The Policymaking Process

At the federal and state level, the division of authority between the Legislative branch, which is responsible for passing laws, and the Executive branch  which is responsible for operating the government within the bounds of those laws, is relatively clear.

Our region’s big cities — Los Angeles, Long Beach, Inglewood and a few more — have similar systems, where there is an elected Mayor who functions like a Governor or President to run the government, plus an elected City Council which exists to pass laws like Congress. In these places, it’s relatively clear where to direct your energy. To pass better laws, focus on the City Councilmembers. To reform how City Departments are run, who is hired to run them, and what kind of budgets are being proposed, push on the Mayor. (That’s the general rule – there are definitely exceptions.)

In LA County government and in most of the County’s smaller cities, things operate a little differently. The County Board of Supervisors is both the Executive AND the Legislative branch of government. They act to pass laws like a City Council or Congress would, but also have direct control over the daily operations of the government itself through their power to hire and fire the heads of all Departments and agencies.  There is a Chair position among the Supervisors, and whoever holds it is responsible for presiding over regular meetings and working with the departments to set the agenda. Every year the position rotates to a new Supervisor based on a vote of the members. The same is true for many smaller cities. Each year a new Councilmember assumes the title of “Mayor” even though the position is far more limited than the power held by a Mayor who is popularly elected. 

That means that in the case of the County government and many small cities, there really is one main body to visit regardless of whether you want to change the laws or change how the government carries out these laws.

No matter which level of government you’re focused on, most of the legislative work gets done through committees. Check out the next section for more on how those operate.