GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATED TO DEPARTMENTS

Los Angeles City Charter tit. I, art. V, pt. GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATED TO DEPARTMENTS

in effect

Los Angeles City Charter § 500 Creation and Management of Departments.

Sec. 500. Creation and Management of Departments. (a) There shall be the following departments each of which shall be under the control and management of a board of commissioners that shall be the head of the department: Fire Fire and Police Pensions Library Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System Police Public Works Recreation and Parks (b) There shall be the following departments each of which shall be under the control and management of a chief administrative officer, who shall be the head of the department: City Planning Personnel (c) The phrase “departments having control of their own special funds” and “departments which have control of definite revenue or funds” and other substantially equivalent terms used in the Charter shall mean the departments of Fire and Police Pensions, Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System, Library, Recreation and Parks, and the Proprietary Departments.

Los Angeles City Charter § 501 Boards of Commissioners.

Sec. 501. Boards of Commissioners. (a) Creation. Each department created in the Charter shall have a board of commissioners consisting of five commissioners, unless some other number is provided in the Charter for a specific board. Each board shall be known as the Board of (insert name of department) Commissioners, except that the Board of the Personnel Department shall be known as the Board of Civil Service Commissioners. (b) Attendance Fees. The Council shall, by ordinance adopted by a two- thirds vote, establish the amount of attendance fees to be paid to commissioners. Attendance fee ordinances shall be adopted no more frequently than once a year. (c) Term. A commissioner term shall be five years, beginning on July 1. The terms of the commissioners shall be designated so that as much as possible the terms of office are staggered. The period of the term of each commissioner shall be designated in the appointment. An appointment to fill an unexpired term on any board shall be for the period of the unexpired term. (d) Qualifications. (1) No person shall be appointed to a Charter created commission who is not a registered voter of the City. This requirement shall also apply to standing commissions created by ordinance that are advisory to, or manage, a department or office, or perform regulatory functions. This requirement does not apply to commissioners who are elected or who serve ex officio. (2) No person who is required by ordinance to be registered as a lobbyist shall be appointed to a commission whose members are required to file financial disclosure statements pursuant to the California Political Reform Act. (e) Diversity. Unless otherwise provided in the Charter, the Mayor, Council or other appointing authority shall strive to make his or her overall appointments to appointed boards, commissions or advisory bodies established by the Charter or ordinance reflect the diversity of the City, including, but not limited to, communities of interest, neighborhoods, ethnicity, race, gender, age and sexual orientation. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Subsec. (d), Charter Amendment, approved November 7, 2006, effective December 13, 2006.

Los Angeles City Charter § 502 Appointment and Removal of Commissioners.

Sec. 502. Appointment and Removal of Commissioners. (a) Appointment. Unless otherwise provided in the Charter, commissioners of Charter created boards and of standing commissions created by ordinance that are advisory to, or manage a department or appointed office, or perform regulatory functions, shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the Council. The Mayor shall appoint the commissioners of all other ordinance created commissions, unless otherwise provided in the ordinance. Within 45 days of a vacancy created by the expiration of a term of office or otherwise, the Mayor shall submit to the Council for its approval the name of the Mayor’s appointee to serve for the next ensuing term or remainder of the unexpired term created by the vacancy. If the Council does not disapprove the appointment within 45 days after its submission to the Council, the appointment shall be deemed approved. If the Council disapproves an appointment, the Mayor shall make and submit to the Council a new appointment within 45 days of Council disapproval. Each subsequent Council disapproval of a mayoral appointment shall create a new 45 day period. (b) Appointment by President of the Council. In the event the Mayor fails to submit an appointment to the Council within any of the 45 day periods provided in this section, the President of the Council shall, within an additional 45 days, submit an appointment for that office to the Council for its approval. If the Council does not disapprove the appointment made by the President of the Council within 45 days after submission, the appointment shall be deemed approved by the Council. If the Council disapproves the appointment made by the President of the Council within the 45 day period, the President of the Council shall make a new appointment to the office involved within 45 days of the disapproval of the previous appointment. Each subsequent disapproval of an appointment made by the President of the Council shall create a new 45 day period. (c) Appointment by Council Resolution. Upon failure of the President of the Council to submit an appointment to the Council for its approval as provided in this section, that appointment shall be made by the Council, by resolution, within 45 days from the expiration of the 45 day period within which the President of the Council failed to act. (d) Removal. Members of a board or commission, other than the City Ethics Commission and the Police Commission, who are appointed by the Mayor subject to approval by the Council, may be removed by the Mayor without Council confirmation. Members of the Police Commission may be removed by the Mayor, but a removed member may, within ten calendar days of the removal, appeal the action to the Council. Within ten Council meeting days of receipt of the appeal, the Council may reinstate the commissioner by a two-thirds vote of the Council. Failure of the Council to reinstate the commissioner during this time period shall constitute a denial of the appeal. Action on an appeal shall be by an action separate from the approval of the appointment of a successor to the removed member. Members of the City Ethics Commission may be removed in accordance with Section 700. Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission may be removed in accordance with Section 483. (e) Financial Disclosures. Council shall not approve an appointee before the appointee’s financial disclosure statements have been filed with the Ethics Commission and submitted to the Council. Notwithstanding Subsections (a) and (b), an appointee shall be deemed disapproved if the appointee’s financial disclosure statements have not been filed with the Ethics Commission and submitted to the Council within 45 days after the submission of the appointment to the Council. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Subsec. (d), Charter Amendment DD, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025; Subsec. (e) added, Charter Amendment HH, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Los Angeles City Charter § 503 Organization of the Board.

