For friends and family to do.

Guests should definitely register on event right so that they can solidify their position.

However, on the day of the event, folks can also come to Union Station, scan a QR code and register there.

The event is free for the public, so anybody can come to the event as long as they register on event right.

There's a total of 18 parks that will be hosting these events.

So we have Kimmelora Harbor Regional in the Harbor and South LA, we have Alden Seton.

On the west side, we have Chevy Hills.

In the Valley, we have Witset.

Come kick it with recreation and parks.

Well, it's the only app built by Metro for Metro Riders.

So you have a lot of options, a lot of great apps out there, but this is the only one where we're working with our customers, with our riders to make the experience customized for Metro and for Los Angeles.

If you want to kind of plan your trip from point A to point B.

If you're in a location and you want to figure out how to get to another location, you can see all the bus and rail lines and bike options near you.

You could customize your favorite stop.

Many of our riders take the same trip every single day to work to school.

So if you want to customize the experience just around those lines, the app begins to learn who you are and the experience kind of molds around your trips that you take every day.

We also have put a bunch of metro amenities and features into the app.

So if you want to find a bathroom, want to find a tap retailer, if you're looking for a bike locker, you can do that as well.

We are going to start listening to our riders and beginning to improve the app over time.

So it becomes something unique to Metro, unique to Metro riders and unique to LA.

My role here today is to demonstrate how customers are going to pay using their credit and debit card fares on Metro and across our 26 participating agencies.

You can use the same card that's already in your pocket or in your digital wallet to pay for the transit fee.

So all you do is take a plastic cart, you tap at the readers once, wait for the confirmation on the reader's screen, and then you just continue to write.

This is not only for about one event.

This was always a Metro's long-term fair modernization plan, and it just aligns well with the World Cup.

This ability to pay using credit and debit car is just another convenient way for our riders who are daily riders, occasional or visitors who we will see a significant amount coming for the FIFA World Cup as well as for the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028.

The electrifying roar of the crowd during a pivotal match is an unrivaled experience.

Every second on the pitch counts and the action is entrancing from discovering the starting 11 to analyzing team performance and finding star players to send to total prominence on the World Cup stage.

I mean, the city of Los Angeles with recreation and parks is supporting a network of over a hundred free watch parties, which span out across the entire city and sharing the tournament excitement is accessible to all.

During the World Cup city programs are providing the next generation with engaging soccer clinics to develop new athletic skills.

Bring it on.

Local and international World Cup supporters are flocking to the FIFA fan festival, taking place at the LA Memorial Coliseum, filling the stadium with noise and joy, creating an unforgettable fan experience in a legendary sporting arena.

Welcome to FIFA World Cup here in Los Angeles.

We are kickstarting things here at the official FIFA Fan Festival.

Our start was finding a venue and then deciding what we were going to do in this venue to make it a very exciting fan festival for all the people that are attending.

If you've been here before and you came for football games, and now you're coming for this, you're going to be shocked.

The World Cup is a 39-day event this summer.

The FIFA fan festival is going to be really meant to be this large-scale opening weekend celebration.

As you can see behind me, massive screens, interactive food displays all over the place.

We have great entertainment, all these immersive experiences.

People are going to have a really amazing time.

We've got characters walking around, we've got the booboo, we've got Paw Patrol, we've got the FIFA mascots for the kids to enjoy.

But most importantly, if you're here to watch the matches, you grab something to eat and drink, you grab a seat, and you're watching it on five different screens here with everybody else.

And you it's like you're at the match live.

It's all meant to be family friendly.

Tickets for this event are only ten dollars.

People will be able to take Metro to this fan festival.

Fast, easy, and affordable.

Only $1.75.

We have two rail stations right next door.

Short walk from our USC stations right here to the Coliseum.

To make it easier for riders and fans to identify which buses they want want to ride, we have wrapped our buses in the official World Cup colors and logos for Los Angeles.

What we did was we captured all the iconic sites in Los Angeles, which is what you see on the exterior.

And then an extra surprise and delight is we've partnered with West Coast Customs to really, I say pimp out our buses.

You can officially say that it has been pimped out, and we've done everything from lighting to we actually put together a thousand-watt stereo system with 12 to 15 speakers and uh just an experience that no one will ever forget.

You're really just trying to create these amazing moments to bring the community together around this uh you know once-in-a-generation event and be part of the celebration.

This project is critical, not just for Pocoima, but for the entire San Fernando Valley and City of Los Angeles.

This community has been historically underinvested, often lacking the basic stormwater infrastructure that at times leads to road flooding on many of our San Fernando Valley streets during rain events.

We are celebrating the groundbreaking of the stormwater capture project right here at David M.

Gonzalez Recenter.

As the rain falls on the project, it's going to be captured.

These bays are designed to purify the water and to remove any contaminants before it's actually infiltrated into the groundwater basin.

So the project has multiple benefits because it's gonna remove that water that would otherwise flow into Tongawash and maybe bring some pollutants with it.

And it's also gonna recharge the groundwater, improving the city's water supply and our less of our dependence on imported water.

And on top of that, when we restore everything, we're gonna have all the facilities that we were disturbing in the park and restore them to brand new facilities.

So we have two new baseball fields and new amenities to the park facility.

It's a win-win for the community.

We're working closely with the staff here at the Rec Center to make sure that while the construction is going on, that we're still providing recreational programs for the communities that we serve.

This project is the result of years of collaboration with the Department of Water and Power with Recreation and Parks and other agencies that we have to coordinate with to develop this.

So this is one of nine projects that have been funded.

It's the first one to get out to construction, so we're all really excited to see the first one rolling.

Whether indoors or in the fields like this one, local parks are supporting the next generation of athletes in discovering the joy of soccer, developing essential agility and finding the rhythm on the field.

Cultivating these fundamental abilities is truly at the heart of the city of LA's mission, providing comprehensive youth and adaptive sports initiatives.

From traditional programs to blind soccer to empower individuals throughout every corner of our city.

This event is the first event that's kicking to LA.

We are here to introduce children to the game of soccer.

A lot of children don't know, depending upon which country you're from, it's the number one sport outside of the United States, but just to learn the new sport.

That's why we're here today.

We're going to have a soccer clinic that's going to teach those who don't know and improve upon the skills of others the game of soccer.

I think I'm going to get in there and try to do some footwork myself.

I'm hoping that there's a lot of you know children and not just children and kids but adults too to understand you know the game of soccer.

In America, that's not our first sport.

So someone like myself can inspire.

Now we start and we stick with it.

We're good at it.

But it's just getting that start.

So you ask, my goal is to change the culture and the image of the sport of soccer by being here today.

Kids need to be outside.

That's what the Watt Summer Games is about.

We have education, we have the sport.

Most of all, we just have a whole lot of fun.

Why is it important for Sign With Me to be here?

We have partnered with the LA Watts Summer Games with the friends of LA Watts Summer Games with Khalifa Bay.

Why?

Because we know that you have many individuals with disability that's not included in the mainstream.

And so we want to be able to provide that awareness and that you know understanding and that collaboration and say, hey, let's welcome all individuals in our athletics, our Olympics, our sports, and different events and activities.

Come on and get your kids outside.

That's that's the crux of it is to bring your children outside to enjoy the sunshine.

In the spirit of the World Cup, Housing Authority decided to do a youth soccer tournament and connect our young people to the countries that are participating by giving them replica uniforms with the colors and styles of the countries that are participating in the World Cup.

We're at Cal State LA, and we are launching the HACLA World Cup Youth Tournament.

We will have young people from across the city from 11 public housing communities participating in this tournament.

So young people from the ages of 10 to 13 will be competing in this World Cup over the course of the next 30 days.

So I see this as a great opportunity for our youth to grow together, not only in their respective community, but also in the community surrounding them.

And what better way than through the sport of soccer?

It's just beautiful to see community coming together, you know, and hold the game of soccer can bring so many people together, and it's really special to be part of it.

We will never forget those 241 men and women of Los Angeles Police Department who've given everything they had in the performance of their duties on behalf of others?

Most often others that they had never met before.

Today was the annual memorial ceremony that commemorates the uh sacrifice of 241 Los Angeles police officers.

Our men and women sacrifice everything physically and mentally to serve our community, to take that time out to honor our fallen and more importantly, show the families of the fallen that we are here for them.

We will always be here for them.

It means a whole lot.

I think it's one of the most important things that I could come to as a commissioner to understand and recognize the sacrifices that officers have made throughout this department.

It's just very meaningful to me as we're making policies to making sure we're doing everything we can in terms of public safety and officer safety.

Fernando was a very happy, vibrant person.

You know, when I was younger in my teenage years, I was like, oh, I'm gonna be a police officer and I'm gonna do this.

I didn't do it, but um I was very proud, always hearing stories and I'm looking forward to this, and it's just something he always wanted to do as a little kid.

So just to know that he accomplished that amazing.

I want to just keep his memory alive and you know always remember the silly rib and person, like I said, that he was, and it's just very important to keep that going.

The city of Los Angeles is immersing itself into the soccer experiences to run the World Cup.

Curating a series of global cultural activations that celebrate the spirit of sports and community participation throughout the entire city through five designated community viewing locations.

Angelinos and guests alike are invited to discover vibrant traditions and sound and spirit, strengthening the enduring bonds that define our city's diverse tapestry, featuring the dynamic movements of lion dancers and Afro-Peruvian artists alongside the resin rhythms of taiko drummers and Korean traditional musicians.

These live performances transform local gathering spaces into hubs of international artistic exchange for an unforgettable and immersive viewing experience.

We will be showing the World Cup games at three parks every single day.

And these are community celebrations meant to really bring people from across Los Angeles out to the city's parks and actually have a sense of civic pride around the World Cup.

It's meant to really bring a community vibe, a community feeling, and a sense of community excitement across LA.

It's the spara todos.

El Mundial is para todos.

It's El Mundial is para todos and familiar.

We are so excited at the Department of Cultural Affairs to bring forward so many performers that are representative of who we are as a city.

There's a lot of things we can do.

It's open to everyone, and I think it's really cool that everyone helps make this happen.

