# Transcript: City Council Meeting

**Date:** 2026-06-10
**Recording:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=cBsImxAsO00
**Source:** youtube-auto-captions
**Coverage:** complete

> Warning: Transcript contains 2 internal gaps longer than 120 seconds.

[00:02] So, I definitely take great pride in

[00:05] wearing both uniforms. I didn't think I

[00:07] would still be in the Marine Corps after

[00:08] 24 years. There aren't very many of us

[00:11] on the fire department that are still

[00:12] actively in the reserves. In the Marine

[00:15] Corps, I'm Master Gunnery Sergeant

[00:17] Nicholas Darcy. I've been in the Marines

[00:18] for 24 years now. Did 5 years active

[00:22] duty. Um, been in the reserves ever

[00:24] since. And then on the fire department,

[00:26] it's firefighter paramedic. and I've

[00:28] been on the fire department since 2007,

[00:30] so about almost going on 19 years.

[00:34] My name is David Ariano, an inspector

[00:37] with the Los Angeles City Fire

[00:38] Department. I've been on the fire

[00:40] department for 22 years. I'm also in the

[00:43] United States Marines reserves. I hold

[00:46] the rank of master gunnery sergeant.

[00:48] I've been faithfully serving for the

[00:50] past 28 years.

[00:53] I was born in East LA. My dad was LAPD,

[00:57] so kind of a a hard individual. His dad,

[01:00] my grandpa, was a World War II Marine

[01:03] who was a Purple Heart recipient during

[01:05] the Battle of the Pacific and

[01:07] specifically on the island of Guadal

[01:09] Canal. So, he was brought up by a Marine

[01:13] and he pretty much volunteer

[01:16] and I that we were going to be going to

[01:18] the Marine Corps after we graduated from

[01:20] high school.

[01:22] >> My name is Jason Null. Uh, I'm a master

[01:24] gunnery sergeant, retired in the United

[01:26] States Marine Corps. I did 29 years of

[01:28] service with the Marine Corps. I've been

[01:30] with the Los Angeles Fire Department for

[01:32] about 17 years at this point. Was born

[01:35] in Torrance, raised in Hermosa Beach.

[01:37] When I was in high school, there was a

[01:38] Marine Corps ROC program. I found out I

[01:41] wanted to join the Marine Corps mostly

[01:42] because I got to see the Marines that

[01:43] were running the program there. I grew

[01:46] up in Castake, little town outside of

[01:48] Santa Clarita. And being outside as much

[01:50] as I did kind of gave me the the reason

[01:53] why I wanted to become a Marine. So I

[01:56] default to Operation Iraqi Freedom

[01:58] because that's most um memorable of my

[02:00] deployments. Obviously going to Iraq. In

[02:02] Iraq, we were doing convoys, a lot of

[02:05] convoys. We were doing a lot of

[02:06] protection of diplomats, the ambassador,

[02:09] you know, generals, stuff like that

[02:11] through Iraqi freedom, enduring freedom.

[02:13] Our other missions that we did was ship

[02:15] boarding. We probably boarded a dozen

[02:17] ships that were suspected al-Qaeda ships

[02:19] and we would search them with other

[02:21] branches of the military and deem who

[02:24] was a terrorist and who wasn't and then

[02:26] just escorting ships through very

[02:28] dangerous waters. As far as how it

[02:31] impacted me, I would say it gave me a

[02:33] great appreciation and deeper love for

[02:36] our nation, our military, and deep down

[02:38] pride of what I was doing and, you know,

[02:40] helping people.

[02:43] When I was in Iraq, we were uh in

[02:47] Kuwait. We were like living in a large

[02:49] tent city and there was a electrical

[02:51] fire and it burned down all of our

[02:53] tents. All of our equipment burned down.

[02:54] All of our personal belongings burned

[02:56] down. We all tried to put it out with

[02:57] the fire extinguishers, but none of us

[02:59] had any like formal training on how to

[03:00] like extinguish a fire. At that point, I

[03:03] started to have the desire to to know

[03:05] what to do in that situation. So then I

[03:06] started pursuing fire tech classes and

[03:08] uh that's what kind of set me on the

[03:10] path to to end up being a firefighter.

[03:13] While I was in the Marine Corps, um the

[03:16] decision

[03:17] to look towards the LFD was not really a

[03:22] decision that I made. Growing up in the

[03:24] in the 90s, everyone wanted to be a

[03:27] firefighter. And I didn't think that it

[03:29] was something that that was really

[03:31] possible for me to do. Not because I

[03:34] wasn't strong enough, but I just didn't

[03:37] know anything about it. And so, I went

[03:39] to the Marine Corps, kind of found my

[03:41] voice, but I still didn't have any

[03:44] direction towards the fire department.

[03:45] My mom, God bless her soul, she worked

[03:49] in the city. And she was like, "Come

[03:51] downtown with me to a fire and police

[03:54] expo." And hesitantly, I I just honored

[03:58] her and um went downtown and filled out

[04:01] one of those green interest cards. And

[04:04] from that from that interest card came

[04:06] this job. It's a wonderful testament to

[04:10] the dedication that my mom had to raise

[04:12] for her son and to put me in a position

[04:15] that can provide for my family in the

[04:17] future.

[04:21] It means a lot to have fellow

[04:24] firefighters in the Los Angeles City

[04:26] Fire Department that are also fellow

[04:29] master gunnery sergeants in the Marine

[04:31] Corps reserves. To get to that level of

[04:34] rank in the Marine Corps, it's not an

[04:36] easy task. And in fact, the percentage

[04:39] of Marines that do attain that rank are

[04:43] less than 1%. It's an incredible feat.

[04:47] When you're the rank of gunnery

[04:49] sergeant, you choose which path you want

[04:51] to go within the Marine Corps. You can

[04:53] either become a first sergeant sergeant

[04:54] major which is in charge of the

[04:56] administrations of the Marine Corps or

[04:59] you can choose to be a technical expert

[05:00] which is the master sergeant master

[05:02] gunnery sergeant. So it's a pretty

[05:04] difficult to obtain the rank. Uh there's

[05:06] not that many of them within the Marine

[05:07] Corps reserves and then to have two

[05:09] other ones just within our own

[05:11] departments pretty remarkable. We each

[05:13] have separate jobs. So we're all master

[05:15] gunry sergeants but each one of us has a

[05:17] different discipline that we handle.

[05:19] So master gunnery sergeants are unique

[05:22] amongst their MOS or their uh job. So

[05:25] with myself, I'm infantry. So as a

[05:27] master gunnery sergeant in the infantry,

[05:30] my role is what's called an operations

[05:32] chief. So I am basically in charge of a

[05:36] command working for a commanding

[05:37] officer, their tactics and their

[05:40] operations. So, anything on a tactical

[05:42] level, I am setting up, I am

[05:44] orchestrating, I am organizing, and you

[05:47] know, also when units are deployed, I'm

[05:49] tracking where they're at, when they're

[05:51] coming back, where they're going to be,

[05:52] how they're going to get there, and

[05:54] stuff like that. With my position, I get

[05:56] to directly work with hundreds of

[05:58] Marines and sailors. So, the joy I get

[06:01] is just helping with guys proficiency.

[06:03] You know, in the military, just like the

[06:04] fire department, what we do is a matter

[06:06] of life and death. So the better you are

[06:08] at your job, the safer you're going to

[06:10] be. And to have men and women over the

[06:13] last 20 years that I run into tell me, I

[06:15] appreciate everything you did and this

[06:17] is years later and they're like, you

[06:18] know, you set me up for a successful

[06:21] future and, you know, deployments. So

[06:24] just being able to be that person that

[06:26] helps somebody be so proficient that

[06:28] when they do deploy, they feel safe. So

[06:31] the Marine Corps is all about teamwork,

[06:33] right? you you take the best of

[06:35] everybody who you're working with and

[06:36] you bring it together so that you can

[06:38] accomplish the mission and those skills

[06:40] are transferable to the fire department

[06:43] just as is. Marine Corps definitely sets

[06:46] us up for success. Being good at one

[06:49] makes me better at the other. What we do

[06:51] in the Marines is very parallel to the

[06:54] fire department. You know, we're working

[06:55] as a team, following orders, respecting

[06:58] people's experience above me. The fire

[07:00] department and the military is not about

[07:02] age. It's not about rank per se. It's

[07:03] about your experience as well. And

[07:05] there's many people out there that, you

[07:07] know, have a lot to learn from. So

[07:10] bringing that over to the fire

[07:11] department was just natural progression.

[07:14] And then just the fire department, you

[07:15] know, it's such a great organization.

[07:18] Working in LA, working for LFD in

[07:20] particular. I couldn't ask for two

[07:22] better careers, two better um paths, and

[07:25] they take great care of me. I mean, the

[07:26] fire department allows me to do this. If

[07:29] it wasn't for the support of the Los

[07:31] Angeles City Fire Department, I wouldn't

[07:33] be able to even maintain this career

[07:34] with the Marine Corps.

[07:37] >> I find it important to serve as a

[07:39] firefighter and as a Marine, primarily

[07:42] to give an example to my kids. I want

[07:46] them to know that there's a lot of honor

[07:48] in serving, being a civil servant,

[07:52] someone who helps others. And I think

[07:55] that giving that type of service is one

[07:57] of the best ways to show that Veterans

[08:00] Day, it means a lot because not only

[08:04] have I spent the past almost three

[08:06] decades serving, but that would mean

[08:09] that my family has also done the same in

[08:11] one way or another. It's not just the

[08:13] veteran, it's the it's the family that

[08:15] that is supporting that veteran. and

[08:17] numerous amount of spouses and kids that

[08:20] have had to go through multiple

[08:22] deployments. The appreciation for

[08:24] veterans um extends very far and it's

[08:28] deeply appreciated.

[08:31] So Veterans Day go for me goes back to

[08:33] way before I was in Marine Corps. My

[08:35] grandfather, he was a Pearl Harbor

[08:37] survivor. He was at Pearl Harbor when it

[08:39] bombed. So when he passed away between

[08:41] Memorial Day and Veterans Day, you know,

[08:43] those holidays mean a lot because we've

[08:45] had a interesting history in America as

[08:47] far as you know how each veteran has

[08:50] been recognized and how our, you know,

[08:52] the public perceived them and, you know,

[08:54] we've had times where they were, you

[08:56] know, heroes and we've had times, you

[08:57] know, that people weren't recognized as

[09:00] well like Vietnam era. So if you know a

[09:02] veteran whether you thank him or just

[09:04] give him a pat or a hug, they do

[09:06] appreciate it. especially the older

[09:08] veterans that you know may not have felt

[09:09] that love when they got out of the

[09:11] service. For me, you know, showing that

[09:13] love and respect and honoring those

[09:15] people that came before me and the ones

[09:17] that are still serving, you know, and

[09:18] teaching my children that respect. Um,

[09:20] it means a lot to me and uh, you know, I

[09:23] hope that, you know, everybody else can

[09:24] show, you know, them that respect.

[09:43] I've had a long-standing interest in

[09:44] time capsules. Uh I love LA history,

[09:47] especially unique history and things

[09:49] that involve uh building and technical

[09:52] challenges such as this. So, it's been a

[09:55] lot of fun trying to navigate the the

[09:57] different aspects of this project to to

[09:58] get it to really happen. It took us just

[10:01] about a year to figure out logistically

[10:03] how we were going to extract the time

[10:05] capsule. We knew from just a couple

[10:09] photographs from May 3rd of 1925 when

[10:12] the board of library commissioners uh

[10:15] formally dedicated the building by

[10:17] placing the time capsule in the

[10:19] cornerstone and really not much more

[10:22] information than that to go by. I mean,

[10:24] the biggest challenge was the fact that

[10:28] they never put out instructions or gave

[10:30] a plan for how we were supposed to get

[10:32] it out. There was no access hatch or

[10:36] door or um clear method really for

[10:40] retrieving this at all. We couldn't

[10:43] proceed without first being able to to

[10:45] verify that it was still where we

[10:47] thought it was. So we could drill some

[10:49] small holes into the grout line between

[10:52] the cornerstone and the other limestone

[10:54] blocks on the building facade. We were

[10:56] able to drill these holes and run in a

[10:58] little boroscope camera and almost

[11:02] immediately we were able to locate the

[11:04] box. Prior to this, we were assuming

[11:06] that we were going to have to remove

[11:08] limestone blocks from the wall above the

[11:10] cornerstone, try to lift it up and uh

[11:14] basically remove the box as an exact

[11:16] reverse engineering of the way that it

[11:18] was initially placed and installed.

[11:20] Through that process, we were able to

[11:22] determine that it would make more sense

[11:24] from a historic preservation perspective

[11:27] to go in through the interior of the

[11:29] building, which happens to be the men's

[11:31] restroom.

[11:37] We we were able to take out a couple

[11:39] historic marble wall panels that will be

[11:42] replaced after the work is done. We even

[11:44] had to cap off the plumbing that was

[11:46] obstructing our path to get at the

[11:48] actual time capsule. But here is what I

[11:50] really wanted to show off at this stage

[11:52] because this is kind of really cool. So

[11:55] this material here, these are terracotta

[11:57] blocks that are used in a lot of parts

[12:00] of the building, but this section is

[12:01] unique because it's actually just

[12:03] breaking over this square entry. And so

[12:06] the next step was to drill, jackhammer,

[12:09] and break out enough of that block to

[12:11] expose the backside of this massive

[12:13] limestone cornerstone. And then hammer

[12:16] away, chisel, cut until we could get the

[12:19] the back section of the cornerstone

[12:21] itself removed. and then finally

[12:24] hammered away enough to actually pull

[12:27] the box out. It took about a week to

[12:30] access the box itself and then

[12:32] additional time to repair the wall and

[12:34] reopen the restroom. This was really

[12:37] meant to represent an institution at a

[12:40] moment in time. In the original board of

[12:42] library commissioner meeting minutes,

[12:44] they submitted a list of the contents of

[12:47] the time capsule. So, this is uh

[12:49] currently all that we have to go on in

[12:51] terms of what to expect. There's an

[12:53] immense sense of anticipation, but the

[12:56] journey of retrieving this. The box

[12:59] itself as an artifact is an amazing

[13:01] thing and uh whatever it contains will

[13:04] be valuable institutional history, if

[13:07] not something more indicative of life in

[13:10] Los Angeles.

[13:16] We had to treat it with a lot of care to

[13:18] make sure that we didn't damage the

[13:20] contents. This is a custommade copper

[13:22] box that was soldered shut on all sides.

[13:25] So, we ended up drilling a hole just big

[13:27] enough to get some manual shears in so

[13:30] it could be hand cut around the

[13:31] perimeter of the lid. The contents of

[13:33] the time capsule are remarkably well

[13:35] preserved, especially given the fact

[13:37] that they were sitting in the middle of

[13:39] our wall for a full hundred years. One

[13:41] of the things that was on the list was

[13:43] photographs of the previous locations of

[13:46] the central library. But what we didn't

[13:48] expect was that it would be compiled in

[13:50] this beautiful scrapbook, the homes of

[13:52] this Los Angeles Public Library. It's

[13:55] just really nice to see the the care and

[13:57] attention that was put into preserving

[14:00] this. Starting with the Downey block on

[14:02] Templan Maine, the old city hall in Los

[14:05] Angeles, the Homer Laughlin Building

[14:06] downtown, the Hamburger Building,

[14:09] another department store, and the

[14:10] Metropolitan Building before you finally

[14:13] get this view of it says present

[14:15] building, but it's actually a painting

[14:17] because it was still in construction at

[14:19] that time. This list of the employees of

[14:21] the Los Angeles Public Library is a

[14:24] really beautiful thing because as simple

[14:26] as it is, it's presented with dignity

[14:28] and pride. It really shows that they

[14:30] valued the contributions of everybody on

[14:32] the staff to help make the institution

[14:34] what it was. Even on the first page

[14:36] here, you've got of course the city

[14:38] librarian Everett Perry at the top, but

[14:41] uh right below that is janitorial

[14:43] workers for central library like a

[14:45] gentleman named Doc Cookie. This is

[14:47] another really interesting document

[14:49] here, a statement from the architects of

[14:51] the central library. The statement

[14:53] really gets into some of the challenges

[14:54] that they face from an architectural and

[14:57] engineering perspective throughout the

[14:59] course of the building. And like the

[15:02] library itself, this statement includes

[15:04] the names of all of the draftsmen who

[15:06] worked in the architect's office and

[15:08] helped design this amazing library. One

[15:10] of the most vague or kind of wildcard

[15:13] items on our inventory list of what was

[15:15] in our capsule was all of the contents

[15:18] of the cornerstone of the normal school

[15:20] building that was on this site before

[15:22] the library was built. Uh the normal

[15:24] school opened here in 1882 and later

[15:27] would become UCLA and moved to Westwood.

[15:29] We sort of had a time capsule within the

[15:31] our time capsule. One of the most unique

[15:34] pieces certainly from the 1881 normal

[15:37] school capsule is this which is refers

[15:40] to itself as a relic from the catapulk

[15:42] obsequious of president Garfield. And we

[15:45] have a little bit of helpful context

[15:46] from our 1925 librarians who've included

[15:50] a couple of typewritten notes on blank

[15:53] catalog cards. This one says, "The year

[15:56] 1881 was also the year of the

[15:58] assassination of President Garfield. The

[16:00] bit of black cloth and the dried moss

[16:02] are momentos from the funeral. The badge

[16:05] was one worn by the members of a local

[16:07] engine company in the memorial services.

[16:10] The population of Los Angeles in 1881

[16:12] was only 11,183.

[16:15] So the city was a dramatically different

[16:17] place than it was already by the 1920s

[16:20] when our library was being built. Both

[16:22] time capsules contained objects that

[16:25] represented the city more at large. So

[16:28] both of them had a lot of newspapers

[16:30] from the 1881 selection. I thought it

[16:33] was most interesting that we had a

[16:35] series of newspapers in languages other

[16:37] than English. We have Lacronica, the

[16:39] Spanish language newspaper, as well as

[16:42] newspapers from LA from that weekend in

[16:45] uh French and German. Just a kind of

[16:47] interesting demographic look at who was

[16:50] in Los Angeles at that time. The

[16:52] population was small, but it was already

[16:55] extremely diverse. We're always trying

[16:57] to expand the the depth and breadth of

[17:00] the stories we have available. And when

[17:02] we're able to do that for our own

[17:04] institutional history, that's a really

[17:06] special thing. And it just doesn't come

[17:07] along every day. It's pretty incredible

[17:09] to have this direct link to the leaders

[17:12] and supporters of this institution 100

[17:15] years ago. Their dedication and hard

[17:17] work has made it possible for the

[17:20] institution to continue to thrive. It's

[17:22] in that spirit that we're really excited

[17:25] and energized to continue the work of

[17:28] making sure that the library remains

[17:30] relevant and a critical resource for

[17:33] Angelinos for another hundred years to

[17:35] come.

[17:51] My father was Peter Suho senior and he

[17:54] started Chinatown.

[18:02] That's my earliest memories of working.

[18:04] I just knew they worked all the time,

[18:06] but we didn't even think about it. It's

[18:08] just like that was a normal thing you

[18:10] did. you go to work and you had to take

[18:11] care of you were starting Chinatown. So

[18:13] you did all that and what he did he was

[18:16] always at a meeting or with um people um

[18:18] mostly men at the time um family members

[18:22] and of of Chinatown that wanted stores

[18:25] or restaurants. Oh, this is Jin Gear

[18:27] Shop. There's my dad and there's Mr.

[18:29] Chow.

[18:30] Oh dear, I spend hours there. In the

[18:33] back we had a a like a kitchen and a a

[18:37] toilet with a sink and you know we had

[18:40] no hot water. I mean you boiled the

[18:42] water in the tea kettle if you wanted to

[18:44] make tea or anything.

[18:46] And that whole block is owned by the uh

[18:49] shareholders of the Los Angeles

[18:52] Chinatown Corporation of which my father

[18:54] was one shareholder and that's how and

[18:57] he was able to get this piece of

[18:59] property to build his restaurant. But

[19:02] the streets there belong to the

[19:04] Chinatown Corporation.

[19:06] So it's a unique little city in its own.

[19:09] >> We're on the second floor of Phoenix

[19:11] Bakery at 969 North Broadway

[19:13] >> in Chinatown. We are the second

[19:15] generation. It was our parents who

[19:18] started this uh bakery in 1938. We all

[19:21] grew up here. Uh as soon as we could

[19:24] stand and do something useful, we were

[19:27] here. There were no no preschools, no

[19:30] nannies, no child care, none of this,

[19:33] you know. And if my mother had to be

[19:36] down here to help, we were down here,

[19:38] too. And my some of my earliest memories

[19:42] are bagging fortune cookies down here.

[19:46] >> Yeah. I got a quarter for that big can.

[19:48] >> Yeah. We didn't get paid much either.

[19:53] It has strawberries in it. Lay money on

[19:56] it. That's a sponge. It looks like one

[19:59] of ours.

[20:03] It was a place that attracted a lot of

[20:07] the

[20:09] quote American folks. And uh

[20:13] there are also photos of the new Yihungu

[20:16] on Hill Street with a line of people out

[20:20] the door. you know, you would think that

[20:22] you were at a popular fried chicken

[20:25] place.

