July Motions from City Councilmembers Raman and Koretz

In July, we introduced a new feature tracking the city council motions introduced each month by our two local city council representatives, Nithya Raman (CD 4) and Paul Koretz (CD 5). Motions are the first step – but only the first step – in the lengthy process of creating a new city ordinance. Once a motion is filed, it is sent to the appropriate City Council committee(s) for more thorough review, discussion, and votes on whether or not to advance the motion to other committees and/or to the full City Council for further action – a process which can take weeks, months or, in some cases with very complex issues, years.

But lots of information is available about each motion being considered by the city, at every step of its journey through the Council process, and tracking individual motions is a good way to keep abreast of our Councilmembers’ concerns and activity. We hope these monthly columns will help our readers learn more about the specific motions our local Council Members propose each month, and will help you follow – right from the beginning – specific issues you might find interesting or particularly important. For more information about a motion, to read its full text, or to track its progress through the Council process, just click on the Council File number next to each description below. You can even subscribe to e-mail updates on motions you’re interested in by clicking the envelope-shaped icon near the top of the screen on the individual Council File pages the links take you to.

These were the 15 motions introduced or co-sponsored by Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz during the month of July.

Homelessness & Housing

21-0773 – (Raman – de Leon) –  Motion to direct the Bureau of Sanitation to report on resources required to place wire basket trash receptacles at all homeless encampments with three or more tents, and to service them every three to four days. Motion forwarded to:  Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

21-0774 – (Raman – Harris-Dawson) – Motion to direct the City Administrative Officer to identify City-owned parking lots, vacant parcels, and other properties not suitable for permanent or interim housing that can be used to create a distributed, City-wide network of small-scale, shopping-container storage facilities for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. Motion forwarded to:  Homelessness and Poverty Committee, and Information, Technology, and General Services Committee.

21-0863 –  (Ridley-Thomas – et al. – Koretz) – Motion to direct the City Administrative Officer and the Chief Legislative to work in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer and Department of Health Services Director, County of Los Angeles, to support the implementation of the City of Los Angeles’ Street Engagement Strategy and Right to Housing framework, and as further directed in this Motion. Motion forwarded to:  Homelessness and Poverty Committee, and Housing Committee.

Infrastructure

21-0772 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) – Motion to transfer or appropriate funds from the Neighborhood Council Fund to the Street Services Fund for sidewalk repair in Encino, coordinated by the Encino Neighborhood Council. Motion forwarded to:  full City Council.

14-1174-S94 -(Buscaino – Koretz) – Motion to rescind the Council Action of December 3, 2019, approving the use of taxable CRA/LA Excess Bond Proceeds available to Council District 15, from the Beacon Street Redevelopment Project Area to the Small Business Facade Project, be reverted to its original source, and that they be utilized by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to fund the Topaz Parking Improvement Project. Motion forwarded to: Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

21-0861 – (Koretz – Price) – Motion to instruct the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, with the assistance of the Bureau of Engineering, and the Fire Department, to prepare a report with recommendations on the existing inspection protocols for high-rise buildings, best practices for inspections, and the preparation of maps identifying high-rise buildings, by Council District. Motion forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Miscellaneous

21-0011-S10 – (Raman – O’Farrell) – Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the Street Furniture Revenue Fund to We Are Laurel Canyon for the purchase and installation of two fire danger warning signs; and from the AB1290 Fund for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council food distribution program to include fresh produce. Motion forwarded to:  full City Council.

21-0865 – (Koretz – Bonin) – Motion to instruct the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the Department of City Planning, and other appropriate departments, to report on the current permitting and regulatory environment for Advanced Aerial Mobility (drones). Motion forwarded to: Transportation Committee.

Planning and Land Use

21-0777 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) – Motion to instruct the Direct of Planning to rescind the initiation of a General Plan Amendment for The Retreat at Benedict Canyon Project, located at 9704-9712 West Oak Pass Road; 9800, 9801-9815 West Wanda Park Drive; and 2534 North Hutton Drive. Motion forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Recognition and Celebrations

21-0763 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) – Motion to appropriate funds from the Unappropriated Balance Fund for services in connection with the Council District 5 special recognition of lsrael Independence Day, April 14, 2021, at City Hall, including the illumination of City Hall.  Motion forwarded to:  full City Council.

21-0767 – (O’Farrell – Koretz) – Motion to instruct the Civil, Human Rights and Equity Department, with assistance of the Chief Legislative Analyst and other relevant organizations, to report with recommendations for officially updating terminology and definition for the current “LGBT” initials used in City documents, to be more inclusive. Motion forwarded to:  Immigrant Affairs, Civil Rights, and Equity Committee.

21-0002-S148 – (Blumenfield – Raman) – Motion to include in the City’s 2021-2022 State Legislative Program its position on the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Resolution Affirming the Value of Jewish Students, Staff, and Families and Addressing Anti-Semitism. Motion forwarded to:  Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Water

21-0766 – (Koretz – O’Farrell – de Leon) – Motion to request the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District report on the update of the Colorado River Compact and local water resiliency strategies to meet the growing drought crisis. Motion forwarded to:  Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

21-0839 – (O’Farrell – Koretz – Martinez) – Motion to instruct the Bureau of Sanitation to report on the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant wastewater spill, which occurred on July 11, 2021. Motion forwarded to: Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee

21-0840 – (Bonin – Koretz) – Motion to instruct the the Bureau of Sanitation to report on the July 11, 2021, discharge of unfiltered sewage into the Santa Monica Bay, from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, public notification, and when repairs are expected to be completed. Motion forwarded to: Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.