Council approves original recommendation to increase contract authority for specified legal contract after substitute fails

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved the original recommendation to increase contract authority for a named contract and asked the City Attorney to report back on related litigation and financial risk.

Councilmember Soto Martínez offered a substitute motion that the council first voted on; the substitute failed on the roll call (4 in favor, 9 opposed). The council then voted on the original recommendation and approved it by a roll call recorded in the transcript as 10 in favor and 3 opposed.

The actuario (clerk) read the substitute language as requesting several items including: increasing the authorized contract amount for the contract identified in the file (the transcript includes a procurement reference), directing the City Attorney to report to the council within one month to clarify financial risk for each claim and the legal bases, requiring progress reports on active litigation and reporting on the feasibility of moving trial management and consolidating active cases related to the matter. The substitute motion was seconded but failed; the council then approved the original staff recommendation.

Discussion versus decision: Councilmembers debated whether to substitute the item with additional reporting requirements. The substitute failed and the council adopted the original item. The final approved recommendation was the pre-circulated staff recommendation (the transcript records approval of the original recommendation).