* 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] SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025 VETERANS COMMISSION MEETING. I RECORDING . KEN, THIRD DISTRICT, UH, CHAIR. SORRY. ANTOINETTE SIX. DISTRICT VICE CHAIR I HARD ROBERT GARCIA'S OFFICE. AND I'M CD NINE RESIDENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO WE'RE GONNA DO THE OF ALLEGIANCE. THIS MAN ABSOLUTELY. PLACE YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART. FEEL FREE TO REMOVE ANY HEAD IF YOU'D LIKE. AND, UH, READY, BEGIN THE REPUBLIC JUSTICE. THANK YOU. AGENDA. AGENDA ITEMS. TINA, YOU CAN SEE MY STITCHES. SO, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION COURT. 20, OH, WAIT A MINUTE. THAT'S THE WRONG ONE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. IS THAT THE WRONG ONE? IT'S, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT ONE PRINTED. OH, OKAY. I JUST HAD THE RIGHT, WRONG ONE ON THE SCREEN. OH, GOTCHA. SO PLEASE REVIEW THE MINUTES AND LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE EDITED. FIXED. IT'S AN ERROR. OH WAIT, THAT WAS THE RIGHT MINUTES. I JUST, THE JUNE 4TH THREW ME. OH, SORRY. I'LL MOVE THROUGH THAT. WAS YOU JIM? ONE OF THEM. SOMEBODY IN THERE. IS IT JIM OR JIM? SECOND. OKAY. JIM, YOU HAVE A SECOND. OKAY. GO AHEAD AND SAY I SECOND. I SECOND. IT'S GONNA BE HARD, A LITTLE HARD FOR US TO HEAR WHITE NOISE. I FOLLOWED BY ANY VISITATION OR INFO. DO YOU HAVE ANY VISITATION ON INFO FOR THAT? DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? 'CAUSE THE MOTION GOES FIRST AND THEN THERE'S ANY SORT OF PRESENTA PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION, THEN THERE'S PUBLIC COMMENT, THEN THERE'S THE COMMISSION DISCUSSES SOME MORE AND THEN VOTE. THAT'S THAT. I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF TRAINING AND WE KIND OF LIKE, YEAH. YOU KNOW HOW THAT IS, NICK. HEY, WE'VE BEEN DOING IT LIKE THIS FOR YEARS, BUT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT LIKE THIS AND IT'S ONLY BECAUSE OF GU NOW. YEAH. GU IS THAT? YEAH. SO ANY UH, PUBLIC COMMENT? ANY COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, SO YOU'RE GONNA VOTE ALL IN FAVOR? SAY A A ALL OPPOSED SAY NAY. ANY EXTENSIONS. ALRIGHT, SO WE RECOMMENDATION IS TO RECEIVE A FILE AND UPDATE FROM THE VETERAN VETERAN. OKAY. WHERE DID MY ANNOTATED AGENDA GO? CAN I BORROW YOUR ANNOTATED AGENDA? I'M NOT SURE WHAT OH, CAN I GET SOMEBODY TO MOVE THE MOTION? OH, YOU HAVE MY ANNOTATED AGENDA. OH, I'M SORRY. NO, NO, NO. YOU DON'T. YOU WANT, YOU NEED ONE OF THOSE. SO WE NEED THE PUBLIC RECORDS. I KNOW THAT WAS IN ROLL CALL. I APOLOGIZE. IT'S OKAY, HARVEY. THERE WE GO. THAT'S OKAY. OKAY, SO THAT EXPLAINS IT. KIDDING . OKAY, SO THE, THERE WAS AN EVENT ON SATURDAY AT NEW HOPE CHURCH WHERE, UH, ONE OF THE VETERANS BANNER FAMILIES, UH, PUT IT ON. THEY INVITED US TO THEIR HEALTH [00:05:01] SERVICES FAIR AND I HONESTLY WAS NOT EXPECTING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO SHOW UP, BUT WE HAD AT LEAST 45 PEOPLE SHOW UP. OH, WOW. 17 OF THEM WERE BANNER HONOREES, INCLUDING MR. GOODIN. AND THEY, THEY GAVE US A BACK ROOM THAT WAS AIR CONDITIONED. WE GOT TO HAVE A PLATE OF TACOS. WE GOT GOODIE BAGS. UM, IF, IF ANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH AARON HARRINGTON, HIS FAMILY WAS, I GUESS WELL KNOWN IN LONG BEACH AND HE WAS ONE OF THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AND HE'S THE FIRST BANNER YOU SEE COMING ON LAKEWOOD. IT'S KIND OF ISOLATED FROM THE REST. HE, HIS FAMILY ALONE, 17 PEOPLE IN HIS FAMILY SHOWED HIM. IT WAS PRETTY COOL. SO IT WAS VERY NICE. AND THE POSTER, THESE ARE MINIATURES IF YOU WANNA PASS 'EM AROUND, BUT WE HAD THESE BLOWN UP TO 24 BY 36 SO PEOPLE COULD SEE SAMPLES OF THE BANNERS ON THE DIFFERENT STREETS AND, AND SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE THE BIOS. WE ALSO HAD A, A, A MAP, LIKE JIM SAID, WE HAD A MAP OF EACH AREA. SO LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD BETWEEN X AND Y STREET, ET CETERA. SO IF YOU GUYS WANNA SEE THESE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SEE THOSE. BUT THOSE WERE PRETTY, I IMPRESSIVE. PEOPLE WERE REALLY IMPRESSED, YOU KNOW? THAT'S NICE. YEAH. AND THEY SIGNED UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER FOR, FOR OUR VETERANS, UH, OFFICE SUPPORT NEWSLETTER. UM, LET'S SEE. THAT CCBS TWO NEWS STORY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO AIR YESTERDAY IS NOW AIRING ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH ON K CAL AT 10:00 AM AND NOON. AND I CAN SEND YOU GUYS A REMINDER. SO THE VETERANS BANNER, WILL YOU RECORDING IT? HMM? ARE YOU RECORDING IT? I DON'T HAVE A DIGITAL RECORDER, SO HOPEFULLY SOMEONE CAN, UH, DOES ANYBODY HAVE A, THE, WHERE, THE CAPACITY TO RECORD THE MEDIA. OKAY. I I, I CAN RECORD IT, BUT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. OKAY. I'VE GOT A DVR, I CAN'T SEND ANYTHING. OKAY. WHEN YOU SAY RECORDED, DO YOU MEAN LIKE IT'S GONNA BE ON TV? OH, DONE WITH YOUR PHONE JUST RECORDED OR YOU MEAN LIKE WITH THE, LIKE A DVR, BUT THEN WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE DVR? IT MAY BE THERE, IT MAY BE ONLINE. CAN YOU SAY A REQUEST YEAH. TO THEM FOR A COPY FOR THEM TO SEND YOU A LINK FOR A COPY. IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO JUST SAY IT'S FOR OUR INTERNAL USE AND, YOU KNOW, STUFF LIKE THAT. YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD, THEIR COMP ARE USUALLY PRETTY PRETTY OKAY WITH SHARING THE, WITH US FOR ANY, LIKE USE, WE, WE OH REALLY? YEAH, WE GET 'EM ALL THE TIME FOR BYLAWS. OKAY. YEAH. SO IF I JUST REQUEST THAT THEY SHOULD YEAH. BECAUSE USUALLY I'M, I'M AT A SCRAMBLE TO FIND IT ONLINE AND WELL DON'T GO UP IN THE DOOR. I JUST ASSUME THEY'RE SO BUSY WITH SO MANY STORIES THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO CIRCLE BACK TO US. THEY HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE, THEY'RE INTERNS. THAT'S, THAT'S JUST LIKE, SO I'M NOW, UM, SO I'M SORRY. THERE WAS, UH, DID WE HAVE A MOVER AND A SECONDER ON THE RECEIVE AND FILE? NO, I WAS TRYING TO, YEAH, I WAS LIKE, I THINK I'M TOO LOW. NO, IT'S NOT YOU. I JUST WAS LIKE, OKAY. SO DO WE HAVE SOME MOTION TO MOVE IT, RIGHT? YEAH, WE'RE, UM, YOU WOULD JUST SAY ANYONE WHO MOVES IS JUST GONNA SAY, I MOVE TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE FROM THE, YOU KNOW, AND YOU READ THE, THE, THE ITEM OR YOU JUST YES, YOU COULD DO THAT. ANYONE ONE OF, UH, OKAY. SET UP. OKAY. AND FOR PRESENTATION, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE JUST DID. YEAH, WE JUST DID THAT. OKAY. AND THEN ANY COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION? WE ACTUALLY WANT TO GO TO PUBLIC. PUBLIC. I'M SORRY, I SKIPPED THAT. MY APOLOGIES. NO, NO PROBLEM. OH, I HAVE YOU ON THE, ON, OH, IS THIS FOR VANDER? YES. OH, UM, SURE. YEAH. SO THE, THE BIGGEST THING LAST MONTH, UH, I TALKED ABOUT PLANNING A, LIKE A BANNER RECEPTION EVENT FOR BANNER RECIPIENTS FOR THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR, UH, I'M MEETING WITH A COUPLE OF FOLKS. NOTHING REALLY CONCRETE YET. WE ARE LOOKING AT THE END OF OCTOBER, EARLY THIS, OR EARLY NOVEMBER. SO KIND OF AS A RAMP UP TO, UH, TO VETERANS DAY. STILL LOOKING FOR ANY ASSISTANCE. RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF VENUES, SO I DON'T WANNA SPOIL ANYTHING. BUT AGAIN, UM, THE, THE VETERANS DAY COMMITTEE IS, UH, COMMITTED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, PAYING FOR, UH, FOOD AND POSSIBLY DRINKS. WE'RE GONNA SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND THEN, UH, ONCE THAT HAPPENS, WE'RE GONNA SET ASIDE SOME MONEY FOR THE VETERAN'S DAY EVENT ITSELF. AND AFTER THAT, THAT ORGANIZATION WILL NO LONGER EXIST. SO, UH, KIND OF A SAD END OF THE YEAR. WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING TO CELEBRATING THE BANNERS PROJECT. UM, AND HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO WE CAN GROW THAT PROJECT AND, AND POTENTIALLY [00:10:01] MAKE THIS A REOCCURRING EVENT WHERE WE FUNDRAISE PRETTY MUCH IT. SORRY, NOT, NOT A LOT OF UPDATES. WE'RE STILL FINDING VENUES AND SPEAKERS, BUT WE'RE ALL WORKING ON IT. DO, IS THERE ANY, DO YOU WANT ANY ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, LIKE TO INVITE THE COMM, ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS TO JOIN YOU WITH THE PLANNING, EITHER IN FINDING THE VENUE OR FINDING A SPONSOR OR ANYTHING? YEAH, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO HELP, REACH OUT TO YOU DIRECTLY. UM, AND THEN WE CAN INCLUDE YOU IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS. UH, LIKE I MENTIONED LAST MONTH, I, I REALLY WANT THIS TO BE KIND OF AN ORGANIC COMMUNITY BASED EVENT. I DON'T REALLY WANT IT TO BE A CITY OF LONG BEACH EVENT. SO IF YOU'RE, YOU WANNA VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME, ABSOLUTELY FEEL FREE. JUST KNOW THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE REPRESENTING YOURSELF AS A, A VETERAN AND COMMUNITY MEMBER AND NOT A THANK YOU. ANY, UM, COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION REGARDING THAT? NO, BUT BEFORE WE CLOSE OUT ITEM THOSE OH, YOU DIDN'T KNOW, YOU DIDN'T KNOW? NO. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? WEEKS AGO AGO. JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AND HIS FAMILY BE MORE AND, UH, OH MY GOODNESS. NOPE. NEVER KNEW IT. WOW. SEE HIS PICTURE'S, ONE OF THE ONES ON THERE FOR, UM, ATLANTIC AVENUE, I THINK IS WHERE HE HAS ENDED UP. OR DID IT ENDED UP ON BELLFLOWER? I KNOW IT'S NOT ON LAKEWOOD. I THINK IT'S ON. OH, NO, IT'S NOT THERE. IT'S IN OUR ANNUAL HERE, SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT IS JUST SO SAD. IT BEEN, OKAY. SO YOU SAID REACH OUT TO YOU DIRECTLY IF YOU WANT VOLUNTEER SOMETHING JUST AS A COMMUNITY, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBER. AND THEN, OH, I THINK SO I KNOW IT'S COMING CLOSE AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. OR IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA LIKE, REPLACE IT OR IS THIS THE NEWS STARTING OR? YEAH, WE, SO THE, THE CURRENT, SO FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, LONG BEACH VETERANS DAY COMMITTEE, UH, WAS ESTABLISHED 25, 30 YEARS AGO AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION TO PLAN AND ORGANIZE THE LONG BEACH VETERANS DAY PARADE IN NORTH LONG BEACH. UM, ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, VAL LURCH, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ORGANIZATION, UH, BECAME ILL. AND SO I TOOK OVER AS PRESIDENT VAL PASSED AWAY. AND BETWEEN THAT AND NOW WITH COVID, UH, THE VETERAN'S DAY PARADE HAS REALLY STRUGGLED TO KIND OF COME BACK INTO, UH, LIFE OF ITSELF. SO THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN MUCH OF A MOVEMENT TO BRING BACK A PARADE IN NORTH LONG BEACH. UH, OF COURSE FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WE'VE HAD THE LONG BEACH VETERAN DAY CELEBRATION IN NORTH LONG BEACH. UM, BUT THE, THE DEMAND REALLY ISN'T THERE FOR THAT SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION ANYMORE. UH, WITH THE COMMISSION BEING CREATED AND WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE DRIVING FORCES FOR THIS COMMISSION TO BE CREATED WAS THAT COMMISSIONERS WOULD HELP WITH A LOT OF THAT PLANNING AND ORGANIZING, UM, AND THEN USE CITY RESOURCES TO BASICALLY PAY FOR IT. SO OUR ORGANIZATION IS TAKING A STEP BACK, BASICALLY, UH, SHUTTING DOWN OUR DOORS THIS YEAR. AND THEN AFTER THAT THERE MIGHT BE MORE MOVEMENT TO CREATE A LARGER, I MEAN, THERE, THERE, THERE ALREADY ARE A COUPLE OF VETERAN OPERATED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN LONG BEACH THAT ARE KIND OF EVENT BASED. SO IT'S REALLY, UH, A MOVE TO ORGANIZE THEN TO SEE WHAT THEY WANT DO. I PERSONALLY DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO AS MUCH AS I WOULD VOLUNTEER TO HELP SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I WILL NOT BE A DRIVING FORCE IN SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UM, BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS ENOUGH, UH, [00:15:01] YOU KNOW, ENOUGH ENERGY IN THIS ROOM WITH YOU COMMISSIONERS TO CONTINUE SOME OF THAT MOMENTUM. AND IF YOU WANT ANY ASSISTANCE IN THAT AS COMMISSIONERS, I'M SURE THAT WE CAN FIND A NETWORK IN THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THAT. SO, NOT A GREAT ANSWER. UM, MOSTLY 'CAUSE I JUST DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO, TO KEEP THAT ORGANIZATION ALIVE. UM, BUT A LOT OF WHAT CREATED THIS, THE VETERANS PERMISSION WAS TO BE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE VISION BEHIND THE CITY'S, YOU KNOW, VETERAN PROGRAMMING. UM, I THINK THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE MITIGATE THAT. OKAY. AND SO WE DID THAT. ALRIGHT, SO NOW WE VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THE OPPOSED SAY NAY. ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY, MOVING ON. ITEM NUMBER THREE, RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW AND IF NECESSARY, PROVIDE UPDATES TO THE F1 2026 BUDGET REQUEST. ONCE AGAIN, , UM, THIS IS, THIS IS NEW. HOLD ON MOVER. OH, SORRY. SEE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I SO MOVED BECAUSE I'M NOT CHAIR. CAN WE GET A SECOND? SHE'S CHAIR. OH WAIT, CAN YOU MOVE WHEN YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT? THE CHAIR? YEAH. SHE'S CHAIRING TODAY. SHE'S CHAIRING MEETING. OKAY, SO SECOND. ALRIGHT, CAN NOW CAN WE HAVE THE INFO PRESENTATION PLEASE? OKAY. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. NO PROBLEM. WHAT, WHAT WE DISCOVERED, THE BACKSTORY IS THAT THE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY BUDGET IS REALLY, REALLY TOUGH THIS YEAR, AND IT'S GONNA BE EVEN TOUGHER NEXT YEAR. UM, SO WHAT WE NOTICED IS THAT LAST YEAR IN JULY, WE WERE INVITED TO SUBMIT A $50,000 PROPOSAL FOR THE VETERANS BANNERS. AND WE GOT 25, WHICH WAS AWESOME. THIS YEAR I STARTED ASKING, HEY, CAN WE DO THE VETERANS BANNERS AGAIN? AND I WASN'T GETTING, YOU KNOW, HEY, YEAH, GO AHEAD AND SEND US SOMETHING WHILE WE DECIDED TO DO IT ANYWAY. SO, UH, BECAUSE WE WERE NOTICING THAT OTHER COMMISSIONS WERE SLIPPING IN PROPOSALS FOR 60,000 FOR THIS OR WHATEVER. SO WITH MY SUPERVISOR'S PERMISSION, I WENT AHEAD AND WROTE A REQUEST FOR $25,000 FOR VETERANS BANNERS. I SHARED IT WITH THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR BECAUSE WE ALSO WANTED TO DO AN ADDITIONAL 10,000 FOR 35 TOTAL SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN, RETREAT, LISTENING SESSIONS AND ALL OF THAT. WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT THEY, THE CITY WITH ITS BUDGET SO TIGHT, THEY'LL, THEY WOULD GO FOR A BANNER'S PROPOSAL MORE THAN THEY WOULD GO FOR A STRATEGIC PLAN THING. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL HOPE IS LOST ON THAT. UM, I JUST HAD A, AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW AN IN A POTENTIAL INTERN WHO MIGHT DO THAT WORK, UH, FROM CAL STATE LONG BEACH. SO, GO BEACH. SO HERE'S THE, UM, THE THING, THE ATTACHED LETTER EXPRESSES THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION'S, BUDGETARY REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET. THAT'S EXACTLY HOW ALL THEY ALL START, MEANING IT SOUNDS LIKE A MOUTHFUL. