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Council extends taxi-franchise ordinance to Aug. 31 (or sooner) amid DNC planning; DOT sought to expedite RFP
Summary
The City Council approved an extension of existing taxicab franchise authorizations through Aug. 31 (or sooner) to avoid a lapse before the Democratic National Convention and allow DOT additional time to complete a contested RFP and refranchising process.
The Los Angeles City Council on Feb. 29 voted to extend existing taxicab franchise authorizations through Aug. 31, or sooner if the Department of Transportation completes a new request-for-proposals (RFP) process earlier.
Leonard Shapiro, in public comment, urged the council to allow more franchises and noted an estimated city fleet of about 2,300 franchises and widespread unlicensed ("bandit") operators. James Oguzaki, assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said the department had expected to complete an RFP process by April but that council referrals and concerns had delayed the schedule. Oguzaki warned that without an extension the ordinance would expire March 31, possibly creating a period when existing operators would be unregulated: "if we do not extend ... these operators ... will be operating like any other bandit," he said.
Council debate focused on the timing of the extension. DOT staff recommended a shorter extension to July 31 to keep pressure on the RFP timeline; several councilmembers argued that the Democratic National Convention in August created an operational risk and preferred a later date as contingency. An amendment setting the expiration as "Aug. 31 or sooner" was adopted. Several councilmembers expressed concern that the taxicab commission had not reached consensus on the proposed franchise framework.
The council approved the amended extension on a roll-call vote recorded as 12 ayes; the council gave authority for the ordinance to take effect immediately under the emergency vote rules when secured by the required votes.
