The first woman to be part of the council was Estelle Lawton Lindsey, who served from 1915-17. She was not reelected for a second term.
With Ysabel Jurado’s swearing-in, the City Council’s composition is now 8 women and 7 men. This is a recognition of the political power that women are gaining in various areas of politics.
Eunisses Hernández (D-1), Nithya Raman (D-4), Katy Yaroslavsky (D-5), Imelda Padilla (D-6), Monica Rodriguez (D-7), Heather Hutt (D-10), Traci Park (D-11), and Ysabel J. Jurado (D-14) are the women on the council.
Adrin Nazarian (D-2), Bob Blumenfield (D-3), Marqueece Harris-Dawson (D-8), Curren D. Price, Jr. (D-9), John Lee (D-12), Hugo Soto-Martínez (D-13), and Tim McOsker (D-15) are the men.
The first woman to be part of the council was Estelle Lawton Lindsey, who served from 1915-17. She was not reelected for a second term. She was also the first woman to act as mayor in any American city of comparable size.
On Tuesday, December 10, Ysabel Jurado, who ousted embattled incumbent Kevin de León in last month’s election to represent Council District 14 on the Eastside, participated in her first meeting as a sitting council member. Her addition to the council brings the number of women on the L.A. City Council to eight.
Jurado, a former tenant rights attorney, is also the first Filipino American on the council and the first woman elected to represent Council District 14, according to the city clerk’s office. In addition, Jurado is currently the only queer member on the council, according to her campaign.
Meanwhile, Councilmember Heather Hutt, appointed to the City Council in September 2022, was elected to her first full four-year term last month. This win makes her the first elected female council member for Council District 10, which spans from Koreatown in Central L.A. to Baldwin Hills, the Crenshaw District, and Leimert Park in South L.A. Hutt is also the only Black woman on the council.
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez previously called it “shameful” that only 23 women had ever been elected to the Los Angeles City Council up to that point. In December 2022, six of the 15 council seats—less than half—were occupied by women.
“We have a long way to go, but we have made great strides,” Rodriguez said about the record number of women on the City Council in 2022. “I think it’s reflective of the overall environment that has not welcomed women in non-traditional, professional roles and respected contributions – and I think this is going to mark a huge shift.”
The L.A. City Council, as it’s known today, was established in 1850 with nine council members and increased to 15 members in 1925.
As of 2022, the female population in Los Angeles, California was 1,903,158, about 50% of the city’s total population. The sex ratio in Los Angeles is 100.8 males per 100 females.
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