Soy puro mexicano nacido in este suelo en esta hermosa tierra que es mi linda nación.

All right.

Good morning, everyone, and thank you all for being here for what I call my annual Cinco de Mayo celebration where we come together to uplift and honor Chicano leaders and reclaim the significance of this holiday.

Cinco de Mayo has been traditionally been seen and confused as being Mexican Independence Day, but it's not.

Historically, what it is, it's a symbolic day that was born here in the United States to showcase the winning of the Battle of Puebla, which shows the resiliency of a very small Mexican army that beat a very well-funded French army.

So over the years of history, it has been turned into a very commercialized uh way to uh cater to the Mexican market.

But what we want to do is show that we're more than just that.

We're not just the consumers for some corporations to shoot for, but we really do contribute to the uh fabric of what is the American story, and that is why we are doing this today.

Today we brought together a diverse and dynamic group of honorees, Marcos Reynoso.

He is the owner to Chonsi Chorizo.

I just really want to serve really good food to my community and really good pricing so everybody can enjoy, not just the one person or the people that have money.

I want everybody to enjoy.

What he puts in the chorizo is something that actually you can't really find anywhere unless you go closer to the border or actually cross.

It's really important to celebrate Cinco de Mayo because you always need to remember where you come from, where your tradition is, who what to truly celebrate.

Congratulations.

Thank you for being part of helping us redefine Cinco de Mayo.

Daniel Duno Lopez.

He is a content creator, podcaster, and comedian comedian who proudly represents his Mexican heritage and echo park roots.

Today he's touring the country and selling out shows.

We are proud to celebrate his success and his voice.

I grew up down the street, literally on first in between tempo.

I grew up walking distance.

I used to walk through here.

I would have never in a hundred years thought that I'll be here.

Um I'm 26 years old, I'm living life, I'm amazed.

Thank you guys for supporting and shout out the city of Los Angeles.

I love you guys so much.

Thank you.

The Chicano movement here in Los Angeles is thriving.

It's probably the biggest and best it's ever been.

And uh there's areas that we could be in a little bit more, like in the in the movie industry.

We got the music unlocked, we got art on lock, we got food unlocked and um the only place I don't see us shining to our full potential in the movie industry.

He is an internationally celebrated photographer, director, and urban lifestyle or entrepreneur whose work has captured the essence of who we are.

I represent the city to the fullest, and take it with me on my back everywhere I go.

Thank you very much.

Can I have Dr.

Amada Armenta and Jose Loyac join me?

Dr.

Amal Armenta is an associate professor of urban planning at UCLA and the director of the Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

Mexican Americans and Chicanos have been part of LA before LA was even part of the United States.

And so we are leaders in every sector from art to entrepreneurship to academia to universities where I work.

Um our schools are full of amazing Mexican American students, leaders, Latinos, and of all groups.

We're gonna grow the Nika difference.

And Dr.

Jose Loya is, as I mentioned, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA, whose research examines inequality in housing and home ownership, particularly within Latino communities.

The Latino culture is part of the American culture.

And so Latinos inspire, uh, integrate and and and often are mixing our culture with the American culture, and it's it's a beautiful thing to see and be a part of.

So more than 50% of the Los Angeles population identifies as being from immigration descent, many of them being Latinos and Chicanos.

So what I'm hoping to do is to emphasize that our stories are complex and they're beautiful and very much part of the American fabric, and it's here in Los Angeles where we set the tone to what that identity is.

The battleship Iowa is a remarkable feat of engineering, stretching nearly three football fields long and measuring a hundred and eight feet across.

Today, from its home in the port of Los Angeles, this historic vessel welcomes visitors from throughout Southern California, connecting new generations to stories that help shape our nation.

But the Iowa is more than a museum.

It has become a gathering place for the community, serving as a living link between Los Angeles maritime past and its vibrant future.

That spirit of connection was also on display as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 100th anniversary by offering free harbor boat tours, giving Angelinos a rare opportunity to experience the nation's busiest port from the water, and see firsthand the scale of the waterfront that powers so much of the region's economy.

We're turning a hundred years old, and as part of that celebration, the Port of Los Angeles is very proud to be hosting free harbor boat tours to the general public.

Good morning.

Welcome.

I'm here for the Free Harbor Boat Tour from the Port of Los Angeles.

My favorite part about it is that they give us so much history.

The speaker on the boat tells us so much about the shipping terminals and about all the trade that goes on from different countries.

It all comes in through the Port of Los Angeles.

It's a great family event.

It's very safe.

I actually work at the port, so it's just nice to see it from, you know, this point of view.

It's great to be among community because I think it gives us a great opportunity for us to connect in the community to learn how every day the Port of LA impacts us, both through economy, through the environment, and you know, just learning about the great things that we do every day.

We especially invite the public to join us on these harbor tours because what they will get to see is an active port, whether we have cranes that are in movement, we have bars that are happening, we have just a whole slew of things that they get to be in front of, they get to hear about.

Somebody on the boat is talking about the important role that the port of Los Angeles plays in our country's movement of commerce.

I think it is really important for both the community and Port of Los Angeles to get involved with each other.

And part of this is this maritime park that shows how community can benefit from collaboration with the Port of Los Angeles.

It's just a fun activity to do.

Hopefully, we continue to have these yearly because they're just a great experience.

This tour is the most fun I've ever been on in Los Angeles.

The water is so calm, you really just feel like you're on a gentle cruise, and it's really a nice family event.

We look forward to coming again next year, good morning.

On behalf of the United States Navy, I want to extend thank you to the city of Los Angeles for welcoming our Navy into port for Fleet Week LA.

To everyone here in uniform this morning, thank you for your service to our country.

We are incredibly grateful for your sacrifice, your discipline, and your willingness to serve something greater than yourselves.

We welcome you to the city of Los Angeles.

We thank you for the sacrifice of your service.

But more importantly, we thank you for your incredible dedication to preserving everything that this country represents for more for approaching now 250 years.

God bless you all, and thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

And now we have a very special performance brought to us by Matthew Gordon and the Navy Southwest Band.

So I'm with Navy Band Southwest, and we are supporting the 10th annual Los Angeles Fleet Week this week in Los Angeles.

This is the best part of our job, and we just love connecting with audiences around the Southwest region.

Talk to people, hear their stories, and share our stories, and just celebrate our Navy tradition.

These sailors and marines, they do represent the very best that our country has to offer.

We are fortunate to have them here in Port Los Angeles.

Many of their colleagues are deployed overseas right now in very challenging times, and uh they soon will be deployed.

Uh, this is an opportunity for us to thank them and also for us to extend our thanks uh to the citizens in Los Angeles.

Many of these uh sailors and marines are the sons and daughters of Angelinos.

Uh we just want to celebrate those tight connections.

Planning that goes into Fleet Week starts 364 days before the actual events.

And Wednesday night, the Rear Admiral welcomed us to the USS Essex at the Port of Los Angeles.

We were greeted by the Pacific Southwest Band, who also played today at Los Angeles City Council, bringing the spirit and talent of the arts to the USC services and the City of Los Angeles.

Such a great day.

On behalf of a very grateful and proud City of Los Angeles, congratulations.

When the Battleship Iowa was an active service, it functioned as a floating city at sea.

Complete with its own bakery, baker shop, tailor shop, and more, supporting thousands of sailors living and working aboard this 45,000-ton warship.

Today, docked at the port of Los Angeles, it continues its legacy in a different way, welcoming visitors year-round and serving as a dynamic centerpiece of the San Pedro waterfront.

During Fleet Week, the Iowa comes alive again as a gathering point for service members and the public.

One of the highlights is the spirited galleys at sea cooking competition, where Navy chefs showcase their skills in fast-paced culinary battles right on the pier, turning the historic ship and surrounding waterfront into an interactive celebration of service and tradition.

The same harbor also plays host to one of the largest public waterfront celebrations in the region, drawing crowds to experience military demonstrations, ship tours, and hands-on exhibits that connect the community directly with today's active duty forces.

It's a powerful reminder that here in Los Angeles, history isn't just preserved.

The LA Jazz Festival is here.

It's happening and it's on its way.

Just as you experience in New Orleans and Montreal and Montreux.

Those cities have been doing that for decades.

And LA has just been behind.

But our time is now, and so we're really excited about it.

I reside in California.

I reside in Van Nuys, and I'm so glad to be here.

I am so psyched at all of those performances and all those different venues, and I'm so excited for the country and the county of LA for doing this because it's huge.

This is a wonderful thing, especially now today, especially with jazz.

It's America's original art form.

And I think more people should be getting exposed to some world class musicians, many of them that live here in Los Angeles, with all these different artists from across the world.

You get a taste of everything work from jazz, New Orleans.

You got people from Cuba, Indonesia.

I'm looking more forward to going to the different places.

Like they said, it's going to be on the beach, it's going to be after dark.

There's going to be the carnival festival in the streets.

We're at the Inkwell.

The Inkwell is a location that we obviously were intentional about choosing for the announcement today.

This is a location where predominantly black and brown families were literally forced to bring their families to this passageway if they just simply wanted to have a day on the beach.

So we thought it was important to come full circle and announce this historic festival that really does have at its core, the human rights narrative of pre-colonized Africans.

Brought to America in bondage.

So it should be worshiped, especially because of the history from it, how it developed.

You know, we had spirit shows to slaves develop the spiritual juice to help them through their hard times.

All of our ancestors ran through such bitter hardship against them.

We need to really put this on a high, high pedestal in the world of music and in our lives because we can learn so much from it.

And it helps us when we go through hard times as well.

And it inspires us when we have those happy times.

And it's never done the same twice.

That's the thing about jazz.

You know, you can improvise, you can put whatever you're feeling in that moment on stage into what you show the audience and you hit them in their heart.

And I'm gonna wrap it with this.

I'm gonna say that 75% of our tickets are free.

75% of our tickets are free.

Go to our website, www.la jazzfestival.com, Janelle Monet, John Legend, Rafael Sidie, Charlie Wilson.

We've got artists from 13 nations.

Everyone on our stage are Grammy Award winners.

They're very international, and we're gonna keep building from here.

13 Nations and Climate.

Go to our website, get tickets now.

So are you ready?

We are on the beautiful grounds of Banning Museum, and we are celebrating, as part of Fleet Week, the Wilmington reception.

We are welcoming our sailors and our Marines to Wilmington.

We have food and games and entertainment for them, and just saying thank you for their service.

This is my first time in LA, but I'm stationed in San Diego.

So it's I like the environment.

It's real, it's real laid back and chill.

They got free food, drink, all for it.

Navy pride, heavy day.

Ready to go.

While we're here, we're celebrating America's 250th birthday.

An awesome celebration.

We're glad that we could take that celebration and do that as part of the 10th anniversary of LA Fleet Week.

These are great, great anniversaries.

A lot of fun.

Have a great time.

Well, I am so happy to see that we have everyone here at Banning Museum, the home of Finias Banning.

And we are excited as a community to celebrate and again thank them for the sacrifices that they do for us so that we can enjoy Liberty Psych Today.

It means a lot truly for me to be performing around all these people because I especially grew up in the Los Angeles area.

So getting to play music growing up here and now doing it full time as a profession is amazing and truly a blessing.

We appreciate their sacrifice, their family sacrifice.

Everybody contributes in the service that these people provide, and we just want to take a moment to say thank you to them.

We should thank them every single day.

But this particular week is a week where we celebrate them and we thank them and we uh give them some food and we welcome them into the community here in Wilmington and Tampico.

Built to what stands of the most hazardous conditions out sea, the battleship Iowa stands as a powerful reminder of the precision, discipline, and preparation required to operate safely in extreme environments.

Commissioned in 1943 during World War II, the battleship Iowa is more than 80 years old and remains one of the most iconic battleships ever built.

It was once among the fastest and most powerful battleships in the world, capable of reaching speeds over 30 knots.

And today, permanently docked at the port of Los Angeles.

It continues to draw visitors from across the region as part of the LA waterfront experience.

The harbor itself is one of the busiest in the nation, where massive cargo ships and cruise vessels move alongside museums, parks, and public walkways that welcome millions of visitors each year.

That connection between history, industry, and community is especially visible during Fleet Week when the waterfront transforms into a citywide destination.

Service members, active duty members, and thousands of guests gather along the fort for shift tours, demonstrations, and public events, making the harbor and the battleship Iowa one of the largest celebrations of maritime service on the West Coast.

Nobody knows what we do.

I think we're a victim of our own success because the electricity just flows and it works.

People flip on the light switches and they enjoy necessities and conveniences, and nobody really focuses on how we get that electricity there.

Well, these are the folks that get it there.

So we're here today to celebrate the electrical line workers, our linemen.

This is our 34th uh line worker rodeo.

We have 10 teams from the department that are here competing.

Show the kids and the wives, what we do.

I think it's really important to celebrate the work that they do and actually see what it takes to run a power grid and keep it reliable and keep it delivering energy to the citizens of Los Angeles.

This is my first rodeo.

Uh, about a couple more weeks, and then I'll be having my climbing certificate, and then hopefully getting a job on LA DWP or any of the other utilities.

I wanted to learn a skill that couldn't be taken away from me.

I feel like nowadays a lot of things going towards AI and being a lineman is something that could um have a long uh career with.

It's hard work, but it's definitely a fulfilling job to have.

