This is an excerpt from Make It Make Sense, our pop-up newsletter on the 2024 election. If you want updates on election results and what they mean for your life, sign up here.
It was clear on Election Night that L.A. City Charter amendments DD and LL would pass by overwhelming margins, creating the first independent redistricting commissions for the city of L.A. and the L.A. Unified School District.
What does that mean?
Their passage means that elected officials can no longer appoint members to the commissions in charge of drawing new district boundaries. Instead, these commissions will be made up of L.A. residents that have no direct or recent ties to elected officials, lobbying or city employment.
Residents like you.
When will this happen?
While this is a momentous shift, changes won’t happen for several more years. Commission members will likely be chosen around 2028 or 2029. Redistricting happens every 10 years after the U.S. Census is conducted — the next one is set for 2030. The first election under redrawn districts will likely happen in 2032.
How you can get involved
The L.A. City Clerk will create an application process and choose half the commission members from a lottery. Those chosen will then be tasked with picking the remaining members, looking out for diversity in age, race, income and other factors. Commission members must be 18 or older and have lived in L.A. for at least five years — they don’t have to be registered voters or U.S. citizens.
Does this really matter?
If you’re wondering why putting redistricting into residents’ hands matters, remember that redistricting centers…
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