Covina homes cleared on appeal; Lennox townhouses sent back for talks

The Board opened with ceremonial scrolls, no votes taken. Honorees were LA Opera's new music director; the winners of the county's 39th annual Productivity and Quality Awards for projects by county departments; Second District community members for Hispanic Heritage Month; the retiring longtime leader of the nonprofit Peace Over Violence, for Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and Sanrio and the LA County Library for a Hello Kitty and Friends library card campaign. Before that the Board recognized the rabbi who gave the invocation and the Navy sailor who led the pledge. At the start the chair noted that Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) was absent and that a quorum was present. 00:11:59

• A supervisor recognized the appointment of LA Opera's new music director 00:14:44
• A supervisor said her office partnered with LA Opera on a free simulcast of Carmen at a park in Hacienda Heights 00:16:52
• A supervisor explained that the Productivity and Quality Awards judge county department projects on how much they improved service to residents 00:28:03
• The Quality and Productivity Commission's chair presented the commission chair's leadership award to the director of the Department of Mental Health, citing the Hollywood 2.0 project 00:33:39
• A supervisor said that after a motion she introduced, a permanent business interruption fund is being organized for small businesses in future disasters 00:37:43
• A supervisor announced that the top Golden Eagle award went to Care Camp, a Parks and Recreation trauma-informed relief program set up after the Eaton fire 00:38:45
• A supervisor honored Second District community members for Hispanic Heritage Month 00:43:09
• A supervisor honored the retiring head of Peace Over Violence for 45 years of service to the organization 00:50:45
• A supervisor said the LA County Library became the first library ever to partner with Sanrio 01:09:27
• A supervisor reported that the library handed out more than 36,000 cards over the launch weekend and saw circulation rise 43% 01:10:29
• A supervisor said nearly 60,000 Hello Kitty and Friends cards have gone out so far, with a third release set for November 10 01:11:33

This was a scheduled progress report from the Jail Closure Implementation Team on closing Men's Central Jail, which the Board requested on April 9, 2024. At the Chief Executive Officer's request it was put off to January 26, 2027, so the Board heard no update on the jail's closure at this meeting. 01:16:24

• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) moved, Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) seconded, approval of the agenda as read, including the requested continuances. Result: continued. 01:17:33

• The clerk read the Chief Executive Officer's request to continue the item to January 26, 2027 01:16:24

This is a resolution to end the local health emergency declared after the January 2025 windstorm and fires. According to the agenda it has been continued from meetings on June 9, June 16, July 14, August 4, September 1 and September 29, 2026. At Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District)'s request it was continued again, to November 24, 2026, so the emergency stays in place for now. 01:16:24

• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) moved, Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) seconded, approval of the agenda as read, including the requested continuances. Result: continued. 01:17:33

• The clerk read Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District)'s request to continue the item to November 24, 2026 01:16:24

Four closed-session matters were on the agenda, and with CS-2 continued, the Board met privately on three: CS-1, CS-3 and CS-4. CS-1 was existing litigation, United States v. State of California (federal case 2:26-cv-12025). CS-2 was anticipated litigation (one case), which County Counsel asked to continue to November 10, 2026. CS-3 was labor negotiations with county unions, led by the Chief Executive Officer. CS-4 was a consultation with County Counsel and the Sheriff on a threat to public services or facilities. One remote caller came on during closed-session comment but said the call was meant for item 2. 01:22:24

• Continuance of CS-2 to November 10, 2026, approved with the agenda on a motion by Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District), seconded by Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem). Result: continued. 01:17:33
• Closed session items CS-1, CS-3 and CS-4. Result: no action. 02:41:30

