We, the ComptonCompton, California

Loading

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

city council4h 23mtranslated

Reading Detailed

↗ Agenda PDF ↗ Packet PDF

Still in progress

This meeting hasn't been fully processed yet. You can watch the video and read what's here — we're still adding sections as we work through the archive.

✓ Video✓ Transcript✓ Translation✓ Agenda○ Votes✓ Q&A○ Moments

What Happened

The Compton City Council adopted the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, which includes approximately $30 million for the sheriff's contract, new street sweepers, a vacuum truck, and a community services manager position for homeless outreach that has gone unfilled for two years despite being budgeted. The council approved $600,000 in federal HOME ARP funds to formally partner with HOPICS for homeless supportive services for the first time and authorized $2.03 million to purchase four ambulances and one paramedic squad for the fire department. The council voted to pause its membership in the California Cities for Self Reliance Joint Powers Authority after discovering the JPA had not actually joined a critical lawsuit challenging the state's ban on blackjack-style card games, potentially jeopardizing casino revenue. During discussion of extending contracts with eight outside law firms, Councilmember Bowers raised conflict-of-interest concerns about council members voting on a firm's contract after accepting holiday gifts from that firm, prompting a public exchange with the city's special legal counsel about Form 700 reporting requirements.

Meeting Sections

Call to Order

0:13:10

The regular City Council meeting for June 23rd was called to order at 4:33 PM.

Watch this section ▶

Roll Call

0:13:25

Roll call was taken with four council members present, establishing a quorum. One council member was absent.

Watch this section ▶

Closed Session and Subsequent Items

0:14:39

The council recessed into closed session to discuss five items including a City Controller position, multiple lawsuits, and anticipated litigation.…

Watch this section ▶

Public Comments on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items

1:51:44

Residents spoke on a range of issues including a 13-year code enforcement complaint about marijuana smoke from a neighboring property, speeding and…

Watch this section ▶

Consent Calendar Approval

2:35:07

The consent calendar was approved, including a $126,637 purchase order for NeoGov HR software services. One item was pulled for separate discussion…

Watch this section ▶

Republic Services Tax Roll Public Hearing

2:40:42

The council voted to schedule a public hearing on July 7th regarding delinquent solid waste charges to be placed on the LA County tax roll. One…

Watch this section ▶

Gaming JPA Membership Pause

2:45:25

The council voted to pause the city's $37,500 annual membership in a gaming joint powers authority (JPA) after discovering the JPA had not formally…

Watch this section ▶

Budget Adoption and Fire Equipment Purchase

2:57:24

The council approved two cardiac defibrillators for the fire department ($148,423) and adopted the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget. Budget discussion…

Watch this section ▶

Legal Services Contract Extensions

3:18:41

The council approved one-year extensions for eight outside law firms providing legal services to the city, reduced from twelve firms the previous…

Watch this section ▶

Fire Department Ambulance Purchase

3:30:15

The council approved $2,034,684 to purchase four ambulances and one paramedic squad vehicle for the fire department. The fire chief explained the…

Watch this section ▶

EV Charging Station Permitting Ordinance

3:35:30

The council approved on second reading an ordinance establishing a streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations, as required…

Watch this section ▶

Homeless Services Funding Through HOPICS

3:49:50

The council approved $600,000 in federal HOME ARP funds to contract with HOPICS for homeless outreach and supportive services — the first time the…

Watch this section ▶

Council Member Comments and Announcements

4:03:13

Council members shared updates including requests for environmental impact reviews of World Oil and industrial truck traffic, an upcoming expungement…

Watch this section ▶

Adjournment

4:22:36

The meeting was adjourned at 8:43 PM. The next council meeting is scheduled for July 7, 2026.

Watch this section ▶

Agenda Items

Item 4Consent

Approval of City Council Minutes — July 1, 2025

Item 5Consent

Purchase Order with NEOGOV for HR Software Services — $126,637.06

Item 6Consent

Tax Transfer Resolution for LAFCO Reorganization — Compton Creek Mosquito Abatement District

Item 7Action

Receive and File: Resignation Letter of Adriana Orozco

Item 8Action

Schedule Public Hearing on Solid Waste Charges and Delinquencies for Tax Roll Collection

Item 9Discussion

Consideration of City Membership in California Cities for Self-Reliance JPA

Item 10Action

Professional Services Agreement with Empowering Reach Foundation Using HOME-ARP Funds — $870,446.12

Item 11Action

Purchase Agreement with ZOLL Medical for Two Cardiac Monitors/Defibrillators — $148,422.99

Item 12Action

Adoption of City Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027

Item 13Action

Amend Resolution to Extend Legal Services Retainer Agreements for FY 2026-2027

Item 14Action

Purchase Four Type I Ambulances and One Paramedic Squad for Fire Department — $2,034,683.83

Item 15Action

Ordinance Establishing Expedited Permitting for EV Charging Stations — Second Reading

Item 16Action

Professional Services Agreement with HOPICS for Supportive Services Using HOME-ARP Funds — $600,000

Closed Session — Legal Matters

Cases the council discussed in closed session. The public agenda only lists "Closed Session"; these specifics come from the agenda packet. Litigation tracker →

Item 3Legal

Closed Session: Anticipated Litigation — Significant Exposure in Two Cases

The City Council will meet in closed session to confer with legal counsel regarding anticipated litigation where the City has significant exposure in two cases, pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(e)(1) or (d)(2) and (e)(1).

Item 1Legal

Closed Session: Public Employment — City Controller

The City Council will meet in closed session to discuss a personnel matter related to the position of City Controller, pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1).

