City Council - Regular Meeting

I'm proud to be a host for this event, and I think we have an obligation to show up for all of our kids. We're trying to make sure that we give all young people the very strongest and best starts, not just to their school year, but helping to support them with their needs.

Nisei Parade is a celebration of the second-generation American-born Japanese.

Today, me and my team from the 6th District are here in Lake Balboa at Woodley Park where we are celebrating our second annual Howdy with Love. This is our annual animal healthcare pet resource fair where families can come and get low-cost vaccines. They can get access to microchipping, grooming, adoption and fostering, and giveaways. Just a lot of different resources for our friendly pets at home.

So our families here in the San Fernando Valley love their pets. This is the type of event where you can find those resources at an affordable price. So what we'd like to do is make sure that the community knows that there's resources out there and make it more affordable, be able to enjoy also a day at the park where our pets can also run around.

I'm incredibly proud for the grand opening of this Alinda Tiny Homes Village. It's a new resource that will expand our efforts to address homelessness, bring people indoors, and place the unhoused neighbors on a path towards stability and permanent long-term housing.

schedule meeting of your Los Angeles City Council. Today is Friday, the 18th day in September in the year 2026. Public comment for this morning's meeting will be taken in person in this council chamber as well as telephonically in accordance with state law. Madam Clerk, let's begin our proceedings by calling the roll.

Council Member Nazarian moves, Council Member Park seconds. What's next? Council Member Rodriguez moves, Council Member Hutt seconds. Can we run through our agenda?

All right. Specials at this time, members, if there are any specials, now is the time, Mr. Nazarian.

For item 12, move to adopt the ad hoc on film entertainment and creative industry committee report. Also, for item 12, I have an amendment which will be circulated shortly. Got it. All right.

Any other specials on Mr. Nazarian's side of the horseshoe? All right, moving to Council Member Padilla's side of the horseshoe. Any specials on this side? All right. Seeing no specials from any members of the council. Madam Clerk, what's before us?

All right, let's open the roll on those items. Close the roll. Tabulate to vote.

Okay. I'll ask Mr. Blumenfield to take the chair because I'm involved in the first presentation and I think you'll be involved in one later. Today and so with that I'll ask mr. McCosker councilmember hut to join me with the honorees at the podium And I also want to recognize the MTO folks who were in the house your item was just approved we're very excited about that congratulations on that Okay

We're starting with Council President Harris-Dawson. Welcome for a special presentation with you and Mr. McCosker on prostate cancer awareness month. Floor is yours.

Yes, sir, thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I rise and stand behind this podium this morning to recognize September, as we do every September, as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. It is to raise awareness about the disease that impacts millions of men across this country and in our city. In 2003, September was established as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and it called on communities across the country to increase awareness about prostate cancer, its risk factors, and the importance of early detection and saying yes when your doctor says it's time for you to get checked for prostate canc

Thank you, Council President, and thank you, Council Member McOsker, for including me in this presentation. This issue hits close to home for me, both personally and as a representative for the 10th District. My father, my cousins and close friends have all faced this disease. I sat through them through diagnosis, through treatments, through surgeries and through recoveries. I've seen firsthand what early detection can mean and I also have seen the toll it takes when the disease is caught too late. a reality that hits even harder here in our district, where black men, just like Council Preside

Colleagues, I'm grateful to be included in this recognition today. Cancer has visited my family as it has many of yours, and I think of it intergenerationally. My grandfather, who was a strong, tough man, like the strong male voice we just heard, was from a different generation. I mean, he survived the Pacific Theater in World War II, and when he was faced with prostate cancer, he was just a couple days away from home, and didn't tell us what it was. didn't complain about it, didn't talk about it, didn't take that moment, because that was an old version of what a strong male voice was, but it

Thank you to Alonzo, council members, and all the folks that are with us today. And that was a powerful testimony. And thank you for telling me about the new way to get tested, because I'd overcome my fear, but it's difficult every time. So again, on Saturday it is, we'll be out at Compton College. You can both get tested and you can join with other folks in solidarity. I just want to thank everybody who came today, especially Alonzo for sharing his story. Folks, Mr. McCosker is very humble in his presentation. If you know about Dr. Dre, it's because of Lonzo Williams. If you know about Ice Cu

Thank you. Yeah, we have some members on the queue. We'll start with Councilwoman Padilla.