We get extreme events, and when that happens, these are the folks that are out there immediately restoring power so that we can all get back to our day-to-day lives.

There's a bunch of different events that relate to the work they have to do.

There's one where they have to rescue somebody from up on the line.

There's another one that's about speed and precision, and it's just an incredible showcase of the skill that our workforce has, and it's honestly amazing to witness.

My favorite event is definitely her man, which is simulating and rescuing an injured guide on the pole.

The work that they do is so high-hazard, it really takes special training, special skills.

We're very proud of what we do.

We're very proud of our employees, and we love to showcase that.

I've met people here who they worked for DWP, they've retired, and now their kids work for DWP.

You know, people bring their their kids, their grandkids.

You're looking at probably three or four generations of electrical line workers that are here.

The little babies and the strollers are gonna end up climbing these poles in the next 25 years.

Today, all 104 of our 106 fire stations are open to the public, celebrating fire service day.

We also have community events happening throughout the city where we invite the public to come meet their firefighters and get to know their fire stations.

So not only is it bring the community together, it brings them a little knowledge of what the fire department does and what it has to offer, and it incites it gets kids excited about being firefighters and policemen and learning.

I'm the recruitment unit commander for the LAFD, so my specific job is community outreach.

Try and gather that next generation of firefighters.

Fire Service Day is a great opportunity for that because we're able to touch with the youth and the younger children, as well as adults 18 years of older that are actually looking to pursue a career on the fire service.

So here at Fire Station 112, we have the largest boat that LAFD has to offer.

We have four honorary fire chiefs that we recognize today, one for each one of our geographic bureaus.

We have organizations here represented, such as the LA Port Police, we have the CERT team, which is a community response team.

We also have joining LFD.org, which is our own recruitment office that helps kids in the community become firefighters for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

We have all of our apparatus, our fire engines, our fire trucks, our ambulances.

Climb on board, touch things, get to ask questions.

You know, the most important thing that I'm looking for from my young firefighters is passion.

It's passion and that that community service aspect.

Always support local, and uh you can't go wrong.

Fire stations are in every single community here in Los Angeles, and this is the time where we actually celebrate the partnerships, the friendships, and just all the hard work that our firefighters do to serve our community here in Los Angeles.

Fleet Week isn't the only thing making waves here in San Pedro.

The Port of Los Angeles, America's busiest seaport, spans more than 7500 acres of waterfront and handles thousands of cargo ships each year, serving as a critical gateway connecting Los Angeles to the global economy.

Anchored in the heart of it all is the battleship Iowa, one of only four Iowa class battleships ever built for the U.S.

Navy.

And at its peak, the ship carried nearly 2700 sailors and officers, operating as a fully self-contained floating city, complete with its own onboard support systems designed for long deployment at sea.

It was also armed with nine sixteen-inch naval guns, among the most powerful ever installed on a battleship, built for long-range precision and unmatched firepower in its era.

Today, the battleship Iowa serves as a floating museum at the LA waterfront, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors and standing as one of the harbor's most iconic landmarks.gov forward slash TV and follow LA City on Instagram, Facebook X, and YouTube.

Until next time, step aboard, set sail and enjoy everything that Los Angeles has to offer.

Okay, let's get started.

Welcome everybody.

We have a great meeting today planned.

Today is Friday, June fifth.

We're going to take public comment in person.

Oh, we have quorum.

All right.

Uh, and in the council chambers for today, let's uh start by calling the role.

Great.

Uh, first order business.

Approval the minutes of June third, twenty twenty six.

Councilman uh member Raman moves, Soda Martinez seconds.

Next.

Commendatory resolutions for approval.

Great.

Councilwoman Yaroslavski moves.

Councilwoman Lee, Councilmember Lee, seconds.

What's uh what's next?

Would you like for me to run through the agenda, Mr.

President?

Yes, let's do that.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

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

Please note there's a technical correction for item three.

The item should read CD four, not CD seven.

Item seven and eight are items for which public hearings have not been held.

For item eight, the budget and finance committee report has been circulated and posted online to Council File number two six-seven two zero.

Ten votes are required for consideration.

Great.

Without objection, those items are now before us.

Colleagues, do any members have any items that they'd like to call special?

Councilmember Lee.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I'd like to ask if we can continue item number four until June 26th.

Okay.

Without objection, that items continued.

Colleagues, any other uh specials or comments.

Okay.

Um we can now uh what can we vote on?

The council may now vote on items one through three, five, and six.

Okay, those items are now before us.

Seeing no members on the queue, let's open the roll, close the roll and tally the votes.

10 eyes.

Great.

Uh those items are approved.

What's next?

Council may now vote and move on to presentations.

Great.

We will begin with uh council president Marquis Harris Dawson.

Uh for our first presentation honoring uh five different schools.

All right, so I'll ask our students and principals to join us here at the podium.

We are uh members so grateful for the opportunity to uh make this proposal to make this presentation today and present uh just some of the students from five schools in South LA that have 100% college acceptance of high school seniors.

Years ago they said that this could not be done, that it was impossible, that our students were uh too um slow, too poor, uh too Latino, too African American, too immigrant, um, um too uh poorly behaved to go on to college and make good grades, and here we're standing today in the year 2026 with not one or two but five of our campuses at a hundred percent uh college acceptance rate.

And we have folks going as far away as Yale, we have them in South going to uh Tulane and certainly our local uh schools here.

I want to uh ask the principals of each of the schools uh to say a few words to introduce their campuses, but each of these campuses are not only not only are they in the 8th district in South LA, most of them are right along the 110 freeway.

And if you know anything about demographics in this city, you know that that is one of the lowest income areas.

It's one of the areas of the highest concentration of new immigrants to the United States.

Uh, and it's one of the areas that we struggle uh with homelessness.

So for campuses in this space to produce these results is truly awesome and something that we're proud to honor today.

And so um, without any further ado, I want you to hear uh uh from the schools.

We want to first call forward our principal from Burton Tech High School.

Come on out.

Thank you.

How's it going?

My name is Rahela Sanchez, Proud Principal of Alliance Burton Tech High School.

Um what I could say is what you see behind us is what greatness becomes when there's support from not our community, but also our staff members, families and parents.

What we start seeing is when you give kids opportunity, they have the greatness in them.

We're here to help support them.

As we start going out and looking at what it is to be a productive member society at the school sites, we're able to kind of go in and foster that component to it, supports what CD8 to say, hey, these are some events we want to collaborate together.

The kids are able to kind of go in and see how government works for them and how their voices heard.

For us to say, you're here, we want you to get the best education possible.

The adults are gonna support you.

We need you to go and do your best.

So when you go out and finish and come back, you give back, and that's what's gonna make us great in CD8.

And I want to say thank you to all the families that trust us at the school sites to bring in their kids, their most precious um treasure.

And for me, is without them, there is no us.

And for the kids, I want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to be the principal at Burton Tech High School to show you guys what we need to do.

Um, we need to do better to continue to grow out because it should be every school in the district that has a hundred percent graduation rate, a hundred percent a college acceptance.

And with that, thank you.

Thank you so much.

And in the Crenshaw district, we have ICEF View Park school we want to call up Mr.

Davis good morning thank you for having us thank you for recognizing the incredible work that our students and our staff put in every single day we are on a mission to build schools that are actually worthy of our students' genius and that is not something that we will ever actually accomplish but every day every week every year we come back to get a little closer to that and a hundred percent graduation a hundred percent of our students being accepted to college is a nod to the fact that we're getting a little bit better at that work every year in particular View Park High School as of last year was the blackest high school in the state of California and so for us to be a proof point for students who we know demographically and by test scores appear to be the lowest viewpark high school proves that we can be successful and that we will be successful when the adults do right by the kids and so I give a nod to our principal uh Ms.

Sharon Owens the staff there our college counselors I appreciate you for pouring into our kids and making sure that their dreams are not deferred.

Thank you.

All right in uh in Vermont Molls at Vermont and Manchester right across the street from our uh district office there we have a truly distinctive educational experience because we have one of the only urban boarding schools anywhere in the country but certainly here in Los Angeles I want to call up the leader of the seed school to say a few words hi good morning my name is Tara Haskins and I am honored to serve as the director of academics at the C School of Los Angeles County we are the first and only public boarding school in the state of California and when we opened our doors in 2022 there was no roadmap but we knew the end result was that our students will have excellence and that they knew that their gifts will be found and they would use those gifts to serve their community and as a result of our communities our families our scholars and our educators we have created what we knew to be true four years ago we are so incredibly honored for this recognition we sat with the belief that what happens if you believe in this genius of our scholars what happens you believe in their excellence and what happens when you build from the history from those they come from and so thank you again for this recognition and thank you to our seed school loses county community partners and those who truly pour into us each day thank you all right and uh we're very excited to have a partnership in our community with the University of Southern California who puts on the etnovate charter schools we have two of them represented in this number the USC South LA college high school and the UCA USC hybrid let's call up the principals from the leaders from both of those schools to say a few words good morning thank you to the city council for recognizing USC Hybrid High my name is Cindy and I'm the college counselor this honor represents much more than a statistic it represents determination growth and achievement of an incredible group of young people who refuse to let obstacles define their future at USC hybrid we believe students thrive when schools are designed to meet them where they are and empower them to take ownership of their learning every day our students demonstrate resilience self-discipline and perseverance as they balance academics family responsibilities work commitments and the many challenges life can present we are especially proud to celebrate that our graduating seniors have achieved 100% college acceptance for eight years in a row even more remarkable this marks the second consecutive year that every graduating senior across all innovate schools have have been accepted to a four-year college this achievement reflects not only the hard work of our students but the collective commitment of our educators families counselors and staff across our entire network who believe deeply in the potential of every young person.

Today we celebrate more than college acceptance letters.

We celebrate futures filled with possibility.

We celebrate first-generation college students, future leaders, innovators, educators, entrepreneurs, and change makers who are preparing to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.

On behalf of USC Hybrid High and our entire Novate community, thank you for the recognition and investing in young people of Los Angeles.

We are honored to share this moment with you, and we invite you to visit our school, meet our students, and see firsthand talent, resilience, and promise that exists within our community every day.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, and thank you, Council President, and everyone here today.

It is a privilege to accept this recognition on behalf of Ednovate USC South LA College Prep.

My name is Kamar Smith, and I'm the college counselor.

To me, the most important part of my role is helping students build confidence in who they are.

I was surprised that many of our students didn't know about the options available to them.

Our communities fear college and believe it's too expensive to go, but that's misinformation.

And it's all of our job to continue to properly educate our communities and motivate the people of the future.

USC South LA is one of the youngest schools in the Innovate Network.

And this despite being a newer school, we are proud to celebrate and continue to meet our standard.

Every graduating senior has achieved 100% college acceptance with only three graduating classes to date.

Our students have established a tradition of excellence that reflects the high expectations, determination, and culture of possibility that define our school community.

This achievement is especially meaningful because it represents more than college acceptance letters.

It represents students who have worked tirelessly to create opportunities for themselves and their families.

It represents parents and caregivers who have sacrificed and supported their children every step of the way.

And it represents educators who believe deeply in the potential of every student that walked through our doors.

At USC South LA, our mission is to create positive multi-generational change.

And for us, college acceptance is not the finish line.

It is the beginning of a journey that empowers our students to transform their own futures, uplift their families, and strengthen their communities through education.

Our students are not only preparing for college, they are preparing to become leaders, advocates, and change makers who will carry this mission forward.

Thank you again for this honor.

We're proud to serve South LA, grateful for this recognition and committed to, and we are committed to continuing our work of preparing students to lead, serve, and create positive change in their communities.

We're honored to share this moment with you.

And as my partner said, we are we invite you to visit our schools and come see what we're doing.

Thank you.

Thank you so much to those uh leaders of our schools, uh adults who uh spend their lifetime and energy making sure our kids have what they need to move forward.

Uh, but I could not close as a you know former organizer, I could not close without giving us the opportunity to hear from one of the subjects of the celebration that we're having today, and so to represent all these students and all of them are talented and articulate, but we pick one to say a few words on behalf of her colleagues who are going on from our neighborhood off to college, Miss Ella Gonzalez from South USC South LA High School.

Come on up.

Hi, everybody.

My name is Ella Gonzalez, and I attend USC South LA College Prep.

And this fall, I will be attending Northwestern on a full tuition posse scholarship.

Thanks to the incredible support of my family and my school.

I've been able to accomplish so much.

Being at Innovate School means positive multi-generational change.

That is our motto.

For me, this looks like being the person and the representation that I never had growing up.

I will be using my degree in legal studies and political science, where I plan to be a lawyer and start a nonprofit to support the development of Belize and students and underrepresented kids in the United States.

I hope to leave a lasting impact on the United States and the civil rights movement.

Big shout out to Big Innovate for having a hundred percent graduation rate and college acceptance for all of our schools.

Thank you guys so much for having me.

All right, again, we want to thank the students uh and uh and their parents who aren't with us uh for all they've done on behalf of our community.

We've got search, but I'll I'll yield to you, Mr.

Chair.

Great, thank you.

We have a member on the queue, Mr.

Soto Martinez.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Chair.

Uh Mr.

President Dawson, um, you know, I'm I'm like getting like pretty emotional hearing the stories and the testimony.

Uh, a lot of folks know I grew up in South Central Los Angeles.

