The Los Angeles Common Council was the predecessor of the Los Angeles, California, City Council. It was formed in 1850 under state law, when the city had only 1,610 residents, and it existed until 1889, when the city had about 50,400 residents and a city charter was put into effect.
Contents
- Chronological
- 185059
- 1850
- 1851
- 1852
- 1853
- 1854
- 1856
- 1857
- 1858
- 1859
- 186069
- 1860
- 1861
- 1862
- 1863
- 1864
- 1866
- 1867
- 1868
- 1869
- 187079
- 1870
- 1871
- 1872
- 1873
- 1874
- 1875
- 1876
- 1877
- 1878
- 1879
- 188088
- 1880
- 1881
- 1882
- 1883
- 1884
- 1885
- 1886
- 1887
- 1888
- Notes
- References
From 1850 through 1869, council members were elected at large under a first-past-the-post voting system, in which the top vote-getters were seated. From 1870 they were elected by electoral districts called wards.
Chronological
The dates in the headers reflect the years of installation of the incoming councils.
1850–59
City population in 1850: 1,610.
1850
Election: July 1, 1850. / Term: July 3, 1850 to May 7, 1851.
1851
Election: May 5, 1851. / Term: May 7, 1851, to May 4, 1852.
1852
Election: May 3, 1852. / Term: May 4, 1852, to May 3, 1853.
1853
Election: May 1, 1853. Term: May 3, 1853, to May 4, 1854.
1854
Election: May 1, 1854. / Term: May 4, 1854, to May 9, 1855.
"At Councilman Lewis Granger's proposal at the May 4 session, the minutes of the Common Council were for the first time written in both Spanish and English, on alternate pages."
"At Councilman Sanford's proposal[,] an invitation was extended to the two printers [in the city] to send a reporter each to their council meetings for the purpose of bringing any matter of general interest to the public through their newspapers."
1856
Election: May 5, 1856. / Term: May 7, 1856, to May 6, 1857.
1857
Election: May 4, 1857. / Term: May 6, 1857, to May 10, 1858.
1858
Election: May 3, 1858. / Term: May 10, 1858, to May 9, 1859.
1859
Election: May 2, 1859. / Term: May 9, 1859, to May 9, 1860.
1860–69
City population in 1860: 4,385.
1860
Election (to come). / Term: May 9, 1860, to May 7, 1861.
1861
Election: May 6, 1861. / Term: May 7, 1861, to May 7, 1862.
1862
Election: May 5, 1862. / Term: May 7, 1862, to May 9, 1863.
1863
Election: May 4, 1863. / Term: May 9, 1863, to May 5, 1864.
1864
Election: May 2, 1864. / Term: May 5, 1864, to May 6, 1865.
1866
Election: May 7, 1866 / Term: May 10, 1866, to May 8, 1867.
1867
Election: May 7, 1866. / First term: May 10, 1866, to May 8, 1867. / Reinstated: August 8, 1867.
Second term: August 8, 1867, to December 7, 1868.
1868
Election: December 7, 1868. / Term: December 9, 1868, to December 9, 1869. The ten councilmen elected this year drew lots for terms of one or two years. The president of the council was also selected by drawing lots.
1869
Election: December 6, 1869. / Term: December 9, 1869, to December 9, 1870.
1870–79
City population in 1870: 5.730.
1870
Election: December 5, 1870. / Term: December 9, 1870, to December 11, 1871.
1871
Election: December 4, 1871. / Term: December 11, 1871, to December 5, 1872.
1872
Election: December 2, 1872. / Term: December 5, 1872, to December 4, 1873.
1873
Election: December 1, 1873. / Term: December 4, 1873, to December 18, 1874.
1874
Election: December 7, 1874. / Term: December 18, 1874, to December 9, 1875.
"Beginning this year, the mayor also served as president of the City Council."
1875
Election: December 6, 1875. / Term: December 9, 1875, to December 6, 1876.
1876
Election: December 4, 1876. / Term: December 8, 1876, to December 6, 1877.
1877
Election: December 3, 1877. / Term: December 6, 1877, to December 6, 1878.
1878
Election: December 2, 1878. / Term: December 5, 1878, to December 5, 1879.
1879
Election: December 5, 1879. / Term: December 5, 1879, to December 11, 1880.
1880–88
City population in 1880: 11,200.
1880
Election: December 6, 1880. / Term: December 11, 1880, to December 10, 1881.
1881
Election: December 5, 1881. / Term: December 10, 1881, to December 9, 1882.
1882
Election: December 4, 1882. / Term: December 9, 1882, to December 8, 1883.
1883
Election: December 4, 1883. / Term: December 9, 1883, to December 8, 1884.
1884
Election: December 1, 1884. / Term: December 9, 1884, to December 10, 1885.
1885
Election December 7, 1885 / Term December 10, 1885, to December 13, 1886
1886
Election December 6, 1886 / Term December 13, 1886, to December 12, 1887
1887
Election December 5, 1887 / Term December 12, 1887, to December 10, 1888
1888
Election December 3, 1888 / Term December 10, 1888, to February 21, 1889
The new city charter having been compiled by a specially elected board of freeholders under the provisions of Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 16, and having been approved by the voters at a special election held October 20, 1888, by a vote of 2,642 to 1,890, caused Mayor John Bryson Sr.'s administration to be terminated on February 21, 1889, the day of the new elections. Mayor Henry T. Hazard was swept into office for a year and three quarters. Under the new charter all elected officers were elected for two years, the election month being December of every second year from 1889 on.