The Los Angeles City Council voted to instruct the Chief Administrative Officer to allocate funding and authority to the Department on Disability to develop a pilot program to distribute fentanyl detection devices citywide.

The motion directed the CAO and the Department on Disability to release a request for proposals and establish contracts to develop a pilot that would include an online portal for ordering and delivery, a social-marketing campaign, a training video, logistics and delivery processes, and a data-collection plan to assess effectiveness. The motion specified a distribution target of 200,000 fentanyl testing devices per year for three years and allowed for a partnership with an existing vendor that already provides ordering and delivery infrastructure. The CAO, with assistance from the City Administrative Officer (CAO), City Legislative Analyst (CLA) and Department on Disability, was instructed to report estimated costs and to determine whether the program would be eligible for opioid settlement funding.

The Department on Disability presented a feasibility report and corrected a numerical error in the report: it had previously listed 5,135 fentanyl testing strips provided, but the department said the correct figure is slightly over 66,000. Ricky Rosales of the Department on Disability described three classes of technologies: complex laboratory equipment, traditional fentanyl test strips that require dissolving material in liquid, and a newer all-in-one device (identified in the report generically and as a manufacturer-provided device) that requires no mixing and produces an onscreen result.

Public comment included two relatives of people who died of fentanyl poisoning. Sam Chapman, who runs the Parent Collective, said, “This is my son, Sammy, forever 16,” and described how easily young people can be reached through social apps. Josephine Charmataro recounted that “There was a bottle of Narcan next to him but it was too late,” and said a testing device could have saved her son.

Council members asked questions about funding sources, outreach and training. Department staff said they had not researched other funding sources beyond the city's opioid remediation allocations and that the county's opioid funds were being used primarily for street-based programs. Staff said training would be simpler than for traditional strips and that manufacturers commonly provide instructional videos. Council members cited West Hollywood's recent investment of roughly 12,000 units as a local comparison point; staff said few jurisdictions have established online distribution programs and available data on results is limited because programs are new and jurisdictions are smaller than Los Angeles.

The motion was moved and a roll call recorded Council Member Padilla, Council Member Lee and Council Member Gerardo (recorded as 'Gerardo' in the transcript) voting yes. The motion was placed on the record as adopted. The CAO, CLA and Department on Disability were instructed to report back with cost estimates and eligibility for opioid settlement funds.

No specific budget appropriation was recorded in the meeting excerpt; the motion directed staff to return with estimated costs and with procurement options (RFP or vendor partnership).