[20:28] We've had a long history of supporting

[20:31] immigrant businesses. Uh if you go to

[20:34] some of the outdoor shopping

[20:38] uh uh places, you know, uh whether along

[20:42] the sidewalk or inside of the the

[20:44] Dynasty Center or Alpine Plaza, you'll

[20:48] find

[20:49] immigrant entrepreneurs who have set up

[20:52] shop. you know, whether it's selling

[20:55] uh clothing or toys or music, you know,

[20:59] they're

[21:01] um following a tradition that they've

[21:04] had before, you know, whether it was in

[21:06] Vietnam or in Laos.

[21:30] When most people think of Los Angeles,

[21:33] they picture beaches, freeways, and the

[21:36] Hollywood sign. But the city extends far

[21:39] beyond its skyline, all the way to the

[21:41] busy waterfront of San Petro. Here at

[21:45] the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's

[21:47] busiest seapport, massive cargo ships

[21:49] and towering cranes showcase the global

[21:52] reach of this harbor. Yet alongside its

[21:56] industrial might is a rich maritime

[21:58] history that continues to draw visitors

[22:00] from around the world. Standing proudly

[22:03] on the waterfront is the Battleship Iowa

[22:06] Museum. Once a powerful naval vessel

[22:09] that served through the multiple

[22:10] conflicts, the battleship Iowa now

[22:13] welcomes guests aboard as a living piece

[22:15] of American history. So whether you're

[22:18] visiting the harbor for the first time

[22:20] or enjoying the community you call home,

[22:23] welcome to Los Angeles.

[22:51] Standing here aboard the battleship

[22:53] Iowa, it's impossible not to appreciate

[22:56] the scale of the Los Angeles waterfront.

[23:00] Docked in the heart of San Pedro, this

[23:03] legendary ship has become one of the

[23:05] harbor's most recognizable landmarks and

[23:08] a gateway to the area's history. Now, as

[23:12] you walk these decks, you're following

[23:14] in the footsteps of sailors, service

[23:17] members, and even three US presidents,

[23:20] earning the Iowa's nickname, the

[23:22] battleship of presidents. And today, the

[23:26] museum gives visitors a hands-on look at

[23:28] naval history while offering some of the

[23:31] best views of the harbor, where cargo

[23:33] ships, cruise vessels, and waterfront

[23:36] attractions all come together. From the

[23:39] San Pedro Fish Market and Harbor Cruises

[23:42] to the LA waterfront prominade, the area

[23:45] welcomes millions of visitors each year

[23:48] who come to experience this unique side

[23:50] of Los Angeles. It's also the perfect

[23:53] setting for one of the city's biggest

[23:55] waterfront celebrations. During Port of

[23:58] Los Angeles Fleet Week, active duty

[24:01] members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and

[24:03] Coast Guard join the community right

[24:06] here at the harbor, transforming this

[24:09] historic battleship into the centerpiece

[24:11] of a weekend dedicated to service,

[24:14] community, and pride.

[24:22] Fleet Week is something that we look

[24:24] forward to every year and it seems to

[24:28] keep getting bigger and better every

[24:30] year.

[24:38] We've had the privilege of hosting the

[24:40] Los Angeles Fleet Week here for the last

[24:42] 10 years. And it's a privilege having

[24:44] the United States Navy, United States

[24:46] Marine Corps, and the Armed Forces in

[24:49] support of our nation here.

[24:56] It's such a positive environment here.

[24:58] we're coming together. You know, we have

[25:00] first responders, we have military, we

[25:03] have our firefighters, our police

[25:04] officers, and it's just good to know

[25:07] that we're all one big family and to

[25:09] come together as Americans. I'm so proud

[25:12] to be here, and I'm I'm so thankful for

[25:14] everyone's service.

[25:23] With week, it opens up the civilian side

[25:26] to the military. they're able to see

[25:28] what we have and we offer. And then also

[25:30] it shows demonstrations as well to get

[25:32] them comfortable with the military and

[25:34] what we have to offer.

[25:42] If you're a young person and you're

[25:43] looking for something fulfilling in your

[25:45] life, spend some time with the sailors,

[25:47] the airmen, the marines, the soldiers,

[25:50] as well as police officers,

[25:51] firefighters, public safety

[25:53] professionals here in and about the city

[25:55] of Los Angeles. We'd love to see you,

[25:57] spend some time with you, and talk to

[25:59] you about a remarkable career path.

[26:02] >> It gives people a sense of purpose, uh,

[26:04] a sense of hope, knowing that there is

[26:06] something out there for them. Together,

[26:08] we can stand unified as one country.

[26:11] >> To the next generation, our young people

[26:14] here, you are our future. We cannot

[26:17] continue without you. And I just want to

[26:20] say thank you to all of our military

[26:22] families out here.

[26:36] This is our annual workers memorial. It

[26:39] is a momentous occasion for us to be

[26:42] here. It is so great to see our

[26:45] wonderful sea of orange. Calrans proud

[26:53] in our district which covers Los Angeles

[26:56] and Ventura County. We have a total of

[26:58] 32 lives lost.

[27:01] >> Let's pay tribute to the family members

[27:03] of our fallen who are with us

[27:08] >> today. We're participating in the

[27:10] workers memorial which is a big event

[27:13] for us cuz it's a remembrance of those

[27:16] that have passed in district 7 while

[27:18] they've been working on the freeway. So

[27:20] for some of us those are people that are

[27:21] really close to us. Those are people

[27:22] that unfortunately didn't make it home

[27:24] to their family.

[27:29] Today, we gather not only to honor their

[27:30] memory, but to reaffirm our shared

[27:32] commitment to protect those who work

[27:35] each day to keep California moving.

[27:41] I supervise a crew of about 7 to 10

[27:44] people. We do road maintenance. We do

[27:46] guard repairs, fence repairs, pothole

[27:49] repairs. Our main purpose is to keep the

[27:52] roadway safe for us and for the

[27:54] traveling public.

[27:57] CALR builds and maintains freeways and

[27:59] highways here in Los Angeles and Ventura

[28:02] County, specifically our district for

[28:04] District 7.

[28:09] Across District 7, motorists travel an

[28:11] average of 99 million vehicle miles per

[28:13] day. Think about that for a second. 99

[28:16] million miles. Our workers face constant

[28:18] risk, traffic at all hours, extreme

[28:20] weather, and hazardous conditions. That

[28:22] is why awareness matters. Everyone,

[28:25] workers, drivers, bicyclists,

[28:28] pedestrians must stay alert and look out

[28:30] for one another. To the public, please

[28:33] slow down and stay attentive. Protect

[28:36] the workers who serve you.

[28:44] Don't drive distracted. Pay attention.

[28:46] There are warning signs. There are

[28:48] warning cones. There are flashing

[28:50] lights. Do your part to pay attention.

[28:53] We're people just like you and we want

[28:56] to go home at the end of the day to our

[28:58] our families, to our loved ones, to our

[29:00] pets, to whoever it is that we go home

[29:02] to. And we just ask that you don't drive

[29:04] distracted. That that text message can

[29:06] wait. That phone call can wait. Our

[29:08] lives can and be alert and be pay

[29:11] attention for yourselves and for us.

[29:17] >> To all motorists, the message remains

[29:19] clear. Lives can be saved when drivers

[29:22] slow down. Move over. Stay alert when

[29:25] approaching work zone or roadside

[29:28] operation.

[29:34] When we're out there on the roads, we're

[29:35] not doing it to be an inconvenience.

[29:37] We're doing it for your safety. We're

[29:40] doing it to keep the roadway safe so you

[29:42] can make it home. That pothole repair

[29:44] can't wait because it is a safety

[29:46] hazard. That guard repair can't wait. It

[29:48] is a safety hazard and it's what's going

[29:50] to keep all of us alive and safe so we

[29:52] can go home at the end of the day.

[30:18] All right.

[30:22] Good morning everyone and thank you all

[30:25] for being here for what I call my annual

[30:28] Cinco de Mayo celebration where we come

[30:31] together to uplift and honor CHO leaders

[30:35] and reclaim the significance of this

[30:37] holiday. Cinco de Mayo has been

[30:39] traditionally been seen and confused as

[30:41] being Mexican independence day, but it's

[30:44] not. Historically, what it is, it's a

[30:46] symbolic day um that was born here in

[30:48] the United States to showcase the

[30:51] winning of the battle of Puebla, which

[30:53] shows the resiliency of a very small

[30:56] Mexican army that beat a very

[30:58] well-funded French army. So over the

[31:01] years of history, it has been turned

[31:03] into a very commercialized uh way to uh

[31:07] cater to the Mexican market. But what we

[31:10] want to do is show that we're more than

[31:12] just that. We're not just the consumers

[31:14] for some corporations to shoot for, but

[31:17] we really do contribute to the uh fabric

[31:19] of what is the American story. And that

[31:21] is why we are doing this today. Today we

[31:23] brought together a diverse and dynamic

[31:26] group of honores. Marcos Reoso. He is

[31:29] the owner to Chony Chiso.

[31:33] >> I just really want to serve really good

[31:35] food to my community and really good

[31:37] pricing so everybody can enjoy, not just

[31:39] the one person or the people that have

[31:41] money. I want everybody to enjoy.

[31:43] >> The chiso that he makes is something

[31:46] that I've never seen before. What he

[31:49] puts in the chiso is something that

[31:52] actually you can't really find anywhere

[31:55] unless you go closer to the border or

[31:57] actually cross.

[31:59] >> It's really important to celebrate Cinco

[32:01] de Mayo because you always need to

[32:03] remember where you come from, where your

[32:06] tradition is, who what to truly

[32:09] celebrate.

[32:10] >> Congratulations.

[32:11] Thank you for being part of helping us

[32:13] redefine Cinco de Mayo.

[32:17] Daniel Duno Lopez.

[32:21] >> He is a content creator, podcaster, and

[32:25] comedia comedian who proudly represents

[32:27] his Mexican heritage and Echo Park

[32:30] roots. Today, um, he's touring the

[32:33] country and selling out shows. We are

[32:36] proud to celebrate his success and his

[32:38] voice.

[32:39] >> I grew up down the street, literally on

[32:41] first in between temple. I grew up

[32:45] walking distance. I used to walk through

[32:46] here. I would have never in a 100 years

[32:48] thought that I'll be here. Um, I'm 26

[32:50] years old. I'm living life. I'm amazed.

[32:51] Thank you guys for supporting and shout

[32:53] out the city of Los Angeles. I love you

[32:54] guys so much. Thank you.

[33:01] The CHO movement here in Los Angeles is

[33:04] thriving. It's probably the biggest and

[33:07] best it's ever been. And uh, you know,

[33:10] there's areas that we could be in a

[33:14] little bit more like in the in the movie

[33:17] industry. We got the music unlocked, we

[33:19] got art unlocked, we got food unlocked,

[33:23] and um the only place I don't see us

[33:26] shining to our full potential is in the

[33:28] movie industry.

[33:30] >> He is an internationally celebrated

[33:32] photographer, director, and urban

[33:35] lifestyle entrepreneur whose work has

[33:37] captured the essence of who we are. I

[33:41] represent the city to the fullest and

[33:44] take it with me on my back everywhere I

[33:46] go and thank you very much.

[33:51] Can I have Dr. Amada Aramenta and Jose

[33:54] Loya join me?

[33:57] Dr. Amada Armenta is an associate

[33:59] professor of urban planning at UCLA and

[34:02] the director of the Latino Policy and

[34:05] Politics Institute. Mexican-Americans

[34:07] and Chicanos have been part of LA before

[34:10] LA was even part of the United States.

[34:12] And so we are leaders in every sector

[34:15] from art to entrepreneurship to academia

[34:18] to universities where I work. Um our

[34:21] schools are full of amazing

[34:24] Mexican-American students, leaders,

[34:26] Latinos, and of all groups who are going

[34:28] to grow up and make a difference.

[34:29] >> And Dr. Jose Loya is, as I mentioned,

[34:32] assistant professor of urban planning at

[34:34] UCLA, whose research examines inequality

[34:37] in housing and home ownership,

[34:39] particularly within Latino communities.

[34:41] >> The Latino culture is part of the

[34:43] American culture. And so, Latinos

[34:45] inspire uh integrates and and and often

[34:49] are mixing our our culture with the

[34:51] American culture. And it's it's a

[34:52] beautiful thing to to see and be a part

[34:54] of.

[35:03] So more than 50% of the Los Angeles

[35:05] population um identifies as being from

[35:08] immigration descent. Many of them being

[35:10] Latinos and Chicanos. So what I'm hoping

[35:13] to do is to emphasize that our stories

[35:17] are complex and they're beautiful and

[35:19] very much part of the American fabric

[35:21] and it's here in Los Angeles where we

[35:22] set the tone to what that identity is.

[35:37] The battleship Iowa is a remarkable feat

[35:40] of engineering. Stretching nearly three

[35:42] football fields long and measuring 108

[35:46] ft across. Today, from its home in the

[35:49] Port of Los Angeles, this historic

[35:51] vessel welcomes visitors from throughout

[35:53] Southern California, connecting new

[35:56] generations to stories that helped shape

[35:59] our nation. But the Iowa is more than a

[36:02] museum. It has become a gathering place

[36:05] for the community, serving as a living

[36:07] link between Los Angeles maritime past

[36:10] and its vibrant future. That spirit of

[36:13] connection was also on display as the

[36:16] San Pedro Chamber of Commerce celebrated

[36:18] its 100th anniversary by offering free

[36:21] harbor boat tours, giving Angelinos a

[36:24] rare opportunity to experience the

[36:26] nation's busiest port from the water and

[36:29] see firsthand the scale of the

[36:31] waterfront that powers so much of the

[36:34] region's economy.

[36:38] We're turning a 100red years old and as

[36:40] part of that celebration, the Port of

[36:42] Los Angeles is very proud to be hosting

[36:44] free harbor boat tours to the general

[36:47] public.

[36:47] >> Good morning. Welcome.

[36:49] >> I'm here for the free harbor boat tour

[36:52] from the Port of Los Angeles. My

[36:54] favorite part about it is that they give

[36:56] us so much history. The speaker on the

[36:58] boat tells us so much about the shipping

[37:01] terminals and about all the trade that

[37:04] goes on from different countries that

[37:05] all comes in through the port of Los

[37:07] Angeles.

[37:09] >> It's a great family event. It's very

[37:11] safe. I actually work at the port, so

[37:13] it's just nice to see it from, you know,

[37:15] this point of view.

[37:17] It's great to be among community because

[37:20] I think it gives us a great opportunity

[37:22] for us to connect and the community to

[37:24] learn how every day the port of LA

[37:27] impacts us both through economy, through

[37:29] the environment and you know just

[37:32] learning about the great things that

[37:34] that we do every day.

[37:38] We especially invite the public to join

[37:39] us on these harbor tours because what

[37:41] they will get to see is an active port

[37:44] where there we have cranes that are in

[37:46] movement. We have barge that are

[37:47] happening. We have just a whole slew of

[37:50] things that they get to be in front of.

[37:51] They get to hear about. Somebody on the

[37:53] boat is talking about the important role

[37:56] that the Port of Los Angeles plays in

[37:58] our country's movement of commerce.

[38:03] >> I think it is very important for both

[38:05] the community and port of Los Angeles to

[38:09] get involved with each other. And part

[38:11] of this is this maritime park that shows

[38:15] how community can benefit from

[38:17] collaboration with the port of Los

[38:19] Angeles.

[38:21] >> It's it's just a fun activity to do. Um

[38:25] just show my son how the ports operate

[38:27] here. You know, hopefully we continue to

[38:29] have these yearly because they're just a

[38:31] great experience.

[38:32] >> This tour is the most fun I've ever been

[38:35] on in Los Angeles. The water is so calm.

[38:38] You really just feel like you're on a

[38:40] gentle cruise and it's really a nice

[38:43] family event. We look forward to coming

[38:45] again next year.

[38:58] >> Good morning. On behalf of the United

[39:00] States Navy, I want to extend thank you

[39:03] to the city of Los Angeles for welcoming

[39:06] our Navy into port for Fleet Week LA.

[39:11] To everyone here in uniform this

[39:14] morning, thank you for your service to

[39:17] our country. We are incredibly grateful

[39:20] for your sacrifice, your discipline, and

[39:23] your willingness to serve something

[39:26] greater than yourselves. We welcome you

[39:29] to the city of Los Angeles. We thank you

[39:31] for the sacrifice of your service, but

[39:34] more importantly, we thank you uh for

[39:36] your incredible dedication to preserving

[39:38] everything that this country represents

[39:40] for more for approaching now 250 years.

[39:43] God bless you all and thank you.

[39:47] >> Thank you, Councilwoman. And now we have

[39:51] a very special performance brought to us

[39:55] by Matthew Gordon and the Navy Southwest

[39:58] Band.

[40:19] So, I'm with Navy Band Southwest and we

[40:21] are supporting the 10th annual Los

[40:23] Angeles Fleet Week this week in Los

[40:24] Angeles.

[40:33] This is the best part of our job and we

[40:34] just love connecting with audiences

[40:36] around the Southwest region.

[40:45] We're looking to just play music, have a

[40:47] great time, talk to people, hear their

[40:49] stories, and share our stories, and just

[40:51] celebrate our Navy tradition.

[41:00] These sailors and marines, uh, they do

[41:02] represent the the very best that our

[41:04] country has to offer. Uh, we are

[41:06] fortunate to have them here in Port Los

[41:08] Angeles. Many of their colleagues are

[41:10] deployed overseas right now in very

[41:12] challenging times and uh they soon will

[41:15] be deployed. Uh this is an opportunity

[41:17] for us to thank them and also for us to

[41:19] extend our thanks uh to the citizens in

[41:22] Los Angeles.

[41:25] Many of these uh sailors and marines are

[41:27] the sons and daughters of Angelinos. Uh

[41:30] we we just want to celebrate those tight

[41:32] connections.

[41:44] Planning that goes into fleet week

[41:46] starts 364 days before the actual

[41:49] events. And Wednesday night, the Rear

[41:51] Admiral welcomed us to the USS Essex at

[41:54] the Port of Los Angeles. We were greeted

[41:57] by the Pacific Southwest band who also

[41:59] played today at Los Angeles City

[42:02] Council, bringing the spirit and talent

[42:04] of the arts to the USC services and the

[42:08] city of Los Angeles. Such a great day.

[42:11] >> On behalf of a very grateful and proud

[42:14] city of Los Angeles, congratulations

[42:39] When the battleship Iowa was in active

[42:41] service, it functioned as a floating

[42:43] city at sea, complete with its own

[42:46] bakery, baker shop, tailor shop, and

[42:49] more, supporting thousands of sailors

[42:51] living and working aboard the 45,000 ton

[42:55] warship. Today, docked at the Port of

[42:58] Los Angeles, it continues its legacy in

[43:01] a different way, welcoming visitors year

[43:04] round and serving as a dynamic

[43:06] centerpiece of the San Pedro waterfront.

[43:10] During Fleet Week, the Iowa comes alive

[43:12] again as a gathering point for service

[43:14] members and the public. One of the

[43:16] highlights is the spirited Galleys at

[43:18] Sea cooking competition where Navy chefs

[43:21] showcase their skills in fast-paced

[43:24] culinary battles right on the pier,

[43:26] turning the historic ship and

[43:28] surrounding waterfront into an

[43:30] interactive celebration of service and

[43:32] tradition. The same harbor also plays

[43:35] host to one of the largest public

[43:37] waterfront celebrations in the region,

[43:40] drawing crowds to experience military

[43:42] demonstrations, ship tours, and hands-on

[43:45] exhibits that connect the community

[43:48] directly with today's active duty

[43:50] forces. It's a powerful reminder that

[43:52] here in Los Angeles, history isn't just

[43:55] preserved, it's still actively being

[43:57] made along the waterfront.

[44:04] The LA Jazz Festival is here. It's

[44:07] happening and it's on its way.

[44:15] Jazz has been alive in LA almost since

[44:17] jazz was created. This is the first

[44:19] time, however, that we've been able to

[44:22] find a way both economically,

[44:24] structurally to create an international

[44:27] jazz festival that goes citywide. just

[44:30] as you experienced in New Orleans and

[44:31] Montreal and Montro. Those cities have

[44:34] been doing that for decades. And LA has

[44:36] just been behind, but our time is now.

[44:38] And so, we're really excited about it.

[44:41] >> I reside in California. I reside in

[44:43] Vanise. And I'm so glad to be here. I am

[44:46] so psyched at all of those performances

[44:49] and all those different venues. And I'm

[44:51] so excited for the country and the

[44:54] county of LA for doing this cuz it's

[44:57] huge.

[44:58] This is a wonderful thing, especially

[45:00] now today, especially with jazz. It's

[45:02] America's original art form. And I think

[45:05] more people should be getting exposed to

[45:07] some worldclass musicians, many of them

[45:10] that live here in Los Angeles with all

[45:11] these different artists from across the

[45:13] world. You get a taste of everything

[45:14] with from jazz, New Orleans. You got

[45:17] people from Cuba, Indonesia.

[45:21] >> I'm looking more forward to going to the

[45:24] different places. Like they said, it's

[45:26] going to be on the beach. It's going to

[45:28] be after dark. There's going to be the

[45:29] the carnival festival in the streets.

