Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - August 5, 2026
Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - August 5, 2026
The Los Angeles City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on August 5, 2026, at 10:00 AM (approximate start time based on transcript). The meeting covered a range of routine and substantive items, including appointments, public hearings on eminent domain, domestic violence training, and multiple public comments. Councilmembers voted on numerous agenda items, with several decisions made unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Items 3 through 10 (items for which public hearings have been held) were approved by a vote of 12 ayes. Items 2 and 14 through 38 were later approved by 13 ayes. Item 12 was noted as previously approved and no action was taken. Item 11 (letter of termination of rent reduction) was received and filed on a motion by Councilmember Hernandez (seconded by another), approved 13-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public comment was taken in person and telephonically. Several speakers addressed the council on various items.
- Mr. Herman (in person) spoke on multiple items, including item 1 (eminent domain), item 2 (rate increase for basic life support), item 39 (square dedication), and item 40 (illegal dumping enforcement). His comments were often disruptive and profane. He claimed item 39 violated the First Amendment by endorsing religion ("experienced Christian ministries") and criticized item 40 as a conflict of interest given Councilmember Price's legal situation. He also raised concerns about the city's handling of public records and homelessness funding. He was warned multiple times for off-topic remarks and eventually moved to general public comment.
- Marilyn Hernandez (in person) spoke on item 2, asking whether increased rates from the proposed schedule of charges would be used to improve response times, staffing, equipment, or medical services. She did not receive a direct response during public comment.
- A speaker (Stacey B?) (in person) spoke in favor of item 11, requesting the city council approve the letter of termination of rent reduction from LAHD, stating the process was correctly followed.
- A speaker (Daniel Gus?) (virtual) commented on item 39, arguing that naming a street after "experienced Christian ministries" violates the First Amendment, and urged the council to honor the Crawfords instead. He also spoke on item 13 (Heather Aubrey appointment), expressing concern about her role given alleged abuse of journalists and domestic violence cover-ups by LAPD/LAFD, and questioned the need for city-sponsored domestic violence training. In general comment, he warned that the city must comply with SB 707's requirement for Zoom at committee meetings.
- Audit LA Loves Smoke and Scan (virtual) spoke on all items. She warned Heather Aubrey about the city's relationship with the Church of Scientology, criticized the proposed rate increase for emergency services as "nickel and diming" people in crisis, and suggested removing tax exemptions for Scientology or charging for parking on El Ron Hubbard Way as alternative revenue sources. She also demanded an apology from Councilmember Lee.
Discussion Items
- Item 13 – Appointment of Heather Aubrey to the Board of Police Commissioners: Councilmember Lee introduced the nominee. Heather Aubrey, a retired city attorney with 31 years of service, presented her background and priorities: improving police-community relations, reviewing crowd control policies, expanding unarmed crisis response, addressing pretextual stops, and improving LAPD recruitment and retention. Councilmembers Price, Hutt, McCosker, Soto Martinez, and President Marquee all spoke in strong support, praising her family legacy (father Larry Aubrey, civil rights activist) and her qualifications. The council voted 13-0 to confirm the appointment.
- Item 1 – Public Hearing on Resolution of Necessity for Eminent Domain (Rosamond Switching Station): Assistant Director Adriana Perez of LADWP presented the staff report. The hearing concerned adoption of a resolution to authorize eminent domain proceedings for properties needed for the Rosamond switching station. She noted that voluntary acquisition efforts had failed and that the ordinance does not affect compensation negotiations. No property owners or representatives spoke in opposition, despite two letters received from property owners' attorneys. The council voted 13-0 to approve the resolution and adopt the revised draft ordinance.
- Item 5 – Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Training for City Employees: Councilmember Hutt introduced a motion asking the Personnel Department, Community Investment Department, and LAPD to review current DV/IPV training for employees and managers, with the goal of ensuring training is current, comprehensive, and effective. She emphasized that the motion is not a critique of existing training but an effort to improve support for city employees. The council voted 13-0 to approve the motion.
- Item 39 – Square Dedication Amendment: Councilmember Price called this item special for an amendment that changes the language of the square dedication, replacing "senior" and removing "Crawford." The amendment was circulated and adopted. The council voted 13-0 to approve the item as amended.
- Item 40 – Funding for Illegal Dumping Enforcement: Councilmember Price called this item special for an amendment that changes the funding recipient from the Bureau of Sanitation to the Bureau of Street Services for enforcement of illegal dumping. The amendment was circulated and adopted. The council voted 13-0 to approve the item as amended.
Key Outcomes
- Item 13: Confirmation of Heather Aubrey to the Board of Police Commissioners – Approved 13-0.
- Item 1: Resolution of Necessity for Eminent Domain (Rosamond Switching Station) – Approved 13-0.
- Item 5: Motion to review domestic violence/intimate partner violence training – Approved 13-0.
- Item 11: Letter of termination of rent reduction (LAHD) – Received and filed, approved 13-0.
