Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, outlined progress made during the City Council meeting on Dec. 15 – the last meeting before the council went on holiday recess until 2021.

O’Farrell continued efforts to create permanent housing for unhoused individuals and protect residents from becoming homeless with a “right to housing” policy. He co-introduced an initiative that directs city departments to report back on resources needed to establish a “right to housing” framework to acknowledge housing as a basic human right.

O’Farrell also announced support for Assembly Bill 71, which proposes a $2.4 billion annual allocation from the state to address homelessness and housing. The initiative would be funded by revenues from specific changes to the personal income tax law or the corporation tax law.

To ensure assistance and protections for essential workforce, the councilman introduced an initiative with Council President Nury Martinez, 6th District, to establish an emergency ordinance requiring $5 of additional hourly pay for workers at grocery stores with 300 or more employees. The proposal recognizes that essential workers must be justly compensated for risking their health and the health of their families to bring home a paycheck, O’Farrell said.

The councilman also announced progress in his seven-year effort to expand and strengthen the city’s protected trees ordinance. The City Council approved the addition of the Mexican elderberry and toyon shrubs to the city’s list of protected trees. Both plants have played an important role in the city’s history, providing sustenance to the Chumash, Tongva and Tataviam Native American tribes who first inhabited the area, O’Farrell said. Protecting trees and shrubs also combats climate change by preserving vegetation that absorbs carbon emissions and improves air quality, he added.

For information, visit cd13.lacity.org.