Brief

Councilmember Imelda Padilla's motion, seconded by John S. Lee, creates procedures for demolishing abandoned buildings that pose fire risks, requiring property owners receive notice and a final opportunity to remedy code violations before the city orders demolition. The motion passed the Public Safety Committee in April and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee in June, and is now awaiting full Council consideration.

Full summary

Councilmember Imelda Padilla's motion addresses a gap in the city's current approach to dangerous abandoned structures: the Fire Department can demolish buildings, but only does so after a fire has already started. The motion proposes studying whether LAFD could instead act proactively, tearing down high-risk abandoned structures before they become the site of a major emergency. The program would be funded by fees charged to the property owners rather than the General Fund, potentially through nuisance abatement liens or special assessments added to the property tax roll. The motion directs the Fire Department, with help from the Department of Building and Safety, the City Administrative Officer, and the City Attorney, to report on the feasibility of such a program. The report must include due process protections — specifically, owner notification and a final opportunity to abate before any demolition proceeds — as well as legally enforceable cost-recovery mechanisms. It must also evaluate the effectiveness of the existing LADBS abatement process, identify what delays or prevents timely mitigation of hazardous structures, and assess whether LAFD involvement or a joint LAFD-LADBS task force would accelerate results. On the question of which structures would qualify, the motion asks the report to define objective criteria for labeling a structure as high-risk, using proximity to Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones as one example benchmark. This framing connects the proposal directly to Los Angeles's wildfire vulnerability and the concern that unmaintained buildings near high-hazard areas can serve as ignition points or fuel sources that spread fire to adjacent properties and vegetation. Padilla introduced the motion on March 13, 2026, and it was referred to both the Public Safety Committee and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee. Community Impact Statements were submitted by the Westside Neighborhood Council and the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council in April, reflecting broad geographic interest. The Public Safety Committee approved it on April 22, and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved it on June 23 — the most recent development. The file is now positioned for a full Council vote.

Activity (7)

• 2026-06-23 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-06-18 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 23, 2026.
• 2026-04-22 Public Safety Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-04-21 Community Impact Statement submitted by Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-04-17 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on April 22, 2026.
• 2026-04-09 Community Impact Statement submitted by Westside Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-03-13 Motion referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee; Public Safety Committee.

Documents (7)

• 2026-06-23 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-04-22 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-04-22 Transmittal Letter to Planning and Land Use Management Committee · transmittal
• 2026-04-21 Community Impact Statement submitted by Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-04-09 Community Impact Statement submitted by Westside Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-03-16 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-03-13 Motion · motion