OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting - February 24, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 24, 2026
BodyLos Angeles, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:47:49
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

So I'm 56.

0:01

That's a long time of dodging history.

0:04

It's a family thing, right?

0:06

Like my grandpa on my dad's side, he worked with the team for a couple years back in the 70s.

0:10

My dad, born and raised here, he just passed down the fandom to me.

0:14

Like I remember being a kid, him telling me about Kurt Gibson's walk-off.

0:17

Like I remember coming to games back in the like 2000s, 2010s.

0:21

Like Matt Kemp was my guy.

0:22

Audrey Ethier was my guy.

0:24

Uh this man right here, my favorite player of all time.

0:28

Thank you for 18 years.

0:31

Thank you for showing up and watching us play for the last 18 years.

0:38

Thank you for being here for me and my family.

0:41

And so supporting us.

0:43

And thank you for all you guys.

0:46

Thank you.

0:46

My teammates.

0:48

You guys are the best in the world.

0:51

It's just like a lifelong thing for me.

0:53

Oh, this just feels like it's been years in the making.

0:56

This greatness.

0:57

This is a dynasty now.

0:58

It's a family thing.

0:59

I love it.

1:00

I feel like we're winning for all my past generations, and they could see more Dodgers Championships.

1:04

That's what I'm hoping for.

1:06

Everybody's been asking questions about a dynasty.

1:12

How about three and six years?

1:15

How about a gods of that?

1:19

Yes!

1:22

Repeat would be pretty nice to see here in Los Angeles.

1:26

I'm ready to get uh another ring.

1:33

Job in 2024 done.

1:36

Job in 2025 done.

1:40

Job in 2026 starts now.

2:32

Welcome to the Los Angeles Central Library, a cultural gem at the heart of downtown Los Angeles, and the flagship of the Los Angeles public library system.

2:43

For the last century, this remarkable institution has been a beacon of learning, creativity, and community for Angelinos and visitors alike.

2:52

Every day, the Central Library connects people, providing a vital space to engage in the present.

2:58

Learn from the past and dream of the future.

3:01

Whether you're visiting the city or viewing from home, welcome to LA this week.

3:21

Opened in 1926, the Los Angeles Central Library is an architectural landmark inspired by ancient civilizations and Spanish colonial revival styles.

3:31

By the mid-1960s, the building faced calls for demolition.

3:35

But preservation efforts prevailed.

3:37

A major renovation saved the library, doubled its size, and introduced new landscaping.

3:42

Now in 2026, LA's public library invites everyone to celebrate 100 years of the Central Library and its lasting impact on the city.

3:53

We are in the magnificent Central Library here in downtown Los Angeles, and we are celebrating the 100th birthday of this incredible building.

4:03

Just as importantly, all of the incredible things that happen inside it and have happened uh over the last 100 years.

4:12

For the centennial, we dug out our time capsule that was placed on May 3rd, 1925, and we're gonna be revealing what we found in that copper box.

4:26

Yeah, it was not a simple or straightforward process to figure out how we were gonna get the actual time capsule out of the middle of our wall from a hundred years ago.

4:34

There were structural integrity concerns, there were historic resource concerns.

4:38

The actual cornerstone itself is beautifully inscribed with the name and the seal of the library, and we couldn't damage or destroy that.

4:45

So long story short, we were able to come through the inside of the building, which happens to be the men's restroom, 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.

5:02

I would just encourage people to come down and see it.

5:04

The time capsule especially is kind of fun.

5:06

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.

5:18

So you can see all the contents of that.

5:20

It's neat.

5:21

There were some things that we knew had been placed in the time capsule through minutes of library board meetings.

5:27

But as with almost all time capsules, there are inevitably surprises.

5:32

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.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Public Safety█████████████████████21%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Miscellaneous██████████████████18%
Economic Development██████6%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Personnel Matters██2%
Homelessness, Affordable Housing██2%
Homelessness█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Angeles City Council Meeting - February 24, 2026

