Because like others, I had no other place to go.

Recovery treatment are words that need to be spoken about more and more as relate to the needs of women here in Skid Road.

So for a long time, homelessness solutions have been one size fits all.

It didn't matter whether you were male or female, old or young.

It was here's a shelter, here's what we're doing to get you off the streets.

It's really wonderful to see an organization such as this focused on a safe space for women.

We have 12 rooms.

There's two women to a room.

The floor has been designed by women or women.

It will be run by women.

This program is exciting today, man, because it's focused on women.

Women are interesting because women don't just pull themselves along, they take everybody with them.

So if they have children, they have grandparents, mothers, fathers, nieces, nephews is the woman who is the hub of all the spokes recovers.

Then everybody else will be better off because of it.

This recovery center, the Clear E Women's Recovery Center.

This represents hope.

This represents joy.

This represents light.

This will be a refuge.

Hannah, a path forward for people who might not have otherwise had that.

If you are a homeless woman in Skid Row, you are not being violated occasionally.

It is a regular occurrence for you.

So it's really important that we created a space that feels safe and warm and welcoming and creates a sense of family and community.

Coming in here to the Claire E.

Women's Recovery Center run by the Midnight Mission is a dream coming true, at least for 24 women at a time.

The Department of Transportation begins a new traffic and parking project.

Girls build LA at Los Angeles World Airports.

And fall registration for recreation and parks programs.

These stories up next on City Beat.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation, LA D O T has begun phase one removal of peak hour traffic lanes in low traffic areas.

According to LA DOT, the project will enhance safety, improve access, and support surrounding businesses with additional parking.

Future phases of the project will include dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and expanded pedestrian zones.

The map and full list of corridors selected for phase one is available on the website.

For more information, visit LADOT.lacity.gov.

Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles World Airports, Lawa celebrated the completion of the Girls Build LA program.

The three-week program introduces high school girls to careers in construction, engineering, and other in-demand aviation trades.

Program participants toured aviation and infrastructure projects at airports and gained hands-on experience with women in the field.

According to Mayor Bass, Girls Build LA expands the possibilities for young Angelinos and is an investment in the future of the city.

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

Registration is now open for the fall season of Play LA at all LA City pools and recreation centers.

LA City's Department of Recreation and Parks provides play LA programs for youth ages five to 17, and the programs are open and adaptable to all abilities.

88 recreation centers and 36 city pools offer programs for a $10 registration fee while other sites have fee waivers available for qualified Angelinos.

Fall sessions are beginning as soon as September 8th.

For more information, visit la parks.org/slash play-la.

With renovations completed, it's time to celebrate.

As Play Day can now be every day at a park in South LA.

Council President Marquis Harris Dawson joined Wreckin Parks and the community to declare this park ready for play.

Today we're opening up the playground here at St.

Andrew's Park.

We've been working on this playground since before the pandemic.

So back in the 201s, we've been working on it.

Brought to us by the Wreckin Parks and the Balmer Group.

Inside Safe, the mayor's program makes sure everybody that was homeless around this area got housing and so the streets are clear.

So we're just very excited.

We couldn't be happier this evening.

Every Thursday through Saturday, we have some of our lives going on.

Basketball, games, free food, music, jumpers, the community coming together for a positive cause.

I encourage the parents to just come out and just see for themselves.

You know, other people always think that this park is a bad park, but at the end of the day, we have fun.

We have good coaches that are here, you know, to teach the kids the fundamental and just come out and just see for yourself and trust and believe every staff here.

They care and love the kids.

We encourage the parents to come out, bring their kids out, and uh not just bring them and drop them off, but participate as well.

We have a lot of fabulous programs going on.

After school program, the football, baseball, and the basketball, the seniors with the line dancing.

It's a real safe, fun place to be.

We uh come out and we have a good time, seven days a week.

Another park, but a different story in the Pacific Palisades.

After the wildfires, the ribbon cutting and joy here, Marcus Stepping Stone on the road to the community's recovery.

We are so excited to be back home at Palisades Rec Center with our community that we love so much.

We have our brand new playground that we're gonna do the ribbon cutting for today.

We are coming back.

This space brings community together, it brings love together, it brings joy.

We get to sit and talk and reconnect like we did in the old days.

It's a stepping stone of the future of the Palisade.

Make no doubt, we are back and we are coming back even more so.

So it's an exciting day with the opening of the playground and the other facilities that are available.

So meaningful to us.

The Rex Board and everybody who's committed their time and their heart and soul to it.

We we can appreciate you more.

The kids love it.

The kids will flock to it.

And uh, we're so happy and so grateful that we got the donation to build this.

This is the center of the community.

This is our town square.

We need to keep it going, keep it alive, keep it open during construction as people repopulate and rebuild.

We'll see more and more people.

We need hope and inspiration.

We need to know that we're gonna come back.

Today's critical.

These are the wins that we need as a community.

So very important day, and just feel grave.

I'm honored to be a part of this process.

Running this park has been one of the greatest joys of my life, and just getting to know this community and watching the kids grow up.

It being taken away like the way it was was truly heartbreaking.

And to be a part of this rebuild and this reinvention is something I'm really excited about.

A new monthly series at the Barnesdall Gallery Theater is pulling focus to movies not represented in the mainstream.

Lens on Life is highlighting independent movies in the heart of Hollywood.

We are here at the Barnesdale Art Gallery Theater, uh, right in the heart of CD 13.

This is the second monthly edition of our Lens on Life series where we come together and highlight a different theme, a different movie, a different kind of conversation.

So in City 13, we know it's home to Hollywood.

Uh, it's home to a lot of creative, a lot of artists.

Uh, and this space that we are in uh was pretty underutilized, and so it's a beautiful space that belongs to the city of Los Angeles.

My team and I are gonna be showing a movie here every third Wednesday of the month.

So we want to bring people from all across the city to come and enjoy the space and watch the movies.

So tonight's event is open to the public.

It is a partnership with several different organizations, including the new filmmakers of Los Angeles to highlight and showcase films made by members in our community.

Tonight's movies are highlighting the queer identity and something that's so important as we're coming off the heels of LGBTQ Plus Heritage Month as a way to further continue that celebration and those discussions around queer identity.

So, New Formakers Los Angeles, we're a nonprofit organization.

Really, our mission is to bridge the gap between independent filmmakers to the film industry at large.

So through our various programs, we're mostly known for our monthly film festival hosted in downtown LA, but we also have other programs throughout the year.

And really, we're having a spotlight on those kind of independent filmmakers who are not represented in mainstream media.

So I think it's just a great way to build community, a great way to get connected and show representation.

I feel very grateful and honored.

I was invited to be a part of this.

So Sunflower Nikki is a story about freedom of expression and young black boys.

It follows the eight-year-old boy Nicholas and his journey of wanting to own a doll and the implications that brings into this conservative black household.

So it truly discusses topics of freedom of expression, vulnerability, and gender norms in young black boys.

You know, getting people to understand the differences in human beings by finding that little piece of connectivity.

Because like in Sunflower Nikki, it's about freedom of expression in young boys, but a lot of different kids, whether you are born male, born female, black, white, whatever, you understand what it's like to have your freedom infringed upon.

You understand what it's like to be told that you cannot behave or act a certain way because you are perceived a certain way.

So that's something that everyone can connect to, and that's what I hope to continue to create in my art.

Looks like a home to me is a vibrant exhibition at LA Public Library's Getty Gallery, which is drawing visitors and praise.

The studio supports 80 artists whose work invites everyone into their creative home.

We are in the beautiful Getty Gallery here in Central Library.

