Marqueece Harris-Dawson has secured sufficient backing from his colleagues to develop into the subsequent president of the Los Angeles Metropolis Council.
On Friday, seven council members launched a movement calling for Harris-Dawson to fill the submit, giving him the required eight-member majority, as soon as his personal vote is included.
Council members Eunisses Hernandez, Heather Hutt, John Lee, Curren Worth, Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martínez and Katy Yaroslavsky signed the movement supporting Harris-Dawson, who has represented a South L.A. district for almost 9 years.
Beneath the council’s guidelines, the movement will robotically set off a vote on Harris-Dawson’s bid for the presidency on Tuesday. Harris-Dawson, re-elected to a 3rd council time period earlier this 12 months, would develop into president on Sept. 20, based on the movement.
The movement got here three days after Council President Paul Krekorian despatched a letter to his colleagues disclosing his plan to step down from the management submit on Sept 20. Krekorian turned president almost two years in the past, within the wake of an audio leak scandal that prompted the resignation of former Council President Nury Martinez.
A change in council presidents may have a significant impression on coverage making at Metropolis Corridor. The president has the facility to determine when points are included on a gathering agenda. The president additionally decides the make-up of council committees coping with public security, personnel issues, transportation, the atmosphere and lots of different points.
Harris-Dawson has assist from the council’s left flank, which has argued in favor of scaling again police spending and increasing tenant protections. These members — Hernandez, Raman and Soto-Martínez — opposed a latest bundle of raises for LAPD officers and, on Thursday, voted no on Bass’ price range.
As president, Harris-Dawson may place these members on the council’s highly effective price range committee, giving them better freedom to transform the mayor’s spending plan from the second it’s launched. Harris-Dawson may additionally add extra of them to the committee that oversees public security and policing, the place Soto-Martínez already occupies a seat.
First elected in 2015, Harris-Dawson represents a district that takes in a big portion of South Los Angeles, together with prolonged stretches of Western Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. He’s thought-about an in depth ally of Mayor Karen Bass, who represented a portion of South L.A. throughout her time as a legislator.
Harris-Dawson spent a number of years because the president and chief govt of Group Coalition, a community-based nonprofit and advocacy group that was based by Bass in 1990. He took over that position in 2004, changing Bass.
Final week, Harris-Dawson confirmed that he had been talking along with his colleagues about what they need in a president. He mentioned he heard from them that they “wish to spend extra time of their districts.”
“It’s one thing that you just hear from all people,” he mentioned, including: “We have to construct a piece schedule that accommodates that.”
Harris-Dawson additionally picked up assist from Lee, who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley and is among the many council’s most politically conservative members. Lee informed The Occasions a couple of weeks in the past that he hoped Harris-Dawson, if elected president, would carry steadiness to Metropolis Corridor on points just like the financial system and public security.
“I’ve labored very effectively with all of the members of the council, and that features Harris-Dawson,” Lee mentioned. “Some individuals may discover {that a} shock, however we’ve labored very effectively collectively.”
