Unit when you're ready for your reinspection.

That reinspection will be automatically scheduled as appropriate with their time frames.

It's all computerized.

So if your property remains in non-compliance after a failed re-inspection, then it's going to be cleared by city contractors.

And the property owner or you will be invoiced a non-compliance fee of $668 plus an administrative fee of 1,498 on top of the contractor's fee.

So you certainly want to avoid this.

We get asked a lot of questions.

Here is your top seven most frequently asked questions and the answer.

So number one is how can I check the brush status of my own property?

Again, that's that important website that we're driving home, the VMS3.lafd.org, you can register a new brush clearance account there and check the status.

Now use your APN or the assessor parcel number as well as a PIN, which is your personal identification number.

It's going to be printed on the bottom of the owner notification that was mailed to you annually in March.

Often we get asked, well, what is the best way to contact the brush unit?

Simply put, the best way is to send an email.

You send it to LAFD brush at LACity.org.

Now if you incorporate your APN and a brief description of the issue or the problem that you would like to discuss, that greatly assists us determining who you are and what the issue is.

And then a member of our brush unit will respond to you within 48 hours.

Also, you could feel free to call.

But we do ask for your patience in advance because it's very busy and there's minimal inspectors, so we have a limited resources to take your call.

But the office hours are from 7 a.m.

until 3 p.m.

Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

So what if you received a notice of noncompliance in the mail?

What are you supposed to do then?

Well, start by reading that notice very carefully.

Identify the actual violations that were mentioned on your property.

See what was cited there.

And then you could follow the steps in the frequently asked questions.

The first one there to see photos that was taken by the inspector of your property and where the problem is.

Then you want to correct those violations by the due date.

So look at that due date, it'll be located at the top right corner of your notice.

Here's another question we get.

Okay, you were issued a notice of noncompliance, and now you did the right thing, you finished clearing your property of the violations that you were cited.

Now what?

What's next?

Well, truthfully, you don't have to do anything at this point.

After the allotted 30-day period, a fire inspector is going to reinspect your property, and if your property is still in non-compliance, then you get that second notice to abate the fire hazard.

That'll be mailed to you.

Now the city will start the process to have your property cleared by a contractor at your expense, so you want to avoid that.

Some ask if there is a particular contractor that should be used to clear your property.

Well, simply put, the city does not provide a recommendation, nor do we endorse any contractor.

So really it's you as the property owner, it's your responsibility to request the current proof of insurance, if they're bonded, if they have a license, and obtain any other relevant information about that contract.

But we do try to help.

So there is a brush clearance contractor list on the website.

So what do you do if you feel that the inspector is wrong and that your property is in compliance and can you file an appeal?

Well, the answer is yes.

Yes, you can.

Visit the LEFD brush website to view the detailed inspection process, and that includes appeals.

However, note that a failed inspection will subject you as the owner to fees that continue to increase with each failed inspection.

All billing is conducted through the city's accounting services section.

So if you have questions about that concerning your fees or your invoices or any fees that even could be attached to a tax bill, you should direct those to the source.

That's accounting.

So you could either call them at 213 978-3424, or you can send an email to LAFD.brush, ACCTG at LACity.org.

We understand that many people might be worried about their neighbors' property and that they might have a fire hazard because of some overgrown brush.

And how would you report that?

So first off, we want you to know that the fire department wants to hear your concerns so we can provide the clearance necessary for our firefighters to protect your property and your neighborhood.

So you can report a brush fire hazard by email to LAFD brush at LACity.org.

Now please make sure that you include the exact location of the brush hazards, the address.

If you have the APN, that would be even better.

But of course, you need to put a brief description of what the hazards are and where those hazards are on the property.

And of course, it's best not to go looking at those hazards on that neighbor's property without permission.

You also can make your complaint by phone.

That same phone number we provided before to our brush clearance unit is 1-800-994-4444.

And again, we welcome your complaint, but remember too that we have limited resources to take your call, and those hours are from 7 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

So thirsty.

I hear he travels from the north.

Look!

Hey, welcome to the water.

LA is in a drought.

Yet over half of our drinking water is being used for landscaping.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Just one inch of rain can yield thousands of gallons of water for use in landscaping.

It saves drinking water for drinking.

Rain barrels, cisterns, and curb cuts are just a few ways to save water and energy.

For more, visit LADWP and the Bay Foundation online.

Did you know the average LA resident uses about 89 gallons of water each day?

Challenge yourself to conserve.

Turning off the faucet when you brush saves up to 10 gallons of water.

Taking a five-minute or less shower saves up to 15 gallons of water.

Washing only full loads of laundry saves up to 30 gallons of water.

And fixing a running toilet can save up to 50 gallons of water.

Keep it in mind all day, every day.

It's water conservation the LA way.

On a special field trip to the police academy, the LAPD was joined by a group of children whose lives are impacted by cancer.

It's a meaningful trip for the kids, but they are also inspiring to the Los Angeles police.

A nonprofit organization that brings kids from around the country to Los Angeles for a week to be able to give them a view of Los Angeles, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and so many other iconic sites here.

To a person, we've heard year after year that of all the great things they get to see here, they really enjoy this uh as much as anything else.

They have for years hosted Sunshine Kids Foundation, children with cancer on this magnificent day that brings so much of the community together to create an impactful day for the kids outside of the hospital walls and allow them to form friendships with each other and also introduce them to the incredible things in the community that law enforcement does.

When I look out and I see all of your faces, I see bravery, I see confidence, pride, and compassion.

The inspiration we get from watching people who were going through significant life challenges and are staying positive and are moving forward, are working with their doctors, working with their caregivers and parents to be able to have successful outcomes down the road.

And when you put it in perspective and see what others are dealing with, they think that's healthy for all of us to be able to appreciate what we have.

I got to talk to the riders of the police horses, which was really interesting, and he was talking about how they're trained differently.

They have anarchotics dog, and that was really interesting.

About how he's already seven years old and still doing fine.

They have few robots that they use for safety precautions and a diving unit over here that I'd like to get to at some point.

We've gotten some incredible letters from kids who have participated, and these are kids that have participated years back, and just some of the quotes and the things that they had mentioned about this special day, these few hours, the impact that it made on them moving forward in how they live their life in the future, battling cancer and moving toward adulthood.

It's just an incredible experience.

It's for kids who have suffered a lot and had a really hard go of it, and um it's a really cool thing to experience and cool thing to help with because it's a nice way to balance out the hard times.

By being sworn in, hopefully, they feel a part of the Los Angeles Police Department.

It's an honor to be able to have the young people who are members of the Sunshine Organization as part of that.

It's a really really noble cause, and it's cool that they care too, because there's a lot of people who couldn't and wouldn't, and they do.

So it's it's awesome to have that.

Tree trimming or sidewalk repairs, these local concerns can often feel sidelined in a big city.

At a recent public works town hall, Angelino's brought their queries, questions, and yes, even complaints straight to the bureaus involved.

The Board of Public Works and the Department of Public Works are here at Augustus Hawkins High School located in Council District 9 for our public works town hall with Council Member Kern Price.

Having current Deep Price, our council member in front of us for him to hear our concerns, our complaints is very important.

We hear from all of our residents issues related to our lights, our sidewalks, streets, trees, uh everything that encompasses infrastructure, and we have all of our bureaus here in one sitting.

So you have a one stop shop opportunity to get your voices heard and to get many of your answers related to your 311 questions as well.

Good evening, everyone.

So this is the first uh town hall of this kind here in Council District 9.

But with the new Board of Public Works here uh at the City of LA, we're going around the city in all 15 council districts to present our ideas and listen to our constituents.

And we're so excited to be here at Augustus High School in CD9 to listen to some of the concerns related to public works.

And our next one will be in November, hopefully in a neighborhood close to you.

So please follow our social media and our website for additional information.

We are here to serve, and so if you have any questions, problems, or concerns, don't hesitate to contact the council office.

And the next town hall could be your chance to connect with public works.

There are many barriers to re-entering the workforce after serving a prison sentence.

A recent job fair at Los Angeles Mission College was all about knocking down some of those barriers and supporting those seeking a second chance.

So today we are having a second chance job fair for individuals who are justice involved and have been on probation or parole and are looking for that second opportunity back into the workforce.

So currently today, my involvement with this program would be I'm here to assist the participants that come in looking for a job.

We have more than 10, 15 employers giving job opportunities to individuals who come in looking for employment.

We also provide help and resources for people who want to continue or start a trade.

Some individuals have different types of barriers to employment, and what we do here is we assign them a case manager who will help them with assisting them with their barriers, whether they're experiencing homelessness or their re-entry and they're trying to get some type of expungement or trying to find a program that better suits them, along with the help of EWDD.

We want to make sure that we're able to help them become self-sufficient, help them land a good paying job and then be able to support themselves.

And a rapid response relief grant from Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.

Councilmember John Lee, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, said the directive will ensure efficiencies in LAPD hiring and aligned with commitments to a safe city.

Currently, the LAPD has over 8,000 officers, around two officers for every 1,000 Los Angeles residents.

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

Councilwoman Heather Hutt announced that a portion of Coliseum Place from Victoria Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard will be co-named as Diane Watson Corridor.

Diane Watson is a retired Congresswoman whose legacy led to significant advancement in civil rights, health care, education, and humanitarian efforts.

Watson was the first African American woman elected to the California State Senate.

And later she represented the 32nd and 33rd California Congressional Districts.

Though retired, Watson continues to advocate on behalf of vulnerable communities, with her next focus being to protect seniors from financial exploitation and fraud.

For more information, visit cd10.gov.

Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez announced that she has secured funding to replenish the grant relief program for those impacted by ice rates in her district.

According to Rodriguez, the relief program is for individuals and families she represents who have faced financial hardship due to current immigration activity.

The Council District 7 Rapid Response Grant will help those who meet the eligibility requirements with a one-time payment of 250 dollars for individuals and $500 for families.

The grants will be awarded on a first-come, first served basis for as long as funds allow.

For more information, visit the social media links at CD7.lacity.gov.

Since LA's inception, multiple cultures have been intertwined with the city.

Councilmember Eunicius Hernandez led this year's city celebrations of El Grito and Mexican independence, addressing the current challenges and meeting the moment with joy.

The people of Los Angeles, El Grito, is something that it's been celebrated all over the city all my life.

Years ago, it got brought to City Hall, and it's one of our biggest celebrations of the year.

Los Angeles is the home of the largest concentration of people of Mexican origin outside Mexico City.

I am honored to be the Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles and to come and celebrate our independence, our pride in our identity, our culture.

Today for the city of Los Angeles, I think it's so fitting that one of our toughest Mexican Americans on the council, Eunicis Hernandez, is running El Grito this year, a year where there's so much fear, so much uncertainty, and so much creative thinking related to how we protect our community nowadays.

But today was supposed to be a day of celebration, a day of happiness, and we're making that happen.

The diversity of our city is seen in the folks that are here, and I'm just happy to be a part of it.

Much congratulations to Council District One.

We've had over 12 weeks of federal immigration raids on our city, and we wanted to show today, especially what it looks like to resist, and that is through joy, through culture, through food, through being a community.

That's what's gonna free fill our batteries so that we can continue this fight to protect our communities here in Los Angeles.

Viva.

Viva La Resistencia, which is you know, long live the resistance.

It has a new meaning now.

It's stronger than ever that we reinforce that belief.

I think it's a really beautiful event, especially to have in the time right now.

Um, I know that a lot of people were scared to come, but I wanted to show that, you know, I can be here and represent the people who may not have the ability to have come.

And so, yeah, I'm really glad that I was able to show up and that they had such beautiful music, such beautiful food, and the people were really amazing.

I think that's wonderful because they really like those scholars.

They like the energy here, it's so positive and so like it even despite I'm from another country.

I don't speak Spanish, but I feel so cozy like at home.

I just was walking around, I heard some music.

I thought I have to check it.

So here I am, and I'm glad that it's happened like this.

We should keep fighting for our ice because we made a difference in Los Angeles, the Mexican community, because we're here to stay, and we're gonna continue making and billing and making Los Angeles beautiful.

