Latest news with #L.A.ontheRecord
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
This Los Angeles city official testified for four days so Karen Bass wouldn't have to
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's David Zahniser, with an assist from Noah Goldberg and Laura Nelson, giving you the latest on city and county government. If Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass manages to hold on to her power to oversee the city's homelessness programs, she may well have one person to thank: City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo. Szabo, a fixture in the administrations of the past three mayors, was effectively the city's star witness in its legal battle against the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, the nonprofit group that sued the city in 2020 over its handling of the homelessness crisis. During a seven-day hearing that concluded Wednesday, the alliance pressed U.S. Dist. Judge David O. Carter to take authority over homeless services away from Bass and the City Council and give it to a to-be-determined third party overseen by the court. On four of those seven days, Szabo sat in the witness chair, defending the city's decisions and occasionally offering cutting remarks about the city's critics. Above all, he insisted the city would meet its obligation to provide 12,915 additional homeless beds by June 2027, as required under a settlement agreement with the alliance. Szabo, who reports to both Bass and the council, is well known within City Hall for his work preparing the city budget, negotiating with city unions and providing policy recommendations on homelessness and other issues. During his time in Carter's courtroom, he was also a human shield, taking the brunt of the hostile questions and helping to ensure that Bass and others would not be called to testify. Throughout the proceedings, the city's lawyers lodged hundreds of objections to the alliance's questions, sometimes before they had been fully asked. Carter cautioned them that the rapid-fire interruptions could make things difficult for inexperienced witnesses. He also made clear that the group did not include Szabo. 'Mr. Szabo,' the judge said, 'certainly is used to the stress.' The alliance had placed not just Bass but also Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Traci Park on its witness list, saying all three had made public statements criticizing the response system. Bass herself called the system 'broken' during her State of the City address in April, a fact highlighted by Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for the alliance. Those statements, Umhofer said, only reinforce the alliance's argument that the city's homelessness programs are beyond repair and must be placed into receivership. 'The city is not fixing that broken system,' he said during closing arguments. 'It's simply doubling down on that broken system.' Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl, asked to explain the mayor's use of the word 'broken,' said she was referring to a number of obstacles, including 'an urge from many to return to the old way of doing things that allowed homelessness to explode.' 'But change is happening,' he said. 'Under the Mayor's leadership, we are moving forward.' The city's newly hired legal team from Gibson Dunn, the law firm that persuaded the Supreme Court to uphold laws barring homeless encampments on public property, sought to amplify that message. They also claimed the mayor and council members were shielded by the 'apex doctrine,' which bars high-level, or apex, government officials from testifying except in extraordinary circumstances. The city's lawyers offered up just two witnesses of their own: Szabo and Etsemaye Agonafer, Bass' deputy mayor for homelessness programs, saying they were the most familiar with the issues. The alliance initially sought 15. Agonafer testified for about four hours, highlighting progress made by the mayor's Inside Safe program, which moves people out of encampments and into hotels and motels. Umhofer ultimately withdrew his subpoenas targeting Bass and the others, saying he didn't want to incur additional delays. But he called Bass cowardly for failing to show up. By then, he said, his team had enough evidence to show that the city's elected officials should no longer control homeless programs. 'We have quite literally put the homelessness response system in Los Angeles on trial,' said Elizabeth Mitchell, another alliance attorney, on the final day of proceedings. The alliance used much of the questioning to highlight problems at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, also known as LAHSA. That agency, overseen by a board of appointees from the city and county, has been criticized repeatedly in audits dating back to 2001 — documents highlighted by the alliance during the proceedings. Szabo acknowledged that LAHSA has faced issues with data collection. But he insisted that the city is closely tracking the beds required under its settlement with the alliance. 'We have taken steps to ensure that the data we are reporting is accurate,' he told the court. Carter, who has yet to rule in the case, did not sound as confident in the city's attention to detail. On Wednesday, he demanded that the city turn over records regarding its compliance with another agreement in the case — this one known as the 'roadmap.' The roadmap agreement, which expires June 30, required the city to produce 6,700 beds. In his order, Carter raised questions about whether city officials had double counted 'time-limited subsidies' — money used to help homeless people move into apartments and pay their rent — by applying them both to the roadmap requirements and to the obligations within the alliance settlement agreement. Szabo said city officials are collecting the records for the judge. