Los Angeles City Council District 4
Encyclopedia
Los Angeles City Council District 4 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council
, situated in the center of the city. It is represented by Tom Labonge
.
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, the Hollywood Sign
and the Griffith Observatory
. It stretches from Koreatown in the south, through parts of Hollywood, into North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley
. The district also includes much of Los Feliz, Griffith Park
, and parts of Silver Lake
.
See official city map outlining District 4.
for a nine-member council with a district system with a 15-member council. Each district was to be approximately equal in population, based upon the voting in the previous gubernatorial election; thus redistricting was done every four years. (At present, redistricting is done every ten years, based upon the preceding U.S. census results.) The numbering system established in 1925 for City Council districts began with No. 1 in the north of the city, the San Fernando Valley
, and ended with No. 15 in the south, the Harbor area.
As the city expanded to the north and west, the 4th District's boundaries likewise shifted in those directions.
1925: Bounded on the north by Santa Monica Boulevard, east by Vermont
or Hoover Avenue, south by Washington Boulevard and west by Western Avenue
. It was described later the same year as simply "Wilshire and Pico Heights."
1926: Wilshire District, with headquarters at 671 South Berendo Street (modern Koreatown).
1928: "With the exception that seven precincts are added to it in the territory bounded by Vermont Avenue and Hoover Street and Sunset Boulevard
and Melrose Avenue
, the lines . . . remain as Hoover street on the east, Western avenue on the west, Melrose avenue on the north and Washington street on the south."
1932: ". . . due to the exceptional growth of the western part of the city, a general movement toward the ocean was necessary." East boundary: Hoover. North: Melrose. West: Highland Avenue. South: Pico Boulevard
or Wilshire.
1935: Roughly the same as in 1932.
1937: Bounded on the west by Crenshaw Boulevard, on the north by District 5 and Exposition Boulevard, on the east by the city boundary and on the south by Vernon Avenue.
1940: "The general trend is westward and northeastward, due to heavy construction in the San Fernando Valley
and the beach areas." North: Santa Monica Boulevard or Melrose. East: Hoover. South: Wilshire.
1955: ". . . much of the Wilshire district and in general is bounded by Fountain Ave., Wilshire Blvd., Fairfax Ave.
and Catalina St."
1975: Central Los Angeles from Fairfax and Highland Avenues on the west, to Santa Monica Boulevard on the north, the Pasadena Freeway
on the east and Olympic Boulevard
on the south.
1986: A contorted district that included the old areas as well as Atwater, Griffith Park
, Forest Lawn Drive and parts of the central San Fernando Valley to Colfax Avenue and Victory Boulevard
.
1989: ". . . district stretches from Hancock Park to Studio City.
, 26.9% Latino
18% Asian-American 6% African-American, and 4% either Native American
, mixed race or other. Almost half of residents were foreign born. .
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
, situated in the center of the city. It is represented by Tom Labonge
Tom LaBonge
Thomas J. "Tom" LaBonge is an American politician. He is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 4th district. He has served since 2001, taking over the position upon the death of John Ferraro. The district represents a wide diversity of incomes and neighborhoods...
.
Modern
The 4th District is at the center of Los Angeles and includes many of the city's tourist destinations, such as Universal StudiosUniversal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
, the Hollywood Sign
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
and the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...
. It stretches from Koreatown in the south, through parts of Hollywood, into North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. The district also includes much of Los Feliz, Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
, and parts of Silver Lake
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
.
See official city map outlining District 4.
Historic
A new city charter effective in 1925 replaced the former "at large" voting systemPlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
for a nine-member council with a district system with a 15-member council. Each district was to be approximately equal in population, based upon the voting in the previous gubernatorial election; thus redistricting was done every four years. (At present, redistricting is done every ten years, based upon the preceding U.S. census results.) The numbering system established in 1925 for City Council districts began with No. 1 in the north of the city, the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, and ended with No. 15 in the south, the Harbor area.
As the city expanded to the north and west, the 4th District's boundaries likewise shifted in those directions.
1925: Bounded on the north by Santa Monica Boulevard, east by Vermont
Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles, California with a length of about . Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of Downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a...
or Hoover Avenue, south by Washington Boulevard and west by Western Avenue
Western Avenue
Western Avenue, some 10 miles in length, is one of the major roads leading out of London, England. It is part of the A40, leaving the city in a north-westerly direction...
