Residents like you — not politicians — will now control redistricting in LA

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It was clear on Election Night that L.A. City Charter amendments DD and LL would pass by overwhelming margins, creating the first independent redistricting commissions for the city of L.A. and the L.A. Unified School District.

What does that mean?

Their passage means that elected officials can no longer appoint members to the commissions in charge of drawing new district boundaries. Instead, these commissions will be made up of L.A. residents that have no direct or recent ties to elected officials, lobbying or city employment.

Residents like you.

When will this happen?

While this is a momentous shift, changes won’t happen for several more years. Commission members will likely be chosen around 2028 or 2029. Redistricting happens every 10 years after the U.S. Census is conducted — the next one is set for 2030. The first election under redrawn districts will likely happen in 2032.

How you can get involved

The L.A. City Clerk will create an application process and choose half the commission members from a lottery. Those chosen will then be tasked with picking the remaining members, looking out for diversity in age, race, income and other factors. Commission members must be 18 or older and have lived in L.A. for at least five years — they don’t have to be registered voters or U.S. citizens.

Does this really matter?

If you’re wondering why putting redistricting into residents’ hands matters, remember that redistricting centers around the question: Who gets chosen to make decisions over your daily life in L.A.? District boundaries determine who votes along with you to choose your district’s elected officials, be it your city council member or school board representative. The boundaries also decide what businesses, landmarks, institutions or parks are included in each district, which can give representatives additional bargaining power over legislation or policies.

That’s why when city officials were caught in the 2022 City Hall leaked tape scandal trying to use redistricting for their own personal gain, the outcry spurred the movement for this year’s reform measures.

Who else uses this method?

L.A. County and Long Beach already have independent redistricting commissions in place. A 2023 state law created an independent commission for Orange County as well. Most other cities have city officials or appointed commissioners handle redistricting. You can look up your city’s government website to see who handles its redistricting process and how those decision-makers are chosen.