November & December Motions from City Councilmembers Raman, Koretz…and O’Farrell

Each month, we track the city council motions introduced by our two local city council representatives, Nithya Raman (CD 4) and Paul Koretz (CD 5)…and this month we’re adding Mitch O’Farrell (CD 13), who – come January – will soon represent the eastern section of our Greater Wilshire area.

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 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 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 pages the links take you to.

These were the motions introduced or co-sponsored by Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Paul Koretz, and Mitch O’Farrell during the months of November and December (up until the Council recessed for its annual holiday break).

Celebrations & Commemorations

21-1280 – (O’Farrell – de Leon) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 13 observance of Indigenous Missing Women and Girls Awareness, on November 7, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1307 – (O’Farrell – Martinez) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 13 and the Transgender Advisory Council, in observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance at City Hall, on November 21, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-1308 – (O’Farrell – Price) Motion to transfer funds from the General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 13 recognition of Native American Two Spirits, on November 16, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1309 – (O’Farrell – Krekorian) Motion to transfer General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 13 special recognition of Native American Ancestors, on November 23, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-1310 – (O’Farrell – Price) Motion to transfer funds from the General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 13 in observance of World AIDS Day at City Hall, on December 1, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-1311 – (Krekorian – O’Farrell) Motion to transfer funds from the General City Purposes Fund for the Council District Two special commemoration on November 9, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall, of the passage of one year since the official end of hostilities against the Republic of Artsakh, by Azerbaijan. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1312 – (O’Farrell – Krekorian) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 13 recognition of Every Child Matters Movement on November 14, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-0002-S190 – (Blumenfield – Koretz) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-22 State Legislative Program its position on the Los Angeles Unified School District renaming from Gaspar de Portola Middle School to William Lambert Middle School. Forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-1381 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to transfer funds from the General City Purpose Fund for services in connection with the Council District Five special recognition of International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, 2021, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1398 – (de Leon – O’Farrell) Motion to instruct the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to fabricate and install an Historical Monument sign for the first Japanese-owned business in Little Tokyo, Kame Restaurant, on the streetlight pole located in front of 340 East First Street. Forwarded to: Public Works Committee.

21-1410 – (de Leon – O’Farrell) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the General City Purposes Fund for services in connection with the Council District 14 commemoration, at City Hall, on November 29 and 30, 2021, of solidarity for Peace in Ethiopia, including the illumination of City Hall. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-1455 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to approve the street banner campaign being coordinated by the Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council, as a City of Los Angeles Non-Event Street Banner Program. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

Crime & Public Safety

21-1341 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the General Purposes Fund, to the Police Fund for non-reimbursable overtime activities in the Wilshire Division of Council District Five. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1465 – (Rodriguez – Koretz) Motion to direct the LAPD to report on violent and property crimes originating from or occurring within corridors populated with recreational vehicles. Forwarded to: Public Safety Committee.

Employment, Jobs, & Business

21-1329 – (Buscaino – O’Farrell – Lee) Motion to instruct the Personnel Department, with assistance from the City Attorney and City Administrative Officer, to report on the feasibility to updating the City’s policies regarding military leave and compensation, to extend the existing provisions to City employees for inactive duty training, and removing the 30-day cap. Forwarded to:  Personnel, Audits, and Animal Welfare Committee.

21-0691 – (Price – Raman) Motion to amend the Council action of June 30, 2021, Item No. 6, regarding the transfer of funds from the Unappropriated Balance in the approved 2021-22 Budget for implementation of business assistance programs under the American Rescue Plan Act (APRA), to adopt additional recommendations as stated in this Motion. Forwarded to: Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

21-1337 – (de Leon – Raman) Resolution to urge the Alliance of Health Care Unions and Kaiser to bargain in good faith and to come to an agreement on a fair contract that addresses everyone’s concerns. Forwarded to: Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

21-1382 – (Price – O’Farrell) Motion to request the City Attorney, with the assistance of the Bureau of Contract Administration, to prepare and present a draft ordinance to amend Sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, regarding the Los Angeles Minimum Wage Ordinance. Forwarded to: Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

Energy & the Environment

21-0002-S188 – (O’Farrell – Price) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-22 State Legislative Program its position on any legislation or administrative action to fully address any remaining financial gap in customer arrears held by publicly owned utilities under the California Arrearage Payment Program. Forwarded to:  Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-1333 -(Krekorian – Martinez – O’Farrell) Motion to request that the Harbor Department work collaboratively with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Port of Long Beach to develop and agree on a Memorandum of Understanding that facilitates achieving Clean Air Action Plan goals, while exclusively utilizing Zero Emission programs and technology for trucks and cargo handling equipment. Forwarded to: Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

21-1342 – (Koretz – de Leon) Motion to instruct the Office of Finance, with assistance of the City Administrative Officer, Chief Legislative Analyst, and City Attorney, to report on the feasibility of implementing an ordinance that would codify the sale of electricity by commercial EV charging companies, directly to a consumer or by prepayments of such electricity in the form of subscription. Forwarded to: Budget and Finance Committee, and Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

