Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, seconded by Bob Blumenfield, introduced a motion proposing a charter amendment that would prevent anyone appointed or hired as a caretaker to fill a vacant city council office from being eligible to run for election to that seat for a five-year period. The motion seeks to place this amendment on the November 2026 ballot. The file is currently pending in the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, with a scheduled hearing on May 21, 2026.

Full summary

This motion asks the City Attorney to draft ballot language for a November 2026 charter amendment that would impose a five-year prohibition on anyone appointed as a caretaker or voting appointee to a vacant council seat from then running for election to that same district. The proposal builds on related work Rodriguez advanced in CF 24-0579, through which the Charter Reform Commission recommended requiring the Council to call a special election whenever a vacancy occurs with more than one year remaining on a term. That reform addressed the vacancy trigger, but Rodriguez argues it left unresolved concerns about the appointees themselves gaining an unfair incumbent advantage before a special election takes place. The motion draws on Charter Section 409, which currently allows the Council to fill a vacancy either by appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term or by calling a special election. Rodriguez's concern is that Council appointments, even temporary or caretaker ones, can confer name recognition and institutional access that distorts the subsequent election. As precedent, she points to existing city restrictions on Ethics Commission members and the Ethics Commission's Executive Director, who must wait five years after their term ends before seeking elective office. The motion argues the same logic applies to interim council appointees. Monica Rodriguez presented the motion and Bob Blumenfield seconded it. After introduction on May 1, 2026, it was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which scheduled a hearing for May 21, 2026. No committee vote or further Council action had occurred as of May 20, 2026. If the committee approves the measure and the full Council concurs, the City Attorney would prepare the charter amendment language for placement on the November 2026 ballot, where Los Angeles voters would have the final say.

Activity (2)

• 2026-05-20 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 21, 2026.
• 2026-05-01 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (1)

• 2026-05-01 Motion · motion