Sec. 503. Organization of the Board. (a) Officers. Each of the boards created in the Charter shall elect one of its members President and one Vice-President. Officers shall hold office for one year and until their successors are elected, unless their membership on the board expires sooner. Elections shall be held during its last meeting in July of each year, but the board may fill the unexpired term of any vacancy occurring in the office of President or Vice-President at any meeting. (b) Meetings. Each board shall hold a regular meeting at least twice a month. All meetings shall be in a municipal or other facility open to the public. (c) Action. Each board shall exercise the powers conferred upon it by the Charter by order or resolution adopted by a majority of its members. Action of the board shall be attested by the signatures of the President or Vice-President, or two members of the board, and by the signature of the secretary of the board.

Los Angeles City Charter § 504 Secretary and Chief Accounting Employee.

Sec. 504. Secretary and Chief Accounting Employee. (a) Secretary to the Board. The head of each department shall appoint an employee of the department other than a member of the board, to serve as secretary to the board. The secretary shall perform those duties imposed upon him or her by the Charter, ordinance or order of the board. (b) Chief Accounting Employee. The head of each department shall appoint an employee of the department, other than a member of the board or the chief administrative officer, to serve as chief accounting employee. The chief accounting employee shall perform those duties imposed upon him or her by the Charter, by ordinance, or by the board. (c) Appointment Subject to Civil Service. Appointments made under this section are subject to the civil service provisions of the Charter. The Council may provide by ordinance for combining the positions of secretary and chief accounting employee with other positions in the civil service.

Los Angeles City Charter § 505 Approval by Chief Accounting Employee of Use of Funds.

Sec. 505. Approval by Chief Accounting Employee of Use of Funds. The written approval of the chief accounting employee shall be required for the withdrawal of money from any fund of any department created by the Charter under the control and management of a board of commissioners. However, this requirement does not apply to withdrawals made for the purpose of purchases through a centralized City purchasing system.

Los Angeles City Charter § 506 Powers of the Board and the Head of the Department.

Sec. 506. Powers of the Board and the Head of the Department. Subject to the provisions of the Charter, and to any ordinances as are not in conflict with the grants of power made to each department in the Charter: (a) Management. The head of each department shall have power to supervise, control, regulate and manage the department. (b) Rules and Regulations. The head of each department shall have the power to make and enforce all rules and regulations necessary for the exercise of the powers conferred upon the department by the Charter. The board of each department under the control and management of a general manager shall have the power to make and enforce all rules and regulations necessary for the exercise of powers and the performance of the duties conferred upon that board by the Charter. Every order or resolution adopting a rule of general application to be followed by the public shall be published once in a daily newspaper and shall take effect upon publication. Those rules, when adopted by order of a general manager who is the head of a department, shall be subject to the approval of the Mayor. (c) Acquisition of Real Property; Approval of Contracts. Subject to Section 373, any action by a department created in the Charter authorizing the acquisition or sale of real property, approving of contracts which obligate the City for a longer period of time than as provided by ordinance, or which involve consideration reasonably valued in excess of such monetary limitation as provided by ordinance, shall be taken by the head of the department by order or resolution. (d) Police Power. No grant of power by the Charter to any department or board of City government shall be construed to restrict the power of the Council to enact ordinances under the police power of the City, except as otherwise specifically provided in the Charter.

Los Angeles City Charter § 507 Chief Administrative Officers.

Sec. 507. Chief Administrative Officers. Other than the elected offices, each department and office established by the Charter or created by ordinance, and each of the Public Works bureaus of Contract Administration, Engineering, Sanitation, Street Lighting, and Street Services shall have a chief administrative officer. In departments under the control and management of a board of commissioners, the chief administrative officer administers the affairs of the department. In departments and offices not under the control and management of a board of commissioners, the chief administrative officer has full charge and control of all work of the department or office. Elsewhere in the Charter and in the Los Angeles Administrative Code, chief administrative officers may have different position titles including general manager and director.