So we're really excited because we've created a partnership with the U.S.

Soccer Federation, who today contributed a hundred tickets for kids across Los Angeles to be able to attend the World Cup along with their families.

Today they announced that I'm me and my family got tickets to the World Cup.

I'm looking forward to seeing the atmosphere, the vibe.

I'm excited to be able to see Los Angeles come together.

This is such a moment for us to both celebrate the World Cup and show off who we are as a city hosting so many games.

I'm excited to watch Mexico.

Vamos, Mexico.

As you can tell, I have the USA and Korea uh scarf, so I'm hoping one of these teams make it into the finals.

Soccer is best watched in a community with a lot of people.

Come check us out.

Come to one of the events.

It's gonna be amazing time here in LA.

If you want more information about how to participate and kick it in the park, you can go online and you can Google Kick It in the Park and you'll find a website that tells you all the different events that are happening across the city.

We're here at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the Los Angeles Fan Fest celebrating the World Cup.

And we're at we're at fanfest down here of the FIFA.

So we came down uh to watch a little bit of games, see a lot of people with different types of you know cultures and jerseys.

It's been awesome to see.

Yeah, we're excited to watch Brazil versus Morocco.

Today's Morocco's against the world.

And I hope that we're gonna have uh a great game.

Let's see who wins.

Everyone's eating, everyone's enjoying themselves.

There's music, everyone's taking pictures, videos.

Um definitely core memories to happen all throughout the World Cup.

I'm from Thai and my friend from Lao.

We're here for the first time, and we're just chasing the goodbyes here.

And I hope and we love USA.

We share for the USA.

I'm a Messi fan, so I really hope they can win the second championship.

Uh this World Cup.

Go, Argentina.

Messi, Ankaramessi.

Ankaramesi.

Look at this.

It's incredible.

I got people from all around the world here, and it is um, it's miraculous.

It's absolutely wonderful.

I am as poems.

This has just been a lot of fun, you know, just seeing everybody get together for this wonderful event.

Oh, I'm just looking forward to meeting some friends, looking forward to meeting good people, looking forward to meeting people from all over the world, different countries.

You know what I'm saying?

Europe, South America, Asia, everywhere, man.

It's this is gonna be awesome.

It's gonna be beautiful.

We're all different people, we all like different teams, and even so we still support each other no matter what.

That's my opinion.

Yeah.

Good to see you.

I don't know yet, but good to see you.

Awesome.

Ecuador, just being here.

I can't tell you how much it means.

I don't care what happens, we're just so happy to be here.

I am from Bosnia.

Take me to America!

So, what are the children's books?

Youth Expo is an annual event where we bring together all the resources that the city of Los Angeles has to offer through its departments and also through its community-based organization partners.

There are resources here to help kids find jobs or earn to help kids learn, which there's a number of schools here, K-12, adult schools, community colleges, universities, and then most importantly, during the summer play.

So our department of recreation and parts is here, along with a number of other organizations that offer amazing, fun recreational programs throughout the summer.

When I go around throughout the expo and see the different types of tables, it's giving us opportunities of how to be involved in your community or what you can be paid for, or any sort of internships or job opportunities that you can get being a citizen of LA and kind of also giving back to your community as well.

I just wanted to let you know that parents are absolutely critical and important for the future of young people to encourage them to join the workforce, find out what they're interested in, arts, entertainment.

It's all here today.

The tables are everywhere.

No matter what their interest is, there is someone here ready to and waiting to plug you in.

First of all, there are support systems out there.

You just have to do the research.

Sometimes we feel like we're alone, but we're not.

Luckily, we live in Los Angeles and there's lots of services out here.

I represent the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

But we don't just support people of the LA LGBT community.

We support all persons, right?

We're all a big family, and so there's the various services out there.

Mental health services, education services, workforce services.

Um, and they can all be used together holistically to support yourself and your family.

It's so important for young people to understand the very basics of what it takes to get a job.

Maintaining eye contact, introducing themselves, filling out an application, knowing how to write a resume, and just sitting in front of somebody and talking about what they're passionate about, what their career goals are, and sometimes they don't even know what that is.

So this gives them an opportunity to walk around and learn about different careers.

As a matter of fact, today upstairs, we have a resume writing lab, we have a mock interview cafe, and then we have a financial literacy workshop.

So once they start earning a paycheck, they know how to manage their money and budget for the future.

My hope is that every young person walks away with a better understanding of what's available to them, what programs and resources are available to them while they're on vacation during summer, how to apply for them, where they're located, what they're all about.

So if they get that is my goal that every young person walks away learning something new about a program that this great city has to offer.

Today is about ensuring all residents have an equal say in decisions that shape their lives every single day.

If you live here, work here, pay taxes here, and raise your family here, you deserve to have a voice in the city of Los Angeles.

That's what residential voting is about.

We know that there's hundreds of thousands of folks that have legal permanent residence, DACA, TPS, some of them don't have anything, but yet don't have a choice over their local elections.

They send their kids to school, they don't have a say over who makes decisions over the things in their classroom.

When they walk down the street, they don't have a say over what their council member does.

And so I believe that it's only fair to allow folks uh to have the opportunity to vote.

I'm an immigrant myself.

I came to the United States um when I was three years old.

I've been living in this country for a little over 20 years, and I still don't have a pathway to citizenship, despite the fact that me and my family have been contributing, you know, for decades to the city.

And you know, as someone who's been organizing for the last seven years and has mobilized thousands of voters, I think it's our turn to be able to cast our ballots as well in the city.

Everybody wants to vote, and we are happy that he proposed this kind of deal.

You know, I work hard, and I thought I get that the money, but uh base leap or baseball, oh my god.

It goes to the taxes.

There's no question that this is a law.

But as a resident here, we should allow us to vote too.

The process will take some time.

You know, it first has to get out of rules committee, then it has to be passed by full city council, and then if it goes to the voters, voters will decide in November whether that's a good idea or not.

You know, we hope that the folks that are able to vote can see that this is an issue of fairness and that if you live here, pay your taxes, contribute to this uh great city, then at the very least, they should give us city council the ability to have this debate and make some changes to who can vote in local elections.

But uh this is still a long process to go.

While the World Cup comes around every four years, three decades have passed since the United States last served as a host nation.

This makes the global excitement even more profound, presenting a unique once in a generation spectacle.

Through the World Cup, we transcend the routine rhythms of daily life, uniting in the defining match moments.

Beyond the pitch, we find connection through the symbols of our heritage and the longing to celebrate international cultures under a unified artistic and sporting banner.

And that's a win for local communities and residents for another generation of youth and for the city of Los Angeles itself.

Thank you so much for watching.

Catch these stories and more on Channel Thirty Five or at LACity.gov forward slash TV and follow at LA City on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Until next time, show up in your community, shoot for goal, and enjoy everything Los Angeles has to offer.

What is it?

What are you talking about?

Well, it's all the ship.

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

Today is Wednesday, the 24th day of June in the year 2026.

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

Mr.

Clerk, please begin our proceedings by calling the roll.

Bloomingfield, Harris Dawson, Hernandez, Hutt, Herado, Lee, McOscar, Nazarian, Padilla, Park, Price, Raman, Rodriguez, Soda Martinez, Yaroslavsky, 10 members in a quarter, Mr.

President.

First order of business.

Approval the minutes of June 23rd, 2026.

Councilmember Hernandez moves, Councilmember McCosker, seconds.

What's next?

Commendatory resolutions for approval.

Councilmember Soto Martinez moves.

Councilmember Hutt seconds.

Can we run through our agenda for today?

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Item one is an item notice for public hearing.

For item one, the Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee report has been circulated and posted online to Council file number 26-0737.

Please note a motion is required for item one as it has been submitted without recommendation.

Items two through eighteen are items for which public hearings have been held.

For item number nine, a community impact statement from the historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council was submitted for the item and is posted on the respective council file.

For item 11, the planning and land use management committee report has been circulated and posted online to council file number 26-0681.

Items 19 through 44, items for which public hearings have not been held.

Items 45 through 55 are closed session items for which public hearings have not been held.

Ten votes are required for consideration.

Yes, thank you, Council President.

I'd like to call item one special, which a motion should be circulating shortly.

Without objection on the continuances, and uh we're holding one for comments and one for an amendment.

Councilmember McCosker.

Thank you very much, Mr.

President.

Um, I would like to um continue reluctantly, but it is for scheduling and for making sure we comply with 65858 of the government code.

I'd like to continue the smokeshop ICO, which is item 44 on the regular agenda for one week to Wednesday, July 1st.

And we'll encourage everyone to be present on Wednesday, July first.

I'm sure everyone will be there and ready to go.

On um the special agenda, we have a special item one.

I'd like to call that just for comments.

All right.

And once we go into the special meeting, we'll just have to make sure we note that for item one.

Thank you.

All right.

Any other specials members?

All right, seeing no other specials, which items are available for votes at this time, Mr.

Clerk?

The council may now vote on items two through eleven and thirteen through fifteen.

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

Close the roll.

Tabulate the vote.

And Mr.

President, the ordinance for the ordinance for item 13 will be held over to Wednesday, July 1st, 2026 for second consideration, unless reconsidered with twelve members present.

Thank you.

What's next?

The councilman may now move on to presentations.

Alright, we have a presentation this morning that will be led by Councilmember Hutt of the 10th District.

Good morning, colleagues.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Today I want to talk about how important it is to have good swimming education.

Yeah, education.

And safety.

There you go.

Since 2020, Dolphin U has taught more than 10,000 swim lessons, reached over 950 families, and bought water safety education to more than 25 communities and local schools throughout the Dryland education programs.

What I love most about Dolphin U is their mission.

They plant themselves in the heart of communities with the passion to change the world.

That's the kind of equity-driven work Los Angeles needs more of.

Water safety is meant to uplift education, supervision, CPR training, and making sure every family, regardless of zip code, has access to the tools and resources to stay safe in and around the water.

I encourage every family in CD 10 and across Los Angeles to visit DolphinU.com.

Enroll your children in the swim lessons and take advantage of the resources Dolphin U offers.

