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Council splits on how to spend $715,000 for neighborhood speed hump program
Summary
The City Council debated a $715,000 speed‑hump program formula, voting down a proposal to divide funds equally by district but approving language to keep an equity-based citywide prioritization. The full transportation committee report passed as amended.
Los Angeles City Council members debated how to distribute a $715,000 speed‑hump fund on Wednesday, splitting over whether to divide the money evenly among council districts or keep a citywide, equity‑driven prioritization.
The debate centered on a Transportation Committee recommendation (Item 18) and an amendment offered by Councilmember Eunice Rodriguez to change the recommendation language. Rodriguez pressed for a district‑level split; Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and Councilmember Nithya Raman pushed to preserve an equity lens while also accommodating district needs.
“Divide this pittance of $715 by district, and then keep the requirements that say, you know, creating the equity list,” Blumenfield said during the discussion, arguing the two approaches could be reconciled. Councilmember Kevin Lee said his Valley districts risked getting nothing under the original formula and urged equal shares so each district could deliver at least a couple of speed humps.
The council first voted 12–3 to bifurcate the item so recommendation 1 (an even district split) and recommendation 3 (the equity‑based prioritization) would be decided separately. On the vote to divide the $715,000 evenly among the 15 council districts the measure failed, 8–7. A separate vote adopted the equity‑based recommendation language that had been offered, with the council recording unanimous support on that instruction during roll call.
After the separate votes, the council approved the full Transportation Committee report as amended. The clerk recorded the final committee report passage as 13 ayes and 2 noes.
Council members who opposed the district split said concentrating funds on equity‑identified locations would better address the city’s highest traffic‑safety needs; proponents of the split argued the modest sum should be shared so every district could immediately install at least one or two speed humps.
The council did not allocate additional funding beyond the $715,000 at this meeting. The Transportation Department will proceed under the amended committee instructions, including the equity prioritization, and implement the program consistent with the council’s direction.
The decision leaves open the possibility of future supplemental funding; several councilmembers said they would seek larger program investments in later budget cycles.
Votes and next steps were recorded in the council minutes and the Transportation Department has been instructed to report back under the amended terms.
