(March 4, 2026: Councilmember Nazarian speaks for his Keep Hollywood Home motions.)

This summer I've had the chance to meet many of you at our NoHo Fútbol Fest, at our watch parties at the Whitsett Sports Complex and at other community events. I'm always interested to hear your views on City programs and policies.

Your input is essential to the work we do. My staff are standing by to answer your calls. Call us during the week at (818) 755-7676, or write me anytime at councilmember.nazarian@lacity.org. We can’t solve every problem, but we’ll always make our best effort to help you find the solution you need.

Whatever issue we're dealing with, my goals remain the same: to make it affordable for you to live in Los Angeles and to provide the best quality of life we can for all Angelenos. As we pass the midpoint of the year, I’d like to take stock of the work we’ve done in the last six months.  

Ensuring Public Safety - Improving Quality of Life

(May 15, 2026: Mayor Bass joins Councilmember Nazarian for the installation of theft-resistant solar lights at Rhodes Avenue Park. More solar lights are on the way.)

The first responsibility of any government is the safety of its people. In the last six months, I've focused on improving public safety and the quality of life here in the Second District and throughout the city by...

• Working to increase the resiliency of our water and power systems to prepare us for future fires, floods and extreme heat events
• Paying for police overtime to patrol our parks
• Supporting SB 1266 to deter copper wire theft that darkens our streets
• Restoring street lights that have been vandalized by thieves
• Installing theft-resistant solar streetlights in Rhodes Avenue Park
• Purchasing speed cameras to reduce collisions and protect pedestrians
• Barring overnight parking of problem RVs and oversized vehicles from the Whitnall Dog Park, parts of Burbank Blvd. and other locations.
• Cleaning up derelict properties like Valley Plaza or the vacant lot on Varna Avenue that had become a magnet for criminal activity
• Initiating proactive measures to ensure that our 2028 Olympics do not become a venue for human trafficking or forced labor, as they have in other host cities
• Aggressive removal of illegal dumping
• Increasing graffiti removal, road repair and tree trimming in District 2

Transportation & Housing Go Hand In Hand

(January 21, 2026: Councilmember Nazarian speaks on behalf of underground rail for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor. Also pictured: Councilmember Imelda Padilla, Eli Lipmen of Move LA, Ernest Medrano of the Building Trades Council, and environmental activist Ed Begley, Jr.)

We can never meet our housing goals if we do not supply the public transportation our City needs to support greater housing density, relieve congestion, and free our working families from endless commutes.

In the past six months we've…

• Broken ground for the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, an all-electric service linking the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys
• Approved the underground heavy rail project for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor linking the Valley to the Westside
• Supported construction of the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail
• Made major improvements to the popular Chandler Bike Path
• Begun construction of the Chandler Bicycle Connection, linking the Chandler Bike Path to the G (Orange) Line Bikeway, creating a continuous route for active transportation from Burbank to Chatsworth

Preventing Homelessness

(January 20, 2026: Councilmember Nazarian greets LAHSA Policy Analyst Kayla Koerting on the first night of the 2026 Homeless Count.)

After peaking in 2023, the last two years have shown declines in unsheltered homelessness in Los Angeles, particularly in the Second District. If we're going to continue alleviating the crisis of homelessness, we need to protect people from becoming homeless in the first place.

In the last six months, the Council voted to continue assisting at-risk tenants through the Eviction Defense Program and United to House LA (ULA) Homelessness Prevention Program. We've also moved our Income Support for Rent-Burdened At-Risk Seniors and Persons with Disabilities from the Housing Department (LAHD) to the Community Investment in Families Department (CIFD), where our seniors and the disabled will be better served.

Interim Shelter - A Lifesaving Transition

(July 8, 2026: The Van Nuys Tiny Home Cabin Community opens for clients.)

The first step in getting the chronically unhoused off the street is making the move to interim shelter. This month we opened the fourth Tiny Home Village in District 2. This location in Van Nuys will now shelter 100 previously unhoused people, bringing our total shelter capacity over 700.

Cabins with electricity, heat, air conditioning and doors that lock, access to sanitary facilities, showers and laundry, regular meals, storage for belongings, and an exercise area for residents' pets -- these are a lifesaver for people who have been living in tents on the sidewalk.

Onsite case managers provide assistance with collecting necessary documents, making medical appointments, and connecting clients with treatment for addiction or other disabling health conditions. After their most urgent needs are met, residents are assisted to resume working and finding new homes if they are able, or connected with supportive housing if they are not.

(July 8, 2026: Clients and Case Managers meet at Van Nuys Tiny Homes.)