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, whose district includes Hollywood, voiced confidence in Szabo. He also praised Bass for taking on the issue of homelessness, pointing out that LAHSA reported that the city had made progress last year. 'We're doing things that are showing results,' said Soto-Martínez, whose office has participated in 23 Inside Safe encampment operations. 'Is it perfect? No. But we're working through it.' — ICE RAID OUTRAGE: L.A.'s elected officials voiced their anger on Friday over a series of federal immigration sweeps in Westlake, Cypress Park and other parts of the city. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said the individuals detained were 'hardworking Angelenos who contribute to our local economy and labor force every day.' Bass issued her own statement, saying: 'We will not stand for this.' 'As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' she said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.' — WELCOME, AECOM: Nearly five months after a firestorm laid waste to a wide swath of Pacific Palisades, Bass announced that the city has hired the global infrastructure firm AECOM to develop a plan for rebuilding the area and reconstructing utilities and other infrastructure. The firm will work alongside both the city and Hagerty Consulting, which Bass tapped as a recovery contractor in February, according to the mayor's office. — SWITCHING HORSES? Businessman and gubernatorial candidate Stephen J. Cloobeck offered praise for L.A.'s mayor last year, commending her for her work addressing homelessness. He even said he had donated $1 million to LA4LA, an initiative promoted by Bass during her 2024 State of the City address, an event he attended. But last weekend, while making the rounds at the California Democratic Convention, he told The Times he wasn't so keen on Bass' leadership. 'I would support Rick Caruso in a heartbeat over Mayor Karen Bass, and that's a quote,' he said. — MISSED MESSAGES: Bass has come under heavy scrutiny for deleting text messages she sent during the January firestorms. But she wasn't the only one. L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the area devastated by the Eaton fire, has an iPhone that 'auto deletes' messages every 30 days, her spokesperson said. — ENGINE TROUBLE: Earlier this year, then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley cited disabled engines, and a lack of mechanics, as one reason why fire officials did not dispatch more personnel to Pacific Palisades before the Jan. 7 fire. But a Times analysis found that many of the broken engines highlighted by department officials had been out of service for many months or even years — and not necessarily for a lack of mechanics. What's more, the LAFD had dozens of other engines that could have been staffed and deployed in advance of the fire. — SAYONARA, CEQA: State lawmakers are on the verge of overhauling the California Environmental Quality Act, which has been used for decades to fight real estate development and public works projects in L.A. and elsewhere. One proposal would wipe away the law for most urban housing developments. — PADRINOS PAYOUT: L.A. County has agreed to pay nearly $2.7 million to a teenager whose violent beating at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall launched a sprawling criminal investigation into so-called 'gladiator fights' inside the troubled facility. Video of the December 2023 beating, captured on CCTV, showed Jose Rivas Barillas, then 16, being pummeled by six juveniles as probation officers stood idly by. — EVADING EVICTION: A 70-year-old homeless man who illegally moved into a state-owned house in the path of the now-canceled 710 Freeway extension is fighting his eviction. Benito Flores, who seized a vacant residence in El Sereno several years ago, recently holed up in a tree house he built in the backyard — and so far has warded off attempts by sheriff's deputies to lock him out. — AIRPORT AHEAD: The long-awaited LAX/Metro transit center at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street finally opened on Friday, bringing commuters tantalizingly close to Los Angeles International Airport. For now, free shuttle buses will run every 10 minutes along the 2.5-mile route between the transit center and LAX. — BREAKING BARRIERS: The first transgender captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department died last month at age 80. Michele Kaemmerer joined the LAFD in 1969, retiring in 2003. She transitioned in 1991 and later led Engine 63 in Marina del Rey. In a 1999 interview with PBS, Kaemmerer said that some firefighters who knew her before she transitioned refused to work with her. Despite those hardships, she 'always had a good attitude,' said her widow, Janis Walworth. That's it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@ Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Los Angeles Times
19-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. County and city are both reeling financially. Why is the county better off?
