City Council authorizes outside counsel for federal actions after contested public comment; closed session yields no report

The Los Angeles City Council on June 20, 2025 approved a measure authorizing the city attorney to retain outside legal counsel to assist with litigation, investigations or other legal services related to actions by the federal government arising between July 2 and July 30, 2025. The council voted on the item as amended; the clerk recorded the vote as 9 ayes and 1 no.

The measure, labeled in the meeting as Item 8, was taken up after the clerk confirmed an amendment had been submitted and circulated. Councilmember Katie Yaroslavsky told the chamber, “I have an amendment to item 8 that the city attorney will be receiving momentarily.” The council recessed into closed session before the roll call on the final motion; after closed session the city attorney reported that the council “took no action in the closed session,” and the council then voted on the amended item in open session.

The public-comment period before the council vote centered on enforcement actions by federal agencies and on Los Angeles Police…