As Yet Another Scandal Rocks LA City Council, How Can We Improve Governance?

On the heels of yet another city council corruption scandal, a group of Los Angeles scholars are proposing a series of changes to local government.

The L.A. Governance Reform Project was formed last year, after a leaked recording revealed then City Council President Nury Martinez making racist remarks. The group includes six academics from prominent local institutions.

“The appetite for reform is growing, it’s quite strong, there’s certainly a sense that change needs to happen,” said Sara Sadhwani, Reform Project member and associate professor of politics at Pomona College, on LAist’s public affairs show AirTalk, which airs on 89.3 FM.

On Thursday, the Reform Project released a series of recommendations on how to better protect city council from future corruption. Here are a few highlights:

Expanding city council 

Right now, the L.A. City Council has 15 seats, each representing about 250,000 people. It’s been that way for the past 100 years.

“We’ve heard overwhelmingly that they almost feel like fiefdoms,” Sadhwani said.

The Reform Project wants that number expanded to 25. The idea is for each council member to represent a smaller district, improving constituents’ access and influence.

In other words — increase quantity to increase quality.

Independent redistricting

The push for an independent group to be tasked with redrawing district lines — or redistricting —became a public priority after the leaked recordings, Reform Project member Raphael Sonenshein said on AirTalk.

“One thing everybody in town seems to agree on is that redistricting needs to be taken out of the hands of the city counsel,” said Sonenshein, incoming executive director of the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation.

Right now, the city council appoints a redistricting panel, but has ultimate say over where lines are drawn.

The Reform Project proposes creating an independent redistricting commission instead. That would require a citywide vote to change the current city charter.

Sadhwani of Pomona College has served on the statewide redistricting commission, which has seen success using an independent model for two redistricting cycles, she says.

“The independent commission has served the state very well — increasing opportunities for racialized communities, listening to communities on the ground," Sadhwani says.

Sadhwani adds that the independent commission would be nonpartisan and could be open to all L.A. residents.

Let's get ethical

The group also envisions a more preventative, expansive City Ethics Commission. Sonenshein says the ethics commission has great authority over rules and regulations, but that should be expanded to city ordinances as well.

What’s next? 

The Reform Group is hoping to get the recommendations on the November 2024 ballot, which will see a bigger turnout than a primary election.

“We want to see as many people as possible to be able to weigh in on potential reforms to the city charter, because once a change is made to the charter, it’s going to last,” Sadhwani said.

Listen to the conversation