Search

Jun 9, 2026

city council

The June 9, 2026 Compton City Council meeting was dominated by explosive public comments from multiple residents alleging the city violated its own Resolution 26363, which mandated an all-mail ballot election for June 2, but polling places were opened anyway. Speakers demanded the election be invalidated and reported contacting the FBI. The council also directed staff to place a permanent fireworks ban on the November 2026 ballot while maintaining the current suspension, approved a $1.8 million street sweeping package to transition services in-house, accepted a $350,000 state tobacco enforcement grant partnering with the Sheriff's Department, and held a public hearing on the 2026-2027 [CDBG](https://www.[hud](https://www.hud.gov).gov/program_offices/comm_planning/cdbg) and HOME annual action plan totaling approximately $1.76 million. Mayor Sharif was absent due to the death of her sister.

Mar 17, 2026

city council

The council's largest spending action was approving Road Repair Project Phase IX, which encompasses a $5.58 million contract with Hardy & Harper, Inc. for construction and six separate line items to Bowman Infrastructure Engineers Ltd. totaling approximately $1.22 million for construction management and inspection services; the council voted specifically on a Bowman contract amendment stated in the resolution as $204,116.70, passing 4-0-1 with one abstention unnamed in the record — Bowman also held a $257,977 construction management contract approved in October 2024 for the same project type, and that identical figure reappears among the current Bowman line items. The council also approved a $98,375 contract with [Selbert Perkins Design](https://selbertperkins.com/) for municipal branding and marketing consulting services, 5-0 after council discussion; the amount falls $1,625 below the $100,000 approval threshold. The full consent agenda — including a $250,000 recurring purchase order with Springbrook Holding Company LLC for utility billing software (a vendor the city has paid continuously since at least 2009, when comparable orders were under $52,000), $182,182 to the LA Gateway Region Integrated Regional Water Management JPA for water quality monitoring, and $63,112 to Advanced Compliance Engineering for fuel pump maintenance — passed 5-0 without discussion. More than fifteen residents addressed the council during public comment on non-spending matters including pothole damage claims, parking enforcement disputes, and code enforcement concerns; no members of the public spoke to any of the spending items on the agenda.

Mar 10, 2026

city council

The council's two largest spending approvals at the March 17, 2026 meeting were a $204,116.70 amendment to an existing professional services agreement with Bowman Infrastructure Engineers Ltd. for additional construction management and inspection on road repair project phase nine—passed with four affirmative votes and one abstention—and a contract not to exceed $98,375 with Silbert Perkins Design for municipal branding and marketing consulting, passed 5-0; the Silbert Perkins amount sits $1,625 below $100,000, which analysts typically flag as a potential threshold-adjacent figure, though Compton's specific contract approval threshold is not stated in the meeting materials. Bowman Infrastructure Engineers is a repeat vendor on a multi-phase road project, with this item adding funds to an existing agreement whose original contract value is not disclosed in the available materials. A Special Legal Counsel Authorization Resolution (Item 2 on the structured agenda) was also approved as part of the consent agenda, 5-0, with no dollar amount appearing in the available materials. More than fifteen residents addressed the council during public comment on non-spending matters—including pothole damage reimbursement denials, parking enforcement disputes, code enforcement complaints, and questions about commissioner eligibility to run for office—while no members of the public addressed either the Bowman or Silbert Perkins spending items before those votes were taken.

