Most women do not.

Stage three or four.

That's a very different situation.

There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer, which is another reason why women get diagnosed late.

I think the next steps is women, we just have to push forward.

As a woman who's a surgeon and a scientist who really focuses on this disease, I'm not gonna give up until we make major progress.

And we're committed to doing so.

Access to sport is vital for LA's youth.

At Nickerson Gardens, the latest edition completes a sports trifecta.

They have football fields, basketball courts, and now an LA Dodgers Dream Field will have youth stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park.

It's opportunity.

It's a point of pride.

Looks beautiful.

It's in combination with the Rams field and with the Lakers basketball courts.

It's phenomenal.

But it would also bring programming and opportunity for young boys and girls to play baseball and softball and maybe pursue some dreams.

Yeah, you know, I just can't believe when I showed up this morning and saw this field final.

Uh it is incredible.

It is the most beautiful ball field I think I've seen in a community anywhere.

This is a place where we'll be talking 20 years from now or 15 years from now that many of the players in the uh the NBA in the National Football League and the Major League Baseball.

They'll be saying when they're interviewed, I got my start on these fields here.

At the Housing Authority, we believe that it is important to create affordable housing opportunities, but also to enrich our communities with places like the Dream Field here at Nickerson Gardens.

We know that children that are active, children that are playing sports, uh, grow up to be healthy and strong and smart.

And so these fields are about these children and these young people and giving them the opportunity to thrive.

I'm very excited with the investments being made that's pouring into this community, and I'm very grateful as a leader here.

We want to say thank you very much to the Dodger Foundation to all the foundations who are poured into our community.

We're very grateful.

From that dream feel to the real field, let's go future Dodgers.

LA Civil Rights visited Cal State LA for a know your rights fair.

The department's new We Belong campaign and resources.

Let the students know their rights and let everyone know they are part of LA in these challenging times.

Today we are at my beloved alma mater, Cal State LA to launch the We Belong campaign in partnership with CIFD and the entire city family.

We know Mayor Bass wants us to share the word that we have an inclusive city, and today we have a resource fair on the campus of Cal State LA at the University Student Union to send a strong message that we stand with all Angelinos as we declare Los Angeles is for everyone.

We're honored to be here today at Cal State LA in partnership with the LA Civil Rights Department and the mayor's office to send a very clear message to Angelinos, especially to immigrant Angelinos.

And that message is that we belong.

We all belong.

And this campaign is more than a brand.

It is really elevating the inclusivity and the commitment of the city to be inclusive.

Regardless of where someone was born, we know that in Los Angeles, one out of every five households has a person that is a mixed status household.

And so our department, the community investment for families department, is really proud of the fact that our resources are available to everyone, regardless of their immigration status.

What we care most about is that we want to make sure that we connect people to resources that cause Los Angeles home.

It's important for the city to provide these services because during a time like this, we stand with immigrants, and right now this is the time to do that.

And you know, what better way to do it than Cal City LA, where a large portion of the student body is Latino, and that is the community that really is, you know, under attack by the federal government.

And so getting that information out is really what's important.

And so that's why, you know, campaigns like this are so critical to the community.

I feel that they will be very excited that the LA County LA City is here to support.

So in case that they don't know about some of the service that they're in their community, they can reach out to the office of civil rights and also be able to get a vision of support in their communities.

I think that the students will know that we belong to LA, that LA is for everybody, and that they should not be afraid of anything living in LA.

Going green is good for business, and it is also supported by the city.

LA Sanitation held a networking event to highlight the incentives and grants they have for businesses getting certified as sustainable and green.

Today we are at the Green Business Certification Networking event.

So everybody who's here is either green business certified or looking to become green business certified through the city of Los Angeles.

So we have our newly certified and formally certified businesses coming together.

They're gonna get information on our compliances, our uh plastics program, our uh recycler program, different grants and incentives for any businesses that want to become Green Business Certified.

Check our website.

Um, you can click on there, it will direct you exactly uh to the coordinator where they can work walk with you through the process.

And that's what the city has done.

They they're not asking you to do it by yourself.

We have set aside uh staff members to come out and walk you through it.

We gotta be at the global stage, and it's very important for us in the city of Los Angeles to show all the sustainability programs that the mayor and the council has implemented over the years.

Our mission again in the city of Los Angeles is really help businesses and open the door for them to a wider stage in the state of California and beyond to other states.

All this could be done free of charge.

There is no cost to the business.

Everything is done through state or city grants that's available to them to be able.

Today even was so excited to talk about electrification for small businesses who want to be now move into electrification.

They have less than 100 employees, they can tap into this program for free.

So just help businesses to grow and hopefully multiply in the city of Los Angeles.

As a business owner, I have everybody else's back, and I just want somebody to have mine, and the city has mine.

That's really cool.

The City of Los Angeles welcomes a new city clerk.

The council approves convention center upgrades, and an agreement is reached to avert LA City civil service layoffs.

The stories up next on City Beat.

As chief management analyst in the city clerk's office, Lattimore is credited with implementing a comprehensive legislative management system and improved language inclusion.

According to Mayor Bass, Lattimore will provide dynamic leadership, including administering the ongoing city charter reform commission and next year's elections.

The work of the LA City Clerk's office includes retaining and managing all official city records, archives, council proceedings, and the administration of city elections.

For more information, visit clerk.lacity.gov.

Los Angeles City Council has voted to move forward with renovations and upgrades to the LA Convention Center.

The 2.6 billion dollar project passed council 11 votes to two, with council members Yaroslavsky and Rahman citing concerns about the cost when voting no.

The project includes connecting the existing South and West Halls and adding 190,000 square feet of exhibit space.

For more information, visit LA Convention Center.com.

Mayor Karen Bass announced that an agreement has been reached to avert all remaining city of Los Angeles civil service layoffs in the current fiscal year.

According to Bass, the city sought solutions to preserve the workforce and avoid 1,600 layoffs, which were contained in the budget for 2025 to 2026.

Following negotiations with labor unions and the city, the agreement reached includes the transfer of some employees to key departments with funded and specially funded positions.

According to the city administrative officer, the deficit was closed, and they are projecting structural balance into the next fiscal year.

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

Community gathered with the Los Angeles Police Department to honor Latino Heritage Month.

Council member Monica Rodriguez, City Attorney Heidi Feldstein Soto, and LEPD officers were recognized as proud representatives of their culture year-round.

Today we're inside police headquarters with that Los Angeles Police Department.

We're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

Really honoring our history, our culture, our values.

And we're here with our community, our friends, our family, distinguished guests.

Latino Heritage Month is uh something I practice and exercise every day.

I don't get to erase my family history.

I carry that with me very proudly each and every day.

And I'm here to be the very best representation of what my community is.

We like to issue you this clock in gratitude and appreciation for your strength, your courage, your perseverance, and how strong-willed you are in fulfilling your purpose.

Although we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, this event is attended by all of the officers and employees of the city.

The diversity of this department reflects the demographics of our city, which is primarily Latino, and it's important for all of the members of the department to be recognized and celebrated for their contributions to our city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Unity is our goal.

We are always arcing toward a more perfect union with all of our communities and all of the beautiful parts of our city and our culture and our communities represented.

The Los Angeles Sparks basketball team is working with LA City's Department of Aging to uplift senior citizens.

First, the LA Sparks took the seniors to a basketball game, but then it was the seniors' turn to show their moves to the team and Sparky the mascot.

We are at the WLCAC Southwestern Multipurpose Senior Center site.

Yes, so excited with this collaboration with the LA Sparks.

On August 26th, we had an awesome time at the Sparks game.

For a lot of our seniors, it was their first time at a WNBA game or really just any basketball game.

We had over a hundred seniors and their families there.

And so now the Sparks and their staff and their awesome mascot Sparky are visiting some of our multi-purpose seniors that just dropped the city, and this is one of the visits.

We're with the Los Angeles Department of Aging.

These things that are are given to us because otherwise that we'd be sitting at home watching TV.

So these activities make us feel younger.

And we fellowship.

We fellowship with everybody down here.

They always have something for us to do.

What we do, it's a lot about health and wellness, right?

Health and wellness.

As we age, we focus on the mind, the body, and the spirit.

So what you're seeing back here right now is the spirit part of it, right?

But earlier, that exercise program that the LA Sparks did for us, it was wonderful just seeing everyone stretching their arms, moving their torsos, stretching their legs.

That's what leads to movement.

Seeing the enjoyment, the camaraderie, it's just an amazing experience, and we're so thankful that they were able to join us today.

I really enjoyed today's function.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

And it was yes, what I know it would be.

Council Member Kern Price hosts this annual celebration, which brings the community out to feel the vibes and connect with live jazz music along Central Avenue.

Well, we're here on the streets of South LA in the 9th district, but we're celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Circle Avenue Jazz Festival.

It's an annual celebration, a chance to come together.

We have food, uh yeah, community services, uh, we have resources available.

It's a really making us a family really event.

Oh, it's very important for us to have this festival because people are getting along, they're enjoying themselves, and since the deception of this, which I helped start along with the community, it's been just lovely for everybody.

And it's growing and growing and growing, and people should get together like this more and show love for each other.

I love seeing the people perform.

This is my second year coming here, and it's so cool because I play music and it's like such a big inspiration to see people play.

It's definitely worth it.

It's so cool to see music and be exposed to new things.

I live in the neighborhood, and I've been meaning to come for a long time.

So I'm really happy to be here.

I really love it.

It's uh reminds me of New Orleans.

The bands were fantastic, and uh it's a great mix of people.

There's a lot here to enjoy, so I would definitely recommend it.

Well, one thing I found about this beautiful festival is that for the city, I think this festival brings people out from multiple cultures.

I'm really loving, you know, the vibe of just all the citizens in the community.

And honestly, you know, I'm really enjoying, you know, the festival as a whole.

So I think for the community is a definite yes.

I would think that everyone that sees this or that hears about the Central Avenue Festival, Jazz Festival, should come.

It's enlightening, it's history, and it's edifying.

In this week's feature story, we're vitalizing the vision theater.

This gem of community connection in LaMurt Park has just been carefully renovated.

While there are state-of-the-art upgrades inside, there's also attention to detail in the restoration of original features, there's a uh Saint, his name is Rumi.

He said, Be the soul of the place you inhabit.

This theater has soul, you can feel it.

The spirit is strong in this place.

The Vision Theater is located in the heart of Lamert Park.

