OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting - March 5, 2025

City CouncilWednesday, March 5, 2025
BodyLos Angeles, California
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, March 5, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Know about your culture.

0:02

This event is always coming together.

0:04

We have great food here.

0:06

Like, you know, it's like a family working here.

0:08

Come through.

0:08

Uh, St.

0:09

Andrews is a really great part.

0:10

The more we come together, the more that we can accomplish.

0:14

Black is loud, black is beautiful, black is everything.

0:20

And thanks to St.

0:22

Andrew's Rec Center for those highlights.

0:24

STEM, skills of science, technology, engineering, and math are foundational for building the future.

0:31

To encourage the next generation to think of becoming engineers, Councilmember Eunices Hernandez led Engineers Week for Elementary Students.

0:44

Councilmember Hernandez is hosting Engineers Week as the chair of the Public Work Committee.

0:50

It's a week-long celebration to really encourage the next generation of welcome them into chambers and remind them to think critically about the city that they live in and how to make it better, and to also thank them for reminding us that we have the power to build our future.

1:07

As the chair of the Public Works Committee, I'm pleased to host this week-long celebration organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers of Los Angeles, Younger Member Forum, which is all about inspiring the next generation of engineers.

1:21

Engineering is all about having curiosity, being able to be creative.

1:26

The students are building spaghetti marshmallow towers.

1:31

They're gonna test their towers to make sure their towers are earthquake resistant, and this way they learn more about engineering.

1:38

They learn more about the seismic conditions around LA and just get an idea of the engineering of the world around us today.

1:46

You see, how far it's actually a triangle and it's not going anywhere.

1:50

Look how sturdy that is.

1:50

You see, I can touch it, bring it down, and it doesn't break.

1:54

These are really important events to get kids exposed to engineering and STEM fields, and these kids are doing great.

2:07

Yeah, we're very excited to have them here, and hopefully this inspires them to an engineering fields in the future.

2:14

This is built up from this.

2:16

Like this is perfect the nozzle up.

2:20

I say that this is the fun part of doing the work, but it has real intention where our decisions in City Hall has consequences.

2:29

It impacts this youth, and so it's a good reminder of like why we are doing what we're doing at City Hall and doing that hard work in that community and in chamber with the rest of council members.

2:38

Again, thank you everybody for being here and reminding us that we have the power to design our future and build a world that works for everybody.

2:45

Stay curious, keep exploring, and never stop asking questions.

2:49

These are all the qualities of great engineers and leaders here.

2:59

Those could be some future engineers.

3:02

Even before the recent wildfires impacted LA, food insecurity was a growing concern.

3:08

Councilwoman Heather Hutt joined with local organizations for a community food distribution event to help fill the supply gap and get food onto everyone's table.

3:22

We are here with Councilwoman Heather Hutt, right here in the heart of the African American community on Crenshaw Boulevard, home of the Los Angeles Sentinel, and we are providing food and other goods to the residents of our community.

3:35

We have partnered with the Los Angeles Sentinel, Brother Crusade, LA County Federation of Labor, mothers in action to bring much needed food for people in need.

3:46

Councilwoman Heather Hutt spearheaded this amazing food drive to ensure that members in her community, members in the Brotherhood State community, members of the Los Angeles Sentinel community, has a way to have some good food for the entire week.

4:02

We've been doing these across the city because we know that there's food insecurity.

4:07

We know that there's a lot of people who can't make is meat.

4:10

This is our opportunity to get back to our community.

4:13

Folks are struggling when eggs are $15 or a dozen.

4:18

How can people survive?

4:20

Increases of food is going up, up and up.

4:24

So today is about sharing some goodness to our community.

4:27

We're here to give.

5:00

Over 7,000 of our union members were impacted negatively by the fire.

5:03

So we were able to provide for them as well.

5:05

This is a celebration of our community.

5:07

This is love for our brothers and sisters.

5:11

We really do all care about our community.

5:16

Free tax advice and help with preparation is always a win.

5:20

Councilwoman Tracy Park and the city's community investment for families department hosted the second annual tax prep resource fair to help get refunds back into families' pockets.

5:36

We are out at Stoner Recreation Center here in the SATEL community hosting the second annual CD11 Tax Preparation Resource Fair.

5:47

We're on the ground with the community investment and families department offering these services to families to help them get advice that they need to make sure they can get as much money back when they file their taxes as possible.

6:02

We have IRS certified trained volunteers that are helping community members complete their taxes.

6:09

And our goal is really to help families put money back into their pockets, not only with their refunds, but with their earned income tax credit, child tax credit.

6:17

These tax credits can put up to $10,000 back into Angelino's pockets.

6:23

It is a free program sponsored directly from IRS.

6:27

Individuals who have low incomes to moderate.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health███████████████████████████27%
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Comment████████████12%
Public Events███████7%
Public Works█████5%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Education and Sustainability████4%
Public Safety████4%
Disaster Recovery████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting - March 5, 2025