It is our major exhibit space, and I am so excited about our newest exhibit, and it is uh called Looks Like Home to Me inside the Progressive Art Studios.

Progressive Art Studios are inclusive spaces where um artists, um, people with any kind of disability, intellectual developmental disability are given tools to create and get inspired with no pressure or expectation.

And it features incredibly beautiful, vibrant, wonderful artwork by over a hundred artists.

Anyone who walks into this exhibition is just blown away by the vibrancy of the exhibition and the joy.

As you can see, we have murals that were created specifically for this exhibition.

The artists came and drew them on our walls here.

I love the textiles.

I love these ceramics.

We have representations of all kinds of art forms.

I just love the photos of the artists proudly pointing to their piece on the wall or in a display case.

I've gotten so much feedback from this exhibition already, which isn't the norm.

Um, I literally got a call yesterday from someone from the Los Virgines School District who uh who is a teacher of um uh students with developmental disabilities, and she was so heartened by this exhibit and wanted to bring a field trip in.

I think you know, thinking about the title and looks like a home to me.

I think that creates feelings of warmth, certainly, and being at home and sort of arms wrapped around, and I think there's a certain special feeling about this exhibit given the story of how the art was created and the artists themselves, and I think it will leave people inspired and with a sense of warmth.

I hope all Angelinos will find time between now and December the 7th to be able to come and explore this beautiful exhibit and experience it for themselves and also wander through uh this incredible gym of a library here in downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Fire Department's interim chief Ronnie Villa Nueva shares his career journey.

A veteran firefighter who had just retired.

Via Nueva answered the call and returned to serving Angelinos as the interim chief of the LAFD.

I have a point if any more year veteran of the fire.

Los Angeles is battling the most of destructive wildfires in its history.

These fires happened, and I was asked to come back to help.

And I said, Well, of course, I'm not gonna say no.

During that time, the mayor asked me to come back as the interim chief.

And here I am.

Our heroic firefighters are in the experienced and expert hands of Chief Villeneuve.

I have to tell you, when she asked me to do that, it was a great honor for me.

Uh, my family, even at the swearing in, you know, we're in tears.

Uh, and just so proud.

The love that I have for this department is the reason I'm coming back.

Leading them is an honor of a lifetime.

I have a radio in my office.

So I monitor just about everything.

First thing that pops in my head is safety.

For the young firefighters that are out there.

Know your profession.

Be passionate about it, and be very good at it.

Because a lot of people are relying on you.

The public, your family, and your comrades.

We average 1,500 calls a day, 600 transports.

That's just an average.

I know there's days that we have over 2,000 calls a day, and we have over 750 transports.

We want to make sure that we respond quickly, that we're well trained, we're prepared, we're calm, we're able to be decisive in our actions to take care of ourselves, our fellow workers, and the public that we serve.

The fire service is a dangerous job.

It could be glamorous at times, you know, to where, oh, you're the firefighters and everybody's waving at you and it's all great.

Um, but I had a friend of mine, actually grew up with them.

His name was Ben Pennell.

And uh he died in the Proud Bird Fire in 1984.

I think it was 5 o'clock in the morning.

And then you get that phone call.

Oh, there was a firefighter fatality and Ben died.

What goes through my mind is that I see his daughter all the time.

She was just a baby at that time.

From the past, we would never ever say that we needed help.

We could see the most gruesome things.

And I'm good.

No cat might come in and say, hey, you guys, good.

We just saw this, you know, pretty bad incident here.

We're all good.

Today, the firefighter, the captains, all the all the members.

They're much more aware that we have behavioral health.

We have department psychologists, we have therapists, we have people that can help you, and people are more courageous and brave today to say, I need help.

And that to me, that's off to you.

In this week's things to do, celebrate Lamert Park and Jazz.

Take a story walk at the LA Zoo, and flex at the Muscle Beach Championship on Labor Day.

All this up next on Things to Do.

Celebrate jazz community and the cultural heritage of a historic neighborhood at the Lamert Park Jazz Festival.

What began as a block party is now in its sixth year as a family-friendly community festival taking place on Saturday, August 30th.

Enjoy a wide variety of jazz acts, including We Exist, the DD Bridgewater Quartet, Sasha Berliner, the Melanin Horns, and the World Stage Big Band.

And your festival co-hosts are Rhonda Hamilton and Jose Rizzo.

Head to Baldwin Hills Mall to celebrate the La Mert Park Jazz Festival on Saturday, August 30th, beginning at 12 30 p.m.

and running until 8 30 p.m.

For more on the lineup and the concert, visit Lamert Park Jazzfestival.org.

On Saturday, August 30th, and Sunday, August 31st, discover a new story or two at the Los Angeles Zoo with the Los Angeles Public Library.

Stop by the Winnick Family Children's Zoo on your next zoo visit and follow the pages of Signorita Mariposa and Nana Monster for a self-directed story walk.

Zoo admission is required for this activity, but City of Los Angeles residents may be able to reserve free tickets to the zoo through the Los Angeles Libraries Explore LA program.

Enjoy a story walk at the Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday, August 30th, and Sunday, August 31st.

For more information, visit lapl.org/slash events.

On Labor Day, Monday, September 1st, head to Venice Beach for the Muscle Beach Championship.

It will be all muscle with bodybuilding, classic physique, and wellness happening at the Venice Beach Recreation Center on Ocean Front Walk.

This annual contest is in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Competitors pay to take part, but the contest is free to view.

Pre-judging begins at 10 a.m.

See you next time for more LA this week.

Washing only full loads of laundry saves up to thirty gallons of water.

And fixing a running toilet can save up to fifty gallons of water.

Today is Friday, the twenty-second day of August in the year twenty twenty-five.

My name is Marquis Aristos, and I serve as president of this council.

Mr.

Clerk, begin our proceedings by calling the role.

Yes, President Bloomfield, Herr Stoson Hernandez, huh?

Lee, McCosker, Nazarian, Padilla, Park, Price, Roman, Rodriguez, Soromartine's Yarsa.

Approval of the minutes of August 20th, 2025.

All right, Councilmember McCosker moves.

Council Member Soda Martinez, seconds.

What's next?

Coming toward resolutions for approval.

Councilmember Padilla moves.

Councilmember Hernandez, seconds.

Can we run through our agenda?

An additional community impact statement for item three has been submitted by the Recita Neighborhood Council in support of the matter.

Please note the following technical corrections for items seven and eight.

Correct that public safety committee reports have been circulated and uploaded to the respective council files.

The economic development and jobs committee report for item twelve has been submitted and is available online in council file number one four-one one seven four-s one nine.

Items one through twelve are items for which public hearings have been held.

Hold up a mirror to the city of Los Angeles and what is reflected.

A place where innovation thrives, where opportunity abounds and intellect expands.

Where creativity produces new visions, where compassion heals, where science and technology drive progress.

Hold up a mirror to the city and what is reflected.

A place that embraces all people.

Where we transform lives with each step up the ladder of prosperity.

Where we energize communities, where we reinvigorate our region and shape the future of our city, our state, and our nation.

Hold up a mirror to the city, and what do you see?

Cal State LA.

We are LA.

Join us as we soar to greater heights.

Cal State LA ranked number one in the nation for upward mobility.

Wow, how about that?

I've had a lot of my core memories, uh, studying for the bar at Cal State LA, and also during the campaign.

I had a really infamous moment there.

So it has such special meaning to me and how much I love to connect with you and a place of entertainment and richness, and it hosts thousands of students right here in the heart of Los Angeles, especially those that are born and raised in our neighborhoods.

It opens doors to world class education, meaningful careers, and brighter futures for the entire community.

And now I am honored and thrilled to officially welcome a trailblazer, a change maker, and the ninth president of the California State University of Los Angeles, Dr.

