Marqueece Harris-Dawson has gained enough support from colleagues to become the next Los Angeles City Council president.
On Friday, seven council members introduced a motion calling for Harris-Dawson to take the position, giving her the required majority of eight members, once her own vote is taken into account.
Council members Eunisses Hernandez, Heather Hutt, John Lee, Curren Price, Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martínez and Katy Yaroslavsky signed the motion supporting Harris-Dawson, who has represented a district in South Los Angeles for nearly nine years.
Under council rules, the motion will automatically trigger a vote on Harris-Dawson’s candidacy for president on Tuesday. Harris-Dawson, re-elected to a third term on the council earlier this year, would become president on September 20, according to the motion.
“We are excited about the vote and the office is grateful for the council’s support,” Harris-Dawson spokeswoman Rhonda Mitchell said.
The motion came three days after Council President Paul Krekorian sent a letter to his colleagues, revealing his intention to resign from his leadership position on September 20. Krekorian became president nearly two years ago, following an audio leak scandal that led to the resignation of former Council President Nury Martinez.
A change in council president could have a major impact on policymaking at City Hall. The chair has the authority to decide when matters are placed on the agenda of a meeting. The president also decides the membership of council committees dealing with public safety, personnel matters, transportation, the environment and many other issues.
Harris-Dawson has support from the council’s left flank, which has advocated for cutting police spending and expanding tenant protections. Those members — Hernandez, Raman and Soto-Martínez — opposed a recent set of raises for LAPD officers and, on Thursday, voted no on Mayor Karen Bass’ budget.
As president, Harris-Dawson could place those members on the council’s powerful budget committee, giving them greater freedom to rework the mayor’s spending plan as soon as it is released. Harris-Dawson could also add more to the committee that oversees public safety and policing, where Soto-Martínez already holds a seat.
First elected in 2015, Harris-Dawson represents a district that encompasses much of South Los Angeles, including long stretches of Western Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. He is considered a close ally of Bass, who represented part of South Los Angeles when she was a lawmaker.
Harris-Dawson spent several years as president and CEO of Community Coalition, a nonprofit community and advocacy group founded by Bass in 1990. He took over that role in 2004, replacing Bass.
Last week, Harris-Dawson told the Times that he had talked with his colleagues about what they wanted from a president. He said they told him they “wanted to spend more time in their districts” working on constituent issues.
“It’s something that everyone hears,” he said, adding, “We need to establish a work schedule that takes that into account.”
Harris-Dawson also gained support from Lee, who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley and is among the most politically conservative members of the council. Lee told the Times a few weeks ago that he hoped Harris-Dawson, if elected president, would bring balance to City Hall on issues such as the economy and public safety.
Harris-Dawson endorsed Lee for another term in the March 5 election, as did Bass.
“I worked very well with everyone on the board, including Harris-Dawson,” Lee said recently. “Some might find this surprising, but we worked very well together.”
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