The unemployment people had given up and he said to the people of America, there's nothing to fear but fear itself, and this galvanized the people and brought the country up.

And then when the bombing of Peroga Harbor happened, everybody went crazy.

And we have to look like the people that bombed Pearl Harbor.

And he saw us as the enemy.

And as great a man as Roosevelt was, Roosevelt was a human being.

He got swept up in the hysteria.

There are people on the West Coast that look exactly like the people that bomb Bar.

Who knows what could be a spy?

They might be planning to bomb San Pedro.

After a year of that unjust imprisonment, the government realizes there's a wartime manpower shortage.

And here are all these young people, men and women that they've categorized just arbitrarily as enemy aliens.

We're Americans, born, raised, and imprisoned by America, born here.

They just made up this enemy alien thing.

But now they need us.

So they come down with a loyalty questionnaire.

What's the matter with this government?

They should have passed back before they imprisoned us, before they took our homes, destroyed my father's business.

Hearing this story, I keep telling people the ideals of democracy are noble.

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

That's us, the people.

And my father said, we have to be involved, all of us.

At that time, the civil rights movement was going on.

He said what the black people are doing is that they are out speaking up for themselves.

They have a history.

That's a part of American history.

And you said, you when you get the vote, you are the part of the people that speak for this country.

We have to participate.

I am so grateful to be sitting here with Hina Knowles to have a chance to hear a little bit more about your work and the creation of the Waco Theater Center.

The creation of the Waco Theater Center has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager because I had a mentor actually gave me exposure to the arts.

And it made me feel seen and heard.

So I know the effect of the arts on the community and especially on kids who don't have great opportunities.

And that is what Waco is all about.

We started this charity very small in a little tiny 100-seat theater.

And the challenge was that our students that we mentor, we had to bust them, so we spent all our money on busting them to North Hollywood.

And so this is a dream come true because we're in that community.

We can do community programs.

How cool is that?

I came out here to go to one of the shops on the main street here, which I thought was amazing because it was all these black-owned artistic businesses.

So that was exciting within itself.

And then my friend Mark Bradford brought me here.

And of course, it was before all the renovations, and I was like, oh my God, this is just sitting here.

It looked completely different.

And so when I heard that it was being restored, it was music to my ears.

And when there was an opportunity for us to help manage this place, it was like a dream come true.

And for it to be a place where this community can easily access.

And so that's what we're hoping for this place.

We're praying that it is a cultural community center, which it was meant to be in the first place.

The history, the legacy that is in this building, if the walls could talk.

We are so lucky here in the city of Los Angeles to be able to celebrate and to be able to do that through our theaters, through our art center, through our grantee program, through public art.

It's all about helping people feel comfortable and confident with where they are and who they are.

I really have to commend the city of Los Angeles.

What you've done here is historical.

It's selfless and it's inclusive and it is really amazing.

So I really commend the city of Los Angeles for that.

I think that it will be a beacon of pride for many people to bring commerce here, to bring attention to this wonderful street with all these beautiful businesses.

I feel like it's going to be contagious.

That touches my heart.

I just cannot wait.

I mean, we just got to get started.

Founded in 1885, Little Tokyo became the center of Japanese American life before World War II and remains one of only three surviving Japan towns in the United States.

It stands as a lasting testament to community resilience, heritage, and small business legacy.

Designated a national historic landmark, this two-block stretch connects historic science from Union Church to the Japanese American National Museum, reflecting one of the largest concentrations of Nisei for second-generation Japanese Americans in the country.

Across LA, historic neighborhoods like Little Tokyo, Filipino Town, Chinatown, and Koreatown are deeply woven into the city's identity, driving culture, connection, and renewal.

And nearby MacArthur Park, once known as the Ellis Island of the West, a new stormwater capture project is transforming the lake, reflecting how the city continues to reinvest in its public spaces for future generations.

Good history.

And hard history.

This lake has seen it all.

It's also absorbed it all.

The runoff, the pollution, and the years when this neighborhood was not the first on anybody's list.

Today, that changes.

This is the MacArthur Lake Stormwater Capture Project.

We're so excited.

It's one of the first, it's going to be one of the iconic projects that we implement under the Safe Clean Water Program.

So the project is going to actually capture that stormwater, which is polluted from all of the area that it's running off from.

It's going to treat the water and we're going to use that in MacArthur Park Lake.

So what that means is we don't have to turn on the faucet for potable water.

That means we conserve water and we're actually beneficially reusing stormwater that would otherwise go out into the Bayona Creek and be lost to the ocean.

In the very neat future, we're going to have our pedal boat operations back here at this lake.

I really believe that that's an amenity that's going to really bring in community to use the space.

Not only to look at the space, but also be able to get on the water.

Even exercise because you know, pedal boat is a cardiovascular exercise.

So super excited about that as well, coming into uh into this park and into the space.

Projects like this are not only bringing a community benefit, they're also helping to improve the environment through saving that water, reusing water, through building trees and creating shade and bringing an overall aesthetic beauty to the neighborhood.

There's always been so much misconception around the lake in MacArthur Park, and we're trying to fix that.

I think that folks want to see clean water.

They want to see a beautiful project that accentuates the beauty of this area.

And that's why we're trying to bring an opportunity for folks to be proud of the community they live in.

And this is just gonna help make an extremely special place serving this community.

It's all about connecting people with nature.

When visitors come here, they get to see animals that live right off our coast here in Southern California.

It's an enjoyable place, and I'm really thrilled.

The team that works here at Cabrier Mini Aquarium is excellent.

Whether we're teaching about whales or grungy, it's just a very, very special place, and I'm glad to be a part of it.

This is the entry to the exhibit hall, and behind me is the story of the Cabrera Marine Aquarium, our 90 year history.

This wonderful exhibit has a map that explains what's happening inside the exhibit hall.

As you're walking around through the maze of the exhibit hall, there's different habitats.

This helps you guide along through the exhibits and see all the beautiful animals that are here in their habitats.

We've been here 90 years teaching about marine life of Southern California, and we teach about the conservation.

How everyone can help do their part to conserve the beautiful animals and the life of Southern California.

Here we are at the Jelly Lab.

This is a very special lab, brand new.

We just finished completing it.

We have a culture area where we're growing baby jellies.

We're growing about three different species right now.

We grow jellies here for our education and also for our research and to share with our other institutions that we partner with.

Welcome to our Jelly Tunnel, the entrance to the Drifters of the Deep exhibit.

This is a great space to come and learn about the natural history of jellies and get up in close and personal, really up close and see the beauty of these jellies.

We have moon jellies, we have pot of gold jellies, and we have purple striped jellies here on exhibit.

All of the animals that you see here on exhibit in the Jelly Lab are part of the work that we do here.

We are growing these jellies in the jelly lab, and we are sharing those jellies with our visitors every single day.

Welcome to the Exhibit Hall Pump House.

In this room is the life support system that provides clean water to our exhibit hall and to our living collection.

We have an array of pumps, filters, chillers, UV sterilizers and other components that provide the animals that are living here with the highest quality water.

It's all happening right here.

In the future, as we add more exhibits or as we change exhibits, the living habitats with animals in the exhibit hall are going to get the best care because of everything you see around you right here.

Growing up in this area and now working, Cabrier Mine Aquarium is a reminder of how special it is to live here in Southern California.

We live in a very vibrant and diverse community, and I'm thrilled to hear different languages and different people and different experiences and cultures, and it's all happening right here.

So please come be a part of it.

Communities like Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Koreatown, and historic Filipino town reflect over a century of migration, settlement, and cultural preservation in the city.

The 1970s marked a turning point for Little Tokyo as Japanese companies establish international headquarters in the heart of Los Angeles.

By the mid-1980s, the Little Tokyo Service Center helped guide that growth, balancing economic development with the preservation of the neighborhood's cultural legacy.

This era also aligned with the rise of nearby arts communities and repurposed downtown warehouses, now more connected than ever through expanded metro transit.

In Los Angeles, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is not just commemorative.

It's visible in everyday life through museums, temples, festivals, small businesses, and public art across many neighborhoods.

Places like Barnstall Art Park invite visitors to experience exhibitions from emerging artists and reflect on the evolving artistic identity that defines the city.

Heavy metal is comprised of 20 women artists.

One of the things about heavy metal is it's a play on words, it's a play on concept.

There are a lot of works that deal very literally with large-scale sculpture, heavy sculpture, however, heavy myths and heavy also references the psychological weight that comes with the female perspective.

Attending different galleries and exhibitions is relatively new to me.

So this one is really eye-popular because of the way that the different artists have conceptualized the idea of heavy metal.

It's not just rigid structures as you would normally think.

It's actually some of the ways that the artists interpret it are pretty amazing, right?

The heavy metal exhibition was beautiful.

So many unique artworks, lots of different forms, so many rays of colors and textures, very engaging.

It was beautiful.

Really enjoyed our time here.

In addition to heavy metal, we have two exhibitions in the project room, Ivan Bridges and Rachel Bridges.

Those are exhibitions focused on painting and drawing and are a nice compliment but also a juxtaposition to the artworks in Heavy Metal.

I would definitely recommend people to come and check out this exhibition.

There's lots of three-day artwork installations.

There's wool artwork, different colors, the sounds, it's really interactive and a beautiful place to walk around.

The municipal art gallery is located at Barnstall Park.

The exhibition is on view through June 20th.

And the hours of operation are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11 a.m.

to 4 p.m., with the exception of Juneteenth.

June 19th, we will be closed for the holiday.

This is my first time as a museum, and it has a diversity of thought, diversity of artists and expression of the art, which is amazing.

And I think it's important nowadays to be able to step away from digital and come and just be introspective.

Today the Chinese American Museum El Pueblo is doing spring fast.

It celebrates the new season for all Asians of Equal, AAPI included.

And it starts with a festival family, introduces good health and wealth.

One of the reasons why we hold this event is because you know we really want to celebrate the diversity of Los Angeles.

Really bringing it showing our visitors Chinese American culture and our community.

We have arts and crowds.

We have live entertainment, and it really is a space where we want to have people learn about our community.

People learn about our culture, but also create a space of appreciation.

It's so important that we share the culturals.

The LA City is the multicultural, you know, societies, and then their contribution to the society is not only economically and most importantly, culturally.

Encourage people to celebrate together, and they're looking forward to a better society, and I think that's our mission here.

I would like to be cooking.

Metro partnered with the Wiley Center.

They have a wonderful program where they take students in their autism program and they teach them life skills.

And one of the life skills they teach them is how to make cookies.

So they wanted to do a station activation for autism awareness month, handout-free cookies.

We think it's a great thing for our customers as well as the students of the Wiley Center.

I'm one of those students who are passing out cookies in honor of Autism Awareness Month.

Well, pretty good.

And a cookie to a bunch of people to brighten their day.

Basically just selling out cookies and metro cards to people in honor of Autism Awareness Month.

It's Autism awareness Month, so we are spreading a little bit of awareness, acceptance, and celebration with transit riders.

Our students were actually sharing their own personal testimonies and giving information to people about autism.

When I was in school, people used to make fun of a lot of other people for having autism.

People think autism is like a negative thing, which is not true at all.

We're just trying to show that autism is not what they think it is.

We're human too.

It really came about when we were given an oven and a kitchen, a professional one.

And we wanted our kids to figure out what they could do with this.

And what they decided was we want to make cookies.

They have just become cookiepreneurs, and that was the name that we kind of called them cookiepreneurs.

You're able to learn real life skills, learn how to be independent, learn how to be productive citizens.

Thank you for this.

I appreciate you getting it.