Baronesia Johnson Eans.

A couple of things to let me give you a few reasons why this is historic.

Dr.

Eans is the first woman to lead Cal State LA since it was founded back in 1947.

She brings decades of experience and higher learning from serving as president of York College in New York to leading student affairs at Cal State Fullerton.

But what truly sets her apart is her relentless commitment to student success, especially for first gen historically underserved students.

Under her leadership, Cal State LA has been recognized as the number one university in the nation for social mobility.

With more yes.

And at Cal State LA, real lives are changed, real families are empowered, and real communities are transformed.

President Eans is someone who leads with heart, with purpose and vision.

Her commitment to equity, excellence, and civic engagement is helping shape the next generation of leaders, and not just for LA, but for the world.

So please join me in giving a huge welcome.

Give her a City Hall welcome to Dr.

Eans.

Thank you, Councilmember Hareto, for that introduction and for your leadership and for organizing today's recognition of Cal State LA.

We are grateful to you and your office for uplifting our university.

I'm joined by the members of my cabinet, our deans, faculty staff, students, and proud alumni standing behind me.

Together, we represent the living connection between Cal State LA and the city of Los Angeles.

I also want to thank Council President Harrison Dawson, honorable members of the City Council, distinguished guests, and members of the public for joining us this morning.

Cal State LA is not just in LA.

We are LA.

Nearly 8,000 of our students live here in the city, along with 700 faculty and staff, and more than 115,000 alumni spread across this district represent, represented in this chamber.

Thank you.

Those alumni are teaching in schools, leading nonprofits, serving the city government, building businesses, and shaping the future of Los Angeles.

This is why we are proud to be ranked number one in the nation for social mobility.

At Cal State LA, we transform not just lives of students, but lives of their families, communities, and generations to follow.

On Monday, during the investiture and convocation, I spoke about what I call the stewardship of place.

This idea is at the heart of our gathering today.

Because Cal State LA does not just occupy a campus on the hilltop.

We are part of neighborhoods and the city and civic lives of Los Angeles.

Our partnerships and clinics and classrooms from neighborhood to nonprofits and city hall itself must be reciprocal and resistant, lifting the entire communities.

Stewardship of place means we don't just serve Los Angeles, we belong to Los Angeles.

When our city heals our students sore.

When our city thrives, our university thrives.

When our students succeed, the communities rise with them.

That is a bond that we celebrate today.

Our theme, empowering dreams and transforming lives, that is our theme for them from now on.

Empowering dreams mean we we want dreams to succeed.

Transforming lives looks like working parent in South LA earning a degree at night.

Empowering Dreams looks like a dreamer in Koreatown, filling out not one but many applications, declaring boldly, I belong here.

These are the stories of Cal State LA.

That we continue to widen our doors, to build runways, to partner with the city.

It is my privilege to now introduce someone whose life and leadership embodies their promise.

Dr.

George Plough is a proud Cal C LA graduate whose journey shows the limitless possibilities of education and opportunity.

Born and raised in East Los Angeles, George transformed humble beginnings into a legacy of leadership.

He is the founder and the CEO of the nationally recognized engineering firm Cordoba Core Doba Corporation, president of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, Chair of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the LA 28 Olympics Organizing Committee, and a author and philanthropist and mentor, and a dear supporter of my leadership.

George is also Cal State LA honorary doctorate recipient and devoted advocate of educationally equity and civic empowerment.

His story is proof that Cal State LA opens doors and the world beyond it is limited.

Remember, we are LA.

George.

Thank you, President Eanes.

I was hoping she didn't go on and on with that introduction.

Good morning, Council President, members of the City Council.

Today is more than a celebration.

It's a milestone.

We are here to honor the investiture of President Eanes.

As you've heard before, you're here again.

We're proud of it.

The first woman president of Cal State LA.

Her leadership marks the beginning of a new chapter.

One defined by deeper inclusion and bold innovation.

President Ames had made it clear.

Listen to this, that higher education is one of the most important social justice issues of our time.

Every student who walks in the Cal State LA campus carries the inspiration of their families, the hopes of their communities, and the promise of their future.

For me, the thought of attending Cal State LA became a dream come true.

I follow the legendary Richard Alectori at Cal State LA.

I followed the legend Maxine Waters at Cal State LA.

Caprimaddox followed me because I'm older than her.

And by the way, Mayor Bass attended several classes at Cal State LA.

Now, for fun, I did play football at Cal State LA.

And there's a saying in athletics that goes like this the older you get, the better you were.

So now I'm claiming that I won the Heisman Trophy when I was there.

At Cal State LA, we don't just educate students.

We empower generations.

And it is by no mistake that Cal State LA, as you heard this morning, is ranked number one in mobility.

Progress begins when we invest in opportunity and ensure students have their support to keep moving forward.

What an honor it is to celebrate Cal State LA in the city of Los Angeles.

We are LA.

Thank you very much.

And now, on behalf of the city of Los Angeles, we hereby honor and comment.

Commend President Baronesia Johnson Eanes for her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to education and social change in our communities.

Here you go.

All right.

Madam President, if you can just hold for a little bit, we have uh a member on the queue who'd like to speak.

Councilmember Hutt.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I I want to thank my colleague, Councilwoman Herado, for making sure that women are always lifted.

And I'm excited to know that you're the first woman, first woman of color, first black woman to hold this position.

A place where so many great people in Los Angeles, like our beloved George and also Capri and my staff member.

Where are you?

Ah, Alex, yes.

All went to Cal State LA.

We're looking forward to this partnership even growing bigger, and we're so happy that young people in our community feel safe going to school there.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Councilmember Hernandez.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you so much, Councilwoman Jurado, for bringing in one Cal C LA, but our new leader, our new president, President Eanes.

I am so excited for your leadership, what that means for the university, one that is already creating pathways for so many of our community members.

I attended there one year, my freshman year of college.

My partner, he's graduated there with his bachelor's, his master's, and his special education teacher, you know, opening up opportunities to be able to afford to live in the city that you work in, which you know becomes more difficult every day.

So I'm excited to what you're gonna bring and uh excited for any opportunities to be able to partner with your wonderful institution.

Thank you so much again.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

And uh uh uh on behalf of this entire council, I want to thank you and congratulate you and thank the institution.

Um you all in your introduction pointed out uh Councilwoman Jurado and a very important thing about Cal State LA that unfortunately is not as common as it should be, and that is that it emphasizes social mobility.

Um, and the university in the United States, the public university, the free public university, was designed to promote social mobility.

Unfortunately, a lot of education does the opposite.

It reinforces the the our class differences in the the these countries in this country, and so we thank you for what you have done.

Some of the most important programs in our city, including a place where Los Angeles leads the world, which is community and gang violence intervention.

Cal State LA was the first university to step up and set up a training program and set up a certification for that work uh that continues today.

People come from all over the world.

So people come from Latin America, Europe to deal with street violence, uh, and they come to this program that you all have set up and so many others.

Uh, but we're just grateful for the university.

We're grateful for all the your colleagues who are with you uh and grateful and excited about your leadership.

Thank you so much on behalf of the people of Los Angeles.

Thank you so much to the council.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, and happy CSU LA Day.

Go Golden Eagles.

We're gonna go to the media room.

All right.

Now we will have um council of District 15 getting their Paul Correttz on.

Uh Councilmember Tim McCosker.

How are you doing?

Hey, so good to see you.

So I appreciate you.

From the Golden Eagles to the Green Gator.

Here we are today.

From the 1-5 and across the city of Los Angeles.

Come on, everybody.

Come on, let's get in right here.

