Good morning and welcome to LA on the Record, City Hall's newsletter, where David Zarniser, with help from his colleague Rebecca Ellis, helps us reflect on the past week in city and county government.

Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass She has kept the search for a new police chief largely secret, refusing to reveal the names of the finalists or even say when interviews were taking place.

But new clues about her thinking emerged this week. 15 page report A statement released by her office outlined what she said she would like to see in the next chief of the LAPD.

Bass declared this week that she plans to rely on the document going forward — not just to find a new chief, but to use it as a guide for improving the department, which means the next chief will almost certainly spend a lot of time shoring up morale among rank-and-file officers.

The mayor's report, based on hearings from police officers, civic leaders and others, mentions the word “morale” 12 times. The report also mentions “officer well-being” six times. It also details concerns from rank-and-file officers about the LAPD's disciplinary process, grievance system, high levels of stress, “inadequate” staffing levels and the level of support provided after “serious incidents” such as officer-involved shootings.

“By focusing on officer wellness and support, police departments can increase their overall effectiveness and ensure a committed and motivated workforce committed to public safety,” the report states.

None of this is particularly surprising: Bass herself said just a few weeks ago that morale within the LAPD is “extremely low” and needs to be a priority for the next chief.

“Obviously my concern is police engagement with the community. When morale is really low it's pretty hard to have a positive engagement,” she told The Times.

Still, some were surprised by the report's emphasis on police officer welfare, especially compared to sections on community leaders and other stakeholders.

The needs of LAPD officers were devoted to five pages, much of it directed at rank-and-file officers, compared with one page of input from neighborhood councils, roughly half a page of feedback from civil rights leaders, and one paragraph of comments from crime victims.

Matios Kidane“There's very little community representation” in the report, said Kidane, an organizer with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, a fierce critic of the LAPD. He said the document only shows the mayor intends to “continue to coddle” police officers while ignoring their abuses.

“I think this just shows that Mayor Bass has been concerned with the welfare of his police officers at the expense of the communities that face police violence,” he said.

A Times reporter saw the deputy chief Emada Tingirides and Robert Bobby Arcos The former Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief arrived at the mayor's mansion on Tuesday. The third candidate, former Los Angeles County sheriff Jim McDonnellwho has a long career with the Los Angeles Police Department, is also a candidate.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents about 9,000 officers, did not say which candidate it would support, but the union welcomed the mayor's report, saying it showed “radical personnel changes” were needed at the command level.

In a statement, the union's board of directors said the report laid out “very clearly” the challenges facing the next president.

“We intend to use the report's recommendations as a report card to evaluate the new chief on a regular basis,” the union said. “We expect the mayor to appoint an individual with the experience, leadership and vision to earn a passing grade.”

Bus Public Relations Officer Zach SeidlBut he said he disagreed with Mr Kidane's criticisms and, when asked about the report's strong emphasis on morale, he said it was “absolutely necessary to support the officers who are putting their lives on the line every day”.

“The thoughts and concerns of the officers who wear the badge every day and keep our communities and neighborhoods safe are very important to this search,” Seidl said, “as are the input of community groups, business leaders and faith-based organizations.”

Seidl said the report weighed heavily with LAPD officials' opinions because Bass had visited nearly every police department to discuss the chief's selection, and argued that the importance of an issue shouldn't be measured in “page length or number of paragraphs.”

According to the mayor's report, neighborhood council leaders told Bass they want the next chief to be transparent, have a “strong moral compass” and work to defuse tense situations when possible. Civil rights advocates cited hate crimes and the needs of immigrant communities, including language access. Religious leaders stressed the need to protect the First Amendment.

Naturally, business leaders said they wanted to keep their customers and employees safe.

“The perception that Los Angeles is unsafe and the negative impact homeless encampments have on the community are of concern to business leaders, especially in light of upcoming major events in Los Angeles,” the report said, referring to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

The next chief will arguably be the most important appointment of Chief Bass' first year in office, and he is scheduled to make a decision by September 30th.

current situation

— Changing of the Guard: The Council Paul Krekorian On Wednesday, on his final day as city council president, he praised him for his efforts in restoring order to the council following the 2022 audio leak scandal. On Friday, Marquise Harris Dawson As speaker, he has vowed to crack down on hate speech in the chamber and inappropriate behaviour from observers, and will also focus on homelessness, rising housing prices and plans for the 2028 Olympics.

Fighting Words: Councillor Kevin de Leon Tenant Rights Lawyer Isabel Jurado The two candidates are scheduled to take part in four in-person debates in the run-up to the election on November 5. After the first debate, it's clear that it will be a fierce and hard-fought battle: The 90-minute showdown in Lincoln Heights saw the two candidates mostly trading insults and accusations.

Port Perez: The City Council voted Friday to approve the mayor's newly appointed former council president to the Port Commission. John PerezBass has come under fire in recent weeks for appointing Perez and replacing him as port commissioner. Diane Middletona San Pedro resident with deep ties to the community.

— Chasing the GangThe Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has announced a long-awaited policy that allows deputies to fire anyone who joins a gang, faction or hate group. Robert Luna He came into office promising to root out groups that have plagued the department.

— A blast from the past: City Council Sign-off As for the people Krekorian has appointed to a new charter reform committee that is scheduled to meet later this year, one of them is a familiar face to City Hall watchers from two decades ago. Ted SteinHe served on several city committees, including airport, port and planning.

The Encino resident faced intense scrutiny during an investigation into financial receipts by the mayor's administration. James HahnIn the end, the Ethics Commission, the District Attorney's Office and federal prosecutors closed their investigations without finding any wrongdoing against Stein. In 2008, Stein's lawyer said his client was “the victim of false rumors and insinuations.” The city paid most of Stein's legal costs.

The council also approved Krekorian's other selection. Mona Fielda former trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District. She is a former president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, according to her nomination documents.

Bar ChargeThe California State Bar has filed disciplinary charges against a former Los Angeles City Attorney for his alleged involvement in a Department of Water and Power scandal, which the official, through his lawyer, maintains is unfounded.

— Assistance to displaced persons: Hernandez, an Eastside City Councilman, A series of measures To help Chinatown residents whose lives were upended by a devastating fire that raged through three nearby apartment buildings and forced the evacuation of more than 50 people, Hernandez and his team said.

— Read the fine print: The United Way of Greater Los Angeles teamed up with two other nonprofits to send mailings to 1 million households touting the benefits of Measure A, a Nov. 5 ballot proposition aimed at reducing homelessness. The promotional materials left out a key fact: Measure A is a half-cent sales tax that would charge shoppers double the amount of a previous measure approved nearly a decade ago.

— The Fate of Foster Care: A statewide insurance crisis threatens to leave thousands of foster children homeless, as the main insurer that backs the state's foster care system says a rise in costly sexual abuse lawsuits means it can no longer afford to cover the agencies that recruit, certify and support foster parents.

— Hotel HighrisePlans to add an 18-story addition to the 24-story Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City hotel have overcome a major hurdle, winning approval from the city Planning Commission. The project, which now goes before the City Council, would expand the site to a total of 890 rooms, making the Hilton one of the largest in Los Angeles County.

Quick Hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor's homelessness program took place this week in two locations in Los Angeles' Westlake neighborhood, at Wilshire Boulevard and Lucas Avenue, and in Koreatown at 7th Street and Serrano Avenue, the former of which is in Hernandez's district and the latter is represented by a city council member. Heather Hat.
• Plans for next week: The Planning Commission met Thursday to decide on a series of Programs and Incentives The aim is to spur the construction of hundreds of thousands of new homes across the city.