. It was described later the same year as simply "Wilshire and Pico Heights."
1926: Wilshire District, with headquarters at 671 South Berendo Street (modern Koreatown).
1928: "With the exception that seven precincts are added to it in the territory bounded by Vermont Avenue and Hoover Street and Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
and Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
, the lines . . . remain as Hoover street on the east, Western avenue on the west, Melrose avenue on the north and Washington street on the south."
1932: ". . . due to the exceptional growth of the western part of the city, a general movement toward the ocean was necessary." East boundary: Hoover. North: Melrose. West: Highland Avenue. South: Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from the Pacific Ocean at Appian Way in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA...
or Wilshire.
1935: Roughly the same as in 1932.
1937: Bounded on the west by Crenshaw Boulevard, on the north by District 5 and Exposition Boulevard, on the east by the city boundary and on the south by Vernon Avenue.
1940: "The general trend is westward and northeastward, due to heavy construction in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
and the beach areas." North: Santa Monica Boulevard or Melrose. East: Hoover. South: Wilshire.
1955: ". . . much of the Wilshire district and in general is bounded by Fountain Ave., Wilshire Blvd., Fairfax Ave.
Fairfax Avenue
Fairfax Avenue is a street on north central Los Angeles, California. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard with Culver City at its southern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end.Fairfax Avenue forms the western boundary of Hancock Park as well as Park La Brea, an 160 acre ,...
and Catalina St."
1975: Central Los Angeles from Fairfax and Highland Avenues on the west, to Santa Monica Boulevard on the north, the Pasadena Freeway
Pasadena Freeway
The Arroyo Seco Parkway, formerly known as the Pasadena Freeway, is the first freeway in California and the western United States. It connects Los Angeles with Pasadena alongside the Arroyo Seco. It is notable not only for being the first, mostly opened in 1940, but for representing the...
on the east and Olympic Boulevard
Olympic Boulevard
Olympic Boulevard is a major arterial road in Los Angeles, California. It stretches from 4th Street on the western end of Santa Monica to East Los Angeles—farther than Wilshire Boulevard and most other streets....
on the south.
1986: A contorted district that included the old areas as well as Atwater, Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
, Forest Lawn Drive and parts of the central San Fernando Valley to Colfax Avenue and Victory Boulevard
Victory Boulevard
Victory Boulevard is a major thoroughfare on Staten Island, measuring approximately 8.0 miles and stretching from the west shore community of Travis to the upper east shore communities of St. George and Tompkinsville. In the late 1940s, the portion of Victory Boulevard between Richmond Avenue and...
.
1989: ". . . district stretches from Hancock Park to Studio City.
Population
As of the 2000 census, 45% of district residents were CaucasianCaucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
, 26.9% Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
18% Asian-American 6% African-American, and 4% either Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, mixed race or other. Almost half of residents were foreign born. .
Officeholders
The district has been represented by six men and no women, the smallest number of council members of any district in the city. They have been:- Boyle WorkmanBoyle WorkmanAndrew Boyle Workman was a Los Angeles politician and businessman. He served as President of the Los Angeles City Council and, as such, was acting Mayor on occasion. He was the first city councilman to represent District 4 , under the new charter of 1925...
, 1925–27 - William M. HughesWilliam M. HughesNot to be confused with Isaac F. Hughes, council member 1925 to 1927.William M. Hughes was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council between 1927 and 1929...
, 1927–29 - Robert L. BurnsRobert L. BurnsRobert L. Burns was a Los Angeles school board member between 1923 and 1929 and Los Angeles City Council member between 1929 and 1945. He previously was on the school board in Hutchinson, Kansas. At his death in 1955, he was described as Los Angeles's "elder statesman."Robert L...
, 1929–45 - Harold A. HenryHarold A. HenryNot to be confused with Harold Harby, Los Angeles City Council member 1943–57.Harold A. Henry was a community newspaper publisher who was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1945 and was its president for four terms from 1947 to 1962....
, 1945–65 - John FerraroJohn FerraroJohn Ferraro was the longest-serving Los Angeles City Council member in the history of the city—thirty-five years, from 1966 until his death in 2001—and the president of the council for fourteen of them...
, 1965–2001 - Tom LaBongeTom LaBongeThomas J. "Tom" LaBonge is an American politician. He is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 4th district. He has served since 2001, taking over the position upon the death of John Ferraro. The district represents a wide diversity of incomes and neighborhoods...
, 2001–