[45:37] >> We're at the Inkwell. The Inkwell is a

[45:39] location that we obviously were

[45:41] intentional about choosing for the

[45:42] announcement today. This is a location

[45:44] where predominately black and brown

[45:45] families were literally forced to bring

[45:48] their families to this passageway if

[45:49] they just simply wanted to have a day on

[45:51] the beach. So, we thought it was

[45:52] important to come full circle and

[45:54] announce this historic festival that

[45:56] really does have at its core the human

[45:59] rights narrative of pre-colonized

[46:02] Africans. Are

[46:03] >> we going down

[46:04] >> brought to America in bondage, come to

[46:06] Congo Square, New Orleans, and through

[46:08] bondage and terror create this

[46:10] incredible sound called jazz and where

[46:13] it has now impacted the entire world.

[46:19] Like Quincy Jones said, jazz is the only

[46:22] form of music and demic to this country,

[46:26] the United States of America. So it

[46:28] should be worshiped, especially because

[46:30] of the history from it, how it

[46:31] developed. You know, we had spirituals,

[46:34] the slaves developed, the spiritual to

[46:36] help them through their hard times. All

[46:38] of our ancestors went through such

[46:40] bitter hardship against them. We need to

[46:43] really put this on a high high pedestal

[46:47] in the world of music and in our lives

[46:50] because we can learn so much from it and

[46:53] it helps us when we go through hard

[46:54] times as well and it inspires us when we

[46:57] have those happy times and it's never

[46:59] done the same twice. That's the thing

[47:01] about jazz. You know, you can improvise.

[47:04] You can put whatever you're feeling in

[47:06] that moment on stage into what you show

[47:10] the audience and you hit them in their

[47:11] heart.

[47:16] >> And I'm going to wrap it with this. I'm

[47:18] going to say that 75% of our tickets are

[47:20] free. 75% of our tickets are free. Go to

[47:24] our website ww.lajazzfestestival.com.

[47:27] Janelle Monae, John Legend, Raphael

[47:29] Sadi, Charlie Wilson. We've got artists

[47:31] from 13 nations. Everyone on our stage

[47:34] are Grammy Award winners. They're very

[47:36] international and we're going to keep

[47:37] building from here. 13 Nations and

[47:39] Climbing. Go to our website, get tickets

[47:40] now. So,

[47:44] are you ready?

[47:55] We are on the beautiful grounds of

[47:57] Banning Museum and we are celebrating as

[48:00] part of Fleet Week the Wilmington

[48:02] reception. We are welcoming our sailors

[48:04] and our marines to Wilmington. We have

[48:06] food and games and entertainment for

[48:08] them and just saying thank you for their

[48:10] service.

[48:14] >> This is my first time in LA, but I'm

[48:15] stationed in San Diego. So, I like the

[48:18] environment. It's real It's real

[48:20] laidback and chill.

[48:22] They got free food, drinks, all for it.

[48:25] Navy Pride, Navy Day, ready to go. While

[48:29] we're here, we're celebrating America's

[48:31] 250th

[48:33] birthday. An awesome celebration. We're

[48:36] glad that we could take that celebration

[48:38] and do that as part of the 10th

[48:40] anniversary of LA Fleet Week. These are

[48:42] great, great anniversaries. A lot of

[48:45] fun. Have a great time.

[48:48] Well, I am so happy to see that we have

[48:50] everyone here at Banning Museum, the

[48:52] home of Phineas Banning. And we are

[48:55] excited as a community to celebrate and

[48:57] again thank them for the sacrifices that

[48:59] they do for us so that we can enjoy

[49:02] liberties like today.

[49:05] It means a lot truly for me to be

[49:07] performing around all these people

[49:09] because I especially grew up in the Los

[49:11] Angeles area. So getting to play music

[49:13] growing up here and now doing it

[49:15] full-time as a profession is amazing and

[49:18] truly a blessing.

[49:20] >> We appreciate their sacrifice, their

[49:22] family sacrifice. Everybody contributes

[49:25] in the service that these people provide

[49:27] and we just want to take a moment to say

[49:29] thank you to them.

[49:31] >> We should thank them every single day.

[49:33] Uh but this particular week is a week

[49:35] where we celebrate them and we thank

[49:36] them and we uh give them some food and

[49:39] we welcome them into the community here

[49:41] in Wilmington and San Pedro.

[49:53] Built to withstand some of the most

[49:55] hazardous conditions at sea, the

[49:57] battleship Iowa stands as a powerful

[49:59] reminder of the precision, discipline,

[50:02] and preparation required to operate

[50:04] safely in extreme environments.

[50:07] Commissioned in 1943 during World War

[50:10] II, the Battleship Iowa is more than 80

[50:13] years old and remains one of the most

[50:16] iconic battleships ever built. He was

[50:18] once among the fastest and most powerful

[50:20] battleships in the world, capable of

[50:22] reaching speeds over 30 knots. And

[50:25] today, permanently docked at the Port of

[50:27] Los Angeles, it continues to draw

[50:30] visitors from across the region as part

[50:32] of the LA waterfront experience. The

[50:35] harbor itself is one of the busiest in

[50:37] the nation, where massive cargo ships

[50:39] and cruise vessels move alongside

[50:42] museums, parks, and public walkways that

[50:44] welcome millions of visitors each year.

[50:48] That connection between history,

[50:50] industry, and community is especially

[50:52] visible during Fleet Week when the

[50:55] waterfront transforms into a citywide

[50:58] destination.

[51:00] service members, active duty members,

[51:02] and thousands of guests gather along the

[51:04] port for ship tours, demonstrations, and

[51:07] public events, making the harbor and the

[51:09] battleship Iowa one of the largest

[51:12] celebrations of maritime service on the

[51:15] West Coast.

[51:21] >> I feel like people don't think about

[51:22] when they flip on the light switch, what

[51:24] really goes on on the other end of it.

[51:27] >> Nobody knows what we do. I think we're a

[51:29] victim of our own success because the

[51:32] electricity just flows and it works.

[51:34] People flip on the light switches and

[51:35] they enjoy necessities and conveniences

[51:38] and nobody really focuses on how we get

[51:40] that electricity there. Well, these are

[51:42] the folks that get it there.

[51:48] So, we're here today to celebrate the

[51:50] electrical line workers, our linemen.

[51:52] This is our 34th uh line worker rodeo.

[51:56] We have 10 teams from the department

[51:58] that are here competing.

[52:07] Uh we have four different events. Show

[52:10] the kids and the wives what we do.

[52:22] Well, I think it's really important to

[52:23] celebrate the work that they do and

[52:25] actually see what it takes to run a

[52:27] power grid and keep it reliable and keep

[52:29] it delivering energy to the citizens of

[52:31] Los Angeles.

[52:36] This is my first rodeo. Uh about a

[52:38] couple more weeks and then I'll be

[52:39] having my climbing certificate and then

[52:40] hopefully getting a job um at LWP or any

[52:43] of the other utilities.

[52:47] I wanted to learn a skill that couldn't

[52:49] be taken away from me. I feel like

[52:50] nowadays a lot of things is going

[52:51] towards AI and being a lineman is

[52:53] something that I could um have a long

[52:55] career with. It's hard work, but it's

[52:57] definitely a fulfilling job to have.

[53:00] >> We get extreme events and when that

[53:02] happens, these are the folks that are

[53:03] out there immediately restoring power so

[53:06] that we can all get back to our

[53:07] day-to-day lives.

[53:10] >> There's a bunch of different events that

[53:12] relate to the work they have to do.

[53:14] There's one where they have to rescue

[53:16] somebody from up on the line. There's

[53:18] another one that's about speed and

[53:19] precision. And it's just an incredible

[53:21] showcase of the skill that our workforce

[53:23] has. And it's honestly amazing to

[53:25] witness.

[53:26] >> My favorite event is definitely Hurt

[53:28] Man, which is simulating rescuing an

[53:30] injured guide on the pole.

[53:36] >> The work that they do is so high hazard.

[53:38] It really takes special training,

[53:40] special skills. We're very proud of what

[53:43] we do. We're very proud of our employees

[53:45] and we love to showcase that.

[53:49] >> I've met people here who they worked for

[53:52] DWP, they've retired and now their kids

[53:54] work for DWP. You know, people bring

[53:56] their their kids, their grandkids.

[53:58] >> You're looking at probably three or four

[54:00] generations of electrical line workers

[54:02] that are here. The little babies in the

[54:04] strollers are going to end up climbing

[54:06] these poles in the next 25 years.

[54:18] Today, all 104 of our 106 fire stations

[54:22] are open to the public celebrating fire

[54:25] service day.

[54:28] We also have community events happening

[54:29] throughout the city where we invite the

[54:31] public to come meet their firefighters

[54:33] and get to know their fire stations. So,

[54:36] not only does it bring the community

[54:38] together, it brings them a little

[54:39] knowledge of what the fire department

[54:41] does and what it has to offer and it

[54:43] excites it gets kids excited about being

[54:46] firefighters and policemen and learning.

[54:50] >> I'm the recruitment unit commander for

[54:52] the LFD. So, my specific job is

[54:55] community outreach, try and gather that

[54:58] next generation of firefighter.

[55:01] Fire Service Day is a great opportunity

[55:03] for that because we're able to touch

[55:05] with the youth and the younger children

[55:07] as well as adults 18 years of older that

[55:09] actually are looking to pursue a career

[55:12] in the fire service.

[55:14] So, here at Fire Station 112, we have

[55:16] the largest boat that LFD has to offer.

[55:19] We have four honorary fire chiefs that

[55:21] we recognize today, one for each one of

[55:23] our geographic bureaus.

[55:25] >> We have organizations here represented

[55:27] such as LA Port Police. We have the CERT

[55:29] team, which is a community response

[55:30] team. We also have joinfd.org which is

[55:33] our own recruitment office that helps

[55:35] kids in the community become

[55:36] firefighters for the Los Angeles Fire

[55:37] Department.

[55:38] >> We have all of our apparatus, our fire

[55:40] engines, our fire trucks, our

[55:42] ambulances. Climb on board, touch

[55:44] things, get to ask questions.

[55:47] >> You know, the most important thing that

[55:48] I'm looking for from my young

[55:50] firefighters is passion. Is passion and

[55:52] that that community service aspect.

[55:56] >> Always support local and uh you can't go

[55:59] wrong.

[56:00] Fire stations are in every single

[56:02] community here in Los Angeles. And this

[56:04] is a time where we actually celebrate

[56:06] the partnerships, the friendships, and

[56:09] just all the hard work that our

[56:10] firefighters do to serve our community

[56:12] here in Los Angeles.

[56:17] Fleet Week isn't the only thing making

[56:19] waves here in San Pedro. The Port of Los

[56:22] Angeles, America's busiest seapport,

[56:24] spans more than 7,500 acres of

[56:27] waterfront and handles thousands of

[56:29] cargo ships each year, serving as a

[56:32] critical gateway connecting Los Angeles

[56:34] to the global economy. Anchored in the

[56:37] heart of it all is the Battleship Iowa,

[56:40] one of only four Iowa class battleships

[56:42] ever built for the US Navy. And at its

[56:45] peak, the ship carried nearly 2700

[56:47] sailors and officers operating as a

[56:50] fully self-contained floating city,

[56:52] complete with its own onboard support

[56:54] systems designed for long deployment at

[56:56] sea. It was also armed with nine 16-inch

[56:59] naval guns, among the most powerful ever

[57:02] installed on a battleship. Built for

[57:03] long range precision and unmatched

[57:06] firepower in its era. Today, the

[57:09] Battleship Iowa serves as a floating

[57:11] museum at the LA waterfront, welcoming

[57:14] hundreds of thousands of visitors and

[57:17] standing as one of the harbor's most

[57:20] iconic landmarks.

[57:22] Together, the ship and the port reflect

[57:25] a unique intersection of history,

[57:27] industry, and public access, where

[57:30] global commerce and maritime heritage

[57:33] share the same shoreline. As Los Angeles

[57:36] continues to evolve, the harbor remains

[57:39] a reminder that what's anchored here

[57:42] continues to move the entire city

[57:44] forward. Thanks for joining us and

[57:47] thanks for watching another episode of

[57:48] LA this week. Catch these stories and

[57:50] more on channel 35 or at lacity.gov/tv

[57:54] and follow city on Instagram, Facebook

[57:57] X, and YouTube. Until next time, step

[57:59] aboard, set sail, and enjoy everything

[58:02] that Los Angeles has to offer.

[58:14] Heat. Heat.

[58:46] Heat. Heat.

[59:23] Heat.

[59:40] Heat.

[59:47] Heat. Heat. N.

[01:00:40] Heat.

[01:00:42] Heat.

[01:01:49] Heat. Heat.

[01:13:48] Heat. Heat.

[01:14:27] Heat. Heat.

[01:17:38] presentations

[01:17:40] um to uh go through this morning. Um we

[01:17:46] uh first I'm looking for

[01:17:51] CD5

[01:17:52] who will begin start us off with a very

[01:17:54] special announcement.

[01:17:56] >> All right. Thank you, Council President.

[01:17:58] Uh colleagues, today I'm proud to

[01:18:00] welcome the students, families,

[01:18:02] teachers, and staff of Cathedral Chapel

[01:18:04] School to City Hall. If you all want to

[01:18:07] stand up.

[01:18:09] >> Welcome.

[01:18:16] >> Cathedral Chapel is right in the heart

[01:18:18] of Council District 5, just around the

[01:18:20] corner from my district office. and it's

[01:18:22] built an incredibly strong reputation

[01:18:24] for helping students challenge

[01:18:26] themselves, support one another, and

[01:18:27] achieve at a very high level. This year,

[01:18:30] members of the school's academic

[01:18:32] decathlon team who are here today

[01:18:34] advanced to the national championships,

[01:18:36] an incredible accomplishment that

[01:18:39] reflects the very hard work of these

[01:18:41] students, the educators who support them

[01:18:43] and their families. We're also

[01:18:45] recognizing someone who has helped make

[01:18:47] these achievements possible. Mr. Roman

[01:18:49] Delposo is celebrating 30 years at

[01:18:52] Cathedral Chapel School.

[01:18:58] >> Congratulations, Mr. Delposo. For three

[01:19:01] decades, he's mentored students, led the

[01:19:03] academic decathlon program, and made a

[01:19:05] lasting impact on generations of young

[01:19:07] people in Los Angeles. Mr. Delposo,

[01:19:10] thank you for your service, your

[01:19:11] leadership, and your commitment to your

[01:19:13] students. Uh so, please join me in

[01:19:15] welcoming Cathedral Chapel School to

[01:19:16] City Hall. Congratulations to your you

[01:19:22] and Mr. Delpoo on this welldeserved

[01:19:24] recognition. Thank you so much, Council

[01:19:26] President.

[01:19:27] >> Thank you so much and thank you to

[01:19:28] Cathedral. Congratulations and thank you

[01:19:30] for joining us at your Los Angeles City

[01:19:33] Hall. Uh next we'll have a special

[01:19:36] presentation by uh Mr. Nazerian of the

[01:19:40] second council district.

[01:19:43] >> Thank you, Council President. You're

[01:19:45] looking pretty good by the way there.

[01:19:46] Thank you. Trying to

[01:19:48] >> suits you very well.

[01:19:49] >> I have to go put on my dashiki next. All

[01:19:51] right. Go on.

[01:19:58] >> So colleagues, good morning. I wanted to

[01:20:02] um aside from offering all of you a

[01:20:04] small token of appreciation and a gift

[01:20:06] to welcome the World Cup, uh I want I

[01:20:09] wanted to share a few words with all of

[01:20:11] you about what this experience means to

[01:20:13] me. But before I begin, I'd love to show

[01:20:16] a short video to help set the stage uh

[01:20:19] and and capture the excitement that's

[01:20:21] abound. Let's take a look.

[01:20:36] Heat

[01:20:49] up

[01:20:53] here.

[01:21:01] Heat.

[01:21:28] Heat.

[01:21:34] Yeah. Yeah.

[01:21:38] >> Thank you.

[01:21:41] >> That was a wonderful work of my team

[01:21:43] standing right behind me.

[01:21:45] >> Um colleagues, when I think of soccer,

[01:21:48] Thank you.

[01:21:51] When I think of soccer

[01:21:53] as the as a sport, it's the sport of the

[01:21:56] people. It belongs to everyone.

[01:22:00] Whether played on a professional pitch,

[01:22:02] a neighborhood park, or a city street

[01:22:04] where many of us have gotten our scabs

[01:22:06] and scraps,

[01:22:09] it reminds us that some of life's

[01:22:11] greatest experiences are built on simple

[01:22:14] human connections.

[01:22:16] It's a sport that transcends borders,

[01:22:19] languages, cultures, and backgrounds. It

[01:22:22] requires nothing more than a ball, an

[01:22:25] open space, and a sense of camaraderie

[01:22:28] to get started.

[01:22:30] In many ways, it's the world's most

[01:22:32] accessible game. It also reminds us of

[01:22:36] something very special. Despite the

[01:22:38] challenges our city, our nation, and our

[01:22:41] world is facing right now,

[01:22:43] billions of people across the globe are

[01:22:46] looking forward to this moment.

[01:22:49] The World Cup tournament represents

[01:22:51] hope, joy, and the opportunity to come

[01:22:54] together in celebration.

[01:22:56] Even if, well, most countries are not

[01:22:59] going to take the trophy back with them,

[01:23:01] but still there's that sense of pride

[01:23:03] and celebration.

[01:23:05] Beyond the excitement, soccer also

[01:23:07] teaches powerful lessons about

[01:23:09] perseverance and adaptability.

[01:23:12] The sport tests players sheer will,

[01:23:14] their endurance, resilience, and

[01:23:16] determination to keep going even when

[01:23:19] the odds are against them. It constantly

[01:23:22] challenges players to think

[01:23:24] strategically, maneuver through

[01:23:25] obstacles, and adjust to changing

[01:23:27] circumstances,

[01:23:29] sometimes in a split second. And perhaps

[01:23:32] most importantly, soccer tells us that

[01:23:34] no one succeeds alone. Soccer requires

[01:23:38] teamwork, trust, and a shared commitment

[01:23:41] to a common goal. Every player has a

[01:23:44] role to play, and together they achieve

[01:23:47] something greater than any individual

[01:23:49] could accomplish on their own. As Los

[01:23:52] Angeles is welcoming the world, we have

[01:23:55] an extraordinary opportunity to showcase

[01:23:57] not only our city's openness and

[01:23:59] diversity, but our spirit of unity and

[01:24:02] hospitality.

[01:24:04] I welcome everyone to check our

[01:24:07] celebrations happening across the city.

[01:24:10] Kick it in the park, a series of free

[01:24:12] World Cup watch uh parties taking place

[01:24:15] throughout June and July to celebrate

[01:24:17] soccer, culture, and local pride. My

[01:24:20] district is hosting it at Witset Sports

[01:24:23] Complex with the first one happening

[01:24:25] this Saturday.

[01:24:28] We're also excited to host the NO

[01:24:30] football fest on June 27.

[01:24:33] uh when we'll transform the heart of

[01:24:36] North Hollywood by shutting down several

[01:24:37] blocks of Magnolia Boulevard uh and uh

[01:24:41] have big screens up and many business

[01:24:44] vendors and I welcome all of you to join

[01:24:46] me. Uh the admission is free and that's

[01:24:51] a key component of all of this. By the

[01:24:53] way, folks,

[01:24:56] it's very important to remember why we

[01:25:00] do these things.

[01:25:02] Now the world and business folks have a

[01:25:05] way of monetizing. FIFA certainly has

[01:25:08] found a way of monetizing this to the

[01:25:10] nth capability that's been offered to

[01:25:13] them. Uh but it's important for all of

[01:25:16] us as leaders to remember why this is

[01:25:19] important for our residents and always

[01:25:22] make it available. So I'm extremely

[01:25:24] proud of the work everyone has done in

[01:25:26] this chamber to make sure that they

[01:25:28] bring this game the sport of the people

[01:25:30] to the people without barriers. Um and I

[01:25:34] welcome all of you to also join either

[01:25:37] mine or anybody else's but uh do

[01:25:40] participate.

[01:25:41] Uh by the way I also want to tell you I

[01:25:44] chose June 27th for a special reason.

[01:25:47] That's the last day of the first round

[01:25:50] of the so of the of the games. That's

[01:25:53] when it gets determined where at least

[01:25:56] where the top two players qu top top two

[01:25:58] teams of six groups qualify. This

[01:26:02] happened because back in 1982,

[01:26:06] two dominant teams, European countries,

[01:26:10] decided to end their last game in a tie

[01:26:14] to oust a surprise team that had come in

[01:26:17] and beaten one of them and was going to

[01:26:19] make it into the second round.

[01:26:22] Uh that inequity led to FIFA finally

[01:26:25] making some deci decisions where they

[01:26:27] paired the last two games of each group

[01:26:31] setting at the same time simultaneously

[01:26:34] so that no one has the advantage of

[01:26:36] knowing how to play out the game.

[01:26:40] So with that said, I invite everyone

[01:26:44] Thank you. Thank you. Equity is

[01:26:46] important. Opportunity is important. We

[01:26:49] invite everyone to come out and be a

[01:26:51] part of this unforgettable World Cup

[01:26:53] experience right here in Los Angeles

[01:26:54] because this tournament is more than a

[01:26:57] series of matches. It's a chance to

[01:26:59] bring people together and remind

[01:27:01] ourselves of what we can achieve when we

[01:27:03] work as a team. So, thank you for this

[01:27:06] opportunity. I do hope you uh enjoy your

[01:27:08] jackets. I know it doesn't get that

[01:27:10] chilly in June and July, but we are a

[01:27:14] desert, so there is a 20 to 30 degree

[01:27:17] drop at nights. And since some of the

[01:27:19] games are going to be at nights, I want

[01:27:21] you guys to all be uh taking care of

[01:27:23] yourselves. Thank you. And to the

[01:27:25] public, please come and join us in No

[01:27:27] Football Fest. Thank you.

