Advertisement

Your guide to Charter Amendment DD: Taking redistricting away from L.A. politicians

Illustration of 4 disconnected puzzle pieces with a voting tally in the center
(Los Angeles Times)
Share via

For decades, redistricting in Los Angeles has been something of a blood sport.

The once-a-decade drawing of new boundaries for the City Council’s 15 districts has resulted in power plays, self-dealing and even some score-settling at City Hall. That’s because the redistricting process has been largely overseen by the very people who stood to benefit from it: the council members themselves.

Council members, both directly and through their political appointees, have tried to ensure that the maps were drawn in ways that would help them win reelection. They also sought to include certain “economic assets” — airports, parkland, educational institutions and commercial areas — within their own districts.

At times, council members have fought over who would get those assets. They also have drawn districts in ways that, intentionally or not, wounded their adversaries politically.

Advertisement

Two L.A. City Council members are in a tug-of-war over who will represent USC. A city redistricting commission is bringing the issue to a head.

Oct. 20, 2021

In 1986, for example, the City Council almost completely wiped out the Hollywood Hills district of Councilmember Joel Wachs, pushing it deep into the San Fernando Valley. Wachs, who was not well-liked by certain colleagues, nevertheless landed on his feet, winning reelection after he assiduously wooed his new constituents.

Yet L.A.’s most controversial redistricting may have been the most recent one, thanks in large part to a secretly recorded conversation involving three council members and a high-profile labor leader. That scandal reignited the push for an independent redistricting commission — and the creation of Charter Amendment DD, which goes before Los Angeles voters in the Nov. 5 election.

What would the measure do?

Charter Amendment DD would take the mapmaking process out of the hands of the City Council and turn it over to an independent panel of citizen volunteers.

Under the ballot proposal, the independent redistricting commission would be made up of 16 members and four alternates who would be charged with drawing new council district boundaries using data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Charter Amendment LL, like Charter Amendment DD for the L.A. City Council, would create a redistricting process for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Oct. 3, 2024

The city’s elected officials would not play a role in selecting those commissioners. Instead, the city clerk would randomly draw the names of eight applicants, each from a different section of the city. Those eight would then meet to pick another eight commissioners. Then, those 16 commissioners would choose the alternates.

Advertisement

Lobbyists, city commissioners and city employees would be barred from serving on the new redistricting commission. So would donors to city politicians. After completing the new maps, the redistricting commissioners would be ineligible to run for council seats in the districts they helped draw.

“This will help bring us closer to a city that is free of corruption, that is free of conflicts of interest,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman, who worked closely with Council President Paul Krekorian to draft the measure.

How does redistricting work?

Redistricting takes place at the start of each decade, soon after the release of demographic information from the latest U.S. census.

Each council district must have roughly the same number of residents. Because neighborhoods change over time — sometimes growing, sometimes shrinking — some districts must take on additional territory, while others must shed population.

The new maps also must comply with the federal Voting Rights Act, ensuring that underrepresented groups have a fair shot at electing a candidate of their choice.

Advertisement

L.A. currently has six council districts where Latinos make up more than 50% of the population that is eligible to vote — in other words, they’re 18 or older and are U.S. citizens, per 2020 census figures. In a seventh district, Black residents make up more than half the voting-eligible population. And there is an eighth “coalition” district where half the people eligible to vote are Black or Latino.

Why is this on the ballot?

Raman and Krekorian called for the creation of an independent redistricting commission in 2021, after a bruising redistricting process in which both faced the possibility that their districts could be eliminated.

The Raman-Krekorian proposal for an independent redistricting commission languished for nearly a year. But it gained new momentum in the wake of the scandal over the secretly recorded conversation, which focused on the 2021 redistricting.

Audio of Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo speaking with labor leader Ron Herrera quickly became a new and incendiary issue in the Nov. 8 election.

May 8, 2023

Three council members — Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León — were heard on the recording discussing ways of drawing the maps to benefit themselves or their allies. Interspersed with those comments were racist and derogatory remarks about a wide array of targets, including then-Councilmember Mike Bonin, who is white, and his son, who is Black.

The scandal ended the careers of Martinez, then council president, and Ron Herrera, who headed the county’s Federation of Labor and also took part in the recorded conversation. Cedillo lost his reelection bid before the scandal broke. De León apologized and is now running for a second term.

Advertisement

But wait, there’s more

That’s hardly the only example of bare-knuckle dealings in L.A. redistricting.

In 2002, City Councilmember Nick Pacheco tried without success to move downtown Los Angeles, a major source of campaign contributions, into his Eastside district. Councilmember Jan Perry, who represented downtown at the time, defeated that effort.

A decade later, Council President Herb Wesson succeeded where Pacheco had failed, working with his colleagues to shift downtown out of Perry’s South L.A. district and putting nearly all of it in the Eastside district represented by Councilmember Jose Huizar, a Wesson ally.

Perry called it payback for her refusal to vote for Wesson for council president. Wesson denied it.

Either way, Huizar quickly took advantage of his redrawn district, hitting up real estate companies again and again for money — not just for his campaigns and his pet projects, but for himself. He was convicted last year in a sprawling corruption case that involved bribes from real estate developers who sought approval for their high-rise projects.

Search warrant in L.A. corruption scandal came after Venetian casino security alerted FBI of suspicions about councilman gambling with developer

Feb. 8, 2022

Once the 2012 maps were finalized, Wesson boasted about his redistricting work, telling an audience in South L.A. that he had ensured that two of the council’s 15 districts would be represented by a Black council member for 30 years. Those remarks were captured on video.

Advertisement

Who supports the measure?

Charter Amendment DD has widespread support, including from the entire City Council and the political organization LA Forward. According to the city clerk, no one has submitted a ballot argument against it.

Past coverage

The state attorney general has demanded that L.A. draw up new council district maps — a process could throw the established political order at City Hall into disarray.

Oct. 7, 2024

The new independent redistricting panel would have 16 commissioners and four alternates, serving 10-year terms. The goal is to curtail council members’ influence over the process.

Nov. 29, 2023

A bombshell recording has thrown L.A. politics into chaos. What was really being discussed? L.A. Times reporters and columnists pick it apart, line by line.

Nov. 21, 2022

Wesson accuses council of racial, geographic cliques

Aug. 7, 2012

L.A. Times Editorial Board Endorsements

The Times’ editorial board operates independently of the newsroom — reporters covering these races have no say in the endorsements.

How and where to vote

Read more California race guides

More election news

Advertisement
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com