City Council urges Chandler family to keep Los Angeles Times under local control; motion passes 13-1

The Los Angeles City Council approved a nonbinding motion urging the Chandler family to keep the Los Angeles Times under local control or to sell to local buyers, passing the measure 13-1. The clerk recorded Councilmember Holden as the lone dissenting vote.

Why it matters: Council members said preserving local ownership — or assuring that the paper’s operations remain physically present in Los Angeles — matters for the city’s civic life, jobs and the regional media landscape. Several speakers described the Times as an institution with lasting ties to Los Angeles and urged efforts to keep management and headquarters local where possible.

Council discussion ranged from statements urging preservation of a locally controlled newspaper to broader commentary on economic trends. Some council members warned about the effects of national consolidation and what one speaker called “globalization of capital,” noting that corporate headquarters leaving the region can shift economic benefits out of the city. Another council member described the sale price and said wealthy buyers could acquire the paper but urged attempts to find local buyers if the family decides to sell.

A council member noted a conflict of interest and declined to vote because of stock ownership in the Times Mirror Corporation; the transcript records only that one member said they could not vote for that reason. The motion was largely symbolic: it does not bind any private seller but signals the council’s preference for local ownership and solicits public attention on the matter.

The motion was introduced and debated during the meeting’s supplemental agenda; the council voted to approve the motion (13 ayes, 1 no).