DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — It's Monday, December 8, and with only two full weeks before Christmas there's still a full slate working its way through Council. On the docket this week are budget balancing proposals, Mills Act contacts for a number of Downtown buildings and updates on transportation funding.

MONDAY: After a number of closed session items, Budget & Safety committee will be taking a look at CF 08-1303, a proposed policy for special event fee subsidies. In tough budget times, the city's waiving of fees for community events comes under tougher scrutiny.

TUESDAY: Council's in session, and item 6 is CF 08-0600-S32, cost-cutting measures that the city hopes will make up for part of a $130 million budget deficit. Of particular interest to Downtown are cuts to Rec & Parks, including part 13 of the motion recommendations:

INSTRUCT the CAO to report back to the B&F Committee relative to the availability of Quimby funds as a possible funding source for the DRP.

Quimby funds were designed for new park creation.

Item 18 is CF 08-1827, a motion to "ENCOURAGE appreciation for the 'Cyclists' Bill of Rights.'" Not likely as strong of an endorsement as cyclists might have liked, but the motion instructs various city departments to incorporate the document's principles into their policies.

Item 20, CF 08-2614 is a motion instructing Planning, CRA, LAHD and the City Attorney to prepare a mixed-income housing ordinance and start environmental work. In the past, the business community has held that such policy need be accompanied by strong incentive programs to prevent the policy from freezing development. The motion also creates a Mixed Income Task Force to advise the process, and includes on it several developers with Downtown interests: Bill Witte (Related), Daniel Rosenfeld (Urban Partners), Jeff Lee (Lee Group), Jim Atkins and Renata Simril (Forest City).

Item 37, CF 07-3988, is a Dodger Trolley update. Council will receive and file DOT's October report and request an update in January. The recommendations ask that DOT request that the team fund the service. In the past, the Dodgers have maintained that given the proper lead time, advertising could pay for program costs.

At Planning and Land Use Management, item 3 is CF 08-3241, new Mills Act contracts for 59 buildings. Mills Act is a property tax reduction for historic buildings that receive a proper renovation. Downtown structures on the list:

• 108 W. 2nd (Higgins Building)
• 210 W. 7th (Van Nuys Building)
• 727 W. 7th (Roosevelt Lofts)
• 756 S. Broadway (Chapman Flats)
• 609 S. Grand (Delano Lofts)

WEDNESDAY: At Council, item 3 is CF 07-1342, bringing recommendations from the Los Angeles River Master Plan process to create a Special Projects Office. The current recommendation is to simply note and file.

Item 23 is CF 08-2488, the Broadway Place vacation that went through committee last week. A public hearing will be set for January 14, 2009.

At Transportation committee, item 1 is CF 08-3251, a presentation of infrastructure projects that would be eligible for Obama's proposed stimulus package. Typically, projects need to be far enough along in the planning process to be able to have immediate work done.

Item 5 is CF 08-2466, a DOT report relative to programming funds from Measure R, the transportation sales tax. Aside from the funding created for major capital projects, the city will receive roughly $40 million each year in local return funds.