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ERIC PREVEN'S NOTEBOOK - Lindsey Horvath's final meeting as Chair of the County Board began with a flurry of updates, including a follow-up on the Audit Results and Measure A. Supervisors Barger and Horvath had proposed a verbal report from the Auditor-Controller and CEO, which was presented on November 26. Measure A allocates $1 billion for homelessness solutions, with plans for two public listening sessions per year and a labor council by June 2025—because nothing says "urgency" like an eight-month timeline. What’s a billion dollars between friends, anyway?
CFO of LAHSA! (for now).
The Feasibility of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness Recommendations inspired both hope and skepticism. Supervisor Hahn asked for a pros-and-cons breakdown, while others raised concerns about prioritizing LAHSA workers in a new department. One Smart Speaker nailed the vibe: "I will be auditing the audio controller," they quipped, capturing the mood of a public growing tired of oversight without action.
Ruth Ripless:
Okay, for the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations, this commission had eight seats on it, I believe. One of them was held by a Gibson Dunn attorney named Gianni Evangelista, the woman who literally stood in front of the Supreme Court recently representing Grant’s Pass, Oregon, and argued successfully that unhoused people do not deserve civil rights such as the right to sleep in public.
LAHSA was created, yes, in the nineties as a result of welfare lawsuits in the eighties. So basically, LAHSA was created as an alternative to directly aiding people with things like General Relief or what they now call UBI. If we actually got direct help… we could help ourselves. There would be no need to do an audit later.
Smart Speaker: Thank you, it’s Eric Preven, and what can I say? I’d like to thank staff, and certainly County Counsel gets a lot of credit for these screwed-up contracts and various agreements. As for whether we should dismantle LAHSA now or how to do it, I would suggest you vote on it again when you see the game plan. I want to be clear: it’s very confusing, and the public frustration is very high.
That’s why I want to be sure we have mental health services available for staff and, frankly, the Supervisors themselves. This must be very hard. This is, sadly, yet another study and series of recommendations. I want to emphasize the enormity of the confusion out here in the public. We want clarity and streamlining. If this is the process, I would be surprised.
You know, we are a little concerned that Supervisor Horvath, who is in there hands-on, reforming and adding, is going to stick herself in as the first elected CEO. Which raises the question: why couldn’t the current CEO be coordinating the county departments? That’s what a CEO does in the real world. Hopefully, Davenport will get access to mental health services as well. My heart goes out.
Let’s make sure this doesn’t turn into Measure H, Mark Ridley-Thomas’ baby. It was he who initially said: “Push the damned money out the door!”
Dr. La Vecia Adams Kellum, LAHSA chief (for now).
3:38 into the meeting
The discussion shifted to Support for Immigrants, with Supervisors Solis and Hahn reaffirming County compliance with SB 54, ensuring safe spaces and no resources for federal immigration enforcement. Preven, ever the provocateur, warned: "If immigrants were listening to the homeless presentation... do they really want the County handling this?" A chilling reminder of the stakes when trust in governance erodes.
Smart Speaker: Thank you, it’s Eric Preven. I live in Studio City, formerly the third district and now the fifth district. They moved me because they didn’t appreciate me. Thank you for this. A lot of people in our world are afraid at the moment. It would have been helpful, frankly, to have a bit of a refreshment as to what might happen.
At the City Council, they discussed with the new Chief, Jim McDonnell, how the LAPD will not be involved in ICE and DHS activities. That’s not their purview, not their role. This is Los Angeles, which is obviously a city built on immigrants and people from all over the world. That’s great.
My one concern is if immigrants were listening to the homeless presentation... do they really want the county handling this? Because the county has been so negligent. My heart goes out to the many staffers and teams that are trying, and this does feel like we are in a moment where maybe there will be a little reform. But if I were an immigrant, I would be very wary of the services provided by the people who brought you Probation, the Jails... and --
Next speaker.
Thanksgiving Infusion (TGI): Wellness and Equity Initiative
Supervisor Horvath’s $7 million, two-year pilot program aimed at supporting TGI-led organizations drew significant applause—literally. The turnout of beneficiaries was substantial, though the optics of cheering for one’s own funding raised a few eyebrows.
Cheri Todoroff is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative
Governance Reform and the Task Force of the Century
Measure G’s Governance Reform Task Force promises to tackle accountability, transparency, and diversity with a 15-member committee, copious public outreach, and a flurry of deadlines. Meanwhile, a second 13-member Task Force will shape the County’s structural evolution, from public budget hearings in 2025 to a nine-member Board by 2032. But with all this task-forcing, and confusing mechanics one wonders: will the public really participate? Who will set the meeting schedule?
6 hours and twenty minutes into the meeting:
Smart Speaker: So, in the two years before, there will be major Olympics-style fundraising… yuck! This is a fiasco. Thank you, Supervisors. Nicely done. We’ve finally kissed and made up, and now we can move forward. I feel like 2024, 2025—Mr. Quan mentioned it—we should get the database going sooner than 2026. There’s no reason to wait on that.
In terms of appointing people to the commission, yes, I’d probably accept, but it would have to be limited and on my terms. Meaning: I don’t sugarcoat it. You know what I mean. And maybe for that reason, it’s better to leave me out in the pit with the public… where you can barely get through.
Today, AT&T, bless their heart—it took multiple quasi-Herculean efforts just to get through. I guess the Board just doesn’t want the public to see how things work in the sausage factory. Let’s keep it nice and friendly.