You know, I'm really proud that as a city, we're continuing to show up for our community, even with moments of celebration, because this is what they're trying to erase and stop us from doing.

They're trying to prevent us from being authentically who we are, and this event with everyone that's turned out is a reflection that we are in fact here and we will stay here.

Imagine celebrating in two languages.

That's the joy of the Los Angeles Libros Festival held at the Central Library.

This family celebration of bilingualism puts pride at the heart of Latino heritage.

The Los Angeles Libros Festival is a fabulous festival for the whole family.

It's a celebration of bilingualism for all Angelinos, where we redream and celebrate in those idiomas.

It's so important to celebrate languages, to be able to share music and community in English and Espanol.

Because it's the city, not only this city, but this country is bilingual, bicultural.

And that's what we bring.

We want to make children feel excited about learning a language and feel proud of their heritage.

This is very important because this is also a celebration of Latino culture and the Spanish language, with almost half of Angelinos being Spanish speakers.

We think it's very important to celebrate both English and Spanish for those of us who are bilingual and for those of us who want to be bilingual.

Even just a few words in somebody else's languages creates connection.

That's why not only do we speak English and Spanish, but we've been learning other languages like American Sign Language.

And with one finger on each hand, we sign Friend.

This is the sign for Friend in ASL.

So I came for the Libros event.

I was really excited to see what's been going on and discover new books as well as connect with the community.

I came all the way from Santa Clarita because I really wanted to see Silvia Moreno Garcia speak.

It's a free event.

It's a great crowd, and it's a bilingual event.

So I get to speak in Spanish and English, which I don't get to do a lot in Canada.

Hola.

I would like to invite everybody to visit your local library and get a library card.

It's easy, it's fun, and there are a lot of books, both in English and Spanish, audio, digital, and physical formats.

Together, they acknowledged how different the summer has been, while emphasizing continuity and solidarity in simple celebrations.

You know, our Fourth of July events were postponed in part due to the ice raids, and this was a symbol of us getting together, showing that we're gonna stay strong and be brave in light of all that's still happening in our communities, and really a coming together for CD 14.

This area is so important to me because I grew up here.

I am a Angelino true and true.

My entire family has grown up here since we're little kids, and it means so much to see the different amazing parks and everything that goes on in them.

And we myself, my family, we've been coming to not only this park but all the parks within the council district of 14.

And this is home to us, you know.

If it wasn't for programs like this, we wouldn't have been exposed to so much music and community that now makes me personally want to give back.

So Create Now is an art-based nonprofit.

What we do is provide free art programming for underserved youth all throughout LA County.

We've been doing this for almost 30 years now.

And today we're out here with our biggest mural board that we've ever done before, allowing kids to paint on it and to see our new mascot characters that we're developing on top of giving away squishmallows.

All the kids love squishmallows and they love what we're doing.

I'm here singing with Pacific Opera Project, and it's very important for people to come out and support their local government and take part in the free events.

It's a time where you get to see it locally what artists are doing, such as opera companies or small businesses.

And it has been a joy to come out here and sing for the community today.

I fully encourage, you know, all these events that are going on.

You know, I think it brings us together, it brings different communities together.

It makes us more stronger.

You can tell that a lot of this community we care about each other.

We're all facing the similar uh problems and issues, and the more that we can do for our most vulnerable people in our communities is even better.

That includes a lot of small businesses that you know are facing outrageous uh rent increases besides the fact that sales are slow with with uh current ice rates.

So uh me uh I took this as an opportunity to promote my store and to have a couple of sales and also give also free items for the community.

It is so important for you to join us here this year, next year, and the years to come with your family because this is part of the community, and this is not only what drives the artist but brings us closer together.

We are so excited to share this experience with you, and we hope that next year you come on by.

Oh, that's my plate, that's my cup.

It's wonderful to see them go through and show that ownership.

The history of the Watts Towers is over 100 years.

So Samuel Diaz started building these towers in the early 20s, and over a course of 33 years, the towers went up.

And from there, this grassroots effort in providing arts education grew.

Classes were started in 1961.

Lucille Krasney taught the first classes on the burned out foundation of Simon Rodia's house.

Watchtowers Art Center.

We're now sixty-four years old.

We're now 64 years old.

In 1970, they were able to build this art center that we're in now.

In 1975, the city of Los Angeles took over.

We have access to master musicians to teach our young people here.

One of our mottos is we don't do mediocre because we don't have to.

That's why the city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs invests so much in this campus, because it provides art and museum education for this community that it could not get if we were not here.

Our community can't afford to pay for piano classes or music classes or voice classes or art classes.

They can't afford that.

We provide museum and art education for our community when they can't get to Latma when they can't get to Mocha, but they can come to the Watchtowers Art Center campus to get fine arts.

It really represents the city on so many levels.

It's called Nuestro Pueblo.

San Rodia called it nuestro pueblo, which is in Spanish, is our our town, our people, our community.

Our community has been very, very involved from the inception, which is a phenomenal thing.

It shows what you can do with nothing, and our community does a lot with nothing sometimes.

And uh, but we're resilient.

We're still here.

We're not going anywhere.

You can't, you can't get rid of us.

In this week's things to do, art in the heart of the valley at the Resita Rising Art Walk.

Celebrate 50 years of Jaws with a screening and party.

And head to El Pueblo for the Muertos Art Walk.

All this up next on Things to Do.

Join the Department of Cultural Affairs for Councilmember Bob Blumenfield's Resita Rising Art Walk 2025.

Head to Sherman Way in Lindley for this all-ages celebration in the heart of the West Valley.

Enjoy a wide variety of artwork on display from projections and installations to costume figure drawing, live painting, and an aerosol station.

Local artists will be presenting their work for the community to appreciate.

Enjoy dance and DJ battles, as well as music performances.

Support local artists and organizations, food trucks, and street vendors.

Experience all this year's Resita Rising Art Walk has to offer on Saturday, October 4th from 5 p.m.

to 10 p.m.

For more information, visit Rosita Artwalk.com.

Just hearing the name brings the iconic music to mind.

Now imagine watching the movie from the water.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jaws at a movie night and beach party at the Hanson Dam Aquatic Center.

Join Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez at this free movie screening on Saturday, October 4th, where there will also be food trucks, kids' activities, and more.

Dip your toe in the water for Jaws movie night and beach party on Saturday, October 4th.

Doors open at 3 p.m.

and the movie screening begins at sunset.

For more information, visit CD7.lacity.gov.

Join O Pueblo Historical Monument and the Alvera Street Merchants Association Foundation for the annual Miratos Art Walk.

This event showcases the work of over 30 local artists in the run-up to the cultural celebrations for Dia de los Muertos.

Enjoy original artwork, jewelry, accessories, clothing, and more at vendor stalls in El Pueblo, the birthplace of Los Angeles.

Join in the celebrations at this family-friendly event, which will also feature live music and performances.

Head to the historical heart of LA from Rarto's Art Walk on Saturday, October 4th from 10 a.m.

to 7 p.m.

For more details, check out OveraEvents.com.

And that's a look at some things to do.

And that's all for this week.

I'm Susan Huckle, and from all of us here at LA This Week, thank you so much for joining us.

Remember that you can watch us online anytime at LACityview.org.

We're also on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

See you next time for more LA This Week.

I am David Torch from international languages department, and our department is comprised of all subject areas in three languages, as well as uh language learning materials such as praise books and dictionaries in five hundred languages.

This is a book in Italian, incognito in Hollywood, translated into three languages English, French, and Italian.

It's the same in all languages.

And the word, of course, is borrowed from Italian into English, and from Italian it's um it's borrowed from Latinitus, which means not known.

When we open the book, there is a stamp here that says foreign department, and once upon a time, that was the name of our department, and later it was changed to international languages department because it's more inclusive, the term international than the word foreign.

It is written by Joe Malatesta and uh illustrated by Irma Fiscostan.

The book is published in Los Angeles in nineteen thirty five.

Many of the places of Hollywood were different, and the book is illustrated to show those differences.

To the regularly scheduled meeting of your Los Angeles City Council.

Today is Friday, the twenty-sixth day of September in the year twenty twenty-five.

Public comment for this morning's meeting will be taken in person in this chambers in Van Eyes City Hall.

Mr.

Clerk, let's begin our proceedings by calling the role.

Yes, Mr.

President.

All right, first order of business.

Approval of the minutes of September 19th, 2025.

Councilmember Yaroslavski moves.

Council Member Herado seconds, what's next?

Coming to resolutions for approval.

Council Member Soda Martinez moves.

Council Member Lee seconds.

Can we run through our agenda?

Yes, Mr.

President.

For item one, the financial disclosure statement has been submitted and it's available online in council file number two five-120-s four nine.

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

Items eighteen through twenty two are items for which public hearings have not been held.

Ten votes are required for consideration.

The one for the amendment.

Sixteen.

Sixteen with an amendment.

All right.

Thank you.

Councilmember Yarslovsky.

Thank you, Council President.

I'd like to call item 19 for comments, please.

Alright.

Council Member Rodriguez.

16 for questions.

All right.

And Councilmember Price.

Thank you, Miss Brother.

I'm recusing myself from item 22 out of a notice of caution because it's extending funds to contract for personal conflicts.

Extending funds for contracts for personal conflicts.

So item 22.

Yes, sir.

Mr.

Price is recusing on item number 22.

All right, any other specials members?

Either side seeing none.

All right.

Uh Mr.

Clerk, what's next?

Mr.

President, there's a request to continue items 8 and 15 to Tuesday, October 28th, 2025.

Without objection, that's the order.

What's next?

There's also a request to hold item 21 on the desk.

Alright, without objection.

That'll be the order.

Councilmember Soto Martinez.

So much, Mr.

Chair.

Um item number 12 and 14 for a separate vote, please.

All right, 12 and 14 separate votes.

Uh all right, what's next, Mr.

Clerk?

Mr.

President, the council may now vote on items one through seven, nine, ten, and thirteen.

And seventeen.

All right.

Those items are now before us.

Let's open the roll, close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Ten eyes.

Alright, what's next?

The council may now vote on items 12 and 14.

Excuse me, item 12, sir.

Call special by Councilmember Sotomartinez for a separate vote.

Alright, we're going to item 12, call special by Mr.

Soto Martinez for a special vote.

Special uh separate vote.

Everybody, all right.

Let's open the roll on this item, close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Nine eyes, one no.

Alright, what's next?

Sir, this uh the council may now vote on item fourteen.

Call special by council member Urado and Soto Martinez for a separate vote.

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

Close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Eight eyes, two knows.

All right, what's next?

Mr.

President, the council may now move on to presentations.

Alright, uh, we have a great morning of presentations, beginning uh with the mighty council district thirteen, Mr.

Soto Martinez, with our LA is for everyone day.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Chair, would you let folks gather?

So being joined by Councilmember Nazarian.

Councilmember is good morning, everyone, and uh thank you all for showing up in Van Ice.

Um, is Hugo Soto Martinez, and thank you, Council President.

Uh, I want to thank Councilmember Nazarian, our amazing two um to my left and to my right are two amazing uh general manager managers, powerful women of color, uh General Manager Capri Maddox and General Manager Abigail Marquez from the respective departments, and today we proudly celebrate the four-year anniversary of the iconic LA is for all campaign.

So please give a round of applause for four years of campaigning on our wonderful values.

You've probably seen the shirts uh being worn by many folks here.

Uh every time I wear that on the field, I always get asked, how do I get one?

And so uh Ms.

Maddox, I know I've asked for so many shirts now, but this I hope you know.

Oh, now we're selling them, okay.

Get yours.

Cop your shirts, they're the good looking shirts.

Um, but you know, it's uh it's it been and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you and congratulations to everyone who has been part of this beautiful initiative.

We know that uh there are so many folks that work on this every single day.

Uh and it's a and it's an initiative rooted in inclusivity, dignity, and empowerment for all Angelinos, and it is a slogan, it's a phrase that we can use for so many different reasons.