For the kids, I grew up on 46th and Central most of my life.

I went to Carver and Ascot.

And I went to high school in the 1-5 in uh Jordan High School.

And I don't think the stories of that community is told as much as they should, and I'll share a little bit of that story from my personal perspective.

I was a high school dropout.

I was on probation as a juvenile, and luckily uh I was able to turn things around.

But I went to a high school that had 800 incoming freshmen, and only 200 of them graduated from high school.

Yeah.

And of the 200 that graduated from high school, only about 20 of them in my class went to a four-year college.

And so what y'all are doing, the principals, the parents, the administration, the staff, everyone that's part of this 100% acceptance rate is truly phenomenal.

Uh and it's incredible, and you should be recognized and be given all the praise possible because these stories that is not what happens in South Central Los Angeles, just point blank period.

And I'm 43 years old now, class of 2001, uh, and I believe when I went to college, that was the beginning of a journey, but I still had to work on myself and deal with the trauma and everything that we all see uh where we live, right?

So I hope that you remember this day as the beginning of something so much greater, and really truly the sky's the limit, and whatever you put your minds to, you can become it, but you gotta come back and you gotta uplift those that didn't have the chance because I'll tell you that out of those 800 freshmen that came in, a lot of them have died, not because of gun violence or because other kind of violence, just because of health issues, untreatable health conditions.

I don't even know.

Like most of my friends are at at this point, but you gotta come back and contribute and and and um yeah, just thank you for this wonderful testimony.

This like really uh positivity, we need it sometimes, right?

And I just congratulations to all the the young folks going to college.

Please enjoy this ride, and and thank you for for this presentation, Mr.

President.

Okay, next we'll hear from Councilwoman Padilla, followed by Councilwoman Herado.

Thank you, uh Councilmember Marquis Harris Dawson for this great presentation.

I think it's kind of known that I'm always really happy whenever there's young people in the building.

Uh it's a source of inspiration for me uh to see you guys here to know that we have good uh folks coming in route as the next generation.

So I just want to, you know, that I don't think there's any kind of like life advice that I could give you that you're amazing educators have already done so.

I can see the trust, the love and appreciation for your educators, and I'm sure your parents are just as active.

Um, but I can tell that uh it's a space on your campus, it just makes it so welcoming.

Um, that is part of the reason why you were able to give it your all and accomplish both the graduation as well as the acceptances to your colleges.

So, congratulations to you.

Um, thank you so much to the educators and the staff for caring.

You know, I I think some of the some of my favorite water cooler conversations uh with adults my age is with teachers, because of the things that they talk about and the inspiration that they get and the hard job and the work that they do for you guys, but they care and they do a lot of the things that a lot of other folks won't.

So thank you, educators.

Um, this is exactly what places certain places of Los Angeles needed.

Um, and it's I'm so happy to be part of that time in history where we're seeing uh the fruits of the work by folks that also went back to their neighborhood to make sure that you guys had it better than the previous generation.

So, congratulations to all of you.

And as I always say, just remember that this is your city hall, don't let this be the last time you ever come here, dream big.

And um, you know, if you have friends, family or cousins or neighbors who are asking how did you do it and not me, you know.

Remind them, hey man, we're the generation that gets two free years of community college.

Go take advantage of that, and you will land wherever you want in time.

Just keep at it.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Hernandez.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President, for this wonderful presentation.

And um, thank you to the educators, the all the all the adults who really helped create the pathways for this to be a possibility.

And to the young people, congratulations on your incredible dedication and hard work coming to fruition on such an important step in your lives.

And all I have to share with you all is that as you continue to grow and advance in these spaces, that sometimes it's gonna feel like these spaces aren't built for us or that we might not belong.

And I want you to know that you have everything you need within you to make a difference and be leaders in these spaces.

And yes, sometimes these spaces weren't built for folks that look like us, and that's when you gotta go in and break the things that do not serve our communities, so that more of us can come through those doors and take up more space and become more leaders in whatever we decide to do.

And so just know that your life experiences are worth more than gold, and even if you have to be across the table of someone who's much older with many more degrees than you, or makes more money, that you have everything already within you to take up that space.

So please take it, and just remember to hold the door open behind you so that more can community can come through.

But my gosh, incredibly proud to see this.

Los Angeles is one of the best cities in the world because of people like you.

Good luck with everything you decide to do, please on us, however, we could be of service we hear.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Hernandez.

Councilwoman Rodriguez.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Harris Dawson, for this presentation.

I apologize I didn't get to catch all of it.

Um, but I just want to congratulate you all on a phenomenal accomplishment and what it means for our city, and I just want to inform you all.

I believe we're still taking applications for the Olivia Mitchell Youth Council.

That's right.

I expect there to be a hard competition between all of you for that, because the in the entire intent of that council was to make sure you know you can go pers you can go pursue your academic education, but how we transform our city to reflect and serve the needs of the people is gonna be derived by you, by each and every one of you.

So even with college, I was I was fortunate I didn't go far, I was at Oxy, and stayed local, but for you're all part of how we change things for the better.

And I want to remind you of that, regardless of what path you pursue, it changes with us.

We are the leaders we are looking for.

So I want to congratulate you on this phenomenal accomplishment that is really helping to put LA on the map for the right reasons, and to remind you all that we need you to very much be part of the change and the future of what this city looks like.

Congratulations to each and every one of you.

Thank you for helping to put us on the map in such a phenomenal way.

Councilmember Harris Dawson, thank you for a truly inspiring presentation.

Uh, really, was it was special to meet all of the students here and hear about this amazing accomplishment.

Back to you to close.

Thank you so much, uh, Mr.

President, and thank you, members, uh, for the generosity and of spirit that you've extended to these uh students from our community who have this incredible accomplishment.

Each school has a certificate that we're gonna ask them to put on the wall so that the students that come behind you can have something to work towards.

So when you get 100% acceptance next year and the year after that, we're gonna keep on coming here to Los Angeles City Hall.

Thank you all so much.

We're so proud of you.

Okay, as they're filing off, we'll move to our our next presentation for uh councilwoman HUD.

Can come for Lee?

Oh, Councilmember Lee's next, okay.

Mr.

President, as we're waiting for the next presenter to come up.

I did want to use this opportunity to formally warn Mr.

Herman.

This is your first and only formal warning.

Uh, you can pick which disruption you want us to cite you for, whether it was your loud entry to the council chambers, your uh giving everybody the double bird immediately or directly behind the last presenters, which has required us to change where we have deployed the security.

Uh again, this is your first and only formal warning.

If you do it again or if you disrupt this meeting again, you will be subject to removal pursuant to Rule 7 and Rule 12.

I'm sorry, Mr.

President.

I'm sorry, uh, Mr.

Councilmember.

Okay.

Councilmember Lee, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Colleagues, today I am especially uh proud to welcome the Granada Hills Charter High School academic decathlon teamed council chambers as we celebrate an extraordinary accomplishment.

You know, as a proud high school uh Granada Hills High Alumnus, I have to admit that today is particularly special for me.

There are some things that never leave you, and Granada Pride is certainly one of them.

Granada Hills Charter captured the 2026 United States Academic Decathlon Championship, and that deserves a round of applause.

Granada secured its tenth national title in the last 15 years, and once again proving that excellence is part of the school's DNA.

But what makes this championship so impressive is the road these students uh traveled to get here.

After suffering a disappointing loss in the regional finals, many teams may have been discouraged and given up, but instead, these students rallied around one another, earned a wild card berth uh to the state championship, and went on to defeat El Camino Real Charter High School to advance the Nash to the Nationals.

I believe they are located in the district just north of me.

There they delivered a dominant performance, scoring more than 52,000 points and finishing more than 3,000 points ahead of second place.

That kind of success does not happen by accident.

It is a product of hard work, sacrifice, and countless hours of preparation.

It means giving up afternoons after school.

It means spending winter breaks and spring break studying while others are relaxing, and perhaps most importantly, it means believing in one another.

It is a I want to recognize head coach Tyler Lee and assistant coaches Bennett Cohen and Raji Teleco for their outstanding leadership and dedication.

Thank you for helping shape not only exceptional scholars but also exceptional young people.

And I would also like to recognize the nine members of this national championship team Teo Chen, Christopher Gonzalez, Serena Chon, Benjamin Cruz, Emmanuel Dominguez, Mia Salinas, Sadana Teif, Santiago Santiago Garcia Uriarte, and Francesca Molina.

Let's have a round of applause for these amazing, amazing students.

As a Granada Hills alumnus, I could not be prouder.

This team has represented our community with distinction and remind us that perseverance, teamwork, and character can overcome any obstacle.

On behalf of the city of Los Angeles and the 12th Council District, congratulations to the 2026 United States Academic Decathlon National Championship Champions, you have brought tremendous pride, not only to Granada Hills or CD 12 or the San Fernando Valley, but to the entire city of Los Angeles.

I'd like to introduce Christopher Gonzalez, Granada Hills Charter High School Decathlon team member.

Christopher Good morning.

My name is Christopher Gonzalez, and I am a two-year member of the Granada Hills Charter Academic Decathlon team.

Academic decathlon has been one of the biggest parts of my high school experience.

It is hard to explain how much goes into it unless you have been part of it.

There are tests, speeches, interviews, essays, study guides, practice competitions, late nights, and a lot of moments where you realize you still have more to learn.

Last year, our team finished second in nationals.

I was proud of that team, and I still am.

Being that close showed me how difficult it is to compete at the national level.

And it made me appreciate the work that goes into the journey.

This year, we started in June with a clear goal.

From summer through April, Akadega became part of our daily lives.

We studied after school, on weekends, during breaks, and whenever we could find time.

It was a lot, but we had people around us who made it possible.

Our coaches gave us their time, patience, and honesty.

They pushed us when we needed it and kept believing in us through the difficult parts of the season.

Our teachers, families, and school community supported us in ways that mattered, whether that meant helping us catch up, encouraging us, or just understanding how much this team meant to us.

In February, we lost regionals.

That was frustrating, but it helped us refocus.

John Wooden once said, things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

That ended up being true for us.

We knew we had more work to do, so we did it.

In March, we won the California State Championship.

In April, we won Nationals.

Representing Granada Hills Charter was already an honor.

Representing Los Angeles made it even better.

Los Angeles is the city of angels, but it is also a city of champions.

Go Dodgers.

To bring a national championship home and be even a small part of this city's legacy is an amazing feeling.

What I remember most is the people.

I'll remember my teammates studying together, stressing together, laughing together, and showing up for each other when it counted.

Winning was amazing, but sharing that moment with this team is what made it special.

Thank you to the Los Angeles City Council for recognizing us today.

Thank you to our coaches, teachers, families, and everyone at Granada Hills Charter who helped us get here.

And to my teammates, we really did it, and I am proud I got to do it with all of you.

Thank you.

Now I'd like to invite up Tyler Lee coach of this amazing team.

Come on, Tyler.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Tyler Lee, and I have the privilege of coaching the Academic Decathlon team at Granada Hills Charter.

On behalf of our students, coaches, families, and school community, thank you for honoring our team today.

This championship represents nearly a full year of commitment.

Our students began preparing in June of last year.

While most students were beginning summer break, this team was already reading, studying, taking practice tests, and learning what it meant to pursue excellence over a long period of time.

Academic Decathlon asks a great deal of our students.

They study art, music, literature, science, economics, history, math.

They have to perform under pressure, compete individually, and still understand that the success of the team depends on every person doing their part.

It requires discipline, focus, humility, and trust.

This year tested all of those qualities.

As mentioned in February, we lost the regional competition.

That was a difficult moment for a team with the highest of expectations.

The response from our students says everything about who they are.

They came back more focused, they worked longer, studied with greater purpose, supported one another more consistently.

They treated that setback as a reason to improve, and they became a better team because of it.

In March, they won California State Championship, and in April, they completed the journey.

What I appreciate most about this group is the way they carried themselves through the entire season.

They were serious about their goals, but they also cared about each other.

They held one another accountable.

They celebrated each other's success.

They understood that a championship is built through hundreds of small decisions made long before the final competition begins.

What this team accomplished reflects the best of what public education can be.

Students from different backgrounds with different strengths, challenging themselves academically and learning that excellence is built through effort, preparation, and a collective purpose to our students.

You earn this recognition through your work, your resilience, and your character.

You represented Granada Hills Charter, the city of Los Angeles, and the state of California with distinction.

Thank you again to the LA City Council for honoring these remarkable students.

We are grateful for this recognition and proud to celebrate this championship with our city.

Mr.

President, just want to say thank you as a proud uh alumni of Granada Charter High School class of 1988.

I just want to say how proud I am, not only as an alumni, but as the council member of this district to represent a school like this to watch kids put in incredible amount of hours and hard work to achieve this to the coach and assistant coach and of course our academic decathlon champions, I like to congratulate you with this.

We have some members on the queue, too.

Sorry.

So, Councilwoman Padilla.

Well, good to see you guys, all uh Granada Hills Highlanders.

Uh, Councilmember John Lee, you look great in a Letterman jacket.

You should wear that more often.

Um, as I mentioned earlier, I'm sure a lot of you guys heard what I told the previous school.

It's pretty redundant what I always tell young people.

You know, I hope you guys dream big.

And given the reputation of your campus, I know you're gonna go far.

