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AUGUST 30, 2026
  • Taking Los Angeles’ priorities to Sacramento
  • New E-Moto Safety Rules
  • Protecting the Fox Apartments in Westwood
  • Why I voted "no" on Convention Center financing
  • What this month’s 41.18 vote means for CD5

Los Angeles Needs a Seat at the Table

The week before last, I traveled to Sacramento to meet with state lawmakers and officials as they entered the final stretch of the legislative session. Los Angeles depends on decisions made in Sacramento every day, from how we fund Metro to the rules governing housing construction. Too often, though, we wait until legislation is nearly finished before weighing in. I want Los Angeles at the table earlier.

During the trip, I pushed to restore funding for LA Metro after changes to the State’s Cap-and-Invest program put roughly $50 million in annual operating funds at risk. That money supports the buses and trains Angelenos rely on every day, including the newly opened D Line extension. I also met with legislators about AB 1903, which addresses one reason California has stopped building condos at the rate we once did. Earlier this year, I authored the City’s resolution supporting the bill, the first time Los Angeles has formally backed legislation sponsored by California YIMBY. I also used the trip to advocate for more State investment in local infrastructure, including repaving major streets and planting more trees in Council District 5.

Finally, I spent time talking about a problem that has become impossible for Los Angeles to ignore and one that the Budget Committee deals with all the time. Liability costs are consuming an enormous and growing share of the City budget. Twenty years ago, the City paid about $36 million a year in liability claims. Last year, we paid a record $286 million. We now routinely spend more than $250 million a year settling claims, roughly eight times what we spend fixing sidewalks and five times the entire annual Street Lighting budget. The frustrating part is that these costs often compete directly with the money we need to prevent the next claim. We can end up paying claims tied to the same broken sidewalk over and over while struggling to fund the repair itself. There is growing interest in Sacramento in liability reform, and Los Angeles needs to be part of that conversation.

The trip reinforced something I think City Hall needs to do more often. We need to engage Sacramento while decisions are still being made. The choices coming out of Sacramento shape our transit system, our housing market, our streets and our City budget. Los Angeles should be helping shape those decisions instead of reacting to them after the fact.

IN PROCESS | NEW E-MOTO SAFETY RULES

The City Council voted this week to move forward with new safety rules for e-bikes, e-motos and electric mopeds. The proposal calls for stronger rules around illegally modified and non-street-legal vehicles, safety education for younger riders, safer battery charging and storage, and better public data on crashes and injuries.

E-bikes can be a safe and useful way to get around. But some e-motos and modified electric bikes can travel at speeds much closer to motorcycles without being subject to the same rules. As these vehicles become more common on our streets, our safety regulations need to catch up.

APPROVED | HISTORIC STATUS FOR THE FOX APARTMENTS

This week, the City Council approved Historic-Cultural Monument status for the Fox Apartments in Westwood. I supported the designation. The 100-year-old building is a great example of the kind of urbanism we want more of in Los Angeles: housing over commercial space, built to the sidewalk at a pedestrian scale, with 13 rent-stabilized homes. It was also built around the Pacific Electric streetcar system, making it an early example of transit-oriented development.

APPROVED | 41.18 Restrictions in Council District 13

The Council voted this month to remove several 41.18 restrictions in Council District 13 at the request of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents that district. The vote did not end 41.18 citywide or change any existing restrictions in Council District 5.

I continue to support 41.18 as a tool for keeping public rights of way clear when it follows extensive outreach and offers of housing and services. We use it in CD5 after encampments have been resolved to help prevent them from returning. Because these resolutions applied only to CD13, I voted to respect the request of the Councilmember elected to represent that district.

APPROVED | Convention Center Financing

Last week, the Council approved the next $2.01 billion in financing for the Convention Center expansion. I voted no on the broader financing package because I continue to have serious concerns about the enormous financial burden this project places on the City. The City is expected to pay roughly $167 million a year in debt payments for the next 30 years.

At the same time, construction is already underway, and the City has made commitments that would be difficult and expensive to unwind. As Budget Chair, I am focused on making the path we are now on as financially responsible as possible by scrutinizing when we borrow money, how those funds are invested before they are spent, and where we can reduce costs.

Pico-Robertson Neighborhood Cleanup | October 11 from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM 

Join us alongside community leaders and JFEDLA for the annual Pico-Robertson Neighborhood Cleanup on Sunday, October 11, from 1:00–4:30 PM! Community members of all ages and abilities are invited to help clean up the neighborhood and start the Jewish New Year with a day of service. Cleaning supplies will be provided, along with pizza and snacks for volunteers. Register at Jewishla.org/cleanup.
We’re here to help! My team assists residents with homelessness concerns, streetlights, sanitation, renter issues, public safety, and other City services. 
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Katy Yaroslavsky, Councilwoman

200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

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