Cannabis licensing, graffiti cleanup grants, housing insecurity, and a labor-rights push

Martin · General public comment

general public comment. Hello, my name is Martin Barrera. Back in 2022, I was shocked to read an article in Reuters detailing that Alabama's part suppliers for Hyundai and Kia were using child labor. Investigative reporters found that staffing agencies had placed migrant children in plants. Today, I join you as a local resident and representative with Jobs With America to voice our support for resolutions and a motion introduced by Excuse me, by Council Member Soto Martinez. We applaud Council Member Soto Martinez for introducing these important policy actions. Given the reports of children working at Hyundai-Kia suppliers and other documented human and labor violations, it is imperative to …

Unverified speaker · Public comment

General comment. So, I haul my butt down here week after week and make the same request. Issue public statements asking the governor to do a military-level investigation of public misconduct. I repeat, public. Any confidential communication will accomplish nothing. And if you're not willing to provide this highest level of oversight to your constituents, please give a coherent reason why not. The police are refusing to do serious investigations and the district attorney is refusing to put accused criminals in front of juries in open court.

Unverified speaker · General public comment

general public comment. Good morning, City Council. I want to wish all a blessed weekend. I also want to acknowledge Bob Blumenfield for doing an outstanding job making Reseda Park look much nicer. The team spirit in your office is amazing. I'm also very impressed with the new park that is under construction at this time. And also your work hard work involvement in the Latino community. You spent a long time in public service and it's paid off. And thanks again for all your great work as a councilman. Morning, sir. Good afternoon. What

Unverified speaker · Item 14

Yes, sir. I am 14 and public comment, please. Good. Thank you. Candido Mares, former member of the Porter Ranch Pacific Plan. Yes, I go back that far. I would like to submit these photos to the council office. I'll Wonderful. You know, just a quick comment. Granada Hills, honestly, truly, you have to go there. It's one of the best So, Mr. Candido, you're welcome to speak that during general. I know you know the rules as well. Absolutely. That's 14. 14's about streets, cleaning, etc. I want to show you and this You folks don't believe me. This is This is what Reseda Boulevard looks just a few a few blocks away from Porter from Granada Hills. You know, we're talking about street cleaning? …

Unverified speaker · General public comment

So, at this point you are disrupting the meeting because we cannot proceed with public comment. This is your first and only formal warning. Thank you for your public comment.

Unverified speaker · General public comment

for general public comment.

Prab · General public comment

Good afternoon. General public comment, please. Thank you. So, good afternoon. My name is Prab Rai. I am a Master of Social Work student at USC and a former community organizer. in my work across communities in LA, I really have gotten to see what housing instability looks like on the ground. It really decides whether or not people and businesses can stay rooted, whether families or children have stability, and whether or not our LA communities actually break apart or not. what really stood out to me though is that even under this pressure, you know, with rising costs and ICE raids, our neighbors still show up for one another. organizations, you know, step in to fill those gaps. But we …

Unverified speaker · Items 14, 1

both item Well, the only item in public comment. Yes, so I do approve this. I'm just curious why we can only get a grant to remove graffiti. But anyways, I am in support of this. Obviously, there's big events coming up and we don't want the world to see that our city is unfortunately filled with graffiti. On my commute here, all I saw was graffiti, graffiti, graffiti, graffiti. And it's unfortunate. You know, we're a better city than that and I hope we can fix it and we don't just need a Cal grant to remove graffiti and leave it open in the disguise of street art. So, yes. I'll move to general public comment now.

Tyra · General public comment

Hi, my name is Tyra Rondia. I'm from the San Fernando Valley and a current Master's of Social Work student at the University of Southern California and also a Granada Hills Charter alum. in the mornings, I pass a vacant commercial building which was once a church, but has been burnt down back in January. In the front, there's also a homeless man that resides there every morning. a few days ago, the LA County declared housing insecurity as a public crisis. I believe this issue has been a crisis and it's seen with stories such as mine. Therefore, as we continue to share these stories, I hope that the declaration continues to create more discussion and accountability. Conversations that lead …

Ria Vano · General public comment

Good afternoon. I'd like to speak on general public comment. Thank you. Good afternoon, council members. Thank you for your time. My name is Ria Vano, and I'm a graduate student in social work here in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. I want to use this time to speak on housing insecurity in Los Angeles and the city's role in addressing it. We know that housing instability is strongly linked to increased mental health challenges, chronic illness, and barriers to accessing consistent care. Many individuals and families are spending significant portion of their income just to remain housed, leaving them at constant risk of displacement. This is where the city plays a …

Unverified speaker · Public comment

I would like to speak about housing costs in LA.

Omar · General public comment

My name is Omar, speaking for myself as an individual. General public comment, please. Dear council members, for the past year I have attended every city charter reform commission meeting to advocate for my community in District 6, and for those whose voices often go unheard. I am deeply committed to civic engagement because I care about the well-being of the neighborhood I live in, District 6. And I want to help ensure that the people who cannot speak for themselves are still represented in the process. Throughout these meetings, I have consistently spoken and submitted written comments in support of social justice, fairness, and equitable representation. my goal has always been to …

Amy · General public comment

My name is Amy Pritchard. I have attended nearly every single CRC meeting and I would like to ask every single council member to push hard for the presentation to come to the full council. The report is really not great and they are hiding a lot of things in the legal portion of the of the reforms. Specifically, the mayoral powers. They the increased mayoral powers includes letting the mayor schedule a special agenda anytime they want without limitation. So, Mayor Garcetti could in theory look at City Council, schedule a special agenda 15 minutes later every single time. This is actually the watered-down version. Originally, the mayor was going to be allowed to make a motion without a …

