LA City Council now holds record number of women - the most in city history

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- History will be made in Los Angeles Tuesday as six women will be taking their seats on the City Council -- the most in L.A. history.

With the addition of Katy Young Yaroslavsky, Traci Park and Eunisses Hernandez, women now make up 40% of the council. They join Monica Rodriguez, Nithya Raman and Heather Hutt.

One seat remains open after former president Nury Martinez resigned over a leaked recording of racist remarks that emerged in October.

The first version of the council was established in 1850 and only 23 women have ever served on the council since then. Currently, eight seats are held by men.

"There has been a lot of pigeonholing for women that is existed for centuries," said Rodriguez during a recent press conference. "The expectation that women are only allowed to serve in certain roles, we are going to change that dynamic together."

Park, who represents the city's 11th District, echoed that sentiment, calling for more resources dedicated to helping women.

"I am here to represent all of the women in my district and our entire city," she said. "We desperately need change that can only happen when we invest in women."

"Last time I checked, six out of 15 isn't even a majority," said Yaroslavsky, who represents the 5th District. "So we're clearly not done yet."

With five new members set to take part in their first meeting, uncertainty lingers over Councilman Kevin de León, whose attendance could again lead to chaos in the chamber.

Yaroslavsky said she plans on staying "because this is my first City Council meeting.''

"There's a lot of city business to do, and we can't keep putting it off forever,'' Yaroslavsky said.

Rodriguez agreed, adding that she planned to "continue to do the work for the people that elected me, and for the oath that I took.''

This comes as Karen Bass made history by becoming the first woman and second Black person to lead the city.

The newly elected city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, is also the first woman to serve in that role. All the new female officials have replaced men in their respective roles.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.