The Los Angeles City Council convened on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 9:00 AM (assumed based on typical start time) with 11 members present. The meeting included ceremonial recognitions, approval of routine agenda items, public testimony on various topics, and memorial adjournments.
We just wanted to come from City Hall to tell you to keep the faith and keep the fight because we've got your back. We are here at El Nido Family Center in Pocoima to present a check of over 315,000 for the participatory budgeting program. The residents of this community voted for these resources to serve and create a safe space where we can have a farmers' market. And an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to sell their wares. This funding is not only creating some large scale events for families, but it's also all the operational cost for a farmers market for an entire year of programming. We actually had a skeleton crew of two and myself and another manager. We're bringing four more community members on staff to help work at the market and be part of the strategy team that makes the decisions about what happens here. And we are gonna be continuing with cooking classes, gardening classes, and nutrition classes, yoga and sumba. We are united and we are a Los Angeles that is truly for everyone. And that's what Los Angeles is about, has been about, and the LA Civil Rights Department today was pleased to bring this for Angelinos. Originally cast in South Korea before its Trans-Pacific journey, the Korean Vella Friendship is housed within a striking stone pavilion. This pagoda style structure was meticulously crafted over 10 months by 30 artisans brought from Korea to the site. From this shared history to a preview of the future of another corner of Los Angeles, innovative plans are unfolding to link two distinct green spaces as part of a bold vision, bringing communities together. This is a great opportunity to invite the community to come out and enjoy being in the open space. Typically, Wilshire is full of cars and today is full of happy people enjoying the day and just having family time. This is one of the goals that Metro has as an agency to be able to continue to provide funding for these type of events. This is just a great example of a hugely successful program that the community has really come to enjoy over the last few years. But for the pedestrians for the community, I think the closure of Wilshire Boulevard reunites the parts to bring the families together in a clean, safe environment where we can really enjoy our families and our cultural sway. This is a really fun opportunity to come out and see your city and socialize. Right now, helping the little kids play like a scrimmage. It was really fun. Anybody can walk and not have to worry about cars passing by. And for us, we can play soccer and it's just safe. And I think this whole event is really cool because everybody gets to get together and socialize. Yeah, I would definitely look forward to more events, and um I would definitely come out if there were events like this. Metro is more than trains and buses. Metro provides grants for open streets events such as this one today. We also provide other types of funding for construction for shuttle service, and it's a really great agency that is looking out for the community and making sure that there are transportation options for everyone. It's a great event, and we're always looking to create partnerships with the city of LA. It's a great opportunity for the community to continue to come out and enjoy these events. A lot of people think of libraries as being just like a staunchy little place where you can't talk or anything, but this library is a live space, and it really tells the story of Los Angeles. We are so excited to welcome you here to help celebrate our centennial. We have been paying tribute to this incredible building all year long, and we plan on continuing to celebrate it through the end of the year. Central Library opened 100 years ago, and ever since then we've been serving the public continuously for all that time. Folks can look forward to live performances, arts and crafts, booths from other nonprofits and public institutions here in the city where they can find resources and celebrate with our neighbors. I think it's a great event because it gets a lot of us readers out here together, and we can talk about books. It's a great family event. I'm here with my sisters and my nieces, and it's just so great that we all love reading. The library has always moved with the times. When the internet became the super highway, the library modernized and made sure that those people that couldn't have access, that they could come to the library and have access. Now we have people that are teaching them how to use AI. They can go online and have all those services, but my preference is to be at the library because it's a special space. You can see people, the architecture is absolutely incredible, and things that you can't afford on your own, the library provides them for you. We should take great pride in this incredible institution and continue investing in it. Because doing so, we're investing in the community in generations of Angelinos that will benefit from the light of learning that we provide here at the library. The mission of Los Angeles Public Library is to serve all the communities throughout the city, and that's what we do starting at Central Library. The friendship bell is rung annually to celebrate Independence Day, Korean National Liberation Day, and New Year's Eve. Additional observances include Constitution Week in September and Korean American Day in January. Residents can also hear the bell ring out 13 times on the first Saturday of every month. Another treasure in the LA landscape is the tradition of free Shakespeare in Griffith Park.