* 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. [00:03:49] MADAM CLERK, WHAT IS [00:05:37] ALL RIGHT. UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US FOR OUR EQUITY HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING TODAY. UH, IN THE [CALL TO ORDER] BACK, UH, WE HAVE VALIDATIONS FOR PARKING. UH, I ALSO BROUGHT SOME SNACKS, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW LONG THE MEETING WAS GONNA BE TODAY. UH, . SO, UH, THERE ARE SOME SNACKS IN THE BACK. FEEL FREE TO, TO ENJOY THEIR CUTIES AND, UM, SOME FRUIT SNACKS. UM, AND WITH THAT MADAM CLERK, UH, MAY WE HAVE ROLL CALL? PLEASE CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. [ROLL CALL] AND ROLL CALL. THANK YOU. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 6 0 5. AND OUR ROLL CALL. WE HAVE COMMISSIONER BROWN HERE. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. COMMISSIONER DELEON. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. HERE. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. COMMISSIONER COLE. HERE. COMMISSIONER LAURA. LAURA, EXCUSE ME. HERE. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES. HERE. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY PRESENT. COMMISSIONER AL HERE. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ PRESENT, COMMISSIONER SHA MALONE, VICE CHAIR BATS PRESENT. CHAIR COVINGTON PRESENT. WE HAVE COURT, UH, AND FOR THE RECORD, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE IS ON THE WAY. UM, SO ONCE THEY GET HERE, THEY'LL BE ON. UM, AS A PART OF OUR MEETINGS, UH, WE TYPICALLY, UH, DO OUR LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. SO I WANTED TO ASK, UH, OUR VICE CHAIR IF SHE COULD BE ABLE TO READ OFF OUR LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR TODAY. TONIGHT, I ACKNOWLEDGE I AM SPEAKING TO YOU FROM THE TRADITIONAL ANCESTRAL AND UNSEATED TERRITORY OF THE GABRIELINO TONGVA PEOPLE, THE TRADITIONAL CARETAKERS OF THE LAND WHO WERE DISPO, DISPOSSESSED OF THEIR LAND, AND YET CONTINUE TO STEWARD THIS LAND TODAY. SO I 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 LAND YOU ARE ON, AND LET THEIR ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH INSPIRE YOU. WE ALSO PAUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR COUNTRY WAS BUILT ON THE FREE LABOR OF ENSLAVED AFRICANS AND CONTINUES TO FUNCTION FROM THE LABOR OF OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR EVERY DAY. LET'S TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO PAUSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR PAST AND GIVE HONOR TO THOSE WHOSE LAND AND SHOULDERS WE STAND ON TODAY. THANK YOU, VICE CHAIR FOR THAT. UM, SO AS A PART OF, UH, OUR, MY CHAIR REMARKS, UH, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MULTIPLE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED. UH, WE HAVE RECEIVED THEM ALL. UH, THEY ARE ON FILE, UH, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE ADDED. THERE ARE EVEN STILL SOME COMING UP TO JUST RIGHT NOW. UH, SO THEY'LL BE ADDED ONTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. UH, OUR CITY ATTORNEY, UH, WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON INTO, IN REGARDS TO THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. YEAH. THANK YOU, CHAIR COVINGTON. JUST, UH, JUST AS A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UM, ON THE, THE AGENDA THAT'S POSTED. UH, IT DOES HAVE THE CLEAR DIRECTIONS, INCLUDING THE CORRECT, UH, EMAIL ADDRESSES TO SEND ANY, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT ARE ONLINE. AND JUST THE PURPOSE IS WE JUST, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE VOLUMINOUS, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT ALL, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE, ARE DEFINITELY DIRECTED TOWARD THE COMMISSIONERS AND THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ACCESS AND EVERYTHING IS PROPERLY UPLOADED. SO IT'S JUST A, A REMINDER JUST TO, IF THE, IF THE, IF THEY'RE SENT TO THE INCORRECT EMAIL, THERE COULD BE A