• The clerk read County Counsel's request to continue CS-2 two weeks 01:16:24

The Board approved these items in a single vote with no discussion. They include a retroactive fee waiver for a Malibu race; $600,000 more for the aquatic center named for Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair), plus a fence contract; up to $3,000,000 for Foothill Transit to buy zero-emission buses; continued emergency contracting for recovery from the January 2025 fires; a ground lease and a $15,000,000 National Park Service grant for Puente Hills Landfill Park; temporary authority for the Sheriff to contract for fleet maintenance; and data and coordinated-entry agreements with the City of Los Angeles for the homeless services system. Before the vote, the clerk disclosed that Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) had received more than $500 in contributions within the past twelve months from a party to item 3. She returned the portion over $500 so she could take part. 02:41:30

• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) moved, Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) seconded, approval of items 3 through 5, 7, 8 and 11-A through 11-C. Result: passed. 02:46:47

• The clerk disclosed that Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) returned the part of a contribution over $500 from a party to item 3 so she could participate 01:16:24

This was a public hearing on the Year Six spending plan for Care First and Community Investment (CFCI), the county's fund for direct community investment and alternatives to incarceration. The agenda puts the plan at $69,500,000. It decides which programs get money, including services meant to keep people out of jail, housing stability, immigration legal help, and small-business capital. Per the agenda, the item also gives departments broad contracting authority to carry out the plan. It also moves $450,000 in ongoing funding from Public Health to LA Health Services, putting the full $900,000 for overdose-prevention drop-in centers under LA Health Services. 02:47:05

• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) moved, Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) seconded, approval of the Year Six spending plan and related actions. Result: passed. 03:01:51

• A supervisor said the 2020 vote on Measure J showed voters wanted the county to invest in communities rather than incarceration 02:48:33
• A supervisor said all $11 million in new ongoing funding goes to closing Men's Central Jail, expanding diversion and treatment-navigation programs 02:48:33
• A supervisor backed more than $12 million for housing stability, including emergency rent help and guaranteed income for formerly incarcerated residents 02:49:35
• A supervisor backed $3.7 million for Represent LA immigration legal services, which she called the final allocation and said brings its total to about $11 million 02:49:35
• A supervisor backed $5 million to widen access to capital for small and minority-owned businesses 02:49:35
• A supervisor called the CFCI advisory committee a model of co-governance between community members and county departments 02:51:02
• A supervisor raised concern that more than $43 million in earlier CFCI funds went unspent and must be reallocated 02:52:07
• County staff said part of the unspent money was county departments' underspending, from late starts in contracting and hiring contract staff 02:52:55
• County staff said 16 county departments now get CFCI money across roughly 85 to 90 programs 02:52:55
• County staff explained that reallocated one-time funds go out as 36-month allocations, giving departments three years to spend them 02:54:30
• A supervisor asked how the county evaluates whether CFCI investments actually advance alternatives to incarceration 02:55:56
• County staff said staff now give quarterly reports to the Board and stakeholders using department data 02:56:37
• County staff said staff will seek an independent evaluator and plan to hire a dedicated data scientist 02:57:37
• A supervisor urged that impact data be available for all county investments, especially as resources tighten 02:58:29

Neighbors appealed the Regional Planning Commission's approval of a project at 5034 Clydebank Avenue, in the unincorporated Covina area of the East San Gabriel Valley. The developer, RC Homes, plans 104 detached condominiums on an 8.5-acre former elementary school site owned by the Azusa Unified School District. Sixteen homes would be set aside as affordable for-sale units at the lower income level. Per the agenda, the project also includes more than 100,000 cubic yards of grading and the removal of two non-heritage oak trees. Neighbors who conditionally supported the project said its two street exits are already congested and demanded traffic and emergency-access fixes. County staff said the state Housing Accountability Act bars the Board from denying or shrinking the project without specific, quantifiable public health or safety impacts. The Board's vote decided whether the homes can be built. 03:01:59

• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) moved, Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) seconded, to close the hearing, uphold the CEQA statutory exemption, deny the appeal, affirm the Commission's approval with its findings and conditions, and request a written report in two years from Regional Planning with Fire, Public Works, LACDA and the Department of Economic Opportunity. Result: passed. 03:37:53

