Everybody started in 2023 under the leadership of councilwoman, uh council president.

And the committee started, you know, really talking to a lot of people about all types of the crisis that we they were witnessing, the gaps and the problems that they were having, even um being able to build.

Um this again, I want to point out because a lot of people are mistaken, and a lot of people think that we have put out our point of view.

I mean, it is stuff that we have collected, information, data, and again, we have to give the staff a lot of credit for all the background check and the data collecting and all of that to put this report out.

Again, it is not an ordinance.

Um, I want to copy something that was said to me, and I think it works really well to talk about this.

If you look at this report, which I encourage every council person to take this report to your neighborhood after you study it yourself and engage your community in the conversation, because we gotta start cracking between these things and making it um making uh a move towards um addressing housing price task force.

I wanna say that this report, as we were working on it, served to me like it's a menu, it's recommendations.

It's a menu that my committee, the committee on the uh housing price force um put together.

Now it's if it was in a restaurant, you have a menu, you ask the chef to cook up something, right?

And when you cook it up, you need the right ingredients and season.

That's where we bring in the community and the public.

That's where they come with their expertise as well.

To sit at the table to help us really dive deep to come up with other ways to really address this issue, address the issue around housing price, the housing crisis.

And all right, then after you have the chef, who serves it?

Who serves this is the council people.

When they come up with great legislations that match the need of the community.

I won't go on and on.

Please read it.

It's exciting, it's hot, it's off the map off the press, and I encourage you to read it.

I cannot exit without calling out certain names.

Councilman Royus, Councilwoman Peterson, Councilwoman Graves, and of course, Vice Chairman Espernol.

Thank you.

Work is done, and I appreciate everything that you guys did, the seriousness of taking housing.

And just before I close, it's not just recommendations, it's work that we already did.

That this council, this council here, have done since I've been here, since I came 2022.

This work has started from all of you, really taking this serious.

So all of that is here.

So I thank you.

I encourage you to please read it, and let's try to figure out how to bring the community in on this conversation.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chairwoman, and thank you to all of the committee members for all of your work.

Uh further discussion on item nine.

Madam President.

Councilman Rayas.

Thank you, Madam President.

I also rise to echo um what our our uh chairwoman Harris just said, and I want to thank the the chairwoman for um her leadership on this housing task force.

And I just as a side note when um council Harris, whenever you speak, and shame goes for Miss Aldea, how you say it and and what you say it, um I just feel like running through a wall sometimes because you inspire me on so many issues.

I just want to say that.

Um this housing crisis task force uh was established, it seems like many years ago.

Uh, but we over two years we worked together, we've heard from experts as councilwoman Harris said, and um, and we created a report that I think serves as a blueprint and almost a GPS council councilwoman Harris says a menu, which I think is uh um a fair, fair um uh description of what it is.

But I think it's gonna guide this council in the coming months um with tools and hopefully we we take serious action and um implement when society's report.

Um, and it's and it's tools that I think serve for um not just you know, and we echo this, but it's not just you maybe a supply side solution, but guardrails and keeping folks um in their in their homes.

I think it is worth knowing that we have some solutions here that could keep families in their home and keep children um in their school um without a significant disruption to the education.

I bet if we'd asked um principal uh Tester and Principal Scott about um what their work is with uh students who are familiar who are homeless, I guarantee they'll say that it's you know high cost of rent, other barriers to housing.

So I you know, I'd be remiss to not highlight that uh because it you know this there's today it presents this sort of overlapping issues, and um, you know, the last thing I'll say is just generally our leaders in state in uh city and state government always say let's create province so that it's a world-class city.

Let's br let's establish infrastructure and amenities so that we could attract outsiders into our city.

And while there's so many things that I'm proud of that we offer in this city, I think along the way we've forgotten about the people who built this city, um, who have who live here for and and uh who have established themselves here.

And I I just think that we need to put the focus back on our long-term residents and to make sure we keep them housed.

Uh, we keep family famous here for the uh for the long term so that they're not displaced by faceless developers.

And so I think we need to take this report seriously.

I really encourage you all to take it home, read it, and and let's hopefully uh hopefully translates into real action in the months ahead.

So thank you to our members of the task force, thank you to Chairwoman Harris, Council President, thank you for giving me time to uh make remarks about this.

Thank you.

Further discussion on item nine.

Hearing none, all in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed, any abstentions?