And we were proud uh to use very similar slogan when we declared the city of Los Angeles a sanctuary city, because we're again proud to say that LA is for everyone.

And so when we were thinking about the sanctuary city, we're thinking about, well, how can we describe it?

And we say, you know, let's not reinvent the wheel.

We have a slogan that says LA is for everyone, and let's just keep using it.

But we know when we say LA is for everyone, or we say that the city of LA is a sanctuary city.

Uh, we know that our actions have to match our words.

And so I'm very uh proud to say that since the beginning of the year, uh, everyone in our city's family being led by the Civil Rights department and the community investment and families department have gone out into the communities to making sure that people are connected to resources, getting know your rights uh information, uh translated in over 20 different languages, doing webinars and community outreach as much as possible, regardless of their background.

And by living our values, we'll show up in the face of adversary with our with our values, which is with love, compassion, community, and solidarity.

And so I'm incredibly proud to be up here and introduce my colleague from the second district, uh, someone who uh is the vice chair of the Civil Rights Aging Equity and Disability Committee, leading his values, uh sharing his life story, and it's an example of what LA is all about.

And so I'd like to introduce uh Councilmember Adrien Nazarian.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Good morning, colleagues and guests.

It's with deep honor to stand before you today as we celebrate the fourth annual LA for everyone day, hosted by the Los Angeles Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department.

Thank you to Councilmember Soto Martinez for inviting me to co-host this presentation alongside of him.

It's an honor and a pleasure to work with him and be his serve as his vice chair on the committee under his chairmanship.

This year, we proudly unveil the next evolution of this powerful campaign.

I belong, you belong, we belong.

A reminder that in this city, no one stands alone.

Tonight, across the city, 10 of our most iconic landmarks from City Hall to the U.S.

Bank Tower, from Union Station to LA Zoo, will light up in a vibrant mosaic of colors.

These lights do more than just shine, they speak, they speak to who we are as Angelinos.

A community of many languages, many histories, many journeys, but one city, one future united in the belief that hate has no place here.

For light those lights also honor the LA for all campaign, launched by the Los Angeles Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department in 2020.

Today, LA for all spans more than 21 languages and reaches across over 10,000 locations in greater Los Angeles from buses and trains to parks, libraries, community centers, and small businesses.

It has earned national recognition and continues to inspire similar campaigns in other cities across our nation.

Whether it's fighting discrimination in housing, employment, and business through the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit, or leading initiatives for upward mobility and racial equity through the Office of Race and Equity, they are shaping a more just and united Los Angeles.

We acknowledge that our city, like many across the nation, has faced deep divisions, polarization, and the pain of prejudice.

But today and every day, we affirm this powerful truth.

Los Angeles is a metropolis of unmatched diversity, built by labor, love, and talents of people from every background, every language, every walk of life.

And I have to personalize this because as an immigrant myself, I know all too well how important it is to commit to community, to commit to inclusion, to equity and solidarity, because when we make sure that every Angelino can feel seen, heard, and protected, Los Angeles will attract more talent from all backgrounds and shine brighter on the global stage.

Folks, I say this also with the conviction of having lived through family separation, of having overcome fleeing a war-torn country.

When I say it right now, I also sometimes can't imagine what my parents were going through.

I was young, I didn't really know what was going on.

But they were in their 40s, 50s, not knowing my mother didn't have a command of the language.

So imagine coming into a new place, working at three jobs, just to make sure that you're protecting your family and you're reuniting everyone.

That's a lot.

And on top of that, to have a government that assaults you while you're just trying to get by and live life.

So tonight, as the city lights up, we invite you to join the movement.

Snap a photo of an illuminated landmark, tag at LA Civil Rights, and use the hashtag LA for all challenge to spread the message of unity.

Be a force multiplier, be a light in our community.

Let us continue building a city that celebrates diversity, a city that does not turn away from injustice but confronts it.

A city that is not just for some, but for all.

Now it's my great pleasure to introduce the visionary behind the campaign, Miss Capri Maddox, the executive director of Los Angeles Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department to say a few words.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Councilmember Nazari and Councilmember Ugosotor Martinez.

I can't thank you enough for making sure that we send a strong message that we are united as Angelinos and of course to uh this esteemed body of city council members uh led by um President Mark Marquis Harris Dawson.

Thank you so much for being uh allowing us to be here today.

Of course, many of you know we fight hate, discrimination, and inequity on the offensive and defensive.

Of course, uh we can bring cases against folks who violate your civil rights in the uh areas of commerce, education, employment, and housing.

And I I learned from my uh wonderful fellow general manager Abigail Marquez today that there are people who are being forcefully evicted, wrongfully evicted from their homes because of their perceived citizenship status.

And that is a case, those are cases that we can handle at LA Civil Rights Course.

Um we've been working together very well on know your rights campaigns.

We were at uh council district uh 14's uh Cal State LA, my beloved alma mater, just yesterday, uh, doing a know your rights uh fair as well as doing the community launch of the We Belong campaign.

We know we're in the middle of Latino Heritage Month, and many members of that community are dealing with uh fear as it relates to these ice raids.

Um Chirla has reported that we had Anhela Casales with us uh this week at our human relations commission meeting and she said about eighty-eight people on average every day are being taken off of our streets, and so a lot of people um aren't feeling like uh they're living in Los Angeles that that where they're included or where they belong, and so we want to be intentional to send a strong message that we are here for you, we are united, and I'd really like to thank our philanthropic partners who have leaned in to help us.

Uh we started this campaign in 2021 with support from Google.

Um, the Just Say Hello campaign had a great deal of support from the Weingart Foundation, and we are intentional to know that we have more resources for the belonging campaign uh through the grant um acquired by uh our CIFD partners with uh Abigail.

So we are very, very grateful for this opportunity to lift and to show our light today.

As a council member said, uh, look around the city, you'll see the U.S.

Bank Tower, BMO Stadium, some colleges and universities, the LA Public Library, and of course, our very own City Hall to be illuminated to send a strong message that we are united, and then ever all of us belong.

And with that, I'll turn um the I'll turn it things over to uh CIFD general manager, um, a sister in the struggle, and someone who is a doer among doers, Abigail Marquez.

Thank you, Capri, good morning.

Uh, happy to be here.

It really is an honor for the community investment for families department to partner with the LA Civil Rights Department and with all of you, our incredible theaters at the LA City Council and our mayor to stand united as a city to signal and to amplify the message that we belong.

We all belong in this great city of angels.

Our department is adding and working alongside Civil Rights Department to add another layer to this campaign, and that is a know your rights campaign.

We have been producing know your rights uh information in over 29 different languages, including indigenous languages.

We're making ourselves available to offer translation services to a number of city departments.

And this was before the ICERIS, this was during the wildfires and making sure that information is accessible to the diversity and appreciates the diversity of our community.

We're organizing workshops, both in person and virtual workshops.

Just last week we had a virtual workshop with over a thousand people that attended a virtual workshop on know your rights.

And we're making sure that people understand how to access essential city services to know that these services are available to Angelinos regardless of their immigration status and that they continue to report violations of their fundamental rights.

The trauma that the young children are experiencing in those families.

And we're partnering with our school district as well.

And we're encouraging people to continue to seek trusted, credible legal advice and not to be led by misinformation or exploitation.

We are very proud to be partnering with LA Civil Rights Department, and we will continue to amplify the message that we all belong in this great city.

We know that we also have resources available through our family source system, which continues to show up every day, regardless of the crisis that we have before us.

They never shut down their doors.

And I want to acknowledge the family source centers who are here today.

We have LRO, who's here from the Council District 2, El Nido, who's in Pocoima, and then we also have New Economics for Women in Council District 6.

And we're also joined by our partners at the YMCA, and they are both partners of our department and the civil rights department.

We're working together to make sure that we are connecting community organizations to these critical services and resources as well.

And then just I want to just amplify Family Source Centers and through the investment that you all made in the family source system and the foresight that you all had to recognize that we need to be prepared for any emergency and emergencies are unfortunately unavoidable.

You allocated emergency assistance and you built that into the family source system.

And because we now have that resource, in the months of June through early August, we were able to deploy over $600,000 in emergency assistance to families who are losing severe income loss because they were unable to get to work or they were unable to food put food on the table.

We also work with our state funders to make sure that we were able to pivot and we got close to 200,000 in emergency food cards because people weren't coming to our food distribution centers anymore.

They were afraid.

So we were again responding and meeting that moment.

So we will continue to be a resource to our communities.

We have information that we're constantly updating on our website.

We encourage you to continue to visit and learn about the resources that we have available.

Again, we have know your rights cards in 29 different languages.

We're probably, I think, the only city in the country that has really translated this information across multiple different languages, and again, including indigenous languages.

So we're proud to stand with our immigrant communities.

We are grateful for the leadership that you all have demonstrated in this very, very critical time in our city's history.

So thank you.

And I just want to say we really are selling those t-shirts.

You can go to LA is for everyone.com and put an order in, you know, money's tight.

And special thanks to our LA civil rights team.

Can you all raise your hand and thank you so much.

There's a mighty team.

We were taking over the city and we're doing it tonight with your support.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Capri.

Uh I agree.

That's a great shirt.

It's it's good for immigrant rights, LGBT rights, all the rights.

So please get your shirt.

Get your shirt.

Uh, and that and that's all we have.

I don't know if there's any folks on this.

Yes, uh, thank you so much, council member.

Uh we have a few members on the queue, beginning with Council Member Jurado.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you, Councilmember Soto Martinez for and Council Member Nazarian for highlighting this.

Uh, as a former commissioner that celebrated LA for all day, I'm glad that it's matured into LA is for everyone.

And I love that our civil rights is paired with economic rights because you know, at the end of the day, um, people need to have their material needs met, and so this collaboration between these two two departments is just what folks need right now.

So, thank you for all the work that you do uh in making sure that the city is actually for all of us.

So, so appreciate it.

Councilmember Hernandez.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Soto Martinez, for bringing in both of these phenomenal leaders, but also all these organizations.

Now more than ever, I think it's very clear that we need this.

You know, who would have thought that LA is for everyone would have such a strong meaning as it does now?

Because if we didn't have this program, I'll be honest, I don't know if we would be as strong and as resilient in our in our in our in our stance to protect our immigrant communities.

I think you all have done a lot of the legwork for years to make sure that everybody within the city family and our communities know and for them to know that that the city is for them regardless of what they're where they come from, what they do, what their families look like.

So I'm grateful for the years of legwork that you did to prepare us for this moment that we're in right now.

It's not by accident that we're one of the thriving cities that we're the fourth largest economy in the in the country in the world with California.

It's because of the contributions of our immigrant communities.

Thank you, and thank you for filling the gaps also in the work that both of you do to keep our families afloat.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Hernandez.

Councilmember Price.

Thank you, Ms.

President.

Too wanna thank uh members uh Soto Martinez and Azarian for bringing this important campaign uh to Council today.

And I think it is so significant that the city family has weighed in uh with such significance uh with our two of our favorite uh GMs uh at the hill really setting the tone, setting the pace.

Uh we know how important these values are, and for the city to reflect them uh in the uh uh in carrying out programs and policies.

Uh it has been a real uh hallmark, and I think a real uh indication of how serious we are uh and about how serious these times are.

So again, just want to thank you for your collaboration for the combined efforts.

Uh thank you for uh the idea we belong how it fits so perfectly with uh LA is for everyone, and so we're gonna continue making those connections as we move forward together.

Congratulations, keep up the good work.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Price, and thank you so much.

Councilmember Hernandez.

Yes.

Uh my deepest gratitude also to Council Member Nazarian.

Apologies.

Thank you so much for your partnership in that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh thank you so much, and thank you, Councilmember Nazarian and Council Member Soto Martinez, uh, for not just bringing this presentation but leaning in uh to this campaign and leaning into this work for the city of Los Angeles.

Some of the best work we do.