Lamert Park is the Mecca of black arts, entertainment, and culture.

It is a very, very highly regarded neighborhood and is world renowned.

The Vision Theater is a Spanish Art Deco theater.

It was designed in 1931 and opened on April 21st, 1932.

This year would celebrate its 93rd anniversary.

The new features that have taken place with the new construction update and renovation are many.

When you come into the theater, it has been completely uh restored.

All of the colors from 1932 when it was first opened, completely restored the exact same vibrant colors.

It has a new chandelier.

It's five rings.

It's very futuristic, Afrofuturistic.

Extending out into the street under the marquee is the Tarazo, which we just restored.

It's the original Tarazo.

It's quite beautiful, quite stunning.

And above that, of course, is the marquee.

It is a neon marquee.

It is uh totally renovated.

And above that is the Vision Tower.

Now that is an Art Deco structure that was originally there.

So at night, when it's lit up, you see the marquee and the tower is lit.

It's just absolutely gorgeous.

This is a world-class state-of-the-art facility.

We qualify as a Broadway house, so that's very exciting when you think of having musicals here.

The kind of programming that we plan to have at the Vision Theater is very exciting.

The three pillars of the performing arts, of course, dance, music, and theater.

Um, the local artists will have the opportunity to present their work here.

We want our artists, our local artist people to tell their stories.

It'll be affordable for local artists to be here and present their work, which is very exciting.

Also, I want to mention uh there'll be uh community end gathering, meetings, convenings.

This place is accessible and able to uh serve the community in that way.

That's very important.

The arts are a product of culture, and culture is a product of place.

So this is our place.

This is our home.

So we hope that that's the feeling that the community will have that it's theirs to enjoy and experience and learn and grow.

For more information about the Vision Theater, you can go to culture.lacity.gov.

In this week's Things to do, join the LA Nature Quest.

Celebrate Latino Heritage in South Central, and take to some car-free city streets for Cyclavia.

All the sub next on things to do.

Discover the rich biodiversity of the city on a guided hike as part of LA Nature Quest on Saturday, October 11th.

Join LA Nature Quest to explore the natural world in your neighborhood and help gather valuable information about LA's biodiversity.

Participants on the hike will be guided by junior ecologist Ryan Kinzel and get to explore nature, learn about local species, and document findings using the iNaturalist app.

Download the app onto your mobile device and head to Augustus Hawkins Nature Park for LA Nature Quest Hike and Biodiversity Data Collection on Saturday, October 11th, beginning at 10 a.m.

For more information, visit the Instagram account of LA City Parks.

On Saturday, October 11th, join Council Member Curran Price for the first ever Latino Carnival.

Bringing the community together for Latino Heritage Month with a day of music, food, culture, and community pride.

Enjoy the original Banda El Lamone.

Council Member Price will be presenting the band with a proclamation recognizing their six decades of music.

Enjoy 20 musical acts on two stages.

And there will also be a Ferris Wheel, Carnival Games, Bounce Houses, and DJs all day.

Join Councilmember Kern Price in the community for the first ever Latino Carnival in South Central on Saturday, October 11th from 1 p.m.

to 10 p.m.

For more information, visit CD9.lacity.gov.

It's time to get back in the saddle for Cyclovia, heart of the city.

On Sunday, October 12th, join Cyclavia for another day of car-free streets across Los Angeles.

This Cyclavia connects West Lake, Downtown LA, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, and Boyle Heights, with over seven miles of streets dedicated to people and pedal power.

Whether you walk, jog, bike, roller skate, or spectate, enjoy local amenities at a different pace.

All ages and abilities are welcome.

Enjoy the 63rd Open Streets event at Cyclavia, Heart of the City.

to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit Ciclavia.org.

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

And that's all for this week.

I'm Natalia Belvale, 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, and we're also on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

See you next time for more LA this week.

Sotel was incorporated in 1906, and in 1922, the citizens voted to merge the city of Santel with the City of Los Angeles.

The last city clerk from the city of Sartel was a man named Lyndon Burzel.

He went on to be a local businessman and involved in many community organizations.

And it still works.

Check check.

Okay, we're gonna get started.

If I could have everybody uh quiet down, take their seats.

We'll get this meeting started.

Okay.

Shhh good morning.

Welcome to the meeting of your Los Angeles City Council.

Today is uh Friday, October 3rd.

Uh we're getting ready to start this meeting.

We're gonna have public comment taken in person in the council chambers.

Let's get started by calling the roll.

Uh clerk.

Yes, and Bloomfeld, Herr Stassen, Hernandez, Hutt, Jurado, Lee, McCosker, Nazari, and Patilla, Park, Price, Raman, Regica, Sotomartis, Yaroslosky, 10 members present and a quorum, Mr.

President.

Great.

Uh first order of business.

Approval of the minutes of October 1st, 2025.

Okay, Councilmember McCosker moves.

Councilmember Lee Seconds, next.

Commendatory resolutions for approval.

Okay, Councilmember Ferrado moves.

Councilmember Hernandez seconds, next.

Mr.

President, items one through eleven are items for which public hearings have been held.

Okay, those items are now before us.

Any uh members have any items they'd like to call special.

Looking to my left, looking to my right.

Okay.

Uh for uh I will say for item eleven, I'm gonna move that we move the plum committee report for item eleven without objection.

Or Mr.

Harris Dawson seconds.

Okay, anyone else for specials?

Okay.

If not, then let's uh what's next, Mr.

Clerk?

Mr.

President, the council may not vote on items one through eleven.

Okay.

Those items are now before us.

Any members wish to be heard on these items.

Seeing no members on the queue, let's open the roll.

Close the roll and tally the votes.

Ten ayes.

Okay.

Uh what's next?

Mr.

President, there's a request to reconsider item six.

To reconsider item six, okay, without objection, or do we need to uh vote on reconsideration?

Uh a reconsideration vote is required for this item.

Okay, let's uh open the roll on reconsideration.

Close the roll, tally the votes.

Ten ayes.

Okay.

So item six then is before us.

Or what was the purpose of the reconsideration?

Okay, we're gonna hold that, hold that on the table for the moment.

Yes, Mr.

President.

The council may not proceed to presentations.

Okay.

First, I believe Mr.

Lee, do you have an announcement you wish to make?

I do, thank you, Mr.

President.

I'd like if I can ask, uh, wanted to introduce an introduction for the USC Price School of International Public Policy and Management visiting us today at City Hall, coming from all around the world, all the different corners.

Coming visit us at City Hall.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Okay.

So we'll begin with our first presentation.

Councilmember Harris Dawson, uh, President Dawson has the floor for uh Pullman Porters.

Thank you so much, uh, Mr.

President and members of this council and uh Angelinos who've joined us in the chamber this morning for a very special and important recognition of the first all black African American African American Union in the history of the country, organized in 1925 by the great American A.

Philip Randolph.

The Pullman Porters Association was more.

Yes, that's right, a round of applause for the Pullman Porters.

It was called the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters and Maids.

Uh, and these were African American men and women who rode the trains across the country when that was the main form of transportation.

Um this was uh on the one hand a good job for the community.

You got to wear a uniform and you got to get dressed up, and you got to go across the country, maybe places you couldn't afford to go.

Uh, but the exploitation, 400 hour uh work schedules and uh the the common and accepted practice of referring to every Pullman porter as George.

No matter what your name was, if you were tall, short, um, you know, long hair, short hair, your name was George, and that's what passengers were allowed to call you.

And so, as a result of the exploitation, these uh folks uh organized a union, and that is the place where the labor movement and the civil rights movement first began to come together.

In fact, it was A.

Philip Randolph, the leader of the Pullman Porters, who first conceived the idea of a great march on Washington, which we later saw in 1963 where the I Have a Dream uh speech uh happened.

And so today here in Los Angeles, we're celebrating uh the Pullman uh Porters.

Many people that are important to this city come from Pullman Porter family.

So Malcolm X was a Pullman Porter for a little bit of time.

Mayor Tom Bradley comes from a Pullman Porter uh family, Justice Thurgood Marshall, San Francisco Mayor, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, uh, Olympic star Wilma Rudolph, Congressmember Ron Dellums, and so many more.

And so we want to just take this moment here, a hundred years later, and mark the day and time that the Pullman Porters decided that the conditions were unacceptable and that they were going to get together, organize, and push back.

We're in a moment like that now in our country and our society, and we can take inspiration of the story of the Pullman Porters.

And with that, I want to uh bring to the mic uh our colleague Heather Hutt from the 10th District to make comments on the Pullman Porters.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Good morning, everyone.

It's an honor to stand here today and mark the centennial of one of the most transformative labor movements in American history.

The legacy of the Pullman Porter.

I remember as a kid having folks in our family that were Pullman Porters, and they were recognized as a high-level career.

Their story is an example of how Los Angeles was literally built by resilient people who found a lifeline through one of the most grueling forms of employment.

The heart of the story for our city starts on the train that connected New Orleans directly to Los Angeles, the Sunset Limited.

The porters on this train carried the hopes and dreams of an entire community.

Their consistent, safe presence gave black families the assurance and the information needed to migrate from the South, building the foundational rich culture we know today as South and Central Los Angeles.

This history of migration and community building is why we had the privilege of co-naming a stretch of West Adams as the New Orleans Corridor.

That co-naming is a testament to the determination of the families of the porters, which helped usher them to freedom.

The sacrifice required was immense, but despite hardships, they became the first mobile black workforce, embodying a dignity and professionalism that challenged racist stereotypes of the era.

The fight became a foundation of American civil rights.

And as we reflect on the history union's fight, we remember that their legacy is not just in the descendants who achieve greatness, but in every worker who stands up for justice and the right to organize.

The Pullman Porters helped set the way for the vibrant Los Angeles community that we are so proud to serve today.

And for that, we thank them and honor them for their work.

Thank you.

And with that, we want to recognize and bring to the mic with a big, big, big, big round of applause.

Our uh labor leader, the labor leader for Southern California, uh, the leader of the County Federation of Labor, the one Yvonne Wheeler.

Thank you.

Thank you, and good morning.

I am a disciple of A.

Philip Randolph.

And as someone who served as both the Los Angeles chapter president and the California chapter president, and on the national executive board for the A.

A.

Philip Randolph Institute.

I stand proudly today on the shoulders of Asa Philip Randolph.

Randolph's goal was never to simply build a union of porters, but to promote the idea of trade unionism to skeptical black workers.