I know you're gonna go far.

I know you're gonna attend one of some of the best universities in this entire country.

You're probably gonna travel the world.

But I just want to uh hope that you do come back and that you remember that this is your city hall, and that all of us here can only have this job for a maximum of 12 years.

So maybe some of you guys also consider public um, you know, public service because we need a diversified um group in here to make things better.

So, congratulations again.

I know this is never easy, uh, but I also want to emphasize uh what I've noticed with your team, and I think that the council has noticed this too.

I look at this team and I see all of the diversity of Los Angeles, and I find it to be incredibly beautiful.

So, to anyone, yes.

Look at it, look, I see everyone from Los Angeles.

That's that's a uh Kodak moment of this is what Los Angeles is, what Los Angeles is gonna continue to be.

So, congratulations, and I I just wish you guys all the best.

Um, and again, uh go highlanders.

Right.

All right, Councilwoman Rodriguez.

Thank you, Councilmember Lee for bringing in Granada.

Um, so I just gotta ask is this a new jacket or is this uh.

Oh, this one?

Yeah, of course, I still fit in my high school letterman's jacket, of course.

I just want to make sure, because I still got mine.

I just want to make sure because it looks a little just asking.

Uh, but uh it's wonderful, and I just wanted to congratulate you all.

You know, you already have high academic standards that you fulfill on the regular as part of your curriculum at school, but then to dedicate yourself above and beyond uh it's phenomenal the amount of work that you put into this.

Uh both my niece and nephew are alumnus of uh of Granada, and I know what kind of rigorous academic environment.

Uh is Brian still the principal, right?

It's it's incredible the reputation that has been built, but it's been built because of you all.

It's been built because you've actually achieved the level of success and academic achievement that everyone always knew was possible.

And it was through the incredible visionary leadership to say that you could create an academic environment that could prove that our kids from the San Fernando Valley are in fact capable.

And so, uh, and you know, to to the teachers that help you achieve that incredible outcome each and every day, just on your regular academic performances, but to do this is just so far beyond.

So, congratulations on a remarkable achievement.

Thank you for dedicating yourselves and showing how phenomenal the San Fernando Valley is in the city of Los Angeles.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Mr.

Lee, this is always a we a bittersweet back and forth between you and I because uh El Camino is in my district, is the school that when you guys aren't winning, oftentimes they're winning.

Uh, which is just remarkable that to have two schools, you know, Carl being so close to each other, winning this all, you know, all you know every other year practically compared to the whole country.

Uh, and I I know what goes into that.

I've seen the young people, the work that you put in, uh, it is really remarkable.

And so I just wanted to add my voice to say congratulations.

It this isn't just a win, it really does show the the incredible work that you put in.

And we know that if you can do this, the world is at your fingertips as you move forward.

So congratulations and good luck moving forward.

And uh back to you, Mr.

Lee to close.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Again, I just want to say that how proud I am to be an alumni of this incredible school, and to the uh head coach, Coach Lee, and to the assistant coaches, and of course, these amazing academic decathlon champions.

I like to present this resolution from the entire city council.

Recognize your incredible achievements.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Coskar, do you for what purpose do you rise?

Go ahead.

Could you put it in?

John Lee went to Bernati Hills High School.

I just want to know.

I only heard it eighteen times.

We are checking the record books to confirm it.

All right, as uh Mr.

Lee.

You notice that they're wearing ties to council, right?

Okay, we have um we have one more presentation, and it's gonna take a moment or two to get that one set up.

So as Councilwoman Arado and her team make their way uh to the podium and and start getting that set up, we'll just have a a moment or two here in between presentations.

I could talk during this whole time, but I think we'll just have some silence.

Okay.

It's still morning.

Okay, good morning, everybody.

We are still waiting for something special.

So stand by.

While we're waiting, I do want to uh to celebrate and thank Council Member Park and the whole CD Eleven team for putting together the art gallery that just opened this morning, which displays, you know, outsports and all of our historical Olympians who are out, and so really the CD eleven team hit it out of the park, so let's give them a round of applause.

Yes, I am.

So come take a look.

It's my world that I want to have a little bright and world, and it's not a place I have to hide it.

So you can say, Hey, world, I am.

I bang my own drum.

And so if I love each feather and each spangle, why not try to see things from a different angle?

Your life is a sham.

Till you can shout.

Out loud I am.

I am what I am, and what I am need no excuses.

Joy.

Everybody, that's Mariachi Arcoiris.

Thank you for that amazing performance.

It adds to the inspiring morning that we've already had.

And um happy pride, everybody.

Every year, pride gives us a chance to celebrate our history, our community, and the people who made it possible for us to be here today.

This year's theme, queer joy as radical resistance, ask us to think a little deeper about why it matters.

Because for the LGBTQIA plus people, joy is what we create when the world tells us we don't belong.

It's about finding your people, it's seeing yourself reflected for the first time.

It's being loved exactly as you are, or as I am.

It's stepping into City Hall for the first time and seeing a drag show.

It's going to the TGI Two Plus Housing Resource Fair and getting housed.

It's community coming together at DTLA Proud Festival, Preciosa Night, and the Queer Mercado community spaces that are biased for us.

It's that feeling that maybe there is a place for you after all.

And here at City Hall, we're trying to make sure that we have a city and a city hall that is worthy of you.

Not the other way around.

And this year, I was proud that our council office uh appointed Chichi Navarro to the Health Commission, a member of the Translatino coalition.

Because the health of our community matters, I want to thank this council for their leadership, and especially Councilmember Hernandez and Council Member Hutt for making sure that Translatino Coalition was funded and respected in our budget because your community matters.

So thank you for making sure we're included as part of that conversation.

As someone who came out later in life, I know what it feels like to spend years wondering if there is space for you exactly as you are.

Queer people have been creating that space for one another for generations.

We've done it through organizing, through art, through chosen family, through building community when the world tells us we didn't belong, and yes, sometimes through a really fabulous outfit.

So I had to show up for the girls today, okay?

The girls and the dolls, I even did my makeup.

Um our joy has never been guaranteed, and it has never been guaranteed by anyone other than ourselves, and our joy has never been separate from that struggle.

Joy is how we survive, how we heal, how we imagine something better, and that means so much right now.

Last year, while we were here in City Hall, celebrating pride, my first pride as an out council member.

Something else happened across Los Angeles that day.

As we were recognizing our leaders and celebrating our community, federal immigration agents were carrying out raids across the city, including at Ambiance Apparel and Fashion District.

At the same time, we were celebrating our joy that joy was being taken from us by our own government.

Garment workers were taken indigenous garment workers were taken into custody.

Labor heroes like David Huerta was arrested.

Families were suddenly separated.

Loved ones were left wondering where their relatives had been taken and whether they would see them again.

I learned about the raids in my district while leading this very presentation.

And I remember that feeling, the joy of celebrating our community, colliding in real time with the fear and uncertainty rippling through immigrant communities across Los Angeles.

And at the end of that day, switching from celebration to survival mode once again.

It was a painful reminder that our communities do not experience injustice at one issue at a time.

But what gives me hope was seeing people show up.

Advocates stood outside the warehouse doors for hours, shouting legal advice through the walls, refusing to leave, doing everything they could to protect workers and their families, and that's the kind of solitary that keeps our communities safe.

The same people that were at that presentation were the same ones outside making sure and protesting that our people were free or shouting the legal advice.

Pride was born for solidarity.

It's not just a flag, it's not just a party, though we're very good at all of that, okay?

Don't get it twisted.

But it was born from people who understood that none of us gets free alone, and that when one community is targeted, all of us have a responsibility to show up.

And so when immigrant families are living in fear, we show up.

When trans young people are told that they don't belong, we show up.

When communities of color are under attack, we show up.

And when workers are exploited, we show up.

Because the fight for LGBTQIA 2S plus liberation has always been connected to the fight for immigrant justice, racial justice, and economic justice.

Not because these struggles are similar, but because they're connected by the same belief that every person, every person deserves dignity, safety, and the freedom to live as their full self and be loved for that.

Not despite it, but for themselves.

And that's why this year's theme feels so important.

Choosing joy in difficult times is not pretending that everything's okay.

It's refusing to let fear have the final word.

It's saying we're still here, still creating, still loving, still building community and still fighting for a Los Angeles where everyone can live and love openly, safely, and with dignity.

So today, we honor people and organizations who embody that fighting spirit every single day, because for us, pride is 365, all right.

Um, and for the city of LA, 24-7, 365.

Party girl, Charlie XCX, you know, 360 too.

So, all around.

Uh, leaders remind us that visibility matters, culture matters, and joy itself can be transformative.

Okay, now going on to our honorees.

Thank you for indulging me in my speech, as it is my job.

Oh no, thank you, thank you, thank you.

It's my honor to introduce our first honoree, Manila Luzon.

Woo!

I feel tiny.

Okay, many know her from RuPaul's Drag Race and Drag Race All-Stars, where she became one of the most recognizable and beloved drag performers of her generation, but her impact extends far beyond television.

As a recording artist, producer, host, entrepreneur, and advocate, Manila has built a career that celebrates queer identity, uplifts Filipino culture, and expands what's possible for LGBTQIA representation in the mainstream media.

Whether through her music, her television work, or her groundbreaking role as host and executive producer of Dragdon, she has used her platform to create space for others, champion queer creativity, and inspire countless people to embrace exactly who they are.

Please join me in welcoming our first honoree for the 2026 LGBTQIA Heritage Month celebration.

The one, the only Manila Luzon, thank you.

Coming right out of AAPI Heritage Month and strutting straight into Pride Month, it is an honor to be up here representing the many varieties of people that make up the city of Los Angeles.

We are all multifaceted, just like my diamond ring.

And if all these rhinestones don't give it away, I am part of the LGBTQIA plus community.

And I have many parts to me, but these two, my Americ my Asian American and gay identities that means the most to me.

Well, that and my identity as an Angelino.

So thank you to the city of Los Angeles for this fabulous honor.

Thank you, Manila.

It's an honor to present you with this certificate in recognition of your extraordinary contributions to culture, community, and visibility.

Okay, our next honoree has spent decades ensuring that the LGBTQIA plus history is preserved, protected, and shared.

Founded in 1952, One Institute is the oldest continuously operating LGBTQIA plus organization in the United States.

For generations, they've documented our stories, preserved our history, expanded access to education, and reminded us, reminded us that our experiences matter and deserve to be remembered.

At a time when people are actively attempting to erase our history and identities, their work could not be more important.

Please join me in welcoming Tony Valenzuela on behalf of the One Institute.

Woo!

Thank you, and I'm here with my some of my staff at Wynne Institute.

A year after One Incorporated is what we were called when we were first when we first were first founded in October 1952, our organization opened its first office at 232 South Hill Street, just a half mile away from here.

It is there that our story journey began, first as a magazine and fearless defender of free speech in the middle of the lavender scare.

Then over the years as an academic institution dedicated to studying queer communities without pathologizing them.

As an archive of LGBTQ materials that would grow into the largest in the world.

And as a full-fledged nonprofit organization focused on queer history education, including producers of Circa, the nation's first and only queer history month festival.

Next year, one institute celebrates our 75th anniversary of building community for LGBTQ people.

We are a Los Angeles institution that predated the Stonewall Rebellion by 14 years, and that has demonstrated queer joy as radical resistance for over seven decades.

We are deeply honored by this recognition from LA City Council Member Isabel Jurado and to serve as a citywide honoree in celebration of LGBTQ Plus History Month.

Thank you.

I'd like to welcome Daniel Tarica, General Manager of the Department of Cultural Affairs, who will help unveil this year's cover for LGBTQIA Heritage Month.

Good morning and happy pride.

It's such an honor to be here today to celebrate lesbian gay, bisexual, transgender, queer questioning, intersex, asexual plus, otherwise known as LGBTQIA plus Heritage Month, to celebrate our vibrancy and diversity.

As we embark upon the season of pride, we are inspired to honor the rich mosaic of LGBTQIA plus history, experiences, and cultural traditions that contribute to us as a city, Los Angeles.

In this spirit, we embrace the profound need for visibility and representation, zealously working to elevate the perspectives and stories of the LGBTQIA QIA Plus population, which create the rainbow of unique colors, symbolic of the diverse nature of the groups within this community.

Strengthening our LGBTQIA Plus communities is central to this Heritage Month's core mission, embracing inclusivity and fostering belonging in spaces where every individual is welcomed and celebrated.

The profound importance of this LGBTQIA Plus Heritage Month is amplified by the deliberate addition of Intersex and Asexual Plus Individuals in its title, a critical stride toward the expansive inclusivity that the encompassed communities rightly command.

As we continue to champion the expansive inclusivity, we must remember to honor our roots of pride by acknowledging that the pursuit of equality and inclusion remains part of our ongoing journey.

And as a city, we stand steadfast in our commitment to continue this key transformative advocacy work.

To fully engage with and appreciate the vibrancy of LA's LGBTQIA Plus communities, I invite you to explore this month's bridge gallery exhibition, Portraits of Olympic Pride.

This compelling showcase highlights LGBTQIA Plus athletes from across the globe whose personal journeys transcend competitive achievement to embody core principles of equality, perseverance, and human value.

The collection pays tribute to both pioneering figures and emerging talents whose clear presence motivates future LGBTQIA Plus athletes to compete with pride, authenticity, and integrity on the international stage.

