Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - February 26, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - February 26, 2025
The Los Angeles City Council convened on February 26, 2025, at 9:30 AM in the John Ferrara Council Chambers, with Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson presiding. Fourteen members were present. The meeting covered approval of minutes, public testimony, discussion of multiple agenda items, and votes on resolutions, contracts, and settlements.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes of February 25, 2025, were approved (motion by Councilmember Soto Martinez, seconded by Councilmember Lee).
- Item 28 was continued to Friday, March 14, 2025, without objection.
- Items 3 through 7, 9, 11, 13 through 17, and 19 were approved by a unanimous vote of 14 ayes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Fast food workers: Several workers (Amalina Rumers, Anisha Williams, Alejandra Aguilar Perez, Julieta Garcia) spoke in support of a fast food worker ordinance, citing unsafe conditions, unfair scheduling, wage cuts, and lack of paid sick days. They urged the council to act.
- General public comment: A speaker identifying as a transgender sex worker called for public safety on Figueroa Street. Karen Mack thanked the council for establishing the South LA Black Cultural District. Candice Vick criticized the rent registry and Council President Harris-Dawson. Another speaker supported ICE enforcement. A retired city employee alleged wage theft and whistleblower retaliation.
- On agenda items: A speaker supported items 22–25 (removal from rent escrow) but opposed item 29 (funding for New Economics for Women). Another speaker criticized the Earth Day banner campaign (item 30) and called for reinstating remote comment.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 (Emergency Management Contract): Councilmember Park asked about the Haggerty contract (cost up to $10 million, funded from emergency fund). She introduced a motion for quarterly reports. Councilmember Rodriguez stressed maximizing FEMA reimbursement. The item passed 14 ayes.
- Item 2 (Single-Family Home Preservation): Councilmember Nazarian supported a resolution to protect single-family homes from corporate takeover. The item passed 14 ayes.
- Item 20 (High Fire Severity Zones): Councilmember Raman opposed the resolution, arguing it was overbroad and could hinder housing in safer areas. The item passed 13 ayes, 1 no (Raman; later noted as 12 ayes, 2 nos).
- Item 21 (Youth Participation in Redistricting): Councilmember Hernandez introduced a motion to develop a framework for youth participation in the independent redistricting commission. The item passed 14 ayes.
- Item 8 (Land Acknowledgement): Councilmember Lee expressed support but urged more tangible action for Native communities. The item passed 15 ayes.
- Special Motion 3 (Pause on Debris Deliveries): Councilmember Padilla requested a pause on recycled cement debris deliveries to allow community outreach. The findings passed 13 ayes; the item was later adopted.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes approved and item 28 continued.
- Resolution on high fire severity zones passed (13 ayes, 1 no).
- Lawsuit settlements approved: Items 32–42 (closed session) authorized up to $5,725,000 collectively for settlements in various cases, passed 14 ayes.
- Youth redistricting motion adopted (item 21, 14 ayes).
- Land acknowledgement motion adopted (item 8, 15 ayes).
- Bankruptcy settlement for Bird Global Inc. (special motion 2 as amended): Authorized up to $900,000 from the Liability Claims Fund, passed unanimously.
- Debris delivery pause adopted (special motion 3) to allow community notification.
- Rent escrow removals and funding approved: Items 22–27, 30, 31 passed 15 ayes; item 29 (New Economics for Women contract) passed 14 ayes after Councilmember Price recused.
- Presentations: Recognized Edna Trejo (20 years of service) and Dr. Adrian Dove (civil rights leader and Kingdom Day Parade chair).
- Meeting adjourned with a memorial for Alan Gershman.
Meeting Transcript
And that provides policymakers with the information they need in order to create uh better policies for addressing homelessness, getting our unhoused neighbors off the streets, an interim housing, and hopefully in a permanent house. Super easy to sign up. You just have to, you don't even have to have a car. You can be like one of the people who ride or one of the people who walk. And everything is online and it's simple. You just have to count and it's cool to actually meet new people who want to help as well. I know that every year that we stand here and every day that we work to get Angelinos housed and work to end homelessness. This is an important evening because it will allow us to see progress made and how much more needs to be done. The Kingdom Day Parade stepped off on a different day. When it came to keeping this long-standing tribute to Martin Luther King going, city leaders and community members took a wildfire delay in their stride and didn't miss a beat. Today we're out on Crenshaw doing our annual MLK Day parade. We're doing it in the month of February because in Martin Luther King's birthday, we had the fires in Altadina and the Pacific Palisades. And so we're out here today. We didn't forget, we want to remind the whole world. We remember the struggle, we remember the legacy, we remember the dream, and most importantly, we remember our commitment to justice. Coming together as a community and knowing that we are our brothers keeping. We know that we've got some issues and problems in our community, but we can't be divided. We can't be separated. We can't be eroded. So celebration day means celebrating the human spirit, the human values, but also celebrating the importance of working together and knowing that we can be successful when we do that. I do believe that there are people out here, not only in community, but at our schools and also on the council and in our local government, sharing some of the same values and uplifting some of the same values as Dr. King, making sure that we don't leave community behind, that we're not putting up barriers for other community members, and that we all fight together. And that's the kind of work that we're doing here today and uplifting. I can tell you one thing for sure is we're stronger when you're we're together and when we're united. That's what our firefighters are living by every single day, and we're here to connect and serve our community. I've been coming to this parade every year for the last 20 years, and it's just amazing how it's grown and the community comes together. I'm just so enthused to come out here and celebrate with everybody for Dr. Martin Luther King. I know my parents used to march with Dr. Luther King, and it's just an honor and a privilege for me to do the same. Welcome everybody. It doesn't matter what your nationality is, it's that we do this so all people can come together as one people with one voice. I'm here because I want to make sure I show my daughter her culture, the importance of our culture, and this is a year tradition, and I want to make sure that she know what she's a part of so she can keep the tradition for her own children. If Dr. King was alive, he would be right here with us today, making sure we hold up the light and make sure we provide a vision for peace, justice, and equality in our time. When so many Angelinos rely on a nearby space, it's great to keep it looking good and fit for purpose. Council Member Eunicis Hernandez and the Department of Recreation and Parks unveiled the revived Hope and Peace Park. Today today we're here in the Westlake neighborhood in Council District One to reopen the Hope and Peace Park. The Westlake neighborhood, which is one of the densest neighborhoods in the entire West Coast. Literally, there are 20,000 people that live just a half a mile radius of this park. And most of these people are renters living in apartment buildings. This is their front yard. This is their backyard. This is where they can bring their kids and family to play to enjoy some green space and some fun activities. So that's why it's important that we've done this work to reopen Hope and Peace Park here in Westlake. It is the only area with grass till we hit Macarthur Park, which is a few blocks down. It is an opportunity for families to come out on a hot summer day to use the green space, have a picnic, as well as being able to just have fun and enjoy the playground and the play structure. We want to really revitalize our playground, offering new play spaces for the communities to enjoy their family friends, and just really to bring the community together. Over 400,000 of LA County Measure A money was used to refurbish this park. And so it's incredibly important that everybody plays their part in maintaining the current conditions of the park.
openpublica.com