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Jul 20, 2026

charter committee

The Compton Charter Review Committee continued its section-by-section review of the city charter on July 20, 2026, debating changes to the Planning Commission, Personnel Board, and Recreation and Parks Commission. Key recommendations included requiring each commission to have one member from each council district with the mayor selecting one at-large member, adding professional qualifications for commissioners, and mandating that all discretionary development entitlements receive Planning Commission approval before going to council. Commissioner Baker's proposal to remove the Parks and Recreation Commission from the charter sparked the meeting's most heated debate, with multiple commissioners and public speakers arguing removal could jeopardize Compton's charter city status; Baker ultimately withdrew the recommendation pending further research. The committee voted unanimously to adjourn early at 7:00 PM and continue deliberations at a special meeting on Wednesday.

Jul 15, 2026

charter committee

The Compton Charter Review Committee heard testimony from Interim HR Director Taquan Jones, who explained city hiring processes, the personnel board's role, and urged the committee to modernize the outdated charter, noting it 'hamstrings' HR operations. Commissioners recommended adding the Charter Review Committee and Public Safety Commission as permanently required boards in Section 1000, debated whether to keep the Recreation and Parks Commission, and discussed establishing term limits for both commissioners and elected officials. The committee voted unanimously to table remaining Section 1000 discussion to address other agenda items, including Commissioner Lister's proposals on elected official term limits and mandatory public budget processes. Multiple residents urged the committee not to rush charter reform to meet an August ballot deadline, with one submitting a proposed 18-month timeline, while public correspondence from four community members was formally received and will be posted online.

Jul 14, 2026

city council

The Compton City Council's July 14, 2026 meeting saw an $870,440 contract for homeless supportive services (using federal HOME ARP funds) die for lack of a second, prompting Councilwoman Darden to warn that failing to use [HUD](https://www.hud.gov) funds could jeopardize future federal allocations and request the item be brought back. Multiple residents raised concerns about an undisclosed survey sent from the city manager's office that asked residents about a warehouse tax and their opinions of specific elected officials, demanding to know how the vendor was selected, how it was funded, and why council was not informed. Special counsel presented on all-mail ballot election law, clarifying that while Compton's charter authorizes mail ballots, consolidation with county and state elections requires voting centers to remain open — though residents continued to allege widespread election fraud. The council also declared key city properties surplus land to advance commercial development, scheduled a September 15 public hearing for the Compton 2045 General Plan, and approved a three-year medical director contract for the fire department.

Jul 14, 2026

city council closed session

The Compton City Council held a special closed session on July 14, 2026, convening at 12:36 PM. No members of the public signed up to comment on the closed session items. The council voted to convene into closed session at 12:37 PM to discuss a public employment matter regarding the City Controller position, pursuant to [Government Code Section 54957](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=54957.)(b)(1). The council planned to report out on the closed session when reconvening at 4:00 PM, with a subsequent meeting scheduled for later that day.

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.

Jun 22, 2026

charter committee

The Compton Charter Review Committee held a special meeting to continue reviewing Section 500 of the city charter, focusing on three major issues: whether to recommend restoring the elected city attorney position removed by Measure CA, whether to return to citywide at-large voting instead of district-based elections, and total compensation for the mayor and city council. Committee members learned that council members receive a $600 monthly stipend, $650 auto allowance, $100 phone allowance, $20,000 annual discretionary event funds, and lifetime medical/dental/vision benefits after five years of service — with Commissioner Baker raising concerns about insufficient safeguards against cronyism in discretionary spending. No formal votes were taken; staff was directed to research total compensation details, the 2012 redistricting settlement agreement, and residency requirements for an elected city attorney, with responses expected at the June 29 meeting.

Jun 15, 2026

charter committee

The Compton Charter Review Committee met on June 15, 2026, to discuss previously tabled charter sections and develop proposed amendments. The most significant debate centered on Section 504, where commissioners recommended increasing council and mayoral compensation from $600 to $3,000 per month while eliminating car allowances, cell phone stipends, and lifetime medical/dental benefits, with disagreements over whether changes should take effect immediately or be phased in with future elections. Commissioners also debated extending the 30-day residency requirement for candidates to 60 days or one year, discussed what population data source should trigger redistricting at the 100,000-resident threshold, and recommended changing redistricting criteria from 'registered voters' to 'residents.' The committee only completed Sections 500-505, falling short of its goal to cover Sections 100-700, prompting acknowledgment that additional special meetings on June 22 and 24 will be needed. Public commenters criticized the committee's rushed timeline and lack of community workshops, arguing the charter review process needs broader public engagement.

