Skip to content

10/3/2024

This November, LA County voters will have the option to begin a process of fundamentally reshaping how the County Government operates. Unlike the City of Los Angeles, which took a methodical approach over nearly two years to identify modest governance reforms, the County has brought sweeping reforms to voters in less than a month with Measure G. Like many others, Organize, Unite, Reform LA (OUR LA) is still analyzing these reforms and their potential implications on our communities. 

As a coalition, OUR LA is neutral on Measure G. Our individual member organizations hold varying positions. Some support the reforms, dissatisfied with the current structure and hoping the change will benefit their communities. Some are opposed, concerned about potential negative impacts from ambiguous large-scale changes. While others are not taking a position. 

Though we have differing positions on how to vote on the measure, we cannot remain silent. Regardless of Measure G’s passage or failure in November, OUR LA is aligned on the need for reform, community engagement, and solidarity.

  • Reform: Governance in LA County is currently failing our communities. Many suffer from a lack of representation, accountability is diffuse, and County operations are not transparent or accessible. Governance reform must be a priority for LA County regardless of Measure G’s results at the ballot.   
  • Community Engagement: The future must look better than the path that brought us here. Measure G’s rushed process to the ballot and lack of public engagement reinforces distrust in our government. At the same time, the ambiguous nature of this measure fundamentally asks us to place our trust in its authors. People will trust government when government meaningfully listens to and engages them. When our communities are not meaningfully engaged, they are not understood and left behind. Time and time again, they have suffered from the unintended consequences of even well-intended reforms they were not involved in. LA County cannot repeat this history. Whether in the implementation of the proposed reforms or through an alternative process, the Board of Supervisors must commit to meaningful community engagement. The City of LA’s proposed Independent Redistricting Commission should be a model for creating a representative and independent oversight body. 
  • Solidarity: Governance reform cannot be a zero-sum game that pits communities against each other. OUR LA is committed to multiracial solidarity throughout the governance reform process by centering the people within our communities most impacted by inequity and advancing solutions that avoid harming any of our respective communities. Not only because we believe it is just but also because we know power is rooted in our communities standing together and will yield better collective outcomes than going it alone. As reform moves forward, County leadership must work with all our communities, not only those they agree with. OUR LA is committed to working together and will shine a light on those seeking to divide our communities rather than unite them. 

To continue this work, OUR LA is committing to leading governance reform in LA County for the long haul. We are expanding our focus to include both LA County and the City of Los Angeles. Additionally, we are growing our coalition to include more voices outside the City of Los Angeles and continue to ensure OUR LA reflects the diversity of the communities we work on behalf of. Through both of these efforts, OUR LA's goal is to realize a more racially equitable Los Angeles where local governance is rooted in and shaped by the perspectives of BIPOC and low-income Angelenos. As we move forward, community must realize the promise of democracy and take the reins, wrestling control and decision-making away from electeds and elites, and root the future of our region in power building. Only then will governance reflect the interests and meet the needs of underrepresented and marginalized communities. Join and come along. We are calling on our partners in the movement and those who share our values to join us in this fight.  

About OUR LA 

Formed in the wake of the racist audio leak of Los Angeles City Councilmembers caught engineering the city redistricting process, Organize, Unite, Reform LA (OUR LA) came together to fight for a just version of governance rooted in multiracial solidarity. As such, OUR LA is a multiracial, multi-generational, multi-issue, and intersectional coalition of community-based organizations and racial justice advocates committed to community voice, multiracial solidarity, power-building, racial equity, structural reform, and transparency.