Good morning, everybody. Well, council members, I wanted to applaud you for taking on the leadership to elevate this really important topic. Once upon a time, when I was a community organizer at Procurement Beautiful and I was in charge of the adult group, a lot of women would come out, right? Once a month, they would come and they'd get educated and they would take these community-based workshops. And then we started to ask ourselves, how do we get more men here? And it was really hard to get them to come out to these meetings. But we started off with telling the women, well, why don't we inv

Thank you. Next we'll hear from Council Member Price.

I just want to thank Mr. President and Councilwoman Hutt and Councilman Costa for bringing these heroes and sheroes to us today. This is really such an important recognition, and we just appreciate the fact that awareness and education can make a difference. And Lonzo certainly led others who have just been sounding this message over and over and over again. It's a shame we have to rely on a month to do it. We should be doing it every day. But we just really appreciate the leadership that you all have shown. And Lonzo, especially good to know about the No Fingers anymore. I'm sure that will en

Thank you. I appreciate you bringing awareness to this, because it's exactly as you described. My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer many, many years ago, but caught early. He's 93 years old now, still going strong, but because they detected it in such an early stage, they were able to obviously take care of it. He's never had a single problem. So thank you very much for bringing awareness to this because more men need to know that this is something that can be taken care of just with a simple exam. So thank you very much.

Thank you. And wearing a blue suit in honor and recognition, I will send it back to you, Council President, to close.

So thank you so much. On behalf of our entire council and a grateful city, we want to present to you recognizing prostate cancer awareness month, a certificate of recognition for all the work that you've done and all the awareness that you've raised so that Everybody listening to us today and all these young staffers and maybe Mr. Soto-Martinez, when it comes time, all of us will get checked, and we will drop the numbers for prostate cancer, death, and sickness in the city of Los Angeles. Thank you all so much.

Wonderful, thank you so much. And as they're taking their pictures, I'll ask Council District 12, Mr. Lee, to head over to the podium for another special presentation. This one about our National Service Dog Month. And I can tell that we have some service dogs in the house today. Tail wagons, happy dogs that are here. We'll turn it over to you, Mr. Lee. The floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I am proud to recognize September as National Service Dog Month and celebrate the incredible impact service dogs have on individuals, families, and communities across Los Angeles and throughout the country. For people with disabilities, a service dog can be truly life changing. These dogs are trained to perform essential tasks, whether it's retrieving an item, opening a door, assisting with mobility, or helping someone safely navigate their surroundings. but what they provide goes far beyond any one task. Service dogs provide greater independence, confiden

Thank you, Haley, for sharing your story with us. I think your experience really shows the impact that these partnerships can have on someone, not only on the individual who relies on the service dog, but on the entire family. And Anya, thank you for taking that experience and using it to help make these partnerships possible for others. We've talked about the independence and support a service dog can provide, but now we have the opportunity to see some of that work firsthand. I'd like to invite Dennis and his service dog in training, Jaeger, to show us just a few of the incredible tasks thes

Thank you so much, Yeager, for that presentation. And I heard that it might be true. I heard a rumor that Yeager was named after Dodger great Steve Yeager, who is the father of my legislative director, Josh Yeager. So thank you so much for that demonstration. I think what we just saw shows how much training, trust, and teamwork goes into every service dog partnership, and more importantly, the difference that partnership can make in someone's everyday life. I want to thank Haley and Anya for sharing their story with us today, Alana for joining us, and Canine Companions along with all the train

Before you finish, we do have some members on the queue, so give us a moment. Well, please. Okay. We'll start with Council Member Jaroslawski.