We've been here since 1979, serving families, changing lives.

And we have training centers, we have a CVS, a UPS, and an outback steakhouse training center.

We're preparing our kids for the next phase of their lives.

Me and my friend Kyle designed the logo right here.

He drew like the concept art.

I used the digital artwork software to make the logo.

The response is very exciting.

Smiles for miles.

The kids are having a great time handing out the cookies, so I think it's positive experience for both parties.

Established in 1903, the Rafu Shimpo remains a critical cultural anchor for Japanese Americans in LA.

Despite the forced closure during the incarceration era, the publication re-emerged to help reconstruct the neighborhood's legacy following World War II.

That same spirit of community continues across Los Angeles, where programs supported by the city's civil rights department empower neighborhoods to directly shape how help and resources are delivered, placing decision making in local hands.

You are the people who help the people and you're making history and you're making a difference, and it's a truly an honor to be here with you all.

Today we are in Boyle Heights at Proyecto Pastor, a community center making a difference with our repair dollars.

We have the repair program, which is providing resources for residents who may be a little short on their rent.

We wanted to make sure that if you are at risk of being unhoused, that you have a place where you can get real dollars from real people to make a real difference.

We were able to budget and stretch out the money and help a hundred and seventy-four families this last year with rental assistance.

Out of those families, 230 children also receive this assistance.

I mean families were having to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, paying bills, and a lot of times getting food for their children was a priority, and they weren't able to afford to pay the rent.

So today we're having a celebration because we enter our grant through LA Repair.

So we wanted to highlight all of the hard work, everything that we did throughout this year, like success stories and all the people the community that we were able to help through LA Repair grant.

Thank you.

We're celebrating World Autism Awareness Month.

We're just trying to get the word out so we can promote water safety.

Today at Lincoln Park 4, hosting the World Autism Awareness Day event.

This event is really important for all communities.

Water safety is such an important topic that I believe everyone should learn about because anything can go wrong at any time.

So the more people that we can invite to our facility and teach them how to swim, the safer that we can be.

We're offering free swim lessons to everyone.

We're also doing stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking.

I think it's important because a lot of our kids with autism um love water and they don't understand the safety yet.

So I love it.

I love it because now hopefully he'll learn not only the safety part but how to swim.

There you go, Mark.

To teach someone who has autism, I wouldn't say that it's more difficult, but it does take some extra training because sometimes we will need to accommodate and take a different approach to our lessons for this community.

So we offer adaptive swim classes so that we can really focus on the child depending on what special need they might have.

We try to make sure they're as comfortable as possible, and it's very important because at the end of the day, everyone should learn how to swim.

That's what we want.

And I love that.

So I thank Beacon Park for that, honestly.

It's pretty cool and the city.

Kick off America's 250th birthday in Los Angeles with LA Fleet Week 2026.

The annual multi-day celebration of our nation's sea services held on the LA waterfront over the Memorial Day weekend.

From touring active Navy vessels to competitions and band performances to honoring those who gave all to preserve our freedoms, LA Fleet Week offers something for everyone with festivities from May 22nd to May 25th.

Join the Port of Los Angeles to celebrate the nation's military with public ship tours, welcome parties, and the main Fleet Week Expo alongside the Battleship Iowa.

For the full schedule, visit LA Fleetweek.com.

Head to the Eden Dale branch for the ongoing celebration marking 100 years of LA's Central Library.

On Saturday, May 23rd, historian Mary Mallory presents a look at the first women of Los Angeles.

Women have often been the movers and shakers behind community improvements, and this talk will feature the pioneering women who shaped our city's history, including organizers, activists, journalists, Hollywood stars, and even librarians.

Join the Los Angeles Public Library at Eden Dale Branch for first women of Los Angeles with historian Mary Mallory on Saturday, May 23rd, beginning at 1 p.m.

Find more at LAPL.org.

On Sunday, May 24th, enjoy a concert in the park for Memorial Day, honoring those who died in service.

The featured performance at Brand Park will be from the third Marine Aircraft Wing Band.

The concert event will also feature a veterans resource fair on site.

Pay tribute and enjoy a Memorial Day concert in the park.

Taking place on Sunday, May twenty fourth at 11 a.m.

For more information, visit CD7.lacity.gov.

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

Contemporary LA continues to be shaped by Asian American voices in media, sports, politics, and the arts, reflecting a living, evolving cultural story rather than a historical one alone.

As a national history landmark, it stands as a living connection to generations of Japanese American history, where food, art, and community reflect both heritage and evolution.gov forward slash TV and fall at LA City on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Until next time, get out there and experience everything Los Angeles has to offer.

All right, good morning, and welcome to the regularly scheduled meeting of our Los Angeles City Council.

Today is Wednesday, the twentieth day of May in the year twenty twenty six.

Public comment for this morning's meeting will be taken in person in this chamber.

Names will be drawn randomly.

We will have a set time for a public comment this morning.

So I will ask people to cooperate, move quickly so we can get through as many folks as possible.

Uh Mr.

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

All right.

First order of business.

Approval of the minutes of May nineteenth, twenty twenty-six.

Council member who auto moves, Councilmember Rodriguez seconds.

What's next?

Commendatory resolutions for approval.

Councilmember Lee moves Council Member Price seconds.

Let's run through our agenda for this morning.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Items one through five are items noticed for public hearing.

For item one, additional community impact statements from the Delray Neighborhood Council, the West LA Sawtell Neighborhood Council, the Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council, and the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council have been submitted for the matter and are posted online under council file number twenty-six-six zero zero.

Or your name is on the queue, I should say.

Yes, thank you.

Uh I'm holding, I'd like to request uh holding item four on the desk.

Council member by the uh has an amendment.

Okay, to the amendment to the to the lien.

Okay, got it.

Council District Six.

Perfect.

All right.

Any other specialist members?

Councilmember Nazaria.

Thank you, Council President.

Can we please continue items two and three for four weeks until June 17th?

All right.

That's two and three.

All right.

Until June.

17th.

All right.

Um any other specials members?

Uh Councilmember Padilla, you there's a request on your behalf to hold item four.

Do you want to continue it to a certain date or do you just want to hold it until after public comment?

Until after public comment.

Okay.

All right.

Any other specialist members?

All right.

Uh, what items does that leave available for votes.

None at this time.

Would you like council like to move on to public comment?

Move on to public comment.

We'll um ask the city attorney to read the rules into the record.

Yes, Mr.

President.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The items open for public comment on the agenda today are items one and items four and five.

Again, the items that are open for public comment on the agenda today are items one and items four and five.

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

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

We will tell you when your time is up.

A couple more announcements.

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

If you require a Spanish language interpreter, please make sure to pause every few sentences so the interpreters can interpret.

Don't worry.

We would ask that you please wait until you hear the name that you sign up under called aloud before lining up on your left-hand side of the council chambers.

The order in which names are called is not necessarily in chronological order.

It is randomly generated.

So again, please wait until you hear the name that you signed up under called aloud.

As far as the items that are open for public comment, I would note that item number one, which I suspect is what most of you are here for, is on the budget.

However, items number four and five, which are the only other items open for public comment, are LADBS lean items.

And so the scope for which you can speak on them is relatively limited.

Once you get to the podium, again, in order to help us expedite this process, if you could please let us know which items you'd like to speak to, and if you'd like general public comment, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

To begin public comment, I'll call up a few more names.

Jackie Navratil, Chichi Navarro, Bilma, Santiago, Gloria, Miguel, Bob Guzman, and Joe Manzano, good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Buenos días.

Hello, yes.

A public comment.

My name is Birma Santiago.

I've been working in the fashion industry in Los Angeles for twelve years.

And uh uh the government workers of Los Angeles have been collaborating with Los Angeles for more than three years.

And we work with the economic development and the labour force.

Working together with companies to develop uh legislation to be able to create a local industry that is a lot more healthy and more efficient.

However, it has proven to be very difficult for the offices to really invest into this program.

I hope you invest in this industry because it is very important for local business here in Los Angeles.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

Hello, yes, my name is Gloria.

I'm from the Government Workers Center.

One minute for general.

Yes, I am here before you to ask for you to invest.

We need this investment for the fashion industry.

Yes, we need that for the small businesses.

We need the funds that they can they can uh help out their workers.

And we need the development, we need the workforce to be developed for the employees in the seamstress industry.

Because the garment workers have never been recognized, uh the government has never really invested in this industry.

So now it is time that the government workers be taken into account.

Instead of killing this industry, it's time to revive it.

And it's time for government workers to be considered essential because during the pandemic they were working, risking their lives.

Thank you.

Next person.

So it's time for you to give them the recognition they deserve.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

Um, item number one in public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each, and this goes for everyone.

Feel free to adjust the microphone if you'd like.

So go ahead.

You have one minute for each.

Good morning.

My name is Jackie Navertil.

I'm the founder of a community organization called Lux Pause.

Uh, grassroots effort in CD 13, CD1, CD4, and CD 14.

I would like to speak on LA Animal Services.

Shelter data isn't just statistics, it tells the story of a dire community need for basic city animal welfare services.

A 31% increase in dead animal pickup by sanitation is costing the city millions of dollars.

Last year, 49,000 plus animals entered our city shelters.

That would fill the Hollywood bowl with animals three times.

Over the past six years, animal-related liability payouts have increased 65-fold to over seven million dollars.

Municipal leaders must address the root causes of animal welfare issues.

Thank you.

Oh, so just for clarification, for the before you leave, so uh, because I know we have a lot of new people here.

So when you hear the buzzer, if you've requested the items and general public comment, you'll get your initial time for the items, then the buzzer will go off, then we'll give you a one minute for general public comment.

So if you'd like, you still have your one minute for general, uh, but just please keep it.

30 seconds.

Yep.

Go ahead.

Managed intake or what's known as limited intake isn't a solution.

This places the burden of animal welfare on your constituents.

We are ill-equipped to deal with most animal welfare issues.

The taxpayers of Los Angeles expect investments into community solutions from animal for animal welfare.

I urge the city council to prioritize population control and community targeted programming that supports Bay neuter.

Please help our neighborhoods.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

Uh general public comment and item one.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Hello, my name is Bob Guzman.

I represent uh United Parents and Students.

Uh we um, on behalf of a coalition to fund public bank, um, we really need this in our city.

Uh we can I know that we're in debt, and this is a great way to kind of fix a lot of the issues that we see um financially.

So I implore the city council to fund public bank.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh general comment, please.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Morning to all council members, City of Los Angeles.

To honorable Isabel Gerardo, uh my name is Joe Manzano, and I'm here as a constituent and a resident of 14 district that you represent.

I've gone to the El Sereno Branch.

I've spoken with your staffers, and I've called your your staffers at your downtown office to make a meeting with you and to discuss many important issues regarding our neighborhood.

They've all said they'll get back to me, but nothing's happened.

So here I am.

Uh to make an appointment with you today or as soon as possible.

Our neighborhood and our community is a historic Rose Hills community.

We are not El Sereno.

El Sereno sued the city of Los Angeles, and the court case is BS and Boy, S and Sam, 146, 136, and we proved that Rolls Hills does exist and stands alone, and we need your assistance and your cooperation.

Thank you so very much.

General.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh, good morning.

This is Chichi Any Permanent.

I'm going to speak on item number one as well as general public comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Uh, I want to express my appreciation today for both uh Councilmember Hutt as well as Councilmember Hednandez for uplifting the TGI wellness and equity initiative and this year's budget discussions.

It means a great deal to us and our community to see leadership that recognizes the importance of investing in TGI wellness, safety, and opportunity.

