Burbank's library deal, Pasadena turf, LA weighs fight with county

A public hearing on Project No. 16-0003953. The applicant wants to build a new seven-story, 420-room hotel under two brands (Aloft for regular stays and Residence Inn for extended stays) and a separate four-story parking garage. Both would go on surface parking at the existing Marriott hotel and convention center, which would stay open. The site is 11.76 acres bounded by Thornton Avenue, Hollywood Way and Avon Street, across from Hollywood Burbank Airport, and is designated Regional Commercial. The commission was asked to recommend that the City Council approve a Planned Development (site-specific zoning), a ten-year Development Agreement and Development Review. It was also asked to recommend that the Council certify the Final Environmental Impact Report, adopt a mitigation monitoring program and adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations. That statement is required because, according to staff, three impact areas stay significant and unavoidable even with mitigation: greenhouse gas emissions, construction noise, and the construction noise tied to utility work. The City Council makes the final decision. Speakers were split: union and tenant-group speakers asked for a housing component and stronger emissions and transit measures, while business, labor and hotel-employee speakers backed the project. 00:10:08

More on Burbank's episode

• A commissioner moved to recommend that the City Council approve Project No. 16-0003953 by certifying the Final EIR, adopting the mitigation monitoring program with a Statement of Overriding Considerations and the CEQA findings, and adopting an ordinance approving the Planned Development, Development Agreement and Development Review. The motion amended conditions of approval 16 and 24 to raise the renewable energy share from 10% to 11%, and let the city attorney make editorial clarifications on the project's scope. A commissioner seconded. Result: passed, 5-0. 02:21:39

