Federal judge approves duo to monitor LA's compliance with shelter agreement

A federal judge approved two people to monitor the city of Los Angeles’ compliance with an agreement to create more shelter for unhoused people after ruling this summer that city officials failed to fully follow through.

The L.A. City Council still has to vote on accepting as monitors Ron Galperin, a former L.A. city controller, and Daniel Garrie, a founder and managing partner of a law firm that focuses on cybersecurity.

The pair will be tasked with reviewing city data for its quarterly reports to the court, verifying the numbers, resolving any data issues and providing public reports on data compliance.

Judge David O. Carter wrote in his June ruling that the third-party monitors would ask “the hard questions on behalf of Angelenos.”

In the ruling, Carter found that city officials failed in multiple ways to follow a settlement agreement with the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of downtown business and property owners that sued the city and county in 2020 for failing to adequately address the local homelessness crisis.

The judge ordered stronger oversight by a third-party monitor, as well as quarterly hearings to oversee compliance with the city’s commitment to create nearly 13,000 new shelter and housing beds.

About the monitors

Galperin is an attorney who was elected L.A. city controller in 2013 and 2017. He created the city’s first open-data portal during his tenure, Control Panel L.A., which detailed the money Los Angeles spent over a decade on services and salaries, according to his website.

He was a community advocate before being elected, according to his CalMatters professional profile, serving on a neighborhood council and volunteering with the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates to give city officials funding recommendations.

Galperin ran for California state controller in 2022 but didn’t advance to the general election.

Garrie is an attorney with decades of experience in computer forensics and cybersecurity, according to his Law & Forensics LLC co-founder bio page.

He served as a mediator, arbitrator and special master at JAMS (formerly known as Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) in hundreds of courts and proceedings across the country. That includes a high-profile class-action lawsuit filed against Facebook’s owner, Meta Platforms Inc., that accused the company of sharing users’ personal data without their consent.

Garrie has authored hundreds of legal articles and publications, according to his bio, in addition to teaching cybersecurity law and computer forensics classes at Harvard University.

Elizabeth Mitchell, an attorney for L.A. Alliance, spoke to Garrie and Galperin on Tuesday, after the judge called each of them from the bench and put them on speakerphone.

Mitchell said in the hearing shortly thereafter that they’re “very comfortable” with them serving as monitors. Mitchell said it’s “important” to have someone like Galperin, who is familiar with the city and its budget system, and that Garrie will be able to assist with data and technical issues.

Attorneys representing the city told the judge that Galperin was their suggestion, and they did not object to the duo serving as monitors, pending council approval.

Neither Galperin nor Garrie immediately responded to LAist’s requests for comment.

LAHSA recouping millions

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority — otherwise known as LAHSA — was ordered to give the court an update on the agency’s efforts to recoup about $50.8 million in advances that L.A.-area service providers have not yet paid back.

The unpaid debt was revealed last November in an L.A. County audit of LAHSA, which administers funding to service providers in the city and county of L.A. The taxpayer funds in question were doled out in 2017.

LAHSA representatives, including Alejandro Gomez Palma, director of grant management and compliance, told the court Tuesday that 34 service providers still owe a total of $33.7 million. They said LAHSA has been able to recoup a little more than $2 million since its last update in May, which Carter noted was a substantial increase overall.

LAHSA representatives confirmed the agency has a payment schedule in place with the service providers. The officials said they expect to recoup all of the funds by the March 2027 deadline.

What’s next?

Galperin and Garrie still need to be approved by the L.A. City Council. A representative from the city attorney’s office said Tuesday that the office would prioritize placing it on the council agenda for consideration.

The city and L.A. Alliance are due back in court for the first quarterly compliance-review hearing Nov. 12, according to court documents.

Also on that date, LAHSA representatives are expected to provide another update on the agency’s recoupment efforts.