* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] CAN I ASK MADAM CLERK, UH, TO PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. COMMISSIONER ALLEN. COMMISSIONER BATS HERE. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. HERE. COMMISSIONER CAMACHO. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES. HERE. COMMISSIONER [CALL TO ORDER] GILLETTE. HERE. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? HERE. COMMISSIONER COLE? HERE. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY. HERE. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ. PRESENT. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. HERE. CHAIR LARA HERE. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HERE AS WELL AS ONLINE, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TREMENDOUSLY. THE WORK OF THIS COMMISSION, AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, COULD NOT BE DONE EFFECTIVELY WITHOUT THE ROBUST WORK OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY TAKING TIME OUT TO PROVIDE COMMENTARY. [ROLL CALL] AND I RECOGNIZE THAT AND SO DOES THIS PARTICULAR BODY. UM, OUR AGENDA ITEMS, AND PARTICULARLY WITH AGENDA ITEM [CHAIR REMARKS] FOUR, IT'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY SERIOUS MATTER, AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT IN OPENING, UH, COMMENTS I HAVE MORE TO SAY ONCE WE ARRIVE AT AGENDA ITEM FOUR, UM, UH, REGARDING, YOU KNOW, HOW I WILL FRAME THAT FOR, UH, FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES AND HOPEFULLY GET A RECOMMENDATION OUT THERE. SO I WANT TO WRITE OUT A, A A A, THE BEGINNING OF THIS MEETING. STATE THAT, UM, I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE VICE CHAIR COVINGTON, UH, WHO MOST OF YOU HEARD IS HERE OVER THE SPEAKERS. HE IS HERE REMOTELY. UM, AND BECAUSE HE'S HERE REMOTELY, WE WILL BE VOTING VERBALLY, UM, TO, UH, ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, VICE CHAIR COMINGTON CAN, CAN VOTE, AND WE APPRECIATE COMING, UH, HIM COMING HERE REMOTELY. AND THE THIRD ITEM I WANNA SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC, UH, IS WE HAVE A NEW SYSTEM WITH, UH, UH, ON THE SCREEN HERE. SO THERE MIGHT HOPEFULLY NOT, BUT THERE MIGHT BE MOMENTS IN THE SYSTEM THAT MIGHT SLOW DOWN THE MEANING A LITTLE BIT. JUST I WANNA ASK FOR GRACE IN THAT RESPECT AS WE ALL NAVIGATE THIS NEW SYSTEM AS OF TODAY. SO I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. AND WITH THAT SAID, I'M GONNA, UH, UH, CALL ON, UH, COMMISSIONER, UM, GILLETTE, UM, UH, TO READ THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, WHICH IS A TRADITION THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMISSION. UH, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, THANK YOU CHAIR TONIGHT. I ACKNOWLEDGE I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY FROM THE TRADITIONAL ANCESTRAL AND UNSEATED TERRITORY OF THE GABRIELINO TONGA PEOPLES, THE TRADITIONAL CARETAKERS OF THIS LAND, WHO WERE DISPOSSESSED OF THEIR LAND, AND YET CONTINUE TO STEWARD THIS LAND TODAY. SO JUST WANT TO INVITE FOLKS IN TO PAUSE AND HONOR THEIR CULTURE, HISTORY, AND IDENTITY AND ANCESTORS, AS WELL AS THE LIVING ELDERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. INDEED, THEY ARE STILL HERE. AND WHEREVER YOU ARE TODAY, I INVITE YOU TO PAUSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE PEOPLE WHOSE LANDS YOU ARE ON AND LET THEIR ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH INSPIRE YOU. WE ALSO PAUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR COUNTRY WAS BUILT ON THE FREE LABOR OF ENSLAVED AFRICANS, AND CONTINUES TO FUNCTION FROM THE LABOR OF OUR BLACK AND BROWN BROTHERS AND SISTERS EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY IN ESSENTIAL AND FRONTLINE JOBS. DURING THIS TIME, IF WE COULD TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO PAUSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR PAST AND GIVE HONOR TO THOSE WHOSE LANDS AND SHOULDERS WE STAND ON TODAY. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. I'M NOT GONNA ASK MADAM CLERK TO CALL FOR [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Equity and Human Relations Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEMS THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA. IF THERE ARE MANY, ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON NON-AG AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. AND IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE NON-AG AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE OR DIAL STAR NINE. NOW, IF CALLING IN, SEEING NONE, BOTH IN PERSON AND IN THE ZOOM, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK. AND THAT REALLY, UH, HELPS US MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM ONE. SO IF YOU CAN PLEASE, UH, [1. 23-24820 Recommendation to approve minutes for the Equity and Human Relations Commission Meeting of Wednesday, October 4, 2023.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] CALL OUT THAT AGENDA ITEM. ITEM ONE IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4TH, 2023. CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THAT AGENDA ITEM? [00:05:04] SO DOES MOVE BY COMMISSIONER BATS AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ. I APPRECIATE, UH, THAT, UH, CAN WE CALL FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER ONE IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER ONE, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE OR DIAL STAR NINE. NOW, IF CALLING IN SEEING NONE IN BOTH, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM ONE, I'M GONNA ASK FOR ANY COMMISSIONERS THAT PERHAPS, UH, WOULD NEED TO ABSTAIN BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT HERE LAST TIME OR HAVE BY CHANCE HAVE A A PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. UM, I'M GONNA REQUEST THAT FOR ANYONE. ALL RIGHT, CAN YOU CALL FOR A VOTE? UH, COMMISSIONER BATS? YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER? YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON? YES. UH, CHAIR LARA? YES, THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. UH, MOVING ON TO ITEM [2. 23-24821 Recommendation to discuss Ad Hoc Committees best practices including membership, Ad Hoc priorities, and Ad Hoc deliverables.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TWO. UH, UH, CAN I ASK YOU TO PLEASE READ THAT AGENDA ITEM RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS AD HOC COMMITTEE'S BEST PRACTICES, INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP, AD HOC PRIORITIES AND AD HOC DELIVERABLES. CAN I GET A MOTION IN A SECOND? THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ FOR MOVING THAT ITEM SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. UM, WE WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION BY OFFICER OF, UH, UH, AN OFFICER FROM THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. UM, UH, THAT'S ALANA GRANT, BUT BEFORE SHE PROCEEDS, UH, JUST WANNA OFFER BRIEFLY SOME COMMENTS ON, ON THIS ITEM. UM, AS MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS KNOW, THE WORK THAT WE DO IS ADVANCED EVERY SINGLE MONTH THROUGH OUR, NOT ONLY DISCUSSIONS HERE, BUT CLEAR RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL. BUT IN BETWEEN THOSE SESSIONS, AS I'VE EXPERIENCED AND MANY OF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED IN PRIOR AD HOC COMMITTEES, A LOT OF THAT WORK GETS MOVED THROUGH THOSE AD HOC COMMITTEES. MONTHS AGO, WE APPROVED A TWO YEAR ROADMAP WITH VERY CLEAR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH OVER THE ARC OF THOSE TWO YEARS. AND SO I ASKED THE OFFICE OF EQUITY TO SHARE WITH US A PRESENTATION THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE THAT WILL HELP US RESPECT OUR, OUR, OUR WRAP, OUR RESPECTIVE MINDS ON HOW TO ACTUALLY MOVE THE WORK THROUGH THE AD HOCS. AND THEN I WILL ASK, UM, COMMISSIONERS TO MAKE MOTIONS TO, UH, CREATE SPECIFIC AD HOCS ATTACHED TO OUR PRIORITIES. WE JOIN THEM IN HELPING TO DELIVER THE WORK THAT WE HAVE AGREED TO DELIVER WITH ARC ARC OF TWO YEARS. SO WITH THAT SAID, I TURN IT OVER TO, UH, ALLANA GRANT. THANK YOU CHAIR, LARA. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE EVERYBODY. UH, GOOD EVENING TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. UM, SO JUSTICE AS CHAIR LARA, UH, MENTIONED, THIS PRESENTATION IS BOTH A COMBINATION OF BEST PRACTICES, BUT ALSO INTENDED TO GENERATE A CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT AD HOC COMMITTEES WE MIGHT NEED TO ESTABLISH TO SUPPORT OPERATIONALIZING THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE IDENTIFIED IN YOUR, UH, TWO YEAR ROADMAP. WE HAVE THESE VERY BIG GOALS AND WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T, UH, ACCOMPLISH OR STRIKE THOSE OBJECTIVES, UH, WITH JUST ONE ADVICE ADVISORY POLICY TO, TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SO TO THAT END, THIS, UH, PRESENTATION IS INTENDED TO JUST GROUND YOU ALL WITH SOME CONTEXT ON AD HOC COMMITTEES, AND, UM, HOPEFULLY HELP US IDENTIFY SOME, UM, PRIORITIES THAT, UH, WE COULD ORGANIZE, UH, MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION AROUND. SO, UM, WITH THAT, I JUST WANNA OFFER SOME QUICK CONTEXT. BOARD COMMITTEES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE AND AN OVERSIGHT OF AN ORGANIZATION. THEY CAN HELP BROAD, UH, THE BOARD FOCUS ON SPECIFIC AREAS, DELEGATE TASKS, AND UTILIZE THE EXPERTISE AND THE DIVERSITY OF ITS OF ITS MEMBERS. HOWEVER, NOT ALL BOARD COMMITTEES ARE PERMANENT OR STANDING. UM, SO AGAIN, THE RECOMMENDATION HERE IS TO DISCUSS AD HOC COMMITTEES, THEIR BEST PRACTICES, INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP PRIORITIES AND DELIVERABLES THAT WOULD SUPPORT THIS COMMISSION. UH, SOMETIMES THE BOARD MAY NEED TO CREATE AN, AN AD HOC [00:10:01] OR SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS PARTICULAR ISSUES OR PROJECTS, UH, THAT ARE NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OR MANDATE OF THE EXISTING COMMITTEES. SO, UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE SPECIALIZED, UH, COMMITTEES THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY TEMPORARY ADVISORY GROUPS THAT ARE MADE UP OF LESS THAN A QUORUM, UM, OF THE, UH, OVERALL COMMISSION. AND THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO INVESTIGATE AND REPORT BACK ON A SINGLE ISSUE. AD HOC COMMITTEES ARE DESIGNED FOR A SPECIFIC ISSUE, UM, AND FOR A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME. THAT TIME BOUND COMPONENT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER AS WE SET GOALS AND IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES FOR YOUR AD HOC COMMITTEES MIGHT BE. UM, THEY ARE FORMED AGAIN FOR A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME AND TO ADDRESS THAT SPECIFIC NEED. UM, AND THE INTENT IS THAT ONCE THAT WORK IS COMMITTEE, UH, OF THE COMMITTEE IS COMPLETED, THE COMMITTEE IS THEN DISSOLVED. AN AD HOC COMMITTEE MAY EXIST FOR LESS THAN A YEAR OR FOR A YEAR OR MORE, DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE WORK ASSIGNED TO IT. SO THE OPPORTUNITY HERE IS TO ESTABLISH AD HOC COMMITTEES THAT OFFER SEVERAL ADVANTAGES FOR THE OVERALL COMMISSION. UM, WE HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE AND BRILLIANT PASSIONATE PEOPLE HERE, AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A VERY THOUGHTFUL ROADMAP. WE'VE ESTABLISHED A THOUGHTFUL ROADMAP THAT WE CAN UTILIZE AND LEVERAGE THE EXPERTISE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE THIS BODY TO REALLY HELP, UM, OPERATIONALIZE RACIAL EQUITY FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UH, SO TO THAT END, I JUST WANNA UPLIFT A FEW THINGS ABOUT, UM, ADVISORY BODIES SUCH AS AD HOC COMMITTEES. UM, THEY CAN ENHANCE THE BOARD'S RESPONSIVENESS AND FLEXIBILITY TO EMERGING OR URGENT SITUATIONS. AD HOCS CAN TAP INTO THE SPECIFIC SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE BOARD MEMBERS OR EXTERNAL EXPERTS. SO THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEVERAGE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, UM, TO HELP SHAPE THE RECOMMENDATIONS YOU'D LIKE TO PRESENT TO OUR CITY COUNCIL. UM, AD HOCS CAN ALSO REDUCE THE WORKLOAD AND TIME PRESSURE ON STANDING COMMITTEES. SO RECOGNIZING WE DON'T HAVE ANY STANDING COMMITTEES, BUT WE ONLY MEET ONCE A MONTH, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE A SMALLER GROUP OF THE COMMISSION IN RECURRING CONVERSATIONS TO HELP MOVE SOME OF THOSE TACTICAL OBJECTIVES, UM, UPLIFTED FROM YOUR ROADMAP. FINALLY, THEY, UH, AN AD HOC CAN PROVIDE A CLEAR AND FOCUSED MANDATE AND TIMELINE FOR, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND PRIORITIES. THAT SAID, HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THIS? WHAT ARE THOSE BEST PRACTICES? UM, CREATING A, A CLEAR AND SPECIFIC TERM OF REFERENCE FOR THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, THE PURPOSE, SCOPE, AUTHORITY, MEMBERSHIP DURATION, REPORTING AND EVALUATION. UM, WE NEED TO HAVE A VERY CLEAR DIRECTIVES FOR THESE, UH, SUBCOMMITTEES, OR LET ME CLARIFY, SPECIAL COMMITTEES AD HOCS. UM, RECOGNIZING THAT THESE SPECIAL COMMITTEES ARE TASK AND TIME BOUND, CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE SHOULD BE SET BEFORE WE ESTABLISH 'EM. UH, ALSO ENSURING THAT THE OBJECTIVE OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE IS ALIGNED WITH THE COMMISSION'S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK. FOR US, OUR GUIDING DOCUMENT IS THE TWO YEAR ROADMAP, UM, MAINTAINING CONSISTENT AND TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION REGARDING THE PROGRESS, CHALLENGES AND OUTCOMES OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. SO THIS COULD LOOK LIKE THE REGULAR REPORTING TO THE LARGER BODY. WE HAVE A STANDING AGENDA ITEM WHERE, UM, EXISTING AD HOCS ARE, UM, GIVEN SPACE TO PROVIDE ANY UPDATES TO THE LARGER COMMISSION ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE IN THAT PREVIOUS MONTH. UM, SO THAT IS A FRAMEWORK THAT WOULD SUPPORT CONSISTENT AND TRANSPARENT UPDATES ON THE WORK Y'ALL ARE DOING. UM, ALSO, UH, ENSURING ADEQUATE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES ARE PROVIDED FOR THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, SUCH AS STAFF LIAISON, MEETING, LOGISTICS, AND EXTERNAL ADVICE. AGAIN, THOSE EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, UH, OTHER SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND SO FORTH TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY. UM, AND I'M SAYING THIS AS EQUITY OFFICER AND AS , THE, UM, ONE OF TWO PEOPLE THAT ARE, UH, ONE OF THREE PEOPLE THAT ARE DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING YOU ALL. UM, TONY AND I WILL MAKE OURSELVES AVAILABLE TO JOIN AND SUPPORT THESE AD HOC, UH, SPACES AS MUCH AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. SO, JUST A REMINDER OF THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSIONS TO YOUR ROADMAP HERE IS A CLEANED UP VERSION, UM, OF THE ISSUE AREAS AND PRIORITIES THAT THE COMMISSION HAS AGREED TO PRIORITIZE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. UM, SO UNDER TOPICS, WE HAVE THE RACIAL EQUITY AND RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE. UM, WE'VE ALSO IDENTIFIED CREATING AN EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT THAT CAN BE USED ON COUNCIL LETTERS AS WELL AS BUDGETARY DECISIONS AND OTHER FRAMEWORKS THAT, UH, THE CITY USES. UM, WE'VE ALSO UPLIFTED IDENTIFYING INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EQUITY AND THEN PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF [00:15:01] BIPO AND QUEER COMMUNITIES IN LONG BEACH. SO THESE ARE VERY BIG LOFTY GOALS, RIGHT? WE CAN'T JUST NAME ONE STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE THESE THINGS. THEY'RE, THESE ARE MULTI EFFORT, UH, LIKE OBJECTIVES THAT WE'VE UPLIFTED IN OUR ROADMAP. AND I BELIEVE THAT, UM, WE'VE, I HAVE A FORMULA THAT I, THAT WILL HELP OUR COMMISSION MOVE THOSE OBJECTIVES ALONG. SO USING, UM, OUR FIRST AD HOC COMMITTEE, UM, AND I, I, I'VE ESSENTIALLY JUST THREW A, A FORMULA TOGETHER THAT I WANTED TO PRESENT TO YOU ALL. SO, UM, FIRST WE HAVE OUR PRIORITY AREA FROM OUR ROADMAP. UH, THEN WE WOULD ESTABLISH AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT ALIGNS WITH THAT PRIORITY AREA, AGAIN, AROUND A VERY SPECIFIC SUBJECT. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE OBJECTIVE WHAT EXACTLY IS, THAT'S THE, WHAT, WHAT IS THAT AD HOC COMMITTEE ASSIGNED TO TO DO? SO USING THE RACIAL EQUITY AND RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE. UM, OUR CURRENT AND ONLY ACTIVE AD HOC COMMITTEE IS THE REENTRY AD HOC. AND, UM, THEIR TASK IS TO CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT UPLIFT EMPLOYMENT AND GUARANTEED BASIC INCOME FOR THE REENTRY POPULATION. AGAIN, THIS WAS UPDATED. OH, Y'ALL DON'T HAVE THE UPDATED SLIDO, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. BUT THAT, UM, OBJECTIVE WAS UPDATED AT YOUR LAST COMMISSION MEETING, UM, IN OCTOBER. SO THIS, JUST TO DRAW THE CONNECTIONS TO THE ROADMAP, THE REENTRY WORK ALIGNS WITH GOAL TWO, STRATEGY THREE OF THE RACIAL EQUITY AND RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE, INITIAL REPORT, VERY CLEAR, UH, FORMULA OF HOW, UH, THE, WHAT CONNECTS TO, WELL, THE VERY BIG AND LOFTY CONNECTS TO A VERY TACTICAL WAY THAT YOU CAN MOVE THIS WORK FORWARD. THAT SAID, WE HAVE A PRIORITY AREA AROUND THE EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT ON COUNCIL ITEMS AND OUTSIDE FUNDING. WHAT EX WHAT SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THAT AREA WOULD WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THAT WOULD BE ESTABLISHED, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD AN AD HOC COMMITTEE SUPPORT AROUND THAT OBJECTIVE? AND WHAT WOULD THAT COM THAT COMMITTEE DO? SIMILARLY, IDENTIFYING INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EQUITY. WHO WITHIN OUR COMMISSION COULD SUPPORT THIS? WHAT WOULD THEY BE WORKING ON AND FOR HOW LONG? AND THEN AGAIN, WITH PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF BIPO AND QUEER COMMUNITIES IN LONG BEACH, AGAIN, USING THIS FORMULA, WE THEN FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING THE WHAT. AND, UM, I BELIEVE THE AD HOC COMMITTEES COULD SUPPORT JUST THE ONGOING EFFORTS IN BETWEEN THESE MEETINGS. SO MY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS THAT I'M POSING TO YOU ALL BEFORE I HAND IT BACK TO THE CHAIR WOULD BE, DOES THE COMMISSION WANT TO ESTABLISH AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR THE OTHER ROADMAP PRIORITY AREAS? AGAIN, YOU ALL HAVE COMMITTED TO, UH, MOVING THIS WORK FORWARD AND WITHIN A TWO YEAR, UH, PERIOD, AND WE'RE A FEW MONTHS IN ALREADY, SO TIME IS TICKING. AND, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE BANDWIDTH LIKE WITH THESE, YOU KNOW, MONTHLY MEETINGS TO SUPPORT ALL OF THOSE OBJECTIVES. WHAT TACTICAL OBJECTIVES SHOULD THE PROPOSED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOCUS ON? SO WHAT WITHIN THESE BIG LOFTY GOALS SHOULD WE PRIORITIZE AND CENTER, UM, UH, DEDICATED MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION TO SUPPORT AND, AND WORK ON? UH, WHAT IS THE DELIVERABLE OR OUTPUT OF THE PROPOSED AD HOC COMMITTEES WORK? IS IT A POLICY RECOMMENDATION? IS IT A TOOL FOR CITY STAFF? UM, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. AND THEN, WHAT RESOURCES OR SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO SU TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE? WITH THIS QUESTION, I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT STAFF SUPPORT. I ALSO WANT YOU TO CONSIDER, UM, OUTSIDE PARTNERSHIPS. WHO WITHIN THE COMMUNITY COULD, COULD THIS AD HOC COMMITTEE ENGAGE TO SUPPORT, UM, THE, THE, THAT, UH, THAT RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU ALL MIGHT BE CONSIDERING? AND THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, ALANA, UM, FOR THE REMINDER IN TERMS OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND YOU VERY STRATEGIC RECOMME RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE CAN MOVE THIS WORK FORWARD. IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, COULD YOU GO BACK TO, ACTUALLY, I LIKE BOTH THESE SLIDES. THE QUESTIONS, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS POSSIBLE HAVE BOTH, BUT THERE'S A SLIDE THAT HAD THOSE PRIORITY AREAS THAT CAN HELP MOVE THIS DISCUSSION ALONG. AND ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT I'M PERSONALLY INTERESTED IS THE EQUITY, UH, STATEMENT. IS THAT ON HERE? YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. SO, UM, I WILL, I HAVE MORE TO SAY ON THAT, BUT I THINK WHAT I WOULD RATHER TURN TO THE COMMISSION FOR NOW TO SEE WHAT THE GENERAL INTEREST, UH, ARE FOR AD HOC COMMITTEES, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE CAPACITY, RIGHT? UM, AND I'M GONNA THROW A NUMBER OUT THERE. I, I PERSONALLY I THINK WOULD BE VERY, UH, CONTENT. UM, IF I'M JUST THROW TWO, MAYBE TWO, THREE, I THINK THREE MIGHT BE. BUT, BUT IF WE COULD HAVE LEAVE THIS MEETING WITH TWO AD HOC [00:20:01] COMMITTEES, NO PRESSURE, RIGHT? BUT I THINK THAT ALLOWS US THE SPACE AND THE MECHANISMS TO MOVE THAT WORK KNOWING AND RECOGNIZE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE ONE AD HOC COMMITTEE, WHICH THERE WILL BE, UH, AN UPDATE, UM, WITH THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES TO SEE WHAT PROPOSALS THEY MAY HAVE FOR AD HOC COMMITTEES OR INTEREST. UM, AND THEN WE, UH, WE WILL SEE WHERE THE CHIPS LIE. AND THEN, UM, I WILL MAKE A RECOMMENDATION MYSELF IN TERMS OF AD HOC COMMITTEES. SO LET ME GO BACK TO THIS NEW SYSTEM SO I CAN FIND OUT WHO'S I WOULD LIKE TO QUEUE UP. I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD WORK. I, THAT'S COMMISSIONER OR VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. I'M GOING TO CALL ON HIM NOW AS I ALSO NAVIGATE THIS NEW SYSTEM. 'CAUSE I'M NOT SEEING THE QUEUE YET. SO I'LL, I'LL CALL ON VICE CHAIR COVINGTON AND, AND THEN I'LL MOVE OVER TO MY SCREEN. THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, AND SEE EVERYONE WHO'S JOINING TODAY VIEWING FOR YOUR VIEWING. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, AND I, NOT TOO SURE, I BELIEVE WE'LL NEED A MOTION FOR THE CREATION OF A NEW AD HOC COMMITTEE. SO, UM, FOR THE DISCUSSION, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, I'M MOST INTERESTED IN MOVING FORWARD WITH AN L-G-B-T-Q AD HOC COMMITTEE, UM, IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE HISTORY PRESERVATION OF BIPO AND QUEER COMMUNITY. UM, IN MY TIME IN THE CITY, AND I MAY BE IGNORANT TO MAYBE SOME EFFORTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UM, I HAVE NOT SEEN, UH, A NEEDS ASSESSMENT, A CITYWIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR THE L-G-B-T-Q COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE. I AM AWARE OF A-L-G-B-T-Q CULTURAL DISTRICT INITIATIVE THAT'S HAPPENING IN A BROADWAY CORRIDOR IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH. BUT IN TERMS OF THE FULL COMMUNITY, UH, I HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN AN EFFORT AROUND THAT. SO, UH, AS A COMMISSIONER, AS A QUEER PERSON, UH, THAT IS DEFINITELY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ON, UH, AND POTENTIALLY MAKE A MOTION FOR, UM, AFTER OUR CONVERSATION TODAY OF CREATING AN L-G-B-T-Q AD HOC COMMITTEE, UH, FOR THE PURPOSE OF, UH, REQUESTING CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR TO LOOK INTO A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF, IN A CITYWIDE ASSESSMENT OR NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR THE L-G-B-T-Q COMMUNITY IN LONG BEACH. UH, AND THE PURPOSE FOR THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT IS TO REALLY DEVELOP AND IDENTIFY, UM, WHAT ARE THE SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES WITHIN OUR L-G-B-T-Q COMMUNITY TO, UM, IDENTIFY A STRATEGIC PLAN OR A ROADMAP, MUCH LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE DONE AS A COMMISSION, UH, TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT SPECIFIC CHALLENGES WE NEED TO MEET FOR THE CITY. UH, I'LL HOLD THERE, UM, TO HEAR MORE FROM OTHER COMMISSIONER. UM, AND I'LL END THERE. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. BEFORE I MOVE ON TO COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE OFFICE OF EQUITY IN TERMS OF NAVIGATING THESE DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS. SO I'M TAKING NOTES, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON JUST MENTIONED, AN L-G-B-T-Q AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR PROCEDURAL PURPOSES. WOULD, CAN WE, I'LL TAKE THE LIST OF ALL OF THESE SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE ONE MOTION, RIGHT? SUGGESTING ALL OF THESE, UH, AD HOCS, CORRECT? OR WOULD BE, WOULD THEY BE SEPARATE MOTIONS? SO THE MOTION FOR THIS ITEM IS JUST THE RECEIVE AND FILE. MM-HMM, , THE NEXT ITEM ACTUALLY DOES HOLD SPACE ITEM THREE FOR, UH, TAKING ACTION TO DISSOLVE OR CREATE AD HOC COMMITTEES. SO THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE AGREED UPON THE COMMISSION HERE WOULD THEN CARRY OVER TO ITEM THREE. AND SO WE'LL CREATE THEM THERE IN THAT SPACE. MM-HMM, , THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. UH, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ, THANK YOU. THANK YOU CITY STAFF, ALANA, FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I AM WANTING TO MOVE FORWARD ON A SUBCOMMITTEE, OR I'M SORRY, AN AD HOC COMMITTEE AROUND THE IDENTIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EQUITY. BUT ONE OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I WOULD HAVE IS, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S VERY BROAD, RIGHT? SO I'M HOPING TO, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A DISCUSSION WITH THE FULL TEAM HERE OR IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT GETS DONE IN THE AD HOC, BUT I WOULD WANT FURTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT WHERE WE THEN PRIORITIZE EVEN FURTHER. UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION, I GUESS IN THE NEXT [00:25:01] ITEM. THANK YOU FOR, FOR RAISING THAT POTENTIAL AD HOC COMMITTEE, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ. UM, AND WE CAN IRON THIS OUT IN THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, BUT AS I HEARD YOU SPEAK WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION, I THINK IT TIES VERY NICELY WITH MY INTEREST IN, UM, CREATING AN EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT AFTER EACH CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC'S. UM, FYI CURRENTLY, AS IT STANDS, UM, THERE'S A FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AFTER EACH AGENDA ITEM THAT REALLY DISCUSSES AS THAT ITEM SAYS OR CONVEYS THE IMPACT FINANCIALLY THAT THE CITY WOULD INCUR FOR ANY, UH, UH, AGENDA ITEM OR WHATEVER IT'S TRYING TO MOVE. SO IN THIS PARTICULAR CONTEXT, WE WOULD BORROW FROM THAT APPROACH AND CREATE AN EQUITY, UH, UH, STATEMENT THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO THOSE PARTICULAR ISSUES AFTER EACH AGENDA ITEM. AND THAT'S, UH, IN, CALL IT A, A POLICY INTEREST, BUT THAT IS AN INTEREST OF MINE. AND I THINK IN A CREATIVE WAY, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CREATE ONE AD HOC THAT THAT REALLY COMBINES THOSE TWO INTERESTS. UM, SO WITH THAT SAID, I, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH INTEREST IN WHAT HAS EITHER BEEN SUGGESTED IN ADOX OR ANOTHER AD HOC ALTOGETHER THAT DOESN'T CAPTURE WHAT HAS BEEN SAID? UH, COMMISSIONER COLE, I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN HELPING TO CRAFT THAT STATEMENT AND THINK I COULD CONTRIBUTE THERE. MM-HMM. , THANK YOU SO MUCH. COMMISSIONER COLE, , ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS AS, UH, AND I'M GIVING TIME INTENTIONALLY BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE THIS NEW SYSTEM, SO IN CASE ANYONE NEEDS TO NAVIGATE IT. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YEAH, I HAD ANOTHER THOUGHT. UM, ARE WE ABLE TO, TO PUT THE ROADMAP BACK ON THE SCREEN THOUGH REALLY QUICKLY? YEAH. OR NO KNOW, UH, TA'S WORKING ON PUTTING IT UP. OH, THANK YOU. THERE WE GO. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO I, I, ONE OTHER COMMENT, UM, THAT I THOUGHT WE HAD ADVANCE AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD JUST DONE SO MUCH WORK ON THIS THAT MAYBE IM THINKING OF A PREVIOUS VERSION, BUT WANNA JUST GET CLARITY. WE HAD RECOMMEND IT SOMETHING AROUND LIKE TEACH-INS OR DIALOGUES. I FORGOT HOW WE HAD, UM, ARTICULATED IT, BUT IS THAT STILL PART OF OUR ROADMAP OR WAS THAT SOMETHING WE ENDED UP NOT PRIORITIZING? CORRECT. THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE OFFICIAL TWO YEAR ROADMAP. UM, YOU MAY RECALL BACK IN THE SUMMER YOU ALL VOTED FROM THAT LONG LIST, UH, TO PRIORITIZING FOUR ITEMS. AND THESE ARE THE FINAL FOUR. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS BEFORE WE VOTE ON FILING THE PRESENTATION? ALRIGHT, MADAM CLERK, CAN WE, CAN YOU CALL FOR A VOTE? UM, FIRST LET'S DO PUBLIC COMMENT. OH, THANK YOU FOR THE ITEM, PLEASE. THANK YOU. SO IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HERE IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM TWO, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. AND IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM TWO, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE OR DIAL STAR NINE. NOW, IF CALLING IN GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS, SO WE HAVE ONE IN PERSON AND ONE AND TWO IN THE ZOOM. SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND START WITH IN PERSON. UM, I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME STARTS. GOOD EVENING COMMERCIAL COMMISSIONERS. I REALLY WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. THAT'S SOMETHING I DON'T HEAR WHEN I GO TO A LOT OF OTHER CITY COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, I HAVE A SUGGESTION HERE. IT KIND OF ON THE ROADMAP, IT KIND OF FALLS UNDER THE HISTORY PART WHEN IT SAYS THE HISTORY OF BIPAP COMMUNITIES, IT ALSO FALLS UNDER, UM, I DON'T WANNA SAY EQUITY IN, IN TERMS OF INSTITUTIONALIZED DISCRIMINATION. AND I'M REFERRING TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, UH, AND INDIGENOUS ISSUES IN THE CITY, UH, LAND BACK ISSUES. AND THERE, THERE'S, UH, SEVERAL SITES HERE THAT WERE VILLAGE SITES. THE MOST WELL KNOWN IS PVOA. IT IS ALSO A NATIONAL REGISTERED SITE, PART OF IT ON CAL STATE LONG BEACH. IT'S BEEN A, A VERY CONTENTIOUS ISSUE. UM, I FIRST BECAME INVOLVED IN THAT OVER 25 YEARS AGO AND HAD TO FACE IT, IT AGAIN RECENTLY WITH MY FAMILY. AND, UH, IT, IT INVOLVES JUST SAVING OPEN SPACE, SAVING A NATURAL OPEN SPACE WITH NATIVE BURIALS ON IT FROM BECOMING A STRIP MALL FROM BECOMING DEVELOPED. AND, AND I'M, UH, WE FORMED AN ORGANIZATION CALLED WETLANDS PROTECTORS. I ALSO WORK [00:30:01] WITH SIERRA CLUB AND WE RUN INTO THIS ISSUE ALL OVER THE CITY MANY, MANY TIMES, IN PART BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A STATE LAW NOW, SB 18, SENATE BILL 18, THAT THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT TRIBAL PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT OF CONSULTATION. WE DON'T FOLLOW THE UNIVERSAL RIGHT UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF CONSENT. SO CONSULTATION IS NOT CONSENT. SO WHAT WHAT WE SEE IS THAT LACK OF ABILITY ON THAT LEVEL TO REALLY FREELY ENGAGE AND, AND BE PROTECTIVE OF, OF THE, OF THIS, THE RIGHTS OF THESE ORIGINAL PEOPLES. AND, UH, WE ALSO SEE THAT THE LACK OF FUNDING, UH, IS CREATES AN IMBALANCE. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CITY STAFF THAT WORKS ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES, CONSTANTLY GETS PAID EVERY DAY TO WORK WITH DEVELOPERS AND BUILD AND REPLACE NA NATURE WITH CEMENT AND BUILDINGS. AND WE NEED THEM. IT'S NOT LIKE WE DON'T NEED HOUSING, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE TRIBAL PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA, FOR THE MOST PART, ARE NOT FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED, OR ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN COAST ALONG HERE, THAT TONGA. AND ALSO TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, THE OSHMAN ARE ALSO SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED IN AS PART BEING PART OF LONG BEACH. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY REVENUES. SO YOU REALLY LOOK AT, AT, AT THESE PEOPLE, EVEN AT, ON THEIR TRIBAL COUNCILS BEING TOTALLY UNABLE TO HAVE EQUITY WHEN IT COMES TO EVEN DIALOGUE. SO I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT, BUT I THINK IT COULD FIT IN FOLD INTO THE CATEGORIES YOU'RE ALREADY SUGGESTING FOR AD HOC COMMITTEES, BUT I'D ASK THAT YOU INCLUDE THEM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE HAVE ONE MORE PERSON IN THE ZOOM BILL, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. UH, THANK YOU BILL SIVE, UM, THANK YOU COMMISSIONS. UM, I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE, UH, CHRIS COVINGTON FOR BRINGING UP THE L-G-B-T-Q ISSUE. DEFINITELY FEEL THAT OUR CITY IS WAY BEHIND IN DOING AND NEEDS ANALYSIS OF OUR COMMUNITY. UM, AND IF THIS EVER HAPPENS, I'D DEFINITELY LIKE TO BE A PART OF THAT. UH, AS I HAVE EXPERTISE IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA, UH, I'VE ADDRESSED THIS WITH CITY COUNCIL ON THE CENTER HERE IN LONG BEACH, AS WELL AS OUR OWN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGARDING COLLECTING DATA, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT THAT'S MOVING FORWARD WITHOUT OUR HELP BECAUSE THE COUNTY IS IMPLEMENTING THINGS. THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES JUST MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY AND ALSO THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGING, UH, WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SO HOPEFULLY THAT MOVES FORWARD. AND, UH, CHRIS, I'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER TWO. THANK YOU, UH, TO THE PUBLIC FOR THOSE COMMENTS. AND I APPRECIATE THE CLERK FOR MOVING US FORWARD. UM, CAN I CALL A, A ROLL CALL VOTE. COMMISSIONER BATS. SO WE'RE DOING VERBAL, EVEN THOUGH I OPENED THE VOTE. UM, COMMISSIONER BATS? YES. SHE STEPPED OUT. OH, I'M SORRY. TERRIBLY. UH, COMMISSIONER BUTLER , IF I CAN GET A VERBAL YES. YEAH, YEAH. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. YES. UH, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. YES. COMMISSIONER, UM, GUTIERREZ? YES. UH, COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. UH, COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON? YES. CO CHAIR, LARA? YES. MOTION CARRIES. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU MOVE US ONTO THE NEXT [3. 