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT ME. AND THEN HERE'S WHAT WE PROPOSE. CITY OF LONG BEACH VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION, HONORABLE MAYOR. AND WE'RE REVIEWING THIS ON THE SCREEN INSTEAD OF PAPER. SO, UH, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, HONORABLE MAYOR RICHARDSON, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER, TOM MOCA, THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION, HEREAFTER AFFAIRS COMMISSION, HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE VETERANS COMMISSION, IDENTIFIED A VETERANS BANNER PROGRAM AS GOAL ONE. OBJECTIVE TWO OF THE VETERAN STRATEGIC PLAN RECOGNIZED LONG BEACH VETERANS OF DIFFERENT SERVICE AREA ERAS USING THE LIKE POLE BANNER PROGRAM. THIS ALIGNS WELL WITH ONE OF THE PURPOSES IDENTIFIED IN ENABLING LEGISLATION FOR THE VETERANS COMMISSION, HONOR VETERANS SERVICE AND HIGHLIGHT THE MANY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THOSE WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO PROTECTING THE COUNTRY. THE VETERANS COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR ALLOCATING ONE TIME FUNDING IN THE FFY 2024 BUDGET FOR A PILOT BANNERS PROGRAM AND ONE TIME FUNDING IN 2025 FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF VETERANS BANNERS. AND FY 24. THE 10,000 ALLOCATION MADE IT POSSIBLE TO INSTALL 25 BANNERS ON CARSON STREET BETWEEN CLARK STREET AND WOODRUFF AVENUE. THESE BANNERS WERE DISPLAYED FOR ONE YEAR, STARTING ON MAY 20TH, 2024, AND FY 25. THE $25,000 ALLOCATION MADE IT POSSIBLE TO INSTALL 65 BANNERS IN THREE PROMINENT LOCATIONS ON ATLANTIC AVENUE NEAR ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER ON BELLFLOWER BOULEVARD NEAR THE VA LONG BEACH. AND ON LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD NEAR THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT ON JULY 10TH, 2025. [00:20:03] SHORT BIOS OF SELECTED HONOREES MAY BE VIEWED HERE. THE FOLLOWING IS PROVIDED TO PROVIDE INPUT FROM THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMISSION ON THE CITY'S PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET. THE VETERANS COMMISSION RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS A ONE-TIME ALLOCATION OF 25,000 AND FY 26, WHICH WILL FUND A THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF THE VETERANS BANNER PROGRAM FOR FY 26. THE VETERANS COMMISSION RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS $25,000 TO SUSTAIN THE BANNERS PROGRAM AND ITS, UH, SUSTAIN THE BANNERS PROGRAM. A BANNERS PROGRAM IS A COST EFFECTIVE WAY OF HONORING BOTH THE CITY'S RICH NAVAL HISTORY AND ITS VETERANS FOR THEIR SERVICE. THE VETERANS COMMISSION BELIEVES THIS IS COMING FROM YOU GUYS, NOT ME. UH, IN THE PRO, THE, THE, THE COMMISSION BELIEVES INTEREST IN THE PROGRAM IS ROBUST AND THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF THE BANNERS PROGRAM WILL HAPPILY DEMONSTRATE THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO HONORING VETERANS IN A VERY VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE WAY. THE VETERANS BANNERS PROGRAM CONTINUES TO BE POSITIVELY RECEIVED AS EVIDENCED BY THE CALLS AND EMAILS WE RECEIVED, NOT ONLY FROM THE FEATURED VETERANS THEMSELVES AND THE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WHO NOMINATED THEM, BUT ALSO FROM LONG BEACH RESIDENTS WHO REACH OUT TO EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE AND CITY PRIDE. POSITIVE FEEDBACK IS NOT LIMITED TO LONG BEACH. WE HAVE FIELDED CALLS FROM OTHER CITIES WHO ARE INTERESTED IN STARTING THEIR OWN VETERANS BANNER PROGRAM. UH, I THINK ONE WAS FROM CONNECTICUT AND ANOTHER ONE FROM CHICO. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT IT , BUT I WAS LIKE, THAT'S KIND OF COOL. UM, IN 2024, THE VETERANS COMMISSION RECEIVED 64 APPLICATIONS FOR THE BANNERS PROGRAM. IN TWENTY TWENTY FIVE, A HUNDRED AND FORTY SEVEN APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED MORE THAN TWICE THE AMOUNT RECEIVED IN 2024. THE VETERANS COMMISSION BELIEVES THAT PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE PROGRAM WILL ONLY CON CONTINUE TO GROW IN FY 26 ON BEHALF OF THE VETERANS COMMISSION, WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THIS REQUEST AND LOOK FORWARD TO SUSTAINING THE VETERANS BANNER PROGRAM IN FY 26. SINCERELY, KEN AND ANTOINETTE AS THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. SO, GINA . SO DOES ANYBODY, IT'S A OPEN, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT? YEAH, I I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, ARE, IS THE COMMISSION PRESENTING FOR VETERANS DAY AT CITY COUNCIL? WE WILL, YES. OKAY. UH, I THINK IT'D BE A REALLY COOL PLAN TO, UM, TO GET THE VETERANS BANNER PROGRAM RECIPIENTS TO COME AND SEE IF THEY WANT TO PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE, AT THE MEETINGS IN SUPPORT OF THE, OF THE BAND PROGRAM. THIS WILL ALREADY BE PAST THE BUDGET, BUT I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWING SUPPORT. I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT. AND THANK, THANKS FOR REMINDING ME BECAUSE THESE THINGS TOOK UP A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TIME BECAUSE I DID THE TWO RESOLUTIONS YOU GUYS APPROVED AND THE ANNUAL REPORT AND THIS ALL AT THE SAME TIME AND THE BACK AND FORTH WITH SO-AND-SO'S APPROVAL AND THE MA YOU KNOW, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S APPROVAL AND THEN MY BOSS, YOU KNOW. SO I'D LIKE TO DO OTHER THINGS BESIDES, I'D LIKE TO GET ON WITH, UH, WE ARE PLANNING THE EVENT, BUT I DO NEED TO GET US ON THE, ON THE AGENDA, THE COUNCIL AGENDA. THIS IS UPDATED FOR THE BUDGET. WHAT IS THE THE BUDGET WILL BE APPROVED NEXT TUESDAY. SO AS SOON AS I'M OUT OF THIS ROOM WITH YOU GUYS, I SEND THIS TO THE CITY MANAGER AND THEY COULD SAY NO, BUT WE WEREN'T GONNA BE THAT COMMISSION THAT DIDN'T TRY. YEAH, NO. MY QUESTION IS THIS, THIS IS CALLED THE UPDATE TO THE BUDGET. WHAT, WHAT IS BEING UPDATED? WHAT DOES THAT WORK? UM, LET'S SEE. I THINK THAT THERE MUST BE MONEY TO PAY FOR SNACKS AND YOUR SALARY AND THAT'S ABOUT IT STUFF, RIGHT? YEAH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S NO UPDATE YET. IT IS THE, THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE WHOLE CITY. OKAY. I WAS JUST READING THE MINUTE THERE. I THINK THERE WASN'T THE WORD UPDATING THERE SOMEWHERE, BUT, UM, SO WE HAVE A SNOWBALLS CHANCE AND YOU KNOW WHAT, UNFORTUNATELY CORRECT. OTHER THAN THIS 25, IS THERE OTHER MONEY SOMEWHERE? THE LINE ITEM FOR THE BUDGET PAYS ME MY SALARY AND THAT'S IT. SO EVERYTHING THAT WE PUT ON MY QUESTION. SO THERE IS A LINE ITEM TO PAY FOR YOUR SALARY? THERE IS A LINE ITEM TO PAY ME. YES. AND ANY, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO THESE STOCKS COME FROM ALL THE TIME? UM, WELL, SOME OF US HAD PURCHASED THEM OUT OF POCKET OR WE PURCHASED THEM FOR THE VETERANS DAY EVENT, OR THE CITY PURCHASED THEM FOR US AND WE HAVE LEFTOVERS. OKAY. SO SOMETIMES THEY, THEY'LL, THEY'LL UH, FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOVE SOME MONEY AROUND. SO WE COULD HAVE LIKE THE END OF THE YEAR PARTY WITH THE CATERED FOOD. BUT THAT REALLY WAS ONLY LIKE $200. SO, SO THEY, THEY [00:25:01] CAN FIND ONCE IN A WHILE SMALL POCKETS OF MONEY, BUT NOT 25,000. IT'S NOT BUDGET. THE ONLY THING THAT'S BUDGETED IS YOU. THAT'S RIGHT. SO WHEN WE DO THE MEMORIAL DAY EVENT, IT'S BECAUSE I GOT 5,000 FROM THE PORT OF LONG BEACH WHEN WE DO THE VETERANS DAY EVENT STUFF. THAT'S VETERAN'S DAY COMMITTEE. UM, FOR YOU, YOU GUYS PAID FOR A FLYOVER LAST YEAR. THEY'LL DO PROBABLY DO THE FLYOVER AGAIN THIS YEAR, WHICH IS 1600. BASICALLY YOU'RE PAYING FOR GASOLINE, BUT WE'LL GET YEAH, BUT I'M JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THAT YEAH. EVERYTHING WE DO IS BECAUSE WE BAKED AND BORROWED AND ASKED FOR MONEY. WE DO A GOOD JOB. I HAVE TO GO. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU GU. THANK YOU GUYS. STAY LONGER. UH, YOU MY CONTACT INFORMATION. REACH OUT TO GINA OR HAPPY. SO HI TO THE GOOD CONGRESSMAN FOR US. HE IS IN DC AND BUSY AS THAT. I WILL NOT BE CHATTING MANY TIMES. OH, HE'S HE'S FIGHTING THE POWER. YEAH. THANK YOU. SEE YOU. OKAY. SO WHERE ARE WE? I'M SORRY. UH, WE ARE NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THAT ONE. UH, AND THEN WE'RE COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION AT THIS POINT, BUT I THINK WE HAD SOME COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION A LITTLE BIT ALREADY. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO ASK ABOUT IT? OKAY. UM, JUST FOR FUTURE REFERENCE NEXT YEAR WE'RE ASKING UPFRONT, NOT A SHOULD WE, COULD WE, WOULD WE MAYBE NO, AS SOON AS IT SAYS THE BUDGET'S COMING UP, WE PUT OUR REQUEST IN UPFRONT, EARLY, LIKE THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING. SO BEING NICE TO THEM DOESN'T WORK. , IS THAT, IS THAT A, A REALITY TO INVITE THE BANNER HONOREES TO COME TO COUNCIL? JUST WHEN YOU DO THE VETERAN CELEBRATION BASED, UM, PRESENTATION, THAT WOULD BE UP TO YOU GUYS AS COMMISSIONERS TO REACH OUT. OKAY. AND LIKE I COULD PROVIDE THE CONTACT INFORMATION. I'M GONNA SEE, I DON'T HAVE LIKE A, A FIVE SPREADSHEET. YEAH. AND THEN WE JUST GO THROUGH AND LIKE GO CALL OR WHATEVER. RIGHT. OKAY. WE, WE KNOW. YES. I'LL SEE IF I CAN HAVE STAFF EVERYONE DOWN THERE. I LOVE THAT. WHEN IS IT USUALLY DO NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T, WELL LA LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF THEY, THE CITY COUNCIL MEETS EVERY TUESDAY, BUT THEY DON'T MEET THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH. AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING OR DIFFERENT THINGS. SO WE, WE PRESENTED FOR VETERAN'S DAY LAST YEAR, LIKE THREE WEEKS BEFORE VETERAN'S DAY. MM-HMM . THAT WAS A FLUKE. WE IDEALLY LIKE TO PRESENT FIVE DAYS BEFORE VETERAN'S DAY. 'CAUSE VETERAN'S DAY IS ON A SATURDAY AND THAT'S, AND THEY DO THEIR TUESDAY MEETINGS OR THE WEEK BEFORE. OKAY. BUT I WILL DEFINITELY GIVE YOU GUYS PLENTY OF HEADS UP. SO THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENTATION IS JUST INFORMATIONAL. THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S NOT ASKING THEM FOR ANYTHING. NOT GETTING ANY FUNDING. SO VETERANS DAY, WELL, I'LL WAIT, WE'LL GET TO VETERANS DAY. WELL LET'S MOVE ON WITH THIS. HE WAS JUST SAYING THAT FOR THEM TO COME AND JUST SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE PROGRAM, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT IN PUBLIC COMMENT. THAT'S RIGHT. RIGHT. THE BUDGET WILL ALREADY HAVE PASSED, LIKE YOU SAID. BUT I DON'T KNOW, DID YOU GUYS THINK, SHOULD WE PUT EFFORT IN DOING THAT? I MEAN, I CAN MAKE SOME CALLS IF WE COULD GET THE EMAIL LIST AT LEAST AND SAY WE THROW A QUICK EMAIL AT THEM. OH YEAH. CAN WE, WE COULD THROW A QUICK EMAIL AT THESE PEOPLE, THE SIX PEOPLE WHO ARE CHOSEN AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA LAST MINUTE. TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THIS FUNDED FOR NEXT YEAR. IF YOU GOT TIME, CAN YOU SHOW UP AND MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT AND SUPPORT US? 'CAUSE FROM MY HISTORY OF HOW THIS GAME WORKS, HE WHO SHOWS UP GETS FUNDED. HE WHO DOES NOT SHOW UP DOES NOT, THAT'S JUST HOW THEY WORK. IS THAT POSSIBLE, DAVID? IT IN LIKE A NO, I THINK, I THINK WHAT HE WAS MENTIONING WAS THAT WHEN WE PRESENT ON THE VETERANS' DAY RIGHT. THAT, THAT A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE TO COME TALK IN PUBLIC COMMENT. WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS THIS, WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS WE GET THE LIST AND BY THE END OF THE WEEK, BY THE END OF, SINCE IT'S NEXT TUESDAY, SO BY THE END OF THE WEEK, BY THIS WEEKEND, YOU PUT OUT A QUICK EMAIL SHORT SET TO THESE PEOPLE AND SAY, HEY, IF YOU GOT TIME FROM THE COMMISSION, YOU HAVE TIME. CAN YOU SHOW UP ON TUESDAY? THIS TUESDAY TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION? OH, YOU MEAN NOW? YEAH. OH, NOT DURING THE S DAY. SO YEAH, YOUR PERSON'S STORY. THIS SKIP, UH, SKIP'S STORY FROM HIS KID. YEAH. I I ARE THEY DOING THAT ON THIS COMING TUESDAY? NO, NO, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. YEAH. I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA, BUT WHO KNOWS? HE DOES. IT'S ONE OF THOSE WHO KNOWS. OH, I KNOW. IF WE GET A FEW PEOPLE SHOW UP, MAYBE IT'LL TIP THE SCALE. YEAH, NO, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. BUT I HAVE A QUESTION 'CAUSE [00:30:01] I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS. SO THEY'RE MEETING NEXT TUESDAY TO DISCUSS THIS LETTER THAT WE'RE SENDING TODAY? WELL, THEY'RE GONNA VOTE ON THE WHOLE ENTIRE BUDGET FOR THE CITY. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL SHOW UP OR HOW MUCH PUBLIC COMMENT WOULD BE INVOLVED. HE WOULD BE, HUH? YEAH, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE LIKE AN HOUR'S, HOURS, HOURS. LIKE A END OF MIDNIGHT KIND OF MEETING. SO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH THEM TO ASK THEM TO COME AND SAY A FEW GOOD WORDS? WHY DON'T WE JUST BE WELL NOW DIFFERENT IF WE SAY IT. NO, YOU, YOU CAN. WELL 'CAUSE THEY'VE HAD THEIR BANNER AND THEY KNOW HOW IT'S TO APPLY. WELL, THERE'S AT LEAST ONE PERSON IN THIS ROOM WHO IS ON, WHO IS A FEATURED BANNER RIGHT NOW. SO RIGHT NOW IS THIS 25,000 IN THE LENDER'S BUDGET? NO, NO. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING. IT'S, IT'S NOT, WE'RE TRYING TO SLIP IT UNDER THE DOOR. SO IT'S NOT SO I, I PLAY BY THE RULES AND THE PROTOCOLS BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS A CITY PROTOCOL THAT YOU GOTTA GREASE THIS PERSON, WHATEVER IT IS. I MEAN, I'M, I'M KIDDING. BUT, UH, BECAUSE WE WEREN'T INVITED TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL LIKE WE WERE LAST YEAR, AND I INQUIRED ABOUT IT. ULTIMATELY WE SAW THAT OTHER COMMISSIONS WERE DOING IT. AND THEN I GOT BLESSING, SO TO SPEAK, TO GO AHEAD AND, AND, AND HAVE THE COMMISSION PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER. THIS IS COMING FROM YOU GUYS, UM, ASKING FOR THE MONEY JUST LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THIS AT THE LAST MINUTE. IT'S KIND OF A HAIL MARY. AND, AND HOPEFULLY, EVEN THOUGH THE, THE BUDGET IS IN A VERY TOUGH SPOT, CITY'S FINANCES ARE IN A VERY TOUGH SPOT. UM, WE, WE CAN HOPE THAT GIVEN WHAT OTHER COMMISSIONS MIGHT BE ASKING FOR, OF BEING MAYBE TOO MUCH, MAYBE THEY CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR US. THIS IS NOT ON THE AGENDA AT ALL. YOU'RE, YOU'RE HOPING THAT PEOPLE WILL SHOW UP A PUBLIC COMMENT. IT'S JUST A, ONE OF THE PIECES THAT I WAS ALSO THINKING THAT MAYBE AT THE LEAST MAYBE EACH OF US FIRED AN EMAIL OR TEXT OFF TO OUR COUNSEL AT SIX AND SAY, AND SEND A COPY OF THIS AND SEND, HEY, THIS IS COMING AND WE NEED YOUR HELP. IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. YOU GO, IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. WE NEED YOUR HELP. AND WE TRIED. IS THAT, IS THAT OKAY TO DO? BECAUSE THE LAST TIME I DID ANYTHING WITH MY C AND AND SHE WAS LIKE, SO AM I OKAY TO EMAIL THIS TO HER. AND BEFORE TUESDAY, UM, THEY, THEY WILL GET THIS, EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER WILL GET THIS. SO IT YEAH, THIS IT'S ACTUALLY POSTED ONLINE. IT WILL BE POSTED ONLINE. WHETHER THEY'LL OVERSEE IT OR NOT. WHO KNOWS. YEAH. BUT IF I SEND THEM AN EMAIL, BUT THEY HAVE TO VOTE ON IT. SO THEY GOT IT. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. THEY WILL SEE THIS DON CODE ON IT. MARJORIE MARJORIE, THE, OUR GOOD MARJORIE IN CONGRESS, THE GR THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ADMITTED SHE NEVER READ IT AND SHE VOTED FOR IT A TRILLION DOLLARS IN SPENDING. SO I MEAN, JAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK? IF I'M, YOUR HONOR, I'LL SEND IT TO MY COUNCIL. I'LL, I'LL SEE IF I CAN PROVIDE THAT FOR YOU. IT IS COMING FROM YOU GUYS AND IT IS GOING TO THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGERS OBVIOUS. AND THAT IT WILL, IT WILL BE POSTED ONLINE, THIS REQUEST. BUT THE, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD, SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. WELL, I KNOW, BUT, BUT YOU CAN SPEAK IN PUBLIC COMMENT BY JUST SAYING, LIKE YOU SAY THEY'RE KNOW ABOUT A HUNDRED OF THEM. IF WANTED TO STAND OUT, I'LL, I'LL FIND OUT. SEND A PERSONAL NOTE AND SAY, HEY, COMING. YEAH, COULD. AND THEN AS FAR AS GETTING BANNER HONOREES TO SHOW UP FOR THAT BANNER VOTE, THE 25,000 VOTE FOR TUESDAY NEXT WEEK. I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A TALL ORDER, DON'T YOU? OKAY. