Subject: Oppose $12 Million in Outside Counsel Funding – Support Fiscal Responsibility and Housing
Dear Councilmembers,
I am deeply concerned by the frivolous spending by City leadership, particularly after the loss of federal funding for essential services and other social supports for our neighbors.
Amid these hardships, I was dismayed to learn that the City Attorney has requested more than $12 million in additional outside counsel funding (Report No. R25-0523, dated October 17, 2025), just months after a controversial $6 million was approved in August. This new request includes an additional $850,000 to continue fighting the Venice Dell Community affordable housing project–a project that the City itself has already approved. Altogether, this amounts to roughly $1.5 million spent to oppose housing our community desperately needs.
Not only that, the City Attorney’s Office has filed a suit against the nonprofit developers for Venice Dell, accusing them of failing to build the very project they are blocking. Beyond the millions in legal fees, the City stands to lose more than $10 million in damages for its efforts to block the very type of housing it has committed to build.
I support these organizations and this project because affordable housing is imperative to keep people housed in Los Angeles. Affordable housing on the westside of Los Angeles is incredibly scarce and I see the need for affordable housing every day.
We strongly urge you to reject the City Attorney’s funding request and instead take actions to ensure the City resolves this matter responsibly. Los Angeles should be investing in solutions that bring stability, affordability, and inclusion to our neighborhoods, not diverting scarce resources to fight against them.
We love our city and want to see it thrive. Please stand with us in ensuring that Los Angeles remains an inclusive, forward-looking community that honors its commitments to affordable housing and fiscal responsibility.
