Book commissioned by LWVLA, funded by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, and written by Raphael J. Sonenshein, Ph.D.

Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government - Now Available Online!

Read  Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government online. (PDF format, 1.5 MB file)

Everything about L.A. city government--from who fixes potholes to how people run for City Council--can be found in the new edition of Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government, published by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles. To commemorate the publication, the League donated a total of 6,800 copies to the City of Los Angeles during a presentation in City Hall Council Chambers on November 7, 2006. It has distributed the remaining 7,200 copies to civic groups and residents throughout Los Angeles.

Written by Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein of California State University, Fullerton, and former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Review Commission, the publication is an entirely new and expanded version of a book first published by the League in 1964 and most recently updated in 1986. The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation funded the book.

Dr. Sonenshein's edition adds a new chapter to the long and valued history of the League's published guides to the government of Los Angeles. With his invaluable experience as Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Appointed Charter Reform Commission, his book aptly serves as an introduction to this new governing document for the 21st century.

Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government includes sections on departments, commissions and agencies that did not exist prior to the passage of the 2000 charter. Other features of the 208-page book include a newly revised city organizational chart, a recommended reading list, website resources, and an index. Weaving the history of Los Angeles' civic infrastructure throughout, it serves as an invaluable educational resource for people of all ages.