08/19/2026
Today I chaired my last meeting of the Economic Development Committee — a committee I’ve had the honor of leading for the 13 years I’ve served on the Los Angeles City Council.
It felt fitting that my final hearing was on expanding Fair Work Week protections to fast food workers. Years ago, I championed Fair Work Week for retail workers because no one should have to build their life around a work schedule that changes without warning. Today, we took another step toward extending those protections to fast food workers, including predictable pay, fairer scheduling practices and stronger “Know Your Rights” education.
Over the years, this committee has been the place where we fought for and delivered some of the most consequential protections for working people in Los Angeles: the Hotel Living Wage, the Citywide Minimum Wage, Ban the Box, Guaranteed Basic Income, the Olympic Wage, and many more.
I’m grateful to my colleagues, their staff, my team, our City departments, labor partners and community advocates who helped make our work possible.
Thirteen years as Chair. A record I’m deeply proud of. And most importantly, tens of thousands of Angelenos whose lives have been made better because we chose to stand with working people.
It has been one of the great honors of my time on the Council. Now it’s my privilege to pass the baton to my friend, colleague and brother Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.