• A supervisor chose to hear from the appellant's and the applicant's representatives before asking questions 03:03:05
• County staff said the Board cannot legally deny or downsize the project unless it finds specific, unavoidable, quantifiable harm to public health or safety 03:17:50
• County staff said the school district owns the land and is selling it to RC Homes, with no county role in the sale 03:19:43
• County staff said the project is consistent with the East San Gabriel Valley area plan and that no evidence of disqualifying impacts exists 03:20:42
• County staff confirmed that 16 of the 104 homes are affordable for-sale units that count toward the county's housing element goals 03:21:55
• County staff said the developer included the affordable units from the start in order to get density bonus units 03:22:19
• County staff said the project's added trips fell below the vehicle-miles-traveled threshold, so no further traffic study could be required 03:23:10
• County staff said Public Works will make short- and long-term changes, including signal timing and new neighborhood access points 03:24:20
• County staff said phase one of the separate Lark Ellen Avenue median project should be finished by year's end, weather permitting 03:25:00
• County staff said phase two, which could add community access points, is scheduled to start construction in summer 2029 03:26:14
• County staff said the site is not in any high fire hazard severity zone 03:27:07
• County staff said the project's street and driveway widths meet all fire and life-safety codes, and Fire has no issues with it 03:27:47
• A supervisor said her staff attended two applicant-hosted community meetings with close to 100 attendees at each 03:28:18
• A supervisor noted the project adds more than 6,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space 03:30:31
• A supervisor said she expects the developer to market the affordable units early to surrounding communities, within fair housing law 03:30:31
• A supervisor said she expects the developer to work with the Department of Economic Opportunity on local hiring for construction jobs 03:31:33
• A supervisor noted the Planning Commission approved the project 4-1, with her own commissioner dissenting over the lack of a traffic study 03:33:29
• County staff said the project was screened out of further traffic review because its new trips fell under the county's limit 03:34:21
• County staff confirmed that Fire must sign off on any project that meets all applicable codes and laws 03:35:29
• County staff said the Housing Accountability Act does not override the county's oak tree rules, so the applicant still needs a permit and mitigation 03:36:01

This was open comment on matters within the Board's jurisdiction that weren't on the agenda. The largest group of speakers, about ten, were Universal Studios Hollywood food service workers. Others raised Eaton fire accountability, delays in emergency rental assistance, funding for a worker health program, and Metrolink service cuts. 03:38:20

• A supervisor said she knows about a resident's animal permit issue and that her office and Animal Care and Control have been in touch 03:43:49
• A supervisor directed a housing operator seeking rental assistance payments to county housing staff in the room 03:52:17

• Items approved together: two remote speakers, from Foothill Transit and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, supported item 5's zero-emission bus funding, citing bus rapid transit corridors and the 2028 Olympics. One caller opposed items 5, 6 and 11-A, calling the buses a waste of money.
• Item 1 (CFCI spending plan): one caller opposed it, objecting to spending on immigrants and making partisan remarks.
• Item 2 (Clydebank project): the appellant's representative and about four other neighbors spoke. They said they conditionally support the project but presented a list of safety demands. These were a traffic signal at one neighborhood exit, opening some closed-off streets for emergency access, a developer-funded safety package, removing part of the Lark Ellen bike lane, and rejecting the 27-unit density bonus beyond a 77-unit base until their safety demands are addressed. They cited their own traffic counts and wait times of 10 to 12 minutes to get onto Lark Ellen at rush hour.
• Item 2: a representative of the applicant, RC Homes, asked the Board to uphold the approval. The representative cited the 16 affordable homes, new sidewalks and a pocket park, money for the school district from the sale, and a planned job and trade fair. Four public speakers also supported the project: from the Transit Coalition, Abundant Housing LA, a regional housing group, and the Building Industry Association of Southern California. One caller withdrew.
• General comment: about ten Universal Studios Hollywood food service workers asked the Board to press Universal to 'do the right thing.' They cited worker survey figures on hunger, hot kitchens, understaffing, cut hours, and homelessness among staff.
• General comment: one Altadena resident asked for a public hearing on Fire Department leadership and accountability for the Eaton fire. The resident said more than 1,100 people had signed a petition calling for the fire chief's resignation.
• General comment: a housing operator asked for faster processing of county emergency rental assistance applied for in February. A worker-safety advocate asked for $2.3 million in bridge funding for the Public Health Councils program, saying its funding ends November 1 because Measure ER money is tied up in a lawsuit. A San Gabriel Valley caller urged more funding to prevent Metrolink service cuts.
• General comment: a Pasadena homelessness official speaking in public comment offered support as the county takes over lead roles for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care. Other speakers raised an animal permit for senior dogs, personal employment, shelter and immigration hardships, a self-declared candidacy, health care, and medical examiner reporting. One caller praised Rowland Heights community figures and made partisan remarks.

