TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Patricia Matson, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Approving the Fifth Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement for the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (No Budget Impact) (City Manager Mirzakhanian).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-0012
Body
_________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 26-0012 approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute the Fifth Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), which allows the City of Los Angeles to designate a non-elected senior staff member as an alternate to its Governing Board seat.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
The South Bay Cities Council of Governments is a joint powers authority composed of 16 cities and the County of Los Angeles that collaborate on regional and subregional issues, including transportation and land use, energy and sustainability, homelessness, and more. The SBCCOG was originally formed in 1995 through a JPA which has since been amended four times to reflect evolving membership and governance needs. The last amendment was made in 2011.
On August 21, 2025, Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker (Council District 15) submitted a request to amend the JPA to allow the City of Los Angeles to designate a non-elected alternate representative (Attachment). Under the existing JPA, only another elected official could serve as an alternate for city members of the SBCCOG. Council District 15 is the only Los Angeles City Council district within the SBCCOG’s jurisdiction. Council District 11 has historically served as the alternate representative, but has no jurisdictional ties to the South Bay subregion.
The SBCCOG Steering Committee reviewed this request and recommended approval, with the stipulation that the language mirror the provision for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ alternates, allowing either the chief of staff or a senior staff person to serve in this role.
At its meeting on October 23, 2025, the SBCCOG Board of Directors voted to recommend member agencies adopt the Fifth Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement incorporating said amendment.
Per the terms of the JPA, amendments require approval by two-thirds (2/3) of all SBCCOG member agencies before they become effective. Each member city’s governing body must therefore take formal action to approve the amended agreement.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed amendment updates Section 5(a)(2) of the JPA to read:
"The 15th Council District Representative of the City of Los Angeles shall designate their chief of staff or a senior staff person from their office as the City of Los Angeles’s Alternate Governing Board Representative."
This change ensures consistent representation of the City of Los Angeles within the SBCCOG Governing Board, even when the elected Councilmember is unavailable to attend meetings. The amendment also maintains parity with the alternate designation provision for the County of Los Angeles.
Additional updates were made throughout the JPA to ensure it is consistent with the requested amendment. Both the redline and final versions of the JPA are attached to the report (Attachments).
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 26-0012 approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute the Fifth Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, as recommended by the SBCCOG Board of Directors on October 23, 2025, to allow the City of Los Angeles to appoint a non-elected senior staff member as an alternate to its Governing Board seat.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
After analysis, staff determined that public outreach was not required for this issue.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreement as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 26-0012
2. Letter - City of Los Angeles JPA Amendment Request
3. Fifth Amended and Restated JPA - SBCCOG (Redline)
4. Fifth Amended and Restated JPA - SBCCOG (Final)