Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez announced in a March 23 letter to the council that all of the City Council’s remaining meetings in March have been canceled because of the coronavirus.
Martinez wrote that before the March 19 shelter-in-place order, the City Council had planned to hold its March 24 and March 31 meetings with some members in the council chambers and others through a video feed with the option for public comment through phone.
“As city representatives, we need to do everything in our power, legislatively and otherwise, ensure our fellow Angelenos stay as healthy as possible, economically stable, and emerge from this pandemic in hope for a better future,” she wrote. “They need their councilmembers to rise to this challenge head on, and we have begun doing that work and we will undoubtedly continue.”
Martinez added that what was on the agenda for the canceled meetings — which included halting rent increases and utility bills — will be discussed at a later date and the council is determining how to meet the safety standards regarding coronavirus for future meetings.
“These are unprecedented times and, as I said before, we are in uncharted waters,” she wrote. “We must remain calm, diligent and ready to act. Should there be any emergency items that the council needs to address, I will convene an emergency meeting to take action once all safety and logistical concerns have been met.”
Rick Coca, a spokesperson for Martinez, told the Los Angeles Daily News that the meetings had to be rescheduled because of technical issues.
As of March 23, there are 536 coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County and seven deaths. The county has a shelter-in-place order through April 19.
