Los Angeles City Council Meeting - April 11, 2025
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Los Angeles City Council Meeting - April 11, 2025
The Los Angeles City Council met on Friday, April 11, 2025, to consider several agenda items including the appointment of a new General Manager of Personnel, a contract for hazardous waste management services, a solid waste rate increase, and the extension of a local emergency declaration for wildfire response. The meeting also included public testimony on rent stabilization and worker compensation, and adjournments in memory of community members.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (April 9, 2025): Moved by Councilmember Yaroslavsky, seconded by Councilmember Hernandez. Unanimously approved.
- Items 3 and 6: Approved unanimously (11 ayes). Item 6 ordinance was held over for second consideration on April 22, 2025, unless 12 members were present.
- Item 2 – Appointment of General Manager of Personnel: The council confirmed Mayor Bass's appointment of Ms. Billups as General Manager of Personnel after a recommendation from the Personnel and Hiring Committee. Following remarks from councilmembers praising her qualifications and vision, the appointment was approved with 11 ayes. Ms. Billups pledged to focus on culture-building, improving civil service hiring processes, and navigating fiscal challenges with fairness and transparency.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 4 (Solid Waste Rate Increase) – General Public Comment: Multiple speakers, including Charles Leon (SEIU 721), Ivan Duarte (Refuse Collection Truck Operator), Randolph Neville (SEIU 721 steward), Eric Creighton (Refuse Collection Truck Operator), and Michael Martinez (LA Compost), voiced strong support for the rate increase, emphasizing the need to fund services, address inflation, and support workers who have not seen a rate adjustment since 2008. Some speakers also highlighted the critical role sanitation plays in homeless encampment cleanup and public health.
- Rent Stabilization (LARSO): Several members of the community, including Wendy Lopez, Sophia Mendoza, Victoria Enriquez, Sylvia Marroquin, and others, urged the council to cap rent increases at 0–3% via LARSO, stating that current increases (up to 10%) are unaffordable and drive homelessness. They requested the item be agendized and voted on promptly.
- Item 7 – Local Emergency Declaration: A few speakers criticized the city’s response to wildfire recovery, citing delays in permits, insurance denials, and lack of vouchers for displaced residents. Others called for more accountability and criticized the council for limiting public comment access.
- General Public Comment: Additional speakers addressed various topics including sex worker rights, tariff impacts, and housing provider concerns. One speaker (Mr. Spindler) was removed after repeated disruptions.
Discussion Items
- Item 4 – Solid Waste Rate Increase: LA Sanitation Director Barbara Romero presented a proposal to adjust the Solid Resources Fee (last changed in 2008) because the program has been subsidized by the general fund, which reached $217 million in the current fiscal year (nearly 40% of costs). The proposed rate of $55.95 per month (starting January 1, 2026) includes expanded low-income assistance (30% discount for all low-income households, removing the previous dual-eligibility cap). After debate, the council approved the rate increase 10-1 (Councilmember Nazarian dissenting). Councilmember Hernandez emphasized equity and the need to reduce reliance on the general fund. Councilmember Nazarian argued the rate disproportionately impacts lower-income households in multi-unit buildings and called for better data collection for future reviews.
- Item 5 – Hazardous Waste Management Contract (Clean Harbors): The Public Safety Committee had recommended disapproval of a $3.5 million, five-year contract with Clean Harbors for LAFD facilities due to lack of information on labor practices and subcontracting. Councilmember McOscar initially proposed an amendment to approve a one-year contract to avoid service interruption (Clean Harbors had been operating without a contract for 10 months). However, after the City Attorney clarified the council could only approve or reject the full contract, McOscar withdrew his motion. The council then voted unanimously (11-0) to adopt the committee report, disapproving the contract and directing the CAO and LAFD to report back with detailed information on Clean Harbors' safety record, subcontracting, and labor compliance.
- Item 7 – Local Emergency Declaration Extension: The council voted 11-0 to extend the local emergency declaration related to wildfires, allowing for continued federal funding and expedited decision-making. No further discussion was recorded.
Key Outcomes
- Appointment Confirmed: Ms. Billups confirmed as General Manager of Personnel (11-0).
