Does the L.A. City Council have too many meetings? Some members want big changes

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, keeping you informed about the events of the previous week in L.A. city government.

The proposal from Los Angeles City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Tim McOsker seemed to come out of nowhere.

On Tuesday, the two presented a simple idea: Ask voters for permission to reduce the number of required weekly council meetings from three to one.

Several of their colleagues weren’t ready to put the proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot, saying it needs more study. But Yaroslavsky made clear that she is keen on the idea, saying she is “restless and frustrated.”

Yaroslavsky, who represents part of the Westside, told The Times she wants the council to be more efficient. She argued that “an overwhelming majority” of her colleagues feel the same — and believe the meetings are too heavily dominated by activities that range from the frivolous to the foul.

“A lot of it is the public comment,” said Yaroslavsky. “A lot of it is the same 15 people screaming racist, misogynistic, antisemitic epithets.”

As it turned out, the idea of fewer council meetings has been bubbling under the surface for a while. In January, while discussing ways to reform the Los Angeles City Charter, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez broached the idea of scaling back to one meeting per week — the same schedule as the five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Hernandez, who represents part of the Eastside, argued that fewer meetings could give council members more time to meet with constituents. She pointed to the county’s schedule as a potential model, saying it gives community organizations a single day each week to show up and push for change.

“It’s very difficult to show up to advocate three times a week — having to get out of work, having to pay for parking, having to sit here for hours,” said Hernandez, who signed the Yaroslavsky/McOsker ballot proposal. “And most of the time, not even everybody’s sitting here listening to the public comment.”

The charter, which serves as the governing document for the city, requires that council meetings be held on at least three days each week. Switching to a weekly schedule would require voter approval.

Yaroslavsky argued that under her proposal, the council could still meet on additional days, depending on what makes sense. Nevertheless, the council held off, opting to send the proposal to a new citizen charter reform commission, which will be tasked with examining various aspects of city government.

Yaroslavsky, who sits on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors, wants the commission’s members to speak with the council to learn about their schedules and workloads. Fewer meetings, she said, would free up time for the council’s many policy committees, which focus on public safety, the budget and other issues.

Like Hernandez, she noted that a reduction in meetings could give council members more time with constituents.

“I’ve been trying for 16 months to try and find a reliable day to do office hours in the district, and it’s so hard, because there’s so many committee meetings,” Yaroslavsky said. “I’m on Metro. I’ve got Metro committee meetings. I’m not alone in having additional obligations.”

The idea is already receiving pushback from the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, which says that any reduction in the schedule should be accompanied by efforts to make meetings more accessible. The council should post its agendas more than 72 hours in advance and allow council committees to receive phone-in public testimony, said Carolina Goodman, who chairs the league’s government reform committee.

“The city should be looking for more ways to engage the public,” she said.

The impatience with council meetings is not limited to bigoted remarks during the public comment period. Yaroslavsky also pointed to the number of presentations, which honor community groups, civic leaders or historic milestones.

Over the past two weeks, the council has used its meetings to honor the North Hollywood High School baseball team, former Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonzalez and the 40th anniversary of the movie and album “Purple Rain,” among other things.

The complaints might even have played a role in Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s recent win of the council presidency. Harris-Dawson, who takes over the position Sept. 20, told The Times before the vote that he had asked members what they want in a president. They told him they want more time in their districts.

“We need to build a work schedule that accommodates that,” he said.

So why isn’t the Yaroslavsky/McOsker proposal immediately headed for the ballot? Oddly enough, it was shut down by the council members who represent the San Fernando Valley — many of whom drive long distances to get to City Hall.

Bob Blumenfield said sending the proposal to voters without a proper vetting would risk a public backlash, endangering other reform measures planned for the Nov. 5 ballot. That argument persuaded Nithya Raman, who is pushing a redistricting reform measure, to change her mind and send the proposal to the commission.

