Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - February 13, 2026
Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - February 13, 2026
The Los Angeles City Council convened on Friday, February 13, 2026, at approximately 9:28 AM. The meeting included approval of minutes, commendatory resolutions, public hearings, presentations on community issues, public comments, and votes on agenda items. Key topics included immigration enforcement impacts on schools, Ramadan commemoration, Black History Month honors, and homelessness policy reform.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes from February 11, 2026, was moved and seconded, passed with 11 ayes.
- Commendatory resolutions were approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Multiple speakers addressed the council. Topics included:
- Concerns about the Charter Commission's independence and alleged coordination with the mayor's office.
- Calls for stronger ethics rules and transparency in city government.
- Requests for FIFA and LA28 to fund anti-trafficking measures for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
- Criticism of the city's nuisance abatement lien process.
- Testimony about LAPD response to student walkouts, alleging use of crowd control techniques and injuries.
- Support for closing Men's Central Jail after nine deaths in five weeks.
- General public comment on various issues including ICE enforcement and street lighting.
Discussion Items
- Presentation by LAUSD Board Member Carla Griego: Councilmember Jurado introduced Griego, who detailed the impact of ICE raids on students and families in her district. She described incidents of ICE targeting schools, student walkouts (over 4,000 students on one day), and LAUSD's response including trainings, compassion fund, and virtual academy. She urged the council to continue policies for affordable housing, tenants' rights, and community safety.
- Ramadan Commemoration: Councilmember Nazarian recognized the start of Ramadan on February 17, 2026. Representatives from the Burbank Islamic Center and Islamic Center of North Hollywood spoke about their community services, including food distribution and youth programs. They requested opportunities for Muslim students to present about Ramadan in LAUSD schools.
- Black History Month Honors: Councilmember Price honored three institutions: Shandana Toys (founded after 1965 Watts riots to produce black dolls), Broadway Federal Savings and Loan (founded 1946 to provide loans to African Americans), and the Lincoln Theater (historic venue on Central Avenue). The Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD) presented plans to renovate the Lincoln Theater into a performing arts center, develop 60 units of affordable housing, and partner with Carnegie Hall and the Quincy Jones Family Foundation.
- Item 4 – Position Authority for Homelessness Bureau: Councilmember Rodriguez requested a separate vote. Housing Department staff explained the position of Assistant General Manager to lead a new homelessness bureau, focusing on streamlining contracts and invoices. Councilmember Raman opposed, arguing it does not address fundamental failures in the system and noting two pending reports on homelessness reform that have not been scheduled for committee discussion (297 days and 177 days pending). The item passed 11-3, with Raman and two others voting no.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on Item 1: Passed with 13 ayes.
- Vote on Item 4: Passed with 11 ayes, 3 noes (Councilmember Raman and two others).
- Adjourning Motion: Councilmember Jurado honored Florente Peter Ibanez, a librarian and Filipino-American community leader who passed away. The council adjourned in his memory.
Note: The meeting also included a pre-recorded segment about the Los Angeles Central Library's 100th anniversary, LAPD crime data (homicides down 19% to 230 in 2025), and World Cup preparations, but these were not part of the council's formal agenda.
Meeting Transcript
Be part of something big. But before a big project can become a reality. You need big ideas. Ideas that make a big impact that deliver the good. To serve the greater good. You have what it did. To make a lasting contribution. Can you drive to the occasion? Are you ready to be part of something? That's bigger than you. Bigger than what you thought was possible, if so. Come be a part of LABWP. Be part of something big. Um buddy, what's shaking? We are not prepared for a earthquake. I love the rain. We're not prepared for a flood. Sure, in the movies, this is all pretend, but in real life, you gotta be prepared for any type of an emergency. You can't predict, but you can prepare. Yeah. How'd you know? The ball called Be Prepared at LAFD.org. Welcome to the Los Angeles Central Library, a cultural gem at the heart of downtown Los Angeles, and the flesh it of the Los Angeles public library system. For the last century, this remarkable institution has been a beacon of learning, creativity, and community for Angelinos and visitors alike. Every day, the Central Library connects people, providing a vital space to engage in the present. Learn from the past and dream of the future. Whether you're visiting the city or viewing from home, welcome to LA this week. Opened in 1926, the Los Angeles Central Library is an architectural landmark inspired by ancient civilizations and Spanish colonial revival styles. By the mid-1960s, the building faced calls for demolition, but preservation efforts prevailed. A major renovation saved the library, doubled its size, and introduced new landscaping. Now in 2026, LA's public library invites everyone to celebrate 100 years of the Central Library and its lasting impact on the city. We are in the magnificent Central Library here in downtown Los Angeles, and we are celebrating the 100th birthday of this incredible building. Bust through the inside layer of the outer wall and the cornerstone itself to finally reach the capsule and pull it out and uh be able to finally open it and share the contents today. I would just encourage people to come down and see it. The time capsule especially is kind of fun, because as kids we used to do time capsules in our backyard. No one probably ever dug them up, but in this case, you know, it was a very formal thing, and they even found a time capsule inside of Time Capsule, which was cool, so you can see all the contents of that. It's neat. There were some things that we knew had been placed in the time capsule through minutes of library board meetings. But as with almost all time capsules, they're inevitably surprises. Another really interesting thing to me was from the 1881 time capsule from the normal school that was on this site before the library, and that capsule was actually inside of ours. We didn't have any idea what that was going to contain, but among the really interesting things was a sort of memento of black morning cloth and dried moss from the funeral of President Garfield, who had been assassinated just a couple months prior, and somebody who was at that memorial celebration in uh Cleveland brought that and felt that it was important to represent that moment in American history and put it in the time capsule. And that's something we have here that we never would have expected. I've walked around and looked at the artifacts, which is amazing how well they survived. They don't look like they sat in the box for a hundred years. But the building itself proved that LA does have history. We are not just this whole new city. We do have a history here, and we like to celebrate our history. A lot of great things to be proud of of this library. I think it's the greatest place where any Angelino can come and feel at home, read, and just feel at peace, knowing that they can have access to any great knowledge as I have. I don't know what anyone would be if they didn't learn from history, learn from the lessons of life.
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