The current president pro tempore is Bob Blumenfield from the 3rd district.
The assistant president pro tempore position is Nithya Raman from the 4th district.
[12] On April 4, 1850, the Los Angeles Common Council was established alongside the office of Mayor under The Act of Incorporation as the city grew from a remote town of 5,000 residents to a city of 15,000 residents.
The change was granted by the California State Legislature, with the first election being in August 1889.
[23] Only Austin Conrad Shafer of the 5th ward was re-elected to the new City Council.
[13][29] In the first election, candidates were labeled as part of the Good Government Organization, created by political boss Meyer Lissner, or part of the "political machine" with S. P. Yoke, as the city had installed a new nonpartisan election system.
[30][31] In 1923, candidates were either a part of the Municipal Conference, also organized by Lissner, the People's Campaign Committee, the Socialist Party of America, or independent.
[35] Each district was to be approximately equal in population, based upon the voting in the 1922 California gubernatorial election, and would redistrict every four years.
[38][39] The City Council voted to have the 1st district drawn to be northwest and north of Downtown Los Angeles while the 2nd district, represented by Joel Wachs, was placed in the Sunland-Tujunga and Van Nuys areas.
[42] After the creation of the fifteen-member council, politicians who were not white men increasingly were elected to it.
On July 1, 1949, Edward R. Roybal became the first Latino American elected to the City Council.
[45] On July 1, 1985, Michael Woo was sworn in, the first Asian American to serve on the Council.
[47] Voters also voted against expanding the city council, remaining with fifteen seats.
[50] In 2015, voters in Los Angeles approved a charter amendment to move the election dates from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, in line with other national elections, in an effort to boost political engagement.