Also uh happy to be joined by two of our superstar uh general managers uh Marquez and and Maddox uh thank you for continuing to shine the light and shining it even brighter uh during the dark days that that we're going uh that we're undergoing, and um we truly appreciate the work that all of you do and and the message that all of it sends and and I will say uh general manager Maddox uh look the other way if you're on Crenshaw and Slossen and you see some bootleg t-shirts that say LA is for everybody except for men in mass kidnapping people from their families.

So uh we're gonna sell that one and uh do a little business on the side.

Uh but thank you all so much uh for your great work in this great great presentation.

If we get bootleg t-shirts, we know we have made it, but so uh on behalf of the city of Los Angeles and its residents, I want to give this certificate to both the general managers uh but also our extended families, uh folks that are doing the work out there in the community every single day, and for your teams and everyone, and uh proud to declare today the fourth annual LA for all day.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, thank you for that great presentation.

Next, uh, we'll have a presentation led by Council District Three, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.

Okay.

All right.

This morning, uh colleagues, I have the honor of welcoming Fern Levitt to our chambers to discuss an important film that she directed.

But before I say anything further, let's roll the clip.

I don't think zoos can even come close to replicating what elephants have in the wild.

And the main reason, of course, is space.

If elephants are walking many kilometers a day, within about 10 minutes, they can usually explore their entire habitat in captivity.

And after that 10 minutes, there's nothing left to do.

Yeah, you know, but they can't do that here.

So they do get taken out every single day.

It's kind of hard to compare wild elephants with active elephants, just because it's like comparing like a wild dog to like a domesticated dog.

Elephants are active.

You know, most of 24 hours.

They're on the move, looking for food, interacting, looking for mates, looking for water.

They have purpose.

But in the, you know, in captivity, they've got nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to meet.

One of the benefits for elephants in a natural habitat, the walking that they do, the huge difference is the type of terrain that they go over, and that's actually good for their feet to do that.

And that's where one of the shortfalls of zoos are, is elephants are often living either on concrete or very packed dirt, which has is similar to concrete.

Uh, and that causes a great deal of foot damage, and almost all elephants in captivity have some sort of osteoarthritis or foot damage that often can lead to death.

This is an animal that has been broken, that has been deprived of the ability to exercise and to forage with its uh members of its family.

What do you feed them?

Because, like, you know, obviously in the wild, they have all kinds of different vegetation that we do not have here in Canada.

So, what do you feed them?

So these guys think the minority of their diet is hay, but they also eat grass and leaves.

Like sometimes they'll reach over here and eat that.

So, in captivity, elephants are just given what they're gonna eat.

But going to look for food is what elephants are all about.

We usually think of foraging as just eating, but it's much more than that.

It involves all sorts of behaviors, up to 20 different types of behaviors, including socializing, including preparing the food, finding different foods in different times of the year.

So it's an extremely complex activity, and that's how they spend most of their time.

Great.

Thank you.

Uh and thank you, Fern for being here today and for your tireless work to educate the world about the harmful effects of elephants living in zoos.

And I also want to thank Courtney Fern, who shares your last name, her last name is your first name, for being here from the non human rights project.

Unfortunately, this is a timely moment for Fern to be here and spotlighting the work of many individuals to publicize the plight of these majestic animals.

Formerly held at the LA Zoo, elephants Billy and Tina had recently in the dead of night been transferred to a facility in Tulsa without discussion, without putting their needs before ours, without justice.

This came after the euthanization of other elephants, two others in our zoo, Shanzi and Jewel.

These elephants live in conditions that bear minimum of care set by the uh association of Zoos and Aquariums, the AZA standards.

They as mentioned in the clip, they need socialization enrichment and specific living accommodations that the LA Zoo, that neither the LA Zoo nor Tulsa can provide.

Not to mention the horrific breeding activities that they're subject to.

Today I'm proud to also be introducing a motion instructing the zoo to report back and give us some transparency on what happened with Billy and Tina and the transfer in the dead of the night.

But by bringing Fern here, and by playing just a snippet of this important film, I hope it awakens something in all of us to care for those who cannot speak up for themselves.

LA has been and continues to be the beacon of hope and refuge for those who are marginalized, downtrodden, and defenseless.

We should extend extend that same compassion to the animals that are in our care.

So I encourage uh everyone here, council members, members of the public, to attend the screening of Fern's documentary, which is going to be on September 28th at the Sepulveda screening room.

Uh, and it should be uh a wonderful event for everyone to come to.

And without further ado, I'd like uh to give Fern the microphone to say a few words.

Fern.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

I really appreciate I'm Canadian, I live in Toronto, and I really appreciate the chance to come and address all of you about this really important topic.

It took me four years to make this documentary, and four years because I wanted to make sure that everything that was in my film was up to date with the most current science.

And I'm a pretty, you know, I've been doing this for 20 years, but nothing has broken my heart more.

And I've taken on some very, very difficult subjects throughout my 20-year career, but nothing has broken me more than than making this documentary about elephants and zoos.

So please um listen to what I have to say because it's really important.

If we want to build a better world, then we need to build a better world for animals too.

Over the course of my career, I have directed more than 20 documentaries on subjects ranging from the civil rights movement to the Holocaust, from struggles of people living under dictatorships to the cruelty of the commercial sled dog industry, including the Idenerod.

But as I said before, nothing prepared me more than for my heartbreak over my recent film, The Stolen Lives of Elephants, which is now playing in Canada, and I hope to bring it here to the United States.

I knew that keeping elephants in zoos was wrong, but I did not expect was to uncover the depth of cruelty of captivity or the extent of the lies that the zoos tell the public in order to justify keeping these brilliant animals in these confined spaces.

In the wild, elephants are in constant motion.

They travel up to 40 miles a day across diverse enriched landscapes in search of food and companionship.

They are also critical to our ecosystems, and we're all worried about the planet.

And we need to understand that these animals, these wild animals, play a very important role in keeping our planet in balance.

The elephants are called gardeners of the forest, they disperse and fertilize seeds, allowing new vegetation to grow and sustaining countless other species.

Without elephants, forests will wither, and with them the health of our precious planet.

Elephants can live up to 70 to 80 years in the wild in captivity, their lifespans are cut in half.

Why?

Because instead of roaming vast differences with their herds, they are confined to these small enclosures with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

What is necessary for their survival and thriving, their movement, social bonds, and freedom is stolen from them.

The result is both physical and psychological sufferings, captive elephants endure arthritis, obesity, foot disease, mental distress.

They display abnormal repetitive movements such as rocking and swaying.

These are signs of brain damage.

These behaviors are never, never observed in the wild.

Even the most sacred.

Oh, sorry, one second.

Even the most sacred moments of an elephant's life was to is destroyed by captivity.

In the wild, the birth of calves is a joyous event involving the whole herd of grandmothers, aunts, cousins, welcoming this baby to the herd.

In zoos, which is shown in my film, new mothers are often restrained with ropes and are shocked as they attempt to get the babies away from them.

Babies are sometimes separated from their mothers at birth.

In my film, the contrast between the births is devastating and unforgettable, and people have said this is one of the most difficult moments in my documentary.

And yet, zoos continue to claim that they serve education and conservation.

But what do children really learn by taking your what do kids learn by going to zoos?

They see elephants in prison-like enclosures, stripped of their natural behaviors.

They do not learn how elephants travel, forage, or play.

Do they not witness the rich social lives that elephants are known for?

And for conservation, there's no conservation.

These animals that are bred in zoos are not returned to the wild where they belong.

They are there only to make money for the zoos because elephants are big attractions, and they're there to keep keep the zoos in profit, not for the betterment of these animals, and certainly not for the education of our children.

At the time where people in your country are deeply concerned about threats to human rights and freedoms.

They deserve too to live freely.

The life stories of Billy and Tina, which is what brought me here, who recently endured a traumatic transfer from the Los Angeles Zoo to another zoo, the Talsa Zoo, is just tragic.

It's just tragic.

They could have lived out the remaining years in a sanctuary free for the first time in decades.

What a beacon of hope that would have been for the dark for these dark times.

Instead, they are languishing in another zoo, stripped again of everything that is important for them to survive and thrive.

And I am grateful to you, Councilmember Bob Loomfield, and others who fought for their release to a true sanctuary.

We are going to win.

But there is hope.

There is hope.

When I speak to young people today, they are rejecting zoos.

They are not going because they realize that zoos are nothing more than prisons for animals, and that gives me hope.

And in my own country of Canada, which I'm very proud to say, the Jane Goodall Act has just passed through our Senate.

We are going to be the first country in the world to end elephant and great ape captivity.

And I am very proud of that.

We worked very hard for that.

And I'm hoping that other countries, such as yours, will take our example.

And the other thing, the other bit of hope that I saw when I was making this film was in Argentina, Argentina.

In Buenos Aires, they have closed down their zoos, and they now have an eco-park where children can learn all about wild animals using robotics and 3D animation.

And it was joyful to sit there and watch this and film and see the excitement in the children's eyes.

And the message from the eco park is so different from the message here at Zoos that the children need to protect the wild, not only for the sake of these animals, but for the sake of our c of our planet and for our sake alone.

It was extraordinary thing to see, and we need to replicate that here.

I really appreciate it.

I hope you will join me on Sunday to view the stolen lives of elephants.

Education is key to change, and change is only possible if we open our hearts and minds to the truth.

Together, we can create a more just world, and one that includes freedoms for elephants and freedom for all the wild animals that we share this planet with.

Thank you.

And uh I'd like to give you a certificate on behalf of the city of Los Angeles.

So if you would accept a small token of appreciation for for all that you've done and for putting this film together, and I urge everyone to go check out the film on the 28th.

That's the Sepulveda screening room.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr.

Blumenfield.

All right, next, we will hear from Council District 2, Mr.

Nazarian.

Thank you, Council President.

Dear colleagues and guests, thank you for joining me today to celebrate Mono Lake Day.

September 28th is Mono Lake Day, a day dedicated to celebrating more than 30 years of environmental stewardship and balancing natural resource protection with domestic water supply needs.

Mono Lake Day reminds us that Los Angeles can meet the challenges of climate change while protecting the places that make California special.

This day of celebration was established in 2024 to recognize the state water resources control board's decision 1631, which balanced protections for Mono Lake with the human right to water.

The restoration of Mono Lake is considered one of California's most significant environmental success stories.

Mono Lake is not only a spectacular natural wonder, but also a living symbol of how Los Angeles can balance water reliability with environmental stewardship.

Since 1994, we've invested nearly 50 million dollars in enhancing the ecosystem wildlife and recreation in Mono Basin.

These efforts include restoring approximately 20 miles of streams, including over 800 acres of wetlands, and completing numerous habitat enhancement projects.

Colleagues, I'm joined today by Jamie Valenzuela, LADWP's manager of policy and planning for Owens Lake and Mono Basin, who can speak to DWP's work at Mono Lake.

Good afternoon, distinguished commissioners.

My name is Jaime Valenzuela.

I'm the manager of the Owens Lake uh dust mitigation program and manager of policy and planning for Mono Basin.

Um I've been a humble city servant for since since 2005.

Uh, and I'm happy to be here continuing my work.

Uh I'm gonna add on a little bit to what uh commissioner and a council member Nazarian mentioned.

So today we recognize more than 30 years of successful environment environmental restoration and a continued commitment to protecting the environment and resources at Mono Lake and the surrounding basin, it's not just Mono Lake.

This has allowed up to 200,000 Angelinos access to the most affordable environmentally protected and energy and efficient water source available, and that is Mono Basin.

Since decision D1631 was implemented in 1994, DWP has restored, as Nazarian mentioned, 20 miles of riparian habitat in tributary creeks and streams, such as Rush, uh Creek, Walker, Parker, and Lee Vining Creeks.

So DWP diverts water from the tributary creeks, not it does not take water from the actual lake itself.

In addition, it has restored over 800 acres of wetlands such as such that fish populations are once again thriving.

It has carefully managed reservoir storage levels to protect downstream ecosystems.

It has managed stream and channel flows during wet and dry normal hydrologic years to mimic what mother nature naturally does.