These are actions that can save your child's life.

To the entire Dolphin U family, thank you for showing up for our communities, and that's what water safety awareness is all about.

As for me, I began teaching my kids water safety and to take the fear out of them at a very young age.

They were not even walking yet.

Some people don't have that kind of access, and that is really what uh Calvin does today.

He makes sure that people have access and opportunity so that they feel safe in their communities.

I know all of us have exciting pool uh experiences in their districts, like in councilwoman uh Rodriguez's district.

I understand she has the largest pool in the country, and that's at Hanson Dam.

Then my good friend Councilmember Lee just opened a brand new pool that he splashed into just last week, right?

And so um it's fun to be in the water, but it's also really important to know about safety.

So let me give it up for Calvin.

Say a few minutes.

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone.

Um, thank you to councilwoman Hutt for the opportunity to speak.

My name is Calvin Thomas II.

I'm a founder and CEO, but more importantly, I'm a native Angelino from South Los Angeles.

I learned how to swim at the YMCA on Century and uh Vermont at the age of three when my mother was working there, and we received scholarships to learn how to swim.

My brother, Reverend Frost also learned how to swim, and we began swim team through club swimming at City Parks as well as at Dorsey High School.

Um, thank you for the opportunity to talk about drowning prevention, it's really important.

We don't often think about the seriousness of it until we see it on the news or we read about it in the newspaper.

But just this weekend, my mother and I were doing research, and we simply found quickly that there were nine drownings that happened around the nation since June 1st.

Every day, my swim instructors and I wrap up our students' imagination to purposeful play.

So today I invite you to use your imaginations for a few seconds.

Remember when you were a kid on the playground, basketballs are going, jump ropes are swinging, and all of your friends are yelling your name.

You look through a gate and you see buses of children loading up, and you begin to count the buses.

One, two, three, until you get to 13.

Now, what if I told you that 13 school buses full of children are the amount of children who drown every year in the United States?

Would you want to help solve a social problem?

That's why I started Dolphin Use six years ago in my apartment during the pandemic.

I was courageous, and no one wants to give a 30-year old a million dollars to build a pool.

So we started renting water from neighborhood hotels, gyms, and senior citizen communities to bring swim lessons to kids who look like every single one of us in this room.

Our mission goes far beyond teaching kids how to swim from side to side of the pool.

We teach water safety outside of the pool by uh introducing drowning prevention layers, having a water watcher, putting fences around your pool, and teaching your kids simple water safety rules.

But our vision is so much, it's our vision is simple, but it's very ambitious to drown proof LA.

We're on a mission to teach 2028 safer swimmers by summer 2028, and we're doing that through scholarships, partnerships with community partners, and nonprofits.

And as we look forward to the future, we remain committed to expanding this impact and ensuring that every child gets an opportunity to learn how to swim.

When we prioritize water safety education, we encourage swim lessons, we encourage water safety, not just in the summertime.

I know it's June and it's 80 degrees outside, but swimming's year-round.

It's a routine sport that every child should learn because honestly, it's the only sport that will save their life.

So, again, I appreciate the opportunity, and I hope that you put water safety into your communities today.

Thank you.

Oh, that's great.

Thank you so much.

Before you make the big presentation, uh, councilwoman, we got a few speakers on this queue, beginning with councilmember price.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Uh councilwoman, thank you for bringing uh these heroes to us today.

We know how important uh swimming is, especially during the summer.

And I want to thank you, brothers for dispelling the notion that the black folks can't swim because we do swim.

So thank you for doing us proud.

Uh we know swimming is very important.

Uh uh I have in Expo Park, we've got the pool.

We're excited about some renovations going to occur prior to the Olympics, but it's gonna be another resource to give for our community for our youth.

And so we just thank you for all you're doing, uh encouraging folks to swim, not be afraid of the water, to understand the importance of safety uh and having a good time.

So thank you.

Congratulations to both of you.

Thank you, Councilmember Padilla.

Councilmember uh, thank you for this great presentation.

I really enjoyed it.

You know, it kind of made me have some flashbacks to my time when I was a youth program coordinator out in Pocoima, and you know, I had the ability to move kids, right?

Like for for treats and whenever they did uh finish the program or whatnot, and I used to like taking them to the beach and also celebrating things um at our local rec center.

In fact, Monica Rodriguez's pool was one of the spots we would go to.

But to my surprise, there was a sense of nervousness with the youth because they didn't know how to swim, and they also didn't have what they the appropriate gear to go uh to a beach or to a pool.

You know, they say uh Mexicans go to the beach in their clothes, right?

And that was exactly what ended up uh happening, and uh it made me realize that I did have to be uh more intentional about doing two things, right?

Is making sure that they knew how to swim and that they knew that our rec centers also offer that as an opportunity, but also um uh figure out how to teach them that they can use public transit, you know, and eventually when they are drivers, you can access the beach, right?

I don't I don't know how youth go their whole lives sometimes with never knowing um the beaches that are in Los Angeles.

So so thank you for this work.

It sounds like you're being very intentional for a social problem.

And it's uh I mean, this is Southern California.

We are Los Angeles.

People want to be able to enjoy um, you know, water spaces.

But if you uh come from a family where that wasn't the norm, uh there's definitely like a learning curve that we um as leaders need to take on.

So I appreciate the work and um I want to make sure I give you my cards so you can work with my CBOs because this is still very very real um uh for some of the communities in Los Angeles.

Thank you for your work and congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh council members, Councilmember Hutt.

Thank you.

Thank you, members, uh, for sharing your personal stories about what swimming, what water safety means.

Um a little known fact about myself is I swam on swim team at Westchester High School.

And I gave it up because it was too cold at six in the morning in an outdoor poll, when our coaches had sweats on and we were in that ice cold water, and I could have went to the Olympics, maybe.

Just kidding.

Okay.

Not kidding about swim team, just the Olympics part.

Um so I have certificate of recognition to dolphin use swim school, and it's signed by me and all members of City Council, just about how great this is and important it is.

Many of our children, um, uh because of pandemic they're inside, they suffer diabetes and obesity, something I call uh diabetes.

So anything that can get them moving, get them to water safety, get them to find the fun in moving their bodies.

Thank you.

This is really cool.

And this one is for water safety awareness month.

Since uh we proclaim this water safety awareness, so uh I I believe uh according to the comments that all our members are going to talk about water safety.

I know that um councilmember Lee really knows what it means to be safe in the water and he'll be sharing that with others.

So thank you very much.

Want to hold this time?

Thank you so much, Councilmember Hutt.

And congratulations to our honorees this morning.

Mr.

City Attorney, can you uh please uh prepare us for public comment?

Mr.

President, before we go to public comment, would Council like to reconsider item 13, the ordinance with 12 members?

Yes.

All right.

Uh that item is now before us.

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

Twelve eyes, and then just one more vote for the item.

All right.

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

Twelve eyes.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The items open for public comment on the agenda today are items number one, uh and items number 19 through 55.

So again, the items that are open for public comment.

Oops, I apologize.

The let me repeat, the items that are open for public comment on the agenda today are items number one and items number 19 through 43, and items 45 through 55.

So again, item one, items 19 through 43, and items 45 through 55.

Item 44 has been continued to next week and is thus not open for public comment.

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

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

We will tell you when your time is up.

I have a few more announcements.

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

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

Don't worry.

We will hold 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 made an accommodation request with the clerk's office in order to make use of the wireless handheld microphone, or if you would like to do so, once you hear the name that you signed up under called aloud, please raise your hand so the sergeants know to provide you with that wireless handheld microphone.

Finally, in order to help us run an efficient public comment period and accommodate as many people as possible, we would ask that you please wait until you hear the name that you signed up under before lining up in any order on your left hand side of the council chambers to speak.

Thank you.

So this is your first and only warning.

Do not disrupt this meeting.

Please wait until you are provided with the wireless handheld microphone.

Again, this is pursuant to your accommodation request.

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

Thank you, fucking melon head lawyer.

I'm gonna say, Numero uno put Jaime T Hall de la Grupo Channel Abogado Information.

Number one Fag says that Jaime T.

Hall group channel information.

Because the fucking heart park doesn't cost anything on the streets of first and Broadway.

Fucker.

So asshole, you like numbers.

What about all the the wreath?

Or as you call them rape.

Oh yeah.

Look here, folks.

He wants a number.

Number 21.

21 Los Angeles housing, fucked up department, known and the acronym of L A H D, right?

Smoking scan.

That fucking buckethead up there, pumpkin.

Size 17 and a half head don't fit a cap.

That's why he's idiot with the marble rolling around.

But the rent escrow on 21 and current price is unconstitutional price off of one, four, five nine, East 23rd.

Fuck that item 21 price.

What about 25?

A dickhead, that's a number.

Why don't you fucking pay attention?

Stop talking at three inches off topic.

So I'm gonna give you your only warning.

Stay on topic with the items, or I'm gonna move you to general.

Yeah, this is to uh subject the approval of the city attorney as to a form.

What is that form?

Well, the physical impact statement states by the dumb bitch mayor and the dumbasshole console through the annual budget process that there is no impact.

And none was submitted.

That was number thirty-five, 35, pendejo.

Then my other items here.

Look, look at all this fucking attorney shit here, all these lawsuits.

No wonder why the fucking city's broke.

No wonder why you can't fix the sidewalking street.

No wonder why people can't get housing.

Now into my general fucking public comment.

One minute.

Listen, moron.

Hey, moron.

The reason why I'm sitting up here because I'm protecting myself from the fucking people you allow to attack me while I hold the floor.

Hey, donkey.

Donkey Dawson, are you listening?

Why don't you pick your fucking bold head up, Sam Bow and listen?

Okay, so while you're just my knowledge in the public, 41 fucking seconds.

I need you to connect it to something within the city's jurisdiction.

You'd like to interrupt people, motherfucker.

I'm saying what I believe from my heart and from my fucking mental health.

Stop fucking playing Korean games with me, motherfucker.

Stop playing those fucking games.

You want to fuck with my mental health?

