Sec. 100. Incorporation.

   The City of Los Angeles shall continue to be a municipal corporation under the same name and possessed of all the property and interests of which it was possessed at the time the Charter takes effect. The boundaries of the City shall be the boundaries as established at the time the Charter takes effect, or as may later be changed in the manner authorized by law.

Sec. 101. Powers of the City.

   The City of Los Angeles shall have all powers possible for a charter City to have under the constitution and laws of this state as fully and completely as though they were specifically enumerated in the Charter, subject only to the limitations contained in the Charter.

Sec. 102. Relationship to Other Governmental Entities.

   (a)   The City may, by ordinance, transfer or consolidate functions of the City government to or with appropriate functions of the state or county government or other governmental entities, or make use of functions of the state or county government or other governmental entities. The Charter provisions providing for the function of the City government transferred or consolidated may, by ordinance, be suspended during the continuation of the transfer or consolidation. Any transfer or consolidation may be repealed by ordinance, which repeal will terminate the suspension of the Charter provisions providing for the transferred or consolidated functions. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting transfers or consolidations approved prior to the operative date of the Charter.

   (b)   The City may exercise any of its powers or perform any of its functions and may participate in the financing of its efforts, jointly or in cooperation, by contract or otherwise, with one or more other cities, states, or other governmental bodies, the United States or any of its agencies.

Sec. 103. Delivery of Services.

   Every City office and department, and every City official and employee, is expected to perform their functions with diligence and dedication on behalf of the people of the City of Los Angeles. In the delivery of City services and in the performance of its tasks, the government shall endeavor to perform at the highest levels of achievement, including efficiency, accessibility, accountability, quality, use of technologically advanced methods, and responsiveness to public concerns within budgetary limitations. Every analysis and review of the performance of the government and its officers shall seek to ascertain whether these high standards are being met, and if not, shall recommend methods of improvement.

Sec. 104. Restrictions on the Powers of the City.

   The rights and powers granted by the Charter shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in this section or elsewhere in the Charter.

   (a)   Mortgaging of Property. The City shall have no power to mortgage its property for any purpose, but may buy property subject to mortgage.

   (b)   License Taxes. It shall require an ordinance adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Council to levy a license tax. No discrimination in the amount of license tax shall be made between persons engaged in the same business, other than by proportioning the tax to the amount of business done, except that the Council by ordinance may provide for license tax exemptions and decreases to promote City economic development under the following circumstances. Any incentives shall be limited to predefined areas of the City, such as redevelopment areas, enterprise zones, employment and economic incentive areas, or revitalization zones, where other federal, state, or local economic incentive areas have been established by the Council, by ordinance or by other method required by state or federal law. In addition, any business tax exemptions or reductions shall require the adoption of an ordinance by the Council specifying the amount of the exemption or reduction; the period of time for which the exemption or reduction will be allowed; the specific business tax classification, or classifications, which will be eligible for the exemption or reduction; and the geographical boundaries within which the exemption or reduction will be applicable.

   (c)   Sale of Public Utilities. No public utility owned by the City shall be sold, leased or otherwise transferred without the assent of two-thirds of the registered voters of the City voting on the proposition. However, with the authorization of the Council by ordinance, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners shall have the power and authority to sell, lease, transfer or dispose of the public utility water distribution facilities owned by the City of Los Angeles located in the communities of Big Pine, Lone Pine, Independence and Laws in Inyo County, California, together with sufficient water or water rights to supply the service areas of those communities, to public agencies or utilities in those communities, without a vote of the people.

   (d)   Use of Los Angeles River Bed. The bed of the Los Angeles River, or any part of it, as now or hereafter defined and located, shall not ever be sold, granted, leased, transferred or alienated in any way, but shall be kept at all times for municipal purposes, free and clear of all encumbrances and obstructions, except as follows:

   (1)   Franchises or rights may be granted by ordinance for crossings over or under the riverbed to railways, pipelines or other public utilities, plants or equipment, as long as they do not obstruct the flow of the Los Angeles River in times of flood, nor conflict with any longitudinal use of the riverbed by the City itself or other uses authorized in this section.

   (2)   Franchises may be granted for the construction and operation of railroad tracks longitudinally along the riverbed only when such construction and operation is required in connection with a grade crossing plan for the elimination of grade crossings and the unification of all public terminal rail facilities, other than street and interurban railways, after the grade crossing plan has been approved by two-thirds of the voters voting on the question at a general or special election.

   (3)   The City may grant permits for the removal of sand and gravel from the riverbed, so long as the removal of sand and gravel does not jeopardize or injure any structures authorized by this section.

   (e)   Floor Area Restriction. The total floor area contained in all the buildings on any one building site shall not exceed 13 times the buildable area of the site as such buildable area is defined by ordinance. The Council, by ordinance, may define and implement the provisions of this subsection and may further restrict and regulate the total floor area, height or bulk of buildings or structures.

   (f)   Municipal Newspaper. The City shall not appropriate any public money for the printing, publication, sale or distribution of a commercial municipal newspaper.

   (g)   Business Enterprises. The City shall not engage in any purely commercial or industrial enterprise, except upon a majority vote of the voters of the City voting on the question, unless the enterprise was engaged in by the City at the time the Charter becomes effective, or unless engaging in the enterprise is elsewhere specifically authorized in the Charter. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the City from engaging directly in retail concessions of food and merchandise, when those concessions are consistent with and support City operations and purposes.

   (h)   Rail Transit Assessments.

   (1)   In the exercise of any powers it may have under any state, federal or other law, the City shall not approve the boundaries or the method of assessment of, or otherwise approve, an assessment district proposed to assess properties for benefits from a rail transit system or stations if assessments are to be made on properties in residential use before April 9, 1985, or under construction before that date for residential use in that district or any zone thereof.

   For purposes of this subsection, a “residential use” of property shall include use as a single-family residence, a multi-family residence, a retirement home, or other property improved with a structure designed and used for housing a person or family, including property improved with a residential building which is temporarily vacant as well as property with a residential building under construction, but shall not include use as a hotel, motel or similar transient housing facility. In the event a property is in both residential and non-residential use, assessment may be approved, but shall be calculated only on the non-residential portion.

   (2)   Neither the Council nor any City board, officer or employee in the exercise of any power or authority it may have shall authorize or approve any grant of funds for a rail transit project unless the district, agency or entity proposing to initiate or implement the project has first entered into a contract with the City which binds the district, agency or entity:

   (A)   to not levy any assessments on any property in residential use or under construction prior to April 9, 1985, as that term is defined in subsection (h)(1) of this section, to pay in whole or in part for the acquisition, construction, development, joint development, operation, maintenance or repair of the project or stations connected therewith; and

   (B)   to pay or fully refund to the payors thereof any assessments required by law to be levied thereon.

   (i)   Non-discrimination. In the employment of persons in the service of the City, there shall be no discrimination in selection or compensation on account of race, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or marital status.

SECTION HISTORY

Amended by: Subsecs. (g) and (i), Charter Amendment II, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Sec. 105. Title to Property.

   The title to all property of the City of Los Angeles, now owned or hereafter acquired, including all property in the name of any officer, board, commission or department of the City, shall be vested and held in the name of the City of Los Angeles.