{"id":132358,"date":"2025-08-09T18:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T18:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/132358\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T18:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T18:22:09","slug":"the-countys-new-headquarters-was-a-steal-some-supes-say-there-getting-sticker-shock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/132358\/","title":{"rendered":"The county’s new headquarters was a steal. Some supes say the’re getting sticker shock"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was billed as a bargain-basement deal: L.A. County would buy the Gas Company Tower<\/a> for $200 million \u2014 a third of what the downtown skyscraper cost before the pandemic sent office prices plummeting.<\/p>\n

Nine months after the sale closed, some of the supervisors say they have sticker shock.<\/p>\n

The sore point: a looming $230-million contract<\/a> for \u201cvoluntary seismic upgrades\u201d to the newly purchased tower, soon to become the county\u2019s new headquarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never heard that it would double the cost of the purchase,\u201d said Supervisor Janice Hahn<\/b>, who cast a \u2018hell no\u2019 vote<\/a> against buying the building. \u201cI\u2019m holding out hope that smarter minds will prevail, and we can stop any more investment in this building.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Supervisors Hilda Solis<\/b> and Lindsey Horvath<\/b> will introduce a motion<\/a> to \u201cimmediately suspend\u201d all seismic work.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGiven that we are in the budget constraints that we are in, I was surprised to know that that work was still being contemplated,\u201d said Horvath.<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s financial future has never looked so grim. Federal cuts<\/a> will force the county to slash health services and potentially shutter a hospital, Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport<\/b> warned the board this week. The county soon will start making payments for its historically large $4-billion sex abuse settlement<\/a>. Newly negotiated raises<\/a> for county employees could cost the county $2 billion. <\/p>\n

Before the purchase, the supervisors were given ballpark figures as to just how much it would cost to bring the Gas Company Tower into tiptop shape vs. rehabbing the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, the county\u2019s current headquarters, which is widely viewed by county employees as a death trap during the next major earthquake.<\/p>\n

To earthquake-proof the hall \u2014 by far the riskiest of the two buildings \u2014 it could cost $700 million, according to estimates provided to the board last fall. To do the same for the newer Gas Company Tower, the county Chief Executive Office estimated it could potentially cost about $400 million. (As of now, the county is planning to spend less than that with a bid amount of $234.5 million.)<\/p>\n

The Gas Company Tower came out looking the better deal by about a billion dollars, according to the Chief Executive Office, once it took into account other costs needed to upgrade the Hall of Administration \u2014 including more than a billion dollars in deferred maintenance and improvements.<\/p>\n

Hahn\u2019s not swayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the bureaucrats had a plan and they made their numbers fit to sell this ill-conceived project,\u201d she continued, adding she believed similar doubt was starting to creep in among her colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard some of them have some buyer\u2019s remorse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Horvath says she doesn\u2019t regret buying the building \u2014 but she is skeptical that the county needs to pour millions more into the tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still maintain that the purchase of the building was the right thing to do,\u201d she said. \u201cIf retrofitting is not needed, then I want to understand why we would [retrofit] at a time such as this, when we are making a very clear case about the difficult financial position we\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tower is one of many L.A. skyscrapers that incorporates a \u201csteel moment frame\u201d as part of its structure.<\/a> In the 1994 Northridge earthquake<\/a>, buildings with the frame did not collapse, but some were badly damaged.<\/p>\n

Lennie LaGuire<\/b>, a spokesperson for the Chief Executive Office, previously told The Times that the tower is already safe and the upgrades are \u201cproactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe County is choosing to perform this work proactively with an eye to the future, to ensure that the building performs optimally in the decades ahead,\u201d LaGuire said.<\/p>\n

During brutal labor negotiations over the last year, the purchase of the skyscraper became a touchy subject. Labor condemned it as an unnecessary splurge. The county insisted it was an obvious money saver.<\/p>\n

