LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council’s online meeting came to order as scheduled on Tuesday morning, ending questions about whether the body would have the 10-person quorum necessary to proceed, with key votes expected on the council’s presidency, an expansion of the council and the future of redistricting.
A vote on a new council president is scheduled to take place, though it’s unclear whether any contender will have the eight votes necessary to become the legislative body’s next leader. Councilmembers Curren Price and Paul Krekorian have both been vying for the presidency. Price did not appear to be present at the start of the meeting.
Embattled Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, who are facing immense pressure to resign, were not present on the Zoom meeting. Acting President Mitch O’Farrell said the meeting would be held via video after a member had tested positive for COVID-19.
The pending decision for a new president comes after former President Nury Martinez’s resignation last week, in the wake of an audio recording on which she is heard making racist comments. De León and Cedillo were also part of the October 2021 conversation captured in the surreptitiously recorded audio that was reported on Oct. 9 by the Los Angeles Times.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who has been pushing for Price to become president, attempted to delay the presidency vote for one week, saying the vote on that issue should be conducted in person. But that proposal died on the floor, since no one on the council provided a second for her motion.
The council is also expected to take up a number of long-discussed reform measures, including a plan to amend the City Charter to create an independent redistricting commission for the city and a plan to increase the number of City Council seats.
No final decisions will be made on those items. The motions on Tuesday’s agenda would, in both cases, instruct various city departments to report back on steps.
Wednesday’s meeting is being held virtually following a COVID-19 exposure last week in council chambers. Councilmember Mike Bonin, who has now fully recovered, tested positive for the virus several hours after last Tuesday’s meeting. At least one other councilmember, Paul Krekorian, has tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days.
Protesters have demanded that all meetings be canceled until de León and Cedillo resign. Protest groups successfully disrupted last Wednesday’s meeting for about an hour before Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson left the meeting, meaning the group lost the number of members necessary for a quorum. The council adjourned shortly thereafter without conducting any official business.
The fact that Tuesday‘s and Wednesday’s meetings will be conducted over Zoom makes it less likely that protesters will be able to shut them down, though the status of Friday’s meeting remains an open question.
O’Farrell canceled last Friday’s scheduled council meeting and announced Monday morning that he had removed de León and Cedillo from an array of council committee assignments — the latest in a series of attempts to pressure the two men to step down.