• City staff said the commission last heard the project in January 2025, during the public comment period on the draft environmental report 00:12:14
• City staff described the site as already holding a nine-story, 488-room Marriott hotel, a convention center and surface parking 00:14:14
• City staff said the new seven-story hotel would have 420 rooms, 203 under the Aloft brand and 217 under Residence Inn, in a building about 83 to 84 feet tall 00:15:15
• City staff said the new garage would be valet-only, holding 673 cars normally and up to 766 during larger events, with another 285 surface spaces, and that a parking study found the parking sufficient 00:16:18
• City staff listed the development agreement's community benefits: $30,000 each for future fire and police equipment 00:17:18
• City staff said the benefits also include money for a neighborhood protection and traffic-calming plan, $80,000 for Burbank Bus operations and $20,000 for Metrolink station maintenance, and put the total value at about $1.1 million 00:18:19
• City staff said three impact areas remain significant and unavoidable: greenhouse gas emissions, construction noise, and utilities and service systems 00:19:22
• City staff clarified that the utilities finding is about construction noise from infrastructure work, not a lack of utility capacity 00:19:22
• City staff said Los Angeles County airport land use commission staff found the project consistent with the county's airport land use plan on August 12, 2026 00:21:27
• City staff said staff does not expect a significant negative effect on the city's general fund 00:21:27
• City staff said hearing notices were mailed to owners and occupants within 1,000 feet of the site 00:22:28
• A guest presenter said the project has been ten years in the making 00:24:17
• A guest presenter said the building would be 84 feet tall, 33 feet below the maximum allowed on the site 00:25:21
• A guest presenter claimed it would be the first new all-electric hotel in Burbank 00:26:24
• A guest presenter said more than 36,000 square feet of solar panels are proposed on the garage roof 00:29:35
• A guest presenter projected about $2.6 million in hotel tax revenue in the first full year of occupancy, and more than $123 million over thirty years 00:33:05
• A guest presenter estimated more than $12 million in fees, offsets and community benefit funding, and said the project would upgrade more than 1,500 linear feet of sewer line 00:33:48
• A guest presenter described a planned partnership with the nonprofit Home Again LA to provide temporary bridge stays for families in its program 00:34:51
• A guest presenter said a partnership with the Western States Carpenters would ensure the project is built with union labor 00:34:51
• A guest presenter said the client would invest more than $200 million in the project 00:35:59
• City staff responded to calls for housing by saying the site is not one of the six or seven housing element opportunity sites in the Golden State area, though housing is not ruled out there 01:16:10
• City staff said the applicant is a hotel developer whose stated project objective was a hotel 01:18:17
• City staff defended counting hotel guests in the greenhouse gas service population as a city policy allowed by the municipal code, because guests use energy and water as residents do 01:19:23
• City staff recommended amending the condition on renewable power from 10% to 11% so it matches the environmental report 01:20:24
• A guest presenter said the applicant is open to further talks with staff about strengthening the transit subsidy before the Council hearing 01:21:45
• A guest presenter argued that adding housing would require an entirely different financing structure, which the applicant believes is not possible in today's market 01:22:46
• A speaker said, as the applicant's land use counsel, that the applicant accepts the change to 11% 01:24:15
• A speaker criticized the two long opposition letters submitted that day as a disfavored tactic 01:24:15
• A speaker argued that since hotel guests generate emissions, counting them in the service population keeps the per-person calculation balanced 01:26:19
• A speaker said the project does not rely on a private 1997 parking agreement with the neighboring office parcel, and that all its parking is on the hotel parcel or off-site for special events 01:28:29
• A speaker asked whether the community benefits were requested by the city or offered by the applicant 01:30:42
• City staff said the benefits were city requests, calculated as fair-share contributions for each area, modeled on earlier agreements such as 77 Front Street and Avion 01:32:35
• A speaker objected to making developers pay for improvements he believes the city should fund, especially when the hotel will also generate tax revenue 01:33:04
• A speaker explained, as a senior transportation planner, that the transit pass figures come from the city's transportation demand management ordinance and that the applicant's enrollment is voluntary 01:36:06
• A commissioner said impact fees are standard and paid by everyone, even people building ADUs 01:36:21
• A commissioner asked whether staff coordinated with the airport land use commission, which was raised in one letter 01:36:57
• City staff confirmed that with the required sewer upgrades there would be enough capacity for the project 01:38:01
• City staff said current zoning does not allow housing on the site, but the general plan designation allows a density he believed to be 58 units per acre 01:39:05
• A commissioner raised a concern that under state no-net-loss law, approving a project with no housing would mean upzoning elsewhere to make up the lost capacity 01:40:55
• City staff said the underlying density capacity on the site would not be removed, that nearby parcels are proposed for upzoning to about 120 units per acre, and that the general plan projected no new homes in the airport district by 2035 01:41:39
• A speaker asked how the city's housing projections would lower the citywide three-to-one jobs-to-housing ratio 01:43:29
• City staff said the housing element plans for more than 10,000 units against a regional allocation of 8,772, and that the three specific plans together are being studied for up to about 16,000 units citywide 01:44:48
• City staff said the agreement would lock in building rights for up to ten years, though the applicant intends to build within two to three, with impact fees due before building permits 01:46:57
• City staff described the community benefits as negotiated in exchange for the longer term and the locked-in rules the agreement gives the developer 01:48:32
• A speaker said a non-CEQA traffic study found no significant intersection impacts except a slight delay increase at one intersection that would occur even without the project, later corrected to Hollywood Way and Victory Boulevard 01:53:18
• A speaker said a construction management plan required by the conditions would address haul routes and staging 01:52:46
• A commissioner declined to carry the hearing over to another meeting when the time limit was raised 01:54:57
• A commissioner asked the applicant for a firm guarantee that the transit subsidy would be a permanent employee benefit 01:55:08
• A guest presenter declined to commit on the spot, saying the commitment would last in perpetuity, but offered good-faith talks with staff 01:55:36
• A guest presenter said Home Again LA suggested drafting an MOU with the hotel once construction begins 01:56:25
• A commissioner noted that earlier public comments almost all asked for housing 01:56:59
• A guest presenter said the client's preliminary search found no lenders interested in financing a version with housing 01:59:06
• A guest presenter said the 420-room count came from the existing hotel's data and from market analysis by the developer and Marriott 02:00:24
• City staff said citywide hotel occupancy is above 70% but not quite 80% 02:02:19
• City staff said staff hopes to bring the Golden State Specific Plan to the commission in the second quarter of next year, after its draft environmental report is completed in the first quarter 02:02:58
• A guest presenter said the existing Marriott runs about 81% occupancy and regularly turns away large group bookings 02:03:40
• A guest presenter said the applicant hopes to break ground about a year after approval, which is too late to open before the Olympics 02:05:13
• City staff cited a citywide average daily room rate of $184.28 as of August 2026, from the city's economic development staff 02:06:35
• A speaker argued the development should not be penalized for how guests choose to travel to it, and called city-based greenhouse gas targets flawed 02:07:51
• A speaker argued it is the landowner's right, not the commission's, to decide to build a hotel 02:08:55
• A commissioner backed the project, saying financing drives what gets built, and praised the employee benefits and the union labor 02:09:51
• A commissioner backed the project, citing the city's budget deficit and the projected hotel tax revenue, while urging a stronger transit subsidy 02:11:03
• A commissioner said he wished the project had included something on housing, such as an in-lieu fee 02:13:44
• A commissioner suggested earmarking some of the projected hotel tax revenue for housing needs, while saying he supports the project and its union labor 02:15:48
• A speaker supported the project, saying the housing shortfall can be made up elsewhere in the city 02:16:36
• City staff pointed to the needed changes to conditions 16 and 24 (raising the renewable energy share from 10% to 11%) and asked permission to clarify the attachments to show the approval covers part of the existing planned development zone 02:17:13