And once again, thank you. Let me thank everybody, including the County Counsel and staff. This is a great historic day. Historic in the sense that we’ll be able to get through the next couple of years, blocking any conversation about, for example, all the sole-source contracts on today’s agenda and the sheer weight of very expensive leases for office space for DCFS… honestly…
7 hours plus into the meeting: Five Public Speakers + Irony
Despite claims of inclusivity, no remote speakers got through to five public comments.
The Board spent 12 minutes on adjournments—two minutes more than on general public comment.
During the closed session, Supervisors showcased videos: Barger plugged the Chinese American Film Festival and a number of Conservation Corps, while Horvath promoted small businesses like it was QVC. Over eight hours into the meeting, the Board authorized litigation against an unnamed defendant CS-3, with details pending, hopefully with less overtime and more clarity.
Next Tuesday: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet again on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., with a full agenda addressing governance, housing, community development, public health, and legal matters.
The reorganization meeting will include the election of the Chair Pro Tem for 2024-25, along with the establishment of the Board’s 2025 meeting calendar and appointments to various commissions, committees, and special districts. KEY PLAY: During this session, the Board will elect the Chair and Chair Pro Tem for the upcoming term.
The Board will also waive parking fees for the County Counsel holiday luncheon, discuss relocation reimbursements for the Assistant Chief Executive Officer, and review updates to dispute resolution program agreements.
[UPDATE - The dispute resolution system only works if both parties agree to opt in and they rarely do.]
In housing and community development, the Board will consider resolutions to issue multifamily housing mortgage revenue notes for developments in West Carson and El Monte. Discussions will also address the creation of a framework for the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA) and fund allocations for unincorporated areas. The San Pedro Courthouse redevelopment project will move forward with lease agreements and amendments, while final map tracts in West Carson, Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain, and Stevenson Ranch will also be reviewed.
Public health and safety items include improving support for families impacted by the Department of Children and Family Services, a strategic plan to curtail street racing, and acceptance of a grant for the Office of Violence Prevention’s community violence intervention programs. In economic development, the Board will address opportunities for workers affected by the Phillips 66 Refinery closure and a sole source contract for the Workforce Pathways Los Angeles program.
Administrative matters will focus on leasing arrangements for the Probation Department, computer equipment acquisition for the County’s data center, and a sole source agreement amendment for supply chain procurement and data management software.
Snapshot on SOLE SOURCE:
The agenda includes several sole-source agreements with significant financial implications:
Agenda Item 26 covers Successor Transportation Overflow Master Agreements, which include sole-source elements, though the specific dollar value isn't fully detailed.
Agenda Item 27 involves Revenue Cycle Management and Related Services, with QuadraMed Affinity Corporation awarded a contract amendment valued at $11,273,850.
Agenda Item 28 addresses Supply Chain Procurement and Data Management Software and Services, amending a contract with Global Healthcare Exchange LLC for $3,673,845.
Agenda Item 30 pertains to Clinical Laboratory Services, with a sole-source contract amendment for Primex Laboratories, Inc. valued at $200,000.
Agenda Item 31 focuses on the Workforce Pathways Los Angeles Program, awarding Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles a sole-source contract worth $936,000.
These sole-source agreements represent significant spending, with a combined total exceeding $16 million, raising considerations about transparency and competitive procurement practices.
The agenda for the December 3, 2024, Board of Supervisors meeting also includes several legal settlements totaling $4,425,000. Among them is the settlement in the case of Assiff, Joshua v. County of Los Angeles, et al., which amounts to $925,000. Another is Raymond Gaines v. County of Los Angeles, et al., settled for $700,000.
In Gamboa, Abraham, et al. v. County of Los Angeles, et al., the Board plans to settle for $1,200,000. The case of Adrian Cruz, et al. v. County of Los Angeles, et al. involves a settlement of $500,000, and the case of Corey Williams v. Ricardo Garcia, et al. will settle for $1,100,000.
The agenda also includes proclamations recognizing February 2025 as “Fight for Air Climb Month” and supporting the March of Dimes workplace charitable giving campaign.
These items, alongside discussions of annexation and assessments for lighting districts and easement adjustments in Santa Clarita and Malibu, will form the basis of the upcoming meeting. The meeting will also include public comment, offering community members a platform to address the Board on various issues.
Robust comment from Homeless Commissioners on Measure A.
Not on the Agenda:
Smart Speaker: Supervisors, it’s Eric Preven from Studio City, formerly the Third District, now the Fifth—moved, I assume, because I ask too many inconvenient questions. Speaking of inconvenient, let’s talk about Los Angeles, the sanctuary city that’s gearing up for the 2028 Olympics like it’s auditioning for a dystopian police drama.
The NSSE designation for the Games means DHS and ICE will be working hand-in-glove with local law enforcement, creating a recipe for overreach that should concern everyone. Have we learned nothing from the 1984 Olympics? Back then, over-policing devastated Black and Brown communities. Now, here we are, dusting off the same playbook, and the silence from Mayor Bass and Council President Harris-Dawson is deafening.
And then there’s the LAPD’s $4 million wish list for military equipment under AB 481. Nothing says “community safety” like new battering rams and crowd control weapons, right? Of course, it’s the low-income communities that will bear the brunt of this so-called preparedness.
Meanwhile, LAHSA, our homelessness services authority, is drowning in financial mismanagement. The audit Tuesday showed late payments and errors, yet we keep throwing money into the same broken system instead of helping unhoused individuals directly.
And the sanctuary ordinance? It’s an improvement, sure, but carve-outs for violent felonies raise serious concerns about who we’re really protecting.
We are poised to take the global stage in 2028. Will we show the world a city that prioritizes civil rights, dignity, and effective governance, or one that doubles down on policing, mismanagement, and overstuffed board meetings?
(Eric Preven is a longtime community activist and is a contributor to CityWatch.)
