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Jul 7, 2026

city council

The July 7, 2026 Compton City Council meeting was dominated by devastating public testimony from the family of Mia Bordenave Jenkins, a 19-year-old UNLV student killed in a July 4th mass shooting at the Wilmington Arms apartments, whose body was left uncovered on the ground for approximately 12 hours while officers and bystanders stepped over it. Councilwoman Duhart formally requested an Internal Affairs investigation into deputies' conduct, and the mayor directed staff to develop a community safety and violence prevention action plan. In closed session, the council accepted City Manager Willie Hopkins' resignation and appointed Acting City Manager Grooms as interim city manager at $334,070 annually (3-1 votes). The council certified the June 2026 election results 3-1 despite public objections, approved $137,170 to complete the long-overdue General Plan 2045 update, and postponed a ballot measure to permanently ban fireworks after learning no enforcement task force had been deployed on July 4th.

Jun 29, 2026

charter committee

The Compton Charter Review Committee reviewed Sections 700–713 of the city charter, covering the city clerk, treasurer, city attorney, city manager, and public safety leadership positions. A heated debate erupted when Commissioner Marquez proposed adopting Huntington Beach's in-person voter ID model, which Commissioner Lister called voter suppression and legal counsel confirmed had been ruled unconstitutional by a California appellate court. The committee recommended adding professional qualifications and certifications for the city clerk and city treasurer, establishing timelines for filling vacant appointed positions, and clarifying Measure CA's language on whether the appointed city attorney must be an individual or a law firm. Vice Chair Butler formally rescinded her earlier recommendation to reduce city council meetings from four to two. The HR director is scheduled to attend the July 6 meeting to address job descriptions and civil service questions raised throughout the session.

Jun 24, 2026

charter committee

The Compton Charter Review Committee continued its section-by-section review of the city charter, focusing on the 600 series covering city council and mayoral powers, meeting procedures, and ordinance publication. The committee voted unanimously to reopen Sections 600 and 601 for discussion, with commissioners calling for the mayor's duties to be clearly defined beyond vague 'ceremonial purposes,' citing comparable cities that include policy leadership and legislative responsibilities. Vice Chair Butler recommended reducing city council meetings from four per month to two, though Commissioner Marquez cautioned that voters recently rejected this same proposal. Commissioners also recommended reorganizing Section 606, which combines quorum rules with council powers into one dense paragraph, and called for charter language requiring ordinances and legal notices to be published on the city website and social media in addition to a clearly identified official newspaper. Section 500 on council compensation was held over to the July 6th meeting when the HR director will attend to answer pending questions.

Apr 14, 2026

city council

The council voted 2-3 to reject a travel authorization (Item 5) totaling $1,623 structured across three separate General Fund line items — $1,000, $548, and $75 — for elected officials to attend the 67th Annual Municipal Seminar in Indian Wells in May 2026, with Mayor Sharif, Spicer, and Bowers voting no and Duhart and Darden voting yes; the three-way split of expenditures for a single event is a pattern flagged in the structured agenda. A right-of-entry and access agreement with nonprofit Connecting Compton for a former landfill site at 2815–2901 West Alondra Boulevard (Item 6) was tabled 4-1 (Bowers dissenting) after council members raised concerns about soil contamination, the city's disclosure of two unresolved competing access challenges filed against the city, and the revelation that vendor NV5 holds an active city stormwater-sampling contract at the site yet has produced no reports to the council. Staff was directed to bring NV5 before the council for a full presentation, explore a request for proposals for soil site analysis, and contact the EPA directly, with all three components targeted to return by mid-May 2026. The closed session on public employee discipline — concerning the city manager currently on administrative leave — was referred to outside retained counsel Enzo Law with no additional reportable action; two members of the public addressed the closed-session item before it convened, both speaking in support of the city manager.

