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Public Safety Committee backs proposal to explore June 2026 bond for Los Angeles Fire Department
Summary
Council members and firefighter union leaders urged a dedicated bond to fund new stations, repairs and equipment for the Los Angeles Fire Department; the committee approved a motion to advance the proposal for further work and outreach.
Council Member Tracy Park introduced a motion asking the Public Safety Committee to pursue a June 2026 bond measure to fund Los Angeles Fire Department facilities and infrastructure, and the committee voted to advance the proposal.
The motion matters because city and union speakers argued the LAFD lacks stations, staffing and equipment to meet current call volumes. ‘‘We need a June 2026 bond measure that can be used exclusively to build out the LAFD infrastructure were all going to need to meet standards in our city for the next 50 years,’’ Council Member Park said.
Firefighters and union leaders pressed the committee to move quickly. Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC) Local 112, cited per-resident budget comparisons with San Francisco and Seattle and said the department is underfunded, arguing the city must invest in stations and staffing. Rich Ramirez, UFLAC second vice president, and Doug Coates, first vice president, described high call loads and understaffing: Ramirez said the department responds to roughly 600 patient transports per day and that the LAFD has roughly 0.9 firefighters per 1,000 people compared with a national average of 1.5 to 1.8.
Council members discussed scope and priorities for any bond. Council Member McOsker urged staff to define a defensible, prioritized package so voters will approve it and warned that bond proceeds cannot pay for personnel; he said proceeds must focus on stations, equipment and infrastructure. Council Member Sotomayor Martinez and Council Member Price expressed support but emphasized the need to show efficient use of funds and follow-up actions to reduce demand on firefighters through other services such as mental-health and behavioral-health investments.
Committee Chair Council Member John Lee said the committee will continue discussions and explore options for delivering the measure to voters. The committee adopted the motion by unanimous vote of the five members present: Lee, Price, McOsker, Sotomayor Martinez and Park.
Discussion points: union speakers highlighted decades of underfunding, calls for dozens of new stations and repairs to aging facilities; council members pushed for clear priorities, cost estimates and a defensible plan for voters. Direction: staff was asked to return with analyses to support a bond proposal, including needs, cost estimates and potential scope. Formal action: the committee approved Council Member Parks motion to pursue development of a June 2026 bond measure for the LAFD.
The committee did not set a bond amount during the meeting and did not adopt final ballot language; staff follow-up and further committee hearings were requested.
