A report offers clues about Mayor Bass’ plans for the next police chief

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, helping you take stock of the past week in city and county government, with some help from my colleague Rebecca Ellis.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has kept her search for a new police chief largely hush-hush, refusing to identify the finalists and even declining to say when the interviews were taking place.

But some fresh clues about her thinking emerged this week in a 15-page report released by her office, describing what some say they want from the next leader of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Bass declared this week that she intends to rely on the document going forward — not just to find a new chief, but as a guide for improving the department. That means the next chief will almost certainly devote a significant amount of time working to improve the morale of rank-and-file officers.

The mayor’s report, which is based on what she’s heard from police officers, civic leaders and others, features the word “morale” 12 times. The document mentions “officer well-being” six times. And it spells out concerns from the rank and file about the LAPD’s disciplinary process, its complaint system, high stress, “inadequate” staffing and the level of support provided after “critical incidents,” such as shootings by officers.

“By placing emphasis on officer well-being and support, the department can bolster its overall effectiveness and ensure that it maintains a dedicated and motivated workforce committed to public safety,” the report says.

None of this is especially surprising. Bass herself said a few weeks back that morale at the LAPD is “extremely low” and will need to be a priority for the next chief.

“My concern, of course, is law enforcement’s interaction with communities. And it’s pretty hard to have a positive interaction if the morale is really low,” she told The Times.

Still, some were struck by the report’s heavy emphasis on officer well-being, particularly when compared with the sections on community leaders and other stakeholders.

Five pages were devoted to the needs of LAPD employees, with the vast majority focused on the rank and file. By comparison, input from neighborhood councils received a single page. Feedback from civil rights leaders received about half a page. Comments from survivors of crime filled a single paragraph.

Matyos Kidane, an organizer with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, a group sharply critical of the department, said he saw “minimal community representation” in the report. The document, Kidane said, only shows that the mayor will continue “coddling” officers while ignoring police abuse.

“I think it just goes to show where Mayor Bass has invested her interests: the well-being of police, at the expense of communities that face the violence of policing,” he said.

Times reporters saw Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and Robert “Bobby” Arcos, a former LAPD assistant chief, entering the mayor’s residence on Tuesday. A third finalist, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, who had a long career at the LAPD, is also in the mix.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents nearly 9,000 officers, declined to say which candidate it favors. However, the union welcomed the mayor’s report, saying it shows that “sweeping personnel changes” are needed at the command staff level.

In a statement, the union’s board said the report makes the challenges faced by the next chief “crystal clear.”

“We plan on turning the report recommendations into a report card and grading the new chief on a regular basis,” the union said. “We hope the mayor appoints someone with the experience, leadership track record and vision to get a passing grade.”

Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl, for his part, said he disagreed with the criticism from Kidane. Asked about the report’s heavy emphasis on morale, he said it’s “absolutely essential that we support the officers who put their lives on the line every day.”

“The thoughts and concerns of the officers who put on a badge every day and keep our communities and neighborhoods safe are critical in this search,” Seidl said, “as are the input of community organizations, business leaders and faith groups.”

Seidl said Bass went to nearly every police station to discuss the chief search, which explains the report’s emphasis on the opinions of LAPD employees. He also argued that a topic’s importance shouldn’t be measured “by page length and paragraph count.”

According to the mayor’s report, neighborhood council leaders have told Bass they want the next chief to be transparent, possess a “strong moral compass” and work to ensure that, whenever possible, officers de-escalate tense situations. Civil rights advocates mentioned hate crimes and the needs of immigrant communities, including language access. Religious leaders emphasized the need to protect the 1st Amendment.

Business leaders, not surprisingly, said they want to keep their customers and employees safe.

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

The next chief will almost certainly be the most important hire of Bass’ first term. She plans to make her decision by Sept. 30.

