LA County's final budget; LA votes to codify parts of immigration directive

A public hearing on whether the Planning Commission should recommend that the City Council approve the update to the Media District Specific Plan (Project No. 22-0003509, agenda), certify its final environmental impact report, amend the Burbank2035 General Plan, and amend the zoning code to match. The plan covers the southwestern edge of the city, roughly bounded by Clybourn Avenue, Keystone Street, Oak Street and the Los Angeles River, an area that includes Disney, Warner Bros. and other studios along with offices, shops and housing (agenda). The update sets what uses, heights, densities and parking are allowed there and creates a streamlined, non-discretionary approval path for qualifying housing and small commercial projects. Staff recommended a scaled-back version called the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative, which concentrates growth in the center of the district and limits it to what staff said city utilities can serve. The commission's vote is a recommendation; the City Council makes the final decision. 00:02:19

More on Burbank's episode

• Substitute motion by Mike Van Gorder (Commissioner), seconded by a commissioner: everything in Samantha Wick (Commissioner; Chair)'s motion, plus a recommendation that hotels in the Media District Specific Plan be required to have development agreements. Result: failed, 2-3. No: Samantha Wick (Commissioner; Chair), Paulina Safarian (Commissioner; Vice Chair), Jason Bennett (Commissioner). 01:32:25
• Samantha Wick (Commissioner; Chair) moved, seconded by a commissioner, to adopt the Planning Commission resolution recommending that the City Council (1) certify the final environmental impact report for the Media District Specific Plan Update, with the resolution's title amended to say it includes the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative as the preferred project, (2) amend the Burbank2035 General Plan consistent with the plan, (3) adopt the amended plan, and (4) adopt an ordinance amending the municipal code to implement it; and to include annual progress reports to the City Council. Result: passed, 5-0. 01:32:35