Additionally, the Department of Cultural Affairs is proud to present the official 2026 Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide, a curated collection featuring the exceptional contributions of our local LGBTQIA Plus artists, performers, poets, alongside an array of significant community events that exemplify our city's spirit of inclusivity.

The visions of these artists highlight the diverse range of this community, merging talents, tales of identity and pride.

By honoring these Trailblazers, the Trailblazers who fought to provide a resident platform, their work continues to establish a supportive environment that inspires future generations of artistic pioneers and creators.

I'm now excited to introduce you to this month's this year's cover artist for the city's official 2026 LGBTQIA Plus Heritage Month calendar and cultural guide, Richard McKinley.

Richard is a native of St.

Louis, Missouri, developed his creative sensibilities through his influence of his father's profession.

Richard recognized analogous frameworks for both the work that he did and as well as being able to combine that with visual statements addressing societal concerns.

He's an alumnus of Los Angeles' Otis College of Artists College of Art and Design, City College of San Francisco, and Long Beach City College.

Mr.

McKinley retired as a children's social worker and now resides in Los Angeles, across from DCA's very own Watts Towers, Watts Towers Art Center campus, where he dedicates his time to furthering his artistic practice and exploring new avenues for visual stories.

Before I ask you to join me in celebrating the unveiling of the cover art for this year's publication, I have a pleasure to introduce Richard to come say a few words.

Thank you.

I'd like to thank the City Council Department of Culture Affairs and Guests.

My father was an artist, and he influenced me of my creativity.

It focused on black men and society, particularly black gay men.

It shows how I see black gay men in our society today.

Strong, black Amen are able to navigate systems that are racist and homophobic.

Many of them build successful careers, they nurture family and community.

Black gay men are visual, open, and embrace who they are, they're vulnerable.

I'm sorry, or votable.

They open, embrace who they are, which requires courage, especially in environments where they are not accepted.

Black men are resilient.

Overcoming adversities.

Black men are beautiful, not just in beauty, but in culture, self-expressions.

We have made significant contributes to fashions, music, and literature.

My artwork celebrates beauty, black and black men.

No matter what, they bring beauty to today's society.

Flowering.

It helped me to celebrate the beauty as an African-American black gay man.

And it helped me to celebrate my black joy, gay joy.

I would like to thank for your support, and I'd like to thank the LGBT community.

Also, I'd like to thank my husband of 36 years.

Flowering means the process of developing into one full self despite challenges, changes, and uncertainties.

Thank you.

It's a beautiful cover.

Thank you so much.

Okay, I'd like to invite my colleagues to recognize their honorees.

We're going to start uh in numerical order.

So, council member Hernandez, over to you.

And honores, please stand by your respective council member.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman, for bringing in this phenomenal presentation.

Uh, good morning, colleagues, and to all of our guests, happy pride today.

Yes, yes, let them hear you all the way on the east coast.

We are very proud here and have a lot of love.

Today it is my honor to recognize someone whose life, resilience, talent, and leadership embodies the very spirit of pride.

Miss Loretta Lorraine.

When we talk about pride, we often talk about courage, but courage looks different when you're a trans woman who began transitioning in 1968.

It meant choosing, yes.

It meant choosing to live authentically at a time when doing so could cost you your safety, your livelihood, your housing, your family, and your actual life.

For nearly six decades, Ms.

Loretta has done exactly that.

As a performer and showgirl, she has brought joy, beauty, and community to audiences all across the city, county, and country.

Along the way, Miss Loretta developed a friendship with the iconic Elizabeth Taylor, whom she met while Miss Loretta was hosting at a club in Hollywood.

At a time when HIV AIDS was devastating communities, and when many public figures remained silent, Elizabeth Taylor became one of the first major celebrities to publicly champion AIDS activism.

Ms.

Loretta stood on the front lines alongside Elizabeth Taylor and icons like Cindy Lopper and Betty Miller, raising awareness, funding, resources, and support for people living with AIDS and HIV.

And Mr.

often reminds us, many of the people who stood shoulder to shoulder with trans women during those years were lesbians.

It was the lesbian community that showed up with compassion, solidarity, and love.

Ms.

Loretta has always carried deep gratitude for that support, and we honor that history today as well.

In 2018.

In 2018, she became more deeply involved in organizing and advocacy through the Translatina Coalition, alongside her beloved friends Byron and Bambi.

Recognizing her wisdom, leadership, and commitment to community, Bambi honored her with the title of Diamond, a distinction reserved for respected trans elders whose guidance lights the way for future generations.

And if you know Miss Loretta, there's one there's one thing she's always gonna do.

She's always gonna keep it real.

She will tell you exactly what she thinks, exactly how she feels, and exactly what the community needs to hear.

And whether she's speaking truth to power, sharing hard-earned wisdom, or making sure nobody takes themselves too seriously, Miss Loretta brings honesty, humor, and authenticity everywhere she goes.

She has never been interested in being anybody other than herself, and in a world that has spent too much time telling trans women who they should be, that authenticity is its own kind of leadership.

Miss Loretta, you have used your voice to advocate for dignity, visibility, health care, and opportunity for trans people here in the city of Los Angeles.

She has performed and spoken at events for leaders throughout our region, including Mayor Karen Bass, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Holly J.

Mitchell, as well as our very own Council District One.

This year, she was also part of the coalition of advocates who helped secure the city's first transgender uh transgender, gender expansive, and intersex wellness and equity initiative.

The first in the history of the city of Los Angeles.

In this year's budget, a historic investment that recognizes that trans communities deserve resources, opportunity, wellness, and the ability to thrive.

Too often trans elders are erased from our history, their contributions are overlooked, their stories go untold, but movements exist because people like Miss Loretta paved the way.

Because she dared to be herself, because she refused to disappear, because she continued showing up decade after decade for her community.

We honor Miss Loretta today because she is a keeper of our community's history.

She carries stories from generations that fought for generations that fought for survival when there were no protections, no visibility, and very little support.

The rights, recognition, and community that many people enjoy today were built by people like Miss Loretta.

Ms.

Loretta, thank you for your artistry.

Thank you for your advocacy.

Thank you for your courage.

Thank you for your wisdom.

And thank you for reminding us that pride is a legacy carried forward by people like you.

And as we celebrate Pride Month, let us remember that honoring trans elders means more than recognizing their contributions.

It means protecting them.

It means listening to them.

It means investing in them.

It means making sure they can age with dignity, safety, and joy.

Now, on behalf of the city of Los Angeles and the residents of Council District One, it is one of the greatest honors of my life to recognize Ms.

Loretta Lorraine.

Happy pride, Miss Loretta.

We thank you, we celebrate you, and we honor the Pathy Upgrade for all who came after you.

Thank you, Councilmember Hernandez.

Congratulations, Loretta.

Now we'll turn it over to Councilmember Blumenfield.

Thank you so much.

So, colleagues, this is my last pride celebration as a council member in these chambers.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of honoring so many incredible community leaders, business owners, advocates from the third district.

Today, though, I want to honor two members of my staff who are part of the LGBTQ community, who you may recognize, who have been with me each for more than a decade.

They are the ones who are working hard to make me look good, which is hard to do, crafting legislation, regularly solving issues in my district, large and small, staffing booths.

There's no way I could do what I do as a council member without them.

First, we have Jenny Portillo, my district director.

Jenny has been with my office and part of the city family for many years, even before that.

Before joining my team over a decade ago, she worked for then, Councilmember Tony Cardenas, and he and she is a proud C Sun alone.

As my district director, Jenny oversees all of our events.

She leads the field team in their case management, helps navigate some immensely difficult issues that face our district on any given day.

She certainly has her own panache.

She doesn't mince words, as those of you who know her.

She is direct and funny as a person can be.

And in the past few years, she has acted as my immigration and school liaison, which during the last year and a half has been immensely stressful, including inducing the care and empathy for Jenny.

You've shown our community, and you've helped impact so many different families.

It's it's just incredible.

She cares for Team Blumenfield like her own family.

And she shows up every day and gives the West Valley her all.

It is not uh, you know, not a shock to see her there first thing in the morning or late at night.

In fact, we often have to tell her to go home or to take vacation days because somehow she doesn't think to do that.

Um these are just characteristics, and I'm deeful deeply grateful for.

When not working, you can find Jenny in West Hollywood in one of her dozen queer sports leagues, playing and dominating dodgeball, kickball, and more recently, pickleball as I understand it.

Uh, on more than one occasion, Jenny has flawlessly run district events hours, just hours after arriving back in Los Angeles from a travel tournament around the western states and left us wondering how she was still awake, standing, let alone able to run some of the biggest events of the year, or coming you know, to these events with some new scar and having some great story of how that scar came about.

Uh, and to Jenny, family is everything.

She is the best Tia in the world to her niece Mason and nephew Luna, and of course, she is the greatest dog mom in the history of Canaan kind to the semi-official Team Bloominfield mascot, Bingo, which I'm surprised Bingo's.

She carries Bingo around in a in a like a backpack thing.

I'm surprised she's not on your back right now.

Uh and I know you all probably know Jeff Jacober.

Well, some of you might not recognize him without his bike helmet on.

Um, Jeff has also been with my office for 10 years, and he's been instrumental in crafting legislation that has improved the city of Los Angeles in so many different ways.

Before joining Team Blumenfield, uh Jeff was serving the city as a neighborhood council member.

Uh, and before that, uh, he was a member of the U.S.

Army during the difficult time of don't ask, don't tell.

Uh, and he still is what he likes to call himself a recovering lawyer.

On the council, I you know, I've chaired four different committees and have served as a member of almost every committee at one point or another.

Which means that in order to help me look good, Jeff has had to become an expert on public works, transportation, the budget, the airport, the port, creating new parks, the LA River and Bike Path, planning, land use, inner workings of our city's extensive fiber optic network, grant writing, the laws that rule what happens when dogs and parks are too close to a given bike path, all sorts of things.

But he is always able to just dig in and become an expert in no time.

And if you think I ask a lot of questions, and I know some of you get annoyed by that, in committee, you can imagine what Jeff has had to put up with behind the seats.

But truly, his intellectual curiosity, tenacity, attention to detail has immeasurably helped me and the team for over years, for over so many years.

He's and helping us, he's really helped the city.

He also is someone who walks the walk or bikes the bike, as they say.

When not biking or taking public transit to City Hall, you can see Jeff biking to just about anywhere else with his husband John.

And shout out to John, who's here with us today.

In a couple of months, Jeff and John will be celebrating their one-year anniversary being married.

In fact, they are both avid Hollywood Bowl attendees.

So I understand it.

You went to see Soft Xel and Human League there last night.

He's a Proud Bay Area native.

Jeff is also an excellent baker.

I think his fig newtons that he brings to the office and sometimes shares with you all here, which made with figs from his own tree.

No, you'll see him back there sometimes, are at the top of my list.

So, Jeff and Jenny, you are both incredible people.

You have given me the community, the city family, the greater LGBTQIA Plus community so much.

I am proud to celebrate with you here today, and each and every day.

So congratulations and happy pride.

Thank you.

Councilmember Roman.

Thank you, and thank you, Councilmember Jorado, for leading this presentation today.

It is my honor today to recognize an extraordinary institution from Council District 4, founders, Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles, and two of its remarkable leaders, Reverend Keith Mazingo and Pastor Bam Noriega.

And I know they have a big fan uh group here in chambers.

Since 1968, founders MCC has been a sanctuary in the truest sense of the word, a place where LGBTQIA plus people have always been welcomed, seen, and loved.

It is the oldest continuously operating LGBTQIA plus ministry in the world.

And this church has played a pivotal role in LA's faith community, offering ministry, care, healing, and radical inclusion to anyone who needs it.

I recently had the honor of attending founder and founders MCC's ribbon cutting ceremony for their steps to liberation art installation, a beautiful rainbow mural now gracing the church's front steps, a powerful symbol of MCC's commitment to LGBTQIA Plus history, liberation, and social justice.

It serves in our neighborhoods as a beacon of inclusion and pride for the entire Los Files community.

Reverend Keith Mazingo has led founders as senior pastor since 2018, and his dedication to this congregation and to the LGBTQIA plus community runs deep.

He is a faith leader, a teacher, a musician, an author, who has not only been a fierce advocate for marriage equality and trans rights, but also a champion of immigrants and other marginalized groups.

And Pastor Bam Noriega, who joined founders MCC in 2024 and stepped into the role of assistant pastor after completing a Master of Divinity degree, has brought extraordinary energy and vision to the church outside the walls ministry.

From offering communion at Pride events to marching for immigrant justice to showing up at protests and vigils across the entire city.

Pastor Bam embodies what it means to serve others wholeheartedly.

Together, they are leading founders MCC into a bright future, one rooted in care, justice, and the belief that every single person belongs.

On behalf of the City of Los Angeles and the Fourth Council District, it is my privilege to honor the founders Metropolitan Community Church, Reverend Keith Mozingo, and Pastor Bam Noriega as our 2026 LGBTQIA Plus Heritage Month honorees.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making our district and our city more joyful, more just and more whole.

Thank you.

Councilmember Yarislavski.

Thank you so much, Councilwoman Harado, for bringing this presentation to council this morning.

Today I am very proud to recognize Rabbi Hannah Jensen as Council District 5's 2026 Pride Month honoree.