The council approved a progressive design-build contract with Clark Construction Group – California, LP, working with architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, to design and build a new central library and civic center across the street from the current library. Staff described about 97,500 square feet of library and city offices, a garage of about 310 spaces, and about 43,000 square feet of open space. The design-build contract is estimated at $155 million, and staff put the total project at about $185–190 million. Construction would be paid for with a lease revenue bond, with the debt repaid from the city's municipal infrastructure fund, which draws on Measure P. The target opening is spring 2029. After a long debate, the council added a requirement that Clark negotiate a project labor agreement with the building trades before any construction starts, and asked for a cost update in January 2027. Clark estimated a union-labor premium of 2–3%, and the finance director put that at roughly $3.1–4.6 million. The final guaranteed maximum price will come back to council for approval. 02:26:58

More on Burbank's episode

• A speaker moved to adopt the resolution approving the progressive design-build contract with Clark Construction Group – California, LP for the Burbank Library and Civic Center project, including entering into a project labor agreement with the LA/OC Building Trades, with a cost and deliverables update to council in January 2027, and authorizing the Library Services Director, as the City Manager's designee, to execute the agreement and future task orders or amendments if funds are budgeted; seconded by a council member. Result: passed, 5-0. 04:16:11

• City staff said voters backed the project in 2003 and a new central library is long overdue 02:28:06
• City staff described a building of about 97,500 square feet that would house the library and city offices 02:29:12
• The city's project manager put the design-build contract at an estimated $155 million and the total project at about $185–190 million including soft costs 02:29:46
• The city's project manager gave the target opening as spring 2029 and noted the project was once studied as a public-private partnership 02:30:47
• The city's project manager explained that a guaranteed maximum price will come back to council next summer for the full construction contract 02:31:49
• City staff proposed moving the farmers market to the City Hall parking lot during construction and back onto the new plaza afterward 02:38:25
• The city's project manager said the selection panel unanimously chose the Clark and SOM team 02:41:27
• The city's project manager said the team expects to hold at least four community town halls on the design 02:45:14
• A guest presenter estimated a project labor agreement would add roughly 2% to 3% to the cost 02:49:59
• City staff said the library is not covered by the citywide labor agreement now being developed unless council amends this contract 02:50:36
• A speaker reported that the citywide labor agreement effort has started, with an attorney reviewing the union's template 02:51:09
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) asked whether the decision could come back in two weeks on consent instead of being made that night 02:53:44
• City staff urged a decision that night, saying delay costs money on this project 02:54:06
• City staff said the library does not need to wait for a citywide community workforce agreement 02:55:07
• City staff read possible contract language requiring the design-builder to negotiate a project labor agreement before any construction 02:56:54
• A council member objected that the staff report said nothing about a labor agreement or its cost, so the issue was new to her 02:58:52
• City staff said the contract issued to bidders in May had no labor agreement because staff had no such direction then 03:00:42
• City staff said staff recommended adopting the agreement as written and called the labor agreement a policy decision for council 03:04:20
• A speaker said council members had pointed to the library during the August labor-agreement discussion as a project they expected to be covered 03:04:48
• A guest presenter said requiring union labor would keep non-union subcontractors who pay prevailing wage from bidding 03:06:39
• A guest presenter cited a current $130 million project, built union without a labor agreement, where the premium was about 1.5% 03:12:39
• A council member said the public should be able to review a cost of up to $4.6 million before it's approved, and asked for the full financing breakdown 03:14:54
• Konstantine Anthony (Council Member) asked whether a later citywide labor agreement would apply retroactively to this contract 03:18:27
• City staff answered that a citywide labor agreement would not be applied to existing contracts 03:18:53
• City staff said pre-construction costs are covered by $10 million from the municipal infrastructure fund, matched by a $10 million state grant, plus other city funds 03:20:25
• City staff stressed that the pre-construction phase uses no general fund money 03:21:26
• City staff said construction would be financed with a lease revenue bond, with debt service paid from the infrastructure fund rather than the general fund 03:21:26
• City staff described the 3% figure as the city's maximum likely exposure 03:24:28
• City staff said the added debt service would equal roughly one small capital project a year over the life of the loan 03:26:44
• The city's project manager said $4.6 million equals about 3,800 square feet of building at about $1,200 per square foot 03:28:44
• The city's project manager noted the project carries a $15 million city-side contingency that could cover the cost, though he'd rather not use it this early 03:29:46
• The city's project manager estimated delay costs at about $750,000 a month, based on roughly 5% yearly construction cost escalation 03:33:25
• Zizette Mullins (Council Member; Vice Mayor) said she felt held hostage by being asked to choose between cost and delay on information she had just received 03:36:06
• The city's project manager said a January update, at the end of the design workshops, would come early enough to decide on labor terms 03:40:56
• A council member said his main concern is avoiding a strike or work stoppage, which he understood costs more than other delays 03:43:49
• The city's project manager said no subcontractors would be hired by January, so adding a labor requirement then wouldn't delay the project 03:46:07
• A guest presenter pointed to the Garden Grove civic center, a similar project Clark recently finished under a labor agreement 03:46:57
• City staff explained that the first option would require Clark to sign a labor agreement with the trades before any construction, while letting design proceed now 03:47:54
• A speaker argued skilled union labor protects quality and safety, telling of a family member shocked by bad wiring in an apartment built without union labor 03:51:32
• A speaker said she wants Clark to negotiate a labor agreement with the building trades now 03:52:32
• A speaker said, for the building trades, that a project labor agreement is the only legal way to require local hiring on union projects 04:00:55
• A speaker said non-union contractors can still bid on public projects under a labor agreement 04:01:58
• City staff offered to add local-hire provisions alongside the no-strike clause in the required labor agreement language 04:09:59
• A council member noted the contract caps the final guaranteed maximum price at $155 million, and asked whether the council could amend that figure if needed 04:13:05
• City staff explained the city dropped the public-private partnership approach in November 2024 because developers could not make it pencil out 04:14:07

