Keeping Up with City Council Motions: How to Track Important Introductions from Our City Council Members Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz

Do you ever hear through the grapevine about a city hearing on an important issue that you hadn’t been aware the city was considering…or maybe you knew it was on the table somewhere, but had no idea how to find out more about it or what was happening next?  Is this true even when the issue was introduced by one of our own City Council Members, or relates specifically to something happening in one of our own city council districts? 

We’d like to help with that.

Every month, our local City Council representatives introduce a number of motions on important issues facing our districts and the city at large.  A motion is a first step toward creating a new city ordinance or policy, but it is only a first step.  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 every 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 thought it might be handy for our readers to learn about the specific motions our local Council Members propose each month, to 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 are the motions introduced by Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz over the last month.

City Business

21-0760 –  (Koretz – et al. – O’Farrell – et al.) – Motion to request that the City Attorney, in consultation with the Bureau of Contract Administration and the City Administrative Officer, prepare and present the documents necessary to place on the next available ballot in 2022 a measure to permit the City to have an additional contracting bid preference for businesses located in the City. Motion forwarded to:  Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0663 – (Koretz – Martinez) – Motion to request that the City Controller’s office report on its letter to the Mayor and City Council, which recommended a series of measures to increase contracting with local businesses, create jobs and boost sales tax revenue to pay for additional city services. Motion forwarded to: Personnel, Audits, and Animal Welfare Committee.

Community-Specific Issues

21-0011-S9 –  (Raman – O’Farrell) – Motion to request the transfer or appropriation of funds from the Street Furniture Revenue Fund for the closure of the pedestrian tunnel at Hollywood Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, in Council Districts 4 and 13. Motion forwarded to:  full City Council.

21-0718 – (Lee – Raman) –  Motion to request approval of a Non-Event Street Banner Program campaign coordinated by Council District 12 for LA for All, for the period of July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022. Motion forwarded to:  full City Council.

21-0699 – (Bonin for Harris-Dawson – Raman) – Motion to request suspending the Neighborhood Council Funds reappropriation policy and authorizing the City Clerk and City Administrative Officer to reappropriate Fiscal Year 2020-21 uncommitted funds from the Empowerment Congress Southwest Area Neighborhood Development Council account for community programs and improvements. Motion forwarded to: Budget and Finance Committee.

CF 21-0772 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) – Motion to request the transfer or appropriation of 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.

COVID-19 Response and Relief

20-0147-S51 – (Blumenfield – Koretz) – Motion to request the City Attorney prepare and present an ordinance repealing grocery shopping priority for elderly and disabled residents (because this is no longer necessary with the City and economy returning to pre-COVID-19 operations). Motion forwarded to:  Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment.

21-0662 – (Koretz – Martinez) – Motion to request that the City Controller present its COVID-19 spending tracker to the Council, provide a status of COVID-19 related expenditures, and present any findings discovered after analyzing the data. Motion forwarded to:  Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment.

Homeless Issues

21-0773 – (Raman – de Leon) –  Motion to direct the Bureau of Sanitation to report on the 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 utilized to create a distributed, City-wide network of a 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

21-0706 – (Buscaino – Koretz) – Motion to direct the City Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst to report on the actions necessary for the City of Los Angeles to withdraw from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Joint Powers Authority. Motion forwarded to:  Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

Housing

21-0716 – (Raman – Martinez) –  Motion to instruct the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, with assistance from the City Administrative Officer, the Chief Legislative Analyst, and the City Attorney, to report, after the Tenant Anti-Harrasment Ordinance has been in effect through June 23, 2022, with data and metrics to assess the effectiveness of the Ordinance. Motion forwarded to:  Housing Committee.

14-1150-S3 – (Koretz – Ridley-Thomas) – Motion to instruct the Department of City Planning, in consultation with the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, and the City Attorney, to report on the feasibility of amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to remove all restrictive provisions/land use regulatory controls/covenants for unapproved dwelling units. Motion forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

12-1549-S18 – (Raman – Ridley-Thomas ) – Motion to direct the City Administrative Officer, with the assistance of the Department of General Services, the Bureau of Engineering, the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, and other relevant departments, to initiate a review of the City-owned property located at 1905 North Highland Avenue, to determine the suitability for development of affordable and/or permanent supportive housing. Motion forwarded to:  Housing Committee.

