The Los Angeles Committee on Equity, Immigration and Disabilities voted on Aug. 1 to approve a package of motions (items 5–11) aimed at strengthening local responses to federal immigration enforcement and protecting LGBTQ communities, and instructed city executives to return within 15 days with options to apply $1,000,000 toward the city's Represent LA legal defense program.

The action came after more than an hour of public comment from immigrant-rights and LGBTQ advocates urging immediate funding and operational support. "Va a salvar vidas," a public speaker said of increased funding for legal defense, adding, "esto va a matar a gente" if protections are not enacted for transgender people and other vulnerable groups.

The committee's decision followed a presentation from Julie Jacoby of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, who reviewed past city spending for the Represent LA program and funding constraints. Jacoby told the panel the city has distributed a total of $5,000,000 for Represent LA since the program launched, noted uneven spending across fiscal years and said her office did not recommend using the general fund to add new dollars without identifying offsets.

Committee members pressed the administration on alternate funding sources during debate. Councilmember (Concejal) Rodríguez moved for a follow-up report; the committee adopted an instruction directing the chief executive's office to return in 15 days with a written recommendation on what services $1,000,000 could fund for Represent LA, including a count of people served to date and options to reallocate existing uncommitted balances or use grant funds. The committee also paused item 2 pending additional information.

Public commenters urged quicker action and a larger allocation than the $1,000,000 on the table. "Después de las redadas recientes, más sobrevivientes necesitan más ayuda urgente," said a representative of a legal-services organization requesting an additional $1,000,000 beyond the proposed amount. Speakers repeatedly asked the city to coordinate with county contracting and philanthropic partners and to speed resources to Rapid Response and community legal services.

Committee members acknowledged those requests while noting procurement, contracting and budget rules that affect how quickly city funds can be redirected. Jacoby said CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) balances and prior philanthropic contributions had been used previously and that the CAO's office would examine grants teams' lists of eligible state and federal opportunities.

The committee recorded consensus approval for items 5–11; a roll call earlier during the meeting showed five affirmative votes when those items were read into the record. After debate on Represent LA funding, Councilmember Rodríguez made a motion to instruct the CAO to report back in 15 days with specifics on what $1,000,000 could provide; Councilmember Nazarian seconded and members agreed to seek that short turnaround.

The motions approved under consensus include measures directing collaboration with community groups on protocols for federal immigration enforcement, enhanced Rapid Response supports, and initiatives aimed at transparency and protections for LGBTQ and transgender Angelenos. The committee's approval did not itself appropriate new general-fund dollars; rather, it set direction for the CAO and other offices to identify possible funding sources and return with implementation details.

Committee members and multiple public speakers emphasized the gap between the scope of community need and the speed at which municipal budgeting normally operates. Councilmember (Concejal) Padilla said she shared "frustration" that an immediate funding stream had not been identified but endorsed the instruction to seek options and to use the grants team to evaluate state and philanthropic avenues.

The committee also recorded a separate procedural decision to pause item 2 until staff could provide additional information requested in an underlying motion.

The CAO and committee members agreed on several follow-ups: the CAO will (1) inventory uncommitted city balances and relevant grant opportunities; (2) work with the city's grants team and philanthropic partners; and (3) provide a written 15-day report that details which services $1,000,000 would pay for and how many residents such an amount is estimated to assist.

The committee said it will revisit the Represent LA funding and the package of motions at its next meeting or sooner if the CAO can produce the requested report.