Council hears unified charter proposal, debates neighborhood councils, mayoral authority and implementation steps

The Los Angeles City Council held a special meeting on Feb. 11, 1999 to hear the unified charter reform proposal from the Charter Reform Commission and discuss questions from councilmembers and the public. George Kiefer, chair of the appointed commission, and Raphael (Rafe) Sonnenschein, the commission’s director, outlined a two-volume unified charter that would reorganize governance, civil service and pension rules and add new structures such as advisory neighborhood councils and area planning commissions.

The commission presented the charter as “our best thinking to you, from our commission,” Kiefer said, and described three guiding goals: flexibility (moving operational detail from charter to ordinance), accountability (clarifying lines of authority and strengthening oversight) and responsiveness (creating neighborhood councils and at least five area planning commissions).

Why it matters: The charter proposal would change how Angelenos interact with city government and how the mayor, council and professional offices share management and oversight. Supporters told the council the reform is a major step to increase participation and update a document that has been amended hundreds of times over decades; critics warned of new risks if safeguards are not strengthened.

Major elements summarized

- Structure and volumes: The unified charter is presented in two volumes — governance (officers, departments, budget, elections) and civil service/pension — and totals about 330 pages, with roughly 150 pages for volume 1 and about 100 pages for volume 2, the presenters said.

- Neighborhood councils and Office of Neighborhood Empowerment: The charter would create advisory neighborhood councils that are “self-selected and participatory,” certified through a new Office (Department) of…