OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting: October 28, 2025 – ICE Raids Testimonies, Land Acknowledgment, and Budget Approvals

City Council — Tuesday, October 28, 2025
BodyLos Angeles, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:13:10
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I want everybody to remain safe.

0:02

Ensure that you have your emergency supply kit, ensure that you have enough items in your kit to sustain your family for three days.

0:11

You have pets.

0:11

Make sure that you're also accounting for them.

0:15

Right now we're standing inside the Big Shaker Earthquake Simulator.

0:19

The simulator simulates a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

0:25

So the whole goal of this is to make sure that family and friends are prepared at home if an earthquake were to happen.

0:32

So top heavy furniture, TVs, any items that can turn into projectiles, especially glass, as we want to make sure we're securing those.

0:42

People need to be self-sufficient to begin with.

0:44

So we want people to be prepared at home.

0:47

It starts with you and your family.

0:49

You know, do you have your furniture secured?

0:52

Do you have an emergency kit?

0:54

Do you have a family communication plan?

0:56

And when an earthquake actually does happen, remember the three things.

1:00

It's drop cover and hold on that you need to do.

1:03

What you should do is get down on the ground.

1:05

That's what we call drop.

1:07

Cover your head and neck.

1:08

And if you can get under a table for additional shelter, that's going to protect you from what causes the most injuries, which is falling or flying objects.

1:18

You can have your earthquake drill any day of the year.

1:21

So if you haven't already registered at ShakeOut.org to be counted in the annual total or to find out a lot of the guidance materials we have.

1:29

Go to ShakeOut.org and join us, and that way you also get notified for next year when we'll be doing this again.

1:59

Today we are in Westchester and City Eleven of Los Angeles City, and the city attorney's office is hosting an event that gathers different government organizations and small nonprofits to share their services and what kind of outreach options they have for senior citizens in this area.

2:17

We offer free minor home repair and accessibility improvements.

2:34

So please, please reach out to us.

2:41

We have providers from across the city and government agencies that work very closely with our seniors to meet their needs in our community.

2:51

You really need all the information you can get, and we all have questions.

3:00

We definitely feel like senior citizens are sort of an underappreciated, underreached demographic that we want to share this information with them.

3:09

They're all here giving information to all the seniors here about their services.

3:13

And we're just kind of trying to find out what's available.

3:17

And I found out there's lots of interesting things available for us.

3:21

I never realized.

3:23

So this is great.

3:27

Well, we have a rocking senior center, and there's something for everyone.

3:32

So I have a lot of fun here.

3:39

Sometimes a lot of seniors get lonely or bored at home.

3:43

So I think they should just come down here and just interact with their own peers and everything.

3:50

That's what I like.

3:51

Just being around with other people.gov.

3:59

You ladies have any questions for me?

4:01

They should sign up for my newsletter at CD11.la City.gov and follow me on social media at Councilwoman Tracy Park.

4:10

The LA Found program is a countywide initiative that can connect caregivers whenever those they care for wander or go missing.

4:18

The program gives both help and information that can really provide peace of mind for caregivers.

4:28

Thank you all for joining us here at Grand Park for this very special day, LA Found Day.

4:36

One of my constituents went missing, and unfortunately, she was never found alive.

4:41

And that prompted me to say we in Los Angeles County need to do better.

4:45

And we launched the Bring Our Loved Ones Home Task Force.

4:49

Today we're launching a new GPS watch where caregivers and family members and loved ones can keep track of their loved one who has Alzheimer's or child who has autism so that they never wander too far from home.

5:05

This is why we're here today to really feel like there's a better coordinated effort in Los Angeles to address the needs for people who wander.

5:13

Having this on Jordan is such a relief because we know we can find her quickly if she wanders off.

5:23

So this is a Theora GPS watch.

5:25

So what this watch is, gives its live GPS location every 15 minutes or so.

5:29

As long as Jordan's wearing it, caregivers can be able to track this watch.

5:33

With this watch, we can also set a what's called a geo fence, which is a electronic fence around any property.

5:40

And if the watch leaves that geofence or enters the geofence, the caregivers will get an alert as well.

5:45

So make the first call to see what resources are available to see how we can support you and who we can link you up to.

5:51

And ultimately, if your family member does need that bracelet, we will provide a free bracelet to your loved one to support you through that.

5:57

And as we expand on our technologies, it might be a different technology.

