Los Angeles's 15th City Council district

Los Angeles's 15th City Council district is one of the fifteen districts in the Los Angeles City Council. It is currently represented by Democrat Tim McOsker since 2022, after previous member Joe Buscaino retired to run for mayor that year.[2]

Los Angeles's 15th City Council district
Government
 • Councilmember. Tim McOsker
. D–San Pedro
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total258,310
Demographics
 • White18.5%
 • Asian5.9%
 • Hispanic60.7%
 • Black11.5%
 • Other0.8%
Websitecouncildistrict15.lacity.gov
Registered voters (2017) 123,866

The district was created in 1925 after a new city charter was passed, which replaced the former "at large" voting system for a nine-member council with a district system with a 15-member council. Not only geographically, but also representationally the district has been one of the most stable. There have been only eleven council members since 1925 and none have served fewer than four years. The thirty-year incumbency of John S. Gibson Jr. was the third-longest of any Los Angeles City Council member, after Ernani Bernardi of the 7th District and John Ferraro of the 4th District.[3]

The district mostly been represented only by residents of San Pedro, which has outside influence as the district's traditional base of political power. Eight of the eleven counclmembers who have represented the district have come from San Pedro.[4]

Geography

The 15th district encompasses all of the city's southern area and the Port of Los Angeles, which includes the communities and neighborhoods of Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, Watts, and Wilmington.[5]

The district overlaps with California's 43rd and 44th congressional districts. It also overlaps with California's 35th State Senate district and a part of the State Senate's 30th district, as well as California's 64th, 66th, and 70th State Assembly districts.

Historical boundaries

The historical boundaries does not differ from the modern boundaries, with the main difference being the northern border. At its creation, it was at Slauson Avenue,[6][7] before moving down to Manchester Avenue in 1928.[8] In 1933, the major eastern boundaries of the shoestring are Figueroa Street and Normandie Avenue and western limits are Western and Vermont avenues,[9] before some parts of South Broadway being absorbed in District 8 by 1935.[10] In 1986, the boundary moved south, but district still included part of the Watts area.[11] In 2011, it was now south of Century Boulevard on the west edge of the Shoestring, north of the boulevard to the east.

List of members representing the district
Councilmember Party Dates Electoral history Areas represented
District established July 1, 1925

Charles J. Colden
(San Pedro)		 Democratic July 1, 1925 –
June 30, 1929		 Elected in 1925.
Re-elected in 1927.
Retired.		 1925–1929
Harbor Region and South Los Angeles

A. E. Henning
(San Pedro)		 Republican July 1, 1929 –
June 30, 1933		 Elected in 1929.
Re-elected in 1931.
Lost re-election.		 1929–1935
Harbor Region and South Los Angeles
(Hyde Park, Watts)

Franklin P. Buyer
(Broadway-Manchester)		 Democratic July 1, 1933 –
June 30, 1939		 Elected in 1933.
Re-elected in 1935.
Re-elected in 1937.
Lost re-election.

Wilder W. Hartley
(Wilmington)		 Republican July 1, 1939 –
June 30, 1943		 Elected in 1939.
Re-elected in 1941.
Lost re-election.		 1935–1986
Harbor Region, South Los Angeles
(Watts, Green Meadows, Vermont Vista)

George H. Moore
(Wilmington)		 Democratic July 1, 1943 –
June 30, 1951		 Elected in 1943.
Re-elected in 1945.
Re-elected in 1947.
Re-elected in 1949.
Lost re-election.

John S. Gibson Jr.
(San Pedro)		 Democratic July 1, 1951 –
June 30, 1981		 Elected in 1951.
Re-elected in 1953.
Re-elected in 1957.
Re-elected in 1961.
Re-elected in 1965.
Re-elected in 1969.
Re-elected in 1973.
Re-elected in 1977.
Retired.

Joan M. Flores
(San Pedro)		 Republican July 1, 1981 –
June 30, 1993		 Elected in 1981.
Re-elected in 1987.
Re-elected in 1989.
Lost re-election.		 1986–present
Harbor Region and Watts

Rudy Svorinich
(San Pedro)		 Republican July 1, 1993 –
June 30, 2001		 Elected in 1993.
Re-elected in 1997.
Termed out.

Janice Hahn
(San Pedro)		 Democratic July 1, 2001 –
June 12, 2011		 Elected in 2001.
Re-elected in 2005.
Re-elected in 2009.
Resigned when elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.[12]
Vacant June 12, 2011 –
January 17, 2012

Joe Buscaino
(San Pedro)		 Democratic January 17, 2012 –
December 12, 2022		 Elected to finish Hahn's term.
Re-elected in 2013.
Re-elected in 2017.
Retired to run for Mayor.[2]

Tim McOsker
(San Pedro)		 Democratic December 12, 2022 –
 Elected in 2022.

References

Access to most Los Angeles Times links requires the use of a library card.

  1. Regardie, Jon (September 26, 2022). "L.A.'s Barely-Discussed, Very Important City Council Contest Heats Up". Los Angeles.
  2. "Councilman Joe Buscaino enters race for L.A. mayor in 2022, places homelessness, rising crime at top of to-do list". KTLA. March 15, 2021.
  3. "JOHN S. GIBSON Jr". The New York Times.
  4. Editorial, April 19, 2022, page A14
  5. Hernández, Caitlin (November 18, 2022). "LA City Council In 2023: Your Guide To Who's Who (And What They Do)". LAist.
  6. "First Map Showing City Council's Districts," Los Angeles Times, January 16, 1925, page 1
  7. "Here Are the Hundred and Twelve Aspirants for the City's Fifteen Councilmanic Seats," Los Angeles Times, May 3, 1925, page 7
  8. "Council Areas' Lines Changed," Los Angeles Times, December 29, 1928, page A-1
  9. "City Reapportionment Measure Gets Approval," Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1933 With map of all districts.
  10. "Do You Know Who Your City Councilman Is?" Los Angeles Times, March 24, 1935, page 22
  11. "Los Angeles' Realigned City Council Districts," Los Angeles Times, September 21, 1986, page B-3 (with map)
  12. Catanese, David (July 12, 2011). "CA-36: Hahn cruises to solid win". Politico.
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