Uh on that, I also want to acknowledge that the $500,000 that's currently proposed fails, falls very short of the original four million dollar ask that our community organizations have requested.

That original amount reflects the real scale of the need.

Housing support, economic stability, re-entry services, and community-based wellness programs that help our people not just to survive but truly thrive.

As you finalize the budget, I hope that you will consider restoring the full request so that this initiative can meet its intended impact.

Um I know that our council members do have funding available, so I encourage you all to stand up and commit to this.

As far as uh general public comment, I want to, as you move through this budget cycle, I do want to gently lift up the importance of investing in the kinds of support that create the real stability of our communities, housing, mental health care, harm reduction services, youth programs, and community rooted organizations that meet people with their with dignity and compassion.

These are the investments that help people feel safe, connected, and supported.

They reduce the harm before it happens and strengthen the fabric of our neighborhoods.

I hope the city continues moving forward toward a vision of public safety that centers care, prevention, and opportunity.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Before the next speaker begins, I'd like to call up a few more names.

Monica Ballesteros, Lilith Melican, Godfrey Plata, Hugh B.

Jorge Nicholas, Claudia, and Alexandra Morales.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Hi, I'm here for general public comment.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good afternoon, City Council.

On April 21st, 2026, Jamie Page, the California Post Senior Hall reporter, called me and other transgender activists rat bags in a California and New York Post article.

Jamie, if you are in this room today, you can put this on record.

Jamie, you are a disgusting racist, transphobic, hateful, anti-Semitic, and demonic, ugly, blonde bitch.

You are a nobody, Jamie.

You have no love inside of you.

You are a miserable in your life, so you attack transgender women.

You are ugly in spirit and mind, Jamie.

You are a Nazi and you work for a you are a journalist for a fascist media company.

You are a Nazi Jamie.

You act like a Nazi.

You live like a Nazi, you write like a Nazi.

So go to fucking hell, Jamie.

You rat bag bitch.

Okay, before we move on to the next speaker, just a reminder for general public comment.

Uh, the general public comment, while it is quite broad, it does need to be connected to something within this city council's or the city's subject matter jurisdiction.

I would also like to take this opportunity to formally warn Mr.

Herman, you're here at almost every meeting, you know the drill.

If you're going to applause, please wait until after the speaker is done.

Uh you disrupted the speaker multiple times.

This is your first and only formal warning.

Do not do it again, and it'll be subject to removal pursuant to rule seven and rule twelve.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh, item number one in uh public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Um, a public comment.

I'm gonna start on a public comment.

I hope you guys have a great weekend.

Um, can we hold our time really quick?

So just to be consistent with everyone else, we ask that you please start with the items and then you can go to general public comment afterwards.

Okay.

I know you have us.

Ms.

Heather Hutt, I don't know where she's at.

I just wanted to thank her, you know, personally, and uh encourage you all of you to support the $500,000 that Miss Hernandez is um mentioning to support the TGI um program at Tranatina Coalition.

Um and like I said, I encourage you all your 50 members to vote yes.

The 500,000 is not a lot compared to the four million dollars that we're asking.

On my public comment, I just want to mention on May 6th, the Trump, the Trump administration called transgender people a national security threat.

Days after a 19-year-old trans woman named Juniper Juniper Blessing got murdered.

She got stopped 40 times just for being trans.

We cannot we cannot let that happen again.

And I saw Miss Karen Bass in a commercial where she says leadership means collaboration.

So I'm asking you all to collaborate and get behind us.

Knowledge that we exist, and we need your support.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Hey, hey, this is Ms.

What would you like to speak to?

And you know, I've been impressed with you, McWee, because I've been watching you on social media.

Okay, so I'm gonna give you one minute for general.

Go ahead.

I want General M first.

Okay, then please begin with item number one, but go ahead.

Okay, we're cool.

Uh, but you know, I keep it real, 100 and all that.

I'm impressed with you, price.

Oh, you, Eunice.

Uh, thank you, and Ms.

Heather Hunt.

Miss Heather, maybe we'll go a long way back.

We met people, ladies of Java.

I hope that that things can be done for Eunicis.

Buck the bull.

I remember one of y'all uh mayor's daughter got killed there.

I went to her funeral.

Uh Mayor Bradley's daughter.

The corruption has been going on for years.

The uh new politics come in, they want to put it on y'all.

Uh Ugo, I'm proud of you, uh, you know the drill.

But uh I'm gonna tell you, always corruption is always have been done because you come in with all that crap that was already done, honey, and it's a lot to fix up.

And then I do give you credit, and I know your allies are coming in talking all that crap.

I know what you could do.

Look, I'm voting this year, and I'm voting in a man's name because uh Holly Mitchell, thanks to her.

Okay, I'm still on my second one, honey.

I mean, you know, but uh Holly Mitchell, I've wear her her pin with pride.

I like to have one from you and you too.

And you too, you know, where yours.

But I'm gonna tell you, I make sure that I vote for the right person.

Because some of the politics, I'm not with them.

I'm with who put out, who would do the work and supposed to do it with right, with dignity for the people and also for human rights and for everybody that's here, because that's what we're about.

We're here to make it a difference and to make it the best and better.

You need this and uh Heather Hunt and um, oh, forgot his name, uh, Ugo and you probably and you.

I give you credit because I've been seeing your work, and I'm proud of y'all.

And I hope y'all can keep on.

My vote is for whoever, I can't tell you my vote, but it's coming right.

Okay, God bless you all.

See ya.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Uh hi there.

Item one in general public comment, please.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Great.

Uh Godfrey Plata, LA Forward Institute.

Uh, we are so excited that the budget committee working with the CLA was able to find two million dollars to expand unarmed models of crisis response from its nine current divisions to six more, uh, which adds up to 15 divisions by the end of fiscal year 2627.

Don't touch this money on Friday.

Uh, in these police divisions, 911 calls that once we're directed to armed officers will be diverted instead to unarmed and trained mental health clinicians, crisis interventionists, and more.

Well, many of you have been supportive of expanding this program.

Thanks, especially to my council member Heather Hutt uh for moving initial budget memos forward that led to the CLA's recommendation.

This investment keeps the city on track to making unarmed models of crisis response available citywide by 2028.

So long as council finishes expansion next budget cycle.

I'll move on now to my next comment.

General.

Um another note uh the budget committee was able to increase Rep LA's one million from the mayor's budget to 1.5 million, but we hope that the council will support Councilmember Soto Martinez's motion to up this to three million, which would fulfill RepLA's ask for immigrant legal services.

Well, 1.5 million is a continuation of last year's full budget allocation, that amount still left legal service providers like Chirlau with over 660 folks on a wait list.

In a world where due process isn't even guaranteed for immigrants, it is funding for these legal services that represent our best attempt to protect Angelinos.

Please support CD 13's motion on Friday.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item number one.

Good morning.

My name is Jorge.

And first, I want to thank uh the budget committee for supporting the renewal of the daily labor center program and increasing the funding.

We truly appreciate the support and recognition of the work being being done in our communities.

At the same time, we understand that it's still more work to do ahead to reach a level of funding that can fully sustain these programs and the and to service the families and to service the families that depend on these services every day.

We're respectfully asked for the support for the full city council to vote yes on these budget items and continue investing in the programs that provide resources and direct support to impact communities across the city.

Thank you.

Okay, so Ms.

Bollinger, please do not disrupt this meeting.

This is your first and only formal warning.

If you disrupt this meeting again, you'll be subject to removal pursuant to rule seven and rule twelve.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

General public comment and item one.

So you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name is Alexandra Morales.

On behalf of immigrant defenders law center, we urge City Council to secure three million dollars for represent LA.

In prior years, the city's support was two million dollars.

Last year, this council secured 1.5 million.

This is the moment to double down and not to scale back.

The city's budget must reflect the urgency and our values.

It should also reflect the contributions of immigrants to this great city.

They are saying that the worst is yet to come.

Congress is currently teeing up millions of multi-year billions of dollars for funding Ice and CBP and Morse attentions of our community members.

They only need simple majority to pass this.

At the current funding level, the city of LA is not ready.

City Council, let's meet the moment.

Over the curse of last year's wave of raids and detentions, we are reminded that representation matters and it is the most tangible tool to uphold the process and safeguard constitutional rights.

But the tensions never stop, they are still going.

In January, MDEF alongside public council and Chirla sued the federal government government over the dangerous conditions at Adelando Detention Center.

And last in the last few days also, the California Attorney General released a report underscoring the inhuman conditions in Adelanto and the four preventable deaths that happened there.

We must all stand up to injustice.

We can't normalize what is happening in Los Angeles, and we must ensure that no immigrants stands alone.

Removal proceedings are deeply traumatizing.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure people's rights and dignities are protected every step of the way.

For many, represent LA is the last line of defense.

We urge you to fund three million dollars to represent LA.

Let's show up for our community members.

Let's make sure no immigrant is left alone.

Vote your values and show up.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one and public comment.

General comment?

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

My name is Monica Ballesteros.

I'm here with Move LA, a part of the public bank LA coalition, and I'm here to talk about how to ask that you guys fund the feasibility study.

This is an investment in LA.

It is actually about saving money, not spending money.

At Move LA, we work at the cross-section between affordable housing, clean air and climate, and of course affordable and accessible transit.

The money that could be saved from the public banks that we take from Wall Street can be used to fund all of this.

We lose billions in interest in fees to Wall Street every year.

A public bank would keep that money local, recirculating in LA to fund the city's need.

The public bank can make our tax dollars go further with a 10 times multiplier effect.

Through fractional reserve lending, one million one million in a public bank can generate up to 10 million in community lending power.

It cuts down on borrowing costs from Wall Street banks and generates revenue.

We're staring down budget deficits every year, fighting to protect city services and union jobs.

I do want to mention the public bank in North Dakota.

This bank has helped finance small business, farms, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure for over a century while returning hundreds of millions back to the state annually.

If we're expected to bail out private banks when they fail, it only makes sense that we explore publicly owned banking institutions and keep our dollars here.

Thank you.

Before the next speaker begins, I'd like to call up a few more names.

Lorna Paisley, Chelsea Velez, Maria Oliveira, Stacy Sayara Bolinger, B.

Corriel, and Lin Chow.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

Item number one in general public comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Lilith Malconian, and I'm a managing attorney at Garrison's deportation defense unit where we represent individuals in removal proceedings.

I'm here today, ask council to vote for increase for the rep LA program to three million dollars and for day labor center program to 1.5 million dollars.

Because every day I see firsthand how complex and high stakes immigration proceedings are.

People are expected to navigate rapidly changing immigration policies, language barriers, trauma, and incredibly complicated legal process, often without representation.

Without representation, many of our community members are forced to make life-altering decisions without fully understanding their rights, the legal process, and the forms of relief that are available to them.

One of the most critical aspects of the Rep LA program is that it allows organizations like us to represent people who otherwise will fall through the gaps of funding.

Because Repelay Program is one of the very few programs that does not have a criminal carve out.

And it allows us to represent individuals who are in who are often in detention.

Out of time, what immigrant communities are facing increased instability, and fear, and rapidly changing enforcement priorities.

Programs like RepLA are more essential than ever.

This funding directly impacts whether Angelinos have meaningful access to due process and legal representation during some of the difficult times of their lives.

I urge you to support increased funding for Rep LA and Day Labor Center programs because the need in trusted representation increasing every day, so our investment in justice should increase with it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

I would like to speak to item number one, please.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

My name is Hugh Brockington.

I'm with Move LA and Public Bank LA.

And with item number one specifically, we request that you fully fund the feasibility study for the public bank.