A conditional use permit for outdoor truck storage at 3833 Medford Street in East Los Angeles. The site is zoned heavy manufacturing in a Green Zone and sits within 500 feet of a sensitive use, with homes to the southwest. The roughly 2.4-acre site, formerly a plastics manufacturer, would hold up to 77 trucks: 31 semi trucks with trailers and 46 box trucks. Conditions in the staff presentation include an 11-foot masonry wall, a 5-foot landscaped buffer with new trees, operating hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., a limit of 40 truck trips and 30 car trips a day, required turns and truck routes that keep trucks off Herbert Avenue, and a device at each driveway that logs trips. Vision City Terrace, a community group, and one other written commenter opposed the project, saying the area is already overburdened with industry, pollution, and traffic. Vision City Terrace asked for a 3-year term instead of 15. Staff recommended a 15-year term. The commission approved the permit 5-0 with the staff-recommended conditions. A proposed amendment to cut the term to 10 years was withdrawn. 00:24:15

More on LA County's episode

• A commissioner moved to close the public hearing and find the project categorically exempt from environmental review; the chair seconded. Result: passed, 5-0. 01:04:29
• Proposed amendment by a commissioner to cut the permit's term from 15 to 10 years. Result: withdrawn. 01:08:36
• A commissioner moved to approve Conditional Use Permit No. RPPL2024000290 subject to the attached findings and conditions; the chair seconded. Result: passed, 5-0. 01:09:33

• County staff described the site as a corner lot of about 2.4 acres, or 106,000 square feet 00:25:51
• County staff said the application was deemed complete in January 2024, before the Metro Area Plan and the Green Zone technical ordinance were adopted 00:26:57
• County staff said the site plan holds up to 77 trucks, 31 semis with trailers and 46 box trucks 00:29:08
• County staff said the applicant voluntarily sent hearing notices out to 1,000 feet instead of the required 500 00:31:10
• County staff said the applicant proposes 11-foot masonry walls along the street frontages 00:32:14
• County staff said activities would be limited to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 00:33:17
• County staff said trucks must turn right in and left out, with limits of 40 truck trips and 30 car trips a day 00:34:19
• County staff explained that the turning rules steer trucks away from Herbert Avenue, a truck route with homes along it 00:35:20
• County staff reported two public comments opposing the project, which said the community is overburdened with industry, pollution, and traffic 00:38:36
• County staff said Vision City Terrace asked for a 3-year term, but staff still recommend 15 years, which is typical for industrial uses 00:38:36
• County staff said the group also asked to limit storage to box trucks only, and noted that the zoning code doesn't distinguish between truck types 00:39:42
• County staff said a 50-foot-deep entryway lets trucks wait on site instead of backing up onto the street 00:40:45
• County staff said the site doesn't appear on the state's contaminated-site lists 00:41:52
• County staff said staff continue to recommend approval subject to the findings and conditions 00:41:52
• County staff said no school is within 500 feet, though an elementary school is south of the 10 Freeway 00:41:52
• County staff said the residential area to the southwest is within 500 feet of the site 00:42:59
• A commissioner asked whether the application is subject to the Green Zone ordinance 00:43:25
• The applicant's representative said the permit is for outdoor truck storage on an existing paved lot, with no buildings proposed 00:44:37
• The applicant's representative said the use is passive truck storage, not shipping goods in and out 00:47:21
• The applicant's representative said no traffic impact analysis was required because daily trips are estimated below 110 00:50:37
• The applicant's representative said the two community groups didn't respond when contacted again in September 00:52:46
• The applicant's representative said the phase one and phase two testing required for the demolition came back clear 00:53:57
• The applicant's representative asked to change condition 39 so the stored cars could be removed within a year or when a tenant signs, whichever comes first, instead of 60 days 00:53:57
• County staff explained that condition 39 requires removing the inoperable vehicles within two months of the hearing 00:57:21
• County staff said the medical center is just under two miles from the site, about six minutes' drive 00:58:59
• County staff said the Vision City Terrace letter was dated October 12 and received October 13 00:59:24
• County staff said there had been allegations that the current owner parked personal vehicles along the street 00:59:43
• The applicant's representative said the owner stopped the street parking after the community meetings 01:00:08
• County staff explained that the county zoning code's reach stops at the property line and doesn't include the street 01:00:51
• County staff said the conditions require all activities and storage to stay within the property boundaries 01:02:01
• A commissioner asked about a letter's complaint that vehicle loading and unloading blocks the streets 01:02:28
• County staff said the stored trucks would be empty and no loading would happen on site 01:02:47
• The applicant's representative said the owner no longer loads or unloads vehicles in the street for his other nearby business 01:03:29
• A commissioner asked whether a 10-year term would be more appropriate than 15, since the community group recommended a much shorter one 01:05:25
• County staff said that because the conditions require site improvements, a term of at least 10 years is appropriate, and that staff would recommend 10 years if the commission shortened it 01:05:59
• A commissioner said they would be more comfortable with a 10-year term 01:05:59
• The property owner asked for a longer term, citing his investment and his more than 50 employees from the neighborhood 01:06:47
• The property owner said he had wanted 20 years but would appreciate keeping 15 01:06:47
• A speaker asked whether the vehicle-removal question was still open, and was told the deadline stays at two months 01:09:14