Colleagues, today, we are remembering a really unique moment in our city's history, and certainly a unique moment in the 1-5.

It's something that captivated wildlife stories in Los Angeles and across the world, really.

We are joined by Harbor City community members and the LA Zoo to celebrate a very special four-legged constituent of the 1-5 in the city of Los Angeles, Reggie the Alligator.

Let's hear it for Reggie the Alligator.

It's hard to describe how crazy this was.

Back in 2005, 20 years ago, stories began circulating around the harbor area and around the city about an alligator that was living in Lake Machado, an alligator in Lake Machado at Ken Molloy Regional Park.

This was remember what this was.

This is before iPhones, this is before Instagram, before Facebook.

Don't go by the marsh.

And then, and folks doubted it.

They really doubted it.

I doubted it.

But then on August 12th, 2005, those stories became a reality.

Reggie, the alligator, actually climbed out of the lake and was sunbathing on the shore, making his first public debut.

That single moment, those first pictures ignited a worldwide frenzy.

Crowds, thousands of people flocked to Harbor City.

News outlets from across the globe showed up.

And Los Angeles and the 1-5 became famous for having its very own alligator.

At that time, then councilwoman Janice Hahn, who doesn't like to have a lot of cameras around a lot of publicity.

Man, she was great during that time.

I mean, it she was in her element.

Um she worked and and she also was doing great public policy.

She worked with the Department of Recreational Parks to develop a safe capture plan, including we fenced off the lake and we had consultation with experts across the really across the globe.

Reggie, however, was both clever and elusive.

Dozens of trappers, I mean dozens of trappers failed to catch him.

Even the famed crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin, if anyone remembers him, he expressed an interest in assisting.

Uh tragically, he did pass away before he had a chance.

But that was worldwide news that that the crocodile hunter was going to come to LA.

Reggie remained a mystery until May of 2007.

So now two years of this.

Two years of him keep keeping us on the edges of our seats.

He emerged again from hibernation.

That's when uh Ian Recio, then the curator of reptiles at the LA Zoo, he rushed to the park with the help of courageous park staff.

So it was park staff, Reggie was finally and safely captured.

And he was estimated to be about 15 years old.

While Reggie's story is charming, it also serves as a cautionary tale.

Uh he was originally raised as an illegal pet before being abandoned by someone.

And there's a lot of speculation about who that someone is, you know, the harbor area is a small community.

Uh he was abandoned by someone at Lake Machado.

Uh keeping exotic animals like alligators is both dangerous and it's inhumane.

It's just bad for the it's bad for the creature.

Uh, and it's also against the law, by the way.

Um, we want to protect wildlife, keep our public spaces safe, and bring those involved in these dangerous practices to justice since 2007, though.

There's a happy story here.

Reggie has lived safely at the LA Zoo.

He shares a little space with Tina, another rescued alligator.

Together they serve as living reminders of why protecting wildlife is so important.

The zoo has been an outstanding partner in conservation education and the fight against illegal animal trafficking.

And so, colleagues, we honor this fun little exciting time in our history.

We also express the cautionary tale.

Uh, but I would like to now welcome someone who represents the very best of that mission of protecting our wildlife, and that's uh deputy zoo director of animal programs at the Los Angeles Zoo, Misha Bodie.

Misha.

Thank you so much, Councilmember, and to all of our city council members and to the Harbor City community leaders who are here today.

On behalf of the Los Angeles Zoo, we are grateful for the opportunity to commemorate this unique and historic moment for our city, which resulted in the rescue of Reggie and the Los Angeles Zoo, providing a great home to him for all of these years.

While Reggie is perhaps the most famous resident who came to us by way of an illegal pet ownership, we have helped triage, care for, and place hundreds more confiscated animals over many, many years.

The Los Angeles Zoo is a founding member of the Southern California Wildlife Confiscations Network, which officially launched in 2023 in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Wildlife Trafficking Alliance.

This network has enabled a more streamlined and coordinated effort to address the threat of trafficked and illegally owned animals, many of which come through the port and the airport, and some of which might have been abandoned in a local lake.

There is now a federal bill working its way through Congress to allow funding and coordination for a nationwide network such as the Southern California Wildlife Confiscations Network that we've piloted here.

Wildlife trafficking has many terrible impacts on the animals and species themselves, their ecosystems, and the lives of the people in local communities.

It is one of the biggest and most complex conservation issues, and the Los Angeles Zoo is working with our partners on the front lines against in the fight against it.

We are glad to have played a role in rescuing Reggie and being able to provide a home to both him and Tina, another rescued American alligator.

They are some of the first animals who greet our 1.5 million guests each year, serving as ambassadors for their species, and for the important work the Los Angeles do uh Los Angeles Zoo does to save wildlife, enrich our communities, and create connections to nature.

Thank you so much.

Members, I'm I'm joined uh with by leadership in the Harbor City community from the neighborhood council from homeowners associations, uh, folks who really lift up Harbor City.

It is hard to express just how associated Reggie has become with Harbor City.

Uh, we have the neighborhood council has the you know the slowdown signs that we all see, you know, in neighborhoods, and it's Reggie saying slow down, you know, our kids are back in school.

Our local fire station, you know, fire stations like to have their t-shirts and their emblems.

Our local station in Harbor City has Reggie the Alligator on it.

I mean, we really do identify Reggie.

Uh, and the zoo has embraced it.

The zoo has Reggie the Alligator merch available, and we even went to the LA public library and found Reggie the Alligator book, my story, Reggie the LA Gator.

Uh, it is while it could have been more tragic, and it was illegal and it was wrong to uh to put Reggie in danger like this, it has been a fun and exciting part of Harbor City history and Harbor City culture.

My grandson, even when he heard the story that I was coming in, he even loaned me his favorite pool toy to make sure that I expressed to all the council members that we love Reggie.

So thank you very much to our community for embracing Reggie, and thank you to the LA Zoo for protecting Reggie and giving Reggie and Tina a safe place uh to live.

We have, on behalf of the 1-5, we have this certificate to the LA Zoo, uh thanking you for your care and um and on behalf of the 1-5, uh, just asking you to continue to care for Reggie and keep the memory of Harbor City and Machado Lake alive.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

One more time for Reggie and Councilmember McCosker.

Costume out in his green suit.

We want to give him props for that for matching Reggie.

All right, uh members uh and folks in gallery have a very special presentation.

I'm gonna ask uh Mr.

Marco Flores, his wife and his sister to join me on stage.

I uh ask Marco to come to council today to recognize him upon his retirement for 34 years as an LAUSD teacher in our community.

In his 34 years, that's right.

But this is what's more special.

He Marco and his family live in the Adams Normandy neighborhood.

He went to USC, which is right down the street, and the entire 34 years of his career, he taught within one mile of his house.

He was a kindergarten, he was a teaching the very young kids, teaching middle-aged kids, set up new programs, including Councilmember Hernandez, restorative justice practices in LAUSD.

This is the person responsible for making sure they went district wide.

He served on the neighborhood council.

That's right, let's give him a round of applause for that.

That's a big deal for us.

Basically, every board there is, you walk in the room and you're gonna find Marco, Marco there.

And if you have the privilege of representing this neighborhood, because we overlap with a lot of districts.

Sometimes your neighborhood is in district one, sometimes it's in district eight, sometimes it's in district ten, and then assembly districts, the same thing.

All of us who've ever represented our lucky, lucky, lucky because they have a great Christmas party where Mrs.

Flores cooks tamales, and Marco talks about some stuff, but nobody hears it because you're waiting for the tamales.

Um, but it's a great community event.