This is a way to maximize our tax dollars to be able to fund transit, affordable and public housing.

We have the D-line that just opened.

We have so many projects while also restaurants closing.

This is a breakdown in our city finances.

We ask that this 325,000 dollars that is left to fund it.

We thank the nine council members that have funded it, and we ask that you fully fund the rest of it so that we can balance our budget, move forward with projects, so that the city can really thrive.

I thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh good morning, items one and general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the items.

Go ahead.

Uh thank you.

Byron Jose with the Translatina Coalition.

Um I would like to thank Councilmember Hernandez and Councilmember Hutz for their championing the TGI Wellness and equity initiative, as well as the leadership and the rest of the members in the budget and finance committee.

Uh we are glad that after years of advocacy, we are at least now there's a placeholder, a starting point in our budget.

Uh, that this budget not only represent uh reflects uh the carcel system and the funding to the LAPD uh that continue to kill communities, but now we're investing in care and in life affirming services and programs.

Uh we would like to ask Councilmember Tracy Park uh to use her discretionary funds to truly match this half a million dollars, this initial investment.

I think that you uh and our other well-resourced districts, you will bring us the West side in truly seeing that investment in our communities.

Uh, we would like to ask Councilmember John Lee to work with uh Monica Rodriguez to make sure that the districts in the valley are using their discretionary funds to truly invest in care and services for our communities.

Uh we continue to see time and time again.

Uh districts like City One that have limited resources, a lot of needs, right?

But we continue to make do.

We continue to find a way to make uh that their services and funding for all the communities.

We uh we as the Translatina coalition stand here with uh LA Forward and our on our model crisis response.

We're here with our daily labor companies and compañeros, make sure that they they get additional funding.

Um, as well as represent LA given the current climate.

Uh that is all to say that I know you want to move on from this budget.

Uh we cannot continue to increase the LEPD's budget.

Uh we really need to look at this liability and this cost that it's not protecting our communities and that it's killing us.

So as we move through another cycle, another election cycle, we really would like Tracy Park to do her big one now.

We do not need to wait until June 2nd.

We do not need to move on to a new iteration of this council to truly see the investment of different offices uh truly standing with us.

So thank you to those of you who do support communities.

We look for the rest of the council to join in.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning, my name is Maria.

I'm here to ask uh all of you for your support for uh the garment industry.

So most of luchando por esta cosent pierday canoe, but I must we are here.

We are here all of us are as garment workers, and we're here to ask for your support for to fight for the garment center.

I move much companies.

There are many small companies here that are in need of your support.

Those those immigrants taxes.

And we all pay our taxes.

This is why we need your help.

Please don't ignore what we are asking for.

For favor, no echen este.

Please don't throw away what we are asking for.

Necessitamos in nombre de Todos Organiz the Todas Organizadorasy de Todos Members.

We need investment in the name of all of the members and organizers, which is why we're here asking for your support.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one general public comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

My name is Chelsea Velez.

I'm here with Translatina Coalition.

And I'm also a resident of District 13.

I'm here to thank and urge the city council to please support and sustain the 50 the $500,000 investment for the TGI equity and wellness initiative.

As a non-binary and queer person who has experienced houselessness and food insecurity, and who has struggled to make ends meet, and who has lived paycheck to paycheck, I know how urgent in life, saving these resources, support and care are for the TGI community.

At a time where gender-affirming care and the rights of TGI people are under attack and where our communities disproportionately experience houselessness, violence, and barriers to services, Los Angeles must lead with compassion and action.

I urge the city council, I urge every single one of you to please fund this initiative and please take a step forward and create an equitable and inclusive Los Angeles.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh, yes, I would like to speak on number one and general comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each, go ahead.

Thank you.

Uh, Lynn Chow, L Y N N E, C H A O.

Good morning.

I have submitted over 50 public written comments to LA Animal Services Commission documenting shelter conditions at South LA shelter.

Numerically ordered, fact-based, and available for city council review.

Please fully fund dogs playing for life DPFL in the fiscal 2026-27 budget and ensure there's no lapse in June.

DPFL is not simply playtime, it is a behavioral evaluation, rehabilitation, enrichment, safety handling, and placement infrastructure.

DPFL's important function is helping safely evaluate and handle highly stressed reactive dogs outside of kennel confinement, creating a critical secondary safety and behavioral evaluation for dogs and staff.

I support the proposal.

Proposed 14 million in partnership with best friends and ASPCA.

This is not only about capacity, it's about conditions, operation, operation, operational accountability, and oversight at South LA.

This is not only about capacity, is about conditions, operational accountability, and oversight at South LA.

Example Dog Geo A2270500 was euthanased euthanasia listed with intake date 5-3, identified as male despite being female.

During Thanksgiving 2025 at South LA shelter, in a two-week holiday period during low public involvement, approximately 50 dogs, euthanasia listed, and approximately 30 dogs euthanized.

These are the types of issues that require district level operational review before expanding additional supervisory layers.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um I'd like to speak to why Katie, the budget and finance committee chair's not in the room.

Um actually I'll take item one in public comment, please.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thanks.

We knew the mayor was gonna give LAPD even more of the city's money, even though more police funding never means increase safety.

Council, now it's your job to do what the people ask you.

We don't want a police state, but you can make the city great.

If you fund our services, like sidewalk repair and sanitation, and animal shelters, cats and dogs are dying, waiting on adoption.

We're done waiting for, waiting for real reform, real reform.

And there's still time, there's still time to get back on track.

Our departments need to resume hiring and personnel, procedures need revamping your salaries, could sustain some lowering, so you could relate to a struggling.

Let's see some strong amendments to create better balance.

The people want to fund public housing and public banking, not more surveilling.

Where is council member ramen?

Is she preparing for tonight's debate?

Her behavior is dequalifying.

Why is council taking a backseat to her campaign?

If you're ready for ready for real reform, real reform.

Don't give Roman a promotion.

Stand up and vote for Ray.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh, my last sorry, what was it?

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

That was a tough act to follow.

Sorry.

My name is B.

Curiel.

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

Okay.

It is a tough act to follow.

You have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Alright, thank you.

Good morning, Council members.

First, I want to take some time to thank Council Member Hernandez Hutt and the rest of the budget and finance committee for allocating and uh naming the TGI wellness initiative as one of the items on the budget.

Uh we have been campaigning at this for many years, knowing that we represent some of the most vulnerable Angelinos in the city.

Uh and the time is now to come back to this investment and really assess how it correlates with the initial integrity of the TGI wellness and equity initiative.

This initiative was meant to fund not just one, not just two organizations, but up to five and more.

And so we really need to come back to this $500,000 allocation.

And I ask that the council support in looking for more funds, finding more ways to match the funds, supporting uh the number of TGI-led organizations that have been part of this campaign.

Uh and I really urge uh Councilmember Park, Councilmember Lee, others up for reelection to really look at the investment into this community, leaving a legacy, hopefully continuing a legacy of supporting some of the most vulnerable TGI Angelinos.

Um I'm here to also uplift the need for items like represent Los Angeles, uh, where we're facing a critical time where fun services like these need to be funded.

And LEPD needs to be less funded because this is what the people are saying they need, right?

We've seen it time and time again that these needs only increase and only get more expensive expensive as time goes on, and we have to address some of these things around housing, health and equitable access to life-saving services for all Angelinos.

So I ask you council to please continue supporting TGI wellness and equity initiative, uplift the need to add more to these funds, and continuing to listen to the communities here today that are uplifting the needs of labor workers.

Before the next speaker begins, I'd like to call up Stephen Fish, Renee Ocampo, Rogelio Martinez, Mac Investment Co., Jessica, and Virgilda Romero.

Alright, as those people are coming up, I'm gonna call on Mr.

Price and just let everybody know we're gonna close public comment at 11 15.

11 15, we're gonna close public comment.

Somehow there are about 60 names on the queue, and I don't there's barely 60 people in here, so I'm not sure what's happening.

All right, without objection.

Are we in council on June 30th, Mr.

Clerk?

Uh so just to confirm 30 days would be June 19, 2026.

All right, June 19th, all right.

Thank you.

Uh which is a holiday, Mr.

Price, on a motion sponsored by Council Member Price.

So we'll have to pick another day.

Would uh council member like the following week?

We could either do June 23rd or 24th.

June 23rd, thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

You traveled 25 años in the costure.

Yes, hello, my name is Rigila Romero Vasquez.

I have worked 26 years in the uh garment industry.

Necessitamos una industria de la moda que sea segura para los trabajadores.

Necesitamos crear un digno.

Yes, the the fashion industry has come to the conclusion that uh this the this industry needs security for the workers and it also needs fairness.

And the workers need to be able to work in safe places so that they don't suffer.

Yes, in Los Angeles there are many clandestine uh shops that uh don't need and don't deserve the support of the city.

However, there is other uh shops that do follow the rules and the regulations and those do deserve the support of the city.

I know many people in uh downtown Los Angeles have many family members that work in the industry.

Speaker, unfortunately your time has expired, we have to move on to the next speaker.

And I'll also ask the interpreters to make this additional announcement.

If you run out of time or if we run out of time and you aren't able to speak during public comment, uh, see, no commentary public, you can always provide additional written public comment at la councilcomment.com.

Again, that's la councilcomment.com.com.com.

And you can find that URL at the top of every council agenda or by doing a quick Google search.

Thank you.

And last the final translation for what the previous speaker said was please defend them today.

Next speaker.

I'm gonna talk about all the accounts that I have for trollorufo and this budget, idiot.

So the finances of this asshole Nazi, I'm gonna tell you that.

Is it because you, you Nazi, don't want to give me uh attention for my health care, asshole?

It's um porte del finances that presumptuo.

It's part of the finances for this for this budget, dumbass.

Okay, so you've exhausted your one minute on item number one.

Uh please move on to another item.

Pendejo.

So number four, dumbass.

For him, smoking scan.

For example, smoking scam.

Okay, hold on.

Can we pause this time?

So hold on.

Um, ladies and gentlemen, but first of all, let me say I I apologize that we have to listen to this.

Uh again, as explained earlier, we use a random generator by which the names are selected.

Uh, and this is further proof that the names are selected at random.

Uh while we do not condone or agree with the things that are said by Mr.

Herman, who is a frequent flyer at these meetings.

Uh, he is entitled to provide for public comment.

Uh, we apologize for what he has said or what he's about to say, but you can't hold on.

You can't, you can't disrupt the public comment.

And I'll be honest, he's probably trying to bait you into doing so, because we have to enforce the rules equally.

So the fastest way to get through this is to, Mr.

Herman, please do not dance around while I am trying to make my announcements.

Okay?

So the fastest way to get through this is to ignore him.

If you have headphones, you're welcome to put them in.

If you have earplugs, you're also welcome to put those in.

You can also temporarily leave the room if you would like, but we do have to allow him to speak, and I apologize for that.

So, Mr.

Herman, go ahead, you have one minute 36 seconds for the items.

Gracias, cavron abogado.

Thank you, asshole lawyer.

Miren, ustedes no saben que I una cosa que sayama lean, pero no es aileen, pero un lean, donde quitan su pinche casas por sus pinchi cabron maricones.

Uh, listen, you guys don't know that there's something called lean, not like I lean, but lean, where they take away your house because they're fucking dirty.

Maricones.

Fucking fags.

So then it's very necessary to say that for public safety, there's uh no abatement because everybody's disgusting.

So here in protest, unconditional liens are a public nuisance, and they violate your constitutional right to live and stay in your home, but this fucking racist city, like that big fucking Korean head up there, you pumpkin, who violates their rights to contest and protest the fucking liens, idiot.