He was the architect of the march on Washington and his vision, his courage, and his unaccompl uh uncompromising, uncompromising demand for justice remained the foundation on which I and others, so many others continue to build.

Today we commemorate the centennial 100 years since the quiet revolution began in the polished corridors of the American sleeping cars.

In 1925, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was born.

That moment was more than the creation of a union, it was the birth of a movement, the beginning of modern civil rights activism, and the declaration that black workers would no longer be silent.

The poorman porters carried more than luggage, they carried the hopes of people.

They endured exhausting shifts, sometimes stretching 400 hours a month, surviving on meager wages and tips, yet out of exploitation, they built organizations out of despair, they found determination.

Traveling from city to city, the porters became the first truly mobile black workforce, spreading ideas, newspapers encouraged.

They wore a living communication network for black America.

And as Marquis said, they dressed in crispy unit crisp uniforms, but they redefined dignity and challenged racism everywhere they went.

When A.

Philip A.

Philip Randolph declared fight or be slaves, 500 porters answered that call in Harlem on August 25th, 1925.

They formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first all-black union in American history.

And for 12 long years, they fought for recognition.

In that struggle, they built the strength and discipline that will later fuel the civil rights movement.

Even when called only George, they never lost sight of their own worth.

They turned service into resistance, dignity into power, and solidarity into a weapon of justice.

And doing so, they changed America.

We, as we honor the 100 years since their founding, let us carry their lessons forward.

Justice is never given.

It is won by organized people who refuse to bow down to exploitation.

Every time we stand up for dignity, every time we demand fairness, and every time we organize against exploitation, we continue their mission.

I am so proud to be shaped by A.

Philip Randolph.

And I am proud to say today, the spirit of the Brotherhood still lives in our unions, in our communities, and in every person who fights for justice.

We remember, we honor, and we continue to struggle in the spirit of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, uh, Yvonne Wheeler, and thank you to uh the leadership of our authors study club who makes sure that in the city of Los Angeles we recognize these in important holidays.

And I just want everybody to know we're joined by family members and what they're called Pullman Porter families.

Um we want to hear now from the leadership of our Arthur Study Club.

I just want to thank the city council, the council president, because we know that it is an honor for us to be invited into these chambers today to be able to bring to all of you and to commemorate the anniversary of the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters and Maids.

Our Author Study Club for the last 80 years have been on the forefront of making sure that the City of Los Angeles keeps the history of black contributions and achievements in the forefront.

It's a daunting task.

It's a difficult task because a lot of people don't believe that resources need to be assigned to such a task.

But that's not true.

Now more than ever, we have to keep the history alive.

And from that, we want to continue to talk about and promote the collaborations and the activities of African Americans in Los Angeles.

And so it's so important that this 100th anniversary in commemoration be made.

The descendants that you see here represent business, community commitment, and they're trying to make Los Angeles and Southern California continue to be the best that it can be.

Again, we are humbled, we are proud, we are thankful, and we do not take it for granted that this is an opportunity to bring to each one of you.

And I would like to say that I hope that I leave with each one of you how important it is to take the issue and the cause of black history into your councils, into your communities.

2026 represents 100 years of continuous Black History celebrations.

And we're going to be looking to each one of you to help us celebrate that and bring that news to all of your constituents.

Thank you very much.

So Councilmember Hutt and I and all of the Los Angeles City Council want to uh present a cert.

I don't know who gets to keep this because it's it's to the Brotherhood of Sleeping Uh Car Porters and Maids recognizing the hundredth anniversary and the importance that they uh play in the civil rights and labor movement in our city and around the United States.

Great.

We have one member on the queue, uh Councilmember Rodriguez.

Hold on, don't go, don't go leaving yet.

Don't go leaving yet.

Um Mr.

Harris Dawson and uh Ms.

Hutt, thank you so much for bringing in this presentation, and of course, to everyone that's here this morning, Yvonne and of course the Authors Study Club for all of your continued work.

You know, as you said, in this moment in time when frankly, and we're the baby of the bunch in this union.

We're the youngest city uh in this union, and yet so rich in strength with the amount of history that you all work to preserve and make sure that it continues to be enshrined for generations to come.

I want to thank you for that work.

Uh, you know, there's there's just it it in this moment and time of what we're all living through.

It is even more important to continue to uplift uh all the various histories of our communities, uh, the contributions, uh, because we are actively watching the erasure of all of these stories.

So I just wanted to get up and say thank you so much.

I commend you all for all of your work in helping to preserve this history, ensuring again life is hard enough as it is, and then you take on this additional task to continue to uh hold up uh all of this important, all of these stories.

So I just wanted to say thank you so much for helping to ensure that every part of our community is being represented and our voices are all being heard.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you so much.

Okay, as there as we'll transition now from uh that wonderful presentation to uh councilwoman Yaroslavski is going to bring as has a special presentation honoring our local president of SAG AFRA.

So is that is she here?

So is that the local president Jody Long.

And I will turn over the floor to Councilwoman Yaroslavski.

For a special presentation.

The floor is yours.

Good morning, colleagues.

I'm honored this morning to welcome the senior leadership and staff of one of our city's most important labor unions and civic partners, the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artist.

I would also like to welcome the city commissioners and department heads who are joining us to pay tribute this morning to SAG AFTRA's outgoing Los Angeles local president Jody Long.

President Long presided over the ratification of several major contracts benefiting the union's members.

She champions state tax credits for the entertainment industry and continues to work with us to streamline the process of filming here in Los Angeles.

Her efforts are helping to ensure the future of one of our city's most important economic engines, the entertainment industry.

Jodi's also the first female AAPI woman to ever lead the union.

For over a decade, she served as a member of SAG AFTRA's national and local boards, advocating for members' rights, supporting underrepresented artists, fighting against racial bias, ageism, and stereotyping.

Jodi also has had a distinguished career in theater, film, and television.

On stage, she's worked with such notables as Cindy Lumet, Kevin Klein, and Stephen Sondheim.

She won an ovation award for her performance in Rogers and Hammerstein's flower drum song Right Up the Hill at the Mark Taper Forum.

Her films include Marvel's Shang Shi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Beginners, Patty Hearst, and Night Swim.

Her work on television includes her Emmy Award-winning role in Dash and Lily, as well as Sullivan and Hill, Mismatch, and her groundbreaking role as Margaret Chow's mother in All American Girl.

It's an amazing career, and I know there's a lot more to come.

Jody, thank you for your leadership and commitment to the artistic vitality of our city.

I'd like to now introduce Julie Sue, the former acting U.S.

Secretary of Labor, and Duncan Crabtree Ireland, SAG AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator, both of them to say a few words.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you very, very much.

I'm thrilled to be here along with my good friend Duncan Crowtree Ireland and SAG Aftra to help to honor the one and only Jody Long.

There's so much that can be said about Jody, but my time is limited, so I'm going to stick to three things.

The first is her impact on the labor movement.

Jody has led the largest local for SAG AFTRA through some challenging times and some big battles.

And she has demonstrated to the world that actors are working people, and what working people can accomplish through collective action, including putting everything on the line, the picket line.

And through Jody's extraordinary leadership, SAG AFSTRA has reached historic terms in their contract that have inspired the labor movement across the entire country.

For example, their terms about AI.

Jody was one of the first actors and local leaders to say that AI should be the subject of negotiation, and that has set a new bar for negotiations in other union contracts as well.

And as Secretary of Labor, I traveled the country and saw that what SAG AFTRA was doing right here in LA lifted the standards for what unions expected and demanded in contracts everywhere else.

So thank you so much, Jody, for that leadership and for that accomplishment.

The second thing I want to say, because we are in City Hall, is Jody's impact on Los Angeles.

She is someone who has focused on bringing more production back to LA.

She understands how to move the levers of power for that.

And as a result, her legacy is going to live on, not just for her members, but for the city that we love so much.

As we all stand here, and as we heard the the uh anniversary of the Pullman Porters, I just have to say that in a moment in which Donald Trump is coming for Los Angeles, it's no accident that he comes for Los Angeles first.

He came for LA before DC, before Chicago, before Portland.

It's because everything that we embody and embrace are things that he hates.

Creativity, truth, diversity, inclusion, and all of those things, sense of possibility, and all those things are what Jodie Long embraces and embodies as well.

So Jody, thank you for showing us the best of LA every single day.

And the last thing I just want to say about Jodi is her importance in terms of how she represents, right?

Representation matters.

And in an industry and a profession in which Asian Americans are still underrepresented, Jodi has shown time and time again, expertly, beautifully and bravely Asian Americans on screen, on the stage, and in this role in leadership positions.

And I know as someone who stepped into positions where people don't expect me either, what that means.

And everywhere I went, uh serving in the cabinet, people would say, I didn't know I could do that until I saw you do it.

And Jodi, I we have no idea how many people in the world say that because of you and who you are and what you have done.

And that is also a legacy that will live long after your time as president of your local.

Uh showing Asian Americans as full human beings, showing us as strong as well as struggling, uh, as creative, as fun and funny and as serious, and um and telling our full stories.

So thank you, Jodi, for your brilliance and your courage, for demanding to be heard so that your members were heard, for pushing to be seen so that we can all be seen, for claiming space so more of us can belong, for telling stories so that all of our stories are known, and for always imagining that things were possible before anybody else had imagined them.

You are extraordinary, Jodi, and I'm so honored to be here to help everybody welcome you to this position of legacy in your union, uh, and for all the work that you've done.

You know, in the in the world of acting, they say don't uh ever work with babies or dogs or follow Julie Sue because it is an impossible challenge.

Uh, thank you so much, Councilmember Yaroslavsky, for giving us the opportunity to recognize an extraordinary leader in our community, and to you, Julie Sue, not only for your incredible and sustained advocacy for workers, but for your service to all of us as Secretary of Labor.

Jodi Long isn't just an Emmy winning actor, she is a force for change.

And as a president of SAGAFTRA's Los Angeles local, uh, Jodi recognized what many were reluctant to acknowledge, that unconscious bias was holding our industry back.

And she didn't just talk about it.

She brought unconscious bias training directly to our local board, ensuring that SAGAFTRA led the industry by example.

During our union's historic 2023 TV theatrical strike, Jodi was everywhere, educating members and meetings and webinars, standing shoulder to shoulder on picket lines.

Can't tell you how many picket lines she and I were on together, and rallying the troops when spirits flagged.

Her steady presence and her incredible enthusiasm for a fair deal didn't just inspire our members, it helped bring the employers back to the bargaining table.