• City staff said the Media District plan dates to 1991, has not changed substantially in 35 years, and that very little has been built in that time while housing demand and state housing laws have changed. 00:07:13
• City staff said the update has been in the works for almost four years and was discussed at more than 40 public events and presentations, with eight rounds of dedicated outreach. 00:08:18
• City staff said only minor changes were made since the commission last saw the plan: an updated infrastructure chapter, editorial fixes, and edits to reflect the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative as the preferred alternative. 00:08:18
• City staff described a jobs-housing imbalance in the district, saying about 69,000 people come into it while only 364 both live and work there, which staff said adds to traffic and quality-of-life problems. 00:10:24
• City staff listed the plan's three goals as development that fits its context, growth oriented to transit, and streamlined housing production. 00:11:26
• City staff explained that allowed building heights, residential density and commercial intensity step up toward the center of the district and stay lower next to lower-scale residential neighborhoods. 00:13:38
• City staff said parking rules were aligned with state mandates that generally reduce parking requirements, with minimums kept in some cases because of neighborhood concerns. 00:14:42
• City staff said the infrastructure chapter does not assume today's water, sewer, power and other systems can handle all future growth, and that new development pays its applicable share of improvements. 00:15:48
• City staff described the plan's ministerial review path: housing on identified opportunity sites, housing projects of up to 150 units in the area staff described as 87 units per acre, and commercial projects up to 10,000 square feet; other projects stay in discretionary review. 00:16:54
• City staff explained that the environmental report found some impacts significant and unavoidable, which means the City Council must weigh benefits against impacts and adopt a statement of overriding considerations. 00:21:03
• City staff said public comments on utilities and infrastructure during the draft environmental review led staff, with Burbank Water and Power and Public Works, to develop the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative. 00:22:07
• City staff said the alternative concentrates future development in the core of the district and scales back growth there so the city can also accommodate growth in its other specific plan areas. 00:23:09
• City staff said staff found the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative to be the environmentally superior alternative and recommends it as the preferred project. 00:23:09
• City staff said growth under the plan could bring the city more revenue than it costs in services at build-out, depending on the type and pace of development, and that the city is looking at an enhanced infrastructure financing district. 00:25:20
• City staff responded to a union's request for workforce displays by saying staff is working on a separate citywide program for creative signage and off-site advertising that will come forward on its own. 00:52:50
• City staff disputed the framing that past Burbank hotels needed development agreements because they were hotels, saying those were complex mixed-use projects that did not fit the standard code. 00:52:50
• City staff said the hotel question went to the City Council, by staff's recollection twice, and the council accepted the conditional use permit requirement and did not direct staff to add a development agreement requirement. 00:53:56
• City staff answered a complaint about late materials by saying staff reports are customarily published the Thursday before a hearing and the public has another month before the City Council hearing on October 27. 00:54:57
• City staff said the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative is written into the proposed resolutions and ordinance and into the plan's density and intensity maps. 00:55:58
• City staff said on wildfire concerns that the environmental law requires studying the project's effect on the environment, not the environment's effect on the project. 00:55:58
• City staff said the city has issued a notice that it is preparing a separate citywide environmental analysis of the state law SB 79, rather than studying it plan by plan. 00:57:00
• City staff said the city does not build all utilities for a plan up front but adds them as development is proposed, and that departments' infrastructure planning is expected to be done by the end of December 2029. 00:58:00
• City staff said individual projects are analyzed for sewer and electrical needs and charged fees when they apply, and the plan's technical studies will be used to update those fees. 00:59:13
• Mike Van Gorder (Commissioner) asked whether calling the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative the preferred alternative means it is adopted in full or applied selectively. 01:00:06
• City staff answered that the alternative shows up in the plan through the density and intensity maps, which was the only part of the plan that had to change; the development standards are unchanged. 01:00:39
• Mike Van Gorder (Commissioner) pointed to the drop in potential housing units from 9,700 under the original proposal to 2,200 under the alternative and asked how that fits the city's state housing targets. 01:01:53
• City staff said the reduced plan is consistent with the city's housing obligations to the state, and that infrastructure for the larger alternatives could be built but not by the plan's 2035 horizon. 01:02:06
• City staff added that the housing element's roughly two dozen housing opportunity sites are in the downtown and Golden State plan areas, so Media District units would be on top of those. 01:03:22
• A commissioner criticized the state environmental law for treating the no-project option as environmentally best, arguing that not building pushes people to live far away and commute long distances. 01:06:37
• A commissioner said he shares the concern about cutting the number of housing units but understands why staff proposed the alternative. 01:06:37
• The commission's legal adviser explained that when the no-project option is environmentally superior the law requires naming another alternative, weighing impacts against whether it meets the project's objectives. 01:07:33
• A commissioner said he disagrees with the report's conclusions and considers the maximum-growth alternative the environmentally friendly one, but accepts the scaled-back alternative as a practical matter. 01:08:36
• Paulina Safarian (Commissioner; Vice Chair) thanked planning staff for the years of work on the plan and had no questions. 01:09:14
• A commissioner asked about mixed-use development, saying the district seems well suited to it; staff answered that it is a permitted use in the plan's use table. 01:10:06
• A commissioner asked staff to clarify what the plan proposes for hotels and whether a development agreement applies. 01:11:39
• City staff said the plan allows hotels only with a conditional use permit, a discretionary decision by the Planning Commission that can be appealed to the City Council. 01:12:01
• City staff said the environmental analysis studied up to 400 hotel rooms in the plan area, and anything beyond that would need more environmental review. 01:13:45
• City staff said, in answer to a question about affordable housing, that projects using the streamlined path must still meet all city rules including affordability rules, and that updates to the density bonus and inclusionary housing rules are coming to the commission. 01:15:18
• City staff confirmed, in answer to the chair, that the city's public art requirement still applies to development in the district and the mural program continues. 01:16:13
• A commissioner said he was not happy the scaled-back alternative arrived late in the process but thought it best to approve the plan and move it on. 01:17:22
• Mike Van Gorder (Commissioner) argued the commission should recommend requiring development agreements for hotels in the district, citing the coming Olympics and a greater need for housing than hotel space. 01:18:04
• Mike Van Gorder (Commissioner) supported a public commenter's idea of an annual progress report on development and infrastructure capacity. 01:18:04
• City staff said the plan's implementation program already has the Planning Commission review the capital improvement program, which is then presented to the City Council. 01:19:18
• The commission chair said she is not against hotel development agreements but would not put the requirement in this one plan, preferring a citywide rule so neighborhoods are treated consistently. 01:19:51
• Mike Van Gorder (Commissioner) replied that a requirement in this plan would serve as a stopgap until a citywide rule is adopted, at which point it would simply become redundant. 01:20:30
• A commissioner said she would not recommend development agreements now and would leave it to the City Council to take up if it wishes. 01:21:33
• The commission chair said she supports the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative and annual progress reports, and that she had expected a study session before the hearing and would have liked one more. 01:21:52
• The commission's legal adviser pointed out that the commission's own resolution already contains a finding recommending the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative as the recommended project. 01:24:22
• City staff proposed, at the chair's request for clearer wording, adding to the resolution's title that the environmental report certification includes the Sustainable Infrastructure Alternative as the preferred project. 01:26:41

