OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 13, 2026
BodyLos Angeles, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:08:39

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And I'm proud to say we've successfully bought down homelessness in our district by 29%.

0:08

And we've gotten over 2,000 people in permanent housing.

0:13

I'm really proud of that.

0:14

And you know, it's not over.

0:16

There's more work to be done.

0:20

I'm committed to using every city resource to bring more parks into CD10.

0:25

We're currently working on a plan to do a major expansion to Seoul International Park.

0:31

In the past few months, we've secured major renovations to be made to Chateau Park and Lafayette Park.

0:38

And we also just finished renovating the football field here at Obama Sports Complex.

0:45

So when we think of Koreatown, it's a very dense population.

0:49

And in going outside the box, thinking of ways to make spaces usable is why we expanded Popico Library to make a library park.

1:01

And we should see the completion of that, Rosa.

1:04

With the World Cup, All-Star Weekend, Super Bowl, and the Olympics all heading to Los Angeles.

1:10

We're standing on the edge of a massive economic boom.

1:14

But a boom only matters if the wealth stays in the neighborhood.

1:18

This is why our office launched our small business workshop series by giving our local businesses access to tools like RAM.

1:27

They can position themselves to secure formal city contracts, transforming them from spectators into vendors and workers that will make these games possible.

1:41

We're gonna celebrate all the works of Martin Luther King.

1:45

We have the MLK parade coming in January.

1:48

I'm excited.

1:59

And then Love Hut.

2:01

It is something I do in Women's Month to remind women about how important they are and to know that I care about their struggle.

2:12

I can't believe we're almost at 26.

2:16

Continuing to get our unhoused neighbors the housing and resources they need.

2:20

That's number one, every single day.

2:23

Continue growing park space across the district.

2:26

There's so many children and families who have limited access to being outside, to be in Park Center District.

2:34

And I feel like they're a necessity, so I'm committed to making sure we balance the gap.

2:40

I feel like we've had some lessons learned in 25.

2:44

25 showed how resilient Los Angeles is, and then we'll move on with that strength and resilience in 26.

2:56

All the good boy and girl dogs at the LA Animal Services shelters got holiday treats and toys.

3:03

While the generous gifts are a help, the intention is to highlight the dogs and help get them into their forever homes.

3:18

Today the Karen Cooper Foundation brought Santa Sacks for the dogs across our six animal services centers.

3:37

What else can I say?

3:38

Christmas came early for the shelter fets in LA City.

3:44

We know these shelter dogs don't really have that much of an opportunity to have any joy during the holidays.

3:49

So what we do is we bring them all these treats.

3:52

The other reason that we do it is to draw attention to the adoptions that are so much needed.

4:08

We wanted to adopt a dog, so he just came and he fell in love with one of the dogs when I was at work when he told me he already adopted him.

4:16

And I was like, why don't you tell me?

4:18

And then when I came to visit him, I'm like, my heart melted too.

4:21

So I'm like so happy that he decided to get this dog.

4:28

I know we're both super happy right now.

4:30

That's all I can say.

4:35

Michelle and I are here for this cause.

4:37

We're here to bring Christmas to them.

4:38

But at the end of the day, what needs to really happen is these little guys and gals need to be in their forever homes.

4:44

It's really helpful to adopt the dogs.

4:47

That would change a life.

4:50

To find more ways to support the department, whether it's volunteering, adopting, or donating, you can visit LA Animal Services.com.

5:01

The recent LA Rains couldn't dent the community spirit on display at the annual Kwanzaa Festival.

5:08

In fact, legend has it that rain on this parade is a sign of good luck and blessings to come.

5:20

The question came up, what are we gonna do for Kwanzaa?

5:25

Why don't we do a parade?

5:35

What the Kwanzaa Guaride does is it brings in the new year.

5:42

The theme of this year's Guaride is Kufu Fu Liwa, which is literally resurrection.

5:52

And so we're in a resurrection period.

5:56

I mean, Kwanzaa to me is celebrating black pride.

6:01

So just to have this moment for us to be able to gather together and do something meaningful with no drama, fun times.

6:07

Lamert Park is always a good time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████18%
Public Comment█████████████████17%
Affordable Housing█████████████13%
Immigrant Services██████████10%
Public Safety████████8%
Homelessness████████8%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Community Engagement██████6%
Public Works██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026

