This week Los Angeles voters voted overwhelmingly to enact the Charter Amendments developed by the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform.
Immediately after his election as Council President in October 2022, Councilmember Paul Krekorian created the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform to consider long-overdue reforms to the City Charter. The Committee took public comment at hearings across the city to design a truly independent redistricting process for the first time in the City’s history and the first reforms to the City’s Ethics Commission since it was created over 30 years ago.
Every City department was asked to submit suggestions for improvements to the City's basic law with a goal of increasing efficiency, accountability and transparency. The resulting Charter Amendments were approved by majorities of 70 to 80 percent.
Voter approved Amendment DD, creating an Independent Redistricting Commission to take the City Council completely out of the redistricting process, and Amendment ER, strengthening the authority and Independence of the City's Ethics Commission. “This is the end of gerrymandering in Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Krekorian, who chaired the Ad Hoc Committee. “Voters have embraced “a new way of doing business.”