President of the Los Angeles City Council

Last updated

President of the
Los Angeles City Council
Seal of Los Angeles.svg
Flag of Los Angeles, California.svg
Marqueece Harris-Dawson, 2018.jpg
since September 20, 2024
Member of Los Angeles City Council
AppointerElected by members of the City Council
Inaugural holder Boyle Workman
Formation1919
Deputy Bob Blumenfield (President pro tempore)
Website City Council

The President of the Los Angeles City Council is the presiding officer of the Los Angeles City Council. The president presides as chair over meetings of the council and assignments to City Council committees and handles parliamentary duties like ruling motions in or out of order. The president automatically becomes an acting mayor when the mayor is out of state. Since 2020, the president has been elected at the first scheduled council meeting in January of even-numbered years. [1]

Contents

The current president is Democrat Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who took office on September 20, 2024.

History

Early history

The office of the President was created with the introduction of the Los Angeles Common Council in 1850, with one of the members of the Council serving as the President. [2] [3] The first president of the Common Council was pioneer David W. Alexander, who was elected in 1850 before resigning a year later. [4] In 1889, the Los Angeles City Council was created under the first city charter, though the office stayed relatively the same. [5]

New city charter

In 1965, the job of President Pro Tempore was created to preside during the absence of the President, with the first officer being councilman Thomas D. Shepard. Shepard presided when L. E. Timberlake became acting mayor due to mayor Sam Yorty traveling outside the country. [6] The assistant pro tempore was created in 1977 with councilman Ernani Bernardi as the officer, who presided over meeting if both the President and the President Pro Tempore are out.

Councilman John Ferraro is the longest serving president, serving for 20 years in two terms. The first woman to be elected as the City Council president was Pat Russell, who held the title until 1987 when she was defeated in the City Council elections. [7] The first Latino elected was Alex Padilla in 2001 after defeating incumbent Ruth Galanter; he served as acting mayor days after the 9/11 attacks as mayor James Hahn traveled out of the city. [8] [9] The first African-American president was Herb Wesson, who was elected in 2012 and served until 2020. The first Latina president was Nury Martinez, who was elected in 2020 and served until 2022. [10]

Responsibilities

The President Pro Tempore has been Bob Blumenfield since September 20, 2024. Bob Blumenfield.jpg
The President Pro Tempore has been Bob Blumenfield since September 20, 2024.

List of presidents (1919–present)

