Disaster relief for homeowners, business loans, rent and price gouging protection were among several initiatives the City Council moved forward Tuesday in response to the multiple fires that destroyed parts of Los Angeles.
Council members unanimously approved 21 out of 24 special motions introduced during Tuesday's meeting pursuant to Rule 23, which allows the City Council to take immediate action on matters that came to their attention prior to the posting of an agenda.
A majority of the motions were introduced by Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the 11th District which includes Pacific Palisades -- a neighborhood that was significantly burnt down by the nearly 24,000 acre Palisades Fire.
"As you can imagine, this has had a traumatic and life changing impact on thousands of lives," Park said. "I feel the heartbreak in every conversation..."
"Our singular goal must be to ensure that residents have the resources they need to rebuild their lives and come home," she added.
In part, council members called for an outside entity to conduct an independent report of the city and Los Angeles County's emergency response to the wildfires.
The city's overall preparedness to handle the devastating wildfires were called into question as issues arose in Pacific Palisades regarding the lack of water pressure in fire hydrants and as a reservoir sat empty for months due to maintenance.
To rectify water-related issues, the City Council expects the Fire Department and Department of Water and Power to establish communication protocols on the status of all water reservoirs and any offline infrastructure. Elected officials anticipate staff to conduct analysis of its infrastructure such as water pipes, fire hydrants, and equipment as well.
The approved motions also aim to create disaster assistance centers and a centralized permit operation center for impacted communities, address staffing needs, establish housing programs, reunite lost pets with their families, and reduce water bills for properties impacted by the fires, as well to enforce violations for price gouging.
A motion was rescinded for being similar to another one, according to Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. A motion introduced by Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez calling for a "grace-period" for non-safety parking violations was rejected 10-5.
Additionally, Hernandez and Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced a motion seeking to pause rent increases for all residents in the city for one year and prevent renters from being displaced for non-payment of rent or no-fault evictions.
That motion was referred to the council's Housing and Homelessness Committee for further discussion.
"Los Angeles is already in the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis -- we cannot allow bad actors to take advantage of this catastrophe by price-gouging working class tenants," Hernandez said in a statement.
According to the council members, predatory housing practices are already happening in Los Angeles, following a similar pattern that occurred in Maui, Hawaii and in Paradise, California where rental prices skyrocketed in the aftermath of those natural disasters.
In the last week, rental prices jumped on the real estate marketplace website Zillow between 15% and 64% in Los Angeles, the motion noted.
The city's budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year has also come under scrutiny as a result of the wildfires with critics pointing to a $17 million reduction to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
However, the fire department's budget has grown since the city's overall $12.8 billion spending plan was adopted on July 1, 2024, according to city documents, and is on track to exceed $950 million, though Chief Kristin Crowley has stated the department nonetheless had to scale back some of its duties.
"We have a lot to talk about when it comes to our fire department and our critical infrastructure," Park said. "I won't do that now, but as a city, we owe it to our firefighters and to all Angelenos to fully understand what happened with this fire.
"We also have to find a way to get our fire department all the resources it needs, not just to manage the day-to-day, but to ensure that they have what they need during a major event like this."
In a bid to address those concerns, Park and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez introduced a motion calling for a bond measure to fund new fire stations and repair existing sites. It is expected to be heard by the council's committees on public safety as well as rules, election and intergovernmental relations.
The LAFD operates 106 fire stations in the city with nearly half of them more than 50 years old, 12 more than 70 years old and four more than 80 years old, according to the motion.
It would cost more than $1 million to fully repair and upgrade a single station, LAFD's Standards of Coverage report states.
"In the last budget cycles, the fire department has requested $20 million in funding for repair each year, only to receive $7.8 million in fiscal year 2023-24 and no funding in fiscal year 2024-25," the motion reads.