Jun 1, 2026

charter committee

The Charter Review Committee completed its initial review of Compton's city charter sections 1200 through 1700, voting unanimously to table the vast majority of sections for future discussion and potential revision, while keeping only a handful as-is. The committee confirmed additional special meeting dates on June 15, 22, 24, and 29 to begin substantive discussions on tabled items, and announced that the city council has agreed to extend the committee's deadline through late July. Commissioner Gideon formally requested that the committee's term be extended beyond its current less-than-one-year lifespan, arguing the short timeline has historically prevented meaningful charter reform. A member of the public raised concerns that meetings are not being prominently live-streamed or posted on the city's social media, and staff committed to improving visibility. A mandatory citywide ethics and [Brown Act](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=54950.) training for all commissioners and council members was announced for June 27.

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.

Feb 10, 2026

city council

No new spending was approved at this meeting; the sole action item was the appointment of Sandra Lightner to the one vacant Beautification Committee seat designated for Councilmember Bowers to fill, approved 4-0 with Councilmember Spicer absent and no dollar amount attached. The city treasurer's FY26 Second Quarterly Investment Report — an informational receive-and-file item, not a spending decision — reported a $312.18M investment portfolio generating $3.01M in total interest revenue for the quarter, drawn from the General Fund ($1.19M), PERS ($890,903), Measure P ($376,350), the Successor Agency ($347,864), and Low Cost Housing ($201,513). Approximately twenty-two residents addressed the council during public comment, the majority focused on the Richland Farms preferential permit parking program; the city manager stated the program was erroneously suspended by a former city attorney, that the current ordinance enforces parking restrictions 24/7 with no time-of-day limits unlike surrounding cities, and that staff would return the following week with amendment options — no vote was taken on the ordinance. No repeat vendors, split payments, or threshold-adjacent amounts appear in the approved items because no spending was authorized.

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.

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 23, 2025

city council

The council's only approved spending was a fire protection engineering services contract with KJ Consultants totaling $220,000 — structured as a $165,000 new contract plus a $55,000 recurring component — passed 3-0 on the consent agenda with council members Duhart and Spicer absent and no discussion before the vote; Council Member Bowers raised a question afterward about whether the city should explore in-house hiring rather than continued outside contracting, but the vote had already closed. Historical records show KJ Consultants has received fire engineering contracts from Compton across at least five prior agenda items dating to 2018 ($55,000), 2019 ($50,000), and two separate agreements in 2022 ($40,000 each), making this a long-running sole-source vendor relationship with no competitive procurement visible in the record. A second consent item — an agreement with Vantaggio for the 'Compton Connect Civic Innovation Initiative,' split across three line items ($348,200 contract plus budget allocations of $187,000 and $161,200) totaling $696,400 — was tabled before a vote and is expected to return at the first October council meeting; one public speaker specifically questioned who was preventing the item from advancing. Approximately twelve residents addressed the council during general public comment, raising concerns about charter enforcement, the city manager's authority to retain outside legal counsel without council approval, air quality near an industrial facility, homelessness encampments, and street maintenance — none spoke to the KJ Consultants contract before the vote was taken.

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.

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.

Jul 1, 2025

city council

The council's only spending action was approval of $4,878 in in-kind expenditures from the General Fund for the 22nd Annual Compton Stand Down for Veterans (September 19–21, 2025), with no recipient vendors named in the agenda; the item also carried three identical $813.04 budget allocations split across Council District 1, Council District 4, and the Mayor's overtime expense accounts — three separate account lines for the same amount, a split-payment structure worth noting. The consent item passed 3-0-1, with Councilwoman Bowers abstaining and Councilmember Darden absent; Bowers stated on the record that she objected to approving in-kind support for this event while the council had denied comparable support to the Compton Kids Club, calling out what she described as inconsistent treatment of nonprofits. The council also designated Councilman Andre Spicer as Mayor Pro Tem for fiscal year 2025–2026, a rotation required by CMC Section 2.1.16 that the city attorney confirmed did not require a vote; the elected city attorney disputed the legal opinion cited by the mayor, stating that any valid opinion must come through his office, not from outside counsel. At least eight members of the public addressed the council, with several speakers contesting Spicer's eligibility to hold a council seat, and others raising concerns about ICE enforcement procedures at city parks, nonprofit grant oversight, and fireworks enforcement.