I believe if I get that chance, I will fucking vacate this building and I will parade in fucking Korea and show you what America's about.

Thank God Donald Trump and more fucking ice.

Get these fucking Koreans out of here.

And your time has expired.

And I just want to make the record clear.

I've personally, and I know other staff as well, have gone above and beyond to remind Mr.

Herman of the rules, not just from here at the Dais, but also behind the scenes as well.

So, Mr.

Herman, we are not trying to pick on you.

We are trying to make sure you follow the rules just like everybody else.

But you refuse to comply with those rules.

You also refuse to comply with your own accommodation request, which is why you receive warnings.

If you abide by the rules, you will get your full time uninterrupted.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Hi, yes.

Uh, good morning.

Item number one.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Awesome.

My name is Dr.

Wilma Franco, and I serve as the executive director of the Select Collaborative.

Um, we are proud to stand in support of El Corazon Art Park because projects like this demonstrate what is possible when we invest in spaces that prioritize community and bring people together.

Arts and cultures are powerful drivers of community well-being, economic opportunity, and civic belonging.

They preserve our stories, celebrate our uh diverse identities, and create spaces where families, artists, and culture uh future future generations can connect and thrive.

El Corazon Art Park represents a shared commitment to ensuring that arts, culture, recreation, and public spaces remain accessible to everyone at a time when many communities are seeking places where they feel seen, welcome, and connected.

This project is offering exactly that.

Um, on behalf of the Sela Collaborative and the 500 uh leaders that we represent, uh, we ask you that you please um reject the sequel appeal and allow this community-driven vision to move forward.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh, item number one in corazon our part.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

My name is Lisa Escovedo, and I spent over 23 years organizing around social justice, immigration, and workers' rights.

For this project, I've gathered community input and engaged local leaders because our city deserves this park.

My experience working with working families in the labor movement has shown me that what they truly that this is what they truly need.

This isn't just about art, it's about giving working families a place to connect, uh, find respite, and watch their kids thrive.

Though I'm not from the city of LA, I bring my son to downtown often to the Science Center, Olvera Street.

This park would be one more space where he as an autistic child can be himself.

We don't have many places where kids can say can feel safe and learn about their culture.

This park is that promise.

I urge you to deny this equal appeal.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Hello, everyone here today.

My name is Lee Absofer, and I'm the executive and artistic director of Urban Voices Project, an arts and wellness program in Skid Row here in downtown Los Angeles.

And while so much of what we do as a city to try to provide for our neighbors is to try to provide services, whether it be health, whether it be space, no matter what, we know that when someone's missing something in their life, they feel less than, they feel isolated, they feel broken.

But I urge to remind you all that while food may feel good and housing and employment and all the things that we all struggle for and mental health, arts is the one thing that can see us as human from the get-go.

It reminds us that we're human in the simple question of not how are you getting your next meal or where are you sleeping tonight, but what music do you like to listen to?

That question alone represents this beautiful park and what it's trying to do, how art can humanize us together.

So I appeal that you guys please vote to reject the Sika appeal in the way of the Al Corazon Park.

Thank you.

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

Cassie Horton, Maya Camacho, Barno, Teresa E.

Hillary, Huckleberry Flynn, and Ernest Martinez.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Morning, Groat.

For the record, I signed up as our newest Laker, Cameron Carr.

Uh I'd like to speak on 1143 in general public comment.

Okay, so you have three minutes for the items and one minute for general.

Please begin with the items.

Item 19 is a declaration of local emergency on our last fire, as we are still in the midst of dealing with a new fire.

And I did think it was interesting to hear Karen Bass in the press say that no, the air is not dangerous.

And I think for people who live in LA, we know what a brush fire, wildfire smells like.

But this doesn't pass the smell test.

I went outside in the morning to walk my dog and came back with my eyes burning.

People had sore throats for days.

And the mayor wants to tell us, oh no, you don't trust your nose.

There's nothing amiss here.

I also find it interesting that we usually rush some Rule 23 motions when there's an emergency because we want to show that we care.

But apparently Boyle Heights isn't enough.

You know, if there was the Palisades, yeah, then we're gonna do a Rule 23.

We're gonna make sure we swiftly take action.

I know it's not a big deal in effect, but at least shows people you care.

Item number one, this is a really interesting item involving Altamed, and there are some interesting things about this little project.

And I don't want to steal someone else's thunder, but I do want to just acknowledge there will be some stuff coming out about that.

43 is on outside counsel, and I I do find it interesting that there's really zero transparency about this item.

Unless you actually follow what's happening with the ethics commissioner in our court system, you have no idea that item 43 relates to council member John Lee.

His name is not mentioned anywhere.

And it's important to remember he has dragged this city through hiring outside counsel, fighting him in court, then fighting him at the administrative hearing level, and now fighting him in court once again over something we all know he did.

This is just like current price.

He is skirted around for three years without actually facing a trial for his corruption charges.

And then you, Groat, how much time do I have left?

50 seconds on the items.

Gotcha.

Now you're doing nothing in this charter reform process to deal with the corruption that we're actually looking at.

And you want to trick voters into giving you the power to unilaterally gut your own meeting schedule without any assurances.

If you want to be a part-time counsel, then get paid like a part-time counsel.

I'm I'm a little annoyed, a little about the whole council size punt thing, but I get that.

What I don't get is that you couldn't find one measly reform across the board to throw to throw a little bone and make it look like you care.

It is clear that I do probably just need to make life harder for you all.

Not all of you.

There's one that's not bad.

I do want to start.

Where is a meld up?

Where's the meld up?

All right.

CD six and seven, I'm gonna start with you two.

Because you have been inappropriately dabbling around with what really does feel like electioneering.

I know it's not illegal.

You're being very careful not to cross the line, but it is clear to everybody what you're doing.

The intent's there, and it's gross, and you should really be ashamed.

And I'm surprised the council president has hasn't given you a little talking to and said thank you.

I appreciate you having Karen's back, but you should let off a little bit.

Amelda, I know what you did last summer.

I'm just kidding.

I know what you did last last summer.

How you lied to your constituents when you were originally trying to get into office over things that you at the time knew were gonna eventually gonna come out, and it was gonna be provable that you just blatantly lied to people.

So I'll talk about that some other time, see if it's necessary.

But let's let's let's see you fix this meeting thing, and maybe I won't have to be so crazy.

Thank you, next speaker.

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

Susanna Smith Baltista, Pedro Trujillo, and Alfred Alfredo Camacho.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh general public comment, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Yeah, hi.

My name is Jonathan Hale, uh Johnny to most.

Last December, I was arrested for painting crosswalks to process for safer streets and a more effective government with my organization, People's Vision Zero.

We have two goals.

First, that the city recommit to vision zero by declaring a state of emergency on traffic violence.

And second, that the city legitimize our efforts to allow volunteers to make our streets safer.

Since I was arrested, the city has refused to engage with us in good faith, dropping the ball on critical infrastructure funding and slow walking projects designed to get cars off our streets.

In the meantime, drivers are killing people.

Because to uphold the status quo is to take a side.

I refuse to believe that our goals are too big to achieve, and we'll continue to paint until we see meaningful progress.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one, please.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Perfect.

Good morning, council members.

My name is Jessica Hitchcock, and I'm a project manager with SOMIS.

Our firm was retained to prepare the environmental documentation for the El Corazone Art Park project.

And we also prepared the city's response to the appeal filed by Channel Law Group on behalf of SCIU Local 721.

I'm here to explain why the project properly qualifies for a Class 32 categorical exemption under SQL Guidelines Section 15332.

It's consistent with the Open Space General Plan designation and zoning per RAPs authority and the city charter.

It's under five acres.

The site has no habitat value, and our technical studies confirm no significant impacts to air, quality, noise, traffic, or water quality.

Additionally, the project relies on portable temporary infrastructure that existing utilities and services can easily support.

Overall, the project doesn't meet any of the exceptions to the exemption, and therefore the project should.

Alright.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um item number one in public comment, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute for item number one and one minute for general.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Uh good morning.

My name is Cassie Horton, and I'm a board member of the downtown Los Angeles Residents Association.

We represent more than 4,500 downtown residents and stakeholders.

Downtown is my home.

Downtown LA, the downtown LA Residents Association supports the SCIU CEQA appeal.

This parcel sits across from City Hall, arguably the most significant piece of land in Los Angeles.

It deserves commensurate care that it has not yet received.

This land was acquired as dedicated parkland planned for with the community over years and abruptly redirected without a competitive RFP, proper environmental review, and without meaningful community engagement towards Altimed's own, what Altimed's own supporters call the groundwork for a long-term partnership and permanent cultural institution on the site.

Since April, we've requested written commitments from Altamed and the city that any long-term use will be subject to SQL review and open RFP and a full transparent process.

General.

We have not received that commitment to date.

Yesterday, RAP called the 20-foot um digital LED sphere a permitting issue, not a CEQA issue.

That is incorrect.

CEQA requires analysis of light trespass, sky glow, and glare.

That sponsored, lighted sphere was never presented to the community, despite multiple engagement opportunities with the neighborhood council and other groups.

The Higgins Building, home to residents who first raised concerns, sits directly in the light path.

I urge you to grant this appeal.

Require the process that this site deserves.

This isn't about the value of a museum, art, cultural institutions, or what this space ultimately ultimately becomes.

It's about community trust, good governance, and a process commensurate with one of downtown's most important neighborhood spaces.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

Um General Public Comment and number one, please.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

My name is Teresa Y.

Hillary.

I am a 20-year resident of downtown Los Angeles.

I serve as vice president of the neighborhood council, also a founding board member of DTLA Residence Association.

Both organizations have filed um comments, written comments.

You've heard also from DTLARA.

In my individual capacity, um, I just want to say that I stand with the SEIU CEQA appeal.

I support that as an opportunity to create a fair, transparent, and improved public engagement process.

And I hope this council sees it that way as well and vote accordingly.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning.

Item one, please.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning, Council and Community.

As a member of the Ultimate community and resident of Pico Rivera, I'm here as your neighbor and who believes in the mission of El Corazon Art Park.