The national night out is staged on your front lawn and has been for every year that I've been in office, and before that, and so we're so grateful uh for your work, and so we wanted to bring you here to your Los Angeles City Hall and recognize your 34 years of service to the LAUSD and to our young people.

It's signed by every member of the city council in appreciation for your dedication.

Mr.

Marco Flores, ladies and gentlemen.

Go, Marco!

Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

Um, first of all, uh, thank you for this incredible, incredible honor.

Um thank you, uh Council President Mercury's, my councilman for this honor.

Um, I am deeply humbled by standing in this historic hall.

I am the son of undocumented immigrants who came here with a middle school education and put myself and my two sisters through school through USC, and we became teachers.

I myself was an undocumented growing up in South LA in the same community that I now live in and I taught in for soever, and I will die in that community because this is I am part of South LA.

Um, if you ever heard me speak, you will always know that I owe everything to my family, to my friends, and to my community.

Um, many of them, like my sister, like my my two sisters, like my wives, are teachers, they're educators, and many of us are in South LA and in uh with the neediest communities.

Okay.

I began um teaching in July of 1991.

If you know, that following spring 92, the city was burning, there was fear, and we had to come back the next day on that Monday and talk to our kids.

I talked to my first graders about what happened, and that there was hope, and that it will get better, and it did, and it has.

Okay.

But in between that, we went through an L I USD through fires, hurricane, bomb threats, cyber attacks.

We went through COVID, we went through lockdown, and we are still here.

And all the joys of it, you know, the first days of school, the back to schools, the Christmas programs, the field trips, you know, the quinceas I was invited to from my students, the graduations from college that I was invited to, the baptisms, you know, the baptisms of the kids, of the kids that I taught.

This is why I teach, and I will miss my kids.

I will seriously miss all these kids.

Um, and I ask of you as a city council, please take care of these children.

Use the privilege that we have given you as elected officials to protect to help those who have little or none, the children of our parents who are immigrants and our kids who are here as immigrants.

Please help them.

For putting up with me, for sharing my belief that the only way to improve the lives of our three kids, who are now at this moment in three different universities and three different colleges, getting different levels of degrees, is to improve the lives of all the children in our communities, to improve the lives of all the kids we teach.

Is it not about our three kids, it's about everyone.

And by raising the standards, the education levels, the hopes, the dreams of all children, our kids will succeed as much.

And it has happened.

I am so proud of them.

They are again University of Washington and Edward Berry, a Cal State, Architecture, Library Science, and our son who, for some reason or another, wants to be a teacher.

I don't understand it.

Um, thank you again for this honor for recognizing the work of not just me, but of all our educators.

To recognize the families at our schools that I was honored to teach to work with, and more importantly, to never to give up on the communities that I spent my over half my life helping and living in, and I will continue.

Thank you very much.

Here we go, Marco.

All right, uh, Mr.

Flores.

We got a couple speakers on the queue, beginning with Councilmember Padilla from the 6th District Marco.

I just um wanted to say that it was a real delight to walk into chambers today and see you here and know that this is what we're celebrating.

As the council president mentioned, you're someone that you find in all the rooms, um, you know, immersed in every uh major conversation, major project that's going on in the city.

You're definitely someone who we know um as someone that cares about what exactly um who we are as a city.

And you know, I met you through the spaces of education.

Um, and I I thank you for how much you care about uh the status of education in our city and our partnership with LAUSD and the interconnectedness of principals, teachers, public safety, and nonprofits, as well as other governments.

So I know that uh I'm excited that you're gonna be retired on paper, but I know you're not gonna be retired in action.

Look forward to seeing you around and immersing yourself in the stuff that are more of your own personal um preference and and you know close to your heart.

So again, congratulations, and uh see you around.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Hutt.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

You know, Marco's not just a teacher, he's a community leader, and he has volunteered probably more time in the community than he has worked in the classroom.

And um, I I just want to appreciate you what you've given to our students, what you've given to our community, and retirement to me just means you're gonna do more as a volunteer.

So thank you so much for giving your time to the city, to your neighborhood, to your neighborhood meetings, and to your party.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Marco Flores, everybody.

Oh, oh, sorry, you got more.

Councilmember Hernandez.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Council President, for uplifting Marco.

Marco, thank you so much.

Your your wife, thank you.

Please, your name, share your name with us.

Rosidalia, thank you so much for joining us and family for being here.

Thank every every year is a new generation of young people, right?

And you have had over 30 years, 34 years, 34 different school years, different generations.

Like that impacts Los Angeles for generations to come, even after.

Just like you talk about going to the baptisms of the baptisms of the baptisms of your kids, what you have done in helping shape young people's minds is now more important than ever as we see democracy crumbling around us.

But I'm sure it's your students and literally your kids on the front lines of pushing for a lot of the values and things you want to see in our communities.

So I know that you're not going far, like everybody says you're being voluntoled to to come back into community because we need you.

But a great uh, I hope you get to rest and enjoy and have joy because it's a marathon, and we need everybody, and we need you to be a part of it too.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh, Madam Clerk, uh, Mr.

Clerk, Madam City Attorney, if you can prepare us for public comment.

Okay.

Public comment has been satisfied uh today on all the agenda items.

So today, members of the public may speak for up to one minute for general public comment during general public comment.

Members of the public may speak to anything within the city's subject matter jurisdiction.

We will tell you when your time is up.

Our goal is to get through as many speakers as we can.

If you are not on topic, or we cannot tell whether you're speaking to something within the subject matter jurisdiction of the body, you will get one brief warning from me or the president.

At that point, you need to bring your general public comment back to something within the subject matter jurisdiction of the body.

If you do not do so, you again stray off.

You will forfeit the rest of your speaking time.

We will move all up to the next speaker.

All right, we'll take uh public comment from this moment until 25 minutes after the hour.

Uh so just be mindful when your name is called, come up as quickly as you can and get to the podium uh so we can begin your time so we can get to as many speakers as possible.

I will begin by calling names.

Francis Harris, Edgar, S E U Anna, Daniel Sosa, Stacey Sigara Bowlinger.

Stacy.

If I say the word country, will MHD remove me?

If I say the word country, will MHD remove me?

He's not a king, he's just a man, but he does all that he can to silence and subdue the public.

If he had his little way, none of us would have a say, and the Brown Act would go away.

If I say the word country, will MHD remove me?

If I say the word country, will MHD remove me?

The rest of council won't do shit when he tightens his iron fist.

They're afraid of being punished.

When he removed remote comment, there should have been dissent.

Council ignoring us is not an accident.

Marquises a country, first half of the word.

Marquises a country, the public should be heard.

Marquises a country, first half of the word.

Shout out, smoke and scan.

Wait, wait.

Speaker, you have one minute.

I'm here to speak on the violence that continues to be perpetrated by LAPD on protesters and press here in Los Angeles.

LAPD continues to use violence, intimidation, and prior restraint as tactics to disrupt peaceful protest against ISIS presence in our city.

Last week they batoned a member of the press in the face, splitting his face open.

They batoned another in the ribs, fracturing them.

And this was all despite a TRO that had been issued two months prior, specifically prohibiting them from assaulting press.

This pattern of violent behavior is not only wrong, it is illegal, and it is draining the city's precious resources in the form of unnecessary overpolicing and inevitable liability payouts, which will cost the city in the tens of millions of dollars.

We need a change and we need it from the top down.

We need a new police chief.

You guys have the power to remove the police chief with two-thirds vote, and I ask you guys to do that.

Thank you.

Before the next speaker begins, before the next speaker begins, I will call more names.

Devin, Jason Jenkins, Natalia, Dana Banana, Candido Maris.

A lot of beautiful people here today.

Speaker, one minute.

