OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Hispanic/Latino Affairs Commission Informal Meeting - June 11, 2026

City Council — Thursday, June 11, 2026
BodyTulsa, Oklahoma
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, June 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:01:45
Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

Thank you.

0:17

Okay.

0:19

Great.

0:20

Hello everybody.

0:22

I know it's tempting to be outside, but thank you for joining us today.

0:29

Alexi, shall we do roll?

0:32

Okay.

0:33

Alright.

0:34

Amy Arissa here.

0:36

Carlos Bajarano.

0:38

Chris Chavez.

0:40

Jackie Gonzalez here.

0:41

Jose Pabaca Mendez.

0:44

Mimi Martinez.

0:46

Fatima Linares.

0:49

Jessica Lozano Alparez.

0:52

Mark Onesorge.

0:55

Jacob Pada.

0:57

Diana Pennington.

1:00

Amanda Petegarina.

1:04

Angelica Reina.

1:06

Richard Gonzalez.

1:09

Riley Howard.

1:11

Andy Little.

1:12

Here.

1:15

Thanks for bringing up the end there.

1:17

Andy.

1:19

The few of the crowd.

1:21

Okay.

1:22

So since we don't have quorum, we're going to just talk and take notes.

1:29

Um there were a couple things that I did want to talk to the commission about.

1:36

And just to flag, I guess, I'll go slightly out of order from this meeting, right?

1:42

Because we okay.

1:44

So definitely want to update you all on a really interesting chair-vice chair meeting that we all had.

1:51

Um just to inform some future things around the uh Thomas Rivera Awards.

1:57

So I'll talk a little bit about that.

1:59

Um it looks like so we were gonna have a vote um for the Human Rights Commission seat, um, so we'll need to table that, but um just an FYI for the group.

2:11

Um in the past, this has been just kind of an appointed position.

2:17

Um and so currently Amanda sits in that seat and has been for the last couple years.

2:25

Um, so the expectation there is that she attends all the meetings.

2:29

Um moving forward, um, the city wants us to vote on the individual instead of just uh name an individual.

2:39

So that's what that vote is about.

2:41

Um Amanda has expressed an interest in continuing to to have that seat, but if other people are open to or interested in having a discussion, um I'd encourage you to maybe chat with Amanda about it because she seemed kind of open about um having someone replace her if if there was like a deep passion for filling that role.

3:07

Um I will say the executive team, we've talked about um how we want to learn more about what that position, what the commission is up to and get more regular reports related to the human rights commission.

3:23

So I think moving forward we'll make sure that there's some dedicated time to be sharing updates and ways to kind of stay connected with that group because they obviously are involved in a lot of things.

3:34

Um they're in touch with a lot of organizations and can be a real benefit to us, and we have a lot of unique um networks and talents to bring to them too.

3:45

So hopefully we can just have a slightly more um felt presence.

3:52

I think across with that.

3:55

So are there any questions about that?

3:59

Who should someone contact if they're interested in folding that position and when would we hold that vote in August?

4:07

Yeah, I guess we would have to hold it in August, so Amanda would continue to fill it until we we do the official vote.

4:14

I would say that because Amanda has expressed interest in continuing on, if although she has also said that she's open to letting somebody else if if someone is interested, um, you know, letting me know, and I would invite you to have a conversation with Amanda too.

4:31

So just so you could hear kind of like things she's hoping to do, or things that you know you can stay in the loop on, or you know, that kind of stuff.

4:40

So yeah, and then what I'm hearing is would we add an agenda item for a standing agenda item then to have a report from the HRC?

4:54

Is that what I'm understanding?

4:56

I don't think that would be a bad idea, or would that be just like old business, or where would that fall on the agenda?

5:02

Um I think adding a standing agenda item is a great idea.

5:07

That's something that the African American Affairs Commission does.

5:10

So their liaison, you know, has that standing item and reports back monthly as to what HRC is going you know up to.

5:18

Um so I think that's a good approach to make sure there's that dedicated time in the agenda.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Youth Programs████████████████17%
Racial Equity████████████████17%
Public Safety█████████9%
Procedural███████7%
Economic Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Hispanic/Latino Affairs Commission Informal Meeting - June 11, 2026

The Hispanic/Latino Affairs Commission held an informal meeting on June 11, 2026, without a quorum, so no formal votes were taken. The commission discussed updates from the chair-vice chair meeting, committee reports, and planning for future speakers and programs.