Rabbi Jensen is a leader whose work reflects the very best of Los Angeles.

As a rabbi educator and director of community organizing at ECAR, she's dedicated her career to building stronger communities and ensuring that more people have a voice in shaping the future of our city.

She works across multiple faiths and diverse backgrounds to address some of our region's most pressing challenges, advancing immigrant and refugee rights, supporting individuals in recovery, and advocating for vulnerable populations.

But what stands out most about Rabbi Jensen is her ability to bring people together.

Whether she's training new leaders or empowering communities to organize around issues of justice and human dignity, she approaches her work with compassion, integrity, and a deep belief that lasting change happens when people work together.

Rabbi Jensen has been a powerful force in the work to build a more inclusive and welcoming society, elevating queer voices, helping to lead ECAR's Pride Shabbat celebrations, and partnering with organizations like JAQ International and Keshet to foster belonging, visibility and support for LGBTQIA plus Angelinos.

She strives to make everyone feel seen and valued while demonstrating the power of faith, justice, and collective action to improve the lives of others.

And it's my honor to recognize Rabbi Hannah Jensen as our 2026 Pride Month honoree in Council District 5.

Councilmember Padilla.

Yes, hi everyone, good morning.

I think we're still in the morning.

Before I start, I want to thank Mariachi Arcoiris for being here today.

I think they keep getting better and better every time I see them.

The white today was epic.

So whether they're in the back or wherever they are, I just want to thank them for being part of the whole presentation.

Councilmember Jurado, I really like your theme, Queer Joyaz Resistance.

So when I was thinking through who I wanted, I knew that my honoree today, Aileen Enriquez, is exactly somebody who embodies that.

She is someone who I am grateful to recognize as a San Fernando Valley leader who is truly doing incredible life-changing work in my backyard.

Aileen, when I first met her, close almost two years ago, maybe less, came off as somebody that was humble, young and ambitious and obese and unapologetic about her advocacy.

I was incredibly oppressed right away, a true visionary and a leader who advocates for positive change in the lives of youth.

Alongside her co-founders, Andrea Ventura and Dominique Mayorga, Arlene built a nonprofit by the name of the Same Difference Company, a San Fernando Valley-based nonprofit rooted in meeting people where they are.

Through mental health awareness and substance abuse harm reduction, same difference company actively meets people where they are by going directly to them.

They prove that what you can, they prove what you can do when you go to the people as opposed to assuming they're gonna come to you.

So I'm excited to see her uh grow in this work, grow the organization, and being a partner in the process.

She has a deep passion for community and particularly for BIPOC youth.

She is committed to inspiring and sparking the next generation of young leaders to step up to lead and to know that they are seen, valued, worthy of support, and that we're also being active in the San Fernando Valley.

So again, I think she's the exact person who embodies the future generation of the LGBTQIA community for the next generation.

So at a time when our communities are under attack and being met with hate, choosing to show up with joy with care and love is an act of resistance.

So we thank her for that.

Thank you for building a space for anyone, for our disenfranchised youth, and to continue to push forward the importance of taking care of your mental health, feeling affirmed, and to see themselves as leaders.

Young people need to know that they are our next leaders.

So again, thank you again, Aileen.

And given the last time we saw each other, I hope you're also taking care of yourself, and that as you're growing your journey, you remember that you can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself.

And the last place we saw each other, I was like, Are you taking care of yourself?

Because you look overwhelmed and you look so much better.

Because if you didn't do that, I know that your passion can uh get the best of you.

But I'm glad that you're growing, and I'm glad that you're taking care of yourself and doing the good work for the rest of our youth.

Um, and you guys know me, sometimes I like to break rules.

So I'm gonna give her a minute to say something.

Go ahead.

Thank you, everyone.

Um, I really just wanted to say that our communities deserve accessibility.

Um, our neighbors are lacking food, they're lacking resources, our neighbors are being kidnapped, but the one thing they can't take from us is our resilience, and we're gonna continue to show up and show up and show up.

Uh, thank you, Dom.

Thank you, Dre.

Um, and this one's for you, Awenate.

Oh, this is for you.

Congratulations, thank you, Councilmember Padilla.

And shout out to her value support system for being here with her.

We know what I'm thinking, all right, Councilmember Rodriguez.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Jurado, and congratulations to all the honorees.

I love the diversity of the recognition that's being given today, and it's a testimony to all the areas of contribution that so often we're not being recognized and celebrated for the work that the LGBTQIA community has been doing.

And it's been an ongoing struggle and legacy to get that recognition, and so I wanted to celebrate and uplift all of the honorees today.

Thank you for your work.

But I am proud today to have my honoree, Adela Garcia, who is the assistant director of special projects at New Horizons, where she dedicates her career to empowering neurodiverse youth and young adults through mentorship, independent living support, and workforce development.

Her passion and advocacy is evident in her past work with Campbell Center and her current role as chair of the Alumni Association at El Nido Family Centers.

Adela's dedication to service is rooted in her own lived experience, having overcome the challenges of growing up in a low-income household and becoming a teen mother.

Adela has used her journey to break barriers for others.

These experiences inspired her commitment to giving back to her community, mentoring youth, and supporting families and advocating for greater access to education, employment, and health care resources within the underserved disability community.

Adela is a proud member of the LGBTQ plus community and has been a strong advocate for inclusion and representation.

She has joined today with her, she's here today with her wife Julia and their son, Matthew.

And a Cal State LA graduate with a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation services, Adela dedicates her life to advocating for education, health care, employment access, and underserved and dis uh in disability communities.

And so when I think about her work and what it means for the greater LGBTQIA community, we know that as a result of coming out, the threats of economic disaster that confronts so many young people that end up becoming unhoused as a result of the lack of access to resources.

Adela, you are an important part of helping to close that gap for communities in the San Fernando Valley.

And for that, we're incredibly grateful and proud to honor you today.

Congratulations and thank you for your work.

Councilmember Harris Dawson.

Thank you so much, and thank you to all my colleagues for all these amazing honorees, and thank you to the leader on this council of our great celebration every year, the one and only council member Isabel Jurado.

Let's give her another big round of applause.

This stuff isn't easy to do.

And so we recognize her work.

I have the pleasure of presenting two honorees today.

First, for Council District 8, I'm proud to recognize my friend and an organizer whom I look up to.

One, Mr.

Ernesto Roca.

Ernesto is a storyteller, an organizer, an artist, an art of vist, and altarista whose work uplifts community voices and preserves the cultural memory through art, storytelling, and public engagement.

For more than 17 years, he has dedicated himself to working on behalf of immigrant communities, low-wage workers, and other systematically impacted communities throughout Los Angeles.

He combines grassroots organizing with creative expression to advance the cause of equity and opportunity.

I have been an activist for most of my life, and uh one of the things that has become clear to me the older I get, and the more experience I have is that in the struggle for justice, law wins sometimes and it loses sometimes.

Politics wins sometimes and it loses sometimes, but culture, culture is undefeated.

And Ernesto is indeed a cultural leader.

This time last year, when we were having ice raids, uh Ernesto organized community members in the heart of the 8th district to put up a memorial, an ice memorial to show the world how you deal with ice.

And so there are these black blocks of ice, and he made uh made uh uh memorials there with candles and flowers for folks who were impacted.

But the big demonstration was this that ice melts if you put it out in the heat of the Los Angeles Sun and you put it next to the people of Los Angeles, and those memorials stayed there for a little bit, but like ICE, they left town uh shortly.

And so we appreciate his art and his use of culture to uh forward the cause of marginalized uh people.

He's got an incredible uh resume, including degrees uh from uh UCLA, he's received a power building award, he's working on a master's right now.

He's learning how to make in the uh in the very traditional sense in Mexico in rural Mexico, he's learning how to make red clay bricks by hand, uh, which will be part of an exhibit he will have on January 28th of 2027.

Uh and so for all that you've done and all that you will do, and uh being an upstanding uh citizen and member of our community, but a leader uh and showing us all the way forward.

Uh, I'm proud to recognize Ernesto on Pride Day here in the city of LA.

All right, and I want to thank uh Councilmember Jurado and Councilmember Price for allowing me to uh present the CD 9 uh awardee.

These awardees live in District 9, but they have an amazing restaurant in District 8.

So I feel some uh I feel some kind of way, some kind of ownership uh and pride to present.

Uh Max and Fede uh with our pride award from Council District 9.

Let's give them a big round of applause.

Uh immigrants uh to Los Angeles uh from uh Argentina.

They are wardrobe and production designers in their day jobs and they've worked with all the major studios in our city, and all of us who watched the Super Bowl halftime show uh and saw Bad Bunny, and we saw that casita there, and that and we said, Oh, that looks just like LA.

That looks just like our hometown.

These guys built that stage for Bad Bunny in the Super Bowl.

They've become very active members in the community, like all good Angelinos do through their neighborhood councils and through their neighborhood organizations.

And they opened up a great restaurant in the 3900 block of Western Avenue called Fuegos.

You all have some empanadas on your desk from their shop.

Uh, that is a true beacon of hope, and it shows what our community has the capacity become.

So, on behalf of Council District 9, Council District 8 2, and this full council, uh, we're proud to celebrate you on Los Angeles Pride Day.

All right, I'm back again.

Um, here on behalf of Councilmember Tracy Park, I'm honored to recognize Out Sports for 25 years of telling stories the sports world too often overlooks.

Founded in 1999 by Sid Siegler and Jim Busitski, Outsports is dedicated to covering LGBTQ plus athletes issues and milestones in amateur and professional sports.

Who began as a small blog, grew into the leading source for LGBTQ plus sports news and advocacy, shining a light on stories that might otherwise have gone untold.

Today we also celebrate uh Sid Ziegler, who is the co-founder who has broken major coming out stories, elevated LGBTQ plus voices in athletics, and helped build a stronger, more visible sports community.

In recognition of their impact, Ziegler and Buzinski were inducted into the NLG JA, the Association of LGBTQ journalists Hall of Fame.

Not a lot of people, but an elite group, okay.

Sid was also an invaluable partner in this year's LGBT Heritage Month Gallery exhibit, Portraits of Olympic Pride.

Working closely with CD11, he provided insight and guidance that helped bring the stories of our Olympians to life.

We encourage everyone to go visit the exhibit this month.

Councilmember Park, thanks Ziegler, Jim Bazinski, and the entire Outsports team for their decor decades of courageous journalism and commitment to inclusion.

And then we'll turn it over to Councilmember Lee.

Thank you, Councilmember Jorado.

Colleagues, today as we celebrate OGPT QIA Plus Heritage Month, I am honored to recognize the life and legacy of a CD12 resident, native, a remarkable trailblazer whose impact reached far beyond the basketball court, but who is unfortunately no longer with us.

While Jason Collins is no longer with us, his influence continues to be felt by countless people whose lives he touched and inspired.

It is my privilege to honor him today and to ensure that his story, his courage, and his contributions continue to be remembered.

Jason Collins uh made history as the first active player in any major American sport to come out as gay.

Forever changing the landscape of professional sports.

But what made Jason truly extraordinary was not simply the history he made, but the example he set through his character, humility, and authenticity.

For 13 seasons, he competed at the highest level of basketball, earning the respect of teammates, coaches, and fans alike.

Yet his greatest contribution may have come away from the game when he chose to live openly and honestly, becoming a symbol of hope and possibility for so many people who had never before seen themselves represented in professional sports.

Being the first is never easy.

It requires courage, it requires conviction, and it requires the understanding that your actions may help create opportunities for others.

Jason embraced that responsibility with grace and humility.

And because of his example, future generations of athletes have been able to pursue their dreams with greater acceptance and understanding.

As we celebrate LGBTQIA Plus Heritage Month, we also celebrate individuals whose courage has helped make these communities, our communities, stronger and more welcoming.

Jason Collins embodies those ideals.

His life reminds us that progress is built by people who have the courage to be themselves and who inspire people to do the same.

As a lifelong sports fan, I know that athletes have a unique ability to inspire us.

Jason Collins showed us that true strength comes not from competing at the highest level, but having the courage to be yourself.

And for that, the world is better because he was in it.

May his memory be a blessing.

Thank you, Councilmember Jorada.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Lee.

Councilmember Soto Martinez.

Thank you so much, Councilman Jurado, for hosting this event today.

I want to thank all the honorees for every council office.

Incredible stories of resilience, joy, and transformation.

I also want to thank uh Manila Luzon, One Institute, Mariachuatcoiris, and uh thank you so much for them panadas.

They were very tasty.

Uh, that are going to be recognize who made them.

Uh, you know, as uh the council member of District 13, um, I always recognize that there is a lot of history in this district.

It was the first the site of the first official pride parade in the country.

It was always home to the black cat, the first recognized LGBT protest.

And just last year, we recognized Jackie Goldberg by turning Sunset Junction into Jackie Goldberg Sunset Junction.

But I am proud to be here today to honor our 2026 CD 13 Pride honoree who is continuing this incredible legacy of organizing activism and bringing people together in the district, PJ Brezh.

PJ is the founder and CEO of Baby Gay, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting queer individuals throughout the coming out process, not just here in Los Angeles, but nationwide.

In 2024, they partnered with the Black Cat and Councilmember Raman to establish National Coming Out Day as an official city day of recognition.

