Los Angeles Times Editorial: Los Angeles needs a bigger City Council. Here are three ways to get it

07.16.2023 / By The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board
Los Angeles Times Editorial: Los Angeles needs a bigger City Council. Here are three ways to get it

Some groups argue L.A. shouldn’t pick a number, but rather set the ideal level of representation. California Common Cause, a good-government advocacy organization, has urged the city to create 150,000-resident districts — the equivalent of 27 districts based on current population — and allow the number of districts to rise or fall every 10 years with population changes. A hybrid system has some potential pitfalls, warned Kathay Feng with Common Cause.  “I do think you can have a mixed system if the at-large seats are coupled with methods of casting ballots that give minority communities an ability to vote with greater voter representation,” such as ranked-choice voting, Feng added.

Some groups argue L.A. shouldn’t pick a number, but rather set the ideal level of representation. California Common Cause, a good-government advocacy organization, has urged the city to create 150,000-resident districts — the equivalent of 27 districts based on current population — and allow the number of districts to rise or fall every 10 years with population changes.

A hybrid system has some potential pitfalls, warned Kathay Feng with Common Cause.

“I do think you can have a mixed system if the at-large seats are coupled with methods of casting ballots that give minority communities an ability to vote with greater voter representation,” such as ranked-choice voting, Feng added.

 

To read the full editorial, click here.

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