Good morning and welcome to LA on the Record, our City Hall newsletter. This is David Zahniser bringing you the latest happenings from the past week at Los Angeles City Hall.
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The proposal, by Los Angeles City Council members Katie Yaroslavsky and Tim McCosker, seemed to come out of nowhere.
On Tuesday, the two presented a simple idea: Ask voters for permission to reduce the number of weekly City Council meetings from three to one.
Some of his colleagues aren’t ready to put the proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot, saying it needs further study, but Yaroslavsky made clear he is enthusiastic about the idea, saying he is “restless and frustrated.”
Yaroslavsky, who represents part of the West Side, told The Times he wants to streamline the council, and he argued that an “overwhelming majority” of his fellow council members share his view, believing meetings are too dominated by activities that range from the frivolous to the raunchy.
“A lot of it is public comment,” Yaroslavsky said. “A lot of it is the same 15 people yelling racist, misogynistic and anti-Semitic insults.”
After all, the idea of reducing the number of times the council meets has been simmering beneath the surface for some time: While discussing how to reform the Los Angeles City Charter in January, Councilman Eunises Hernandez floated the idea of cutting meetings to once a week — the same schedule as the five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Hernandez, who represents part of the East Side, argued that fewer meetings would give lawmakers more time to meet with constituents. He pointed to the county’s schedule as a model, saying community organizations could show up just one day a week to push for change.
“It’s very difficult to come to an activity three times a week. You have to take time off work, pay for parking, sit here for hours,” said Hernandez, who signed the Yaroslavsky/McCosker ballot proposal, “and most of the time, not everyone is sitting here listening to the public.”
The city’s charter, which serves as its governing document, requires the city council to meet at least three days a week. Switching to weekly meetings would require voter approval.
Yaroslavsky argued that under his proposal, the city council could meet on additional days if circumstances dictate, but the council decided to postpone and send the proposal to the new Citizens’ Charter Reform Committee, tasked with examining various aspects of city government.
Yaroslavsky, the Met Board member, wants committee members to talk to the Legislature to get a sense of their schedules and workloads. Fewer meetings would free up time for the Legislature’s many policy committees, which focus on issues like public safety and the budget, he said.
Like Hernandez, she noted that cutting down on meetings would allow council members to spend more time with their constituents.
“I’ve been trying for 16 months to find a reliable day to do office hours within the district, but it’s so hard because there are so many committee meetings,” Yaroslavsky said. “I work for Metro. I have Metro committee meetings. I’m not the only one with additional obligations.”
The proposal has already drawn opposition from the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, which has argued that any condensed schedule should also be accompanied by efforts to make meetings more accessible. Carolina Goodman, chair of the group’s Government Reform Committee, said the Legislature should post agendas at least 72 hours in advance and allow legislative committees to listen to public hearings by phone.
“The city should be looking for more ways to engage residents,” she said.
Frustration with City Council meetings extends beyond bigoted comments made during the public comment period. Yaroslavsky also cited the number of presentations that honored community groups, city leaders or historical events.
Over the past two weeks, the council has used its meetings to honor the North Hollywood High School baseball team, former Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Gonzales and the 40th anniversary of the film and album “Purple Rain,” among others.
Those frustrations may have played a role in the recent election of Marqueece Harris-Dawson as council president. Harris-Dawson, who takes over as president on Sept. 20, told The Times before the vote that when he asked council members what they wanted from a president, they told him they wanted to spend more time in their own districts.
“You have to create a work schedule that can accommodate that,” he said.
So why isn’t the Yaroslavsky/McCosker proposal on the ballot soon? Oddly enough, the proposal was rejected by city council members who represent the San Fernando Valley, many of whom drive long distances to get to City Hall.
Bob Blumenfield said sending the proposal to voters without proper vetting would risk a public backlash and jeopardize other reform measures scheduled for the Nov. 5 ballot. This argument caused Nithya Raman, who is pushing the redistricting reform measure, to change her mind and send the proposal to the committee.