Discussion Items

  • Human Rights Commission (HRC) Representative Vote: The vote for the commission's representative on the Human Rights Commission was tabled to the August meeting. Amanda Petegarina expressed interest in continuing in the role but is open to others. A standing agenda item for HRC reports will be added.
  • Fund Management & Scholarship Exploration: The chair reported on a chair-vice chair meeting with the city's legal department about fundraising and sponsorship challenges. The commission is exploring a scholarship program in partnership with an outside organization, similar to the Women's Commission's partnership with the YWCA. Chris Chavez noted that the education committee previously considered scholarships but needed a decision on feasibility. The commission plans exploratory talks with the Asian Affairs Commission and the education committee in August.
  • Upcoming Speakers: Riley Howard will speak about MSA rate changes in August. Sheriff Vic Regalado of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office is invited to discuss county jail procedures for immigration holds, including ICE holds, bond refunds, and public reporting. Commissioners expressed a need for detailed questions and requested that Mr. Regalado attend in person. Another speaker, Marcia from Leadership Tulsa, is also expected.
  • County Jail Immigration Holds: Jackie Gonzalez shared that a family member with a municipal violation was referred to ICE, contrary to prior understanding. Discussion clarified that federal agencies can request inmates from city jails, and the national fingerprint database alerts ICE. Commissioners want to ask Sheriff Regalado about the county's policy, bond practices, and appeal processes.
  • Education Committee – Tomas Rivera Awards: The awards recognized 31 scholars and 10 community heroes, with over 165 attendees (excluding commissioners and volunteers), noted as high attendance. A debrief identified logistical improvements. Planning for the next awards will begin in September, with potential scholarship integration.
  • Public Safety Committee: Chris Chavez reported on multiple initiatives:
    • Participation in MSA week activities at the zoo on May 17 (outreach to a new Tulsa family from Houston).
    • Health Department partnerships: creating drug disposal protocols for senior living centers, promoting mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages (e.g., Mood Brew), rescheduling a hepatitis event to Hispanic Heritage Week, and addressing a growing problem of youth DUI offenders with language barriers.
    • Food truck certification rodeos on June 23-24 and September 23-24 at the State Fair facility, with help from the State Fire Marshal to provide multilingual guides for compliance.
  • Immigration Committee: Jackie Gonzalez reported on meetings:
    • An immigration attorney highlighted policy changes making adjustment of status more difficult, urging legal guidance.
    • A meeting with District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, who stated he would not consider immigration status when victims report crimes and would sign U visas for eligible victims.
    • Proposal to ask the Mexican consulate to facilitate driver's license issuance from Mexico, since Tulsa Police accept foreign driver's licenses. The commission will explore this with consulates.
  • Business Engagement: The food truck project is the first priority; volunteers are sought to help with policy visibility.
  • Outreach & Tabling: Commissioners discussed improving tabling materials and experiences. The Mexican consulate's mobile visits are a potential tabling opportunity.
  • Other Announcements: Free YWCA swimming classes with bilingual translators are available. The commission agreed to finalize a draft letter to the city about a resilient inbox, pending confirmation from the department head.

Key Outcomes

  • The HRC representative vote is postponed to August; Amanda Petegarina will continue until then.
  • A standing agenda item for HRC reports will be added.
  • Scholarship exploration will proceed with a working session involving the education committee and potential partners.
  • Sheriff Vic Regalado will be invited to the August or September meeting to answer specific questions about ICE holds and jail procedures.
  • No formal votes were taken due to lack of quorum.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you. Okay. Great. Hello everybody. I know it's tempting to be outside, but thank you for joining us today. Alexi, shall we do roll? Okay. Alright. Amy Arissa here. Carlos Bajarano. Chris Chavez. Jackie Gonzalez here. Jose Pabaca Mendez. Mimi Martinez. Fatima Linares. Jessica Lozano Alparez. Mark Onesorge. Jacob Pada. Diana Pennington. Amanda Petegarina. Angelica Reina. Richard Gonzalez. Riley Howard. Andy Little. Here. Thanks for bringing up the end there. Andy. The few of the crowd. Okay. So since we don't have quorum, we're going to just talk and take notes. Um there were a couple things that I did want to talk to the commission about. And just to flag, I guess, I'll go slightly out of order from this meeting, right? Because we okay. So definitely want to update you all on a really interesting chair-vice chair meeting that we all had. Um just to inform some future things around the uh Thomas Rivera Awards. So I'll talk a little bit about that. Um it looks like so we were gonna have a vote um for the Human Rights Commission seat, um, so we'll need to table that, but um just an FYI for the group. Um in the past, this has been just kind of an appointed position. Um and so currently Amanda sits in that seat and has been for the last couple years. Um, so the expectation there is that she attends all the meetings. Um moving forward, um, the city wants us to vote on the individual instead of just uh name an individual. So that's what that vote is about. Um Amanda has expressed an interest in continuing to to have that seat, but if other people are open to or interested in having a discussion, um I'd encourage you to maybe chat with Amanda about it because she seemed kind of open about um having someone replace her if if there was like a deep passion for filling that role. Um I will say the executive team, we've talked about um how we want to learn more about what that position, what the commission is up to and get more regular reports related to the human rights commission. So I think moving forward we'll make sure that there's some dedicated time to be sharing updates and ways to kind of stay connected with that group because they obviously are involved in a lot of things. Um they're in touch with a lot of organizations and can be a real benefit to us, and we have a lot of unique um networks and talents to bring to them too. So hopefully we can just have a slightly more um felt presence. I think across with that. So are there any questions about that? Who should someone contact if they're interested in folding that position and when would we hold that vote in August?

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