- Item 39: Square dedication amendment (replacing senior, removing Crawford) – Approved 13-0.
- Item 40: Funding for illegal dumping enforcement (amended to Bureau of Street Services) – Approved 13-0.
- Items 2, 14-38: Consent and routine items – Approved 13-0.
- Item 9: Councilmember Price recused himself (no further action).
- Councilmember Hernandez announced the hospitalization of David "Big Sleeps" Cavasos, a legendary LA graffiti artist, and asked for prayers for his recovery.
- Adjourning motion: Councilmember Hernandez honored Michael Alan Arnold, a friend and husband of a city employee, who passed away. The council adjourned in his memory.
Meeting Transcript
I'm so proud that I was able to pass that off to my kids and now my grandchildren. And then if the dogs don't dig it up, maybe we get a couple carrots at the end of the year. So it's always a lot of fun. I'm Anna Burton, and this has been my career report. For more information and to continue to follow us, follow the Port of Los Angeles at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Nestled within the vibrant San Fernando Valley, this six and a half acre oasis offers a serene escape, defined by the harmonious balance of natural elements. The Japanese garden uses reclaimed water to replenish its tranquil features, standing as a testament to the city's commitment to sustainability and resourcefulness. Step into the unique landscape, which invites visitors to disconnect from the dynamic pace of urban life and rediscover a sense of peace. So whether you're visiting from across town or from across the world, welcome to LAUGHTUSTION The visionary concept of establishing a Japanese garden adjacent to the reclamation facility was pioneered by Donald C. Tillman. Every element of the grounds has been meticulously crafted to harmonize with the modern architecture and the natural environment of the San Fernando Valley. Visitors can enjoy an expansive, wet swolling landscape where flowing waterfalls symbolizing heaven, humanity, and the earth merge with vibrant greenery and crafted stone lanterns imported from Japanese artisans. The stillness of the water offers a refuge for the spirit, mirroring the vital knowledge shared with Angelinos during a recent emergency preparedness day. We are at the Autra Museum for the second annual Wildfire Day LA, which is an event that we put on to try to prepare Los Angeles for the next inevitable wildfire emergencies that unfortunately are destined to happen. Whether it's the wildfires here that taught us an awful lot of lessons in January 2025, or any other kind of life safety emergency, our mission now as an 18-year-old nonprofit organization working with the LA City Fire Department and other city partners and departments is to bridge that gap. It's critical for everyone in the city. Whether you have a business, whether you own a home, rent, that you know what to do in case of emergency. Be it a wildfire, be it an earthquake or heavy rain. Emergency preparedness is critical, and I'm glad the city uh put on this event. Los Angeles is actually very unique in that it has so many possible natural disasters. It has earthquakes, it has literally tsunamis, it has flooding. In fact, the major cause of weather death is heat. And as we know, with environmental concerns, we also wind up having more heat. So there is something here for everybody. So while some people might think, well, I don't live in a home in the hills. The high fire severity zone is actually moving further south into our urban areas. And everybody is potentially affected by an emergency. We are all one emergency away from a potential personal disaster. Wildfire Day LA is an is one of the many ways that we try to reach out to people, whether it's holding public events like these, and we've done 10 or more all over the city and county. Second time that we're here at the Autry, which is a great venue, and we're surrounded by wild land, right? So it's a great frame for what we're trying to teach. But you know, in any case, we just take, we try to use every condo at every medium, every form we can to get the word out, right? We go into neighborhoods and we do home hardening assessments for free from people that are in the brush, the canyons, the hillsides. We go into schools and teach kids how to be more fire safe. We go to build neighborhood council firewise or fire safe council groups to organize their own neighborhoods to be more prepared. We're here working with uh all the folks that are concerned about how we can be more efficient with preventing wildfire, right? How can we be more mindful of keeping our towns resilient? And so tree people, our goal is to help make our wild spaces resilient, and that means that after our fire rolls through, we want to bring in native plants that are gonna do well and recover quickly and also withstand the shortened fire regime. Uh as well as we want to make communities aware of the benefits of native plants, right? A healthy ecosystem in the mountains is gonna bring a lot more resilience to our communities just down the way. Trees and native species are going to be better suited for when we have drought. They're gonna be better suited for when there is wildfire, they'll recover quickly and they're gonna keep our air cycling clean. We're gonna have a lot of different benefits from a healthy ecosystem. So the more we can preserve the wild space, the more our cities and our wildlife is gonna be happy that we've done so. We can do our part in stewarding a land. Wildfire safety includes a lot of things, but one of the most important things that it includes is preparation, awareness, and education. We want every community in CD4 and throughout Los Angeles to understand what they can do to be ready in case of emergency, as well as how they can participate in preventing an emergency. I would tell people to make sure that they understand where their exits are, other than their front door. I would recommend that people do pack some sort of go kit, which includes their medications, identifying information of their pets if they have them in case they're separated. If you live in an apartment building, please make yourself aware of where the fire extinguishers are in your building.
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