12-1549-S19 – (Raman – Ridley-Thomas) – Motion to direct the City Administrative Officer, with the assistance of the Department of General Services, Bureau of Engineering, Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and any other relevant departments, to initiate a review of City-owned property located at 728 South Cochran Avenue, to determine its suitability for development as affordable housing and/or permanent supportive housing. Motion forwarded to: Housing Committee.

21-0658 – (Raman – Harris-Dawson) – Motion to instruct the Department of City Planning, with the assistance of the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department and the Department of Building and Safety, to report with a strategic plan to streamline 100 percent deed restricted affordable housing projects in the City. Motion forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

21-0597 – (Raman – Krekorian – Koretz) – Motion to authorize the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to sign a Cooperative Agreement between LADOT and Heritage Housing Partners in support of an Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program Round 6 application.  Motion forwarded to:  Transportation Committee.

Land Use & Zoning

21-0777 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) – Motion to instruct the Director 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.

21-0665 – (Koretz – Harris-Dawson) – Motion to instruct the Department of City Planning, in consultation with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and the City Attorney, to prepare and present an ordinance that defines “Ghost kitchens” and “Co-living” residential facilities as an enumerated use with corresponding zones. Motion forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

21-0593 – (Koretz – Raman) – Motion to assert jurisdiction over the Central Los Angeles Area Planning Commission regarding eldercare facilities at 825-873 Holt Avenue. Motion forwarded to:  full City Council.

Racial Equity

21-0702 – (Ridley-Thomas – et al. – Raman) – Motion to instruct the Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department, with assistance of the City Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst, to produce a Racial Equity Audit of existing City programs, policies and practices to determine whether African Americans and other underserved communities face systemic barriers in accessing benefits and opportunities available across the City. Motion forwarded to: Immigrant Affairs, Civil Rights, and Equity Committee.

17-0046-S2 – (de Leon – Raman – Rodriguez) – Motion to authorize the City Administrative Officer to negotiate and execute an amendment to the agreement with the California Community Foundation for continued implementation of the Los Angeles Justice Fund. Motion forwarded to:  Immigrant Affairs, Civil Rights, and Equity Committee.

State and National Issues

21-0002-S144 – (Koretz – de Leon) – Motion to include in the City’s 2021-22 State Legislative Program its position on SB 56 (Durazo), which would expand full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to undocumented immigrants who are 65 years of age and over, who meet other eligibility criteria. Motion forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0002-S145 – (Koretz – de Leon) – Motion to include in the City’s 2021-22 State Legislative Program its position on AB 4 (Arambula) which would extend eligibility for full Medi-Cal benefits to individuals currently ineligible due to age or immigration status.  Motion forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0002-S78 – (Koretz – Harris-Dawson – de Leon) – Motion to include in the City’s 2021-22 Federal Legislative Program its position on any legislation and administrative action which would remove from office the U.S. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy. Motion forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0002-S135 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) – Motion to include in the City’s 2021-22 Federal Legislative Program its position on H.R. 82 (Davis), the Social Security Fairness Act of 2021, and any similar legislation which would rectify inequities resulting from the Social Security Windfall Elimination and Government Pension Offset provisions, as further detailed in the text of this Resolution. Motino forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Street Vending

13-1493-S13 – (Price – Raman – O’Farrell) – Motion to request the City Attorney prepare an ordinance to amend the Los Angeles Municipal Code, to extend the reduced cost of the sidewalk vending operating permit until July 1, 2022. Motion forwarded to:  Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

Sustainability

21-0680 – (Raman – Koretz) – Motion to direct the Department of General Services, Mayor’s EV Task Force, Chief Procurement Officer, and City Administrative Officer to report with proposed rules to meet the intent of the Zero-Emission First procurement policy and a proposed compliance or certification process. Motion forwarded to: Information, Technology, and General Services Committee.

21-0683 – (Raman – Krekorian) – Motion to direct the Department of General Services, working with the Bureau of Engineering, Department of Recreation and Parks, Library Department, City Administrative Officer, and any other City departments as needed, to report with the staffing needs to develop a full cost-estimate, timeline, and plan to retrofit prioritized City-owned buildings, to achieve net-zero energy. Motion forwarded to: Information, Technology, and General Services Committee.