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Council asserts jurisdiction over three LAX master-plan consulting contracts and refers matters to committee
Summary
The City Council voted March 27 to take up and assert jurisdiction over three consulting contracts for the LAX master plan — Camp Dresser & McKee, URS Corporation and Winter & Associates — and will send the matters to committee for further review.
The Los Angeles City Council on March 27 voted in a series of separate measures to take up and assert jurisdiction over three consulting contracts the Board of Airport Commissioners approved March 20 for finalizing and conducting public outreach on the LAX master plan.
The council first voted under Rule 23 to take the contracts up and then voted to assert jurisdiction. Each motion passed unanimously (12 ayes). The three contracts discussed were Camp, Dresser & McKee (contract amount reported as more than $4,400,000), URS Corporation (about $5,700,000) and Winter & Associates (up to $2,000,000). Council members said the next step is to refer the contracts to committees for detailed review and to allow the Board of Airport Commissioners to respond to council and public concerns.
Councilmember Weinberg (author of the motions) told the council the Board of Airport Commissioners had approved roughly $12,000,000 in additional consultant contracts on March 20 and that the council needed to determine whether to act. “Although you have 3 motions before you, they are all concerned with the same item. However, the first one is concerning a contract for Camp Dresser and McKee in the amount of over $4,400,000,” Weinberg said.
Council members questioned the larger airport policy context and the use of previously acquired land; several said they wanted committee hearings so the council could examine the contracts, the scope of outreach work, and how acquired land will be used in relation to any expansion. The council voted to assert jurisdiction on each contract and indicated the matters would be scheduled for committee review and a council decision later.
Why it matters: The contracts relate to outreach, community relations and finalization of the LAX master plan, an issue that council members and community groups have repeatedly raised. Taking jurisdiction brings the council into the review process and pauses final project execution pending committee consideration.
Next steps: Each contract will be referred to the appropriate council committees for review, and the council will consider formal action after committee hearings. The council requested a report-back within the council’s prescribed timeframes.
