The commission debated city staff’s proposed policy on artificial turf and natural grass for city‑owned sports fields and, after extended public comment and staff briefing, passed a motion directing staff to change the replacement approach for existing turf.

Public speakers—including Diane Wolke of Safe Healthy Playlands, neighborhood coalition leaders and sports advocates—urged the commission to ban synthetic turf on environmental and health grounds. Wolke told commissioners that regulators and environmental groups have raised concerns about microplastics, PFAS and other potential chemical contaminants, and she cited recent moves by outside agencies (including a reference to a California Coastal Commission precaution regarding synthetic turf permits) and Los Angeles Unified School District consideration of transitions away from turf.

Amelia Feichner, city architect and lead staff on the proposal, described the staff analysis and policy approach focused on city‑owned sports fields: staff recommended no new artificial turf installations on city fields, maintaining existing grass fields as grass, pursuing natural‑field pilots to improve playability, and retaining artificial turf for high‑intensity rectangular fields if replacement is required but only with strong safeguards (batch testing for chemical thresholds, drainage control, walk‑off mats and long‑term monitoring). Feichner said staff’s lifecycle cost analysis showed grass and turf can be roughly comparable over the field lifetime when installation, maintenance and replacement are considered.

Commission Chair Dean Koubani proposed an edited motion that removed the staff’s fallback of replacing end‑of‑life turf with new artificial turf and instead directed that, when existing turf fields reach the end of their useful life, the city should solicit bids for durable natural alternatives and commit to phasing turf out where practicable. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

In discussion, commissioners pressed staff on whether local testing of runoff or outgassing had been done (staff said they had reviewed the literature but had not conducted local testing), pilot‑testing opportunities for higher‑performance natural grass blends, and filtration and mitigation measures for any existing turf replacements. Staff said the internal task force will reconvene to review public comment and bring an information item to City Council; the commission also discussed outreach to ensure the commission’s position is communicated to council.

Action taken: the commission voted to (1) support no new artificial turf on city‑owned sports fields; (2) keep existing grass fields as grass; and (3) require that when artificial turf fields reach end of life the city pursue durable natural alternatives in replacement bids. Commissioners recorded the motion and it passed unanimously.