Item 2Legal

Existing Litigation: City of Compton v. TimeLa (Case No. 22CMCV00339)

The City Council will meet in closed session to confer with legal counsel regarding existing litigation in the case City of Compton v. TimeLa, Case No. 22CMCV00339, pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(c) and (d)(1).

Every bit helps. Consider supporting us with a membership or a coffee so we can transcribe more meetings and keep building the platform.

Support the project →

Questions Asked · 27

infrastructure

Can the city provide updates on where security cameras were installed and results of the evaluation process?

114:19

Can the city install bus benches with covers on Long Beach Boulevard and add traffic lights on Temple Street to slow speeding traffic?

119:21

finance

Why is the station captain's salary not listed under contracted law enforcement positions in the public safety budget?

114:19

How many firefighters, captains, and other personnel does the fire department have?

114:19

Is the NEOGov contract amount $126,637 or $168,214?

158:28

Year two costs $126,637 and year three increases to $168,214 as initial discounts expire; costs should not increase significantly beyond that.

What page contains the Sheriff's Department organizational chart?

170:16

Staff indicated they do not have an actual organizational chart for the Sheriff's Department and are working with the sheriff to develop one; salary breakdowns are on pages 136-138.

Why hasn't the Sheriff's Department provided an organizational chart showing the $30 million in budgeted salaries?

171:26

The Sheriff's Department was asked to provide an organizational chart but has not yet submitted one; staff is working with the sheriff to develop it.

How could pausing Compton's JPA membership affect the city in the long term?

175:45

Why is the Community Services Manager position on the organizational chart but not on the personnel summary page?

179:27

The budget officer acknowledged this as an oversight. The position is in the budget and will be added to the personnel summary in the final printed document following a council amendment.

What is the proposed salary for the Community Services Manager position?

181:35

The salary was not available at the time of the meeting, but staff indicated they were conducting a class and compensation survey to determine appropriate compensation.

Why is this the first time the city is funding Hopix when they have been operating in Compton for some time?

233:40

Hopix has been present in Compton, but the city has never previously invested city resources into any homeless services. This $600,000 funding agreement is the first direct city investment after Hopix's previous HUD funding was ending and they faced closure.

governance

Will Republic Services be present to address this public hearing?

163:29

Yes, they will be invited and told to be here as it is in their best interest.

Does Republic Services need city council approval to place the tax on the tax roll?

163:56

Yes, the council must approve and open a hearing before the collection process can proceed.

Why didn't Compton file to be included in the lawsuit against the California Bureau of Gaming Control?

170:12

Staff stated they lack historical background on why the JPA didn't file, but the JPA submitted a letter to the court. Mayor Street indicated the JPA requested to be part of the lawsuit but had not received written confirmation of inclusion as of the meeting date.

What was confirmed on June 22nd regarding the JPA's status in the lawsuit?

172:49

Staff confirmed that the letter submitted by the JPA on June 5th did not qualify to make them a party to the lawsuit, as confirmed through opposition motions filed as recently as June 22nd.

Can you explain what this legal services contract extension item is about?

199:51

The item extends current contracts with eight law firms providing civil, small claims, employment law, and research services to the city for one year. These contracts were set to expire on June 30, 2026, reduced from 12 firms in 2024.

Should council members who received expensive gifts from law firms recuse themselves from voting on legal services contracts?

202:04

If council members reported gifts on Form 700 and complied with reporting requirements, they may vote. If they received gifts and did not report them, they should recuse themselves to avoid conflicts of interest.

At what point will the city significantly reduce the number of contracted law firms?

206:32

Once the city hires a city attorney and goes to bid for one supplemental law firm contract, most of these firms will be eliminated. The current extensions are necessary to maintain active litigation support.

If a council member receives a gift during an election year, can they vote on related items?

208:54

No, council members are not supposed to vote on items related to gifts received during an election year, though there are specific monetary thresholds that apply.

public safety

Do we need four votes on this ambulance purchase item?

211:21

Yes, for this item you would need four votes.

Why are we purchasing four ambulances and one paramedic squad if we were phasing out paramedic squads?

211:54

The Fire Chief explained that paramedic squads are not being phased out. Paramedics respond in squads while EMT-equipped ambulances handle transport, preventing paramedics from being stuck at hospitals and allowing them to return to service.

community

Who should I contact in the code enforcement office to resolve ongoing noise and marijuana smoke issues from a neighboring property?

112:10

Council directed resident to speak with Mr. Ward, Director of Public Safety, who could assist with the matter.

What programs or jobs can the city provide for out-of-school youth during summer to keep them engaged?

119:21

What updates and effectiveness measures do we have for homeless services, and why haven't we seen major impact despite continued funding?

230:54

This is the first time the city has directly funded homeless services. Hopix has been operating in Compton but without city funding until now. In 2025, 95 people were sheltered compared to zero in 2024, showing increased effectiveness through Hopix's interim and permanent housing programs.

Will Hopix be able to get the homeless person sleeping in the alley off Caldwell into services?

237:48

Hopix has outreach teams that engage street-based homeless multiple times, bring them to the access center for triage, and connect them to interim and permanent housing based on their needs.

Does Hopix have mental health services available for homeless individuals?

238:30

Yes, Hopix offers street medicine and health services as part of their comprehensive support programs.

How do residents contact Hopix if they need to refer someone for homeless services?

238:36

Residents can use LA HOP (Homeless Outreach Portal), a public-facing website to submit outreach requests, or contact Hopix outreach teams directly. Hopix teams work with elected officials, Compton College, and community referrals.

Watch the full meeting with interactive transcript

Thank you for supporting We, the Compton

We have a lot more transcribing to do. Every meeting made accessible helps Compton residents stay informed.

If you can't subscribe right now, totally fine — please consider supporting our one-person project with a coffee.

Buy me a coffee

buymeacoffee.com