Um the motion passes.

Madam Clerk, please note item nine as received.

So noted.

Item 10.

Madam President, majority leaders.

10 through 24 and passed for the first time in a roll call vote.

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion on items 10 through 24.

Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Council President Miller, aye.

Deputy Majority Whip Anderbois, aye.

Majority Leader Espinal.

Aye.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Gonzales.

Aye.

Councilwoman Graves is absent.

Councilwoman Peterson.

Aye.

Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo.

Aye.

Council Arroyas.

Aye.

Councilwoman Ryan.

Majority Whip Sanchez.

Aye.

Councilman Taylor is absent.

Councilwoman Ana Vargas.

Councilman Oscar Vargas.

Aye.

We have 12 eyes, two absent.

The motion carries the matters are approved for the first time on a roll call vote.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Item 25.

Madam Pres.

Majority Leader.

And receive and approve.

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion on item 25.

Hearing none.

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Please note 25 is received and approved.

Point of personal expression.

Uh count council Peterson.

Madam President, I just want to take a quick minute because I know we're about to end.

I appreciate you giving me the time.

Um really quickly.

I know that we acknowledged Hispanic Heritage Month at our last meeting, but um I want to take a just two minutes to reflect on what what it means, what Hispanic Heritage means to me as a Latina in this faith.

As we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to share something from the heart.

For me, this isn't just a month on a calendar.

It's a reminder of where we've come from, what we've endured, and the resilience that carries us forward.

When I think about being Latina in this country, I think about my parents and my grandparents and so many others who left behind everything familiar.

Family home, their family home, their language, family in general, to start over in a place where nothing was promised.

They came with only a few dollars in their park in their pockets and a lot of faith in their hearts.

From that faith, they built families.

From those dollars, they built businesses.

They laid down roots.

We laid down roots in communities that didn't always welcome us, and yet we stayed.

They worked, they dreamed of a future where their children would have a fair shot.

This is not so different from any other immigrant family that's come here.

I've heard choice words, labels, even quiet attempts to diminish what I bring to the table.

And I know I'm not alone.

Our community hears them too.

We're judged for our accents, the color of our skin, the way we look, the names we carry.

We're told in ways both subtle and blatant that we don't belong.

Now more than ever, this rings true.

Here's the truth.

What others see as weakness, I see a strength.

Our accents, their proof of bilingual brilliance, the way we look, the proof of the beauty and the diversity that makes up our Latinidad.

The names that we carry, they hold our stories, our sacrifices, our legacies, and those can never be erased.

I've learned that being Latina means carrying struggle and hope in the same breath.

It means knowing that every barrier we face is also an opportunity to build something stronger for our next generation.

It means refusing to abolish to apologize for being passionate for being intense and for being too much.

So as a neighbor, as I stand here as a neighbor, as an elected leader, I wanted to share this.

To my neighbors, even when you don't agree with me, even when you don't support, I'm here because that is the responsibility that we carry as leaders.

When the horizon for us is looking a little bleak, and when that weight feels really heavy, we keep showing up to make sure our community is represented with dignity and with courage.

It is our way of life.

It is in the families that we raise, the businesses that we build, the faith that keeps us going, and that resilience that forever defines us.

And so finally, I'm just gonna say a few quick things.

We are here, we are staying.

We are building and we are thriving.

And no matter what comes our way, our story will be one of unlimited resilience and never-ending hope.

So to my Latino community, may your strength never falter.

May your voice never be quieted, and may your fire never fade.

Siempre unidos.

Gracias.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Item 26.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Motion to weigh the reading out in 26 and 27.

Second, madam president.

You have a motion and a second.

Any discussion items 26 and 27.

Hearing none, all in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Please, uh Madam Clerk, refer 26 to claims and pending seats.

Note 27 as received.

So noted.

Item 28.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Second, Madam President.

Any discussion on item 28?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Being that there's no further business.

Uh I'll ask that we all rise.

As I make a motion to adjourn, but tonight we will adjourn in the name of Dennis Quigley from Ward 5.

Adele Thomas Jabor, our colleague and Judge Po Jabore's mother, as well as David W.

Varome.

May they always rest in peace.

Yes.

Thank you, majority leader.

Any discussion?

Second, Madam President.

Thank you.

Um, any discussion?

All in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed, any abstentions?

We are adjourned.

Thank y'all so much.

Sure.