The city of Los Angeles could be forced to create an independent redistricting commission through two overlapping bills passed by the state Legislature this week. [for sunday print pls change to last week]

If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legislation would limit City Council influence over the lines that delineate their districts. The city’s most recent redistricting efforts came under national scrutiny in the wake of the city’s audio leak scandal last year.

Lawmakers in the city have also been discussing redistricting reforms for months and have vowed to put their own independent proposal for a redistricting commission before Los Angeles voters next fall.

Senate Bill 52, introduced by Sen. Mara Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), would require cities with a population of at least 2.5 million to create an independent redistricting commission. The bill also contains guidelines for how such a committee should function.

Because Los Angeles is the only city in California with a population of more than 2 million, the bill would do just that

only

to apply

only

to LA for now. (The City Council voted in February to formally oppose an earlier version of Durazo’s bill, after a contentious debate in council chambers.)

A separate, broader bill authored by Assembly Member Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) would require major cities, counties and school districts to adopt independent redistricting commissions by 2030. Assembly Bill 1248 also establishes rules for how such committees should operate. It would apply to cities and counties with more than 300,000 residents and to school districts or community college districts with more than 500,000 residents.

The two pieces of legislation are designed to work together. AB 1248 has a waiver that exempts cities with a population of at least 2.5 million people from its provisions, as long as SB 52 also becomes law. And SB 52 has a provision that says it won’t become operational until AB 1248

is entered

.

Paul Mitchell, an expert who has conducted more than 100 municipal redistrictings, praised the reform efforts, saying, “I think anything that can move the true independent redistricting model to more jurisdictions is beneficial.”

Whatever path takes us there, I believe it is essential that we establish a truly independent redistricting commission, Councilor Nithya Raman said Friday. Raman filed a motion in December 2021 to join current City Council President Paul Krekorian in starting the process of creating an independent redistricting commission for the city.

Under the current redistricting system in Los Angeles, elected city officials appoint members to the redistricting panel who can essentially act as their proxies, and the council has the final say on the maps.

Changes to the city charter, the civil constitution that governs Los Angeles and outlines the current redistricting system, would require a public vote.

Whether this state legislation would replace the need for a local vote on a charter change remains an open legal question.

But the question will remain unanswered if Los Angeles voters approve an independent amendment to the redistricting charter in November 2024. (SB 52 has a so-called offramp for that situation, meaning the legislation would only apply if the city charter does not establish an independent redistricting commission of its own that meets certain criteria, according to the bill’s text.)

Bryan told The Times he would be “ecstatic” if Los Angeles successfully establishes an independent redistricting commission next year, which would prevent the two bills’ influence on the city’s redistricting process.

“We really want this to be a grassroots effort and for local jurisdictions like Los Angeles to design an independent process for themselves through charter reform, or whatever reform is needed in that place,” Bryan said. He described the legislation as a series of guardrails that would create an independent redistricting framework and put pressure on local jurisdictions to act.