L.A. on the Record: The Next Big Fight at City Hall

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, laying out the latest machinations at City Hall as we head deeper into summer.

L.A.’s hospitality workers grabbed the attention of Angelenos this week by walking off the job, picketing outside hotels and highlighting their demands for a more livable wage.

Another high-stakes labor negotiation has also been underway, largely out of the spotlight. City negotiators have spent weeks bargaining with the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents police officers — which, like the hotel workers, has a contract that expired June 30.

The push for a new salary agreement with more than 9,000 officers will almost certainly culminate in a political fight, reigniting the debate around police spending at City Hall.

If Mayor Karen Bass and other city leaders negotiate a multi-year package of raises, they will face opposition from long-standing critics of the Los Angeles Police Department, some of whom are still smarting over the mayor’s push to hire hundreds of additional officers.

If negotiations stall out, city leaders could experience a different type of fight, with the police union launching a campaign on behalf of its members — and making direct appeals to the public.

For now, that second scenario doesn’t sound too likely. Tom Saggau, a spokesperson for the police union, said Friday that the two sides have made “substantial progress” toward a tentative agreement, one that will make the LAPD “more competitive to recruit new officers and retain those that are thinking of leaving.”

“But with any contract of this magnitude, the devil is in the details, and we are working expeditiously and diligently to ensure those details are accurate,” Saggau said in a statement.

At City Hall, contract negotiations with public employee unions are overseen by the Executive Employee Relations Committee, a panel made up of Bass and four council members. That committee has met in closed session to discuss the PPL negotiations three times over the last four weeks.

Council President Paul Krekorian, who sits on the committee, said he’s hoping a deal can be completed by the time his colleagues return from vacation next month. That would pave the way for a ratification vote by officers and final approval from the council.

Like Saggau, Krekorian declined to divulge deal points, saying he too wants a contract that improves recruitment and retention at the LAPD, which has lost roughly 1,000 officers over the last four years. Krekorian said a new contract should also provide salaries that are in line with “the work and the sacrifice” made by LAPD officers.

Starting officers currently earn $74,020 annually, a figure that jumps up to $78,049 once they graduate from the Police Academy, according to City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo.

In recent months, the PPL has taken note of the agreements being reached in other cities, particularly those that are offering substantial signing bonuses to newly hired officers.

Some of Southern California’s other public employee unions have also made big strides. At the Los Angeles Unified School District, teachers just secured a 21% pay increase over the next three years.

Bass recently helped mediate a labor dispute between L.A. Unified and Service Employees International Union Local 99, whose largely low-wage workers are on track to receive raises of about 30% over a three-year time frame.

For now, Bass is keeping mum about the talks with the police union. “Due to the sensitivities of the ongoing negotiations, the mayor does not have a comment at this time,” said Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl.

Albert Corado, who unsuccessfully ran for City Council last year on a platform of abolishing the LAPD, had no such qualms. He voiced disgust over the idea that a new police contract would once again increase the size of the LAPD budget, which exceeds $3 billion once pensions and healthcare are included.

“Any money that goes to police I personally I see as more dead people, more people being harassed, more resources being taken from where they’re needed,” said Corado, whose sister was shot to death in 2018 by an LAPD officer who was firing at a fleeing suspect.

The council returns from its three-week summer break on Aug. 1.

State of play

— INDIGENOUS OUTRAGE: Tribal leaders expressed anger over Mayor Karen Bass’ decision to oust Cynthia Ruiz, a member of the Cherokee Nation and longtime city commissioner, from the board that oversees the Department of Water and Power. Supporters said Ruiz had been making progress in easing tensions between Owens Valley tribes and the DWP over water rights and land use in the eastern Sierra Nevada watershed.

— CITY HALL DEJA VU: If the controversy sounds vaguely familiar, it should. Back in 2004, then-Mayor James K. Hahn faced blowback for ejecting Ruiz from the city’s Board of Public Works. Hahn’s critics said he did so because Ruiz had close ties to his reelection opponent, then-Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa. After he won the mayor’s race, Villaraigosa reappointed Ruiz to that board.

— PRICEY PAYOUTS: The City Council agreed to pay $860,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was badly wounded after being struck by an LAPD projectile during a protest over the murder of George Floyd in 2020. In another case, the Daily News reports the city will pay $350,000 to settle a lawsuit that challenged the selection of Herb Wesson as a temporary council member for the district once represented by Mark Ridley-Thomas.

— PADILLA IS PRESENT: The City Council made Imelda Padilla a temporary council member for the next few weeks, giving her the opportunity to assemble her team while she waits for the results of the election to be certified. Meanwhile, Padilla spoke with ABC7’s Josh Haskell about her plans for homelessness and other issues in her San Fernando Valley district.

— BANKING ON THE CITY: After years of fits and starts, L.A. city leaders are getting serious about creating a public bank, saying it could be used as a vehicle to support affordable housing, green energy initiatives and small businesses. Still, some are questioning whether a city known for its public corruption should be entering the banking industry.

— HOUSING HELP: Bass signed an ordinance that removes some of the red tape imposed on affordable housing developments. The new law, signed Thursday, eliminates the site plan review — which can add six months to the development process — for 100% affordable projects and for any unit deemed affordable within a mixed-income project.

— FINDING PERMANENT HOMES: While the mayor’s Inside Safe program is moving homeless people into hotels and motels, it has struggled with the crucial next step: getting them into permanent housing. LAist looked at the issue and at the reaction from council members to the latest numbers presented to the council’s homelessness committee.

QUICK HITS

• Where Did Inside Safe go? The mayor’s signature initiative to move homeless people indoors went to Pacoima this week, carrying out its first operation in the San Fernando Valley district represented by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez. At least 50 people were moved into hotels, motels or other facilities, according to Bass’ team.
  
• On the docket for next week: Councilmember Curren Price, who is facing criminal charges of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest, will make his first court appearance. Although he has not yet entered a plea, he proclaimed his innocence in a statement to the media.