Feb 3, 2026

city council

The council's only spending approval was a contract with EUNA Solutions for a payment kiosk platform at three city locations: $50,220 for the first year from the General Fund, plus a renewal option of $47,970 per year — that recurring figure sits $2,030 below the $50,000 council approval threshold, and EUNA Solutions is named in both line items of the same agenda item; the vote passed via electronic ballot with no individual tally verbally stated in the record. Three law firms — Alvarez Glassman & Colvin (serving as special counsel since July 2024), Hawkins, and Le Altrejo — gave informational presentations for potential outside legal counsel and bond counsel roles, but no contract was awarded at this meeting. The council made five board and commission appointments: Gerald Griffin and Joshua Baker to the Charter Review Board (5-0 each), Delores Holbrook to the Charter Review Board (5-0), and Dr. Johnny Withers to the Olympics Tourism Committee (5-0); Brunell McDaniels was appointed to the Public Safety Committee 4-1, with Bowers dissenting. Approximately 24 members of the public addressed the council, with multiple speakers raising concerns about ICE enforcement activity in Compton, Richland Farms parking permit enforcement, and critically low fire department staffing; the city manager's performance evaluation was conducted in closed session with nothing publicly reported.

Jan 13, 2026

city council

The council's largest spending approval was a $350,000 budget amendment appropriating California DOJ tobacco enforcement grant funds — $332,000 of that amount designated for overtime — passed 4-1 with Bowers dissenting; the council also approved a $220,493 contract amendment with NV5, Inc. for the Wilmington Avenue pedestrian and bicycle project (5-0) and an $82,500 grant administration agreement with Corelink Consulting (5-0, voted in a block with items 10 and 11). Three separate consent-calendar items each totaled exactly $50,000: a purchase order to TV Pro Gear, Inc. for council meeting production equipment (5-0), a purchase order to TAJ Trading Corporation DBA TAJ Office and School Supply for small business workshop supplies (4-0-1, Bowers abstaining, after two public commenters stated the recipient businesses were not identified in the agenda package), and a purchase order to Sherwin-Williams for anti-graffiti paint (5-0, in the block vote) — three contracts at an identical dollar amount spanning different departments and vendors. The meeting also included approval of $54,716 in recurring annual fees to the State Water Resources Control Board and $9,900 in Charter Review Committee stipends (both 5-0), while the March 2025 minutes were tabled due to the packet not being included. Outside of spending, the council voted 5-0 in open session to recruit a city controller following closed session, received and filed Bishop Guillory's resignation from the Public Safety Commission (5-0), denied Commissioner Inez Adkins a six-month leave of absence (5-0), and heard competing presentations from Oliveras Madruga, Nassiman LLP, and Sanders Roberts for special legal counsel services, with no contract awarded at this meeting.

Dec 23, 2025

city council

The council's largest spending approval was $884,333 to Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Inc. for Greenleaf Parkway outdoor fitness equipment, passed 5-0; the city manager noted the contract contained a copy-paste error naming Fig & Oleander Park instead of Greenleaf Parkway and stated staff would correct it before signing. Three additional action items passed 5-0: $243,663 to Innovative Playgrounds Co., Inc. for Fig & Oleander Park playground work; $214,977 to End Point Wireless Inc. for security cameras at five parks; and $173,431 to JMC2 Engineering + Surveying for a second amendment to an engineering services agreement at the Alameda–State Route 91 corridor. On consent (5-0, no item-level discussion), the council approved $210,208 to WestNet, Inc. for a fire alerting system and $70,000 (recurring) to Waxie Enterprises for equipment and supplies; pulled from consent for separate 5-0 votes were $250,000 (recurring) to Oppenheimer Investigations Group, Norman A. Traub & Associates, and Jackson Lewis P.C. for investigation and legal services — the city manager stated existing vendors were over capacity — and $86,420 (recurring) to ESRI plus $46,359 to Versatile for GIS software, with Versatile's amount sitting just below the $50,000 council approval threshold; the State Water Resources Control Board collected $57,543 across two separate consent line items ($36,393 for a stormwater permit fee and $21,150 for a sewer overflow permit fee, both recurring). Approximately twelve members of the public addressed the council during general public comment, with multiple speakers demanding censure of Councilmember Spicer over credit card use currently under active DA investigation, several disputing the terms of the city attorney's departure settlement, and Richland Farms residents requesting postponement of preferential parking enforcement pending production of District 3 records.

