Brief

Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado and Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion on May 8, 2026, to place a ballot measure authorizing removal of the General Manager under Los Angeles Charter Code Section 575(e). The measure is intended for the November 2026 election. The motion remains pending in the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which has continued the item multiple times since late May with no scheduled hearing date set as of mid-June.

Full summary

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, joined by Bob Blumenfield, introduced a motion on May 8, 2026, asking the City Attorney to draft ballot measure language that would amend the Los Angeles City Charter to give the City Council the power to remove any General Manager or Department Head by a two-thirds vote. The proposal would apply across all City departments, offices, and boards — significantly expanding Council authority over executive branch leadership. The motion draws directly on an existing Charter precedent: Section 575(e) already grants the Council a two-thirds-vote removal power over the Chief of Police. Jurado's motion argues that same accountability standard should extend to all department heads, not just the police chief. The stated rationale is that the current governance structure concentrates appointment and removal authority too heavily in the Mayor's office, leaving the Council with little recourse when a General Manager fails to serve the public effectively. Proponents frame the change as promoting shared accountability and strengthening public oversight without eliminating the Mayor's core managerial role. The motion was referred immediately to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, the appropriate panel for Charter amendment and ballot measure matters. Since May, the committee has scheduled and continued the item multiple times — on May 27-28, June 11-12, and June 15 — without holding a substantive hearing. At its June 15 meeting, the committee again continued the item to a date to be determined, meaning no future hearing is currently on the calendar. For the measure to appear on the November 2026 ballot, the City Attorney would need to prepare language, the committee would need to recommend it, and the full Council would need to act within ballot qualification deadlines. The repeated continuances without a hearing date suggest the committee has not yet resolved the underlying policy or legal questions. The file remains open and expires June 15, 2028.

Activity (7)

• 2026-06-15 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to date to be determined.
• 2026-06-12 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 15, 2026.
• 2026-06-12 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to June 15, 2026 .
• 2026-06-11 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 12, 2026.
• 2026-05-28 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to date to be determined.
• 2026-05-27 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 28, 2026.
• 2026-05-08 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (4)

• 2026-06-15 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-06-12 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-28 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-08 Motion · motion