Thank you so much, Council President. Thank you, Council Member Lee, for bringing this amazing organization here today. So my cousin Andrew, who lives up in Seattle, had a canine companion for years named Murray, a dog named Murray. And I had the chance to go to his graduation up in Santa Rosa when he was connected with Andrew. And my aunt and uncle who live up in Seattle have trained a couple of canine companion dogs. And they're actually here today visiting from Seattle in a weird coincidence and twist of fate. And so I just wanted to thank you for the incredible work that you do. You've alr

Thank you, Councilmember Lee, and I just wanted to echo Councilmember Yaroslavsky's comments. The work that you all do, from the puppy raisers to the organization to helping to match the animals with the right individual is really important work that helps to provide so much confidence and strength and relief to so many individuals that depend the support that these beautiful animals provide I'm fortunate I have in addition to the work that you do I have pause for life in my district there are so many I've got organizations in Sylmar that are doing all this incredible work and caring for these

Thank you. It is amazing and inspiring, and I will turn it to you back, Mr. Lee, to close.

Thank you, Mr. President. So it's my honor on behalf of the city of Los Angeles to officially recognize September as National Service Dog Month. Thank you for joining us today and for the work that you do to help people with disabilities live with greater independence, confidence, and freedom. And Kyle, the public relations manager from Canine Companions, would like to present this to you in honor of National Service Dog Month.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Lee. As they are exiting the podium area, I'll ask Councilwoman Rahman to head to the podium for an important presentation regarding Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. We have a number of folks here to help recognize this important month, and as we transition

I know that we have some familiar faces here today, and it's every September for the past 10 years. This council has paused to recognize a disease that takes far too many lives while receiving far too little attention, and an organization that has refused to let that challenge go unaddressed, the ovarian cancer circle. It's a somber day, but it's also one I look forward to every year because it gives me the chance to welcome the wonderful Paulinda, and publicly recognize her tenacity and tirelessness in fighting for a cure, as well as the other incredible women who are gathered here behind me,

I want to underscore some of the symptoms that we saw, and that's on your bookmark. Because those are symptoms that are not necessarily ones that you would associate with a deadly cancer. Bloating, frequent urination, abdominal pain, loss of appetite. These are really common symptoms that show up at different points in our lives. But if these symptoms persist, Go get tested, go ask your doctor about ovarian cancer. We don't want to let our lack of knowledge about the symptoms lead to real harm for us, for our families, and so I think these symptoms are really important for us to understand and

Thank you, Karen, so much for sharing your personal story. And Paulinda, thank you for turning your pain into purpose. We are so grateful for your leadership. And I also want to recognize Ali, who has been still with the city and still has been an advocate for this cause and brought our council office into it. So thank you. So on behalf of the City of Los Angeles and the 4th Council District, I want to recognize the Ovarian Cancer Circle for your unwavering dedication to women and families facing ovarian cancer. Through your investment in research, your tireless work raising public awareness,

Thank you so much. And thank you to our guest today for bringing awareness to ovarian cancer. And thank you, Council Member Rahman, especially for pointing out those symptoms. It's all too often in our families and in our communities, women show up to doctors with symptoms and they tell them it's stress or it's because they ate something wrong or because they did something wrong themselves and they don't get the examinations that they need. So thank you for bringing awareness so our communities know what to ask for and know what to look for.

All right, we'll begin to prepare for our next presentation which will be led by Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.

