LA City Council Meeting - May 19, 2026

Unverified speaker · Item 16

Item 16.

Joanna · General public comment

Joanna V. My name is Joanna V and I work for United here local 11 and I I work in Winston. When they tried to take away our salary, the voters said no. I helped because my family and my friends needed this. $ wage should be effective for the Olympic Games, but now it's not going to be until 2030. the rent that I can barely pay and the food that I can barely afford. I'm here to let the council know exactly what the industry has taken away from us. Thank you. [applause]

Unverified speaker · General public comment

community comment. I'm sorry. Public comment., Harriet Elliott., armas frequency neveli. Thank you., do you speak English or Spanish? I'm not hearing very well, but, okay, I'm moving on.,, a gun can penetrate with,, with a bullet. they're not solid. but it affects everything in your path. Armas ale say support guns. LF usually support themselves inside a car torpedo and they function as torpedoes. Speaker,

Joey Elam · Public comment

Yeah. Good morning. What? Good morning, Congressman. My name is Joey Elam and I've been work as a Sorry, ma'am.

Joey · Item 13

Joey Lamb. What's up? 26. Sorry. Yeah. Good morning, Casman. My name is Joey Lamb. work as a beauty advisor at DFS at lex for almost 10 years and I am here because the worker like me were counting on the race this summer and reaching $30 before Olympic. We make plans around that. Our family make plans around that after years of re rising rent, rising grocery and rising cost and wages in increase give us some hope that we could finally catch up a little bit now because of the airline and big corporation are complaining all of that is in question and this is not right. LAX worker are the people who welcome traveler at Los Angeles every day. We are also worker who will help welcome the world …

Unverified speaker · Item 2

Punto., good day. I would like to speak to number 26 and also public comment. so ACE has been fighting for just living conditions for a just salary Dasal Rodriguez. Because again last week council members Rodriguez, Padia, Park, and Lee went back on their word. They are not on the side of the people. I want to say that this is ridiculous. I want to ask you how much is your salary and why don't you reduce your salary? [cheering and applause] And I want to ask you, I want to ask you, do you know how much is a basket of food? How much is cilantro? How much is one onion? How much chile cost? Speaking of your time, is she going to get her general comment? One minute. So the ba the basic basket …

Unverified speaker · Item 26

Public comment and item number 26. You'll have one minute for each. Well, I had actually written down what I was going to say, but now that I think about it, I'm just going to say it out of my own words. I haven't had breakfast. I haven't had my coffee. I just left my house and I came here to support my colleagues. My husband [clears throat] is one of these workers. Surely those of you that do have money, you did have breakfast. You didn't have to bring a lunch with you. And I'm here not just with my family, but with my people and for all of the workers across California. You're here laughing at me, but just because I'm here without a suit doesn't mean I'm dumb. You need to stop playing …

David Wera · Item 26

article 26 or item 26. My name is David Wera, president of SEIUSWW. What we want in the spring of 2000. Thank you. What we want in the spring of 2025 is what we should be celebrating today. Workers fought to lift themselves out of poverty and to get the health care needs that they need for themselves and their families. But business decided to hold the city hostage so they can get their way in this in this in this negotiation. We recognize that the living wage does set a standard of $30 in healthcare for many workers across the city. But unfortunately, those workers also have to wait now till 2030 for that $30. But I will say this, we will continue to fight forward. We will continue to …

La · Item 26

I want to say that we are not giving up. and we'll be back here in 2028. I hope you do what's just and right and think about what is right and not in your pockets. I hope that when you put food in your mouth, you think about each and every one of us that you're taking our wages from and think about what will you tell your children tomorrow. Please have some common sense. And just like you said, no, have the courage to face us and to respond to your acts. [applause] All right., Madame Clerk, I want to make sure for the record that we note that an amendment has been circulated and seconded regarding item number 26. that's on the board and in the and on the council file. Which items

Lorena · General public comment

Public comment. Okay. You'll have one minute. IO is Lorena Vera and flying food. Good morning members of the council. My name is Lorena Barera. I work at Fry Food in the cold food department. In 2023, I went on strike for 26 days to fight for better wages. My rent right now is $2,200, but each day it is going up. Each year it has gone up by $200. The company prepares food for international flights. They're making more money than ever. They are receiving help while here we are asking for help. We're waiting still for your support. Where is the help and support for the workers? Every day the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. [applause]

Jesse Guvas · General public comment

Jesse Quvas, public comment on 26., good morning members of city council. My name is Jesse Guvas and I work at Flying Foods. I am a cook and I make the food that goes into the international flights that depart from LA X. My co-workers and I see how much money the company's making. I live in Pasadena and I and it I it t I have two kids. I'm a single dad and it's hard. my commute sometimes takes over an hour. It is shameful that you are giving a relief and bending the knee to these corporations. Where's the relief for the workers like me that are barely making ends meet? Thank you guys. Good morning. What