Staff recommended replacing the city's only two artificial turf athletic fields, at Villa Parke and Robinson Park, with recyclable artificial turf made without PFAS and filled with natural infill instead of rubber, while continuing to evaluate natural grass for future renovations, and finding the project exempt from CEQA. Staff said Villa Parke is funded in the FY2027 capital budget and Robinson Park is not, so Robinson will need a funding request later. The choice trades playing hours on two heavily used Northwest Pasadena fields against concerns about heat, chemicals, microplastics and cost. After 26 public speakers, the council approved the recommendation 5-3. 00:43:51

More on Pasadena's episode

• Jess Rivas (Councilmember, District 5; Vice Mayor) moved to approve the staff recommendation (called the vice mayor's motion); a councilmember seconded. Roll call. Result: passed, 5-3. No: Rick Cole (Councilmember, District 2), Jason Lyon (Councilmember, District 7), Steve Madison (Councilmember, District 6). 02:54:34

• City staff said the recommendation covers only these two fields and does not set citywide policy, and the city will keep 20 natural grass fields. 00:44:18
• City staff said Robinson Park's turf is also near the end of its life but unfunded. 00:45:36
• City staff said natural grass would need a four-to-six-month closure to build and an annual three-month closure for renovation. 00:46:38
• City staff said mowing hybrid grass cuts synthetic fibers, so clippings must go to a landfill rather than green waste. 00:47:39
• City staff said natural infill runs about 20 to 30 percent cooler than rubber infill but still hotter than grass. 00:48:40
• City staff noted Palo Alto studied the same three options and its council chose artificial turf. 00:49:48
• City staff proposed a two-year pilot testing four grass seed varieties on 25,000 square feet of the Villa Parke multipurpose field to improve the city's natural fields. 00:50:55
• City staff estimated ten-year costs at Villa Parke of about $1.5 million for natural grass versus $2.4 million for turf, which includes $1.2 million to replace it. 00:52:04
• City staff said Rose Bowl staff believe hybrid renovation costs about the same as installation, estimated at $2.2 million for a field this size. 00:53:19
• City staff put maintenance cost per playable hour at $5.34 for turf versus $16.15 for grass, because grass would have 2,340 available hours, excluding capital costs. 00:54:26
• City staff said Public Health is drafting outdoor activity heat guidelines that will apply to both grass and turf fields. 00:55:29
• City staff said manufacturers make PFAS-free turf with third-party certification, and the contract scope would require proof. 00:57:37
• City staff reported the school district and Rose Bowl have little field space available to absorb structured league play. 00:58:39
• City staff corrected the staff report's $975,000 fiscal figure, saying the adopted FY2027 capital budget appropriates $1,125,000 to the project. 01:00:41
• City staff said Robinson Park would need a separate capital appropriation at a later date. 01:00:41
• A councilmember questioned the ten-year turf lifespan estimate, since the city's turf has lasted only eight years in each of two cycles. 01:01:45
• City staff said the Villa Parke field may have only one more season left. 01:02:09
• City staff estimated Robinson Park, about twice Villa Parke's size, at about $3.1 million for turf and $2.8 million for grass over ten years. 01:04:22
• City staff acknowledged the Robinson Park figures were put together at the last minute by scaling the formula to field size, and could not explain a discrepancy. 01:05:06
• City staff said sod would add roughly $100,000 or more per facility and could save about a month of closure. 01:06:59
• A councilmember said the presentation still felt like it was selling turf, despite the committee's request for a balanced one. 01:08:07
• A councilmember raised player safety, noting some elite athletes refuse to play on artificial turf, and worried about long-term effects on children. 01:08:40
• City staff said injury counts in the city's programs are about equal on turf and grass, though the types of injuries differ. 01:09:40
• A councilmember asked about the surface choice for a dog park in his district. 01:12:21
• City staff said natural grass is the better choice for dog parks. 01:12:35
• A councilmember praised the staff presenter but said he brings a bias, while noting the presentation's balance had significantly improved. 01:14:03
• City staff said rubber infill can reach 150 to 160 degrees, versus about 125 to 130 for natural infill, which is still hotter than grass. 01:15:51
• City staff said research shows turf products contain contaminants that can disrupt hormones or cause cancer. 02:00:32
• City staff said the science on how much of those contaminants reach the body is still developing. 02:01:36
• City staff cited a March 2026 state study of 35 California fields that found no toxic levels in players, coaches, referees or spectators, and called the risk low. 02:02:39