Dec 9, 2025

city council

The only new spending approved at the December 9, 2025 meeting was $4,643 for the Maxcy D. Filer Square street designation, passed 5-0; the structured agenda shows $4,560 of that total paid to a single vendor, El Gran Torino Corporation, with the remaining $83.01 listed as a separate line item — no additional vendor description or sole-source justification appears in the available materials, and the payment is split across two line items with no explanation provided. The council voted 5-0 to receive and file $89,369 in city credit card charges covering January through June 2025, but this is a financial records item, not a new spending authorization; the assistant city manager stated the purchasing card program has been suspended pending a formal investigation and asked that council not discuss the charges publicly to avoid compromising that investigation. The council voted 5-0 to amend the Olympics/Tourism Committee ordinance, increasing membership from 9 to 11 — the change was made on the floor after both original motions were withdrawn and re-entered — and the Key to the City Policy resolution was tabled when both movers withdrew their motions, with council directing staff to return the item with language distinguishing the honor from routine proclamations; neither item carries a disclosed expenditure. The charter committee reconvening (Item 4) was discussed but not voted on, with council directing staff to return the item the following week with stipend and skill-set recommendations; at least eighteen members of the public spoke during audience comments, with the largest concentrations addressing the mayor's announced intent to formally request removal of a Public Safety Commission member, Richland Farms parking permits, and the suspended credit card investigation.

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.

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.

Jun 3, 2025

city council

The council's only new expenditure was a $5,255 budget amendment authorizing a purchase order with Zumar Industries for road signs and supplies from the Measure P Fund, approved 5-0; the initial motion was withdrawn and re-voted after a council member flagged that the resolution incorrectly cited a temporary $75,000 single-vendor spending authority from a July 2024 measure rather than the standing $25,000 threshold, with the $5,255 amount falling well below either figure. The council also passed 5-0 the second reading of the Construction Labor Disclosure Ordinance, which requires contractors on large city construction projects to disclose prior labor violations; one speaker during the public comment period, representing the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, addressed this item in support before the vote. The city manager presented the proposed FY 2025-26 budget — $262.3 million across all funds, $75.1 million in the general fund — at a required public hearing, but no budget was adopted; approximately nine members of the public spoke, raising concerns about specific streets absent from the capital improvement plan, the destination of cannabis license revenue, sheriff contract overtime accountability, and the absence of visible youth program spending. A separate AB 2561-required public hearing on the city's 21.6% vacancy rate (87 of 402 budgeted positions unfilled) drew two union representatives from AFSCME and SEIU who described labor contracts expired since June 2024, a $100,000-plus classification study contracted in 2023 that the city manager stated the vendor failed to complete as specified, and an average time-to-hire of 116 days, alongside three members of the public.

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.

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 4, 2025

city council

No new city spending was approved at the March 4, 2025 Compton City Council meeting; the two substantive action items were lease authorizations under which the city collects rent for space at the Neighborhood Center (600 North Alameda Street). The council approved a lease with Shields for Families at $3.02 per square foot (~$18,295 per month), 4-0 with Bowers not voting, and a lease with Volunteers of America at the same per-square-foot rate (~$10,301 per month), also 4-0 with Bowers not voting — the Volunteers of America motion was first withdrawn and recast after Council member Darden identified multiple resolution errors, including a wrong termination date (April 30, 2027, corrected to April 30, 2028), a misidentified tenant name in one section, and an improperly placed whereas clause. Volunteers of America is flagged as a repeat vendor, appearing in five line items across two agenda entries with a combined contract value of approximately $1.03M; both organizations had been operating under expired leases — Shields for Families for approximately two years and seven months at a prior rate of $1.40 per square foot, and Volunteers of America for approximately four years and eight months at $1.00 per square foot. Four members of the public specifically addressed items 3 and 4: Craig Henry identified himself as a Volunteers of America employee and stated he did not oppose the $3.02 rate but objected to the full 50.7% increase being applied at once rather than phased in; two other speakers called for the Mayor and Council member Spicer to recuse themselves, citing their appointment of Henry to city advisory and personnel committees as a conflict of interest.

