Council advances staff action on Recycla program despite member warnings about consumer fees

The Los Angeles City Council on Jan. 28 advanced a staff recommendation affecting the city’s Removing Barriers to Recycling (RBR) program and the Recycla 2 procurement process, voting 11–2 to approve the action.

Councilmember Nithya Padilla (first speaking in this item as recorded) told colleagues she could not support terminating the existing RBR program without greater certainty that Recycla 2 contracts would be in place on schedule. “While I understand that the program currently costs the city approximately $2,000,000 per month, terminating it now could expose many of our most vulnerable constituents to increased utility charges,” she said.

Dan Myers of LA Sanitation and Environment walked the council through the procurement schedule, saying the Recycla 2 RFPs were released in September, nine proposals were received, evaluations began in January and negotiations were scheduled to start in mid-March, with an anticipated board step in August and contract counsel approval by October. “We remain on schedule,” Myers said, outlining the agency’s plan to have new contracts in place to take over expiring agreements on Feb. 1, 2027.

City staff and the CAO told the council that the contract language requires a 12-month notice if the city chooses to terminate the current program, meaning access and distance fee credits currently applied to customer accounts cannot be assessed back to customers until the notice period ends. Janice from the CAO’s office explained the 12-month clock tied to any termination decision.

Councilmembers split over the risk trade-offs. Padilla, citing her district’s low- and moderate-income residents, urged preserving protections for consumers, while others said moving now would protect the general fund if Recycla 2 gaps emerge. Ultimately the council approved the staff-recommended action on an 11–2 roll call.

The vote does not immediately change customer billing, according to LA Sanitation officials; staff said any change that would restore access/distance fees to customers would only occur after the 12-month notice period and only if Recycla 2 contracts are not in place by Feb. 1, 2027. The council requested continued reporting from LA San and the CAO on procurement milestones and consumer protections.

What happens next: LA San will continue with evaluations and, if the timeline holds, begin negotiations mid-March; council members said they will monitor procurement progress closely to prevent unexpected customer charges.