Now into my general public comment.

Now, Bob, let's go back into this situation, Bob.

My understanding, Bob Bloomenfield, is you're married to a black woman, but yet you won't let me use the words and or within the subject matter of the jurisdiction of the state.

This is about First Amendment, non-agenda public comment, unconstitutional violations of Bob and his black wife violating my civil rights under the California constitution to use any word such as N or C.

We have rights to say what we believe.

So we have a C here telling me shut the fuck up.

No, you see, shut the fuck up.

And you faggot, shut the fuck up.

Because these are free speech words like Snyder versus Phelps.

Snyder versus Phelps were he says, and I'll say, simplify fags, shut the fuck up.

Thank you, smoking scan.

Now we know the scam.

Fuck you, Bob, and fuck.

Your time has expired.

You have been warned already.

So if you disrupt this meeting again, you will be removed, subject to rule seven and rule twelve.

I believe you're on probation pursuant to the council rules, which means you will also be excluded for multiple days.

So we do not want to hear from you again.

Again, members of the audience, we appreciate your patience.

I do apologize.

This is unfortunately a regular occurrence.

I'm sorry, Speaker.

What would you like to speak to?

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Hi.

I'm Jessica.

I am an angel of change via the Translatina Coalition.

To me, to care for people means to have the internal awareness that in order to be able to understand someone's needs, I need to listen.

I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to us, to our needs via the T TGI community.

But you see, when it feels like we have to turn to our identities as TGI people to ask for support, when we have to explain our existences regularly to humanize ourselves as TGI people, it's quite telling of the work that we need to do for our city.

Because as much as it is empowering for us to be here and speak, it is also disheartening when we have to continuously beg for recognition and support.

We are TGI, TGI we.

We are daughters, siblings, brothers, friends, parents, etc.

Sometimes we become therapists for our loved ones.

We ache for the support that we know how to give others because we as a community are so connected to our humanity.

Please please continue to include us so that we can continue living, thriving, loving, and caring.

Thank you again.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

My name is Rohelio Martinez, and I will be speaking on item number one and then general comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

So regarding item number one, what I was uh hoping to see more of or any evidence of was what we're gonna do with the trash, uh, mainly the trash in the LA River that's going down into the ocean.

And so I was hoping to see budgeted for monies on restoring the power plant and the border of Long Beach and LA.

It's the Coventa Power Plant to make sure that we take the trash and burn it into provide clean power for the city of Los Angeles and for the city of Long Beach.

Now, regarding uh general, um, so my name is um there's gonna be two Martinezes on the city council.

Yesterday I stepped down as the top running candidate for the mayor of Long Beach, California.

I stepped down, and the reason why is because I see a greater opportunity for me to be able to help Angelinos, specifically in Council District 15, um, the communities of Watts, Harper City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, and Wilmington, California.

I wish that Tim would be here today so that I can tell him to kindly get out of my seat.

But my three top promises will be uh number one to restart the Philips 66 refinery in Wilmington, California, to drive down the price of gasoline transportation fuels for all Angelinos.

Number two, to restart said power plant that I just mentioned, so that we can produce another 35 megawatts of power to lower the electricity costs for Angelinos and to be a good neighbor to Long Beach, California.

And lastly, um, to literally just be a part of the community, the city of Angels that I love because I am an immigrant, came from Mexico City, um, raised in Boyle Heights, East LA, and oh, and lastly, I'm sorry, to reform the Los Angeles Police Department, and for any officer that was moonlighting as an ICE officer, will be immediately terminated.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And just FYI, I believe, I mean, just for informational purposes only.

I believe there was an article about the uh trash intercepting barges that you're talking about uh in the LA Times back in May.

So you might want to take a look for that.

Uh good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

General public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Hi, I was contacted by Neela Food Distribution.

It's a community organization that gives 200 meals to communities that are scared because of ice.

It's been doing it for over a year.

Um I know that Hernandez, you've donated some food to them before.

Uh I would ask if you could donate even more.

They do it on a weekly basis.

I was just calling it out because also Jurado.

They contacted me to try to make a social media video to highlight them to get more support.

They really are begging.

They're using money from their own bank, like they use their tax refund.

So we have text messages and emails from your office, and they haven't received the support that they really need.

So just giving you a heads up.

Thank you.

And vote for Ray Huang and support the public bank and the TGI.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Next speaker.

So you can do it seat if you'd like.

So what would you like to speak to?

Mr.

Herman, I'm going to ask you.

If you please move, hold on before you budget.

Mr.

Herman, I asked that you please move out of the way so that we can see the speaker and none of your normal shenanigans because you are literally sitting right in front of the public speaker.

I'm sorry, you said item one and what?

And general comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each comment.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

What I want to say about the budget since that's item one.

I believe myself when there's items put in the budget for certain things.

They shouldn't be taken out of the budget.

They should stay in there because you're doing a disservice to the people of the city of Los Angeles when you take items out of the budget that's important to us.

Especially like the feasibility study that we've been fighting for for months and years.

And that put us back because it was taken out of the budget when it was earmarked in the budget, it should never been taken out.

So this is why we're here fighting day in and day out.

And another thing I want to say, I want to thank the council people that donated some of their discretionary fund to get this off the ground.

We just had to make up for the rest.

But my whole uh how would I put this thing is the city should get the whole 460,000 dollars.

Uh we shouldn't have to go around begging for money to get something done that's important to us.

That's the city's responsibility.

General public comment?

And another thing, for as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as balancing the budget.

I can't balance my damn budget.

The city can't balance its budget.

The federal government can't balance his budget.

So while we keep hearing that word balancing the budget, and there's no such thing as balancing a budget.

That's just a host to get for as I'm concerned, not to do what you were supposed to do with the money in the first place.

You didn't want the feasibility study to take place because a public bank is very important to the people of the city of LA.

And that's why we're going to continue to push to get this public bank until we get it.

So I don't want to hear no more about balancing the budget because far as I'm concerned, is a host.

Can anybody here balance their budget?

Hell no.

So quit saying the word, put the money back where it's supposed to be, and let's get on with what we supposed to do with this feasibility study.

Because up north, they're doing the same thing.

A public bank.

Y LA can't do this.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning, City Council.

General, general commentary.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Oh, um, okay.

I didn't know it was one minute.

Um, my name is Ayanna.

This is crazy.

One minute.

We need money.

We have $500,000 for the um Translatina Center.

Um, we house people.

Um, there's there's mental health services.

I don't know how to do this in one minute.

So now I gotta pour it out.

I prepared a speech for like two days, and then I get one minute and it's down to 30 seconds.

Um, how are we supposed to lift up our community?

Let's talk about first of all um running a homeless shelter with 30 to 50 people just per day.

It costs 1200 to 3,000 per day just to run a homeless shelter.

That's 30 to 50 dollars per person just to feed them, put on the lights and make sure that they're safe.

How are we gonna do that with $500,000 allocated to more than five a handful of nonprofits and we're all splitting those funds?

We asked for $2,000.

If you can please respect that and give that to us, we need it.

We need your help.

We're dying.

We need you.

Thank you.

And speaker, before you leave, I I don't, I know you're not here very often.

I don't think you were here earlier when we when we made the announcement.

So again, if you want one minute for the item that is the budget, you get one minute, and if you want general, which you just did, you get one minute.

So if you'd like, you can speak to one more for one more minute on the budget that is item number one.

Thank you.

Um for $500,000 spread across multiple organizations.

It doesn't go very far.

It forces groups to cut services, reduce staff, and turn people away.

And when trans people are turned away from support, the consequences are very serious.

I personally am a non-binary individual.

I catch the bus, I go I participate with uh services that are not allocated just to the transgender and non-binary community.

That makes me a lot more unsafe.

And there's so many more people like that besides me.

We have people that are trained to do the outreach, to do the work, to rehabilitate, to help bring our community up, to get us opportunities to go to school, create work for ourselves and get jobs and stability.

All that that's all that we want, and we can't create that with just hope.

Dividing $500,000 between so many organizations, we should have asked for a lot more money.

We two million dollars is what we need.

If you can give us that and reconsider what you've already given us, greatly appreciate it.

I'm speaking from my heart.

I'm not I can't even do this right now.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, speaker.

Next speaker.

Okay.

Hello.

Um to speak to number one.

Um, my name is Lucky Alexander, and my pronouns are he and him, and I'm a resident of district eight, and I'm also the founder of Invisible Men, a community organization that supports um and provides resources for transmasculine community.

And as well, I'm also um with the angels of change with the Translatina Coalition.

Um I want to thank uh council member Heather Hutt and uh Councilmember Hernandez for supporting the TGI wellness and equity initiative, although it's it's not the four million ass that we asked originally.

Um the funding so far um is gonna is gonna help support organizations, but also we are the experts of our experience, and this funding will help support us, help support us supporting our community.

Um we are human, no different than anyone in this room, and our community struggles to exist, and we deserve to do better than just existing.

I'm asking to fully fund the TGI wellness for the four uh four million ass that was originally asked, and thank you for your time and your speaking on general.

No, I'm not okay.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Publicame.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning to the board council member.

My name is Pamela Moyeda, and I would get it for half a million budget to TGI we.

The transgender community has been attacked by mass of the society.

Transgender people often face bidens, is crucial for employment and education.

The transcommunity often travels to find base resource, like food, mental health, and housing.

Hey, I have been affecting my life deeply.

But the Translatina College of playing an important role in my life to return to school and get my certification to be ready to start applying for a job.

I decided back to be part of the society.

Please consider my trans community as you continue your own priorities to everyone who is part of the borough council members.

Thank you so much for the support during these difficult times.

And a special thanks to Heather and UNICER NAND'm just supposed to support, MP, to my trans community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh I would be speaking to item one.

Good morning, council members.

My name is Alex Bass, and I like I live in District five.

I'm here in strong support of the 500,000 allocation for transgender, gender diverse, and intersex wellness and equity initiative.

I identify as transgender and non-binary, and I run a trans support group.

I have seen how TGI serving organizations have saved members of our community.

When I myself have received services from trans-led programs, I'm not just accessing resources.

I am understood and supported by my own community.

This initiative is a vital step toward equity and inclusion because it uplifts all members of Los Angeles.

I urge the council to find or to fund this initiative and show that our city stands with TGI people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning, uh City Council members.

My name is Kerson Navidad with Immigrant Defenders Last Center, California's largest partition defense organization.

I urge you to stand with immigrant communities and commit to funding representative at three million.

While we appreciate the budget and finance committee's recommendation for an increase, the proposed amount is not sufficient to support our communities.

Representative Lay ensures that immigrant Angelinos have access to legal representation and prevents families from navigating a complex immigration system alone, often with life altering consequences.

Represental has made a significant stride in its mission, serving over 22,000 people since 2022, including survivors of labor trafficking, asylum seekers, and veterans of the U.S.

armed forces.

I urge you to continue these services at a time when they are most needed by increasing funding to 3 million for Representative A in the city's proposed budget for 2627.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Yes, good morning.

Um item one and also general comment.

Okay, one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Sure.

Thank you.

Uh good morning, council members.

My name is Peter Abdul Malik, and I am the founder of Love and Light 888.

I have served on the front lines of South LA since 2020 through WLCAC and Hopics.

I'm here to thank you in advance for your leadership in protecting the three pillars of our community's hope.

I have seen the miracles these programs perform.

I have seen Access Center restore a man's dignity with a single shower so he can walk into a job interview.

I've seen safe parking sites give a mother the first night of peaceful sleep she's had in months.

And I've seen problem solving funds save a family's home by simply keeping a father's car on the road.