Nov 4, 2025

city council workshop

The Compton City Council held a workshop on the city's $152 million unfunded pension liability, with a consultant presenting a staff proposal to pay approximately $65 million to eliminate 90% of the miscellaneous plan's debt, which would save about $42.7 million in interest and reduce the annual pension tax levy by $7.2 million (roughly 20%), potentially saving residents about $200 per year on property taxes. Public speakers, including former City Clerk Charles Davis, urged the council not to rush the decision and to hold additional workshops examining all three components of the pension tax before acting. Multiple residents also demanded that trash collection fees be removed from property tax bills, and Council Member Darden requested an investigation into whether any non-employees are improperly receiving city retirement benefits. No formal vote was taken, as this was an educational workshop only.

Nov 4, 2025

city council

The council's largest spending approval was $1.4 million to United Pacific Services, Inc. for tree trimming, passed on the consent agenda 4-0-1 (Darton abstaining) as three split line items ($700,000, $400,000, and $300,000); the city manager stated additional funds may be requested to bring the year's total to $1 million. The same 4-0-1 consent vote also approved $88,151 to Nunez Office Installation DBA NOI Installations for Water Department furniture, structured as three separate payments ($44,076, $36,989, and $7,087). The council approved a $143,270 professional services contract with The Natelson Dale Group for an economic development strategic plan, 4-0-1 (Darton abstaining), despite lower competing bids on record at $137,675 and $129,500; the firm also appears in a separate Successor Agency action item, bringing its total across both agenda items to seven line items and $440,260. A six-year lease with Fathers and Mothers Who Care — which included a $175,000 city expenditure for improvements at a city-owned property on North Alameda — was tabled with no formal vote after council members questioned whether building and safety had inspected the facility and whether the improvement terms had been adequately documented. Approximately fifteen residents spoke during public comment, with multiple speakers raising complaints about Water Department billing fees, inconsistent charges, and staff conduct.

Oct 28, 2025

city council

The two largest items on the October 28, 2025 agenda—a $65.87 million payment to CalPERS from the Retirement Trust Fund (Item 3) and a $143,270 consulting contract with The Natelson Dale Group, Inc. for an Economic Development Strategic Plan (Item 5)—were tabled before any vote was taken. The consent agenda passed 5-0, approving $50,000 to Grainger for Public Works supplies and $43,092 to Nunez Office Installation DBA NOI Installations for Water Department furniture paid from the Water Fund. A resolution declaring certain city properties surplus under the Surplus Land Act passed 5-0 with no recorded discussion; the Successor Agency adopted a parallel resolution also 5-0 in the session immediately following. The Natelson Dale Group, Inc. appears in four line items across two agenda items totaling $429,810—with amounts of $143,270, $128,360, and $14,910 in one item and $143,270 in the other—a repeat-vendor and split-payment pattern residents should track, particularly given that the transcript records no vote on either Natelson Dale item. A pre-meeting public workshop on the city's unfunded accrued pension liability was informational only and produced no spending vote; approximately six members of the public spoke, including former city clerk Charles Davis, who urged the council not to act on any pension prepayment without broader analysis of all three CalPERS fund components.

Oct 14, 2025

city council

The council's two largest direct expenditures, both approved 5-0, were $233,589 drawn from the Equipment Rental Fund balance to pay outstanding invoices owed to Toyota Material Handling Solutions, Quinn Co., and Carson Trailer Inc. — the use of fund balance to cover past-due bills signals invoices that accumulated unpaid — and $100,000 to Roadline Products, Inc. for pavement marking equipment, a round-number figure at a common purchase-order approval threshold. All consent items passed 5-0 without discussion, including a $25,000 purchase from HASA Inc. for pool chemicals and a recurring $8,459 contract renewal with ESI Employee Assistance Group. The council approved 5-0 a budget amendment accepting $1,988,847 in federal HUD HOME-ARP grant funds and scheduled a public hearing for November 18, 2025 on reallocation of CDBG and HOME funds; both are federal grant actions, not city general fund spending. The evening's largest dollar figure was an informational presentation by Matrix Consulting Group on fire department overtime costs — no spending was approved on that item, and council direction on next steps was not taken.