But Jodi's advocacy extends far beyond contract negotiations.

As one of the few Asian American women to build a sustained and prominent career in Hollywood, she's used her platform to champion authentic representation and dismantle the barriers facing performers of color.

She's been relentless in pushing our industry to move beyond tokenism toward genuine inclusion, both in front of the camera and in the decision-making rooms where careers are made.

In 2024, Jody took that fight to Sacramento, delivering powerful testimony in support of essential AI legislation.

Her words cut through the technical jargon, and I'd like to quote her.

Two months later, the governor, Governor Newsom, came to SAG After Headquarters to sign AB 1836 and AB 2602, pivotal pieces in the mosaic of AI protections our union has fought for.

This year, she's been a vocal proponent of reforms to incentivize film and TV production right here in Los Angeles, fighting to keep jobs and opportunities in our community, particularly for the diverse workforce she spent her career championing.

Jodi Long is an inspiration to her colleagues, her industry, her community, and to me personally, and it is an honor to stand beside her here today.

The list of Jodi's accomplishments is impressive, but what matters most is how she's inspired countless others to find their own voices and fight for change.

On behalf of all of us at SAGAFTRA, Jodi, thank you for proving that real leadership isn't about waiting for a seat at the table.

It's about building a bigger table.

Thank you, Duncan and Secretary Sue.

Jody, it's an absolute honor to have you with us today, and the floor is all yours.

Wow, that's a really tough act to follow.

In vaudeville, you never do that.

Anyway, thank you, thank you, Councilwoman Katie Yaroslavski, and for this incredible honor and recognition, and for being an important ally to Saga Aftra and also to our Asian American and Pacific Islander community and to those who live and work in District 5.

Thank you so much, Julie Sue.

I'm just crying now for being such a champion for workers' rights, and thank you to Duncan.

We've forged a great partnership over these many years, and I'm so grateful for that.

But I also want to thank all our members of the LA City Council for your support and for your advocacy for all your constituents, including us.

For over a century, the city of Los Angeles has been the heart of the entertainment and media industry, and we've also been home to one of the largest Asian and Pacific Islander populations in the United States.

All of us at SAGAFTRA are grateful to the Los Angeles city leaders and municipal staff who have been doing what needs to be done to protect and defend both our production industry and our immigrant residents.

Personally, I'm a girl from Queens, and my parents were vaudevillians, so I grew up backstage.

I made my Broadway debut at stage seven in a musical directed by Sidney Lamette.

I worked hard to become the best actor I could be when parts for someone who looked like me were scarce.

I once went to an open call to audition for Thornton Wilder's, the great playwright, our town.

The director asked me, well, what part are you reading for?

Emily, I replied, who was the all-American girl.

He said, Well, we're not doing it that way.

I said, what way?

I didn't get the part, but I read anyway.

I didn't know what it was called then, but representation matters.

My just my face in that room that day, and the ability to do it was what was the most important.

So I now do service for the communities that I am part of and I love, representing actors and performers, and also Asian American and Pacific Island American communities too.

I want to thank, excuse me, as I can't get this page out.

The film liaison, Steve Kang, are you here today?

I don't know.

But thank you so much for being available and listening to those of us working in this industry.

I know my union values your commitment and looks forward to continuing to work with Steve and with all of you.

And to all our members of this LA City Council, thank you for unanimously passing the motion introduced by Councilman Adrian Nazarian.

I guess he's not sitting here today.

Um, and uh to reform the film permitting process.

It was really truly kismet that two weeks after that was passed, that motion was passed, uh, our LA local put on the Here's Looking at You LA event, bringing our sister unions, our industry partners, our legislators, city council members, and Mayor Bass together with our message of how essential it is to come together with the understanding that we must all do our part to collectively keep our voices loud, to keep film and television production in Los Angeles, which affects every single one of the LA residents here.

I also just want to add that a few weeks ago reading in Variety that 22 productions brought were brought back to Los Angeles.

22 productions that were elsewhere in this country.

That it is so essential that we work together, not just on this, but on everything.

We don't have to agree all the time, but we have to come to consensus for what's best for our constituents for you, for our members, for those in the unions.

It is key to change.

And that's what I'm all about is changing the conversation, shifting the way people think, and bringing a better world to everyone.

So let's make sure the art forum that made LA continues to have a home here in Los Angeles.

And just also do what it takes to nurture our city's diverse voices now and in the many years to come.

Thank you so much.

Well, I just wanted to say, Ms.

Long, just thank you for everything you do for SAGAFTRA, but also everything that you've done to uh bring representation because representation does matter as you know, someone who grew up here in the States.

Uh I would often just want to see anybody that looked like me on TV.

And when I saw people, even in stereotypical roles, I I was still excited.

But then we moved to a point where that wasn't good enough.

That we we we we said, why are we always being stereotyped in certain types of roles?

But now, because of your efforts and because the efforts of so many people, we do see that there are a variety.

Asians come in all different shapes and sizes and all different personalities, and that's been reflected recently in the media.

And I want to say thank you for that and all your work on that.

Oh, I I sorry, we do have Councilmember Herado on the Thank you, Councilmember Lee, for your comments.

I second everything he said as another as a fellow member of the API caucus on council.

This means a lot to us, especially in the media.

Um, and you know, even though there's more portrayals of API folks now, I really do feel it when you know our kids are watching television.

First, they wonder why when we used to watch there were commercials and rewinding, and then I taught them that's not a thing anymore.

And then now seeing folks like you on the screen and seeing themselves in roles that they would never have seen themselves, that are not just math math leads or people that are doing that, but instead people living full different lives, um, you know, and queer and in leadership roles.

And you know, say Secretary Sue, just thank you so much for everything that you've done for our communities and advancing you know, protections for sweatshop workers.

You inspired me so much growing up in the work that you did, and so seeing these women up here uh celebrating our community, advancing it for all of our communities is so important.

So, thank you, Councilmember Yar Slavski, for honoring these folks.

Councilmember Hernandez.

Thank you.

And we have a few actors around the horseshoe too.

I hope they can share their amazing uh contributions.

So I'm grateful for that.

But Councilwoman Yurosowski, thank you so much for bringing this presentation in.

And you know, some of you all have been people that we have seen ourselves in.

Ms.

Heard, for example, I've been a fan of yours for decades.

I'm a law, I'm a law and order fan.

And seeing you on there and seeing a woman of color taking a big role in a show that I, you know, was part of my pop culture growing up.

So you have been doing the work and you continue to do the work to show what it means to be a leader leader in these spaces.

So I'm grateful for all of you.

Uh, but again, thank you so much.

Thank you for being that example for us to know that we can do it and be kick-ass people in these spaces, and thank you, Councilwoman Yurosowski for uh bringing in the celebration, uplifting them.

Thank you.

Councilman Hernandez is a big law and order fan, so she's uh Councilmember Yaroslavsky.

All right, thank you, Council President.

So uh, on behalf of the entire city council which signed this, um, we have we want to thank you for a lifetime of advocacy on behalf of performing artists, uh, and for your steadfast leadership as president of SAG Afters Los Angeles local.

Thank you all so much for being here today to join us and honor us.

So we're gonna bring it up.

All right, I believe we have Councilmember Blumenfield with the next presentation.

Okay, all of them have to be a little bit more.

Do you want me to take that for you?

I'll hold it from the way in the front.

They're gonna grab their bags.

Oh, they've got all the bags.

Okay, yeah, I'll grab personal.

You go in.

Remember this one?

Yeah, of course.

Thank you.

Come on, fill it in, fill it in.

Yes.

Okay, oh, we'll go in.

Okay.

All right, should we get started?

We're good.

Okay.

Thank you.

Councilman Bluefield.

So today we proudly honor new economics for women.

New.

Although not so new anymore, because we're celebrating 40 years of unwavering dedication to economic justice and community empowerment.

Founded in the early 1980s, New began with a powerful mission to empower low-income women and families through economic opportunity and self-sufficiency.

Over the decades, that mission has come to life through transformative work in affordable housing, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.

New has become a true model of equity, inclusion, and social justice in our city.

In my district, their impact is especially visible.

They've developed vital affordable housing projects like Tierra del Sol, providing safe, supportive homes for families.

Just last week we celebrated the 20th anniversary in Canoga Park, a milestone that reflects new's long-term commitment to the communities that they served.

And I remember being there thinking it was just yesterday, I felt like we were celebrating the 10-year of Tierra.

Uh, but so much has happened in the last 10 years and the last 40 years with New.

It's just incredible the work that you all have done.

They also established the economic mobility center, which offers financial coaching, job training, small business support, giving residents real tools to build lasting stability.

And though the founding of new through the founding of the new Charter Academy schools, they've invested in the power of education, transforming opportunities for children in underserved communities.

And what makes new exceptional is not just the breadth of their work, but the way that they do it.

As a trusted partner, they collaborate closely with residents, nonprofits, and local governments to drive systematic change and create leadership opportunities for women and families.

Their community-rooted solutions directly confronts poverty and promotes long-term economic mobility.

And it always feels so organic because they aren't coming into a community.

As new looks to the future, their commitment to expanding programs and influencing policy for greater economic equity remains strong.

So next I want to introduce my colleague, Councilman Hernandez, to say a few words about this amazing organization.

Thank you so much.

Huge round of applause for Councilmember Bloominfield, but all and also new.

Um, thank you for putting this together, Councilmember.

Good morning.

It's a pleasure to be with you all today and to be able to join you for honoring New Economics for Women for their 40th year anniversary.

That's 40 years, decades and decades of giving back to our communities and our families.

As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, I'm a proud Latina.

I'm grateful for new for the impact that they've had on families in Council District One and all over the city.

I meet with mothers across the district, such as those in Westig and People Pico Union, where a missed paycheck can easily mean losing your house.

And so reinforcing the connections of how do we give resources to make sure that we pay people's rent is something that we're building, having conversations about.

And for 40 years, New Economics for Women has met families where they're at.

Opening doors for housing, education, and entrepreneurship, and real pathways to building intergenerational wealth.

I was also at an event with them that they had organized for people looking to buy a home.

So it's not just about housing our families, not about creating pathways to jobs, but it's also about creating intergenerational wealth for a lot of our families.

I thought that was really beautiful.

I've seen it myself at this community resource fair where moms were asking about building credit, qualifying for their first mortgage, and even exploring how to start their dream business.