And that's just in the surrounding area, but at Mono Mono Lake itself, these efforts having our efforts have increased uh brine and shrimp fly abundance such that the bird populations are once again colonizing.

It has enhanced the creation of scenic beauty in the area, such that it's now a nice tourist attraction, and even some folks sell calendars with beautiful pictures on them of Mono Mono Lake.

Uh, it has improved their quality such that Lee Vining, the population center of Mono Basin, has not had a single air quality violation in the last 10 years.

And lastly, the lake level has gradually risen by 10 feet while all other western terminal lakes in the United States have declined.

At this moment, Mono Lake levels are completely dependent on hydrology, which is means how many dry years in a row and how many wet years in a row do we get.

I want to highlight how this has happened, and it's super important to recognize this.

DWP, since D uh D1631 was implemented, DWP has reduced diversions from the tributary streams by 85%.

The most that LADWP can export for Mono Basin is 16,000 acre feet.

But on average, over the last 10 years, we've only taken 9200 acre feet.

On a daily basis, DWP staff work tirelessly to carefully balance the water needs for four million Angelinos with the water supply condition in the eastern Sierras as well as the rest of the state.

It looks at hydrologic forecasts on determine how much storage we need for next year, along with the environmental and operational requirements of the aqueduct and our amended water licenses.

DWP has implemented dozens of environmental restoration projects in Mono Basin at a cost of over 50 million dollars and is planning right now to uh do modifications to Grant Lake, which are currently estimated at over 200 million.

DWP has become a leader in public outreach, economic development, community investments with that focus on environmental stewardship.

This includes providing recreational access to over 300,000 acres of pristine land.

Lastly, and most importantly, we must recognize the financial sacrifices that the LA City residents have had to bear.

To put this in perspective, Mono Basin once provided one-fifth of the city's annual water supply, which suddenly disappeared in 1994.

And to deal with this, LA had to increase its purchased water from imported sources such as the Colorado River and the State Water Project.

Not only is that water four to five times more expensive than aqueduct or mono basin water, but also these sources are environmentally strained and overallocated, such that their long-term reliability is in doubt.

Angelinos are making huge investments in it to expand local water supply such that recycle such as recycled water, groundwater, and stormwater capture.

Over the next 30 years, Angelinos will invest 26 billion dollars in recycled water.

Los Angeles has transformed into one of the most water efficient cities in the United States, and it's reduced its water use by 40% over the last 30 years, despite population growth of one million.

Because of these sacrifices, we have a duty as as representatives to provide Angelinos, especially those in disadvantaged communities that make up 50% of the city population with the most affordable and reliable energy efficient and environmentally sustainable water available.

Particularly this means that even as we expand our local water supplies, the city must hold on to its remaining water rights in the eastern Sierra and Mono Basin, as any further losses in these rights would result in more financial burden to Angelinos who've already sacrificed enough.

For example, if we if the city lost its remaining water rights in Mono Basin, it would cost Angelinos an additional 24 million to 80 million dollars a year in replacement water cost.

In short, today we not only recognize more than 30 years of successful equilibrium between environmental resource protection and urban water needs, but also we recognize the sacrifices that Angelinos have made to make all of this a reality.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for that presentation, Jamie.

You know, it's interesting, uh, constraint allows us to think beyond our barriers and our certain limitations, and think creatively about how we need to deliver a certain service.

And I appreciate what LADWP has done under the constraints that it's been imposed to make sure that environment is being protected while the need life essential needs of LA residents are being met.

Today I'm also joined by Jeff McCulkin, executive director of the Mono Lake Committee, which was formed in 1978 and has advocated for Mono Lake while also educating the next generation on WISE water use.

Please join me in welcoming Mr.

Jeff McQuilkin to say a few words.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jeff.

Good morning.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here to celebrate Mono Lake Day, and to address the council.

Appreciate the opportunity.

Mono Lake Day is September 28th.

That'll be on Sunday this year.

And it is the actual anniversary of the state water board decision back in 1994, 31 years ago, that the city and all the parties that, well, had a lot of water disputes at the time agreed to as the path forward a sustainable future for the city and for Mono Lake.

As Councilmember Nazarian said, I'm Jeff McQuilkin.

I'm the executive director of the Mono Lake Committee.

We are a 16,000 member nonprofit organization, grassroots group, founded indeed almost 50 years ago, to protect and restore Mono Lake and its tributary streams through sustainable water solutions, and to share these special places with youth and with the public through education programs.

Mono Lake, if you haven't been there, we invite you to come visit.

But to summarize, Mono Lake's a vast inland sea of exceptional ecological, cultural, recreational, and scenic value.

Angelinos and folks from around the world visit Mono Lake and join the unique Tufa towers, the recreational experiences that the lake provides, and the millions of migratory and nesting birds that depend on the Salt Lake and its special ecosystem for food and for shelter.

Now the lake is indeed 300 miles away from this room that we meet today.

And so what's the connection?

The Los Angeles Aqueduct is the connection between the lake and the waters of its tributaries and the city.

As a result, choices made about water use in Los Angeles directly affect the health of Mono Lake.

Indeed, back in the 1900s, the lake lost half of its volume and doubled in salinity due to excessive water diversions, pushing it toward ecological collapse.

Now, today the city really views water management quite differently.

Part of celebrating Mono Lake Day is honoring decades of working together on collaborative local supply water solutions.

And this has really made a difference, I think.

Jaime highlighted some of the progress that's been made in the Mono Basin.

There's all kinds of details we could do an afternoon presentation about that you don't uh want to hear from me, but I'll summarize to say that we have a restoration program at Mono Lake and on the tributary streams that is going in the right direction.

It's making progress, but we have some distance to travel still.

Here in Los Angeles, the impressive water conservation accomplishments of residents and the commitment of the city and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to expanding local water supply, such as stormwater capture, water recycling, projects like the Tillman Plant that's expanding right now, make a shared and sustainable water future possible.

Mono Lake Day is an opportunity to celebrate that together we've committed to protecting Mono Lake and the biodiversity of its unique ecosystem.

The uh state water board that set the uh protection uh plan back in 1994 established a lake level of 6,392 feet above sea level as a healthy level designed to be a nature-based solution and address a myriad of concerns about the lake's decline, uh everything from the salinity of the lake and the health of the ecosystem to uh controlling dust storms that come off the exposed lake bed, uh, to addressing uh the cultural heritage and future of the Mono Lake Cutetica tribe.

Um the great thing about that decision uh was that all the parties and there were there were many state agencies and federal agencies in Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power and the Mono Lake Committee, National Audubon Society, and a whole lot more all agreed uh that protecting the lake and accepting the board's decision uh was the path forward.

Nobody appealed it.

We've moved on to implementing it.

Um, we do have some work to do ahead of us because the lake is only halfway to that management level that was established.

And so Mono Lake Day is a good opportunity to celebrate and also a moment to renew our shared commitment to raising the lake, restoring health, and getting the job done.

A sustainable future, uh, a sustainable water future is vital and achievable for both Mono Lake and for Los Angeles.

Um, and as the uh resolution uh says, in fact, uh it highlights that Los Angeles and Mono Lake supporters are united together in a joint commitment to environmental justice, biodiversity, local water, and a future in which lakes, streams, cities, wildlife, and people all have an opportunity to thrive together.

So thank you for the opportunity to speak today and to recognize Mono Lake.

We appreciate it greatly.

Thank you, Jeff.

Thank you very much.

Colleagues, Mono Basin water remains a vital source of reliable and energy efficient uh water for Los Angeles.

It could serve up to 200,000 residents, that's as it's been mentioned annually while generating green power that helps the city meet sustainability goals.

At the same time, Mono Lake has experienced a steady recovery, even as other saline-based lakes in the arid west have declined.

And the city's ability to use Mono Basin water also reduces reliance on water from stressed water systems, including the State Water Project and the Colorado River.

So, I know this is not a sexy topic, but it's what we survive on.

Let's celebrate three decades of success and renew our commitment to preserving the natural beauty and the ecosystem of Mono Lake while ensuring the reliability of water supply here in Los Angeles.

Thank you all very much for your attention to this life-essential matter, and uh I very much look forward to continuing the work that we've been doing as chair of INE with the Mono Lake Committee.

Thank you so much.

And as a recognition of today, there is a resolution that I'd like to present as well to the Mono Lake Committee.

Thank you again for your attention, and thank you for coming out to be recognized.

Thank you so much, uh Mr.

Nazaring for this presentation, and thank you for all the information you share for us.

You know, uh our the availability of water some is something all Angelinos take for granted as we should, but that doesn't uh the water literally just doesn't fall out of the sky into our faucets.

Uh lots of work and planning is done uh over decades for it.

So we thank you for the work that you all have done and will do uh to make the city of Los Angeles the uh metropolis that it is.

Councilmember Yaroslavsky.

Thank you.

Just real fast, I want to thank the Mono Lake Committee for decades of hard work.

Thank you, Jeff, for being here.

Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of Mono Lake uh and its ecosystem.

Um there's still plenty more work to do.

We're not we're you know, progress is not victory.

Uh and so I really appreciate you being here and making the time and continuing to advocate on behalf of an ecosystem that we directly impact and have an obligation to continue um to partner with you all to make sure we're doing what we can to prevent economic degradation.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Yaroslavsky, our present energy and environment chair and our past energy and environment chair for this uh great presentation today.

All right, uh Councilmember Hernandez.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Nazerian and team.

It's great to see you up there.

Um see that you're a part of that team.

I'm grateful for that.

Thank you for breaking down all the info about the benefits of the lake.

Um I it's impactful to know that we could be seeing a cost of up to $80 million dollars if we didn't have this asset.

So thank you for all the work that you do to care for it and to educate us on the importance of it.

But team, just keep doing the great work.

Uh, we're gonna need this asset for the time.

I don't I don't see if I don't I don't foresee a future, but we won't.

So thank you for your work and thank you, Councilmember.

Thank you Council President.

Alright, thank you so much.

All right, Mr.

Clerk, what's next?

Mr.

President, there's a request to continue item 21 to Wednesday, October 1st, 2025.

All right, without objection, that'll be the order.

But council may now proceed to public comment.

All right, Councilmember Hernandez.

Number 12, I'd like to be recorded as a no vote, please.

All right.

All right.

Yes, sir.

And for the record, substitute motion number 16 has been submitted for item 16.

I'm sorry, Mr.

Clark, before we go to uh public comment, I want to uh take up uh this item.

Yes, sir.

The council may now consider item 16 uh for which substitute motion Jurado Hernandez has been introduced, circulated and posted on the bulletin board.

Uh and also called special by council member Rodriguez for questions.

All right.

Uh Councilmember Rodriguez.

Yes, I have a couple of questions if the CAO would come up.

Where's that?

Yeah, we need boot, we need boosters.

Yeah.

We need some lifts over here.

Hiya.

Um so colleagues.

Uh on this item, I just wanted to preface the conversation uh before I get into my questions with the CAO.

Is uh we have before us yet another example of LASA acting uh in advance and committed obligating ourselves to funding programs, uh without our advanced permission, uh obligating us for or basically spending funds that have not yet been received as part of the HAP allocations.

Uh and so now as a result, given the fiscal crisis that we're in and the compounded effects of other approvals of expenditures that have been made by this body, we're now in a situation where we now have to figure out how we're gonna cover the costs.

And so I understand that uh we have an agreement that has been established with the county to help figure out how we achieve this.

Uh, but again, I just want to bring this part to the fore because it's yet another example of losses actions uh causing us some financial indigestion, if you will, uh, because now we got to figure out how to move resources around in order to uh meet these obligations, knowing that the state is actually redacting and and drawing back these funds.

So that being said, and I want to thank uh Mr.

Blumenfield.

I understand you had an amendment to try and assure that uh we aren't dipping into the reserve in order to do that.

However, I also want to be very clear and transparent for the public, uh, it also feels a little bit like three card Monty to me in the way that it's also being proposed.

That ultimately, while you might say we don't want to take this uh these resources, we don't want to draw it down from our reserve fund.