A task force of entertainment industry figures, set up at the council's direction in June 2025, delivered three recommendations: make filming easier (including making film permits free for a year and waiving city facility rental fees), create a physical creative hub for creators and companies, and hire a specialized marketing firm to pitch Burbank to creative companies. Staff said several permitting changes are already in place and recommended keeping current fees for now, saying waiving permit and facility fees would cost about $408,000 a year on top of a $2.7 million recurring budget deficit. Council members were split on how fast to act on fees. The council voted 5-0 to have staff return in December, with the first-quarter budget report, with fee waiver options for a vote. Work on the hub and the marketing plan continues. No fees were changed at this meeting. 03:01:37

More on Burbank's episode

• A council member moved that staff bring back in December, for a vote, a discussion of film permit fee waivers for the one-year pilot program the task force recommended, with options for the different permit lengths, looking to a January 1 start; a council member seconded. Result: passed, 5-0. 05:06:30

• City staff recounted that the council directed staff in June 2025 to set up the task force to understand changes in the entertainment and creative industries and keep Burbank competitive 03:02:41
• City staff said the entertainment industry generates more than 66,000 jobs in Burbank's economy and supports thousands of local businesses 03:02:41
• City staff said staff, working with consultant Stratascope, interviewed more than 30 industry professionals and chose 21 for the task force, which produced 23 initial recommendations 03:03:43
• City staff listed the three final recommendations: enhance film permitting, establish a creative hub, and retain a marketing firm to position Burbank as the creator capital 03:04:43
• City staff said the city has already put in place a dedicated film permit concierge offering a one-stop service five days a week 03:05:47
• City staff said the city re-established agreements with neighboring jurisdictions to supply police personnel for shoots when Burbank's are unavailable 03:05:47
• City staff said the council approved $15,000 in the 2026-27 budget for independent film and media production through the community arts grant program 03:06:49
• City staff said film permit fees brought in about $333,000 and facility rental fees about $75,000 in 2025, so waiving both would cost the city about $408,000 03:07:52
• City staff said some neighboring cities recently cut or waived fees but there is not yet data showing that increased filming 03:07:52
• City staff said Burbank's film permit fees are the most competitive in the region and have not been raised since 2020 03:08:54
• City staff gave the staff recommendation: keep the existing fee structure, continue the moratorium on fee increases, and keep monitoring other cities 03:08:54
• City staff described the proposed creative hub as a physical place bringing creators, entrepreneurs, businesses, schools and industry partners together 03:08:54
• City staff said the city would not necessarily own or run the hub; its role would be to convene partners and identify locations and resources 03:10:56
• City staff said the task force wants a more specialized marketing strategy aimed at creative companies and decision makers outside Los Angeles County and California 03:11:56
• City staff laid out the timeline: a film permitting update to the council in early 2027, a hub implementation plan possibly in the first quarter of 2027, and a marketing scope and cost estimate by the end of this year 03:12:58
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) asked whether a newly signed state tax credit for post-production, which a commenter had raised, had been factored into the work, given how much post-production happens in Burbank 03:19:00
• The city manager said the bill had not been factored in yet, does not take effect until January, and staff can look into what the city might need to do 03:20:28
• Christopher Rizzotti (Council Member) supported looking at the permitting process to draw more post-production houses to Burbank to use the tax credit 03:21:40
• City staff explained the city handles film permits in-house rather than through Film LA, which she said adds more than $900 on top of a jurisdiction's own fees 03:25:47
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) suggested marketing directly to film schools and industry training programs, whose graduates move quickly into production jobs 03:32:12
• A council member asked that any marketing firm hired be one that knows the industry from the inside 03:34:06
• The city manager said no firm has been chosen and the city would issue a request for proposals with a specific scope 03:35:13
• City staff said task force members could stay involved through the hub and as advisers on marketing, and that healthcare would probably be the next sector to get a similar task force 03:37:17
• City staff said Irvine's recently launched innovation hub is city-run and mostly grant-funded, and Burbank will look for grants and approach its legislators 03:41:51
• City staff gave the current fees: $398 for a one-to-two-day film permit, with student permits at $25 for one to two days and $100 for three to seven days, and $40 for nonprofits 03:43:45
• City staff confirmed the city charges the same permit fee regardless of a production's size 03:44:45
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) objected to a flat permit fee that is the same for a one-day shoot in a park corner as for a large shoot taking over parking lots 03:46:21
• A speaker reminded the council, as community development director, that city fees are set to recover the cost of the service, not by the scale of the activity 03:47:21
• A speaker clarified that the film permit fee does not cover parking or facility rental, which productions pay for separately 03:50:24
• A council member argued for keeping one flat fee so staff do not have to sort productions by size, saying tiers would make the process cumbersome again 03:51:00
