Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n
If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n
The Los Angeles City Council has agreed to pay millions more to a big law firm representing the city<\/a> in a long-running federal legal settlement over the city\u2019s response to the region\u2019s homelessness crisis. The move comes despite some members\u2019 concerns about the ballooning budget.<\/p>\n Why it matters<\/p>\n The city agreed in May to pay $900,000 to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher for an initial two-year contract. Then the city blew through that budget in just a few days.<\/p>\n The law firm billed the city about $1.8 million for two weeks of work<\/a>, according to a May invoice LAist obtained through a public records request.<\/p>\n Altogether, the city has been invoiced for $3.2 million as of Aug. 8, according to a memo written by L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and obtained by the L.A. Times<\/a>. LAist filed a public records request on Aug. 8 for the firm\u2019s invoices starting in June, but still has not received those records from the City Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n Why now<\/p>\n At the recommendation<\/a> of the Budget and Finance Committee, the L.A. City Council agreed to amend the contract to increase funding for the firm to nearly $5 million through June 2026.<\/p>\n The vote on Wednesday was 10-3, with Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Adrin Nazarian and Tim McOsker against it. Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Monica Rodriguez were absent for the full council vote.<\/p>\n McOsker also voted against the Budget and Finance recommendation during the committee meeting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The backstory<\/p>\n The City Council initially delayed the decision to increase the budget, sending the city attorney\u2019s request to the Budget and Finance Committee a few weeks ago for further consideration.<\/p>\n Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the committee, said in a previous statement to LAist that she and her colleagues want to address the cost \u201cin a way that protects taxpayers and establishes a thoughtful, long-term strategy for managing outside legal expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n Yaroslavsky said the committee \u201c\u200acame up with what we thought was a reasonable solution\u201d during Wednesday\u2019s council meeting.<\/p>\n What’s next<\/p>\n The firm has continued to work on the case for the city, including during a downtown L.A. hearing<\/a> on Tuesday. The city is appealing<\/a> a federal judge\u2019s ruling that found officials failed<\/a> in multiple ways to follow a settlement agreement to create more shelter for unhoused people.<\/p>\n