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's Rebecca Ellis, with an assist from my colleague David Zahniser, giving you the latest on city and county government. 'Tis the season for financial woes. L.A. city officials can't afford the pay raises they agreed to just last year. Legal payouts are skyrocketing. The city's infrastructure sustained hundreds of millions in damage from the Palisades fire. L.A. County hasn't fared much better. Officials say they're saddled with roughly $2 billion in wildfire costs. They've reached a $4-billion sex abuse settlement — the largest in U.S. history. The Trump administration keeps threatening to slash federal funds. So how come only the city is in a financial crisis? 'We're not writing checks that can't be cashed,' said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. This week, the county unveiled its $48-billion proposed budget for the next fiscal year, put together amid what everyone agreed were 'unprecedented' financial pressures. And yet the announcement wasn't all doom and gloom. The county wasn't expecting any layoffs. Cuts this year would amount to a measly $89 million. And the budget was balanced. Compared with the city, which reported a projected budget shortfall just shy of $1 billion and 'nearly inevitable' layoffs, the announcement was borderline jolly. The city's fiscal fiasco was a 'wake-up call,' said Barger, who attributed part of the county's success to the fact that, unlike the city, she and her colleagues have not agreed to dramatic raises for employees. 'Then, we're not laying off employees as a result of not planning our fiscal situation years out,' said Barger. That willingness to draw the line could have other repercussions. On Thursday, SEIU Local 721, which represents 55,000 county employees, announced they planned to strike at the end of the month, in part because, according to the union, the county has slow rolled contract negotiations. 'We've been stuck at zero for more than six months,' said union head David Green. 'That's just not an offer — that's pushing people to leave their jobs.' To weather choppy financial waters, the county is also leaning heavily on its plush rainy day fund, which it can drain to pay for the mammoth sex abuse settlement. The fund has not been touched since the aftermath of the Great Recession. 'It is like the holy grail,' said Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport of the billion-dollar pot. The city, by contrast, has repeatedly tapped its reserve, which was hovering above 3% earlier this year. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, in an interview, said the city's financial problems are about more than employee pay. The biggest drivers of the budget crisis are a downturn in economic activity — including lower-than-expected tax revenues — and the soaring cost of legal settlements and jury awards, she said. 'If all we had was the rising personnel costs, we wouldn't even be considering layoffs or drastic cuts,' she said. Longtime employees say penny-pinching has been in the county government's bloodstream ever since it almost went bankrupt in 1995. The healthcare system was on the brink of collapse due to sloppy financial planning by county leaders. In the end, former president Bill Clinton bailed out the county. 'It was an embarrassment,' said former Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who helped steer the county out of the red. 'This was like our Great Depression: We never want to be put in this position again.' Still, the careful planning by the county's financial minds may all be for naught. Two days after Davenport announced her spending plan, news broke that the Trump administration planned to slash $40 billion from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, sending a wrecking ball through the county Department of Public Health. 'I think every department is just shocked, to be honest,' said county public health director Barbara Ferrer, who called the administration's cuts 'ignorant.' The county health department gets about $1 billion — two thirds of its total budget — from federal grants, which fund prevention work for everything from lead poisoning to sexually transmitted infections. Under the proposed federal cuts, the county department would lose about $300 million and roughly 500 employees, decimating the prevention work, said Ferrer. 'You can really now see the administration's proposal to pretty much decimate local public health as we know it today,' said Ferrer. 'You can't absorb that level of disinvestment. I don't have $300-million worth of efficiencies to find.' — COSTS KEEP COMING: The county has put the estimated cost of the January wildfires at nearly $2 billion, which includes $1 billion in lost revenue and another billion to cover costs like soil testing and debris removal. — FAILURE TO WARN: The first evacuation order for west Altadena did not come until after dispatchers had received at least 14 reports of fire in the area, according to 911 logs obtained by The Times. Nearly all the deaths from the fire occurred in west Altadena. — POLLING PLUMMET: Bass is less popular than she was a year ago, according to a new survey by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The drop in popularity was likely related to her handling of January's wildfires. — SHUTDOWN TIME: A Los Angeles County judge said Friday that he planned to shut down Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, months after a state oversight body found it 'unsuitable' to house youth. The probation department has until early May to plan a relocation for roughly 270 youths in custody. — NO VISION: City officials released an eagerly anticipated audit of Vision Zero, a program that aims to eliminate traffic fatalities in L.A., and why it failed. Factors include poor coordination and a lack of political will from city leaders, the document said. — RESUME QUESTIONS: The new head of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency is leaving when his contract is up this fall. Ryan Johnson's departure comes amid concerns about his background and how closely he was vetted before taking the gig. — TAKEOVER TAKEDOWNS: L.A. County took its first step toward dramatically increasing penalties for anyone participating in street takeovers. The county wants to double the misdemeanor fines from $500 to $1,000. — SEEING RED: The Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America held its annual convention last weekend, with more than 200 members voting on priorities for the coming year. The group will focus on responses to threats from the Trump administration and, at the local level, tenant rights issues. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez was in attendance. — WORKING OVERTIME: The county Sheriff's Department spent $458 million on overtime in the last fiscal year, The Times found. Those expenditures were driven in part by a reduction in the number of deputies since COVID-19. — SOIL TESTING: The county will allocate $3 million to help homeowners in the Eaton burn area test their soil for lead contamination. The funding comes after elevated levels of the heavy metal were found in the soil of properties with homes still standing.
Los Angeles Times
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
How much did Bass and her acting mayor communicate while she was in Ghana?
