Editorial: Mayor Bass vetoed a police discipline ballot measure. Now she has to help create a new one
5 months ago

Editorial: Mayor Bass vetoed a police discipline ballot measure. Now she has to help create a new one

LA Times  

Mayor Karen Bass took the unusual step this week of vetoing a proposed November ballot measure to rework the disciplinary process for Los Angeles police officers. Assuming the City Council doesn’t override her veto, the mayor’s decision means voters won’t get to consider police accountability this year. But, if Angelenos are going to get a do-over on police reform, Bass and the City Council need to use the next two years to develop a stronger proposal that increases both the public’s confidence that officers will be held accountable for misconduct and officers’ confidence that they will be treated fairly. It would have allowed the police chief to fire officers accused of some types of misconduct and rejiggered the composition of the department’s three-member Board of Rights disciplinary panels.

Discipline City Council Ballot Measure Officers Bass Lapd Police Discipline  council  reform  process  help  mayor  proposal  editorial  vetoed  discipline  officers  measure  bass  chief  city  create  ballot

History of this topic

A report offers clues about Mayor Bass’ plans for the next police chief
3 months ago

A report offers clues about Mayor Bass’ plans for the next police chief

LA Times  

Selecting the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department will likely be the most important hire of Mayor Karen Bass’ first term. Times reporters saw Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and Robert “Bobby” Arcos, a former LAPD assistant chief, entering the mayor’s residence on Tuesday. Asked about the report’s heavy emphasis on morale, he said it’s “absolutely essential that we …

L.A. City Council upholds Bass veto, killing proposal to let police chief fire officers
4 months, 3 weeks ago

L.A. City Council upholds Bass veto, killing proposal to let police chief fire officers

LA Times  

Mayor Karen Bass recently vetoed a proposed ballot measure that would have allowed the police chief to fire problem officers. A divided Los Angeles City Council opted not to override Mayor Karen Bass’ first veto of her administration, effectively killing a ballot proposal to let the police chief terminate officers for misconduct. Councilmember Tim McOsker, who spearheaded the effort to …

Mayor Karen Bass vetoes ballot proposal to let police chief fire problem officers
5 months, 1 week ago

Mayor Karen Bass vetoes ballot proposal to let police chief fire problem officers

LA Times  

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, pictured last year, vetoed a proposal to let the police chief fire officers found to have engaged in serious misconduct. Councilmember Tim McOsker, who spearheaded the ballot proposal, said he is “deeply disappointed” with the mayor’s action, adding that it threatens the most significant reform of the LAPD’s disciplinary system in more than two decades. …

Editorial: Los Angeles City Council may be on verge of bungling police accountability — again
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Editorial: Los Angeles City Council may be on verge of bungling police accountability — again

LA Times  

In February 2023, Los Angeles City Council members Tim McOsker and Hugo Soto-Martinez proposed updating the police discipline process to permit the chief of police to fire officers and to alter the composition of the Board of Rights — the three-member appeals panel that considers serious discipline. Opinion Editorial: Misstep on L.A. police discipline can still be walked back — …

L.A. City Council approves Mayor Karen Bass’ budget, cutting 1,700 vacant positions
7 months ago

L.A. City Council approves Mayor Karen Bass’ budget, cutting 1,700 vacant positions

LA Times  

The Los Angeles City Council signed off on Mayor Karen Bass’ $12.8-billion budget on Thursday, cutting 1,700 vacant positions and engaging in a back-and-forth over police spending. “There’s no sugarcoating the reality that we face next year,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who heads the council’s five-member budget committee. In a statement, he said the mayor’s office would “continue the urgent …

Editorial: The LAPD needs a better way to fire cops. So why are city leaders slow-walking reform?
9 months ago

Editorial: The LAPD needs a better way to fire cops. So why are city leaders slow-walking reform?

LA Times  

Changes to the Los Angeles Police Department’s failing discipline system could come before voters this year — if the City Council moves faster. If Los Angeles is going to improve its discipline process for police officer misconduct — as it should, so the chief can fire substandard officers — the City Council must get moving. Opinion Editorial: Police accountability in …

Mayor Karen Bass’ plan for rebuilding the size of the LAPD has fallen short so far
10 months, 1 week ago

Mayor Karen Bass’ plan for rebuilding the size of the LAPD has fallen short so far

LA Times  

When Mayor Karen Bass laid out her budget proposal for the Los Angeles Police Department last year, she had big plans for rebuilding the size of that agency’s workforce. The mayor’s budget called for the LAPD to end the 2023-24 budget year with about 9,500 police officers — a target that would require the hiring of nearly 1,000 officers over …

Discover Related