Los Angeles City Council Meeting – April 2, 2025
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Los Angeles City Council Meeting – April 2, 2025
The Los Angeles City Council convened on April 2, 2025, with 11 members present, later rising to 15. The meeting addressed routine approvals, a motion to study single-stairway building codes, and a contentious expansion of the Fair Work Week ordinance for fast food workers. Public comment featured strong advocacy from workers and opposition from restaurant owners. Key votes included unanimous support for the single-stairway study and passage of the fast food worker ordinance after amendments.
Consent Calendar
- Items 22, 23, 25, 26, and 27 were approved unanimously (12-0).
- Items 1–4, 7, 9, 10, 12–21, 29, and 31–39 were approved in a single vote following public comment.
- Item 40 (settlement authorization) passed 13-0.
- Item 8 and Item 11 were each approved to receive and file.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 17 (building condition): A California Bar member raised procedural and due process concerns regarding a demolition lien, urging a pause and further review.
- Fast food worker ordinance (Item 28 and related general comment): Multiple workers (Vicenta Diaz, Rafael Sanchez, Anisha Williams, Julieta Garcia) urged passage, citing wage theft, lack of rights training, and abuse. Union representative Philippe Casares (SEIU 721) supported the ordinance. Restaurant owners and supervisors (Leon Wu, Juan Gotham, Manuel Ramirez, Amada Reyes) opposed it, arguing that prior minimum wage hikes had already forced price increases and hour cuts, and that additional costs would harm businesses and jobs.
- Other speakers: A speaker highlighted outdated photos used in a Building and Safety Commission decision; another addressed human trafficking concerns at a train station.
Discussion Items
- Item 24 – Single Stairway Buildings Motion: Councilmember Yaroslavsky introduced a motion to study allowing single-exit stairwells in apartment buildings to enable larger, more affordable units with more green space, without changing zoning. He cited safety data from New York, Seattle, and the Netherlands. Councilmembers Raman, Jurado, and Hernandez supported the motion as a way to increase housing density and family-sized units. Councilmember Nazarian supported the study but cautioned about fire safety. The motion passed 14-0.
- Item 28 – Fair Work Week Ordinance Expansion: The council considered two amendments after committee approval. 28B (Councilmember Blumenfield) would have required a comprehensive economic impact report. Councilmembers Soto Martinez and Price opposed it as a delay tactic; the CLA estimated 4–6 months minimum to complete such a study. 28B failed. 28A (Councilmember Rodriguez) sought report backs on protecting small businesses and exempting food deserts/JEDI zones. Councilmember Soto Martinez proposed a friendly amendment (28C) to change “will” to “could” in instruction 5 and strike instruction 6 (exemptions for food deserts). After debate—with Rodriguez arguing exemptions encourage investment in underserved areas, and President Martinez countering that low wages cause food deserts—28C passed 13-2. 28A, as amended, passed 15-0, and the main item 28 passed 15-0.
- Other items: Item 17 was reconsidered and continued to May 6 at the request of Councilmember Soto Martinez. Item 20 was continued to May 6. Item 30 was passed with Councilmember McCosker recused (14-0).
Key Outcomes
- Motion to study single-stairway building codes adopted unanimously.
- Fair Work Week ordinance for fast food workers approved with amendments (28A as amended).
- Routine consent calendar items approved.
- Item 17 and Item 20 continued to May 6, 2025.
- Councilmember announced a motion requesting analysis of non-city Olympic venue agreements.
- Adjournment in memory of Richard “Dick” Charles Bublitz.
Meeting Transcript
It is important that we keep our eyes on the future. Today I'm issuing a new executive order to help residents harden their homes and businesses against wildfire. We've learned a lot about wildfires over the years, and we know that there are certain things that you can do if you are ever in this situation again to protect your homes. The Corps has been on ground here for a couple of months and to reach that speed and accomplish this amazing mission. Uh, we need partnerships to do so. And the city of Los Angeles has been absolutely fantastic because we just simply can't do it without the greater effort. These great Americans behind me that are doing the hard work as well. But the singular most important partner that we have is the community, certainly those in the affected communities. With a long way to go, lots more questions and a lot of important issues we need to deal with. But it's a step in the right direction, and we appreciate it. So the executive order that I will sign today has our city departments developing paths forward to streamline permitting for owners who rebuild all electric, more fire-resistant homes to promote the use of fire-resistant construction materials to harden homes and businesses as Los Angeles begins to rebuild and that further strengthens the resiliency of utilities and ensure power relied.com to file a complaint. We celebrate everyone's culture. We are intentional to make sure we make our signs and posters about how LA can be united. We do it in the languages spoken by the Armenian population. We work in partnership with Councilmember Nazarian on how we can make sure that LA is a welcoming place for all. And we on the other side have the ability to make sure that we prevent discriminatory practices from happening by bringing cases against folks who violate your civil rights. And we include financial institutions as well as retail banks in that space of making sure people are protected in all ways. We can't say LA is your home, LA is for everyone without making sure people feel secure and protected against discriminatory practices, even in the private sector. Shovels and Brooms were readied for Service Day LA 2025, which took place at 54th and San Pedro. City leaders and departments organized to lift up local communities and make a clean sweep. We were joined today by members of the community to lift and clean LA. We are right now on the corner of 54th in San Pedro with numerous volunteers from the Board of Public Works, the Mayor's Office, and Council District 9, Kern Price's office. It is a way for us to show our commitment to our community, but we want to underscore the fact that we all deserve a clean, green environment. And that's what we're here to celebrate. We couldn't be more grateful for the support of the community. We have people coming out of their houses, joining us, walking with us to clean the streets here in South Los Angeles. Community Beautification is probably doing a cleanup around you within a month's time. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and LA City's Wreck and Parks department celebrated with young Angelinos at Stonehurst Park. Investments there are giving this Shadow Hills neighborhood more ways to play. Stonehurst Park is a beautiful park in the midst of this historic area of Shadow Hills. We have a brand new court for young people and adults to come play basketball. It's now regulation size. We also have this volleyball court, new fencing, which is great because we want to train the future Olympians here in Shadow Hills. This may seem like a small little step, but it's very significant. It could be used for open play, not only for our patrons for the use of facilities, but also for the public that's just coming here provide some exercise during the week. This shows the community that we are invested in them. Parents can now go in and sign up on our Play LA initiative. We have a very affordable pricing for all our recreation and physical activities here. Parks are a place where communities can come together, where young people through team sport will learn fair play and how to be part of a group. Key findings show that in three of the four geographic bureaus within the LAPD, there was a reduction in homicides with the greatest decline in Operations Valley Bureau, which had 28% fewer homicides in 2024. According to Chief McDonald, these improvements can be attributed to strategic policing, targeted enforcement, and collaborations with community organizations dedicated to violence prevention. For more information, visit mayor.lacity.gov slash press. Applications and recruitment for the next Team Council for Conservation begin later this summer. Interested teens are encouraged to follow at LA Zoo on social media and check out the program at LAZoo.org slash team council. Springtime is here, also known as kitten season. And LA Animal Services is looking for fosters for underage kittens that will need to be bottle fed. All new fosters interested in caring for bottled baby kittens or puppies need to complete an orientation class. Three LA Animal Services locations at Harbor, East Valley, and West Los Angeles are hosting upcoming foster orientation sessions. A feeding demonstration may take place. LA Animal Services also offers fostering for cats and dogs, which gives them a break from Kennel Life.
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