• The mayor said he had not heard sources cited for the public's claims that the fields are unsafe. 02:03:18
• City staff said the department reviewed studies the public sent in but discounted many as scientifically weak. 02:03:48
• City staff said the state study likely did not include newer products like the natural infill being proposed. 02:06:07
• City staff described the coming heat guidance, which uses wet bulb globe temperature rather than air temperature to set breaks or cancellations. 02:06:43
• A councilmember questioned why the state study was commissioned and paid for by CalRecycle, a recycling agency. 02:08:20
• A councilmember raised, as a rhetorical question, whether regulators can be captured by the industries they regulate. 02:09:19
• City staff said grass baseball fields close two to two-and-a-half months for renovation, and three months is the ideal minimum for soccer and football fields. 02:10:24
• A councilmember argued natural grass should be the minimum standard for Pasadena. 02:15:13
• A councilmember said the city underfunds and understaffs grass maintenance, and opposed the staff recommendation while remaining open to alternatives. 02:15:13
• A councilmember called turf a limited solution for high-use fields like Villa Parke, noting the multipurpose field will stay grass. 02:17:20
• A councilmember said the field's users overwhelmingly support turf, and moved the staff recommendation. 02:18:22
• A councilmember said Northwest Pasadena families depend on these fields, and a three-month closure is unacceptable. 02:19:14
• A councilmember argued active, well-used parks improve neighborhood safety, citing changes near Robinson Park. 02:20:17
• A councilmember said Villa Parke coaches, parents and players he met were unanimous for turf, and seconded the motion. 02:21:22
• A councilmember said the data do not show health harm to children from recreational play on turf. 02:22:28
• A councilmember said turf puts large amounts of microplastics and forever chemicals into the water table and creates heat islands. 02:23:33
• A councilmember said the lost play time could be solved with school district help, transportation or sod, and voted no. 02:24:34
• City staff told the questioner the proposed natural-infill product is cooler than the products public speakers described. 02:26:25
• City staff clarified that CalRecycle is a state agency under CalEPA. 02:26:54
• A councilmember said he would support the staff recommendation. 02:27:26
• A councilmember noted the Environmental Advisory Commission report, which the health director said he had not reviewed, cites studies showing potential risk. 02:28:16
• City staff said his department reviewed only contamination and health impacts, not broader environmental effects. 02:28:32
• A councilmember argued state law is moving away from artificial turf and the plan could be outlawed by the state. 02:28:46
• A councilmember argued it would be wrong to accept the risks for kids in the city's poorest areas. 02:34:07
• A councilmember challenged the characterization of the children near the two parks as the poorest in Pasadena, calling it disrespectful to their families. 02:35:18
• A councilmember said he would not describe any of the city's children as the poorest of anything. 02:35:29
• City staff said the specifications, including PFAS-free certification and natural infill, are not yet written into the recommendation but would be included if the council so directs. 02:38:33
• A councilmember asked that the turf specifications be posted at the park so parents know what children are playing on. 02:38:53
• City staff said the city applied for a grant for spectator shade structures at Villa Parke, Victory Park, Robinson Park and another park. 02:40:36
• City staff cited a Glendale study he worked on that found little real heat-island effect from fields of this size. 02:40:36
• A councilmember said he wished a soil or turf scientist had been part of the discussion, and asked staff to further explore hybrid and organic regenerative fields. 02:41:52
• City staff said the heat guidelines will apply to any surface, including blacktop, and use portable equipment. 02:44:50
• A councilmember asked the health director to look into whether a Proposition 65 warning is required for the turf. 02:45:14
• The mayor said that, given how heavily these two fields are used, the benefits of turf outweigh the drawbacks. 02:46:02
• The mayor recalled that when the fields were closed years ago, children played in streets and parking lots instead. 02:47:04
• The mayor recalled that enrollment in youth programs dropped significantly when the fields were closed. 02:48:04
• The mayor said he supports the recommendation and favors shade sails for players and fans. 02:50:46
• A councilmember clarified the shade grant covers spectator areas, not the playing field. 02:51:21
• City staff said sod could cut the closure from three months to two for roughly $100,000 more, as a rough estimate. 02:52:18
• A councilmember said he would oppose the motion, believing grass can be made to work. 02:53:12