• City staff said facility charges for filming are set separately in the fee schedule, giving the example of $200 an hour with a two-hour minimum for a city pool 03:53:11
• City staff said the task force did not see permit fees as a main reason production leaves California, pointing to other states' incentives and lower labor costs 03:57:31
• A speaker said, as financial services director, that all film-related revenue including permits, locations and staff services is about $1.4 million, most of it reimbursing city costs 04:00:00
• A speaker said Proposition 26 bars the city from charging more than a service costs and that, with fees frozen for years, the city is probably already subsidizing film permitting 04:00:00
• The city manager said the city has a $2.7 million recurring deficit and that adding $408,000 would be significant 04:01:19
• The city manager said staff was not saying no to a waiver but wanted to see property tax, sales tax and the Measure C result first and take it up within the wider budget discussion 04:02:27
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) argued the concern is low-budget pilots and independent films, which shop for the cheapest location, and proposed a discounted tier for small productions that show a low budget and no stunts, night shoots or similar needs 04:03:03
• A council member said he could accept a lower fee for simpler permits as long as the city still covers its costs 04:05:20
• A council member called the creative hub the most exciting recommendation and the one he most wanted to move ahead on 04:05:41
• A council member said she had put the task force idea forward and passed on three requests from industry contacts: an online list of local businesses that serve productions, a city-hosted gathering for location managers, and a timeline for the hub 04:09:11
• A council member supported trying the free-permit pilot, calling it an investment in the industry where she said one in five residents work 04:11:16
• A council member argued Burbank should lead on this rather than wait to see what other cities do 04:11:16
• A council member agreed the hub should happen as soon as possible and urged keeping the task force conversation going 04:15:57
• A council member asked staff to come back with the budget impact of pausing permit fees for one year 04:17:04
• City staff said the film permit office works to cut costs for small productions, and that Burbank's permit review is the fastest and cheapest in the region 04:22:14
• The mayor said cost is the barrier she hears about most from small and independent productions and proposed waiving or sharply cutting fees for one-day shoots as a first step 04:27:28
• A council member said that, given the budget, she would settle for waiving permit fees only and not facility fees, arguing a no-permit-fee message would help Burbank compete with Culver City 04:29:02
• City staff said Burbank issued 753 film permits in 2025 against 200 in Culver City and 335 in Santa Clarita 04:31:51
• City staff noted the city had a balanced budget when the task force began and asked for time to see whether waivers make a difference 04:31:51
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) argued cities are not fighting over a fixed number of productions, and that lower costs lead small productions to film at larger scale rather than avoid permits 04:34:01
• A council member urged waiting for tax and ballot measure results, warning that a deeper deficit could mean layoffs or cuts to other programs 04:38:49
• The city manager said a permit would still be required even if the fee were fully waived, so the city can manage filming 04:41:53
• City staff relayed the film permit office's concern that with no charge productions might not apply at all, costing the city insurance coverage and enforcement leverage, and floated a refund or repeat-customer bonus instead 04:42:50
• City staff said permits ran about 1,600 a year before COVID, about 750 last year and more than 600 so far this year 04:43:56
• A speaker asked for time to check facts, noting Culver City waived its own fee but uses Film LA, which charges $931, and he did not know whether that was waived 04:45:35
• Zizette Mullins (Council Member; Vice Mayor) suggested productions could pay the fee up front and be reimbursed after filming, so the city still knows who is filming 04:46:37
• The city manager said a fee change would come back as a fee resolution and could take effect almost immediately after a vote 04:50:17
• A speaker advised that a council majority could probably waive the fee temporarily without rewriting the whole fee schedule 04:50:34
• A council member noted the Measure C result should be known by mid-December, so a December return could allow a change by January 1 04:50:48
• The city manager recommended bringing fee options back with the first-quarter budget report in early December, when tax revenues will be clearer 04:53:42
• A council member asked that the options include waiving only the short-duration permit, and a schedule that heavily subsidizes city properties and the first police officer on a shoot 04:55:39
• The mayor said she would prefer an immediate cut but wanted production companies' input on the fee options first 04:57:49
• Christopher Rizzotti (Council Member) floated a repeat-customer incentive, with the third shoot in two years free 04:59:32
• City staff noted the roughly 750 permit count excludes filming on studio lots and at pre-approved production facilities 05:01:17
• The mayor said the cost of subsidizing permits does not alarm her because it is an investment in the city's main industry, so long as it is done thoughtfully 05:02:40
• A council member agreed to wait until December given where the council was heading, and asked staff to consult the advocacy group Stay in LA 05:03:46
• The city manager asked for a specific motion on fees because council members had raised many separate ideas, and said work on the hub and marketing would continue 05:04:16
• A council member moved that staff return in December with a discussion of fee waivers for the task force's one-year pilot, for a vote 05:05:39

