Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting — February 10, 2026

The Los Angeles City Council convened with 10 members initially present (later reaching 12 for reconsideration) and acted on several voting blocks, heard public comment, approved a major street-lighting contract amendment to advance a citywide Prop. 218 assessment ballot affecting "a little over half a million" parcels, approved a series of closed-session settlement expenditures (24 items), and reactivated a prior land-use file aimed at prohibiting private federal detention centers in all zones citywide. The Council also entered closed session on items 10 and 53, returned with a vote on item 10, and adjourned in memory of two community members.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of minutes: Minutes of February 10, 2026 were moved (Price) and seconded (Hernandez) and later approved as part of a larger voting block.
• Commendatory resolutions: Moved (Hutt) and seconded (Soto-Martinez) and later approved as part of a larger voting block.
• Items 5–7 (public hearings previously held): Approved 10–0.
  • The ordinance for Item 5 was initially held for second consideration on Friday, February 20, 2026, but later reconsidered when 12 members were present (see Key Outcomes).
• Continuation: Item 2 was continued to February 24, 2026.
• Voting block: Items 1, 3, 4, 9, and 12–26 approved 11–0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Franklin Roosevelt (speaker warned for alleged multiple sign-ups): Spoke on items 8–10 and general public comment; asserted concerns about tax increases and promoted a future CD1 candidate (position expressed: opposition to tax increases and support for that candidate).
• Byron Jose, Trans Latina Coalition: Spoke on items 34–53 (closed-session settlements), criticizing repeated liability payouts and asserting city priorities and LAPD costs contribute to budget strain; also urged progress on a Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Intersex Communities Equity Initiative (position expressed: concern/criticism of current budgeting and liability exposure; support for proposed equity initiative).
• Elsa Sanchez (McDonald’s worker): Spoke in general public comment in support of the Fair Workers’ Wage Ordinance, emphasizing the importance of workers knowing their rights; described not filing a complaint after a workplace injury due to lack of knowledge and fear of losing work (position expressed: support for worker-rights trainings, including trainings outside the workplace).
• Michael Diggin (IBEW Local 18 shop steward; city employee): Spoke in general public comment criticizing alleged LAPD conduct, citing personal experience of being hit by a "40-millimeter foam round" and exposure to chemical agents; urged Council to rein in LAPD (position expressed: demand for Council action/oversight of LAPD).
• Unidentified speaker (Skid Row housing concern): Raised concern about a person who "bought 20 buildings" in/near Skid Row and alleged that no one is being housed and buildings are not being maintained; stated they contacted a city inspector and intended ongoing attendance (position expressed: concern about housing conditions and enforcement).

Discussion Items

Item 8 — Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) contract amendment to advance a Prop. 218 assessment ballot

• Lead/Committee role: Presented by the relevant committee chair (Councilmember Nithya Raman), with BSL staff at the table.
• Staff presenters: Miguel Sangalang, Director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, with assistant directors Megan Hackney and Fabian Cheng.
• Purpose of contract amendment (as described on the record):
  • Update the engineer’s report (assessment methodology and parcel-level data).
  • Finalize ballot design/notice and conduct a 60-day education and outreach effort.
  • Mail and receive ballots (Prop. 218 process).
• Timeline and process details:
  • Goal to bring the ballot package to Council in March.
  • Target vote mail-out in April, with a required 45-day voting period, placing results around June.
  • Staff stated delay would likely jeopardize having the assessment in place for FY 2026–27.
• Scale and baseline:
  • Staff stated the ballot would go to "a little over half a million" parcels.
  • Staff stated rates have effectively been frozen since 1996 (Prop. 218 era) and this would be the first citywide ballot at this scale.
• Service-level claims if assessment succeeds:
  • Current repair timeframe described as about a year.
  • With full implementation, staff stated minor issues could be addressed within a week, and most major theft/vandalism outages within a month.
  • Catch-up estimate: significant improvement within ~6 months from June (i.e., by early 2027), using a mix of procurement (including solar), contractors/hiring hall, and expanded hiring.
• Funding target discussed:
  • Director referenced a 2022 needs assessment concluding about $125 million/year is needed; staff anticipated presenting that recommendation, with Council able to adjust.
• Other implementation components discussed:
  • Theft/vandalism response: proposed technology (e.g., cameras/sensors) to support enforcement.
  • Solar program contemplated as part of the broader assessment plan.
  • Auditing: staff stated a three-year auditing mechanism would be included to improve transparency and accountability.
• Council questions/positions:
  • Padilla: Expressed strong support; asked about staffing, theft (copper wire), coordination with LAPD/Building & Safety, solar expansion, and fiber optics (position expressed: support for assessment effort; concern about theft and staffing).
  • Raman: Asked clarifying questions on outreach timing and differing assessment figures referenced elsewhere; sought confirmation that final dollar amount remains to be determined by Council (position expressed: supportive/clarifying).
  • Council President (speaker not identified by name in transcript): Asked about backlog catch-up time and hiring timelines; noted city hiring can be slow (position expressed: focus on implementation realism and timelines).