23-24822 Recommendation to receive and file a report from current Ad Hoc Committees; discuss anticipated Ad Hoc Committees for upcoming projects; and, if appropriate, take action to dissolve or create Ad Hoc Committees.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AGENDA ITEM RE ITEM NUMBER THREE IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT FROM CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEES. DISCUSS ANTICIPATED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS, AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION TO DISSOLVE OR CREATE AD HOC COMMITTEES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY AND COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ FOR THAT SECOND. AND THAT SHOULD MOVE US OVER TO PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT? AND THEN WE CAN HAVE, UH, THE, THE DISCUSSION. [00:35:01] IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. OR IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE USE IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE OR DIAL STAR NINE. NOW, IF CALLING IN, WE HAVE ONE IN PERSON. OKAY. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME STARTS. ALRIGHT, SO I'M JUST GONNA CONTINUE THIS REQUEST BY FOCUSING ON EDUCATION, WHICH THE ROADMAP DOES ON THE HISTORY. SO, I I THE ROADMAP, THAT'S THE HISTORY OF THE L-L-B-T-Q COMMUNITY. AND IT, I THINK, OR BIPO BIPO, I THINK THAT INCLUDES INDIGENOUS, RIGHT? ISN'T THE, I, SO I, I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS SORELY NEEDED AT WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE IN THE INDIAN EDUCATION PROGRAM AND WENT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM HERE IN LONG BEACH. THEY'RE BOTH NATIVE ON THEIR FATHER'S SIDE. AND IT WAS REALLY A CHALLENGE FOR THEM TO SURVIVE IN THE SYSTEM, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH IGNORANCE. THERE'S JUST, THEY, THEY WERE SO ALONE IN THE SENSE OF RESPONDING TO WHETHER IT WAS BUILDING A MISSION. MY SON BUILT ONE ON FIRE, WHICH ACTUALLY HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, AND, AND JUST CONFRONTING EVEN THEIR OWN EDUCATORS, THE, THE TEACHERS, MY CHILDREN BEING COMING FROM AN ACTIVIST, UH, BACKGROUND, THEY KNEW A LOT. THEY, THEY LEARNED A LOT FROM THEIR RELATIVES, THEIR NATIVE RELATIVES AND OTHER ACTIVISTS MORE THAN THEIR TEACHERS. AND THEY, AND THEY WERE TOTALLY DISRESPECTED IN THAT WAY. AND, AND WE SEE THIS WITH A LOT OF ISSUES NOW IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, RIGHT? WHERE YOU'RE, OH, NOW WE HAVE ALL THESE CENSORSHIPS OF BOOKS AND EVERYTHING. SO I, I, I, AND, AND WE CAN'T APPARENTLY TALK ABOUT ANYTHING. UH, AND SO I THINK THAT THIS GO, THIS HISTORY REALLY NEEDS TO BE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT REALLY GOES INTO THIS HISTORY, UH, FROM, FROM THE BEGINNING, FROM THE 10,000 YEAR OLD COMMUNITY OF . THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER THREE. THANK YOU. UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONERS. AS YOU SAW IN THE PRIOR AGENDA ITEM, THERE WAS ROBUST DISCUSSION ON THE POTENTIAL OF AD HOC COMMITTEES. IF I, UH, SYNTHESIZES CORRECTLY, UM, THERE IS INTEREST IN CREATING AN L-G-B-T-Q AD HOC COMMITTEE. UH, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON DID A WONDERFUL JOB AT AT ADDING THE FOCUS, UH, UH, OF THAT AD HOC. AND IF, UH, I COULD COMBINE SIMILAR INTEREST, WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND, UM, RECOMMEND, UH, UM, UH, AN AD HOC, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN BEST FRAME THIS, BUT AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT WILL FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EQUITY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY FIGURING OUT THE MECHANISMS TO EVENTUALLY HAVE AN EQUITY STATEMENT ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. AND THOSE WOULD BE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL THAT THEN, OF COURSE, CITY COUNCIL WOULD HAVE TO DISCUSS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UPON OUR RECOMMENDATION, MOVE THAT FORWARD ACCORDING TO HOW THEY, UH, UH, WEIGH IN OUR RECOMMENDATION. SO THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. RIGHT? AND THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT I SUPPORT. I DO TURN TO, UH, THE REST OF YOU TO SEE IF I MISS ANYTHING FROM THAT SYNTHESIS. UM, AND MAYBE WE CAN COMBINE EFFORTS IF I DID MISS ANYTHING. SO WE CAN LAND IN THOSE TWO AD HOC COMMITTEES. AND, UM, AND, BUT I, I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTIONED, UH, FROM WHAT I'M HEARING IN PUBLIC COMMENT, ALSO BE INCLUSIVE OF, OF, OF, OF, UH, UH, THE INTEREST FROM OUR, OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS. OKAY. ANY COMMISSIONERS WANNA WEIGH IN HERE? I'LL QUEUE UP. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. THANK YOU. UM, IN ADDITION TO HEARING FROM OUR, UH, COMMUNITIES DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS AN EFFORT FOR BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO HAVE PERMISSION. UH, AND THAT'S AN EFFORT THAT'S LED BY OUR FOURTH DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, . UM, AND THEY JUST RECEIVED A VISIBILITY STUDY, UH, BACK FROM THE CITY TO CREATE THAT COMMISSION. UH, ALTHOUGH THAT EFFORT IS HAPPENING, UM, I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR US AS A COMMISSION TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT, UM, FROM LISTENING TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO CAME TODAY AND WHO'VE OUTREACH TO US, UM, ESPECIALLY ADVOCATING FOR THE CHANGE OF THE NAME OF, UH, LINCOLN PARK. SO IN REGARDS TO THIS ITEM, UM, I AM OPEN IF THE COMMISSION IS, IS INTERESTED TO BROADENING OUT THE RECOMMENDATION OR MY MOTION TO SOLELY FOCUS ON LGBQ, [00:40:01] UM, HAVE IT BE WHAT'S LISTED IN THE ROADMAP, WHICH IS A AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE HISTORY OF BIPO AND QUEER COMMUNITIES, UM, WITH SOME AREAS AND OBJECTIVES. SO I'LL LEAVE THAT FOR CONVERSATION. THANK YOU, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. NEXT UP I HAVE COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ, AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, 'CAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE I GET THIS RIGHT, OUR AGENDA ITEM ALSO ASKS FOR AN UPDATE ON, UM, PRIOR WORK FROM AN AD HOC, UH, COMMITTEE ON RECIDIVISM. SO, UM, SO I BELIEVE YOUR COMMENTS MIGHT HAVE TO DO WITH THAT. UM, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS PART OF THE AGENDA ITEM. UH, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? OKAY, THANK YOU. CHAIR. YES. JUST VERY QUICK UPDATE ON THE REDUCING RECIDIVISM AD HOC COMMITTEE. UM, AND FOR A REMINDER OF FOLKS, THAT'S, UM, COMMISSIONER ALLEN AND I WHO ARE ON THAT COMMITTEE. AND WE ARE, UM, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RONNIE'S HOUSE, UM, ON THIS ITEM. AND I SEE ACTUALLY, MS. SHEREEN AND THE AUDIENCE, I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER. UM, SO LAST MONTH COMMISSIONER AND AL, COMMISSIONER ALLEN AND I GAVE A PRETTY DETAILED UPDATE ON THE WORK THAT WE'VE STARTED. AND, UM, JUST TO REMIND FOLKS, ONE OF THE, UM, UPDATES WAS WE HAD MADE A MOTION AT THE LAST MEETING TO FOCUS, UM, FIRST ON THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SLASH EMPLOYMENT, UM, IMPLICATIONS AROUND, UH, RECIDIVISM. AND THEN AFTER THAT WE WOULD, UM, CREATE ANOTHER AD HOC AND ANOTHER AD HOC TO WORK ON THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF RECIDIVISM. SINCE IT WAS SUCH A LARGE TOPIC, WE DECIDED TO BREAK IT INTO THE VERY SPECIFIC, UM, TOPIC PIECES. UM, SO AS OF NOW, WE ARE WORKING ON PUTTING TOGETHER THE RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, IN THE LETTER. AND, UM, WE'LL HAVE THE LETTER WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ON EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE READY BY THE NEXT MEETING. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT WORK. UH, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ. AND THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE WORK THAT CAN BE DONE WITHIN AD HOC COMMITTEES. SO THANKS TO YOU AND COMMISSIONER ALLEN WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. AND OF COURSE OUR COMMITTEE MEMBER SHAD, WHO'S IN THE AUDIENCE. I APPRECIATE, UH, THAT WORK. UM, ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS BEFORE WE FORMALIZE A, A MOTION CHAIR IF I MAY? UM, THE IDEA BEHIND THE AD HOC COMMITTEES IS THAT YOU'RE MOVING FROM THE BROAD TO THE SPECIFIC. SO YOU ALL NAMED AD HOC COMMITTEES THAT SAY EXACTLY WHAT, UM, THE ROADMAP SAYS WE NEED TO MOVE MORE. LIKE WE NEED TO NARROW THE SCOPE OF THESE AD HOCS BEING THAT THEY ARE TIME AND TASK BOUND. SO I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT AS YOU CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION, I APPRECIATE THAT, UH, THAT REMINDER AND ADVICE. AND SO IN THE MOMENT, I WILL DO, IN THE NEXT FEW SECONDS, TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THOSE, UH, AD HOC COMMITTEES. UM, THE SCOPE NARROWED DOWN. SO IF THE, IF EVERYONE CAN JUST ALLOW US A FEW SECONDS. SO IF ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE, UH, THE IDEA BEFORE I HAVE IT, I WELCOME THE FORMAL, UH, MOTION WITH THE SPECIFICITY OF IT. YES. AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR CITY STAFF IT AS YOU'RE FIGURING THAT OUT, PLEASE. VICE CHAIR, UH, COVINGTON, PLEASE. OKAY, THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, SO EARLIER I, I I MADE THE, THE CLIMATE OR THE DECISION OF LIKE MOVING FROM THE SPECIFIC TO BROAD, UM, TO FOCUS ON AND ALSO SUPPORT OUR INDIGENOUS EFFORTS IN THE CITY. UM, IF NECESSARY OUTSIDE THIS CONVERSATION, COULD WE AS COMMISSIONERS, UM, OUTSIDE OF AN AD HOC, MAKE A RECOMMENDATION IN SUPPORT TO THE INDIGENOUS, UH, INITIATIVES THAT ARE IN THE WORKS TO CITY COUNCIL? OR DOES IT HAVE TO COME FROM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE? IT DOESN'T HAVE TO COME FROM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE, BUT IT WOULD NEED A VOTE FROM THE COMMISSION TO SUPPORT AND SUBMIT THAT RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU. ALSO, VICE CHAIR, I WANTED TO JUST ECHO THAT YOUR SCOPE WAS SPECIFIC. UM, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER, UM, POTENTIAL AD HOCS. OH, GOOD. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEVERMIND. I TRACK THAT. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING VERY SPECIFIC. 'CAUSE I WAS ABOUT TO RECOMMEND A FOCUS ON A NEEDS REPORT FOR THAT AD HOC, BUT IF IT CAN STAND AS THAT, THEN THEN ALL THE MORE REASON, JUST KIND OF KEEP IT ON THAT. BUT THAT MIGHT BE AN IDEA FOR THE MEMBERS OF THAT AD HOC COMMITTEE. UM, IN TERMS [00:45:01] OF THE OTHER AD HOC COMMITTEE, UM, AND THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING BY CHAIR, UH, UH, COVINGTON. YOU BOUGHT ME TIME TO LAND ON SOMETHING. UM, I'M GONNA PROPOSE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIES AND ASSESSES POTENTIAL EQUITY STATEMENTS THAT PERHAPS OTHER CITIES OR ENTITIES MAY HAVE, UM, AS A LEARNING MOMENT AND THEN EVENTUALLY BRING THAT IN. I THINK THAT GETS SPECIFIC AND MAYBE THAT CAPTURES ALSO THE INSTITUTIONAL BARRIER IF COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ IS OPEN TO THAT. YES. OKAY. SO IF I'M HEARING, YES, I AM SYNTHESIZING VICE CHAIR COVINGTON, I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION, RIGHT? BUT I'M OPEN TO FRIENDLY AMENDMENTS TO IT. UM, I MOVE THAT WE CREATE TWO AD HOC COMMITTEES, THE FIRST BEING AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT FOCUSES ON L-G-B-T-Q AND BIPO BIPO, UM, UH, MATTERS AS ALIGNED TO OUR, OUR, UM, ROADMAP AND A SECOND AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT IDENTIFIES ASSESSES, UM, EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENTS FOR PERHAPS OTHER CITIES. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HAPPENS, BUT WE CAN, THAT'S PART OF THE REASON OF HAVING AN AD HOC OR OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE CAN DRAW FROM AS THE FIRST STEP FOR THAT AD HOC. DOES THAT WORK FOR THE OFFICE OF EQUITY? YES. SO THE AD HOC AROUND THE EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT, YOU LIKE READ THAT OUT PERFECTLY. UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M HEARING VICE CHAIR, UH, COVINGTON'S RECOMMENDATION CORRECTLY. AND THAT WAS AN AD HOC, UH, TO ADVOCATE FOR THE NEED A NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR THE L-G-B-T-Q COMMUNITY AND, UM, TO ALSO SUBMIT A RECOMMEND DRAFT, A RECOMMENDATION IN SUPPORT OF CURRENT EFFORTS, UH, AROUND THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY. UM, IS THAT CORRECT, VICE CHAIR? YES. GOOD. COULD I HAVE A SECOND? UM, I DO SEE COMMISSIONER COLE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A SECOND ON THE INTERNAL SPEAKER. IS THAT A, A COMMENT OR A SECOND? I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ON THE, IT'S ACCIDENTAL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO LET ME GO TO, I SERVE AS A SECOND. OKAY. VICE CHAIR. THERE'S NOT WORKING COVINGTON ONLY 'CAUSE I CAN'T SEE THE SCREEN. YEAH. OH, HERE IT IS. IS THIS ONE RIGHT? MM-HMM. CHAIR. ONE MORE THING. I'M SO SORRY. OH, CHAIR. SO, UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, IS THIS GOING TO BE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO THE ORIGINAL APPROVED RECOMMENDATION? UM, SO WE DID HAVE AN INITIAL, INITIAL FIRST AND SECOND, UH, WHEN WE FIRST INTRODUCED THE ITEM. MM-HMM, . SO YOU ARE PROPOSING A SUBSTITUTE MOTION? THAT IS CORRECT. THAT WAY WE CAN GET THE SPECIFIC, UM, UH, AD HOC COMMITTEES. ALRIGHT. YOU HAVE A SPEAKER AND I HAVE A SPEAKER QUEUE. OKAY. NAVIGATING MULTIPLE SCREENS HERE. SO BEAR WITH ME. I HAVE FOR PROCEDURAL PURPOSES, UM, CAN A SPEAKER GO FORWARD WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR READY TO VOTE? I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REITERATE THAT? CAN WE FOR PROCEDURAL PURPOSES? MM-HMM. , CAN WE HAVE A SPEAKER? I HAVE A SPEAKER QUEUED. CAN WE HAVE A SPEAKER MAKE THE COMMENT EVEN THOUGH WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND WE'RE ABOUT TO VOTE? YES. YEAH. OKAY. SO I, THAT'S COMMISSIONER COLE. NO, I DUNNO IF I TURN OFF. OKAY. I HAVE, SO WHO WAS THE OTHER SPEAKER? OKAY. UH, COM COMMISSIONER BUTLER. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. I I JUST WANTED CLARIFICATION, FURTHER CLARIFICATION, BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE THE, WE, WE WERE COUPLING THE AD HOCS FOR THE LGBTQ PLUS AND THE BIPO IS, IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT BEING ADDRESSED SEPARATELY, BUT THEY'RE BEING COUPLED TOGETHER. THAT'S A QUESTION THEY WERE ALREADY COUPLED TOGETHER. UM, UNDER THE ROADMAP, THE PRIORITY IS TO, IS THE HISTORY PRESERVATION OF QUEER AND BIPO COMMUNITIES IN LONG BEACH. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE, WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS BOTH OF THOSE. I UNDERSTAND THAT. SO, BUT WE ARE DOING IT TOGETHER UNDER ONE AD HOC, NOT TWO SEPARATE AD HOCS. YES. THIS IS MY QUESTION AND YOUR RESPONSE IS YES. MM-HMM, . OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THEN CHAIR, BEFORE YOU PROCEED WITH THE VOTE, I JUST WANT TO, I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS, BUT WE HAVE, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE AD HOCS, WE ALSO HAVE TO APPOINT COMMISSIONERS TO THOSE AD HOCS. [00:50:02] THAT'S THE FUN PART, RIGHT? SO LET, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GO STRAIGHT TO THAT. UM, SO LET'S DO THE FIRST ONE NAMED WITH A FOCUS ON L-G-B-T-Q AND BIPO COMMUNITIES. AND FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYONE HERE, INCLUDING THOSE ONLINE, UM, THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE NOT NECESSARILY EXCLUSIVE. THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY, AND I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO PUT THEM, UM, WITHIN A FOCUS. AND THEN I'LL HAVE WHOEVER ENDS UP BEING ON THAT AD HOC COMMITTEE NAVIGATE, UM, THOSE INTERSECTIONS. RIGHT. UM, AND I KNOW WE'VE DONE A LOT OF INTERSECTIONALITY WORK HERE OVER THE YEARS, AND I THINK IT'S, UH, A REALLY STRONG FRAMEWORK FOR MAKING SENSE OF, OF THE WORK, ESPECIALLY AS A EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. UM, SO, UM, SO LET'S, LET'S FIGURE OUT WHO CAN JOIN THIS OR WHO'S INTERESTED IN JOINING THIS AD HOC. AND I THINK THERE HAS TO BE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, A MINIMUM OF THREE. NO. TWO. WE CAN DO TWO. OKAY. SO VICE, UM, DON'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON, WHICH I, I KNOW THAT, UH, UH, YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T MIND, BUT SINCE YOU BROUGHT IT UP, ARE, ARE YOU ALSO GONNA BE A MEMBER OF THIS, UH, AD HOC COMMITTEE? MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD STARTING POINT. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. AND ANY OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, DR. BETTS AND COMMISSIONER FLORES? ANYONE ELSE? CAN I ASK YOU TO ASK THE QUESTION ONCE MORE PLEASE? OH, OF COURSE. UH, AND ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE AD HOC, UM, COMMITTEE, UM, THAT WILL LOOK AT L-G-B-T-Q AND BIPO INCLUSIVE OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, UM, AND, UM, AS A FOCUS. ANYONE ELSE? I'LL OKAY. AND COMMISSIONER BUTLER. ALL RIGHT. SO THIS MOVES ME TO THE SECOND AD HOC THAT WILL FOCUS ON, UH, IDENTIFYING AND LEARNING FROM EXISTING EQUITY STATEMENTS ON GOVERNMENT ENTITIES OR OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE CAN DRAW FROM. I AM INTERESTED IN THAT, UH, AD HOC, SO I'LL BE A MEMBER OF THAT. UM, DUE TO CAPACITY REASONS AS THE CHAIR HERE AND OTHER MATTERS, UM, I, UM, YOU KNOW, I WILL DEFER TO ANY OTHER MEMBERS IF THEY WANT TO CHAIR THAT COMMITTEE. I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY AND HAVING OTHER CHAIRS. AND IF NOT, AND THEN AS A MEMBER, I CAN, I CAN STEP UP. BUT AGAIN, DUE TO CAPACITY'S SAKE, I, UH, ANY OTHER MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO CHAIR THAT COMMITTEE. I'D BE MORE THAN, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. I WOULD LIKE TO, AND I'M JUST INTERRUPTING BECAUSE MY HAND IS RAISED AND I COULDN'T REMOVE IT FROM THE, I COULDN'T WITHDRAW FROM THE LAST ONE. MM-HMM. . UM, BUT I'M HAPPY TO HELP. AND I ACTUALLY HAVE TAKEN A PEEK AT A FEW OTHER CITIES. MM-HMM. . SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO LAY OUT AN ACTION ITEM WHERE I COULD AT LEAST COMPILE THAT, MAYBE AT A MINIMUM HAVE AN OUTLINE OF A, A DRAFT, UM, FOR NEXT MEETING, IF NOT A FULL DRAFT FOR REVIEW. PERFECT. THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER COLE AND I APPRECIATE, UM, UM, YOUR WILLINGNESS AND AND, AND, AND TO HELP. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY STARTED SOME OF THE WORK, SO THANK YOU. UH, ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS INTERESTED IN THIS COMMISSION? I'M SORRY? IN THIS, UH, AD HOC COMMITTEE? THE TWO OF US. RIGHT. OKAY. PERFECT. UM, SO AT THIS POINT, THIS BRINGS ME TO THE VOTE. AM I CORRECT? UH, MADAM CLERK? YES. COMMISSIONER BETS? YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. COMMISSIONER. YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON? YES. CO CHAIR LARA? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CLERK. THAT, UH, MOVES US INTO AGENDA ITEM FOUR. CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE AGENDA ITEM RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE WAR ON [00:55:01] HUMAN RELATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH? AND IF NECESSARY, SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WITH THE RECOMMENDATION REGARDING THE SAME. I'VE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT HOW TO BEST FRAME THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE, UH, NOT ONLY AS COMMISSIONERS, BUT OF COURSE WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UH, THAT ARE GONNA COME UP TO SPEAK ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. UM, [4. 23-24823 Recommendation to discuss the impact of the Israel-Palestine War on human relations with the community members of the City of Long Beach; and, if necessary, submit a letter to the Mayor and City Council with a recommendation regarding the same.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] I HAD CONSIDERED PREPARING BULLET ITEMS A NARRATIVE, BUT I THOUGHT IT BEST TO SPEAK FROM THE HEART ON THIS PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEM BEFORE WE ALL SHARE WHAT WE HAVE TO SHARE. UM, FOR ME, THIS IS A HUMANITARIAN, UM, ISSUE. AND THERE ARE GONNA BE A RANGE OF DIFFERENT, PERHAPS WE DON'T KNOW A RANGE OF DIFFERENT COMMENTS THAT ARE GONNA BE MADE, BUT I WANNA RECOGNIZE AND UPLIFT THAT THERE ARE EMOTIONS, THERE ARE DIFFERENT IDEOLOGICAL STANDPOINTS, THERE ARE DIFFERENT BASIS OF KNOWLEDGE, AND I CAN GO ON AND ON ENLISTING THOSE. BUT SUFFICE TO SAY THAT AS A COMMISSION CENTERED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE WITH A FOCUS ON HUMAN RELATIONS, IT ALSO, UH, IS AN AGENDA ITEM WHERE WE CHECK IN WITH EACH OTHER AND RECOGNIZE THAT AS WE HEAR PEOPLE OUT, THAT WE'RE LISTENING. AND I STAND FIRM REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I'M THIS COMMISSION OR NOT, THAT THIS SPACE AND THIS CITY AS MUCH TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, UM, THAT WE PROTECT ONE ANOTHER AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM IN ANY FORM OF DISCRIMINATION. AND THOSE ARE THE VERY, UH, REASONS WHY THIS COMMISSION WAS ESTABLISHED TO BEGIN WITH AND CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD. SO LET'S CONTINUE TO CHECK IN AND AS, AS FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, BE A MODEL AS WELL FOR, UH, FOR OUR CITY IN TERMS OF HOW WE DISCUSS AND SYNTHESIZE PUBLIC COMMENT. AND IT IS MY INTEREST, RIGHT? THAT FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THIS AGENDA ITEM, THAT WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION TO OUR CITY COUNCIL. THAT'S OUR PRIMARY CHARGE, RIGHT? COME UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CAN TAKE. NOW, THERE ARE SEVERAL DISCOURSES THAT WE CAN TAKE, RIGHT? UM, FOR DISCOURSES THAT CENTER ON CEASEFIRE, DISCOURSES ON HUMANITARIAN PAUSE, WHICH THAT IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD COMPLETELY UNPACK AND OTHER DISCOURSES. BUT WHERE WE SHOULD ALL STAND FOR IS HUMAN INJUSTICE, RIGHT? WE UNEQUIVOCALLY RIGHT CONDEMN, UH, HAMAS. WE ALSO CONDEMN THE LOSS OF LIFE, NOT ONLY IN ISRAEL, BUT IN PALESTINE. AND I HOPE IT IS OUR COMMONALITY AS HUMAN BEINGS THAT WE DERIVE RIGHT? OUR, OUR OUR OUR STRENGTH AND OUR COMMENTS AND, AND ALSO OUR, OUR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS TO EXIST AS HUMAN BEINGS. AND WITH THAT SAID, I WILL MOVE THE CONVERSATION FORWARD WITH ASKING MADAM CLERK TO CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE U PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. AND IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO, LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW OR DIAL STAR NINE. NOW, IF CALLING IN, UM, CHAIR, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED FIRST WITH IN PERSON. UM, SO I'LL LET YOU KNOW FIRST SPEAKER ONE YOUR TIME. GIVE ME ONE MOMENT PLEASE, MADAM CLERK. UM, POINT OF INFORMATION, UM, ARE WE ABLE, CAN I PUT IN A REQUEST THAT WE EXTEND PUBLIC COMMENT TO FIVE MINUTES PER PERSON AND I REALIZE THAT WILL REQUIRE A VOTE OF THE COMMISSION. UM, THE RATIONALE IS THAT, UM, I THINK THAT THREE MINUTES IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR, UM, FOLKS TO SHARE THEIR HEART AND THEIR PAIN AND THEIR SPIRIT WITH US, UM, THIS EVENING. AND IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE, SO WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT TIME-WISE, BUT POINT OF ORDER, I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS [01:00:01] POINT OF ORDER. THERE'S BEEN NO FIRST OR SECOND ON THIS ACTION ITEM. YEAH. SO WE WOULD NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENT. COMMISSIONER, THE, ARE YOU PUTTING THE, TO APPROVE THE COMMISSION AND I'LL SECOND. SO COMMISSIONER BEIER, DID YOU PUT THE FORMAL MOTION? OH YES. SO IF I, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND PUBLIC COMMENT TO FIVE MINUTES. SO FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE TIME, THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A VOTE. UM, I WAS REFERRING TO JUST, UH, THE ITEM ITSELF, UM, TO DO A FIRST AND A SECOND FOR THE EXTENDED TIME THAT IS COMPLETELY UP TO THE CHAIR. SO IF THE CHAIR, THE, THE CHAIR'S DISCRETION. SO IF THE CHAIR WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND TO FIVE MINUTES, UM, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DO SO. I, I CAN EXTEND, UM, OR TO WHATEVER TIME THAT YOU WOULD. UH, AND IT'S MY SOLE DISCRETION THEN I, IF IT'S MY SOLE DISCRETION, I EXTEND. YEAH. UM, BUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON WITH PUBLIC COMMENT, I JUST WANTED TO GET A FIRST AND A SECOND JUST FOR, TO, TO MOVE ON WITH THE ITEM ITSELF FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR. YES. IT'S NOT ALLOWING US TO DO ANYTHING, SO I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW SO THEN I CAN CALL FOR MOVERS AT THIS POINT. OKAY. OKAY. I CAN SECOND COMMISSIONER COVINGTON. SO, UM, SO SORRY, SEVERAL POINTS OF GETTING INTO SEVERAL POINTS OF CLARIFICATION. SO FOR, FOR THE PUBLIC'S AWARENESS AND FOR ALL OF OUR AWARENESS, THE ORIGINAL AGENDA ITEM WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THERE'S A MOTION ON, UH, WELL, IT WASN'T MOTION, IT'S MY DISCRETION. MM-HMM. . UM, GIVEN THE, THE, UH, THE, THE WAITING, THE, THE WEIGHT OF THE AGENDA ITEM. OF COURSE WE CAN, WE CAN, WE CAN MOVE THAT, UH, TO FIVE MINUTES, RIGHT? OKAY. SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. FIRST, UH, FIRST SPEAKER AT THE PODIUM CAN GO AHEAD AND START NOW YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU. DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, I'M DR. SARA. I'M A RESIDENT AND UNWAVERING ADVOCATE FOR ALL YOUTH AND FAMILIES OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE DISPLACED AS A RESULT OF WAR, A PROFESSOR OF EDUCATIONAL EQUITY FOR ALMOST THE PAST 20 YEARS. TODAY I STAND BEFORE YOU WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE EQUITY IN HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE WAR ON HUMAN RELATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. THIS IS NOT MERELY AN ACT OF IMPORTANCE, BUT AN ACT OF COURAGE AND RESPONSIBILITY. SINCE OCTOBER 7TH, OUR REPRESENTATIVES HAVE RIGHTFULLY CONDEMNED THE KILLING OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN ISRAEL BY HAMAS. THE COUNTLESS CALLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES HELD IN PALESTINE AND LEGISLATION DRAFTED TO PROTECT OUR JEWISH COMMITTEE COMMUNITY FROM ANTISEMITISM AND HATE. HOWEVER, THE WORLD HAS WITNESSED A DEAFENING SILENCE FROM OUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES IN REGARDS TO THE KILLING OF TODAY, 8,000 PLUS AND COUNTING INNOCENT PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS, HALF OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN BY THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, GENEROUSLY FUNDED BY THE US GOV TAXPAYERS. AND THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE OVER 2000 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN WHO ARE DEAD AND CURRENTLY DYING UNDER THE RUBBLE OR THE OVER 20,000 PLUS MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED BY THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AND THE OVER 1.4 MILLION WHO HAVE BEEN DISPLACED OVER THE PAST FOUR WEEKS. THE MUSLIM ARAB COMMUNITY IN LONG BEACH HAVE BEEN TERRORIZED BY THE FACT THAT NONE OF THE COUNTLESS GRAPHIC IMAGES, VIDEOS, ACCOUNTS OF DEAD, BURNT, BLOODY, DEFORMED, DECAYING BODIES OF CHILDREN, WOMEN AND MEN, HAS NOT LED TO AN IMMEDIATE CALL FOR CEASEFIRE, DEESCALATION, AND HUMANITARIAN AID FOR THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE MAJORITY OF 66% OF AMERICANS, ACCORDING TO AN M-S-N-B-C POLL SUPPORT CEASEFIRE, IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE WORLD HAS GOTTEN A FRONT ROW SEAT TO A LIVESTREAM GENOCIDE. YET OUR CITY, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO HEED THAT CALL IN THE FACE OF SUCH DEVASTATION. THE COMMISSION'S INITIATIVE TO ENGAGE IN THIS CONVERSATION IS NOT JUST COMMENDABLE BUT NECESSARY. [01:05:01] I RESPECTFULLY IMPLORE YOU TO USE YOUR POWER AND PLATFORM TO RECOMMEND NOT ONLY DIALOGUE, BUT ALSO THAT OUR US REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT GARCIA, TO SIGN ON TO THE CEASEFIRE NOW RESOLUTION, OUR MAYOR AND OUR CITY REPRESENTATIVES, TO DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE. IMMEDIATELY, I WANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT SUPPORTING THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLES IS NOT AND SHOULD NEVER BE CONFUSED WITH SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM. THIS RHETORIC WILL ONLY INFLAME THE ONGOING ISLAMOPHOBIA AND VIOLENT TRENDS TAKING PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY. THE LANGUAGE OF TERRORISM SPECIFICALLY IS CLEARLY REMINISCENT OF POST NINE 11 SENTIMENT AND BIGOTRY. I ALSO WANNA REITERATE THAT THE SUPPORT FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE IS NOT AND NEVER SHOULD BE USED AS SUPPORT OR JUSTIFICATION FOR ANTISEMITISM IN THE WORDS OF SCHOLAR. IF YOUR SAFETY REQUIRES THE OCCUPATION, IMPRISONMENT, AND OPPRESSION OF A PEOPLE, YOU DO NOT HAVE SAFETY AND YOU NEVER WILL BECAUSE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WILL BE INHERENTLY VIOLENT AND MUST BE APPELL THROUGH VIOLENCE. AND YOU WILL CONTINUE TO JUSTIFY THAT VIOLENCE WITH THE RACIST IDEA THAT THOSE YOU OPPRESS MUST EVEN BE MORE VIOLENT AND OPPRESSIVE VENUE. AND YOU WILL USE RESISTANCE TO THAT OPPRESSION TO FEED THE FEAR NEEDED TO MAINTAIN THE CYCLE. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF THIS GLOBAL CONFLICT IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY IS PIVOTAL FOR PIVOTAL FOR ENSURING THE WELLBEING AND SAFETY OF NOT ONLY THE PALESTINIAN MUSLIM, ARAB RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH, BUT ALSO THE JEWISH RESIDENTS OF OUR CITY. AS IT IS A STANCE AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN THE FACE OF BIGOTRY AND VIOLENCE, A STAND FOR HUMANITY. I COMMEND THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION FOR THEIR CONSCIENTIOUS RECOMMENDATION AND ENCOURAGE EACH ONE OF US TO ACT, ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN THIS CRUCIAL DISCOURSE FOR A BETTER, MORE INCLUSIVE LONG BEACH. CALL FOR CEASEFIRE NOW. RESPECTFULLY AND THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER AT THE PODIUM. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW, . GOOD EVENING. UH, DEAR RESPECTIVE, UH, RESPECT. UM, COMMISSIONER, MY NAME IS TAR MOHAMMED. I'M THE AAM OF LONG BEACH ISLAMIC CENTER, PRESENTING 800 FAMILY, MUSLIM FAMILY AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFRICAN AMERICAN IN LONG BEACH. 1000 STUDENT BETWEEN COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY. VERY CLOSE TO 1000 5,000. BUSINESS OWNER IN LONG BEACH IS NOT AS YOU SEE IN OCTOBER SEVEN, THIS IS CONFLICT. I'M GONNA CARRY YOU BACK TO 1948 WHEN, AND WE, AS IN MUSLIM AND ARAB, WE KNEW VERY, VERY WELL WHAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JEWISH COMMUNITY, VERY RESPECTFUL, GENEROUS JEWISH COMMUNITY AND THE ZIONIST AND THE WAVE OF THE ZIONIST AND THE DREAM, I CALL IT NIGHTMARE. TO BUILD A COUNTRY IN THE BODY OF CHILDREN OF, UH, PALESTINIAN AND PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO MAKE A SEPARATION A HUNDRED PERCENT BETWEEN, BETWEEN THOSE. IT'S FOR 1984, THE PALESTINIAN, EXCEPT THE DIVIDE THE LAND BETWEEN, EVEN IF IT'S NOT FAIR, FINE. IN 1984, AFTER MASTERCARD AND PHI, THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE OF PALESTINE, EVERYBODY CLOSES HOME AND HE TAKE HIS KEY AND STAND, STAND RIGHT THERE IN THE BORDER WAITING TO RETURN BACK. AND AFTER 75 YEARS, UNTIL HE NOW IS SITTING IN THE BORDER WAITING FOR RETURN BACK, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY INSISTS TO THE, LISTEN TO THE, TO THE PALESTINIAN. BECAUSE PALESTINIAN DIDN'T HAVE OIL, DIDN'T HAVE A POWER, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A MONEY. SO THEY CANNOT REALLY, EVERYBODY ACKNOWLEDGE THE RIGHT. YOU HAVE A FROM UNITED NATION, 21 BILL. LOOK, WE TAKE AFGHANISTAN WITHIN ONE, BE WE TAKE KOFA WITHIN ONE BILL, BUT PALESTINE HAVE A 21 PILL. UNITED NATION BELL RECOGNIZE THE RIGHT OF PALESTINE THAT YOU HAVE A, YOU HAVE A RIGHTING COUNTRY TO STATE AND INSIST IS ISRAEL. AND THE ZIONIST INSIST TO THE LESSON, DEAR BROTHER AND SISTER, A GAZA IS THE SIZE OF LONG BEACH. IT'S A AMAZED THAT HOW YOU PUT OR DROP TWO 20 TONS [01:10:01] OF EXCLUSIVE BOMB, IT'S EQUAL FIVE TIME OF HIR BOMB FOR AREA LESS THAN LONG BEACH, AND THE MOST TRAFFICKED THAN LONG BEACH. TWO BY 3 MILLION PEOPLE, MOST OF 'EM CHILDREN, THEY LIVE, AND I KNOW YOU, ALL OF US, ALL OF YOU, YOU CAN SEE THROUGH THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE NEWS AND ALL THE STUFF. BUT I'M REALLY SORRY. AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED AS A MUSLIM AND AS AN ARABIC AMERICAN LIVE IN UNITED STATES, THE SITUATION OF OUR GOVERNMENT AND BIDEN GOVERNMENT IMMEDIATELY ADOPT HIS, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE NEW, UH, THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL ABOUT THE CHILDREN, ABOUT THIS, ABOUT THAT, LIKE THE CHILDREN OF IS DIFFERENT THAN VERY CLOSE TO 4,000 CHILDREN OF PALESTINE. WHO SAYS, SO GOD, HE DOESN'T SAY THAT THE BOOK IS THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE NEW TESTAMENT, THAT QURAN, NOBODY CAN SAY THE PEOPLE WITH HUMANITY CANNOT MAKE SOME, SOME DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT BETWEEN THESE PEOPLE AND THAT PEOPLE, ALL I'M ASKING VERY HUMBLY, YES, WE NEED TO SIGN, WE NEED TO SIGN THE RECOMMENDATION. WE NEED TO MAKE IT STRONG, AND WE DO NOT REALLY EXECUTE ANYBODY. CARRY THE BLOOD OF A CHILDREN PALESTINE, IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, IF YOU WANT OR NOT, YOU CARRY THE CHILDREN OF PALESTINE'S BLOOD BECAUSE YOU HAVE, I WISH WE HAVE ANY FASTER, FASTER, A WAY TO REACH OUR VOICE TO THE MAYOR AND ROBERT GARCIA, AND FOR THE PRESIDENT BE ABLE TO PLEASE SIGN AND CEASE FIRES IMMEDIATELY AND GO BACK TO THE STATE. VERY, VERY FAIR. UM, STATE SOLUTION TO STATE PALESTINIAN AND ISRAEL. AND IT, IT BRUSS THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE PEACE. OTHERWISE, THIS IS THE RELU, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE. THIS IS THE FACT. WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. THIS IS THE, THE, THE PROBLEM IS GOING TO CONTINUE FOREVER. AND PEOPLE OVER THERE REFUSE A HUNDRED PERCENT TO, TO THEN GIVE THEIR