[01:27:28] >> Thank you so much, Mr. Darren. You got

[01:27:30] to turn around so the camera can get the

[01:27:32] back of your jacket for everybody to

[01:27:34] see. There we go. Uh there will be uh

[01:27:38] parties. Thank you, Mr. Nazarian. There

[01:27:39] will be parties in every district,

[01:27:41] multiple parties, I think, in every part

[01:27:42] of the city that will be free. Um, lots

[01:27:45] of them sponsored by Wreck and Parks and

[01:27:47] the council offices. Uh, others by your

[01:27:50] local tavern or or other organization.

[01:27:53] But, um, I would encourage everybody

[01:27:55] that engages in FIFA. Let's try to do as

[01:27:58] much of as we can in community. Uh, it's

[01:28:01] a good good opportunity for us to do uh,

[01:28:03] stuff together. Mr. Costs,

[01:28:04] >> at the risk of having everybody press

[01:28:06] their buttons, could I put in a plug for

[01:28:07] tomorrow,

[01:28:08] >> Thursday at noon, the first game of

[01:28:11] Mexico versus South Africa will be

[01:28:13] hosted for free for free at Willilh Hall

[01:28:16] Park, Wilmington Recreation Center. Come

[01:28:18] on out at noon. Bring your chairs, bring

[01:28:20] your blankets. We'll be showing both

[01:28:22] games tomorrow at Willilh Hall in the

[01:28:24] heart of the harbor, Wilmington,

[01:28:25] California, Mexico versus South Africa.

[01:28:27] >> Right on, Council Member Rodriguez.

[01:28:32] >> Thank you. And obviously we're all

[01:28:34] having uh events of our own, but I also

[01:28:37] just wanted to take a minute

[01:28:38] >> with so many restaurants that are

[01:28:41] struggling. Yes. This is also a really

[01:28:43] great time that if you're going to watch

[01:28:45] the games, I know a number of

[01:28:47] family-owned restaurants that are

[01:28:49] hosting watch parties that have

[01:28:51] different types of promotion. It's a

[01:28:54] great opportunity to just help support

[01:28:56] your local businesses. And I want to

[01:28:57] make that pitch for everybody as well

[01:28:59] because restaurants are struggling and

[01:29:01] it really is incumbent upon all of us to

[01:29:04] show up and be there not when they

[01:29:06] announce that they might be closing. We

[01:29:08] need to make sure that they remain open

[01:29:09] and so I want to encourage the public to

[01:29:11] please go support your local restaurant

[01:29:13] uh and uh make sure that uh we all

[01:29:15] celebrate the games responsibly. Thank

[01:29:17] you.

[01:29:17] >> Thank you so much. Uh and then Mr.

[01:29:19] Price.

[01:29:21] >> Thank you, Mr. President. In addition to

[01:29:22] the activities going on at our parks,

[01:29:24] let me just announce that Destination

[01:29:26] Africa is having a watch party at Trade

[01:29:28] Tech College uh on Saturday. So, all

[01:29:31] should plan on coming out. It's going to

[01:29:33] be a great game, food, music, and

[01:29:35] entertainment.

[01:29:36] >> All right. LA Trade Tech.

[01:29:38] >> All right. Council member Hernandez,

[01:29:39] what you got?

[01:29:40] >> I'm joining too because we're hosting an

[01:29:43] event in MacArthur Park.

[01:29:44] >> Park of the Americas. I thought you were

[01:29:46] changing it.

[01:29:47] >> No. Sorry. We're having a watch party at

[01:29:49] MacArthur Park Monday, June 15th at 9:00

[01:29:52] a.m. So, come through to MacArthur Park.

[01:29:54] Thank you.

[01:29:54] >> All right. Anybody else? Council member

[01:29:56] Hut, come on.

[01:29:58] >> Thank you, Mr. President. On June 18th,

[01:30:02] I'm closing down Soul International Park

[01:30:05] for FIFA, Mexico versus Korea. Just

[01:30:09] imagine how exciting that will be.

[01:30:12] >> That's going to be Yeah, that's going to

[01:30:14] be a fun one. All right. Um, we will now

[01:30:18] move to our council member Padilla.

[01:30:20] >> Oh, I mean I I feel like I have to say

[01:30:22] what I'm hosting too. Uh, it feels like

[01:30:25] an icebreaker. I love it. Um, so yes,

[01:30:28] uh, for those who want to join in the

[01:30:29] sixth district, we will be in Sun Valley

[01:30:31] hosting our fan zone at the unnamed

[01:30:35] Sheldon Arita Park. Um, I have a lot of

[01:30:37] work that I have to do for that green

[01:30:39] space. So, this was my opportunity to

[01:30:41] showcase what is coming. Um, so we you

[01:30:44] will be we will be hosting uh at 12:00

[01:30:47] Mexico versus South Africa and they

[01:30:50] later on at 7 PM South Korea versus um

[01:30:56] it's spelled weird. Uh Shika is that

[01:31:02] >> there's going to be a game.

[01:31:03] >> There's going to be a game at 7 p.m. We

[01:31:06] hope that you guys can join us and also

[01:31:07] uh be introduced to this great park that

[01:31:09] we're slowly but surely building out.

[01:31:11] Thank you.

[01:31:11] >> All right. Uh in the spirit of uh

[01:31:13] equity, uh Mr. Lee, what you got?

[01:31:16] >> All right.

[01:31:17] >> Soccer.

[01:31:19] >> Well, on the heels of Council Member Hut

[01:31:21] announcing the Mexico Korea game, we are

[01:31:23] also hosting that on June the 18th.

[01:31:25] We're happy to host a host of games,

[01:31:28] including uh Czech versus South Africa,

[01:31:30] Switzerland versus Bosnia, Canada versus

[01:31:33] Qatar, and then of course evening's

[01:31:35] event. The main event will be Mexico

[01:31:37] versus South Korea.

[01:31:39] >> Right on, Council Member Bloommanfield.

[01:31:43] you're putting them out there. So,

[01:31:44] Warner Center Park, that's the place to

[01:31:45] be. 6 pm, US versus Paraguay. Uh, we're

[01:31:49] going to have team giveaways, all sorts

[01:31:51] of fun activities as well. And then on

[01:31:53] on Monday, Lannarch Park, you're going

[01:31:54] to have a bunch of games. Starting at

[01:31:56] 9:00 a.m., Spain versus Cabo 12, Belgium

[01:31:59] versus Egypt. Three, Saudi Arabia versus

[01:32:01] Uruguay. Six, Iran versus New Zealand.

[01:32:04] We've got Vayartha is giving us all

[01:32:06] sorts of free giveaways. We're having

[01:32:08] clinics for kids. It'll be a lot of fun.

[01:32:10] Come on out. Warner Center Park Friday,

[01:32:12] Lannarch Park on Monday.

[01:32:15] >> All right, Council Member Hurado the

[01:32:17] 14th.

[01:32:18] >> Yes. Thank you, Council President. We

[01:32:20] partnered with Recreation and Parks to

[01:32:22] put on not one, not two, not four, seven

[01:32:27] watch parties.

[01:32:29] Okay, we didn't know that

[01:32:32] they we didn't know we could have so

[01:32:34] much fun. And so do this Sunday, June

[01:32:37] 14, the 19th, the 24th, the 29th, the

[01:32:40] 4th, the quarterfinal July 10th, and

[01:32:43] even the final match we are hosting at

[01:32:45] Elserino Park in CD14. This Sunday we

[01:32:49] have watch parties in Little Tokyo as

[01:32:51] well. Um, there is also going to be a

[01:32:54] FIFA activation at Union Station. Uh,

[01:32:57] there's also going to be a FIFA

[01:32:59] activation in Boil Heights. And there's

[01:33:02] something else happening uh that's FIFA

[01:33:04] related, but you know, we have all FIFA

[01:33:07] all the time this summer. So, Elsenino

[01:33:10] Park is where we're hosting it. We're

[01:33:11] having local small businesses. We're

[01:33:13] going to incorporate uh music and

[01:33:15] comedy. So, it'll be a fun family event.

[01:33:17] And just think about it as a larger

[01:33:19] version of your backyard party with your

[01:33:21] uncle and his tiny TV. But, we have a

[01:33:23] big blow up this time. So, please please

[01:33:25] come. And I I want to uh give council

[01:33:28] member Rodriguez represented for all of

[01:33:29] our restaurants, but I wanted to give

[01:33:30] you the opportunity to talk about the

[01:33:32] pieces in your district if you'd like.

[01:33:34] >> Yes. Um so Saturday we are actually

[01:33:37] hosting at Silar Park and uh the cool

[01:33:41] thing about our activation is that

[01:33:43] people are going to be able to design

[01:33:44] their own customized jersey for the

[01:33:46] event. So uh Silar Park, we are hosting

[01:33:50] Brazil versus Morocco.

[01:33:52] >> Wow.

[01:33:52] >> So come on out. You can get a jersey.

[01:33:54] We've got a lot of activations, food, uh

[01:33:57] uh food trucks, and uh just a lot for

[01:34:00] the family. And then we'll announce all

[01:34:01] the other locations. But uh kudos to my

[01:34:04] colleagues. We're all stepping up doing

[01:34:06] free events for our community. There are

[01:34:09] some officially sanctioned one. If

[01:34:11] you're a baller, by all means, go

[01:34:13] support. They're not cheap. But I'm

[01:34:16] proud to say that we're all hosting in

[01:34:17] partnership with our great Department of

[01:34:19] Recreation and Parks to make sure that

[01:34:21] our parks are activated, are safe, and

[01:34:24] ready to receive you. So, look forward

[01:34:26] to everyone's uh events.

[01:34:28] >> Thank you so much. So, no excuse to stay

[01:34:30] home for World Cup in the city of Los

[01:34:31] Angeles.

[01:34:32] >> Thank you so much, members. Our next uh

[01:34:34] presentation will be brought to us by

[01:34:36] Council Member Hut of the 10th District.

[01:34:43] >> Is this on?

[01:34:45] Okay.

[01:34:46] >> Thank you, Mr. President.

[01:34:50] Colleagues, today I'm proud to recognize

[01:34:54] and celebrate an extraordinary public

[01:34:57] servant, our very own Frederica McGee.

[01:35:03] >> I'm on your six. I got your back.

[01:35:05] >> No, come on. You need three o'clock. Um

[01:35:09] th throughout her distinguished career,

[01:35:12] Frederria has exemplified what it means

[01:35:15] to lead with integrity and an unwavering

[01:35:19] commitment to equity. As chief of staff

[01:35:22] to Supervisor Holly Mitchell, she's

[01:35:25] played a vital role in advancing

[01:35:27] policies and initiatives that improve

[01:35:30] the lives of residents throughout Los

[01:35:32] Angeles County.

[01:35:34] Frederriica's influence reaches well

[01:35:36] past her current position, having worked

[01:35:39] with various California Assembly

[01:35:42] speakers. She's been instrumental in

[01:35:44] crafting public policy and advocating

[01:35:47] for safety of our marginalized

[01:35:49] communities.

[01:35:51] Her long list of awards and recognitions

[01:35:53] speak to her professional excellence.

[01:35:56] But what truly sets her apart is her

[01:35:59] dedication to service. Whether it's

[01:36:01] mentoring future leaders, supporting

[01:36:04] young the youth through the Black Youth

[01:36:07] Leadership Project, or helping

[01:36:09] strengthen our legal and civic

[01:36:11] institutions,

[01:36:13] Frederriica has invested deeply in the

[01:36:15] next generation and in the future of our

[01:36:19] state.

[01:36:21] As a proud Southern California native,

[01:36:23] she never forgot the importance of

[01:36:26] giving back to the communities that

[01:36:28] shaped her. Her leadership and

[01:36:30] thoughtful direction has positively

[01:36:32] impacted all the who have been lucky

[01:36:34] enough to be around her. She's a role

[01:36:38] model of what is possible through hard

[01:36:41] work and service.

[01:36:44] On behalf of the city of Los Angeles and

[01:36:46] the 10th district, I'm honored to

[01:36:49] congratulate congratulate Frederria

[01:36:51] McGee for her remarkable achievements

[01:36:55] and thank her for her decades of

[01:36:57] dedicated public service.

[01:37:04] >> Your leadership

[01:37:14] Your leadership has made a lasting

[01:37:17] difference and our communities are

[01:37:19] stronger because of your work. I want to

[01:37:22] say happy retirement to you. I know

[01:37:25] you're going to do a lot of traveling, a

[01:37:28] lot of dining,

[01:37:31] >> and and a lot of and a and some Pilates.

[01:37:36] >> I never seen her do Never mind.

[01:37:40] Pilates

[01:37:41] and and um you know we're still going to

[01:37:44] look to you for direction

[01:37:47] >> because you are a lifelong public

[01:37:50] servant. I am

[01:37:51] >> and we appreciate you so much.

[01:37:52] >> So thank you.

[01:37:53] >> Thank you. Thank you.

[01:37:55] >> Yes.

[01:37:59] >> Now I would like to introduce to some

[01:38:03] supervisor Holly Mitchell.

[01:38:06] >> Thank you.

[01:38:10] Uh, good morning, Los Angeles City

[01:38:12] Council and residents. Thank you so much

[01:38:14] for welcoming Frederria. Let me just say

[01:38:16] a quick couple things. Uh, you know, I

[01:38:19] know she looks good, but this is 40

[01:38:22] years of dedicated service to the

[01:38:24] residents of the state of California,

[01:38:28] multiple speakers. There are countless

[01:38:31] young people in Sacramento, some who are

[01:38:34] here, um, who, um, found their path and

[01:38:38] found their careers as a result of

[01:38:41] toutelage and support. Let me say to the

[01:38:44] staff here,

[01:38:46] >> all right, you said your favorite word.

[01:38:51] >> That's her favorite word. Who knew?

[01:38:54] Let me say to the staff, um, invest in

[01:38:59] your pension plans early so you can be

[01:39:00] her in 40 years.

[01:39:04] >> But Fria understood

[01:39:07] what it meant to step up to the plate.

[01:39:10] And I can't tell you how deeply I

[01:39:12] appreciate the 10 million residents of

[01:39:15] LA County and the two million that we

[01:39:17] represent that she joined me on this

[01:39:20] voyage, built a stellar staff. Because

[01:39:23] as those of you in the horseshoe

[01:39:25] understand, we are only as successful as

[01:39:28] the teams we build. And Fria spent 40

[01:39:31] years building teams to support elected

[01:39:34] policy makers to make California the

[01:39:38] fourth largest economy in the world. in

[01:39:40] LA County, the greatest ever. And so I

[01:39:43] appreciate you for recognizing her

[01:39:45] stellar work. And I certainly couldn't

[01:39:47] have done any of it without you. I

[01:39:48] appreciate you. Thank you, city council.

[01:39:59] >> Speakers on the

[01:40:00] >> Yes. Uh, Council Member Price.

[01:40:04] >> Thank you, Mr. President.

[01:40:06] Councilwoman Hut, thank you for bringing

[01:40:07] this angel to our chambers today. Uh you

[01:40:12] know, Fedria certainly is known to uh

[01:40:15] serve others and to fight for what's

[01:40:17] right. And so, Fedria, we just want to

[01:40:19] say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Uh,

[01:40:22] of course, your reputation uh precedes

[01:40:24] you. You know, we had experience in

[01:40:26] Sacramento and as supervisor pointed

[01:40:29] out, you have been a source of

[01:40:31] inspiration and support not just for

[01:40:33] elected officials in Sacramento, but for

[01:40:35] staff uh and specifically your your

[01:40:39] tutoring and and working with young

[01:40:42] black staff, uh encouraging them,

[01:40:44] letting them know what's possible and

[01:40:45] showing by example. So, we just want to

[01:40:47] say thank you, Fria, for all your

[01:40:49] service, for your commitment both here

[01:40:52] and in Sacramento and beyond. Uh your

[01:40:55] presence is certainly well regarded.

[01:40:57] We're going to miss you. We know you're

[01:40:58] not going to be leaving, but thank you

[01:41:00] for your service and thank you for being

[01:41:01] a part of our city.

[01:41:03] >> Thank you. Thank you.

[01:41:06] >> Thank you so much uh Mr. Price and uh

[01:41:09] congratulations to uh to you Frederica

[01:41:12] for uh a legacy of service and a track

[01:41:16] record that is the envy of all of us who

[01:41:19] do this work. It is one thing as as I

[01:41:22] can say this as a person who raises

[01:41:24] their hand and say vote for me. You can

[01:41:26] take the office but a lot of people that

[01:41:28] take the office don't end up making a

[01:41:30] difference.

[01:41:31] >> And the people you've worked with have

[01:41:33] made a difference

[01:41:35] >> and we know that you've been uh behind

[01:41:37] so much of that and also help keep the

[01:41:39] door open for the folks coming behind

[01:41:41] you because that also makes a a big big

[01:41:44] difference and you get to go out on a on

[01:41:46] a big victory. Uh, I'm starting to call

[01:41:49] her supervisor er now. Uh, who came

[01:41:53] through

[01:41:54] supervisor and you and your team came

[01:41:57] through for on the behalf of the

[01:41:58] residents of this county to make sure we

[01:42:01] keep our health care amid the madness.

[01:42:03] >> Uh, and that that's a big deal cuz

[01:42:06] >> some child's going to wake up sick

[01:42:07] tomorrow.

[01:42:08] >> Y

[01:42:10] >> and they're going to get to go to the

[01:42:11] doctor.

[01:42:12] >> Yeah.

[01:42:12] >> And they're not going to know your name.

[01:42:14] >> Yeah. uh and they might even know the

[01:42:15] supervisor's name, but they're know

[01:42:17] they're going to know that there's some

[01:42:18] adults there to help them get better.

[01:42:21] >> And uh that to me is the greatest that

[01:42:24] any of us can ever hope to be able to

[01:42:26] done, and you've done it in spades. So

[01:42:28] uh congratulations to our own Fred

[01:42:29] Frederick. Uh back to you,

[01:42:33] Councilwoman Hut.

[01:42:35] >> Good morning, council. My name is Haley.

[01:42:36] I'm a field deputy for state assembly

[01:42:38] member Tina McKenna. We represent the

[01:42:39] 61st district and I am here to present

[01:42:41] our very own Frederica McGee a

[01:42:43] certificate. Um your hard work,

[01:42:45] dedication, commitment to lead, serve,

[01:42:47] protect our community, our constituents

[01:42:49] and its surrounding neighbors is to be

[01:42:51] commended. On behalf of the Assembly

[01:42:52] District 61, congratulations. Thank you

[01:42:54] and good luck and continued success in

[01:42:56] your future endeavors. Sign Assembly

[01:42:58] Member McKenna.

[01:43:06] And so from the city of Los Angeles, we

[01:43:10] say a lot of good stuff about you

[01:43:13] >> and we made sure everybody signed it. So

[01:43:16] it's signed by all members of

[01:43:19] >> Los Angeles City Council. We did list

[01:43:22] the many speakers that you worked for

[01:43:25] >> as general counsel. And that's how I met

[01:43:28] Frederrico. I had to meet with general

[01:43:31] counsel, the speaker. And here comes a

[01:43:33] strong black woman.

[01:43:35] >> And I was really happy to see it.

[01:43:39] >> So, here you go.

[01:43:40] >> All right.

[01:43:40] >> Thank you.

[01:44:09] Oh my goodness. I didn't want to block

[01:44:10] the block.

[01:44:12] >> See, Frederick, that's good staff right

[01:44:14] there.

[01:44:14] >> Good staffer.

[01:44:22] Head

[01:44:30] in the back for a picture.

[01:44:38] >> All right. Uh, as they're departing, uh,

[01:44:40] Mr. Cler, can you call the role? I'm

[01:44:42] going to get a message.

[01:44:43] >> Blumenfield, Harris Dawson, Hernandez,

[01:44:45] Hut, Herado, Lee, Mcoscer, Nazarian,

[01:44:47] Padilla, Park, Price, Ramen, Rodriguez,

[01:44:50] Soda, Martinez, Yaroslovski, 12 members

[01:44:52] in a core, Mr. President.

[01:44:53] >> All right. Uh, what's our first order of

[01:44:55] business?

[01:44:55] >> Approval of the minutes of June 9th,

[01:44:57] 2026.

[01:44:58] >> Council member Hernandez moves. Council

[01:44:59] member Padia seconds. What's next?

[01:45:01] >> Commendatory resolutions for approval.

[01:45:03] >> Council member Rodriguez moves. Council

[01:45:05] member Yeroski seconds. Uh, can we run

[01:45:08] through our agenda?

[01:45:09] >> Thank you, Mr. President. Items 1

[01:45:11] through 11 are items for which public

[01:45:12] hearings have been held. For item 10,

[01:45:14] the planning and land use management

[01:45:16] committee report has been circulated and

[01:45:18] posted online to council file number

[01:45:20] 26-0554.

[01:45:22] Items 12 through 29 are items for which

[01:45:24] public hearings have not been held. For

[01:45:26] item 26, the arts, parks, libraries, and

[01:45:28] community enrichment committee report

[01:45:30] has been circulated and posted online to

[01:45:32] counter file number 26 26-0754.