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, AND THEN LET'S GO TO A VOTE, IS, WELL, WHAT GUS SUGGESTED DURING PUBLIC COMMENT IS THAT WHEN THE VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION GOES BEFORE COUNCIL THAT SHOW UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND KEEP PUSHING FOR THAT, THAT EVEN IF THEY'VE ALREADY SAID NO, OR IF THEY SAID YES, WE DON'T NEED TO, TO TO ADVOCATE FOR IT. BUT VETERANS BANNER FAMILIES COULD SHOW UP AND ADVOCATE FOR A THIRD YEAR OF, OF THE PROGRAM BECAUSE IT'S NOT TOO LATE. RIGHT. AT THAT POINT YOU'RE SAYING IT'S, IT, IT WOULD BE TOO LATE IF THEY HADN'T, IF THEY HAVEN'T APPROVED IT, TECHNICALLY IT WOULD BE TOO LATE. BUT THE CITY, THEY CAN DO IT IF THEY WANT TO AT A LATER DATE. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. SO THEN IT WOULD, IT'S NOT LOST. THAT'S RIGHT. FOR THEM TO TRY. OKAY. AND THEN IT MIGHT BE A SHORTER AND LESS CONVOLUTED MEETING, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, THIS ONE MAY GO FOR HOURS. SO MAYBE WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE CELEBRATION ONE, IT'S NOT AS BUSY THAT DAY, I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE. RIGHT. RIGHT. SO IT'LL BE EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO COME AND MAKE UP PUBLIC. WELL, YOU MIGHT GET MORE ATTENTION. RIGHT. THEN WE, WELL, YOU PICK A, IF YOU'RE GONNA DO IT THOUGH, YOU PICK IT STRATEGIC, YOU FIND OUT WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA AND YOU PICK A DAY. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING HOT. NOT A HOT TOPIC DAY. YEAH. BECAUSE NEXT TUESDAY WILL BE A HOT TOPIC. KNOW, IN THE PAST I'VE ALWAYS BEEN, I SEE ALL KINDS OF ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR BUDGET PRESENTATIONS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. EVERY TYPICALLY EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER OUT THERE AND COUNCIL GETS [00:35:01] COMMENTS, I HAVE ANY OF THAT ON. AND THIS IS THE FINAL, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT COUNCIL DISTRICT. THEY ALL KNOW WHAT, I THINK IT'S DOZEN. I THINK IT'S DISTRICT BY DISTRICT. SOME ARE BETTER AT IT THAN OTHERS. SOME ARE MORE PUBLIC ABOUT I'M HAVING THE MEETING HERE, THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS THERE. I KNOW, UM, THE C NINE DID A GOOD JOB BECAUSE I STILL ON MAILING LIST, WHICH IS FUNNY BECAUSE EMAILS TO ME STILL HAVE A GOOD JOB. YEAH. HAVE WE LEARN ABOUT THIS THEN WE COULD. OKAY. THAT'S OUR LESSON LEARNED FOR NEXT YEAR. IN THE NEXT YEAR. WE TRIED TO PLAY BY THE RULES. WE TRIED TO GET AN INVITATION TO SUBMIT AND, SORRY, NOT TO MAKE A LONGWINDED DISCUSSION, BUT MY ONLY QUESTION ABOUT THAT IS, OKAY, SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO SHOOT FOR THIS TUESDAY. TOO MUCH GOING ON? OR YOU, YOU COULD STILL SHOW UP ON TUESDAY. WELL, I MEAN, TO GET THE HONOREES, OH, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH. RIGHT. BUT IF YOU WANNA SHOW UP ON YOUR OWN BEHALF AND, AND, AND WAIT IN PUBLIC COMMENT AND SAY, HEY, WE WOULD LOVE IT AND APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO THE REQUEST FOR A ONETIME ADDITIONAL FUNDING OF $25,000 FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF THE BEST. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH SHOWING UP AND DOING THAT. I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST NEED TO BE PREPARED BECAUSE THIS IS THE BUDGET MEETING. RIGHT. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? RIGHT. SO, OKAY. SO THEN FOR THE VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION PRESENTATION BEFORE THE COUNCIL, UM, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU HAVE A LIST AND AND YOU COULD SEND IT TO US AND THAT'S UP TO US AND MAKE THOSE PHONE CALLS. IS THERE A WAY TO SEND AN EMAIL BLAST INSTEAD OF CALLING? OF COURSE. YES. OH, THERE IS. IF I, IF YOU HAVE THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES, YOU CAN SEND OUT THE EMAIL BLAST. OH, BUT YOU CAN LIKE SEND IT TO, CAN I SEND IT TO ALL 65 OR, YEAH, SURE. YEAH. OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY, GOOD. AND IF YOU HAD, IF YOU HAD LAST YEAR'S 65 LAST YEAR'S 25 AND THIS YEAR'S 65, THAT'S 90 PEOPLE POTENTIALLY. OKAY. I DIDN'T KNOW, LIKE, YOU KNOW, FROM MY YAHOO , YOU KNOW, WELL, I WOULD PUT IN THE SUBJECT LINE, YOU KNOW, FROM LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMISSIONER OR, OR FROM ANTOINETTE, MEMBER OF THE LONG BEACH, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO. IT'S, IT'S YOUR, YOU KNOW, OKAY. IF WE WANNA MAKE A MOTION, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT NOW TO EMPOWER SOMEBODY TO SAY I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION. WE CAN'T 'CAUSE 'CAUSE THAT COULD BE SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT NEXT MONTH AND SAY WE ARE HEREBY ITEM. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE'RE STILL ON THIS ITEM. IT'S, UH, WHAT ANY, WHERE ARE WE NOW? WE'VE HAD THE MOVER, SECONDER, THE INFO PRESENTATION, THE PUBLIC COMMENT, THE DISCUSSION, UM, ANYTHING ELSE? THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN SAY, OH, I DON'T LIKE THAT AMENDMENT. I MEAN, I'M GONNA AMEND THIS, THE, THE, THE ITEM OR I'M GONNA MAKE YOU NEED, GET THE HOPPER AND GET IT OUT TONIGHT. SO YES, THAT'S, THAT KIND OF LIMITS THE ABILITY TO, TO MAKE ANY CHANGE. WHAT DOES THAT IT HAS TO GO OUT TONIGHT HAS TO BE OH, ABOUT THAT. IT HAS TO BE IN THE, IN THE HOPPER TONIGHT TO GET LINE. SO THAT'S, NO, I WANNA MAKE IT AMENDMENT THOUGH TO THIS, UM, TO THE MO TO THE MOTION. IS THAT WHAT IT'S GOING? YEAH. CAN I, YES. OKAY. IT, IT'S NOT A FRIENDLY, IT WOULD JUST BE A, I, UH, YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD MAKE AN, UH, AN ADD ON OR WELL JUST GO AHEAD, JUST SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO TO IT. OKAY. SO I JUST RECOMMEND THAT WE RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE VETERAN'S DAY CELEBRATION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 2025. WAIT THE WRONG, I'M I'M READING THE WRONG ONE. SORRY. UH, REVIEW, APPROVE AND IF NECESSARY PROVIDE UPDATES TO FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST. AND TO ALSO ADD AS AN AGENDA ITEM NEXT MEETING TO DISCUSS HOW TO CONTACT THE HONOREES TO SHOW UP DURING THE VETERAN'S DAY CELEBRATION PRESENTATION BY COUNSEL. YOU ACTUALLY CAN DO THAT WITH THE NEXT ONE. 'CAUSE WE ARE GONNA DISCUSS, YEAH, LET'S DO THAT WITH THE NEXT ONE. AND YOU COULD ALSO SAY FUTURE, WE, WE DO DO A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AS WELL. OKAY. AWESOME. AWESOME. NEVERMIND. SO SCRATCH THAT. . NEVERMIND. RIGHT. SO LET'S JUST VOTE. ALL ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A AYE. ALL OPPOSED SAY NAY. ANY ABSTENTIONS? NO. ALRIGHT. GOOD TO GO. AND WE ARE MOVING ON TO NUMBER FOUR. OKAY. THIS IS WHERE I'M AT. OKAY. UH, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE VETERAN'S DAY CELEBRATION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 2025 AND DISCUSS EVENT LOGISTICS. [00:40:04] OH, CAN I GET A MOVER PLEASE? I SO MOVE. SECOND. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THE SECOND? SECOND? AND THEN OUR PRESENTATION, MR. . OKAY. UM, THE AD HOC COMMITTEE IS ANTOINETTE, NICK, ELLE, AND JIM. AND WE DID HAVE OUR INITIAL KICKOFF MEETING WITH, UH, SPECIAL EVENTS ON AUGUST 19TH. AND WE DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, THE PARAMETERS OF THE EVENT WILL BE VERY MUCH LIKE LAST YEAR'S IN THAT THERE WILL BE A RESOURCES FAIR. WE'LL HAVE A BOOTH IN IT. THERE'LL BE, UM, THE DJ, SATIN DOLLS AND NIGHT RIDER. LIKELY AGAIN, THE BUDGET IS TIGHTER THIS YEAR. THE CITY, THE CITY HOLDS THE PURSE STRINGS ON THIS EVENT TO THE TUNE OF $50,000. AND THEN THEY, THEY BREAK OFF PIECES OF IT FOR US TO DO WHAT WE DO AT THE EVENT. UM, AND THEN WE GET SOME SUPPORT FROM GUS. SO, UM, WHAT I, WHAT I WOULD LIKE FROM YOU GUYS, AND WE'LL GET TO THIS IN MORE DETAIL IN A MINUTE WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN TO TALK, IS THAT WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY HONORED, UH, A GRAND MARSHAL KIND OF A THROWBACK TO THE PARADE. A VETERAN VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AND TWO OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. THEY'RE RECOGNIZED DURING