Los Angeles City Council District 2
Encyclopedia
Los Angeles City Council District 2 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
. The 2nd District began its existence in the Hollywood area but now covers much of the far eastern and southeastern portions of the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
and parts of the Crescenta Valley
Crescenta Valley
The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California lying between the San Gabriel Mountains on the northeast and the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills on the southwest. It opens into the San Fernando Valley at the northwest and the San Gabriel Valley at the southeast...
. The current representative is Paul Krekorian
Paul Krekorian
Paul Krekorian is an American politician and member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the second district. He was previously a member of the California State Assembly, and the Assistant Majority Floor Leader representing California's 43rd Assembly District...
.
Modern
The 2nd District stretches from Mulholland DriveMulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after Los Angeles pioneer civil engineer William Mulholland...
in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
to Big Tujunga Canyon Road in the Angeles National Forest
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest of the U.S. National Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, southern California. It was established on July 1, 1908, incorporating the first San Bernardino National Forest and parts of the former Santa Barbara and San Gabriel...
. It includes the neighborhoods of: Lake View Terrace
Lake View Terrace, Los Angeles, California
Lake View Terrace is a suburb district in the north east quadrant of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California.Surrounding areas include the Angeles National Forest, Little Tujunga Canyon, Big Tujunga Canyon, Hansen Dam, Kagel Canyon, and a portion of the Verdugo Mountains...
, North Hollywood, Shadow Hills
Shadow Hills, Los Angeles, California
-History:Shadow Hills is located in the southern portion of the community of Sunland and extreme northeast portion of Sun Valley, California east of Glenoaks Boulevard.The City of Los Angeles first annexed Sunland in June 1926...
, Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California
Sherman Oaks is an affluent district in the San Fernando Valley area of the city of Los Angeles, California. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Boulevard as well as scattered throughout...
, Studio City
Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City is an affluent residential neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. Studio City expands over four ZIP code areas: 91604 and sections of 91602, 91607 and 90210....
, Sunland-Tujunga, Sun Valley
Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California
Sun Valley is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, about 15 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles....
, Valley Village
Valley Village, Los Angeles, California
Valley Village is a district located in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, north of Studio City, west and south of North Hollywood, and east of Sherman Oaks. Approximately 22,000 residents live within the boundaries of Valley Village, which consists mostly of single family...
, Valley Glen
Valley Glen, Los Angeles, California
Valley Glen is a community in the southeastern portion of the San Fernando Valley district of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles Valley College, Ulysses S...
and Van Nuys
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
. The district's mountainous areas in the northeast of the city make it the most rural district in Los Angeles.
See official city map outlining District 2.
Historic
A new city charter effective in 1925 replaced the former "at large" voting systemPlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
for a nine-member council with a district system with a 15-member council. Each district was to be approximately equal in population, based upon the voting in the previous gubernatorial election; thus redistricting was done every four years. (At present, redistricting is done every ten years, based upon the preceding U.S. census results.) The numbering system established in 1925 for City Council districts began with No. 1 in the north of the city, the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, and ended with No. 15 in the south, the Harbor area.
Rough boundaries or descriptions of the 2nd District have been as follows:
1925. Hollywood south of Franklin Avenue
Franklin Avenue (Los Angeles)
Franklin Avenue is a street in Los Angeles. It is the northernmost street in Hollywood, north of Hollywood Boulevard and south of the Hollywood Hills, and later Los Feliz Boulevard....
or Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
and north of Santa Monica Boulevard, and the Los Feliz district. It was described later the same year as simply "Hollywood."
1926. Hollywood, with district headquarters at 2495 Glendower Avenue.
1928. East boundary: Vermont Avenue. South boundary: Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
to Seward Street, Fountain Avenue, north of Beverly Hills. West boundary: Beverly Glen
1932. Hollywood west of Vermont
Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles, California with a length of about . Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of Downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a...
, north of Melrose and west to Beverly Hills.
1935. Same as in 1932.
1937. "Bounded on the north by the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
, south by Melrose Avenue, east by the 1st Councilmanic District and west by Beverly Glen Boulevard."
1940. "The general trend is westward and northeastward, due to heavy construction in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
and the beach areas." Essentially the same as before, but with the district extended northeast to include Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
.
1944. Enlarged to include Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive (Los Angeles, California)
Riverside Drive is a northeast-southwest road connecting the San Fernando Valley and Downtown Los Angeles, California. It follows the course of the Los Angeles River.-Overview:...
and Studio City.
1955. Hollywood and a "sizable portion" of the San Fernando Valley, generally west of Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley, USA; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real , Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S...
and extending north to Encino.
1960.The 2nd District was divested of its Hollywood area, which was instead attached to the 13th District. Its boundaries moved north and west, taking over Encino and parts of Van Nuys and North Hollywood.
1975. No longer representing Hollywood, the district now takes in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, the Los Feliz district and Atwater.
1979. "A mixture of wealth and earthier life-styles that reaches from the San Diego Freeway
San Diego Freeway
The San Diego Freeway is a named freeway in Southern California. It refers to the following two segments:*Interstate 5 in California, from the Mexico – United States border at the San Ysidro district of San Diego to Interstate 405 in Irvine...
through the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
to Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
and beyond. Communities as scattered as Atwater, North Hollywood and Los Feliz are included in it, as well as the more affluent part of Studio City and the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
."
