ARTICLE V
DEPARTMENTS
 
 
Section
 
 
500   Creation and Management of Departments.
501   Boards of Commissioners.
502   Appointment and Removal of Commissioners.
503   Organization of the Board.
504   Secretary and Chief Accounting Employee.
505   Approval by Chief Accounting Employee of Use of Funds.
506   Powers of the Board and the Head of the Department.
507   Chief Administrative Officers.
508   Appointment and Removal of Chief Administrative Officers.
509   Powers of Chief Administrative Officer of Department under the Control of a Board of Commissioners.
510   Powers of Chief Administrative Officer of Department under the Management and Control of Chief Administrative Officer.
511   Responsibilities of Boards of Departments Controlling Their Own Funds.
512   Temporary Absence or Inability to Act.
513   Relationship of General Provisions to Specific Departmental Provisions.
514   Transfer of Powers.
 
 
520   Powers and Duties of the Department.
521   Authority of Officers.
522   Fire Chief.
523   Independent Assessor.
524   Appointment of Independent Assessor.
 
 
530   Powers and Duties of the Department.
531   Financial Support.
532   Board of Library Commissioners.
533   City Librarian.
534   Library Property.
535   Subsurface Parking Structures.
 
 
540   Powers and Duties of the Department.
541   Board of Civil Service Commissioners.
542   Chief Administrative Officer.
 
 
550   Powers and Duties of the Department.
551   City Planning Commission.
552   Area Planning Commissions.
553   Director of Planning.
554   General Plan – Purpose and Contents.
555   General Plan - Procedures for Adoption.
556   General Plan Compliance.
557   General Plan Areas.
558   Procedure for Adoption, Amendment or Repeal of Certain Ordinances, Orders and Resolutions.
559   Delegation of Authority.
560   Hearings and Investigations.
561   Office of Zoning Administration.
562   Variances.
563   Conditional Use Permits and Other Approvals.
564   Projects Requiring Multiple Approvals.
565   Delegation of Legislative Authority to Area Planning Commissions.
566   Time Limits.
 
 
570   Powers and Duties of the Department.
571   Board of Police Commissioners.
572   Executive Director of the Board of Police Commissioners.
573   Inspector General.
574   Powers and Duties of the Chief of Police.
575   Appointment and Removal of the Chief of Police.
576   Acting and Temporary Chief of Police.
 
 
580   Public Works Department Powers and Duties.
581   Board of Public Works.
582   Director of Public Works
 
 
590   Powers and Duties of the Department.
591   Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners.
592   Chief Administrative Officer of Recreation and Parks.
593   Financial Support.
594   Control and Management of Recreation and Park Lands.
595   Lease of Facilities.
596   Leasing of Subsurface Space.
597   Location of Police Training Facility.
598   El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument and the Los Angeles Zoo.
 
 
GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATED TO DEPARTMENTS
 
 
Sec. 500. Creation and Management of Departments.
 
   (a)   There shall be the following departments each of which shall be under the control and management of a board of commissioners that shall be the head of the department:
 
   Fire
   Fire and Police Pensions
   Library
   Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System
   Police
   Public Works
   Recreation and Parks
 
   (b)   There shall be the following departments each of which shall be under the control and management of a chief administrative officer, who shall be the head of the department:
 
   City Planning
   Personnel
 
   (c)   The phrase “departments having control of their own special funds” and “departments which have control of definite revenue or funds” and other substantially equivalent terms used in the Charter shall mean the departments of Fire and Police Pensions, Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System, Library, Recreation and Parks, and the Proprietary Departments.
 
 
Sec. 501. Boards of Commissioners.
 
   (a)   Creation. Each department created in the Charter shall have a board of commissioners consisting of five commissioners, unless some other number is provided in the Charter for a specific board.
 
   Each board shall be known as the Board of (insert name of department) Commissioners, except that the Board of the Personnel Department shall be known as the Board of Civil Service Commissioners.
 
   (b)   Attendance Fees. The Council shall, by ordinance adopted by a two- thirds vote, establish the amount of attendance fees to be paid to commissioners. Attendance fee ordinances shall be adopted no more frequently than once a year.
 
