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May 26, 2026

city council

The Compton City Council formally censured Councilman Andre Spicer for misusing the city Cal Card (purchasing card), voting 4-0 to revoke his card privileges, remove him from all committees, boards, and commissions, strip his Mayor Pro Tempore title, and refer the independent investigator's findings to the LA County Sheriff and District Attorney. The council also held a budget workshop for FY 2026-2027, presenting a proposed $83.7 million general fund with $56.5 million dedicated to public safety, including a sheriff's contract increasing to $30.5 million. Other approvals included a three-year, $525,500-per-year street name sign installation program, $150,000 for traffic calming devices including neighborhood roundabouts, and a salary schedule for unclassified employees through 2029. Residents voiced strong concerns about World Oil Recycling Center's recent fire and air violations, brown water quality, sheriff's department costs and responsiveness, and the need for better emergency communication systems.

Apr 28, 2026

city council

The Compton City Council met on April 28, 2026, and took several significant actions. The council approved five-year labor agreements (2024–2029) with three employee groups—management (CMEA/[AFSCME](https://www.afscme.org)), general employees ([AFSCME](https://www.afscme.org) Local 3947), and firefighters (Local 2216)—bringing wages to more competitive levels. The FY 2023–2024 audit by EDN Payne was received with a clean financial opinion but flagged 21 findings including 12 material weaknesses, primarily related to reporting delays and internal controls; the council also authorized EDN Payne for the FY 2025 audit at $232,885. The Community Improvement Services department was renamed the Public Safety department with restructured supervisory positions, a zero-emission bus rollout plan for nine electric buses was approved for state submission, and $268,285 was allocated to AP Triton to help the fire department pursue regaining ambulance transport rights from LA County. The council heard presentations on the June 2 primary election voting procedures, a legislative update highlighting new Brown Act requirements (SB 707) taking effect July 1, 2026, and potential federal funding from Congresswoman Waters for water and sewer projects totaling $5.4 million. The proposed budget hearing was postponed from June 2 due to its conflict with election day, and two items were tabled—a $200,000 [Caltrans](https://dot.ca.gov) grant appropriation due to insufficient votes and a $79,554 HOME ARP nonprofit capacity-building contract pending more information.

Apr 27, 2026

city council closed session

The Compton City Council held a closed session to discuss the evaluation and potential dismissal of the City Manager. The council reaffirmed a prior 3-2 vote from April 7 to place the City Manager on paid administrative leave, with Council Members Spicer and Duhart dissenting. The council also voted to appoint Jerry Grooms, a retired annuitant, as acting City Manager during the leave period, with a contract to be brought back for ratification. During public comment, multiple residents raised concerns about transparency, alleged [Brown Act](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=54950.) violations, a disputed $300,000 check related to [Republic Services](https://www.republicservices.com), and demanded the removal of appointed Council Member Spicer. Council Member Duhart stated on the record that she disagreed with the actions, citing a state audit that highlighted instability in the City Manager position.

Apr 16, 2026

personnel board

The Compton Personnel Board unanimously approved eligible lists for seven city positions, including 13 firefighter vacancies focused on paramedic-certified candidates narrowed from nearly 200 applicants. The board also approved three temporary appointments, abolished six outdated eligible lists, and granted temporary exemptions from classified service for three positions in the Water and General Services departments. HR Director Jones acknowledged an oversight in failing to bring an exempt appointment before the board previously and apologized for the lapse. Battalion Chief Jason Henderson was recognized for commanding the response to a major fire at a metal processing facility that drew national news coverage, and board members urged city leadership to prioritize inspections of high-risk industrial buildings.

Jan 27, 2026

city council

No new spending was approved at this January 27, 2026 session; the informational item on outside legal counsel services (Item 3) was tabled to the following week without presentation, and the city manager stated during council reports that a roughly $1.7 million street sign replacement contract will come before the council at a future date with no vendor named on the record. The consent agenda covering four sets of meeting minutes passed 5-0; City Attorney Eric Perrodin's resignation effective December 8, 2025 was received and filed separately 5-0; the council voted 5-0 to extend its meeting beyond four hours and adopted a Comprehensive City Council Training Policy mandating state-required ethics, harassment prevention, Brown Act, and fiscal oversight training 5-0. Twelve appointments were approved: Rashina Young to the Planning Commission (5-0) and Juanita Wright to the Planning Commission (4-1, Bowers dissenting); David Colbert, Jessica Hunter, and Virginia Brown each to the Olympic Committee (all 5-0); to the Charter Committee: Lamika Butler, Rodney Lister, Dolores Williams, Dr. Crystal Williams, Mack Warren, and Shirley Gideon (each 5-0), plus Fidel Marquez (4-1, Spicer dissenting); acceptance of Inez Atkins' resignation from the Public Safety Committee passed 5-0; four charter committee seats remain vacant and the application deadline was extended to January 29. The city manager stated the city would rotate multiple law firms to present on the charter review process — a pattern a public commenter flagged by asking how many law firms currently hold agreements with the city and who oversees them, a question that received no on-the-record response. More than twenty residents addressed the council; approximately eight to ten speakers — including the president and vice president of the Compton Latino Chamber of Commerce — demanded the city disclose any coordination with ICE and provide immediate community guidance following enforcement activity in Compton that day, while additional residents raised unresolved concerns about city credit card misuse and the absence of a seated city attorney.