20-1205-S1 – (Martinez – Raman) Motion to authorize the City Engineer to apply for a grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, to execute agreements if successful, to receive funding, and to administer project implementation for the Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan Project. Forwarded to: Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

21-1463 – (Koretz – et al. – Martinez) Motion to instruct the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office to incorporate findings from its Community Assemblies and report with recommendations for the implementation of all carbon emission elimination strategies in new and existing buildings in the City of LA, in accordance with the energy and housing justice principles stated in this Motion. Forwarded to:  Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

Health & Wellness

21-1277 – (Krekorian – Blumenfield – Koretz – et al.) Motion to instruct the Chief Legislative Analyst, with assistance of the City Administrative Officer, to report on options to establish a City of Los Angeles Chief Heat Officer, and as further instructed in this Motion. Forwarded to: Energy, Climate Change, Enrivronmental Justice, and River Committee.

15-0103-S4 – (Raman et al. – Martinez) Motion to instruct the Department of City Planning to report, within 90 days following the adoption of the 2021-2029 Housing Element, with a detailed work plan and timeline for a comprehensive review and update to the Health and Wellness Element and/or the General Plan Framework Element and/or the creation of a standalone Environmental Justice Element. Forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Housing & Homelessness

20-0841-S15 – (Price – O’Farrell) Motion to amend the Council Action of October 19, 2021, regarding the no-cost lease agreement with Coalition for Responsible Community Development and a no-cost subelase agreement with Urban Alchemy to establish and operate a Safe Sleeping Village for the property located at 2300 South Central Avenue be amended, to change the landlord to Historic Lincoln Theater LP, the actual owner of the property. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-0002-S186 – (Koretz – Krekorian) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-22 State Legislative Program its position on any legislation or administrative action that would allow a local jurisdiction to submit an addendum to their adopted housing element to calculate the additional capacity added by SB 9 (Atkins) and as part of Adequate Sites for Housing in the Housing Element. Forwarded to:  Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0002-S189 – (Martinez – Raman) Motion to include in the City’s 2021-2022 State Legislative Program its position on legislation which would authorize the State of California to work with the City of Los Angeles to provide subsidies for the construction of new affordable housing units. Forwarded to: Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-1338 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to assert jurisdiction over the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission action of October 20, 2021, denying an appeal, and thereby sustaining the Planning Director’s Determination to grant in part, deny in part, and dismiss in part, the issuance of building permits for the property located at 10701 West Bellagio Road. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1339 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to assert jurisdiction over the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission action of October 20, 2021, denying an appeal, and thereby sustaining the Planning Director’s Determination to grant in part, deny in part, and dismiss in part, the issuance of building permits for the property located at 627 North Carcassone Road. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1340 – (Bonin – Raman) Motion to instruct the City Administrative Officer to report on opportunities for renewing and expanding Project Roomkey to provide non-congregate shelter. Forwarded to: Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment, and Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

20-1186 – (Bonin – Raman) Motion to adopt a Bond Resolution Amendment approving the increased amount of the Multifamily Housing Revenue Note (Thatcher Yard Housing) Taxable Series 2021W-2 Note. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-4118-S20 – (Price – O’Farrell) Resolution to designate several Council District Nine locations listed in this Resolution, pursuant to Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 41.18 (c), for enforcement against sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property, or otherwise obstructing the public right-of-way 15-0103-S4. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

20-0769-S2 – (O’Farrell – de Leon) Motion to instruct the City Administrative Officer and the Chief Legislative Analyst to report on the review of and hearings held on the delivery of health, mental health, and social services, by the County of Los Angeles, to unsheltered residents within the City limits, with specific recommendations for the City to improve the delivery of healthcare services. Forwarded to: Arts, Parks, Health, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee.

21-0002-S192 – (O’Farrell – de Leon – et al.) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-22 State Legislative Program its position on funding from the State’s 2022-2023 Budget to support the construction of Permanent Supportive Housing and other solutions that lead to permanent housing for persons experiencing homelessness, allocated based on need. Forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0002-S193 – (de Leon – Blumenfield – Raman) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-22 Federal Legislative Program its position on the Build Back Better bill, which provides federal investments in housing assistance. Forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-1414 – (Koretz – Blumenfield – Raman) Motion to instruct the Department of City Planning and Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, with assistance from the City Attorney and members of the subdivision committee, to prepare a memorandum that shall be used by all Departments and agencies until such time as a local implementation ordinance establishing basic precepts applicable to all SB 9 projects is adopted. Forwarded to:  Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

21-1428 – (Raman – Krekorian) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds in the General City Purposes Fund for services to be provided by Daeco Management, LLC, to assist in identifying locations and planning for the eventual construction of affordable and permanent supportive housing in Council District Four. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

21-1431 – (Bonin – Raman – Harris-Dawson) Motion to direct the Los Angeles Housing Department and Department of City Planning, with the assistance of the City Attorney, to draft and present an ordinance with an urgency clause that requires the replacement obligations and occupant protection provisions of California Government Code Section 66300. Forwarded to: Housing Committee.