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California asked to expand its Pasadena hospitality home, which houses families of children getting treatment at nearby hospitals, onto two parcels on S. St. John Avenue: 762 S. St. John Ave. and a vacant parcel (AIN 5719-005-908). The package includes a zone change from RS-4 to RS-4 HH (Hospitality Home overlay) for those two parcels, and a modification of the existing minor conditional use permit to cover them. It also asks for a variance to pave 54 percent of the Pasadena Avenue front yard where 30 percent is allowed, for a circular driveway; a variance and a minor variance for a solid, six-foot fence along St. John Avenue where 50 percent openness and four feet are required; a certificate of exception to merge the four parcels into two; and removal of one Chinese Elm (agenda). Staff described other work: an elevator addition and accessibility remodels to the two Craftsman houses, a replacement Building C of about 1,200 square feet, and a parking lot of up to 25 spaces off St. John with a trash enclosure. Staff said capacity stays at up to 17 families with no change in staff. The commission only makes a recommendation; the City Council decides. The site sits next to a single-family landmark district across St. John Avenue, and the two Pasadena Avenue houses and the St. John building are contributing historic buildings. 00:01:57

More on Pasadena's episode

• A commissioner moved staff's recommendation that the City Council adopt the CEQA exemption and approve the applications, with three added or clarified conditions of approval; a commissioner seconded. At a commissioner's request, the fence-height minor variance (agenda item 5 of the seven applications) was split off, and this vote covered everything else. Result: passed. No: a commissioner. 01:28:26
• Separate vote on the minor variance allowing a six-foot front-yard fence along St. John Avenue where four feet is allowed. Result: passed. No: a commissioner, a commissioner. 01:28:55

• City staff explained that the paving variance would allow 54 percent front-yard paving on Pasadena Avenue where the code allows 30 percent 00:03:47
• City staff said Building C, now about 600 square feet, would be demolished and replaced with a building of about 1,200 square feet for offices, laundry and storage 00:11:06
• City staff said the facility would keep serving up to 17 families, with no change in the number of families or in staff capacity 00:12:09
• City staff said the vacant parcel would become a parking lot for up to 25 cars, with delivery access and a trash enclosure 00:13:13
• City staff said the one protected tree would be removed to make room for the parking lot entrance on St. John Avenue, and replacement trees would be required as a condition 00:18:26
• A commissioner asked how the public could weigh in on the fencing and the Pasadena Avenue frontage if the designs are only reviewed at plan check 00:21:25
• The applicant's representative said the organization has been renting the property for 22 years and wants to own it and create a safe, accessible campus 00:32:14
• The applicant's representative said the house has never had 50 people at once and the realistic maximum is about 35 00:41:38
• The applicant's representative said the organization has 14 staff, 10 of them part time, with one person on site around the clock 00:42:01
• A commissioner asked why the project needs much more parking when the site has worked with 13 spaces since 2006 00:42:39
• The applicant's representative said parking has been a problem, with people parking on Pasadena Avenue and St. John, and the goal is to keep parking on site and out of the neighborhood 00:43:35
• A commissioner asked that any open metal gate have smooth, well-coated metalwork so children can't get hurt, possibly as a condition of approval 00:45:41
• The applicant's representative said the new Building C will be built to take rooftop solar and the project is trying to go all-electric but faces power-capacity problems 00:47:02
• City staff said extending the hospitality home overlay follows a process in the zoning code and is not spot zoning 00:49:12
• City staff said the site stays subject to single-family standards on noise, deliveries, lighting, setbacks and lot coverage, like any neighbor 00:50:59
• City staff said the buildings already contribute to the historic district and the city's historic preservation staff reviewed the exterior changes 00:52:16
• City staff agreed to add a condition requiring fencing materials and illustrations to go to the city's design and historic preservation staff during plan check 01:00:03
• A commissioner questioned the circular driveway, noting it adds a curb cut and makes the frontage less friendly to pedestrians 01:00:50
• The applicant's architect said the circular driveway was worked out with the fire department, which will use it to reach the property 01:01:36
• City staff confirmed the St. John building has been used by the organization, he believed for about six years, without the needed permit, and this process would bring it into the operation 01:03:23
• The applicant's representative said the team looked at ways to save the elm but found none that would keep the parking lot 01:05:23
• A commissioner asked staff to clarify the condition saying final on-site and public right-of-way plans are reviewed at plan check, which staff agreed to do 01:07:55
• A commissioner said she fully supported all the applications, saw no flaws in the findings, and offered to move staff's recommendation 01:14:21
• A commissioner backed the expanded use but objected that a six-foot fence on St. John would block a passerby's view of the historic building 01:15:23
• A commissioner said he was also inclined to deny the variance allowing more than half the Pasadena Avenue front yard to be paved 01:16:27
• A commissioner said he leaned toward approval and gave weight to the families' need for privacy in judging the fence variance 01:17:20
• City staff explained that the lot qualifies for a circular driveway, but the fire department's need for a wider driveway pushes paving over the limit 01:18:35
• The applicant's representative said the driveway grew from a 12-foot residential width to about 18 feet at the fire department's request 01:20:16
• A commissioner said emergency medical access matters even more at a facility like this 01:20:33
• City staff said the 710 specific plan work is studying Pasadena Avenue and St. John Avenue, including whether Pasadena Avenue could become two-way 01:22:41
• A commissioner argued that six-foot fences are common around large homes like these and need not be out of character 01:23:25
• A commissioner objected that a six-foot fence in a front yard is unusual 01:23:46
• City staff explained that merging the lots creates a double-frontage lot where both street sides count as front yards, which is why the fence variance is needed 01:25:10
• A commissioner noted that neighbors across St. John would face about 140 feet of fencing 01:25:34