And you could see it in their faces that spark of possibility.

Mom saying, maybe I can buy a home.

Maybe my daughter can go to college.

And this is the power of new.

It gives people hope.

A giant shout out to the entire New Economics for Women team that's here right behind me, especially the mothers who lead this work every day.

Thank you to News Chief of Chief Executive Officer Leticia Anduesa and the founder and board chair, Via uh Stosser for your leadership.

Thank you.

And Councilmember Boomfield again for inviting me to join you to help celebrate this incredible milestone.

Congratulations to new.

Your 40 years of turn of turning struggle into strength has been an inspiration to people like me.

And thank you for reminding us that when we invest in women, we can and do change the world.

May the next 40 years bring even more keys in hands, more degrees on the walls, and more businesses to our corridors.

Thank you so much for the incredible work you have all been doing.

Thank you.

Okay.

I next want to bring up one of the founders, current board chair, uh B, who we just mentioned, someone who I've I've had the pleasure of knowing, I think more than 20 years.

When I first, before I was in the assembly, before I was in the council, I worked for Howard Berman.

I think we met first.

Oh my God.

Back way back then.

Uh, and I've just been amazed seeing this dynamo move.

So B.

Statzer, please, the floor is yours.

Thank you, thank you.

Council members, it is an honor and thank you, Councilmember Bloomingfield, and Councilmember Hernandez for uh being here today.

As I reflect back 40 years, I've been asked to speak a little bit about the seed that started New Economics for Women.

The seed was then President Ronald Reagan, who came up with this incredible idea that if you give opportunity to the 1%, to the richest people in the world here in the United States, that it will trickle down to the poorest.

We all knew that that didn't happen.

We all knew that what he did was dismantle the safety net for women and children, and that was a catalyst for us to begin our work.

Today, we even are more relevant than ever because we now have a president who wants to create a fascist economy, who is totally bent on ensuring that there is no safety net, regardless of age, regardless of race, regardless of gender.

And we are more relevant today than we ever have been.

And I thank each and every single one of you for allowing us to be of service to this great city.

I want to thank especially my partner in crime, Maggie Cervantes, our previous executive director.

To the board members that are here, Lisa Trafaletti and others, and to our partners.

But I also want to, before Lethi speaks, to the incredible legacy that we are creating.

I don't think everybody, anybody realizes that as a Latina organization, we have created close to 1,800 units of apportable housing.

We have helped thousands of women and families buy their first home.

We have been able to not only build the first charter school, but to and Tierra del Sol and started the first charter movement because we are the only nonprofit that has housing linked to education.

In addition, uh, besides homeownership, besides you know what we do every day, we help women understand their mindset around poverty, their mindset around wealth, their minds sit around a happy family because we believe in this country.

We believe that the democracy works for everyone and that capitalism should work for everyone.

So I want to thank everyone, all the staff here for their heart, their passion, and their hard work, and more importantly, for believing in what we do and for the sacrifices they make every day in order to make our community better.

Thank you.

Next, I want to give the opportunity for Letitia Andweza, who is the CEO of New to share a few words about this tremendous milestone.

Good morning, Council members.

What an honor it is to stand here and to stand proudly with our team.

Most of our staff are here today.

Board members, our founder and board chair, B.

Stalter, our former executive director, Maggie Cervantes, some of our most esteemed partners and clients also join us today to pay tribute to 40 years of impact.

We are very, very proud.

We are excited.

We're excited to celebrate 40 years of impact, but more importantly, to continue this fight for economic justice.

This recognition is truly an honor, and we're very grateful to Councilmember Hernandez to Councilmember Blumenfield, not only for this recognition, but for their support and partnership over the years.

A city that has raised many of us, a city where many of us raise our families and that we work in.

We will continue to show up because a lot of the challenges that founded this incredible organization are still a reality.

But that reality is what is giving this group of people all the motivation, all the drive, all the ganas to keep going strong.

As we look ahead, we will continue to innovate, to transform so that every child, every mother, every family in this city can exercise their right to economic dignity, to economic security, and most importantly, most importantly for us, for every single member that stands behind me today, it's the true meaning of economic mobility.

We're very serious about that, and we're super committed.

Thank you, everyone.

On behalf of our entire team, thank you for this recognition, and thank you, leadership, for allowing us to partner with you to continue to make Los Angeles the most vibrant and equitable city for all Angelinos.

Thank you.

Before I close out, if there are members on the queue, sure.

Councilmember Pudilla.

Yes.

Well, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, Hernandez, thank you so much for uh bringing these this amazing organization here.

Um your president of my district, uh, one of my favorite organizations in my district.

You can feel the impact of your work on my district.

And I don't want to, you know, reiterate everything that you guys have been doing over these last 40 years.

Congratulations.

But I'm just excited that you're moving, uh, that you continue to grow, and I'm excited for the next 40 years.

And I'm just excited that I can count on you as a partner in my district to, you know, this new amazing opportunity that we're doing uh to host cultural events together.

Can't wait to continue talking about that.

And also I want to thank you for um being very diligent in working with me and working with Metro and really pushing to make sure that the small businesses that have been on Van Nuys Boulevard for so long are getting their fair share of the business interruption fund.

So thank you again, and I'm so excited, and I'm gonna be so proud when we can say that we build Light Rail in the 6th district, but our small businesses felt like they were part of the process and what is happening, and I owe it to you.

Uh so thank you again to 40 more years.

Councilmember Rodriguez.

Thank you, Council members Bloomenfield and Hernandez.

Um, it's wonderful to see all you ladies again.

I know we were just celebrating Maggie's pretend retirement.

We knew you weren't gonna go anywhere.

Um but uh this is what happens when you get smart women together in a room and a few guys.

I see a few back there.

Uh, but I really, yeah, okay, we'll give them a shout out too.

But um, you know, I I want to thank you for being the example and showing up for our communities in a manner that actually just didn't make them dependent and reliant on the handout.

It was on the hand up.

It was about making sure that they were empowered with the resources and the support that they needed to not just get by, but to be able to build something, a stronger future for their families.

I watched how you helped to provide all of the support when you went into Canoga Park, for example, between the charter school, between the uh family support system, the uh child care that allowed the families to then pursue some of the job training opportunities with all of the support services that allowed that successful economic mobility.

So often organizations are just scraping and frankly screaming at government to just say, well, just freeze this, stop this.

Help us make ends meet.

And yes, those things are important.

We're supposed to be important safety nets.

But you provide them a much greater future for them and their families to be able to build generational wealth and to be able to stand on their own two feet.

And if there's one thing I know about community pride, it's the ability for people to stand on their own two feet and provide for their families.

So I want to thank you for giving families the tools and the support and the resources that they need to be able to do for themselves and not survive on whatever safety nets government can provide.

So I want to thank you for dreaming bigger than what people ever thought was possible.

Forty years in the making, and I know there's gonna be a hundred more.

But congratulations on such an incredible accomplishment.

We really appreciate you.

Councilmember Jarada.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Blumenfield and Councilmember Hernandez for bringing new economics for women to City Hall today.

Forty years is a long time, and I know this is no small thing, and you didn't get here by accident, right?

Uh, this is all about intentionality, hard work.

Grit, I just was on a tour with Councilmember uh Harris Dawson for his destination crenshaw.

And for that, he said the women that were working on that project delivered the project under time and under budget, and the other ones tripled their budget, and it was delayed.

And that is the the Ghana's that women have and our ingenuity to make things happen quickly and cheaply.

And you've been a driving force in the communities that I represent in my district.

We celebrated uh, you know, Cinco de Mayo at Mariachi Plaza, so we appreciate your partnership uh because we can't do it without you.

And you know, we have our small business liaison who worked uh with you all, Jose Minos, who gained so much knowledge about helping businesses in our city during his five years over there.

And I want to thank you for his mentorship and your continued partnership at your business resource centers, supporting entrepreneurs, and also building housing for the second generations in our communities like in El Serano be going toe-to-toe with our with our constituents.

It was a sight to see, and it makes me uh I know that's how you got here for these 40 years, and so adelante and congratulations, really.

Thank you, Councilman Bloomfield and Hernandez for bringing new economics for women, new economics out for women.

I just want to say thank you for your partnership over the years.

In fact, next Saturday, we have an event with you regarding tax credits and rebates, and just so appreciate all the different things you do throughout the year to uplift our families.

And I know that when we put you on the calendar and put the word out that you're going to be there, people understand the services that you provide and the help that you provide.

And I know it's gonna be a full house.

So thank you so much for everything you've done over the past 40 years and of course over the few years that I've been off as thank you so much, Councilman Bloomfield.

You know, hearing from all of all my colleagues here, it's just another reminder that I mean I like to think of new as this amazing organization in my district, but I know that you guys are all over the city and really have impacted every corner of the city in such a special way that we all really take pride in the work that you do and and are you're just an amazing partner.

You've made us proud.

Your legacy will continue to uplift and empower women and family for generations to come.

And we'd like to, as a small token of appreciation, uh we'd like to present you with a certificate of recognition.

See signed by uh by all the everybody here around the horseshoe.

So please accept this small token of appreciation.

Thank you.

While we're taking photos, Councilmember Hutt will be the next member for the presentation.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Anyway.

Okay.

We sure had a full house today, didn't we?

It's an honor to stand before you today to pay tribute to the Wiffendale Club.

An institution whose legacy is service, education, culture, and community has enriched Los Angeles for generations.

Its founding, the Wiffendale Club has carried a notable mission to preserve history, cultivate leadership, and serve as a beacon of community connection.

For years, the club has supported young leaders through scholarships and maintained its historic clubhouse as a living symbol of heritage.

In 1940, Los Angeles, like much of the nation, was deeply segregated.

Many venues, public spaces, and private institutions did not welcome people of color.

During this time, two visionary women, Miss Fanny Williams and Ms.

Della Williams, who are not related, declared to imagine something different.

In 1945, they convened women from across the city with a shared goal to build and maintain a clubhouse on a nonprofit basis with the purpose of promoting civic betterment, philanthropic endeavors, and general culture.

The bold vision was to create a safe and dignified place for people of color to gather.

Over the past day decades, Wiffendale has adapted.

The club's impact is not nearly in brick and mortar.

It's programming reaches deep into the community.

Free culture and educational offerings, such as Wednesdays at the Wiffendale Summer Series, Life Skill Workshops for High School Studio, the Women's Wellness Retreat, Writers Workshops, and more.