The Board opened with a moment of silence, arranged by Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District), for the five people killed in the Chatsworth Metro bus crash and the news helicopter crash that followed in mid-September 2026. The meeting was later adjourned in their memory. 00:00:04

More on LA County's episode

• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) asked the room to remember the five people killed in Chatsworth, two in the bus crash and three in the helicopter crash 00:00:45
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) noted that the whole board sits on the Metro board and had to face the tragedy the previous week 00:01:32

The last step of the annual budget: the Board adopted supplemental changes that make the county's 2026-27 budget final. The CEO put the total at $54.2 billion, $3.9 billion more than the June budget, mostly from one-time money. The budget funds the county's second annual $1.2 billion payment on childhood sexual assault settlements under AB 218, reallocates $391.1 million from lower-priority accounts, and cuts budgeted positions by a net 250 (to 115,433), including a net 195 vacant Public Health positions. Item 94 also reaffirms the hiring freeze and authorizes funding agreements. Item 89 received a homeless services department report on the Affordable Housing Programs budget unit. Items 90 and 93 are year-end and fund-balance adjustments from the auditor-controller. Item 91 covers Health Services' year-end adjustments; the CEO said Health Services had about $1.44 billion in fund balance at the end of 2025-26. Item 92 closes out Public Health's books. Item 95 confirms the final budget. 00:51:37

More on LA County's episode

• Receive and file item 89, the homeless services department's report on the Affordable Housing Programs budget unit, without objection. Result: passed. 03:38:28
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) moved, Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) seconded, approval of item 90, the auditor-controller's final 2025-26 budget adjustment. Result: passed, 5-0. 03:39:24
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) seconded, approval of item 91, Health Services year-end 2025-26 adjustments. Result: passed, 5-0. 03:40:51
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) moved, Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) seconded, approval of item 92, Public Health year-end 2025-26 adjustments. Result: passed, 5-0. 03:41:55
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) moved, Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) seconded, approval of item 93, the resolution supplementing the 2026-27 budget. Result: passed, 5-0. 03:42:51
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) moved, Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) seconded, approval of item 94, the CEO's supplemental budget changes, hiring freeze reaffirmation, and funding agreements. Result: passed, 5-0. 03:44:22
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) moved, Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) seconded, approval of item 95, the final budget resolution confirming supplemental changes. Result: passed, 5-0. 03:45:08

• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said the total budget is $54.2 billion, a $3.9 billion increase from the June budget 00:53:24
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said budgeted positions fall by a net 250 to 115,433 00:54:26
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said Public Health has the biggest reduction, a net 195 positions, all of them vacant 00:54:26
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said the budget stabilization process found $391.1 million to reallocate to higher priorities 00:55:27
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said no public services or programs were affected by the reallocations 00:56:29
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said the budget fully funds the second annual $1.2 billion AB 218 settlement payment for childhood sexual assault claims 00:56:29
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said roughly 6,000 new claims remain unsettled 00:57:36
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) stressed that only $45.2 million of the new spending is ongoing local money the board can use freely 00:58:42
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said the county has received no federal money for community recovery 19 months after the January 2025 fires 01:00:48
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) recommended a $20 million startup loan for the new disaster recovery rebuild authority, to be repaid from federal or other revenue 01:00:48
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said $15.5 million is set aside for closing Men's Central Jail, with another $11 million recommended by the CFCI committee coming next month 01:01:50
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) highlighted $24.2 million to expand the Office of Emergency Management 01:02:51
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) listed $32.4 million in one-time funding for the election system 01:04:59
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) recommended continuing the hiring freeze, with existing exemptions including one for the homeless services department 01:06:05
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) said the homeless services department reported 119 vacancies out of 573 budgeted positions 01:07:06
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said more than $2 billion in public infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the Eaton fire alone 01:13:38
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) urged funding to design a septic-to-sewer project serving 671 residents in unincorporated Altadena 01:14:41
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) warned of an estimated decline of more than $660 million in federal revenue to the public hospital system under HR 1 01:16:49
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) asked how long Health Services' reserves can absorb its $297.4 million operating deficit 01:19:55
• Joseph Nicchitta (Chief Executive Officer) answered that Health Services has about $1.44 billion in fund balance and projects running out during fiscal year 2028-29 01:20:46
• A supervisor complained that encampment cleanups in high fire zones happen one encampment at a time and asked about ongoing funding 01:22:42
• A speaker said this year's money is one-time and talks continue on folding the work into the homeless department's ongoing budget 01:23:42
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) noted this is the fourth straight year of slowing growth in locally generated revenue 01:25:35
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) said the board itself must show discipline, including in motions that cost money 01:26:36
• A speaker confirmed the reallocations cut only internal costs, not programs facing the public 01:27:26
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) said nearly 380,000 county residents have already lost Medi-Cal 01:31:37
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) cited a Health Services projection that new HR 1 mandates will push more than 700,000 residents off Medi-Cal 01:31:37
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) questioned whether the District Attorney's office should lead restorative justice programs that received more funding 01:33:43
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) asked the CEO what is being done to make the Sheriff's Department more efficient 01:39:42
• A speaker said the Sheriff's year-end deficit is $106 million, citing delayed federal reimbursement, overtime, workers' compensation, and lawsuits 01:40:47
• A speaker said sheriff academy classes were expanded from four to eight because more recruits are interested 01:43:01
• A speaker said the Sheriff is ending many contracted security assignments to move sworn staff back to core duties and cut overtime 01:44:06
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) asked whether money is set aside for a replacement facility for Men's Central Jail 01:45:04
• A speaker said the budget includes an ongoing $1.5 million line item for jail-closure facility needs and that planning starts from population needs 01:46:50
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) totaled emergency preparedness and response investments in this phase at $77 million 01:51:11
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) listed prevention funding, including $11.5 million for Stay Housed LA and $10 million for emergency rental assistance 01:52:12
• A speaker broke down $162.9 million in one-time homeless funding, led by $90.7 million for supportive and interim housing tied to the Alliance lawsuit 01:54:14
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said the budget approves nearly $10 million and 17 positions to set up the Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance under Measure G 01:54:56
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) asked when the $12 million set aside for public defense will reach the public defender and alternate public defender 02:01:56
• A speaker said the money should be allocated at mid-year, following the RAND workload study rather than a set split between offices 02:03:36
• A speaker said deleting more vacant probation positions could free some money, but less than people expect, since many positions bring in revenue 02:06:39
• A speaker said $8.3 million in juvenile justice realignment grant money goes to the Department of Youth Development for 14 new positions 02:09:27
• A speaker laid out phased transfer of juvenile programming from probation to Youth Development starting at Campus Kilpatrick in November 02:09:27
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) asked how the county will protect prevention funding, which is often cut first in tight years 02:10:55
• A speaker said prevention programs were maintained in this budget 02:13:01
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) said she remains worried the elderly nutrition waitlist could grow without more money 02:13:34
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) noted this is her last budget on the board 02:14:43
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) pointed to a $1.8 million request for Represent LA immigrant legal representation 02:20:59
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) welcomed $1.1 million for County Counsel's affirmative litigation effort 02:22:04
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) urged the sheriff and CEO to expand the Sheriff's homeless outreach team 02:24:13
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) cited money for encampments in very high fire hazard zones as $4.6 million 02:26:17

A motion by Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) and Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) asking the homeless services department and partners to review how families get referred to and qualify for help. That covers doubled-up, unsheltered, and multigenerational families, and parents whose children stay with relatives. It also asks whether small families can be matched to available smaller units to cut time in interim housing. As revised, County Counsel will give a confidential legal analysis of motel voucher practices that force families to check out, move rooms, or re-register to avoid establishing tenancy rights. The department must report within 60 days on changes to reduce needless displacement (supplemental agenda). Solis had left the dais, and Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) chaired. 05:36:23

More on LA County's episode

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) seconded, approval of item 15 as revised. Result: passed, 4-0. 06:09:19

