council.
However regardless of public requests to assign metropolis council enlargement to an impartial constitution reform fee, with the facility to ship constitution amendments on to the voters, the Metropolis Council voted instead to create an Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform — made up solely of metropolis council members — to take up impartial redistricting and Council enlargement – and hold management of each issues throughout the Metropolis Council.
Metropolis Council member Monica Rodriguez was the one council member voting towards the proposal, saying she didn’t imagine the Council has the credibility to reform itself:
“What I imagine this committee does is a ruse to reform,” Rodriguez said. “I believe we want true reform, and I believe we have to do it not by the arms of this personal council, however by an impartial physique that may assist us determine the place we fall quick and the place we are able to reform.”
Now 18 months later — after taking no motion on metropolis council enlargement — the Advert Hoc Committee is lastly forwarding a Constitution Reform Fee proposal to the Metropolis Council.
However as an alternative of an impartial physique, the Advert Hoc Committee is recommending an advisory Fee, with eight seats instantly appointed by elected officers — 4 by the Mayor, and two every by the Metropolis Council President and Professional-Tem, with 5 extra nominated by the eight appointed members, topic to Metropolis Council approval.
Most profoundly, the Council will train closing authority on what constitution amendments go onto the poll for a public vote, together with objects the place the Council arguably has a direct conflict-of-interest. After all the corruption and self-dealing prices towards Metropolis Council members lately, what might go mistaken with this method?
On prime of this, extremely, Metropolis Council President Paul Krekorian may not allow public comment when this proposal is up for a Council vote on Might 14, as a result of the general public was already heard on the subject in committee. That is the Council’s response to the lack of public belief in native democracy?
Satirically, the Metropolis Council not too long ago congratulated itself on sending an IRC to the November 2024 poll, responding to the present conflict-of-interest the place Council members select the district boundaries wherein they’d run, by putting this resolution within the arms of an independently established fee as an alternative.
But now the Council appears ready to institutionalize conflict-of-interest within the constitution reform course of, the place elected officers would considerably have an effect on how their very own powers and numbers are debated. Such questions must be addressed as an alternative by a separate and impartial constitution reform physique, like an IRC or Civic Assembly, with the power to position constitution amendments instantly earlier than the voters. A spread of alternate options must be extensively vetted and debated by way of this course of — on City Council size and powers, electoral systems, and rising public engagement. Accessible in-person impartial Fee conferences, giant and small, must be held in all 15 Metropolis Council districts; and plenty of types of know-how must be dropped at bear to make sure large participation from the good variety of Los Angeles.
Most significantly, the eye of this impartial Fee must be undivided, as a result of constitution amendments they advocate could form illustration and energy in Los Angeles for many years. The remainder of the Constitution will be beneath the separate assessment of the elected-official-driven Constitution Reform Fee at the moment being established by the Metropolis Council.
They’ll have greater than sufficient to do, with out diluting wanted deal with Council measurement and powers, as a number of amendments on different Constitution areas are already expected from at the least 11 Metropolis places of work and departments, and extra will come ahead by way of the general public course of.
Los Angeles has a uncommon alternative to redistribute political energy and enhance illustration and governance. However to rebuild confidence in native authorities, this course of can’t be biased by elected officers. LA Metropolis Council members have to suppose exterior of themselves as creatures of the system they inhabit, and extra instantly empower the folks they had been elected to signify — by way of an impartial constitution reform course of on native democracy. Town’s historic second of alternative calls for no much less.
Michael Feinstein is a former Santa Monica Mayor (2000-2002) and Metropolis Council member (1996-2004), a co-founder of the Inexperienced Social gathering of California and a 2018 Inexperienced candidate for California Secretary of State.