These efforts cultivate opportunity connection and growth among youth, families, and adults seeking enrichment.

As a kid, I remember my mother telling me stories of the spring cleaning and paint at the Wolfendale, and she proudly talked about her contribution to painting one of the upstairs bedrooms, all while letting everybody know the history of that bold ownership.

The work of the women of the Wolfendale, past and present, are uh and a generation past and present.

Generationally share the time, the talent and resources that make all of their work possible.

This tireless dedication sustains the landmark and ensures that its mission endures.

In a city as dynamic as Los Angeles, institutions such as Wiffendale anchor us.

They remind us where we come from, and they guide us into where we might go.

They preserve stories, foster community, and invest in future leaders.

On behalf of the CD 10 and the behalf of the City of Los Angeles, these values, heritage, and innovation is why we salute the Witfendale Club.

Thank you for enduring service, your bold vision, your devotion to the community, and may your legacy continue to shine.

And now I want to bring up someone I've known for a really long time.

The club's president, Carrie Hinley.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, City Council, for this incredible honor.

On behalf of the club and our board members, I thank you, Councilwoman Heather Hutt.

Eighty years ago, 50 courageous women founded this club when Jim Crow laws prohibited black people from going to any place like a hotel or country club to have their milestone events.

So they were, they came together and said, let's raise money and buy a house, a house in the West Adams district.

That at the time it was like unheard of for black people to be able to move into that area.

So with the help of one of the founders' husbands, Paul Williams, they were able to acquire this property on the West Adams.

He came in and he refurbished the house, although he didn't, you know, he didn't arch he wasn't the architect for the house.

He refurbished the house to make it more of a clubhouse where the community could come and service and have events for everyone.

So at a time, the Wolfmondell became the place for most of black people in LA to gather, politicians, people like Lena Horn had their concerts there.

It became like the hub for the black community to have things.

I also grew up going to the house when I was young just for events like showers and weddings, as many of uh the people behind me were there too.

So as the club members, our charge is to preserve the legacy of this cultural history.

So it's as our race is kind of under attack with this present government.

We feel the need that if we don't protect ourselves, who will?

So we really appreciate this honor today.

Wolfendale is legacy in action.

We are great stewards to preserve this house.

We continue to provide scholarship for um at-risk children, and they were also continue to be an amazing community resource.

So thank you for this honor.

So I have a certificate.

So I have a certificate of recognition presented to the Wiffendale House.

Committed to promoting philanthropic endeavors and general culture on this October 3rd, and it's signed by me and the entire city council.

So I'm happy to present that we have this one.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Congratulations, Woven House, and congratulations on 80 years.

Next for a presentation, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez.

Thank you so much.

Well, we're celebrating a number of long-standing anniversaries, but I think I might have the oldest one here.

So uh colleagues, today it's an honor to be here to recognize a hundred and twenty-seven years of the Bechtel Corporation.

Please give them a round of applause.

What began in 1898 is a small family-owned railroad construction business, has grown into an organization that has built some of the most iconic construction projects around the world.

Over the last century, Bechtel Corporation has delivered landmark projects that have shaped the modern world, including the Hoover Dam, the Bay Area Rapid Transit BART system, and the Channel, uh the Channel Tunnel connecting England and France.

In Los Angeles specifically, Bechtel developed the master plan for Westlake Village in the 1960s and played a pivotal role in infrastructure improvements for the 1984 Olympic Games and began the first phase of the LA Metro Rail from Union Station to MacArthur Park in 1986.

You can see Bechtel's had an incredible mark in our region anywhere you look.

In 2024, Bechtel was honored with the U.S.

Small Business Administration's prestigious Dwight D.

Eisenhower Award for excellence in construction, recognizing the company's long-standing commitment to supporting small businesses through philanthropy and by fostering inclusive opportunities across diverse global projects.

Looking ahead to 2050, experts estimate that the three-quarters of the infrastructure that global communities will rely on doesn't yet exist.

This presents an extraordinary opportunity, and Bechtel is ready to meet the challenge.

For generations, Bechtel's teams have continued to tackle some of the world's most complex challenges.

They've helped to revitalize semiconductor manufacturing, expanded transit, systems that connect communities, and advanced alternative energy.

The impact is clear here in Los Angeles and around the world.

Their work strengthens our communities, creates jobs, and drives progress that benefits us all.

Today we not only honor their contributions, but also the standard of excellence they have set that inspires generations of builders and engineers.

And I'd now like to take this opportunity to invite Bechtel's Corporations, General Manager of Public Infrastructure for the Western Region, Dr.

Zaid Hakim.

And come on.

Thank you.

Come on over.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Good morning, Councilmember Mark Rodriguez.

Esteemed members of the Los Angeles City Council and the entire Los Angeles City family.

I'm Dr.

Ziad Hakem, the general manager of Bechtel's infrastructure business in the West U.S.

region, based here right outright out of this amazing city of Los Angeles that I proudly called home.

It's a true honor to stand before you today, joined by members of both our downtown LA office and our corporate teammates reflecting the importance of this recognition to all of us at Bechtel.

We are immensely humbled by your warm welcome and are proud to receive this resolution.

This is a heartfelt moment that reminds us that we're not just working in LA, we are home.

As a matter of fact, Bechtel's journey began 127 years ago in Northern California, and today our Los Angeles office, just a few blocks from here in the financial district, serves as the hub and the nerve center for all of our work in California and all of our work in the Western U.S.

LA is not just a place where we work, it's a place where we live, it's a place where we build for, and it's a place where we build with you.

Let me share a personal perspective.

As a 30, as a 32-year Bechtel veteran, I've had the privilege and the honor to work worldwide on projects all over the place.

My fondest memory has been bringing in my daughters who are grown to come and see Daddy's work in LA.

And infrastructure is not concrete, it is not steel, it is not asphalt, it is actually all about development, family, and community.

And speaking of community, earlier this year, we joined and hosted a number of elementary school children right here outside of City Hall, and it was uh sponsored by council members Hernandez and Councilmember Lee as well.

So we were here.

It was not a recruitment event for elementary school children.

It might have looked like it, but that was not the intent, and I think they are the future.

And what we taught them that day was how they can build the structure based made up made out of spaghetti and marshmallows.

And these are very unorthodox tools to build structures, but this is a strong foundation that they will learn, which is you can use unorthodox tools, you are a foundation, and this is what this city does.

Um church that recognition.

Thank you so much for it.

Thank you for the memories.

You've mentioned the projects that we run since 1984 Olympics, you know, the Metro's first phase in 1986 from uh Union Station to MacArthur Park.

We are especially proud to be recognized by the U.S.

Small Business Administration, Dwight D.

Eisenhower Award for excellence in construction.

We've completed 25,000 projects worldwide.

We have a global population of 43,000 employees, and we know that small businesses are a key to our success and to the success of all of the projects we have been on.

This award was a testament to our own LA office, and I want to spotlight our teammate Felicia Bell, our teammate Bernard Parks Jr., Joe Gazelle.

They've all been contributors to making sure that we always meet and exceed our small business objectives that we have over here.

Finally, and once again, thank you for this honor.

We look forward to our partnership with the city.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Dr.

Agam.

And uh again, and and you took uh you took the opportunity to acknowledge uh your co-conspirators and your great work, and of course, uh Bernard Parks Jr.

No Stranger, Felicia Joe, thank you for uh being here.

And uh colleagues, I just I wanted to take a moment to recognize them.

You know, it's so often that we engage in tremendous infrastructure projects, and uh it's incredibly important when we have organizations that not only do good work but also are bringing in small businesses to be part of that because that's how we're going to incubate and grow our local economy by ensuring that actual effort is actually materializing in that partnership.

So I want to thank Bechtel for being an example of that work, and of course, your team uh that uh that also is uh part of making sure that that happens.

So again, congratulations on 127 years on behalf of the city of Los Angeles.

Get in there.

Thank you so much.

Okay, well, that concludes our uh presentations for today.

Uh so now we'll move to uh public comment.

You have a presentation.

Okay, which does not conclude our presentations.

I was misinformed, we uh which is very exciting.

Heather Hunt has a presentation.

We're on the CD9.

Uh okay.

You're pinch hitting for uh for CD9, I believe.

So exciting.

Thank you so much.

Oh, I'm so much.

My whole family is excited.

My brother's excited.

Sorry about that, Councilwoman.

Welcome, and the floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Chair.

Good morning, colleagues.

Today we're proud, we proudly recognize the true trailblazer, someone who's been a symbol of grace, power, perseverance, not only in Los Angeles, but for the entire nation.

Jane Kennedy is more than a star.

She's a role model whose influence helped shape the narrative for African American women in media, sports, and culture.

From dancing on the Rowan and Martin Laughing Show and entertaining troops on the Bob Hope Vietnam Veterans Tour to becoming a household name on national television.

Jane broke boundaries from day one.

Her charisma and talent opened doors that had long been closed to women of color in Hollywood and beyond.

As the first African American female sportscaster on national network, Jane Kennedy changed the face of sports journalism.

Her work on CBS, the NFL Today, not only redefined pre-gang coverage, it redefined what women could achieve in sports media.

Jane didn't just take a seat at the table, she built a new one.

Jane created and wrote and hosted Love Your Body, one of the first nationally syndicated fitness shows, empowering women long before wellness became a mainstream movement.

She was also an accomplished actress winning the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress for her role in Body and Soul, and a successful producer of award-whelming film and television.

Jane's many accolades, uh, among them the Rome Alridge Award for Innovation, the National Association of Black Journalists, Sam Lacey Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, reflect her lifelong commitment to excellence, innovation, and representation.

With her new memoir, Plain Jane, nothing plain about her.

Jane Kennedy adds author to her long list of achievements.

Released September 2nd, 2025 by Adscape, Anscape and Disney Books, and officially launched at the NMAAHC.

Plain Jane is more than a personal story.

It's a cultural movement.

In her own voice, Jane shares the joys, struggles, and lessons of a groundbreaking career.

It is a must-read for anyone who has ever been told you don't belong.

Jane Kennedy embodies the spirit of Los Angeles, bold, brilliant, and unafraid to lead.

We thank her for not only what she's done, but for who she continues to become, a beacon for generations of women, especially black women who dare to dream.

Congratulations, Jane, on the release of Plain Jane.

And for me, I I always thought you're the most beautiful woman on TV.

And so I'm very excited.

I know all the men in my family are like, she's standing by Jane Kennedy.

