Fixing City Hall survey: Who supports a larger City Council?

Do you support putting a measure on the ballot to enlarge the City Council?

Mayor Eric Garcetti: Yes
Our districts are the largest in the nation and representatives can feel distant from the people. With more leaders focused on fewer constituents to serve, more calls will be answered and more neighborhood needs will be met.

Karen Bass, candidate for mayor: No
I would have to say no until the idea is thoroughly researched. While I appreciate that smaller districts could be a route to improve representation, we need to evaluate whether this would help or create more problems.

Rick Caruso, candidate for mayor: Yes
In a city of 4 million people, we need more representation, not less. Enlarging the council will enable neighborhoods to hold their elected officials more accountable and ensure that council members are more closely listening to their constituents.

City Atty. Mike Feuer: Yes
Now each council district is the size of Buffalo, New York, or Boise, Idaho. Smaller districts will make council members more responsive, empower residents to more easily hold council members accountable and increase the council’s diversity.

Faisal Gill, candidate for city attorney: Yes
Los Angeles is one of the largest and most diverse cities in the country, yet we have one of the smallest city councils. Expanding the number of council districts will allow more communities to have a voice and a seat at the table.

Hydee Feldstein Soto, candidate for city attorney: Yes
The 15 districts we have had since 1924 no longer reflect our diversity, and the shape of the city means we see the same fights over the same neighborhoods. Expanding to 21 or 25 members would give an independent redistricting commission more tools.

Paul Koretz, candidate for city controller and councilmember for the 5th district: Yes
Enlarging the council membership will allow elected leaders to better serve their constituents. Too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few. More true of the county. I supported a measure to increase the number of supervisors years ago.

Kenneth Mejia, candidate for city controller: Yes
A city of 4 million people cannot be adequately represented by 15 council members. Los Angeles hasn’t increased the size of our city council in almost 100 years, when our population was just one quarter of what it is now. Change is long past overdue.

Eunisses Hernandez, councilmember-elect for the 1st council district: Yes
The 15 districts each have over 260,000 residents, which is larger than most cities. That’s too much power concentrated with too few people and results in fiefdoms. Smaller districts will force elected offices to be more responsive to communities.

Councilmember Paul Krekorian: Yes
Smaller districts bring people closer to their representatives. Enlarging the council allows more communities to be represented, reflecting the diversity of L.A. without disenfranchising other communities.

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield: Yes
Yes, conceptually, but details matter. How many members? With members elected in different years how/when would reforms be implemented? Would there be at-large members? I can’t fully support a measure without details.

Councilmember Nithya Raman: Yes
Increasing the number of council seats would increase overall accountability and present us with a long-overdue opportunity to increase the diversity of the council members themselves — including, importantly, representation for the Latino community

Sam Yebri, candidate for the 5th council district: Yes
Council members must come from and know the communities they represent. This long overdue reform will increase accountability, provide neighborhoods with a stronger voice in City Hall, and elect a more representative and responsive city council.

Katy Young Yaroslavsky, candidate for the 5th council district: Yes
Expansion gives underrepresented communities a seat at the table and reduces the number of constituents per district, which will allow for greater neighborhood-focused constituent services. Voters should be the ones to decide.

Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson: Yes
Each district averages 250,000 people from diverse backgrounds and varying needs — representation matters. We also need to be mindful of our city services, to ensure they are staffed and delivered consistently and equitably across the city.

Councilmember Heather Hutt: Yes
Yes, council expansion will help give communities what they have been asking for. By making districts smaller we will have more diverse representation and more equitable city services.

Councilmember Mike Bonin: Yes
1. Too difficult for 1 rep to govern 270k ppl. 2. Small # makes it hard to properly represent LA’s various populations & neighborhoods/makes redistricting to us vs them. 3. Small # creates informal practices that consolidate power as mini mayors

Erin Darling, candidate for the 11th council district: Yes
With only 15 council members for over 4 million constituents, L.A. council offices are less responsive and representative than other cities. We should fix the amount of seats to population growth and reassess every 10 years, using the census as guide.

Traci Park, candidate for the 11th council district: No
We don’t need a larger council, just a more responsive one. At a time when we need a system that actually works for residents and stakeholders, I am concerned that adding council members will cost more and create more bureaucracy and gridlock.

Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell: Yes
I introduced the motion to begin the process of expanding the city council. A larger council would ensure more representation, greater diversity, and decentralize power from the hands of the few. That’s good for the council and for the city.

Hugo Soto-Martínez, candidate for the 13th council district: Yes
We have only 15 representatives for 4 million people. Chicago, with over 1 million fewer people, has 51 councilmembers — that’s over 3x the representation! This would give constituents more power and make it easier to hold their elected leaders accountable.

Councilmember Kevin de León: Yes
I cautiously support the concept, but adding more politicians won’t mean better representation. Council offices need sufficient staff to manage the influx of requests for services as well as navigate the complexity of city projects and programs.

Councilmember Joe Buscaino: Yes
Fifteen districts is way too few for a city this large and is home to hundreds of constituencies.

Tim McOsker, candidate for the 15th council district: Yes
L.A. has the largest council districts in the country. The electorate needs an opportunity to change this following a public process with reports on demographics and impacts of increasing districts and decreasing the population of each district.

Danielle Sandoval, candidate for the 15th council district: Yes
Angeleno’s deserve representation that is in their best interest. With the vast population Los Angeles holds, 15 council members do not and cannot fully represent Angeleno’s in the manner to which we deserve.

Declined to complete the survey
Councilmember John Lee
Councilmember Gil Cedillo
Councilmember Curren Price
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez
City Controller Ron Galperin