The importance of City Council committees

Feb 2012

LAPPL Board of Directors

When most people think about the L.A. City Council, they think of its regular meetings at City Hall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. (televised on L.A. CityView 35). What many don’t realize is that by the time an issue is ready for consideration by the 15-member Council, it’s already been reviewed and analyzed by one or more city council committees.

Not as visible as the City Council in session but crucial to the governing of our city, these committees perform investigative duties for the full Council and issue recommendations. The committee meetings are not generally televised but can be heard live and from the audio archives via Council Phone. Council Phone is a dial-up system that allows the public to listen to live coverage of the Los Angeles City Council and its committees from any phone using these numbers: Downtown (213) 621-CITY, West Los Angeles (310) 471-CITY, San Pedro (310) 547-CITY and Van Nuys (818) 904-9450.

The committees, and their chairs, are appointed by the President of the Council. When Councilmember Eric Garcetti resigned from the council presidency to run for Mayor, the Council elected Herb Wesson as his successor. Council President Wesson recently announced the committee assignments for 2012:

Arts, Parks, Health and Aging: Alarcon, chair; LaBonge, vice chair; Reyes, member.

Audits and Governmental Efficiency: Zine, chair; Rosendahl, vice chair; LaBonge, member.

Budget and Finance: Krekorian, chair; Englander, vice chair; Cardenas, and Koretz, Rosendahl, members.

Education and Neighborhoods: Parks, chair; Perry, vice chair; Zine, member.

Energy and Environment: Huizar, chair; Zine, vice chair; Cardenas, Alarcon, and Koretz, members.

Housing, Community and Economic Development: Cardenas, chair; Reyes, vice chair; Wesson, Alarcon, and Perry, members.

Information Technology and General Services: Perry, chair; Buscaino, vice chair; Cardenas, member.

Jobs and Business Development: Garcetti, chair; Parks, vice chair; LaBonge, member.

Personnel and Animal Welfare: Koretz, chair; Alarcon, vice chair; Zine, member.

Planning and Land Use Management: Reyes, chair; Huizar, vice chair; Englander, member.

Public Safety: Englander, chair; Perry, vice chair; Buscaino, Krekorian, and Zine, members.

Public Works: Buscaino, chair; Krekorian, vice chair; Garcetti, member.

Rules and Elections: Wesson, chair; LaBonge, vice chair; Huizar, member.

Trade, Commerce and Tourism: LaBonge, chair; Rosendahl, vice chair; Buscaino, member.

Transportation: Rosendahl, chair; Koretz, vice chair; Parks, LaBonge, and Huizar, members.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League’s Board of Directors looks forward to working with each member of the City Council and the council committees in 2012 in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

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