• Item 6, the Men's Central Jail closure progress report, is continued to January 26, 2027.
• Item 9, ending the local health emergency for the January 2025 fires, is continued to November 24, 2026.
• Closed session item CS-2 (anticipated litigation) is continued to November 10, 2026.
• The November 3, 2026 meeting is canceled for Election Day; the next regular meeting is November 10, 2026 at 9:30 a.m.
• Clydebank project: Regional Planning, with Fire, Public Works, LACDA and the Department of Economic Opportunity, is to give the Board a written report in two years. It will cover the project's public benefits, the Lark Ellen improvement project, marketing of the 16 affordable units to local residents, and local hiring for construction.
• Public Works said phase one of the Lark Ellen Avenue median project should be finished by the end of the year, weather permitting, and that phase two construction is scheduled to start in summer 2029, with community meetings on new access points.
• CFCI: staff said they will solicit an independent evaluator and plan to hire a data scientist; quarterly reports to the Board continue.
• Item 11-B: per the supplemental agenda, the Sheriff and the Chief Executive Officer are to report to the Board every four months until a long-term fleet solution is in place.
• The third release of Hello Kitty and Friends library cards is set for Tuesday, November 10.

The commission opened its October 28 hearing with a land acknowledgment, roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance. After the roll call, a quorum was declared, and all five commissioners voted during the meeting. 00:00:01

A routine vote to approve the day's agenda. 00:03:02

• Motion to approve the agenda. Result: passed, 5-0. 00:03:19

A routine vote to approve the minutes of the commission's October 14, 2026 meeting. 00:03:19

• Motion to approve the October 14 minutes. Result: passed, 5-0. 00:03:32

County Counsel read the rules of conduct for the meeting. Comments have to stay on topic, and speakers who disrupt the meeting can lose the right to speak or be disconnected. 00:03:47

• County staff said the online chat is only for signing up to speak and that commissioners don't review it during the meeting 00:04:51

Staff reported that on October 27 the Board of Supervisors heard an appeal of the Clydebank project, which the commission had approved on September 2. The project is 104 detached condominiums on a former Azusa Unified School District site in unincorporated Covina. The appeal centered partly on Lark Ellen Avenue, about a thousand feet away. The Board denied the appeal and upheld the commission's approval. 00:05:26

• County staff reported that the Board of Supervisors held an appeal hearing the day before on a subdivision the commission had considered on September 2 00:05:29
• County staff said the school district's property was sold, or will be sold, to RC Homes, and that the county wasn't involved in the sale 00:06:30
• County staff said Public Works described a separate phase-two bike lane project on Lark Ellen Avenue, with construction expected to start around summer 2029 00:07:37
• County staff reported that the Board voted 4-0, with one supervisor absent, to deny the appeal and uphold the commission's approval 00:07:37

The clerk explained how to comment over Zoom or by phone, and swore in the people who planned to testify on the hearing items. 00:08:26

Project No. 2020-000366-(3), continued from April 29, 2026 (agenda). The proposal is to split 4.71 acres (agenda) zoned A-1-2 into two single-family lots, with a conditional use permit for building in a Hillside Management Area and a Significant Ecological Area, in the Santa Monica Mountains Planning Area. A hearing officer had denied the application because it had sat inactive, and the applicant appealed. Granting the appeal means the county will keep processing the application. The project itself has not been approved. 00:09:44

