From 2023-24, Common Cause Report, page 2 (mentions number of districts and how districts should grow)
As the City of Los Angeles moves to place the creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) on the ballot for Angelenos to consider in 2024, it is imperative that these amendments to the City Charter create a Commission that is truly independent and upholds the public’s trust.
As one of the architects of California’s statewide Citizens Redistricting Commission and one of the leading advocates for independent redistricting in local communities, California Common Cause will continue to support the core precepts necessary for a truly independent and meaningful. redistricting process. This is informed by our monitoring of over 60 local jurisdictions during the most recent re- districting process, culminating in a detailed redistricting report about local redistricting in California and how to do it well, as well as two decades of experience monitoring and working with the state’s Citizens Redistricting Commission.
California Common Cause carefully analyzed and reviewed the report produced by the Los Angeles City Council’s Chief Legislative Analyst’s Office. California Common Cause proposes key recommendations that seek to: ensure a fully Independent Redistricting Commission, ensure that the City Council reflects the growth of the City, preserve a community-centered approach in map-drawing, emphasize transparency and inclusivity in the redistricting process, and allow an independent Commission to undergo responsive evolution.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Number of Council Districts
The last adjustment to Council size occurred nearly a century ago, and modernization is needed badly. The Los Angeles City Council currently has the largest number of residents per district, more than 264,000, among the 10 largest cities by population in the United States. In contrast, the average number of residents per city council district in the other top 10 cities, excluding Los Angeles, is approximately 143,000 residents, with no cities that have districts with more than 209,000 residents per district.
Increasing the size of the Council will reduce the resident-to-representative ratio, ensuring the City Council is representative of more communities across L.A. and that local political leaders are closer to, more easily reachable by, and more responsive to residents in the city. Going forward, the size of Los Angeles City Council must reflect the growth of the City. To ensure that Council seats remain a consistent and representative size for the future of Los Angeles, the number of Council Districts should be adjusted every decade based on the decennial U.S. census population results to achieve one district per 150,000 people, rounded to the nearest odd whole number. This will currently result in about 26 council seats. To ensure that residents experience no less political representation than they currently experience, there should be no fewer than 15 Council Districts. Automatic
adjustment ensures that the size of the Council will change as the City changes. The revised districts should be effective in 2032 and elections thereafter.