HOME OR THEY LAND AWAY. THEY INSIST TO TAKE THE RIGHT. AND I SAID, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, OF, OF, OF, OF PALESTINE REFUSE TO GROWN UP. THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN DREAM, LIKE YOU AND I, THE THE STAY CHILDREN FIGHTING. AND I'M, I'M WANNA FINALIZE WITH THIS PALESTINIAN, THE NOT THE NOT TERRORIST PEOPLE, THE FIGHTING FOR THEIR OWN LAND. AND ISRAEL, RIGHT NOW, THE FIGHTING IN THE, IN THE LAND, PALESTINIAN DIDN'T COME TO UNITED STATES OR GO TO EUROPE TO FIGHT AND GIVE THE RIDE BACK HAS IN THEIR LAND, ACCORDING TO UNITED NATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. UH, MY NAME IS JAMES SCHWAZO. I'M A SIX DISTRICT RESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LONG BEACH FORWARD. UH, WE'RE A COMMUNITY BASED NONPROFIT HERE THAT ORGANIZES LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES OF COLOR TO HELP ENSURE THAT LONG BEACH IS A HEALTHY COMMUNITY, UM, WHERE RACE AND INCOME DOESN'T DETERMINE SOMEONE'S FUTURE. SO I WANNA OFFER TWO THOUGHTS AND, UM, AND THEN READ A STATEMENT THAT OUR ORGANIZATION PUT OUT TODAY. UM, ALSO THANK YOU FOR EXTENDING THE TIME. STILL GONNA TALK FAST. SO FIRST THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, AND, AND A LOT OF THE MOVEMENT BUILDING WORK THAT WE DO, WHERE WE TALK TO FOLKS WHO FEEL EXTREMELY DISENFRANCHISED, HAVE THEM NO VOICE IN THEIR GOVERNMENT OR IN ANY SYSTEMS THAT REPRESENT THEM, UM, A VERY COMMON ANSWER, I THINK MORE THAN PEOPLE REALIZE IS, I GET, IS I'M NOT POLITICAL. I'VE NOT, I DON'T PARTICIPATE IN ALL OF THAT, RIGHT? AND IT'S A VERY COMMON IN, IN THE LINE OF WORK THAT WE DO. YOU HAVE TO BE VERY PATIENT TO WORK WITH SOMEBODY AND HELP, UH, WORK THROUGH THAT DISENFRANCHISEMENT. BUT I OFFER THAT IN RELATION TO ANOTHER COMMENT THAT I GOT TODAY IN RELATION TO A STATEMENT OUR ORGANIZATION PUT OUT REGARDING THIS CONFLICT. UM, AND SOMEBODY SHARING, WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS? BECAUSE YOU WORK IN LONG BEACH, RIGHT? AND I OFFER THOSE AS A REFLECTION POINT FOR US AS WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR ROLE IN OUR PRIVILEGE THAT WE GET TO LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT IS FAR FROM PERFECT IN OUR OPINION, BUT ALSO WHERE WE GET TO BENEFIT FROM LUXURIES THAT A VAST MAJORITY OF THIS WORLD DO NOT HAVE. AND THAT WE DAY TO DAY, EVEN THOUGH WE DEAL WITH OUR CHALLENGES AND THE BARRIERS, WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD ARE VERY DIFFERENT. AND OUR COUNTRY PLAYS A ROLE IN THOSE CHOICES. AND, AND WHEN WE MAKE TALK ABOUT DECISIONS, WE ARE LIVING THROUGH A HOUSING CRISIS. IT IS NOT JUST TO LONG BEACH. IT'S NOT JUST TO CALIFORNIA. IT'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND WE'RE MAKING CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE ALLOCATE RESOURCES AT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL ABOUT WHETHER WE PRIORITIZE THINGS LIKE WAR AND GENOCIDE VERSUS TAKING CARE OF OUR BASIC NEEDS THAT EXIST HERE. SO I OFFER THAT IN THINKING ABOUT HOW OUR TEAM AT LONG BEACH FORWARD PUT THIS STATEMENT TOGETHER OF SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE, BUT ALSO IN CRAFTING THIS STATEMENT SAT WITH MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM, MEMBERS WHO ARE FROM THE CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY AND WITH THROUGH PAIN AND HURT AND GRIEF REFLECTED ON THE KAHMA ROUGE AND THE PARALLELS HERE OF GOING THROUGH AND [01:15:01] LIVING THROUGH THAT GENOCIDE AND SEEING THAT IN THEIR COMMUNITY PLAY OUT IN THIS WAY. UM, I'M THINKING ABOUT MANY OF THE JEWISH, UH, UH, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT I'VE SAT WITH IN THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS WHO HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE UNPRECEDENTED COMMENTS OF BEING ANTISEMITIC JEWISH PEOPLE, RIGHT? IN RELATION TO SHARING THEIR VIEWS AND THESE PERSPECTIVES HERE IN LONG BEACH. THIS IS IN LONG BEACH, RIGHT? AND SO I SAY THAT BECAUSE I SIT WITH THAT AND THINK ABOUT THE COLORFUL TAPESTRY THAT IS OUR LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. IT'S WHAT WE ALL LOVE HERE, AND THERE'S REAL CHALLENGE AND THERE'S REAL, IT'S HARD TO SIT THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS. SO I WANT TO ECHO THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS AND COMMEND YOU ALL FOR HAVING THIS REALLY BRAVE, COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION AND EVEN MAKING SPACE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE OUTCOME IS, BECAUSE IT IS NOT EVERY GOVERNMENTAL BODY IN THIS COUNTRY IS DOING THIS. IT IS VERY EASY TO JUST LOOK AWAY. IT IS VERY EASY TO NOT DO ANYTHING. BUT I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL ARE UNDERSTANDING AT LEAST THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING SPACE, NO MATTER HOW HARD THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE, HOW HARD THESE STORIES ARE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND OUR ROLE, EVEN AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN WHAT IS GOING ON ACROSS THE GLOBE. SO, I WANT TO READ THE STATEMENT, AND I WILL DO IT VERY FAST. AND I ALSO HAVE COPIES FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD FOR ALL OF YOU AS WELL. LONG BEACH FORWARD STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE AND WITH THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD, CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AND AN END TO THE GENOCIDE IN SETTLER COLONIALISM CARRIED OUT BY THE ISRAELI APARTHEID STATE AND FUNDED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. WE CALLED SPECIFICALLY ON OUR US REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT GARCIA, TO SIGN ONTO THE CEASEFIRE NOW RESOLUTION TO DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE. IMMEDIATELY WE BELIEVE IN A WORLD FREE FROM OPPRESSION BASED ON OTHERING AND EXCLUSION THAT IS CONVERSELY FULL OF ABUNDANCE, HUMANITY AND LOVE. THIS EXTENDS TO A VISION OF A HEALTHY LONG BEACH, WHERE WE MUST INTENTIONALLY AND MEANINGFULLY FILLED, BUILD MULTICULTURAL SOLIDARITY ACROSS OUR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, REGARDLESS OF OUR RACE AND ETHNICITY, AGE, FAITH, GENDER, SEXUALITY, CITIZENSHIP STATUS, PHYSICAL MENTAL ABILITY AND LANGUAGE. OUR LIBERATED AND JUST FUTURE MUST INCLUDE A FREE PALESTINE, BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE LIBERATION OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE IS DIRECTLY INTERTWINED WITH THE LIBERATION OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR COLLECTIVE HUMANITY. AS BLACK WOMEN RADICALS HAVE WRITTEN RECENTLY, QUOTE, WE DO NOT CONDONE THE KILLING OF INNOCENT LIVES AT HOME AND ABROAD, WHETHER PALESTINIAN OR ISRAELI. HOWEVER, WHILE MANY MEDIA OUTLETS HAVE DISSEMINATED MISINFORMATION AND PORTRAYED A ONE-SIDED NARRATIVE ABOUT THE ATTACK, THEY DO NOT DISCUSS THE POLITICAL, HISTORICAL, AND PRESENT DAY SIEGE OF GAA BY THE ISRAELI MIL MILITARY AND THE SYSTEMIC SYSTEMATIC VIOLENCE, EXPULSION, POVERTY, DISPLACEMENT, AND ZIONIST SETTLER COLONIALISM, SEXUAL AND RACIALIZED TERROR, SURVEILLANCE, APARTHEID, AND MORE THAT PALESTINIANS HAVE ENDURED SINCE THE DECADE SINCE THE NAKBA. WE PROUDLY SOUND ALONGSIDE LOCAL PALESTINIAN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, OUR LONG BEACH BASED ORGANIZATIONS, JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE, AND COUNTLESS JEWISH ALLIES, AND MANY OTHERS WHO ARE DEMANDING THAT THE US GOVERNMENT CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE, INCREASE HUMANITARIAN AID AND END FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR ISRAELIS APARTHEID AND WAR CRIMES. WE ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO, UM, UH, JOIN US THIS COMING SUNDAY. WE'LL BE HOSTING A WATCH PARTY AT OUR, UM, ORGANIZATION OF, UH, BLACK, A RADICAL BLACK FEMINISTS AND THEIR CONVERSATION, UH, WITH BLACK FEMINIST WRITERS IN PALESTINE, INCLUDING ANGELA DAVIS. UM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE THANK YOU, YOUR TIME HAS TO TALK TOGETHER AND LEARN TOGETHER, AND SO WE INVITE, EXTEND THAT INVITATION TO YOU ALL AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, MY TIME, YOUR TIME, THE TIME. OKAY. UM, THIS MEETING, UH, I ONLY FOUND OUT THAT ABOUT THIS AGENDA ITEM, UH, BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. TURNS OUT, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T HAVE 'EM AT THE END OF THE MONTH. I, IF, I THINK IF PE MORE PEOPLE KNEW THERE WAS THIS AGENDA ITEM, YOU WOULD SEE PROBABLY MANY MORE COMMENTS. UM, I'M A MEMBER OF THE LONG BEACH AREAS PEACE NETWORK, BUT I'M NOT EMPOWERED TO SPEAK FOR THE PEACE NETWORK. I THINK THE KEY WORD THERE IS PEACE. UM, PEACE IS RELATIVELY UNATTAINABLE. SO WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF PEACE IS WAR. WE'RE IN A WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST. WE ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE WAR. WE SU SUPPLY ARMS TO ONE SIDE NOT THE OTHER. SO THIS IS US. THIS IS, AND AND I THINK ABOUT THE COMMENT AFTER THE HOLOCAUST, NEVER AGAIN, BUT NEVER AGAIN IS, WAS NOT ONLY MET, NEVER AGAIN SHOULD THE JEWISH PEOPLE BE VICTIMS. BUT THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE GENOCIDE. AND YET WE SEE IT. WE, WE SAW IT IN CAMBODIA, BUT WE, WE REALLY BEGAN IN GENOCIDE IN THIS COUNTRY. WE BEGAN LIKE STOLEN LIVES AND STOLEN LAND. WE BEGAN IN ENSLAVING PEOPLE. WE BEGAN IN STEALING LAND. SO WE, WE HAVE TO SEE OURSELVES AS, AS HAVING THAT CAPACITY TO BE THE OPPRESSOR. IT'S IN A, IT IS A HUMAN ABILITY TO OPPRESS, BUT IT'S, AND, AND TO BE. AND, AND ALSO WE, WE CAN BE VICTIMS. I MEAN, PIONEERS WERE VICTIMS OF MASSING, RIGHT? BUT THEY, BUT SO WINNING. WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES WINNING LOOK LIKE? I'M NOT SURE WHAT, [01:20:01] UH, WHAT WINNING WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, BUT I KNOW ONE THING. THE PATH IS BLOODY. THE PATH THAT THAT IS GOING ON NOW IS JUST TOO, TOO BLOODY. IT'S TOO MANY CHILDREN. IT'S A TOTAL VIOLATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAWS OF WAR. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SPARE NON-COMBATANTS. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SIDE THEY'RE ON. NON-COMBATANTS ON EITHER SIDE ARE INNOCENT, THEY'RE INNOCENT, AND THEY'RE BEING SLAUGHTERED BY MORE, MORE ABOUT ONE SIDE OR ANOTHER. WHILE I APPRECIATE, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR NOT BEING SILENT, BECAUSE SILENCE WAS ANOTHER THING THAT CAME OUTTA THE HOLOCAUST. THE, THE, THE, AND I'M SORRY I DON'T REMEMBER HIS NAME, BUT SILENCE IS COMPLICITY. AND YOU CHOSE NOT TO BE SILENT HERE. YOU CHOSE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. SO THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG, BIG POINT, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO ALLOW US TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT. BUT, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT WHEN YOU BEGIN CHAIR BY, BY SAYING YOU, YOU, UH, CONDEMN, UH, UH, THE HAMAS FOR THEIR VIOLENCE, BUT YOU, YOU DIDN'T CONDEMN ISRAEL ON THE OTHER SIDE. AND NOW THE VIOLENCE IS MANY, HUNDREDS OF TIMES MORE, RIGHT? 8,000 TO TO 2000 OR SOMETHING. SO YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE, THERE IS A SOURCE OF THAT VIOLENCE. IF THE SOURCE OF THE VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL IS HAMAS, THEN WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE VIOLENCE TOWARD PALESTINE? IT IS THE STATE OF ISRAEL. I DON'T, I DON'T THINK, I THINK, AND THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING. WE'RE SEEING THIS, THIS, UH, HABIT. IT'S A HABIT. AND IT, AND IT, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE HABIT OF WALL STREET TOO, TO SAY ON, ON THE HEADLINES TODAY, OH, IT'S GONNA BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS. AND, YOU KNOW, WEAPONS ARE OUR, OUR NUMBER ONE EXPORT FROM THE UNITED STATES. SO WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF SELF-REFLECTION TO DO AS, AS A, AS AS HUMAN BEINGS ALWAYS. YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M THINKING, UH, ABOUT WATER NOW. LIKE, I JUST TURN ON THE WATER, YOU KNOW, AND NOW I'M THINKING WHEN IT'S COMING OUT, I'M THINKING, THERE'S NO WATER, THERE'S NO CLEAN, CLEAN WATER IN, IN, IN ALL OF GAZA. WHAT, WHAT THE HELL? YOU KNOW? I MEAN, TURN ON THE ELECTRICITY, LET PEOPLE HAVE WATER. SO I, I, IT'S, IT'S A CEASEFIRE FOR SURE, FOR REELS, NOT JUST A PAUSE, A CEASEFIRE, BUT ALSO THE WATER, THE ELECTRICITY, EVERYTHING THAT, THAT CIVILIANS NEED, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO'S THERE. CIVILIANS ARE THERE. YEAH, THEY'RE SOLDIERS. BUT WHEN I WAS TEACHING AT LINWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AND, AND THE IRAQ WAR WAS GOING ON, I DID MY BEST TO DISCOURAGE MY STUDENTS FROM ENLISTING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT TURNS OUT WHEN YOU GO AS A SOLDIER, YOU MAY PLAY THOSE GAMES, BUT THE REALITY IS, EVEN AT THAT TIME, 10 OUT OF EVERY 11 PEOPLE WHO DIED AND MORE WERE CIVILIANS. SO THAT'S WHO YOU'RE GONNA BE KILLING. WHETHER IT'S PUSHING A BUTTON IN SOME ROOM, SENDS A DRONE, OR WHETHER IT'S FACE TO FACE, YOU'RE GONNA KILL CIVILIANS. AND THAT'S NOT CIVILIZED. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT KIND. IT'S NOT. AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S NECESSARY. I BELIEVE WE CAN STAND FOR RESPECTING OTHER PEOPLE'S HUMANITY. AND, AND IN THIS POINT IN TIME, AND ALSO ANOTHER POINT, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE LEFT, THERE'S NO CLOCK HERE. BUT ANOTHER POINT WAS WHEN IT CAME TO THE WARS IN CENTRAL AMERICA, BECAUSE I'M 78, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WARS, YOU KNOW, THAT I, I COULD SEE VIETNAM THAT GETS ONE PAGE BY ONE, ONE DAY, ONE DAY IN A HIGH SCHOOL. THAT'S ALL THE TIME YOU GET TO TEACH THE VIETNAM WAR. UH, IF, IF YOU'RE ON TOP OF THINGS, , ACCORDING TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, UH, BUT IN, IN EL SALVADOR, SOMEONE, SOMEONE WAS AT, WELL, WHAT ABOUT VIOLENCE? YOU KNOW, THESE VIOLENT COMMUNISTS IN EL SALVADOR? AND THIS, THIS MAN SAID, YOU KNOW, VIOLENCE TO ME IS WHEN THE LANDOWNER'S CHILD EAT BETTER THAN MY DOG. THE LANDOWNER'S DOG EATS BETTER THAN MY CHILDREN. SO I BELIEVE THAT THE PALESTINIANS ARE BEING TREATED, YOUR TIME IS UP AND WORSE THAN, THAN DOGS. AND THEY THAT DON'T DESERVE IT. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS. MY DAYS CONSIST OF AHMED, ARE YOU ALIVE? HURRY, ARE YOU ALIVE? AUNTIE LILA, WHERE ARE YOU? CAN YOU GUYS TELL ME, DO YOU HAVE FOOD? DO YOU HAVE WATER? AND THEIR MESSAGES TO ME ARE, DO THEY SEE US? DO THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? BECAUSE THEY'RE SHOCKED THAT HUMANITY IS NOT STEPPING IN TO STOP THE GENOCIDE. MY NAME IS SHEREEN, AND I AM UNAPOLOGETICALLY A PALESTINIAN MUSLIM AMERICAN WOMAN. I WAS BORN A REFUGEE, AND I'M THE DAUGHTER OF INA AND ABBOTT WHO SURVIVED THE 1948 NEP CKA. I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO CROSS THE BORDERS AND GAZA, AND HAVE WEAPONS POINTED AT ME AS A CHILD AND JUMPED TO PROTECT MY UNCLE MAUREEN, FROM THE SOLDIERS, ONLY FOR HIM TO TELL ME, [01:25:01] THEY WON'T SPARE YOU. THEY WON'T SPARE YOU. GET TO THE BACKSEAT. AND NOW I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANS. ALMOST 5,000 OF OUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SLAUGHTERED. THIS IS NOT COMPLICATED. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WE'RE WATCHING GENOCIDE FROM OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, AND WE'RE DEBATING WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION. HOW DO WE NOT OFFEND OUR JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS? ANTI-SEMITISM MEANS THAT WE DO NOT LIKE THE JEWISH PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE JEWISH. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CANNOT CRITICIZE THE ZIONIST GOVERNMENT THAT IS BUILT ON THE BACKS AND THE BLOOD OF PALESTINIANS. HOW CAN WE NOT CRITICIZE ANOTHER GOVERNMENT, BUT WE CAN STAND AND CRITICIZE OUR OWN CHAIR? I KNOW THIS ITEM PROBABLY WAS NOT EASY FOR YOU. I KNOW YOU'RE A FIGHTER FOR JUSTICE. I KNOW THAT ABOUT YOU AND AN EDUCATOR, BUT I BROUGHT THIS ITEM TO MY SISTER ALYSSA, WHO IS A JEWISH WOMAN WHO I WORK HAND IN HAND WITH AND HAVE FOR YEARS ON JUSTICE AND EQUITY. AND I'VE SERVED THIS CITY, AND I'VE SERVED THIS COMMISSION, AND I'VE PUSHED FOR RACIAL EQUITY, A BLACK AND BROWN, TO A POINT WHERE I'VE BEEN KICKED OUT OF CIRCLES. YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE HELPING US. BUT THE REASON WHY WE AS PALESTINIANS HAVE THE COMPASSION THAT WE DO, BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE NOT TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT FOR OURSELVES. WE KNOW THAT A DEMONSTRATION FOR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS CAN MEAN THE LOSS OF OUR LIVES IN A MINUTE. LIKE WE'RE SEEING NOW, THERE ARE 50,000 WOMEN IN PALESTINE TODAY THAT ARE PREGNANT WITHOUT MEDICAL CARE. WOMEN ARE HAVING BABIES C-SECTIONS WITHOUT THE PROPER MEDICATION. IN THE LAST 48 HOURS, THE ZIONIST GOVERNMENT HAS BOMBED THE HIGHEST POPULATED REFUGEE CAMP IN THE ENTIRE GLOBE. AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF BODIES, PIECES OF ARMS AND LEGS AND HEADS OF CHILDREN, AND MEN AND WOMEN. PALESTINIAN MEN ARE CARRYING THEIR BABIES IN BAGS, IN PIECES. AND WHAT'S A SHAME, BECAUSE WE'VE OFTEN BEEN STEREOTYPED AS LIARS AND DARK WHEN THE MUSLIM PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SCIENTISTS OPEN UP THE FIRST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD THAT IS IN MOROCCO. WE WERE THE FIRST TO ADVANCE MENTAL HEALTH. PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER EDUCATION ON OUR PEOPLE AS PALESTINIANS AND OUR MUSLIM PEOPLE. AND THAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE THERE IS. WE ARE OFTEN DEHUMANIZED, AND WE ARE SILENCED BROTHERS AND SISTERS. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE AT THE UNIVERSITY AT CAL STATE BEING SILENCED TO STAND UP FOR JUSTICE WHEN THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THIS COUNTRY THAT WE, INCLUDING ME AS A CHILD, I WANNA GO TO AMERICA, THE LAND OF THE FREE THE LAND. I COULD BE WHAT I WANT AND, AND, AND SAY WHAT I WANT, ONLY TO SEE MY SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS TAKEN DOWN, THREATEN RETALIATION. A SIX YEAR OLD BOY STABBED 26 TIMES IN CHICAGO BY HIS LANDLORD FOR BEING PALESTINIAN. ANOTHER SISTER STABBED A FEW DAYS AGO FOR BEING MUSLIM. THE HATE CRIMES AMONG OUR JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS HAVE SKYROCKETED. AND, AND, AND TO THE IMAM ZIONISM AND JUDAISM ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. WE HAVE STOOD BY OUR JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS AS THEY HAVE STOOD BY US. WE HAVE MARRIED WITHIN FAMILIES, WE DO BUSINESS TOGETHER. WE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE TOGETHER. PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR A CEASEFIRE. ASK FOR AID TO GO INTO PALESTINE AND PUT SOME PROTECTIONS IN PLACE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH FOR FREE SPEECH, FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR ADVOCATES, SO THAT I'M NOT CONSTANTLY LOOKING BEHIND YOU TO SEE. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS ENDED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE ZOOM. WE HAVE THREE IN THE ZOOM. ANNIE, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. HI, MY NAME IS ANNIE. I LIVE IN DISTRICT SEVEN, AND, UH, I'M JUST CALLING. I, I STAND WITH, UH, RINE AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE. UH, AND I'M JUST CALLING FOR A CEASEFIRE, NEED TO GET, YOU KNOW, THE HUMAN AID TO PALESTINE AND, UM, TIRED OF ALL THE INJUSTICE AND ALL THE BABIES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE INNOCENT LIVES THAT ARE LOST. [01:30:07] ANNIE? YES? WAS THAT, CAN YOU HEAR ME COMMENT? YEAH. UH, YEAH. I'M, I'M JUST CALLING FOR ROBERT GARCIA. UH, HE'S OUR, UH, CONGRESS, UH, MAN CONGRESSMAN THAT REPRESENTS LONG BEACH. AND I'M JUST CALLING FOR HIM TO, UH, CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE. THANK YOU, AND I APPRECIATE THE TIME. NEXT UP WE HAVE TK. GOOD EVENING. UH, MY NAME IS TK LEI, AND I'M A LONG BEACH RESIDENT. I AM QUEER, AND I'M VIETNAMESE. I THANK YOU, SHIREEN, FOR YOUR TESTIMONY, AND I'M SO SORRY YOU'RE HERE DEFENDING YOUR HUMANITY. I'M HERE TO CALL ON THE CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT A CEASEFIRES RESOLUTION IN PALESTINE. I FIND ROBERT GARCIA STANDING WITH ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE AND PINK WASHING TACTICS VILE AS A PALESTINIAN, WROTE ON A WEBSITE CALLED QUEERING THE MAP. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I WILL LIVE, SO I JUST WANT THIS TO BE MY MEMORY HERE. BEFORE I DO, I AM NOT GOING TO LEAVE MY HOME. COME WHAT MAY MY BIGGEST REGRET IS NOT KISSING THIS ONE GUY. HE DIED TWO DAYS BACK. AND SOON I WILL BE DEAD TO EUNICE. I WILL KISS YOU IN HEAVEN. THERE ARE QUEER PEOPLE IN PALESTINE, AND THEY DESERVE TO LIVE IN LONG BEACH. OVER 6 MILLION OF OUR TAX DOLLARS FUND ISRAEL'S ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS. THINK OF THE CHILDREN, TEACHERS, AND UNHOUSED RESIDENTS WE COULD SUPPORT WITH $6 MILLION FUNNELED BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY. INSTEAD, OUR TAX DOLLARS FUND WAR CRIMES LIKE THE USE OF WHITE PHOSPHORUS TO BURN CIVILIANS TO DEATH FROM THE INSIDE OUT. AS A CHILD OF VIETNAM WAR REFUGEES, I KNOW INTIMATELY THE CRUELTY OF CHEMICAL WARFARE BECAUSE THE US GOVERNMENT SPRAYED NEPAL AND AGENT ORANGE IN VIETNAM AND DECIMATED THE LAND POISONED CIVILIANS AND CAUSED LONG-TERM DISABILITIES. LONG AFTER THE SO-CALLED END OF THE WAR AS A CHILD OF VIETNAM WAR REFUGEES WHO HAD THE AUDACITY TO KEEP SURVIVING IN THE FACE OF STATE, STATE SANCTIONED MURDER. I WILL NOT STAND BY WHILE MY TAX DOLLARS FUND ANOTHER GENOCIDE, I WOULD EVEN WANT THE RESOLUTION TO GO FURTHER. I WANT AN END TO THE OCCUPATION FOR THE PALESTINIAN RIGHT TO RETURN TO THEIR ANCESTRAL LANDS AND TO TAKE ACTION NOW TO END THE CEASEFIRE AND STOP USAID, THE SETTLER COLONY CALLED ISRAEL PALESTINIAN LIBERATION IS OUR LIBERATION. THANK YOU. LAST WE HAVE JOY. JOY, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. HELLO, MY NAME IS JOY AMAG GUCCI. I AM ALSO A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH AND CURRENTLY IN DISTRICT FIVE. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY HOW HEARTENED I AM TO STAND HERE, EVEN VIRTUALLY WITH ALL OF THE OTHER RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH TODAY, WHO HAVE SPOKEN OUT, UM, IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINE, LIB PALESTINIAN LIBERATION, AND IN SUPPORT OF THIS COMMISSION AND THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, DOING THE RIGHT THING, I THINK, AND STANDING UP FOR, UM, THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND STANDING FOR A CEASEFIRE, UM, IN THE REGION. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BUT I KNOW BELIEVE THAT THIS COMMISSION TAKING A STAND AND SPEAKING UP FOR A CEASEFIRE NOW FOR A CALL FOR THE HUMANITARIAN AID AND ACCESS, AND FOR, UM, TAKING A STANCE AGAINST GENOCIDE NOW THAT WE ARE SEEING IN FRONT OF OUR VERY EYES, WOULD BE INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. AND THAT WE KNOW THAT OUR FORMER MAYOR NOW HAS A SEAT IN CONGRESS AND NOW HAS EVEN MORE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE GENOCIDE HAPPENING. AND WE KNOW THAT HE'S NOT DOING THAT. UM, SO I AM HOPEFUL THAT THIS COMMISSION WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF THE TESTIMONY THAT YOU'VE HEARD TODAY, AND THAT I'M SURE, AS SOMEONE ELSE MENTIONED, AS PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT THIS, WILL PEOPLE WILL BE SPEAKING OUT MORE AS I'VE SEEN THIS RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH, UM, SPEAKING UP AGAINST INJUSTICE ACROSS MANY ISSUES. UM, SO I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND, UM, OF TIME TONIGHT AND FOR BRINGING UP THIS ISSUE. BUT I, I TRULY DO HOPE THAT, UM, YOU ALL TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD INTO ACCOUNT AND, UM, TAKE A STAND AGAINST OCCUPATION AGAINST THE GENOCIDE AND FOR FREEDOM AND PALESTINE. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR SHARING YOUR [01:35:01] COMMENTS. UM, I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT IN SHARING YOUR COMMENTS, IT TRIGGERS TRAUMA FOR YOU CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE. I'M NOT, I'M GONNA SPEAK FOR, FOR EVERYONE, BUT I'M ASSUMING FOR, FOR MANY, IF NOT ALL. UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY THERE IS PRIVILEGE. WHERE WE STAND TODAY IN THIS ROOM, WE'RE ALIVE, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT IN WAR CONFLICT. AND WE ALL HAVE, AS THE WAY I SEE IT, A STAKE IN SPEAKING UP ON AN ISSUE THAT IS YET SIMULTANEOUSLY COMPLEX. YET WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL JUSTICE, THERE'S A RIGHT SIDE IN TERMS OF HUMANITY HERE, PRESERVING LIFE. UM, AND I HEAR YOU, WE HEAR YOU. I, UH, WANNA READ FOR EVERYONE AS A REMINDER, OUR MISSION TO INSPIRE AND SUPPORT SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, AND FOSTER MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT FOR ALL EMBEDDED AT TIMES IN THAT IS THIS LOCAL CHARGE THAT MANY OF YOU SPOKE TO, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL AS ONE OR MANY, MANY OF YOU ECHOED. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US AS COMMISSIONERS, AS WE'RE ABOUT TO SEGUE IN, TO HAVE A DIALOGUE TO HOPEFULLY LAND ON A RECOMMENDATION FOR CITY COUNCIL AS TO WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, RIGHT? AND CHIME IN, BECAUSE I, I'M A BIG BELIEVER IS THAT YES, WE'RE LOCAL IS A GLOBAL EVENT THOUGH, RIGHT? WE ADD, RIGHT? WE ADD OUR CONTRIBUTION TO, TO, UH, A GLOBAL MATTER, AND THAT MOVES, MOVES MOUNTAINS IN TIME. I'VE SEEN IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN. UM, AND THEN FINALLY BEFORE, BEFORE WE TURN TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONER'S, RIGHT? I THINK REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE LAND, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THERE'S A LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT, UH, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES, UM, CREATES PROGRAMMING, SERVICES, TRAUMA, OR JUST COMMUNICATES TO OUR BROADER COMMUNITY, THE SERVICES THAT ALREADY EXIST TO ENSURE THOSE STRONGER HUMAN RELATIONS AS WELL LOCALLY HERE, SO THAT WE PROTECT, YOU KNOW, OUR RESIDENTS AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM, RIGHT? AND THAT'S WHAT WE CAN DO TO IN, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. UM, UM, SO I TURNED TO MY COMMISSIONERS AND SEE, UH, WHERE THE RECOMMENDATIONS MAY BE SO WE CAN HAVE A FORMAL MOTION, UM, EVENTUALLY. SO LET ME QUEUE UP HERE. UH, COMMISSIONER COLE, HAVE COMMISSIONER COLE HERE, ACT ITEM FOUR. YES. NOT COMMISSIONER GUT. OH, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ, THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR LARA FOR IZING THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE HERE TODAY, SPEAKING YOUR TRUTH. I WANNA THANK ALL OF MY FELLOW FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LEADERS WHO HAVE BEEN CALLING ME OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS TO SHARE YOUR HEART WITH ME. SEVERAL OF YOU'RE IN THIS ROOM. UM, SHARE YOUR PAIN WITH ME. I AM HONORED TO KNOW THAT SO MANY OF YOU ARE LOOKING TO THIS COMMISSION TO, UH, HOLD THAT PAIN AND AMPLIFY YOUR VOICES. THE LAST THREE AND A HALF WEEKS HAVE BEEN, UH, AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER, TO SAY THE LEAST. I'VE BEEN SO SAD AND JUST HORRIFIED BY THE LEVEL OF VIOLENCE AND DEATH AND CHAOS ENSUING IN, UM, ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE, AND HOW WELL THIS CONFLICT IS HAPPENING HALFWAY ACROSS THE GLOBE OF, WE, AS WE'VE ALL ACKNOWLEDGE, IT'S, IT'S VERY MUCH BEING FELT HERE AT HOME. UM, AND, UM, THERE ARE MANY, MANY, MANY FOLKS WHO MAYBE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS MEETING OR COULDN'T MAKE IT HERE TODAY, WHO, UM, [01:40:01] YOU KNOW, HAVE SHARED STORIES WITH ME ABOUT REAL, UM, A ARISE RIGHT OF, OF ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM AS A RESULT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE BEING BOMBARDED WITH SO MUCH MISINFORMATION AND ONE-SIDED NARRATIVES AND WARPED HISTORIES. AND I THINK A LOT OF US LACK OF REAL CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT'S UNFOLDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. UM, THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM SURE DOESN'T TEACH US MUCH ABOUT THAT. AND THAT HISTORY IS IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHO'S CENTERED IN THE TELLING OF THAT HISTORY. UM, I'M BY NO MEANS A HISTORIAN, BUT I HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, DONE IN COLLEGE SOME STUDYING AROUND THE POLITICAL, HISTORICAL, AND PRESENT DAY SIEGE OF GAZA BY THE ISRAELI MILITARY. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THE COINCIDING SYSTEMIC VIOLENCE AND DISPLACEMENT AND APARTHEID THAT PALESTINIANS AND GAZA AND THE WEST BANK AND EAST J JERUSALEM HAVE EXPERIENCED SINCE, UM, 1948. THE NEBA, AS, AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE MENTIONED HERE. AND, UM, JUST TO REITERATE SOME OF THOSE POINTS, YOU KNOW, THAT, UM, CATASTROPHE IN 1948 IS WHEN 750,000 PALESTINIANS WERE VIOLENTLY REMOVED FROM THEIR HOMES. AND THAT IS WHAT CLEARED THE WAY FOR PRESENT DAY IS REAL. AND I THINK THAT HISTORY MATTERS, YOU KNOW, AND THEN THE MANY, MANY, MANY CONFLICTS THAT HAVE COME SINCE LEAVING PALESTINIANS LITTLE BY LITTLE WITH LESS AND LESS LAND AND LESS AND LESS FREEDOM. SO I JUST WANNA, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, AND I'M ALSO BY NO MEANS AN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS EXPERT. I DON'T KNOW THE SOLUTION TO LASTING PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. I, BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT THE CURRENT STATE OF THINGS, THE CURRENT INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING OF INNOCENT PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS AND CHILDREN IS NOT THE ANSWER DEPRIVING 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE, INCLUDING 1 MILLION CHILDREN OF FOOD AND WATER AND ELECTRICITY AND MEDICAL CARE IS NOT THE ANSWER. UM, SISTER SENA, THINK UPLIFTED. THERE'S 50 MILLION PREGNANT WOMEN RIGHT NOW LIVING IN GAZA, 50 MILLION PREGNANT, I'M SORRY, 50,000, MY BAD, 50,000 PREGNANT WOMEN WHO WILL GIVE BIRTH IN A REFUGEE CAMP, OR WORSE, I CAN'T IMAGINE. I CAN'T IMAGINE. I HAVE THREE KIDS THAT I'VE GIVEN BIRTH TO. I CAN'T IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, I'LL SPEED THIS UP HERE, BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'M JUST SITTING WITH ALL OF THIS TRAUMA AS, AS, UM, CHAIR LAURA HAD MENTIONED. I ALSO WANNA SAY I AM, UM, I'M SO SORRY FOR ALL OF THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES ON OCTOBER 7TH TO TODAY. I'M HORRIFIED THAT THERE'S STILL HOSTAGES BEING KEPT AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES. I GRIEVE THE LOSS OF SAFETY THAT MANY OF MY JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW. AND I, UM, AM DEEPLY GRIEVING, YOU KNOW, THE 4,000 CHILDREN WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN CLOSE TO 4,000 CHILDREN WHO'VE ALREADY BEEN KILLED IN, IN, IN GAZA. FEW OTHER THINGS I WANNA SAY, AND JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE HAS ALREADY WARNED THAT PALESTINIANS ARE IN GRAVE DANGER OF MASS, MASS ETHNIC CLEANSING, AND HAVE CALLED ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO URGENTLY, UM, MEDIATE A CEASEFIRE BETWEEN HAMAS AND ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES. AND I THINK WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING A WHOLE LOT ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK WE'VE ALL HEARD THIS, AND WE WONDER, LIKE, HOW, HOW, HOW DID THE MASSES JUST SIT BY AND ALLOW SLAVERY TO PERSIST FOR MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES? OR, YOU KNOW, THE GENOCIDE OF 8 MILLION INDIGENOUS AMERICANS, THE GENOCIDE OF 6 MILLION JEWS. LIKE THIS IS HOW RIGHT. WE'RE WATCHING IT UNFOLD BEFORE OUR EYES. IT'S A BIAS MEDIA CAMPAIGN. IT'S THE DEHUMANIZATION OF AN ENTIRE ETHNICITY, THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER MAKING DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN CHILDREN OF LIGHTNESS AND CHILDREN OF DARKNESS. RIGHT? IT'S THE PRESSURE CAMPAIGNS FROM INSTITUTIONS AND SCHOOLS AND WORKPLACES TO KEEP US SILENT AND KEEP US IN FEAR OF SPEAKING UP, FEAR OF BEING LABELED ANTISEMITIC. AND REALLY THE WEAPONIZING OF THIS TERM ANTISEMITISM HAS REALLY GOT [01:45:01] TO STOP. I, I THINK IT'S DOING A DISSERVICE TO REAL ANTISEMITISM THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE THERE ARE REAL ANTISEMITIC ACTS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. BUT WE MUST NOT CONFLATE WANTING ISRAEL TO STOP BOMBING CIVILIANS AS GO IN GAA AS HATING JEWS OR BEING ANTISEMITIC. SO ENCLOSED, YOU KNOW, AS A, AS AN ASHKENAZI JEW WHOSE ANCESTORS IMMIGRATED TO AMERICA AFTER FLEEING PROSECUTION FROM THE SOVIET UNION, I STAND UNAPOLOGETICALLY IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. MY MOTHER IS BOTH BLACK AND JEWISH. WE COME FROM A LONG LINE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES WHO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE DISPLACED AND ENSLAVED AND SLAUGHTERED JUST FOR BEING WHO YOU ARE. AND IT IS WITH THE STRENGTH OF MY ANCESTORS THAT I SIT HERE TODAY AND OFFICIALLY MAKE A MOTION TO ASK THIS COMMISSION TO CALL FOR PEACE, TO CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA. I ASKED THIS COMMISSION TO, UM, BE BRAVE AND ASK OUR CITY COUNCIL TO URGE OUR CURRENT CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, WHICH IS MADE UP OF REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT GARCIA AND REPRESENTATIVE NANETTE BARRAGAN TO SIGN ONTO THE CEASEFIRE, NOT RESOLUTION, UM, HR 7 86, TO DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE IMMEDIATELY, AND ALLOW HUMANITARIAN AID AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND TO GAZA. AND I DO JOIN THE VOICES OF FELLOW JEWISH ALLIES AND SAY, NOT IN MY NAME. AND I DREAM OF A DAY WHEN PALESTINIANS AND JEWS CAN LIVE AMONG ONE ANOTHER IN PEACE, IN THEIR FULL HUMANITIES MOVING FREELY ACROSS THEIR SHARED LAND. SO, THANK YOU. I HOPE MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS WILL, UM, SUPPORT THIS MOTION. I HAVE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ. I HAVE COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY QUEUED UP, BUT SINCE YOU MADE A FORMAL MOTION, I'LL BE CALLING FOR A