LOS ANGELES — Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion today to formally request through the California Office of Emergency Services an advance of $150,000,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide 10,000 hotel rooms to house people experiencing homelessness for the next 6 months. Continue reading

In 2016, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian authored a landmark motion, co-presented with Councilmember Mike Bonin, calling on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to develop and implement a plan to switch to 100 percent renewable energy. The Council’s approval of the motion represented one of the strongest, most comprehensive efforts of any municipal government to combat local air pollution and the catastrophic effects of climate change.  Continue reading

Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Nithya Raman today introduced a motion to initiate a measure for the November 2022 ballot to tax oil companies that are extracting oil and gas within the city. Continue reading

The Metro Board today approved the final configuration of the East San Fernando Valley Corridor project, which will be the first light rail transit line in the Valley since the demise of the Red Cars in 1952. The project will connect the Van Nuys Metro station with the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station, servicing busy commercial corridors and densely populated residential areas in the Valley. Continue reading

In the wake of an unprecedented show of political support for Armenia and the Armenian people, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian has called on the public to pressure the American government to unequivocally back Artsakh, which was invaded September 27 by Azerbaijan and its close ally Turkey. Continue reading

In response to a request from Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, the Federal Aviation Administration has granted an extension of the comment period regarding the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed replacement terminal at the Hollywood Burbank Airport.  The FAA action means the public now has until October 27 to comment on the nearly 3,000-page document. Continue reading

The restaurants of the NoHo Arts District will receive a huge boost this weekend when the “LA Al Fresco” program brings outdoor dining to a stretch of Magnolia Boulevard.  It is believed to be the first project of its kind that reclaims roadway space beyond the parking lane for dining purposes. Continue reading

The 2020-21 budget was assembled under conditions unlike any this city has ever seen. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March devastated the local economy, resulting in a drastic reassessment of the city’s financial prospects for the coming year. In a matter of weeks, revenue predictions declined by hundreds of millions of dollars.  The city’s reserves, which the Budget & Finance Committee had prioritized and built up to record levels through hard work and sacrifice over the last eight years, were decimated in a few months. Continue reading

For the past few days, my office has heard from Angelenos across the city regarding the Mayor's proposed budget. I appreciate all of those comments, and I welcome the public's engagement in fundamentally rethinking how government as a whole, and our city budget in particular, can best meet the needs of the people of Los Angeles. Continue reading

Today’s budget presentation made clear that the City faces a financial challenge that is without precedent in our lifetime.  The COVID-19 crisis has caused massive economic disruption, and with it a drastic decline in city revenues.  Rapidly spiking unemployment, the shuttering of thousands of businesses and the virtually complete shutdown of tourism have led to a sudden and dramatic decline in city revenues from taxes on sales, business gross receipts, utility use, and hotel occupancy, among other things, that would have been unimaginable three months ago.  Continue reading