Oct 7, 2025

city council

The council's largest spending approvals came through the consent agenda, where Hardy & Harper, Inc. received payments and contract authorizations across four line items totaling approximately $4.89M for the completed Citywide Road Repair Project Phase VIII, and Fountainhead Consulting Corporation received a new $474,728 construction management contract for Street Rehabilitation Phase 2C — both passed 5-0 with no separate discussion. In action items, the council approved a $2.5M purchase order to the Water Replenishment District of Southern California for groundwater production assessment fees (5-0) and a $300,000 purchase order to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for imported water (5-0), with water department operations supervisor David Bennett describing both as recurring annual payments; the same two agencies together account for over $2.8M in approvals this meeting. The council also approved $600,000 in fleet gasoline purchase orders split among Jankovich Company, Dion and Sons Inc., and Wood Oil Company (5-0), though Council member Bowers requested a fuel usage breakdown on the record and the city manager stated that information had not yet been compiled due to a leadership transition. Item 11 — a $348,200 contract with BridgeBase Management LLC for the Compton Connect civic technology system — was tabled by staff before any vote was held. Approximately twelve members of the public addressed the council during general comment; one speaker, Fidel Marquez, specifically raised Item 9, noting a fuel accountability log previously requested by the council had not appeared in the agenda packet.

Sep 29, 2025

town hall

The Compton [NAACP](https://www.naacp.org) and City of Compton hosted a town hall with LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who outlined major policy reversals from his predecessor, including removing blanket non-prosecution directives for homeless encampment crimes and juvenile misdemeanors. Hochman detailed his office's priorities on fentanyl enforcement, human trafficking prosecution, wrongful conviction reviews, and retail theft deterrence, while emphasizing a 'hard middle' approach that rejects both mass incarceration and decarceration. The DA disclosed that his office has reduced a backlog of over 10,000 unfiled cases to under 6,000 and revealed that a single apartment raid in Downey seized 50 pounds of fentanyl—enough for 11 million lethal doses. Hochman stated his office does not coordinate with ICE and expressed concern that federal immigration enforcement is deterring victims and witnesses from appearing in court. He committed to an open-door policy with the Compton [NAACP](https://www.naacp.org)'s Court Watch program and pledged to return for future community engagement.

Sep 9, 2025

city council

The council's largest spending approval was an open purchase order not to exceed $75,000 to Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation for investigative and legal services, passed 5-0; the city manager stated the firm had already performed services without a contract due to 'logistical errors' and was unable to provide the outstanding prior-year invoice amount when asked — the firm appeared across three separate line items totaling $75,780, a split-payment pattern flagged in the structured agenda. A $70,670 agreement with UCLA Center for Prehospital Care for fire department nurse educator services, split across two line items ($70,560 and $110), was approved 5-0. A General Fund budget amendment passed 4-1 (Darden the sole no vote), allocating three amounts including $96,324 — flagged as sitting just below the $100,000 council approval threshold — along with $85,501 and $4,953; Darden objected to resolution sections placing city attorney-related positions within the mayor and council's budget department. The City Treasurer's fourth quarter investment report, showing $10.74M in interest earnings on a $315.56M portfolio, was received and filed 5-0 and was not a spending approval. Approximately thirteen residents addressed the council during public comment, with several raising fire department paramedic staffing shortages; the fire chief, brought forward by the city manager, disputed the severity of the staffing situation described by Battalion Chief Hernandez.

