Los Angeles City Council Meeting Summary - May 13, 2026
Los Angeles City Council Meeting Summary - May 13, 2026
The Los Angeles City Council met on May 13, 2026, starting late at approximately 9:40 AM local time. The meeting included roll call with 11 members present initially, later 15. The council approved minutes, commendatory resolutions, and a consent calendar. Major discussions centered on the Olympic wage for tourism workers (Item 20) and the repeal of the business gross receipts tax (Item 19). Public comment was extensive, with over 50 speakers on both sides.
Consent Calendar
- Items 1–3, 6–7, and 9–18 were approved in a single vote with no recorded dissent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 20 (Olympic Wage): Numerous workers, union members, and advocates urged the council to reject any reduction or delay, arguing the wage was fought for and won. Speakers from Unite Here Local 11, ACE, and others described the impact on their families. Business representatives and some residents supported adjustments, citing job losses and operational challenges. Reverend Rosa Manriquez and others invoked moral and religious arguments.
- Item 19 (Business Tax Repeal): Several speakers opposed the repeal, warning of severe cuts to city services. One speaker criticized the process and corporate influence.
- General Public Comment: Topics included tree trimming, domestic violence funding, and opposition to the repeal of the business tax. One speaker delivered an extended critique of council members.
Discussion Items
- Item 5: Councilmember Rodriguez introduced amending motions (5A and 5B) regarding barbecuing on red flag days, arguing it unfairly targets certain communities. The council voted on the item; the outcome was not recorded in the transcript.
- Item 19: Chief Administrative Officer Matt Zable presented a fiscal impact analysis of the gross receipts tax repeal, calling it an "economic apocalypse" that would require massive cuts to public safety, homelessness response, and Olympics preparedness. The council voted 15–0 to place the measure on the November 3, 2026, ballot.
- Item 20: The council considered a substitute motion (20A) to adjust the wage schedule and health benefit provisions of the Olympic wage ordinance. After debates and amendments (including striking Section F regarding cash waivers), the motion passed 10–5. A separate amendment (20B) to exempt hotel restaurant workers failed 5–10. Councilmember Soto Martinez expressed strong opposition, while Councilmember Rodriguez argued for business viability.
Key Outcomes
- Item 8 continued to Friday, June 12, 2026.
- Item 19: The council voted 15–0 to place the business tax repeal initiative on the November 3, 2026, general municipal election ballot.
- Item 20: Substitute motion 20A (placeholder for continued negotiations) passed 10–5. The council instructed the city attorney to draft amendments based on further negotiations expected to return by Tuesday, May 19.
- Item 20B: Amendment to exclude hotel restaurant workers from the hotel minimum wage failed 5–10.
- The meeting was adjourned in memory of Socorro Norma Gallegos.
Note: Vote tallies for Items 4 and 5 were not explicitly recorded in the transcript.
Meeting Transcript
Kate that to potential rescuers and then start coming up with the plan, right? If you need to maybe come up a cliff or you need to assist yourself and helping get rescued, come up with the plan. So that's an acronym we like people to try and memorize if they find themselves in a precurious situation. You want to make sure if you're gonna 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 gonna be hiking in the fall or winter, be assured that it's not gonna 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 two things to consider depending on the climate and the weather you're gonna be experiencing. I will get my weather app anytime gonna 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 the sanitation and the department of public work 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. 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 um keys are important because uh 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, we use the recycle. The theme of our event is planet versus plastics. We're really trying to outreach to the community and let them know that things need to be done to reduce the plastics that are produced. We need to recycle the plastics that are in the everyday commodities that we use. This is an annual event. So this means in addition to today, next year, and the following years after, for the subsequent Earth Days, we would love to have everybody continue to participate, to bring your friends, just to learn about individual work that they can do to make a contribution. It's good to help the Earth. Through its historic telescopes, including the iconic Zeiss refractor, visitors can peer into the night sky, tracing planets, star clusters, and distant galaxies. And inside immersive exhibits and the Samuel Ocean Planetarium transform complex scientific ideas into vivid, unforgettable experiences, making the vastness of space build personal and immediate. While the observatory offers vistas of Los Angeles, the city itself cultivates a vast array of cultural, athletic, and professional milestones that honor the diverse talents of all Angelinos. LA remains dedicated to inclusivity. From supporting city interns taking their first steps to embracing the vibrant colors of the spring holy festival. The city even offers specialized soccer clinics to ensure our blind and visually impaired residents are fully engaged in LA's vibrant rhythms. Today we just launched this blind soccer season.
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