Matthew Maldonado · Item 26

Good morning., number 26. Both. Thank you. Good morning, council members. My name is Matthew Maldonado, the executive director of Ask Me District Council 36. We represent about 10,000 employees here in the city. We're glad to hear the GRT will be considered to be removed from the ballot in November. As we know, the city was gearing up for serious changes in services delivered to Angelinos. We're also gearing up for massive layoffs. We're preparing. We hope to never see this day again, but we know these attacks will continue. However, as witnessed on May 1st, Labor showed a united front marching through the streets of this city. Thousands of union members showed up and marched in solidarity. …

Melissa Dogle · Item 26

Item 26. Good morning. My name is Melissa Dogle and I am a Unite Here member. I live in city district 13 and I have worked in hospitality for 12 years. The hotels and airlines that fought to gut our wages are official partners of the 2028 Olympics. They will profit enormously from the work of people like me. When the industry tries to repeal this wage, Los Angeles voters rejected them. So they threatened the city budget until the policies cracked. The $30 wage that was supposed to be in place by the Olympic Games won't arrive until 2030. After the tourists go home, after the industry collects every dollar of the Olympic profit. Always remember that it is workers like me and those behind me …

Elanor Ramos · Item 26

item number 26. Okay. Thanks. Good morning, council members. My name is Elanor Ramos and I have been a bartender at LAX for 30 years. Like many LAX workers, I live in Hawthorne. We do not have rent control. I have seen rents double for me and for my neighbors. I have seen people get pushed out and evicted because they simply cannot keep up anymore. That is a reality workers are facing. Rent is up, food is up, gas is up, everything is more expensive. We are not asking for anything extra. We're asking to be able to survive in the communities where we live and work. When the wage law went into effect in September, it made life a little more affordable. It gave me and my co-workers some …

Jovon · Item 26

item 26 and general public comment. Hi. Hi, my name is Jovon Houston. I'm an airport worker at LAEX and a member of SEIU USWW. I just want to take the time out to have a special thanks to Hugo Stos, Martinez, Unis,, Curran Price, Katie, Ursasi, and Nitia Ramen and Isabelle. Thank you for supporting us from day one. Thank you. We do appreciate this even though the outcome is horrible. [sighs] This is a hard one for us to swallow. Like I said, I've been down here over a hundred weeks of fighting and yeah, it hurts. It hurts that you'll take back the years of hard work we did, the fast, the hunger strikes, the marches. You took it all away from us. These wages are important to us and it really …

Stephen · Item 26

Item 26. Okay. Good morning. My name is Stephen Gonzalez. I have worked different jobs at LAX for seven years. Right now, I am working at the Emirates Lounge. I am an attendant there. Workers like me are struggling with the cost of living. Everything has gone up, especially gas, food, and rent. Just those three alone are heavy., every paycheck gets stretched thinner and thinner., all I want to do is be able to afford my own apartment. I do not think that's too much to ask for. I work hard at one of the busiest airports in the world, but I still have to live with my roommates because I cannot afford to, you know, rent a place of my own. when the wage law went into effect in September, I felt …

Unverified speaker · General public comment

It's a public comment. I'm sorry, your time is expired, but can you just wait over there on the on the left hand your right hand side of the council chambers, please? Thank you.

Unverified speaker · Public comment

Let me tell you. Mexican people and the Spanish, they are Hebrew. That's where Abraham come from. The second son of Noah is the descendant of the Noah. The Iranian Melzdc is a gentile and the Roman was a gentile in Hebrew. Look at this map. Just America. You see the two big red here and Simon someone call their god Takalo. Sinal law is a Son area. You have two champion. Son champion that also belong to the Saw of Evil. And that's and yeah,

Jennifer Reddzo · General public comment

16 in public comment. Hello, my name is Jennifer Reddzo and I've had the privilege of calling the valley home for all of my life. I also organize with and for many of our unhoused residents. I'm providing public comment to oppose Alda Padilla's resolution to add 26 new 4118 zones to the valley. 4118 is a violent, cruel, and inhumane law that does absolutely nothing to solve LA's homeless crisis. As I'm sure you're all aware of, it actually exacerbates the crisis as displacements destroy people's important documents like identification, their medications. It disrupts access to services and medical care, and it makes it harder for those to obtain housing, forcing people to scramble to rebuild …

Nella · Item 26

Item 26 and general public comment, please. My name is Nella McCosker. I represent Central City Association or CCA. I'm going to repeat something that I said last week on this item because I think it bears repeating. The success and vitality of business owners and workers are inextraably linked. And it is possible to ensure that we expand wage and benefits for workers while meeting the moment and realizing the economic realities of hotels empty, closing, laying off people. At CCA, what we've tried to model is that it is very possible for business and labor to partner together on projects and initiatives that increase economic success and opportunity create thousands of new jobs and I have …

