Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is scheduled to approve an ordinance on Wednesday requiring city law enforcement officers to use body-worn cameras during federal immigration enforcement actions and restricting potential staging areas. The action follows a unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council to codify the mayor’s previous executive directive into municipal code.
Ordinance Details and Body Camera Mandate
The municipal legislation formalizes Executive Directive No. 17, which Mayor Bass issued on February 10. Under the new rules, city police personnel must record immigration enforcement incidents on their body-worn cameras, identify on-scene supervisory immigration officers, and collect evidence for potential claims of unlawful conduct. Officers are also instructed to de-escalate conflicts, communicate clearly with the public, and render emergency medical aid to injured individuals during operations.
Impact Fees and Contractor Disclosures
In addition to policing rules, the ordinance directs city departments to draft measures that could levy impact fees on property owners who provide site control or staging areas for federal immigration enforcement. City contract bidders will also face new disclosure requirements regarding any existing contracts they hold with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
City Council Action and Support
The Los Angeles City Council approved the ordinance unanimously following a motion introduced on February 13 by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. The motion aimed to prevent future mayoral administrations from rescinding the policy by embedding the protections into municipal code. Mayor Bass planned to sign the ordinance during a Wednesday news conference at City Hall alongside City Council members Ysabel Jurado and Curren Price, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andres Chait, and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Executive Director Angelica Salas.