After a quiet Labor Day weekend, the Los Angeles City Council returned to session on Tuesday to continue their endless work to run one of the most populous cities on the planet.

Here are a few things from Monday’s meeting that could impact the Westside:

Barrington Plaza Ruling Could Have Larger Impact on Los Angeles

A Los Angeles Superior Court ruling may have a significant impact on the city’s housing policy. The council ordered a report back within 30 days regarding the impact of the Barrington Plaza ruling that prevented the eviction of over 500 residents at the apartment complex.

Looking to stop what would have been the largest mass eviction outside of Chavez Ravine in the long history of Los Angeles, residents of the Barrington Plaza apartment complex — one of the largest rent-controlled buildings in the city — sued landlord Douglas Emmett in a heated legal battle.

They argued that the basis of the eviction was unlawful and the exception that the landlord was attempting to use was an invalid application of the Ellis Act — a highly scrutinized law that allows landlords to legally remove themselves from the rental business entirely.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Harry Jay Ford, III’s ruling in favor of the tenants establishes several precedents — including the idea that removing oneself from the market implies permanence or an exit with no current plan to return to the business.

This decision could help renters in Los Angeles stay in their apartments by preventing other landlords from misusing the Ellis Act to remove rent-controlled units from the market. The law is one of two being targeted by housing advocates as a detrimental law that should be eliminated.

The other law — the Costa-Hawkins Act — could be repealed this November with the passage of the Justice For Renters Act by California voters.

Planning Documents from Westside BIDs Cleared by the Council

Two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) on the Westside received approvals of their 2024 Annual Planning Documents from the City Council on Monday. The Venice Beach BID and Westchester Town Square BID each submitted their planning documents in compliance with the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994, a state law that requires a BID’s annual planning documents to be approved by the City Council.

BIDs are organizations that look to improve the quality of business conditions in a particular area. Participation in these districts is optional, with those in the BID paying a small fee to the organization for events and other benefits to the areas in which they operate. 

The Venice Beach BID allocates a great deal of its focus to cleaning and safety in the area. The BID has both clean-up and safety teams that operate seven days a week, and monthly results from these services are published on the Venice Beach BID’s website. 

According to data released in July — the most recently published data set from the BID — over 92,000 bags of trash have been picked up, over 64,000 pieces of graffiti have been cleaned off, and over 5,000 hours have been dedicated to power washing the area already in 2024.

The Westchester Town Center BID was established to help push for significant aesthetic improvements to the city of Westchester, producing over $11 million in city street repairs since its establishment in 2007.

West Adams-Leimert Park Service Site given $300,000

The council also appropriated $300,000 to help improve domestic violence-related services at the West Adams/Leimert Park FamilySource Center at 4305 Degnan Blvd., Suite 105, Los Angeles. It is one of 19 FamilySource Center sites that the city operates which provides social, educational, work, and family support to low-income families.

Among the services provided at the FamilySource Center are from the Jenesse Center — a nationwide domestic violence prevention and intervention program. The $300,000 coming to the FamilySource Center will be allocated entirely to the Jenesse Center, which will help fund and improve the services it provides until June 30, 2025.

Services are provided to those who enroll in the FamilySource Center program, which is run by the city’s Community Investment for Families Department. Documentation showing the applicant resides in the City of Los Angeles and proof of household income low enough to qualify for the program are the only things needed for enrollment.

While $300,000 was the number approved by the council, additional funds could be provided “in order to effectuate the intent of this Motion,” according to the motion’s text. It was first introduced by 10th District Councilwoman Heather Hutt, whose district includes all or parts of Mid-City, Palms, South Robertson, West Adams, and Wilshire Center.

Photo by Ekaterina Chizhevskaya on iStockphoto.com