L.A. City Council Expansion Hits a Snag (And Other Headlines)

Did you know the Los Angeles City Council has been the same size since 1925?

Local reform activists have long argued that the 15-member panel is too small to serve a city of four million people.

Expanding the council

L.A.'s Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform is considering proposals to expand the size of the city council to as many as 31 people, but the move to increase the number of members has slowed in recent weeks as council members raise questions about how it would affect a range of issues, including the balance of power between the council and the mayor, and the delivery of city services.

Calls for increasing the council’s size grew after 2022’s leaked audio scandal that led to former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez’s resignation. (In October, LAist’s Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes podcast series took a deep dive into the scandal and the aftermath one year later, including an exclusive interview with Martinez.)

Now, many reform advocates say they believe expanding the council could better reflect L.A.'s diversity and make council members more responsive to their constituents because they would be representing smaller districts. But others disagree. My colleague Frank Stoltze looks at why.

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Adriana Pera

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LAist

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Listen to music like a high school student

From bossa nova to EDM to metal and even jazz, the catalog of music enjoyed by Los Angeles teens is boundless. More than a dozen students talked to LAist about how music powered them through pre-calculus homework, helped them navigate the perpetual questions around who they are in the world, and gave life “more vibes.”

My colleagues Mariana Dale and Ross Brenneman compiled favorites from more than a dozen students. Not every track came out in 2023, and those surprising throwbacks were some of our favorite contributions. Listen to the playlist.