LA City Council passes state of emergency on homelessness before winter recess
Warnings were issued to the crowd against noise disruptions in the chambers as the Los Angeles City Council began its final session Tuesday before winter break.
The chambers were filled to capacity, and more people were assembled outside. At least one protester was removed from the chambers.
The City Council voted to ratify a state of emergency on homelessness Tuesday, confirming Karen Bass's first official act as mayor of Los Angeles.
In a statement after the ratification, Bass called Tuesday a "monumental day for the city of Los Angeles."
"I commend and thank the City Council for their swift action and unanimous ratification of my emergency declaration," Bass said. "The people of our city have demanded that we urgently and immediately take every possible action to bring unhoused Angelenos indoors, and this declaration will enable us to move faster and unlock every tool possible. I look forward to continuing to lock arms with the City Council to advance a unified, citywide approach to our homelessness crisis. Together -- we are moving Los Angeles in a new direction."
Bass signed the declaration as a method to unlock tools and powers to "make sure we are using every resource possible" to address homelessness, claiming that it marked a "sea change" and "monumental shift" in the city's approach.
The council also re-elected Paul Krekorian as president after a mid-day interruption.
City Council President Paul Krekorian called a 10-minute recess around 11:45 a.m. after Councilman Kevin de León entered the room.
A quorum had been reached earlier and public statements began before the mid-day disruption. Council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Eunisses Hernandez and Heather Hutt stood up and walked out when de León arrived.
As with Friday's session, Krekorian could be seen talking to de León at de León's seat at the horseshoe table. Then Krekorian left the room. For about one hour, de León was the only council member in the chamber Tuesday.
At about 1:10 p.m., de León walked out of the chamber and other council members slowly filed back into the room. Krekorian remained outside of the chamber, so council President Pro-Tem Curren Price re-convened the meeting.
The council requires 10 members for a quorum -- which means it could afford to lose four members to still hold a meeting, with the Sixth District seat vacant after Nury Martinez's resignation.
De León has been formally censured by the council, which does not carry any penalties. The council cannot remove a member. There is a recall effort against de León that is in the process of collecting signatures.
De León had arrived unexpectedly last Friday in council chambers to attend for the first time since October, after a recording of a racist conversation among himself and two other city councilmembers and a local labor leader was anonymously leaked.
Friday's appearance caused an interruption in the council meeting. De León then left chambers after about 20 minutes following a private conversation with Council President Paul Krekorian.
The council voted on the state of emergency on homelessness 13-0, with Councilman Kevin de León casting a vote even though he was not in the chamber.
De León was also involved in an altercation at a community event later that night on Friday, Dec. 9., when a shoving match occurred.
De León has refused to resign in the wake of the released recording. Former City Council President Nury Martinez resigned. City Councilman Gil Cedillo, who was also on the tape, did not resign -- his final day on the council was Friday.
The source of the recording, which was reportedly surreptitiously made in October 2021, remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Dept.
Five new members took part in their first Los Angeles City Council meeting Tuesday.
The city council winter recess begins Wednesday and lasts through Friday, Dec. 30, 2022.