The Completely Unofficial L.a. City Council Power Rankings

Good morning, and invited to L.A. connected nan Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Noah Goldberg giving you nan latest connected metropolis and region government.

There’s nary nonstop measurement to measurement nan effectiveness of Los Angeles City Council members.

But we analyzed 3 basal elements — gathering attendance, committee assignments and magnitude of authorities drafted — to springiness readers a consciousness of what their section electeds are up to.

Meeting attendance

As portion of charter betterment efforts, nan City Council considered reducing nan number of assembly meetings from 3 per week to conscionable one.

The connection grounded earlier this period aft receiving stiff pushback from astatine slightest 1 councilmember, Monica Rodriguez.

“Meeting little for a metropolis of 4 cardinal group I deliberation sends nan incorrect message. Particularly erstwhile you person nan best-paid assembly successful nan country,” said Rodriguez successful an question and reply connected Fox 11 earlier this twelvemonth (each councilmember makes an yearly net of much than $244,000). “This thought that we would beryllium gathering little I judge runs contrary to what nan nationalist is demanding shape their council.”

Yet Rodriguez isn’t a stickler for showing up to meetings herself, ranking adjacent nan bottommost of her colleagues for attendance. Since nan commencement of 2025, Rodriguez has attended astir 86% of meetings, missing 25 retired of 177 meetings, according to a Times analysis.

Gabriel Avalos, a spokesperson for Rodriguez, implied that different work-related matters kept her from nan meetings.

“There’s nary favoritism for absences related to metropolis business, but she surely wasn’t absent owed to dishes and laundry,” Avalos said.

Only 2 different councilmembers missed much meetings than Rodriguez — mayoral campaigner Nithya Raman, who missed 30 meetings, and Curren Price, who missed 34 while dealing pinch illnesses.

On nan different extremity of nan spectrum, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who runs nan meetings, missed nan fewest — conscionable 4 of nan 177 meetings from January 2025 until this month.

Eunisses Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado each attended 169 meetings, aliases astir 96%.

Stella Stahl, a spokesperson for Raman, said that astir of nan councilmember’s absences were owed to her position arsenic nan city’s typical connected nan South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The remaining absences, Stahl said successful a statement, “were tied to a mini number of antecedently scheduled conferences and speaking engagements applicable to her committee activity and territory priorities, on pinch occasional sick days and recreation for a funeral.”

Committee assignments

Council members are appointed to committees by nan assembly president. They tin beryllium connected further committees if nan president lets them.

These mini groups of assembly members are responsible for reviewing nan first drafts of legislation. Committee chairs person nan powerfulness to move authorities guardant — aliases stall it — by either putting it connected nan agenda, aliases not.

The busiest councilmembers are Hugo Soto-Martínez and Adrin Nazarian, who each beryllium connected 9 committees, including immoderate impermanent “ad-hoc” ones. Councilmember Tim McOsker follows pinch 7 committee assignments.

But nan number of committee assignments isn’t needfully nan clearest denotation of power. Katy Yaroslavsky serves connected only 5 committees, but she chairs nan Budget and Finance Committee, which edits and approves nan mayor’s projected fund earlier sending it to nan afloat assembly for 1 of its astir important yearly votes.

At nan bottommost of nan database is Price again, who sits connected 4 committees, including arsenic chair of nan Committee connected Economic Development.

Legislation

Another easy marker is nan magnitude of authorities a assembly personnel authors.

At each meeting, dozens of pieces of authorities spell earlier nan assembly — immoderate high-profile, others conscionable to keep nan lights connected astatine City Hall (literally).

Rodriguez, contempt her comparatively debased attendance, was astatine nan apical of nan legislative database complete nan past twelvemonth and a half, drafting 199 motions.

A bully chunk were motions connected whether to support aliases reason bills astatine nan authorities and national level. Rodriguez besides had nan astir ceremonial thoroughfare namings of immoderate assembly member, pinch 13.

Rodriguez pointed to much important legislation, for illustration an ordinance banning metropolis workers from taking connected further gigs for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arsenic her proudest achievements.

After Rodriguez, McOsker was nan second-most prolific author, pinch 178 pieces of legislation, followed by Traci Park pinch 163.

At nan bottommost were Price pinch 84 and Harris-Dawson pinch 90.

State of play

— HOMELESSNESS RISING: Homelessness, including those surviving successful shelters and different impermanent facilities, went up by 3.4% crossed nan city compared pinch 2025. Unsheltered homelessness — those surviving outdoors aliases successful their vehicles — was up 7.9% aft 2 consecutive years of decreases, dealing a caller rustle to Mayor Karen Bass as she runs for reelection.

— DISAPPEARING ACT: Bass’ property relations agency communicates done WhatsApp messages that auto-delete each 24 hours, perchance shielding nan messages from nationalist records requests, according to 3 sources acquainted pinch nan office.

— PLAY BALL: In 1936, Los Angeles made it a misdemeanor to play baseball, basketball, shot aliases immoderate different shot crippled connected a thoroughfare aliases sidewalk. Nearly a period later, erstwhile kids walk half arsenic overmuch clip extracurricular arsenic their parents did, City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield wants to cut nan obscure rule from nan books.

— THE ICE EFFECT: A caller study from nan UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute recovered that businesses wrong half a mile of 9 ICE enforcement sites had 46,000 less customer visits and an estimated $3.16 cardinal successful accumulated gross losses during nan 2 weeks aft enforcement activity.

— NEW HONCHO: Los Angeles schools Supt. Andrés E. Chait made a calm charismatic introduction into his caller occupation Tuesday, emphasizing rising trial scores and “a consciousness of belonging” that binds schoolhouse communities.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature programme was astatine San Pedro Street Elementary School successful Ysabel Jurado’s district, bringing 34 group indoors.
  
• On nan docket adjacent week: The Los Angeles City Council remains connected recess adjacent week.

Stay successful touch

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