The president presides as chair over meetings of the council and assignments to City Council committees and handles parliamentary duties like ruling motions in or out of order.

Since 2020, the president has been elected at the first scheduled council meeting in January of even-numbered years.

[1] The current president is Democrat Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who took office on September 20, 2024.

[2][3] The first president of the Common Council was pioneer David W. Alexander, who was elected in 1850 before resigning a year later.

[7] The first Latino elected was Alex Padilla in 2001 after defeating incumbent Ruth Galanter; he served as acting mayor days after the 9/11 attacks as mayor James Hahn traveled out of the city.