Um, if you guys cared about the teachers, especially the one that you brought up earlier, you would leverage some of your celebrity uh friends to buy them school supplies and help them so that they didn't have to buy things out of pocket for their class.

It's really disgusting how you take teachers and use them as a political pawn.

And it makes me really upset.

I'm not a violent person, but I know there's people out there that are, and I'm sure they get upset too.

And I and one thing I learned about people Los Angeles is that they're not always going to just sit around waiting for the city to uh take care of business.

They gonna handle that on their own.

So while you make the people more and more upset, they get more and more prepared.

And we're not going just spiral out and let y'all drive us into a chaotic mess like the last couple of times y'all did.

This time we'll come back organized.

And there's more of us than y'all.

And I really pray, I pray for y'all that nobody drags y'all out of these chairs one day.

I really do.

Like I'm saying, you know, y'all are a bunch of cants.

You can't do nothing for us.

And you know what that means.

Thank you.

Before the next speaker begins, I will call more names.

Jason Reedy, Nell Scott, Michael Ackerman.

Speaker, one minute.

Uh I'm here to address Baldos violent protesters.

When Sergeant Duarte with his uh 24 inch declare unlawful assembly, that means you have to leave the area immediately.

When Sergeant Duarte using his 24-inch and then giving you 10 warnings, and then you stay remaining in the middle of the street, yes, you will get taken down by the LAPD.

You will get attacked by the LAPD because that is illegal takeover, take over of the street.

With Sergeant LAPD was uh uh using giving you uh 10 times Stephen Warning, 10 times advice that you need to leave the area immediately.

You still occupy the public sidewalk, public street.

Yes, I'm glad LAPD take you down.

I'm glad LAPD arrests you.

I'm glad LAPD will clear out the street and take down all of those criminals.

I support with Sergeant Duarte, I support with his 24 inch.

Thank you very much, Dana and the smoking scam.

Speaker, you have one minute.

Thank you.

Yes, I'm coming here representing for Afro-Indigenous black and brown people that are in danger due to this fascist regime.

Um I son go to Huntington Park High School, I mean, charter school, and he's feel very unsafe having ice around it.

They were just at Home Depot, and our kids can't play when they're near around the schools.

I feel like um Mayor Karen Bass needs to protect our schools, protect our kids, and the fact that I feel like every cop police cop LAPD because they're been helping ice, and I feel like my son, you know, he feels uncomfortable with them too because they're he's seen them protecting ice and government buildings, even the lead officer Dion Joseph um is talking about thank you, ICE.

He used to protect us.

He used to be for the people.

And I feel like our kids should feel safe to be able to take a sticker from a police without us knowing that they protect ice, protect fascist regime.

That's all I have to say.

Protect our families and our kids and our our black and brown people and our communities, Huntington Park, Pueblos, everybody.

Do something, Mayor Karen Bass.

Period.

Before the next speaker begins, I will call more names.

Katie Lathoon, Eddie, Deputy Bandito, Tay Smith.

You have one minute.

Um for Wayne Spiller and C D1 because Miss Hernandez has been doing a horrible job.

In addition to that, look at Mrs.

Pabilla.

She looks like an alligator versus bucket head over there.

But let me go up to the smoking scan for the smoke and scan, Diane shout out.

Smoking scan.

I'm back.

Hey, for the record, where is the fat dog Korean eater after he kicked me out of a public building for simply saying Brandon Burke versus Ohio?

At not one time did I use the C word, but it's pronounced C U N T con me.

Mr.

Herman, you have been warned for violating the the council's rule.

If you violate the rule again, you will be removed.

My name is Nel Scott, and I would like to thank everyone behind me for coming out today because I think this is important.

Oppression is an interesting thing.

People haphazardly throw the word around and still in the fear and chill in those around them.

And through that, people around them passively comply with the actions of the oppressors amongst us.

But what I have witnessed in Los Angeles since the fascist Trump regime illegally sent military into our city has shown me that Angelinos will never comply with those who seek to oppress us.

Not Trump, not the Proud Boys donning police badges purchased on Amazon, not the Heritage Foundation, not Palantir, creating illegal databases to surveil us, not Peter Till and Alex Carp, not Elon Musk, and not any billionaire.

They will never subvert the will of the people.

I don't care how much economic power they willed.

It means nothing next to the power of the people.

The immigrants who made America, the African Americans who built this country, the trans people that fought for LGBTQII rights, and the veteran society has abandoned, who fought for our constitutional rights and freedoms.

Do something about it.

You are a big deal.

Speaker, your time is up.

You're letting them break the law and read the loud people just stop you.

Speaker, you're now disrupting this meeting.

Please stop shouting in the chamber.

Not trust country.

Speaker, you have one minute.

We need you to stop talking and pay attention.

You're very great.

Speaker.

Speaker, the woman who is standing, you're now disrupting this meeting.

This is your first warning.

Pay attention.

Speaker, you have one minute for general public comment.

Okay, hi.

Anyone who is not asleep knows that there's been uh issues with um accusations of police misconduct.

Now, what I've done is I've asked you to do something that has two different two differences from whatever kind of oversight you've been doing now.

It will uh cost residents nothing, and it'll have a uh possibility of actually solving the problem.

And that is, I'd like each of you to send a request to the governor to send criminal investigators from the National Guard to do um police oversight here.

I don't know why you haven't done it, and I don't know why people aren't asking, but it honestly seems like uh the only solution.

I think it's reasonable.

So if you're not gonna do it, just please have a good reason and tell the people why you won't do that.

Thank you.

Okay, attention to speaker, you have one minute.

Um I have documents to give the clerk.

Oh, that started.

Okay.

You guys don't let me do anything.

Hi, my name is Eddie.

Um it's sad that a lot of you guys are not here.

Um, and Marquise Dawson never pays attention.

Um, the document that I'm giving you is about section 575 appointment and removal of Chiefs of Police.

Um Lee, you can help us with the chief of police shall be appointed to serve and shall be removed accordance with the following provisions.

Removal by counsel by you guys.

Three two-thirds of you guys could vote him out.

Um I have proof of what you guys did on what is it?

July, no, June 24th.

Um you guys voted.

Um, I appreciate Jurado, I appreciate Hernandez, I appreciate Soto.

I'm really disappointed with um Nithya.

She should have voted.

Speaker, your time is up.

Your time is up.

This is your first warning.

If you continue to disrupt a meeting, you'll be removed.

This is your second warning, you're removed from this meeting.

I wish that was given my time, but I have to take that looking on the speaker.

You have one minute.

Little black boy children have been told for years that three to five years old to touch your sister.

People have been telling them that for years.

Touch your sister.

This is not right.

It's not right.

It makes uh makes us stupid.

They should not be told to touch your sister for any reason, and I hope it stops really quick.

It makes us stupid.

Speaker, you have one minute.

Hi, my name is Katie Lathoon.

I appreciate the attention of those that I have.

You guys control the purse.

So I'm here asking you to do things differently moving forward from this moment because we are not in normal times.

We can't act as if we are.

City council, you approve 17 million dollars in overtime for the LAPD.

That's taxpayer money, our money used to pay them to harass and arrest us.

There are countless lawsuits that are coming down the pipeline, countless, hundreds of videos out there that show undeniably that local law enforcement broke laws, violently assaulted residents of this city who are except who are simply exercising their first amendment rights.

I'm here asking you to do things differently.

The payouts of those settlements are going to bankrupt the city.

We need those settlements to affect LAPD directly.

Do it differently.

Do not use our taxpayer money.

If it's our taxpayer money, then we're just paying ourselves.

Speaker, your time is up.

Speaker, your time is up.