THE CEREMONY THAT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EVENT. SO I WOULD REALLY WELCOME YOU GUYS IN A MINUTE WHEN IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, WHO SHOULD WE HONOR? WHO'S THE, WHO'S THE VETERAN VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR? WHO'S THE GRAND MARSHAL? WHO'S THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE TWO OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE CAN HONOR? UM, THE NEXT MEETING FOR THE AD HOC, THE, THE AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE OR, UM, WILL BE THIS FRIDAY, UH, SEPTEMBER 5TH AT 11:30 AM BUT THIS IS THE MEETING WITH THE CITY. WHAT TIME? AT 11:30 AM AND IT'S ON, IT'S A TEAMS MEETING. IT'S ONLINE, BUT OUR GROUP CAN MEET SEPARATELY FROM THE CITY TO DO OUR OWN THING. YOU SENT THAT OUT TO ME SO I CAN, I DID TODAY PHYSICAL. YOU DID YOU DID YOU GET IT? YEAH. SO THIS IS THE, THE MEETING WITH THE CITY. AND AS ANTOINETTE WAS REMINDING ME, THIS LITTLE SUBCOMMITTEE IS ALSO ALLOWED TO MEET SEPARATELY FROM THE CITY. SO IF YOU GUYS WANNA PROPOSE A DATE FOR A SEPARATE MEETING, WE CAN DO THAT IN THIS, IN THIS, UH, MOTION AS WELL. UM, LET'S SEE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA DO A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY, AND I, AGAIN, I REALLY LOVE YOUR, YOUR INSIGHT HERE IS WE WANT, WE'D LIKE TO SELL VIR. UH, WE HAVE A LITTLE MARKET WITH VETERANS MERCHANDISE. SO IT COULD BE HATS, SHIRTS, DOG TANKS, BUT WE NEED VENDORS. SO IF ONE OF YOU WANTS TO VOLUNTEER TO GO TO THE VA AND TALK TO THE VENDORS THAT ARE THERE AND SEE WHAT, WHAT THEIR DEAL IS, BECAUSE THEY, THEY ALREADY HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH BECAUSE THEY'RE SELLING AT THE VA, I WOULD ASSUME SO IT WOULDN'T BE BEER, YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T BE HARD FOR THEM TO GET A BUSINESS LICENSE ANYWAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE ALREADY APPROVED AND IN THE CITY SYSTEM, MAYBE THEY COULD BRING THEIR SHOW TO THE EVENT. YOU KNOW? SO I WELCOME YOUR IDEAS THERE. UM, I ALSO WELCOME YOUR INPUT ON SUGGESTED, UH, ORGANIZATIONS TO TABLE AT THE EVENT. 'CAUSE I REALLY, THIS IS YOUR EVENT AS A COMMISSION. THE CITY DOES ALL THE LOGISTICS AND THE CONTRACTS WITH THE SINGERS AND THE DANCERS AND THE FOOD TRUCKS. IT'S OUR JOB TO PROGRAM THE SPACE TO DO THE RECOGNITION CEREMONY, TO GET THE FLYOVERS TO, TO DO THE RESOURCE FAIR VENDORS. AND LIKE I SAID, DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IF YOU GUYS KNOW SOME VENDORS, UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY I OTHER IDEAS FOR SOMETHING NEW AND INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, LIKE, COULD WE GET A LIVE MURAL PAINTER WHO'S A VETERAN AND BRINGS A BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY GRABS THE BRUSH AND HELPS THEM PAINT OUR ARTWORK. YOU KNOW, SOMETHING FUN AND DIFFERENT OR INTERESTING. SO I REALLY WELCOME IT'S NOT JUST THE, THE LITTLE SUBCOMMITTEE. ALL OF YOUR INPUT ON, ON MAKING THIS EVENT GOOD. IS IT ALL, UM, DOES, DOES, DOES VENDORS HAVE TO BE DIRECTLY, UH, EITHER, YOU KNOW, CITY OF LONG BEACH? IT'S, I IT'S ID WHAT DO YOU MEAN? NO, NO. BASICALLY, UM, DO THEY HAVE TO HAVE A HISTORY OR, UH, HAVE DONE BUSINESS WITH CITY OF LONG BEACH OR RESIDE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH? CAN IT, HOW FAR OUT CAN IT BE? WELL, THE, THE VENDOR WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE WITH LONG BEACH, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE FROM LONG BEACH. OKAY. 'CAUSE THERE'S PLENTY OF VENDORS THAT COME FROM OTHER PLACES. THEY JUST HAVE TO BE LICENSED TO DO BUSINESS IN LONG BEACH. YES. OKAY. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR? I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT, BUT I CAN FIND OUT. SO IF YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD T-SHIRT VENDOR, YOU KNOW, THEY SELL LIKE VIETNAM VET T-SHIRTS OR WHATEVER IT IS. IF YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD VENDOR, JUST LET ME KNOW WHO THAT IS RIGHT AWAY. AND I, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE'RE SURPRISED BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE THE LICENSES. YOU [00:45:01] KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT THE FESTIVALS LIKE THIS, THEY HAVE A WHOLE SET UP ALREADY SET FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO, WHO WANNA SHOW UP THE FESTIVALS. LIKE THE JAZZ STA LIKE THE OTHERS, IT'S, THEY ALREADY HAVE A PROGRAM. SO, AND IT'S GOOD FOR A SMALL, REALLY SET UP FOR SMALL GUYS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LOCAL. YOU JUST WANT MONEY . RIGHT. AND, AND YOU HAVE TO OFFER A QUALITY PRODUCT. RIGHT. LIKE NOT JUST LITTLE PINS MADE IN CHINA, LITTLE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER. IT'S NO, NO OFFENSE ANYWAY, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF CHEAP VETERANS PROJECTS, PRODUCTS WE GOTTA KEEP. IT'S IN, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT YOUR MARKET. EITHER YOU GOTTA KEEP THE PRICE POINTS REASONABLE, RIGHT? YOU WANNA HAVE A SUPER EXPENSIVE STUFF THAT NO ONE'S GONNA BUY. 'CAUSE THEN THE POOR VENDOR'S GONNA COME AND HE'S NOT GONNA MAKE ANY MONEY. SO IT'S GOTTA BE, THERE'S A BALANCE THERE. IT'S GOTTA BE, YOU KNOW, KEEP IT REASONABLE ON BOTH SIDES. YOU SEE, YOU'VE SEEN THEM ALL, 'CAUSE YOU'VE SEEN 'EM AT THE, THE JAZZFEST. YOU'VE SEEN THEM AT ALL THE DIFFERENT FESTIVALS WE HAVE. THEY ALL GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS. THEY SIGN UP, THEY GO THROUGH THE CITY. I'VE GONE THROUGH IT MYSELF. IF YOU DON'T SELL LIKE A FEE AS A REALTOR, I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT BECAUSE I DON'T SELL ANYTHING. BUT THEY TRIED TO FORCE ME TO DO IT 'CAUSE THEY THINK THEY HAVE TO. AND IT'S LIKE, NO, I DON'T SELL ANYTHING. I'M, I'M THERE FOR INFORMATION. OKAY. IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE ABLE TO GET, UH, OR IN-HOUSE VENDORS THEN ABLE TO GET DONATIONS OF, OF, OF GOODS TO BE SOLD AND I HAVE THEM SHIP IT IN AND WOULD THAT BE OKAY? YES. UM, JUST LOOKING AT, JUST TRYING TO GO A DIFFERENT ROUTE WHERE, WHERE IT WON'T COST ANYBODY ANYTHING, BUT IT'LL BE, UH, EASIER TO GET. I, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU BECAUSE, UH, I'VE BEEN ONLY BEEN IN LONG BEACH FACILITY FOR FIVE, BOOM, SIX YEARS, SO MM-HMM . IT'S ABOUT TRYING TO FIND OUT WHO CAN DO WHAT. BUT I KNOW I COULD PROBABLY GET, UH, THE VENDORS MAYBE TO SEND SOME GOODS THAT CAN BE SOLD AND UH, AND MAYBE BE ABLE TO GIVE IT TO SOMEBODY THAT WE HAVE SET UP SHOP AND, AND, UH, DO THAT. UM, WELL, SOMEBODY WHO ALREADY HAS A LICENSE. RIGHT? OKAY. AND SOMEBODY ALREADY HAS A LICENSE THAT COULD BE HERE. BUT IF I, IF WE GIVE THEM THE GOODS TO SELL, BUT IT WOULD BE PRETTY MUCH LIKE HIM. THEY'RE MA THEY'RE, THEY'RE MAKING MONEY, BUT THEY'RE VOLUNTEERING AT THE SAME TIME WAY. RIGHT, RIGHT. AS LONG AS WHOEVER THE SELLER IS, WHEREVER THE MERCHANDISE COMES FROM, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. THEY JUST HAVE TO HAVE A A, A LICENSE TO SELL. OKAY. ALSO, UM, I'M GONNA GO OVER, JUST CROSS OVER THE WAY FROM WHERE I LIVE OVER IN COMPTON, THERE'S A, UM, A RESOURCE THERE ON 20TH. MM-HMM. SO I'M GONNA PROBABLY TRY TO GRAB SOME BUSINESS CARDS FROM SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THERE. UH, VA IS SPONSORED. SO YEAH, THAT'S THE STAND DOWN, RIGHT? RIGHT. THAT COME AND STAND OUT. RIGHT. OKAY. GINA, HAVE YOU DONE AN EVENT LIKE THIS WHERE THEY'VE HAD, UM, VIRTUAL FOR SOUND? NO. OKAY. SO YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO REACH OUT TO ONE OF THE LIKE CD NINE, ONE OF THE CDS WHO DOES ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE FESTIVALS. MM-HMM . LIKE THE PERSON, WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE OF LIKE, JAZZ TESTS OR ANY OF THE MAJOR VESTS THAT HAVE MERCH, THAT HAVE RETAIL VENDORS. THERE'S A WHOLE PROCESS YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH WITH THE CITY DEALING WITH THE RETAIL