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's Julia Wick and David Zahniser, giving you the latest on city and county government. As virtually every Angeleno now knows, Mayor Karen Bass was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana when the Palisades fire exploded. What remains hazier is how the mayor interacted with the person assigned to lead in her absence — City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who was the acting mayor during her trip, including the day the fire broke out. Following a protracted back and forth last month, The Times obtained some of Bass' text messages from the nearly 24 hours she spent in transit from Ghana to Los Angeles on Jan. 7 and 8. After initially saying the mayor's texts had been deleted, her staffers revealed they were able to recover them, providing about 125 messages, while also noting that an unspecified number of additional messages were 'redacted and/or withheld' based on exemptions to the California Public Records Act. The cache of messages was revealing. But one name was notably absent: Harris-Dawson. (The Times sued the city last month over the mayor's texts. Even though city officials ultimately provided some texts, The Times is contesting the city's argument that releasing them was not required under state law.) Back on March 10, while we were still waiting to see if Bass would provide any of her texts, we filed a separate public records request with Harris-Dawson's office, seeking all of his communications with Bass (via email and text message, as well as messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp) sent or received between Jan. 6 and Jan. 16. Three weeks later, Harris-Dawson's office said it had 'conducted a search and found no responsive records for this request.' It didn't seem possible that there weren't any messages between the two of them. Was the council president's office saying that he and the mayor did not communicate at all in writing during this period? Not even on Jan. 6, when the National Weather Service put out a warning that sounded downright apocalyptic? Or on Jan. 7 and 8, with Bass in transit during one of the worst catastrophes in city history? We asked Harris-Dawson's deputy chief of staff, Denise Jackson, on April 1 if the city was withholding any records. She did not respond. We followed up the next day with similar questions, asking if records had been deleted. And the next day. Still nothing. On April 4, Jackson responded, saying that if records had been withheld, her office would have specifically stated that. In this case, there were no records, she said. We asked again (and again) if emails or texts had been deleted. She did not respond. This week, we looped in Harris-Dawson's communications director Rhonda Mitchell, saying we were planning to write about the matter. Mitchell did not answer questions about whether Harris-Dawson had deleted messages or emails. 'I can only go by what the CPRA returned and the CPRA returned that there were no records found,' Mitchell said Friday, using an abbreviation to refer to a request made under the California Public Records Act. Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said Friday that 'the Mayor and the Council President communicated by phone multiple times during this period.' He declined to say whether any messages with Harris-Dawson were among those previously withheld by his office in response to our request for Bass' texts. He also did not address whether Harris-Dawson and Bass had emailed during this period. Which all brings us back to our original question: How was the mayor interacting with Harris-Dawson as he led the city in her stead? Yes, they spoke on the phone, but the seeming lack of written communication raises serious questions. If such messages exist, they're an important part of the historical record and a crucial piece of the puzzle in understanding Bass' response to the fire. If they exist, Harris-Dawson's office can't legally withhold them without providing a reason. If they were deleted, the public should be told that — along with why. And if Bass and Harris-Dawson really didn't communicate in writing, they should address why that was. The Times did obtain some emails between Harris-Dawson's team and the mayor's office. Last month, in response to a separate records request, Harris-Dawson released a collection of emails sent between Jan. 2 and Jan. 7 to and from his office regarding wildfire conditions, high winds, emergency preparations and the National Weather Service. Harris-Dawson was acting mayor on four of those days. The most significant communication from Bass' team was a Jan. 7 email from Thomas Arechiga, the mayor's deputy director of legislative affairs, asking Harris-Dawson to sign a declaration of local emergency. 'Note, there are no changes to the Mayor's planned return tomorrow morning,' Arechiga wrote. Harris-Dawson's office sent the signed document back to Arechiga about 10 minutes later. — SOBOROFF SIDELINED: In a sprawling exit interview, outgoing Chief Recovery Officer Steve Soboroff said he was shut out by the mayor's office, noting: 'They haven't asked me to do anything in a month and a half, nothing, zero.' He also raised concerns about the role of Hagerty, the city's recovery consultant. Soboroff and real estate executive Randy Johnson went into greater detail about their work in a six-page 'Report of the Chief Recovery Officer,' which was delivered to Bass this week. — NEW LEADERSHIP: Bass named a new deputy mayor for public safety Monday, installing former FBI official Robert Clark as her top aide overseeing police, fire and emergency preparedness. Clark's predecessor, Brian K. Williams, was put on administrative leave last year after being accused of making a bomb threat against City Hall. Williams is still on the city payroll but 'is retiring,' said Seidl, the Bass spokesperson. Seidl did not respond when asked how long Williams would remain on the payroll. Williams makes about $245,000 a year and has been paid nearly $75,000 since being placed on administrative leave, according to the City Controller's office. Clark will make a similar salary. — WHO'S