Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - March 6, 2026
Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - March 6, 2026
The Los Angeles City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM (approximate start from presentations), presided over by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. Eleven members were present. The meeting featured multiple presentations recognizing community contributions, a retirement tribute, and public testimony on a range of city issues. The council voted on several agenda items, including amendments and nominations.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the minutes from March 4, 2026, moved by Councilmember Park and seconded by Councilmember Hutt.
- Commendatory resolutions for approval moved by Councilmember Price and seconded by Councilmember Hernandez.
- Items 1 through 11 were listed as items for which public hearings had been held; items 12 and 13 had not yet had hearings.
Public Comments & Testimony
- LA28/Olympics Leadership: Multiple speakers called for greater transparency and the resignation of LA28 chair Casey Wasserman due to alleged associations with Jeffrey Epstein. Speakers from the Fair Games Coalition urged a transparent process for leadership selection and criticized the council for delaying a vote on a related resolution.
- Artificial Turf: A speaker representing a coalition of over 60 organizations urged the council to oppose synthetic turf at the Obama Sports Complex and to prioritize natural grass for health and environmental reasons.
- Charter Reform Commission: Several commenters criticized the Charter Reform Commission process as unresponsive to public input and called for an elected commission or cancellation of the current effort. One speaker supported nominee Keri Morrison for the commission.
- Homelessness and Housing: Speakers addressed the ongoing homeless crisis and the need for more affordable housing. One speaker referenced the Small Lots, Big Impacts initiative (Item 1) and criticized the city's land disposition policies.
- United to House LA (ULA): Multiple members of Community Power Collective and others defended Measure ULA, passed by voters, urging the council not to place it back on the ballot. They highlighted that ULA has generated over $1 billion for tenant legal representation and rental assistance.
- Illegal Dumping: Residents from Harbor Gateway and surrounding areas asked for clarification on a rumored moratorium on prosecuting illegal dumping, stating the issue contributes to blight and safety concerns.
- LAPD and ICE Collaboration: Speakers called for removing LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell and demanded the council take action to end police collaboration with ICE, citing insufficient reporting on interactions.
- Barry Building Demolition: Speakers from the Los Angeles Conservancy and Angelinos for Historic Preservation supported an appeal to save the historic Barry Building, arguing the owner intentionally neglected the property to justify demolition.
- Other: One speaker expressed frustration with the council's handling of public comment and alleged disrespect. Another raised concerns about wage theft among fast-food workers.
- Disruptions occurred during public comment when a speaker (Mr. Herman) used profane language and was eventually ejected after multiple warnings.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – Small Lots, Big Impacts (Amended): Councilmember Hutt called the item special for an amendment, which was circulated. Councilmembers Blumenfield and Raman also submitted amendments. The item was voted on after amendments.
- Item 4 – Obama Sports Complex Artificial Turf: Councilmember Blumenfield called the item special to register concern about the lack of a citywide policy on artificial turf, citing health and environmental impacts. He noted his pending motion for a scientific analysis of artificial grass.
- Item 13 – Nomination to Charter Reform Commission: The council considered a nomination by Councilmember Blumenfield to the Charter Reform Commission. It was among items without public hearing and was voted on.
- Item 14 – Referral Back to PLUM: Councilmember Blumenfield requested that Item 14 be referred back to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee for the City Attorney's recommendation. The council approved this.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 Passed: After amendments, the council voted on Item 1 (Small Lots, Big Impacts). The vote was taken and passed (tally not specified in transcript).
- Item 4 Passed: The council voted on Item 4; it passed despite Councilmember Blumenfield's concerns about artificial turf policy.
- Item 13 Passed: The council voted on the nomination to the Charter Reform Commission; it passed.
- Item 2 Continued to March 13, 2026: Originally scheduled for vote, it was continued.
- Item 14 Referred Back to PLUM.
- Public Comment Period: Limited to 30 minutes initially, then extended by 10 minutes. After additional testimony, public comment was closed.
- Retirement Honored: The council recognized Derek Tranel on his retirement after 28 years of service, including 21 years as director of the Victim Assistance Program at the City Attorney's Office.
- Presentations Acknowledged: The council recognized the 50th anniversary of the Commission on the Status of Women and presented Women of Impact Awards to honorees from each district. Also honored were the 50th anniversary of AGBU Manugyan Demirjian School and the Lunar New Year celebration with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the 2026 Miss LA Chinatown court.
Meeting Transcript
And be proud of where we come from. All of the stories that make us who we are, this is America. We can learn that we all have humanity, that we all have family, we all have loved ones, and we could put aside our differences and look at our similarities. It's just great to be able to experience different cultures, and so being able to go out and see different things like this is just like an experience that everyone should be able to have, man. And especially with the culture that you're unfamiliar with, you come down and you get to experience them and you get to see different people and you know what those cultures are like. You should explain or have it as much as you can. So all the young kids out there, I just want to let them know that you belong here. Um, if you're an immigrant, if you're a child immigrant, the city of Los Angeles is your home. When we celebrate our heritage, we also encourage you to celebrate your heritage. And another phrase I really love, Mikasa Sukasa, and we're here to celebrate that together. I wish you all the best. Go hey fatsuai. One of the traditions of the firecracker run or bike is the lighting of the firecrackers. It was uh such an exciting moment for the community. We like probably over 100,000 firecrackers. It is just such a fun way to just basically raise the energy before everyone starts off on their bike ride or their race. This is a long-standing community event started by a group of friends that actually grew up in the community that wanted to do something other than just celebrating tradition. They themselves are also very active, so they decided to go ahead and like bring in health and fitness. It just grew over time. Such a beautiful day for the 48th annual firecracker. We just kicked out the 50 mile and the 20 mile cyclists, and as you can see, we got all our furry friends behind us for the paw walk. This is the community of Los Angeles coming together, small business owners, runners, weekend warriors, just Angelinos coming together and having a good time on a Saturday. I came up from San Diego. I've never done this before. Uh, it's my first time participating in the firecracker run, the 48th annual, and the best part is community. You see the different cultures and the diversity, you feel each other's energy. With everything going on in our society right now, it's really good to celebrate our community, uh, celebrate joy, be together, and really just also just have the buttons. Chinatown is such a special place. Our Chinatown in Los Angeles is historic. Uh we have longtime small business owners, mom and pop shops. The architecture is something that is a treat for Angelinos. The vibe here in general is just people are excited to be in community. They're excited to celebrate each other. They're excited to have something fun to do with their families, with their pets. Dogs, dogs, dogs. Anytime you're around a bunch of dogs, the energy and the passion is just something that just goes through your body. We worked so hard the last few months to really put this together and to see it all come to fruition is it's very exciting. And initially, all the money goes back to the community, so local schools, local nonprofits. They're celebrating Year of the Horse, 2026. So it's all about down to full blessings and positive energy, and you know, Los Angeles is strong. We're getting ready for the Olympics 2028. We got the marathon next week. It's a great day. Back in the 1850s, Chinese immigrants build their community a few blocks away near what is now Union Station. In 1938, the current Chinatown opened in LA. As the city celebrates the lunar new year and the year of the horse, it is fitting to reflect on the broader Chinese zodiac, particularly the humble goat. The goat has taken on a modern civic role in the city of Los Angeles as an essential environmental worker. Long valued for their agricultural benefits, goats are now deployed for critical brush clear-ins and fire abatement. This innovative, eco-friendly land management strategy harnesses their natural grazing instincts, proving especially effective on steep and rugged terrain where traditional mechanical methods can be disruptive, costly, or less efficient. Vegetation management here in the Sepulveda Basin has been ongoing.
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