The Los Angeles City Council convened on January 13, 2026, for a session marked by ceremonial recognitions for Korean American Day and the legacy of Dr. William Sachs Epps, alongside urgent public testimony regarding federal immigration enforcement and housing stability. The meeting featured robust public comment focused on defending Measure ULA, advocating for the Transgender and Gender-Expansive (TGI) Wellness and Equity initiative, and addressing concerns over police donations from external entities. Councilmembers passed several key motions, including a separate vote to address ghost kitchen zoning, fire safety regulations, and a request for transparency regarding the LA 28 task force's involvement in local policing.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of minutes from January 9, 2026 (Motion by Councilmember Yaroslavsky, Second by Councilmember Hutt).
  • Commendatory resolutions approved (Motion by Councilmember Lee, Second by Councilmember Park).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Speaker Mary (Dharma teacher/organizer,CLU): Expressed profound concern regarding federal immigration enforcement, describing the fear felt by the community due to ICE sightings and detentions. She described being personally impacted by witnessing neighbors apprehended and reported that her 80-year-old student was pulled from an airport line and interrogated.
  • Speaker Margarita Gonzalez: Expressed full support for housing as an extreme need and urged the council to fully support the ULA (Upper Landlord Association/Mission) initiative for social housing.
  • Speaker Irma Mejia (Inner City Struggle): Expressed strong support for accessible housing and the ULA measure, stating that without financial support, the city cannot assist those unable to afford rent.
  • Speaker Angelina: Expressed support for the accessible housing ordinance, arguing that every person deserves stable and affordable housing.
  • Speaker Anna Ferrari: Expressed support for maintaining rent control and the ULA, noting that she relies on these measures to afford her home and believes housing is a human right.
  • Speaker Bambi Salcedo / Others identifying with Trans Latina Coalition: Expressed support for a four-million-dollar allocation to support TGI organizations and called for an investment in trans wellness and equity.
  • Speaker Skylar Myers (State of House LA): Expressed strong support for ULA, noting it has secured over $100 million in savings for vulnerable families and funds eviction prevention education.
  • Speaker Grace Estrella (Communities for a Better Environment): Expressed support for protecting Measure ULA, arguing it benefits the working class and vulnerable by funding legal representation and affordable housing, while opposing rich real estate corporations.
  • Speaker Frederick Williams Silic: Expressed strong opposition to the current proceedings, labeling them a "child's game" and demanding genuine democracy, legitimacy, and dignity.
  • Speaker Laura Anderson: Expressed severe opposition to city connections with Scientology, urging the council to sever ties due to alleged human trafficking and financial abuses.
  • Speaker Bijan Gaimi: Expressed support for ULA but also described violent terror in his neighborhood where immigrants were snatched by masked gunmen, urging the council to stop supporting the rich and start caring for families in crisis.
  • Speaker Deborah Escovar: Expressed a need for support for Trans Latina organizations to secure housing for trans women who have been on the streets.
  • Speaker B. Curiel: Expressed a plea for concrete investment in the trans community's ability to shelter each other and mitigate low-quality resources.
  • Speaker Giovanna Escobar: Expressed strong support for protecting Measure ULA as a renter demanding dignity.
  • Unnamed Speaker (Item 4/9 Focus): Expressed opposition to lighting district upgrades near the Scientology "Blue Building," suggesting the organization pay for them instead of taxpayers, and expressed suspicion of anonymous police donations.
  • Unnamed Speaker (Alcohol Application): Expressed strong opposition to alcohol sales in the district and aggression toward Councilmember Herman, though the clerk warned the speaker to stay on agenda items.
  • Speaker Barista/Strike Captain: Expressed support for the Fast Food Fair Work Ordinance, highlighting unstable workplaces and the lack of health insurance benefits for workers with fewer than 20 hours.
  • Speaker Evelia Montano: Expressed support for protecting ULA to provide legal protection for renters and affordable housing.
  • Speaker (Item 4/23 Focus): Expressed outrage over the city's lack of street lighting, noting budget cuts to public works vs. increases for convention centers, and expressed suspicion that police data from license plate readers is being shared with ICE.
  • Speaker (Item 26 Focus): Expressed concern that fire safety regulations often punish vulnerable TGI, immigrant, and unhoused communities, advocating for housing as the foundation of safety.

Meeting Transcript

And I'm proud to say we've successfully bought down homelessness in our district by 29%. And we've gotten over 2,000 people in permanent housing. I'm really proud of that. And you know, it's not over. There's more work to be done. I'm committed to using every city resource to bring more parks into CD10. We're currently working on a plan to do a major expansion to Seoul International Park. In the past few months, we've secured major renovations to be made to Chateau Park and Lafayette Park. And we also just finished renovating the football field here at Obama Sports Complex. So when we think of Koreatown, it's a very dense population. And in going outside the box, thinking of ways to make spaces usable is why we expanded Popico Library to make a library park. And we should see the completion of that, Rosa. With the World Cup, All-Star Weekend, Super Bowl, and the Olympics all heading to Los Angeles. We're standing on the edge of a massive economic boom. But a boom only matters if the wealth stays in the neighborhood. This is why our office launched our small business workshop series by giving our local businesses access to tools like RAM. They can position themselves to secure formal city contracts, transforming them from spectators into vendors and workers that will make these games possible. We're gonna celebrate all the works of Martin Luther King. We have the MLK parade coming in January. I'm excited. And then Love Hut. It is something I do in Women's Month to remind women about how important they are and to know that I care about their struggle. I can't believe we're almost at 26. Continuing to get our unhoused neighbors the housing and resources they need. That's number one, every single day. Continue growing park space across the district. There's so many children and families who have limited access to being outside, to be in Park Center District. And I feel like they're a necessity, so I'm committed to making sure we balance the gap. I feel like we've had some lessons learned in 25. 25 showed how resilient Los Angeles is, and then we'll move on with that strength and resilience in 26. All the good boy and girl dogs at the LA Animal Services shelters got holiday treats and toys. While the generous gifts are a help, the intention is to highlight the dogs and help get them into their forever homes. Today the Karen Cooper Foundation brought Santa Sacks for the dogs across our six animal services centers. What else can I say? Christmas came early for the shelter fets in LA City. We know these shelter dogs don't really have that much of an opportunity to have any joy during the holidays. So what we do is we bring them all these treats. The other reason that we do it is to draw attention to the adoptions that are so much needed. We wanted to adopt a dog, so he just came and he fell in love with one of the dogs when I was at work when he told me he already adopted him. And I was like, why don't you tell me? And then when I came to visit him, I'm like, my heart melted too. So I'm like so happy that he decided to get this dog. I know we're both super happy right now. That's all I can say. Michelle and I are here for this cause. We're here to bring Christmas to them. But at the end of the day, what needs to really happen is these little guys and gals need to be in their forever homes. It's really helpful to adopt the dogs. That would change a life. To find more ways to support the department, whether it's volunteering, adopting, or donating, you can visit LA Animal Services.com.

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