• Pam O'Connor (Commissioner) moved to grant the appeal, overturn the hearing officer's denial for inactivity, and direct the applicant to work with staff to complete the conditional use permit and the environmental review. Result: passed, 5-0. 00:13:03

• County staff reported that since April the applicant has filed a revised tentative map and a wastewater feasibility report, and that both have cleared 00:09:56
• County staff said the applicant legalized an accessory dwelling unit and removed cargo containers to clear a notice of violation 00:10:58
• County staff said the next steps are the environmental review and the Significant Ecological Area permit, after which the project returns to the commission for a decision 00:10:58
• County staff recommended granting the appeal because the applicant has shown an earnest commitment to moving the project forward 00:10:58
• A speaker thanked the commission, speaking for the applicant, for the extra time granted at the last hearing 00:12:06

Project No. PRJ2024-003848-(2), in the 2nd District, South Bay Planning Area. The applicant asked to split one 0.8-net-acre lot into four. Lots 1 to 3 would each keep an existing duplex, and Lot 4 would get 12 new three-story, for-sale townhouse condominiums in two buildings. Under the density bonus ordinance, three units would be set aside as affordable: one existing rental at the lower income level, one new for-sale condo at the lower income level, and one at the moderate income level. In exchange, the applicant sought waivers that reduce setbacks, lot area and lot width. The site is directly across the street from Jefferson Elementary School. Residents, the school's principal and the Lennox School District superintendent raised concerns about traffic and safety at drop-off and pickup, parking, privacy, and the developer's lack of outreach. The commission did not decide the project. It continued the hearing to January 6, 2027, so the applicant can meet with the school and neighbors. 00:13:17

▶ Hear it Did the developer reach out to the neighbors first? · 0:35

• A commissioner moved to continue Project No. PRJ2024-003848 to January 6, 2027. Result: continued, 5-0. 01:05:14

• County staff described the request: four lots on 0.8 net acre, three of them keeping existing two-family homes, and one multifamily lot with 12 new condominiums 00:13:40
• County staff said each new unit has a two-car garage and there are two uncovered guest spaces, 26 parking spaces in all 00:16:51
• County staff said setting aside three affordable units earns three density bonus units, for 18 in all, and the Los Angeles County Development Authority will monitor the affordable units 00:17:54
• County staff listed waivers for Lots 1 to 3: the front setback reduced from 20 to 19 feet and the rear setback from 15 to 5 feet 00:17:54
• County staff said the minimum lot area drops from 5,000 to no less than 4,385 square feet and the lot width from 50 to no less than 42 feet 00:17:54
• County staff corrected a typo in the documents: the townhouses are 29 feet 11 inches tall, not 26 feet, still under the zone's 35-foot limit 00:18:56
• A commissioner asked how long the affordable rental unit has to stay affordable 00:20:45
• County staff said the rental unit's affordability term is set through the Development Authority and is believed to be 55 years 00:20:55
• A commissioner asked whether any community outreach had been done 00:24:57
• The applicant said outreach was limited to mailed flyers and notices and that no one responded 00:25:00
• A commissioner asked what protections existing tenants have and whether construction would affect their occupancy 00:25:37
• The applicant said the existing duplexes won't be affected and will become separate parcels 00:25:50
• A commissioner asked how the design considers the privacy of neighboring properties 00:26:04
• The applicant said privacy concerns could be addressed as long as the building code is met 00:26:20
• A commissioner asked whether construction scheduling would account for the effects on the school 00:27:27
• The applicant argued that the project driveway doesn't line up with the school entrance and that the site is in a major transit zone, so little traffic would be added 00:28:05
• The applicant said the townhomes' rear setback is 20 feet to make room for guest parking, and the duplexes are 5 feet from the property line 00:29:55
• A commissioner urged the applicant to consider substantial landscape buffering to protect neighbors' privacy from the roughly 30-foot buildings 00:30:12
• A commissioner said it was concerning that the applicant hadn't worked with the neighborhood before seeking approval 00:31:40
• The applicant said in rebuttal that the notice sign was posted on a permanent fence as required and is fully visible 00:53:56
• The applicant suggested having residents turn right, away from the school, and timing construction truck trips to reduce the impact 00:54:56
• The applicant offered to bring construction trucks in before or after hours 00:55:57
• The applicant offered frosted glass to address privacy for the two neighboring properties 00:57:02
• A commissioner praised the design and the affordable units, noted the significant community comment and the lack of outreach, and asked the applicant to agree to a short continuance 00:58:12
• A commissioner said the meetings with the community were a request rather than a requirement, focused on school safety, traffic and privacy, with results to be reported back to staff 01:00:38
• A commissioner said this was the first hearing toward a limit the commissioner believed to be five in total, so a continuance was appropriate 01:00:38
• A commissioner suggested restricting parking near the school during drop-off and pickup hours, as some other cities do 01:01:57
• A commissioner noted that the 12 units could become 24 if the garages were later converted to accessory dwelling units 01:02:58
• A commissioner said state law limits what commissioners can do and supported having the applicant, the school and staff meet 01:02:58
• County staff recommended January 6 as the earliest date available on the commission's calendar 01:03:56
• The applicant noted the project has been in process for two to two and a half years but agreed to the date 01:04:07

