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2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program / New Engine Company / Los Angeles Fire Department

Council File 17-1434-S6

In progress — the city secured a federal grant to add a second engine and twelve firefighters to Fire Station 7 in underserved Panorama City, and implementation continues on track with regular committee oversight as the department works toward a permanent station in the area.

Introduced
2023-10-06
Last changed
2026-09-15
CFMS file status
File open See note on file status
Expires
2028-09-11
Committee
Budget and Finance Committee
Mover
IMELDA PADILLA
Second
TRACI PARK
References
Board Report: 24-019; 25-060City Administrative Officer Report: 0130-02079-0001; 0130-02079-0002

This is the City Clerk's status for the council file itself, not the outcome of the measure. A file often stays open after the Council has already adopted an item. The summary above reflects the latest recorded action.

Brief

Councilmember Imelda Padilla moved to accept the 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) federal grant, which funds a new engine company for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The motion was adopted by Council on October 20, 2023 (14-0-1), then reaffirmed on January 30, 2024. A September 2024 City Administrative Officer report initiated a second approval cycle through committee review, now in Budget and Finance Committee following Public Safety Committee approval in August 2026.

Full summary

This file stems from a response gap identified by a third-party deployment analysis commissioned by the LAFD. Consulting firm Citygate and Associates found that the area near Woodman Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard in Panorama City was underserved: the neighborhood is currently protected by a single engine at Fire Station 7, and when that engine is responding to one incident, travel times for simultaneous calls in the area become dangerously extended. Because building a new fire station takes three to five years, the LAFD pursued interim relief by applying for a federal SAFER grant. The agency was awarded $7,752,582, enough to fund a second engine company at Fire Station 7 and authorize twelve new firefighter positions, which the department sought to have in place by April 2024. Councilmember Imelda Padilla, seconded by Councilmember Traci Park, introduced the motion in October 2023, directing the LAFD to report within 30 days on the status of the grant programming and the staffing plan for the second engine. The motion emphasized that the LAFD's existing force of 3,520 firefighters is already below the National Fire Protection Association's recommended staffing ratio for a city of Los Angeles's size, and that equitable service availability across neighborhoods requires closing gaps like the one in Panorama City. The Public Safety Committee approved the motion in November 2023, and the full Council adopted it on October 20, 2023, with the Mayor's signature making the action final on October 27, 2023. The matter returned for formal grant acceptance in 2024. A City Administrative Officer report on accepting the FY 2022 SAFER award moved through the Public Safety Committee, the Personnel, Audits and Hiring Committee, and the Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee before the full Council adopted it on November 6, 2024, by a 14-0-1 vote. That action became final on November 18, 2024, completing the formal acceptance of the federal funds. The file has remained active through ongoing reporting cycles. The Board of Fire Commissioners submitted a follow-up report in October 2025, and the City Administrative Officer produced a second report in July 2026 covering continued grant implementation. The Public Safety Committee approved that report on August 26, 2026, and the Budget and Finance Committee concurred on September 15, 2026. The file remains open, with the grant implementation ongoing and further Council action possible as the LAFD works toward the longer-term goal of a permanent new fire station in the Panorama City area.

Activity (36)

  • 2026-09-15 Budget and Finance Committee concurred with the Public Safety Committee's action of August 26, 2026 to approve the City Administrative Officer report dated July 23, 2026.
  • 2026-09-11 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 15, 2026.
  • 2026-08-26 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2026-08-21 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on August 26, 2026.
  • 2026-07-24 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Public Safety Committee.
  • 2026-07-23 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated July 23, 2026.
  • 2025-10-23 Board of Fire Commissioners document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Public Safety Committee.
  • 2025-10-22 Document submitted by Board of Fire Commissioners, dated October 22, 2025.
  • 2024-11-18 Council action final.
  • 2024-11-06 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is November 18, 2024.
  • 2024-11-06 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2024-11-01 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on November 6, 2024.
  • 2024-10-09 Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee concurred with the October 1, 2024 action of the Personnel, Audits and Hiring Committee and September 24, 2024 action of the Public Safety Committee.
  • 2024-10-04 Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 9, 2024.
  • 2024-10-01 Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee transmitted Council File to Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee.
  • 2024-10-01 Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2024-09-27 Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 1, 2024.
  • 2024-09-25 Public Safety Committee transmitted Council File to Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee.
  • 2024-09-24 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2024-09-20 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 24, 2024.
  • 2024-09-20 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee; Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee; Public Safety Committee.
  • 2024-09-20 Document(s) submitted by City Administrative Officer, as follows:City Administrative Officer report 0130-02079-0001, dated September 20, 2024, relative to accepting the Fiscal Year 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) grant award.
  • 2024-02-21 Board of Fire Commissioners document(s) referred to Public Safety Committee.
  • 2024-02-20 Document(s) submitted by Board of Fire Commissioners, as follows:Board of Fire Commissioners report, dated February 20, 2024, relative to the 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) grant award.
  • 2024-01-31 Council action final.
  • 2024-01-30 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2024-01-26 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on January 30, 2024.
  • 2023-11-28 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2023-11-22 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on November 28, 2023.
  • 2023-11-07 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.
  • 2023-10-27 Council action final.
  • 2023-10-20 Council transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is October 30, 2023.
  • 2023-10-20 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2023-10-17 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on October 20, 2023.
  • 2023-10-13 Public Safety Committee waived consideration of item .
  • 2023-10-06 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.

Documents (18)

Council votes (1)

  • 2024-11-06 Adopted Forthwith — 14-0-1 · Regular

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