(a) Redistricting by Ordinance. Every ten years, the Council shall by ordinance redistrict the Los Angeles Unified School District into seven districts designated in the ordinance by numbers from one to seven, inclusive. Those districts shall be used for all elections of members of the Board of Education, including their recall, and for filling any vacancy in the office of member of the Board of Education, after the effective date of the ordinance and until new districts are established.
(b) Redistricting Commission. There shall be a Redistricting Commission to advise the Council on drawing of Board district lines. The Commission members shall be appointed in the following manner: one by each member of the Board of Education, four by the Council President, and four by the Mayor. Notwithstanding the provision of Section 501(d), one of the Council President's appointees, and one of the Mayor's appointees, must reside within the Los Angeles Unified School District but outside the limits of the City. No officer or employee of the School District shall be eligible to serve on the Commission. The Redistricting Commission shall appoint a director and other personnel, consistent with budgetary approval, which positions shall be exempt from the civil service provisions of the Charter.
(c) Redistricting Process. The Redistricting Commission shall be appointed before the date by which the Census Bureau is to release the decennial census data. A new Commission shall be appointed to advise the Council prior to each subsequent redistricting. The Commission shall begin the redistricting process at any time after appointment, but no later than June 1, 2021, and each subsequent tenth anniversary of that date. The Commission shall seek public input throughout the redistricting process. The Commission shall present its proposal for redistricting to the Council no later than a date prescribed by ordinance.
The Council shall adopt a redistricting ordinance no later than December 31, 2021, and each subsequent tenth anniversary of that date. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Council from redistricting with greater frequency provided that districts so formed each contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the Los Angeles Unified School District as shown by the Federal Census immediately preceding the formation of districts or based upon other population reports or estimates as may be determined by the Council to be substantially reliable.
(d) Criteria for Redistricting. All districts shall be drawn in conformance with the requirements of state and federal law and to the extent feasible shall keep neighborhoods and communities intact, utilize natural boundaries or street lines, be geographically compact, and conform to high school attendance zones.
(e) Effect of Redistricting on Incumbents. No change in the boundary or location of any district by redistricting shall operate to abolish or terminate the term of office of any member of the Board of Education prior to expiration of the term of office for which that member was elected.
(f) Annexation or Consolidation. Territory added to the Los Angeles Unified School District after the adoption of a districting ordinance shall be added to an adjacent and contiguous district or districts by the Council by ordinance.
(g) Terms. Members of the Board of Education shall hold their office for a term of four years except as provided in Section 806. The terms of office of those Board members elected from odd-numbered districts shall commence during each fourth anniversary of 1979, and for the members elected from even numbered districts shall commence during each fourth anniversary of 1981, except as provided in Section 806 and until the year 2020. Beginning in the year 2020, the terms of office of those Board members elected from odd-numbered districts shall commence during each fourth anniversary of the year 2020 and for the members elected from even-numbered districts shall commence during each fourth anniversary of the year 2022. No person may serve more than three terms of office as a member of the Board of Education. This limitation on the number of terms of office shall not apply to any unexpired term to which a person is elected or appointed if the remainder of the term is less than one-half of the full term of office. The limitation on the number of terms of office shall apply only to terms of office that begin on or after March 1, 2007.
SECTION HISTORY
Amended by: Subsec. (g), Charter Amendment L, approved March 6, 2007, effective April 4, 2007; Charter Amendment 1, approved March 3, 2015, effective April 2, 2015; Charter Amendment 2, approved March 3, 2015, effective April 2, 2015; Subsec. (c), Charter Amendment E, approved November 6, 2018, effective December 14, 2018; Subsec. (c), Charter Amendment EE, approved November 6, 2018, effective December 14, 2018.