Being at a place that is open, free to the public, and everybody is glad to be here.

Everybody kind of feels like they own the place, and they do.

And those things have made it an enduring emblem for Los Angeles.

It is, in fact, a gift to the city of Los Angeles to me.

You know, this is also my kids' favorite place in the city of Los Angeles.

So to be in Griffith Park, uh, just this amazing view that you have here of not only the nature that we have but also the entire city.

I welcome everybody to come and visit the Griffith Observatory.

It's been a wonderful, wonderful 90th celebration.

It's gonna last all year long, and the Griffith Observatory will have an amazing array of activities throughout the whole year.

So everyone should go on the Griffith Observatory website, check out what's happening that day.

There are monthly opportunities to come up at night and view this the heavens through telescopes.

You can get your eye through the major observatory telescope.

It's an amazing opportunity throughout the whole year, not just today.

That we are all seekers of the sacred, manifesting something higher in our lives.

Faith leaders do work together.

And there's a really the best example of what it means to be building bridges, serving the community at a greater expanse, but to do this today, it just should have flow outward and outwards the ripple effect.

When you drop the little stone, where those ripples go.

So starting here and then out the doors of City Hall into our communities.

And we put together pluralistically, we make a beautiful image.

It takes effort to reach across to try to understand each other more deeply and to create space for each other and making sure that we truly are paying attention and listening so that we're lifting each other up.

Unfortunately, there are parts not just here in the US, but different parts of the world where we see religion as a source of violence and sectarianism when in fact religion is a source of love.

And that's why this is really important.

Manhattan Place Elementary School unveiled a new outdoor literacy corner.

We know that reading is always a good idea, but just in case the kids don't know that yet, the school drafted a Dodger Star to help them catch the reading habit.

Today we are celebrating our partnership with the LA Dodgers and the Will and Cara Smith Foundation.

We are bailing our outdoor literacy corner.

This provides our students with multiple opportunities to develop their love for literacy and a love for reading.

And it also shows the students that reading is fun and that reading doesn't only take place inside the classroom, but reading actually can take place outdoors.

Are you guys ready to read a book?

All right, so we're gonna read the birds scene bears, go out for the tea.

Today is really special because we're partnering with Manhattan Place Elementary, and they are actually the second school this year that we're doing a literacy corner renovation.

When we were in the World Series, we launched our first literacy corner as part of our MLB World Series Legacy Initiative.

And we did so in partnership with our catcher Will Smith and his wife Cara and their foundation Catching Hope.

So all four organizations came together and we committed to doing three unveilings during the 2025 season.

And this is the second of three.

We have people in the community that love and care for your success.

And that's why we are partnered with people like Will Smith and his foundation, just to show our students like you matter.

We see you, we hear you, and you are important.

Will go LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will serve as the official venues for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

LA Mayor Karen Bass made the announcement, along with Councilmember Curran Price and Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The Coliseum was first hosted the Olympics in 1932.

Again in 1984, and in 2028, it will become the first venue in history to host the Olympic Games for a third time.

The stadium in Inglewood will host the Paralympic opening ceremony and will share the Olympic opening ceremony with the LA Coliseum, creating a dual venue celebration.

For more information, visit mayor.lacity.gov slash press.

Angelinos celebrating with metallic balloons should keep them secure and prevent them from floating into power lines, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, LADWP.

The utility said that recently metallic balloons hitting equipment had caused five outages in one week, leaving nearly 3,000 customers without power.

California law requires all metallic balloons to be anchored with a weight to prevent them from going into power lines.

In addition, the LADWP advises that metallic balloons should never be released outdoors and always be deflated before discarding.

Angelinos should report any incidents of metallic balloons and power lines contact by calling 1-800 Dial DWP.

For more information, visit LADWP News.com.

Mayor Karen Bass and the Economic and Workforce Development Department invite business owners to attend the 2025 Procure LA Summit.

The summit will highlight working with the city's big three, the LA Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles World Airports, and the Port of Los Angeles.

Attendees will gain insight into accessing capital and procurement opportunities for upcoming major events like the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympic Games.

According to Procure LA, the summit will include networking with over 30 government agencies and prime vendors, training workshops, and on-site support from its team.

The 2025 Procure LA Summit, working with the big three, takes place on Thursday, May 29th, beginning at 8 a.m.

For more information, visit Procure LA.com.

Whether sworn or civilian, Asian American representation has grown in the ranks of LA's police department.

At a recent cultural celebration, the department gathered to celebrate all that makes Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month a special occasion.

I'm here and honored and thrilled again to come back to MC, the LAPD AAN HPI celebration.

As we know, we're in Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Month, and this is just a wonderful event that the LAPD hosts each and every year.