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[ LOS ANGELES ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)
# Community Groups Challenge Proposed “Pay To Protest” Fee That Favors Developers
October 22 2026
Written by Tim Deegan.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
DEEGAN ON LA—-The “pay to play” transaction model where a developer contributes to a politico and in return gets approval of their project is well known by developers and at City Hall. They’ve paid and now they can play knowing their project will be politically approved.
Jail cells have housed several city council members in the past few years, found guilty in a very public and open display of corruption often tied to “pay to play” development projects.
The next twist on that form of doing business with City Hall is the proposed “pay to protest”, when you are required to pay a new and larger fee to make an appeal of a planning or land use decision made by City Hall.
The fee is not new; it’s the inflation that’s at the heart of the matter. Currently the Appeal Fee is $229—the proposed Fee could be $2,289 which is a 900% increase.
That Fee increase can easily price development protesters out of the picture.
Learning from a smaller city, West Hollywood has an appeal fee, but it can be waived by having a minimum of 50 signatures.
Ordinarily, the voice of the public can be heard by the planning department and the politicos who are deciding on a project. There are two important roles: “applicant” and “non-applicant”. The “non-applicant” is the public, while the other role is the developer.
A non-applicant appeal is a formal way for residents and neighborhood organizations to challenge certain City planning decisions.
The filing of an appeal triggers a halt of the initial determination and legally mandates an independent, on-the-record public hearing before an Area or City Planning Commission.
The city justifies the Fee increase claiming it costs $22,894 to process the challenge while residents currently pay $229.
Historically, the city kept non-applicant appeal fees minimal specifically so everyday citizens could access due process without financial hardship. Filing an appeal is the public's primary administrative check on planning approvals: it halts an initial determination and legally mandates an independent, on-the-record public hearing before an Area or City Planning Commission.
Greg Goldin, President of the Miracle Mile Residential Association, told City Watch that "This is an effort by the city council to give developers yet another way of keeping citizens from questioning bad developments anywhere in the city. This is just like Poll Taxes once levied against poor people and black Americans to rob them of their franchise. Now the city wants to rob us of our right to petition to redress our grievances. All to feather the nests of huge developers. It's outrageous, wrong, and a truly anti-democratic maneuver."
Hancock Park Homeowners Association President Cindy Chvatal-Keane adds that ”We don't feel this increased fee is justified when it can shut down the ability of the public to participate in a democratic process”.
Where does the [proposed Fee](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=09-0969-S4) stand now?
- Awaiting further Council action. No final vote date has been confirmed.
- October 6, 2026: Advanced through the Budget and Finance Committee, where every committee member present voted to accept the fee. The “[yes” votes](https://www.youtube.com/live/HCSGsF3e2KU) were by Bob Blumenfield (CD3), Heather Hutt (CD10), Tim McOsker (CD15) and Eunisses Hernandez (CD1). Committee chair Katy Yaroslavsky (CD5) was absent.
- August 25, 2026: advanced by the Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
Call to action—What can community organizations do?
Use this link to copy and paste if "click and send" doesn't work on your device.
