Latest news with #EunissesHernandez
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. council panel votes to save 1,000 city jobs, reducing layoffs to 650
A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to cut the number of employees targeted for layoff by Mayor Karen Bass by more than half, bringing the total down to an estimated 650. The council's budget committee took steps to save more than 1,000 jobs by pursuing an array of cost-cutting measures, such as hiring fewer police officers and scaling back funding for Bass' Inside Safe program, which moves homeless people into temporary or permanent housing. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the committee, said those and many other moves would help the city protect core services, including tree trimming, street resurfacing, street light repair and sanitation teams that address illegal dumping. "We looked for ways to save positions — not for the sake of job counts only, but to make sure the departments can still do the work our constituents need them to do for their quality of life," said Yaroslavsky, who represents part of the Westside. The committee's recommendations for the proposed 2025-26 budget now head to the full council, which is scheduled to take them up on Thursday. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who sits on the committee, expressed some optimism after the vote. "We were in very rough waters, and a very different landscape, when we started this process," said Hernandez, who represents part of the Eastside. "And now there seems to be some light between the clouds." As part of Friday's deliberations, the budget committee voted to recommend a slowdown in sworn hiring at the LAPD, which would leave the agency with 8,400 officers by June 30, 2026. That represents a reduction of about 300 from the current fiscal year and 1,600 compared with 2020. The budget committee also agreed to eliminate 42 emergency incident technicians at the fire department, a move opposed by interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva, while also canceling Bass' plan for a new homelessness unit within that agency. In addition, the five-member panel recommended a hike in parking meter fees, which is expected to generate $14 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Yaroslavsky said the changes endorsed by the budget committee on Friday would save about 150 civilian workers in the police department. Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, who advises the council, said she believes that city officials will keep finding ways to reduce the number of layoffs, by transferring workers to vacant city positions or to agencies that are unaffected by the budget crisis, such as Los Angeles World Airports and the Port of Los Angeles. "I think we're going to be able to truly get that number down to less than 500," she told the committee. Bass, faced with a nearly $1-billion shortfall, released a proposed budget last month that called for the layoff of about 1,600 employees, a fourth of them civilian workers at the LAPD. Some of the largest reductions were planned at agencies that handle sanitation, street repairs and maintenance of city facilities. Friday's deliberations set the stage for many positions to remain intact, particularly at the Department of City Planning, which had been facing 115 layoffs. Kevin Keller, executive officer with that agency, said the committee found the funding to restore more than 100 of those positions. "I know there's a lot of city workers that are breathing a big sigh of relief tonight," said Roy Samaan, president of the Engineers and Architects Assn., whose union represents planning department employees. L.A.'s budget crisis has been attributed to a number of factors, including rapidly rising legal payouts, lower-than-expected tax revenue and a package of raises for the city workforce that is expected to add $250 million to the upcoming budget, which goes into effect on July 1. Bass and the council have been hoping to persuade city labor unions to provide financial concessions that would help avoid more cuts. So far, no deals have been struck. On Friday, before the committee began its deliberations, Bass said she is optimistic about avoiding layoffs entirely. At the same time, she spoke against a budget strategy that pits the hiring of police officers against the preservation of other jobs, calling it "a Sophie's Choice." If the LAPD slows down hiring, it will have fewer officers in the run-up to next year's hosting of the World Cup, she said. "I'm not going accept that as my choice," she said. During the final minutes of Friday's five-hour meeting, council members made some last-minute restorations, identifying additional funds for youth programs, tree trimming and fire department mechanics. Hernandez pushed for the committee to restore $1 million for Represent LA, which provides legal defense of immigrants facing deportation or other enforcement actions, and $500,000 for graffiti paint-out crews. Hernandez said the city needs to stand by immigrants amid a harsh federal crackdown. And she described graffiti removal as crucial for public safety in her district. "Getting graffiti down quickly prevents a lot more people from getting shot, prevents them from getting killed," she said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LAPD presence at South L.A. immigration raid sparks questions
Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez is calling on the city to create clearer protocols regarding its immigrant sanctuary laws after Los Angeles police officers were spotted during an enforcement operation in South Los Angeles on Friday. Videos circulating on social media showed federal agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement at an apartment building in the 400 block of East 41st Street, where neighbors shouted and called them "perros" — "dogs" in Spanish. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, which runs a hotline to report raids, said it also fielded calls about several enforcement actions across the county. Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, an ICE spokeswoman, said there was a "ongoing investigation on human smuggling." She did not provide details of the operation, such as how many individuals were arrested or how widespread it was. At least one resident — 22-year-old Jessica, who declined to give her last name because she feared law enforcement retaliation — said she saw at least two people being taken into custody. She said LAPD officers were assisting the operation by blocking traffic into the neighborhood. Read more: They patrol L.A.'s streets in search of ICE, Trump immigration raids Los Angeles' sanctuary law bars city employees and city property from being used to 'investigate, cite, arrest, hold, transfer or detain any person' for the purpose of immigration enforcement. But it makes an exception for law enforcement investigations into serious offenses. In a statement Friday evening, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were in the Newton Division "assisting with traffic control as Homeland Security was attempting to arrest a suspect wanted for human trafficking." "I want to be absolutely clear: The LAPD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement," he said. "This has been the department's policy since 1979, and it remains unchanged today.' LAPD Cmdr. German Hurtado said federal immigration officials requested assistance with today's enforcement operations in the city, but the department declined because of its longstanding policy against such actions. The department does cooperate with federal authorities in cases involving arrest warrants for certain violent crimes. Read more: L.A. 'sanctuary city' law won't prevent deportations. But 'we are hardening our defenses' After watching TikTok videos of the incident, Hernandez introduced a City Council motion asking the city attorney to outline "clear guidance and understanding about their responsibilities under the city's sanctuary city ordinance." "It is the responsibility of the City Council and other city leaders to reduce confusion and panic within our communities when these federal agencies are present, and be able to provide clarity on the rights of constituents as well as resources available to them," states the motion, which will need to go before the full council for a vote. In an emotional plea to her colleagues, Hernandez said some of Friday's enforcement operations were taking place in her district. "We have to put everything on the line to protect our families, to protect our young people, to protect Los Angeles and a significant portion of the Los Angeles population," she said. "I'm asking you to get ready. My field offices are open to anyone who needs to get know your rights information." Read more: Border Patrol sued for tactics used in Kern County immigration raid A woman told Fox 11 that immigration agents had entered her home and took an 18-year-old guest who she said had no criminal background into custody. At the home, a wall was damaged and a mattress overturned, according to footage broadcast by the station. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents part of South L.A., said during Friday's meeting that ICE agents were in his and Councilmember Curren Price's districts knocking on doors, pulling over cars and "doing a number of things that were of questionable legality." "Neighbors were on the street helping neighbors," Harris-Dawson said. "People who didn't know their rights, neighbors were telling them their rights." Harris-Dawson said ICE agents were spotted in an area bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the north, Florence Avenue on the south, Avalon Boulevard on the east and Vermont Avenue on the west. "People are sending us pictures, people are sending us video," he said. "I have some staff out there. We're getting it piecemeal because there's no formal announcement." Read more: Kern County immigration raid offers glimpse into new reality for California farmworkers Immigrant rights activists have been on heightened alert since President Trump took office and promised "mass deportations." Ron Gochez, a member of the Community Self-Defense Coalition, a group of more than 60 organizations that has been patrolling the streets looking for immigration enforcement actions, said he arrived at the South Central apartment building around 7:45 a.m. "We got there, and there were a lot of federal agent vehicles there. And that's wasn't surprising," he said. "But what was surprising was that there was also multiple LAPD vehicles at the location right next to the federal agents vehicles." He got on the megaphone and began telling people not to come out, not to speak to ICE agents and not to sign anything. He eyed people in the apartments. "They heard me, and they all looked at me," he said. "I saw children." The motion will go to the public safety committee before it goes to the full council for consideration. Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
01-03-2025
- Los Angeles Times
LAPD presence at South L.A. immigration raid sparks questions
Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez is calling on the city to create clearer protocols regarding its immigrant sanctuary laws after Los Angeles police officers were spotted during an enforcement operation in South Los Angeles on Friday. Videos circulating on social media showed federal agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement at an apartment building in the 400 block of East 41st Street, where neighbors shouted and called them 'perros' — 'dogs' in Spanish. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, which runs a hotline to report raids, said it also fielded calls about several enforcement actions across the county. Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, an ICE spokeswoman, said there was a 'ongoing investigation on human smuggling.' She did not provide details of the operation, such as how many individuals were arrested or how widespread it was. At least one resident — 22-year-old Jessica, who declined to give her last name because she feared law enforcement retaliation — said she saw at least two people being taken into custody. She said LAPD officers were assisting the operation by blocking traffic into the neighborhood. Los Angeles' sanctuary law bars city employees and city property from being used to 'investigate, cite, arrest, hold, transfer or detain any person' for the purpose of immigration enforcement. But it makes an exception for law enforcement investigations into serious offenses. In a statement Friday evening, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were in the Newton Division 'assisting with traffic control as Homeland Security was attempting to arrest a suspect wanted for human trafficking.' 'I want to be absolutely clear: The LAPD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement,' he said. 'This has been the department's policy since 1979, and it remains unchanged today.' LAPD Cmdr. German Hurtado said federal immigration officials requested assistance with today's enforcement operations in the city, but the department declined because of its longstanding policy against such actions. The department does cooperate with federal authorities in cases involving arrest warrants for certain violent crimes. After watching TikTok videos of the incident, Hernandez introduced a City Council motion asking the city attorney to outline 'clear guidance and understanding about their responsibilities under the city's sanctuary city ordinance.' 'It is the responsibility of the City Council and other city leaders to reduce confusion and panic within our communities when these federal agencies are present, and be able to provide clarity on the rights of constituents as well as resources available to them,' states the motion, which will need to go before the full council for a vote. In an emotional plea to her colleagues, Hernandez said some of Friday's enforcement operations were taking place in her district. 'We have to put everything on the line to protect our families, to protect our young people, to protect Los Angeles and a significant portion of the Los Angeles population,' she said. 'I'm asking you to get ready. My field offices are open to anyone who needs to get know your rights information.' A woman told Fox 11 that immigration agents had entered her home and took an 18-year-old guest who she said had no criminal background into custody. At the home, a wall was damaged and a mattress overturned, according to footage broadcast by the station. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents part of South L.A., said during Friday's meeting that ICE agents were in his and Councilmember Curren Price's districts knocking on doors, pulling over cars and 'doing a number of things that were of questionable legality.' 'Neighbors were on the street helping neighbors,' Harris-Dawson said. 'People who didn't know their rights, neighbors were telling them their rights.' Harris-Dawson said ICE agents were spotted in an area bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the north, Florence Avenue on the south, Avalon Boulevard on the east and Vermont Avenue on the west. 'People are sending us pictures, people are sending us video,' he said. 'I have some staff out there. We're getting it piecemeal because there's no formal announcement.' Immigrant rights activists have been on heightened alert since President Trump took office and promised 'mass deportations.' Ron Gochez, a member of the Community Self-Defense Coalition, a group of more than 60 organizations that has been patrolling the streets looking for immigration enforcement actions, said he arrived at the South Central apartment building around 7:45 a.m. 'We got there, and there were a lot of federal agent vehicles there. And that's wasn't surprising,' he said. 'But what was surprising was that there was also multiple LAPD vehicles at the location right next to the federal agents vehicles.' He got on the megaphone and began telling people not to come out, not to speak to ICE agents and not to sign anything. He eyed people in the apartments. 'They heard me, and they all looked at me,' he said. 'I saw children.' The motion will go to the public safety committee before it goes to the full council for consideration. Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LA City Council votes against eviction protection for wildfire victims
The Brief The Los Angeles City Council voted against a bill that would have provided victims of the recent wildfires with protection from certain evictions. Council members voted 6-5 against the The bill faced push back from landlords, and some councilmembers argued there are already other protections in place. LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council voted down a bill on Friday that would have protected victims of the recent California wildfires from eviction. There was intense debate on Friday ahead of the vote, with advocates saying the motion included "vital for our city," while others argued it was "an overreach of policy." What we know The motion would have prohibited certain evictions for renters who could show that the fires caused them to take an economic hit, or lost their jobs. The vote was 6-5 against, with several council members, including Adrin Nazarian, Imelda Padilla and Tim McOsker