City Council President Paul Krekorian will chair the newly formed Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, he announced today.
The committee was approved by the council two weeks ago in response to the City Hall racism scandal and is intended to implement reforms that will increase transparency, limit corruption and ensure city leadership is representative of communities.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who presented the motion for the committee, will serve as vice chair. The other members are council members Bob Blumenfield, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Heather Hutt.
“We’re at a turning point in the history of this city,” Krekorian said. “In the wake of recent violations of the public’s trust and failures to meet the standards of integrity the people deserve of their elected officials, we can no longer accept business as usual. The people of Los Angeles are calling out for fundamental reform and we intend to deliver it.”
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, the lone dissenter on the vote to establish the committee, said to City News Service last week that she didn’t believe the council has the credibility to reform itself.
“So what I believe this committee does is a ruse to reform.” Rodriguez said. “I think we need true reform, and I think we need to do it not by the hands of this own council, but by an independent body that will help us identify where we fall short and where we can reform.”
According to Krekorian, among the reforms the committee will take up are:
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— Establishment of a truly independent redistricting commission.
— Expanding the council and reducing the size of its districts.
— Changes to the city’s land-use and development practices to reduce the council’s discretionary powers and reduce the risk of abuse.
— Limiting the powers of the Council President and limiting the president’s term of office.
— Campaign finance reforms such as addressing unlimited contributions to so-called “independent expenditure” committees.