Feb 25, 2025

city council

The council's largest contract authorization was a $945,688 professional services agreement with NV5, Inc. for the Center Avenue Green Street Project, funded by a $10 million state grant, which appears to have been approved on the consent agenda without recorded discussion or a separate roll call. The council also approved $724,021 in payments to Insight Public Sector, Inc. — the sole vendor across all four line items — for a Microsoft 365 software license renewal and migration, broken into a $378,881 recurring contract, a $172,570 expenditure, a $103,155 recurring expenditure, and a $69,415 expenditure; Council Member Darden asked whether a competitive bid process was required, the city manager stated it was not because Microsoft is a proprietary platform, and the item passed 4-0 with Council Member Bowers not recorded as voting throughout the meeting. Two lease agreements at the Neighborhood Center — Volunteers of America ($10,301 annually in revenue to the city) and Shields for Families ($18,793 annually in revenue to the city) — were tabled after the city manager identified calculation errors in both resolutions; these are payments the city receives, not funds it expends. The council voted 4-0 (Bowers not recorded) to schedule a new fireworks public hearing for March 11, 2025, after the originally scheduled hearing was tabled earlier that day.

Feb 11, 2025

city council

The council's largest spending approval was $499,462 to L.N. Curtis & Sons for fire department equipment — engines and a ladder truck — passed 5-0; the amount falls just under $500,000, which is a common competitive bid threshold in California municipal procurement. The council also approved $350,000 to One Yard Inc. for installation of a soccer field and mural at Burrell McDonald Park, passed 5-0; the same company is identified in the structured agenda as the donor of the field, making One Yard Inc. both the contributing party and the construction contractor receiving payment for that same installation. A third expenditure of $28,950 was approved 5-0 for an emergency sewer pump replacement at City Hall by CEVAC Facilities Services, drawn from the Insurance Recovery Fund. Agenda items 7 and 8 — covering removal of officers, council members, boards, and commissions — were pulled by the city manager before any vote, with the city manager citing an error between the staff report and the resolution on item 8. Approximately thirteen residents addressed the council during public comment, raising concerns about water bill assistance programs, immigration enforcement fears, audit contract overruns, property tax burdens, and the scope of the city manager's authority over elected officials.

Jan 21, 2025

city council

The largest spending approval was a $419,883 contract to Innovative Playgrounds Co., Inc. for demolition and full replacement of playground equipment at Cesar Chavez Park, funded through Measure A, passed 5-0; the structured agenda data flags this vendor appearing in two separate line items at $419,883 each within the same agenda item, producing a combined total of $839,766 against a stated contract value of $419,883. Three consent-agenda spending items also passed: $73,160 in Justice Assistance Grant funds (divided into expenditures of $65,844 and $7,316) for approximately two additional surveillance units known as 'lot cops,' pulled for discussion by Councilmember Spicer before passing 5-0 after the city manager described their intended use; $67,500 to Epic Surfaces for basketball court resurfacing, approved 5-0; and $21,150 to the State Water Resources Control Board for the annual sewer system permit fee, approved 5-0. An ordinance creating an Olympics/Tourism Committee passed 5-0 on second reading; a council member noted that any member stipend would require a separate future resolution. No new spending was approved from the city treasurer's second-quarter investment report, an informational item showing a portfolio valued at $244,248,854 and $5,697,112 in interest earnings posted for Q2. Twelve members of the public addressed the council, primarily on non-agenda concerns including neighborhood safety, pothole damage, a long-unresolved water service cutoff, and regional fire ash contamination; one speaker questioned why basketball court resurfacing was proceeding when other parks remain in worse condition.

Dec 3, 2024

city council

The only new spending approved at the December 3, 2024 Compton City Council meeting was a resolution establishing a purchasing card program through the state's Cal-Card program, passed 5-0 (Duhart, Spicer, Bowers, Darden, and Sharif all yes); the resolution sets tiered individual cardholder limits of $25,000 (appearing twice in the structured agenda items — one designated as recurring), $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000, and the city manager stated approximately 31 cards will be assigned to named employees. Three members of the public spoke before the vote raising concerns about past misuse of city credit cards and requesting monthly public reporting of all charges; the city manager stated monthly reports would be produced and that merchant-category restrictions prevent cardholders from using the cards at unauthorized vendors. The November 19, 2024 meeting minutes were pulled from the consent agenda — not approved — after a council member cited omissions including a misspelled sponsor name and an unrecorded 200-turkey donation, and will return for a vote at a future meeting.

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.