LA CHARTER ASSEMBLY: NEW City Council President: Everything You Wanted to Know

LOS ANGELES
07.03.2026
LA CHARTER ASSEMBLY: NEW City Council President: Everything You Wanted to Know

The Role and Powers

The Council President does not just "run meetings"; they control the flow of policy in a city of nearly 4 million people.

  • Presiding Officer: They chair all City Council meetings, manage the floor during debates, and rule on parliamentary procedures (using a modified version of Robert’s Rules of Orde

  • Committee Appointments: This is their greatest source of leverage. The President decides which council members sit on (and chair) powerful committees like Budget & Finance or Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM). By choosing who oversees these committees, the President effectively steers the city's stance on housing, the LAPD budget, and economic development.

  • Agenda Setting: The President determines which motions and ordinances are scheduled for a vote. They can "fast-track" a piece of legislation or effectively kill it by never placing it on the calendar.

  • Acting Mayor: Under the City Charter, if the Mayor is out of the state or the office becomes vacant, the Council President immediately becomes the Acting Mayor with full executive power.

How the President is Selected

Unlike the Mayor, who is elected by the public, the Council President is elected by their peers—the 15 members of the City Council

  1. A candidate needs a simple majority (8 votes) to win. This often involves weeks of "horse-trading" and internal negotiations where candidates promise key committee chair positions to colleagues in exchange for their support.

  2.  Traditionally, the Council holds an election for the presidency at the first scheduled meeting in January of every even-numbered year (e.g., January 2024, 2026).

  3. Mid-Term Changes: If a President resigns or is removed (as happened in 2022 following the City Hall audio scandal), the Council can hold a special election at any time to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.

Line of Succession

If the President is unavailable, the hierarchy follows this order:

  • President Pro Tempore: Currently Bob Blumenfield (District 3).

  • Assistant President Pro Tempore: Currently Nithya Raman (District 4).

Note: While the Mayor can veto legislation passed by the Council, the Council President can lead the body to override that veto with a two-thirds vote (10 members), making the relationship between the two offices a constant political danc

/FROM CURRENT CHARTER Sec. 243. President and President Pro Tempore.
   (a)   The Council shall elect one of its members as presiding officer, who shall be called the President of the Council. In case of any vacancy in the office of Mayor pending appointment and qualification of a successor, or in case of unavailability due to sickness, absence from the state, or disability of the Mayor, the President of the Council shall act as Mayor of the City. The President of the Council, while acting as Mayor, shall not lose his or her rights as a member of the Council.
 
   (b)   The Council shall elect one of its members “President Pro Tempore” who shall act as presiding officer in the absence of the President of the Council and, in case of vacancy in the office of President of the Council, or in the case of unavailability due to sickness, absence from the state or disability of the President of the Council, shall exercise the powers and duties of the President of the Council under the provisions of this section.
 
   (c)   The Council shall provide by ordinance for the succession from among its members to the powers and duties of the President Pro Tempore in case of unavailability due to sickness, absence from the state or disability of the President Pro Tempore, or in the case of a vacancy in that office.
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