Los Angeles City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026: Wage Ordinance, Homeless Encampment Ban, and Economic Development Votes
Los Angeles City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026
The Los Angeles City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on May 19, 2026, beginning at 9:00 AM (Pacific). The meeting included roll call (15 members present, a quorum), approval of minutes, and a series of agenda items covering wage ordinances, homeless encampment restrictions, economic development, and other matters. Public comment was dominated by airport and hotel workers advocating for immediate implementation of a $30/hour wage and by opponents of expanding the 41.18 ordinance (anti-camping law) in the San Fernando Valley.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of May 15, 2026 (unanimous).
- Approved commendatory resolutions (unanimous).
- Noted and filed lien payment (Item 2) – motion by Blumenfield, seconded by McOsker, passed unanimously.
- Waived amount owed on a lien (Item 6A) – motion by Hut and Herado, passed unanimously.
- Granted a pending certificate of need (PCN) (Item 8) – motion by Yaroslavsky and Rodriguez, passed unanimously.
- Adopted Items 10 (unanimous), 11 (13 ayes, 2 noes), and a batch of items (1, 7, 13, 15, 17–23, 25) all passed 15 ayes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 26 (Airport/Hotel Worker Wage): Dozens of workers and union representatives (e.g., Unite Here Local 11, SEIU USWW) spoke in support of maintaining a $30/hour wage for LAX and hotel workers, originally scheduled to take effect before the 2028 Olympics. They argued that the wage increase is needed to keep pace with rising rents, food costs, and inflation, and opposed any delay or reduction. Multiple speakers noted that the wage was already delayed to 2030 and called for immediate implementation. A few business representatives (e.g., from Central City Association) urged a balanced approach that includes business input.
- Item 16 (41.18 Expansion in San Fernando Valley): Some speakers opposed the expansion, calling it cruel and ineffective, arguing it criminalizes homelessness without providing shelter. Others supported the proposal as a tool to address drug sales and public safety concerns.
- General Public Comment: Included calls for better wages, criticism of council members, and allegations of civil rights violations.
Discussion Items
- Item 9 – Whiteman Airport Crash Cost Recovery: Councilmember Rodriguez introduced a motion to recover city expenses from the April 20 plane crash near Whiteman Airport. She noted 93 businesses and residences lost power, and cited 16 aviation accidents at the airport since 2009. The motion passed 15 ayes.
- Item 12 – Economic and Workforce Development Department Consolidation: Councilmember Rodriguez opposed folding the standalone department into a larger bureaucracy, arguing it would weaken business retention and job creation. The item passed 12 ayes, 3 noes (Rodriguez, Soto‑Martinez, and one other).
- Item 16 – Ordinance Adding 41.18 Zones in San Fernando Valley: Councilmember Padilla’s proposal to add 26 new zones where sitting, lying, or sleeping is banned was called for a separate vote. It passed 11 ayes, 4 noes.
- Item 24 – City Engineer Interim Extension: Councilmember Hernandez continued the item to Friday (May 22) because representatives from the personnel department were not present to answer questions about the hiring process and the 18‑month interim tenure.
- Item 26 – Revised Airport/Hotel Worker Wage Ordinance: An amendment (26A) was introduced and passed 11 ayes, 4 noes. The full revised ordinance, which delays the $30 wage to 2030 and includes other concessions, was then adopted 11 ayes, 4 noes. Council President noted extensive negotiations among labor, business, and council members. The ordinance will have a second reading on May 26, 2026.
- Special Introduction: Councilmember Park recognized the student organization Another Bounce, which recycles tennis and pickleballs. Student athlete Ford Cassidy requested the council place tennis/pickleball recycling on a future agenda.
Key Outcomes
- Wage Ordinance (Item 26): Adopted as amended (11–4); final vote scheduled for May 26, 2026. The amendment delays the $30/hour wage for airport and hotel workers from 2028 to 2030.
- 41.18 Zoning (Item 16): Approved 11–4 to add 26 new zones in the San Fernando Valley where sitting, lying, or sleeping is prohibited.
- Economic Development Consolidation (Item 12): Approved 12–3 to fold the Department of Economic and Workforce Development into a larger department.
- Whiteman Airport Cost Recovery (Item 9): Approved 15–0 to direct the CAO to report on costs and pursue reimbursement from the county and insurance.
- City Engineer Extension (Item 24): Continued to May 22, 2026 for personnel department to answer questions.
- Lien Waivers and Approvals: Several items passed unanimously, including waiving a lien and approving minutes.
- Meeting Adjournment: Adjourned in memory of three victims of the May 18 attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego (motion by Raman, joined by all members).
Meeting Transcript
Find yourself having a little bit of difficulty in the middle of the hiking, you know it's gonna 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 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 look at my weather app anytime gonna hike to make sure you 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 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. And then we're gonna flag you in our hand. So today I'm looking forward to all the kid activities, the happy children out here learning about how to be zero waste and 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 Kings I am planning because uh you they helped us eat and 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 you as a 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.
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