Los Angeles City Council member Tim McOsker has prioritized highlighting all the communities he represents.

What You Need To Know

  • Charter Amendment C was passed by Los Angeles voters in 2017, giving police officers ordered to a disciplinary hearing, the option to have the hearing conducted by an all-civilian council
  • Council members Tim McOsker and Hugo Soto-Martinez have partnered together to reform the disciplinary council

  • Both McOsker and Soto-Martinez criticized the fact that a majority of the police officers opted for the civilian-review panel and were given more leniency
  • The Los Angeles Police Protective League opposes the proposal of reforming the review panel

McOsker represents LA’s 15th District, also known as the 1-5, which includes the communities of San Pedro, Wilmington, Watts, Harbor Gateway and Harbor City.

“My entire administration, my entire team are going to make sure that we are lifting up and focusing on each one of our communities,” McOsker said. “… We call it the 1-5 to remind ourselves — every day, every way — we remind ourselves this is about the entirety of the district.”

McOsker joined “Inside the Issues” host Alex Cohen to discuss his alliance with fellow City Council member Hugo Soto-Martinez in a push to reform policing in Los Angeles.

Voters passed Charter Amendment C in 2017. It gave police officers, ordered to a disciplinary hearing, the option to have the hearing conducted by an all-civilian council.

The partnership between McOsker and Soto-Martinez might seem a little unlikely considering their backgrounds. McOsker was formerly a lawyer for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, or LAPPL, and Soto-Martinez has advocated for shifting funds away from law enforcement toward other social services to address crime.

“Much has been made of the fact that we have five freshmen on this council and they come from different parts of the political spectrum and I think, while that’s true, I think what folks don’t realize is that we are all working together, we’re all working together for the good of the city,” McOsker said.

The two council members are working together on a motion to overhaul the LAPD disciplinary process by scaling back on disciplinary hearings for police officers.

The council was given the authority to review the panel and the council members both feel the panel has issues that need to be addressed.

Both McOsker and Soto-Martinez criticized the fact that a majority of the police officers opted for the civilian-review panel and were given more leniency.

“We expected the civilian review panel to be more transparent, to be more fair, and it wasn’t working that way,” McOsker said.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League opposes the proposal of reforming the review panel. McOsker said his experience working with the union guides him in finding an equitable balance for the panel.

“I think it gave me a full picture of what I thought was the right thing. I took an action to do the right thing,” McOsker said.

While the two might not see exactly eye-to-eye on every part of the proposal, McOsker said the important aspect is to have public debate to figure out the best reform initiative possible.

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McOsker also discussed the recent conviction of former city Council member Mark Ridley-Thomas.

“My heart is broken. I’m sad. I’m sad about the entire circumstance, but the law is the law,” McOsker said.

As for the future of District 10 following Ridley-Thomas’ conviction, McOsker supports Council President Paul Krekorian’s call for the council to appoint Heather Hutt, who is serving in a caretaker role for District 10, to be elevated to a voting member by the council.

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