Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee · Held

Los Angeles City Council Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee meeting, August 25, 2026

August 25, 2026, 8:45 a.m. · Updated October 2, 2026

From official records: The Los Angeles City Council's Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee voted 3-0 on Aug. 25, 2026, to rename Pershing Square "Biddy Mason Park", to seek money for a study of Los Angeles Zoo governance models, and to order new reporting and a leasing plan at El Pueblo, where merchants owe about $1.3 million in back rent. It approved all eight items on the agenda, including three commission appointments; the Council adopted each one between Sept. 1 and Sept. 9.

As of October 2, 2026, outcomes for the August 25, 2026 meeting of the Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee of the Los Angeles City Council come from official records posted so far, such as council files, recorded votes and filed statements. Some results may be missing until the full minutes are posted and read.

Committee members voting, per the committee report on El Pueblo: Ysabel Jurado (chair), Eunisses Hernandez and Adrin Nazarian. Item numbers follow the posted agenda.

1. El Pueblo: rent arrears reports, a leasing plan and a look at a private operator

• What it does: Tells the El Pueblo department to put repairs for historic buildings and vacant units in its 2027-28 budget request, report twice a year on rent arrears, and write a marketing and leasing plan for vacant units. It also asks for reports on seeking private partners to operate El Pueblo, with safeguards so vendors are not displaced, and on freezing CPI rent increases through 2028-29, forgiving late fees and interest, or forgiving 50% of eligible back rent (committee report).
• Who brought it: Motion by Ysabel Jurado, seconded by Tim McOsker; Jurado and Eunisses Hernandez moved the instructions in committee (committee report, CF 26-0161).
• Money: El Pueblo reports $1,299,363 in outstanding rent, late fees and interest; 30 of 48 Olvera Street merchants are behind, some by more than two years (El Pueblo report, June 15, 2026). No fiscal analysis was completed (committee report).
• Who it affects: Council District 14. Olvera Street has 80 leasable units, 74 of them occupied, and eight historic buildings need major repairs (El Pueblo report).
• What happened: Approved as amended, 3-0 (committee report).
• What’s next: The Council adopted the report Sept. 4, 2026, 10-0, with Harris-Dawson, Padilla, Park, Price and Raman absent (CF 26-0161).

5. Rename Pershing Square “Biddy Mason Park”

• What it does: Instructs Recreation and Parks, and asks its Board of Commissioners, to rename Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., for Biddy Mason (1818-1891), who won her freedom in a California court in 1856, bought land on Spring Street in 1866 and helped found the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (motion, committee report).
• Who brought it: Ysabel Jurado, seconded by Heather Hutt (CF 24-0751). The Daily News reported that former Councilmember Kevin de León introduced the proposal two years earlier (Daily News, Aug. 24, 2026).
• Money: No fiscal analysis was completed (committee report).
• Who it affects: Council District 14, Downtown (agenda).
• Coverage: Daily News, Aug. 24, 2026.
• What happened: Approved, 3-0 (committee report).
• What’s next: The Council adopted it Sept. 4, 2026, 11-0, with Harris-Dawson, Padilla, Park and Yaroslavsky absent (CF 24-0751).

6. Find money for a consultant to study Los Angeles Zoo governance models

• What it does: Instructs the City Administrative Officer, with the Chief Legislative Analyst, to identify funding for the Zoo Department to hire a consultant. The study would compare zoo governance models, name the ones that could fit the City and the Zoo, and lay out steps for a change. The report says a model such as a public-private partnership would keep City ownership (committee report).
• Who brought it: Ysabel Jurado and Katy Yaroslavsky, seconded by Bob Blumenfield (committee report).
• Money: No amount is named and no fiscal analysis was completed (committee report).
• What happened: Approved, 3-0 (committee report).
• What’s next: The Council adopted it Sept. 9, 2026, 11-0, with Blumenfield, Lee, Rodriguez and Soto-Martinez absent (CF 26-1140).

7. Resolution urging CommonSpirit Health and the nurses’ union to negotiate

• What it does: Puts the City on record urging CommonSpirit Health and the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United to discuss, in good faith, a strategy to preserve and grow healthcare jobs and invest in healthcare workers (committee report).
• Who brought it: Curren D. Price Jr., seconded by Hugo Soto-Martinez (CF 26-1118).
• What happened: Approved, 3-0 (committee report).
• What’s next: The Council adopted the resolution Sept. 4, 2026, 10-0, with Harris-Dawson, Padilla, Park, Price and Raman absent (CF 26-1118).

Previous meeting: August 11, 2026 · All meetings