Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez introduced a motion in September 2024 requiring the Los Angeles Police Department to issue permits for regulated businesses operating in the city, intended to address public safety risks and consumer protection concerns. The Public Safety Committee approved the motion as amended in May 2025, and the full City Council adopted it 13-0-2 on June 3, 2025. The Board of Police Commissioners subsequently submitted a report reviewing the Police Commission permits framework in February 2025. The matter is now pending in the Public Safety Committee following a recent Department of Transportation referral in August 2026.

Full summary

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez's September 2024 motion starts from the observation that many of the city ordinances requiring police permits for businesses were written decades ago. The Board of Police Commissioners currently issues over 60 types of regulatory permits, covering businesses that pose potential public safety risks or consumer protection concerns. The permit process involves criminal background checks, zoning and legal standing reviews, fire safety plans, and security assessments. Rodriguez argued that some industries have since evolved through safety improvements and changing consumer norms to the point where a police permit may no longer be the appropriate regulatory tool, and directed the Board of Police Commissioners to conduct a comprehensive review and recommend which permit requirements could be eliminated or scaled back, with supporting data. The Board of Police Commissioners submitted its report in February 2025. The Public Safety Committee reviewed and approved an amended version of the motion in May 2025, and the full Council adopted it 13-0-2 on June 3, 2025. As part of that adoption, the Council directed the Department of Transportation to evaluate whether Transportation Safety Permits — specifically auto park, auto park master, valet parking attendant, valet parking operator master, and valet parking operator permits — could be transferred from LAPD to LADOT, with an eye toward potential cost savings. The Department of Transportation responded in August 2026 with a report recommending the Council simply note and file its findings. LADOT concluded that a transfer would not be straightforward. LAPD currently has two dedicated Police Officer II positions enforcing auto park and valet permits, with additional part-time detective and officer support for all permit types. LADOT's Transportation Investigators and Traffic Officers currently lack legal authority to enforce Transportation Safety Permits, meaning any transfer would require amending the Municipal Code. LADOT also estimated it would need at least six new positions at an annual cost of roughly $1.3 million to administer and enforce the permits, and noted that permit appeals, denials, and revocations would need to shift from the Police Permit Review Panel to the Board of Transportation Commissioners. The department further flagged that it is already managing permit backlogs, with driver permit turnaround times running two to six weeks and periodic moratoriums on new company permits. The DOT report was referred to the Public Safety Committee in August 2026 and the file remains open and pending there. The broader question of which police permit requirements across all 60-plus business categories may be obsolete has not yet been resolved publicly, and the file is active through August 2028.

Activity (15)

• 2026-08-17 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Public Safety Committee.
• 2026-08-14 Document submitted by Department of Transportation, dated August 14, 2026.
• 2025-06-04 Council action final.
• 2025-06-03 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2025-05-30 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on June 3, 2025.
• 2025-05-07 Public Safety Committee approved as amended .
• 2025-05-02 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 7, 2025.
• 2025-02-18 Board of Police Commissioners document(s) referred to Public Safety Committee.
• 2025-02-14 Document(s) submitted by Board of Police Commissioners, as follows:Board of Police Commissioners report, dated February 11, 2025, relative to a review of Police Commission permits.
• 2024-10-15 Council action final.
• 2024-10-15 Council adopted item forthwith.
• 2024-10-11 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on October 15, 2024.
• 2024-09-24 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
• 2024-09-20 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 24, 2024.
• 2024-09-18 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.

Documents (9)

• 2026-08-14 Report from Department of Transportation · report
• 2025-06-04 Council Action · council_action
• 2025-05-20 Report from Public Safety Committee · report
• 2025-05-07 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2025-02-11 Report from Board of Police Commissioners · report
• 2024-10-15 Council Action · council_action
• 2024-09-24 Report from Public Safety Committee · report
• 2024-09-24 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2024-09-18 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2025-06-03 Adopted — 13-0-2 · Regular