After public comment and questions from supervisors about cost and safety, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 approved a motion directing the Chief Executive Office to return in 60 days with an occupancy plan for the recently purchased Gas Company Tower and a breakdown of funding sources for any recommended additional seismic retrofit work.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath moved the item; the motion was seconded and carried. The motion asks the CEO to identify financial sources for any optional seismic upgrades, provide a stacking/occupancy plan showing anticipated cost savings from consolidating leased office space into the tower, and estimate incremental tenant improvement costs as departments move in.

County CEO Fisha Davenport told the board the county has not committed to spending on optional seismic upgrades without board approval. “We will not be spending $2.90 or $297,000,000 to do seismic on the Gas Company Tower, unless this board approves it,” she said, adding that Public Works issued solicitations to estimate costs but that any contract would need board authorization. Davenport said the tower is currently cost neutral because tenants remain in place and the county has already moved some departments into the building (ITCO and Department of Youth Development were cited). She said the CEO’s office would provide a stacking plan to the board within 60 days.

Supervisors probed the range of estimated costs discussed in public reports. Public Works briefings and earlier estimates discussed several cost categories: a seismic retrofit estimate (discussed in the meeting as approximately $700 million in some scenarios), additional life‑safety and building systems work (hundreds of millions), and deferred‑maintenance or interior renovation costs. The CEO told supervisors that some recent bids and proposals have come in below earlier high‑end estimates.

Public speakers urged caution about large investments while the county faces budgetary pressure and potential federal cuts to key programs. Francisco Portillo of Wesley Health Centers said investing hundreds of millions in a downtown skyscraper should not be a priority while the county faces cuts to staffing and services.

Why it matters: The county’s purchase and future use of the Gas Company Tower affect ongoing lease obligations, potential seismic retrofits for multiple county properties, and the configuration of the Civic Center. The board’s direction to produce an occupancy plan aims to demonstrate whether office consolidation will yield net savings and where retrofit costs would be borne.

What’s next: The CEO’s office and Public Works will provide a written report in 60 days outlining funding sources for any recommended retrofits, a department stacking/occupancy plan and estimated tenant improvement costs; supervisors said they expect a public cadence of updates after that report.