   (c)   Term. A commissioner term shall be five years, beginning on July 1. The terms of the commissioners shall be designated so that as much as possible the terms of office are staggered. The period of the term of each commissioner shall be designated in the appointment. An appointment to fill an unexpired term on any board shall be for the period of the unexpired term.
 
   (d)   Qualifications.
 
   (1)   No person shall be appointed to a Charter created commission who is not a registered voter of the City. This requirement shall also apply to standing commissions created by ordinance that are advisory to, or manage, a department or office, or perform regulatory functions. This requirement does not apply to commissioners who are elected or who serve ex officio.
 
   (2)   No person who is required by ordinance to be registered as a lobbyist shall be appointed to a commission whose members are required to file financial disclosure statements pursuant to the California Political Reform Act.
 
   (e)   Diversity. Unless otherwise provided in the Charter, the Mayor, Council or other appointing authority shall strive to make his or her overall appointments to appointed boards, commissions or advisory bodies established by the Charter or ordinance reflect the diversity of the City, including, but not limited to, communities of interest, neighborhoods, ethnicity, race, gender, age and sexual orientation.
 
SECTION HISTORY
 
Amended by: Subsec. (d), Charter Amendment, approved November 7, 2006, effective December 13, 2006.
 
 
Sec. 502. Appointment and Removal of Commissioners.
 
    (a)   Appointment. Unless otherwise provided in the Charter, commissioners of Charter created boards and of standing commissions created by ordinance that are advisory to, or manage a department or appointed office, or perform regulatory functions, shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the Council. The Mayor shall appoint the commissioners of all other ordinance created commissions, unless otherwise provided in the ordinance.
 
   Within 45 days of a vacancy created by the expiration of a term of office or otherwise, the Mayor shall submit to the Council for its approval the name of the Mayor’s appointee to serve for the next ensuing term or remainder of the unexpired term created by the vacancy.
 
   If the Council does not disapprove the appointment within 45 days after its submission to the Council, the appointment shall be deemed approved. If the Council disapproves an appointment, the Mayor shall make and submit to the Council a new appointment within 45 days of Council disapproval. Each subsequent Council disapproval of a mayoral appointment shall create a new 45 day period.
 
   (b)   Appointment by President of the Council. In the event the Mayor fails to submit an appointment to the Council within any of the 45 day periods provided in this section, the President of the Council shall, within an additional 45 days, submit an appointment for that office to the Council for its approval. If the Council does not disapprove the appointment made by the President of the Council within 45 days after submission, the appointment shall be deemed approved by the Council.
 
   If the Council disapproves the appointment made by the President of the Council within the 45 day period, the President of the Council shall make a new appointment to the office involved within 45 days of the disapproval of the previous appointment. Each subsequent disapproval of an appointment made by the President of the Council shall create a new 45 day period.
 
   (c)   Appointment by Council Resolution. Upon failure of the President of the Council to submit an appointment to the Council for its approval as provided in this section, that appointment shall be made by the Council, by resolution, within 45 days from the expiration of the 45 day period within which the President of the Council failed to act.
 
   (d)   Removal. Members of a board or commission, other than the City Ethics Commission and the Police Commission, who are appointed by the Mayor subject to approval by the Council, may be removed by the Mayor without Council confirmation. Members of the Police Commission may be removed by the Mayor, but a removed member may, within ten calendar days of the removal, appeal the action to the Council. Within ten Council meeting days of receipt of the appeal, the Council may reinstate the commissioner by a two-thirds vote of the Council. Failure of the Council to reinstate the commissioner during this time period shall constitute a denial of the appeal. Action on an appeal shall be by an action separate from the approval of the appointment of a successor to the removed member. Members of the City Ethics Commission may be removed in accordance with Section 700. Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission may be removed in accordance with Section 483.
 
   (e)   Financial Disclosures. Council shall not approve an appointee before the appointee’s financial disclosure statements have been filed with the Ethics Commission and submitted to the Council. Notwithstanding Subsections (a) and (b), an appointee shall be deemed disapproved if the appointee’s financial disclosure statements have not been filed with the Ethics Commission and submitted to the Council within 45 days after the submission of the appointment to the Council.
 
SECTION HISTORY
 
Amended by: Subsec. (d), Charter Amendment DD, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025; Subsec. (e) added, Charter Amendment HH, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.
 
 
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