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) described meeting a homeless family of six on a bus who had to keep moving between hotels because of tenancy rules 05:38:20
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) asked County Counsel to review practices that make people check out after 28 days and then return 05:39:27
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) said small families should be matched to available one-bedroom units when that is legal, rather than waiting longer 05:40:28
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) said her office gets calls every week from families and providers seeking better pathways for families 05:43:29
• Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) recalled a shelter policy that separated a mother from her son once he turned 13 as an example of outdated rules 05:44:36
• A supervisor asked whether the forced move-outs are a county requirement 05:46:01
• A speaker said a state law passed a few years ago keeps third-party-paid motel stays from creating tenancy, and motel owners, providers, and police need education on it 05:46:52
• A speaker said the department can adopt county policy and contract terms reinforcing the state law 05:48:19
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) raised concern that unhoused people are offered beds far from their home communities 05:50:27
• A speaker said a data system limitation hides people's locations for bed matching, with a fix expected within weeks 05:50:44
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said the case shows the gap between passing a policy and implementing it 05:52:15
• A speaker said she would ask the Sheriff to help make law enforcement aware of the state law 05:54:03

The council proclaimed October 2026 as Walktober and Pedestrian Safety Month in Pasadena, and the American Heart Association presented the Pasadena Fire Department with its Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold award for heart attack and stroke care. 00:01:24

More on Pasadena's episode

• A councilmember asked the council to take up lowering speed limits in school zones from 25 to 15 miles per hour, as other cities have 00:05:30
• A councilmember noted the fire department now carries blood for transfusions in the field, one of five cities that do, and credited the policy with saving two lives recently 00:06:54
• City staff said a cardiac arrest patient in Pasadena is nearly two and a half times as likely to survive to discharge with good neurological function as anywhere else in LA County 00:10:58

State law requires an annual report on the police department's military-style equipment. The council approved the report, renewed the existing equipment, and authorized the SWAT team to use energy-assisted breaching tools, and asked police to report back on training for large demonstrations. A new drone policy was split off: after a long debate over plans to test drones as first responders, the council approved it 7 to 1 for SWAT use only, with any testing of new drone systems done outside the city and more review before anything is bought. 01:10:05

More on Pasadena's episode

• A councilmember moved to accept the report with thanks, approving recommendations 1 through 3, 5, and 6, and to ask the police department to report back to the police oversight commission and the Public Safety Committee on its operational training for this equipment; it was seconded. Result: passed. 01:29:37
• A councilmember moved to approve recommendation 4, the drone policy, as written. Result: failed. 02:10:33
• Jason Lyon (Councilmember, District 7) moved to approve recommendation 4, the drone policy, for SWAT operations only, with any testing done off-site and outside the city and further review through the police oversight commission; Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) seconded. Result: passed, 7-1. No: a councilmember. 02:14:37

• Jess Rivas (Councilmember, District 5; Vice Mayor) said the Public Safety Committee recommended approval, but declined to support expanding drone use beyond SWAT 01:11:30
• A councilmember asked the police department to report back on how officers are trained to use this equipment at large or volatile demonstrations 01:23:15
• Jess Rivas (Councilmember, District 5; Vice Mayor) said there's no evidence yet that drones as first responders improve crime clearance, reduce force, or save money, and declined to support setting the city on that path 01:38:24
• A councilmember warned about drone vendors, saying a company like Flock could come to know everything about everybody 01:42:50
• City staff said the policy would guide one-day trials of systems from Flock, Brinc, and Skydio, with results and costs coming back to the council in January before any purchase 01:58:17
• A councilmember objected to borrowing drones and using them in the community before the council decides, calling it putting the cart before the horse 02:00:37
• City staff said approving the policy lets the SWAT team use drones for limited tactical situations while testing waits 02:09:23
• A councilmember proposed approving the policy for SWAT use only, with any testing done off-site and outside the city 02:09:41

The council adopted the Fair Oaks Orange Grove Specific Plan, which sets what can be built, and how, around North Fair Oaks Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard, and named the stretch of North Fair Oaks from Washington Boulevard to the city's northern edge the Black Legacy District. Among the Planning Commission changes it includes, the allowed density at the southeast corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Washington Boulevard rises from 32 to 48 homes per acre (agenda). The motion adds work to find money for banners, decorative crosswalks, and utility box wraps; sends proposed street medians back for transportation review; moves a placemaking program and a business improvement district up to the near term; and asks staff to look into waiving permit fees for small-scale industrial businesses in the plan area. Victor Gordo (Mayor) recused, citing a home near the plan area, and the vote was 7 to 0. 02:15:17