Monica Rodriguez, who represents the Northeast Valley, also opposed the proposal, saying there are other ways for the council to connect with constituents, such as holding meetings at other times or in other parts of the city. John Lee and Imelda Padilla also opposed, saying the council should not take up issues that directly affect its workload.
Padilla, whose district includes Van Nuys and Panorama City, also disputed the council members’ comments about carelessness.
“I’m going to listen to the public while I’m here,” she said. “I’m trying really hard to listen. I’m trying not to get up. And I’m listening very consciously, because when people are speaking in Spanish, I have to tell everyone to be quiet.”
Parliament is expected to set up a charter reform committee in the coming weeks.
President Paul Krekorian, who runs the event, defended the event, saying it was important to recognize people who do “great things” for the city. He sympathized with Yaroslavsky’s complaints about the racist and bigoted language and said it was painful to be subjected to such abuse.
“But I also recognize that unless it’s something that has absolutely nothing to do with our job, there’s very little that I or any other council president can do to limit it,” he said in an interview.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Raman offered one short-term strategy to Krekorian and his soon-to-be successor, Harris Dawson.
“I encourage you to exercise your authority to cancel meetings if necessary,” she said.
current situation
— Blame Burbank: Krekorian accused Burbank police officers of abandoning a homeless man on a North Hollywood sidewalk, right in front of Krekorian’s district office. Krekorian on Friday released a video that shows two officers abandoning the barefoot man on the sidewalk and driving away in a car. Burbank police, who are investigating the incident, said the officers were driving the man to the North Hollywood subway station when the man “got out of the patrol car and asked for a coffee.”
— Calling for a ceasefire: Three council members, Hernández, Raman and Hugo Soto Martínez, Resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire The draft resolution calling for the unconditional return of all Israeli hostages in Gaza will be submitted to the Security Council’s Rules Committee, which Krekorian chairs.
— SKID ROW SKYLINE: A housing tower targeted at Skid Row’s homeless population is set to open this month and will feature a gym, art room, computer room/library, TV lounge, six shared balconies and a ground-floor cafe. The 278-unit tower is the first of three planned for construction at 6th Avenue and San Pedro Street, all targeted at the city’s homeless population.
— Raising the flag: Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmen McCosker and Soto-Martinez raised the Pride flag for the first time at City Hall to mark a month celebrating the city’s LGBTQ+ community. McCosker led the effort, saying it was motivated in part by wanting to be an ally for her daughter, who is lesbian.
— Lawyers and Lifeguards: Meanwhile, a lifeguard employed by Los Angeles County said county officials have given him a “partial” concession in his attempt to avoid flying the Pride flag. Jeffrey Little’s lawyers said in legal documents that their client was told he “is not personally responsible for the raising or lowering of the flag.” Little, an evangelical Christian, is required to supervise his subordinates to fly the flag, a duty that the lawyers say “is contrary to his sincere religious beliefs.”
— Shelter tragedy: An Animal Services employee was viciously attacked by a dog at a San Pedro animal shelter last week. The employee told NBC4 that the dog underwent three surgeries, adding, “Half of his thigh is gone.”
— No more numbers: The Los Angeles Police Department has stopped posting crime numbers on its public website as it implements a new system for tallying robberies, assaults and other crimes. The department is moving to a national incident-based reporting system and hopes to resume public access to crime statistics later this year.
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A (Not So) Quick Hit
Is it safe indoors? The mayor’s program to combat homelessness has previously visited Hollywood, South Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, including 99th Street and Figueroa Boulevard, the Chatsworth Metrolink station and a street near Sunset Sound recording studios, Bass said. More than 30 people have been inside, Bass said.
On next week’s agenda: The City Council’s special reform committee will consider voting language for a series of proposals aimed at strengthening the city’s Ethics Commission.
keep in touch
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