They also host the Baby Gay Podcast, which was the 2026 Webby Awards honoree for best new podcast.

And last year, PJ was named to the 2025 Out 100 for their work advancing queer visibility and community.

PJ is also the president of the LA Queer Coalition and a board member for the LA chapter of the NLGJA, the Association of LGBTQ journalists.

And of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention this.

I learned last year that PJ is also a member of Unite Here Local 11.

So how about that?

So that's always fine.

But PJ and their work with Baby Gay is a perfect example of the radical, radically transformative nature of queer joy through events, storytelling, and advocacy advocacy rooted in celebration of queerness.

They uplift all of us and bring about meaningful change.

And if you ever go to any of the events or things that PJ puts together or just around them, you're just gonna feel so much love and joy.

So thank you, PJ, for all the work that you do, and congratulations on being our CD 13 Pride honoree this year.

Councilmember McCusker, to close.

Thank you so much.

We are going to bring it home one more time, once again.

But I do, I will be introducing a motion later to say that when we go in chronological order someday we have to go from 15 to 1.

Okay.

Or give me credit for 1.5.

It's about 1.5, and I'll go after A.

UNISUS.

How's that?

Colleagues in my district.

It is my privilege to stand alongside the 1-5s 2026 Pride Heritage Month Honoree, Mr.

David Crowley.

David spent two decades as an entertainment publicist working alongside superstars like Michael Jackson, Guns N' Roses, and Nirvana.

And while he enjoyed the success of that fabulous career, he wanted something more.

He wanted to do something else with his life.

And so he enrolled in Cal State Dominguez Hills, Gotoros, and he earned his teaching credential.

David, at first, I think he taught in Juvenile Hall.

I did.

And then he became a substitute for LAUSD, and he found himself at San Pedro High.

San Pedro High.

And was immediately welcomed there and really felt a connection.

And he got an opportunity over two decades ago to get an emergency credential and teach at Pedro High.

And we could not be more honored that he has spent so much of his career in San Pedro as an English teacher and a journalism teacher, but also most importantly, a role model for students and a pioneer for our community.

It was 25 years ago that David founded the San Pedro High School Pride Club.

And I will share, and I will I will share that it is it is known that when they had their first meeting in the Pride Club, the entire school showed up.

Every single kid in the school showed up.

And you might think that's a lot of support.

They wanted to know who was gay.

Think about that for a second.

And now, 25 years later, everyone knows who's out, and everyone accepts who's out because the Pride Club in San Peter Ohio is a leader on that campus community and a leader in our entire community.

And so let's hear it for the Pride Club in San Pedro.

It's one of the oldest LGBTQ plus organizations in the South Bay.

While it was greeted with initial skepticism, as I just said, the Pride Club now has grown into one of the largest and most active clubs in our local community.

David truly believes that the only lonely place for an LGBTQ plus person, especially a kid, is in the closet.

And once you find your community, you can accomplish anything.

David and his students have participated in parades in Long Beach in West Hollywood, and most importantly to me, our beloved San Pedro Pride Parade, which will be tomorrow.

And we'll have a flag raising tomorrow.

And by the way, we also have the Progress Pride Flag flying here at City Hall today because of a motion we introduced just a couple of years ago.

In addition to the Pride Club, David started the nation's first all LGBTQ plus Pride Classroom Library.

The project made local and national news for David.

It was a reminder of why he does this work to see young people claim their space and understand that their stories matter.

David has been recognized as the California Teacher Corps outstanding educator of the year, as well as the National Association of Alternative Certifications National Teacher of the Year Award.

He was also named by NBC's Today Show, Today Show, as one of the most five, one of the five most inspiring teachers in the country, as well as being a guest of the Obama and Biden families at President Barack Obama's second inaugural parade.

While the recognitions that David has received are meaningful and well deserved, it's the confidence and sense of community that he has instilled in his students that will forever be his greatest achievement.

I want to say very deeply personal for me.

David knows that my daughter came out, and she doesn't mind me saying, and she actually encourages me to tell folks she came out when she was a high schooler.

She went away to college and she found her community, and then she was in the workplace and found a community in the Midwest, and there was a time in her life and her wife's life where they chose they were putting off coming back to California, coming back specifically to the Harbor area, because they were not sure that the Harbor area would be as welcoming to them as was Omaha, Nebraska.

And that really hit me hard.

And so I am deeply, deeply appreciative to David and to the community that he's created, because day by day, day by day, the atmosphere and the welcome and the embrace, and as Councilman Jorado so perfectly put it, loving people for who they are, not despite who they are, is growing in our community.

And that's really the transformational work that David and the people that he's worked with have done.

I also want to say David is here with his son Kaden, who just graduated from UCLA, and Caden's mom, Wendy.

Hello, Wendy.

And so it is my honor to bring this home and to say that David Crowley is the one five's 2026 pride honored.

Thank you, David.

A certificate.

To every council member who participated, our honorees, performers, artists, advocates, community leaders, and all Angelinos, especially Team CD 14 and our fearless queer leader, Milagros Montalvo upstairs.

Thank you for putting this together.

I invite everyone to join us in the forecourt for a community reception.

Pride this month, the theme is queer joy is radical resistance, and I hope that all of you that are listening or viewing this know that in every part of our city, each council member is with you, and you can find a home wherever you are, whether you're it's an empenada or you know, fighting for immigrant justice at an art celebration at the Black Cat or in the one five.

So thank you so much, everyone, and happy pride.

Thank you so much, Councilman.

Wonderful presentation.

Uh button.

Our meeting is not over.

We have a meeting to go through.

What's next?

The council may now move on to public comment.

Okay, public comment, if you could read the instructions.

Yes, Mr.

President.

To people providing public comment, when it's your turn to speak, please let us know which of the items and slash or whether or not you would like to speak to general public comment.

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

Uh, the reason why we have up to two minutes total today is because there are only two items that are open for public comment on the agenda.

The items that are open for public comment on the agenda are items number seven and eight.

So again, the items that are open for public comment on the agenda are items number seven and eight.

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

Our goal is to get through as many speeches 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.

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.

I have a few more announcements.

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

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

Don't worry, we will pause your time while the interpreters are interpreting, so you will get the same amount of time as everyone else.

Thank you.

Additionally, if you've requested an accommodation request pursuant to the ADA with the clerk's office, or if you would like to do so now, in order to make use of the wireless handheld microphone, when it is your turn to speak, please raise your hand so that the sergeants know to provide you with the wireless handheld microphone.

Finally, in order to help us run an efficient public comment period, we would ask that you please wait until you hear the name that you signed up under, called aloud before lining up to speak.

Thank you.

Actually, Ms.

Mr.

President, before we begin, Mr.

Herman, I noticed that you left the room, which is why we did not warn you at that time, and we did not want to interrupt the uh presentation, unlike you.

Uh, but you were warned at the beginning of the meeting before the pride presentation, you disrupted the pride presentation.

Mr.

President, he is eligible for removal pursuant to rule 7 rule 12, if you would like.

Okay, we will uh if he makes one more peep, he will be out.

Let's uh let's rather than uh call the names.

We only have uh a few folks here.

If anyone wishes to speak for public comment, please come to the left side of the room.

House left stage right.

And uh you can just line up when the line dies down.

You don't have to wait.

We'll take anybody who wishes to speak, but go ahead and we'll take you in the order that you lined up.

So if you'd like to speak, please line up on your left-hand side of the council chambers.

In any order.

Thank you.

Hello, hello, Mr.

Herman.

You have two minutes for the items and one minute for general.

Go ahead.

So for this uh fucking fatso number seven, I'm gonna speak.

This fucking animal that kills dogs to eat this lawyer, is porque estoy aquí a la gente de smoke and scan.

Palasaladaros de este pinche cabron position de la pinche general manager.

And I'm here for smoke and scan, unintelligible words.

Okay, this fucking general.

Mr.

Herman, this is your only warning.

You've been warned multiple times throughout this meeting.

Stick to the agenda items.

You are allowed to insult me, but you've got to connect it to something that's within the subject matter jurisdiction, and in this case, item seven or item eight.

If you stray off the rules again, you will forfeit the rest of your speaking time.

Let me put it in English words.

I said relative to the salary for the fucking position of the general manager.

You've exhausted your one minute on item seven.

Please move on to item number eight.

Okay, there's an item eight.

Fire department.

Number eight for the record, everybody in Los Angeles.

Another budget, another failure by the Los Angeles Fire Department, right?

And they demand for you the public to finance this fucking criminal corrupted city of Los Angeles, which burned Palisades and burned Malibu, and which not.

But a few homes were built, right?

So for the record, and for the public's interest, in addition to this budget, 42 of C 1983 politely.

Fuck you!

Number LACBA 515782-01 for the record, I said it, everybody.

395 US 444, 1969, and I can't use the N-word anymore.

I can't use any word here anymore.

Because Larry Paul Fiddler, the judge, in the case of Los Angeles, of current price, 40 to USC 1983.

Fuck you, Price.

I want you to go to jail.

Smoking scan.

You want him to go to jail, and everyone else that hates corruption.

And due to the development of current price and his fiancee, dumb bitch wife, are involved in this.

Now, who controls the juju money tree, Bob, for the record?

Okay, thank you.

Time has expired.

Next speaker.

And I'll just remind the speaker and other speakers, please don't yell into the microphone as we have translators who are wearing headphones.

Please remember that in the future, Mr.

Herman.

Okay.

Ma'am.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

The public?

Council public.

Yes.

General public comment?

Go ahead, ma'am.

One minute, go ahead.

Good morning, President.

The council and council members.

I am Pamela Robinson.

I'm here on behalf of Dr.

Frank DeGorville, who has taught martial arts since 1978 in the underserved areas of Los Angeles.

He is the founder of Why Are You Med, a 501c program, not nonprofit organization serving the youth in neighborhoods.

As he has taught over 30,000 youths in most of the LA districts, various recreational and community centers providing martial arts as a form of discipline for the underserved youth.

His resume and accomplishments are too extensive to list.

He is currently at the Rampart Police Station PAL program for the last 16 years.

We'd like to acquire, acquire a vacant lot on 59th and Vermont Street.

We'd like to grow his after school safe haven program and build a community center, as well as receive donations, city funding, and grants.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh public.

Okay.

So you have one minute for general.

Go ahead.

Good morning, Council President, and all the council members of the present.

My name is Dr.

Frank de Gaulle, CEO and founder of Why Are You Mad, a nonprofit 501c3 organization.

I'm in the 9th District located at 948 West 59th place.

I've been using my personal residence for the past 45 years as a safe haven for the underserved youths in the South Central Los Angeles, teaching martial arts as a form of discipline.

I am seeking funding, grants, and all donations to help expand my program to build a recreational center in the 9th district.

All the council members are invited to my business any Monday and Wednesdays from 4 30 until 6 30.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Good afternoon.

Um my name is Maria Luisa Palma on item number eight and general comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Is our fire department appropriately funded to hear that we have projected deficits and overtime salaries requirements?

It begs the question.

We continue to know that we have huge wildfire danger in our city.

And we know that firefighters' time is diverted to 911 calls for drug overdoses for homeless encampments.

And that type of danger that is going on in our streets that is not directly fire fighting.

So is our fire department appropriately staffed?

Our equipment.

Did you budget appropriately for that?

We continue to build in very high fire hazard severity zones without designating evacuation routes.

That's going to just put more pressure on LA's fire department.

And I don't understand how you have projected deficits in these uh salary projections for the fire department.

Uh and general comment.

Okay, we have one minute.

I'd like to point out that all of the schools that were honored today were independent charter schools.

Not a single LA unified run school was honored here today.

Great work at those schools, but no LA Unified Schools.

Ask yourselves why.

So I come from Granada Hills, and we are still looking for identification of the evacuation routes under state legislation AB 747.

There was supposed to be a report issued within 30 days.

You passed that requirement in September of 2025.

Mr.

John Lee, we have requested this information from your office from Dan Rosales.

We have not heard back since May 26.

Not a peep about what is the status of this report.

We are looking for the adequacy of the evacuation rights to have routes to have them identified, their capacity and viability.

How are you allowing additional projects to be built in the very high fire hazard severity zone that we live in?

Please let us know.

Please inform us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon.

Which items would you like to speak to?

Item eight.

General comment.

Item seven.

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

Please begin with the items.

Go ahead.

So item seven relates to appointing a permanent general manager for the Department of Animal Services.

So I think it's a very good question to ask whether this general manager of the Department of Animal Services will work to ensure basic needs of the animals in the shelters are being met.

This is things like walking the dogs, making sure they're fed, that everyone's fed, all that stuff.

That seems to be something that the Department of Animal Services seems to severely struggle with.

So hopefully this is stuff that will be addressed.

Of course, obviously, you got to give them enough money to do so.

You all just voted to give them LAPD $3.6 billion while the Department of Animal Services doesn't have enough money.

But you know, hopefully, this general manager will work to ensure that the dogs and the cats and all the other animals are being taken care of at the shelter.

So item eight refers to funding the fire department overtime, things like that.

So when the next wildfire hits, will the fire department have the resources to go actually put the fire out?

Or will we see um the LAPD get all their money and then they're out getting in the way and causing issues while the fire department does not have the resources to actually put the fire out?

And meanwhile, you know, the mayor's off out of the country somewhere, and you know, kind of like the last time there was a fire here in the city of LA.

