Brief

The City Administrative Officer submitted the 2025-26 Fifth Construction Projects Report on April 20, 2026, detailing the status and progress of the city's capital construction initiatives. The Government Operations Committee approved all three related CAO reports (dated April 20, May 5, and May 15) on May 19, 2026, and transmitted the file to the Budget and Finance Committee for further review. The file remains pending in Budget and Finance Committee.

Full summary

The 2025-26 Fifth Construction Projects Report is a recurring submission from the City Administrative Officer that authorizes fund transfers and spending adjustments needed to keep capital improvement projects moving during the fiscal year. The core mechanism is Council authorization for the Controller to shift money between departmental accounts and capital funds — primarily MICLA (Municipal Improvement Corporation of Los Angeles) financing and the Capital and Technology Improvement Expenditure Program — to cover project shortfalls, timing gaps, and newly identified needs. The three CAO reports submitted between April 20 and May 15, 2026, address a sequence of emerging needs. The original April 20 report addressed general capital project cash flow across city departments. The May 5 addendum covered time-sensitive improvements at the Los Angeles Public Library. The May 15 second addendum — the most urgent — responds to a safety emergency at the Los Angeles Zoo's Gorilla Exhibit, where the structural framing supporting the exhibit's glass has deteriorated to the point that it poses a safety risk to animals, staff, and visitors, rendering the exhibit uninhabitable. The CAO recommends transferring $1,641,398 from MICLA Zoo capital program accounts to the General Services Department to fund emergency glass and framing replacement, with project completion estimated for December 2026. The May 15 report also asks Council to reauthorize $10,246 in MICLA funding from fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23 that expired before it could be spent, allowing those funds to be used beyond the city's standard three-year spending deadline. The CAO explains the delay was caused by the complexity of scoping, designing, and assessing the project given animal welfare requirements. The total estimated debt service on the reauthorized MICLA borrowing is approximately $17,000 over 20 years, and the CAO confirms the transaction keeps the city well within its six percent non-voter-approved debt ceiling. The Government Operations Committee approved all three CAO reports on May 19, 2026, and forwarded the file to the Budget and Finance Committee, where it remains pending. Full Council action and mayoral approval are still required to authorize the fund transfers and reauthorizations.

Activity (9)

• 2026-05-19 Government Operations Committee transmitted Council File to Budget and Finance Committee.
• 2026-05-19 Approved the recommendations of all three CAO reports on the file- 4/20/26, 5/5/26, & 5/15/26.
• 2026-05-18 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Government Operations Committee.
• 2026-05-15 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated May 15, 2026.
• 2026-05-14 Government Operations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 19, 2026.
• 2026-05-06 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Government Operations Committee.
• 2026-05-05 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated May 5, 2026.
• 2026-04-23 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Government Operations Committee.
• 2026-04-20 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated April 20, 2026.

Documents (5)

• 2026-05-19 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-19 Transmittal Letter · transmittal
• 2026-05-15 Report from City Administrative Officer · report
• 2026-05-05 Report from City Administrative Officer · report
• 2026-04-20 Report from City Administrative Officer · report