Top line:
A California Senate committee on Thursday passed a bill to study the feasibility of turning East L.A. into a city or borough.
Why it matters: The bill originally directed the Los Angeles County Local Government Formation Commission (LAFCO) to conduct a feasibility study for East LA, an area of 120,000 residents with no mayor or city council. I asked for it.
Thoughts on this bill: Hilda Solis, who represents East L.A. on the LA County Board of Supervisors, said she has opposed this bill from the beginning and sees it primarily as a form of state overreach.
Background: Efforts to incorporate East LA into a city have failed in the past, with one of the most recent attempts in 2012, when LAFCO found that unincorporated areas were financially unable to maintain city status. I failed because I did.
A California Senate committee has voted to move forward with a bill that would study the feasibility of turning East Los Angeles into a city or borough.
By a 4-1 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted in favor of Assembly Bill 2986, authored by Rep. Wendy Carrillo, who represents East LA. Approving two Los Angeles County motions that commit to providing a report on the tax base and portion of county services returned to the community.
The full Legislature must vote on the bill before it goes to the governor’s desk for signature or veto.
Carrillo issued the following statement in response to Thursday’s actions:
“I am grateful that, in collaboration with Senate Appropriations, the Legislature recognized the importance of expanding the conversation about the future of East Los Angeles,” Carrillo said.
The bill originally called for the Los Angeles County Local Government Formation Commission (LAFCO) to conduct a feasibility study for East LA, a region of 120,000 people with no mayor or city council.
Hilda Solis, who represents East L.A. on the county Board of Supervisors, said she has opposed the bill from the beginning and sees it primarily as a form of state overreach. Solis argues that promoting cityhood in East L.A. is a waste of taxpayers’ money, and that unincorporated communities receive satisfactory services from the county.
In July, the bill was amended to largely reflect two Los Angeles County motions to conduct and pay for a study and release a report on East LA’s tax base and the number of county services returning to the area. confirmed the county’s commitment to If passed, Los Angeles County would be required to report the results of its own feasibility study and analysis to the state.
Carrillo’s statement read: “To ensure the dialogue moves forward and to help Los Angeles County understand the urgency of being transparent with East Los Angeles’ unincorporated communities, which do not have local government, we are implementing this bill. has been corrected.”
Efforts to incorporate East LA into a city have failed in the past, with one of the most recent attempts failing in 2012 when LAFCO found that the unincorporated area was financially unable to maintain city status. .
