Los Angeles City Council Meeting - August 20, 2025

The August 20, 2025, Los Angeles City Council meeting began with community announcements before addressing a formal agenda. Key deliberations centered on historic preservation, the city's homelessness emergency declaration, and proposed building code changes. The council also heard extensive public testimony on immigration enforcement, tenant protections, and housing policy.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of minutes from August 19, 2025.
• Routine commendatory resolutions.
• Approval of multiple uncontested agenda items (1, 3-44 with exceptions, 46-52) in a single vote.
• Approval of closed session item 55 regarding a legal settlement, sent forthwith.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Abel Diaz, owner of Lupita's Bakery, testified that recent ICE immigration raids have created widespread fear, causing a 30-40% drop in his business sales and event cancellations. He argued that hardworking community members are being unfairly targeted and families are being separated.
• Multiple speakers, including survivors and activists, criticized the Church of Scientology for alleged illegal control of public streets (L. Ron Hubbard Way), viewpoint discrimination at public events, and labor violations.
• Sean Michaels blamed the homelessness crisis on council spending priorities and opposed criminalizing sidewalk sleeping, arguing the council has failed to provide housing.
• Terry Hara and Bill Fujioka of the Terminal Islanders Association and Japanese American National Museum spoke in support of designating the last two Terminal Island buildings as a historic cultural monument to preserve the legacy of the Japanese American fishing community forcibly removed during WWII.
• Dr. Sophia Armin (CA MENA Civil Rights Coalition) and Basha Jamil (CAIR-LA) advocated for council support of AB 91, the Middle Eastern and North African Inclusion Act, to ensure accurate demographic data collection.
• Becky Dennison (Legal Aid Foundation of LA) and other tenant advocates urged immediate action to amend the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), including capping annual rent increases at 3%, to protect tenants from eviction.
• Corey Out voiced support for single-staircase building code reforms to increase housing production.
• Anisha Williams, a fast-food worker, described dangerous heat conditions in kitchens and urged passage of a heat ordinance.
• Other comments included calls to close the Men's Central Jail, abolish the police officer's bill of rights, and criticisms of the council's handling of housing and homelessness.

Discussion Items

Item 22: Historic Cultural Monument Designation for Terminal Island

• Councilmember McCosker, joined by community advocates, passionately argued for designating the last two remaining buildings from the pre-WWII Japanese fishing village as a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM). He emphasized preserving the history of a community destroyed by internment and noted the tragic irony that the site is now used by ICE for raid staging.
• Council President Harris-Dawson strongly endorsed the motion, urging members to visit the site and framing the preservation as an act of remembering America's full history, countering narratives that seek to erase stories of oppression.

Item 45: Local Emergency Declaration on Homelessness

• Councilmember McCosker introduced an amended motion (which ultimately failed) to continue the emergency declaration for only 60 days (until October 17, 2025), require a report back with a strategic termination plan, and prevent further agendized continuances. He argued the emergency circumvents normal democratic processes and that the council must reclaim its governing role with public accountability.
• Councilmember Rodriguez expressed strong opposition to extending the emergency, arguing it surrenders council oversight and fiscal accountability, allowing for sole-source contracts without transparency. She stated she has voted against it for over a year.
• Councilmember Raman, a co-presenter of the original motion to review the emergency, supported winding it down but requested more time (90 days), citing the overwhelming workload and limited city staff capacity to manage a responsible transition.
• Councilmember Lee also favored a 90-day extension to allow for a proper off-ramp.
• Councilmember Blumenfield supported ending the declaration to return to "regular order" but stressed the need to first codify Mayor Bass's Executive Directive 1 (ED1) for affordable housing, which relies on the emergency authority.
• The Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) presented a report concluding that terminating the emergency declaration would not impede homelessness programs, as existing state and local laws (like the shelter crisis declaration) provide sufficient authority. The main impact would be on contracting procedures, requiring a return to standard competitive bidding.

Item 42: Single-Exit Staircase Ordinance (Building Code)

• Councilmember Rahman advocated for moving forward with an ordinance to allow single-exit staircases in buildings up to six stories to boost housing production, arguing it is safe, common elsewhere, and crucial before a state deadline.
• Councilmember Park voiced serious fire safety concerns, wanting direct input from LAFD firefighters and the state fire marshal before proceeding.
• Councilmember Rodriguez introduced an amendment to require consultation with the state fire marshal, emphasizing life safety vetting.
• Councilmember Blumenfield and Yaroslavsky supported the underlying item but amended Rodriguez's amendment to make the consultation concurrent with ordinance drafting to avoid missing the state deadline. This amended amendment passed.

Key Outcomes

• Terminal Island HCM: Item 22 was approved unanimously (14-0) and sent forthwith.
• Homelessness Emergency: The amendment to shorten the continuation period to 60 days and require a specific report failed on a 7-7 tie vote. The underlying item to continue the local emergency declaration for homelessness was approved (13-1, with Rodriguez opposed). It was referred to the Housing and Homelessness Committee for further discussion.
• Single-Exit Staircase Code Change: The amended amendment (Rodriguez/Park, as amended by Blumenfield/Yaroslavsky) to require concurrent consultation with the state fire marshal passed (14-0). Item 42, as amended, was then approved (13-1, with Park opposed).
• Other Votes: Item 41 was approved (13-0, with Price recused). A batch of items (17, 29, 30-35) was approved 12-2. Item 53, relating to sidewalk obstructions, was approved 11-3. Item 56, a resolution in support of AB 91 (MENA Inclusion Act), was approved 14-0.
• Continuances: Items 2 and 54 were continued. Item 38 was continued for one week at McCosker's request.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned in memory of Gary Lee Washburn.