More on Pasadena's episode

• A motion to close the public hearing was made and seconded. Result: passed. 03:20:04
• Tyron Hampton (Councilmember, District 1) moved the staff recommendation, including the Planning Commission's recommendations and the Black Legacy District, with directions to find funding for banners, decorative crosswalks, and utility box wraps, to refer street medians for transportation review, and to work with the North Fair Oaks Empowerment Group; Justin Jones (Councilmember, District 3) seconded. Friendly amendments from a councilmember moved the placemaking action and a business improvement district to the near term and asked staff to look into waiving minor conditional use permit fees in the plan area. Result: passed, 7-0. Recused: Victor Gordo (Mayor). 03:58:18

• A councilmember said a home they own sits close to the plan area and recused out of caution 02:15:26
• The city clerk reported letters received: six asking to name the area the Black Legacy District, five in support, two opposed or concerned, and 16 about license plate cameras in the corridor 02:16:34
• A councilmember asked about the split between the Planning Commission, which wanted small-scale industrial uses allowed by right throughout the plan area, and staff, who wanted a minor permit where homes are allowed 02:17:53
• City staff said a minor conditional use permit goes to a hearing officer, with a smaller notice radius and a much lower fee than a full permit 02:19:47
• A councilmember moved the staff recommendation with work to fund banners, decorative crosswalks, and utility box wraps, and asked that medians get another look in transportation review 03:20:09
• A speaker said the new enhanced infrastructure financing district can help pay for infrastructure and improvements in the plan area 03:23:11
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) said the plan's implementation steps are mostly words like explore and evaluate, and wanted someone clearly in charge of carrying it out 03:30:39
• Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2) said a minor conditional use permit costs about $3,000 and takes three or four months, which can sink a small business 03:34:07
• City staff said planning is separately studying making these permits an administrative process, which would cut the fee citywide 03:36:10
• A councilmember supported the plan but cautioned against budget commitments that weren't on the agenda, noting the infrastructure district has no money yet 03:48:15
• A councilmember urged keeping room for small craft and industrial businesses in all of the city's planning decisions 03:55:22

Adds support to the city's 2025-26 state legislative program for Assembly Bill 2465. The bill would bar companies that invest in, own, manage or operate private detention facilities, or contract with agencies doing immigration enforcement, from receiving state taxpayer-funded benefits, subsidies, grants, loans or tax credits (agenda). The Rules committee waived consideration. 01:02:26

More on Los Angeles's episode

• Adopt the resolution on item 63. Result: passed, 13 ayes. 01:04:07

• A councilmember cited the city's sanctuary ordinance and a million-dollar investment in Represent LA as ways the city protects immigrants 01:02:35
• A councilmember said private prison companies reported a 13% profit increase to 2 billion in 2025 while paying almost no state taxes 01:02:35
• A councilmember said the bill disqualifies immigration enforcement contractors and private immigration prison operators from state benefits 01:02:35
• A councilmember said the bill would also collect tax revenue from these companies for a fund paying for legal defense for immigrant families 01:02:35
• A councilmember said the vote lets the city join others in urging the governor to sign the bill 01:03:47

This ordinance writes certain provisions of Executive Directive 17, issued by Karen Bass (Mayor), into city law. The ordinance text is not in the packet. Speaking for it, a councilmember said city land should not be used as a staging area for federal immigration enforcement, city tax dollars should not fund surveillance of residents, and contractors profiting from family separation should be held accountable. The committee waived consideration, and no fiscal impact statement was submitted (agenda). On first consideration an ordinance needs a unanimous vote, and it got 14 ayes. It was sent forthwith and is subject to the approval of Karen Bass (Mayor). 01:20:45

More on Los Angeles's episode

• Adopt the ordinance (first consideration), voted together with items 34 and 72. Result: passed, 14 ayes. 01:26:13
• Send item 67 forthwith. Result: passed. 01:27:06

• Eunisses Hernandez (Councilmember, First District) argued that no city land should be used as a staging area or launch point for federal immigration raids. 01:23:03
• Eunisses Hernandez (Councilmember, First District) argued that city tax dollars should not pay for surveillance of residents. 01:23:03
• Eunisses Hernandez (Councilmember, First District) called for enforcing city law and holding accountable contractors who profit from family separation. 01:23:03