Item 27 — Reactivation of Council File 19-0742 (private detention centers)

• Presenter: Councilmember McOsker.
• Action described: Reactivate and update a 2019 file (introduced by then-Council President Herb Wesson) that advanced a proposed ordinance to prohibit private detention centers for federal enforcement in any zone citywide, as a land-use matter.
• Rationale presented:
  • Prior concerns (human rights violations, poor conditions) have resurfaced.
  • Noted a state-level attempt (referenced as AB 32) was found unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause; argued local land-use authority differs and may be more viable.
  • Emphasized the Council should be prepared before a proposal arises; cited national reporting of proposals in at least eight states.
• Council President comments: Supported the action and referenced prior proposed detention facilities in their district involving Geo Group; stated those sites are now homeless shelters and noted differing cost/requirements between shelters and detention centers (position expressed: support for reactivating file and concern about detention center economics/feasibility).

Closed Session Settlements (Items 28–52)

• The Clerk read 24 settlement items and recommended maximum expenditures, including (selected examples):
  • Item 28: up to $135,000
  • Item 30: stated as up to 368,795,000 (as read into the record; unusually large figure)
  • Item 51: stated as up to $5,040,417,046 plus all accrued interest (as read into the record; unusually large figure)
  • Item 52: up to $1,551.42
• Council approved items 28–52 11–0.

Key Outcomes

• Item 2 continued to February 24, 2026.
• Items 5–7 approved 10–0; Item 5 reconsidered and adopted after reaching 12 members present:
  • Reconsideration vote: 12–0
  • Second consideration/adoption: 12–0
• Public comment concluded, then items 1, 3, 4, 9, and 12–26 approved 11–0.
• Closed-session settlements (Items 28–52) approved 11–0, authorizing the listed maximum settlement expenditures.
• Item 8 (Street Lighting contract amendment) approved unanimously (vote tally read as unanimous; transcript text appears as "[all] ayes"). Council also moved Item 8 forthwith (immediate effect) without objection.
• Item 11 (separate vote): Approved 9 ayes, 3 noes.
• Item 27 (private detention centers file reactivation): Approved 12–0, and ordered forthwith.
• Closed session held on Items 10 and 53.
  • No reportable action on Item 53.
  • Item 10: Upon return, Council voted to adopt the Budget & Finance Committee report (11–0).
• Adjournments in memory:
  • Florence La Farga (passed January 16, 2026, born 1931; long-time South Bay resident and Harbor UCLA Medical Center interpreter/billing staff).
  • Pastor Lawrence Champion Blake Sr. (passed January 27, 2026, age 54; pastor of Palm Lane Church of God in Christ; son of Bishop Charles E. Blake and Lady May Lawrence Blake).

Note on transcript limitations: No agenda or minutes were provided; several item subjects (including Items 10, 11, and 53) were not described in detail in the transcript beyond voting posture (committee report / closed session).