Brief

The Mayor's office submitted a corrected settlement agreement with Independent Living Center of Southern California and others regarding accessibility failures at Harmony Gates, an affordable housing project. The agreement requires the development to undertake retrofits to meet disability-access standards and establishes a voluntary compliance framework. The Housing and Homelessness Committee approved the item in April 2026, and Council adopted it unanimously 10-0 on May 1, 2026. The Mayor signed it by May 18, making the settlement final.

Full summary

This file resolves a civil-rights dispute over accessibility barriers at Harmony Gates, an affordable housing development at 5220 Harmony Avenue, and authorizes city financing to fund the required physical upgrades. Independent Living Center of Southern California and other advocates had challenged the project for failing to meet disability-access standards. Rather than proceed to litigation, the parties negotiated an amended corrected settlement agreement, which the Mayor submitted to Council in February 2026. The core financial action authorized by this file is a city loan of $2,774,222.29 to Wahmony Gates, LP, the legal owner of Harmony Gates, drawn from the city's Accessible Housing Loan Retrofit Program fund. The Los Angeles Housing Department was authorized to negotiate and execute the loan and regulatory agreements governing the retrofit work. The city's loan is subordinated to any conventional or municipally funded loans on the property, as is standard for this type of financing. The $2.77 million commitment represents roughly 23 percent of the $12 million allocated citywide for the Accessible Housing Loan Retrofit Program in Fiscal Year 2025-26. The City Administrative Officer confirmed no additional General Fund impact. The Los Angeles Housing Department prepared the financing framework and transmitted it to the Housing and Homelessness Committee in mid-February 2026. The City Administrative Officer submitted a separate report in early April, and the Committee approved the full package at a special meeting on April 10, with Council members Raman, Blumenfield, and McOsker voting yes. The item moved to full Council, which adopted it 10-0 on May 1, 2026. The Mayor received the measure and finalized it by the May 18 deadline. The file is now closed, with the loan agreements and accessibility retrofit obligations in effect.

Activity (10)

• 2026-05-19 Council action final.
• 2026-05-06 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is May 18, 2026.
• 2026-05-01 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2026-04-28 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 1, 2026.
• 2026-04-10 Housing and Homelessness Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-04-09 Housing and Homelessness Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on April 10, 2026.
• 2026-04-01 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.
• 2026-04-01 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated April 1, 2026.
• 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Housing Department document(s) referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.
• 2026-02-11 Document submitted by the Mayor, Los Angeles Housing Department report dated January 26, 2026.

Documents (5)

• 2026-05-18 Mayor Concurrence/Council Action · other
• 2026-05-01 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-04-10 Report from Housing and Homelessness Committee · report
• 2026-04-01 Report from City Administrative Officer · report
• 2026-01-26 Report from Los Angeles Housing Department · report