Keep Hollywood Home, the Fight for L.A. Jobs

(March 4, 2026: Councilmember Nazarian and County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler celebrate passage of the first seven motions to Keep Hollywood Home.)

So far this year, the Council has passed seven of my motions to Keep Hollywood Home.

• Eliminate Redundant Security Fees
• Create "Made In LA" certification
• Require Reports on Compliance with Mayor's Directives
• Free Microshoot Permits
• Controller’s Audit of Film Permitting Agencies
• Pursue Regional Synchronization of Permit Rules
• Fasttrack Soundstage Certification

Those will remove many obstacles to film production in Los Angeles, but eight other motions to incentivize production are still in the committee review process.

• Free Parking and Use of City Facilities
• Update “Special” Conditions Ordinance
• Keep Hollywood Home Seed Fund (Public-Private Matching Program)
• Production Retention Program
• Creative Infrastructure Retention and Expansion
• L.A. Creator Pass Fee Waiver Pilot Program
• Film LA Contract Accountability
• Local Vendor Incentive Program

Going forward, I will chair the Council's new Ad Hoc Committee on Film, Entertainment and Creative Industry to review all motions aimed at revitalizing our signature industry.

Supporting Business In District 2

(April 23, 2026: The NoHo Gateway shines again!)

Our initiatives to encourage economic growth and draw more customers to District 2 businesses are paying off.

• Awarding $15,000 and $10,0000 Micro-Enterprise Business Recovery grants to small neighborhood businesses recovering from COVID-related impacts
• Relighting the NoHo Gateway sign for the first time in 13 years is bringing new visibility to the NoHo Arts District.
• The Jobs and Economic Development Incentive (JEDI) program paid for refreshing the facades of eight businesses on the Lankershim Corridor.
• Our NoHo Fútbol Fest drove record business to vendors on Magnolia Blvd. -- new customers who will return to the neighborhood again and again

(June 27, 2026: Crowds packed Magnolia Blvd. for NoHo Fútbol Fest.)

(April 13, 2026: Councilmember awards Recovery Grants to local micro-enterprises.)

The Microenterprise Recovery Grant program provides grants of $10,000 to $15,000 to eligible micro-enterprises in the City of Los Angeles that need financial assistance to recover from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grants are funded by Community Development Block Grants awarded to the City by the federal government under the CARES Act, enacted during the pandemic. My staff and I raised awareness of this program and assisted local businesses in applying for these grants, funded by the federal government but administered by the City's Economic and Workforce Development Department.

The Air We Breathe, the World We Live In

(April 8, 2026: Councilmember Nazarian surveys Mono Lake from the air, prior to a ground-level inspection of a major water resource)

As Chair of the City Council's Energy and Environment Committee I have been fighting to build the resiliency of our water and power systems, protect the quality of our air, water and soil, and reduce our dependence on planet-warming fossil fuels.

Ending Oil and Gas Drilling
Oil and gas drilling in densely populated urban areas presents proven health risks, inordinately borne by disadvantaged communities. After overcoming legal challenges from the oil industry, we voted to prohibit all future expansion of oil and gas drilling within the City limits and to continue the process of closing and capping the remaining wells.

Fighting for Clean Air
This year, Mayor Bass asked me to serve as L.A.'s representative on the Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). We are facing a major air quality challenge this summer due to the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights. I joined the AQMD Board in voting an additional $5 million for air purifiers and filters to be distributed free to people in the affected areas.

Budget Notes 2026-27

This May we approved the City's budget for 2026-27. In total, it is $14.85 billion, which is a 5.3 percent increase from last year, but we're maintaining a healthy reserve of $515 million, well above our target.

This budget maintains funding to keep our streets safer, our neighborhoods cleaner, and supports people experiencing homelessness. That means funding for street repair, street sweeping, bulky item pickup, and maintaining our police force while expanding mental health response teams.

We have added additional funding for Animal Services, Recreation and Parks, tree trimming, and graffiti abatement because these are things that have immediate impact on the quality of life in our neighborhoods. This is a budget that reflects our values and keeps Los Angeles moving forward. I was happy to support it.

Why I Voted NO On Funding For Outside Counsel

Throughout the year, we will need to move money from one area to another as conditions change, but one item I will continue to vote against is additional funding for the City Attorney to retain outside counsel.

In 2025 we budgeted $5.98 million to pay outside legal fees and ended up with a bill for $26.63 million, much of it to hire representation for lawsuits filed against the LAPD. The City Attorney's office employs more than 1,000 legal professionals, including more than 550 attorneys. We need to rely more on our own legal staff to defend our police department and less on high-priced outside counsel.