Los Angeles City Charter § 508 Appointment and Removal of Chief Administrative Officers.

Sec. 508. Appointment and Removal of Chief Administrative Officers. (a) Applicability. Subsections (a) through (e) of this section shall apply to all chief administrative officers, except the Chief of Police, the Executive Officer of the City Ethics Commission, the Executive Director of the Employee Relations Board, the general managers of the Fire and Police Pensions and the Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System, and the general managers of the Proprietary Departments. The following shall also be considered chief administrative officers for the purposes of this section: the Treasurer; the Executive Director of any City commission or agency created by ordinance that performs regulatory functions; and the executive director of all other ordinance created commissions or agencies unless the ordinance creating the commission or agency provides otherwise. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the Chief Legislative Analyst. (b) Appointment. Each chief administrative officer to whom this section applies shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the Council. If the Council does not disapprove the appointment within 45 days after its submission to the Council, the appointment shall be deemed approved. The Mayor may, but shall not be required to, use the assistance of the Personnel Department in the recruitment and selection of candidates for appointment. No chief administrative officer appointed under this section shall acquire any property interest in employment in that position. (c) Temporary Appointments. The Mayor must fill any vacancy in the position of chief administrative officer within ten days of the vacancy. The Mayor may appoint a temporary chief administrative officer for six months, which period may be extended with the consent of Council for an additional six months. If no permanent appointment has been submitted to the Council during the initial or extended period, the temporary appointment shall be deemed submitted as a permanent appointment, and the time period for Council approval or disapproval shall commence as of that date. (d) Annual Review. The Mayor shall evaluate each chief administrative officer annually. The Mayor shall set or adjust the amount of compensation for the chief administrative officer within the guidelines established by Council, after recommendations concerning those guidelines have been made to the Council by the City Administrative Officer. (e) Removal. The Mayor may remove, by written notice, the City Clerk and the Treasurer, subject to approval by the Council. The Mayor may remove, by written notice, all other chief administrative officers to whom this section applies without Council confirmation. However, those removals may be appealed to the Council in accordance with this subsection. Within ten calendar days of the removal, the chief administrative officer may appeal the removal to the Council. Within 10 Council meeting days of receipt of the appeal, the Council may reinstate the chief administrative officer by a two-thirds vote of the Council. Failure of the Council to reinstate the chief administrative officer during this time period shall constitute a denial of the appeal. (f) Chief Administrative Officers Appointed by a Commission. Any chief administrative officer or executive director that is appointed by a Commission pursuant to ordinance shall be annually reviewed by the appointing commission. That commission shall set or adjust the compensation for the chief administrative officer or executive director within the salary guidelines established by Council, after recommendations concerning those guidelines have been made to the Council by the City Administrative Officer. The commission shall forward a copy of the evaluation and salary determination to the Mayor and Council for information. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Subsecs. (d) and (f), Charter Amendment II, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Los Angeles City Charter § 509 Powers of Chief Administrative Officer of Department Under the Control of a Board of Commissioners.

Sec. 509. Powers of Chief Administrative Officer of Department Under the Control of a Board of Commissioners. Subject to the provisions of the Charter, the rules of the department and the instruction of his or her board, the chief administrative officer of a department or bureau under the control and management of a board of commissioners, except the Police Department, shall: (a) administer the affairs of the department or bureau as its chief administrative officer; (b) appoint, discharge, suspend, or transfer the employees of the department or bureau, other than the secretary of the board and the chief accounting employee of the department, all subject to the civil service provisions of the Charter; (c) issue instructions to employees, in the line of their duties, all subject to the civil service provisions of the Charter; (d) expend the funds of the department or bureau in accordance with the provisions of the budget appropriations or of appropriations made after adoption of the budget; (e) recommend to the board of the department prior to the beginning of each fiscal year an annual departmental budget covering the anticipated revenues and expenditures of the department or bureau, conforming so far as practicable to the forms and dates provided in Article III in relation to the general City budget; (f) certify all expenditures of the department or bureau to the chief accounting employee; (g) file with the board and the Mayor a written report on the work of the department or bureau on a regular basis and as requested by the Mayor or board; and (h) exercise any further powers in the administration of the department as may be conferred upon him or her by the board of the department.

Los Angeles City Charter § 510 Powers of Chief Administrative Officer of Department Under the Management and Control of Chief Administrative Officer.

