The Los Angeles City Council met on June 30, 2026, to consider a series of charter amendments, budget-related items, and a special meeting on outside counsel for the Glaza litigation. The meeting featured extensive debate over ballot-box budgeting, a sarcastic amendment by Councilmember Blumenfield that added numerous funding mandates, and multiple votes on updated ordinances and resolutions. Public comment was taken on the special meeting item.
Today before you, which says, if we're gonna do this, let's also put on the ballot, and this is all in the amendment, it's written out, it's a long amendment. Let's do the same with our fire department. You know, our fire department, we need at least 15% of the general fund budget in order to make our fire department whole. That would be a strong fire department, and we wouldn't have things like the Palisades fire. So I have a motion that not only includes the park money, and let's and let's, by the way, let's do the park money right away. Let's not wait, do any ramp up, but let's also dedicate 15% to the fire department. Also, let's amend the budget to provide at least 100 million dollars a year adjusted for inflation to install and improve curb ramps to address the city's past failure to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. Every year we move forward and we don't, we you know, this is legally required for us to do, and we don't do it because we don't have uh the Hutzbah, I'll say, to uh to put it in the budget to actually do it. So let's ask the voters out of context. Let's say voters, shall we put in at least 100 million dollars to deal with our ADA curb ramps? Out of context, of course the answer is yes. So let's put that in this motion as well. Let's also, you know, our police department should have at least as number of officers per capita as the 10 largest cities. You know, we should at least have that. So let's put that in there as well. That's in my motion as well. So you can vote on it. And just as people are saying, if you vote against this, you're against parks. Under that logic, I'm gonna say if you vote against this, you're against the fire department, you're against the police department, you're against fixing curb ramps, all of those things. And in fact, let's also um I'm gonna add in shall the charter be amended to add at least 40 million dollars a year for the unarmed crisis response. I think that's really important for us. And if you vote, if you vote no on this amendment or you send it to committee, then you're against the unarmed crisis response. What else? How about um 150 million dollars per year adjusted for inflation for mobility improvements to include it in the uh plans general plan? Let's do that. Let's also put, I think we could all agree, um, 125 million dollars a year to operate our street lighting system. You know, the the measure didn't pass on the ballot, so we know we we know the dangers of darkness in this city, so why not set aside why not have the charter set aside every year a minimum of 125 million dollars? You get the idea. Same thing with tree trimming. I'm not gonna put a number on that, but I'm gonna say in this amendment, the charter should be amended to require our annual budget to ensure that the city's trees are trimmed on a cycle that conforms with recommended best practices. Recommended best practices are five to six years. We're on a 17-year cycle for our trees. So we have a lot of things, a lot of good things that if we put them on the ballot, I think most of us or all of us would agree, at least for most of these things, we should be funding these things. It is the right thing to do. So why not put it all on? If we're gonna, if we're gonna lock off part of it, why not make that decision right now? And I'm giving you all the opportunity. You can vote for this right now. And you can actually fund all of those things. And by the same logic that some folks are saying you're not you're against parks if you're for if you're against this motion, I'm gonna say you're against trees, you're against police, you're against fire if you don't vote for this. So I'm gonna put this forward for a vote. Uh, I hope it passes, uh, and if it does, we can all vote move forward. If it doesn't, and I see the writing on the wall, and I know I'm that I'm gonna I'm gonna leave the chambers because if we don't have a unanimous vote moving forward, you're all gonna have to come back on July 7th. So I'm gonna do you that favor of uh because it's not gonna change the ultimate outcome. Uh, but we'll see what happens, but I I won't leave you to to be here on July 7th, so I can make my point. I'm making my point now, and I thank the council president, Tracy Park, for allowing me to make this point by allowing this amendment to go forward. Uh and I know people think it's funny, but I I don't I don't just mean this as a joke. I mean, this is a real manifestation of why this is a why this underlying one is a problem. Uh, because there are a lot of things that are really important that if we just throw on the charter, it will feel good today, but we're not gonna have to live with the consequences tomorrow. So, with that, I ask for your I vote on this amendment.