Monica Rodriguez, who represents the northeast Valley, also spoke against the proposal, saying there are other ways the council can connect with constituents, like holding meetings at other times of the day and in other parts of the city. John Lee and Imelda Padilla also were opposed, saying the council should not take up a matter that so directly affects its workload.

Padilla, whose district includes Van Nuys and Panorama City, also took exception to remarks about inattentive council members.

“I do listen to public comment when I’m here,” she said. “I try really hard to listen. I try not to get up. And also I’m very intentional ... because there’s been moments when people are speaking Spanish, and I’m the one who has to tell everybody to please quiet down.”

The council is expected to create the charter reform commission in the coming weeks.

President Paul Krekorian, who runs the meetings, defended the ceremonial activities, saying it’s important to recognize people who do “extraordinary things” for the city. He was sympathetic to Yaroslavsky’s complaints about racist and bigoted language, saying it’s difficult to be subjected to it.

“But I also recognize that there’s very little that I or any other council president can do to constrain that, except when it is something completely unrelated to the work that we do,” he said in an interview.

Raman, during Tuesday’s council meeting, did suggest one short-term strategy for Krekorian and his soon-to-be-replacement, Harris-Dawson.

“I encourage you to use your power to cancel meetings as needed,” she said.

State of play

— BLASTING BURBANK: Krekorian accused Burbank police officers of dumping a homeless man on a stretch of sidewalk in North Hollywood that happens to be in front of Krekorian’s district office. Krekorian released video Friday showing two officers leaving the barefoot man on the sidewalk and driving away. The Burbank Police Department, which is investigating the incident, said the officers were driving the man to a North Hollywood subway station when he “asked to be let out of the patrol vehicle to get coffee.”

— SEEKING A CEASEFIRE: Three council members — Hernandez, Raman and Hugo Soto-Martínez — introduced a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional return of all Israeli hostages. The resolution heads to the council’s rules committee, which is headed by Krekorian.

— SKID ROW SKYLINE: A residential tower targeting Skid Row’s homeless population is set to open this month, offering a gym, an art room, a computer room/library, a TV lounge, six common balconies and a ground-floor cafe. The 278-unit tower is the first of three slated to go up at 6th and San Pedro streets, all serving the city’s homeless population.

— HOISTING THE FLAG: Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmembers McOsker and Soto-Martínez hoisted the Pride flag at City Hall for the first time, marking the month honoring the city’s LGBTQ+ communities. McOsker led the effort, saying he was motivated in part by a desire to be a good ally to his daughter, who is a lesbian.

— LAWYERS AND LIFEGUARDS: Meanwhile, a lifeguard employed by L.A. County said county officials have given him a “partial” concession in his quest to avoid hoisting the Pride flag. In a legal filing, attorneys for Jeffrey Little said their client was told he would “not be personally responsible for raising or lowering” the flag. Little, an evangelical Christian, said he would still have to ensure that his subordinates hoist the flag, a task his attorneys say would “violate his sincere religious beliefs.”

— SHELTER DISASTER: A worker at the Department of Animal Services was severely mauled by a dog at a San Pedro animal shelter last week. The worker told NBC4 that she has had three surgeries, adding: “My thigh is half gone.”

— NO MORE NUMBERS: The Los Angeles Police Department has stopped posting crime numbers on its public website as it rolls out a new system for tallying robberies, assaults and other crimes. The agency is shifting to the National Incident-Based Reporting System and is hoping to restore public access to its crime statistics later this year.

(NOT SO) QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s program to combat homelessness went to locations it had previously visited in Hollywood, South Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. A Bass aide said the locations included 99th and Figueroa, the Chatsworth Metrolink station and streets near the Sunset Sound recording studio. More than 30 people went indoors, the aide said.
  
• On the docket for next week: The council’s ad hoc committee on reform is expected to take up ballot language for a series of proposals aimed at strengthening the city’s Ethics Commission.