absent for the vote. Curren Price also did not vote, recusing himself because he is a landlord. SUGGESTED: Rent soaring in these LA ZIP codes after California wildfires, report says Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced a motion last month to protect renters from evictions. Originally, the pair called for a one-year moratorium on rent increases and for renters to be protected for even more types of evictions. Weeks of debate cut the motion down to the version the Council voted on Friday. Why you should care The Palisades and Eaton Fire have destroyed thousands of structures across Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, leaving residents without places to live. Many businesses were also destroyed in the fire, with many others losing their livelihoods. The thousands of displaced residents have placed a strain on the rental market, with so many looking for a place to live at the same time. SUGGESTED: California AG warns 200+ landlords, hotels of price gouging after California wildfires Rental prices across the city have reportedly surged, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta has already filed several lawsuits against relators for alleged price gouging. What they're saying Despite the major changes to the motion by the Council's vote on Friday, Council member Eunisses Hernandez argued that "It is a completely different motion, but still with protections that are incredibly vital for our city." She also tried to amend the motion to include ways to expedite the policy, which the Council voted down 8-3. "This is just a small Band-Aid to help folks stay in their housing so that more people don't fall into this `eviction to homelessness' pipeline," Hernandez said. The other side Landlords and other council members pushed back against the motion, with some critics calling it "an overreach of policy." While many pushed back about the breadth of the proposal, Hernandez tried to stress that the policy was not a "blanket, wide eviction moratorium." Councilman John Lee argued that the policy would come with unintended consequences, and said he thought it would worsen the city's housing crisis. Councilman Bob Blumenfeld raised concerns about how, specifically, renters would prove economic distress from the fires. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez argued that the city had already implemented other protections for renters impacted by the fires, and raised concerns for mom-and-pop landlords, who've also been negatively affected by the fires. Big picture view Earlier in the week, the City Council approved an ordinance that prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who've housed people and pets who were displaced by the fires. Landlords also aren't allowed to raise someone's rent solely because they've taken in people or pets who aren't on the rental agreement. Both Los Angeles County, and Gov. Gavin Newsom have issued similar policies. The County's policy will stay in effect until May 31, 2026, while the governor's directive expires in just three weeks, on March 8. The Source Information in this story is from the Los Angeles City Council and previous FOX 11 reports. City News Service contributed to this report.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Los Angeles City Council delays proposed eviction moratorium for wildfire victims
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A proposal to protect tenants impacted by the recent Eaton and Palisades fires, which included a moratorium on evictions, was delayed at Wednesday's Los Angeles City Council meeting. The proposed measures, backed by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, aim to help renters, many of whom lost their jobs as a result of the wildfires. 'Thousands of workers who commuted to the Palisades to work as housekeepers and other workers are suddenly out of work and now face the looming threat of losing their homes,' Hernandez said at a rally outside City Hall. Those backing the motion say the proposed program would last a year and that tenants would still be on the hook to pay the back rent next year. During the lengthy public comments section of Wednesday's meeting, the council heard arguments from those on either side of the issue. 'We need you guys to pause this rent,' one woman told council members. 'Many people are unable to their right now because they don't have work.' Some housing providers against the proposal, like Josh Luchs, agreed that people suffering because of the fires should be assisted but feels the motion overreaches in areas like simply have tenants self-attest to their hardship in order to qualify. 'They shouldn't be allowed to simply say, 'I was affected,' and not pay the rent because the landlord still has to pay the mortgage, the water bill and the rising cost of insurance,' Luchs told KTLA's Lauren Lyster. Blind Southern California boy who lost home in Eaton Fire gets musician's gift In response to questions about having more scrutiny than a simple self-attestation, Soto-Martinez explained to KTLA that the attestation comes under penalty of perjury. Other council members argued that the motion was too broad and needs more work. 'I can't support the notion of it right now without the findings and understanding the problem and the solution and making sure that they are balanced,' Councilmember Bob Blumenfield said at the meeting. The idea of the city helping renters directly with some type of financial relief was also floated during the meeting. 'Unfortunately, the emergency rental assistance program we have has been completely tapped out,' Soto-Martinez said. In the end, the council voted to send the proposal back to the Housing and Homelessness Committee so more work can be done on the proposal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