Sec. 510. Powers of Chief Administrative Officer of Department Under the Management and Control of Chief Administrative Officer. Each chief administrative officer who is the head of the department shall: (a) have full charge and control of all work of the department; (b) be responsible for the proper administration of its affairs; (c) appoint, discharge, suspend or transfer all employees of the department, subject to the civil service provisions of the Charter; (d) issue instructions to employees in the line of their duties, all subject to the civil service provisions of the Charter; (e) as authorized by ordinance, assign employees of the department as are required for the carrying out of the powers and duties of the board of commissioners, if any; (f) provide technical assistance and information as requested in writing by the board of commissioners of the department, if any; (g) prior to the beginning of each fiscal year submit an annual budget covering the anticipated revenues and expenditures of the department, including, pursuant to the instructions of the board of commissioners, if any, the money required for the proper conduct of the board’s affairs; (h) expend the funds of the department in accordance with the provisions of the budget appropriations or of appropriations made after adoption of the budget, including those appropriated for the board of commissioners, if any; (i) file with the board and the Mayor a written report on the work of the department on a regular basis and as requested by the Mayor or board; and (j) exercise any further powers as may be conferred upon him or her.

Los Angeles City Charter § 511 Responsibilities of Boards of Departments Controlling Their Own Funds.

Sec. 511. Responsibilities of Boards of Departments Controlling Their Own Funds. In addition to the other powers and duties imposed upon them by the Charter, the board of each department having control over its own special funds shall: (a) provide suitable quarters, equipment and supplies for the department, create the necessary positions in the department, authorize the necessary deputies, assistants and employees and fix their duties, and may require bonds of any or all the department’s employees for the faithful performance of their duties; and (b) prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, adopt an annual departmental budget and make an annual department budget appropriation, covering the anticipated revenues and expenditures of the department. The departmental budget shall conform as far as practicable, to the forms and times provided in Article III for the general City budget. Each departmental budget shall contain a sum to be known as the Unappropriated Balance, which sum shall be available for appropriation by the board later in the ensuing fiscal year to meet contingencies as they may arise. A copy of the budget when adopted, and of every resolution subsequently adopted making appropriation from the Unappropriated Balance shall promptly be filed with the Mayor and Controller. No expenditure shall be made or financial obligations incurred by the department except as authorized by the annual departmental budget appropriation, or appropriations made after the adoption of the annual budget, or as otherwise provided in the Charter.

Los Angeles City Charter § 512 Temporary Absence or Inability to Act.

Sec. 512. Temporary Absence or Inability to Act. Wherever the Charter provides for the discharge of specific duties by a specific appointee other than the Chief of Police, the appointing power may designate an employee in the same department to act in case of the appointee’s temporary absence or other inability to act, or upon the written request of such appointee.

Los Angeles City Charter § 513 Relationship of General Provisions to Specific Departmental Provisions.

Sec. 513. Relationship of General Provisions to Specific Departmental Provisions. The provisions of this Article shall be subject to any modifications specifically set forth in the sections of the Charter dealing with specific departments.

Los Angeles City Charter § 514 Transfer of Powers.

Sec. 514. Transfer of Powers. (a) Charter Created Powers and Duties. The Mayor may propose the transfer of any of the powers, duties and functions of the departments, offices and boards of the City set forth in the Charter to another department, office or board created by the Charter or by ordinance. The transfer shall be effective if approved by ordinance adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Council, or if the Council fails to disapprove the matter within 45 days after submittal by the Mayor of all documents necessary to accomplish the transfer, including the proposed ordinance transferring powers, duties or functions, and any related ordinances or resolutions concerning personnel or funds affected by the transfer. The Council on its own initiative may, by ordinance, adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Council, subject to the veto of the Mayor or by a three-fourths vote of the Council over the veto of the Mayor, make any such transfer. (b) Exceptions. The power of the Mayor and Council to act as provided in this section shall not extend to: (1) Elected Offices; (2) Proprietary Departments; (3) Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System; (4) Department of Fire and Police Pensions; (5) City Ethics Commission; (6) The disciplinary functions of the Fire Department and the Police Department as contained in Sections 1060 and 1070; and (7) The Police Department and the Fire Department, if the transfer or consolidation would significantly alter or affect the primary purpose or character of the departments. (8) Independent Redistricting Commission. (c) Ordinance Created Powers and Duties. Powers, duties and functions established by ordinance may be transferred or eliminated by an ordinance proposed by the Mayor or Council. If the Mayor proposes a transfer or elimination, the action shall be effective if approved by ordinance adopted by a majority vote of the Council, or if the Council fails to disapprove the matter within 45 days after submittal by the Mayor of all documents necessary to accomplish the transfer or elimination, including the proposed ordinance transferring powers, duties or functions, and any related ordinances or resolutions concerning personnel or funds affected by the transfer or elimination. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Subsec. (b)(8) added, Charter Amendment DD, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Source: City of Los Angeles, Charter and Codes (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/laac/0-0-0-2127Fetched: 10/24/2026