L.A. City Council hangs up on phone-in public comment

Public comment at Los Angeles City Council meetings will now have to be in person. The agenda for Tuesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting contained the usual mix of topics — zoning changes, legal settlements and measures to fight homelessness. “But under an emergency like this, it couldn’t be more important.” Eric Preven, a watchdog and regular at City Council meetings, had a stronger message, calling the change “outrageous.” “Marqueece Harris-Dawson is waging an all-out assault on public participation,” he said. “We should make public comment more accessible and giving people the option to join remotely will ensure we are granting wider access to residents to be able to speak up.” Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, while running for his seat, had a similar message, telling Unrig LA that he would “advocate for the restoration of remote public comment at committees to ensure broader public engagement, accessibility, and inclusivity in the decision-making process of the LA City Council.” State of play — RUNNING DRY: Crews battling the Palisades fire faced a massive challenge after scores of fire hydrants stopped or slowed their water flow due to the immense demand.