[01:45:36] 10 votes are required for consideration.

[01:45:38] >> All right. All right, without objection,

[01:45:39] those items are before us. Now is the

[01:45:41] time for specials, members. I see

[01:45:42] council member Blumenfield on the queue

[01:45:45] for a special.

[01:45:45] >> Uh, yeah, three for a question.

[01:45:47] >> Three for a question. All right, council

[01:45:49] member Padilla.

[01:45:53] >> Council member Hurado.

[01:45:56] >> Thank you, Council President. I'd like

[01:45:57] to call item 15 special for a separate

[01:45:59] vote.

[01:46:00] >> 15 special for a separate vote. And uh,

[01:46:03] Council Member Padilla, District 6, I

[01:46:05] got you on the Q4 special. Okay.

[01:46:07] >> Yeah. I want to call 18 uh special for

[01:46:10] uh for for for comments

[01:46:12] >> for discussion. Okay. All right. Uh any

[01:46:14] other specials, members? Council member

[01:46:16] Hut.

[01:46:17] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a special

[01:46:19] on item 14 for a substitute motion.

[01:46:24] It'll be circulated shortly.

[01:46:26] >> All right. Any other specials, members?

[01:46:29] All right. Uh what items are available

[01:46:31] for votes at this time? The council may

[01:46:33] now vote on items 1, 2, and 4 through

[01:46:38] 111.

[01:46:39] >> All right, let's open the roll on those

[01:46:40] items. Close the ro. Tabulate the vote.

[01:46:43] >> Close eyes.

[01:46:45] >> All right, what's next?

[01:46:46] >> The council may now continue on to

[01:46:48] presentations.

[01:46:49] >> All right, as we continue on to

[01:46:51] presentations, I'll take item nine. And

[01:46:54] uh congratulations to our new general

[01:46:56] manager. Let's give her a big round of

[01:46:57] applause.

[01:47:17] It's good to see you here with your

[01:47:18] family and um you're so sharp you didn't

[01:47:20] even have to make a speech. So,

[01:47:21] congratulations. We look forward to

[01:47:23] serving alongside you. All right.

[01:47:31] With that, we'll go to uh presentations.

[01:47:33] The first of which will be led by

[01:47:35] Council Member Price of the 9inth

[01:47:37] District.

[01:48:20] Hey Michael.

[01:48:22] >> Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[01:48:26] River.

[01:49:03] Wow.

[01:49:19] All right.

[01:49:50] Let's see.

[01:50:51] Heat. Heat.

[01:51:55] We got a few more spots over here.

[01:52:26] very clear.

[01:52:31] This will be

[01:52:56] Nice.

[01:53:00] Heat. Heat.

[01:53:37] Heat. Heat.

[01:53:45] Heat. Heat. N.

[01:54:32] Hello everybody.

[01:54:34] >> Hey, how you guys doing today?

[01:54:36] >> Good. Good. Good. I think I heard like

[01:54:38] two people. How are you guys doing

[01:54:39] today?

[01:54:43] >> Does anybody know the name of this drum?

[01:54:46] >> Yes. Thank you, brother.

[01:54:48] >> Uhhuh. This is a Jimbe. Hey, thanks,

[01:54:51] boss. Test test. Can you guys hear me?

[01:54:54] >> All right. Cool. This is a West African

[01:54:57] instrument.

[01:54:59] >> Uhhuh.

[01:55:00] >> They play this all across West Africa.

[01:55:02] It's not just one country, not just one

[01:55:05] ethnic group, but it's a drum and a

[01:55:07] symbol of unity. So that's why it's a

[01:55:10] great honor for me to be joined by my

[01:55:13] brothers here.

[01:55:15] We have people from all over the

[01:55:17] diaspora representing today.

[01:55:21] And so that's why I'm very proud and it

[01:55:24] it means a lot to all of us to be here

[01:55:27] and to honor this city and all the

[01:55:30] beautiful people in it. So, thank you

[01:55:32] guys so much. We're going to play a song

[01:55:34] called Cuckoo. Uhhuh. I'm going to ask

[01:55:36] you guys to help me. You guys look

[01:55:38] pretty artsy. I think some of you guys

[01:55:40] can pick this up. Don't worry, I'll make

[01:55:42] it easy. It's like repeat after me.

[01:55:44] >> Uh-huh. Yeah. So, we'll do call in

[01:55:46] response. Marco

[01:55:50] >> Aha. There we go. So, can you guys say,

[01:55:53] "Oh, yeah."

[01:55:54] >> Oh, yeah.

[01:55:58] >> Cuckoo.

[01:55:59] >> Cuckoo.

[01:56:02] Uh-huh. So, we got a high part and we

[01:56:04] got a low part. Okay. So, listen up. Me

[01:56:07] and the fellas, we're going to do it one

[01:56:08] time and then you guys join in and you

[01:56:10] do it with us. Okay. Let's try.

[01:56:17] Oh yeah.

[01:56:21] Oh yeah.

[01:56:24] Uh-huh. Oh yeah.

[01:56:29] Oh yeah.

[01:56:32] One more time. Oh yeah.

[01:56:55] Heat. Heat.

[01:57:15] Heat.

[01:57:33] Heat.

[01:57:39] Heat. Heat.

[01:57:53] Heat. Heat.

[01:58:03] Heat.

[01:58:20] Heat.

[01:58:26] Heat. Heat.

[01:59:05] Heat. Heat.

[01:59:33] Thank you.

[01:59:35] We are the Maf Ensemble. Thank you so

[01:59:38] much, Michael, Shannon, Sebastian,

[01:59:40] Kamun, Adma, and my name is Salu Boop.

[01:59:44] It's been a great honor. Thank you so

[01:59:46] much to the city of Los Angeles, to our

[01:59:48] council members, and of course, Mr.

[01:59:50] Price.

[01:59:51] >> All right, let's give it up for the Maf

[01:59:54] Ensemble. Let's give it up.

[01:59:56] >> Thank you.

[01:59:58] Yes.

[01:59:59] >> And now, Councilwoman Hut and I are

[02:00:01] pleased to uh welcome to the stage Abby

[02:00:04] Koya, who's going to uh

[02:00:08] who's going to present the uh African

[02:00:11] Union anthem for our enjoyment. Madame

[02:00:32] Victories for our liberation.

[02:00:36] Let us dedicate ourselves to rise

[02:00:39] together

[02:00:41] to defend our liberty and unity.

[02:00:47] Oh sons and daughters of Africa,

[02:00:52] fish of the sun in flesh of the sky.

[02:00:59] Let us make Africa the tree of life.

[02:01:06] Let us all unite and sing together

[02:01:11] to uphold the bonds that frame our

[02:01:13] destiny.

[02:01:16] Let us dedicate ourselves to fight

[02:01:19] together

[02:01:21] for lasting peace and justice on earth.

[02:01:27] Oh sons and daughters of Africa,

[02:01:32] flesh of the sun in flesh of the sky.

[02:01:39] Let us make Africa the tree of life.

[02:01:45] Let us unite and join together

[02:01:50] to give the best we have to Africa.

[02:01:56] The cradle of mankind element of

[02:01:59] culture,

[02:02:01] our pride and hope break up.

[02:02:07] Oh sons and daughters of Africa,

[02:02:13] the sun in blessing

[02:02:16] sky.

[02:02:19] Let us make Africa the tree of life.

[02:02:26] >> All right.

[02:02:30] What an incredible way to begin our

[02:02:31] celebration. Thank you to the Maf

[02:02:33] Ensemble for opening today's program

[02:02:36] with the powerful sounds of African

[02:02:37] drumming. And thank you Abby for that

[02:02:39] beautiful performance. Together they

[02:02:42] remind us of the many traditions uh and

[02:02:45] talents that can be found across Africa

[02:02:47] and throughout uh the continent.

[02:02:51] Drumming of course reminds us of the the

[02:02:53] the opportunity to bring people together

[02:02:56] and that's what we're doing just here

[02:02:57] today. But before we continue, Mayor

[02:03:00] Bass has a special message for us. He

[02:03:02] wasn't able to join us, but we have a

[02:03:04] video.

[02:03:14] Good morning everyone and happy Africa

[02:03:17] Day. It is a privilege to join you in

[02:03:20] celebrating the rich cultures,

[02:03:22] traditions, and contributions of Africa

[02:03:25] and the African diaspora here in Los

[02:03:28] Angeles and around the world. I want to

[02:03:31] express my gratitude to council members

[02:03:33] Price Hut, Council President Harris

[02:03:37] Dawson for recognizing the African

[02:03:40] Counselor Corps and the extraordinary

[02:03:42] community leaders who strengthen and

[02:03:44] uplift LA every day. Your leadership

[02:03:47] reflects the diversity and global spirit

[02:03:49] that define our city. This celebration,

[02:03:52] of course, is especially meaningful to

[02:03:54] me because of my long-standing

[02:03:56] connection to the African continent.

[02:03:59] Throughout my life, I have had the

[02:04:01] opportunity to build relationships with

[02:04:03] African leaders, communities, and

[02:04:05] partners across the continent. And those

[02:04:08] experiences have deepened my belief that

[02:04:11] our futures are connected. As mayor, I

[02:04:15] remain committed to increase

[02:04:16] partnerships across continents to expand

[02:04:19] cultural exchange, strengthen economic

[02:04:22] partnerships, and create new

[02:04:24] opportunities that make LA an even

[02:04:26] stronger cultural and economic hub for

[02:04:29] African communities both near and far.

[02:04:32] Together, we are building bridges that

[02:04:34] benefit our city, our region, and future

[02:04:37] generations. Happy Africa Day and thank

[02:04:40] you to all who make Los Angeles a global

[02:04:43] city that celebrates and embraces its

[02:04:47] African heritage.

[02:04:53] Thank you, Mayor Bass. Africa Day is

[02:04:55] observed each year uh to commemorate the

[02:04:57] founding of the African Union in 1963.

[02:05:00] It marks a historic moment when newly

[02:05:02] independent African nations nations came

[02:05:05] together uh and shared a vision of

[02:05:07] cooperation and progress. More than six

[02:05:09] decades later, Africa Day is celebrated

[02:05:13] all around the world. From community

[02:05:15] gatherings to cultural festivals across

[02:05:17] the continent to celebrations right here

[02:05:19] in the United States and here in LA,

[02:05:21] people are coming together to recognize

[02:05:23] Africa's contributions to the global

[02:05:25] economy

[02:05:28] >> here in Los Angeles. That story is

[02:05:31] especially relevant because Africa is

[02:05:34] part of who we are as a city. Our

[02:05:37] neighborhoods are home to people from

[02:05:39] Sagal, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana,

[02:05:43] Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Eratria, and many

[02:05:47] other nations whose influence can be

[02:05:50] found in our businesses, house of

[02:05:52] worship, community organizations, and

[02:05:55] even in our city families. Their stories

[02:05:58] continue to shape Los Angeles every day.

[02:06:02] The drumming we heard this morning is an

[02:06:04] illustration of that connection. Across

[02:06:07] many African cultures, drums have been

[02:06:10] served as instruments of storytelling.

[02:06:14] This year's celebration invites us to

[02:06:17] think globally while leading locally.

[02:06:21] Africa Day is a reminder that the

[02:06:23] relationship between Africa and cities

[02:06:25] like LA uh continues to evolve. Africa

[02:06:29] is home to more than 1.5 billion people

[02:06:32] and is projected to reach nearly 2.5

[02:06:34] billion people by 2050.

[02:06:37] The continent is home to some of the

[02:06:38] world's fastest growing cities, one of

[02:06:40] the youngest populations on the planet,

[02:06:42] and growing innovation across

[02:06:44] technology, business, education,

[02:06:46] healthcare, and the creative economy.

[02:06:49] With a land area larger than the

[02:06:51] combined size of China, Europe, India,

[02:06:54] and the United States, Africa offers

[02:06:56] tremendous possibilities for economic

[02:06:58] partnerships and global collaboration.

[02:07:02] Yet, despite the potential, Africa

[02:07:04] remains under reppresented in trade and

[02:07:06] investment activity both in Los Angeles

[02:07:09] uh and in the United States. Today,

[02:07:11] African countries account for less than

[02:07:13] 1% of LA's goods that are exported and

[02:07:17] less than 1.5% of total goods in the

[02:07:20] United States. These numbers show that

[02:07:22] there is still a lot of room to grow. As

[02:07:25] we look forward to the to the 28

[02:07:28] Olympics and Parolympic Games, it's

[02:07:30] going to be another opportunity to

[02:07:31] deepen the ties between LA and nations

[02:07:35] across Africa. I proudly serve on the LA

[02:07:38] council ad hoc committee for the 28

[02:07:40] Olympics and parolympic games and we

[02:07:42] know that Africa will be an important

[02:07:44] part of that story. Uh that

[02:07:46] participation will bring together more

[02:07:48] than athletic competition. It will also

[02:07:50] encourage tourism, cultural exchange and

[02:07:53] meaningful engagement among people from

[02:07:55] around the world.

[02:07:58] It's it's it's also important that we

[02:08:01] introduce visitors to the neighborhoods

[02:08:03] that make LA such a special place. So,

[02:08:06] while we're excited about what the

[02:08:08] future holds, we know that Africa Day is

[02:08:10] ultimately a celebration of people. And

[02:08:13] it honors those who carry the heart and

[02:08:15] soul of their heritage uh wherever life

[02:08:18] takes them. It reminds us of what's

[02:08:20] possible when people share ideas and

[02:08:23] values.

[02:08:26] This morning, we also pay tribute to the

[02:08:28] relationships that continue to bring Los

[02:08:31] Angeles and the African continent closer

[02:08:34] together. That spirit is reflected in

[02:08:37] the members of the Los Angeles

[02:08:39] Consularor

[02:08:40] Corp. who are joining us today. The Los

[02:08:44] Angeles Consularor Corp represents more

[02:08:47] than 90 countries from across the world.

[02:08:50] Today we're joined by seven honorable

[02:08:53] consulars who represent countries in

[02:08:56] Africa through diplomacy. They help

[02:08:59] strengthen understanding and engagement

[02:09:01] between Los Angeles and countries around

[02:09:04] the world. We are honored to be joined

[02:09:06] today by six distinguished

[02:09:09] representatives with ties to nations

[02:09:12] across Africa. As I call your name,

[02:09:15] please stand and be recognized

[02:09:19] and bear with me as I call your names.

[02:09:23] Grant Cochin, honorary council of Tongo

[02:09:27] >> Togo,

[02:09:29] representing Togo, which gained

[02:09:31] independence in 1960. Mr. Gochin was

[02:09:35] appointed honorary council in 2009 has

[02:09:38] spent more than 17 years advancing

[02:09:40] diplomatic and cultural ties including

[02:09:43] serving as dean emeritus of the Los

[02:09:45] Angeles consular court.

[02:09:48] Jordan Jose Maria Garcia honorary con

[02:09:53] councel general of Guinea

[02:09:57] representing Guinea which gained

[02:09:59] independence in 1958. Mr. Garcia was

[02:10:02] appointed honorary council general in

[02:10:05] 2012 and is the founder and president of

[02:10:10] Alcante Group, a consulting firm focused

[02:10:12] on government and investor relations

[02:10:15] across Africa.

[02:10:21] Okay.

[02:10:23] M

[02:10:25] >> mom

[02:10:32] Mali Tonselor

[02:10:35] Mabay,

[02:10:36] honorary council general of Sagal,

[02:10:38] representing Sagal, which gained

[02:10:40] independence in 1960.

[02:10:43] Miss Mabier

[02:10:46] was appointed honorary counsel general

[02:10:48] in 2015 and is the president of Los

[02:10:51] Angeles counselor group and um corp and

[02:10:54] a respected leader of the association of

[02:10:57] honorary councils of synagal in the

[02:11:00] United States.

[02:11:05] Joan Chanman Forbes, honorary council of

[02:11:08] Trinidad and Tobago,

[02:11:13] >> representing Trinidad and Tobago, which

[02:11:16] gained independence in 1962.

[02:11:19] Miss Chairman Forbes was appointed

[02:11:20] honorary council in 2016 and brings

[02:11:24] extensive experience in operations,

[02:11:26] human resource, and finance.

[02:11:31] We continue with I bet Gentiel from the

[02:11:33] vice council for Biz.

[02:11:37] Biz gained it independence in 1981 and

[02:11:40] she has been council vice council here

[02:11:42] since 2022 following more than three

[02:11:44] decades of public service uh supporting

[02:11:46] government programs and community

[02:11:48] development initiatives in her home

[02:11:49] country. We also recognize Hassam Ali

[02:11:53] the consular general of Egypt.

[02:11:58] Egypt Egypt got its independence in 1956

[02:12:00] and Ambassador Ali was appointed council

[02:12:02] general of LA in 2023. Previously he

[02:12:06] served as uh Egypt's ambassador to

[02:12:09] Ukraine from 2016 to 2020.

[02:12:14] We next have Israimulu

[02:12:17] council general of Kenya.

[02:12:23] Mr. Simu has was appointed in 2024 as

[02:12:26] the council general to LA where he leans

[02:12:28] on his experience in innovation policy

[02:12:31] work and forging meaningful partnerships

[02:12:33] to enhance Kenya's international

[02:12:35] standing.

[02:12:37] Also, Derek Aroofty, the honorary

[02:12:40] council for Ghana.

[02:12:41] >> Derek

[02:12:45] Derek was appointed also in 2024 as the

[02:12:48] first honorary council of Ghana in LA

[02:12:50] with experience experience in

[02:12:52] international law, immigration,

[02:12:54] business, finance. Uh Dr. Croppy has

[02:12:57] advised various government and public

[02:13:00] organizations throughout the Caribbean

[02:13:02] and the uh and Africa.

[02:13:06] Please join me in thanking all of our

[02:13:08] distinguished council representatives.

[02:13:11] Yeah, let's give it up for him.

[02:13:15] Your presence reminds us that although

[02:13:17] many come from you may come from

[02:13:19] different parts of the country, speak

[02:13:20] different languages, we all benefit. We

[02:13:22] all benefit uh when people learn from

[02:13:24] one another and invest in the shared

[02:13:26] future.

[02:13:29] Indeed, Africa Day is a story about

[02:13:31] nations, institutions, and solidarity.

[02:13:33] But it's also about artists,

[02:13:35] entrepreneurs, educators, health care

[02:13:37] professionals, and community leaders uh

[02:13:40] whose efforts enrich the lives of

[02:13:42] others. Today, we're proud to recognize

[02:13:44] four such individuals whose

[02:13:46] contributions uh reflect those values.

[02:13:49] Councilwoman Hut.

[02:13:51] >> Thank you. Uh I have the honor of

[02:13:54] introducing Sega Habit. She's an She's

[02:13:59] an Eratrian American pharma pharmacist,

[02:14:03] community advocate, a longtime civic

[02:14:06] leader in Los Angeles, known for her

[02:14:08] decades of work connecting immigrant

[02:14:11] communities, public health

[02:14:12] organizations, faith institutions, and

[02:14:15] local government. Often affectionately

[02:14:18] referred to as Mama Sega, she has become

[02:14:21] widely recognized for her community

[02:14:24] centered leadership, relationship

[02:14:26] building, and dedication to public

[02:14:29] service. Born in Eratria, East Africa,

[02:14:32] Sega pursued pharmacy studies in Romania

[02:14:36] before immigrating to Los Angeles. She's

[02:14:39] fluent in five languages and has used

[02:14:42] her multicultural and multilingual

[02:14:44] background to build trust across diverse

[02:14:46] communities throughout Southern

[02:14:48] California.

[02:14:50] Over the years, she built a career

[02:14:52] spanning healthc care education and

[02:14:54] community engagement, including her work

[02:14:57] with Martin Luther King Jun, Junior Drew

[02:15:00] Medical Center, Charles R. Drew

[02:15:02] University of Medicine and Science. Her

[02:15:05] mentorship efforts continue to focus on

[02:15:08] empowering youth through education,

[02:15:10] cultural connections, and public

[02:15:12] service. Sega gained broader recognition

[02:15:15] during CO 19 pandemic for organizing

[02:15:18] culturally focused vaccination clinics

[02:15:21] in partnership with Kedran Community

[02:15:24] Health Center and local community

[02:15:26] organizations.

[02:15:28] Her outreach efforts helped connect over

[02:15:31] 3,000 people in the African immigrant

[02:15:34] community with critical healthc care

[02:15:36] resources through multilingual

[02:15:38] education, trusted community

[02:15:40] partnerships, and grassroots organizing.

[02:15:44] Please join me in welcoming Sega to the

[02:15:47] podium

[02:15:52] >> and that and and we also go to church

[02:15:54] together. I forgot to

[02:16:00] Dawson and my friend console woman

[02:16:03] Heather Hart and the entire Los Angeles

[02:16:08] communer for the roof of Los Angeles

[02:16:11] behind you. All right. During during

[02:16:15] COVID 19 pandemic, I was culture and

[02:16:19] generation. Thank you again for this

[02:16:22] honor. May we continue to uplift each

[02:16:25] other, celebrate our shared humanity,

[02:16:29] and build a better future generation to

[02:16:33] come. Happy African Day 2026. Thank you.

[02:16:37] Thank you. Thank you.

[02:16:49] >> Thank you.