6:00

Today we've demonstrated theora care and Project Life Saver is still a foundational piece within this program, but there are other technologies out there too.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████25%
Community Engagement█████████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████17%
Parks and Recreation█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████12%
Homelessness█████5%
Pending Litigation██2%
Land Use And Zoning██2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting – October 28, 2025

The Los Angeles City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, beginning at approximately 9:31 AM. The meeting included presentations on immigration enforcement abuses, adoption of a city land acknowledgment, consideration of an interim control ordinance on RV parks, and approval of multiple consent and settlement items. Public comment addressed housing, sanitation, street lighting, liquor licensing, and more. The council voted on 49 agenda items, with several motions and amendments.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 2 through 9, 12, 13, 14, and 20 were approved unanimously (11 ayes) after routine roll call.
  • Item 3 (ordinance) was held over for second consideration to November 4, 2025, unless considered with 12 members present.
  • Item 10 was received and filed via a motion by Councilmember McCosker, seconded by Councilmember Rodriguez (13 ayes, with Councilmember Hernandez recorded as no).
  • Items 39 through 46 (closed session settlement items) were approved 12 ayes after brief comments from Budget and Finance Chair Councilmember Yaroslavsky. Settlement amounts ranged from $150,000 (item 42) to $1 million (item 41). Item 40 rejected a plaintiff’s offer.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Testimony on ICE Raids: Councilmember Blumenfield introduced Anton and Tatiana, a married Russian couple granted political asylum who were arrested by ICE on August 21, 2025, while legally residing in the U.S. with work permits and pending asylum cases. Anton described being handcuffed, shackled, and detained for 26 days in San Diego; Tatiana was arrested after being lured outside to retrieve their dog. Their teenage son was left home alone. The couple expressed fear of return to Russia and criticized the conditions of detention (cold, no bedding, denial of medication). Councilmembers Blumenfield, Rodriguez, and the Council President condemned the arrests as violations of constitutional rights and urged documentation and justice.
  • General Public Comment (selected):
    • A fast-food worker (Estella Flores) urged approval of a worker safety ordinance, citing workplace violence.
    • A speaker (Ray Lawson, Carpenters Union) thanked the council for supporting a study on a residential construction worker minimum wage (item 20) and urged continued action.
    • Multiple speakers commented on items 23 (shared housing typologies – opposed), 24 (graffiti busters – supported), 25 (meeting location in Van Nuys – criticized as exclusionary), 26 (sanitation in CD9 – supported), 27 (street lighting – supported), and general public comment regarding ICE raids, police violence, and budget cuts.
    • A speaker (Vanessa Bautista, Best Friends Animal Society) promoted a Super Adoption event at the Rose Bowl on November 1-2.
    • Several speakers voiced strong opposition to the council’s budget priorities and alleged police misconduct.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation by His Holiness Aram I: Councilmember Nazarian welcomed Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia, highlighting his 30 years of spiritual leadership, humanitarian work, and ecumenical contributions. The Catholicos addressed the council, emphasizing youth engagement, people-oriented service, and the value of diversity in Los Angeles.
  • Land Acknowledgment Adoption (Item 17/38): Councilmember Rodriguez introduced a motion to adopt the city’s first formal land acknowledgment, honoring the original peoples of the land. She thanked former Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell (Wyandot Nation) and tribal commissions for their work. The interim control ordinance (Item 38) temporarily paused permits for RV parks under Section 14 of the public benefit code, citing health and safety concerns from ambiguous definitions. Councilmember Rodriguez noted exploitation of gray areas leading to unsafe conditions. Both items were approved.
  • Kent Wong Square (Item 30): Councilmember Hernandez moved to install a ceremonial sign at West 7th Street and South Park View Street as “Kent Wong Square,” honoring the late labor leader and worker justice advocate. Family members spoke, including his son Ryan Wong, who described his father’s vision for the UCLA Labor Center as a crossroads for immigrants and workers. The motion passed unanimously (13 ayes).
  • Substitute Motion for Item 27 (Street Lighting): Councilmember Hernandez introduced a substitute motion for item 27 regarding street lighting in Lincoln Heights; it was approved 13 ayes.
  • Committee Jurisdiction Change: Councilmember Nazarian offered a friendly amendment to adopt a change in Transportation and Energy/Environment Committee jurisdictions to include electric vehicles and chargers. Seconded and passed.
  • Items 15 and 16 (Transportation Committee Reports): Moved by Council President and passed after a separate vote requested by Councilmember Hernandez.
  • Item 21 (Separate Vote): Called special by Councilmember Hernandez; passed 11 ayes, 2 noes.

