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Committee asks LAPD and city staff to investigate allegations of misconduct by referendum petition circulators
Summary
The committee instructed staff to investigate alleged misconduct and misrepresentation by petition circulators collecting signatures on a referendum related to hotel and airport worker wage and benefits; the committee also requested LAPD investigate reported assaults and to coordinate with the City Attorney and City Clerk.
The committee voted to request a focused investigation into allegations that paid petition circulators gathering signatures for a referendum on hospitality wage and benefit ordinances engaged in misrepresentation and other misconduct. The committee amended the motion to specifically request the Los Angeles Police Department investigate allegations of fraud and a reported physical assault tied to signature gathering and to communicate with the City Attorney and City Clerk.
Council member Sotto Martinez introduced the motion after public commenters and campaign organizers described alleged examples of misrepresentation and, in one instance, physical assault tied to petition circulators. Organizer Hayden Muir of Unite Here Local 11 and campaign lead Andrew Seymour reported incidents in which circulators allegedly misled voters about the referendum’s subject matter; Andrew Seymour also recounted an allegation that circulators assaulted and stole a phone from a campaign member and threatened others. The transcript includes the petitioner’s request that the city evaluate the validity of any signatures gathered by individuals alleged to have misrepresented the petition.
Committee members discussed scope and fairness; one member said the report should examine all actors and tactics used by proponents of ballot measures, while others emphasized that this motion was narrowly focused on the specific referendum and signature-gathering complaints. An amendment instructed LAPD to "fully investigate all allegations of fraud and other misconduct by signature gatherers, including but not limited to those in the alleged complaint filed with the City Attorney on 06/11/2025 and a physical assault alleged here today," and requested communication between LAPD, the City Attorney and City Clerk.
The amendment and the motion passed at committee. One council member noted concern that the motion’s limited scope focuses on a single group and said they would not support the item for that reason; the motion passed as amended.