Uh there's some games being played, uh, from what I gather uh in order to help make sure that we can do this in utilizing ULA and how these funds get uh how these funds get utilized and how they get transmitted.

So by front funding this loan through LAHD, uh LAHG general funds.

Will we run into issues with the state around the issue of supplanting funds?

Good morning, Ed Gibson with the CAO's office.

Um no, we will not.

So the intention is to loan what would be general fund proceeds, or if we borrow from a special fund borrow for the special fund that would need to be repaid.

The state guidelines with HAP allow the entity to go back to the beginning of the fiscal year that they said they were going to allocate them.

LASSA says they're allocating them at the beginning of this fiscal year, which was July 1.

So they will be able to cover those costs and ask for reimbursement, and that will not trigger supplanting because it is stated up front that's what these are for, they just haven't received the funds yet.

If they had used some other dollars and had not made that, then we'd be having a supplanting conversation.

But this is allowed under the regs to go back retro, and that is what they're doing.

And so are there guardrails that the CAO recommends in order to ensure that LASA actually pays back this loan?

Yeah, so we good question.

Um the challenges is when you look at the actual cash flows and how things are going in.

So Lhasa has budgeted HAP funds that start that need to be expended to pay providers, particularly for things like TLS but some other programs, but we're gonna focus on time limit subsidies for that this point.

Starting July 1.

The application for HAP 6 did not go in as a region until August 29th.

It would not be expected.

You know, the city does not budget funds, it doesn't have we will do it next year, but uh it would not be expected until the award for December of 25, maybe January 26th, with an award of cash in March of 2026.

Sorry.

So I just want to get a timeline of how much and when the state issues the money, they only issue 50 percent, the first 50 percent, and then once you show all your expenditures, then you can request the second.

So when you look at the advance that we are referring to, and the county is allowed some movement of their funds and measure a dollars for the first quarter starting July 1, and then they provided an additional six million dollars.

The city is being asked uh at the beginning of October to provide nine million dollars.

Then the county and the city were uh in a conversation agreement to split what would be December, which is 17.9.

The goal was to make sure that we kept what those advances were below the 50 percent number of the HAP proceeds so that there was remaining money there making sure that we could get paid, so trying to contain that cost.

On top of that, it is also a watchful eye to make sure that the expenditures that are out there have to have some resolution, uh, to be very specific.

If this is predominantly the last round of HAP, which we will call it HAP 6, city doesn't plan on spending theirs until next year when the money's all there, but at the end of this fiscal year, Lhasa will have committed all its money and it needs to make sure everybody who's in that program is taken care of, which is another one of the complexity problems that we will be discussing continually throughout this end of this fiscal year.

So we've tried to limit our exposure as best we can to only half of the HAP commitment, but um there's still be some challenges there, and we will continue to work with Lhasa to make sure we progress with resolutions because at the end of this fiscal year you cannot have all these same obligations because there is no more HAP proceeds available.

And thank you for saying that because it again, we have been put in this adverse situation without our permission.

It was advanced.

Uh, these decisions were being made by Lhasa, and so now we're trying to figure out how to cover all of those pieces.

And um, so you know, I understand the uh the notes uh they'll come back in 60 days uh with to identify the special fund that could be used to repay the housing department and the HAP 6 funding uh will in turn cover the special fund, right?

When those dollars are received, it is intended to go back and cover what is transferred by the special fund.

Correct.

So there is an apologies, there is an amending motion in front of you.

So when the first original motion was introduced, it was back in June, and things change over the course of time, and then it went to committee, H and H committee, and then H and H, and then eventually came out and had another amendment, and then it went to budget and uh finance a while ago, and here it is.

That's a lot of time that's passed, and then that motion had a comment that report back in 30 days.

But the request originally was LASA needed the money the beginning of October.

Oh, right.

If that's approved, you cannot report back in 30 days.

Right.

And so it's already and it's being effectuated.

So it was the timing.

So we just provided tried to provide an amendment here, like if this is the goal of what we need to do, here's a way we can try to get there, and we'll come back and address all the amendments and other things if if this is if this is what the council wants.

Um we have the funds that were allocated in the general fund for Lhasa for the year in the budget.

And so in order to make the October 1st payment, if we're gonna agree, advance the fourth quarter dollars, not the third quarter because we're gonna need those, but the fourth quarter dollars now, and they will cover that nine million dollars, and then we will come back with using a loan from the special fund to one repay that nine that nine plus million dollars, and the balance of whatever we're gonna need to pay in December, which is at this moment, projected between what half of that 17.9 but uh uh number that's noted.

Got it.

Well, and again, I I understand that uh you know the circumstances that are now before us given that this has been delayed in having this conversation, but yet here we are with the yet again a gun to our head to make a decision uh about this.

I'd like to offer a friendly amendment uh requesting that the CAO explore guardrails that could be put in place in order to ensure repayment.

Uh that uh okay, and um, and you know, I just you know I want to say that again we're we're having a conversation around an agency that has continued to create more challenges for us than solve.

Um, and we already know some of the other issues that have been exposed with respect to TLS and the issues around LASA's uh commingling of funds uh that has caused us greater challenges, and so you know I understand that this funding is supporting the service providers who work across all of our districts and the need for us to keep these services going.

We know how important it is, uh, however, we can't continue to operate this way where we have these circumstances where we're having to uh go back and figure out how to place resources and move money around, especially at such uh at a time with incredible fiscal crisis.

So it's uh it's unfortunate that we continue to be put as a body in this position, but it's a reminder of how incumbent it is upon us as a body to have a really hard conversation about how we go forward.

We can't keep playing this game, and yet we continue to find ourselves in this circumstance where these same conversations keep happening we keep circling circling the drain on these conversations, and it's infuriating.

So, you know, as we look ahead to the loss of state funding, which we know is the reality, the loss of federal funding, which we know is a reality.

Uh we can't continue to enable this partnership with Lhasa that continues to put us in a uh in a reactive position and a scramble, both because of the lack of timeliness to address these concerns as they as they come before us.

Again, as you mentioned, uh we asked for a 60-day report back, but here we are.

We're you know, too late.

The gun is to our head, we have to do this because it's uh the you know bills are due in October, so it's uh these are self-inflicted wounds that need to stop, but they will only stop when this body has an honest and hard conversation about what the future looks like, specifically with respect to Lhasa.

Thank you.

Alright, uh what's before us, Ms.

Clark?

Mr.

President.

Uh, the substitute motion number sixteen, Jura Hernandez has been introduced.

Uh vote is required to uh on the question whether to substitute.

All right, let's open the roll on that question.

Close the roll, child would like to vote.

Yes, eleven eyes.

Alright, what's next?

A verbal amendment uh introduced by council member Rodriguez has been introduced.

Is there a second to this motion?

Is that friendly?

Do we need a vote?

I think it's friendly.

We need a vote.

No.

If it's friendly, it's it's been accepted by the mover.

Councilmember Jurado.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right, what's next?

The council may now vote on the substitute motion number sixteen.

Alright, let's open the roll.

As amended.

Open the roll, close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Eleven eyes.

Alright, what's next?

In regards to Councilmember Hernandez's request to change your vote for item 12 for the record.

That would be eight eyes and two no's, which does not change the outcome of the vote.

All right.

Can we uh go to public comment from here?

Yes, sir.

All right.

Mr.

City Attorney.

Yes, Mr.

President.

To people providing public comment, when it's your turn to speak, please state which of the agenda items you'd like to speak to.

You'll have one minute per item, up to three minutes total for the items open for public comment.

We will tell you when your time is up.

When speaking on the agenda items, you must be on topic.

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

If you are not on topic, or if we cannot tell whether you're on topic, you will get one brief warning from me or the council president.

At that point, you need to get immediately and clearly on topic.

If you do not do so, or if you again stray off topic, you will forfeit the rest of your speaking time, and we will move on to the next speaker.

The items open for public comment on the agenda are items 18 through 20 and items 22.

So again, the items open for public comment on the agenda are items numbers 18 through 20 and item 22.

Item number 21 was continued to next Wednesday, October 1st, and is thus not open for public comment.

Members of the public may also speak for up to one minute for general public comment.

During general public comment, members of the public may speak to any of the items or anything else in the city's subject matter jurisdiction.

I have a couple more announcements.

If I could have are the Spanish language interpreters here.

Yes.

Thank you.

If I could have the interpreters make this first one aloud to the room.

Don't worry.

We will pause your time while the interpreters are interpreting, so you will get the same amount of time as everyone else.

Thank you.

One final announcement, in order to help us run an efficient public comment period, would ask that you please wait until you hear the name that you signed up under read aloud before lining up.

So after you hear the name that you signed up under read aloud or called out aloud, you can line up in any order, and we will proceed with public comment.

Thank you.

I will begin by calling the following names.

Kathy Schreiner, President Van Eyes Neighborhood C, Kevin J.

Davis, Manny P, Candido, and Giselle.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Okay.

So you have two minutes for the items and one minute for general.

And so for people who this is your first time or it's been a while, you'll see two minutes on the clock at first.

That's for the items, and then you'll get an additional minute after that for general if you request general public comment.

So go ahead, we'll start with two minutes for the items.

Thank you very much.

So for item 19, this is the one regarding um EPA wanting to withdraw the funding, the findings about the um harmfulness of fossil fuel and changing regulations regarding vehicles.

I'm really happy the city is taking an opposition to that position.

Then item 20 about holding meetings here at Van Ice City Hall.

We're very happy that you're here, and I hope that you will do this monthly as you have them doing.

I didn't say that I am president of the Van Ice Neighborhood Council.

I'm speaking as an individual, but I do welcome you here to Van I.

My general public comment is with regard to native trees.

Um the urban forestry division has been very resistant on adding native trees to the list of approved street trees, and we're very concerned about that because native trees are well adapted to this environment and encourage biodiversity.

And specifically for us in Van Nuys, as the East San Fernando Light Rail Line is going in, they're gonna take out about six miles of sidewalk and take out most of the trees along those six miles.

And we really want to see more native trees included in the pallet that will be allowed to be used for that purpose.

So I urge all the council members to help us in our campaign to get urban forestry to be open to including more native trees in the approved street tree list.

Thank you very much.

Before the next speaker begins, I would like to call up Dolores, Jennifer Clark, Jenny Collin, Sergeant Gunny Dan, and Pastor James Thomas.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

I'd like to speak on item 20 and general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for the item and one minute for general.

Go ahead.

Speaking on this particular item, I was a little puzzled to see that the motion authorizing this meeting today is on this meeting's agenda.

If you guys are going to continue to meet out here on Friday, I think that's great, as I urge you last month, we'd love to have you guys come out the valley more.

But uh I think instead of doing one every month, you should pass uh a motion to cover all the meetings through the end of the year and just get it over with, at least the end of the fiscal year.

Uh, in terms of general public comment, I'd like to uh commend the discussions on water today, but I'd also like to point out as a neighborhood council president from an area that is heavily equestrian.

Um, a lot of my equestrian members are using uh portable water to keep dust under control and to keep weeds down and other things.

Water that could be used for general drinking.

Uh yet DWP, their purple water program, is very limited.

It is open two days a week, and it's down in the the zoo area.

Um I know that Wreck and Parks uses potable water, and I know sanitation is involved with the potable water program.

I'd like to urge the council to urge DWP and these departments that use the potable water to consider expanding the program.

In my area, for example, opening a station up at Hansen Dam so they can get the water with having to drive all the way to the zoo to get their water.

And I encourage especially those board members who have equestrians in their their areas.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Oh my god, oh my god.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Item 20 and uh public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead and begin with uh item 20.

Uh well, first of all, I want to tell smoke and scan uh kiss my butt if you think I'm uh kissing the uh and I'm not related to that.

This has to do with 20, sir, which has to do with this meeting being here.

And every time on smoke and scan, if you in any way compliment something good that comes out of this council, they want to call you whatever names.

So I have a right to call back because it is part of what's happening in this city.

And we were promised so many times that these meetings would take place here, and we went for years without it.

So Mr.

City Attorney, I'd appreciate it, okay?

I've been here 36 years.

