It was redistricted in 1987 after the death of councilmember Howard Finn to cover an area northwest and north of Downtown Los Angeles in order to provide another majority-Hispanic council district in the city.

[3] The district is separated from Downtown by the 110 freeway, and the boundary continues northeast until it reaches York Boulevard in Highland Park.

The first ward included the northern part of Downtown Los Angeles and was within the northwestern portion of the city's original boundaries.

At its creation, it encompassed all of San Fernando Valley, some of the Santa Monica Mountains reaching south to the Sherman district, the Cahuenga Pass, the Hollywood Hills, Griffith Park, Atwater and the eastern part of the Los Feliz District south to approximately Santa Monica Boulevard.

[11][12][13] In 1940, with the rise of the Valley population, the 1st District gave up the Los Feliz and Atwater Village, with its southeast boundary retreating to a point near Cahuenga Boulevard and Mulholland Highway.