So it's streaming right now on YouTube, and they're all very excited.

We're happy to have you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Los Angeles has been my home since 1971, some 50 plus years ago.

And when I first arrived in Los Angeles from my hometown in Wycliffe, Ohio, small town Wyckliffe, Ohio, I should say, we were traveling cross-country on our honeymoon, and Leon is here still all these years later to support me.

And we came up a con we came up to the ramp, the off ramp into downtown Los Angeles.

And he said, Jane, we're here, wake up.

And the first thing that I saw was the sign that said Hope Street.

And that inspired me all these 50 plus years to continue to grow and do as much as I possibly could.

Los Angeles has been great for me.

It's been tremendous opportunities everywhere I look.

I came into a time in the industry when Black Exploitation movies helped save the industry, the film industry in Los Angeles, because they were they were struggling.

They didn't want to do any more Doris Day films.

The public wasn't buying it.

And when black movies started happening, it changed the shape of Hollywood forever.

And that in part was a large part to the company that Leon and I had built back in the 1970s.

And through the journey of growing up in this Los Angeles community, I have seen so many things being embraced right here in these walls by Mayor Tom Bradley, whom I served with for all the years that he he reigned here in the Cleveland, in Cleveland.

I said, that's hometown Cleveland, Los Angeles community.

But Tom Bradley was my hero.

And I would campaign with him.

He even invited me when Elizabeth Taylor up, Queen Elizabeth, excuse me.

I cannot make that struggle.

So yes.

Yeah, she was a queen in her own right.

Thank you.

Thank you for saving me.

It's my husband Bill.

Thank you for saving me again.

But when Queen Elizabeth came to visit Los Angeles, he asked me to stand by his side.

And he said, but you have to first learn how to curtsy.

So I took two weeks of learning how to curtsy properly for when Queen Elizabeth arrived.

So Los Angeles has supported me for so many reasons.

And when I started my family, it just became it just so many things blossomed that I hadn't imagined before because I was into work, work, work, work, work.

And when I landed the NFL Today, which was huge news, and it propelled me to a level in this entertainment industry that I had not anticipated.

And but we knew in our heart that something would happen eventually.

This was what happened eventually that made it was a game changer for me.

And the struggle as a black woman in this city and as a black woman in the industry has been real.

And it was never more real when I interviewed for the NFL today.

And I pushed and pushed and pushed.

We even called Jim Brown and said, Well, we need a hookup, you know, because this ain't happening any other way.

And I ended up with an interview in New York, and I walked into the room.

So the struggle is real, continues to be real.

And I convinced them that I could do the job.

And Brent Musberger, who was the host on the NFL today, who was interviewing me, he stood up and after I finished, he said, It's Jane or nobody.

And he walked out of the room.

He did not even interview the remaining women in the room.

But the challenge then became what are they gonna do with the Southern affiliates with two black people on the desk of the NFL today and one white.

The Southern affiliates were they saw it as a danger that they would pull their programming.

So they ended they ended up sending my audition tape to the Southern affiliates, and they said, Well, we do want her on the show, but how are we gonna fix this?

And the answer that they came up with was they put Jimmy the Greek, who was already doing predictions on the show.

They put him on the desk.

So now we have two blacks and two whites.

So the idea of having to be black in Los Angeles was a real struggle from day one.

The have the idea of having a black woman to achieve was way more significant.

Um I can tell you so many stories about this industry, but you can read them in my book plain.

Jane.

And we are now working on um we're in talks with uh developing a documentary and a biopic for this film, and um I couldn't be happier to be standing here with my daughters Cheyenne and Zaire.

They are my life.

I have two other daughters in Texas, Savannah and Copper, and when things when I found myself struggling, and I thought I would never be able to take another step, and we have those times in our lives, I thought I would never be able to advance forward, and I had gone into hiding, I gained a lot of weight because I just didn't believe in myself anymore.

But what saved me were my children, my children, and my husband.

My husband at one of my lowest times in my life, my husband called me, he was not my husband at that point, he was a friend, but he called me when all the other people were saying we need to turn our backs on Jane because this is not what we expected of her.

Bill came to me and he said, How are you?

He didn't care about how the work was going, he didn't care about how people were seeing me.

He wanted to know how I felt, and no one had ever asked me that before.

How are you?

How do you feel?

And that was so powerful for me, it made me marry him.

But this playing Jane Journey has been a true, true, true inspiration for so many women and so many um women of all colors, I should say.

And I just can't imagine a career that could have been better than the one that I experienced, and it part in large part to the city of Los Angeles, who has embraced me from a small town girl in Wycliffe, Ohio, who was born in in Washington, DC, who used to run around when she was four years old and tell everybody she had palm trees on her shorts and a cat-eyed glasses with rhinestones on the corners, and I'm telling everybody at four years old I'm gonna be a movie star.

And nobody believed me.

And my grandmother said, let Francy Prancy do whatever she wants to do.

And so every for every grandma that has been in my life, including Claudette Robinson, who is here, my best friend since I was 19 years old, and her amazing daughter Tamla.

I just couldn't be happier to be here standing in front of you and to accept this this proclamation.

Thank you.

We have a member on the queue, Ms.

Hutt, when you're ready.

Folks on the queue?

Yes.

Okay, I went.

Okay, Councilman Rodriguez.

Thank you so much.

And I'm uh thank you, Ms.

Hutt for helping to continue this important uh recognition.

I want to, Jane.

I just want to read.

I got a text from my husband.

Hold on.

He says, I love Jane Kennedy on CBS, one of the first women in sports broadcasting, she's a legend.

And so, and I and I took them, you know, it was it was uh a funny moment uh to watch your husband uh clear his throat at the proper moment to ensure the acknowledgement.

I too am married to a funny man.

Uh and uh and and it takes uh it takes a really strong man to be with a strong woman.

And so I just wanted to give you the props uh for that.

But you know, for every woman that breaks into a new industry that has to endure so much in order to be recognized to be heard, uh, to be so often dismissed, to be mansplained, to have your ideas stolen.

It's not something that's forgotten, it still happens every day in so many industries, and in fact in politics in particular.

But to have done it in an era in the way that you did it, congratulations.

And really uh thank you so much for being an example for all women in all communities about what perseverance really looks like and how to do it elegantly and beautifully.

I want to say thank you so much for being that example and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.

Thank you so much, I think.

I would I would also I would like to also say um send my best wishes to Kern because he was the one that brought me here.

And um I've worked with many people in the in the LA uh city council and in the mayor's office over the years, worked with Karen Bass.

Um, worked with Kern, worked with so many different people.

Um and I've appreciated every single ounce of support that you have ever given me.

And thank you, Kern.

And I will have a book signed for you, and I will have a book sign for Mayor Bass.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So this is a resolution prepared by Councilmember Price from the 10th from the 9th district, signed by him, Karen Bass, and uh second by all members of City Council.

And it just talks about all your milestones.

Um coming to Hollywood is what it said, and then your NFL career, your exercise career, and even your Emmy Award coverage for the Rose Bowl.

And and so we just want to give you this proclamation and resolution rather, and tell you really how important you have been to the culture.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay.

So that concludes our uh this actually concludes our final presentation.

And may I wish Mayor Bass happy birthday today?

You may thank you.

Thank you.

All right, now we're gonna move to uh public comment.

So if we could uh make sure the instructions are read in for that.

Members of the public may speak to up to one minute today for general public comment during general public comment, members of the public may speak to anything within the city's subject matters jurisdiction.

We will tell you when your time it's up.

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

If you are not on topic, meaning speaking to something within the subject matters jurisdiction of the city council.

Uh, if we can't tell whether you're on topic, you will get one brief warning from me or the president.

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

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

And if I could have the translator translate this to members of the public that are providing public comment in Spanish, we ask that you pause after every few sentences so that the translator can translate for you.

See, but a member of the public la opportunidad a traducir.

We will hold your time and you will be given the exact same amount of time as any other speaker.

Thank you.

Okay, and since there's uh there's not that many people in the chambers today, rather than reading the names, uh anyone who's here for general public comment, uh, you don't have to all come at once, but we'll get to everybody.

Just come to the uh left side of the chambers and line up on that side.

House left stage right.

When you see the line dies down, just feel free to come on up and we'll get through uh everyone who is here.

So welcome.

Mr.

Graebner, you can lead us off.

Okay.

So you had a bunch of presentations today, talking about labor and things like that.

Well, you kind of left out while those labor groups were here about how the city is laying off hundreds of city employees who do vital work to keep the city running in order to give more money to the LAPD.

And every single one of the council members either voted for it or did not vote for it because it didn't give more enough money to the LAPD, even though the LAP already gets three billion dollars every year, and hundreds of city employees are getting laid off to give more money to the LAPD.

And you left all of that out during your several presentations on labor today.

So yeah.

Just a bit of the shitty work, it seems.

Great.

Thank you.

Thank you for uh educating us.

Next speaker.

Welcome.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, City Council members.

My name is America, and I'm from South Central.

I've come here today to speak about an issue impacting my neighborhood.

As we all know, Los Angeles is a car dependent city.

However, there has been a frustratingly uneven ratio of parking of cars.

It does not make sense for the amount of cars in my neighborhood.

Neighbors are left to compete over ensuring a parking spot, and we have to decide whether we want to leave the house and lose a parking spot or stay in the house all day.

For example, the apartment across my across my house used to have a parking space in the back, and that was taken away to build more apartments, which brought even more cars and less space to put them.

The area we have will only get smaller since now there's another apartment being built a few houses down from me, likely without parking too.

If you've not experienced this issue, I ask you to recognize that this does affect our lives, and I urge you to put yourself in my shoes.

Please don't forget about South Central.

We are part of the city too, and we deserve to live like people, not a burden.

You must help us solve this issue.

Thank you very much.

Next speaker, welcome.

There's precisely one reason that loads of people are not complaining about police non-feasance, and that is because people are being terrorized by criminal gangs.

This includes nice areas.

Council members could quickly stop this police misconduct by writing a letter to the governor, but they won't, and they won't explain why.

Second issue.

Council members Raman and McCosker have reportedly said that they'd prefer an appointed city attorney to an elected one.

This is good news because it shows they aren't accepting legal opinions without question.

The legal advice being currently offered is so bad that a child could tell.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Harriet Elliott, I want to read out of Ron Johnson, his book is 550 pages.

And sometimes it'll sound just too technical, okay.

But hopefully you'll like it.

Oh, I want to go to uh the five.

