CommentsVOICES-Time and again, the people of Los Angeles have demanded and awaited reform.
Time and again, they have been put off, or given promises that fail to materialize in real time. That is because change doesn’t come from the top down. It comes from the bottom up. It comes from the grassroots. It comes from the people.
The changes I am proposing are not a silver bullet to solving the institutional racism inherent in our current police state, nor do they necessarily bring about the needed shift of resources from LAPD to unarmed teams to handle mental distress, substance abuse, and non-violent 911 calls. At the same time, and in conjunction with establishing unarmed response teams, maintaining much smaller armed peace enforcement teams to deal with the most dangerous criminals in our society is a must, and, as such, and because of their ability to take human life, these teams must have robust, truly independent civilian oversight with the authority to bring those committing acts of misconduct and abuse of power to justice.
Earlier this week, as President of the Rampart Village Neighborhood Council (RVNC), I introduced four (4) resolutions to my Board, aimed at reducing corruption and conflict of interest at City Hall. I am proud to say the RVNC Board passed all four resolutions I introduced on Tuesday. The City Council must now have the political will to introduce and pass motions to move these important recommendations forward.
Each of the resolutions attempts to tackle some of the most problematic and pervasive conflict-of-interest issues in City Hall:
Change the Chief of Police to an Elected Position
Presently, the Mayor of Los Angeles appoints the Chief of Police. The Police Chief should reflect the voice of the people, not the Mayor, nor the interests of the LA Police Protective League. One way to move forward from the civil unrest of 2020, is for voters to hold accountable and be able to recall the Chief of Police, if necessary. If voters elect the Chief of Police, he or she will reflect the will of the people. If he or she fails to act in the best interests of public safety, voters then have recourse with recall. Right now, there is an increasing movement aimed at trying to get the Mayor to fire Chief Moore, but as a termed-out mayor, do we really believe that is going to happen?
The RVNC proposing this kind of change to the Los Angeles City Council is a first step in a process that would ultimately end with an amendment to the City Charter put before the voters at the ballot box in the 2022 municipal elections.
Amend the Los Angeles City Police Commission to Elected Positions
The five (5) members of the Los Angeles City Police Commission provide civilian oversight to the LAPD when officers violate rules or break the law. Presently, Mayor Garcetti appoints all five members of the Commission. They are supposed to be the people’s watchdog, but instead have been providing cover for officers’ misconduct.
When the Police Commission is beholden to the Mayor -- and the Police Union traditionally donates money to mayoral campaigns -- how can City officials not understand this as conflict of interest?
We’ve seen the devastating effects of this conflict of interest on communities of color where police presence resembles an occupying force, rather than an organization sworn to serve and protect our communities. Every day, the LAPD literally holds people’s lives in their hands.
The summer of 2020 saw systemic failure of the LAPD to respond civilly and appropriately to protestors. Protestors were beaten, shot with rubber bullets causing great injury to some, and were detained for hours without access to water or restroom facilities.
Until the Police Commission is answerable to the people of Los Angeles -- and not the Mayor -- we will continue to see cases of misconduct and civil rights abuses by the LAPD go unaddressed because of pressure applied by City Hall. Amending the City Charter to make Police Commission members elected officials would allow members of this watchdog commission to do their jobs without undue influence from or compromise by City officials.
Amend the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission to Elected Positions
The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is composed of five (5) citizens, each appointed by the Mayor, City Attorney, City Controller, President of the City Council, and the President Pro Tempore of the City Council. Established by the voters in 1990, the Ethics Commission applies City and state laws relating to campaign financing, governmental ethics, lobbying and contracts, and holds elected officials accountable who violate the rules. Where were they while Jose Huizar was running an alleged crime ring?
Funding of the Ethics Commission is at the discretion of the Mayor and City Council, and the Commission is beholden to the City’s senior elected officials, not the citizens of the City, and therefore has been underfunded and understaffed for decades.
The LA Times ran a recent whistleblower account asserting Ethics Commission employees’ jobs were allegedly threatened by a sitting City Councilmember in order to pressure the Commission to relax gift-giving rules by lobbyists and others. It’s another instance of the fox guarding the henhouse at City Hall. Same fox, different henhouse. Once again, how does City Hall not understand basic conflicts of interest?
If the Ethics Commission was established by voters to help preserve the public trust, it makes sense, moving forward, that its members be elected by voters also.
Change the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (CPC) to Elected Positions
The City Planning Commission (CPC) is composed of nine (9) citizens appointed by the Mayor. The Commission recommends approval and rejection of new development projects across LA, as well as weighing in on General Plan and Community Plan updates and zoning changes. The Planning Commission impacts everyone’s life in Los Angeles. Due to its overwhelming influence over the lives of ordinary citizens, the Commission should represent the will of the people, not the Mayor. However, meeting after meeting, public comment after public comment, the Commission has shown its disdain for people who are impacted most by their decisions by disregarding their voices.
The Planning Commission has recommended approval of large-scale development projects in Hollywood, for example, resulting in thousands of low-income families being evicted and displaced through gentrification.
In order to find housing, they can afford, too many families have had to move out of Los Angeles altogether, or worse, end up living in their cars or our streets. Their children are uprooted from their friends and schools, and parents and those without kids are forced to leave their jobs. LA Planning Commission decisions can impact generations and create economic instability for low-income people and working families.
Because of their power, CPC members should be elected by the voters, not appointed by the Mayor. The Commission’s seven (7) Area Planning Commissions could then be appointed by the elected officials of the CPC.
Moving Forward
Amending the City Charter to reflect the above proposed changes, will require due diligence on the part of voters. In the past, career politicians of City Hall counted on us to be too busy surviving to participate in City government. It is one of the reasons City Hall corruption continues to fester.
But the model of the disinterested LA voter is rapidly crumbling. Voters, particularly young voters, are quick to educate themselves on the legislative intricacies of City government. Homelessness, large-scale real estate development, evictions, lack of police reform, public safety, and mismanagement of public funds under HHH, have shifted notions of who benefits when career politicians shape policy and make decisions that affect ordinary people. It will take an educated electorate, and that electorate is already at hand and growing in numbers every day.
Next month, I will be stepping down as President of the Rampart Village Neighborhood Council to run full-time for LA City Council CD13 for the current election cycle. I am honored to have served my community as the first transgender president of an LA City Neighborhood Council in one of the City’s most historic neighborhoods, inside one of its most dynamic Council districts. In the past, I have introduced, and my Board has passed, dozens of resolutions like the ones listed above. I often ask myself, if my Board had been a group of rich developers, would our recommendations have carried more weight?
While attending an event in 2018, a current sitting member of the Los Angeles City Council refused to shake my hand, admonishing me to my face: “I know of you and your inflammatory work!”
I replied, “I guess we should talk, then.” At that point, he walked away without another word.
The work isn’t inflammatory. They call it democracy.
(Rachael Rose Luckey is a Transgender Activist and President of the Rampart Village
Neighborhood Council. In April, 2021, she will be stepping down as President of the RVNC to run full-time for L.A. City Council CD13 in next year’s election. Once elected, Rachael Rose will become the first openly-transgender LA City Council Member. You can find out more about her campaign at RachaelRoseForLA.com, and by listening to her podcast, Conversations With L.A. (ConversationsWithLA.com). (Opinions expressed are solely her own.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