Sep 16, 2025

city council

No new spending was approved at this September 16, 2025 meeting. The council voted 3-0 — Council Members Duhart and Bowers not recorded as voting, with Bowers confirmed absent by a public commenter — to enter closed session covering the City Controller's performance evaluation and three active lawsuits (Nicole Hill, Fred Brown, and Adrianna Shrem vs. City of Compton); upon reconvening, the city attorney reported only that the city controller was directed to provide specific information to all council members, with no further reportable action taken on any of the three litigation matters. The council received an informational grants department presentation describing prior expenditures — over $1.5 million on park improvements at Wilson and Ludus Parks, more than $650,000 distributed to 22 small businesses, and $350,000 committed to a second round of housing rehabilitation for 10 applicants — but no vote was taken on any of these figures, and no new vendors or contracts were approved. Eight members of the public addressed the meeting; multiple speakers questioned a $450,000 lawsuit payout referenced in prior records but not on this agenda, raised concerns that approximately $10 million in city investment returns had not been formally amended into the adopted budget, and criticized campaign contributions from World Oil to several council members in connection with an ongoing environmental permit matter.

May 6, 2025

city council

The only new spending approved at the May 6, 2025 Compton City Council meeting was $1,468 in travel costs for elected officials to attend the 2025 Annual Municipal Seminar in Indian Wells — structured as three separate General Fund line items of $950, $443, and $75, a split-payment structure the agenda does not explain — approved 5-0. The consent agenda passed 5-0 after brief council discussion about bike lane classifications; it included a resolution adopting SB 1-funded road projects for FY 2025-2026, but the $2.43 million attached to that item is recurring grant revenue from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account, not a new city expenditure, and should not be read as money the city spent. Two public speakers, Wayne Bone and Mark Smith, addressed the travel item, each questioning whether council members have ever fulfilled a reported obligation to disclose to residents what they learned or how they spent public funds at past conference trips. Council member Duhart separately directed the city manager — without a new vote — to return the April 27 approval of the Ayleshire & Wyner law firm to the May 13 agenda for reconsideration following allegations of a Brown Act violation; no spending was authorized on that item at this meeting.

Apr 30, 2025

city council

No new spending was approved at this April 30 special meeting; the sole action item was a resolution to rescind Resolution 26,231, which the council had passed one week earlier on April 22 designating law firm Lashare & Winder as special counsel at $325/hour for general services and $375/hour for litigation — the same firm that already held a retainer contract signed in October 2024. The meeting was dominated by competing legal opinions on whether the April 22 action constituted a Brown Act violation: Lashare & Winder attorney Sonny Sutani argued no violation occurred, while Deputy City Attorney Merle Green argued there were multiple violations that day, including an improperly noticed subsequent-need item and an unagendized presentation by Sutani. The original motion to rescind, moved by Council Member Duhart and seconded by Council Member Bowers, was withdrawn; a substitute motion to modify rather than rescind Resolution 26,231 without admitting a Brown Act violation passed 5-0 (Duhart yes, Spicer yes, Bowers yes, Darton yes, Sharif yes), with a closed session and subsequent public vote scheduled for May 6. Seven members of the public spoke during public comment, the majority raising concerns about the Brown Act dispute, the appointment process, and spending on legal representation. A pattern flagged during discussion: the city carries approximately five to six active outside counsel contracts, and Sutani stated at least two of those contracts bill at $450/hour, above the council's own $440/hour resolution cap — a claim Green disputed.

Nov 19, 2024

city council

The largest spending decision of the evening was an $80,000 settlement in Susan Hill v. City of Compton — a slip-and-fall claim involving a defective roadway and curb due to an overgrown tree at Evers and Popular Street — agreed to in closed session with no public roll-call vote. The Cal-Card purchasing program (Item 6), which structured five tiered credit card spending limits ($25,000 recurring, $25,000, $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000) under the city manager's authority, was pulled before a vote after the city attorney noted the resolution directed council only to 'receive and file' the policy rather than formally approve it; both the motion and second were rescinded and the item is scheduled to return the following week with corrected language — two members of the public had already raised questions about the program during general comment, citing the city's prior history of credit card misuse. The second reading of the speed limit ordinance passed 5-0 following extended discussion in which the Sheriff's captain disclosed the city has operated with one active motorcycle officer for approximately 18 months under a two-officer contractual arrangement, with the second position not expected to be filled until March 2025. The Workers' Compensation Claims Administrator reclassification — which transferred supervisory authority from the city attorney's office to the city manager's office — passed 5-0; the city manager stated it fulfills an audit requirement and was not kingdom-building. A Small Business Saturday proclamation for November 30, 2024 passed 5-0 with no discussion, and approval of minutes from two prior meetings passed 5-0 on the consent agenda.

Mar 19, 2024

city council

The council approved $200,846 in water system annual fees to the State Water Resources Control Board in a single 5-0 vote covering three line items — $100,423, $52,090, and $48,333 — with the $48,333 amount falling just below the $50,000 individual approval threshold and the city manager stating the payments were slightly late. The council also approved a $131,550 contract with W. Frank Newton, Inc. DBA WFN Consulting for grant administration services (5-0), following Councilmember Darden's questions about past grant compliance failures, and a $25,000 purchase order with Blue Diamond Company for asphalt stock material (5-0), with the city manager stating the funds are for on-hand supply for daily pothole repair crews, not street repaving. Two grant budget amendments were approved 5-0: $550,455 from the DOJ for tobacco enforcement (with only $5,400 of that allocated to youth outreach), where the council noted grant acceptance originally dated to 2021 and the city manager described the multi-year delay as 'a significant management oversight'; and $129,212 from CalRecycle for SB 1383 organics compliance. The council approved on first reading a development agreement with City Ventures Homebuilding, LLC for a 60-unit market-rate housing project at 930 W. Compton Boulevard (4-0-1, Spicer abstaining); the $400,000 due from the developer at close of escrow is revenue to the city, not a spending decision.