City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: April 21, 2026
From: Daniel S. Wall, P.E., Director of Public Works-City Engineer Department: Public Works
Submitted by: Dulce Gonzalez, Management Analyst
Subject
General Services Agreement with the County of Los Angeles Recommendation
A. Find that it is commercially unreasonable to rebid the General Services Agreement (GSA) with the County of Los Angeles in three years as the County is a governmental entity and sole provider of the desired services; and
B. Approve and authorize the Mayor to execute the proposed GSA with the County of Los Angeles for a five-year term effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031.
Background
The City of Vernon (City) maintains long-standing agreements with the County of Los Angeles (County) to perform various municipal functions that are more efficiently managed by County personnel. As an essential umbrella contract, the GSA provides the City with continued, asneeded access to miscellaneous public works and municipal services while incorporating foundational documents, including the Assumption of Liability Agreement of November 14, 1977 (Attachment 2). With the current 2021 GSA set to expire on June 30, 2026, the new GSA (Attachment 1) ensures a seamless transition and continued access to these services while maintaining established legal protections and operational standards between both entities.
The new GSA would be effective for a period of five years from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2031.
While standard practice is to have a three-year term for agreements pursuant to the City’s special good governance reform contract terms and procedures outlined in Section 3.32.220 of the Vernon Municipal Code (VMC), it would be commercially unreasonable to rebid the GSA in three years as the County’s GSA term is typically five years and the County is the sole provider of the desired services. The extended duration ensures long-term operational stability and reduces the administrative burden of frequent renewals, thereby enabling the continuation of a unique partnership that has been significantly beneficial to the City.
By leveraging County resources for specialized tasks, the City maintains operational flexibility and avoids the overhead costs associated with maintaining full-time internal departments for occasional needs. This GSA encompasses a variety of services, including bridge design and maintenance, traffic signal timing, predatory animal control, city ordinance prosecution, and the collection of direct assessments. This approach ensures that specialized public works, animal control, and legal services are managed effectively, allowing the City to enhance its operations as needs evolve.
City Council approval of the GSA is required pursuant to VMC Sections 3.32.030(A) and
3.32.110(B)(3), as costs associated with the contract are estimated not-to-exceed $250,000 and Council has the authority to approve contracts exceeding $100,000 and to make the finding referenced above for the five-year term for contracts in excess of the same threshold. The projected cost is based on the previous agreement expenses. The Public Works Department is recommending that the City Council approve a five-year renewal of the General Services Agreement with the County of Los Angeles.
The proposed agreement has been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact is estimated not-to-exceed $250,000. Costs will be based on actual services requested and rendered at rates established by the County. Sufficient funds are available in the General Fund, Public Works Department, Street Maintenance, Professional Services Technical Account No. 011-040-430-529225 for the current fiscal year and will be budgeted for subsequent years.
Attachments
1. General Services Agreement with the County of Los Angeles
2. Assumption of Liability Agreement