- Solid Waste Rate Increase Approved: The council authorized LA Sanitation to proceed with the Proposition 218 process for a new rate structure, including an increase to $55.95/month for standard service, effective July 1, 2026, with annual adjustments, and expanded low-income assistance. Vote: 10-1 (Nazarian no). The rate increase is expected to reduce the general fund subsidy by approximately $20 million per month if accelerated.
- Clean Harbors Contract Rejected: The contract for hazardous waste management services was disapproved (11-0). The LAFD and CAO must report back with requested information before a new contract can be considered.
- Local Emergency Extended: The declaration for wildfire response was extended (11-0).
- Adjournments: The council adjourned in memory of Santos Gutierrez (community leader), Senior Lead Officer Paul Jordan (LAPD, 29 years of service), and Hal Frederick (Venice restaurateur and community builder).
Meeting Transcript
Gallons of water. Washing only full loads of laundry saves up to 30 gallons of water. And fixing a running toilet can save up to 50 gallons of water. Keep it in mind all day, every day. It's water conservation the LA way. Hello, everyone. I'm Susan Huckle, and here's what's happening in LA this week. Mayor Karen Bass joined LA City's Bureau of Street Lighting as it made an important switch. The Bureau is innovating existing infrastructure so solar energy will become the power for some street lights. An added bonus is that the new tech will mean less reliance on copper wire. So we are at the corner of Groundview and Ocean View in Council District One, and we're doing a groundbreaking for a solar street lighting project where we're going to convert 235 lights to solar street lighting. This is an example of how we are going to improve public safety and quality of life in our city. We know that LAPD has a copper wire task force, and they've been able to make many arrests, but at the end of the day, we have to come up with a better way of keeping our streets lit. What will happen is the streetlight remains itself, and we add a new fixture and a new arm on top of it to replace and convert to solar street lighting. For anyone who has a report of a streetlight issue or a street light out, they should always request it to 311. They can do it through the My LA 311 app or directly to 311 itself. The ULA is for United to House Los Angeles. And this transfer tax is a dedicated funding stream, which has supported renters, paid jobs in construction, and affordable housing developments like this one being opened. We are at the Enlightenment Plaza, newly built affordable housing funded by Measure ULA. Just as the voters intended, we can see the new development that's happening because of the mansion tax that voters passed in 2022. Today marks the two years of Measure ULA. Two years of the voters being loud and clear with the mandate. Two years of a much needed dedicated funding stream for affordable housing and homelessness prevention. And we're pleased to see it working right here. And as of the beginning of this year, ULA helped keep 11,000 Angelinos house rental assistants, helped kickstart the construction of 795 affordable units, and help create 10,000 union construction jobs. And we're just getting started. One of the huge benefits of the ULA funding is that we leverage this public dollars for about 200 million dollars of additional dollars to build these units out. And then secondly, we've been able to create 225 prevailing wage jobs, and we've been working with about 36 subcontractors uh throughout the Los Angeles area to make this project a reality. I'm living in a motel right now. I've been living there for uh year and a half, waiting to uh to get a permanent place in uh as long as we uh continue building this. I know that eventually I will uh get my own place. ULA! ULA! It's here this way! You know, at a time where you know the city's going through a really tough fiscal crisis, there's a housing crisis. You know, this is about what's really working. And every day we talk to new people who have been helped by Measure ULA, and that's what this is about. It's about community coming together and making sure that we're housing our neighbors. Um, that's what Measure ULA is for. This is not the unveiling of a regular playground. This is a DeGarmo Park Extreme Play Zone. LA City Recreation and Parks Department heard that park users wanted something very different, and they were more than happy to make that happen. In fact, it was no obstacle. So we just did the ribbon cutting of the Extreme Ninja program that has been set up right behind me. This is an obstacle course that's only the second in the city, and we wanted to do something special for this community. First, we built a playground that the community asked for with integrated shade and a water fountain. Then there was other fitness equipment for adults to exercise. And next the community asked for something exciting like this. I remember when this park was only just a little pirate ship. And then eventually the blue exercise park came in.
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