So hopefully we're not gonna see a repeat of that next time there's a fire.

So let's go on to general public comments.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

So when is Jim McDonald gonna be fired?

You have the power to fire him.

You've openly admitted you have the power to fire him.

Why why isn't it happening?

Why are you continuing to allow this racist MAGA police chief to stay in charge of the LAPD?

He's not even showing up to the police commission meetings to be face accountability from the public.

He's he's literally just, you know, assisting ICE.

LAPD violence is skyrocketing under its leadership.

You know, LAPD violence is way up while crime is way down.

How does anyone make sense?

So they're so crime is down, but LAPD is shooting and killing more people, and it's all under the leadership of this MAGA police chief.

You know, you all spend all this time seeming to be trying to appease the fascist dictator in the White House.

Well, meanwhile, he's still going after you.

He's currently claiming trying to claim all this, claim all this that the election is rigged when it's not.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

General comment.

Thanks.

You have one minute.

Go ahead.

This comment is especially for Mr.

Grote, President Harris Dawson, and all of the police officers here.

The officers are being wasted in here.

They are supposed to be concerned with enforcing the penal code and stopping serious threats.

Officers should refuse to expel people for minor violations of your illegally drafted council rules unless you actually want to charge people with crimes for making hand motions or saying forbidden words.

Let a jury decide if these are disruptions or if you are illegally suppressing their basic rights.

Otherwise, stop complaining and get off the pot.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Public comment.

Thanks.

We have one minute.

So is it gonna be your public comment or his public comment?

We are uh we're a package deal.

Okay, so that's not the that's not how it works under the rules.

Uh, but so I'm gonna go with you first.

You have one minute, and then we'll if you want you have one minute for general as well.

Go ahead.

Can we squeeze it into one minute together?

Fine, go ahead.

Okay.

Fantastic.

Right?

Yes.

Well, well.

Well, council members, thank you for your time, and everything that you do.

I've done.

I'm done.

Clearly, there is amazing stuff happening here in LA.

And you are doing a great job.

However, we think more can be done.

So we are going to overthrow the government and take it from here.

Take it from here.

I'm Ember.

My name is Amon.

And that's Amon.

And we are.

I'm gonna be the king.

I thought I was gonna be king.

Well, you have to fix it.

We will figure this out.

No, you have to pick something else now.

But we have to pick something else.

I'm the prince.

I'm the prince.

I will take over at some point.

We'll take it from here.

And we want to thank you again for everything that you've done.

And we're all looking forward, I imagine, to what will be coming next.

Thank you.

Bravo!

All right, guys, so much.

Speaker.

We'll wait till you figure out who's gonna be who and uh we'll see you next time.

Beautiful, beautiful.

We need you here more.

Good afternoon.

What would you like to speak to?

Good afternoon.

Uh general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good afternoon, City Council.

To everyone who is leading in their elections, congratulations.

To Miss Raman, Bravo.

We all have a lot to accomplish in the next few years.

I hope you can redirect, rededicate yourselves to this city and only to this city to do your very best.

We must serve all of LA's people.

We are truly lucky to live in the greatest city in the country.

But we are slipping working together, listening to each other.

We can and will make Los Angeles the greatest city in the world.

Yay!

Next speaker.

Hold my time, sir.

Hold my time.

Don't worry, we haven't started your time.

What would you like to speak to?

I'm gonna take a shot at 7-8 and public comment.

Okay, so you have two minutes for the items at 7 and 8, and then one minute for general.

Please begin with the items.

Thank you, thank you.

Uh you know, I was proud uh grandparent of uh three granada heel kids who uh are graduating with 4.5 and uh on to college.

I loved seeing.

I'm starting with public comment.

Please let me just Mr.

Candido, I I I get it, and I appreciate that you're here, and we talked about this after the last meeting.

So we have to enforce the rules equally.

Please begin with the items.

Your prime is paused.

You have one minute and forty-five seconds for items seven and eight.

You certainly can go back to that during general.

Go ahead.

And I apologize.

I'll start with Jones.

Okay, thank you.

Anyway, to see, and I want to uh thank Miss Padilla to see these Hispanic kids so many years.

I've been up there since 1985, and over and over again I would ask where are those the Latino kids?

Did you see them today?

How many were there?

That's happening all over the place.

And it happens because those of you who are Latino are becoming great examples.

The rest of you are becoming great examples for your community, but we must work harder.

We need to catch up.

We're still behind.

So, Mr.

Rodriguez, I'm expecting you to be a leader in these next few years.

Miss Padilla, I want you to inspire us, be the cheerleader and get us to the goal, okay?

Let's we can do it, and how much more time do I got?

Uh okay.

So we're uh hold on, we're gonna pause your time.

So that was your general public comment per your request.

Your next can we reset the clock to two minutes for the items at seven and eight?

Please stick to the items, Mr.

Condito.

Go ahead.

The general manager, I agree.

But my problem is uh I think it was last Tuesday when I saw the two individuals here go crazy, and I'm thinking, what's gone?

What's wrong with this?

You folks must rededicate yourselves to say the Martinez curse must leave here.

That when we choose general managers, or if we're working with the fire department, that corruption is going to leave this council.

I've been here since 1989.

I'm tired of seeing, you don't think we know about it?

I had to experience it firsthand.

I had to say to one of the probably one of the best councilmen that could have been that I'm not gonna be corrupt like you.

You can you folks can do a lot, and you know what?

Abraham Legan once said to uh a person, madam, do I not crush my enemy by making him my friend?

There are your two enemies, there are your two enemies.

So you have a minute for now we're talking about.

It's embarrassing to watch what happened on Tuesday.

It's okay.

So why not?

Why not become a decision?

You've forfeited your time.

We've given you multiple warnings.

You've already used your general.

We've given you wide latitude, so I'm gonna have to ask you to please vacate the podium.

Your time is expired.

Okay, so at this point, you are disrupting the meeting, so please vacate the podium so we can move on to, unfortunately, the next speaker.

Thank you.

This is your first and only formal warning.

Next speaker.

Fuck the rules.

Go ahead, you have two minutes for the items and one minute for general.

So again, on number seven, appropriately named for the animal services, Gabrielle Hamster, to the position of general manager, everybody.

That's right.

I saw you miss this lap at that.

I saw it.

Shame on you, shame.

Shame on you.

So Mrs.

Hamster apparently wants sixteen thousand dollars more of our fucking tax money because she had to get a U-Haul and move, Bob.

Sixteen thousand dollars more, and you're gonna give it to her, aren't you?

Because why, Bob?

Because you can.

There's no FBI, there's no DOJ.

There's no elections, there is no fucking repercussions for stealing our tax money, right?

Oh, yes.

So now we get to the next bucket shit.

The unused sick time for the LA Fire Department.

The fire department that was cut by who?

You all 15 of you cut our fire department budget so bad that now they have to beg for more money.

See, this is called constructive fraud.

Because what you're doing is you cut their budget, you force the union to come in, back your candidates, fund your candidates, donate to your candidates, use off extension money so that they back your candidates so they can get their money back.

If they don't back you, you cut their budget more.

This is called collusion.

That's under federal law.

It's under federal RECO.

So this money was already their money.

You stole their money, and now they have to buy back their money.

That's like stealing their shares in a company and having to buy it back.

So that's what you're doing, Bob.

But now we get to the general.

General, you have one minute.

So I'm asking Bob for a favor.

One nine zero zero seven.

There's a house for sale, Van Owen Street, right across from Bob's front door of his district office.

And there's a homeless criminal living outside of the front door.

How can you sell a house like that, Bob?

So would you please get that obstruction the fuck out of there so my neighbor can get their lousy $874,000 dollars and leave California?

I'm asking you again, Bob, but we want to thank Nithi Arama Noodle, everybody.

She's only 29,400 ballots away from knocking Spencer Pratt out of the runoff.

Her ballots are waiting.

They're over in Norwalk.

She's got 54,000 more, Bob.

All she gotta do is open them up and put them in the computer.

But you see, here's the problem.

The FBI set the trap.

They got you.

They got your ass.

Have a good weekend, fuckers.

And Mr.

President, I believe we've exhausted public comment.

Okay.

Public comment is officially closed.

What's before us next?

Council may now vote on items seven and eight.

Colleagues, anyone wish to speak on items seven or eight?

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

Close the roll, Cali the votes.

Ten eyes.

Okay, those measures are adopted.

What's next?

Council has motions for posting and referral.

Without objection, they are posted and referred.

The desk is clear.

Colleagues, are there any announcements?

Looking to my left and right for announcements.

Seeing no announcements.

Colleagues, does anyone have an adjourning motion today?

Yes, we do.

Okay, so if I could ask everybody in the chambers to rise for adjourning motions, we will start with Councilwoman Yaroslowski.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, today I move that we adjourn in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which is marked today the first Friday in June.

This is the 12th year that we've honored this day, which began on June 2nd, 2015.

What would have been the 18th birthday of a young woman named Hadea Pendleton?

In 2013, just a week before, just a week after marching in President Barack Obama's second inaugural parade, Hadia was shot and killed in a Chicago park.

Her friends chose to wear the color orange, a color that hunters wear to be seen in the woods to protect themselves and others from being shot.

To raise awareness around the epidemic of gun violence that took Hadia and so many more from us.

In 2024, 44,447 people were killed by guns in the United States alone.

That translates to more than a hundred and twenty people every single day.

On average, two of those 120 nationwide are Angelinos.

And yet, even with all this loss around us, the federal government has failed again and again to meet the scale of the crisis.

But here in Los Angeles, we're not waiting.

Since 2013, the city's gun buyback program has removed 43,000 guns from our streets.

And last year, this council created the domestic violence restraining order task force to remove guns from the hands of abusers and protect victims.

And this is really critical work.

We know that access to a firearm firearm makes a domestic violence situation five times more deadly.

Colleagues, today I introduced a resolution in support of assembly bill 2047, which is the firearm printing prevention acts, which targets ghost guns created with 3D printing technology.

This bill would require 3D printers sold in California to use technology that detects and blocks the printing of untraceable firearms and illegal gun parts, including machine gun conversion devices.

So I ask today that we renew our commitment to end gun violence and join with organizations like Every Town, Moms Demand Action, Sandy Hook Promise, Giffords, Brady United, March for Our Lives, and the Friends of Adia Pendleton to adjourn in honor of those lost to gun violence and in solidarity with all who seek to end it.

Thank you.

Councilman, I would ask that we uh make that an adjourning motion on behalf of the entire council.

Uh, certainly why I wore my orange tie today.

Uh, gun violence is an epidemic that has been affecting us and is unfortunately it's not getting any better right now.

So uh thank you for adjourning in in memory of all those victims.

Are there any other adjourning motions?

Seeing no other motions, this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.

Showcase the winning of the Battle of Puebla, which shows the resiliency of a very small Mexican army that beat a very well-funded French army.

So over the years of history, it has been turned into a very commercialized way to uh cater to the Mexican market.

But what we want to do is show that we're more than just that.

We're not just the consumers for some corporations to shoot for, but we really do contribute to the fabric of what is the American story.

And that is why we are doing this today.

Today we brought together a diverse and dynamic group of honorees.

Marcos Reynoso.

He is the owner to Chonsi Chorizo.

I just really want to serve really good food to my community and really good pricing so everybody can enjoy, not just the one person or the people that have money.

I want everybody to enjoy.

It's really important to celebrate Cinco de Mayo because you always need to remember where you come from, where your tradition is, who what to truly celebrate.

Congratulations.

Thank you for being part of helping us redefine Cinco de Mayo.

Daniel Duno Lopez.

He is a content creator, podcaster, and comedian comedian who proudly represents his Mexican heritage and echo park roots.

Today, he's touring the country and selling out shows.

Can I have Dr.

Amala Armenta and Jose Loyac join me?

Dr.

Amala Armenta is an associate professor of urban planning at UCLA and the director of the Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

Mexican Americans and Gitanos have been part of LA before LA was even part of the United States.

And so we are leaders in every sector from art to entrepreneurship to academia to universities where I work.

Leaders, Latinos, and of all groups.

We're gonna grow the Nika difference.

And Dr.

Jose Loya is, as I mentioned, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA, whose research examines inequality in housing and home ownership, particularly within Latino communities.

The Latino culture is part of the American culture.

And so Latinos inspire, uh, integrate and and often are mixing our culture with the American culture, and it's it's a beautiful thing to see and be a part of.

So more than 50% of the Los Angeles population identifies as being from immigration descent, many of them being Latinos and Chicanos.

So what I'm hoping to do is to emphasize that our stories are complex and they're beautiful and very much part of the American fabric, and it's here in Los Angeles where we set the tone to what that identity is.

The Battleship Iowa is a remarkable feat of engineering, stretching nearly three football fields long and measuring 108 feet across.

Today, from its home in the port of Los Angeles, this historic vessel welcomes visitors from throughout Southern California, connecting new generations to stories that help shape our nation.

But the Iowa is more than a museum.

It has become a gathering place for the community, serving as a living link between Los Angeles' maritime past and its vibrant future.

That spirit of connection was also on display as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 100th anniversary by offering free harbor boat tours, giving Angelinos a rare opportunity to experience the nation's busiest port from the water and see firsthand the scale of the waterfront that powers so much of the region's economy.

I'm here