Meeting Summary
What Happened
Council President Harris-Dawson presided over the meeting with 10 members present. The council unanimously approved items 1-8 and 12-17 without discussion, while Council Member Hernandez called items 9, 10, and 11 for special consideration.
The meeting featured a presentation celebrating the 40th anniversary of the LA Marathon, led by Council Member Yaroslavsky. The McCourt Foundation reported that the March 8th marathon is completely sold out with 27,600 runners, generates $120 million in annual economic impact, and has achieved evergreen sustainability status. The council proclaimed March 8th as Los Angeles Marathon Day.
Item 9 (CF 26-0145) - Utilitarian Street Lighting Program: Council Member Hernandez advocated for restoring the program that allows installation of lights on DWP poles in hard-to-reach areas like hillsides and alleyways. She noted the program stalled after eliminating a liaison position at the Bureau of Street Lighting, despite working at virtually no additional cost to the city. The motion passed unanimously 10-0.
Item 10 (CF 26-0146) - Graffiti Abatement Resources: Hernandez presented concerning data showing the 24-hour graffiti removal response rate has plummeted from 65% to 36%, while 48-hour response dropped from 76% to 50%. The motion requires a comprehensive report on contractor performance and development of a prioritization matrix based on 311 request volumes by council district. The motion passed unanimously 10-0.
Item 11 (CF 26-0140) - Francisco Morazan Square: The council approved designating the intersection of West 8th Street and Valencia Street in Westlake as "Francisco Morazan Central American Community Square," honoring the 19th century Central American leader. Hernandez noted nearly 1 million Central Americans live in LA County, with 600,000 in the city. The motion passed unanimously 10-0.
Item 17 (CF 25-1514) - Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council: Council Member Padilla spoke extensively about ensuring transparency and proper governance for the advisory council, emphasizing that community voices must be protected in airport decisions affecting nearby residents. She thanked Council Member Yaroslavsky for respecting jurisdictional boundaries when changes were proposed.
Public comment focused heavily on Van Nuys Airport issues, with multiple residents expressing concerns about noise, fumes, and recent changes to the Citizens Advisory Council. Several speakers criticized the Board of Airport Commissioners for unauthorized changes to council membership and called for greater community input on airport operations.
Contested Votes
CF 26-0145: Utilitarian Street Lighting Program Motion to restore the utilitarian street lighting program by exploring code changes and inter-agency agreements.
| Vote | Members |
|---|---|
| Yes (10) | Harris-Dawson, Hernandez, Nazarian, Blumenfield, Raman, Yaroslavsky, Padilla, Rodriguez, Price, Hutt, Park, Lee, Soto-Martinez, Jurado, McOsker |
| No (0) | None |
| Absent (5) | [Not specified which members were absent] |
CF 26-0146: Graffiti Abatement Resources Motion requiring comprehensive report on graffiti abatement contractors and development of prioritization matrix.
| Vote | Members |
|---|---|
| Yes (10) | Harris-Dawson, Hernandez, Nazarian, Blumenfield, Raman, Yaroslavsky, Padilla, Rodriguez, Price, Hutt, Park, Lee, Soto-Martinez, Jurado, McOsker |
| No (0) | None |
| Absent (5) | [Not specified which members were absent] |
CF 26-0140: Francisco Morazan Central American Community Square Motion to designate intersection of West 8th Street and Valencia Street as ceremonial square.
| Vote | Members |
|---|---|
| Yes (10) | Harris-Dawson, Hernandez, Nazarian, Blumenfield, Raman, Yaroslavsky, Padilla, Rodriguez, Price, Hutt, Park, Lee, Soto-Martinez, Jurado, McOsker |
| No (0) | None |
| Absent (5) | [Not specified which members were absent] |
Items without recorded votes: CF 26-0058, CF 24-0688, CF 21-0722-S1, CF 26-0142, CF 26-0156, CF 19-0328, CF 26-0074, CF 26-0085, CF 26-0064, CF 25-1478, CF 25-1479, CF 26-0021, CF 25-1497, CF 25-1514 (all passed unanimously on consent calendar)