This is the open period for comment on items not on the agenda. The clerk reported there were no public comments. 01:05:27

• The clerk reported there were no general public comments 01:05:36

A commissioner thanked the people who testified on the Condon Avenue project before the meeting adjourned to November 4, 2026. 01:05:41

• A commissioner thanked the speakers on the Condon Avenue item and called their testimony, including the superintendent's and the principal's, powerful and well organized 01:05:46
• A commissioner told the speakers they had a direct impact on what was done that day 01:05:46

• Item 11 (Lobo Canyon Road): no public speakers.
• Item 12 (10311 Condon Avenue, Lennox): about ten people testified, roughly half in person and half online (staff counted nine at the start). All raised concerns, and several said they weren't opposed to housing as such.
• Nearly every speaker cited traffic and children's safety at Jefferson Elementary, directly across the street, during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup. Two said traffic had worsened since a nearby school closed.
• Several speakers cited scarce street parking. One asked for at least two spaces per unit plus visitor parking, citing a nearby soccer field, and others noted extra cars and other nearby projects.
• Three neighbors raised privacy concerns about the three-story buildings looking into their homes and yards. One asked for offset or frosted upper windows and a traffic management plan as conditions of approval.
• Two neighbors said the developer never contacted them, and others said there had been no outreach. One parent argued the notice sign was set too far back from the street to read.
• The Jefferson Elementary principal said the school serves more than 700 K-5 students, nearly all eligible for free or reduced-price meals. He said the school learned of the project only about four weeks earlier, through the county's notice, and called for a safety investigation.
• The Lennox School District superintendent said the district doesn't oppose housing but asked that the number of units and the on-site parking be reconsidered, and that a traffic and safety analysis cover school arrival and dismissal times.
• One speaker raised a nearby high-pressure gas line. One asked that the project be scaled down. One said the area doesn't need more affordable housing.

• Item 12 (10311 Condon Avenue) returns to the commission on January 6, 2027. Before then, the applicant was asked to meet with the Jefferson Elementary principal, the Lennox School District superintendent and neighbors on school safety, traffic and privacy, and to report the results to staff. Ideas raised included right-turn-only exits, frosted glass, landscape buffers and parking limits during drop-off and pickup.
• Item 11 (31335 Lobo Canyon Road): staff will now carry out the environmental review and the Significant Ecological Area conditional use permit review, and the project will come back to the commission for a decision.
• Director's report: staff said Public Works plans a separate phase-two project on Lark Ellen Avenue, with community input and construction expected to start around summer 2029.
• The commission adjourned to Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (agenda).