The audio recording of a conversation between former City Council President Nury Martinez, former LA County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera and Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo has rightly led to disgust, disappointment and calls for accountability. In addition to resignations from de León and Cedillo, accountability also means voting in the November 8 election for leaders who will put their constituents first. At the same time, we should seriously review governance reforms that CCA and other civic leaders have long recommended. Our city will function at its best when we have resignations, governance reform and strong civic engagement.

CCA supports governance reform related to redistricting, clear rules for how and when an elected official can be removed from office for misconduct, transportation and land use matters and a more accountable mayoral administration in the City Charter. We believe that any proposed reforms from the LA City Council should be based on gathered input from across the civic community and be well-researched.

CCA offers the following preliminary ideas for tackling some of the top structural issues of City governance:

Remove elected officials from the redistricting process
Currently, the City’s Redistricting Commission is appointed by elected officials. The City Council and Mayor have final say over political districts. This leads to influence from elected officials on Council District maps, but other and fairer models exist. For example, LA County’s Redistricting Commission is chosen through a lottery system. The Commission’s decisions are final and not subject to political approval.

Establish clear rules that allow city councilmembers to be removed in a timely manner, responsive to public will
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), part of Council District 14, has become a case study in the consequences of City Council leadership failures. Our community did not have political representation on the City Council for nearly two years under former Councilmember Huizar. The City Charter does not provide guidance for removing elected officials who are under legal investigation or have engaged in other behavior that’s misaligned with public service. Council District 14 is facing this situation again due to de León’s conduct and his refusal to resign. The City Charter should provide clear suspension and replacement powers for these kinds of situations. New York City’s Charter allows councilmembers to be suspended and/or removed by two-thirds approval of the City Council (a power rarely used but recently invoked to remove a member facing several ethics issues).

Lessen political influence in the approval process for transportation and land use projects
Councilmembers have largely unchecked control over transportation, land use and development decisions in their districts. This power raises concerns about councilmembers exerting unfair influence over developers and their project teams to win approval, and at worst, leads to extortion. This process can be depoliticized by passing ordinances and areawide plans, like Downtown’s community plan update DTLA 2040, that set clear and feasible rules for development, imposing strict timelines under which decisionmakers must act and automatically scheduling projects and plans for hearings instead of leaving it to the discretion of select councilmembers. Rotating Council Presidents – like the Chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors – is another reform that could be explored.

Professionalize city government and empower mayoral administration 
The Mayor is expected to be the chief executive of the City. Assembling effective teams of top professionals is key to carrying out that work. However, the Mayor’s department heads are subject to council approval and do not play any authoritative role on their respective commissions. New York City’s Mayor can hire department heads at will, the Department of City Planning Director is also the Chair of the City Planning Commission, and the mayoral administration is also able to initiate areawide rezonings. This allows for more mayoral accountability, effective administration management, implementation of policy priorities and emphasis on expertise.

Reforming our local government will take time and commitment from leaders across sectors and industries, and an involved process that will require extensive community input with ultimate approval by the voters. We invite CCA members to join our virtual policy committee on Wednesday, 10/26 from 9 am - 10:30 am for an overview of this ongoing challenge and the potential next steps. Be sure to also check out our voting guide with candidate endorsements and resources. CCA will remain engaged on these needed actions to help improve our city’s government and encourage a more inclusive, representative city that serves all its constituents.