Can't oh, can you stop the uh the timing because I you're on general public comment, that's the only thing open too.

Oh, okay, okay.

Beam forming technologies have been perfected to such an extent that it's nearly impossible to feel the beam penetration unless you place your hands in front of where it's targeting you for approximately 30 seconds.

At that stage, your hand will begin to pulse and even hurt, and only then can you feel the slight sensation of the concussion waves hitting your skin as attempts to correct its targeting solution?

This is a test that works very well, and the concussion waves that you will feel will be sky net trying to readjust the beam for more vectors.

By the way, you'll only have the me reading this one minute every week.

Great, thank you.

You're welcome to just submit the submit the whole thing to the record for us, so you don't have to come and read it.

Uh next speaker, go ahead.

I am James Tony, and I stand for a city where everyone has a safe place to call home.

I ask for the city council to fight for affordable housing and to protect EHV, Section 8, low-income housing tax credit, and all forms of affordable housing.

I fight for the rights of immigrants and for the dignity of every LGBTQ plus person, especially our transgender neighbors.

Our community is stronger when we protect the most vulnerable, and I will not waver in that fight.

As Micah 68 reminds us, he has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?

Together we can build a city where justice, safety, and dignity are not privileges, they are for everyone.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon, Council members.

Los Angeles continues to face a deep housing crisis, and families who rely on emergency housing vouchers are among our city's most vulnerable.

By planning now to safeguard housing for these households, you are not only protecting residents from losing their homes if federal support lapses, but also strengthening our entire community.

I urge you also to recognize and protect those who face overlapping vulnerabilities, especially transgender immigrants and transgender women.

Trans women are among the most at risk of homelessness, violence, and discrimination.

And we ask that this city to protect us with the same urgency and commitment.

Housing is dignity, housing is safety, housing is life.

And I ask you to boldly to protect emergency housing voucher households and to ensure that Los Angeles is a city where every resident, especially those who are marginalized, have the chance to live safely and thrive.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Welcome.

Floor is yours.

Okay.

Public, when you are higher clowns, you get a circus.

I protest sleazy Marquise Dawson and the rest of these incompetent clowns again having absolute zero items on today's agenda.

None.

Why?

Because these clowns bankrupt the city, giving one billion dollar increase to LAPD.

The clowns won't take the money back because LAPD makes tremendous campaign contributions, especially to Sleazy Dawson, Monica Lewinsky, and Rodriguez and the rest.

So they sit here grinning, giving presentations and collecting their 20 to 30,000 per month salaries while we have one billion dollar budget emergency, tens of thousands homeless epidemic emergency, 275,000 fire damage emergency.

No, they're not stupid.

I formally protest the uh presentations, the mass incompetence of these clowns, and I demand sleazy D's resignation.

You see it.

Oh my god.

Thank you.

Oh my god, all we're done.

Morning, sir.

Welcome.

Uh I guess uh public comment.

Okay, she's already started.

Okay, quickly.

Uh I want to wish Miss Bass, uh, our mayor happy birthday, and she is a guardian angel.

The other day when I watched as uh Mr.

Kern Price and Mr.

Kern Price, you are my prayers.

When I saw her jump into action, she was a superhero.

You know, one of my favorite uh favorite movies is uh uh Mr.

Smith goes to Washington because there's a line in there where he says, all we need to do is show each other a little human kindness, and that's what she did.

But sadly, as I watched her do her uh her greatness, I saw another person on the front with his hands and he looked back as Mr.

Price is on the ground and he doesn't know what's happening to him, looks at him, turns around and makes sure that the person who was taking this picture, he was you know, looking at him.

Uh, I'm not gonna pick on Mr.

Uh Lee today.

God send us the little uh rain up in Port Orange, so I don't have to worry about okay.

Uh just to confirm is there anyone else here who is here for public comment?

Seeing nobody here, public comment is officially closed.

Uh, what's next?

Mr.

President, the council may now vote on item six, call special for council member Hutt for a separate vote.

Okay.

Item six is then before us.

Does anyone wish to be heard on this item?

Seeing no speakers on the queue, let's open the roll.

Close the roll and tally the vote.

Nine one no.

This item is adopted.

Okay.

What's next?

Council has motions for posting and referral.

Without objection, they're posted and referred.

But this is clear, Mr.

President.

Great.

We'll move to announcements.

Colleagues, anyone have any announcements?

Looking to my left.

Looking to my right.

Well, I've got an announcement, uh, so I'll start then, which is our Roseda Rising Art Walk is back, which I know everyone has been waiting for.

So join me this Saturday, October 4th, from 5 to 10 p.m.

on Sherman Way in Lindley for a day filled with live art, entertainment, interactive projects, vendors, food trucks, and so much more.

The festival highlights will include live figure drawings, paintings, free art workshops, including uh bring your own garment live screen printing, special visit also by the LA Rams cheerleaders and rampage.

This is a free family and pet friendly event which brings thousands of Angelinos to the West Valley, highlights our collective West Valley artistic spirit.

Uh I started this tradition before COVID.

We transitioned it during COVID into a mural festival, but we brought it back to life post COVID, and this year we're growing this amazing community celebration.

So I hope to see you all this Saturday.

And for additional information or questions, go to Reseda Artwalk.com.

Colleagues, any additional announcements?

Councilwoman Rodriguez.

Just want to remind everybody, tomorrow, Amity Island will be in the Northeast San Fernando Valley where we will be screening and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws.

We've got a number of surprises in store for folks, so I don't want to spoil it, but let's just say uh there is going to be so many activities there that are going to help uh recreate that environment, but it's gonna be a good time.

So come on out.

Gates open at three o'clock.

Uh movie starts at sunset.

We've got food trucks, we've got resource booths, and you know, at a time I think when families are financially struggling, it's just another opportunity for folks to come out and uh do something for free and make good memories with their family.

So looking forward to uh seeing everybody at Jaws tomorrow.

Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water.

You've come bringing his back.

Okay, uh, let's let's rise for adjourning motions.

If I could ask everyone in the chambers to rise, and uh I'm gonna look to my left.

Mr.

McCosker, will you start us?

Thank you very much.

Colleagues, I rise to adjourn today's meeting in memory of Adol Bilberry, a beloved member of the city family and the San Pedro community.

Adel was born on December 4th, 1935 in Red Hill Township, Arkansas to Eleanor and La LaRay Billy.

He was raised on his grandparents' small farm where Adel learned the tremendous value of faith and family.

He also had two siblings, Doyle and Ruby.

In the early 1940s, the Billberry family joined the Great Migration, leaving Arkansas and moved to Quincy, California in search of a better life.

After spending just a few years in Northern California, the family relocated to San Pedro.

It was in San Pedro that Adol Schoen, breaking track and field records in high school and building his roots in our community.

In the early 1950s, Adel met and married the love of his life, Lillian Campbell.

Their marriage lasted 54 years and brought in three children, Lynette, Larry, and Tiana.

Adol and Lillian's marriage was rooted in faith.

They joined together the Union Baptist Missionary Church, where Adel was actively in service as a deacon and a choir member.

Around that time, he began his service with the city of Los Angeles, beginning at the Harbor Department, eventually transferring to LADWP, where he rose to become a regional supervisor.

His career in the city spanned 25 years.

He had countless stories, lifelong friendships, and great memories from his time at the port and at LADWP.

His life was filled with love and happiness.

He valued family gatherings more than anything else.

He founded the Foreman family reunions and brought together his extended family and strengthened their bond across generations.

In his later years, he could be found on his chair outside his home in his front yard, right around the corner from my house, greeting neighbors, friends, and pets, making friends along the way.

He transitioned to be with his lord on September 10th, 2025.

On behalf of the city of Los Angeles, we extend our deepest condolences to his family, his friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

May he rest in peace.

Thank you.

Looking to my left, any additional adjourning motions there or on this side.

Colleagues, it is with a heavy heart that I adjourned today's meeting in the memory of the incredible Dr.

Jane Goodall.

A British primatologist and anthropologist, Dr.

Goodall's work was groundbreaking in helping society better understand chimpanzees in the wild.

It's hard to believe, but it was only six short years ago that she graced us in this chamber right here, where we were able to honor her for her incredible work.

All 91 years of her life were spent advocating for the protection and restoration of our natural world, and she was a true expert in animals and our environment.

As her foundation eloquently wrote, Jane was passionate about empowering young people to become involved in conservation and humanitarian projects, and she led many educational initiatives focused on both wild and captive chimpanzees.

She was always guided by her fascination with the mysteries of evolution and her staunch belief in the fundamental need to respect all forms of life on Earth.

She was passionate about wildlife from early childhood, and she read avidly about the natural world.

Her dream was to travel to Africa, learn more about animals, and write books about them.

Having worked as a waitress and saved enough money for a sea passage to Kenya, she was advised to try to meet the respected paleontologist, Dr.

Louise Leakey.

Leakey employed her as a secretary at the National Museum in Nairobi, and this led to her being offered the opportunity to spend time with Lewis and Mary Leahy on a variety of expeditions.

He then asked her to travel to Tanzania to study families of wild chimpanzees in the forest of Gumbai.

This led to her amazing career.

An observation that has been credited with literally redefining what it means to be human.

She soon studied for her PhD in uh ethology at Newham College, Cambridge, and this was despite not even having previous degrees.

And then her she wrote a doctoral thesis on the behavior of free-living chimpanzees in the Gombe Gombe Stream Reserve, and that was completed in 1965, and it evolved into an extraordinary research program that not only lasted decades, but is continuing on to this day.

Excuse me.

And in 2019, National Geographic opened Becoming Jane, a traveling exhibit focused on her life's work, which is still touring across this country.

Her latest publication, The Book of Hope, a survival guide for trying times has been translated into more than 20 different languages.

Aside from her beloved Jane Goodall Institute, which she started in 1977, she worked with countless nonprofits around the globe to further efforts to help animals.

It was an honor for me and my team to help lead Dr.

Goodall in this body on April 3rd, 2019, which was part of a celebration of her 85th birthday.

And she inspired me and so many others before me to speak up for those who were voiceless and who leave the world to leave the world in a better way than we found it.

As she said, quote, the greatest danger to our future is apathy.

My condolences go to her son, grandchildren, and the countless people whose lives that she's touched and continues to touch.

May she rest in peace.

Thank you, Jane.

Any other adjourning motions?

Seeing none, go out and serve the city.

This meeting is adjourned.