If you live in the city of L.A., your city council member is probably the most powerful and important elected office you can vote for.
The makeup of the council determines what kind of laws might get passed that affect the entire city of L.A. How do you feel about issues like rent control? Building more housing? Transportation and pedestrian safety? Consider what solutions you’d like to see to these problems when thinking about which candidate to support.
What does L.A.’s city council do?
- Create local laws, known as ordinances (the mayor then approves or vetoes those ordinances)
- Order elections
- Impose and regulate city taxes
- Authorize public improvements
- Approve city contracts
- Adopt traffic regulationsÂ
- Vote on the mayor’s proposed budgetÂ
If you want to know more about how the city council works and what decisions face the next council, head to our guide to the city council.
More Voter Guides
How to evaluate judges
- L.A. Superior Court: There are more than two dozen judges up for election or reelection.
- Judge ratings: Understanding how the L.A. County Bar Association evaluates judicial candidates — and how it can help you cast your vote.
Head to LAist’s Voter Game Plan for guides to the rest of your ballot including:
- L.A. County Board of Supervisors: Three of the five seats are on the ballot.
- L.A. City Council: There are seven seats up for grabs.
- L.A. District Attorney: Meet the 12 candidates running to be the county’s prosecutor.
- LAUSD: Four seats are open for a seat at the table.
- Prop. 1: Here’s a closer look at the proposal at the center of a debate over how to best help people struggling with mental health, drug and alcohol issues.
Fast facts on District 12
- State of the race: Current council member John Lee is running for reelection.Â
- Number of…
Read the full article here
