Vote YES on Measures DD and LL to end political gerrymandering in LA
Federal law requires redrawing city council and school board district boundaries every decade, on the heels of the U.S. Census, to account for local changes in population. This is known as redistricting, and in Los Angeles, incumbent politicians have long exerted an outsize influence on the process.
The result: elected leaders end up drawing the lines of their own districts, thus picking their preferred voters, rather than the voters picking them.
Charter Amendments DD and LL, on the November ballot, take that power out of the hands of politicians and instead give it to everyday Angelenos through independent redistricting commissions, whose decisions are binding and transparent. Measure DD sets up an independent commission for LA City Council districts, and Measure LL sets up a similar body for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The framework has worked well in other California jurisdictions, allowing unbiased redistricting based on residents’ input. That is why we urge a yes vote on these ballot measures.
At a recent webinar, reflecting on the long shadow of the LA City Council racist audio leak scandal, Councilmember Nithya Raman noted that the racist language in the back-room discussion—between former Councilmembers Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo, current Councilmember Kevin de León and then-labor leader Ron Herrera—was about the 2021 redistricting process.
After council leadership rejected the proposed advisory commission map, the leaked audio revealed the rushed process members of the council undertook to redraw the maps to their own benefit and the detriment of political opponents.
Raman, who was elected to the LA City Council in 2020, expressed enthusiasm for a new, independent process, not only for de-politicizing redistricting but for refocusing the council on its constituents.
"Line drawing is best left to Angelenos," said Raman. "My time, my effort as an elected official should be spent on serving my constituents, not on my incumbency."
Measures DD and LL will return the decision-making power, including approval of the final maps, to community members, where it belongs. They bar political insiders, candidates and lobbyists from serving, prohibit private communications with elected officials, and require reports from the commissions on the rationale for their decisions.
It’s time to end political gerrymandering in Los Angeles. Vote yes on Measures DD and LL to finally give Angelenos of all races, income levels and backgrounds a say in deciding what their districts look like.
Check out our Angelenos for Fair Maps Campaign Kick-off to learn more about Measure DD and LL