Monday, January 5, 2026

County Supervisors to Extend Fire Emergency Powers, Address $18 Million in Settlements

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors faces consequential agenda as Altadena recovery continues

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday to extend emergency contracting authority for ongoing recovery operations from the January 2025 wildfires, including the Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena, while also considering more than $18 million in lawsuit settlements against county agencies.

The meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration downtown, comes nearly one year after the catastrophic firestorm that destroyed large portions of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. Under the emergency authority first granted under Board Order No. 13-C on January 28, 2025, department directors have been permitted to award and modify contracts without competitive bidding—a measure the Board must renew every two weeks under state law.

The bi-weekly emergency reports before the Board on Tuesday cover both the Internal Services Department and Public Works Department, according to agenda documents. A separate item asks supervisors to continue a local health emergency declaration related to the fires.

For Altadena residents, a separate agenda item holds particular significance: the Board is being asked to waive normal retirement waiting periods to rehire Dr. Iraj Nasseri, described in county documents as possessing “extensive and unique expertise in hydrology and hydraulics.” According to the staff report, Dr. Nasseri would provide “critically needed technical leadership” for developing post-fire mudflow modeling using Army Corps of Engineers HEC-RAS software—a pressing concern as winter rains threaten burn-scarred hillsides above Altadena. He would serve as a 120-day temporary Senior Civil Engineer at $84.01 per hour.

$18 Million in Settlement Costs

The consent calendar includes settlements totaling approximately $18.7 million across multiple county departments.

Four cases against the Sheriff’s Department alone total $6.95 million. The largest, Adrian Martinez v. County of Los Angeles, settles for $4 million over allegations of “unreasonable use of deadly force, battery and negligence” by deputies. A separate federal civil rights case, Derrick Harris v. County of Los Angeles, settles for $2.25 million for what court documents describe as a “wrongful conviction that resulted in Plaintiff’s imprisonment for seven years.”

Two additional Sheriff’s Department settlements include $400,000 for the alleged unlawful detention and assault of a minor at Lancaster High School, and $300,000 for alleged civil rights violations, unlawful search and seizure, and false arrest.

The Department of Health Services faces $4.4 million in settlements, including a $4 million medical malpractice case involving Olive View Medical Center and alleged injuries to a minor, and a $400,000 settlement for sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. The District Attorney’s Office will pay $2.875 million to settle a retaliation lawsuit brought by an employee.

A Department of Public Works settlement for $4.5 million, which includes the purchase of the subject property, resolves an inverse condemnation case alleging personal injury and property damage from sewage backflows, according to the agenda.

Gender-Affirming Care Fight

In a move positioning the county in direct opposition to the federal government, Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath have placed an urgent motion directing County Counsel to “file, join, and/or support litigation opposing the Trump Administration’s declaration and proposed rules impacting access to gender-affirming care for young people.”

The motion, which bypassed normal committee review, also instructs county attorneys to submit formal public comment opposing the proposed federal rules. The item is likely to draw organized public comment from advocates on multiple sides of the issue.

Juvenile Justice Transparency

Supervisor Holly Mitchell has introduced a directive requiring the Probation Department to create a public-facing dashboard with comprehensive juvenile justice statistics. The motion, according to county documents, would require data on facility populations, booking charges, lengths of stay, and demographics “disaggregated by race, age, gender, including male, female, nonbinary, sexual orientation.”

The Chief Probation Officer would be required to report progress every 60 days until the dashboard is operational.

Federal Legislation and Grants

Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn are asking the Board to support H.R. 6298, the Safe and Affordable Transit Act of 2025, federal legislation that would create a new grant program to improve transit safety while reducing costs for local taxpayers.

Separately, the Board will consider a resolution to apply for approximately $1.5 million over three years from the Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 Grant Program for transit services in rural communities of North Los Angeles County.

School District Bonds

Three school districts are requesting Board authorization to levy taxes for general obligation bonds totaling up to $132 million combined: Bellflower Unified ($40 million), Centinela Valley Union High School District ($72 million), and Norwalk-La Mirada Unified ($20 million).

New Department Director

The Board is expected to confirm Maral Karaccusian as Director of the Department of Aging and Disabilities at an annual salary of $285,000, effective January 6, 2026. The appointment fills a critical leadership position in an agency serving the county’s elderly and disabled populations.

How to Participate

The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Board Hearing Room 381B at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles. Members of the public may participate remotely via Webex at www.bos.lacounty.gov, by phone at (213) 306-3065 using access code 2530 234 0269 and password 2672025, or submit written comments at publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov. The meeting will be televised on KLCS at 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The full agenda is available here.