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LA Councilman Paul Krekorian. | Photo courtesy of Jezz789/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian released new council committee assignments Tuesday, with five new members joining the council.
Krekorian gave up his role on the Budget and Finance committee — which he has long chaired — and instead appointed Councilman Bob Blumenfield to chair the powerful committee.
The assignments are subject to approval by the full council when it returns to session next week.
Krekorian sent a letter, obtained by City News Service, to the city clerk on Tuesday noting an intention to introduce the assignments to the rest of the council.
Under the new assignments, the Homelessness and Poverty Committee and Housing Committee will be consolidated into the Housing and Homelessness Committee, which will be chaired by Councilwoman Nithya Raman. Those committees were previously chaired by Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, respectively, until both were stripped of their committee assignments following their participation in a racist leaked conversation.
Cedillo’s term expired in December, but de León remains on the council despite widespread calls for his resignation. Under council rules, de León must be on one committee. He was placed by Krekorian on the Board of Referred Powers, which rarely meets.
Krekorian added new council members Eunisses Hernandez and Traci Park to the Ad Hoc Committee on Government Reform, which was created following the City Hall scandal to discuss systemic changes to local government. That committee now consists of seven members: Hernandez, Park, Krekorian, Raman, Blumenfield, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Heather Hutt. Krekorian remains chair, and Raman as vice chair.
Krekorian said he will discontinue the Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investments.
He also anticipated changes to existing committee names that include:
— Immigrant Affairs, Civil Rights, and Equity to become Civil Rights, Equity, Aging, and Disability;
— Economic Development and Jobs to become Economic and Community Development;
— Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River to become Energy and Environment;
— Information, Technology, and General Services to become Government Operations;
— Arts, Parks, Health, Education and Neighborhoods to become Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment, and,
— Personnel, Audits, and Animal Welfare to become Personnel, Audits, and Hiring.
New committee chairs include:
— Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky for the Energy and Environment Committee;
— Councilman John Lee for the Public Works Committee;
— Councilwoman Traci Park for the Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee;
— Councilwoman Heather Hutt for the Transportation Committee;
— Councilman Curren Price for the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympics;
— Councilman Tim McOsker for the Personnel, Audits and Hiring Committee;
— Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez for the Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee;
— Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez for the Civil Rights, Equity, Aging and Disability Committee, and,
— Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson for the Government Operations Committee.
