The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to assert jurisdiction under Charter Section 245 over the Los Angeles Fire Department’s planned contract with Clean Harbors, sending the matter back to committee for further review.

Councilmember Mike McCosker told colleagues the contract raised “very troubling” questions after he reviewed a 2021 civil enforcement complaint by the California Attorney General that targeted Clean Harbors’ Wilmington facility. McCosker said the complaint and subsequent stipulated judgment showed hazardous wastes were not properly contained or labeled at the Wilmington site and that State Department of Toxic Substances Control inspections found conditions that risked releases to surrounding residential and recreational areas.

“The parties agree that the violations alleged in the complaint are admitted and deemed proven,” McCosker said, summarizing the court paperwork. He asked the council to “assert jurisdiction and send this back to committee.”

The council voted 15–0 to assert jurisdiction and refer the contract to committee. The city attorney had advised that 10 votes were required to take the jurisdictional step.

Captain Ryan Jones of the Los Angeles Fire Department told the council that, for operational reasons, Clean Harbors is no longer picking up hazardous waste for the department. “As of now, they are not picking up hazardous waste,” Jones testified, and the department is working on interim arrangements. He said the department faces near‑term capacity constraints and that without a contractor in place the city could face fines up to $12 million and public‑safety exposures at fire facilities and other sites that generate hazardous waste.

Councilmember Paul Blumenfield supported the move to bring the issue to council, describing assertion of jurisdiction as the appropriate mechanism when an appointed body’s decision warrants further review. Several members said they wanted the council to examine the Department’s procurement choices, the vendor’s record and the scope of the contract before the contract proceeds.

The discussion centered on whether the Fire Department had provided complete information when earlier recommending Clean Harbors, and members noted the 2021 state litigation and a stipulated judgment finalized this year. Captain Jones said the department is working with the city attorney’s office on “workaround” options, including alternate procurement vehicles, to maintain hazardous‑waste services while the matter is reviewed.

The council’s action does not itself cancel or approve the contract; it brings the Fire Department’s procurement decision back under council review and refers additional vetting and oversight to committee. The council did not set a date for the committee review during Friday’s session.

Council President Marquee Harris‑Dawson and other members said the referral was intended to ensure the city balances the operational need to move hazardous waste with scrutiny of the vendor’s compliance record and community health concerns.

Provenance: Council discussion and vote occurred during the council’s special meeting; initial remarks about the 2021 civil complaint and stipulated judgment were given by Councilmember Mike McCosker, and Captain Ryan Jones provided operational status and risk statements for the Fire Department.