[NO TO HIGHER FEES!](mailto:councilmember.hernandez@lacity.org,%20councilmember.nazarian?cc=lyric.kelkar@lacity.org,%20tiffany.zeytounian@lacity.org,%20elizabeth.ene@lacity.org,%20mashael.majid@lacity.org,%20erin.bromaghim@lacity.org,%20osvaldo.ramirez@lacity.org,%20william.dahlin@lacity.org,%20yohanna.gaines@lacity.org,%20andrew.westall@lacity.org,%20jeff.khau@lacity.org,%20josh.yeager@lacity.org,%20emma.howard@lacity.org,%20lauren.hodgins@lacity.org,%20pamela.thornton@lacity.org,%20bryce.rosauro@lacity.org,&bcc=Cindy%20Chvatal%20%3csnorekel@gmail.com%3e&subject=Oppose%20Excessive%20Increases%20in%20Non-Applicant%20Appeal%20Fees%20Council%20File%20No.%2009-0969-S4&body=Dear%20Members%20of%20the%20Los%20Angeles%20City%20Council%2C%0A%0AI%20urge%20you%20to%20reconsider%20the%20proposed%20increases%20in%20non-applicant%20appeal%20fees%20under%20Council%20File%20No.%2009-0969-S4.%0A%0AI%20understand%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20concern%20about%20the%20cost%20of%20processing%20appeals%20and%20the%20approximately%20%244%20million%20in%20subsidies%20reportedly%20required.%20However%2C%20raising%20fees%20from%20%24229%20to%20%241%2C145%20for%20residents%20within%20a%20project%E2%80%99s%20noticing%20or%20mailing%20radius%2C%20and%20to%20%242%2C289%20for%20those%20outside%20it%2C%20risks%20pricing%20ordinary%20residents%20out%20of%20meaningful%20participation%20in%20the%20planning%20process.%0A%0AAppeals%20are%20not%20simply%20an%20administrative%20expense.%20They%20are%20one%20of%20the%20few%20formal%20mechanisms%20residents%20have%20to%20challenge%20government%20decisions%20they%20believe%20are%20flawed.%20Before%20imposing%20increases%20of%20this%20magnitude%2C%20the%20city%20should%20examine%20whether%20appeals%20are%20identifying%20errors%20or%20deficiencies%20in%20Planning%20decisions%20and%20whether%20processing%20can%20be%20made%20more%20efficient%20without%20creating%20substantial%20financial%20barriers%20to%20public%20participation.%0A%0AThese%20increases%20could%20disproportionately%20affect%20lower-income%20communities%20and%20communities%20of%20color%2C%20whose%20residents%20may%20have%20fewer%20resources%20to%20organize%2C%20hire%20professional%20assistance%2C%20or%20challenge%20development%20they%20believe%20will%20harm%20their%20neighborhoods.%20A%20project%E2%80%99s%20impacts%20do%20not%20necessarily%20stop%20at%20a%20mailing%20radius%20or%20an%20arbitrary%20500-foot%20boundary.%20Nor%20does%20a%20higher%20fee%20distinguish%20a%20frivolous%20appeal%20from%20a%20well-founded%20one.%0A%0ALos%20Angeles%20routinely%20subsidizes%20public%20programs%20and%20services%20when%20their%20broader%20public%20benefits%20justify%20the%20expense.%20Public%20oversight%20deserves%20similar%20consideration.%20Democracy%20is%20not%20a%20loss%20leader.%20The%20city%20should%20not%20evaluate%20appeals%20solely%20through%20a%20cost-recovery%20lens%20while%20overlooking%20their%20role%20in%20protecting%20the%20public%20against%20errors%20and%20inadequate%20decision-making.%0A%0AI%20respectfully%20ask%20the%20Council%20to%20reconsider%20these%20fee%20increases%2C%20assess%20their%20likely%20impact%20on%20public%20participation%2C%20explore%20less%20burdensome%20alternatives%2C%20and%20establish%20safeguards%20so%20that%20the%20ability%20to%20challenge%20questionable%20government%20decisions%20does%20not%20depend%20on%20a%20resident%E2%80%99s%20financial%20circumstances.%0A%0APlease%20reject%20excessive%20appeal-fee%20increases%20and%20preserve%20meaningful%20public%20oversight%20in%20Los%20Angeles%E2%80%99s%20planning%20process.%0A%0ARespectfully%2C%0A%0A(ADD%20NAME%20and%20DELETE)%0A(ADD%20ADDRESS%20%2F%20BLOCK%20%2F%20NEIGHBORHOOD%20%2F%20or%20ZIP%20and%20DELETE))
Also click a link to post your comments to the council file to put you on the record and is especially important for Neighborhood Council's to submit a CIS. Just click the link, [Council File 09-0969-S4 — Planning Land Use Fees Update](https://hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRecipientCode=cPsUmutA1kfxO9hll7V4MpFruVsB6qJwNqa%2bz4NiHZLbE7n0uJLmuvG6JEAmtDTJGKOy9VPBEhW%2b3XbHKCbJkcS%2beqEybVVCdqIOyb0NLLQ%3d) and hit the "red box NEW" icon at the top and fill out your name and paste the letter or simply state you oppose this action. Be sure to respond to an email that will be sent from the city asking you to validate that you sent the letter. Once you do that you are all done.
With enough community block the increased Appeal Fee. Could be modified to not disenfranchise residents.
***(Tim Deegan** is a longtime civic activist and columnist whose Deegan on LA feature has been a staple of CityWatchLA for over a decade. With a focus on Los Angeles city politics and neighborhood issues, Deegan brings thoughtful analysis and grassroots perspective to every column. His work highlights the voices of local communities and the impact of City Hall decisions on everyday Angelenos. He can be reached at ****.)*
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