Fixing City Hall survey: Who supports independent redistricting?

Do you support putting a measure on the ballot to create an independent redistricting commission, similar to what Los Angeles County and California have?

Mayor Eric Garcetti: Yes
Redistricting must elevate communities above politicians. Ensuring that elected officials don’t have the final say in boundaries better ensures district representation based on collective community interests instead of single political interests.

Karen Bass, candidate for mayor: Yes
Politicians should not draw their own districts. It’s past time for the city to have a truly independent redistricting commission, which is necessary to protect the integrity of the process and ensure that all Angelenos receive equal representation.

Rick Caruso, candidate for mayor: Yes
The current system is designed by career politicians to maintain their power and their status, nothing more and nothing less. We need a true change in the system, and I would wholeheartedly support an independent redistricting commission.

City Atty. Mike Feuer: Yes
When I announced my strong support for independent redistricting last year, I emphasized that allowing politicians to draw their own district lines and choose their own voters is a massive conflict of interest.

Faisal Gill, candidate for city attorney: Yes
For decades, politicians in Los Angeles have manipulated the redistricting process to preserve their own power. In a functioning democratic system, voters should choose their representatives — not the other way around.

Hydee Feldstein Soto, candidate for city attorney: Yes
Redistricting processes should all be independent. This is essential to curb gerrymandering, promote trust and independent leadership. L.A. should develop a process similar to the state’s, ensuring both commissioners and processes are independent.

Paul Koretz, candidate for controller and council member for the 5th district: Yes
The only way to keep political manipulation out of the process is to create an independent commission. This is long overdue.

Kenneth Mejia, candidate for controller: Yes
Both the CCRC [California Citizens Redistricting Commission] and the LACRC [Los Angeles County Redistricting Commission] have a commission-selection entity largely removed from the politicians affected by district boundaries they oversee. This is a far better approach that can help prevent the sort of undue influence of the L.A. City Council.

Eunisses Hernandez, council member-elect for the 1st council district: Yes
Redistricting, which is meant to ensure that Angelenos have true representation, has been used as a tool by the political class to manipulate election outcomes and weaken the power of Black, Indigenous, brown, AAPI, and low-income residents.

Councilmember Paul Krekorian: Yes
A year ago I proposed such a commission because the present system is not independent or accountable. The self-serving backroom dealing that was recently exposed destroys public confidence. We can restore it with a truly independent process.

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield: Yes
Yes, conceptually, but I haven’t seen a process that isn’t flawed. I fear that throwing out the current process without having new rules in place could have consequences. I certainly support stricter guidelines on how a commissioner is replaced.

Councilmember Nithya Raman: Yes
The current process incentivizes the manipulation of council district boundaries for personal political gain and at the expense of Angelenos, including communities who traditionally have had less power in the city, such as renters.

Sam Yebri, candidate for the 5th council district: Yes
Council members should not have the power to redraw their own district lines in a back room. Voters should choose their politicians; politicians should not choose their voters.

Katy Young Yaroslavsky, candidate for the 5th council district: Yes
Voters should pick their representatives; politicians shouldn’t pick their voters. I strongly support the creation of a truly independent redistricting commission that includes issue area experts.

Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson: Yes
I don’t believe it’s a good idea to have politicians choosing their voters. What we’ve seen across the years is this process becomes a breeding ground for people making bad decisions.

Councilmember Heather Hutt: Yes
I firmly believe that an independent commission will ensure that racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation will have equity. Following the guides of the 1965 Voting Rights Act an independent commission will be even more data driven.

Councilmember Mike Bonin: Yes
Because voters should choose their elected officials. Elected officials should not choose their voters. The independent commission model at the state and county level is not perfect, but it is exponentially better than the L.A. system.

Erin Darling, candidate for the 11th council district: Yes
L.A. must reform the process to be transparent and equitable. Commission members cannot be affiliated with elected officials in any capacity, and the commission must be granted independence and have final authority.

Traci Park, candidate for the 11th council district: Yes
Allowing individual council members to make or influence these decisions and gerrymander our city simply invites corruption. We must be continuously mindful of the independent in “independent redistricting commission.”

Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell: Yes
Angelenos deserve to have complete faith and trust in the redistricting process. We need to remove political maneuvering as much as possible so that the voices of the people — not elected officials — are the ones that count the most.

Hugo Soto-Martínez, candidate for the 13th council district: Yes
The current redistricting process leads to pitting groups against each other, stealing resources from working-class Black neighborhoods. We deserve a fair, independent system that is not only representative of race, but also class, like renters.

Councilmember Kevin de León: Yes
I endorsed the CA State Redistricting Commission and support studying one for the city. A balanced commission has the potential to increase public trust in the process and address the ongoing underrepresentation of Latinos on the City Council.

Councilmember Joe Buscaino: Yes
Politics should not play a role in redistricting, and because voters should choose their elected officials, elected officials should not choose their voters.

Tim McOsker, candidate for the 15th council district: Yes
An independent redistricting commission is long overdue. It should be composed of diverse Angelenos, prohibit former elected officials and staff from serving, ban “ex parte” communications, and require all deliberations to be open and public.

Danielle Sandoval, candidate for the 15th council district: Yes
Politicians should not be allowed to redistrict, period. Gerrymandering has been going on for decades, resulting in many Angelenos not being fully represented, only to benefit corrupt politicians. It is time for change.

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