Before the next speaker begins, I will call more names.

Jan Avalos Rios.

Padilla.

Duarte.

Levi Straussman.

Eddie.

DB Cooper.

Speaker, you have one minute.

Okay.

So just a reminder, Taylor Smith.

I'm a protester.

I'm on the front lines.

I've been on the front lines since June.

Everything that my colleagues have said prior is true.

The police have been brutal.

Um Jim McDonald should be removed.

Our taxes should not be going towards us.

But I want to take the rest of my time to remind you that we're fighting for everyone's rights right here.

That's why we're out there.

Like rich white men allowed women, allowed people of color to have opportunities for you to sit there, Mr.

President, and ignore me.

That's a privilege.

That's a right that you have that people like me fought for.

I need you guys to remember that.

These are unprecedented times.

We are not fighting for save the whales and uh speed bump.

We're fighting for the right to live, the mediocre lives that we already have.

And we're asking you, our elected officials, to do something about it to care, to give a fuck, please.

Like this is a very scary time with a lot of Americans.

Wake up, do your jobs.

Calling more names.

JP Richardson, Lupe Mendoza.

Britta Whitesnake.

C.

Navarro, and Terry Brothman.

Speaker, you have one minute.

Hi, hello.

John Avalos is my name.

I'm in uh CD 14, Highland Park, Eagle Rock.

I'm still looking for a place to live that I can afford.

Hmm.

I don't feel hopeful about finding a place to live.

I'm 70 years old.

My budget cannot handle, I think, what's gonna be out there.

Lots of apartment complexes going up.

I guess you all are thinking that so many new apartments going all over the place.

Maybe the rent will go down just naturally.

I don't know what to think.

The police commission only give gives us three minutes.

Why do you only give me one minute?

Senora Jurado, Senorita Jurado, um, Ms.

Jurado, I'm sorry.

On an interview, you are saying go to the police commission.

Go to the police commission.

Guess what?

Your com your police chief of police is never there.

He keeps calling in absent.

Uh before the next speaker begins, I will call more names.

Katie Nixon, Dark Garden, Herman, 666, and Goat Puppet.

Speaker, you have one minute.

Good morning.

My name is Guadalupe Mendoza, native of Los Angeles City.

I want to start off by saying that public speaking isn't my strength.

I very much struggle with stage fright, but it's become more uncomfortable for me to have to watch our rights being stripped from us every day.

To watch peaceful protesters get physically assaulted by DHS officers with the full support of LAPD.

I ask you, City Council, where is our First Amendment?

Where is our right to fight against the injustices committed by those in power above you?

Where is our right to fight against genocide, fascism, racism, and basic human decency?

Our children are the ones that are gonna be left to deal with the consequences of what we ignore today.

We can't just treat this as federal policy or someone else's problem.

Without action from you, our local leaders, cruelty is being repeated every day, right here under your watch.

And you guys just sit here and ignore us every day.

All of my comrades here come all the time, and you guys just ignore them all the time.

Make that make sense.

All right, that concludes our speakers for today's uh meeting.

Uh Mr.

Clerk, what items are available for the council to vote on at this time.

Mr.

President, the council may now consider item six, for which amended motion jurado Hernandez McCosker has been introduced, circulated, and posted on the bulletin board.

All right.

Close the roll.

Tabulate the vote.

Twa rise.

The council may now consider items seven and eight for which amending motion Lee Harris Dawson has been introduced.

You're disrupting the meeting.

This is your second warning, your order removed from the meeting.

Okay.

I will check.

No, no, no.

It's Madam City Attorney.

Can you explain how names are called?

Huh?

We exhausted the names on the list, right?

Yes, we did.

Okay.

I don't care.

I have had a point the whole thing.

All right.

This person who's uh disrupted the meeting now three times in the black dress.

Would you come up and speak for an hour?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Why are we pilot?

I mean the people have been president.

There is a motion on the floor to reopen public comment.

Her name is an audio.

Hold on before before you start your time.

I just want everybody in the audience and you to know there's an electronic record of who signed in and who didn't.

Your name is not on the list.

We called every name, we called every name and you did not sign in, but we're gonna allow you to speak anyway, starting now for one minute.

I videoed myself signing in.

Um why are we silent?

We the people have been loud.

We've exercised our freedom of speech in the streets at protest, online, and here at City Council.

Yet our elected officials and law enforcement who swore to protect and serve continue to ignore our cries of anger and sorrow.

We've been silenced by Mayor Karen Bass.

We've been silenced by the LAPD under the orders of Chief of Police Jim McDonald.

We want him removed.

The removal of the police of chief is chief of police is something that we can do.

We've been silenced by Marquise Harris Dawson, president of the city council.

We've been ignored in city council meetings by every single city council member.

Now we're sitting in silence, and we're asking all of you to finally care about our neighbors.

Our people are being kidnapped every day.

The LAPD shot me for protesting, and you all are laughing and walking away.

You people of color who think that you're safe because you're in positions of power.

You women who think you're safe because you're in positions of power, your time is up.

That concludes your time.

All right, we have one more speaker whose name was called, but she did not come up when it was called.

Hi, my name is Devin Everett.

I had a whole spiel, but honestly, being here, this is my first time, and the lack of attention is really disheartening.

I know that there are a lot of emotions in this room, and we tend to tune out when we don't know what to do.

I appreciate you finally making eye contact with the people that are speaking.

I've also been a protester on the front lines.

I've been shot at, I've been tear gassed.

I've seen the LAPD cooperate with ICE.

I've seen them brutalize our citizens.

This is supposed to be a sanctuary city.

It is not.

And I'm just asking that you fight for your constituents and at least give us the respect of listening to us when we take time out of our day to come talk to you about serious issues.

It's disheartening that other people in these speakers can casually say that democracy is falling, and that's not alarm bells.

I I really don't know what else to say.

That's it.

That's all I have.

Thank you so much.

That concludes our speakers.

Mr.

Clerk, uh, what's next on our agenda?

Mr.

President, the council may now vote on items seven and eight uh for which commending motion Lee Harris Tawson was introduced.

All right, let's open the roll on those items, close the roll.

Tabulate to vote.

Twa rise.

All right, what's next?

The council may now consider item 11 for which commending motion 11a McCallsk Park has been introduced, circulated and posted on the bulletin board.

All right, let's open the roll on that item, close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Two rise.

What's next?

Council has motions for posting and referral.

They are posted and they are referred.

Announcements members.

Mr.

Nazarian.

Thank you, Council President.

Given all the public comment we've received, this might seem a be a bit trivial, but hopefully it lighten the hearts a little bit.

I wanted to welcome everyone to North Hollywood Park on August 23rd, this Saturday at 7.30 p.m.

for a showing of uh movie at the park, Moana 2.

Uh, we're gonna have the YMCA on hand to provide snow cones and the Moana 2 merchandise while supplies last.

Please uh tell your friends, family members, loved ones, join us with blankets and chairs, and uh look forward to having a communal engagement before and maybe even after the movie.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh Mr.

Desarin, any other announcements?

Uh I just uh wanted to uh before we go to adjourning motions as an individual, congratulate each and every member of the state legislator that represents any inch of Los Angeles.

Uh we saw them last week.

Yes, a round of applause for them.

We saw them last night step up and try to step in on behalf of Californians to save uh democracy in this California in the United States and uh have California be the leadership of that.

And so uh thank you to our our assembly members and senators and governors, governor for what they uh did this week.

And with that, I'll ask everyone in the chamber to rise for adjourney motions.

All right.

Mr.

Lee.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Colleagues, unfortunately, I have two adjournments today.

