The Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission voted 12-1 on Tuesday night to approve language giving the City Council clear authority to override LAPD policy, capping a months-long push by community advocates that reshaped the commission’s final recommendations before its work came to a close.

The vote, with Commissioner Field in opposition, would amend the City Charter to explicitly state that the Council’s authority to adopt ordinances governing the policies of the Chief of Police and the Police Department cannot be superseded by the Board of Police Commissioners. If a conflict arises between instructions from the Police Commission and an ordinance passed by the Council, the ordinance prevails.

Just as significant as what the commission approved is what it struck. An earlier draft of the language would have given the Police Commission a 60-day window to hold a public hearing and block any Council motion or ordinance related to police accountability. That override mechanism was removed entirely. Under the new language, if the Police Commission fails to act within 60 days of receiving a Council motion, it becomes effective automatically.

The reform has already generated some confusion about what it actually does. The Board of Police Commissioners, appointed by the mayor, retains full authority to issue instructions to the Chief of Police, set department policy, oversee its budget, and serve as the civilian watchdog. What changes is that elected councilmembers now have an explicit check on those decisions, one that cannot be vetoed by the commission.

That check also comes with meaningful friction built in. For the Council to modify LAPD policy, it must agendaize the matter, hold public debate, and take a formal vote. Any ordinance is subject to a mayoral veto, which requires a two-thirds Council vote to override. The process is designed to be deliberate and rare, not a routine tool.

The commission also approved several other police-related reforms Tuesday. New language in the Charter would give the Chief of Police direct authority to remove officers with documented histories of harm or misconduct, a power the Chief does not currently hold. Under existing rules, the Chief must refer serious misconduct cases to a Board of Rights, which can impose lighter penalties. The new language would also allow the Council to review and veto Board of Rights disciplinary decisions by a two-thirds vote, with the Board retaining a chance to override and the Council having a final say.

A separate provision would require the LAPD to purchase at least one million dollars in liability insurance per officer. In a late amendment Tuesday, the commission raised the monthly cost cap from twenty dollars to fifty dollars per officer. When an officer is found liable for wrongful injury or death, the insurance payout would be used before any money comes from the city’s General Fund.

The commission’s work is finished, and its recommendations are due to the City Council by April 2. Councilmembers then have until June 17 to decide whether to place the reforms on the November ballot, where voters would have the final say.

“Months ago, police reform wasn’t even on the Charter Commission’s to-do list. Today, because community members came together to force conversations that likely never would have happened on their own, we have multiple reforms headed to City Council,” said Godfrey Plata, deputy director of L.A. Forward.

Advocates say the pressure now shifts to City Council, where the reforms could stall in committee if there is not sustained public support for putting them on the ballot.