The Los Angeles City Council held a regularly scheduled meeting on February 24, 2026, with 12 members present. The meeting included approval of routine consent items, a range of public comments on community investment and labor rights, extensive discussion and votes on an unarmed crisis response program, the appointment of a new Fire Commissioner, and adoption of a resolution recognizing Long COVID Awareness Day.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of February 20, 2026 (motion by Councilmember Soto Martinez, seconded by Councilmember Park).
  • Approved commendatory resolutions (motion by Councilmember Nazarian).
  • Confirmed liens for numerous properties (items 2, 3, 6, 9–14, 16, 17, 19, 23) and received and filed others (items 1, 4, 7, 8, 15, 18, 20).
  • Continued items 5, 21, 22, and 31 to future dates.
  • Voted 12-0 on items 26–30, 32–35 (ordinances carried over for one week unless reconsidered with 12 members present).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Numerous speakers from the Translatina Coalition and allied organizations urged the Council to invest $4 million over two years in the Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Intersex (TGI) Wellness and Equity Initiative. They argued that TGI communities face disproportionate homelessness, violence, and lack of services, and that local investment is critical given federal funding cuts.
  • Several fast-food workers (including employees of Starbucks, Taco Bell, Subway) called on the Council to pass a Fast Food Fair Work Ordinance, emphasizing the need for predictable schedules, advance notice, know-your-rights training, and protection from retaliation.
  • Multiple speakers (including Sarah Johnson and Nick Rodello) supported a commendatory resolution recognizing March 15 as International Long COVID Awareness Day and lighting City Hall teal. They described the debilitating effects of long COVID and noted over 268,000 affected Angelinos.
  • One disruptive speaker made profane and threatening remarks about public safety and immigration; the speaker was warned and eventually moved to general comment.
  • Additional speakers commented on nuisance abatement liens (expressing concerns about housing displacement), the need for youth civic engagement, and opposition to certain community organizations (e.g., Scientology-front groups).

Discussion Items

  • Item 46: Appointment of Yolanda Regalado to Board of Fire Commissioners – Councilmember McCosker spoke in support, highlighting her background as a former LA County Sheriff, her family’s legacy of first responders (including the loss of her brother Benny Pennell in the Proud Bird Fire), and her work as a businesswoman and president of a business improvement district. The appointment was approved unanimously (12-0).
  • Item 48: Unarmed Model of Crisis Response (UMCR) – Councilmember Hernandez presented a motion to transition UMCR from a pilot to permanent infrastructure. She cited that since 2024, UMCR responded to 18,733 calls, with 96% resolved without police involvement; that deploying LAPD officers costs $85/hour versus $35/hour for unarmed teams; and that 35% of LAPD officer-involved shootings involve someone in mental health crisis. The motion also called for a status update on the Department of Community Safety, creation of a crisis response dispatch working group, and community engagement. Councilmember Blumenfield co-introduced the motion. Council President Harris-Dawson seconded and expressed strong support. The item was adopted as amended (12-0, with forthwith effect).
  • Item 49 – An amended motion was also adopted unanimously (12-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Item 25 (separate vote): Passed 10-2.
  • Item 36: Substitute motion adopted 12-0.
  • Item 47: Salary for Fire Chief Jamie Moore set at $473,600.16 effective November 14, 2025 (10 votes required and received).
  • Item 48: Unarmed Model of Crisis Response made permanent, with directives for expansion and community involvement; vote 12-0.
  • Item 49: Adopted as amended, 12-0.
  • The Council introduced a commendatory resolution recognizing March 15 as International Long COVID Awareness Day, with City Hall to be lit in teal. (Announced by Councilmember Soto Martinez.)
  • All other posted and referred motions were approved without objection.
  • The meeting was adjourned with no adjourning motions.

Meeting Transcript

So I'm 56. That's a long time of dodging history. It's a family thing, right? Like my grandpa on my dad's side, he worked with the team for a couple years back in the 70s. My dad, born and raised here, he just passed down the fandom to me. Like I remember being a kid, him telling me about Kurt Gibson's walk-off. Like I remember coming to games back in the like 2000s, 2010s. Like Matt Kemp was my guy. Audrey Ethier was my guy. Uh this man right here, my favorite player of all time. Thank you for 18 years. Thank you for showing up and watching us play for the last 18 years. Thank you for being here for me and my family. And so supporting us. And thank you for all you guys. Thank you. My teammates. You guys are the best in the world. It's just like a lifelong thing for me. Oh, this just feels like it's been years in the making. This greatness. This is a dynasty now. It's a family thing. I love it. I feel like we're winning for all my past generations, and they could see more Dodgers Championships. That's what I'm hoping for. Everybody's been asking questions about a dynasty. How about three and six years? How about a gods of that? Yes! Repeat would be pretty nice to see here in Los Angeles. I'm ready to get uh another ring. Job in 2024 done. Job in 2025 done. Job in 2026 starts now. Welcome to the Los Angeles Central Library, a cultural gem at the heart of downtown Los Angeles, and the flagship 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. Just as importantly, all of the incredible things that happen inside it and have happened uh over the last 100 years. For the centennial, we dug out our time capsule that was placed on May 3rd, 1925, and we're gonna be revealing what we found in that copper box. Yeah, it was not a simple or straightforward process to figure out how we were gonna get the actual time capsule out of the middle of our wall from a hundred years ago. There were structural integrity concerns, there were historic resource concerns.

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