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Council approves amendments to street-furniture contract; ordinance to fund program moves to second reading
Summary
After extended public testimony and debate, the City Council approved two amendments requiring council review and neighborhood outreach for proposed kiosks and transit furniture, and added a requirement to remove problem units at contractor expense under specified conditions. The trust-fund ordinance will return for second reading.
The City Council on Dec. 14 approved two amendments to the proposed coordinated street-furniture contract and directed that the revenue-trust ordinance be brought back for second reading. The underlying contract is the result of a competitive process; the winning proposer—operating under a major media parent company name—had offered a 20-year guarantee of revenue to the city. Council discussion focused on how locations will be approved, how neighborhoods will be consulted, and what protections the city would have if units become public-nuisance sites.
Amendment 48(a) requires the contractor to remove at its expense any street furniture that creates crime or public-health problems in a location after reasonable efforts to alleviate the issue fail. Amendment 48(b) requires the contractor to submit proposed location packages to the council office for each affected area and to appear before neighborhood councils or other community groups as requested by the councilmember prior to applying for permit approval. The council also required an annual review of contractor compliance with maintenance standards and an opportunity for remedial action if standards are not met.
Representatives of the selected firm and the losing bidder both addressed the council; the winning bidder’s counsel emphasized contract safeguards such as a council-member veto on location approvals and an overall revenue guarantee. The Los Angeles Times and other publishers asked the council to remove modular news racks from the contract’s definition of revenue-generating “street furniture” and to ensure publisher concurrence before any modular newsrack pilot sites are placed.
Two amendments (48a and 48b) were approved by roll call and the council directed staff to return with the trust-fund ordinance for second reading next week. Council members said they wanted clear, written procedures that require neighborhood notification and make the contractor accountable for maintenance and for relocation of units that repeatedly attract illegal activity.