As we walk around and drive around the city, we can see it's evident that downtown LA does not have spaces for the community to feel seen, enjoy art, be represented throughout.

El Corazon Art Park would give the community just that.

Your community is here and ready for what downtown Los Angeles could be.

Please do not create further barriers for the community to be feel feel be seen, enjoy art, and enjoy your community.

I urge you to vote to reject the CEQA appeal and stop delaying El Corazón Art Park.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um speaking to a general comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Okay.

I'm speaking on behalf of the east side, the about the lineage warehouse fires.

They've been poisoning the east side for six days now and have insufficient suppressed uh suppression systems, and the city of LA needs to hold them accountable, or the representatives of the city of LA will be held accountable, not only in a court of law, but in the court of God.

The Holy Ghost is real and he's back.

And Christ is king.

And again, the city of Valley hasn't done enough to put out these fires.

It's been six days, and it's not a normal fire.

It's it's with ammonia, and I've already been coughing and having a sore throat, and and it's just been a lack of of attention given to this fire.

And again, if if if the warehouse is not held accountable, the representatives uh missile rotto will be held accountable in a quarter of law.

Thank you.

Thank you, Speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Issue number one.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning, council members, council president.

My name is Susanna Bautista, and I'm the chief Curator, AVP of Arts and Wellness at Altamed and a resident of CD 14.

Altamed has been working at serving the community since 1959.

We believe strongly that arts, culture, recreation are part of wellness.

Wellness for our minds, our bodies, and our healthy communities.

We urge you to deny this appeal on the legal merits of the CEQA exemption that you have received from Reckon Park staff, attorneys, and from our own attorneys.

We have worked closely with Reckon Park staff.

We have followed the process, and we will continue to do so.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning, item one.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Good morning, members of the city council.

My name is Alfredo Camacho, and I'm here in strong support of El Corazón Art Project.

I'm here today to urge you to reject this appeal and allow this project to move forward without further delay.

This project creates a space for art, culture, education, gathering, and connection while extending access to open space.

The ask today is simple.

Stand with the community, reject this appeal, and allow El Corazón Art Project to move forward.

At its core, this appeal turned sequel on its head.

Sequel was intended to identify, avoid, and mitigate significant environmental impacts.

When SEQA is invoked as a procedural weapon to prevent projects that expand public access to open space and deliver clear community benefits, we've lost the plot.

Please reject the appeal and allow the project to move forward.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Um hi everyone, my name is Pedro Trujillo, Director of Organizing at Chirra Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

Um Chirola believes strongly in the efforts of El Corazón Art Park, as we do believe in the strength and uh importance of arts in and culture to our community.

Um Los Angeles has been suffering a lot of attacks by the federal government around the raids in the past year, and um we are we understand the importance of arts.

We have our ninth annual EMI art event tomorrow in Pasadena because that area was hit not only by the raids, but also by the fires last year.

The arts inspire, it brings people together, and that's why we urge this committee to vote uh to reject the CEQA appeal.

Uh no, so that it doesn't delay this project.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you, next speaker.

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

NWA, Yesenia Lopez, Andy Ham, Andy Yam, Bush, and Gabriela Lopez.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Hi, good morning.

Item number one.

So you have one minute, go ahead.

Hi, good morning, council members.

My name is Francisco Portillo and I live in the neighborhood of Mid-City and the city of Los Angeles.

I'm not here as a representative of any organization.

I'm here as a neighbor, as someone who believes in what El Corazon Art Park stands for.

We don't have enough places in the city where everyday people can gather, enjoy art, and feel like the city belongs to them.

This park was would give us that.

I've seen how this project has brought people together already through community meetings, conversations, and a real sense of excitement of what about what downtown Los Angeles could be.

Please don't let that go.

I urge to vote.

I urge you to vote to reject the sequel appeal and stop delaying on El Corazón Art Park.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

My name is Patricia Barrett.

I want to speak general comment in number one.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

I want to express my deep concern regarding public safety in Los Angeles.

The police force totals 8,200 to 8700, while New York has 33,000.

Chicago has 12,000.

This disparity favors criminals on our street.

The fire in Boyle Heights, which was reported as caused significant harm to our community, not only to black Latino, but also to white people should also be have been mentioned yesterday, which wasn't.

The situation has lingered due to the Los Angeles fire department lacking resources and funds raised for charity not given to them.

The chaos in Los Angeles is a direct result of council prioritizing the DSA contract and not protecting citizens of Los Angeles.

Funds have been allocated for lawsuits involving Mayor Bass and Chief Crowley tolling eight million dollars.

Listen to that.

This should be handled by LA City attorneys.

Number one, do not block the park and council person.

This is for number one.

Do not block the park in District 14.

Gerardo who believes in the DSA should believe in what the constituents want and believe what they want and pass it.

For example, if we didn't have the funds that were allocated for the lawsuits for Bass and Crowley, eight million dollars plus the five million dollars that have been allocated for the fire that our controller has told her we would have funds for this fire.

Believe in it, pass it through, and put it in.

And do not believe in DSA.

Your contract to the DSA.

Believe in the contract that you signed up for and swore in when you were in office.

Pass the bill for the park to get through.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And before we continue with the next speaker, I know that there's been multiple people here who I'm sorry, was that Mr.

Herman?

Can we get confirmation?

Okay.

So to the not going to warn you formally, I'm 99% sure that was you, Mr.

Herman.

Again, you have already been warned for disrupting this meeting.

If you do it again, you will be removed.

Um as I was saying, uh there have been multiple people who have provided public comment related to the fire in Boyle Heights.

Um just wanted to state for the record that there were multiple motions that were introduced at council yesterday related to that.

Um also obviously the mayor has declared a local emergency.

You can find more information about that online at the clerk's website if you'd like to see those motions specifically.

But they were introduced uh by Council Member yesterday at Council.

Uh good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item number one.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

My name is Gabriela Lopez, and as a Latina College student, I know how important it is to see our culture represented the public spaces.

Representation matters a lot because it reminds young people that they belong and that their culture is very important.

This park is more than a simple art space.

It is a place where students, families, and community members can learn from one another, celebrate different culture cultures and build connections.

It kinds it could inspire young people to explore art, different cultures, and civic engagement as well, while creating a welcoming environment for everybody in the city.

Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and this place is going to reflect all of the cultures.

That is why our I support this park, and this will help us a lot.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

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

Tom Grody, Lozano Lena, Angel, Paula Fernandez, Fluckers, and Elon Shapiro.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Gracias.

Hi, my name is Yesenia Lopez.

I am from LA, and I would like to make a comment on the Corazon Corazon Art Park Project.

I'm here to support the Corazon Art Park Project because we need more public spaces.

Donde la familias wouldn't reunirse, disfrutar el arte y celebrar nuestra cultura, where families can get together, enjoy art and our culture.

Este project transformara un terreno vacío, un spacio para la comunidad, los artistas, los jovenes y las familias.

And this project would transform empty space so that we can celebrate art, culture, and have a place for family.

And so I asked for you to reject the sequel appeal so that you can allow for the uh Corazon Art Park uh project to move forward without further delay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Hi, uh, I'm Andy, and I'd like to speak to item one.

Okay, so you have one minute, go ahead.

All right, uh, good afternoon, everybody.

My name is Andy, uh, and I frequently uh go into the city of Los Angeles to see friends and family.

Uh, and I'm here as a you know, as a neighbor neighboring to the city of Los Angeles, but as somebody who believes what El Corazon Park, our park stands for.

We don't have enough places here in the city of Los Angeles where everyday people can just gather, enjoy art, and feel that the city belongs to them and see themselves represented in that city.

And so the park, I believe, will give us that being a place that reflects culture, that reflects diversity.

And so I've seen how this project has brought people together, the community behind us here, and through community meetings, conversations, and a real sense of excitement about what downtown Los Angeles can be.

And so please don't let that go.

And I urge you all to reject the sequel appeal and to stop the delay on El Corazon Art Park.

This is for all of us, this is for the community.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Ilan Shapiro, item number one public comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute for each.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

My name is Dr.

Ilan Shapiro Stragler.

I'm the Chief Health Correspondent America, first officer for Altamed.

First, I want to actually thank Councillor Isabel Jurado.

During the Bowl Heights Fire, Altamet Distributed Air Filters and Health Resources to Affected Families.

And Councilmember Jurado helps ensure those resources reach the people who need it the most.

As a physician, I see the health far beyond the walls of our clinics.

Clean air, safe public spaces, recreations, community connections, all contribute to a better health outcomes.

A bull heights fire reminded us how environmental change impact our neighborhoods.

The answer is investment in the community well-being that we have.

Good morning, members of the city council.

My name is Paola Fernandez, and I'm a resident of Council District One.

I am here as a community member, as someone who loves LA, and as someone who believes in creating space for community open to all.

And I'm in support of El Corazon Art Park along with 30 other uh community organizations.

We simply do not have enough open places in this city where everyday people can gather and build community, even in its temporary form, El Corazon Art Park would do that.

El Corazon Art Park is for all residents of Los Angeles.

It is for those who live, work, and play in LA.

Please let Los Angeles be a city that celebrates culture and it's welcoming and is welcoming to all.

I urge you to vote to reject the sequel appeal and stop the delay of El Corazon Art Park.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Uh item one, please.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Uh good morning.

My name is Angel Velasco, and I'm a resident of Los Angeles.

I'm here today to support El Corazon Art Park because our communities deserve more safe and welcoming public spaces where people can come together.

This project will transform an empty lot into a vibrant place for our culture and connection.

Los Angeles is built on diverse communities, and this park should reflect that.

It will create opportunities for local artists, give families a place to gather, and provide young people with a space that inspire creativity and pride in their culture.

This is more than just a park.

It's an investment in a community, culture, accessibility for everyone.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Just general comment, please on most general items.

You have one minute.

Go ahead.

Yes, sir.

My name is Brandon Ateliano Torres.

Um, nobody really knows me, but there is something going around, and that's the prosperity of the human ability, uh human ability to maintain standards.

Whether you're popular or not, famous or not famous, own a taco shop or you just have a 5.0 and you're really trying and you guys are poor in life.