[02:16:50] Now, I'd like to introduce Mona Lisa

[02:16:54] Okasi. She's the owner and the founder

[02:16:58] and CEO of Expose, a California 501c3

[02:17:03] nonprofit organization that she's led

[02:17:06] for almost 14 years.

[02:17:11] Expose focuses on youth empowerment,

[02:17:14] mentorship, steam education, mental

[02:17:17] health awareness, leadership

[02:17:19] development, and community engagement

[02:17:21] throughout Los Angeles. Through exposed,

[02:17:24] she works to bridge the gap between the

[02:17:26] students

[02:17:28] between what students learn in school

[02:17:30] and additional life skills, mentorship,

[02:17:33] ex exposure, and support they need

[02:17:36] outside the classroom. Okasi's signature

[02:17:39] program at Exposition Park uplifts

[02:17:42] community youth through the creation of

[02:17:45] safe, supportive environments where

[02:17:47] students feel that they can grow

[02:17:49] socially, academically, and emotionally.

[02:17:53] She also serves as the chairperson of

[02:17:56] Destination Africa, a firstofits-kind

[02:17:59] cultural festival that will bring

[02:18:01] together more than 22 African countries

[02:18:04] and diaspora communities during the FIFA

[02:18:08] World Cup period at the LA Trade Tech

[02:18:11] College on June 13th to celebrate

[02:18:14] African culture, unity, music, food,

[02:18:17] education, wellness, and community

[02:18:20] engagement here in Los Angeles.

[02:18:23] Oki is a lawyer by training from Nigeria

[02:18:27] and also holds a master's in business

[02:18:29] administration and a master's degree in

[02:18:32] psychology from USC. Please join us in

[02:18:36] welcoming Okasi to the podium.

[02:18:46] Good afternoon everyone.

[02:18:48] I'm truly honored and humbled to receive

[02:18:52] this recognition today. I would like to

[02:18:55] thank the city, the elected officials,

[02:18:58] and everyone involved in making this

[02:19:01] acknowledgement possible.

[02:19:04] This award is not just for me.

[02:19:07] It's a reflection of the many people who

[02:19:11] have supported and believed in the work

[02:19:14] that we do. I would especially like to

[02:19:17] acknowledge my two children who are here

[02:19:19] with me today who I am very proud of.

[02:19:25] Thank you all

[02:19:27] for your support, your love, your

[02:19:29] patience. I tend to drag you guys to do

[02:19:32] all the community work with me. So I

[02:19:36] thank you for always being there with me

[02:19:39] like you are today. You have shared in

[02:19:42] sacrifices and challenges and victories

[02:19:45] along the journey and seeing you here

[02:19:47] makes this moment even more meaningful

[02:19:50] for me. Through my work with expose and

[02:19:54] our community initiatives, I have

[02:19:56] learned that when we come together with

[02:19:59] a purpose, compassion and determination,

[02:20:04] we can actually create lasting change

[02:20:07] and open doors for others. I accept this

[02:20:10] award with gratitude and a renewed

[02:20:13] commitment to continue serving our

[02:20:15] community and empowering the next

[02:20:17] generation. Thank you to all my friends

[02:20:20] that I dragged from all over Kenya,

[02:20:23] Pamela, different people that are here

[02:20:25] today and so many of my friends who I've

[02:20:29] worked with like mom site and so many

[02:20:32] other people and Mama Sega of course. So

[02:20:35] I'm grateful to be here. Thank you.

[02:20:44] Thank you. Our next honorary is Auyu

[02:20:47] Babu. Where is Come on up here, Baboo.

[02:20:51] >> As founder and executive producer of the

[02:20:53] Panaffrican Film Festival, Babu has

[02:20:55] spent more than three decades creating

[02:20:56] one of the world's premier platforms for

[02:20:59] African-American and black storytelling.

[02:21:01] Under his leadership, the festival has

[02:21:03] introduced audiences to filmmakers,

[02:21:05] artists, and storytellers from across

[02:21:08] Africa and the diaspora while

[02:21:09] establishing LA as a global destination

[02:21:12] for black and African cinema. His

[02:21:15] leadership has fostered long

[02:21:16] partnerships with film institutions and

[02:21:18] festivals throughout the Africa and the

[02:21:20] world. Please join me in acknowledging

[02:21:23] Babu

[02:21:32] Good morning and good afternoon.

[02:21:35] And um

[02:21:38] the ancestors are here watching us.

[02:21:41] That's the message they told me to tell

[02:21:42] you.

[02:21:44] You know, we sort of live in the moment

[02:21:47] and we forget about the ancestors all

[02:21:49] around.

[02:21:51] I was in Nigeria once and um a brother

[02:21:55] said, "Do you know why

[02:21:59] uh God doesn't answer your qu your your

[02:22:02] prayers often?" How many people have a

[02:22:04] lot of problems getting God's attention

[02:22:09] >> and the brother said, "I'm sitting in

[02:22:11] Nigeria." He said, "The reason why

[02:22:15] God doesn't answer your prayers often is

[02:22:19] that you need

[02:22:21] somebody to try to catch up with God."

[02:22:25] And that we in Africa

[02:22:29] have understood that a long time that

[02:22:33] how big is the universe?

[02:22:36] How big is the cosmos?

[02:22:39] So if God is in charge of all that, he's

[02:22:42] busy.

[02:22:44] So we need ancestors to say, "Look, help

[02:22:47] Babu, you know, he's going across

[02:22:51] the the scene." And so we always forget,

[02:22:54] we we we we pray to everybody, but we

[02:22:58] forget and thank the ancestors. So they

[02:23:01] asked me to tell you today, always

[02:23:02] remember the ancestors, your immediate

[02:23:04] ancestors and Odawa and all the great

[02:23:08] ancestors and ask them for a little help

[02:23:11] and they'll see you through. Um I'm a

[02:23:14] I'm actually a u example of that.

[02:23:19] I'm I was raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming,

[02:23:22] born in Amala, Texas,

[02:23:26] and I couldn't understand them. how in

[02:23:28] the world I get to Cheyenne, Wyoming

[02:23:32] and they said, "Well, sometimes God

[02:23:35] moves in mysterious ways." So, he put

[02:23:37] you an African in Cheyenne Wyoming to

[02:23:41] get very, very conscious because

[02:23:43] sometime when you run a bunch of white

[02:23:45] folks and white supremists, you get real

[02:23:49] clear. I saw Dick Cheney play

[02:23:51] basketball, play against basketball

[02:23:52] against Dick Cheney in Wyoming.

[02:23:55] So that prepared me to understand the

[02:23:58] mission because I knew that was

[02:24:01] important. So what they've done now is

[02:24:03] that if you look in this room,

[02:24:06] the whole continent Africa in the

[02:24:08] Caribbean is here.

[02:24:10] So that means that the work that you do

[02:24:14] is supposed to take us to the next step

[02:24:16] and to make sure it happens.

[02:24:19] And the final one of the great proverbs

[02:24:22] is the final test.

[02:24:24] Now in the final test for special people

[02:24:27] and everybody in this room is special.

[02:24:30] Ancestors made that possible. The final

[02:24:32] test for special people is ego.

[02:24:36] The final test for special people is

[02:24:38] ego. because you're so bad, you're so

[02:24:41] incredible, you you know, you got it

[02:24:42] going on and then all of a sudden

[02:24:45] something so big and so beyond you, you

[02:24:48] have to humble yourself. I don't know. I

[02:24:50] give up and talk to the ancestors. So,

[02:24:52] thank you very much. Do that. Listen to

[02:24:54] that. And may Allah, may Jehovah, may

[02:24:59] Yahoo, may Ouda all bless you. Thank you

[02:25:03] very much.

[02:25:10] We got some

[02:25:11] lousy platform.

[02:25:46] Okay, ladies and gentlemen, our last

[02:25:48] honore was born and raised in Ghana.

[02:25:53] Celelesi Ahuru was Yeah. has dedicated

[02:25:58] his career to creating pathways for

[02:25:59] business growth, collaboration, and

[02:26:01] investment. As a founder of Afropolitan

[02:26:04] LA, he has developed programs, events,

[02:26:07] and business networks that celebrate

[02:26:08] African culture while supporting

[02:26:11] entrepreneurs and small businesses

[02:26:12] throughout LA. Through his Afropolitan,

[02:26:16] this is Africa travel initiative, he's

[02:26:18] helped members of the diaspora build

[02:26:20] meaningful relationships and new avenues

[02:26:22] for collaboration across the continent.

[02:26:24] His work continues to create

[02:26:26] opportunities that extend far beyond

[02:26:28] cultural exchange. Please join me in

[02:26:31] welcoming Salasi.

[02:26:40] >> Good morning everyone.

[02:26:44] >> Um I'm usually behind the scenes doing

[02:26:46] production work, so forgive me. I'm not

[02:26:48] used to talking in front of people. Um,

[02:26:52] I'm truly honored and humbled by this uh

[02:26:54] recognition as part of African Day

[02:26:57] celebration. Uh, I want to thank the

[02:26:59] city of Los Angeles for this incredible

[02:27:02] honor and uh for celebrating the

[02:27:05] contributions of the African community.

[02:27:09] While my name is on this uh uh

[02:27:11] recognition, uh I stand on the shoulders

[02:27:14] of invisible giants who work behind the

[02:27:17] scenes all the time. They might not be

[02:27:19] named today, but I just wanted to slide

[02:27:22] a few names in like uh uh Dr. Acroofi,

[02:27:26] Shi Brown. We have also um Charles, a

[02:27:31] lot of our community activists are

[02:27:33] constantly working to uplift my

[02:27:35] beautiful wife Nikki um for allow me and

[02:27:39] believing in the dream that we always

[02:27:42] out there trying to push to bring our

[02:27:44] communities together. I want to say

[02:27:46] thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And

[02:27:49] this this honor belongs to all of us. Um

[02:27:52] let's continue to build bridges,

[02:27:54] strengthen communities, and reconnecting

[02:27:56] to each other because together we can

[02:27:58] win. I appreciate you and thank you.

[02:28:26] Well, Counciloman Hood, if you have some

[02:28:28] closing comments, I think this uh

[02:28:30] concludes our program for today.

[02:28:32] Well, I I just want to thank everyone uh

[02:28:35] for your contributions to Los Angeles

[02:28:38] and for reminding the rest of the world

[02:28:41] how wonderful it is to be here in the a

[02:28:45] city that is for everyone. Thank you.

[02:28:49] >> Thank you. Thank you. Happy Africut

[02:28:56] and all the honores that are here today.

[02:28:58] Uh this is always a special day for

[02:29:00] members. Uh and I'd like to say on the

[02:29:03] record every time I get an opportunity

[02:29:05] that this day was not supposed to happen

[02:29:09] when Africans were brought to this

[02:29:11] country. we were not recognized as human

[02:29:14] beings and the nations that you all now

[02:29:16] represent weren't recognized as nations.

[02:29:19] Uh so the fact that we can come here and

[02:29:22] be in this great city that welcomes

[02:29:24] everybody and you can find both the

[02:29:27] descendants of slaves from the African

[02:29:30] continent and folks who have immigrated

[02:29:32] here since that time uh all at home, all

[02:29:36] thriving, all doing well in the city of

[02:29:38] Los Angeles is truly a miracle and a

[02:29:41] testament to our culture uh to our

[02:29:43] tenacity and uh to our love and care for

[02:29:47] each other. And so I want us to always

[02:29:49] always always always remember that when

[02:29:51] we do do these celebration, it is truly

[02:29:53] a miracle and we've got to do everything

[02:29:55] we can to protect it. Uh secondly, uh

[02:29:58] Mr. Price. Uh, Councilwoman Hut, in 18

[02:30:02] months from now, 18 months from now, the

[02:30:05] 2028 Summer Games will be here in Los

[02:30:08] Angeles, and we're going to have an

[02:30:11] African

[02:30:13] Caribbean Nationhouse Village in the

[02:30:16] heart of Los Angeles that we want every

[02:30:19] country to participate in. This is This

[02:30:23] has never been done in the history of

[02:30:25] the world. It's going to be dynamite.

[02:30:28] We're going to have performances. We're

[02:30:29] going to have music from all over the

[02:30:31] African diaspora and the continent. Uh,

[02:30:34] and we're going to show the world how

[02:30:36] it's done. So, you know, we'll be down

[02:30:38] the street from the coliseum and down

[02:30:40] the street from Sofi, but in the heart

[02:30:43] we'll be celebrating the the cultures of

[02:30:44] African people all throughout uh the

[02:30:47] globe, but especially on the continent,

[02:30:49] the Caribbean here in the United States.

[02:30:50] So, thank you once again uh Mr. Price,

[02:30:52] Councilman Hut, Councilwoman Hut, and uh

[02:30:55] we look forward to celebrating going

[02:30:57] forward. Council Member Rodriguez,

[02:30:58] before you leave, Mr. President,

[02:30:59] >> hold on. Hold on. Curran, don't walk

[02:31:01] away. Um, first of all, thank you both

[02:31:04] Council Member Hut and Price for this

[02:31:06] wonderful presentation and it's really

[02:31:08] beautiful to have you all here. The

[02:31:10] commencement with the performances was

[02:31:13] stunning and uh it's just a beautiful

[02:31:16] reflection of what this city is composed

[02:31:19] of. And so, I want to thank you all for

[02:31:20] being here. But I would be remiss if I

[02:31:22] didn't thank Council Member Price for

[02:31:24] leading this presentation each and every

[02:31:26] year

[02:31:31] because,

[02:31:32] you know, we're a little melancholic

[02:31:34] knowing that this is your last one. And

[02:31:37] I would be remiss if I didn't recognize

[02:31:39] you and the first lady of the new ninth.

[02:31:43] D, come on. Get up. No, get

[02:31:51] You both have been wonderful friends and

[02:31:54] uh and my husband and I both cherish you

[02:31:57] both. Uh and thank you both. But I want

[02:31:59] to thank you for this beautiful

[02:32:00] presentation each and every year. It's

[02:32:02] wonderful to have you all here in

[02:32:04] council chambers to watch generations

[02:32:07] that succeed in the examples that the

[02:32:11] elders are bringing to our community in

[02:32:13] every role that each of you play. It's

[02:32:15] wonderful to have you here and uh again

[02:32:19] a little melancholic just because I know

[02:32:22] this is the the last one, but thank you

[02:32:25] for always bringing in this beautiful

[02:32:26] presentation. Uh I look forward to that

[02:32:29] continuing with Council Member Hut and

[02:32:32] uh and again it's wonderful to have you

[02:32:35] all here and uh and to celebrate this

[02:32:37] very special occasion and and really

[02:32:40] embracing how beautiful and diverse our

[02:32:43] city is and all of the contributions of

[02:32:45] the diaspora that are here. It's uh it's

[02:32:48] really special. So I thank you.

[02:32:49] >> Thank you. Thank you so much Mr. Price

[02:32:53] to close.

[02:32:54] >> Oh that's all Mr. President. Happy

[02:32:56] Africa Day. Thank you so much. All

[02:32:59] right. Um, Mr. Clerk, what's next?

[02:33:03] >> Council man, I move on to public

[02:33:04] comment.

[02:33:04] >> Mr. City Attorney,

[02:33:09] >> so for people providing public comment,

[02:33:11] when it's your turn to speak, please

[02:33:13] state which of the agenda items you'd

[02:33:14] like to speak to. You have one minute

[02:33:17] per item, up to three minutes total for

[02:33:19] the items open for public comment. When

[02:33:22] speaking on the agenda items, you need

[02:33:23] to be on topic. Our goal is to get

[02:33:25] through as many speakers as we can. If

[02:33:27] you're not on topic or if we can't tell

[02:33:29] whether you're on topic, you'll get one

[02:33:30] brief warning from me or the president.

[02:33:32] At that point, you really need to get

[02:33:34] immediately clearly on topic. If you

[02:33:36] don't or if you again stray off topic,

[02:33:39] you will forfeit the rest of your

[02:33:40] speaking time and we'll move on to the

[02:33:42] next speaker. The items that are open

[02:33:44] for public comment are items

[02:33:48] for tw excuse me 12 through 29. That's

[02:33:52] 12 through 29. Items 30 and 34 are in

[02:33:57] the special agenda, which we'll turn to

[02:33:59] later. Um, members of the public may

[02:34:02] also speak for up to one minute for

[02:34:04] general public comment. During the

[02:34:06] general public comment period, you may

[02:34:08] speak on any of the items or anything

[02:34:10] else within the city subject matter

[02:34:12] jurisdiction. We'll let you tell you

[02:34:15] when your time's up. Um, I have a few

[02:34:17] more announcements before we begin. And

[02:34:19] I'd ask the interpreters u to please

[02:34:21] make this first announcement aloud in

[02:34:23] the room. If you require a Spanish

[02:34:25] language interpreter, please um make

[02:34:28] sure to pause every few sentences so the

[02:34:30] interpreter can interpret.

[02:34:42] And while you're being interpreted,

[02:34:44] don't worry, we'll pause your time um so

[02:34:47] that you'll get the same amount of

[02:34:48] speaking time as everyone else.

[02:34:50] Additionally, if you u make an

[02:34:52] accommodation request pursuant to the

[02:34:54] ADA with the clerk's office or you'd

[02:34:56] like to make one today in order to make

[02:34:58] use of the wireless handheld microphone

[02:35:01] after you hear your name you signed up

[02:35:04] under called aloud, please raise your

[02:35:06] hand so the sergeants can provide you

[02:35:08] with the wireless microphone. Uh,

[02:35:11] finally, to help us uh run an efficient

[02:35:13] uh public comment period, please wait

[02:35:15] until you hear your uh name that you

[02:35:18] signed up under read aloud before lining

[02:35:20] up in any order to speak. Doesn't matter

[02:35:22] what order you come in, but please don't

[02:35:24] line up on that side of the uh your left

[02:35:27] side of the hall until your name is

[02:35:30] read. And with that, Mr. President,

[02:35:32] we're ready to begin public comment in

[02:35:33] the regular meeting.

[02:35:36] >> I'd like to begin public comment by

[02:35:38] calling up a few names. Smith and Wesson

[02:35:40] Jr. Johnny Walker, Blanca, Norma, Norma

[02:35:43] Daniel, Goat Puppet II, Daniel Sosa, and

[02:35:46] Rigs Votes.

[02:36:02] Yeah, we it looks like uh we've got a

[02:36:04] small enough number of people here that

[02:36:06] if you've signed up to speak, you can

[02:36:07] just line up uh on the aisle and when

[02:36:12] you come up, let us know the name that

[02:36:14] you signed up under so that we can make

[02:36:16] sure you get off the list.

[02:36:19] So, uh, we'll start the time of the

[02:36:21] current speaker and ask what name you

[02:36:23] signed up under and what what name you

[02:36:26] signed up under and what items you want

[02:36:27] to speak on.

[02:36:28] >> Yes, mass

[02:36:30] item.

[02:36:31] >> What name did you sign up under?

[02:36:33] >> I signed up, under GP

[02:36:36] number two, folk.

[02:36:38] >> Okay. Thank you very much.

[02:36:39] >> Is that what the name is?

[02:36:41] >> Okay. You have three minutes for the

[02:36:42] items followed by amend general. Please

[02:36:44] begin. And the items that are up 12

[02:36:46] through 29. And that why they

[02:36:48] number 12 fool will get the

[02:36:51] dat

[02:36:53] over here going to

[02:36:56] information for five year

[02:36:58] I say no to this

[02:37:02] Brother, sister Africa don't know

[02:37:03] about that. I say

[02:37:06] support. No, I say not Paul. And then we

[02:37:09] get number 13. Goddamn white woman over

[02:37:12] there pock goddamn vacating the land for

[02:37:16] a project to some goddamn

[02:37:19] kind of corruption.

[02:37:21] Never helping our people queezy. Never

[02:37:24] helping our people. Only helping them

[02:37:25] rich white So say no to

[02:37:28] that.

[02:37:31] >> I try fool number 14. That

[02:37:34] agenda. Yes it is. Yeah, we get home on

[02:37:38] Taylor Lenny Jackson in the dedication

[02:37:41] of a plaque.

[02:37:43] A plaque for a lifetime of

[02:37:47] service.

[02:37:48] Only a goddamn plaque.

[02:37:51] Is that all you get? Like the way you

[02:37:54] did Herb West and dirty Mr.

[02:37:57] >> Please get back on the agenda.

[02:37:59] compare goddamn a plaque for an

[02:38:02] honore to another honore.

[02:38:05] How come when it's a black man like Herb

[02:38:08] Weston, you get a tiny little hidden

[02:38:09] plaque, but it's a white

[02:38:11] you get a big plaque. You always

[02:38:13] treating our people wrong. Number 15.

[02:38:17] Well, we get this CD6.

[02:38:20] That's the Aldilla

[02:38:23] over there in North Hills stopping the

[02:38:26] goddamn drug trade. Let's give her a

[02:38:28] hand.

[02:38:30] Yes, sir. CD6 is called 41.18.

[02:38:35] That means you don't camp and you don't

[02:38:38] sell drugs to kids and you don't trap

[02:38:42] children. And Mela is against drug

[02:38:46] dealing. She's against Epstein. She's

[02:38:49] against the power structure. Fool.

[02:38:53] Marqueez. You ain't a favor of that. You

[02:38:55] like that Then you get number 16.

[02:38:59] We get gero.

[02:39:02] Look at this Nine million

[02:39:04] dollars.