21-1458 – (O’Farrell – de Leon) Motion to instruct the Los Angeles Housing Department, with the assistance of the Chief Legislative Analyst, City Administrative Officer, and City Attorney, to evaluate contracting procedures with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and recommend procedures to ensure timely payment to service providers. Forwarded to: Homelessness and Poverty Committee.

Infrastructure

21-1380 – (Price – O’Farrell) Motion to authorize the Community Investment for Families Department, with the assistance of the City Attorney, to extend Contract No. C-130701 with Coalition for Responsible Community Development, for the Council District Nine Sidewalk Improvements Project. Forwarded to:  Full City Council.

Land Use (Non-Housing)

21-1385 – (Blumenfield – Raman) Motion to instruct the Department of City Planning, in consultation with the City Attorney, to report with recommendations for more effective requirements for on-site posting and mailed notices of proposed discretionary land use actions. Forwarded to: Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

16-0520 – (Raman – Krekorian) Motion to amend the Council Action of September 2, 2020, regarding executing a new Lease Agreement with Hollywood United Methodist Church for use of vacant land located at 4958 Cahuenga Boulevard, to approve the recommendations stated in this Motion. Forwarded to: Full City  Council.

21-1441 – (Raman – Price) Motion to transfer/appropriate funds from the Council District 4 Street Revenue Fund for the installation of a gate allowing the closure of the top portion of a public stairway at 3020 and 3030 Beachwood Drive. Forwarded to: Full City Council.

21-1470 – (Koretz – Raman – Blumenfield) Motion to request the City Attorney prepare and present an ordinance amending certain sections in the Los Angeles Administrative Code, to implement the “Own a Piece of LA” initiative and instructing the General Services Department to identify City-owned surplus property in the Santa Monica Mountains Zone. Forwarded to: Information, Technology, and General Services Committee.

Miscellaneous

21-1276 – (Koretz – Rodriguez) Motion to request the City Attorney draft an ordinance prohibiting operable firearms and live ammunition from the sets and locations of television and motion picture productions taking place within the City of Los Angeles. Forwarded to:  Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

21-1387 – (O’Farrell – Krekorian) Motion to instruct and authorize the Department of Cultural Affairs to process Claim #147709 for the refund of an Arts Development Fee, which was paid in error by Kilroy Realty Corporation; and authorizing the Controller to make the payment. Forwarded to: Arts, Parks, health, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee.

17-0193-S5 – (Blumenfield – Koretz) Motion to request the Controller transfer funds from the participating City departments and Bureaus to the Engineering Special Services Fund, to streamline the City’s process in making its annual payment to ESRI, Incorporated for Geographic Information System software licenses and maintenance services during Fiscal Year 2021-22, and through the term of the contract.  Forwarded to: Budget and Finance Committee.

21-0002-S194 -(Blumenfield – Koretz – Krekorian) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-2022 Federal Legislative Program its position on combatting national origin bias and strongly urging Unilever to reverse its immoral commercial boycott policy by overriding Ben & Jerry’s boycott. Forwarded to:  Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0002-S198 – (Bonin – Koretz) Resolution to include in the City’s 2021-2022 State Legislative Program its position on SB 90 (Stern) and AB 1416 (Santiago), also known as the Ballot DISCLOSE Act, which would add additional characters to list the supporters and opponents from the official arguments for and against each state ballot measure, in the voter information guide, to the ballot label. Forwarded to: Rules, Elecctions, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

21-0034-S1 – (O’Farrell – Martinez) Motion to instruct the Bureau of Sanitation to report in 30 days on its efforts to extend the relief program with the recycLA Service Providers to help customers experiencing financial difficulties prior to the effective date of the January 2022 rate adjustment, by offering proactive communication with customers, the ability to adjust services, and offering flexible payment plans. Forwarded to: Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

21-1457 – (Raman – Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to instruct the Department of Recreation and Parks to report on the findings of the third-party equine expert assessment and provide recommendations on any necessary changes to the operation of the pony rides to ensure the health and well-being of the horses. Forwarded to: Arts, Parks, health, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee.

21-1460 – (Koretz – Blumenfield) Motion to instruct the Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System and Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions, in coordination with the City Administrative Officer and Office of Finance, to report on the feasibility of divesting from Ben and Jerry’s, and its parent company Unilever, and the effect divestment would have on the investment of both and the City overall. Forwarded to: Budget and Finance Committee, and Personnel, Audits, and Animal Welfare Committee.

21-1468 – (Blumenfield – Rodriguez – O’Farrell) Motion to instruct the Los Angeles Police Department, with assistance of the General Services Department, Department of City Planning, and Los Angeles Department of Transportation, to identify and report with the requirement parameters for a lot to accommodate the temporary storage of overflow unclaimed or salvaged oversized vehicles from Official Police Garages. Forwarded to: Homelessness and Poverty Committee, and to the Information, Technology, and General Services Committee.

21-1472 – (Raman – Krekorian – Martinez) Motion to instruct the Chief Legislative Analyst, with assistance from the City Attorney and other departments, as needed, to report with options for a ballot measure for the November 2022 ballot, to amend the City Charter to create an Independent Redistricting Commission for the City. Forwarded to: Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.