Unverified speaker · General public comment

if there's anyone else that has signed up for public comment or wishes to give public comment at this time, please line up on the right. Good afternoon. What

Unverified speaker · General public comment

general public comment, please. my name is Eric. I'm a photographer who's been documenting the city's response to ICE since June. I'm here once again to point out that, as I think you all know, you've got a major problem going on with the LAPD and ICE. I said it on Wednesday, but now Council Member Raman is back, so I want to drive the point home. On Tuesday at the Board of Police Commission meeting, the OIG openly said that what happens at the MDC may be, quote, "immigration-related, but is not immigration enforcement." We've suspected it, but now they've said it. That's why they've been helping, and they have been helping. Councilmember Raman, I know you're running for mayor in part on …

Maurice Defoe Ya · Item 10

Cool. Hi, my name is Maurice Defoe ya Cunningham. the city council just voted to pass item 10, which is a cannabis item. I've been working in the cannabis industry for the past 6 years. those instructions need to be amended to the Department of Cannabis Regulation to include all non-storefront retail license types to include distribution, manufacturing, and testing because testing's also important. right now it's just cultivation and delivery, and it's limiting the opportunities to increase marketplace participation that the motion purports to provide to the public. So, I highly I want the city council to consider amending that motion and instructing DCR to look at all license types, not …

Valerie · Item 14

Thank you. My name is Valerie Lisarraga. I'm here today with Jobs to Move America to voice our support for two resolutions and a motion introduced today by Councilmember Soto Martinez. JMA conducted research over 2 years and found concerning practices within the automotive manufacturing industry, specifically in companies within Hyundai Kia's US supply chain, which is published in our report Hidden in Plain Sight. The report discusses documented instances of child labor, coercive prison labor, and unsafe working conditions that have led to preventable worker deaths at auto part suppliers. At a press event, a former worker, Mark Miller, who worked at a Hyundai supplier as a part of a prison …

Councilmember Tim McOsker · Council discussion

Councilmember Padilla seconds. What's next? Commendatory resolutions for approval.

Councilmember John S. Lee · Item 14

Councilmember Jurado seconds. Uh can we run through our agenda? Thank you, Mr. President. Items 1 through 13 are items for which public hearings have been held. Items 14 Item 14 is an item for which public hearings have not been held. 10 votes are required for consideration. All right, without objection, those items are now before us. This is the time for specials, members. I see Councilmember Padilla on the on the queue. Yes, I'd like to call item two and three uh special for comments. All right. Any other specials on my right? Any other specials on my left? All right. Seeing uh none, Mr. Clerk, can we take up items two and three at this time? Yes, we may. All right. Councilmember Padilla …

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez · Department oversight

we've got a member on the queue, Council member Padilla. Of course I'm on the queue for this one. Go Spartans. Well, to all of the youth who are here, I'm Council member Padilla. Right next to Ms. Rodriguez. So, I'm your neighbor. So, I'm very familiar with your community. I'm very happy to see you guys here. Congratulations. And Council member Rodriguez, thank you so much for including the cheerleaders cuz you know, once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. That's why we're over here cheering you ladies on as well. Keeping the spirit alive during game days, right? Being part of the motivating spirit of what games are, right? Too bad the band's not here. That would have been nice. But …

Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr. · Department oversight

Thank you, Mr. President. Councilwoman Hutt, I too want to just thank you for bringing this hero to us today. I'm I'm happy to join with family and friends as we celebrate Theo Irving. You know, Theo, you really have made a real significant impact. I just don't the department, really but our whole city and in the fabric of our lives and we really appreciate you. You brought a perspective that helps us to understand the importance of equity and inclusion. And you have reflected that in in kinds of ways. As a as a leader in city planning, my notes say black leader, but you've been a leader in city planning. You've ensured the decisions in our neighborhoods reflect the voices and the needs …

Councilmember Imelda Padilla · Council discussion

Um Mr. Ervin, I just want to make sure that you hear from me that I'm really excited from you for you. I'm very happy for your family. I know that it's a big deal for families when retirement finally happens and they can finally get, you know, your full attention. But I just wanted to say, you know, one of my proudest moments um when I first came to council was uh supporting the establishment of the LA Black Planners Association. And here I'm seeing all the members, you know? And when I first uh you know wanted to make that happen, I was under this impression that it was a bunch of young blood, a lot of young motivated uh planners. And then now to see that we have someone that's retiring. …

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez · Item 14

Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Hutt, for this wonderful presentation, and Mr. Irving, uh for your dedicated service to the people of Los Angeles. You know, so often when we talk about what can transform a community, we talk about parks. We talk about uh public safety. We forget to really fully acknowledge the transformative work of planning. And your example and everything that you cited in talking about David Cunningham and and Jackie DuPont Walker and all of the collective efforts to make sure that our communities got what they're deserving of. There's often times in uh you know, my friend Adele is here, who was a former general manager. I remember when uh there was something that …

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez · Council action

if I could be added to the adjourning motion, um my That's the library around the corner from my home, and she was such an integral part of my family's experience there, my children's experience there. So, if that's okay with you. Thank you. All right, thank you, Mr. Martinez. Anything else on the right? Councilmember Rodriguez. Thank you. I am uh joined today by the family of Reverend Jeffry Joseph Senior. Uh and I rise today to adjourn in his memory. He passed away on March 7th at the age of 96. For more than 77 years, Pastor Joseph dedicated his life to ministry, justice, and service. Born in Jennings, Louisiana, he answered his calling at a young age and became an active participant in …