I just want to let you guys know that the World Olympics is a beauty.

It's a great to have everything coming to LA.

Um, with all due respect, I am a surveyor.

I go to LA Film School.

Um we do feel like the the world olympics for the soccer thing could have been better.

You guys could have put more um decoration, maybe even in here if you really know what I'm talking about.

I'm just another Freemason talking to other Freemasons.

God bless you all.

My name is Brandon Ateliano.

The Attilians are here.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

See, bueno, here they are coming down.

Number one, please.

Hello, yes, my name is Veronica Sangues or Sanchez, and I live in Los Angeles County.

I'm here to support El Corazon Art Park because our city needs more public spaces.

Donde las familias puedan reunirse, disfrutar del arte y celebrar nuestra cultura.

Where family can convene and celebrate art and celebrate art culture.

El Corazon Art Park.

That's why I'm here to make my voice heard to show that Los Angeles is a diverse city and to show that public spaces are for everybody.

That's why I asked that you reject the sequel appeal and you allow uh El Corazon Art Park to move forward without any delays.

Thank you so much.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Um, item one and public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

One minute for each, you said.

Yes.

Thank you.

So you'll see one minute, then you hear a buzzer, then I'll go to your next minute.

Go ahead.

All right.

I support the SCIU sequa appeal.

Despite denials, this rushed and poorly vetted initiative lays the groundwork for a long-term partnership between Ultimate and RAP for this site without proper scrutiny for such valuable deed restricted public property that this property requires.

Ultimate and RAP argue that CEQA doesn't apply because this plan isn't at all connected to longer term plans, as such, process has no such process has been initiated and no official actions have been taken in that regard.

That's the problem.

All the secret unofficial dealings going on behind the scenes, and I believe that many of the good people behind me are not aware of this.

The elephant is standing in the middle of the room in full circus regalia, and everyone is pretending not to see it.

Also, the third largest structure on the site after the proposed temporary clinic and art gallery is a 20 foot LED screen advertising sponsors, which ultimate and rack claim would generate no revenues for ultimate, while no cash may be exchanging hands.

Go ahead, Jenna from plenty of free advertising on public land.

Again, elephant room.

Council members, I know you're in a tough position, but I would encourage you and I urge you to support the appeal, hit pause on this initiative rather than facilitate and reward back room giveaways of public land to money donors.

We've long wanted something fabulous for Fab.

Long, long, long wanted this.

This is just not the way to go about it.

Thank you.

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

Carvalho Alberto, Wolfgang Puck, Jens Methune, Sandra Nunez, and Juan Jose Gutierrez.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Buenos días.

So, number one.

Hello, yes, my name is Norma.

I'm not here as a representative of any organization or anything.

I'm just here as a neighbor and as a resident.

We don't have enough space in this city to where the people can convene.

And celebrate art and feel like this uh city belongs to us, and this part would allow us to feel that.

I've seen how this project can unite people through uh community meetings.

Conversation is yumber enthusiasm for el potencial del centro de Los Angeles, with conversations and real enthusiasm for the possibilities of uh and the potential of downtown Los Angeles.

And we urge this council to reject the sequel appeal and to not delay any further the reconstruction.

Of El Corazon Art Park.

Gracias.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning, General.

Go ahead.

You have one minute.

Good morning.

My name is Rohelio Martinez, District 4 Board of Supervisor candidate.

Did you know that on June 11th, there was a medical supply fire at a one million dollars at a one million square foot um warehouse that burned for six days.

Ironically, on June 17th, the vast day that that fire burned, a new fire broke out right here in Broil Heights, LA.

That fire broke out in a food storage facility, which is 500,000 square feet.

The incident is expected to last until June 25th.

And as of yesterday, dead fish were reported in the Alley River.

Currently, the air monitoring is not effective.

The companies that are that are currently involved might be filing for bankruptcy.

So make sure that you file your claim.

And they don't know what the acute and long-term health rates will be associated to your health.

With that, good day.

God bless each and every one of you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

I like to make a general comment.

I'm sorry, what was that?

General comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the city council.

My name is Bianca Stilpani.

I'm an Army vet.

I'm actually born and raised in Los Angeles in district one, and I'd like to bring awareness to the LAPD rampart division that has been subject to corruption.

I unfortunately was subjected to false accusations and false police reporting at the hands of detective Michelle Jacquet.

Consequently, during the protest last year until now, we uh peaceful protesters have also been targeted with rubber bullets with tear gas.

And I'd like to ask, actually, no, demand police accountability, transparency, and intervention as well.

I also would like to ask that the city council invest in youth centers in at-risk neighborhoods to help prevent uh gangs and drugs from touching our neighborhoods as well.

And one last thing I'd like to say as well is uh let's recall Angemaima aka Karen Bass because she has filled us angelinos as a mayor.

Thank you, speaker.

Your time has expired.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Hello, good morning.

Um, item number one in general public comment, and I also have here an official community impact statement from the downtown Los Angeles neighborhood council.

All right, so why don't we do this?

We'll start with your public comment.

So you'll have a one minute for the item and one minute for general, and we'll start there.

So go ahead.

All right.

Thank you.

Um my name is Jens Mitoon.

I'm president of the downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.

Welcome back downtown, everyone.

Um, so um I'm here to ask the council to grant this sequel appeal, and I wanted to speak into the record, in case some of you were curious, um, why the entire downtown LA community is so unified in our support for this appeal and in our opposition to the project as it stands.

So in February, uh, this item came before the Parks Commission agenda, and D-Lank we requested a continuance.

Uh, and we withdrew that continuance because we were assured that this project that there would be public meetings, there'd be public engagement, and uh that this project needed to happen quickly to be in time for the World Cup.

Um, we came to the table and we hosted several public meetings and uh viewed some fairly detailed presentations, and we love coming to the table, but sometimes you guys make it so hard because after all those meetings and all those presentations, a 20-foot LED screen was added to the project scope, something that was never brought to our uh brought into any of these detailed meetings.

Um, and this is exactly the sort of thing that we were afraid of.

The item was then placed on the parks commission agenda, and we sent a letter detailing numerous concerns, and at the commission, our comments were misconstrued as having no opinion on the matter.

When I presented this letter that I have here to the neighborhood council uh in support of this sequel appeal in opposition to the project, the one thing they said to me is gens, this is not strong enough.

You need to be stronger because they lied to us, and we don't like being lied to.

So, in the interest of public process and transparency, the downtown LA neighborhood council urges you to stand with the union to stand with the downtown LA community and support.

So that is your time as an individual.

Um, you said that you have a you're the duly representative of the neighborhood council, and they've approved a CIS.

That is correct.

Okay.

So you'll have three minutes for that community impact statement.

Uh, members of the public, if this is your first time hearing a community impact statement, it's separate from public comment.

Uh so again, this is uh being offered up by the neighborhood council, which neighborhood councils are allowed to do if they formally approve a community impact statement.

So go ahead, you have three minutes.

Thank you.

Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity to see everything you ever wanted.

No, I'm just kidding.

I I covered uh I covered our our our strong opinions on the neighborhood council.

I thank you for the extra time.

Um but I was able to get everything out.

So thank you to uh Councilmember Hernandez for her support yesterday.

And um, we can't do this every day because I don't have this many shirts.

See you soon.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item one.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

My name is Sandra Nunez, and I am speaking on behalf of the Sala Collaborative, a nonprofit organization serving Southeast Los Angeles.

We proudly stand in support of El Corazon Art Park because arts and culture are not luxuries.

They are essential to strong connected communities.

This project will create a welcoming space where families can gather, artists can share their talents, young people can find inspiration, and generations can celebrate the rich cultures that make Los Angeles so vibrant.

We respectfully ask you to reject the sequel appeal and allow this long awaited community vision to move forward and help build Los Angeles where every Los Angeles where every community can see itself reflected.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

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

Good morning.

Item number one.

My name is Juan José Gutierrez.

Hold on just a second.

Sorry, go ahead and finish reading the names.

Okay.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

You said item number one.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

Okay.

My name is Juan José Gutierrez, and I am the executive director of the one-stop immigration and educational center.

At a time when our communities are being made to feel unwelcome, when our presence, our culture, and our contributions are being questioned.

Spaces like El Corazon Park matter more than ever.

This park says you belong here, your stories belong here, and your culture belongs here.

We raise families here and contribute to every corner of this community.

We deserve public spaces that reflect and celebrate who we are.

And for that reason, we urge the city council in this very progressive city to reject the CEQA appeal.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

General comment.

Okay.

So you have one minute.

Go ahead.

If you're in the audience here, or if you're at home watching smoke and scan, and if you actually want to stop the corruption, I urge you to ask for a military-level criminal investigation.

Things will never improve until we get a military level investigation of official misconduct.

It's that bad.

The council members should have asked the governor to have the National Guard look into extreme misconduct a long time ago, but they haven't.

And the governor will never step on the toes of elected officials, so it's their responsibility to ask.

And it's up to you, the public to press them.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Item number one in general public comment, please.

Okay, so you have one minute for each.

Please begin with that.

Good morning.

My name is Cristina Sanchez.

I come to you on behalf of Altamet Health Services, as well as a former recreation and park commissioner, as well as a member of the Charter Commission.

Thank you for hearing me today.

I'd like to call into the record first of all an article published today by Lao Pinion, and I'm going to read the headline.

And I will translate it.

El Corazon Art Park, the end to the curse of a site over 50 years.

Ojalá que la inauguration del Parque Porfin después de tantos anjos de espera innecesaria.

We hope that this park is open after so many years.

This really delineates the story of 50 years of the the civic center at first in Broadway.

Today I'm here to um ask you to deny the appeal and allow El Corazon Art Park to move forward.

The categorical exception was properly granted after review by Recreation and Parks, and this appeal offers no legal basis to overturn that determination.

Instead, the appeal relies on claims that mischaracterize the project before you today.

The appellant argues this land will not be used as park space when the plans clearly provide green space, wellness, arts programming, community gathering areas and public access.

The claimant also states that there's a massive digital billboard.