Unverified speaker · Items 1, 7, 13

Council President, those are all the names registered for public comment. All right. We want to thank everybody who came to share with us this morning for public comment. Madam clerk, what items are before us at this time? The council may now vote on items 1, 7, 13- 15, 17- 23, and 25. All right, let's open the roll on those items. Close the roll. Tabulate vote. 15 eyes. That was 15 eyes. All right. All right. What's next? The council may move on to item number two. Motion Blumenfield McCusker to note and file. All right. I have receive and file in my note. Is there a distinction between those two things? I'm sorry. Is there a distinction between receive and file and note and file? There is …

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado · Council discussion

Council member Price seconds. What's next? Commendatory resolutions for approval.

Councilmember Traci Park · Council action

Council member Hernandez seconds. What is next? Uh, Mr. Mr. President, today is Tuesday and it's time for the flag salute. All right, we'll ask everyone in the chambers to rise, face the flag, and follow along with Council Member Price of the 9inth Council District. Thank you, Mr. President. Place your right hand over your heart and ready begin to stand for all. All right, Madam Clerk, let's run through our agenda. Thank you, sir. Items 1 through eight are items noticed for public hearing. Items 9 through 12 are items for which public hearings have been held. Items 13 through 26 are items for which public hearings have not been held. 10 votes are required for consideration. All right, …

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado · Item 16

Thank you, Council President. I'd like to call item 16 for a separate vote. All right. Council, anybody else on this side? Council member Bloomfield. Yeah. Item two, please uh note and file. The lean's been paid. All right. Without objection. Um is there a second to the motion to note and file? Mr. McConsker seconds. All right. Any others on my left? All right. Uh on this side, I have Council Member Rodriguez. Thank you. I'd like to continue items 3, four, and five to Tuesday, June 30th. Item nine for comments, item 11 for a separate vote, and item 12 for comments and a separate vote. All right, Council Member Hernandez. Thank you, Council President. I'd like to call item 24 for comments, …

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez · Item 26

Thank you. Colleagues, I introduced this motion to formalize the process for our city to recoup the expenses related to the response in the aftermath from a plane crashing associated with Whiteitman Airport in Pakoma. On April 20th at approximately 11:00 a.m. near the intersection of San Frernando Road and Vanise Boulevard, a small plane crashed causing major disruption to the surrounding community. There was power lines that were downed in restaurants and businesses that were impacted and several residents. Thankfully, uh it was a near miss incident of what could have inevitably been just another tragedy. 93 businesses and residents were left without power for over 24 hours and traffic …

Councilmember Imelda Padilla · Item 12

I think I'm going to need a translator to translate into English because I'm going to say my whole thing in Spanish. ready. Okay. I'm sorry that we have to be here today, but I've never liked the lies, nor the half-truths, nor the blaming without all the details being present on both sides. since the beginningto Martinez. Um to all the people that are here today present and to council member Sto Martinez that this salary was good and it was needed, but that that it wasn't going to be approved if we didn't have a report first present. And then we finally received the report and then the politics began and the revision of what was presented in the report and a lot of questions arose. And …

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez · Item 12

Thank you. Colleagues, it's no secret that I've shared the serious concerns regarding the proposed consolidation that truncates the work of our economic workforce development department as a standalone department and folded into a larger bureaucratic department. At a moment when cities across the country are aggressively competing for investment, employers, tourism, and economic opportunity, LA should not be weakening the very department responsible for advocating on behalf of economic development. We should be strengthening it. Businesses are already making difficult decisions about whether or not they can continue to operate in Los Angeles. We have seen companies relocate their …

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez · Council discussion

Yes. Thank you, Council President. Is a personnel here or a representative from the mayor's office who can join us at the table? Can we give them a minute to get here because I have questions? Uh, we can give them a minute to get here. Do we have a call to someone specific? Um, Steve Rivera. Steve Rivera. Steve Rivera. If you hear us on the squawk box, please make your way to chambers. All right, members, we're going to give a few minutes to determine the whereabouts and availability of one. Mr. Rivera. Perhaps if Anna uh Anna from the mayor's office is down here, if she can join us. Yeah, it's all I don't know. Let me really good things. enhancing highly intuitive sense of energy. …

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez · Department oversight

I have not been able to get a response from the personnel department or Steve Rivera or the mayor's office. I would like to continue this item to Friday. And the reason I brought it up was because in January I didn't get answers to I had answers to questions I had posed around this item. And if I could just go into my comments briefly. Well, well, hold on. Uh before we continue the item, I'm just concerned about the employment of this person because I think it impacts Friday is the last day. Friday is the last day. Yes. Yes. All right. If we can get that confirmed while you're speaking, we'll we'll move on. Council member [snorts] Hernandez. So colleagues, in our past public works meeting …