State of play

— CHANGING OF THE GUARD: The council showered Paul Krekorian with praise on Wednesday, his final day as city council president, highlighting his effort to restore order at council meetings in the wake of the 2022 audio leak scandal. On Friday, Marqueece Harris-Dawson took over the post, vowing to crack down on hate speech and bad behavior by audience members in the chamber. He also plans to focus on homelessness, housing affordability and planning for the 2028 Olympic Games.

— FIGHTIN’ WORDS: Councilmember Kevin De León and tenant rights attorney Ysabel Jurado intend to participate in four head-to-head debates in the run-up to the Nov. 5 election. After the first one, it’s clear that these are going to be brutal, bruising affairs. The two candidates traded insults and allegations for much of their 90-minute face-off in Lincoln Heights.

— PEREZ AT THE PORT: The City Council voted Friday to approve the mayor’s latest appointee to the Board of Harbor Commissioners — former Assembly Speaker John Pérez. Bass has drawn fire in recent weeks for nominating Pérez and replacing harbor Commissioner Diane Middleton, a San Pedro resident with deep community ties.

— GOING AFTER GANGS: The L.A. County Sheriff Department unveiled a long-awaited policy that could allow the agency to fire those who join a “deputy gang,” clique or hate group. The policy comes nearly two years after Sheriff Robert Luna took office, promising to eradicate the groups that have plagued the agency.

— BLAST FROM THE PAST: The City Council signed off on Krekorian’s appointees to the new Charter Reform Commission, which is slated to convene later this year. One of them is well known to City Hall watchers from 20 years ago: Ted Stein, who served on multiple city commissions: airport, harbor and planning.

The Encino resident faced major scrutiny during the pay-to-play probes of the administration of Mayor James Hahn. In the end, the Ethics Commission, the district attorney’s office and the U.S. attorney concluded their investigations without reporting any wrongdoing by Stein. In 2008, Stein’s lawyer said his client was a “victim of false rumor and innuendo.” The city wound up paying most of Stein’s legal bills.

The council also approved Krekorian’s other pick — Mona Field, a former board member with the Los Angeles Community College District. She’s a past board president with the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, per her nomination paperwork.

— BAR CHARGE: The State Bar of California has filed disciplinary charges against a former high-ranking official in the Los Angeles city attorney’s office over his alleged role in a scandal at the Department of Water and Power. The official, through his lawyer, called the allegations unfounded.

— AIDING THE DISPLACED: Hernandez, the Eastside councilmember, announced a series of measures to help Chinatown residents whose lives were upended by a major fire. More than 50 people were displaced by the fire, which spread to three neighboring apartment buildings, according to Hernandez’s team.

— READING THE FINE PRINT: The United Way of Greater Los Angeles, working with two other nonprofits, has sent mailers to a million households touting the virtues of Measure A, a Nov. 5 ballot proposal aimed at reducing homelessness. Those promotional materials omitted a key fact: Measure A is a half-cent sales tax that would charge shoppers twice as much as its predecessor, which was approved nearly a decade ago.

— THE FATE OF FOSTER CARE: Thousands of foster kids across California could be uprooted as the result of a statewide insurance crisis. A main insurer propping up the state’s foster care system says it can no longer afford to cover agencies that recruit, certify and support foster parents, amid a rise in costly sex abuse litigation.

— HOTEL HIGH-RISE: A plan to build an 18-story addition to the 24-story Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City hotel has cleared a major hurdle, securing the endorsement of the City Planning Commission. The project, now heading to the City Council, would expand the site to a combined 890 rooms, putting the Hilton among the ranks of the largest hotels in Los Angeles County.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s program to combat homelessness went to two locations this week: Wilshire Boulevard and Lucas Avenue in L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood and 7th Street and Serrano Avenue in Koreatown. The former address is in Hernandez’s district, while the latter area is represented by Councilmember Heather Hutt.
  
• On the docket for next week: The Planning Commission meets Thursday to take up a series of programs and incentives aimed at spurring the construction of hundreds of thousands of new homes across the city.