This article was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on July 31, 2024, and is the first in a series about efforts to explore urbanity in East LA.
It’s not uncommon for people to refer to East LA as “the city of East LA.” After all, L.A.’s culture is heavily influenced by East Los Angeles, home of the historic 1968 Walkout and where iconic films like Blood In, Blood were filmed. There was an out and stand and delivery.
But East L.A., an area of about 120,000 people with a predominantly Latino population, is not a city.
There is no mayor or city council making decisions for East LA residents. That’s because East LA is an unincorporated community within Los Angeles County.
East L.A. is represented by County Supervisor Hilda Solis, whose district includes parts of 20 other cities in addition to East L.A., as well as dozens of unincorporated communities and nearly 2 million residents. Includes the city’s neighborhoods. In East Los Angeles, services such as police, street maintenance, construction and development, libraries and parks, and recreation are left to the county.
Given East LA’s population size and its cultural importance, some residents want to have more say in decision-making in the area. They want to know if East LA is getting its fair share of county services. And they’re asking the county to be more transparent about spending on services across the region.
Efforts to incorporate East L.A. into a city have failed in the past, with one of the most recent attempts in 2012, when the Los Angeles County Local Government Formation Commission ruled that the unincorporated area was financially unable to maintain city status. The decision ended in failure.
Most recently, state Rep. Wendy Carrillo (whose jurisdiction includes unincorporated East L.A.) introduced a bill in the state Legislature this spring that would consider whether the city could become a city or incorporate. .
The bill, AB 2986, is moving forward, but not without opposition.
What is AB2986?
The bill calls for an investigation into whether East L.A. has the tax base to sustain itself as its own city or borough.
The bill, introduced by Carrillo in March, was originally created by an 11-member task force of stakeholders and residents appointed by the Los Angeles County Local Government Formation Commission (LAFCO) to conduct the study. was requested to be installed. LAFCO, the independent agency that approves city formations, rejected East LA’s annexation proposal in 2012.
The Guadalupe mural at La Milagrosa Market in East Los Angeles.
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Antonio Mejias Rentas
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boyle heights beat
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However, the bill has since changed.
The bill would require a LAFCO-appointed task force to direct Los Angeles County to conduct a feasibility study in 2025 to analyze whether it is financially viable for East Los Angeles to become a borough or city. It will be established as an institution that is required to submit by March.
Carrillo clarified that the bill does not mandate cityhood. It’s just a matter of researching the possibilities.
“We expect better representation,” Carrillo said at a community meeting in April. “I no longer want to hear what is impossible, I want to hear what is possible.”
As it stands, the bill would cost the county an estimated $14 million, according to a letter from Los Angeles County Chief Executive Fecia Davenport.
Why did the bill change?
The bill was changed after a July 3 hearing in the state Senate Local Government Committee with a number of amendments. The bill, as amended, advanced on a 5-0 vote.
These amendments reflect the language of two motions spearheaded by Solis and unanimously approved by the rest of the county supervisors in April and May. These proposals, said Solis, who opposes Carrillo’s bill, would allow counties to do this without undue interference from the state.
Wendy Carrillo and Christy Hernandez participated in the listening session.
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andrew lopez
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boyle heights beat
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The proposed bill would require counties to conduct a feasibility study and submit an annual report detailing services and investments in unincorporated communities with a population of 10,000 or more. The county also plans to create a campaign to inform residents of unincorporated areas about county services, projects and programs.
Recent developments have caused confusion among some residents as they do not know what this means for the proposed legislation.
Because the LAFCO-established task force (which was supposed to meet quarterly and incorporate “strong community engagement”) was removed and instead appointed the county in charge of preparing the study, the bill Some say it’s watered down.
Particularly confusing is the fact that both Solis and Carrillo are touting the amendments as a victory, even though regulators continue to oppose the bill.
Solis said the latest version of the bill rejects the original language and reaffirms that the bill is “duplicative, fundamentally flawed and costly.”
But Carrillo said he made these amendments to hold county officials accountable. She told the Beat that regardless of who leads the investigation, the attention this bill receives will ultimately benefit East L.A. residents.
Who supports this bill?
Supporters of the bill include those seeking greater transparency in the tax revenue that communities generate. They’re also asking whether a fair share of county services will be funneled to East L.A.
Longtime community organizer and East L.A. resident Christy Hernandez supports Carrillo’s efforts and says investments in the community should reflect the fact that the area is California’s largest unincorporated area. said. Hernandez said residents are also struggling with the response from county officials.
Business owners like Tony DeMarco showed up at a hearing in April to support Carrillo’s bill. DeMarco emphasized the need for further economic stimulus along Whittier Boulevard.
Other supporters include the East LA Coalition, the Maravilla Community Advisory Board, the Los Angeles Lowrider Alliance, and the Whittier Boulevard Merchants Association of East Los Angeles.
Carrillo said if the bill passes, it would show “the state is invested in having counties report to the Legislature.”
“It starts with a process of true transparency, where real local community voices are part of the process,” Carrillo said.
Who would object to that?
Solis and her office quickly publicly opposed the bill, pointing to past failures of city government efforts. Supervisors pointed to LAFCO’s study projecting large deficits and concluding that the East Los Angeles area cannot adequately support services already provided by the county, such as police and fire.
Some East Los Angeles residents held signs expressing their opposition to the bill.
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andrew lopez
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boyle heights beat
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LAFCO is opposed to Carrillo’s bill, according to LAFCO Chief Executive Paul Novak.
“We continue to oppose the bill, even in its amended version,” Novak told the Beat newspaper.
In a letter to the state Senate, representatives of the Progressive Democratic Party of the East called the bill a “slapstick initiative.” They said money that funds research should instead go directly to residents.
Other East Los Angeles residents are concerned that future urbanization could lead to a loss of local services and higher taxes. Others shared those concerns on Solis’ Instagram page and in public comments during the County Board of Supervisors meeting in April.
Other opponents of the bill include the East LA Community Corporation, the City of Monterey Park, and dozens of other counties, labor unions, and grassroots organizations.
What happens next?
The seven-member Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the bill in August. The bill must be voted on by the full Legislature before heading to the governor’s desk for his signature or veto.
If the governor signs the bill, counties would be required to report their findings by March 2025. If that fails, the county will still conduct a feasibility study of the proposed urbanization and report on the county’s investment in East Los Angeles, the results of which will be shared in a report. early autumn.
At a community meeting on Saturday, July 27, East L.A. renter Genesis Coronado said she hopes even if the bill fails, it will spark a conversation about government transparency and holding elected officials accountable. , said this marked a victory for all East L.A. residents. .
