Los Angeles City Attorney and mayoral candidate Mike Feuer on Sept. 20 called for major structural reforms to the Los Angeles City Council to increase focus, responsiveness, accountability and diversity in city government.

Feuer’s plan would involve cutting the size of City Council districts in half, reducing the length of time members may serve and doing so in a cost-neutral way by cutting their $223,829 salaries by 50%. Feuer said he will also add an independent redistricting commission that isn’t chosen by the elected officials.

“The benefits of this restructuring will be immediate and sweeping,” Feuer said. “By cutting council districts in half, council members will be much closer to the communities they serve and know those communities more intimately. Residents will compete less for their elected representative’s time. This proposal will improve the quality of our lives by empowering neighborhoods and giving them council members who respond rapidly to their concerns over everything from homelessness to public safety to traffic gridlock. It would be much harder for members to evade accountability to the residents they serve.”

Feuer said city leadership will likely become much more diverse under the proposal. For example, neighborhoods like Koreatown could have more direct representation, he said.

“We need to increase focus, responsiveness, accountability and diversity in city government,” Feuer added. “Our current structure is holding us back. Let’s decrease the size of council districts and bring government closer to the people it serves.”