1982. "The district straddles the Santa Monica Mountains east of the San Diego Freeway, taking in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, North Hollywood and the canyons north of Beverly Hills between Beverly Drive
Beverly Drive
Beverly Drive is a major north-south roadway in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.South Beverly Drive begins northbound at Harlow Avenue, a small street just north of the Santa Monica Freeway in the city of Los Angeles. It passes through the residential neighborhood of Beverlywood and intersects with...
and Laurel Canyon
Laurel Canyon
Laurel Canyon may refer to:*Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California, an area in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles*Laurel Canyon Boulevard, a street that connects the San Fernando Valley to Hollywood that passes through Laurel Canyon...
Boulevard. New to the district are Atwater, Glassell Park, Highland Park and Mount Washington. Removed from the district were Benedict Canyon, Los Feliz and Hollywood."
1986. After the death of Councilman Howard Finn
Howard Finn
Howard Arthur Finn was a Los Angeles City Councilman from the 1st district. He served from 1981 to 1986 until he died in office afer a heart attack.-References:...
in 1986, his 1st District was moved to near Downtown
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
to provide for election of a Hispanic
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
, and Districts 2 and 7 took over his old area. The 2nd was thereafter a totally San Fernando Valley district, extending from Studio City on the south, through Van Nuys to Sunland-Tujunga
Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles
Sunland-Tujunga is a community served by two post offices in the northeasternmost corner of Los Angeles, California. Though Sunland and Tujunga began as separate settlements, they are today linked through a single police station, branch library, neighborhood council. chamber of commerce, City...
.
2001. Sunland, Tujunga, Shadow Hills and La Tuna Canyon, and parts of Sun Valley
Sun Valley
Sun Valley is the name of several places in the United States of America:*Sun Valley, Idaho, a ski area and resort community in central Idaho*Sun Valley, Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley*Sun Valley, Nevada, a suburb north of Reno...
, North Hollywood, Arleta, Lake View Terrace, Panorama City, Mission Hills, North Hills, Valley Village, Studio City and Van Nuys.
Officeholders
The district has been represented by eleven men and one woman. They are:- Robert M. AllanRobert M. AllanRobert M. Allan was a member of the City Council in Los Angeles, California, from 1921 to 1927.-Biography:Robert M. Allan was a member of the City Council in Los Angeles, California, from 1921 to 1927.-Biography:...
, 1925–27 - Arthur AlberArthur AlberArhur Alber was an attorney and a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1927 to 1929.-Biography:Alber was born September 16, 1892, in Birmingham, Alabama. His parents were Hermann Alber, a native of Germany, and Mary Wing of Cape Cod, Massachusetts...
, 1927–29 - Thomas F. CookeThomas F. CookeThomas F. Cooke was an Iowa and California banker and a City Council member in Los Angeles, California, between 1929 and 1931.-Biography:...
, 1929–31 - James M. HydeJames M. HydeJames M. Hyde was a metallurgist who was noted for inventing a process that revolutionized the American mining industry. He was also a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1931 to 1939.-Biography:...
, 1931–39 - Norris J. NelsonNorris J. NelsonNorris J. Nelson was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1939 to 1943, after which he served in Europe with the U.S. Army.-Biography:...
, 1939–43 - Lloyd G. DaviesLloyd G. DaviesLloyd G. Davies was a Hollywood advertising and public relations man and sometime actor who was a Los Angeles City Council member from 1943 to 1951.-Biography:...
, 1943–51 - Earle D. BakerEarle D. BakerNot to be confused with George W. C. Baker, Los Angeles City Council member, 1931–35.Earle D. Baker was a prominent Hollywood food broker who was a member of the Los Angeles City Board of Education from 1949 to 1951 and of the Los Angeles City Council from 1951 until 1959.-Biography:Baker was born...
, 1951–59 - C. Lemoine BlanchardC. Lemoine BlanchardC. Lemoine Blanchard was a businessman who was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1959 until 1963 and a board member of the national YMCA..-Biography:...
, 1959–63 - James B. Potter, Jr.James B. Potter, Jr.James B. Potter, Jr. was a Los Angeles, California, City Council member between 1963 and 1971. A sales manager for a tool company, when elected to the City Council he became its youngest member at age 31...
, 1963–71 - Joel WachsJoel WachsJoel Wachs , was a Los Angeles, California, City Council member for thirty years and a three-time candidate for mayor of that city, who is now the president of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York City...
, 1971–2001 - Wendy GreuelWendy GreuelWendy Jane Greuel is a municipal American politician. She is the 18th and current Los Angeles City Controller and former President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District, which includes portions of the San Fernando Valley.-Early Life, Education, and Early...
, 2002–2009 - Paul KrekorianPaul KrekorianPaul Krekorian is an American politician and member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the second district. He was previously a member of the California State Assembly, and the Assistant Majority Floor Leader representing California's 43rd Assembly District...
, 2009–
See also
- List of Los Angeles municipal election returns
- Sunland-Tujunga, for how the 2nd District was extended to the Northeast Valley