Brief

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky moved to adopt a Capital Improvement Plan focused on public right-of-way projects, co-seconded by Hernandez, Jurado, and Raman. The motion passed the Public Works and Government Operations committees in early September 2025 and was adopted by Council on September 30, 2025, by a vote of 13-0-2. The Bureau of Engineering submitted implementation documents in July 2026, currently under review in the Public Works Committee.

Full summary

This Council File establishes a new framework for how Los Angeles plans, selects, and delivers public infrastructure projects, with the Bureau of Engineering (BOE) designated as the lead agency for a formal citywide Capital Improvement Program. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky introduced the motion, co-seconded by Hernandez, Jurado, and Raman, as a legislative complement to Mayor Bass's Executive Directive 9, which created the Capital Planning Steering Committee (CPSC) to reorganize the city's infrastructure planning functions. The motion directed three specific reforms, all of which BOE detailed in its July 2026 report. First, it establishes a standardized Capital Project Intake Process requiring all non-proprietary city departments to submit project requests through BOE via the city's Universal Project Reporting System. Projects move through a defined sequence: an Initiation Phase in which departments submit a request form with scope, cost range, and asset information; an Investigation Phase in which BOE performs feasibility analysis and produces a Project Investigation Report with a cost estimate and preliminary project score; and a Pre-Design Phase that includes alternatives analysis, environmental screening, and a conceptual design before full funding is committed. A staff-level Capital Planning Oversight Group, drawing from the Mayor's Office, CAO, and infrastructure departments, serves as the approval gate between stages. Second, the file adopts seven Guiding Principles for scoring and prioritizing projects: Health and Safety, Connectivity, Accessibility, Equity, Preservation, Sustainability and Resiliency, and Economic Investment. Projects are scored against these principles at investigation and again at pre-design confirmation, with additional weight given to legal mandates, project readiness, asset condition, and corridor coordination. Third, the file directs the City Attorney to draft an ordinance amending the Los Angeles Administrative Code to replace the existing CAO-led Capital and Technology Improvement Expenditure Program with a BOE-led five-year CIP that operates independently of the annual budget cycle. The proposed ordinance would give the City Engineer authority to manage program contingencies, create project accounts, and administer the CIP, while consolidating oversight under the CPSC and discontinuing duplicative committees. BOE anticipates publishing a baseline citywide five-year CIP in early 2027; until then, new project requests will be held in queue while existing projects are reconfirmed. The motion cleared the Government Operations Committee on September 5, 2025, and the Public Works Committee on September 10, 2025, before the full Council adopted it 13-0-2 on September 30, 2025. Community Impact Statements were submitted by the Historic Highland Park, Los Feliz, and North Westwood neighborhood councils during the review period. BOE submitted its implementing report on July 9, 2026, and the file was referred back to the Public Works Committee the following day, where it currently remains pending. A related November 2026 ballot measure, approved by Council, would reestablish a Director of Public Works role that would oversee the City Engineer's CIP authority if passed by voters.

Activity (14)

• 2026-07-10 Bureau of Engineering document(s) referred to Public Works Committee.
• 2026-07-10 Document submitted by Bureau of Engineering, dated July 9, 2026.
• 2025-10-01 Council action final.
• 2025-09-30 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2025-09-26 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on September 30, 2025.
• 2025-09-19 Community Impact Statement submitted by Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council.
• 2025-09-10 Public Works Committee approved item(s) .
• 2025-09-05 Government Operations Committee approved item(s) .
• 2025-09-04 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 10, 2025.
• 2025-08-31 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council.
• 2025-08-27 Government Operations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 5, 2025.
• 2025-08-18 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
• 2025-07-10 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
• 2025-07-01 Motion referred to Government Operations Committee; Public Works Committee.

Documents (9)

• 2026-07-09 Report from Bureau of Engineering · report
• 2025-10-01 Council Action · council_action
• 2025-09-19 Community Impact Statement submitted by Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2025-09-17 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2025-09-10 Joint Government Operations and Public Works Committee Report · other
• 2025-08-31 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2025-08-18 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2025-07-10 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2025-07-01 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2025-09-30 Adopted — 13-0-2 · Regular