[02:39:07] Look at that. How come Unus can't get $9

[02:39:11] million of housing in CD1 for the brown

[02:39:15] folk? How come that little Filipina get

[02:39:19] $9 million?

[02:39:21] Mi Mr. Wear couldn't get the $9 million.

[02:39:25] He got to go up the river. Mr. De Leó

[02:39:28] couldn't get to $9 million. But how come

[02:39:32] she can get to $9 million?

[02:39:34] That's because this place

[02:39:36] is filled with godamn corruption. And

[02:39:39] now we get to the public comment again

[02:39:43] all over the world, especially Africa

[02:39:45] understands. Let's give a hand to voter

[02:39:48] fraud, everybody. I love it. That's how

[02:39:52] we get people elected to goddamn office

[02:39:55] all over the world. LA now has joined

[02:39:57] the world. We are the world. We are the

[02:40:01] children.

[02:40:03] We are not registered to vote, but we

[02:40:05] vote anyway to make our living.

[02:40:11] There's money to be paid. Cash money for

[02:40:14] drugs and guns. And all we have to do is

[02:40:18] stop the ballot box for another day.

[02:40:22] That's right, That's all

[02:40:24] you got to do is go to the gym and get a

[02:40:26] dollar. Get your gym membership. Go

[02:40:29] down, register to vote on Skid Row. They

[02:40:32] give you a $100 and you give yourself

[02:40:35] those 44,762

[02:40:38] ballots. Soon you can screw that whack

[02:40:40] out of second place. See you later, FBI.

[02:40:43] >> Thank you, Mr. Spindler. Next speaker,

[02:40:49] >> Mr. Gravener, which items did you want

[02:40:51] to speak to? All items in general,

[02:40:53] >> we have three minutes for items 12

[02:40:55] through 29 followed by a minute of

[02:40:57] general. Please begin.

[02:40:58] >> So item 15 is a motion from Nur's bestie

[02:41:02] Alda Padilla to further criminalize

[02:41:05] homelessness in her district in CD6.

[02:41:09] So no on any 4118 motions. 4118 is

[02:41:14] violence. 4118

[02:41:16] criminalizes homelessness. It does not

[02:41:18] get them housing or services. It does

[02:41:20] not do anything like that. It's just

[02:41:22] pushing them down the street, forcing

[02:41:24] them to move their stuff

[02:41:27] for no reason other than just to, you

[02:41:29] know, appease rich people so they don't

[02:41:31] have to see the unhoused people. And

[02:41:34] meanwhile, all the unhoused people

[02:41:36] stuff's getting thrown out. They're

[02:41:38] losing their access to services that

[02:41:40] they're getting because no one knows

[02:41:42] where they are because these

[02:41:44] council members keep pushing them down

[02:41:46] the streets because and this is

[02:41:49] contributing the fact that six unhoused

[02:41:51] people die on the streets of LA every

[02:41:53] single day. So, let's move on. We have

[02:41:58] item 17, which is Care Plus sweeps from

[02:42:02] Bob Blumenfield CD3.

[02:42:06] So no on care plus as well. You could

[02:42:09] call it cruelty plus because that's what

[02:42:11] it is. It's cruelty to unhoused people

[02:42:14] again to appease rich people so they

[02:42:16] don't have to see unhoused people on the

[02:42:18] streets. And again they're not getting

[02:42:21] housing or services. It's just

[02:42:23] criminalizing their existence because

[02:42:25] you know that's apparently what this

[02:42:27] council does is violence. So no on items

[02:42:32] 15, no on item 17. So, we have a few

[02:42:35] emotions related to World Cup fan zones.

[02:42:40] Is anyone actually a fan of the World

[02:42:42] Cup?

[02:42:44] Like, who's excited for this? Is just

[02:42:46] like a normal person.

[02:42:48] So,

[02:42:49] I mean, at least here. But, I mean, you

[02:42:52] know, these are just hot spots for ICE

[02:42:56] to show up and target people. It kind of

[02:42:59] sounds like a good idea. It's also just

[02:43:01] kind of sad because, you know, no one

[02:43:04] can actually afford to buy a ticket to a

[02:43:06] actual World Cup match unless they're

[02:43:08] rich. And so this is kind of the, you

[02:43:11] know, little consolation prize. I guess

[02:43:14] it's these fan zones that also further

[02:43:18] are places that attract could attract

[02:43:20] ice, which is another huge concern. So,

[02:43:25] just I guess I guess it's kind of sounds

[02:43:28] like a good idea in theory, but it's

[02:43:29] basically just the consolation prize

[02:43:31] since the World Cup tickets aren't

[02:43:34] actually affordable by any means.

[02:43:37] So,

[02:43:39] let's see. Item 24. Is this another

[02:43:43] criminalization war on drugs thing? Is

[02:43:47] No, we don't need the war on drugs here.

[02:43:51] Let's let's go on to general public

[02:43:53] comment.

[02:43:54] >> Okay.

[02:43:55] >> So, for general public comment, we've

[02:43:58] got

[02:43:59] Where is everyone?

[02:44:02] N just walked out after the pre after

[02:44:04] the presentations. You know, I thought

[02:44:07] presentations were going to be on

[02:44:08] Fridays so that the rest of the days we

[02:44:10] wouldn't have to sit through

[02:44:11] presentations for almost two hours, but

[02:44:14] here we are. Apparently, you're

[02:44:16] expanding it to Wednesdays now. When

[02:44:18] when is the council going to properly

[02:44:20] implement SB707?

[02:44:22] That requires by July 1st. That requires

[02:44:25] you to reinstate Colin comment. That

[02:44:27] requires you to promote your meetings.

[02:44:29] That requires you to pass a technology

[02:44:31] disruption policy. It requires all this

[02:44:34] stuff. It requires you to reopen public

[02:44:37] comment on a lot of items. So, when is

[02:44:40] this council going to make sure that is

[02:44:41] fully implemented? You haven't even

[02:44:43] started that process. And I know it's

[02:44:45] because Marquis up there hates the

[02:44:47] public. That's why Colin comet was

[02:44:49] eliminated in the first place. So when's

[02:44:52] SB77 going to be properly implemented?

[02:44:55] Fire Jim McDonald. Fire that racist ISA

[02:44:58] agent.

[02:44:58] >> Your time's up.

[02:45:05] >> Hello, speaker. Which items or general

[02:45:07] public comment did you want to speak to?

[02:45:09] >> Good morning. It'll be um or good

[02:45:11] afternoon. It'll be general. Okay. You

[02:45:13] have a minute. Please begin.

[02:45:15] >> Thank you.

[02:45:18] This year we celebrate 250 years as

[02:45:20] America. On July 4th, we also will

[02:45:24] remember the 25th anniversary of 911.

[02:45:29] And on November 3rd,

[02:45:32] hopefully everyone participates during

[02:45:35] our general elections

[02:45:37] because currently our primary elections

[02:45:40] only had a voter turnout of 37.55%.

[02:45:45] My name is Roelio Martinez.

[02:45:49] As of 2028,

[02:45:52] I will become the next board of

[02:45:54] supervisor in district 4.

[02:45:57] I do not promise priorities,

[02:46:00] goals. I bring one simple promise.

[02:46:04] I promise that the two million people

[02:46:08] that I will serve will have a greater

[02:46:11] quality of life.

[02:46:14] And lastly,

[02:46:16] mediocracy. Thank you. Have a great day,

[02:46:19] sir.

[02:46:26] >> Hi, speaker. Which items or general

[02:46:28] public comment did you want?

[02:46:29] >> Uh, I would like to speak on item number

[02:46:32] 260707.

[02:46:34] >> Okay, please begin.

[02:46:35] >> Good morning, honorable members. My name

[02:46:37] is Edwin Garcia. I'm the LA County

[02:46:39] director of advocacy for Streets are for

[02:46:41] Everyone. First, I would like to extend

[02:46:42] my gratitude for your efforts in

[02:46:44] expediting the implementation of speed

[02:46:46] safety systems in Los Angeles, a proven

[02:46:48] deterrent against one of the deadliest

[02:46:50] behaviors on our streets, speeding. The

[02:46:53] pilot program in San Francisco has

[02:46:54] already shown measurable success. After

[02:46:57] implementation, speeding dropped by an

[02:46:58] average of 72% and twothirds of drivers

[02:47:01] who received a citation did not receive

[02:47:03] a second one, showing that the program

[02:47:05] is changing dangerous habits. LA is

[02:47:07] already behind other cities piloting the

[02:47:09] program. Malibu, Long Beach, and

[02:47:11] Glendale have already selected a vendor

[02:47:13] and have actively moving forward with

[02:47:14] implementation.

[02:47:16] Selecting a vendor today is more than an

[02:47:18] administrative action. It is a necessary

[02:47:20] milestone that brings us one step closer

[02:47:22] to turning the promise of AB645 into a

[02:47:25] life-saving reality that will protect

[02:47:27] people walking, biking, taking transit,

[02:47:29] and driving on our streets. The data is

[02:47:31] clear that technology exists, and yet

[02:47:33] people are still waiting for

[02:47:34] implementation. After selecting a

[02:47:36] vendor, I urge this committee to

[02:47:37] continue moving forward.

[02:47:38] >> Thank you.

[02:47:56] Hi, speaker. Which um general public

[02:47:58] comment or uh items did you want to

[02:48:00] speak to?

[02:48:00] >> Uh item 24 and general, please.

[02:48:03] >> Okay, you have a minute for each. Please

[02:48:05] begin with the item.

[02:48:06] >> Uh greetings, council. My name is Daniel

[02:48:08] Sosa. Um, we need lower taxes for the

[02:48:11] cannabis industry and it needs to happen

[02:48:14] in conjunction with the tax amnesty

[02:48:16] program. Overt taxation is the single

[02:48:19] allimportant issue that the cannabis

[02:48:21] industry is facing. We are taxed at 100

[02:48:24] times the rate as other businesses in

[02:48:26] the city. And there are significant

[02:48:29] social costs of overt taxation. Over 60%

[02:48:33] of the market in the state is the

[02:48:34] illicit market. That means 60% of

[02:48:37] cannabis consumers in the state and a

[02:48:39] higher percentage in LA are getting

[02:48:41] cannabis that is unregulated and

[02:48:43] untested. That's millions of people.

[02:48:46] It's being sold on the street in Santi

[02:48:48] Alley. It's being sold in smoke shops.

[02:48:51] It's being sold in unlicensed shops.

[02:48:54] These places do not do age verification.

[02:48:56] They could be selling to minors. They

[02:48:59] could be selling other illicit drugs

[02:49:01] including nitrous oxide and hopefully

[02:49:03] not fentinyl. Who knows where they are

[02:49:05] getting their cannabis from? The

[02:49:07] marijuana is likely full of mold and

[02:49:09] pesticides. So, there's a significant

[02:49:12] social cost, a serious public health

[02:49:15] issue due to overt taxation because

[02:49:18] overt taxationally

[02:49:20] causes consumers to go to the black

[02:49:23] market.

[02:49:23] >> Thank you.

[02:49:24] >> That that seemed to be general public

[02:49:26] comment.

[02:49:28] Uh, no. That

[02:49:32] >> you you had literally two sentences, two

[02:49:35] words on Dr. Zit. It was all about

[02:49:36] cannabis.

[02:49:38] >> Not really. Thank you.

[02:49:46] Sounds like you had your general public

[02:49:47] comment.

[02:49:49] >> I said it sounds like you had your

[02:49:50] general public comment. So, we'll go to

[02:49:52] the next speaker. Thanks. All right. Uh,

[02:49:55] it looks like there are no more public

[02:49:56] speakers. Uh, Mr. uh, clerk, can we

[02:49:59] recess the regular meeting and convene

[02:50:00] the special meeting?

[02:50:02] >> Thank you, Mr. President. Blumenfield,

[02:50:04] Harris, Dawson, Hernandez, Hut, Herado,

[02:50:06] Lee, Mcoscar, Nazaran, Padilla, Park,

[02:50:08] Price, Ramen, Rodriguez, Soda, Martinez,

[02:50:10] Jarlovski, 13 members, and a quorum. Mr.

[02:50:13] President.

[02:50:13] >> All right, we'll go to public comment

[02:50:15] for the special meeting. If you are

[02:50:17] interested in public comment and for the

[02:50:19] special meeting, line up on the

[02:50:22] um aisle and uh, Mr. City attorney, do

[02:50:25] we need to read the instructions into

[02:50:26] the record again?

[02:50:27] >> A a just brief uh change. So, this is a

[02:50:30] special meeting, so there's no general

[02:50:32] public comment. Um but you have um up to

[02:50:35] three minutes for the I think it's four

[02:50:37] or five items. And just to be clear, the

[02:50:39] items are outside council, Mikla funds,

[02:50:43] um reserve end funding, and that's it.

[02:50:46] So, it has to be on one of those topics.

[02:50:49] It's

[02:50:49] >> uh 30 and one of the other items. And I

[02:50:53] I'm doing two items.

[02:50:55] So item 30 is related to a lawsuit

[02:51:00] that's outside legal counsel for a

[02:51:02] lawsuit because the former LFD chief

[02:51:04] sued you because you fired her. Um and

[02:51:09] you know that's you fired her because

[02:51:12] she called you out because she called

[02:51:14] out the mayor. So you fired her because

[02:51:17] you took away all her money so she

[02:51:19] couldn't fight the fires as easily and

[02:51:21] quickly gave it all to the LAPD. So now

[02:51:24] now you've got a legal liability payout

[02:51:27] here that you're about to probably have

[02:51:28] to do here. More money for liability

[02:51:31] payouts. And of course the city attorney

[02:51:33] can't apparently um defend anything. So

[02:51:36] she hires leg outside legal counsel for

[02:51:39] every single, you know, every single

[02:51:42] lawsuit. She's got to hire this

[02:51:43] expensive outside legal counsel because

[02:51:47] she doesn't know how to defend anything.

[02:51:48] She just got kicked out of the runoff

[02:51:50] entirely. So, she's a lame duck now.

[02:51:53] Quack, quack. So, item 33 is related to

[02:51:57] year-end reserve fund borrowing. So,

[02:52:00] hopefully these reserve funds will be

[02:52:02] borrowed for good uses and not for

[02:52:06] anything ridiculous like giving more

[02:52:08] money to the LAPD who's already getting

[02:52:10] almost $3.6 6 billion next year. So, so

[02:52:15] hopefully these reserve funds can be

[02:52:17] done to do things like maybe helping the

[02:52:19] city recover from the fires a little

[02:52:20] faster or getting people housing and

[02:52:23] services that they might need or things

[02:52:26] like that. There's a lot of good things

[02:52:28] that could be funded with this in-ear

[02:52:31] year-end reserve fund borrowing, but

[02:52:34] again, all you seem to do is just give

[02:52:36] more money to the LAPD while they kill

[02:52:39] people at record numbers and aid to bet

[02:52:41] ICE kidnappings. All under the

[02:52:43] leadership of their racist police chief

[02:52:45] you refuse to do anything about.

[02:52:48] >> Thank you.

[02:53:01] Mr. Spindler, which items do you want to

[02:53:03] speak on?

[02:53:04] >> Well, speak on all the

[02:53:05] items.

[02:53:06] >> Okay, three minutes. Go ahead.

[02:53:07] it.

[02:53:08] >> So, here we go.

[02:53:10] >> What name did you sign up under?

[02:53:12] >> Well, I signed up under GP2.

[02:53:16] I signed up under Gertrude. I signed up

[02:53:19] under I sign on a goddamn name.

[02:53:22] >> So just going forward, Mr. Spindler,

[02:53:24] it's totally fine for you to sign up

[02:53:25] under a pseudonym.

[02:53:27] >> One pseudonym. It makes it difficult for

[02:53:29] us to manage the meeting.

[02:53:31] >> I want mother.

[02:53:32] >> It makes it difficult to manage the

[02:53:33] meeting if you sign up under multiple

[02:53:36] disrupting the meeting.

[02:53:38] >> This your first warning.

[02:53:39] >> Go ahead, Mr. Spindler.

[02:53:41] >> Yeah. Now, let's get to the lesbian item

[02:53:45] number 30. the first lesbian to lead the

[02:53:49] LFD. The great crow leaders give her a

[02:53:52] hand.

[02:53:53] So you see, she turned around and

[02:53:56] snitched. She get demoted. She didn't

[02:53:59] get fired. She got demoted. And Tracy

[02:54:03] Puck when she was in law school and

[02:54:05] Buckethead and even little Gerardo when

[02:54:09] she was in law school called it what?

[02:54:12] Constructive what?

[02:54:14] constructive termination.

[02:54:18] She was constructively terminated as the

[02:54:21] police chief.

[02:54:23] So that's why she's suing for those

[02:54:25] damages. And you go to spend $500,000

[02:54:29] of our money to hire an outside law

[02:54:32] firm. You that Pay that nice

[02:54:35] lady. Number 31.

[02:54:38] This is the Alda Padilla moment of

[02:54:41] truth.

[02:54:43] Is Alda gonna do this to the city

[02:54:46] budget? Alda, are you gonna take $83

[02:54:50] million of borrowed money and turn it

[02:54:54] into $116 million of debt? Are you going

[02:54:59] to borrow 38 million Alda and cause the

[02:55:03] city to pay $154 million for it? Or are

[02:55:07] you going to pay the attention to

[02:55:09] this?

[02:55:11] Now you see Unicus, if she hadn't sold

[02:55:15] out to those unions on that convention

[02:55:17] center bond measure, we would have had

[02:55:19] the $133 million

[02:55:23] and we could have bought this goddamn

[02:55:25] bond cash. But she had to sell out for

[02:55:28] that 133 million a year that the

[02:55:30] convention center's getting. That's why

[02:55:32] we going bankrupt.

[02:55:35] And then of course we get to more of the

[02:55:37] scheme of the construction projects.

[02:55:41] Now, isn't it a shame that we don't have

[02:55:44] a US attorney with an accounting

[02:55:46] background? We just get people like dumb

[02:55:49] Bill Asai and dumb people like Harmy.

[02:55:53] They just dumb dumb dumb dumb. They

[02:55:56] don't have a goddamn accounting and GAP

[02:56:00] background like I do. I took four years

[02:56:03] of accounting

[02:56:05] and I know that this is nothing but

[02:56:08] stealing 5.5%

[02:56:11] interest,

[02:56:14] When you go to the bank, you can't get

[02:56:16] 4% on your CDs. So, you're also paying

[02:56:20] administrative costs to goddamn Wall

[02:56:22] Street. So, I know Aldi, you tried, but

[02:56:27] now you're having those sundowner times

[02:56:29] right now. So, you got to go get a

[02:56:31] little I believe in my

[02:56:33] >> Thank you, Mr. Spindler.

[02:56:36] >> Do we have anybody else lined up? Nope.

[02:56:39] Okay, that's all the speakers. Mr.

[02:56:42] >> All right, that concludes public

[02:56:43] comment. Uh before

[02:56:46] uh we call these items, I want to ask

[02:56:48] members if they'd like to call any items

[02:56:50] from the special agenda. Special Mr.

[02:56:52] Nazarian.

[02:56:55] >> Item 30 for a separate vote, please.

[02:56:57] >> All right. All right. So, uh, seeing no

[02:57:00] other specials, uh, Mr. Clerk, uh,

[02:57:03] what's next?

[02:57:04] >> Mr. President, before I run through the

[02:57:06] agenda, would council like all items on

[02:57:07] the special agenda to go forth with

[02:57:09] today?

[02:57:09] >> Yes, please.

[02:57:10] >> Thank you, Mr. President. Items 30

[02:57:12] through 34, items for which public

[02:57:13] hearings have not been held. 10 votes

[02:57:15] are required for consideration.

[02:57:17] >> All right. Without objection, those

[02:57:18] items are before us.

[02:57:19] >> With public comments satisfied, the

[02:57:21] council may now vote on items 31 through

[02:57:24] 34.

[02:57:24] >> All right, let's open the roll on those

[02:57:26] items. Close the role. Tabulate the

[02:57:27] vote.

[02:57:29] 13 eyes.

[02:57:31] >> All right. What's next?

[02:57:32] >> Council may now vote on item 30 called

[02:57:34] special by council member Nazarian for a

[02:57:36] separate vote.

[02:57:36] >> Council member Blumenfield.

[02:57:39] >> You're good. Okay. All right. Let's open

[02:57:41] the roll on that item. Close the ro.

[02:57:42] Tabulate the vote.

[02:57:45] >> 12 eyes, one no.

[02:57:47] >> All right. What's next?

[02:57:50] >> Would the council like to adjourn the

[02:57:53] special and reconvene the regular

[02:57:55] meeting?

[02:57:55] >> Yes. Please call the role.

[02:57:59] Plummanfield, Harris, Dawson, Hernandez,

[02:58:01] Hut, Herado, Lee, Mosscar, Nazaran,

[02:58:03] Padilla, Park, Price, Ramen, Rodriguez,

[02:58:05] Soda, Martinez, Yarosvski, 13 members,

[02:58:07] and a quorum. Mr. President. All right.

[02:58:09] Uh, what's next?

[02:58:11] >> Council may now vote on items 12, 13,

[02:58:16] 16, 17, and 19 through 29.

[02:58:20] >> All right, let's open the roll on those

[02:58:21] items. Close the roll. Tabulate the

[02:58:23] vote.

[02:58:24] >> 13 eyes.

[02:58:26] >> All right. Okay. What's next?

[02:58:27] >> Council may now vote on item three

[02:58:29] called special by council member

[02:58:30] Blumenfield.

