The LA Weekly blog is reporting the Center for Governmental Studies just issued a report showing the LA City Council votes unanimously 99.993% of the time. That’s an astounding statistic. I can’t think of any other major voting body with that kind of voting record.
Some could argue that LA politicians have figured out how to get along and therefore vote consistently. But one look at LA’s $485 million deficit and anyone could tell that if every council member for a city as large as Los Angeles is voting in one accord, they are probably not representing the best interests of their constituents.
The LA Weekly blogger, Gene Maddaus, writes, “The report suggests that the council members are experiencing a form of peer pressure. That is, they don’t want to vote against a colleague’s idea for fear of having the favor returned.”
Okay, so they’re working out their differences before the votes are taken. But just because they come to some sort of resolution before a vote doesn’t mean they’re reaching the right solution. The LA City Council may be voting unanimously, but as commentator Stephen Kruiser tweeted, they’re also voting “wrongly.”