Brief

Councilmember Heather Hutt moved to authorize the Los Angeles Fire Department to impose fees on nursing homes and long-term care facilities for non-emergency lift services. The motion passed the Public Safety Committee in January and was adopted by full Council on February 17, 2026, by a vote of 14-0-1. The ordinance became effective immediately. Two neighborhood councils submitted community impact statements during the process.

Full summary

This motion, introduced by Councilmember Heather Hutt with Councilmember Traci Park as second, directs the Los Angeles Fire Department, with assistance from the City Administrative Officer, to study and report on the feasibility of creating a new fee for non-emergency lift services. Specifically, the fee would be charged to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that call the LAFD to help residents who have fallen or cannot stand on their own, but who do not require medical treatment or transport. The distinction matters: these are calls where LAFD personnel are being used essentially as a physical assist rather than for any medical emergency, and the cost of those responses currently falls on the department's general budget. The motion does not itself establish the fee — it instructs LAFD and the CAO to assess whether such a fee is workable and report back. No fiscal impact analysis had been completed by either the CAO or the City Legislative Analyst at the time the Public Safety Committee approved the item. The underlying policy rationale is that nursing homes and long-term care facilities, as commercial operators responsible for resident care, should bear the cost of routine, non-medical lift assists rather than having those costs subsidized by the broader Fire Department budget. The motion was referred to the Public Safety Committee on January 14, 2026. The committee took up the item on January 28, heard public comment, and approved it unanimously among members present, with Councilmember Price absent. The City Clerk scheduled it for full Council on February 17, 2026, and Council adopted the item forthwith by a vote of 14-0-1. The action became final on February 20, 2026. Two neighborhood councils have weighed in since adoption: the Westside Neighborhood Council submitted a community impact statement on February 12, and the NoHo Neighborhood Council followed on May 14. The specific positions taken in those statements are not detailed in the available record. The file remains open pending the feasibility report from LAFD and the CAO, and expires February 13, 2028.

Activity (8)

• 2026-05-14 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-02-20 Council action final.
• 2026-02-17 Council adopted item forthwith.
• 2026-02-13 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on February 17, 2026.
• 2026-02-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by Westside Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-01-28 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-01-23 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on January 28, 2026.
• 2026-01-14 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.

Documents (7)

• 2026-05-14 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-02-20 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-02-17 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-02-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by Westside Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-02-10 Report from Public Safety Committee · report
• 2026-01-28 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-01-14 Motion · motion