You've been here what two years?

36 years.

I've seen the best, and I've seen the worst.

So I'm not being disrespectful, sir.

But when uh Ms.

Um Padilla does something like this, and you folks agree to meet here, we appreciate it.

We appreciate it.

We don't have to talk about secession, we don't have to talk about why doesn't the co city general public comment not like us?

All right, let's move on.

Uh I've got some pictures here.

I want to uh send some more uh work towards my Porter Ranch, old Porter Ranch.

Look at that.

Says no parking, 6 a.m.

to 6 p.m.

to 6 a.m.

Yet the old council and you folks continue this.

Now, why does Mr.

John Lee's area get to have those signs in force?

I mean, you spit and somebody arrest you.

But yet old Van I's look at what's happening there.

You know what I was told by one of the people from uh one of the fire areas who said, Candino, is that old Van Isa?

Excuse me, old Porter Ranch?

I said, Yeah, yeah.

So, you know, if they all those homes burnt down, all those old homes, you know what developers could do there?

There's no more land up there.

There's no more land.

Now let me just do this quickly.

What do you think is going to start the fires?

Fireworks, which was just last week, cigarettes, or do you think marijuana?

I mean, because come on up, get loaded.

Why are you?

Speaker, your time has expired.

Next speaker.

Mr.

Candido, you can provide whatever you need to submit to the sergeants, uh, but we need you to vacate the podium so we can move on to the next speaker.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

General comment, uh, items 19 and 20.

I did want to do 21, but I understand it's been moved.

Okay.

Yes, 21 will be available uh next week when it's heard the council.

Uh so you have two minutes for the items and one minute for general.

Please begin with the items.

Go ahead.

Sure.

Oh, the items.

My name is Jennifer Clark.

I am the vice president of North Hollywood Northeast Neighborhood Council and Council District 2 and Council District 6.

Speaking as an individual today, we'll start with item 19.

I understand that rules elections and intergovernmental relations committee waived the consideration for this item.

However, I believe that that was not the best decision.

There are several layers of this issues related to the EPA's proposed reconsideration of the 2009 endangerment findings and actions based on it.

For more recent climate scientific studies in the last 15 years, since as well as consideration of their own legal authority.

Given that the written comment period for this rule ended September 22nd, I don't believe that there was a need for the rush to a full city council vote.

Um and recommend that the council actually refer this back to committee for item 20.

I continue to support this motion to bring the city council meetings to the valley.

In the future, please always consider that maybe we'd want you here more than once a month.

We would really love that.

Um and also consider a different day of the week than Friday.

It's not always available for those who have to work the weekends, uh, which usually starts on the Friday.

So thank you for making this happen each time.

We do appreciate it.

And then on to general comment.

So more and more motions are being made to shift Los Angeles away from the car centric infrastructure, along with measure HLA, Mobility Plan 2035, etc.

However, I'd only see or hear of our wonderful city council members making this shift to public transportation themselves.

If you were, I believe you would understand the serious issues with dependability and public safety.

For example, I was mugged on the Metro Red Line heading back home from a meeting near City Hall in May.

I had someone attack us using the throne bathroom at the Metro Little Tokyo in August.

And earlier this week, a good friend was waiting for the bus in Hollywood.

Someone suddenly turned and decided to pepper spray all those who are around them.

So I challenge you all to walk, ride in the shoes of those in our community who have to take public transportation.

They don't have the choice currently.

Do a day in the life, do a week in a life, maybe make it your daily life.

Discover the issues, work on the solutions before you ask more Angelinos to use it, please be the example.

Thank you for your time.

Next speaker.

Before the next speaker begins, I would like to call up the following names.

Keenan La Torrens, Lionel, Ice and Jesse Jet.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Well, I wanted to speak on item 21, but since that's been that's been taken off, I will speak on something else.

My name is uh Pastor James Thomas.

One minute for general.

Go ahead.

You took my minute.

Can I get my minute back?

Yes?

No.

Do we restart it?

Go ahead.

Okay.

Um, I'm on the Charter Reform Commission.

And because I'm on the Charter Reform Commission, I have been told by past commissioners that we are basically rubber stamps, that we're working hard and we're trying to get things done, but there is, but you all already have your plan in place.

And so I've come to ask you, is that true?

And I'll be sending an email to each of you because I don't have time to waste.

This city really, really has needs.

And so if you all already have a plan in place, we need to know.

And also we need to know that if your plan impact how it impacts black folks, the other thing that I'd like to say is that every time we come here, we are limited to a certain number of minutes, and it seems as if no one is listening to us.

And so what I'm asking is is that each of you would come to one of the uh commission meetings, one of the one of the commission meetings.

I've seen a couple of you, but if this is important to you, Speaker, Commissioner Thomas, I know.

We have to give everyone the same amount of time.

But I may as well do what I always do.

But I have to advise you, please do not.

We have to give everyone the same amount of time.

So good memory.

I haven't thrown you out of a meeting in like a year, so you're disrupting the meeting.

It's your first warning.

Okay.

Before the next speaker begins, I would like to call up the following names.

Ohio, Harry, Harriet Elliott, Caroline Fu, Veronica, and Bobby.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Uh good morning, general public comment, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

My name is Jenny Colon, and I am a member of ACE, and I also live in Imelda Padilla's district.

And I'm here to urge the council to pass Larso and to pass the 3% cap.

If you look at the attendees today, there are no Latinos.

They're all working, their butts off at work.

And we cannot afford another wave of rental increases.

We're already receiving notices.

We have met with several of your offices, have held town halls in your districts, and yet we're we still have opposition.

But the people of LA have survived devastating fires, continuing ice raids, and we need relief.

The economic roundtable has already shown that renters are disproportionately effective.

And we need you to stand with the residents of Los Angeles to cap the rent at 3%.

Please cap the rent at 3%.

Thank you.

Okay, and as we wait for the next speaker to come up, just as an announcement to everyone here.

But the next speaker may say some very offensive things.

Obviously, we hope that he doesn't.

To the extent that it does offend you, and it might, we appreciate your patience.

If you'd like, you're more than welcome to take a quick walk outside and come back afterwards.

You're also more than welcome to listen if you prefer to do so.

Um but again, we appreciate your patience.

Mr.

Herman, you have three minutes for the items and one minute for general public comment.

Go ahead.

Prior restraint is a violation of my first amendment, first of all.

And uh you're triggering events that are gonna cost you some liability, sir.

So this is not on the agenda.

So this is your only warning.

Hold on, pauses time, hold on.

Your time is paused.

So this is not on the agenda.

You're welcome to speak to it during general public comment if you'd like, but for the next two minutes and 41 seconds, please stick to the agenda items.

Go ahead.

Um item 18.

By the way, smoking scanning Katie, hello, I'm back.

Uh, relative to the acceptance of the annual public benefits in C D 14, I find that the charges of making people homeless, the planning to make people homeless, the development of making people homeless is unconstitutional, and that's the reason why you refuse to allow me to speak on item 21 today regarding the LA Alliance.

But again, ladies and gentlemen, if you turn to page 19 of the agenda, item 16 relates to this issue.

Now, item number 16 is not open for public comment.

You can continue with 19.

That's what I'm talking about.

You continue to interrupt the public speakers.

Stop interfering with my free speech.

Stop intimidating me on my free speech.

You have been warned multiple times.

This is your final warning.

Stick to the items.

I'm going to move you to general public comment.

Yeah, so here we go.

Once again, item number 19.

Bloom jujufield, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, have discriminated against you, the public, on infringement of endangerment regarding greenhouse gases.

Why is that?

Well, let me cite for the record Brandenburg versus Ohio.

US 395 444 1969 for the record.

I'm not gonna use my free speech and saying what it says.

So I'm gonna move you to general public comment.

I'm not finished, sir.

You have one minute for general public comment.

You were warned multiple times.

So you have one minute for general.

So I'm going into my non-agenda public comment asshole, you fucking criminal, you fucking asshole from Korea.

Go back with their illegal immigration shit.

This is not in the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles City Council.

Agenda, it has to do a lot with it.

You're in general public comment.

Non-agenda public comment, foo.

Sambo, I know where I'm at.

So Keenan and the case of Keenan, K E E N A N, in the case file number 26591130-14.

Fuck with here and fuck your beliefs.

The first amendment is about free speech, not censorship, monitoring speech, or having some asshole insult me back there, Mr.

Groat.

You hear that jackass?

You hear that jackass?

Come on.

Dumb nigga.

For the record.

You're done.

Goodbye.

All right.

We appreciate everyone's patience.

Thank you very much.

Mr.

Herman, you are on multiple levels of probation, so I remind you that if you are removed from this meeting, you will be suspended from multiple meetings.

We should not hear from you again during this meeting.

That was it.

That was your public speaking time.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

20.

I uh like Candido, but uh I know he's from here, Fan Eyes, and of course he wants a meeting here, but I don't.

That's all.

Um, I'm gonna talk about uh directed energy, and this woman.

Okay, so I'm gonna give you one minute for general public comment, but I'm gonna ask that you please tie your comments to something within the subject matter jurisdiction of this body.

Go ahead, you have one minute.

No, I'm going to public comment.

Yeah, yes, okay.

Uh it has to do with directed energy.

Uh and the expense of directed energy.

While the price tag for hypersonic missiles continues to start approaching 600 million per missile, the cost for laser pulse continues to drop, approaching about a dollar per shot.

Okay, these by the way, these books are totally understandable.

Also, Star Wars is uh totally understandable.

85 when Reagan uh brought out Star Wars.

By the way, he learned it from not from the Army.

No, he didn't learn any of that from the Army.

Uh the newest uh uh huge book called Transhuman Genocide is written by someone more conservative than Herman Herman, more conservative than Trump.

If you go to Wikipedia, you see he's more conservative than Trump.

His name is Ron Johnson, okay?

He wrote a good book, and it says um the entire world is gonna be rape.

Do I have another minute?

So that was your one minute for general public comment.

We do need to move on to the next speakers.

Before the next speaker begins, I would like to call up Jasmine Watkins, Maria Brionis, Mary F, James Thomas, Boxer, and good morning.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

I have general comments.

Okay, so you have one minute.

My name is Carolyn Fouts.

I live in Woodland Hills.

I'm in Council uh Blumenfeld's district, and I'm calling, uh coming here today because there's uh Bothing Treeland Nursery, uh, which is just almost abut my property has been sold and is going to become a cemetery.

Not too bad, except for the fact that I understand that there's some terrible problems with that land.

Toxic chemicals, we understand there are some forever chemicals on that land.

What we're looking for is an environmental impact report before there's any construction moving forward there.

Um, there's also a water table issue with that land.

Um, it seems like if you're going to bury people in the ground, you need to know that it's not going to flood and have mudslides, which it has a history of doing.

Um, it reminds me of New Orleans where they have to build the uh uh graves on top.

Please, environmental impact report.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

Public comment.

Okay, so uh, and you'll have one minute, but before you begin, it's a little hard to hear you, so I don't know if you can scoot a little.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Good morning, council members, and thank you for the work that you do.

I have prepared remarks since I have one minute.

Today I'm here to speak about the upcoming cemetery proposal in Valley Circle and Woodland Hills for the former Boating Nursery site.

I urge you do not rubber stamp without an independent, comprehensive environmental testing.

I come not in opposition to the development, but in defense of public health, due diligence in our community's long-term safety.

The London Valley Circle was used as a nursery for over 30 years, involving chemicals like DDT, another forever chemical substances known to persist in soil and water for decades.

These toxins don't disappear, they move into the air when disturbed.

They can cause tyroid disease, immune disorders, liver damage, cancers, and even developmental issues in children.

These are documented concerns recognized globally.

I urge you to please do not approve when it does come to your desk.

Thank you.

Before the next speaker begins, I would like to call Michael Williams and Helena Jimenez, Thunderbird, Nora Jimenez, and Richard Serrano.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

General comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Uh my name is Yasmin Monet Watkins.

I live in this district.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I'm a community member here today to implore this board to remove Errol Southers from the Los Angeles Police Commission.

