Los Angeles's 8th City Council district

The district was preceded by the eighth ward, established in 1889 with the passing of the 1888 charter. It included Westlake and Downtown. It elected one member through a plurality vote before the ward became obsolete when the at-large district was re-established again in 1909.[2] The ward had one of the longest serving members before the passing of the 1925 charter, being Republican Everett L. Blanchard who served for fifteen years.

In 1925, the district was created, with the borders of the district at south of Washington Street, north of Jefferson on the western side and north of Slauson Avenue on the eastern side, bounded on the east by Alameda Street and the Vernon city line.[3] A year later, it was bounded by 47th Street, Vermont Avenue, Florence Avenue and Alameda Street.[4][5] In 1933, due to the "exceptional growth of the western part of the city," the new boundaries were at Central Avenue, Vernon Avenue, Vermont Avenue, and Century Boulevard.[6][7]

In 1940, the "general trend [was] westward and northeastward, due to heavy construction in the San Fernando Valley and the beach areas." It was bounded on the north by Vernon Avenue, on the west by Western Avenue, on the east by the city limits or Alameda Street and on the south by about Slauson Avenue.[8] In 1955, it bordered on Huntington Park and Vernon, from Vernon Avenue to 94th Street." By this time, a sizable amount of the total population in the district was African American, and their influence would later help Billy G. Mills, one of the first three African Americans to be elected to the City Council, in 1963.[9] In 1964, it was enlarged by absorbing two-thirds of the old 12th District, which was moved to the San Fernando Valley because of the growth of population there.[10]

By 1971, it ran from Adams Boulevard through the south central city to around Century Boulevard, including parts of Watts.[11] By 1975, the district ran in a north-south line in South Los Angeles. It was described as suffering from "some of the worst crime, unemployment and housing problems in the city."[12] In 1992, the district boundaries had shifted west to include Marlton Square on Crenshaw Boulevard.[13] as well as Baldwin Hills.[14]