DELAY. AND SOMETIMES THERE IS THE RISK THAT THE PUBLIC COMMENT WON'T GET [CHAIR REMARKS] TO THE COMMISSION IN TIME. SO JUST IF, IF ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE, ARE BEING SUBMITTED ONLINE, JUST TO GO AHEAD AND LOOK AT THE, UH, AGENDA AND, AND THEY'LL [00:10:01] BE ABLE TO VERIFY THE CORRECT ADDRESS TO SEND THOSE. THAT WOULD, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE ATTORNEY. UM, IN ADDITION, UH, THIS COMMISSION'S WORK IS GUIDED BY OUR MISSION. OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND SUPPORT SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND FOSTER MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT FOR ALL. AS A PART OF THAT MISSION, OUR RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE TO FURNISH OPPORTUNITIES OF THE PROMOTION OF POSITIVE HUMAN RELATIONS AMONG COMMUNITY MEMBERS, GROUPS AND INSTITUTIONS, DEVELOPING PROGRAMS TO REDUCE TENSION, CONFLICT, VIOLENCE, AND THAT MAY ARISE FROM INTOLERANCE, PREJUDICE, DISCRIMINATION BASED OFF OF RACE, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITY. IT ALSO INCLUDES CULTIVATING AND SUSTAINING EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE CITY THROUGH ACCOUNTABILITY, MEASURABLE OUTCOMES AND TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT. UH, IN REGARDS TO, UH, SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, UH, AND ALSO OTHER ADVOCACY EFFORTS OUTSIDE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SINCE LAST WEEK, BOTH I AND FELLOW COMMISSIONERS HAVE EXPERIENCED VAGUE THREATS, PERSONAL ATTACKS, AND AIMED AT US, PRESSURING US TO CANCEL TODAY'S ITEM, UH, AND PREVENTING THE COMMISSION FROM HEARING THE HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENING ITEM. UH, LET ME BE VERY CLEAR. DISAGREEMENT IS NORMAL, HEALTHY, AND PART OF THE PUBLIC LIFE AND DEBATE IS WELCOME, BUT THREATS AND INTIMIDATION HAVE NO PLACE IN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. THEY'RE, THEY UNDERMINE THE VERY VALUES AND RESPECT JUSTICE AND INCLUSION THAT THIS COMMISSION IS CHARGED WITH TO UPHOLD OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT ABSTRACT. IT IS A DIRECT COMMITMENT TO THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH. AND THAT'S ALL OF LONG BEACH. WE ENTRUST AND WORK AND, AND WORK OF ADVANCING JUSTICE, EQUITY AND REDUCING BARRIERS THAT DIVIDE US. AND STRENGTHENING THE RESPECT, DIGNITY OF EVERY RESIDENT DESERVES. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING AND HOLDING US ACCOUNTABLE. WE APPRECIATE IT. AND, UM, WE ARE HERE TO LIVE OUT THE MISSION WITH INTEGRITY AND CARE. WITH THAT, I WANT TO CALL FOR THE FIRST ITEM TO BE READ. ITEM NUMBER ONE IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? [1. 25-56588 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Equity and Human Relations Commission meeting of Wednesday, September 3, 2025.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COMMISSIONER, MONTGOMERY AND SCHULTZ. EXCUSE ME. WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO DISCUSSION. WE HAVE THE MOTION AND SECOND RIGHT. MEDICAL CLERK. OKAY, COOL. UH, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE, ON THE MINUTES. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER ONE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW, IF YOU ARE DIALING IN TELEPHONICALLY AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO, OR EXCUSE ME IN THE ZOOM AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER ONE, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. MAY I START? UM, I SPEAK TO THIS COMMISSION TODAY IN THE MERIT OF MAYAN AAN. MAY HER MEMORY BE A BLESSING? THE FULL TEXT OF MY PROPOSED TWO AMENDMENTS TO THE COMMISSION'S COMMENTS AFTER THE PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO AT THE SEPTEMBER 3RD MEETING ARE IN MY WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS. IN SUMMARY, THE FIRST AMENDMENT NOTES THAT WHEN COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY CITED A STATISTIC FROM NOT MY DOLLARS.ORG ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY THE CITY OF LONG BEACH SENDS TO ISRAEL, SHE DID NOT DISCLOSE THAT THE SITE SHE CITED WAS A PROJECT OF THE US CAMPAIGN FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS, WHICH PROMOTES AND OPENLY ADVOCATES FOR BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENTS, AND SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL, THAT ORGANIZATION'S OWN MATERIALS TO, UM, ON OCTOBER 7TH POSTED TELLING PROTESTORS AGAINST ISRAEL THAT THEIR RAGE BELONGS ON THE STREETS CALLING RAGE A SACRED AND URGING IT MUST BE MADE, AND IT'S UNAVOIDABLE. THE SECOND AMENDMENT THAT I HAVE ASKED TO INCLUDE TO AMEND THE MINUTES, UM, ADDRESSES THE DEFAMATORY MA REMARKS MADE ABOUT ME PERSONALLY LY ME AS NOT FREE PALESTINE AND DISHONEST REGARDING MY CONCERNS THAT I SAID WITHOUT ANY FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF MY PERSONAL VIEWS, AND ASSERTING THAT MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE LATE POSTING OF THE PROPOSED CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTMENT POLICIES WERE DISHONEST. [00:15:01] A SEARCH OF THE MEETING VIDEO ONLINE AND THIS TRANSCRIPT DOCUMENT THAT THERE WAS NO COMMITMENT BY THE CHAIR AT THE AUGUST MEETING, NOR WERE YOU CONDUCTING IT. IT WAS CONDUCTED BY DR. LARA 'CAUSE YOU WERE ON ZOOM. AND AT, AT THAT AUGUST MEETING TO PLACE THE POLICY ON THE SEPTEMBER AGENDA AND THE LATE POSTING OF THE POLICY ON THE AGENDA, RESULTING IN MY THREE WRITTEN COMMENTS ABOUT MY CONCERNS ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE LONG BEACH AREA PEACE NETWORK WHO ADVOCATES FOR BOYCOTTING ISRAEL AND ONLY TARGETS ISRAEL, UM, WERE WERE POSTED LATE. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE CITY, THE CHAIR, AND THE CITY NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT THIS ORAL COMMENT, TOGETHER WITH MY WRITTEN SUBMISSION CONSTITUTES A FORMAL REQUEST TO AMEND THE SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025 MINUTES. I EXPECT THE COMMISSION TO BE COMMITTED TO FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY, AND I WILL ASK THAT NOT LIKE LAST TIME WHEN I WALK AWAY, I NOT BE SHATTERED AT FREE PALESTINE. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK ON PUBLIC ITEM? MADAM CLERK, ARE THERE ANY FOLKS ON ZOOM? IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING A PUBLIC COMMENT IN ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE AT THIS TIME. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO, UH, FOR SHARING PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. I'M GONNA MOVE TO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION ON OUR MINUTES. EXCUSE ME. LET ME GO TO, HMM. EXCUSE THE TECHNOLOGY. I'M ON ITEM ONE, BUT NO ONE'S QUEUED UP. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ, QUEUE UP. THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, AND, UH, THANKS TO, UH, UH, ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY WHO, WHO MADE PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, UH, YOU, YOU COMMISSIONERS GET 'EM ALL. I, I I CERTAINLY READ THEM ALL, UH, AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, UM, HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY. UM, UH, NO ONE SPECIFICALLY. IF, UH, IF, IF THERE WERE, UM, A REQUEST TO AMEND THE MINUTES, UM, WITH THINGS THAT, UH, A COMMISSIONER SAID TO BE MORE SPECIFIC, COULD YOU SPEAK TO THE PROCESS OF THAT, OF, OF, OF HOW WE WOULD, UH, AMEND THAT CERTAINLY, UH, COMMISSIONER SO SCHULTZ? SO, UH, TYPICALLY THE MINUTES, UH, OF A COMMISSION MEETING REALLY JUST CAPTURE, UH, THE VOTES ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM, MEANING, YOU KNOW, WHO, HOW MANY PEOPLE VOTED IN FAVOR OR AGAINST JUST THOSE RESULTS, AS WELL AS IF THERE WAS ANY, UH, BUDDY WHO MADE PUBLIC COMMENTS WITH THEIR ACTUAL NAME. TYPICALLY, YOU WOULD ONLY AMEND THE MINUTES IF THE A PUBLIC COMMENTER WAS, WAS, WAS IDENTIFIED INCORRECTLY, OR IF THE RESULTS OF THE, UM, THE VOTING ON AN AGENDA ITEM WAS INCORRECT. UH, OTHER THAN THAT, I MEAN, UH, AGENDA