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Los Angeles voters have handed City Hall a curious mix of reforms and rejiggered rules. Measure EE — a voter‑approved charter amendment — lets the Los Angeles City Council hold full‑council meetings as little as one day a week, while also raising the bar for citizens who want to force referendums. The measure passed with roughly 539,000 Yes votes to 483,000 No votes, and now the council will decide how to make the new rules work in practice.
Measure EE: What the ballot changed
Measure EE bundles several changes under the banner of “ethics, elections, and governance.” The headline grabber is the meeting rule: full council can now meet a minimum of one day per week instead of three. The amendment also raises the referendum signature threshold, boosts civil penalties for campaign and ethics violations, expands audit powers for civilian watchdogs, and bars Ethics Commission members from running for council or school board for five years after they leave. Supporters say these are practical fixes. Skeptics call it a mixed bag that cuts public access while nudging power toward insiders.
How supporters sell it
Councilmembers backing the change argue three full council days are inefficient and costly. Councilmember Tim McOsker called three weekly sessions “inefficient and extraordinarily expensive,” and other leaders say more detailed work can happen in committee meetings. The pitch to voters was simple: modernize scheduling, save money on translations and staff time, and strengthen some oversight tools. For many Angelenos juggling long commutes and crowded lives, the efficiency argument sounded reasonable — which is probably why the measure found enough votes to pass.
Why this feels like a raw deal to taxpayers
Here’s the part that smells: City Council members will keep high municipal salaries while the minimum public face time drops by two‑thirds. Think about it — roughly quarter‑million dollar paychecks for less day‑to‑day public deliberation. Critics warned this could water down full‑council debate and make important votes happen in smaller, less visible fora. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez warned the change “is going to water down conversations that would otherwise be held in public, in plain view.” Raising the referendum hurdle from 10% to 15% also makes it harder for voters to check City Hall when they’re worried about bad policy or sweetheart deals.
What Angelenos should do next
Measure EE is now the law, but that does not mean citizens are powerless. Watch the council when it sets its new calendar. Demand evening committee hearings, earlier agenda postings, robust translation and captioning, and clear rules so votes are not shuffled into back rooms. Push Mayor Karen Bass and Council President Marqueece Harris‑Dawson to prioritize transparency over convenience. If you’re mad about steady paychecks for fewer public meetings, tell your councilmember — loudly and often. The referendum route is tougher now, but civic pressure, media scrutiny, and organized voters still move policy. One day a week in the council chamber doesn’t mean one day a week of accountability — not unless we make sure it does.