The hard feelings haven\u2019t gone away, with some unions saying they were kept in the dark about the tower\u2019s true cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe priority should be those facilities the public relies upon for emergencies and daily needs, like sheriff\u2019s stations, fire stations, medical facilities, etc.\u201d said Richard Pippin<\/b>, president of the sheriff\u2018s deputies union. \u201cLook, we get it \u2014 with the near doubling of the Board of Supervisors and an elected County Executive Officer, everyone wants an office with a better view, but is that what\u2019s best for the public we serve?\u201d<\/p>\n

The motion Tuesday also requests a report on where the money to finance the retrofit is coming from and which departments will be moving into the tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of this acquisition was to realize substantial savings for the County of Los Angeles by consolidating operations and avoiding leased spaces,\u201d the motion states. \u201cHowever, there has been little to no transparency into what progress, if any, the County has made in occupying spaces in the Gas Company Tower after eight months of ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Chief Executive Office, some employees have started to move into the building, but the entire move is expected to take three years.<\/p>\n

State of play<\/p>\n

\u2014 OLYMPIC JITTERS: <\/b>Councilmember Imelda Padilla<\/b>, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games, called President Trump\u2019s announcement that he would head a federal Olympic task force a \u201creal curveball\u201d for the city and raised concerns about what a mercurial president would mean for the Olympics. \u201cWe are a little nervous to see what they\u2019re going to ask for,\u201d Padilla said during the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum luncheon on Thursday referring to the Trump administration\u2019s involvement in the Olympics. She also called Trump\u2019s assertion that Bass was not very competent \u201ccompletely false.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2014TUNNEL TROUBLE: <\/b>The city spent $25,800<\/a>, using 10 contracted workers, to paint over graffiti in the 2nd Street Tunnel \u2014 only for taggers to immediately paint the walls again within 24 hours. \u201cIt\u2019s infuriating that these selfish vandals are wasting tax dollars aimed at improving the city for all Angelenos,\u201d said Steve King<\/b>, president of the Board of Public Works.<\/p>\n

\u2014 SILVER LININGS<\/b>: L.A. County supervisors say they\u2019re open to the idea<\/a> of a receiver taking control of the beleaguered juvenile halls. But for it to happen, a majority on the board says the receiver will need to take on union agreements and civil service rules, which they say keep problem employees on the payroll.<\/p>\n

\u2014PLEA TO THE FEDS:<\/b> A prominent law firm suing L.A. County over childhood sexual abuse is asking for a federal investigation<\/a> into how so many children were harmed while in county custody. In a letter addressed to U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli<\/b>, attorney John Manly<\/b> wrote that he wanted to see the U.S. attorney\u2019s office conduct an \u201cimmediate investigation\u201d into any federal crimes committed by staff within the county\u2019s Probation Department.<\/p>\n

\u2014COOLING OFF: <\/b>L.A. County will soon require landlords<\/a> in unincorporated areas to provide a way for tenants to keep their rental units 82 degrees or below. The supervisors say the law is necessary to combat heat-related deaths fueled by climate change. <\/p>\n

\u2014A HIGH-PRICED HALF-MONTH:<\/b> A law firm representing the city of Los Angeles in a high-profile homelessness case submitted<\/a> a $1.8-million invoice for two weeks of work in May. The costs comes as the city faces significant financial burdens from rising legal payouts.<\/p>\n

\u2014 VENUE VOTE:<\/b> The hotel workers union turned in a ballot proposal<\/a> to require that voters approve of \u201cevent centers\u201d for the 2028 Olympics, including sports facilities and concert halls. Former City Councilmember Paul Krekorian<\/b>, who heads Mayor Karen Bass<\/b>\u2019 Office of Special Events, said the measure \u201cwould make vital projects essential for our city and these Games potentially impossible to complete.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014TEMPORARY LEAVE: <\/b>As of next week, Deputy Mayor Randall Winston<\/b> \u2014 who also serves as a judge advocate in the U.S. Army National Guard Reserve \u2014 will be on a leave of absence from the Mayor\u2019s office for military training. Winston was originally supposed to go on leave in January but deferred to help support wildfire response and recovery efforts. Andrea Greene<\/b>, Executive Officer of the Office of Infrastructure, will be filling his role until he returns in mid-December, according to the Mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

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