RUNNING? With Bass looking increasingly vulnerable, chatter about who will run against her has reached a fever pitch. But it's unclear whether anyone will mount a serious challenge to an incumbent who still wields considerable clout. We surveyed the field. — SECURING HER BASE: But Bass is very much on the campaign trail. This week, she dropped by an Los Angeles County Democratic Party meeting to give a quick speech, and she met with Valley Democratic club leaders at El Mariachi Grill in Encino last weekend. — ALL SMILES: They could end up as rivals in next year's mayoral election. But on Thursday, Bass and her former opponent, real estate developer Rick Caruso, appeared together to announce a partnership for rebuilding the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center, which was severely damaged in the Palisades fire. — TASK MASTER: U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, recently appointed to oversee federal prosecutions in Southern California, announced the formation of a task force to look for potential fraud or corruption in homelessness programs. That work could create new headaches for Bass, depending on how wide-ranging the probe turns out to be. — THE TRUMP FACTOR: Essayli, whose boss is Trump's Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, has been a sharp critic of the state's approach to the crisis, making derisive references to 'the homeless industrial complex.' Bass, for her part, said she doesn't know 'what kind of Trump appointee' Essayli will be. 'Is he going to do a fishing expedition?' she told KNX earlier this week. 'Or is he going to actually look and study the system and work with us to correct it?' — TRASH TALK: The City Council endorsed a plan for five consecutive years of trash fee hikes — and the first one will be by far the largest. Single-family homes and duplexes will see a 54% increase next year, while triplexes and four-unit buildings will see their trash bills double by next year. — A WIN FOR LABOR: The City Council voted 14-1 to spend another $27.7 million on design and technical work on a planned expansion of the Convention Center. The vote provided a big win to the construction trade unions, who mobilized to keep the project alive amid a major budget crisis. Although this week's vote did not authorize the renovation itself, it showed the council is firmly behind an overhaul of the structure. — PERMIT PUSH: Los Angeles County failed to issue a single rebuilding permit in the three months since the Eaton fire devastated Altadena. Now, the Board of Supervisors is trying to speed up that process. — FIGHT FOR THE 1ST: Two candidates have emerged to challenge Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez in the 1st District, which stretches from Highland Park to Westlake and Pico-Union, in June 2026. Raul Claros, a former member of the city's affordable housing commission, announced his bid in a news release this week. Meanwhile, Sylvia Robledo, a onetime aide to former Councilmembers Jan Perry and Gil Cedillo, recently created her own campaign committee to run for the seat, according to ethics filings. — TWO WORDS: The council's rules committee moved ahead with a plan to prohibit the utterance of two slurs — one against Black people, the other targeting women — during the council's public comment periods. — HOUSING CRUNCH: L.A.'s so-called mansion tax, approved by voters in 2022, has likely led to a dropoff in the construction of apartments across the city, according to a report released by UCLA and Rand researchers. Joe Donlin, who represents the coalition that supported Measure ULA, responded by saying the report was based on 'highly questionable assumptions' and only furthers the interest of 'real estate millionaires and billionaires.' — FEEL THE BERN: Plan for plenty of traffic in the Civic Center area Saturday, with big crowds gathering for Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's rally in Gloria Molina Grand Park. Councilmembers Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado are expected to speak. It will also be a Spring Street homecoming for Sanders' communications director Anna Bahr, who started her political career in Mayor Eric Garcetti's office and ran communications for Bass during her mayoral primary.
Los Angeles Times
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Debate over homeless funding leaves L.A. city and county at odds yet again
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's David Zahniser, with an assist from Julia Wick, giving you the latest on city and county government. For those who closely follow L.A. politics, it was quite a sight: five members of the City Council walking up the hill to the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration to make an 11th hour case to the Board of Supervisors. Those council members were worried about the county's plan to pull more than $300 million out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency that has been under fire in recent months. On Tuesday, at the board's regularly scheduled meeting, they warned the supervisors that a speedy withdrawal from LAHSA could disrupt services and halt progress in helping the region's neediest. 'We want to sit with you. We want to work with you. We want to see a timeline that makes sense,' said Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents the city's harbor-area district. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who is the daughter-in-law of a former county supervisor and a former staffer to a second one, said she feared the city's homeless constituents would suffer if the supervisors pulled their funding from LAHSA. 'So please, please, please, let's work together on a sustainable transition plan,' she told the board. The supervisors plowed ahead anyway. For months, they had made clear they had lost patience with LAHSA — the target of two scorching audits and scorn from a federal judge — and wanted more accountability for Measure A, a new half-cent sales tax that pays for homeless services. They voted to pull out their funding and create their own homelessness agency, one that would start out with about 1,000 employees. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who backed that effort, told council members that the county has been providing LAHSA with a disproportionate share of its administrative costs — far more than the city — and that it was time to deliver homeless services more efficiently. 'Maybe this [proposal] was the important move,' she said. 'Because this is the first time since I've been here that I've seen the council members here on this subject.' Councilmember Nithya Raman pushed back, pointing out from the audience that she had been to the board on homelessness issues. With Raman standing in the front row, Supervisor Kathryn Barger acknowledged that fact. The debate over LAHSA has brought the city and county back to a familiar place: divided over strategies for addressing homelessness and, in at least some government offices, distrustful of each other. The rift comes a little more than two years after Mayor Karen Bass went to the board to mend the fractured relationship between the city and county on homelessness. On that day in December 2022, just a week after taking office, Bass promised to work hand in hand with the supervisors, saying the only way to tackle the crisis would be by 'working in complete partnership.' Bass, who has long touted her ability to bring people together, did not show up for this week's board vote. Instead, she sent a letter, also signed by Raman, accusing the supervisors of 'unilaterally changing' how the city and county work together on homelessness. In that letter, they warned that the county pullout would jeopardize 'life-saving care' for unhoused residents. The sense of instability ramped up even more on Friday, after LAHSA's top executive, Va Lecia Adams Kellum, abruptly announced her resignation. Adams Kellum, who worked closely with Bass, said the supervisors' vote made it 'the right time' for her to step down. Raman and Bass have argued that LAHSA's operations are improving, helping the city secure a double-digit decrease in street homelessness last year. Horvath and Barger portrayed that work as too little, too late, saying it was time to follow through on the recommendations of a blue ribbon commission, which called for a new agency and greater accountability. The dispute threatens to bring both parties full circle. LAHSA came into being in 1993 in the wake of a battle between the city and county over homeless services. Nearly four decades ago, the city sued the county, saying it was not fulfilling its legal obligation to serve the indigent population living on L.A. streets. At the time, then-Councilmember Zev Yaroslavsky bemoaned the lack of collaboration between the two government bodies. 'We have sister-city relationships all over the world, but we can't communicate up the street,' Yaroslavsky said, referring to the supervisors, in 1987. 'Instead we write a letter, rather terse, and they write us a terse letter.' Yaroslavsky, the father-in-law of Councilmember Yaroslavsky, became a county supervisor in 1994. At that point, the city and county had just formed LAHSA, a joint powers authority split between the two entities. Barger, whose district includes northern stretches of the county, has sought to assuage the fears of L.A. councilmembers, telling them that neither she nor her colleagues are looking to dismantle LAHSA. 'We come in peace,' she remarked at one point. At the same time, Barger made clear that she was determined to seize direct oversight of the programs run by LAHSA and funded by the new sales tax. Last month, an audit found that LAHSA had not properly tracked the work of its contractors, leaving its programs vulnerable to waste and fraud. Despite those assurances, this week's proceedings had, at times, a ruthless quality. Adams Kellum, the departing LAHSA executive, received only 90 seconds to defend her agency's work — and had her mic cut off when she went longer. The signs of tension were not limited to Tuesday's board meeting. Bass, while attending a March 28 meeting of LAHSA's oversight commission, got into a back-and-forth with Amy Perkins, Horvath's LAHSA appointee, on the consequences of the county pullout. Bass asked Perkins to clarify whether the city would experience any negative impacts. Perkins replied by saying that, once the transition is finished, an assortment of county homeless programs would be consolidated into a single agency — all with direct oversight from the supervisors. 'The city of Los Angeles will be grateful,' said Perkins, who handles homelessness policy for Horvath. 'Because at the end of the day, we will have more integrated systems of care that include our Department of Mental Health, our Department of Public Health — something I've heard you say on multiple occasions that the county isn't stepping up for.' Bass, chuckling, replied: 'I can't see any way that the city of Los Angeles is grateful.' 'I think in time you will be,' Perkins said. At City Hall, some of the anxiety has been fueled by the threat of a nearly $1-billion budget shortfall, which could require cuts to homelessness initiatives. Council members have also voiced frustration with some of the services provided by the county to the region's unhoused population. Raman, who chairs the council's homelessness committee, said she has sometimes found it easier to obtain data from LAHSA than from county agencies. She voiced particular frustration with the county's Department of Mental Health Services, calling it a major 'pain point' in her fight against homelessness. 'We have found it extremely challenging to get the support that people with mental health issues need,' she said. Still, Raman pushed back on the idea that the city and county face long-term tensions. She said she and Bass regularly sit with county supervisors on government bodies convened to address the crisis. 'I have a lot of hope and faith in my county partners,' she said. 'I have a lot of hope and faith that we can still find something that really works for us.' On Friday, a Horvath aide pointed out that her boss reached out to every council member in July 2023, after becoming chair of LAHSA's 10-member commission. In a statement, Horvath acknowleged that the recent discussions haven't been easy. 