Let’s compare how the city and county of Los Angeles handled recent government reforms.
In less than a week, county Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn unveiled a grand plan to expand the board from five members to nine, add independently elected county executives and create a new ethics commission to investigate government misconduct — and the Board of Supervisors agreed. to proceed with putting the change on the November ballot.
In a few months, voters can review LA County’s notorious bureaucracy and dysfunctional government and make it more responsive to residents.
At Los Angeles City Hall, more than half a year has passed since City Council members vowed to make major changes in governance in the wake of the latest scandal. But they put only a handful of reforms on the November ballot, delaying more important changes, such as expanding the size of councils.
Voters in November will be asked to approve an independent redistricting commission, similar to what already exists in the state and county, so City Council members cannot draw their own districts. They will also get a watered-down a version of ethical reform that falls short of what experts and academics recommend.
More ambitious changes, including a proposal to expand the City Council, were assigned to the charter reform commission. The commission will make recommendations on the future size and powers of the council, among other governance changes. But the City Council will decide whether – if any – these proposals go to the 2026 election.
When the members of the City Council dithered over the details, wrung hands over the ideal number of council districts and seized any uncertainty as a reason for delaying changes that could limit their power, district leaders false ahead, choosing progress over perfection.
The reason for the different approaches? Strong leadership.
Horvath, who is the newest member of the Board of Supervisors, said he will replace county government. His fellow supervisors requested a report on possible reforms a year and a half ago, but the study has not yet begun. Frustrated with slow progress, Horvath and Hahn assembled a package of reforms that had been studied and debated for decades, many of which had previously been supported by other council members.
There was no unanimity among the council on the details of the proposal and the rush to get it on the November vote. Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger abstained from voting Tuesday on a motion to have the county attorney draft the language of the vote. But Horvath, Hahn and Supervisor Hilda Solis said they don’t want to miss a rare moment when there is public support for change, and the county charter commission will hammer out specific details later.
In the city, Council President Paul Krekorian has led the reform committee through detailed – sometimes excruciatingly so – discussions to try and reach a consensus. Although Krekorian has said he wants to get council expansion on the November ballot, he’s not pushing his colleagues to make a determination. City voters will have to wait for more comprehensive changes.
It’s a shame because the interest in reform may disappear after this election. Calls for change in city government began in October 2022, when a leaked audio recording captured three councilors making rude and racist comments about colleagues and constituents while plotting political power.
The incident has heightened concerns about a failed redistricting process in 2021. In response to public outrage, the council created an ad hoc committee on governance reform and held citywide public hearings last year. An academic panel funded by philanthropic groups recommended several reforms, including expanding the City Council, which has remained unchanged in size since 1924, even though the population has nearly quadrupled.
While attention has focused on renovating City Hall, the district is also in need of reform. LA County adopted its current charter in 1912, when the population was just 500,000 and before women could vote. It is a government representing 10 million people with no elected executive, only the supervision of five supervisors, each representing a district of about 2 million people.
City and county voters have rejected previous proposals to expand the City Council and Board of Supervisors. But new polls show voters are ready to support changes to local government structures, even if it means hiring more politicians. Kudos to the Board of Supervisors for taking the moment and moving forward with a major government overhaul proposal – and showing city leaders that when it comes to complex reform, it doesn’t have to be hard.