The first one uh I respectfully ask that we adjourn in the memory of uh Thomas Christopher, a man whose dedication to justice, community, and youth empowerment profoundly shaped the lives of many.

Thomas, or Thomas Christopher, better known as TC, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, TC was a proud graduate of Cal State University Northridge and went on to earn his jurisdictorate from Southwestern University School of Law.

A highly respected and experienced litigation attorney, TC specialized in estate planning, business consulting, and civil litigation.

Over the course of his career, TC achieved partner status at Two Well Regards Law Firms, earning the admiration colleagues and clients alike.

Beyond his distinguished professional career, TC was also deeply committed to community service, his family, and the development of youth through sports and mentorship.

He was an active member of the trust in the state section of both the California State Bar and the Los Angeles County Bar Bar Association, as well as a dedicated participant in the San Fernando Valley Estate Planning Council and the Aegis Senior Resource and Senior Business Council.

I had the pleasure of knowing TC through his work as vice president of the LAPD Devonshire PALs, and in that role, he demonstrated unwavering dedication to the mission of building character and enriching the lives of the children in our community.

Thanks to his tireless advocacy and hands-on involvement, hundreds of at-risk youth, low-income youth gain daily access to free, high-quality after-school enrichment programs, providing mentorship opportunity and hope for a brighter future.

Above all, TC was a devoted husband, father, and friend.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Heidi, and their three children.

His sudden passing is a tremendous loss to all who knew him, and his legacy will live on through the lives he's touched so deeply.

May we honor the memory of TC Christopher and may he rest in peace.

And colleagues today, my second I'm sorry, hold on, Mr.

Lee.

Uh sergeants, this woman is removed.

This is now her fourth warning.

I will note for her and her colleagues.

We allowed her to speak out of order, and she continues to disrupt the meeting, despite I our accommodation of her.

Councilmember Lee.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Colleagues, today I'd like to also adjourn in the memory of Richard Ashnalt, uh, who unexpectedly passed away at the age of 87 after a brief illness.

As a true pilot patriot, uh Dick has better known and less enlisted in the military as many as as many did, 18-year-olds did during this time.

He initially joined the National Guard and subsequently extended his service by enlisting enlisting with the United States Marine Corps.

After his Marine Corps boot camp at Paris Island, Dick was stationed at Sugi Air Base in Japan and Kanoe Bay in Hawaii.

During his service period, Dick selflessly earned the highest peacetime medal for heroism after he and a fellow airmen risked their lives to pull a pilot from a burning plane that crashed during takeoff in Japan.

During a flight home from Hawaii, Dick met a cute flight attendant named Joy, who became his wife of more than 60 years until her passing in 2023.

Together they had two children, Mary, who tragically passed away after being hit by a car at the age of five, and their surviving daughter, Alison, both of whom who would forever remain the love of Dick's and Joy's lives.

After separation from the military, he removed to Los Angeles, where he settled in the San Fernando Valley.

He became a strong supporter of the valley and remained active in Valley Affairs throughout the remainder of his life.

Always the entrepreneur, Dick established multiple business ventures that included a travel and tourism business based in North Hollywood, known as Happy Weekenders, a drapery business, Triple A Draperies, with locations in Pocoima and Granada Hills, as well as rock racquetball clubs in Montebello and Northridge.

After a brief stint in the business phone system industry, he founded Ashnot Specialties, which provided promotional items for various businesses and community organizations.

Shortly thereafter, Dick purchased the High Tech Science of Banner Company in Canoga Park, where he and Joy would work side by side running the two businesses for the remaining 30 years.

The numerous valley businesses furthered his unwavering commitment to the community.

Over the course of his life, he was an active member of the JC's and supported numerous local chambers of commerce.

He was also very involved volunteer at the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire area and its citizens support organization, the supporters of law enforcement in Devonshire.

However, no organization captured Dick Hart more than the Devonshire Area Police Activity League supporters, better known as Powell's.

Through PAL's one of his proudest achievements was helping to facilitate the building of the Greg Smith Powell's Youth Center in Northridge.

There was nothing he loved more than supporting the kids which Powell served, and there was no greater joy for him than when a program graduate returned for a visit to thank him and share where their lives had led thus far and what future dreams awaited.

Having a magnetic, vibrant personality, people were drawn to him for years.

He was the life of the party, whether on the ski slopes, the dance floor, or bringing smiles to the wide-eyed children and friends alike who appeared at community events dressed as Santa Claus.

Above all, Dick adored his family.

He was a devoted father who has never missed his daughter Allison's school activities or sporting events.

He will perpetually remain fiercely proud of Allison and her accomplishments.

Richard Ashnalt leaves behind his daughter Allison, numerous nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren, and countless forever friends.

May he always be remembered, and may he rest in peace.

Love you, Dick.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Lee.

Councilmember Hutt.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I have two adjournments as well.

Thank you.

Today I rise with a heavy heart to adjourn in the memory of Jose Manuel Cicedo, a beloved community leader, mentor, and founder of Westside Boxing Club, who passed away on July 19th, leaving behind an enduring legacy of empowerment and service.

Jose wasn't born in Los Angeles, but he embodied everything the city stands for perseverance, opportunity, and transformation.

Born on September 5th, 1955, in Chihuahua, Mexico, he immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s with his wife Letitia to build a better life for their family.

A life that would quickly become legend in Los Angeles.

What began as a small effort to provide affordable training for their grandsons quickly became a refuge for youth from all walks of life.

Under his guidance, Westside Boxing gained national recognition.

World champions like Sugar Shane Mosley, Canelo Alvarez, Victor Ortiz, trained there.

And he even trained Robert De Niro for some of his films.

No matter who walked through those doors, celebrity or student, Jose treated them with the same humble respect and commitment.

On June 24th, 2023, I had the incredible honor of standing with the community as we rename the intersection at Pico and West Boulevard, Jose Manuel Censedo Square.

That square now stands as a permanent reminder of what it looks like when one person dedicates themselves fully to lifting others.

Jose didn't just teach people how to throw a punch.

May his spirit live on and every person who walks through the doors of Westside Boxing, and may he rest in power.

Thank you.

Yes.

And then my next one.

Hold on, Councilmember Hutt.

Just want to remind audience members that you are not allowed to stand in the aisle without permission from this body or the council president.

So if you could return to your seats, please.

Councilmember Hutt.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Today with a heavy heart, I asked that we adjourn this meeting in the loving memory of Mother Geneva Gilner Futrell, a pillar of faith, family, and community, who passed away on July 22nd, 2025 at the age of 94.

Born the youngest of 15 in Parkinson, Mississippi, Geneva was a beloved mother, pastor's wife, teacher, mentor, and advocate.

Alongside her husband, Pastor Herlong Futrell, she served at South Vermont Baptist Church and later co-founded Barasha Baptist Church in Gardena, where they pastored for 22 years.

Geneva's impact reached far behind the pulpit.

She was a mentor, a teacher, and a fierce advocate for education.

She organized Thanksgiving meals for the hungry, mentored young women, and quietly made sure that families in need had food, clothing, and hope.

Even if it meant sewing coats by hand herself, which she often did.

She also taught others the importance of civic engagement and led by example with conviction, showing us that faith and action must go hand in hand.

She believed education was the key to freedom and future, and she worked to make sure young people in her church and community saw the power of learning.

Her legacy lives on in her children, her grandchildren, her great-grands, and all who were blessed to know her.

She's the grandmother of Trailblazer, a good friend Kelly Todd Griffin, who also has so much of her tenacity embedded in her.

May her memory be a blessing to all, and may she rest in power.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

It's good to see all of you.

Thank you for sharing with us.

Seeing no other further further adjourning motions, we are adjourned.