We don't need more numbers.

We need to protect these results.

These programs are the bridges that carry families and individuals from the street into a home.

I am choosing to believe this council will stand in the light and keep these doors open.

We are moving forward and we are moving forward in spa six, and we are not leaving anyone behind.

Thank you for choosing hope, sending high vibes, pure love and light.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um, general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Uh my Daniels with the Trans Latina Coalition.

I've already spoken on the budget items, so I'll speak to General.

It's very enlightening to see Mayor Mamdanny cut a $13 million deficit down to zero while locally funding museums, libraries, and parks, so that they don't have to beg the federal government for funding each year.

And he accomplished that in New York by taxing homes over five million that are unoccupied, less than a year in office, no layoffs, no choosing the hyper-rich over our labor force, over our black and brown youth, over our LGBTQ plus communities, over our immigrant communities, over the people.

But that's their budget, not ours.

I wish to live in a place like that though, where us asking for our fair share isn't diluted by how our government officials are polling.

Thank you to the council members who have not lost their way.

Council members Hutt and Hernandez.

Actions always do speak louder than words.

You all hold more power together than the mayor.

Um, if you learn to work together, you could fund all of your priorities.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh item one in general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Well, good morning.

My name's Doug Coates, 20-year veteran of the LAFD, and proud to be the president of the United Firefighters Valley City Local 112.

Council members, this is straight up.

When you take up the proposed budget tomorrow, I want you to think about what's happening right now at the LAFD.

We're taking nearly twice as long as we should to arrive to emergencies inside your council districts.

Instead of being four and a half, that we could save a life, it's taken us eight.

That's unacceptable.

And why is this?

We have the same number of firefighters as we did in the 1960s.

We have six fewer fire stations than the 1960s.

And we have five times the call load as the 1960s.

The budget doesn't nearly go far enough to protect LA and keep your constituents safe.

Period.

We need more firefighters, and we need more paramedics.

Period.

That's what we need.

Basic gist is we need more drill towers.

Two more.

That's what we need extra.

Two more drill towers.

That's what we need.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one in general public comment, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

My name is Rich Ramirez.

I'm the vice president of local 112 United Firefighters of Los Angeles City and also a firefighter paramedic for over 20 years, recently signed to uh the area of MacArthur Park at Fire Station 11.

I want to put something into context.

We have a National Fire Protection Association that recommends we have that we have 1.8 firefighters per 1,000 residents.

Right now, we actually have point 0.87 per 1,000 residents, which means if we follow the National Protection Association's recommendations, we should have over 8,000 firefighters.

Right now we have 3,000, uh just over 3,000 uh members on the LAFD.

I want everyone to know here that's uh uh listening to this.

The public safety is at risk.

We have we are just not staffed enough to provide the proper service.

We should be responding when someone calls 911 and in four and a half minutes.

We're almost getting there in eight minutes right now.

General.

That is that is a that is a uh uh true fact.

The LAFD is half the size we should be.

That's why UFLAC is moving forward with the ballot measure, but we can't wait.

Waiting for waiting for the passage of the ballot measure isn't a strategy.

We need more firefighters and more paramedics now.

Things need to be put in place today, not months from now.

We can't start funding additional drilled tower academies as a first step.

Let's start funding additional fire academies, because that is what we need.

More paramedics, more firefighters on the streets, boots on the ground, providing services for people to call 911 and any other needs.

We need additional drill towers.

We're asking for at least four to five more drill towers to be in this next budget.

Thank you for your time and I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Morning.

Uh item one and general public comment.

Okay, so we have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Uh, my name is Jake Hart, I'm an organizer with the Working Families Party, and I'm here to ask you to ensure the public bank feasibility study gets funded.

Uh we send a billion dollars a year to Wall Street and bank fees and interest charges, but all that money could stay here and go towards a public nonprofit bank that could partner with local organizations to fund rental assistance programs, small business loans, and community land trusts, so we can buy land before developers do, and we get to decide what's built there, how many parks, screen infrastructure projects, and affordable housing.

Also, everyone, regarding all the ballot measure projects, we love to vote for, but we have to pay a new tax.

A public bank could skip over that part and fund it themselves.

Um, all of this is possible if we get the money in the budget.

And to the members here who have been or are working families party endorsed.

If you guys lead the charge on this, I really believe it could be a watershed movement for the progressive movement in this country.

If the largest one of the most progressive cities in this country puts forward a public bank, I really think everybody else around the country seeing it would be inspired to push for the same thing.

Please show us you have the political will to fund this study and help us get a chance to truly take care of one another and our city.

This is how we take control of our lives back from bankers, shareholders, and developers.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

The budget and general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

I'm Trinity Tran, and I'm here to urge the Council to move forward with the public bank feasibility study.

We already have a majority of nine council members who are financially backing, so we thank your leadership.

So thank you for your leadership.

We're asking you to help us move this and get this out the door.

This is a practical step for the city to put together a detailed plan to figure out how to save money, how to cut borrowing costs and generate revenue so that we can build affordable housing and support small businesses and support community lenders.

Every year we're dealing with budget deficits.

Every time the city borrows money, we're paying decades of interest on top of that.

So for every project the city or one of its departments borrows money for, that's that's billions of dollars that flow out of Los Angeles year after year.

So let's figure out a plan to keep more of that money here to keep LA's dollars recirculating locally so that we can maximize the impact of our tax dollars.

At the end of the day, this is public financial infrastructure that our city is missing, similar to how we have the municipal airport with LAX, how we have the municipal utilities with LADWP.

This is a step for the city to create long term public financial infrastructure so that we can better utilize LA's public dollars.

So let's take the next practical straightforward step for this ready-to-go project and get the remaining funding, three hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, which is a very minimal budget dust amount out the door so that we can move forward with putting together a very practical fiscally responsible plan for the city of Los Angeles.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one and public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Hello, my name is Javier Sarmiento.

Uh first of all, I want to thank our creator and thank you for the opportunity in allowing me to be here.

So member the ASEAN California, I'm a member of ACE, uh Alliance of California and Community Empowerment.

So member of public bank.

Give loans.

Other mosala communidad, creamos bienestar para toda la gente trabajadora.

When banks give loans to the community, this creates wellness for the entire community.

This is why it's important for the county and for you here to consider the 325 thousand dollars added into the budget for the public bank.

General.

They give us really high fees, and we can't obtain loans and we can't create our own businesses.

Our hands are tied.

Please, members here, members of the county, please vote in favor of this funds needed for the public bank.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

General comment?

Okay.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

First topic.

When you expel people from meetings, sometimes it's for a valid reason, but sometimes it's not.

This is a violation of due process.

Police officers should refuse to expel people without giving them a citation so they have an opportunity to challenge the expulsion in court.

Second topic, one bit of nonsense which is repeatedly spewed is the claim that public comments are only intended to address the council.

This is false.

Public comments are directed at both the council and the public.

If someone wanted to send a message without attracting attention, it's easy enough to send an email and this would become part of the public record.

We come here to raise issues in public so the public can judge whether these concerns are valid and whether their representatives are ignoring them.

So it's distressing that after all these months, the agendas still do not list the council file number for written public written general public comments.

In the past, multiple numbers were used, making it a challenge to either write or read general comments.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Public comments.

And I'm here in support of Calatina Coalition.

And also thanks to Anise and Heather Hunt for remember us in our presence also for the proposal of the 5,000 to dollars to wellness and quality program.

And in support and intersex community.

So please have us in your consideration.

Help us in these difficult times.

Make sure you're on our side.

Remember that you are our side.

You are our side.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

One in general.

Okay.

So you have two minutes, two minutes total.

Go ahead.

I stand in strong opposition to this budget.

This budget would be continuing the disaster of this year's budget, and it does not fund the things that people have actually asked for constantly during public comment.

This is sure there's a few concessions, but this budget isn't even anywhere near close to what people are actually asking for, which is things like the people's budget.

So, everyone, so people have asked for less police.

Nobody is asking for more police.

Yet this budget completely ignores that and gives the LAPD almost 3.6 billion dollars over the next year, as they are completely out of control, as they are aiding and a betting in ice kidnappings, as their violence has skyrocketed, as they are killing record numbers of people, and what is this council do?

Give them another check for 3.6 billion dollars.

And the progressives vote for it.

I don't care what what concessions you got, minimal concessions you got, a budget that is 3.6 billion dollars to the LAPD, especially right now, is not even anywhere close to a budget that you should be voting for.

Anything that's not even starting to resemble the people's budget, is not a budget you should be voting for.

I don't want to see any progressive voting for it tomorrow.

I'm talking specifically about you, Hernandez, Rado, Soto Martinez, Raman.

I don't want to see a single one of you voting for this budget tomorrow unless there are significant changes.

You should let everyone speak.

It was absolutely ridiculous.

You were claiming to end at 11 15.

This is the budget.

There's a lot of people speaker, your time has expired.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Okay, so you have one minute.

I would like to thank Councilwoman Ulysses Hernandez and Heather Hut for recognizing that we need such tangible support for these programs.

And I would like to ask the rest of the council members' support too, because there could be there could have been more support given because what was originally asked was uh four million as a minimum.

Thank you.

My name is Miranda Gonzalez.

As a transgender woman here in Los Angeles, I suffer daily the problems that we face.

Right now we are living through difficult times with each word that comes out of the White House.

And they're trying to make us stray away from our path.

And these activities by the White House cause horrible crimes to be committed against transgender women and cause harm towards the TGI community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh commentary public.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Um, is René Ocampo numero 10?

Hello, my name is Renee Ocampo.

I live in East Los Angeles, district number 10.

I'm here to express my support to the Translatina Coalition and the members of our community.

To uh to raise the amount of funds given to four million dollars for the organizations of our community.

Organizations that work with transgender people and intersex people.

Given the fact that transgender people suffer a lack of housing and a lack of essential services.

That is why I invite for you to better the lives of all the marginalized people through the budget process of Los Angeles.

Thank you for your time and thank you for taking us into account.

Next speaker.

I am one public comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Hello, my name is Beverly Roberts, and I'm a member of ACE, and I'm founding organis or organizer of public bank.

Every year Los Angeles faces budget shortfalls and fights over cuts to basic city services.

At the same time, the city spends billions year after year on Wall Street through debt, payments, fees, and interest costs.

That money could be helping fix our street lights, fund affordable housing, public transit, parks, small businesses, and community programs here in LA.

Instead, we keep paying billions to outside banks while struggling to meet local needs.

A public bank would help Los Angeles keep more public dollars and working locally and invest more directly.

General.

Wait a minute, I just got another line and I'm through.

In our own communities, and instead of um Wall Street profits.

Can we do that?

I'll hope you say yes.

Why nobody saying yes?

Well, what are we sitting here for?

We don't get an answer.

Okay.

Do me like that.

And we'll come back and haunt you.

So unfortunately, this is not an opportunity for back and forth, which is why you're not getting a yes.

But uh thank you for your comment.

Uh, is there sorry, the next speaker?

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

The budget and general comment, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

My name is Alana Klein.

I'm the director of development and communications at the Community Animal Medicine Project, our city's leading provider of high-quality, low-cost veterinary care in Spay and Neuter.

We serve 100,000 pets each year and have clinics at several of our city shelters.

Dr.

Gary Michelson, one of our city's leading private funders of Spay and Neuter, published an editorial this week that emphasized that no amount of private funding can stabilize a system that lacks consistent public investment.

The LA Animal Services budget is just 0.2 of our city's overall budget.2%.

So animals are increasingly dependent on volunteers and nonprofits to fill in the gaps.

But we need the city's help and we need your help.

