How Many City Councils Are in Los Angeles?
Each of Los Angeles’ 88 municipalities is governed by a city council, which oversees the city’s budget and agencies. The number of members and the division of responsibilities vary from one city to another. The mayor can be appointed by the council or elected separately. The city council meets at least monthly and may hold special meetings.
15
District 15 is one among the ten wards that make up the Los Angeles City Council. This ward has had the same boundaries since 1925. It is located east of the city. It has a population estimated at 1.1 million. It is the most diverse of the ten wards.
The CD 15 candidates have vastly divergent views on housing, environmental justice and policing. On June 7, 2022, voters in this district will elect a new City Councilmember. Joe Buscaino (the incumbent) unsuccessfully ran for mayor. He will be replaced by this election’s winner. Bryant Odega is an educator and former president of the neighborhood council, Danielle Sandoval is an attorney and Anthony Santich is a businessman.
Despite the current political turmoil, Ridley-Thomas remained in office for a year before his indictment. Ridley-Thomas was used as a pawn in political power games, and other residents were ignored. As a result, crime spiked and the streets of South Los Angeles were crammed with squalid homeless encampments. Meanwhile, Eric Garcetti, the current mayor of Los Angeles, is fighting for his Senate confirmation as ambassador to India.
Los Angeles City Council is an elected body that makes laws and regulations. It also has the final say on all budgets for city departments. Each of the 15 council members represents a different council district. Each one represents an area of the city and is elected by the citizens.
Ridley Thomas had offered to suspend his duties as a member of the city council until the criminal case was resolved. Nury Martinez led the effort for this to become official. Martinez appointed Herb Wesson an interim member of council with voting privileges, following the criminal trial. Herb Wesson was appointed controversially. Ridley-Thomas’ supporters, led the influential Southern Christian Leadership Conference filed a lawsuit against Herb Wesson being appointed as an interim member.
5
Los Angeles has five city councils. The 5th district is up for election this year. Paul Koretz, the current representative for the 5th district, is running to be city controller. He cannot run for a fourth term. He has stated that he will be running for the position of city controller in 2022. Los Angeles’ city council is the governing body of the city and its tasks range from ordering elections to allocating funds and traffic regulations. The council works closely with the mayor on issues that affect the city’s residents.
Jimmy Gonzalez is a renter, a union member and an active member of the LGBTQ+ community. He lives in Beverly Grove together with Harry and works as an UCLA Law School professor. He is also an LAUSD K-12 alum. Gonzalez, if elected, would be the youngest member to the LA City Council. He would also be the first member from the LGBTQ+ community serving in District 5.
Redistricting is required by the city charter every ten years to ensure that all residents are represented equally in each district. The U.S. census results are used in redistricting. The first region to be redistricted was the San Fernando Valley.
Many people are homeless in District 5. District 5 is home to many homeless residents. Housing, public safety and homelessness are the top issues. Both Yaroslavsky as Biblarz are in favor of more police, and more homeless people have access to housing. Yaroslavsky has a long record in L.A. politics. He was also appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The Los Angeles County government is made up of 88 municipalities. Each municipality has a city council. It may not have a strong mayor, but the city council appoints a professional city manager to run day-to-day municipal operations. Los Angeles County’s Mayor is elected by the voters in 23 cities.