'These are hard conversations. But change requires them,' she said. 'We can't afford another day of the status quo.' — A COLOSSAL PAYOUT: Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of childhood sexual abuse, a deal that attorneys say is the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history. The mammoth settlement, which still needs the approval of the county's Board of Supervisors, would resolve the deluge of lawsuits from men and women who said they were abused as kids while in foster homes or incarcerated in the county's network of juvenile halls and camps. — TRACKING TRACI: Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park has emerged as the face of recovery from this year's devastating Palisades fire. While comforting her constituents and connecting them with services, Park has been an empathetic presence — a contrast to her steely persona at City Hall, where she is known to offer her opinion in blunt terms. — TARIFF TRAUMA: The Port of Los Angeles could soon be hit hard by the tariffs announced this week by President Trump, which have already sent markets tumbling and overseas nations into retaliation mode. L.A.'s harbor, along with the Port of Long Beach, handle about a third of the cargo containers that move in and out of the U.S. — BUSES AND BIKES: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board recently approved a plan to add dedicated bus lanes to a 12-mile stretch of Vermont Avenue between 120th Street and Sunset Boulevard. Frustrated transit advocates argue the project also should have included bike lanes, saying that's a requirement under voter-approved Measure HLA. Metro, through its lawyers, told those advocates to pound sand. — A CZAR IS BORN? Should a federal judge pick a homelessness czar to oversee L.A.? That was the discussion spicing up a court hearing last week. — MOVING ON UP: L.A.'s Housing Authority is converting the Clarendon Apartments — a 335-unit luxury building in Woodland Hills with poolside cabanas, a fire pit terrace and an eye-catching community room — into affordable housing. The purchase is part of the agency's work to expand its affordable housing portfolio. — MOVING ON OUT: Police Chief Jim McDonnell ousted the head of the LAPD's constitutional policing office, who had drawn the ire of the police union over her role in the release of thousands of headshots of officers. Lizabeth Rhodes, the LAPD's highest-ranking civilian employee, is expected to remain with the department through June, taking leave that she accrued during her tenure. — HEADED TO HUD: Venice community activist and outgoing Venice Neighborhood Council member Soledad Ursúa has been appointed as a policy advisor at the Department of Housing & Urban Development, CityWatch reports. Ursúa has been an outspoken critic of the city's homelessness policies in her coastal neighborhood. — AUTHOR, AUTHOR: By day, she serves as spokesperson for Councilmember Curren D. Price. Outside City Hall, Angelina Valencia-Dumarot is the author of the soon-to-be-published children's book titled 'Franky(sito)'s World,' which tells the story of a young boy with autism growing up in a loving, multi-generational Latino household. The book, which she described as a labor of love, is an homage to her son Frank, who was diagnosed with autism at 3 and graduates high school this year.
Los Angeles Times
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s Filipino Americans help fuel new trend in election wins
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's Dakota Smith, with an assist from Julia Wick, giving you the latest on city and county government. At L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado's swearing-in last month, the national anthem of the Philippines played, and traditional Filipino dancers performed. Jurado is part of the latest group of Filipino Americans making political history in California. Three years ago, L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia became the first Asian and first Filipino American to hold citywide office. Then Jurado thumped incumbent Kevin de León to win a downtown and Eastside seat and become the first Filipino American on the City Council. Also in November, Jessica Caloza won a state Assembly seat representing a northern L.A. County district stretching from Glendale to East L.A. She is the third Filipino American — and first female — to serve in the Assembly after Rob Bonta, who is now California's first Filipino American attorney general, and Todd Gloria. And in Northern California, Christopher Cabaldon became the first Filipino American state senator. More than 1.6 million Filipino Americans live in California, with about 1 million in Southern California. They are Los Angeles' largest Asian American community, with many residents in the eastern San Fernando Valley and the city's Eastside. But Filipino Americans are vastly underrepresented in the state Legislature and in local elected offices. Cabaldon, who worked in the state Assembly and served as West Sacramento mayor, cited Bonta's milestones and a few other breakthrough moments but said that long-term gains have remained elusive. 'One of the things that's really encouraging about this round is that it's so broad-based: Different places, different narratives and different ages,' Cabaldon said. 'It really feels like we laid a foundation for the long term.' 'To see a Filipino American in both houses? That's history,' said Melissa Ramos, an Artesia city councilmember, of Caloza and Cabaldon. Bonta, on the other hand, sees the wins as reflective of the candidates' strong campaigns and the powerful coalitions they built, rather than a turning point. 'I don't know if there's anything magic about this particular moment,' he said. Experts credited the political gains to several factors, including more Filipino Americans working in government and at nonprofits on issues important to the community. At the same time, Filipino American leaders in business and civic life have successfully built coalitions with other communities, allowing candidates to break through, especially in areas where Filipinos are far from the majority, said Cabaldon. One hurdle to organizing Filipino Americans is that residents are spread out across the state. In L.A. County, most cities and neighborhoods have some Filipino American residents, but few have a concentration larger than 10%, according to voter data. At the same time, newer immigrants may be distrustful of politics because of rampant government corruption in the Philippines. 