You are all aware that funding prevention measures like the Spay and Neuter Voucher Program are significantly more cost-effective than housing thousands of animals every year in our city shelters.

Please approve full funding for LA Animal Services, including an increase in the spay and neuter voucher program, maintaining dogs for life, dogs playing for life, and accepting funds from Best Friends Animal Society and the ASPCA.

It is our city's responsibility to care for the most at-risk animals of Los Angeles and the people who love them.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one and public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

I'm Gabby Weiss.

I run Bobby Street Cats.

We do spay neuter in South Central CD9.

We need to be funding spay neuter of community animals, the animals breeding and facilitating the overpopulation crisis, flooding our streets and shelters.

What is the sterilization fund?

Who has access to it?

Why is there no transparency around it?

Is LA Animal Services dipping into it to fix animals in the shelters or the ones that rescues pull out?

Those same animals not contributing to the overpopulation crisis.

Where does the funding go and why can't our neediest and most vulnerable community members pull vouchers for their pets?

What happened to the audit that Kenneth Mejia was supposed to do on LA Animal Services?

Got a call last week about a woman in South Central with four unfixed female cats, all had given birth, and now she had 17 newborn kittens in her Section 8 housing unit.

What's to become of those 17 kittens if she couldn't get her cats connected with spay appointments?

How will she get those 17 kittens fixed?

Will they end up on the streets as a byproduct of managed intake?

General.

And then as one of the 31,000 dead animal picks animals picked up on the streets annually, or unfixed in the hands of people to produce even more kittens in six months.

And if they miraculously ended up into the shelter at an estimated cost of sixty-five dollars per day per animal, those kittens will be costing LA City taxpayers eleven hundred dollars a day to impound.

Instead, it could have cost the city $400 to fix this woman's cats, fiscally a way more responsible choice.

We need transparency and we need to be focusing animal welfare funding on upstream approaches like Spay neuter.

The current model of managed intake is akin to funding a shelter on Skid Row, filling it with a few unhoused people, giving them great care, refusing to intake new unhoused individuals, and then claiming you've solved the homeless crisis.

Please invest in Spay Neuter and ensure that their the funding allocated to Spay neuter reaches the animals in the community that need it the most.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um item one and general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Hi, uh good afternoon.

Good morning.

My name is Vanessa Bautistan with Best Friends Animal Society here in Los Angeles.

I just want to say thank you to the Budget and Finance Committee for acknowledging the critical funding needed for our last Angeles animals.

I'm here in support of the restoring funding to ensure the animals in the care of LA Animal Services continue receiving essential medical and food care.

We also strongly in support of the proposed one million allocation for Spain neuter services, which is critical to reducing shelter overpopulation and improving outcomes for animals across Los Angeles.

In addition, we support the 1.532 fully fund Dogs Playing for Life to sustain uh important out-of-kennel enrichment programs, which improves the quality of life, behavior, and adapt adaptability of shelter animals.

These investments are essential to building a more compassionate Los Angeles.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good afternoon.

Item one in public comment, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jana Brennan with the Michelson Center for Public Policy.

Los Angeles is failing its shelter animals and community pet owners while threatening to cut the very programs that prevent this crisis in the first place.

While we are grateful to the budget and finance committee for championing the championing the spay and neuter increases thus far, we can't we have to remember that the work here is not done.

Our shelters are overcrowded, understaffed, and overwhelmed.

And at the same time, the city has reduced funding for proven solutions, namely spay and neuter and dogs playing for life.

As Councilmember Blumenfield aptly pointed out at a recent hearing, and I'm paraphrasing, if the city doesn't start stepping up, philanthropy won't step in.

Prevention costs less than crisis management.

Liabilities and downstream costs associated with lack of access to spay and neuter are currently soaring.

While animals cannot access affordable spay neuter or veterinary services, more animals enter the shelters, overcrowding worsens, and euthanasia rises.

We're seeing this right now in real time.

We urge the council to vote yes on fully funding the animal services department budget and treat this with the urgency that it deserves.

This investment is humane and it's fiscally responsible.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

General comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

The Tulsa Zoo announced that X LA Zootina now has a threatening and life-threatening infection.

A year ago to the day today, both LA Zoo elephants were taken in the middle of the night to the Tulsa Zoo.

Zoo director Verrett refused to consider an offer by a world-class sanctuary to take both elephants at no cost to the city.

Director Verrett offered no proof at the city budget committee meeting where she said that ACA said that they thought that the Tulsa zoo was better for Billy and Tina.

The ACA is not neither a state or federal agency.

The ACA is a 501 nonprofit.

The ACA has no legal authority to shut down or regulate a city-owned zoo.

What's more concerning at the time, Director Varett was also head of the ACA.

I'm requesting City Council pass a formal resolution.

Please have mercy of the speaker, your time has expired.

We'll have to move on to the next speaker.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning on item one and general comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Nancy Suniga.

I'm the health director at the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, Idebska, a worker center that operates five out of the seven day labor centers here in our city.

First of all, on behalf of our organization, I want to thank the budget and finance committee and the chief legislative analysts for increasing the day labor budget.

We also hope that this program budget increases in the future as we know that the needs amongst the day labor and immigrant community is growing for reasons that we've talked about before.

But specifically on days like today, when our skies are hazy, it's very apparent that we could smell the smoke in the air.

We know that the fires impacting Ventura and Riverside are impacting our city as well.

On days like today, our day labor centers are distributing N95 masks and giving information to the larger community about the impact of wildfire smoke.

That is happening because our day labor centers are there.

We're already where community is.

Continue to be the safe spaces that Angelinos deserve.

We want to make sure that additional funding in the future can provide for case management, legal, security, and infrastructure work that these centers need.

So we urge you please to vote yes on the proposed increased allocation for the day labor centers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

I'm speaking on item one in public comments.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Dear LA City Council members, we thank the budget and finance committee, especially Councilmember Hernandez and the chief legislative analyst for increasing the day labor budget.

We hope to see the program budget grow to match the needs of our community.

For decades, the day labor centers have helped ensure that workers perform safely, that proper wages are paid, and that both workers and employers have a structured dignified system for connecting with one another.

Additional funding in the future budget years would increase the cost of additional case management, legal security, and infrastructure that these centers have taken on during the immigration rates.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh uh one in public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Hi, Council members.

My name is Joshua.

I'm one of the organizers at our day labor center in Westlake, one of the seven in the city.

Uh, we thank the budget committee for the much needed increase to the uh day labor center program.

Um, but we are hopeful to see this program grow in the future.

Um we need more funds, we need more resources.

This past year was a heavy year for all Angelinos, um, especially our day laborers who were impacted by the fires, and eventually also impacted by the large-scale violent immigration raids that are still going on.

Um, these centers provide more than employment, more than employment connections.

They are central community hubs.

Um they help workers with wage theft, vaccine clinics, other resources.

Additional funding in the future budget years um is critical.

It'll help uh support the cost of additional resources and services that these centers have taken on during these raids.

Um, and we also thank you for the progress, and we urge you to increase funding for REPLA to three million to meet the need.

Um, thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Hi, I'm gonna speak on both public comment and item one.

Okay.

Good morning.

You have uh one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Okay, and item one.

My name is Nayan Tara Banergy.

I'm speaking first briefly as an individual Angelino.

After sitting here and listening to public comment all morning, I urge the city council to vote in favor of funds needed for a feasibility study to move towards a public bank here in LA.

The mission of the public bank will support countless individuals, small businesses, and communities, including the immigrants and excluded workers who make up the fabric of the city as well as worker-owned cooperatives.

This investment now could help the city have the funds to support diverse ecosystems that sustain workers and small businesses in the long term, including funding for day laborers and animal services that we have heard today is needed.

I'm gonna speak on general comment now.

Okay, so you have one minute.

So good morning, I'm Nayan Tara Banergy, workforce development manager at the Garment Worker Center with over 20 years of experience in the garment industry.

New York recently invested 120 million dollars to preserve its garment district, where there are only seven to eight thousand garment workers.

Los Angeles has the largest apparel manufacturing in the hub hub in the country, built over a hundred and thirty years with tens of thousands of garment workers, predominantly immigrants.

Yet our city has not made a similar investment.

We are asking you to fully fund and implement the LA Garment and Fashion Industry Pilot Program, your own task force recommendation.

This program provides business support centers for businesses, partnerships with local partners, including work source centers for skills and workshops and job opportunities for workers, a local production fund for ethical businesses, and a real estate position to secure affordable space and staffing to make it all work.

New York is acting.

LA must act too.

You will hear about from more government workers about their struggles, and we ask you to match their courage with action.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one in general public comment, please.

Okay.

So you get one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Hey, good afternoon.

My name is Chris Tyler.

I'm with Sage and Olympics LA.

First off, big shout out to the budget and finance committee for striking the heinous Airbnb giveaway from this version of the budget draft.

This and the vacation rental ordinance that are moving through council right now only stand to inflame our city's housing crisis and they need to be stopped.

Since we're talking about the budget today, I thought it would be useful to contextualize this conversation in relation to another budget that is relying on taxpayer money.

Current estimates indicate that nearly 12 billion and perhaps even more than that will be spent putting on the 2028 summer Olympic and Paralympic games.

That means that these games end up with the same level of cost overruns as other recent Olympics.

LA taxpayers will end up having to cover more than six billion dollars in expenses, and perhaps much more than that.

Unlike in 84, we the taxpayers are the organizing committee's financial backstop.

And given LA 28's utter lack of transparency, accountability, and presence as evidenced at the most recent Olympic ad hoc committee meeting, we have little reason to suspect that these games will be anything other than a fiscal disaster for everyday Angelinos.

At a bare minimum, LA 28 must be required to present a detailed accounting of its projected spending, as well as off the books costs for items like security and transit, so we can better understand what this is actually going to cost us.

Think back to last year's budget cycle, the one billion dollar shortfall we faced initially, and all of the maneuvering and compromising required to move through that.

Now multiply that shortfall by six or seven or eight in just three short years.

Given all of the other problems the games mean for Los Angeles, we urgently need leadership that is bold and courageous and working in service of the people who actually live here.

And contrary to popular belief, it's actually not too late to cancel the Olympics.

Thanks.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

General comment and the budget.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

My name is Lisa Hart.

I'm with the LA Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance.

Thank you for letting all of us speak and also for listening.

DWP has been talking about how it might not be able to meet its clean energy goals because of the cost of technology.

And each year, Los Angeles loses about a billion and a half dollars in debt service to large public banks, to large private banks, I mean.

So let's move this forward.

It's the right thing to do for the climate, for housing, for the unhoused, for unarmed crisis response, for even the LAPD, for animal shelters, for immigration services, for transgender services, for the garment workers, and for anything we want to spend money on.

And I also want to thank those of you who have allocated fifteen thousand dollars of your own discretionary dollars to help fund this.

So thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

My name is Sofia Bravo.

Señora, segundo por favor, excuse me interpreter correction.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Sofia Bravo.

I am a worker and a member of the garment industry.

It's been years we've been coming here to express our needs and to ask for our help and to express our needs for the garment industry workers.

This will bring more jobs here to Los Angeles to the city, just like New York is doing to bring more work to the same industry.

There are more than 20 million garment workers here in Los Angeles amongst thousands of others here that help to sustain this industry.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon, what would you like to speak to?

Good afternoon to all of you.

My name is Francisco Masilla.

I'm a member of the Garment Center.

The garment industry workers like other industries are going through very hard times.

There are more than 20,000 garment workers just in the city of Los Angeles.

The workers are asking for one point seven million dollars.

