The last major rewrite to Los Angeles’s City Charter was over 25 years ago. Many of its core structures are even older than that. Since 1925, the City Council has had 15 members. But that was decided back when our city had fewer than a million residents. Today we are nearly four million people, meaning each council member represents roughly 265,000 of us. That simply is not representation. It has made our government slow, opaque, and vulnerable to the kind of corruption that led to the 2022 redistricting scandal, where sitting council members were caught on tape manipulating district lines to consolidate their own power at the expense of their constituents.

Those abuses have prompted today’s Charter Reform Commission. As a result, major changes to Los Angeles’ governing document could appear on the November 2026 ballot. Unfortunately, the process to get there has been deeply flawed. Mayor Bass dragged her feet in establishing the commission, wasting months of valuable time for research and deliberation. Like many of the issues Angelenos care most, progress has only occurred due to public outcry. And our ability to speak up is incredibly limited. Public comment at City Council meetings is limited to two minutes, with microphones unceremoniously cut.

Rae believes that a charter built for the people of Los Angeles must be written with them. We support the organizations that are fighting to open up this process through civic assemblies, digital participation tools, and genuine community deliberation. We demand a transparent, inclusive process before the clock runs out.

On substance, Rae supports ambitious reform. The Council must expand to the maximum size the commission is willing to put before voters, and then reapportioned automatically after each census so that no district exceeds 125,000 residents. We back ranked choice voting for City elections, which would reduce polarization, give voters more real choices, and make campaigns less susceptible to well-funded special interests. We support lowering the voting age to 16 in municipal races, extending the franchise to young people who live, work, and are directly affected by the decisions this City makes. And we want to move the city to a two-year budget cycle, to expand opportunities for the public to engage in this crucial, priority-setting process.

The Charter should be a living document. We support mandatory update commissions every ten years so that Los Angeles never again finds itself governed by rules built for a City of the past. While ultimately the decisions about what to put forth to voters will be made before Rae takes office, we believe it is imperative to participate in the process now, while there is still time to make a difference.

Roadblocks to Police Oversight

The current Board of Police Commissioners is too small, too easily captured, and too lightly resourced to do its job. Rae supports expanding the Board to at least nine members, requiring that appointments reflect the full diversity of the City, making commissioner roles paid and full-time so qualified residents of any economic background can serve, and giving the City Council's Public Safety Committee a coequal voice in setting police policy. Commissioners who fail to carry out their oversight duties should be subject to removal. The Inspector General must be empowered to conduct regular audits of police stops and enforcement activity — with public reporting on disparities and a documented response from the Commission within defined timelines.

Follow the Money: Audits and Lawsuits

The City Controller is one of our most important democratic safeguards, and Rae supports expanding its independence and audit authority rather than putting up roadblocks. In addition, we will work to require that legal settlement costs come from the responsible department's budget rather than the general fund. Accountability should have real teeth, and the people of Los Angeles should be paying less for the dentist.

Good government is not glamorous. But without it, nothing else works.