'A lot of people just don't think their vote counts,' said Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center in Los Angeles. Caloza, who worked for L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Obama administration, was born in Quezon City in the Philippines. Her family moved to Eagle Rock when she was a child, and she learned English from a 'Hooked on Phonics' program. Jurado was born in Highland Park and worked as a tenant rights attorney before joining the council. She told The Times that she wanted her swearing-in ceremony to showcase indigenous Filipino culture from her father's hometown of Iligan. Those at the ceremony included Cerritos politician Mark Pulido, a mentor to many Filipino Americans, Mayor Karen Bass and others. Jurado joins two other Asian American councilmembers, John Lee and Nithya Raman. Jurado described her and Caloza's victories as a tipping point 'not only for Filipinos, but also for women to be seen as leaders.' Both Colaza and Jurado told The Times that they plan to focus on workers rights and housing, citing those issues as important to Filipino Americans and other groups. Filipino Americans make up the biggest percentage of foreign-born caregivers in the state. Soriano-Versoza said she often sees them in precarious housing situations, either lacking leases because they are live-in workers or struggling to pay rent. Soriano-Versoza said both Colaza and Jurado are plugged into the Filipino American community and understand residents' needs. 'It means a lot for immigrants to see themselves in the government here,' she said. Pilipino Workers Center has been raising and distributing funds to Filipino Americans affected by the recent fires, said Soriano-Versoza. Jurado told The Times that her campaign sent mailers in Tagalog to the council district's Filipino American-registered voters, who number about 4,500. The district stretches from Eagle Rock to Boyle Heights and includes parts of downtown L.A. The Pilipino Workers Center's political arm held a get-out-the-vote event in November for Jurado and Caloza at Oinkster, an Eagle Rock burger restaurant run by brothers Fred and Max Guerrero. The event featured an antique Jeepney — a traditional open-air vehicle used in the Philippines — and ube shakes. The Guerrero brothers refer to themselves as Filipino Mestizo, or 'mixed' because of their Spanish lineage, said Fred Guerrero, who added that he is not particularly political. 'The overarching thing for us is community ... in our backyard, in our neighborhood,' he said. Meanwhile, Cerritos made its own history this week, electing an all-Asian American City Council. Councilmembers voted to install Frank Aurelio Yokoyama, a Filipino American, as mayor. Another Filipino American, Lynda P. Johnson, was elected mayor pro tem. Pulido, who had previously served as the city's mayor, was also elected to the council and sworn in by Bonta. —ZIP IT: City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson unveiled a plan to ban the N-word and the C-word at council meetings, arguing that hate speech is discouraging people from coming to speak. But 1st Amendment experts are dubious that the prohibition would survive a legal challenge. —SHOW US THE TEXTS: Mayor Karen Bass' texts in the first hours of the Palisades fire show how anxious she was to get back to L.A from Ghana. Meanwhile, The Times sued the city this week, accusing officials of withholding the mayor's text messages and other public records related to the Palisades fire, including the LAFD's response to the fire. —NEIGH ON L.A.: Both the city's ad hoc committee on the 2028 Olympic Games and the full council gave its approval this week to several venue changes, including shifting equestrian events from the Valley to Temecula. Still, City Councilmember Tim McOsker wants sailing to be in San Pedro, not Long Beach. City analysts are asking that LA28, the private group that is organizing and paying for the Games, spell out the financial impact of the shuffle. In a bit of irony, City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who recently joined the ad hoc committee, is a former member of NOlympics, an anti-Games group. We caught up with Soto-Martínez briefly this week, and he expressed concern over the Games' potential cost overruns in light of the city's budget problems. (LA28 is paying for the multibillion-dollar event, but the city is responsible for covering the first $270 million in overruns.) 'The last thing we need is another massive hole in our budget that we're going to have to pay for somehow,' he said. 'It's a huge concern.' —TAKING A STAND: Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and most of the Democrats in the California Assembly are leaving billionaire Elon Musk's X platform, saying it's become a toxic stew full of attacks and falsehoods. Politico reported that Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry referenced the L.A. fires when announcing her departure from X. 'It broke my heart to see people reject federal assistance because of disinformation on X,' she said. —CD2 MOVES: Karo Torossian, a longtime presence at the council horseshoe, has left city government after 15 years with Council District 2. Torossian served as former Council President Paul Krekorian's chief of staff before joining Councilmember Adrin Nazarian's staff. No word yet on where he'll land. —NEW GIG: Former L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin was named executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. —THE HGTV GUIDE TO REBUILDING: 'Property Brothers' co-host Jonathan Scott has put together a guide for wildfire survivors looking to rebuild. The fires were personal for Scott — his fiancée Zooey Deschanel's childhood home in the Palisades burned.