To make our uh maximum vision come true within the uh current budget.

Thank you to each and every one of you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Good afternoon.

I'll do general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Trans people are about four times more likely to be violently victimized.

Since January 2017, there have been at least 322 homicides of trans people in America, and here are only some of their names.

Devonta Curtis, Shayelle Diamond, Polly Likens, Lucas Redbeard, Cornesha Chantel, San Coleman, Tony McDade, Relatia Wright, Cameron Thompson, Cassim Amar, Lara Sai, Diamond Brigman, Star Brown, Sam Nordquist, Erica Caldway, Shannon Boswell, Diane Gurley, Monique Brooks, Tay Latham, Andrea Dorian, TK Hill, Camden Ryder, Vanity Williams, Brianna Guy, Daniel Spillman, Eliana Belcher, Romney Fells, Kitty Monroe, Devonnie Johnson, Ty Dior Thomas, River Nive Godar, Kenji Spurgeon, Sasha Williams, Rhea Milton, Africa Peria Garcia, Mercy Mack, T.

Alnard, Yella Clark, and Brayla Stone.

Come on!

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one in public comment.

The person in the black top and the black headphones who's shouting out.

This is your first only formal warning.

Do not disrupt this meeting.

One billion dollars is approximately what our tax dollars fund in private banks' debt services, interest, and fees.

Does this number sound familiar?

It's approximately the city deficit.

We thank the leadership of Councilwoman Isabel Horado for making this a priority and the eight other council members who have contributed discretionary funds, and we welcome more bipartisan support.

The remaining three hundred and twenty-five thousand that that's needed should be added to this budget.

We cannot wait another year.

We can't keep cutting city services, eliminating funds to animal shelters, transgender services, cutting jobs in the garment district, because private banks will not invest in our community.

Our community deserves a public bank that works for taxpayers, not for the Epstein class.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh item one and general comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

I can't help but notice how much more police occupy these halls and these federal government buildings than a year ago.

There's no money in the budget to help the communities who have been devastated by the fires by ice, but there's endless money to intimidate anyone who dares show up and ask you for help.

You are about to vote on a budget that defunds the services in the communities that need help now more than ever.

About 70% of the city's low income are hanging just above the poverty line.

We are a year in, and the air smells like fire again, and ice in the federal government are still occupying our city.

Nothing has changed.

For a year, myself and hundreds of others have given testimony about the horrors happening in the city committed by ice and LAPD.

The loss of our constitutional rights and the poverty people are being pushed into, and nothing has gotten better.

It's gotten worse.

No matter what you do, they are coming press.

We are the Bank of America.

We are the bank, and this is a coup, and it does not work unless they lock down California, unless they lock down LA.

I am not unaware of that.

You are helping them do that by not telling the people of this city what they are actually up against in this moment.

You cannot compromise your way out of this.

You cannot compromise with rapists and murders.

That's what they are.

The only thing they fear are people with the courage to stand up.

They fear the truth.

I am here to beg you.

I will beg you every every day.

I will beg you to use the power that you have while you have it and be honest with the nation and the city about what is happening here.

If you are being threatened, if the city is being threatened, come forward, be public.

The people will stand with you.

What is the legacy you are going to leave behind?

Whether we like it or not, we are the people in the stories that they will write about in history.

You can be the hero.

Alright, thank you, everybody that's come to speak with us today.

For the record, we allowed an hour more of public comment than originally scheduled because so many people were here and so many people had signed up.

So I want to uh acknowledge people for waiting and also acknowledge the members of this committee.

Uh uh Mr.

Clerk, what's before us?

The council may not vote on item four, amending motion to Dia Rodriguez.

Alright, let's open the roll on that item.

Close the roll, tabulate the vote.

Thirteen eyes.

All right, what's next?

And item one will be held special on the desk.

All right.

What's left?

Would you like to recess the meeting until 10 a.m.

tomorrow, May 21st, 2026?

This meeting is recessed until tomorrow at 10 a.m.

What's next?

That is all, Mr.

President.

All right.

Uh I'll ask uh everyone in the chamber or other members if there are announcements for today's meeting.

If there are no announcements for today's meeting, we will recess this meeting, and I'll see you all tomorrow morning, 10 a.m.

for the conclusion of today's meeting.

My grandfather, he was a Pearl Harbor survivor.

He was at Pearl Harbor when his bond.

So when he passed away between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, you know, those holidays mean a lot because we've had an interesting history in America as far as you know how each veteran has been recognized and how our you know the public perceived them.

And you know, we've had times where they were, you know, heroes, and we've had times, you know, that people weren't recognized as well, like Vietnam era.

So if you know a veteran, whether you thank him or just give them a pat or a hug, uh, they do appreciate it, especially the older veterans that you know may not have felt that love when they got out of the service.

For me, you know, showing that love and respect and honoring those people that came before me and the ones that are still serving, you know, and teaching my children that respect.

Um, it means a lot to me, and uh I, you know, I hope that you know everybody else can show you know them that respect.

From a start in Tokyo to the final out in Toronto, the Dodgers brought the World Series trophy home to LA.

Dodgers fans from all over came together to celebrate the team's first back-to-back world series win.

We are here in 2025, back to back championship.

Woo!

Yes!

We are excited.

We can't wait for the parade to start, and we actually have front row seats, so we're cool.

We've been here since 7 o'clock this morning.

We know the parade didn't start till 11, but we're like, we're just going.

We're all in for the Dodgers.

Being uh my family, we're all Dodger fans.

We love the Dodgers.

We travel with the Dodgers too.

We go to different stadiums.

So uh that's why it's very important.

Let's go Dodgers.

That's one thing the Dodgers do is bring everybody together.

Everybody together!

That's right, that's right.

It's beautiful.

It's beautiful to be a part of this.

It's something bigger than all of us, you know.

You get to meet new people from other different backgrounds and cultures and every city.

And it's just very amazing here.

Means the world because I get to bring my son that baseball's his life right now.

This is this is home.

Dodgers we have to represent, it's all about the culture.

Look at this.

This is representative.

We brought the trophy now here because the players leave their entire life just to get their hands on one of these.

So we want to share the celebration, not only with the players, but with all the fans, all the people in Los Angeles, everybody that deserves it.

So we have a long line.

People are waiting for about an hour and a half just take an opportunity with these pictures.

Believe it or not, it's my first time actually like in LA.

I've been on the outskirts of LA, but like actually being in here and seeing it seeing everything like this is like it's pretty exciting, it's really cool.

You know, I've never been to one of these like events, parades, but it's actually pretty cool.

Very important for us to come out today because my mom's 87, she'll be 88 in January, and I'm trying to take her around and have her do things that she hasn't done in her lifetime.

So this was one of the things that was very special to us.

Um we watched the whole series, and that last game was amazing.

So I said, Mom, I'm picking you up in the morning and we're going.

And she was ready to go.

I'm here because I want to celebrate this back to back championship.

Los Angeles is mad crazy for their dodgers.

I just happen to be one of them.

You know, when that last inning 11th inning came through in game seven, man, my house was banana, so that's why I'm here, and I got the blue flu, so I'll deal with that tomorrow, but I'm here to celebrate with all the divers.

Hey, Ice Q!

Why don't you come on in one more?

They were competitive, it was beautiful.

Like the whole series.

It was just just like nilbiting.

Nil biting.

Like literally nail biting.

And I love that it ended on a Saturday because I worked Monday through Friday, so it was beautiful that I was able to enjoy together as a family.

And that's something that I know when they grow up.

They're my age.

They're gonna remember that.

They're the Dodgers.

They have a bunch of vets and uh feature Hall of Famers on their team.

So it was still stressful, but I'm so glad they pulled it off.

I want to say thank you so much, Dodgers.

We're so proud of you guys.

Thank you for bringing it home again.

Back to back champions!

Woo!

Good!

It's crazy, honestly.

This is this is history in the making.

This is we're watching history live right now, so I'm just happy to be here in the presence of goats.

I'm overwhelmed right now.

Great surprise, you know what?

We all know it hasn't been done since the early 2000s Yankees.

Um, you know, they called them the evil empire.

I guess we're the new evil empire because we're ruining baseball, but I mean this is ruining baseball.

Let's keep on doing it.

I'm loving it, but yeah, back to back.

I don't think people realize how much of a grind the MOB season is.

Literally February, we're now in November.

I mean like just the time to sacrifice this team.

They fully encapsulate what it means to be a champion, like doing this two years in a row.

Like Miguel Bro, I said, like girl, they started in Japan, they finished in Canada.

I don't think it'd get any more wild than that.

Just follow them this whole year was so exciting.

It's just so such an amazing feeling.

Like last year we were at the parade.

Now we're here, like I don't know, it just can't get better than this.

Life is great as a Dodger fan.

This is why we won.

We're gonna go player.

I love it.

I've been a season ticket holder for 17 years.

My kids grew up here.

So I mean, this is a family thing, a culture thing.

I mean, and as you can see, hey, it's this one big happy family.

No worries because I'm sick right now.

This is the best day for LA.

That's a fast day of my life.

Go shop forever a Dodger.

Yamamoto is the go.

There's no being that dude.

Y'all may go.

Shout out to him.

As you can see, I'm rocking the Jackie Robinson of the historical piece.

I mean, just from them coming over from New York to being here in Los Angeles, a crazy nice, organized organization.

Man, I love the blue and white, and I'll be coming here since I was a little kid, so I'm 56.

That's a long time of dodging history.

It's a family thing, right?

Like my grandpa on my dad's side, he worked with the team for a couple years back in the 70s.

My dad, born and raised here, he just passed down the fandom to me.

Like, I remember being a kid, him telling me about Kurt Gibson's walk-off.

Like, I remember coming to games back in the like 2000s, 2010s.

Like Matt Kemp was my guy.

Audrey Ethier was my guy.

Uh, this man right here, my favorite player of all time.

Thank you for 18 years.

Thank you for showing up and watching us play for the last 18 years.

Thank you for being here for me and my family and so supporting us.

And thank you for all you guys.

Thank you.

My teammates.

You guys are the best in the world.

It's just like a lifelong thing for me.

Oh, this just feels like it's been years in the making.

This greatness.

This is a dynasty now.

It's a family thing.

I love it.

I feel like we're winning for all my past generations, and they can see more Dodgers championships.

That's what I'm hoping for.

Everybody's been asking questions about a dynasty.

How about three and six years?

How about a back to back?

Yes!

Repeat would be pretty nice to see here in Los Angeles.

I'm ready to get uh another ring.

Job in 2024 done.

Job in 2025 done.

Job in 2026 starts now.

Los Angeles has long been shaped by the cultures, traditions, and stories brought here from across the Pacific.

Today, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities remain woven into the fabric of the city, from Chinatown and Historic Filipino Town to Korea Town, Little Tokyo, and neighborhoods far beyond.

During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize the generations who helped build Los Angeles through business, art, food, public service, and community while continuing to share the spirit of Ohana or family with everyone around them.

So whether you're discovering Little Tokyo for the first time or call this neighborhood home, welcome to Los Angeles.

Shaping the city's culture, economy, and daily life across generations.

Here in Little Tokyo, history and modern culture move together.

Cyborg markers trace the footsteps of the ESA, pioneers who first built this enduring community, while new businesses, public art, and evolving traditions continue to shape its future.

Today, the historic confectionery honors its roots while introducing modern flavors to a new generation.

As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month highlights stories of culture and resilience, institutions like the Japanese American National Museum continue preserving community history through new technology and expanded storytelling.

Among those voices says George Takei, reflecting on a legacy shaved by perseverance, activism, and identity.