There will not be.

For item one.

Adelante tiene un minuto para comentar in el uno.

So good morning, my name is Christina Sanchez.

I am a resident of LA County, and I'm here to support the Corazon Art Park Project.

This would be a great opportunity to have open spaces in our community as we don't have enough of those.

So this project would actually transform empty space into a space for the community for artists and for the youth.

And honestly, that's something that I am very concerned about for my children, my family, my nieces and nephews, because there aren't enough public spaces out there.

They're not enough parks for them.

And so I hope that you can consider this, you can deny the appeal, the sequel appeal, and that we can actually continue to move forward on this park without further delay.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Hi, good morning.

I'm here to give a general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute.

Hi, my name is Candida Massine, and I work as a fast food worker here in Los Angeles.

We are here to urge you to pass the Fair Work Fast Food Ordinance in Los Angeles without further delay.

And for us to have a safer and fair workplace where we are aware of our rights and can defend ourselves.

So please support the working class and also support this fair work fast food ordinance.

Thank you.

Good morning.

What would you like to speak to?

Good morning item one and general public comment.

Okay, so you have one minute for each, please begin with the item.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Good morning, Council members.

I'm Brian LaRoy, land use attorney at Nixon Peabody representing Altamed.

We urge you to deny this appeal.

We've submitted a letter in the record uh responding to the appeal, but I'd like to address three appeal points very quickly.

First, the appeal argues that some of the uses are not allowed in the OS1 zone.

That is not true.

They're all included within the permitted use categories of local civic facility and public indoor recreation.

These classifications are defined broadly in the zoning code.

Second, as you heard earlier, Soma's uh the SOMAS environmental team prepared a memo for Wreck and Parks, setting out substantial evidence findings for the class 32 criteria and explained why none of the exceptions apply.

They've also updated that memo, supplemented that memo to respond to the appeal.

Third, there were some general.

Third, there were some questions about the signage on the art sculpture.

To be clear, this is an artwork that incorporates an electronic sign, which will not be lit after closing.

The license agreement requires all signs to be approved by RAP.

The SOMAS memo did include an assessment of potential light and glare from the LED lights.

The appeal provides no evidence otherwise.

The appeal makes a lot of arguments that are not relevant to the CEQA exemption, but all of the criteria for the class 32 exemption are satisfied here, and the appeal offers no substantial evidence supporting the claims.

Please deny this appeal.

Thank you.

Council President, all the time for public comment has elapsed.

All right.

Council may now vote on items 19 through 42.

So open the roll, close the roll, tabulate the vote.

13 ayes.

Alright, what's next?

Council may now vote on the budget and finance committee items 45 through 55.

Councilmember Yaroslavsky, our budget chair or closed session items.

Thank you, Council President.

So items 45 through 55 were considered by the budget and finance committee on June 16th, and I recommend approval of these items.

Alright, thank you.

Alright, Ms.

Kirk, if you can read the settlements into the record and call the roll.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

For item 45 in the case entitled Tammy Pareto versus City of Los Angeles et al.

There's a recommendation to expend up to 250,000 in settlement.

For item 46, in the case entitled Jose Garardo Saverda, Vers City of Los Angeles et al.

There is a recommendation to expend up to 140,000 in settlement.

For item 47, in the case entitled Lena Yun for City of Los Angeles et al.

There's a recommendation to expend up to 200,000 in settlement.

For item 48, in the case entitled Maria Pizano versus City of Los Angeles et al.

There's a recommendation to expend up to up to 250,000 in settlement.

There's a recommendation to expend up to 300,000 dollars in a settlement.

For item 50, in the case entitled Carmen Molina et al.

Vers City of Los Angeles et al.

Christina Sanchez versus City of Los Angeles et al.

And Hormaz Bobana versus City of Los Angeles et al.

There's a recommendation to expend up to $397,000 in settlement.

For item 51 in the case entitled Consuelo Lopez for City of Los Angeles et al.

There's a recommendation to expend up to $275,000 in settlement.

For item 52 in the case entitled Eric Gonzalez for City of Los Angeles et al.

There's a recommendation to reject the settlement.

For item 53 in the case entitled City of Los Angeles Vers Pacifica of the Valley Corporation pursuant to the proposed settlement.

There's a recommendation to expend up to $1,025,000 in settlements.

For item 55 in the case entitled SR West Pico versity of Los Angeles.

There's a recommendation to approve the recommendations in the confidential report from the city attorney's office.

Alright, let's open the roll on those items.

Close the roll, tabulate to vote.

12 eyes.

Alright, what's next?

Item number one called special by Councilmember Herado for comments and motion Herado Padilla that has been circulated.

Thank you, Council President.

I'd like to call the city attorney and recreation and parks to the table.

Okay, sure.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

Can you tell me whether you want more?

All the CEQA exemptions.

The requirements for the CEQA exemptions have been satisfied.

According to our review, say your name for the record in your department and then go into the sorry.

According to our review of the project and of the environment surrounding the project, we found that the requirements for the infill development exemption per section 1532 of the city of the California CEQA guidelines apply to these projects.

And this requirement applies, that there's no um uh impact on noise, traffic, air quality.

We have done an air quality study and uh uh air quality, there's no impact on air quality study, uh studies of uh about noise and traffic also uh demonstrate that there's no impact on traffic and on noise.

Uh the site is not uh a site that could host endangered species because there are very limited trees and no never um endangered species have never been uh found on these trees, and also uh the uh project uh complies with the uh land use uh uh limitations of of the general plan of this uh downtown uh community plan and of the city of Los Angeles uh uh healthy uh LA plan.

Uh also uh the Department of Uh Recreation and Parks uh is uh exemped from uh the zoning regulations uh that typically applied to all other projects.

There is an agreement between uh the Department of City Planning and the Department of Recreation and Park that exempts uh recon parks from all the requirements of zoning.

So uh zoning regulations do not really apply to our projects.

Um that's uh basically uh these are the requirements uh for the application of uh uh um uh exemption um 1532 and these apply to this project.

Furthermore, none of the exceptions to the exemptions apply to this project because this project is not in uh does not affect uh historic uh properties significantly.

It is not in a hazardous uh site zone.

Uh it is uh and also um it's not uh an unusual circumstance for Wreck and Parks to have uh a private developer uh or a third party use uh their uh facilities.

We have uh a number of very different agreements with uh third parties uh to use our venues and even um uh widen our uh recreation centers and our venues.

So uh this not typically that's not unusual, it's a typical circumstance for Wreck and Parks.

Uh and um there's not also there's not cumulative impact because um uh specifically um activities that uh are will be uh held in this park are low impact activities uh that will not uh accumulate with other activities organized in in uh downtown LA.

Uh specifically for uh the FIFA war club uh uh the uh when the project was approved were supposed to be held in this uh project.

Uh all the activities or big activities organized by public bodies uh for uh viewing uh FIFA club uh FIFA World Cup um events are outside downtown LA.

This would would be the only place downtown LA where these activities will take place.

So none of the exceptions apply.

Okay, so just to for for clarity, it has satisfied the five requirements for the infill exemption.

Yes or no?

It has satisfied the five requirements.

Sorry, for clarity of the record.

Does it yes or no?

Does it satisfy the five requirements for the CEQA exemption?

Yes.

Okay, and then also, does it satisfy the exceptions to the exemptions?

Yes.

They don't apply to they don't apply.

So it's the exemption withstands the CEQA appeal legally.

Yes.

Okay, great.

And then the last question that I have for you is there a removal or decommissioning plan in the record?

Or does a license agreement end in February 2027?

Say your name and department for the record.

Good morning, I'm Mariana.

After the year agreement, the licensee must transition out from the space.

So the ends February 2027.

Correct.

And if we were to do anything for with this plot of land that's owned by Wreck and Parks, what would we have to do?

We'd have to do this process all over again.

Correct.

Similarly, an action would be required by the board and the requisite sequel analysis as well.

We would do this again.

Thank you so much.

Okay, colleagues, you know.

After careful review, I really do uh with the advice and counsel of our departments.

Uh I'm urging uh your support in denying the CEQA appeal for this project.

And so I call motion one A to question.

All right.

Let's uh open the roll on this item.

Close the roll to relate to vote.

11 eyes.

All right.

What's next?

Council.

May not move on to item 12, called special by Council Member Herado for comments.

Council Member Herado.

Okay, can I make a couple of item one?

What did that okay?

Well, thank you, Council President.

Before I speak on this item, um, I want to acknowledge the moment we're in.

Boyle Heights is still grappling with the impacts of the warehouse fire, and my focus remains on supporting residents, connecting them the resources, and making sure that they get the information and answers they deserve.

But today's item is about something bigger than a moment.

It's about what gets to shape the future of Boyle Heights.

For too long, decisions about Boyle Heights were made without them, over them, and about them, without meaningful participation of the people who call this community home.

Residents live with the consequences of those decisions, from pollution, environmental burdens to displacement pressures and disinvestment, while too often being left out of the conversation.

Yet despite that history, Boyle Heights resident never stopped showing up.

They organized, they attended meetings, they knocked on doors.

Bless you.

They learned hard to understand planning jargon.

Bless you again.

One more time.

They had advocated for their families, their neighbors, and future generations, and they demanded something simple.

A voice in what happens in their own community, and that's what community plans represent.

Not a document, not a zoning map, a decade plus.

I will say it's a 20-year effort by residents to shape a vision for Boyle Heights, rooted in environmental justice, housing justice, public health, and community self-determination.

These are people that haven't gone to planning school.

I call them lay planners because even in monolingual Spanish, they learned how to plan and create and be part of the community planning process.

And so you don't need to be a master's in urban planning to make a decision about your community.

These people did it, and honestly, I think that's the best way that we should do this because the people closest to the challenges facing their neighborhoods like Boyle Heights are also the people closest to the solutions.

And in my experience, they're already resolving it in their own way.

If we can just make the processes easier to help them resolve it, they could have bigger impacts.

This plan reflects years of community advocacy for stronger environmental protections, more thoughtful land use decisions, greater compatibility between industrial and residential uses, affordable housing, anti-displacement measures, and investments that allow families to remain in the neighborhoods that they build.