Important presentation. All right. Well, colleagues, today it is my pleasure to lead and co-lead our presentation celebrating the 50th, 5-0 anniversary of the Liberty Hill Foundation. For five decades, Liberty Hill has demonstrated that philanthropy can be more than just writing checks. It can be about building power, investing in people, and standing alongside communities working for lasting change. It all started with a few friends at a picnic in Topanga Canyon having a conversation about how to better our city and how to empower Angelenos. The following year, Sarah Pillsbury, who's here wit

Councilmember Blumenfeld, everyone. Always keeping it light and fresh. First of all, congratulations to Liberty Hill for 50 years of incredible work. Please give them a round of applause. It is an absolute honor to be here with everyone who has been part of this organization's history, the staff, the board, the grassroots organizers, the donors, the former staff, and everyone who's invested in this work. 50 years is an incredible milestone, and we should all be celebrating the work that they've done. To think that 50 years ago, in all the work that they've done, even before some of us here at

How did you guys get them to cheer? Cheer!

Our own Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, everybody.

And I said, sure, come on, whoever you are.

Just a couple. All right. All right, Mr. Bloomfield, beginning with Mr. McCosker.

Thank you very much, Bob, for bringing in Liberty Hill, and happy birthday. 50 years, it's amazing, but I have been in the course of my career, especially when I was doing city attorney work have been in admiration of what Liberty Hill does. I was in the city attorney's office in this city in 1997. And so on the receiving end of the pressure, the organizing that said, we are going to figure out a living wage ordinance, and had council member, the great Jackie Goldberg, who I admire very much. And by the way, I chair personnel because I want to do it the way you did it. We got the pressure sayi

I just want to thank you, Bob, and Hugo, for bringing this extraordinary organization in today. 50 years, that's a lot of history. That's a lot of legacy. And this organization really, over the years, has practiced what you preach. And that's been very refreshing and very illuminating and very inspiring. So we just want to say thank you. Thanks for your work, Dad, just on living wage and on health care and economic development, civic engagement, but just on being available and being a resource to the community. Congratulations. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, Council President. First of all, Council Member Blumenfield, thank you for all of the direct and indirect support you've offered to Liberty Hill over the years. Thank you to Liberty Hill for being here. Thank you for your 50 years of commitment to making insurmountable mountains into surmountable hills. So I appreciate the work that you've done. But I got to also focus on an individual that has laid out the groundwork and epitomizes what it means to be a change agent. Jackie has done this probably with many individuals. But 20 years ago, I was a young chief of staff for then incomin

Thank you. Mr. Nazarian councilmember. Hurado. I

Thank you, Council President. Thank you, Council Member Bloomfield and Council Member Soto-Martinez. Liberty Hill, you know, you're so part of the political fabric and community organizing fabric in the city of Los Angeles. You've been such a partner and a champion of ULA and, you know, working together and preserving that. You know, $400 million we just approved in our committee with council member Padilla as chair and housing committee to keep moving that forward to fund all of the initiatives. So excited for that work and for many more years to come. You know, I asked you if this was a midl

As someone who's already just achieved my 50, I will tell you, it does only get better. But I just want to say congratulations and thank you all for this enduring legacy. The work has really been phenomenal. But because it was transformative to help invest in communities that historically had been overlooked. Representing a district like mine, Council Member Padilla, our areas have historically not been the beneficiaries of investments. And so the work that Liberty Hill has done historically across communities of color, making sure that the resources were getting directly into the hands of the

Well, I was so happy when I saw we were going to have this presentation today. 50 years is a long time, so congratulations. But, you know, I think, I don't think you guys are giving yourselves enough credit. I think this is definitely a council where you, These investments that Liberty Hill has done in the last 50 years are very much embedded in a lot of our resumes and a lot of who we are. You know, everyone knows I would have liked to see Coffee Too. I would have loved to see Michelle Pritchard. But I see so many of you that I have known over the years. Through my own career, I've always sai

Thank you, Council President. Thank you, colleagues, Council Member Blumenfield and Soto Martinez for this presentation. I will be brief. I already said a lot in the back. I just want to share again publicly my deepest gratitude for you all and all the investments you have made for 50 years. They call you all radicals. They call us radicals. But it's not radical for us to want people to have clean air. It's not radical for us not to want to incarcerate our kids and instead give them the support they need. It's not radical to want tenant protections And so thank you for making government better