[02:58:32] >> Just 234th bid, please.

[02:58:34] >> 234th fifth. All right. Without

[02:58:36] objection. And do you have comments on

[02:58:38] item number seven?

[02:58:39] >> I'm sorry. Item number three.

[02:58:41] >> Yes.

[02:58:41] >> Okay. Mr. Bloomfield.

[02:58:43] >> Yeah. I comments and actually a qu a an

[02:58:46] amendment that I've worked out with

[02:58:47] Councilwoman Padilla. Uh I I called the

[02:58:50] special. I was going to ask a bunch of

[02:58:52] questions and I've been spending time

[02:58:54] talking with the cannabis folks and the

[02:58:56] city attorney. Uh what gave me pause on

[02:58:58] this uh was that

[02:59:02] you know if we are uh allowing

[02:59:04] businesses to sell their license to

[02:59:07] anybody that what we what will

[02:59:10] ultimately happen is that Philip Morris

[02:59:12] and other big tobacco companies are

[02:59:14] going to come in and buy it all up which

[02:59:16] was the reason back when we did this why

[02:59:18] we when we were talking about social

[02:59:20] equity why we didn't

[02:59:23] uh allow this why we created a social

[02:59:25] equity program and it is flawed for lots

[02:59:27] of reasons, but um it was so that the

[02:59:31] individual um businesses would actually

[02:59:34] be local and and connected.

[02:59:37] But I understand and uh that we have

[02:59:40] screwed around a lot and and that there

[02:59:42] is a um we're trying to give a lifeline

[02:59:45] to some of these businesses that are out

[02:59:47] there that that basically cannot

[02:59:50] function right now with the way things

[02:59:51] are set up and they need to get the

[02:59:52] capital. They need to get the equity and

[02:59:54] the only way that's going to happen is

[02:59:55] if we let them sell out either all or

[02:59:58] whole of their business. But eyes wide

[03:00:01] open what that means is that this the

[03:00:04] the social equity concept is will not be

[03:00:06] the same. Uh and

[03:00:10] and it will u we are going to see the

[03:00:13] meds and the R.J. Reynolds take over

[03:00:15] this market and that's going to happen.

[03:00:18] Uh I did also was concerned about moving

[03:00:22] forward if we were to continue to give

[03:00:24] out licenses and allow people to sell

[03:00:26] them at the very same time then what

[03:00:28] ends up happening is we're just creating

[03:00:30] a a market for people uh you know to to

[03:00:34] to profiter to you know or big companies

[03:00:37] to come in and hire somebody to get the

[03:00:39] equity license and you know and then

[03:00:41] turn around and sell it to the company

[03:00:44] five minutes later and that doesn't make

[03:00:46] a lot of sense either. So to try to deal

[03:00:48] with these issues, I'm going to offer

[03:00:51] the amendment that I've worked out with

[03:00:52] Councilwoman Padilla, which is one to

[03:00:54] put a grandfather clause on this. So

[03:00:56] that we would say social allow social

[03:01:00] equity individual applicants to sell

[03:01:01] ownership interests um or applicants and

[03:01:05] then add in who held a license uh as of

[03:01:08] June 10th, 2026. So, basically, anyone

[03:01:11] who currently has a license, we're going

[03:01:13] to offer this this uh handout, which or

[03:01:16] or helping hand where we're saying you

[03:01:18] can sell out to whoever you want. Uh but

[03:01:20] we're not going to say going forward

[03:01:22] that you can just go up to the counter,

[03:01:23] buy a license, and turn around and sell

[03:01:25] it. So, number one is a grandfather

[03:01:28] clause. That's the main thing. And then

[03:01:30] also just adding in the words as we ask

[03:01:33] them to draft it to say um to report

[03:01:36] with a draft ordinance and allow social

[03:01:38] equity individual applicants to sell

[03:01:39] ownership interest to any individual or

[03:01:42] entity with appropriate guard rails. So

[03:01:44] that when they're doing this, they can

[03:01:46] think about what are the guardrails that

[03:01:47] could allow us to to maintain some sort

[03:01:50] of social equity, whether that's uh

[03:01:52] stakeholder interests or uh community

[03:01:55] benefits or or something. We're we're

[03:01:58] adding in th those words to to at least

[03:02:00] show that we want to have some

[03:02:02] appropriate guardrails. So, I'm offering

[03:02:04] that as an amendment and I believe

[03:02:05] Councilwoman Padilla will second that.

[03:02:08] Yes. Is seconded that amendment and

[03:02:10] rather than ask a bunch of questions,

[03:02:12] I'm just going to offer that as a

[03:02:13] solution.

[03:02:14] >> All right. So, let's uh open the role on

[03:02:17] this item as amended by Blumenfield,

[03:02:19] seconded by Padilla. Let's close the

[03:02:22] role. Tabulate the vote.

[03:02:25] >> 13 eyes.

[03:02:26] >> All right. Okay. What's next?

[03:02:28] >> Council may now vote on item number four

[03:02:30] called special by council member Hut for

[03:02:31] a substitute motion. We will need to

[03:02:33] take two votes. The first would be to

[03:02:35] question whether to substitute.

[03:02:36] >> All right. Let's open the roll in

[03:02:38] substitution. Close the role and

[03:02:39] tabulate the vote.

[03:02:48] We just need a moment. Mr. President,

[03:02:54] 13 eyes.

[03:02:57] All right. And let's open the roll on

[03:02:58] the item. Close the roll. Tabulate the

[03:03:01] vote.

[03:03:02] >> 13 eyes.

[03:03:04] >> All right. What's next?

[03:03:05] >> Council may now vote on item number 15.

[03:03:07] Called special by council member Herado

[03:03:09] for a separate vote.

[03:03:10] >> All right. Let's open the roll on this

[03:03:12] item. Call special by council member

[03:03:13] Herodado for a separate vote. Let's

[03:03:15] close the role. Tabulate the vote.

[03:03:18] >> 11 eyes, two nos.

[03:03:20] >> All right. What's next?

[03:03:22] Item number 18 called special by council

[03:03:24] member Padilla for comments. Council

[03:03:26] member Padilla.

[03:03:27] >> Yes.

[03:03:29] >> Hi colleagues. This is this item uh

[03:03:32] before you is going to support the

[03:03:34] creation of 46 new affordable housing

[03:03:37] units at OD's place in council district

[03:03:40] 6 helping address the city's ongoing h

[03:03:42] housing storage. I want to thank Decro

[03:03:45] Daylight and Downtown Woman's Shelter

[03:03:47] for developing this housing opportunity

[03:03:49] and for being steadfast partners who

[03:03:51] weathered extreme difficulties such as

[03:03:53] closing a budget gap and overcoming

[03:03:55] materials uh material failures that

[03:03:57] threatened the project. Named in honor

[03:04:00] of Mary Loose Od's Oats, a prominent

[03:04:02] journalist and activist who helped raise

[03:04:04] funds for the downtown women's center.

[03:04:06] The development is designed to provide

[03:04:08] trauma women survivors with a safe and

[03:04:10] stabilizing environment. ODI's Place is

[03:04:13] dedicated to serving women experiencing

[03:04:15] homelessness and survivors of domestic

[03:04:17] violence as well as providing uh support

[03:04:20] services. It's one of the first modular

[03:04:22] construction projects to be finished in

[03:04:24] CD6 and it demonstrates our continued

[03:04:27] work around addressing sex trafficking

[03:04:29] and protecting women. This new

[03:04:31] development will provide more than will

[03:04:33] also include resources um and as

[03:04:36] mentioned a place for women to drive and

[03:04:38] get back on their feet. The resolution

[03:04:40] authorizes an issuance of a multifamily

[03:04:42] housing revenue bond um that is going to

[03:04:44] help finance this project. Approval of

[03:04:47] this item positions the project to

[03:04:48] secure the financial the uh financing to

[03:04:50] move forward and of course the ongoing

[03:04:54] work to address our housing crisis.

[03:04:56] Thank you so much. I ask for your I

[03:04:58] vote.

[03:04:59] >> All right. Thank you so much, Council

[03:05:00] Member Padilla. Let's open the role on

[03:05:02] this item. Close the role. Tabulate the

[03:05:04] vote.

[03:05:06] >> 13 I.

[03:05:07] >> All right. Congratulations on that.

[03:05:08] What's next?

[03:05:09] >> Council has motions for posting and

[03:05:11] referral.

[03:05:11] >> They are posted and referred.

[03:05:13] >> The desk is clear.

[03:05:14] >> All right. Announcements, members, any

[03:05:16] announcements.

[03:05:18] All right. Uh, seeing no announcements,

[03:05:20] I'll ask everyone in the chamber to rise

[03:05:21] for adjourning motions. Look to my left.

[03:05:26] Seeing none, look to my right. All

[03:05:28] right. With that, we're adjourned. Thank

[03:05:29] you so much, everybody.

[03:06:30] The people have broke the country up.

[03:06:33] And then when the bombing of Pearl

[03:06:36] Harbor happened, everybody went crazy.

[03:06:40] And we have to look like the people that

[03:06:42] bombed Pearl Harbor. And they saw us as

[03:06:46] the enemy. And as great a man as

[03:06:50] Roosevelt was, Roosevelt was a human

[03:06:53] being. He got swept up into hysteria.

[03:06:57] There are people on the West Coast that

[03:06:59] look exactly like the people that bomb

[03:07:02] Bar. Who knows what could be a spy? They

[03:07:06] might be planning to bomb San Pedro.

[03:07:11] After a year of that unjust

[03:07:13] imprisonment, the government realizes

[03:07:16] there's a wartime manpower shortage. And

[03:07:19] here all these young people, men and

[03:07:22] women, that they've categorized just

[03:07:25] arbitrarily as enemy aliens. We're

[03:07:29] Americans

[03:07:30] born, raised, and imprisoned by America.

[03:07:34] Born here. They just made up this enemy

[03:07:37] alien thing. But now they need us. So

[03:07:41] they come down with a loyalty

[03:07:43] questionnaire. What's the matter with

[03:07:45] this government? They should have asked

[03:07:47] that before they imprisoned us, before

[03:07:50] they took our homes, destroyed my

[03:07:53] father's business.

[03:07:55] But young people today

[03:07:58] hearing this story, I keep telling

[03:08:01] people the ideals of democracy are

[03:08:05] noble. A government of the people, by

[03:08:08] the people, and for the people. That's

[03:08:10] us,

[03:08:12] the people. And my father said, "We have

[03:08:15] to be involved. All of us." At that time

[03:08:19] the civil rights movement was going on.

[03:08:21] He said, "What the black people are

[03:08:23] doing is that they are out speaking up

[03:08:27] for themselves.

[03:08:29] They have a history. That's a part of

[03:08:32] American history." And he said, "You

[03:08:35] when you get the vote, you are the part

[03:08:38] of the people that speak for this

[03:08:41] country.

[03:08:42] We have to participate.

[03:08:52] >> Hi, my name is Alex Garvey. I'm a canon

[03:08:54] officer here at the Los Angeles Port

[03:08:56] Police and this is my career report.

[03:09:01] Here we go. Okay. How many times a day

[03:09:04] do you find something illegal with your

[03:09:06] canine? Also, canines smell laundered

[03:09:09] money? Well, to answer the first part,

[03:09:11] uh it depends on the day. Sometimes we

[03:09:14] have agency assist. So, our canines will

[03:09:16] go and um assist our outside agencies

[03:09:20] like LAPD or we'll help assist our own

[03:09:23] patrol officers and we'll search

[03:09:25] vehicles and sometimes we'll find

[03:09:27] something like narcotics or we'll find

[03:09:29] firearms and sometimes we won't. So, it

[03:09:32] just depends on the kind of day that

[03:09:33] we're kind of having. But, we're always

[03:09:35] training. We always want our canines to

[03:09:37] find stuff. So, it just really depends

[03:09:39] on the day. Also, can canines smell

[03:09:42] laundered money? Uh, our canines are not

[03:09:44] trained to smell for or detect laundered

[03:09:46] money, but other outside agencies do

[03:09:49] have dogs that can detect that.

[03:09:58] Why did you want to work as a canine

[03:09:59] officer? Well, who wouldn't want to work

[03:10:02] as a canine officer? We get to work with

[03:10:04] dogs every single day and it is so much

[03:10:07] fun. It is really fun watching your

[03:10:09] canine partner smell and detect and work

[03:10:13] and just be able to detect things like

[03:10:15] explosives or narcotics or track down

[03:10:19] suspects. It's really fun watching them

[03:10:21] work. They are a great tool for law

[03:10:23] enforcement. I think it's one of the

[03:10:25] best uh positions anybody as a police

[03:10:28] officer could have. And yeah, your

[03:10:30] partner is a dog and who doesn't want to

[03:10:32] have a partner as a dog? So yeah, it's

[03:10:35] the best. I suggest be a canine officer.

[03:10:41] Let's see.

[03:10:43] How old was the dog when you first

[03:10:45] started training it? Was the canine a

[03:10:47] puppy when you trained him? So when I

[03:10:50] got my dog, and my dog's name is Puma,

[03:10:53] he was about a year and a half years

[03:10:55] old. So, he was still a puppy, but he

[03:10:58] wasn't puppy puppy. So, he still has

[03:11:00] puppy-like behavior. Um, he's super high

[03:11:04] energetic. He wants to play and run

[03:11:06] around and and he wants to find things,

[03:11:08] which is great. Um, so yeah, he's a he

[03:11:11] was a year and a half, so he's now 3

[03:11:12] years old and he's so much fun to work

[03:11:14] with and it's great. We go. Okay, next

[03:11:19] question.

[03:11:22] What positions did you play in

[03:11:24] volleyball and softball? So, I played

[03:11:27] volley I started playing volleyball and

[03:11:29] softball probably when I was in the

[03:11:30] fifth grade, which was so long ago. Um,

[03:11:33] in volleyball I played left side hitter

[03:11:36] and right side hitter. And in softball I

[03:11:38] played first base, second base, and

[03:11:41] outfield. Uh, specifically left field.

[03:11:44] And yeah, for volleyball was definitely

[03:11:46] my main sport. I played all the way from

[03:11:48] fifth grade all the way up into college.

[03:11:51] And it is probably one of the best

[03:11:53] sports out there. And yeah, it's great.

[03:11:56] It's great playing on team sports and

[03:11:57] you get to have a lot of fun and you get

[03:11:58] to win and and go out there and have

[03:12:01] fun. Okay,

[03:12:04] let's see. Next question.

[03:12:08] How do the canines get trained to go on

[03:12:10] missions? So, we train our canines as if

[03:12:13] it's a real world scenario. So, every

[03:12:16] training scenario that we set up, it's

[03:12:18] as if our canines are going out there

[03:12:19] and searching for a real uh explosive,

[03:12:23] narcotic, or suspect. So, we train in

[03:12:27] vehicles. We train in container

[03:12:29] terminals. We train in um for in open

[03:12:33] areas, in packages, luggage, anything

[03:12:36] you could think of, we train because we

[03:12:38] want our dogs to be prepared for any

[03:12:40] type of scenario. And we need us as

[03:12:42] handlers to be prepared for whatever

[03:12:45] comes. So with our K9 unit, we have

[03:12:48] singlepurpose explosive dogs, we have

[03:12:51] narcotic detection dogs, and we have

[03:12:53] patrol dogs. So all of our handlers are

[03:12:55] capable of training our dogs as if it's

[03:12:57] a real world scenario. And that way when

[03:12:59] the time comes for our dogs to be out

[03:13:01] there, they got it. They can handle the

[03:13:03] situation. And we trust our dogs to know

[03:13:05] that they can find something.

[03:13:12] How long have you worked as a police

[03:13:13] officer? I have been a police officer

[03:13:16] for six years going on seven. I became a

[03:13:19] police officer in December of 2014. So,

[03:13:23] I just had my sixth year anniversary.

[03:13:25] Now I'm on my seventh and it is a very

[03:13:28] noble profession and it is one of the

[03:13:33] best things to come to work and you have

[03:13:35] people that you enjoy working with and

[03:13:37] we all have the same goal is to keep the

[03:13:40] port safe, keep our community safe and

[03:13:42] keep each other safe and go home at the

[03:13:44] end of the shift. So yeah, I've been a

[03:13:46] police officer for six years and I look

[03:13:47] forward to the next six years to come.

[03:13:52] Let's see. Next one.

[03:13:58] Do you live with the canine and do you

[03:14:00] train with it every day? So, yes, Puma

[03:14:03] does live with me. Uh, he has his own

[03:14:05] kennel set up in the backyard. He comes

[03:14:07] home with me every night. I take care of

[03:14:09] him. Um, so he has his own little place

[03:14:12] to run around and just be a dog. And we

[03:14:15] only train when we come to work. So,

[03:14:17] when we're at work, it's work time. We

[03:14:19] don't we don't get to play around. We

[03:14:21] don't get to, you know, do what? We

[03:14:23] don't get to be a dog. He's a working

[03:14:25] dog. So, when we're at work, we work.

[03:14:27] When we're at home, we get to chill and

[03:14:28] relax, and he gets to have fun.

[03:14:32] Let's see.

[03:14:35] How long does it take to train the

[03:14:37] canines? Well, let me say this. Training

[03:14:40] never stops. And when you're in law

[03:14:42] enforcement, specifically when you're a

[03:14:44] cannon officer, too. The training never

[03:14:47] never stops. You never want to get

[03:14:48] complacent in your work. You never want

[03:14:50] to feel comfortable. You always want to

[03:14:51] train for the whatifs. So, but generally

[03:14:55] when um you get your dog, um if it's a

[03:14:58] singlepurpose dog like mine, like Puma,

[03:15:01] he's a single-purpose explosive canine,

[03:15:03] you have a one month of training, then

[03:15:06] you get certified. So, you take the dog

[03:15:08] and the handler take a test to make sure

[03:15:09] that he has odor recognition. He can

[03:15:12] pick up uh the scent, he can find odors,

[03:15:15] and the and the handler can watch his

[03:15:18] behavior and know what the dog is doing.

[03:15:20] So once the training is passed, the dog

[03:15:22] gets certified, then he or she can go uh

[03:15:25] is certified to work in the field, but

[03:15:27] just cuz that month of training is done,

[03:15:29] doesn't mean the training stops. We are

[03:15:31] constantly maintaining our canine

[03:15:33] skills, improving them so they can be

[03:15:35] the best that they can be. Now with

[03:15:36] that, we do have dualpurpose dogs. So

[03:15:38] some of our canines are uh narcotics and

[03:15:42] patrol dogs or explosive and patrol

[03:15:44] dogs. So their training it takes a

[03:15:46] little bit longer, about 2 months. And

[03:15:48] once they're done with their two months

[03:15:50] of training, once again, they get

[03:15:51] certified and then they go back out in

[03:15:53] the field. But like I said, their

[03:15:54] training is constant. We need them to be

[03:15:56] the best that they can be so they can

[03:15:58] detect anything that comes their way.

[03:16:02] Take a couple more.

[03:16:06] Okay.

[03:16:08] When you guys are working and a person

[03:16:10] comes up and asks, "Can I pet your

[03:16:12] canine?" Do you let them pet your

[03:16:14] canine? This one depends on the handler.

[03:16:17] Personally for me, I do not let anybody

[03:16:19] peta uh K9 Puma. Um he's a working dog,

[03:16:23] so when he's out in the general public,

[03:16:25] he's working. He's working to keep

[03:16:26] everybody safe, and I personally don't

[03:16:30] want anybody coming up there to pet him

[03:16:31] cuz he's working. But um it just depends

[03:16:34] on the handler. Some handlers might

[03:16:36] feel, um that they can. It just it's

[03:16:39] totally a handler preference. Um so I

[03:16:42] simply just say, "No, thank you. He's

[03:16:43] he's working right now." But yeah, I

[03:16:45] know the public loves the canines being

[03:16:47] out there. They love seeing them. They

[03:16:48] love, like I said, it's cool having a

[03:16:51] canine as your partner. And so the

[03:16:53] public is just so excited to see them

[03:16:54] out there. So I would be energetic, too.

[03:16:56] If I saw a can out there, I would want

[03:16:58] to pet him, too.

[03:17:00] Okay, last one.

[03:17:04] Okay. How long have you been with your

[03:17:06] canine? So, I just got Puma about a year

[03:17:09] and a half ago, going on two years. So

[03:17:12] he is him and I are super brand new I

[03:17:16] guess you could say. Um but yeah we've

[03:17:18] been together for a year and a half and

[03:17:19] he's great. He's a Belgian mountain wall

[03:17:22] so he is super high energy. He always

[03:17:25] wants to work. He has the drive to work

[03:17:27] and it's great watching him work cuz he

[03:17:29] he can pick up and find things and it

[03:17:32] just makes it fun because like I said

[03:17:33] earlier, these dogs are awesome for law

[03:17:36] enforcement. They're great tools to

[03:17:37] have. So having a partner um that just

[03:17:41] wants to work is really great. So I've

[03:17:43] been with him for a year and a half and

[03:17:44] I look forward to the next couple years

[03:17:46] that I get to have with them. And it

[03:17:48] looks like that is all of those

[03:17:50] questions. Thank you so much. Once

[03:17:52] again, my name is Alex Garvey and this

[03:17:55] has been my career report. Check us out

[03:17:57] on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and

[03:17:59] give us a like. Thanks.

[03:18:21] When most people think of Los Angeles,

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