Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez moved to commission RAND Corporation to conduct an independent organizational study of the Los Angeles Police Department. The motion was referred to the Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committee and Public Safety Committee, where it was approved as amended in March and April 2026. Council adopted the item on May 5, 2026, by a vote of 14-0-1.

Full summary

In June 2025, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, seconded by Councilmember Imelda Padilla, introduced a motion responding to a RAND Corporation organizational study of the LAPD that was nearing completion. Critically, the study was commissioned by the Los Angeles Police Foundation, not the City itself, raising concern that it might not be publicly released. The motion directed the Police Department to transmit the RAND study to Council and instructed the Chief of Police to report back with an outline of any organizational changes he would make or was considering as a result of the study's findings. The motion's rationale centered on the LAPD's years of staffing reductions and the opportunity the study presented to assess how the department could improve efficiency, modernize operations, and better deploy both officers and civilian personnel with a smaller overall workforce. Rodriguez argued that because the Council holds fiscal oversight over LAPD, the study's findings must be available for public review and stakeholder engagement, and that any proposed structural changes should be evaluated openly rather than implemented without Council or community input. The file was referred to the Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committee and the Public Safety Committee. The Government Efficiency committee approved the motion as amended by Council District Seven on March 4, 2026. The Public Safety Committee concurred on April 22, 2026. The adopted recommendation focuses on the second directive — instructing the Chief of Police to report on any organizational changes being considered — rather than restating the initial call to transmit the study itself. The full Council adopted the item on May 5, 2026, by a vote of 14-0-1. The file is now closed, with the Chief of Police on record as being instructed to report back to Council on any structural changes stemming from the RAND findings.

Activity (8)

• 2026-05-05 Council action final.
• 2026-05-05 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2026-05-01 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 5, 2026.
• 2026-04-22 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-04-17 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on April 22, 2026.
• 2026-03-04 Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committee approved as amended .
• 2026-02-27 Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on March 4, 2026.
• 2025-06-17 Motion referred to Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committee; Public Safety Committee.

Documents (7)

• 2026-05-06 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-05-05 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-04-22 Report from Public Safety and Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committees · report
• 2026-04-22 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-03-04 Communication from Council District 7 - Amendment · other
• 2026-03-04 Transmittal Letter to Public Safety Committee · transmittal
• 2025-06-17 Motion · motion