On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, the Los Angeles City Council convened at 9:31 AM. The meeting included a roll call, flag salute, approval of consent items, public comment, consideration of agenda items, and several votes. Key actions included the continuation of a wildfire-related tenant protection ordinance, approval of legal settlements, and recognition of Engineers Week.
But I also want them to know that they have to operate in a way that doesn't attract their haters or perpetuate the stereotypes. So please do so productively, safely, and better things will come. I'm glad that they're being vigilant. It's important for them to also know how to address and meet this time. Put your energy towards organizing. One day you might become an elected official or a government leader or a leader in the private or nonprofit sector helping address these very issues and inequities. So harness the power and that energy and make something good of it. I think it's what's the talent that we have that we celebrate. And for me, I'm gonna continue to uplift by my example and the example of so many people that are on my staff or in our community that continue to represent the very best of the immigrant populations that make this country thrive. So for this, but I'm gonna appreciate the community immigrant that Los Angeles is for those. We have a home that's dedicated that provides uh trauma-informed counseling, uh safe loving environment, education, job training, therapy, and a lot of them just need direct treatment too. So a couple of things we discussed here at the press conference today. Number one, know what your kids are doing and where they are. Know who your kids are speaking to directly, but just as importantly, know who your children are communicating with online, on social media, on the internet. We're working much better. We've rescued more people this year. 33% increase in rescues. Unfortunately, the work continues because like I said earlier, youngest victim, 14 years old. She had just turned 14. Working out here on the streets in the city of Los Angeles. There's nowhere where that's right in a society. We ask our community. Whenever they see something that doesn't look right in their community, we ask them to report that to us. You can go to LA Crime Stoppers. Um, you can call 1877 Ask LAPD. You can go to LAPD Online.org and make a report. What we ask is for that information that's going to assist us in doing an effective prosecution and an effective rescue. Law enforcement is responding to the criminal activity that has taken place in wildfire zones. LA County District Attorney Nathan Hockman is looking to enhance sentences for looting to deter those who prey on the misfortunes of others. So today we had a press conference for a new bill that hopefully will go through the state legislature dealing with looting. It basically takes the current law of looting, which is a misdemeanor and turns it into a felony where state prison is possible for acts of looting during a state of emergency, which is what we've been having here in Los Angeles County. Today we talked about really holding looters in these emergency areas accountable. So many of us were watching TV, watching the angst that the community had when they had to evacuate their homes. And then we watched looters come in taking advantage and re-victimizing people who either lost their homes or left their homes. And we thought it was very important to deal with this as quickly as possible. We've had to use first degree residential burglary against people who've entered houses during this wildfire crisis. And it exposed the fact that there were loopholes in the looting stature. And if it passes, we'll send an unmistakably clear warning to looters and people thinking about impersonating a first responder that if you do that during a state of emergency and take advantage of people in their lowest moments, that you will get punished to the maximum now extend to the law. This is about holding people accountable. This is about making sure that people are not re-victimized by having somebody go through their home or having somebody sift through the ashes of what is left from their home when they have nothing left. The geography of LA, the basin we live in, can contribute to poor air quality. Add in the after effects of wildfires, and anyone with respiratory sensitivities might experience difficulty breathing. We're giving out air purifiers to provide clean, safe air for residents of Los Angeles. So this is the first of a few events we will be hosting to give out air purifiers as soon as we have those items available. So we hope that the air purifiers will benefit the residents of Los Angeles to be able to provide that clean safe air for them to breathe. Interested charitable organizations can apply for a grant to fund community-related events, programs, and projects. All funds are endowed through the City of Los Angeles Harbor Department's annual budget, which is entirely self-supported from shipping and lease revenues. According to the port, since 2014, nearly 12 million dollars in grants has been awarded to local nonprofits in support of programs and projects benefiting the LA Harbor community. A virtual information workshop will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, February 19th, with grant applications due on Monday, March 24th. For more information or to apply, visit Port of Los Angeles.org.