Brief

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado moved to create a dedicated maintenance trust fund for the Sixth Street Viaduct to fund regular cleaning and maintenance work. The Council adopted the motion 14-0-1 on July 1, 2026. The matter returned to committee in August after the City Administrative Officer submitted a report, and Public Works approved an amended version on September 8, 2026, transmitting it to Budget and Finance Committee for final consideration.

Full summary

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced this motion to address persistent maintenance problems at the Sixth Street Viaduct — known as 'The Ribbon of Light' — since its 2022 reopening. The rebuilt bridge, which links Boyle Heights and Eastside communities to Downtown Los Angeles across the LA River, has faced ongoing vandalism, graffiti, and illegal dumping since completion. The motion proposed creating a dedicated trust fund to accept private donations and contributions, giving the City a formal mechanism to channel outside money toward graffiti abatement, trash pickup, bulky item removal, and other upkeep services. The Council adopted the motion 14-0-1 on July 1, 2026, directing the City Administrative Officer to report on how such a fund could be structured. The CAO's report, submitted August 14, 2026, recommended four specific actions: directing the City Attorney to draft an ordinance formally establishing the fund; authorizing the Controller to create the fund account; instructing the Controller to set up revenue accounts within it as directed by the Board of Public Works; and designating the Board of Public Works as the fund's administrator. Under the proposed structure, the Board would maintain fund records and set procedures for appropriate use of deposits, but any spending would require Board approval and subsequent Council sign-off. Unspent funds at the end of each fiscal year would carry over rather than revert to the Reserve Fund. The CAO noted that donations could be directed to whichever city departments perform the relevant maintenance work, including the Office of Community Beautification, the Bureau of Sanitation, and the Bureau of Street Services. The report found that private contributions offsetting City maintenance costs would have a positive impact on the General Fund. The Public Works Committee approved an amended version of the CAO's recommendations on September 8, 2026, and transmitted the file to Budget and Finance Committee, which scheduled it for a hearing on September 15, 2026. The file remains pending in both committees while the final package moves toward Council action.

Activity (14)

• 2026-09-11 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 15, 2026.
• 2026-09-08 Public Works Committee transmitted Council File to Budget and Finance Committee.
• 2026-09-08 Public Works Committee approved as amended .
• 2026-09-04 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 8, 2026.
• 2026-08-14 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Public Works Committee.
• 2026-08-14 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated August 14, 2026.
• 2026-07-06 Council action final.
• 2026-07-01 Council adopted item forthwith.
• 2026-06-26 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on July 1, 2026.
• 2026-06-16 Budget and Finance Committee concurred with the Public Works Committee's action of June 10, 2026.
• 2026-06-12 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 16, 2026.
• 2026-06-10 Public Works Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-06-05 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 10, 2026.
• 2026-04-14 Motion referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Public Works Committee.

Documents (6)

• 2026-09-08 Communication from Public Works Committee Clerk · communication
• 2026-09-08 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-08-14 Report from City Administrative Officer · report
• 2026-07-06 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-06-16 Joint report from Public Works Committee and Budget and Finance Committee · report
• 2026-04-14 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2026-07-01 Vote — 14-0-1 · Regular