Sep 2, 2025

city council

The council's largest approved spending commitments were a $9.69M street rehabilitation contract with Palp, Inc. dba Excel Paving funded by MTA Bond Funds (5-0) and a $5.07M citywide road repair contract with Hardy & Harper, Inc. funded across Measure P, Measure M, and Measure R (5-0); Palp, Inc. dba Excel Paving is a flagged repeat vendor appearing in two agenda items totaling $20.34M on this agenda. The council also approved a $2.32M contract amendment with R2Build (dba R2B Engineering) for Tank Farm Reservoir upgrades from the Water Enterprise Fund (5-0), a $1.08M annual supply contract with Ferguson Waterworks (5-0), a $100,000 purchase order with Roadline Products, Inc. for pavement marking equipment with no council discussion (5-0), a health insurance contribution rate fix directing $2,520 and $2,409 per employee and annuitant respectively to CalPERS (5-0), and a $73,160 JAG grant budget amendment — with the city manager stating primary use will be license-plate-reader cameras — (5-0). Three items were not approved: the FY 2025-26 salary schedule budget amendment — which contains a $96,324 line item sitting just below the $100,000 approval threshold — was tabled at Council Member Duhart's request for more detail; a six-year lease with Fathers and Mothers Who Care covering $175,000 in building renovations at a city-owned property and $2,332 per month in rent was tabled after council members said the staff report lacked cost justification; and a budget amendment to direct approximately $141.82M to CalPERS for pension liability — making CalPERS a repeat vendor across four line items totaling $141.83M on this agenda — was pulled by the city manager, who said he wants to present it at a public workshop first. Nineteen residents addressed the council during public comment, with multiple speakers citing homelessness, a 6.8% property tax reassessment, deteriorating streets and missing street signs, and inconsistent street sweeping; one speaker alleged the city manager has been spending beyond the $50,000 limit set by Resolution 26100 for the past year.

Apr 22, 2025

city council

The council's largest single expenditure approval was $360,000 to LNI Custom Manufacturing, Inc. and Forms + Surfaces, Inc. for bus shelters, funded through CDBG FY21 grant dollars, passed 5-0 with no discussion. The council also approved a three-year contract with NEOGOV for HR administrative software at $499,553 total, with $204,701 authorized from the General Fund for year one (5-0); NEOGOV appears across six line items in the structured agenda materials — a flagged pattern — though the entries appear to reflect year-by-year cost breakdowns and data duplications within a single contract rather than independent agreements. Three additional expenditures passed 5-0: $111,713 to P31 Construction for the Heritage House project (CDBG FY18 funds), $30,000 to Alans Lawn and Garden Center for park equipment, and $35,000 to Roadline Products, Inc. for pavement marking materials — the structured agenda carries two separate $35,000 line items for Roadline under that same single agenda item, totaling $70,000, a split-payment pattern flagged in meeting materials. Item 6, a recurring legal services agreement with McIntyre Law Group listed at $440, was pulled by the mayor without a vote; separately, the council approved a subsequent-need resolution 5-0 appointing Aleshire and Winder LLP as special counsel with no total contract amount disclosed publicly, though the firm's managing partner stated hourly rates of $325–$375 for partners. Approximately sixteen residents spoke during public comment, raising concerns about missed trash pickups, the new law firm appointment, the contractor change at Heritage House, and opposition to any sale or redevelopment of the city's golf course.

Mar 25, 2025

city council

No new spending was approved at this meeting; both consent-agenda spending items were tabled without a vote. The city manager stated that a $272,305 expenditure to Creative Bus Sales for two Dial-A-Ride buses (FY2020 CDBG funds) and a $697,517 contract to Innovative Playgrounds Co., Inc. for Lueders Park playground equipment replacement (FY2022 CDBG funds) each require a 4/5 council vote, and only three members were present at the dais — no vote tally was recorded on either item because neither came to a vote. One public commenter noted that the Innovative Playgrounds contract amount had been reduced from a figure closer to $700,000, placing the final amount $2,483 below that mark; no explanation for the reduction appears in the agenda materials or transcript. Approximately eleven residents addressed the council during public comment on topics including street conditions, senior Dial-A-Ride bus service, homeless abatement, and a digital signage permit dispute — no council votes were taken on any of those matters. The remainder of the meeting consisted of an informational Women's History Month certificate ceremony with no spending attached.