Uh he's supposed to, it's supposed to be a board that represents us, and I'm here today to say that he does not represent Angelinos.

Rather than holding police accountable, he has instigated and empowered police uh to repress us and for violence while silencing and criminalizing dissent.

I appreciate you all listening to me today.

Uh delaying the vote today, I see that it's delayed, delaying the vote today is approval based on the city charter.

I implore you to vote no.

I'm I'm one of your residents.

Please consider what I have to say.

Is that all right?

Thank you.

Before the next speaker begins, I would like to call up Gordy, Jan Williams, Tiki, Crystal, and Maria T.

Okay, and before we begin, Mr.

Candido, this is your first and a formal meet warning.

Please do not disrupt the people speaking into the mic.

We need they're trying to read names aloud so the public can hear who's up next.

Good morning, speaker.

Which items would you like to speak to?

General public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

So this ducking this vote over Errol Southers is is very cowardly.

We just found out that the city charter says you have 45 days to vote on this, and today is day 45.

So, how are you going to vote on this when it's going to be automatically approved?

We need an answer for that.

We need an answer.

Because for the folks in the audience, Errol Southers, the police commissioner, once said an American who embraces a Muslim identity ideology within the United States is a homegrown violent extremist.

That's the person that they want to appoint to the LA police commission.

That's the person that they're cowardly holding their vote so that they get automatically approved.

So I want to answer.

Are you going to have an ability to vote no on this man?

Are you going to just let him be automatically approved and be cowards?

Next speaker.

Hello, so yeah, I would like to make a quick announcement.

If there are any speakers who have not spoken but would like to speak, please sign up on your left-hand side.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Uh, general public comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Uh, my name's Bruce Shackney, and I'd also like to speak about the proposed cemetery.

The proposed cemetery is about several hundred feet from the house that I moved into 54 years ago.

I grew up in.

I went to school in the neighborhood.

Uh the neighborhood is El Camino Real High School.

It has about 3,600 students, less than half a mile away from part of where the cemetery would be.

It's on Valley Circle Boulevard, which is an extremely congested street as it is.

Uh adding a cemetery with cemetery traffic with funeral processions in a neighborhood that has two schools, not just El Camino, but also Hale Junior High School with another almost 2,000 students, I think is a public safety issue.

Uh, it's gonna create a lot of potential accidents, uh risks to the children, the school children in the neighborhood, including my 11-year-old daughter, and just like there needs to be an environmental review, I really think there needs to be some kind of traffic review and an analysis of the impact.

Thank you very much.

Okay, 20 general comment and 21 was continued, right?

Correct.

So you'll have one minute for 20 and one minute for general public comment.

Go ahead.

So this is so weird what you do with this stuff.

You you see apparently you're having an unapproved meeting at Van I's City Hall because you're apparently approving it today.

So it sounds like uh you uh you're not actually you haven't actually approved having this meeting here.

So is this meeting even legitimate since you apparently never actually voted to have the meeting here?

Why why can't you do that in advance?

Like you're just trying.

You're just actively trying to get lawsuits or weird or weird legal issues here.

Like, why can't you vote on this beforehand?

But you should have a, you know, you should have a schedule, but nah, just you know, let's just put it today or just after you're already having the meeting.

Okay, general public comment.

So, what you're trying to do here with this Errol Southers nomination is either either a lot an act of incompetence or an act of severe malice and trying to avoid having to have all of you on the record as to whether you support Errol Southers or not.

Because it seems like, according to the city charter, if you don't vote on it today, it's going to just be automatically confirmed.

And why aren't he's gonna be automatically reconfirmed?

Why aren't any progressives?

You know, Hugo, you voted against him at committee.

Why aren't you objecting to this and saying, no, we are going to vote no on him today?

We don't want you to continue it.

We want you to vote today and to vote no.

No on Southers instead of ducking this vote to uh basically avoid having a few of the vulnerable council members who are gonna lose their reelection because they're terrible council members, having them on the record supporting this is Islamophobe.

Weirdo.

Vote no on Errol Southers.

Good morning.

You have three minutes for the items and one minute for general.

Go ahead.

Oh, the fucking items.

Excuse me, I can't hear.

Is there a problem over there?

Can you put my time back to it being interrupted?

Your time is running.

You have no items if you'd like to.

We can move you to general public comment.

We can hear you just fine.

This is your only warning.

Stick to the items.

Or I'm going to move you to general public comment.

Why do I get disrupted?

Can I have my time back?

Okay, you don't want to show any respect.

Okay, fuck you, then.

So let's see.

You got here your bribe on number 16.

Item number 16 is not open for public comment.

Jeez, what the fuck is, man?

You guys have a motion to do this meeting here.

You didn't vote on it.

It's illegal.

You're violating the Brown Act.

Isabel is a lawyer.

Tell me, lawyer, you have to pass the motion before the meeting to move the meeting.

You can't move the meeting and vote after the meeting to pass the move of the meeting.

Violates the Brown Act.

So every vote you're taking today is illegal, including Southern's continuation.

So you have to think about that like Money Cow don't want to get sued no more.

So I would table all these items and not do them, or you're going to get.

In fact, you already got an intent to sue letter email to your city attorney.

Check your email box.

So let's see here.

The roadmap, a roadmap to what?

Yesterday at 12 noon, behind everybody's back, you go into closed session.

Who the fuck knew about that meeting?

That was downtown.

But it's okay to talk to somebody.

A snitch.

And they told me what you did.

Did you know Moni Cow against your wishes that they're going to use RV parking as beds in the Alliance settlement?

That's part of the roadmap.

So now you're going to get hundreds of RVs.

And they're going to put them in CD7 so they can count them as beds.

That's what they're going to do to you.

That's what UNISES is going to do to you.

That's what that 12-time and indicted felon is going to do to you.

So when you start finally fighting back, and you're not fighting back, you're Mama Mama like a MIMA fucking bird.

You need to fight fucking back legislatively by holding their budget.

She's got the right idea, but she's too chicken shit and ignorant because she does not have effective legal counsel representing her.

This guy doesn't represent her.

You've used your one minute item twenty-two.

So please move on to another item.

We don't, you know.

Go ahead.

Pick the next item for me.

Just pick me a fucking item to talk about.

The next item will be general public.

No, just pick it up.

Just tell me what number it is.

It doesn't mean a fucking thing.

What I'd say.

Does it?

But the FBI does.

They're ramping that investigation up on those homeless funds, man.

That fucking office is bacon.

So she's not here today.

And the reason why is because I contacted Marquise's office about what she's doing.

She's being naughty.

Naughty.

And now she's not here because she knows that she comes here.

She might have got served with some papers today.

So she's chickened out.

Another little chicken.

Buck, buck, buck, buck.

Like Bob.

Bob just don't even fucking pay attention to meetings over there talking to somebody.

So remember, everybody, he's got 12 felony charges there.

Grady.

Okay.

He's gonna start talking, or he's gonna spend the rest of his remaining years in prison.

And that motherfucker ain't gonna do that.

So you niggas have a good weekend.

Council President, those are all the speakers for public comment.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Clerk.

What's before us?

Mr.

President, the council may now vote on items 18 and 20.

Alright.

Items 18 and 20 are before us.

Let's open the roll.

Close the roll.

Tabulate the vote.

Eleven eyes.

Alright, what's next?

The council may now consider item 22.

Call special by Councilmember Price for recusal.

Alright, we'll give Councilmember Price a moment to recuse formally.

All right, Mr.

Price is recused.

Let's open the roll on 22.

Close the roll, tabulate the vote.

10 eyes.

Mr.

Nazarian.

Mr.

Nazarian.

I'll request the time to speak to move the ENE items for after we voted.

Thank you.

All right.

Those items will go forth with without objection.

Uh sir.

What items would those be?

Three, four, five, and six.

Thank you.

All right.

And Mr.

Price, we can welcome Mr.

Price back into the meeting.

And then what's next?

The council may not consider item 19.

Call special by Councilmember Yaroslavski for comments.

Councilmember Yaroslovski.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, today we're voting on a resolution opposing the EPA's proposal to rescind the 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding.

This finding allows the federal government to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

It recognized that climate pollution such as carbon dioxide and methane poses a direct danger to public health and welfare, separate from the traditional air pollutants, the Clean Air Act originally targeted.

Without it, the framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and other sources collapses.

Eliminating this finding does not make it any less true.

The impacts of greenhouse gas emissions appear in higher temperatures and in the real costs our communities face.

Extreme heat drives more heat-related illness, especially among children, seniors, and outdoor workers.

Wildfires made worse by climate change, destroy homes, damage infrastructure, and force evacuations.

These events create economic shocks for households, businesses, and local governments.

In LA, we've seen these costs up close.

The Palisades fire caused more than 350 million in direct damage to public infrastructure.

Total economic and insurance losses reached an estimated 25 billion dollars.

Extreme heat already costs our region almost five billion dollars each year and lost worker productivity, and that number will more than double by mid-century.

The Trump administration's proposal will strip away the legal foundation that lets us respond to this crisis.

It will eliminate greenhouse gas emission standards for new vehicles and remove one of the most important tools we have to reduce the pollution that fuels these dangerous and costly impacts.

Cities and states across the country, including California, have joined together to oppose this rollback because we experience the consequences and pay the price.

By supporting this resolution, we send a clear message.

Los Angeles will stand with science and public health and defend the tools we need to protect our residents from the rising cost of climate change.

I urge an I vote.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Yaroslovski.

Let's open the roll on this item.

Close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Alright, what's next?

Mr.

President, Council has motions for posting or referral.

They are posted and referred.

Announcements members.

Councilmember Price.

Colleagues.

I want to take a quick moment to invite you all to something special happening tomorrow in CD9.

For the first time, the annual St.

Jude walk is coming to Expo Park in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

By taking part, you'll be helping to raise funds for St.

Jude's children's research hospital, an organization that makes sure families never receive a bill for treatment.

Travel, housing, or food.

The event kicks off at 7.30 a.m.

and is open to everyone.

We'd really love to see as many of you there as possible, along with the walk.

There's going to be special guest appearances.

Fun for all.

If you'd like to join, just head to St.

Jude.org/slash uh walks so cow for details and registration.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Expo Park in the morning, 7 30.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh, Mr.

Price.

Any other announcements?

All right.

Uh, I have an announcement.

Uh colleagues on this coming Sunday.

I'll ask uh folks, the public is invited to join Council members cut, Price, and myself for the Caribbean Heritage Festival, which will be at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on King Boulevard in the upper parking deck.

This is our annual celebration of the Caribbean diaspora that's located here in Los Angeles from Central America, South America, the formal uh Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

Uh, a uh always a breathtaking event with uh lots of dancing and uh costumes as close as we get to Carnival here in the city of Los Angeles.

So that'll be Sunday starting at noon, going all the way till uh seven in the evening.

We hope to see uh as many of you there as can make it.

Uh with that, uh, Councilmember Jurado.

Thank you, Council President.

I just wanted to give a shout out today for you for the US Bank Tower stair climb, which is happening right now today, uh, from 1030 a.m.

all the way to 830 p.m.

People that have signed up as a team and participants will climb 75 stories, a thousand six hundred and sixty-four steps.

Or if that's not your style, there's a one point three uh mile urban hike in downtown to see iconic destinations.

And of course, our boys in blue and women and non-binary folks that serve in LAFD and LAPD are also doing it, and they're gonna climb all up of those stairs in their uniform.

I think I thought the record was for women for eight minutes.

I misread it.

It was eight hours.

And so they are gonna keep going.

And so there's a beer garden, there's a fair, it's all outside of the catch on YMCA tonight.

So you can go cheer on those folks who have been who are walking all the way up.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, uh, Councilman Jurado, and good luck to everybody climbing uh that prodigious tower.

Uh, any other announcements?

All right, seeing none, I'll ask everyone in the chamber to rise for journey motions.

Any adjourning motions to my right?

Adjourning motions to my left.

Seeing none, we are adjourned.

Have a good weekend, everybody.