SECOND. SO LET ME, LET ME MOVE SCREENS. AND, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, AND THIS IS UPDATING, SO THE SCREEN ISN'T HELPING ME, BUT I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE VICE CHAIR CUMMINGTON WHO DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE SCREEN. UM, IF SOMEONE MADE A SECOND, CAN THEY VERBALLY LET ME KNOW AS THIS SCREEN UPDATES? YES. WE CAN TAKE A, A VERBAL AND A VERBAL. IS THERE A SECOND? YES. VERBAL SECOND. SO SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. OKAY. UM, CAN WE MOVE TO FURTHER DISCUSSION? DO WE TAKE THE, CAN WE MOVE TO FURTHER DISCUSSION? YEAH, YOU CAN CONTINUE DISCUSSION. LET'S CONTINUE DISCUSSION. UM, UH, COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY IS, UH, SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. ALL RIGHT, GIMME ONE SECOND. MM-HMM, , LET ME CLOSE THE SCREEN. UH, COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY, THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. IN THE FACE OF THE CURRENT SITUATION, IT'S ESSENTIAL TO RECOGNIZE THE PROFOUND TO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS UNFOLDING IN PALESTINE, TO CALL IT WHAT IT IS, A CRISIS THAT HAS TRAGICALLY LED TO THE LOSS OF INNOCENT LIVES. WHILE I SUPPORT A CEASEFIRE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMPATHIZE THAT THE VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED AS A SERIOUS CONCERN WITH SOME MAY SELF INCLUDED CHARACTERIZING IT AS A FORM OF GENOCIDE. THE TERM GENOCIDE IS A DEEPLY SENSITIVE AND DEBATED ONE, AND I WANT TO STRESS THAT IT'S USED BY SOME AND NOT ALL TO DESCRIBE THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION THAT'S OCCURRING. ADVOCATING FOR CEASEFIRE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT STOPPING THE LOSS OF LIVES, BUT ALSO ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING ISSUES AND INEQUALITIES THAT HAVE LED TO THIS CRISIS. ONLY THROUGH A PEACEFUL DIALOGUE AND A COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS CAN WE HOPE TO BRING AN END TO THE SUFFERING AND BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR BOTH PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER FELLOW COMMISSIONERS? YEAH, I'LL QUEUE UP. OKAY. I HAVE COMMISSIONER COLE, AND I BELIEVE I HEARD, UH, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. DON'T KNOW WHO WAS FIRST, BUT, UM, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO'VE JOINED US TODAY FOR THIS IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. UM, I AM HAPPY TO BE A PART OF AN INSTITUTIONAL [01:50:01] LEVER OR INSTITUTIONAL BODY TO ALLOW FOR THESE CONVERSATIONS TO HAPPEN, UH, ESPECIALLY, UH, SINCE WE HAVE SEEN THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA SO MANY FOLKS WANTING TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S PARTICIPATED IN TONIGHT'S CONVERSATION. UM, SINCE THE TRAGEDY AND CONTINUING TRAGEDY, I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH. I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD, BUT ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU IS I KNOW WHAT OPPRESSION LOOKS LIKE, AND I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE. AND HAVING EXPERIENCED THAT AND WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HUMANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS UNJUST AS WHO ADVOCATE FOR ADVOCATE FOR HAVING BE . I'M SORRY. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON, YOU'RE COMING IN AND OUT. OH, NO. IF YOU'D LIKE, WE CAN COME BACK TO, OH, NO, I CAN HEAR YOU NOW. UH, COME BACK TO ME, ANNA. I'LL TRY TO SWITCH SOMETHING UP. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR, UH, COVINGTON. WE'LL COME BACK. UH, COMMISSIONER COLE, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO JUST EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM, AND YOU'RE ALSO WELL SPOKEN. AND AGAIN, IT, IT'S, IT'S SUCH AN HONOR TO HEAR YOUR WORDS. I DON'T WANNA TAKE THE TIME TO REITERATE WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE SAID. UM, IT'S A COMPLICATED ISSUE. I DIDN'T PREPARE A STATEMENT. THE ONLY THING IS, I DO THINK THERE SHOULD BE A CEASEFIRE, HOWEVER, THE, THE CHALLENGES POTENTIALLY IN THE WAY WE ARE ALL COMMUNICATING THAT. SO IF YOU SAY, WE STAND WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, WE STAND WITH THE ISRAELIS, BASICALLY WE'RE STANDING WITH CIVILIANS. THESE, THERE'S A TERRORIST, THERE'S A GOVERNMENT THAT'S WHO'S FIGHTING. AND I THINK DUE TO THE MEDIA, IF, IF YOU PICK ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, IT'S THE CIVILIANS WHO COULD BE IMPACTED ANYWHERE AND IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. SO, IN ANY WAY WE, AND I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN THIS, BUT ANYWAY, WE, WE PHRASE THE STATEMENT OR PUT SOMETHING FORTH FROM THE CITY JUST TO BE CAREFUL TO BE IN THE WORDING SO THAT WE'RE NOT ANTI-SEMITIC OR ANTI PALESTINIAN, BUT, YOU KNOW, PRO PEACE. AND TO TRY TO AVOID THAT BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT OUR MEDIA DOES AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING SO HARD HERE NOT TO DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER COLE. THAT'S ACTUALLY A GOOD CONNECTING PIECE. AS A, UM, I SYNTHESIZE NOT JUST THE MOTIONS, BUT THE COMMENTS IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS TO ARRIVE AT THE FINAL, UM, RECOMMEND AND JUST FOR CLARITY'S SAKE, FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND EVEN OURSELVES, THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN LAND ON THIS. THE COMMISSION CAN IDENTIFY A POINT PERSON TO DRAFT THE RECOMMENDATION LETTER SENT TO COUNCIL WITHOUT REVIEW FROM THE COMMISSION. UH, SECOND SCENARIO COMMISSION CAN IDENTIFY A PERSON OR AD HOC TO DRAFT A LETTER AND BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION. AND THEN FINALLY, IF THERE IS NO SUPPORT FOR A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION, THEN WE WILL NOT PROCEED WITH THAT PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION, WHICH IS, THAT'S THE, THE LATTER PART. AND GIVEN THE SENSE OF URGENCY, UM, WHEN WE APPROVE A FINAL STATEMENT, IT'S NOT GONNA BE ANOTHER MONTH. AND SO WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND RIGHT, IS THAT WE DO A SPECIAL MEETING IN BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, SO WE CAN GET THAT DONE AND MOVE TO CITY COUNCIL WITH ALL EXPEDIENT SPEED, RIGHT? UM, GIVEN THE, THE, THE, UM, GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION. AND SO, SO JUST PUTTING THESE SCENARIOS OUT THERE SO THAT WE CAN LAND ON A CLEAR, UM, MOTION AND THEN RECOMMENDATION. I WILL ALSO ASK, UM, ALANA, GRANT FROM THE OFFICE OF EQUITY, IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS. 'CAUSE THEY'RE THE EXPERTS IN THE PROCESS. WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT THE EXPERTS. MM-HMM. , UH, DEFINITELY MISSING TAYLOR TONIGHT. BUT, UM, YOU SYNTHESIZE THE THREE WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD PROCEED, UM, ACCURATELY. ONE THING I WOULD [01:55:01] WANT TO JUST UPLIFT IS THAT WE NEED TO COLLECT WHATEVER IDEAS YOU ALL WOULD WANT UPLIFTED IN THAT LETTER TONIGHT. AND ACTIVELY AS CHAIR, I NEED YOU, I WOULD NEED YOU TO FACILITATE, UH, AS RECOMMENDATIONS COME FORTH, UH, CHECKING WHETHER OR NOT, UH, WE HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. UM, AND THAT WILL HELP OUR TEAM KEEP TRACK OF WHAT IS INTENDED TO BE INCLUDED. THEREAFTER, YOU ALL CAN DECIDE WHICH WAY YOU WOULD MOVE FORWARD. UH, IF YOU KNOW YOU CHOOSE TO PROCEED WITH THAT LETTER. COULD YOU READ COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ'S MOTION AS IS? YES. UM, SO I HAVE RECOMMEND, UM, TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE, UM, ACTUALLY, I WOULD HAVE TO REWORD THIS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT DRAFTING THE RESOLUTION. YOU WOULD BE GIVING THE COMMISSION LANGUAGE. BUT WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ WROTE OR, UH, STATED IS TO RECOMMEND CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION RESOLUTION THAT URGES OUR LONG BEACH CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, UH, REPRESENTATIVES, GARCIA AND BARRAGAN TO SIGN ONTO THE CEASEFIRE AND NOW RESOLUTION HR 7 86 TO DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND OCCUPY PALESTINE IMMEDIATELY AND ALLOW HUMAN HUMANITARIAN AID AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES INTO GAZA. OKAY. COMMISSIONER OR VICE CHAIR? COVINGTON, ARE YOU QUEUED UP AGAIN? YEAH. OKAY. I CLOSED SOME THINGS ON MY LAPTOP, SO HOPEFULLY IT WORKS BETTER. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND ME ASKING, UH, VICE CHAIR, AND SORRY TO INTERRUPT HERE, BUT COULD YOU ALSO SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT LOUDER TO ENSURE THAT WE, WE CAN HEAR YOU OKAY. HOW, HOW IS THIS MUCH BETTER? THANK YOU. OKAY. I HAVE TO HOLD THE LAPTOP TO MY FACE. . ALRIGHT. UM, SO AS SOMEONE WHO ADVOCATES, UH, FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS TO PREVENT VIOLENCE, CONFLICT AND MURDER IN OUR CITY OF LONG BEACH, I FULLY SUPPORT A CEASE FIRE AND HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS, UH, TO BE SENT OVER, UH, TO THE MIDDLE EAST. UM, I ALSO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, TO UTILIZE THE SERVICES THAT ARE HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OUR RESIDENTS. UH, SO WE DO HAVE, UH, ISRAELI RESIDENTS, WE DO HAVE PALESTINIAN RESIDENTS HERE. AND IN THIS TIME, THERE IS DISCOURSE, UH, THAT IS GOING THROUGHOUT THEIR COMMUNITY. THERE ARE HATE SPEECH THAT IS SPEWING FROM FOLKS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN EVERYDAY, UH, EXPERIENCES. AND SO IN ADDITION TO THE CALLS, UM, TO ACTION FROM COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE, AND THIS WOULD BE A FRIENDLY, UM, TO IDENTIFY AND PUBLICIZE RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY BUILDING DIALOGUE SERVICES HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UH, I KNOW THERE'S SOME LOW COST TO NO COST SERVICES AVAILABLE. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE CITY, UH, ADVERTISE THAT IN ADDITION, UH, TO CALL ON NOT ONLY OUR TWO REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS, BUT ALSO OUR CITY REPRESENTATIVES WHO SIT ON OUR STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES TO AMPLIFY OUR CALL FOR CEASEFIRE AND SUPPORT THE HR RESOLUTION IN CONGRESS TODAY. AND IN ADDITION, UH, UNEQUIVOCALLY SUPPORT OUR ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, HERE TODAY. UH, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE CONDEMNING OF ALL HATE VIOLENCE, APARTHEID, XENOPHOBIA, COLONIALISM, GENOCIDE, AND MASS MASS ETHNIC CLEANSING, UH, TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL. AND THAT WOULD BE THE END OF MY COMMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. I THINK, UH, THE LOCAL, UH, IMPLICATIONS FROM THE GLOBAL, UM, WOULD, UM, [02:00:01] MAKE SENSE GIVEN, GIVEN OUR MISSION. BUT SINCE YOU DID MAKE A REQUEST FOR A FRIENDLY, I DO HAVE TO ASK THE ORIGINAL MAKER OF THE MOTION IF, UH, SHE IS OPEN TO THE FRIENDLY. SO COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON FOR THE FRIENDLY, ABSOLUTELY AGREEING WITH ALL OF THAT. I WOULD JUST ASK THAT ANY KIND OF DIALOGUE, UM, THAT, YEAH, I THINK YOU HAD CALLED THEM DIALOGUES, UM, FOR HEALING WOULD CENTER, UM, PALESTINIAN AND JEWISH VOICES. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, UM, WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY, UM, LEADERS, EXPERTS, FOLKS WHO ARE, UM, WHO THEIR EXPERTISE IS TO HOLD THESE KIND OF DIALOGUES, UM, PARTICULARLY WITHIN, UM, THE PALESTINIAN AND, AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES, UM, TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO CENTER THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED BY THIS. I KNOW YOU'RE REALLY BUSY AS AN OFFICE OF EQUITY, UM, TRYING TO SYNTHESIZE ALL THIS. SO I HAVE ONE MORE REQUEST IF POSSIBLE, BUT I WANT TO BE MINDFUL HERE. UH, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE SINCE COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ, UM, ACCEPTED THE FRIENDLY, UM, 'CAUSE WE'RE ADDING TO IT, TO PUT THIS ON A SLIDE RIGHT IN REAL TIME SO THAT OUR COMMISSIONERS, 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA REQUIRE A VOTE CAN ACTUALLY SYNTHESIZE. 'CAUSE I KNOW I'VE ASKED TO, TO HAVE TO HAVE IT BE READ, BUT WE NEED TO VISUALLY SEE IT AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CAN SEE IT SO THAT WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON AND, UH, UM, AND, AND, UM, AND MOVE FORWARD AS SUCH. AND IF SO, YOU KNOW, COULD WE PUT THAT SLIDE IN A FEW MINUTES? SURE. I WOULD RECOMMEND A RECESS, UH, TAKING A RECESS TO GIVE US TIME TO COMPILE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO SOLICIT INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION BEFORE WE DO THAT. UM, AND THEN ANOTHER, LIKE ONCE BEFORE WE GO INTO THAT, UH, RECESS, I DO WANT TO CLARIFY AND REMIND YOU ALL THAT YOUR ROLE AS A COMMISSION IS TO ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL. SO YOUR ADVICE TO THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD BE TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION AND ALSO TO ADVOCATE TO THE, TO OUR CONGRE CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES. YOU CAN'T, BAS YOU CAN'T TELL THE CON OUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES TO SIGN ON TO THE CEASEFIRE. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ON EXPECTATIONS. UM, WE ADVISED OUR LONG BEACH MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. YEAH, THAT WAS MY INTENT. YEAH. AND ONCE WE GET TO THE RECESS, SINCE YOU'RE, WE WOULD BE DRAFTING THAT LANGUAGE IN, IN REAL TIME. UH, ALSO PUT THE LANGUAGE FOR THE HOUSE RESOLUTION FROM REPRESENTATIVE, UH, CORY BUSH, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. JUST SO, BECAUSE THAT'S THE LANGUAGE ON THERE. AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO KNOW, UH, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON. AND I ALSO WANNA ENSURE, AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT AGAIN, ONCE WE WE GET TO RECESS OR AFTER RECESS, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT HOWEVER THAT IS FINALLY FRAMED AND SHOULD THE VOTE, UH, APPROVE IT, UM, THAT WE COMB THROUGH IT WITH A FINE LINE AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT IT WOULD BE INTERPRETED AS INTENDED, AS OPPOSED TO ANY POTENTIAL MISINTERPRETATIONS THAT MAY ESCALATE ANY TYPE OF DISCRIMINATION, THE CITY. RIGHT? SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE PUT ON THERE, UM, UM, IS AS THIS BODY HAS INTENDED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT, UM, WE, WE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, AS I BELIEVE IT WAS COMMISSIONER VICE CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR COVINGTON, MAKE SURE THAT THE SERVICES, UM, THAT WE PROVIDE, UH, DEESCALATE ANY ACTS OF ISLAMOPHOBIA OR ANTISEMITISM. SO WE WANNA BE VERY MINDFUL OF HOW WE FRAME AND HOW WE PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER. AND I THINK FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD SO FAR, SOUNDS FINE, BUT SEEING IT IN WRITING IS GONNA BE HELPFUL. ANY, ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONER? RIGHT? SO I'M GONNA CALL THEN, UM, I'M GONNA LOOK AT THE TIME FOR A, A RECESS, SO OF FIVE MINUTES. DOES THAT IS ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. SO WE'LL CALL FOR A FIVE, FIVE MINUTE RECESS AND I THINK WE CAN PUT SOME SLIDES TOGETHER AND THEN WE CAN, UM, MOVE THIS MOTION FORWARD FOR A VOTE. FIVE MINUTES? YES, CHAIR. OH, BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE TO DO IT. LET'S JUST MOVE ON TO THE OFFICE. . WOW. OH MY, [02:18:36] I'M [02:18:36] NOT [02:18:36] SURE IF FOLKS CAN HEAR ME. UM, I'M WONDERING IF WE'RE AT TIME, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL AT RECESS, VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. UM, THEY SHOULD BE WRAPPING UP SHORTLY. OH, OKAY. [02:22:27] ALL RIGHT. IF I CAN HAVE FELLOW COMMISSIONERS BACK, UM, IN THEIR SEATS. I BELIEVE THE OFFICE OF EQUITY, UH, STAFF IS READY TO CONNECT THE FINAL LANGUAGE, UH, TO THE SLIDES SO THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CAN ALSO SEE, UM, AND I'LL, I'M GONNA ASK MADAM CLERK, ARE WE BACK ON CAMERA AND ON ZOOM? YES. OKAY. SO WE, THE MEETING IS LEFT. WE HAVE RETURNED BACK FROM RECESS. UM, I WANT TO THANK THE OFFICE OF EQUITY FOR WORKING AT A HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR, UH, TO PUT THIS SLIDE TOGETHER. UH, BUT IT HELPS FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES AND FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SEE, AND QUITE FRANKLY, FOR US TO SEE AS COMMISSIONERS THE EXACT WORDING OF THE MOTION THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO, TO VOTE ON. SO IF EVERYONE CAN JUST TAKE A MINUTE TO, UH, UH, SEE THIS. AND I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND READ THIS UNLESS THE CLERK DOES, DOES IT HAVE, DOES ALYSSA DOES IT? I CAN READ. OKAY. SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UH, READ THIS. SO IT'S A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT A LOCAL RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A CEASEFIRE AND DEMAND TO END VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE. IMMEDIATELY URGE THE LONG BEACH CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO SIGN ONTO THE CEASEFIRE NOW RESOLUTION, HOUSE RESOLUTION 7, 8, 6, AND ALLOW HUMANITARIAN AID AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES IN GAZA. RECOMMEND CITY COUNCIL TO IDENTIFY LOCAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT DEESCALATE ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM, FOSTER COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIALOGUE, CENTERING PALESTINIAN AND JEWISH VOICES AND MENTAL HEALTH FOR RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY THE CONFLICT AND RECOMMEND CITY COUNCIL CONDEMN ALL FORMS OF HATE, VIOLENCE, APARTHEID, XENOPHOBIA, COLONIALISM, GENOCIDE, AND MASS ETHNIC CLEANSING. UM, I WANNA GO BACK TO VICE CHAIR, UH, CUMMINGTON AND COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ TO ENSURE THAT THIS CAPTURED, UH, WHAT THE MOTION WAS, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE FRIENDLY THAT WAS ADDED ON. UH, LET'S GO TO THE ORIGINAL, UM, MOVER OF THE MOTION. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. THIS CAPTURES THOUGH, I JUST HAVE A, A QUESTION IS, ARE WE VOTING ON EACH OF THESE SEPARATELY OR DO WE VOTE ALTOGETHER? AND, UM, I'M OKAY WITH EITHER ONE, BUT I'M, I'M CURIOUS IF THAT'S HOW EVERYONE ELSE IS SEEING THEM. WELL, MY UNDERSTANDING THAT [02:25:01] THE FRIENDLY THAT VICE CHAIR COVINGTON MADE AND THEN I BE, YOU ACCEPTED MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT IT WAS TOGETHER. UM, THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. NOW I WANT TO CONFIRM WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. YES, I'D AGREE THAT THIS IS TOGETHER. UM, IF IT'S HELPFUL, WE WERE SEPARATING THE THREE COMPONENTS OF WHAT YOU ALL AUTHORED VERBALLY. UM, ONE RE REGARDING THE RESOLUTION, UH, AND, UH, ADVOCACY WITH BOTH OUR COUNCIL AND OUR FEDERAL, UH, REPRESENTATIVES. THE SECOND POINT FOCUSES ON THOSE LOCAL RESOURCES, WHICH YOU ALL UPLIFTED. AND THEN THE THIRD POINT IS JUST THAT, UH, CONDEMNATION OF ALL FORMS OF HATE AND THE OTHER ISMS. OKAY. YEAH. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. YES. IT REPRESENTS AND REFLECTS. OKAY. SO WE CAN MOVE TO VOTE UNLESS THERE'S THERE DISCUSSION FROM COMMISSIONERS MOVING. OKAY. CHAIR, JUST WANNA GIVE EVERYONE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE. OKAY. SO PART OF THE VOTE WOULD NEED TO BE IDENTIFYING HOW THE LETTER IS GOING FORWARD AND WHO'S AUTHORING IT. THIS IS JUST THE I WHAT THE CONTENT OF WHAT WE WANT INCLUDED IN THAT LETTER. OKAY. SO THEN WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION FIRST. UM, LET ME GO BACK TO THE DIFFERENT PROCESSES AND THEN SO WE CAN IDENTIFY A PERSON TO DRAFT THE LETTER BASED ON THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, WITHOUT REVIEW FROM THE COMMISSION OR IDENTIFY A PERSON OR AD HOC TO DRAFT THE LETTER AND BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION, WHICH MEANS FROM MY END, I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A SPECIAL MEETING IN BETWEEN. 'CAUSE WE WOULD DO WAITING A MONTH OTHERWISE, RIGHT? SO I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS GO TO AN AD HOC, THAT'S PROBABLY THE, THE BEST ROUTE. TWO PEOPLE, IF WE WANT THREE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THREE PEOPLE, UM, ON THE AD HOC AND, UM, AND THEN COME BACK AND THEN WE CAN QUICKLY DECIDE WHEN WE WANNA HAVE THAT SPECIAL MEETING. SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE MAKER OF THE MOTION. MM-HMM. . YEAH. COMMISSIONER, CAN YOU, I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT? SO IN ORDER TO ADVANCE THIS FORWARD, WE NEED A POINT PERSON TO DRAFT A LETTER. IT COULD BE A SINGULAR PERSON. OH, THE AD HOC. BUT THEN WE WOULD HAVE THAT SINGULAR PER, WE WOULDN'T SEE THE FINAL VERSION. AND I DON'T THINK, I MEAN, I COULD BE WRONG. I DON'T THINK AS A COMMISSION WE JUST WANT TO MOVE ANYTHING FORWARD. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE TO BE AN AD HOC DAY. RIGHT. COME BACK, WE SEE IT AND THEN WE VOTE FOR IT. OKAY. SO I, I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR AN AD HOC. UM, MY RECOMMENDATION THEN WOULD BE THAT WE HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING, UM, LIKE NEXT WEEK. I, I JUST THINK THERE'S A, A REAL SENSE OF URGENCY HERE. I AGREE. OKAY. WE STILL NEED, UH, OH, I AN ENTITY, RIGHT? OH YEAH. I, I WOULD, UM, I CAN TAKE THE LEAD ON OR I CAN BE A PART OF THE AD HOC TO DRAFT THIS. OKAY. UM, IF WE'RE STILL IN DISCUSSION, MAY I ADD AN OPTION? VICE CHAIR COVINGTON? YEAH. THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, I AM WONDERING HOW FOLKS FEEL ABOUT OPTION ONE OF SOMEONE DRAFTING IT. AND I WOULD RECOMMEND OUR CHAIR, UM, TO DRAFT A LETTER AND THEN SUBMIT IT TO CITY STAFF. UM, OUR DISCUSSIONS TODAY REALLY IDENTIFIED AND PINPOINTED THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD IN SUCH LETTER. SO THE PROCESS OF AN AD HOC DEVELOPING A LETTER AND IT COMING BACK FOR A SPECIAL MEETING, I FEEL WOULD DUPLICATE OUR EFFORTS. UH, ALTHOUGH HELPFUL, UH, IT WOULD BE TO LOOK AT THE LETTER AND GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF FEEDBACKS. I FEEL AS THOUGH TODAY'S CONVERSATION IDENTIFIED THE SPECIFICS OF WE WANT, OF WHAT WE WANT IN THE LETTER AND IT'S JUST COPY PASTE TO CITY COUNCIL. UM, SO MY RECOMMENDATION TO THE AUTHOR OF THE MOTION IS TO RECOMMEND ONE PERSON TO DEVELOP THE LETTER AS WHAT WAS DISCUSSED TODAY AND SUBMIT IT TO STAFF. THANK YOU FOR THE [02:30:01] REC RECOMMENDATION, VICE CHAIR. UH, AND JUST TO BE COMPLETELY CLEAR WITH THE RECOMMENDATION, THEN THIS BODY WOULD, UH, GO WITH THIS LANGUAGE AND THEN DRAFT THE POINT PERSON WOULD DRAFT THE LETTER AND THEN IT WOULD BE SUBMITTED WITH NO REVISION FROM HERE BASED ON, AND I, I, I LIKE YOUR RATIONALE HERE IS THAT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NOT JUST THE PUBLIC, BUT COMMISSIONERS ALREADY EMBEDDED IN THIS. YES, WE CAN GO THAT ROUTE. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT AS A COMMISSION AND WE CAN, WE CAN QUICKLY JUST ASK IF THE COMMISSION WOULD GIVE THAT, UH, THAT GO AHEAD TO THAT POINT PERSON. I THINK YOU RECOMMENDED THAT I BE THAT PERSON IF I READ CORRECTLY. YES. SINCE YOU'RE OUR CHAIR. OKAY. WELL, LET'S, UH, QUEUE UP HERE. COMMISSIONER BATS, UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU IN ATTENDANCE TODAY AS WELL AS, UM, ON ZOOM AND CO-CHAIR. CHRIS, I APPRECIATE THAT RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE AS WE HAVE DISCUSSED IN THE PAST, THINGS, UM, GET HELD UP AND TAKE TIME AND WE HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TODAY TO WRITE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND I THINK WE WE'RE, I WILL SPEAK FOR MYSELF, I'M VERY CONFIDENT IN OUR CHAIR TO CRAFT THE LETTER BASED UPON THE THREE BULLETED ITEMS HERE SO THAT WE CAN QUICKLY PROCESS THE LETTER TO CITY COUNCIL SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE SENSE OF URGENCY FROM OUR COMMISSION AS WELL AS FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT TOOK THE TIME TO COME AS WELL AS ARE ON ZOOM TODAY. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER BATS. UH, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ. YEAH, I, I APPRECIATE CHRIS'S RECOMMENDATION AS WELL. UM, DEFINITELY FEELING THE SENSE OF URGENCY. I WOULD JUST TWEAK IF, IF WE CAN STILL DO THE AD HOC, UM, STRUCTURE, UM, TO WRITE IT AND SUBMIT IT WITHOUT REVIEW. UM, JUST SO THAT IT'S NOT LEFT UP TO ONE PERSON. UM, AND AS THE MAKER OF THE MOTION, I WOULD, UM, APPRECIATE BEING A PART OF THAT STILL. UM, SO THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION. SO IF IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE CHAIR AND I OR YOU KNOW, WHOEVER. UM, BUT SO STILL THE PROCEDURE CHRIS, UH, COMMISSIONER COVINGTON OUTLINED, UM, BUT THAT IT'S MORE THAN ONE PERSON. ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ, I REALLY WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO CAME AND SPOKE TODAY. I HEARD EVERYTHING YOU SAID. UH, UH, YOU'RE VERY PASSIONATE. THIS IS PROBABLY, I CAN'T SAY IT'S MY MOST ENJOYABLE MEETING, OF COURSE NOT, BUT I, I JUST THANK YOU FOR COMING AND SPEAKING. UH, AND I WANNA UPLIFT COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ'S ORIGINAL MOTION AND AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AD HOCS AND LETTERS AND WORDS AND FRIENDLIES, UH, BASED ON, UM, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT BASED ON AVERAGES, SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE DIED WHILE WE'RE TALKING OVER THE LAST TWO HOURS. AND, UH, I WOULD MAKE ANOTHER FRIENDLY THAT WE DROP EVERYTHING BUT THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, BULLET POINT WITH MANY THANKS TO, UM, THE OLYMPIAN EFFORT OF OUR STAFF TO MAKE THAT, UH, GOOD LOOKING DECK. I WOULD ASK THAT WE DROP THE SECOND, UH, ANY FRIENDLIES AND STICK WITH CHAIRMAN GUTTIER, UH, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ'S ORIGINAL NARROW, VERY OBJECTIVE AND, AND, AND REASONABLE, UM, MOTION TO DRAFT A LETTER AND THAT IT BE DONE RIGHT AWAY. THANK YOU. SO THAT, UH, THAT IS A SPECIFIC FRIENDLY REQUEST. SO IT HAS TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MAKER OF THE MOTION. SO IT'D BE A FRIENDLY, I'M SORRY, IT'D BE A FRIENDLY OR A REQUEST THAT THE ORIGINAL MAKER DENY THE, THE, THE ADDITIONAL FRIENDLIES AND STICK WITH HER ORIGINAL, UM, MOTION. SO THEN FROM A PROCEDURAL STANDPOINT, THAT GOES BACK TO THE MAKER OF THE MOTION TO SEE, UH, WHAT A RESPONSE IS. YEAH, I THINK THIS IS SPEAKING TO WHAT I HAD ASKED WHEN WE HAD FIRST COME BACK ABOUT WHETHER IT'S ALL THREE OR ALL TOGETHER. IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN VOTE ON EACH ONE OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS INDIVIDUALLY? BECAUSE MY SENSE IS THAT THERE MAY BE MORE SUPPORT FOR SOME THAN OTHER AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE ENTIRE, UM, RECOMMEND THE ENTIRE MOTION. [02:35:01] UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF FOLKS ARE NOT FEELING COMFORTABLE ABOUT ONE PIECE OF THIS ENTIRE MOTION, JUST 'CAUSE IT IS, I THINK SO DENSE, ARE WE ABLE TO MAKE THIS THREE ACTION ITEMS RATHER THAN ONE MADAM CLERK, DO YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON THAT? UM, NOT AT THIS TIME. I'M GOING, I CAN LOOK INTO IT AS YOU GUYS CONTINUE DISCUSSION. I'LL SAY MY INITIAL RESPONSE IS, THIS IS JUST US REPRESENTING YOUR LANGUAGE. YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO VOTE ON IT. YOU CAN MAKE EDITS ON THE FLOOR OR OBJECTIONS TO WHAT IS ON THE SCREEN BEFORE YOU. UM, AND THEN WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE VOTE PENDING. WHAT THE MOTION BECOMES. THERE IS A SENSE OF URGENCY HERE. UM, SO, UM, FROM A PERSONAL STANDPOINT, I LIKE THAT SECOND BULLET ITEM, BUT IF THAT'S GONNA STALL THIS RIGHT, UM, AND WE CAN JUST GET TO WRITING THE FIRST ONE. I'M OPEN TO IT, BUT I DO FOR THE RECORD. SO I DO LIKE THAT SECOND BULLET ITEM 'CAUSE THAT HITS THE LOCAL PIECE. UM, BUT, UH, LET'S FIGURE THIS OUT QUICKLY. GOES BACK TO ME , WAIT. UM, SO I, I'M, WE CAN, AS A MAKER, I'M SORRY, AS A MAKER OF THE MOTION, I, UM, AM OKAY WITH THIS FULL PACKAGE. I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO CREATE ADDITIONAL OPTIONS IN CASE THERE ARE OTHERS WHO WANT TO PIECEMEAL IT. BUT, UM, I SUPPORT THIS AS IS. I HAVE A, A, A RECOMMENDATION HERE, BUT LET ME KNOW IF PROCEDURALLY THIS IS SOUND. 'CAUSE THERE'S A BUNCH OF RULES THAT WE OUGHT TO FOLLOW AND I CAN'T MEMORIZE EVERY, THAT'S WHY I RELY ON THE STAFF FOR THIS. IF I WERE TO MOVE, IF WE WERE TO MOVE TO THIS A VOTE RIGHT NOW AND SEE WHERE, WHERE IT LANDS, RIGHT? AND IF IT DOESN'T PASS, COULD WE THEN MAKE A MOTION WITH JUST THE FIRST BULLET ITEM AFTER THAT? YES, THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER SUBSTITUTE MOTION. OKAY. SO THEN WE CAN CALL FOR A VOTE AS THIS, THE THREE BULLET ENDS. IF IT DOESN'T PASS, THEN UM, WE, I'LL CALL FOR A MOTION IF I'LL MAKE THE MOTION. SO BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT, I CONFIRM THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION A VOTE ON EACH OF THE SECTIONS IF YOU WANTED TO DO IT SEPARATE. YEAH. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE'LL GO BULLET BY BULLET. OKAY. SO FOR CLARITY FOR EVERYONE HERE, WE'RE GONNA BE VOTING ON A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL. BULLET ITEM BY BULLET ITEM AS VISUALLY DISPLAYED. SO THERE'S GONNA BE THREE SEPARATE VOTES, AND THEN DEPENDING ON WHAT MOVES FORWARD, AND PERHAPS WHAT DOESN'T MOVE FORWARD, THOUGH, THAT'S THE, THAT'S GONNA INFORM THE LANGUAGE ON THAT FINAL LETTER, WHICH AN AD HOC COMMITTEE COMPRISED OF MYSELF AND COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ AND ANYONE ELSE THAT WANTS TO JOIN, UM, WILL THEN MOVE THIS LETTER ALIGNED TO THIS LANGUAGE, FORWARD TO CITY COUNCIL WITH ALL SPEED POSSIBLE. OKAY. CAN YOU CALL FOR A VOTE? UH, MADAM CLERK? YES. SO FIRST VOTE FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION. UM, COMMISSIONER BATS? YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. LET'S, YES. COMMISSIONER COVING. I'M SORRY. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. YES. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. CHAIR LARA? YES. MOTION CARRIES. MME. CLARK, CAN YOU CALL FOR A VOTE FOR THE SECOND BULLET ITEM? YES. THE VOTE FOR THE SECOND RECOMMENDATION. COMMISSIONER BATZ? YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER? YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. UH, COMMISSIONER UH, LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON? YES. AND CHAIR LARA? YES. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. AND THE LAST BULLET ITEM, PLEASE. UH, CAN YOU CALL FOR THE VOTE? YES. THIRD RECOMMENDATION VOTE. COMMISSIONER BATS? [02:40:01] YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER? YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON? YES. AND CHAIR LARA? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU, UH, TO EVERYONE INVOLVED WHO COMMENTED, UM, WHO CONVEYED, UM, UM, WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH PERSONALLY AND WITH YOUR FAMILIES, UM, IN PALESTINE AND, UM, ISRAEL. UM, MY CONDOLENCES TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU AND FOLKS WHO ARE NOT IN THIS ROOM, UH, OR NOT ON ZOOM FOR THE MASS, UM, UH, CASUALTIES THAT, THAT ARE OCCURRING. AND AS COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ MENTIONED, IT, UH, HAVE OCCURRED IN THE LAST TWO HOURS. SO WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION. WE'LL WRITE THE LETTER. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ AND I WILL PUT OUR BRAINS TOGETHER, ASAP AND MOVE THIS LETTER FORWARD. UM, WE ARE, WE TECHNICALLY THERE'S ANOTHER AGENDA ITEM, UM, BUT WE'LL MOVE THAT TO THE NEXT, UH, UH, MEETING. CORRECT. I KNOW WE MOVED BACK UP TO, OR DO YOU, IS THAT SOMETHING QUICKLY? DO YOU WANNA DO THAT? YOU CAN DO IT. THAT'S FINE. YOU SURE? I'M READING BODY LANGUAGE HERE 'CAUSE I'M TOTALLY FINE. IF YOU WANNA DO IT, DO IT. I JUST HAVE A QUICK ADMIN, BUT I CAN DO THAT. OH, THAT'S RIGHT. YOU DO HAVE A QUICK ADMIN. THAT'S RIGHT. UM, UH, UH, CLERK, CAN YOU READ THAT LAST AGENDA ITEM? [5. 23-24824 Recommendation to receive and file a monthly update from the Office of Equity.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] IT'LL BE QUICK, I PROMISE. RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE. MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA BE VERY QUICK. UM, UH, MY UPDATE IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO STREAMLINE THE PAYROLL PROCESS FOR ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS. SO IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS VERY EFFICIENT AND FAST MOVING FORWARD, UM, I'M GONNA COME TO THE COMMISSION MEETING WITH A BLANK TIME SHEET, WHICH YOU'LL HAVE RIGHT NOW. PLEASE FILL IT OUT AND DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT GIVING IT TO ME. AND I'M GONNA PROCESS PAYMENT FOR THIS IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU CHOOSE TO OPT OUT PAYMENT, ALSO DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, AND I'M GLAD WE DID GET TO VISIT. IT WAS QUICK. AND, AND I APPRECIATE, UM, EVERYONE. UM, I'M GONNA OFFICIALLY CALL THIS MEETING TO CLOSE. UM, AND, UH, SO SINCE WE READ THE ITEM, WE WOULD NEED TO VOTE, TAKE A VOTE, AND THEN DO PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU MADAM. SORRY ABOUT THAT. NO, NO, NO. IT'S OKAY. WE GOTTA FOLLOW, FOLLOW THE RULES HERE. UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO A VERBAL, VERBAL VOTE. UH, YEAH. SO IT WAS MOVED AND SECONDED BY, UH, COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY AND SECONDED BY, UH, COMMISSIONER BUTLER. AND THEN, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND DO PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM FIVE IN THE CHAMBERS, PLEASE LINE UP NOW. AND IF THERE'S ANY IN THE ZOOM, USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE OR DIAL OR PRESS STAR NINE IF CALLING IN. SCENE NONE. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND OPEN THE VOTE. UM, COMMISSIONER BATS? YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER? YES. UH, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. COMMISSIONER GUTIERREZ? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YEAH. VICE CHAIR COVINGTON. YES. CHAIR LARA? YES. MOTION CARRIES. MEETING ADJOURNED. [ADJOURNMENT] KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.