Los Angeles City Council Meeting - May 12, 2026
Los Angeles City Council Meeting - May 12, 2026
The Los Angeles City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The meeting included approval of routine items, public testimony, consideration of several agenda items, and a closed session. Key actions included unanimous passage of a motion to restrict the sale of nitrous oxide and other routine items.
Consent Calendar
- Items 1 through 13 and 16 through 23 were approved unanimously (14-0). These included routine approvals, commendatory resolutions, and items for which public hearings had been held or not held. Specific items noted in the transcript include item 5 (street lighting) and item 16 (related to a fire station repurposing request).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Numerous speakers addressed the council, with the majority speaking on Item 14 (restriction of nitrous oxide sales). Students from San Fernando Valley schools, community members, and representatives from the San Fernando Valley Partnership, LA Unified School District, and State Senator Caroline Menjivar’s office urged the council to ban the sale of nitrous oxide in smoke shops and cannabis retailers. Speakers cited health risks (brain damage, oxygen deprivation, death), increasing emergency department visits (from 76 in 2018 to 263 in 2023 per California Department of Public Health), and the prevalence of canisters near schools. One speaker noted that 73% of LA schools are within 1,000 feet of a smoke shop.
- A few speakers offered general public comment on other topics: working conditions at McDonald’s (extreme heat, lack of AC), the need for improved street lighting, and a request to support converting a historic fire station into a fitness center for municipal bus drivers.
- One disruptive speaker used offensive language and was warned; he endorsed a mayoral candidate and criticized various council members. Another speaker called out Councilmember Raman for skipping mayoral debates.
- A speaker also raised concerns about a clergy council member’s past conduct.
Discussion Items
- Item 14 (called special by Councilmember Padilla): A motion to restrict the retail sale and distribution of nitrous oxide products at tobacco and cannabis retailers in Los Angeles, with exemptions for legitimate uses (e.g., medical, industrial). Councilmember Padilla offered a technical amendment, which was adopted.
- Item 15 (called special by Councilmember Hernandez): A motion with a technical amendment for Councilmember Price, also adopted.
- The council then moved into closed session for Item 24 (an item scheduled for closed session). No report was issued after closed session.
Key Outcomes
- All items before the council passed unanimously (14-0).
- The council adopted amendments to Items 14 and 15 and approved the amended motions.
- The council went into closed session for Item 24; no reportable actions resulted.
- The meeting adjourned in memory of Richard Allen Pinnard, a 92-year-old Army veteran and Venice resident who died after being struck by a vehicle while riding an e-scooter.
- The next quorum was confirmed with 14 members present.
Meeting Transcript
Because the weather is so beautiful in Los Angeles and we have people hitting these trails seven days a week, oftentimes even off into the evenings, it keeps your LAFD pretty busy. But you can rest assured that the Los Angeles City Fire Department is very well prepared and ready to assist anybody that may become sick or injured on one of these trails. Anywhere from airborne assets like our helicopter rescue teams to ground assets like brush patrols, fire engines, and firefighters. So typically what we'll do is we'll have firefighters come on foot and they'll coordinate rescues with helicopters to assist on rescuing anybody that may be hurt or injured or sick on that trail. So if you find yourself having a little bit of difficulty in the middle of the hiking, you know it's going to complicate your ability to get off of that trail and make it back to your vehicle safely. There's an acronym that's called stop, right? You want to stay put, you want to think, you want to observe, you want to plan. So stay put, don't move because when you move, it makes it difficult for rescuers to be able to access where you're at. You want to think about where you're at and how to articulate that information. Observe your area before it starts to get dark on you. So if you have any landmarks, you can communicate that to potential rescuers. And then start coming up with a plan, right? If you need to maybe come up a cliff or you need to assist yourself and helping get rescue, come up with the plan. So that's an acronym we like people to try and memorize if they find themselves in a precarious situation. You want to make sure if you're going to be hiking in peak season, like in the spring or summertime, consider hiking in the morning when the weather's a lot cooler or in the afternoons when it's not as warm. If you're going to be hiking in the fall or winter, be assured that it's not going to be raining on you at some point when you're on that trail because uh that brings a whole nother element uh to your ability to get on and off that trail, such as uh water, rock and debris flows, uh making the trails a lot slipperier, sometimes being washed out. So those are the things to consider depending on the climate and the weather you're going to be experiencing. I look at my weather app anytime I'm going to hike to make sure I know if it's gonna rain or if it's gonna be super hot. That impacts when I go and what I bring with me. Wearing a hat is really important, the shields from the sun and the sunscreen. Doing a little bit of research what the weather's gonna be doing that day. Are we gonna be in a red flag day? Are we gonna be having a high heat advisory? Is it gonna be raining? All these things are gonna affect your ability to be able to stay safe and have a good time while you're hiking on the trails. It's my passion. I love being outdoors. I love the fresh air. I love the nature. Um, I love breaking the sweat and getting the exercise. Getting away from the city and kind of in a quiet place, I feel more centered. It's a stress release. Just gives you the space for yourself and for your brain to have a race from all the things that are going on in the world and to just look up and see you know the trees and the view. So we're here at Pan Pacific Park in Council District 5, celebrating Earth Day with LA Sanitation and many of our city and community partners. Earth Day is a time where we come together as a community, but also as a city as a sanitation and the Department of Public Works to help educate the public about the innovative approaches and the resources that are available to sustainability, composting, recycling, and so much more. Today is the 10th anniversary of Earth Day LA. We are big fans of protecting the environment, reducing plastic waste, and making it easier for people to live a sustainable life. We're very excited here to invite the community to come and learn about all of the work that sanitation does, our wastewater treatment, our stormwater activities, our solid resources and recycling. These are major programs that we do to help protect the environment. We even have a bike repair clinic. We even have a toy swamp booth as well. We're giving away trees. We're teaching kids and families how to recycle and compost, and there's so much more that we're teaching the public and also promoting our application as well, SORT LA, where it teaches people how to throw away your garbage and your trash. And then we're going to flatten it in our hands. So today I'm looking forward to all the kid activities, the happy children out here learning about how to be zero waste in their households because kids are so good at teaching their parents, and that is such an important factor for the future and for our city and how our neighborhoods look. I think I am pointing because they helped us eat and breathe better. When you come to this event here at the City for Earth Day, we're gonna help you get free trees and learn how to use the mulch and you can go home and this is a family environment. It's a great day. It feels good out here. You're helping the environment to reduce for use and recycle.
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