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Committee approves DWP agreements on consent; undergrounding amendment continued after attorney review
Summary
A City Council committee approved several Department of Water and Power (DWP) items on the consent calendar and continued consideration of a motion on undergrounding power lines after the City Attorney said the committee’s amendment differed substantially from the posted agenda and public comment requirements were not satisfied.
A Los Angeles City Council committee approved consent items that included DWP contract authority and noted the Harbor Department and DWP joint report, while pausing a separate undergrounding motion after the City Attorney advised the amendment changed the agenda language.
On the consent calendar the committee approved the CAO’s recommendations and: authorized the Department of Water and Power to execute a Navajo Q255 large generator interconnection agreement (item 1 as described in the CAO report); authorized DWP to execute Agreement No. 47819 with Jacobs Project Management Company for owner’s agent services (item 2); and noted and filed a joint report from the Los Angeles Harbor Department and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (item 7). Councilmembers Nazarian, Raman and Padilla recorded aye votes; two members were absent and the consent items were approved as stated.
Separately, Councilmember Padilla moved an amendment to item 3 (council file 25-0006-S28), which concerns undergrounding of utility power lines. The amendment proposed adding risk factors — including high-wind areas and proximity to the Valley Generating Station in Sun Valley — and directing that, if undergrounding is infeasible for certain areas, community benefits such as weed abatement, brush clearance, park space and walking trails be developed for impacted neighborhoods. A colleague seconded the motion and councilmembers discussed whether the amendment should generate one or two separate report backs.
Blaine Sutton Wills of the City Attorney/CLA’s office said the amendment was friendly and that DWP could be instructed to provide the requested information. After public comment and committee discussion, the chair announced the vote on the consent calendar, approving items 1 through 5 and 7 and item 3 with the amendment. Later in the meeting the City Attorney indicated the committee’s amendment to item 3 was “substantially different from the agenda language,” meaning the amendment had not been properly noticed for the public-comment that was heard. The committee then agreed to continue item 3 to the next committee meeting with updated agenda language so the amended version can be properly noticed and receive public comment.
Members and staff asked that the amended language be added to the next committee agenda so the public has an opportunity to comment on the changed scope. The committee took no final substantive action on the undergrounding criteria during this session; it will be considered at a later meeting with revised, noticed agenda language.