Because environmental justice and housing justice cannot be separated, and a community cannot thrive if residents are forced out of the neighborhoods they love.

And a community cannot thrive if families are asked to bear environmental burdens that communities, other ones would never have to accept.

And residents deserve both.

They deserve clean and healthy neighborhoods, they deserve stable and affordable homes, and they deserve a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

No community plan can undo generations of inequitable land use decisions overnight.

I know that, but I still believe in community plan when it integrates community in a meaningful way, like we've been trying to do with this community plan for 20 years.

But it can provide better tools and stronger protections, and it can create a framework that puts community health, affordability, and environmental justice closer to the center of decision making.

And that's what makes today's action meaningful.

This work happened before I was in office and before they were in office and before that guy was in office.

And this is more this is less about me, but it's to celebrate the community members who have really put their heart and soul into this.

And it'll be, and it's clear, you know, that they want to make sure that this community stays for Boyle Heights so that their families can remain, their children can grow up in healthier environments, and whether development happens with communities instead of to the communities, and whether the people who invested so much in this neighborhood can still call it home.

I also want to thank the planning department staff who worked on this effort over many, many years, including Craig Weber, Heidi Orita Lopez, Ulises Gonzalez, Kiran Rishi, and the many planners who have worked uh to help bring this plan forward.

I know some of them probably have left, and there's some that are probably out there, but I really want to thank you.

And to the resident advocants and neighborhood leaders and community organizations who have stayed engaged through a process that took far longer than it should have.

Thank you.

Because of your persistence, this plan exists, and because of your advocacy, uh, your voice is stronger.

So thank you so much.

And colleagues, thank you for voting yes, or I urge a yes vote.

Thank you so much, Councilwoman.

Uh all right.

Uh let's open the roll on this item, close the roll, tabulate to vote.

Eleven eyes.

All right, what's next?

Council may now vote on item 12, called special for council member Lee.

Uh item number 43 called special for council member Lee.

Mr.

Lee.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Item 43, uh, out of abundance of caution, like to accuse myself because this item deals with the matter that I'm involved in.

So thank you.

All right, Mr.

Lee has recused himself on this item.

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

Ten eyes.

All right, what's next?

Would council like to recess the regular meeting and convene the special meeting?

As soon as Mr.

Lee returns, which she has, let's do that.

Bloomenfield, Harris Austin, Hernandez, Harado, Lee, McOskar, Nazaren, Padilla, Park, Price, Rami, Rodriguez, Soda Martinez, Yaroslowski, 11 members on our core, Mr.

President.

All right.

Uh, Mr.

City Turn, if you can prepare us for public comment for the special meeting.

Yes, so if you're here for the special meeting, there will be public comment.

There's only one item on the special meeting agenda.

It is a 245 motion related to an action taken by the port uh commissioners.

So if you are here for that item, there is no need to uh state which items like to speak to because there's only one.

Uh, you will have one minute.

And uh, with that, we can start reading names or Mr.

President.

There's not a lot of people.

There's only one person lined up, so we'll let that person speak.

And uh Mr.

Herman, you already have a warning, so for the record, item one is an item for which public hearings have not been held.

Ten votes are required for consideration.

Thank you.

Yes.

For the record, I do not believe Mr.

Herman has a disability that disallows him from speaking at the podium like everybody else.

See no evidence of such.

You have one minute.

Sorry about that, HDS.

But in CD 15, who's knocking on John S.

Gibson's door?

Who's knocking on truck and chassis parking lot project?

Someone in heaven, please call me and report to me that I veto forbid reject this decision to stop the parking lot project.

Fuck you.

I control narrative.

I got the floor, shut the fuck up.

So stay on topic.

The topic here is about the motion of McOscar who voted while he was sitting over earlier.

Fuck you.

And Mr.

Blumenfield relative to asserting the jurisdiction over Guns and Roses, June 11th, 2025 Board of Harbor Commission.

That's your time.

Please relinquish the microphone.

Alright.

Mr.

McCosker.

Thank you very much.

Uh members, first of all, thank you, Council President, for agendizing this special members.

I apologize because of the special meeting.

You needed that one minute in your life, but I'm sure it was informative to the decision in front of us.

This is a 245, and I appreciate Bob Bloomfield for uh signing on to the 245.

Uh his middle name is I've never seen a 245 that I don't like.

Just to take jurisdiction.

This is all we're doing today is just taking jurisdiction.

What this is is a decision, a carefully considered decision by the port commission to modify their master plan to take a piece of property that was not industrial property, turn it into industrial property, and it's 18 acres, and it if this proceeds, it can become 18 acres of truck and chassis parking at the intersection of an area that is be next to the 110 freeway between San Pedro and Wilmington.

And there is support from a number of of organizations in the San Pedro community.

There is opposition in the Wilmington community.

And what I'm asking members is that we take jurisdiction of this matter, and because of our schedule, it will be fast tracked into next week, but that gives me an opportunity to have further conversations.

We've had many, but have further conversations with the proposed developer and the community, particularly the Wilmington community, who will not be housing this property but will be taking the burden of the traffic that is anticipated.

So I will ask for your I vote.

There are only 11 members of us here, so I'm gonna ask for a unanimous I vote, and I am not asking you to be opposed or supportive of the project.

I'm just asking you to give us jurisdiction so we can do our job.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Mr.

McCosker.

Let's open the roll on this item.

Close the roll, tabulate to vote.

Eleven eyes.

Alright, what's next?

The desk is clear for the special meeting.

Would you like to adjourn the special meeting and reconvene the regular meeting?

Yes, please, please call the roll.

Bloominfield, Harris Dawson, Hernandez, Harado, Lee, McOscar, Nazaren, Padilla, Park, Price, Raman, Rodriguez, Soda Martinez, Yaroslavsky, 11 members on a core, Mr.

President.

All right, Mr.

Clerk, what's before us?

Council has motions for posting and referral.

They're posted and referred.

Desk is clear.

Alright, announcements, members.

Uh any announcements, members?

Council Member Padilla.

Uh members, I just want kind of wanted to uh give a round of applause to three of my interns that are here today.

Um, we're calling it internally intern shadow day.

Um, many of you know that I first got my start uh when I was in high school being part of the youth council, and then continue to, you know, get involved in campaigns at a very young age.

So it's very important for me that my office continue to pay that forward.

So uh Nicolas Rivas, Matthew Lewis, Daniel Bogumyan.

Um, thank you for uh the service that you've given so far.

I'm very excited for everything else that you're gonna continue to learn this summer, and I applaud you for uh taking your youth and your free time um into doing something productive, and uh hopefully when this is over, you will be happy uh with the experience and accredit us to your personal professional growth at such a young age.

Thank you again.

And Council Colleagues, please say hello.

Hey there.

Thank you again.

Congratulations.

Thank you all so much.

All right.

Uh, any other announcements, members?

All right.

I have uh an announcement on tomorrow, uh, June 25th from 10 a.m.

to 1 p.m., Councilmember Hutt and I will be hosting a job fair at Crenshaw High School.

It's a great opportunity to anyone looking to begin a career, transition to a new field, or connect uh with employers from around the city.

There'll be 30 employers there, 20 resource providers, community organizations representing industries such as banking, construction, hospitality, supermarket utilities, transportation, and the city of Los Angeles.

We'll also have live scan services so you can get that done on the spot.

Expungement assistance uh for folks who are trying to clear their record, career development resources, free food, live entertainment, as well as a kid zone, so you can bring your kids and they can hang out while you are talking to employers.

So, anyone you know who's looking for a job, please join, uh ask them to join us uh tomorrow at Crenshaw High School.

All right, any other announcements, members?

All right.

With that, I'll ask everyone to rise for adjourning motions.

Look to my left.

All right, all right, look to my right, Councilmember Raman.

Um colleagues, I rise today to adjourn this meeting in memory of David Codell, who passed away last month at the all too early age of 57.

He was a friend to many in Council District 4, and we're honored to be able to recognize his legacy here today.

Born in 1968, David lived what many would call the American dream.

The grandson of immigrants, the first in his family to earn a college degree from Harvard, Sumakum Laud.

He went on to earn a law degree from there as well, before clerking for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

A formative experience that shaped the lawyer he would become.

David went on to become one of the most consequential civil rights litigators of his generation.

He helped pioneer novel legal arguments on behalf of LGBT rights, won the first case in the country in which a court required a public school district to permit a gay straight alliance to meet on campus, and led a landmark string of cases that upheld California's domestic partnership laws.

He was a partner at IREL and Manala before launching his own law firm in 2003, which he ran for more than a decade.

And he later served as visiting legal director of the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and as the Constitutional Litigation Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where he helped lay the groundwork for nationwide marriage equality.

In 2013, then Mayor Elect Eric Garcetti presented David with the Agnes Herman Humanitarian Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions.

But David was so much more than just his professional accomplishments, which were obviously numerous.

He had played the violin since the fifth grade, and music remained his lifelong love.

His legacy endures in the strength, compassion, and sense of purpose he instilled in those closest to him, especially his beloved husband, Jose.

David in his work and his life touched the lives of so many.

He dedicated his life to fighting injustice and advancing change and his brilliant intellect, deep love of music, witty sense of humor, and profound care for those around him will live on in the memories of all who knew him.

Colleagues, I ask that we adjourn today's meeting in his memory.

And we I know we have his uh friends and community watching um via this link, and his friend Ellen Evans was a board member of Equality California and a resident of Council District 4 and others here today.

So thank you all.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Raman, and thank you all for being with us today and sharing in this important memory for our city.

With that, we're adjourned.

Thank you so much, everybody.

They need to know that we're a very active community.

Uh, we get involved in all sorts of community events, and they love to have a lot of fun.

It's not just sitting around playing games and stuff all day.

We like to get out and move.

This keeps us active.

So we don't want to be sitting at home, you know, maybe watching TV or whatever.

Them providing outside activities for us is great for us because you know, we don't want to just be sitting around.

These are our golden gears, and we would like to keep them golden, exactly.

And very active.