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LA WATCHDOG - The Charter Reform Commission was established in August with the mission of making recommendations to the Mayor and the City Council for amendments or revisions to the City Charter that would be placed on the November 2026 ballot. These actions are in response to the corruption at City Hall where three members of the City Council were sentenced to jail and the subsequent leak of a taped conversation with racial overtones between three members of the City Council and a union leader. This commission follows the recent approval of the voters of the establishment of independent redistricting commissions and a watered-down package of ethics reform.
There are many subjects to review and consider, including, but not limited to,
- exploring an increase in the number of Council districts;
- improving the delivery of city services;
- revising the city's contracting process;
- increasing the powers of the Ethics Commission;
- revising the city's budgeting process, including independent oversight;
- establishing a consistent procedure for filling vacancies in elected offices;
- defining the rules for censure and suspension of elected officers;
- investigating rank choice voting;
- revising the role of the City Council in land use decisions; and
- establishing an Office of Anti-Corruption and Transparency
In May, after eight months of delay, Mayor Bass finally appointed her four commissioners as well as the Executive Director and Deputy Director. Unfortunately, the new commissioners along with those nominated by the City Council do not adequately represent Angelenos. It appears that the eight commissioners are directly or indirectly dependent on the public purse. This represents a conflict of interest.
There are no representatives from the 99 Neighborhood Councils, a body recognized in the City Charter and whose members are familiar with the workings of the City. There are no commissioners from the City’s private sector employers, including those in healthcare, aerospace, entertainment, financial, venture capital, or retail industries. There are no members representing vibrant small business community that are disproportionately impacted by the City’s bureaucracy, rules and regulations.
The stacking of the deck with people dependent on public purse and the lack of representation of huge cross sections of the economy that are the life blood of the City by providing millions of jobs calls into question the objectivity of the Charter Reform Commission. Rather than proceeding, the Mayor and City Council should revisit their appointments to the Commission. Otherwise, why should we trust the Charter Reform Commission, the Mayor and the City Council?
(Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch. He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee, the Budget and DWP representative for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. He can be reached at: [email protected].)