Asks the Controller to move $20 million within the Fire Department's budget to cover a projected deficit in its sworn overtime account: $10 million from sworn salaries and $10 million from constant-staffing overtime (agenda). The motion was by John Lee (Councilmember, Twelfth District; Assistant President Pro Tempore) and Katy Yaroslavsky (Councilmember, Fifth District). The agenda notes that neither the CAO nor the Chief Legislative Analyst has completed a financial analysis. It passed in the group vote, and the council agreed without objection to send it to the Mayor forthwith, meaning right away. 02:06:04

More on Los Angeles's episode

• Adopt item 11 in the group vote with items 1, 7, 9, 12 through 14, and 17 through 20. Result: passed, 13-0. 02:06:13
• Send item 11 forthwith. Result: passed. 02:06:19

A discussion-only special meeting item with the City Administrative Officer, the Chief Legislative Analyst, and the City Attorney. It covered the city's application to lead two parts of the federally funded homelessness Continuum of Care: HMIS, the data system, and CES, the coordinated entry system that matches people to housing. Staff reported that the Continuum of Care board and general membership had already picked Los Angeles County as collaborative applicant for the federal funds and to run the point-in-time count. The board has recommended the county lead HMIS and CES too, with a membership vote not yet scheduled. Because of ongoing and potential litigation, the council discussed the item in closed session. Afterward the council president stated the council's direction, and the clerk said no vote was needed: - the City Attorney is to develop litigation options before a hearing in Judge Carter's court on the 27th - the CAO is to keep negotiating with the county, under instructions from Ysabel Jurado (Councilmember, Fourteenth District) - the CAO and CLA are to revisit past motions on standing up a city Continuum of Care and/or health department 02:48:07

More on Los Angeles's episode

• Direction to the City Attorney, CAO, CLA, and housing department, stated by the council president after closed session. Result: no action. 04:29:06

• A councilmember explained that the 2027 Continuum of Care application is the federal grant that funds the homelessness service system 02:49:17
• A councilmember said the board has already decided the county will be collaborative applicant and run the point-in-time count 02:49:17
• A councilmember said the CAO and CLA have been negotiating with the county over who manages HMIS and who stewards CES 02:49:17
• City staff reported that the HMIS and CES leads are still undecided 02:50:24
• City staff said the board recommended that the county lead those programs as well 02:50:24
• City staff said the membership vote on that recommendation has no date yet because of technical issues 02:51:32
• City staff listed seeking co-leadership agreements with the county for each federal program as one option 02:51:32
• City staff listed fully separating from the county by forming a city-only Continuum of Care as another option 02:51:32
• City staff said the options also include litigation over the Continuum of Care board's ongoing process 02:52:32
• The council president asked how likely the day's discussion was to come up in the Alliance lawsuit before Judge Carter 02:52:47
• City staff answered that in his estimation it was guaranteed 02:53:19
• The council president cited that lawsuit and a separate one between HUD and parties in Los Angeles in putting the item into closed session 02:53:22
• City staff reported there was nothing to announce from closed session 04:26:37
• The council president said the council is formally asking the City Attorney to develop litigation options to protect the city and its housed and homeless constituents 04:26:50
• The council president said that work should be done before the hearing in Judge Carter's court on the 27th 04:26:50
• The council president said the CAO was asked to keep negotiating with the county under specific instructions from Ysabel Jurado (Councilmember, Fourteenth District) 04:26:50
• The council president said the CAO and CLA should quickly revisit past motions on standing up a Continuum of Care and/or a health department 04:27:50
• City staff restated the instruction: as an alternative to litigation, the CAO, CLA, and housing department would negotiate co-management terms with the county, possibly including city leadership of HMIS and/or CES 04:28:06