No.PortraitOfficeholderTenure startTenure endPro Tem.Assistant Pro Tem.Mayor
1 Boyle Workman using a telephone (cropped).jpg Boyle Workman
(4th–Wilshire Center)
July 7, 1919July 5, 1921Office did not existOffice did not exist Meredith P. Snyder
2 Ralph Luther Criswell, 1927.jpg Ralph Luther Criswell
(7th–Vermont Square)
July 5, 1921July 1, 1923 George E. Cryer
3 Boyle Workman using a telephone (cropped).jpg Boyle Workman
(4th–Wilshire Center)
July 1, 1923June 30, 1925
July 1, 1925June 30, 1927
4 William G. Bonelli, California State Department of Professional and Vocational Standards director, 1935.jpg William G. Bonelli
(14th–Eagle Rock)
July 1, 1927June 30, 1929
5 Winfred J. Sanborn, 1925.jpg Winfred J. Sanborn
(9th–Boyle Heights)
July 1, 1929June 30, 1931 John Clinton Porter
6 CharlesHiramRandall.jpg Charles H. Randall
(1st–Sun Valley)
July 1, 1931June 30, 1933
7 Howard W. Davis, 1938.jpg Howard W. Davis
(7th–Vermont Square)
July 1, 1933June 30, 1935 Frank L. Shaw
8 Robert L. Burns, 1935.jpg Robert L. Burns
(4th–Wilshire Center)
July 1, 1935June 30, 1937
July 1, 1937June 30, 1939
July 1, 1939June 30, 1941 Fletcher Bowron
9 G. Vernon Bennett, 1935.jpg G. Vernon Bennett
(10th–University Park)
July 1, 1941June 30, 1943
10 Robert L. Burns, 1935.jpg Robert L. Burns
(4th–Wilshire Center)
July 1, 1943June 30, 1945
11 George Moore, 1946.jpg George H. Moore
(15th–Wilmington)
July 1, 1945June 30, 1947
12 Harold A. Henry, 1947.jpg Harold A. Henry
(4th–Windsor Square)
July 1, 1947June 30, 1949
July 1, 1949June 30, 1951
July 1, 1951June 30, 1953
13
John S. Gibson Jr. during Negro History Week resolution, 1958.jpg
John S. Gibson Jr.
(15th–San Pedro)
July 1, 1953June 30, 1955 Norris Poulson
July 1, 1955June 30, 1957
July 1, 1957June 30, 1959
July 1, 1959June 30, 1961
14 Harold A. Henry, 1947.jpg Harold A. Henry
(4th–Windsor Square)
July 1, 1961June 30, 1963 Sam Yorty
15 L. E. Timberlake buying Westchester Fair tickets, 1949.jpg L. E. Timberlake
(6th–Gramercy Park)
July 1, 1963June 30, 1965
July 1, 1965June 30, 1967 Thomas D. Shepard
July 1, 1967June 30, 1969 John S. Gibson Jr.
16 John S. Gibson Jr., 1972.jpg John S. Gibson Jr.
(15th–San Pedro)
July 1, 1969June 30, 1971 Billy G. Mills
July 1, 1971June 30, 1973
July 1, 1973June 30, 1975 Robert J. Stevenson Tom Bradley
July 1, 1975June 30, 1977 John Ferraro
17 John Ferraro, 1978.jpg John Ferraro
(4th–Hancock Park)
July 1, 1977June 30, 1979 Joel Wachs Ernani Bernardi
July 1, 1979June 30, 1981
18 Joel Wachs, 1972.jpg Joel Wachs
(2nd–Studio City)
July 1, 1981June 30, 1983 Peggy Stevenson
19 Pat Russell, 1972.jpg Pat Russell
(6th–Westchester)
July 1, 1983June 30, 1985
July 1, 1985June 30, 1987 Joan Milke Flores
20 John Ferraro, 1989.jpg John Ferraro
(4th–Hancock Park)
July 1, 1987June 30, 1989 Marvin Braude
July 1, 1989June 30, 1991 Joan Milke Flores
July 1, 1991June 30, 1993
July 1, 1993June 30, 1995 Richard Alatorre Richard J. Riordan
July 1, 1995June 30, 1997 Joel Wachs Mike Hernandez
July 1, 1997June 30, 1999 Ruth Galanter
July 1, 1999April 17, 2001 Ruth Galanter Rudy Svorinich
21 Ruth Galanter, 2012.png Ruth Galanter
(6th–Venice)
April 17, 2001July 1, 2001 Mark Ridley-Thomas
22 Alex Padilla official.jpg Alex Padilla
(7th–Pacoima)
July 1, 2001June 30, 2003 Cindy Miscikowski James Hahn
July 1, 2003June 30, 2005 Cindy Miscikowski Eric Garcetti
July 1, 2005January 1, 2006 Wendy Greuel Tony Cárdenas Antonio Villaraigosa
23 Eric Garcetti (cropped to collar).jpg Eric Garcetti
(13th–Echo Park)
January 1, 2006June 30, 2007 Jan Perry
July 1, 2007June 30, 2009
July 1, 2009January 2, 2012 Jan Perry Dennis Zine
24 Herb Wesson 2012 (cropped).jpg Herb Wesson
(10th–Mid City)
January 2, 2012June 30, 2012 Ed Reyes Tom LaBonge
July 1, 2013June 30, 2015 Mitchell Englander Eric Garcetti
July 1, 2015June 30, 2017 Nury Martinez
July 1, 2017December 31, 2018
January 15, 2019June 30, 2019 Nury Martinez Joe Buscaino
July 1, 2019January 5, 2020
25 LA City Council President Nury Martinez (cropped).jpg Nury Martinez
(6th–Sun Valley)
January 5, 2020December 14, 2020 Joe Buscaino David Ryu
December 14, 2020June 30, 2021Vacant
July 1, 2021September 21, 2021
October 1, 2021October 10, 2022 Mitch O'Farrell
26 Paul Krekorian, 2017.jpg Paul Krekorian
(2nd–Toluca Lake)
October 18, 2022October 25, 2022
October 25, 2022December 12, 2022 Curren Price
December 12, 2022June 13, 2023 Karen Bass
June 13, 2023June 20, 2023Vacant
June 20, 2023September 20, 2024 Marqueece Harris-Dawson Bob Blumenfield
27 Marqueece Harris-Dawson, 2018.jpg Marqueece Harris-Dawson
(8th–Gramercy Park)
September 20, 2024Incumbent Bob Blumenfield Vacant

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References

  1. "What Do City Council Members Do?". LA 101 Guide.
  2. Ordinances and Regulations of Los Angeles 1832-1888: Part I. Vol. 30. University of California Press. pp. 26–41.
  3. Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, 1868-1869 section, page 11
  4. Clare Wallace, Los Angeles Public Library Reference File, April 26, 1939, with sources as listed there
  5. Stevens, Mark H. (December 1, 2004). "The Road to Reform: Los Angeles' Municipal Elections of 1909: Part II". University of California Press.
  6. "Council President Timberlake Plans Retirement July 1," May 15, 1969, page B-1
  7. "The Women of the Los Angeles City Council: Part Two". Los Angeles Public Library . March 15, 2021.
  8. "Ca - Officials". Allgov.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  9. "Alex Padilla has been rising political star since his 20s, when he became L.A.'s youngest councilmember". KTLA . 2020-12-22.
  10. "New LA City Council president Nury Martinez outlines her vision". Los Angeles Daily News . January 14, 2020.