Key Outcomes

  • Land Acknowledgment Adopted: The council adopted the city’s land acknowledgment, directing the CAO to update the MOU with tribal commissions for meaningful partnership. The ordinance (Item 17) passed 13 ayes; item 38 (RV park ICO) passed 12 ayes, 1 no (Councilmember Jurado), and was made urgent forthwith.
  • Interim Control Ordinance on RV Parks (Item 38): Approved as urgent, temporarily halting new permits until planning code updates are completed.
  • Settlements Approved: Closed session items 39-46 approved, including settlements of $1 million (Alan Barrahona), $665,000 (Baker Electric), $375,000 (Florenza San Juan), $200,000 (Robin Freedman), and $203,624.80 (LA Times). Item 40 (Gaynell Walker) rejected plaintiff’s offer.
  • Item 27 (Street Lighting) Substitute Motion Passed: Approved 13 ayes.
  • Item 30 (Kent Wong Square) Amended and Adopted: Unanimous.
  • Item 9 (as amended by Nazarian/Harris-Dawson): Approved 13 ayes.
  • Items 1, 22-26, 28, 29, 31-37: Approved 13 ayes.
  • Closed Session Items 47-48: Continued to November 5, 2025; item 49 referred back to Housing and Homelessness Committee.
  • Public Comment Rules Enforced: One warning issued for disruption during presentation; speakers reminded of decorum.

The meeting adjourned at approximately [time not specified], with announcements regarding upcoming Halloween and Dia de los Muertos events.

Meeting Transcript

I want everybody to remain safe. Ensure that you have your emergency supply kit, ensure that you have enough items in your kit to sustain your family for three days. You have pets. Make sure that you're also accounting for them. Right now we're standing inside the Big Shaker Earthquake Simulator. The simulator simulates a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. So the whole goal of this is to make sure that family and friends are prepared at home if an earthquake were to happen. So top heavy furniture, TVs, any items that can turn into projectiles, especially glass, as we want to make sure we're securing those. People need to be self-sufficient to begin with. So we want people to be prepared at home. It starts with you and your family. You know, do you have your furniture secured? Do you have an emergency kit? Do you have a family communication plan? And when an earthquake actually does happen, remember the three things. It's drop cover and hold on that you need to do. What you should do is get down on the ground. That's what we call drop. Cover your head and neck. And if you can get under a table for additional shelter, that's going to protect you from what causes the most injuries, which is falling or flying objects. You can have your earthquake drill any day of the year. So if you haven't already registered at ShakeOut.org to be counted in the annual total or to find out a lot of the guidance materials we have. Go to ShakeOut.org and join us, and that way you also get notified for next year when we'll be doing this again. Today we are in Westchester and City Eleven of Los Angeles City, and the city attorney's office is hosting an event that gathers different government organizations and small nonprofits to share their services and what kind of outreach options they have for senior citizens in this area. We offer free minor home repair and accessibility improvements. So please, please reach out to us. We have providers from across the city and government agencies that work very closely with our seniors to meet their needs in our community. You really need all the information you can get, and we all have questions. We definitely feel like senior citizens are sort of an underappreciated, underreached demographic that we want to share this information with them. They're all here giving information to all the seniors here about their services. And we're just kind of trying to find out what's available. And I found out there's lots of interesting things available for us. I never realized. So this is great. Well, we have a rocking senior center, and there's something for everyone. So I have a lot of fun here. Sometimes a lot of seniors get lonely or bored at home. So I think they should just come down here and just interact with their own peers and everything. That's what I like. Just being around with other people.gov. You ladies have any questions for me? They should sign up for my newsletter at CD11.la City.gov and follow me on social media at Councilwoman Tracy Park. The LA Found program is a countywide initiative that can connect caregivers whenever those they care for wander or go missing. The program gives both help and information that can really provide peace of mind for caregivers. Thank you all for joining us here at Grand Park for this very special day, LA Found Day. One of my constituents went missing, and unfortunately, she was never found alive. And that prompted me to say we in Los Angeles County need to do better. And we launched the Bring Our Loved Ones Home Task Force. Today we're launching a new GPS watch where caregivers and family members and loved ones can keep track of their loved one who has Alzheimer's or child who has autism so that they never wander too far from home. This is why we're here today to really feel like there's a better coordinated effort in Los Angeles to address the needs for people who wander.

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