Thank you so much, council members. So many of us have been touched by Liberty Hill, and as I look at the faces up there, I look at the folks who helped really raise me and so many others as an organizer and as an activist. I'm not going to start naming names because I'll miss somebody, but all of you know and can remember back, remember when, My hair went all the way over my head and the chip on my shoulder was a lot bigger than it is now. And you all helped guide us through to the point where Liberty Hill is not an outside organization throwing rocks at the building. It is really part of the

Thank you. Well, we have a certificate for you all. It is signed by every member of this council as well as the mayor. And so we'd like you to accept this, if you wouldn't mind. And we'll take a photo.

Thank you so much. Another big round of applause for the great Liberty Hill Foundation. All right, Madam Clerk, what's next? All right, I'll ask the clerk and the city attorney to prepare us for public comment.

All right. We'll go to virtual from now until five minutes after the hour.

All right, thank you to everybody who participated in public comment in person and telephonically. Madam Kirk, what's before us?

All right, let's open the roll on that item. Close the roll. Tabulate the vote.

All right, let's open the roll. Close the roll. Tabulate the vote.

Those items are posted and referred. Council member Rahman?

May I request that item 13 go forthwith?

All right, item 13 forthwith without objection. Any other forthwiths or urgent forthwiths? All right, motions are posted and referred. Announcements, members? We will all give way to Mr. Price for a very big announcement for our city.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I'm excited today to announce that this Saturday we're going to be hosting the 31st Annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival. South LA, the South LA tradition that is very special to me is going to be my last one. But more importantly, it's a way to celebrate and to energize our community. This year's Lamb is going to be one to remember. We have Tatiana Tate, and then Owens, and the Cookout, and the legendary Sheila E is going to be our headliner. So come join us 11 to 7 PM for food, fun, and fun for the whole family. We're going to have three stages

Thank you so much, Mr. Price, Central Avenue Jazz Festival, 31st Annual, and Mr. Price's farewell to the Jazz Festival as the council member. We expect you there next year. Anyway, Council Member Padilla.

I just wanted to take a second to thank everybody again for . As you guys see, I still gained a lot of momentum, and I couldn't have done it alone. I'm glad you all had a great time, and let's continue to open up the building in this way, because the community really, I think, felt what sometimes we say in our presentations when people come in, this is your city hall. It shouldn't take a lifetime for folks to figure out that this is their city hall. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Council Member Padilla. Any other announcements? Council Member Hernandez. All right, no other announcements. I'll ask everybody in the chamber to rise for adjourning motions. And I'll begin looking to my left and Mr. Nazarian's side of the horseshoe. Council Member Lee.

Colleagues, I'd like to adjourn in memory of Daniel Castillo, Gage Weta, Eliana Moreno, George Marcineau, and Eddie Gutierrez Mejia, the five lives that were tragically lost during the horrific events that occurred in Chatsworth on Tuesday. May we remember them not simply as victims, but as people deeply loved, as family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Daniel Castillo was 46 years old and a devoted father of four. His daughter remembers him as someone who brought laughter and light to others' lives. He put his family first and treasured the time he spent with them. Those closest t

Yeah, I'd like to be added on to that, of course. This is a horrible tragedy that spanned both of our districts and symbolized the problem that we have with traffic violence and just made that so real. for so many people. But it was a beautiful thing. Thank you for helping put together that vigil last night, seeing people out of this tragedy come together, so many people coming together to share community, to pray, to support the families that were there. That was inspiring. So I just wanted to be added to this adjourning motion, and I hope we never have to do these kinds of motions again.

Thank you, Mr. Lee. Mr. Bloomfield, any adjourning motions on Council Member Padilla's side? All right, seeing none, we are adjourned. Thank you so much, everybody.