On March 5, 2025, the Los Angeles City Council convened a regular meeting with 14 members present, later 15 after closed session. The meeting covered routine approvals, public comment on pending items, and debate on an interim control ordinance to halt substantial remodel evictions. Key actions included approving consent items, holding over a controversial ordinance for amendment, and entering closed session.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from March 4, 2025 (moved by Councilmember McCosker, seconded by Councilmember Park).
  • Approved commendatory resolutions (moved by Councilmember Price, seconded by Councilmember Nazarian).
  • Voted 14-0 to approve items 1 through 19 (unanimous).
  • Voted 12-2 to approve item 21 (details of item not specified; 12 ayes, 2 noes recorded).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 20 (Interim Control Ordinance on substantial remodel evictions): Multiple speakers urged the council to pass the ordinance and amend it to apply to existing eviction cases. Speakers included Tulsi Kirk (policy director at Sage), Robin Lyne (tenant in CD 9), Laura Matter (attorney at Inner City Law Center), Rose Fairley (tenant in CD 13), Angela Bye (research and policy analyst at LAANE), Rocio Sifuentes (requiring translation), Blanca Lucio, and others. They argued that hundreds of families have been displaced by fraudulent renovictions, and that the ordinance should protect tenants currently in eviction proceedings.
  • Worker wage advocacy: Javon Houston (airport worker, SEIU-USW) and Laura Banuet (LAX cashier) thanked the council for voting to raise wages for tourism workers three months ago but urged finalization of the ordinance to ensure healthcare and affordable income.
  • Walk of Fame (Item 22): A speaker opposed granting a star to Gal Gadot, citing her IDF service and arguing that standards for the Walk of Fame have lowered. Another speaker called her a "Palestinian hater" and urged a no vote.
  • Murder reward and vigil (Items 23–25): Speakers criticized the $50,000 rewards for murder cases as insufficient, and questioned the need for a murder victims vigil funded by $894 for lighting City Hall. A speaker also expressed frustration with remote public comment being eliminated.
  • Other: A speaker commented on council redistricting and criticized the council's handling of public comment. One speaker used offensive language and was warned for being off-topic.

Discussion Items

  • Item 20 – Interim Control Ordinance (ICO) on Renovictions: Councilmember Jurado introduced an amendment in partnership with Councilmembers Soto-Martinez and Blumenfield to strengthen the ICO, which would temporarily halt substantial remodel evictions while permanent protections are developed. The item was held from earlier voting due to Councilmember Price recusing (stating he is a landlord) and the need for an amendment. The item was continued to Friday, March 7, for further consideration. No public comment was taken on the amendment at this meeting.
  • Ambassador Natalie Reyes Recognition: Councilmember McCosker introduced former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Natalie Reyes, highlighting her career and contributions, including an MOU for a Croatia House in San Pedro during the 2028 Olympics. Council President presented a resolution. Reyes addressed the council.
  • Welcome to St. Matthew's Third Grade Class: Councilmember Park welcomed students from St. Matthew's Parish School in Pacific Palisades.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent items (1-19) passed unanimously (14-0).
  • Item 21 passed (12-2).
  • Items 22-26 approved after public comment (vote result not individually tallied but passed without objection).
  • Item 20 continued to Friday, March 7, 2025, with an amendment introduced; no vote taken.
  • Closed session (Item 27) held; no public outcome reported.
  • Council adjourned after announcements and adjournment motions.

Meeting Transcript

Know about your culture. This event is always coming together. We have great food here. Like, you know, it's like a family working here. Come through. Uh, St. Andrews is a really great part. The more we come together, the more that we can accomplish. Black is loud, black is beautiful, black is everything. And thanks to St. Andrew's Rec Center for those highlights. STEM, skills of science, technology, engineering, and math are foundational for building the future. To encourage the next generation to think of becoming engineers, Councilmember Eunices Hernandez led Engineers Week for Elementary Students. Councilmember Hernandez is hosting Engineers Week as the chair of the Public Work Committee. It's a week-long celebration to really encourage the next generation of welcome them into chambers and remind them to think critically about the city that they live in and how to make it better, and to also thank them for reminding us that we have the power to build our future. As the chair of the Public Works Committee, I'm pleased to host this week-long celebration organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers of Los Angeles, Younger Member Forum, which is all about inspiring the next generation of engineers. Engineering is all about having curiosity, being able to be creative. The students are building spaghetti marshmallow towers. They're gonna test their towers to make sure their towers are earthquake resistant, and this way they learn more about engineering. They learn more about the seismic conditions around LA and just get an idea of the engineering of the world around us today. You see, how far it's actually a triangle and it's not going anywhere. Look how sturdy that is. You see, I can touch it, bring it down, and it doesn't break. These are really important events to get kids exposed to engineering and STEM fields, and these kids are doing great. Yeah, we're very excited to have them here, and hopefully this inspires them to an engineering fields in the future. This is built up from this. Like this is perfect the nozzle up. I say that this is the fun part of doing the work, but it has real intention where our decisions in City Hall has consequences. It impacts this youth, and so it's a good reminder of like why we are doing what we're doing at City Hall and doing that hard work in that community and in chamber with the rest of council members. Again, thank you everybody for being here and reminding us that we have the power to design our future and build a world that works for everybody. Stay curious, keep exploring, and never stop asking questions. These are all the qualities of great engineers and leaders here. Those could be some future engineers. Even before the recent wildfires impacted LA, food insecurity was a growing concern. Councilwoman Heather Hutt joined with local organizations for a community food distribution event to help fill the supply gap and get food onto everyone's table. We are here with Councilwoman Heather Hutt, right here in the heart of the African American community on Crenshaw Boulevard, home of the Los Angeles Sentinel, and we are providing food and other goods to the residents of our community. We have partnered with the Los Angeles Sentinel, Brother Crusade, LA County Federation of Labor, mothers in action to bring much needed food for people in need. Councilwoman Heather Hutt spearheaded this amazing food drive to ensure that members in her community, members in the Brotherhood State community, members of the Los Angeles Sentinel community, has a way to have some good food for the entire week. We've been doing these across the city because we know that there's food insecurity. We know that there's a lot of people who can't make is meat. This is our opportunity to get back to our community. Folks are struggling when eggs are $15 or a dozen. How can people survive? Increases of food is going up, up and up. So today is about sharing some goodness to our community. We're here to give. Over 7,000 of our union members were impacted negatively by the fire. So we were able to provide for them as well. This is a celebration of our community. This is love for our brothers and sisters.

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