VENDORS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ONE OF THEM. RIGHT. SO, SO, SO YEAH, THE IDEAL IS THAT IT'S PLUG IN PLACE. IT'S SOMEBODY WHO ALREADY HAS A LICENSE. THERE'S ALREADY A, THERE'S ALREADY A SYSTEM THEY SET UP THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET AN APP. THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO SIGN, FILL OUT AN APPLICATION. IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE, THEY'RE GONNA RETURN A COPY OF THEIR LICENSE. THERE'S ALL, THERE'S A PROCESS. YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO LEARN THE PROCESS BECAUSE WHEN THERE'S NO MONEY INVOLVED, CITY DOESN'T CARE AND THERE'S MONEY INVOLVED. CITY MAY BE SOMETHING WE LOOK AT BEFORE WE TOTALLY COMMIT TO HAVING VENDORS OR SELLING. OH YEAH. IF, IF WE DON'T GET VENDORS SIGNED UP IN EVENTS, IT WILL NOT BE PROMOTED. WELL, NO. I'M SAYING IF WE, IF WE, WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO DEAL WITH THE MONEY VENDORS, IT CHANGES HOW HARD IT IS TO DEAL WITH VENDORS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY AS EASY. WE JUST TELL 'EM TO SHOW UP. HERE'S YOUR TENT. BUT WHEN THERE'S MONEY INVOLVED WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, OKAY. IT'S A WHOLE NOTHER BANANA. SO YOU NEED, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU GUYS TALK TO SOMEBODY WHO HAS DONE IT OR WHO'S DOING IT NOW FOR ONE OF THE MAJOR FESTIVALS IN LONG BEACH. THEY CAN FILL YOU. I MEAN TAXES OR NO, NO, IT'S THE, HOW THE CITY PROCESS WORKS. OKAY. WE WON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. THE CITY HAS THE WHOLE MACHINE. YOU GET TO PLUG INTO IT. BUT THERE'S A WAY TO DO IT. AND IT MIGHT BE THROUGH, THROUGH SPECIAL EVENTS FOR PROBABLY THE PEOPLE TO TALK TO AND SAY, HEY, HOW DOES THIS, IF WE WANT TO DO THIS, HOW DOES IT WORK? WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO? THAT'S GOOD. 'CAUSE IT'S A WHOLE NOTHER, IT'S A WHOLE NOTHER ANIMAL. YES, YOU'RE RIGHT. I'M NOT AGAINST IT. NO, I'M JUST SAYING I DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANT SURPRISES AT THE END FOR . NO, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. AND THANK YOU. 'CAUSE WHEN WE MEET ON FRIDAY, I WILL ASK HER LIKE, HEY, WHAT'S THE REAL DEAL? BECAUSE JUST SAYING, OH, LET'S JUST GET VENDORS AND ALL THEY NEED IS A BUSINESS LICENSE. WELL, [00:50:01] WHAT'S THE REAL DEAL? WHAT'S THE REAL PROCESS? SO THAT WE'RE NOT SURPRISED. ESPECIALLY . YEAH. WHO, WHO WE WERE TALKING TO AT THE FIRST MEETING. YES. KNOW THEY, THEY KNOW THAT WELL, THEY, BUT ALL THEY SAID WHEN YOU AND I WERE ON THAT CALL WAS LIKE, OH, IF THEY ALREADY HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, AND MOST OF 'EM DO, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A CAKEWALK. BUT THAT WE DON'T, WE WANT MORE DETAILS. SO EXPLAIN WHO'S DOING THE CAKE, WALKING , WHO'S BAKING THE CAKE AND WHO'S WALKING IF IT'S EASY, PRETTY. I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO BE ASKING A QUESTION TO ASK. AND ON THE PHONE CALL FRIDAY. THAT'S RIGHT. WE NEED TO HAVE POINT OF CONTACT. YES. I SHOULD, I CAN REMEMBER YEARS. I CAN ASK THE VENDORS AT THE VA. YES, THAT'D BE GREAT. THE GUYS WHO ARE AT THE, IN THE HALLWAY, WOULD THEY BE INTERESTED IN DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT? BECAUSE YOU, THEY'RE HOPEFULLY ALREADY LICENSED AND ALL THAT, BUT THEY'RE ON FEDERAL PROPERTY, SO WHO KNOWS? THAT'S YES. GOOD POINT. HEY GINA, COULD YOU RESEND A MESSAGE FROM THE I DON'T HAVE IT. OKAY, I'LL DO THAT. OKAY. AND, UM, THIS, WELL, WHERE ARE WE NOW? WE DID THE MOVER AND THE SECONDER. I DID THE PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION ALL OVER THE PLACE. THERE'S NO ONE HERE. THE PUBLIC, AS YOU WERE GOING THROUGH THE DESCRIPTION, THE LAST THING YOU WANTED TO DO WAS SHARE THE FLYERS. OH YEAH. JUST, JUST SO YOU GUYS SEE, IF YOU WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE FLYERS LOOKED LIKE LAST YEAR, I STILL HAVE THAT IN PRINTED IN MY . THANK YOU FOR THAT, KEN. THAT'S A REALLY ASTUTE OBSERVATION. AND THEN I'M GONNA HAVE, DEALING WITH THE BACK FOR A SECOND, I'M GONNA HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE LIKE LONG BEACH, UM, PRESS, BECAUSE SINCE WE HAVE SOMEBODY NOTABLE WHO PASSED, WHO'S ONE OF OUR BANNERS, WHO HAS NOTORIETY, THAT'S A STORY. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S, AND THAT PAGE, THERE IS A PERFECT VEHICLE FOR THEM TO USE WITH QR CODE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE PEOPLE SEE MORE TRAFFIC, TO SEE WHAT WE DID AND GET A SECOND STORY OUT OF THE BANNER PROGRAM. BUT HERE WE'RE FOCUSING ON ONE SPECIFIC PERSON OF THE BANNER PROGRAM WHO GAVE SO MUCH TO LONG BEACH WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF OUR BANNER RECIPIENTS. HERE'S A STORY. WHY DON'T YOU DIG INTO IT AND TELL THIS STORY. WHOEVER I WAS NOT ON THE LIST. AH, HE'S NOT ON THE DISTRIBUTION. YEAH. I'M JUST TELLING YOU. DISTRIBUTION. IS HE NOT ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE? IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT I THINK YOU ARE. OKAY, KEEP GOING. I GET IT. AND THEN GINA, IF WE COULD JUST SCHEDULE, CAN, CAN WE SCHEDULE SOME TIME FOR THE COMMITTEE TO HAVE THEIR OWN MEETING OUTSIDE OF THE SEAT? YES. DO CAN'T YOU WANNA PROPOSE A DATE NOW? THAT WOULD BE NICE. OKAY. BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TALK ABOUT DAY DELIBERATION. YOU HAVE LIMITED SCHEDULE. WHY DON'T YOU THROW A COUPLE? BUT YOU CAN, I CAN ON ANY DAY. IT'S JUST THE TIME. LIKE EITHER REALLY, REALLY LATE OR LIKE MAYBE, UM, IT MIGHT BE EASIER FOR YOU TO THROW OUT A COUPLE SUGGESTIONS AND THEN EVERY TIME I LIKE SAY FOUR OR FIVE, THAT'S NOT THAT, THAT'S SIX OR SEVEN, THEN THAT'S GETTING SUPER LATE FOR OTHER PEOPLE. NO, DON'T WORRY ABOUT JUST THROW IT. WELL, THERE, THERE'S NOTHING PREVENTING THIS COMMITTEE FROM HAVING, YOU KNOW, GO OUT FOR A BURGER OR GO GET A BEER OR WHATEVER AND SIT AROUND A TABLE IN THE EVENING AND JUST, YOU KNOW, DISCUSS THIS. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE A IN MIND. IT'S AN ENTICEMENT. YOU GUYS GET TO SEE MY LOVELY, HOW'D YOUR SURGERY GO? YOU, DID YOU HAVE YOUR SURGERY YET? WHAT'S THAT? I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA HAVE A SURGERY. THURSDAY WOULD WORK FOR ME THURSDAY, SO IT WENT WELL. YOU'RE STILL STANDING. I'M STILL, I KNOW WE USED TO BE LIKE EVERY OTHER WEEK, BUT LIKE IF WE COULD JUST WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHATEVER THE FREQUENCY YOU WANT. BUT, UM, THURSDAYS HAVE BEEN, HERE'S MINE. OKAY. THURSDAYS AT LIKE FOUR O'CLOCK. TAKE A QUARTER OUTTA MY SPELL. HOW DOES FOUR OKAY. THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, I TOTALLY LEFT YOU OUT DANG THOUGHT. NOPE, [00:55:01] YOU'RE NOT. I THINK I'M, ANYWAY, BUT THAT WAS JUST CONFIRMING I DID THIS REALLY, REALLY FAST. SO THERE YOU GO. OKAY. ANTOINETTE IS PROPOSING THAT THIS AD, THIS AD HOC COMMITTEE, YOU GUYS, UM, MEET ON THE 11TH THAT THURSDAY OR DO YOU WANT WAIT TILL THE 18TH? UM, THUR 11TH OR THE EIGHTH WILL BE FINE OVER THE AGREED. THAT'S NICK RELLE. JIM AND ANTOINETTE. SO THE FOUR OF YOU, WHAT'S, WHAT'S BETTER? THE 11TH OR THE 18TH FOR A 4:00 PM OH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SEPARATE MEETING. NOT WITH THE CITY. JUST OUR OWN. WHAT DAY IS THAT? THAT'S A THURSDAY, SATURDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY'S. THURSDAY. THURSDAY. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EVENING? YEAH. 4:00 PM THIS COMING THURSDAY OR THE ONE THEREAFTER AT THE 11TH OR THE 18TH HERE THE LOCATION WOULD BE TBD. YEAH. OR THE 11TH OR THE 18TH. OKAY. 11 IS OKAY FOR YOU HERSCHEL? YES. WHAT YOU, THANKS AND WE'LL, WE'LL DETERMINE, UH, YOU PROBABLY AS OF LIKE, I'LL SEE IF THIS ROOM IS AVAILABLE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW, GO SOMEPLACE OUT OUTSIDE OF, UH, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, YOU'RE WELCOME TO DO THAT AS LONG AS IT'S I AM AVAILABLE ON THE 11TH, UM, AT FOUR. BUT I WAS, I WAS THINKING ZOOM. OH, OKAY. BECAUSE LIKE JUST GIVES ME WAY MORE, I MEAN, WE CAN DEFINITELY MEET THE PERSON. OKAY. NO, THAT'S FINE. ARE YOU GUYS GOOD WITH IT BEING, UH, AN ONLINE MEETING? ONLINE MEETING? OKAY. PERFECT. THANK YOU GUYS. PERFECT. AND AGAIN, JUST KEEP IN MIND THE THINGS I ASKED ABOUT ARE THERE IS, ARE THERE MERCHANDISE VENDORS THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD FIT? UM, AND THEN WE CAN FIND OUT WHETHER THEY'RE ALREADY LICENSED AND I'LL FIND OUT MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROCESS. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS TO SPICE UP THE THING? UM, IDEAS FOR WHO? THE GRAND MARSHAL VETERAN VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR. I'LL PUT ALL THESE IN THE MESSAGE. SO KEEP THINKING ABOUT THIS AND YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING ON THE 11TH TO DISCUSS WHAT WE DO. OKAY. I THINK THIS ONE IS READY FOR VOTE, PROBABLY YOUNG. YES. ALL, UH, I RECOMMEND I APPROVE THIS RECOMMENDATION. WAIT, WHY DOES IT SAY SUGGESTED ACTION APPROVE RECOMMENDATION. DO I MAKE A, DO I SAY THAT OR IS JUST THERE? SUGGESTED ACTION. RECOMMENDATION. I USUALLY GO HEARING NO MORE DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? YEAH. ALL. OKAY. OKAY, BECAUSE YOU'RE BASICALLY, YOU'RE SAYING I, EVERYBODY'S HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK NOW I'M CLOSED. WE'RE CLOSING IT. AND THAT'S THE HEARING. NO MORE DISCUSSION. ABSOLUTELY CALL THE VOTE. SO THE SUGGESTED ACTION IS THE RECOMMENDATION. SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. A ALL THOSE OPPOSED SAY NAY. ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOOD TO GO. OKAY. THAT'S THAT FOURTH THING. AND UM, ARE WE ON ANNOUNCEMENTS NOW? YES. WE HAVE NO PUBLIC, SO THERE ARE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS. ANNOUNCEMENTS JOIN. OKAY, I GOTTA RUN. ANNOUNCEMENTS. OKAY. ANNOUNCEMENTS. ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, THERE IS A ORANGE COUNTY A STAND DOWN. I'M DOING 'EM IN REVERSE ORDER. PARDON ME. OKAY, THIS IS, AS JERRY WAS TALKING ABOUT MOMENTS AGO. SORRY, THAT REALLY GOT SMALL, HUH? UM, THE VETERANS STAND DOWN. DOORS OPEN 6:00 AM ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH. SO SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY WILL BE THIS EVENT. SORRY, I DON'T KNOW WHY IT GOT SO SMALL. SO THE COMPTON STAND DOWN IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THIS THING. UH, LET ME JUST GET A BIGGER, IS IT DRIVING YOU GUYS NUTS? IT'S SO SMALL. SO IS YOUR STAND, YOU SAID RESOURCE. THERE WE GO. THREE DAY OVERNIGHT EVENT PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THE COMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SERVICES INCLUDE EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE, ET CETERA. HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER PARTICIPATED OR VOLUNTEERED FOR VETERAN STAND DOWN? YEAH, THE DBA IS ALWAYS THERE DURING CLAIMS. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF, UH, NUMBERS HERE. I CAN SEND THIS TO YOU AS WELL, BUT THIS IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS THAT THERE WILL BE A STAND DOWN IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING IN ANY WAY. THESE ARE THE DETAILS. THE EVENT KICKED OFF IS ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH AT 6:00 AM OPENING [01:00:01] CEREMONY THAT DAY. AND THEN THE CULMINATION OF THE EVENT IS ON THE 22ND AT NOON. UH, IT LISTS SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATING. THERE WILL BE GUEST SPEAKERS AND THEN SOME OF THE SERVICES BEING OFFERED. UH, HOW EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ASSISTANCE, UH, COUNSELING, VA AND SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS, ET CETERA. SHELTER, HAIRCUTS, HOT SHOWERS, CLOTHING, SHOES, HYGIENE KITS, ET CETERA. MEALS, FRESH FRUITS, BEVERAGES, HEALTH SCREENS, DENTAL, VISION, CARE AND MASSAGE THERAPY SERVICES. SO THAT'S THAT FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT. AND THEN THE SECOND ONE IS THAT THERE'LL BE ANOTHER STAND DOWN IN ORANGE COUNTY, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY BEING PUT ON BY THE LONG BEACH VA, UH, CONNECTS VETERANS RESERVE AND NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS WITH VITAL RESOURCES FOR BENEFITS. EMPLOYMENT. SAME, SAME THING. UH, WHAT'S KIND OF COOL ABOUT THIS TOO IS THAT THERE IS A SHUTTLE THAT IS GONNA GO FROM THE VA OR FROM THE CABRILLO VA CLINIC AT VILLAGES OF CABRILLO OR ANOTHER SPOT IN SANTA ANA, THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER AND EVEN AS FAR AWAY AS LAGUNA HILLS. SO TO GET TO THE STAND DOWN THERE, THERE'S, THERE IS, UH, TRANSPORTATION, IF YOU CAN GET TO THOSE SPOTS. THANK YOU. SO AGAIN, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THIS, UM, HATE FACEBOOK NOW. I CAN'T SCROLL UP. MELANIE MARTIN'S AT THE VA IS UH, IN CHARGE, SO IF YOU WANT HER EMAIL ADDRESS, JUST LET ME KNOW. BUT IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A GOOD THING IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. THIS IS A, IT'S A VERY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? SO, OH, ON MELANIE? HUH? IS THERE A WAY TO, WHEN SHE GIVE, HOW WAS YOUR CONNECTION WITH HER? WITH WHO? MELANIE. OH, I HAVE A GOOD CONNECTION WITH HER, UM, TRANSPORTATION TO OUR, UM, VETERANS DAY EVENT. OKAY, I'LL ASK HER ABOUT THAT. SO MAYBE IF WE CAN GET ON THEIR POSTINGS, POSTERS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, WE CAN GET TRANSPORTATION FROM THE VA TO AND FROM, TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO OUR EVENT BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GO DOWN IN HEAD COUNT CONSIDERABLY TO CA HERE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT RACE EVENT. THE, THE BIKE VIA MEETINGS FEED THE BEAD STREETS. WE, YEAH, WE HAD BEAD STREETS FEED US LAST YEAR, SO WE LOOKED A LOT BIGGER LAST YEAR. SO WE'RE GONNA BE A LITTLE SMALLER THIS YEAR AND WE CAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT IN OUR HOW TO GET THAT GOING. AND I JUST WANNA, LAST ANNOUNCEMENTS, JUST MAKE, UH, SUGGEST HAVE THE AGENDA ITEM FOR NEXT MONTH TO GET THE HONOREES TO COME. UH, TO THE BDC PRESENTATION AS THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE BANNERS PROGRAM. 25. YEAH. GOOD. OKAY. IS OUR, IS THE 50,000 FOR THIS EVENT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET? YES. OKAY. SO IT'S A STANDING ITEM. IT'S A STANDING ITEM. OKAY. SO, BUT EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT WITH THE DIRE STRAITS, CORRECT? YEAH. IT'S ALWAYS FUTURE. WHETHER THERE'LL BE THE FUTURE ON THIS, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW? YEAH. SO WE'RE GONNA MAY HAVE TO SHIFT SOME OF OUR EVENT TYPE THINGS INTO PRIVATE WHERE WE CAN GO FOR FUNDING IF WE WANNA DO, BECAUSE THERE THE NEW ROUND OF, UM, FORT GRANTS IS OPEN. THAT'S RIGHT. THEY OPENED ON THE FIRST. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER GROUPS YOU NEED MONEY. THEY YOU OVER LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS A THIRD, THREE TIMES A YEAR FOR GRANT IS NOT HARD TO DO. TINA'S AN EXPERT IN GRANT WRITING SO SHE CAN HELP. SHE HELP ME. THANK YOU. LEMME ASK AGAIN AS YOU CAN GET THREE, FOUR, $5,000 THROUGH YOUR GROUP PART OF, FOR GRANT AND OF COURSE LOOKING TO GIVE AWAY MONEY TO MAKE THEY'RE GREENWASHING CO. THEY NEED TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK BETTER BECAUSE THEY A LOT SO , THEY GIVE AWAY LOTS OF MONEY. YES. TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE THEM. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? TAKE THEIR MONEY. SOMEONE'S GOING TO, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE? ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS BEFORE YOU? BUT THE WINDOW IS FIRST THROUGH THE 30TH. IT'S ON THE FOURTH SIDE. KEN, YOU'RE GOOD ON THE PHONE? I'M GOOD. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. SO THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. IS THAT HOW YOU OFFICIALLY ENDED? YOU DID GREAT. * 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.