Posted on 05/06/2024
ONE BIG THING: INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING ON THE 2024 BALLOT
It shouldn’t be controversial to say that councilmembers shouldn’t be able to hand pick their voters to manipulate council districts in their favor. Unfortunately, that’s not the system we currently have in the City of Los Angeles, as we saw in late 2022 when the LA Times revealed leaked audio of three councilmembers making racist remarks while attempting to gerrymander the redistricting maps in their favor.
Racist Tapes Expose Rigged Maps
The racist remarks littered throughout the discussion deservingly made the most headlines in the aftermath, but the fact that the entire racist conversation centered around rigging the redistricting maps in their favor went somewhat under the radar.
The conversations confirmed what many Angelenos have suspected for a long time – our political leaders far too often claim they’re fighting for working people when they’re actually fighting to preserve their own power, pitting marginalized communities against each other in the process.
Even though we still have not seen full accountability coming out of that racist conversation, independent redistricting is a huge step toward a more democratic election system where our city’s future is decided by the community – not in backroom deals.
What’s the New Proposal?
This new independent redistricting commission, if approved by voters in November, would be composed of 16 commissioners serving 10-year terms. The application process will be managed by the city clerk’s office (not the City Council), with the City Ethics Commission providing oversight. Importantly, commissioners would then be prevented from running in any district where they helped draw the lines.
What’s Next?
Be sure to keep an eye out for independent redistricting on the ballot this November, because the next time LA’s district lines get redrawn, it could be done independently for the first time ever!
Now it’s up to us to take this once in a generation opportunity to improve our elections and strengthen our democracy.
Two More Quick Hits!
1. Regulating Robotaxis
This week, City Council unanimously passed our resolution in support of the state bill SB 915, which would give local cities the ability to regulate robotaxis. Currently, the California Public Utilities Commission, an unelected statewide body based in San Francisco, is the only agency allowed to regulate robotaxis in California.
Already, we’ve seen reports of these vehicles shutting down in the middle of the road and blocking emergency vehicles. We hope this legislation will be approved in Sacramento, so we can have a voice at the local level in implementing this new technology safely.
2. Requiring Businesses to Accept Cash Payment
We joined Councilwomen Heather Hutt and Eunisses Hernandez this week to raise awareness for our motion to ensure that all businesses in the city of Los Angeles accept cash payment.
My own dad doesn’t have a credit card, and that’s common for a lot of Angelenos, especially immigrants, older folks, and people living in poverty. This motion is about making sure that our whole community can participate in the economy of the city.