MINUTES WOULD NOT BE AMENDED TO, TO, YOU KNOW, CLARIFY IF A, IF A COMMISSIONER MADE ANY TYPE OF SPECIFIC COMMENT. UH, ANY COMMISSIONER IS, IT IS WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO, UH, TO COMMENT IN RESPONSE TO ANY PUBLIC COMMENTER WITH THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE. BUT OTHER THAN THOSE TWO, UH, CHANGES IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL VOTING OUTCOME OR, UH, WHO THE IDENTITY OF A PUBLIC COMMENTER IS, UH, THE, THE MINUTES REALLY WOULD NOT BE OMITTED. FANTASTIC. SO, UH, MADAM CLERK, UH, ALSO, UM, SO WHEN SOME, WHEN YOU SAY SOMEONE SPOKE THAT IT, IT, IT WOULDN'T BE THE NORM TO, TO, TO INSERT WHAT THEY SAID. YES. THE MINUTES THAT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TAKE ARE ACTION MINUTES AND NOT SUMMARY MINUTES. OKAY. IF SOMEBODY DID WANT TO AMEND MINUTES OR THERE WAS A, A A A A COMMENT, UM, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT, WITH THAT LETTER THAT WAS SENT IN? COULD YOU C COULD YOU CLARIFY, JUST SO I COULD UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION? UH, SO SOMEBODY COMES IN, WE WILL, I WANT TO CLARIFY SOMETHING IN THE MINUTES, OR I WANT TO CORRECT THE MINUTES THAT, UH, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THAT IS PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN THAT WOULD GO AS PART OF THE, THE RECORD AND THE PACKAGE FOR THAT, FOR THAT MEETING YES. GOING FORWARD AND FOREVER. THAT, THAT, OKAY. CORRECT. YEAH, THAT IS CORRECT. WE CANNOT GO BACK AND REDACT, UM, THE ORAL, THE AUDIO PORTION OF THE MINUTES. BUT FOR THE RECORD, [00:20:01] THE WRITTEN AND THE ORAL PUBLIC COMMENTS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN, UM, ASKED OF THE CITY TO AMEND ARE NOW A PART OF PUBLIC COMMENT AND A PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD THAT ARE ALSO ATTACHED AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE MINUTES. THANK YOU. THAT ANSWERED MY QUESTION. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS ON THE MINUTES? SEEING NONE, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO A VOTE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY, IF YOU REVIEWED YOUR, THE MINUTES IN THE PACKET THAT WAS SENT TO YOU, YOU CAN VOTE ON THIS ITEM. I WAS NOT HERE, SO I, SORRY, I WAS NOT HERE, SO I CHOOSE NOT TO VOTE ON THIS. I ABSTAIN FROM THIS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES, THANK YOU. I RECEIVED YOUR, YES. MOTION CARRIES. AWESOME. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER TWO. MAY WE PLEASE HAVE IT READ? ITEM NUMBER TWO IS RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW AND APPROVE THE EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT DEVELOPED BY THE AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THE SAME NAME, AND IF APPROPRIATE, FORWARD RECOMMENDATION TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND [2. 25-56353 Recommendation to review and approve the Equity Impact Statement, developed by the Ad Hoc Committee of the same name, and, if appropriate, forward recommendations to Mayor and City Council.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] MOVED BY DR. LA AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER COLE TO PROVIDE EVERYONE WITH A PRESENT A BRIEF PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. I KNOW I'M TECHNICALLY CHALLENGED TONIGHT. UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THIS IS JUST A QUICK REFRESHER. UH, THIS EVENING WE'RE GONNA REVIEW AND AIM TO APPROVE OUR RECOMMENDATION TO IMPLEMENT AN EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT, WHY WE CREATED IT, HOW WE DEVELOPED IT, WHAT'S NEXT. AND THIS IS MEANT TO BE A BRIEF UPDATE OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE AND TO BRING OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS UP TO SPEED. SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL WORK. OH, IT DOES. GREAT. SO WHAT IS AN EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT OR EIA? AN EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT IS A STRUCTURED FRAMEWORK THAT HELPS EVALUATE HOW PROPOSED POLICIES, PROGRAMS, OR DECISIONS AFFECT DIFFERENT POPULATION GROUPS. IT'S GROUNDED IN TARGETED UNIVERSALISM, MEANING THAT WE SET SHARED GOALS FOR EVERYONE, BUT DESIGN TARGETED STRATEGIES FOR THOSE FURTHEST FROM THE OPPORTUNITY. THIS APPROACH ENSURES THAT WHEN WE LIFT UP COMMUNITIES FACING THE BIGGEST BARRIERS THAT EVERYONE BENEFITS THE EIA HELPS IDENTIFY, MITIGATE, OR PREVENT UNINTENDED INEQUITIES, AND ENCOURAGES CITY STAFF TO USE DATA, COMMUNITY INPUT AND LIVED EXPERIENCE TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS. ULTIMATELY, IT PROMOTES FAIR, JUST AND SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES FOR ALL OF LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. WE CREATED THE EIA BECAUSE THE CITY'S DECISIONS DIRECTLY SHAPE COMMUNITY OUTCOMES IN EVERY DEPARTMENT, DECISIONS ABOUT HOUSING, PUBLIC SAFETY OR INFRASTRUCTURE CAN EITHER CLOSE GAPS OR WIDEN THEM. SOME RESIDENTS FACE SYSTEMATIC BARRIERS THAT LIMIT ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY. BUT BY USING THE EIA, WE CAN ENSURE DECISIONS ARE INFORMED BY BOTH DATA AND LIVED EXPERIENCES. IT ALSO SUPPORTS TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRUST BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH. THE REAL STARTING POINT OF THIS WORK ACTUALLY WAS IN AUGUST OF 2020 WHEN THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED THE FRAMEWORK FOR RECONCILIATION. IT INCLUDED MORE THAN 120 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIONS THAT THE CITY SHOULD TAKE TO ADDRESS SYSTEMATIC INEQUITIES. AND AMONG THOSE ACTION 1.6 B SPECIFICALLY CALLS FOR INCLUDING AN EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN EVERY CITY STAFF REPORT. SO THE COMMITMENT WAS ALREADY MADE BY THE COUNCIL. WHAT OUR COMMISSION DID WAS IDENTIFY THE NEED TO ELEVATE AND MOVE THAT COMMITMENT FORWARD TO TURN IT FROM A CONCEPT INTO AN ACTUAL USABLE TOOL IF IT IS APPROVED. WE REVIEWED BEST PRACTICES FROM OTHER CITIES, ALIGNED OUR APPROACH WITH LONG BEACH COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES, AND REFINED ALL THE WORK WE DID AND TEMPLATES AND WRITINGS WITH FULL COLLABORATION WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH. THE RESULT IS A FRAMEWORK THAT'S BOTH GROUNDED IN CITIES' ORIGINAL MANDATE AND PRACTICE FOR DEPARTMENTS TO APPLY [00:25:03] THE CORE COMPONENTS. IT INCLUDES TWO KEY PARTS. IT'S UH, EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE, WHICH IS CORE FOR THE ANALYSIS FOR CITY STAFF TO USE, AND A COMPANION GUIDE WHICH PROVIDES INSTRUCTIONS, DATA SOURCES, AND EXAMPLES TO MAKE IT USABLE ACROSS DEPARTMENTS. WE DESIGNED IT TO COVER CITY COUNCIL'S FOUR TOP PRIORITIES, HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY AND INFRASTRUCTURE. BY CONNECTING THIS DIRECTLY TO THEIR PRIORITIES ENSURES THAT EQUITY IS NOT JUST A SIDE CONVERSATION, BUT PART OF THE CITY'S MAIN GOALS, THE BENEFITS. THIS HELPS THE CITY MAKE MORE DATA-DRIVEN AND TRANSPARENT DECISIONS. IT REDUCES THE RISK OF UNINTENDED HARM, SOMETHING THAT COULD SAVE BOTH TIME AND RESOURCES IN THE LONG RUN. NOT TO MENTION CREATING BETTER LIVES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. IT BUILDS PUBLIC TRUST AND REINFORCES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. IT ALSO CREATES CONSISTENCY ACROSS DEPARTMENTS SO THAT EVERYONE IS ASKING SIMILAR QUESTIONS ABOUT IMPACT, NOT COMPARING APPLES AND ORANGES. AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT STRENGTHENS COLLABORATION AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY CITYWIDE. SO OUR NEXT STEPS, WE'D BE SENDING A MEMO TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL. AND, UH, WE'RE PROPOSING A PILOT PHASE TESTING THE EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT WITH SELECT DEPARTMENTS OR PROJECTS THAT'LL GIVE US REAL WORLD FEEDBACK TO REFINE THE FRAMEWORK. WE'LL ALSO OFFER TRAINING FOR STAFF AND COMMISSIONERS SO THAT EVERYONE FEELS CONFIDENT USING IT. OUR LONG TERM GOAL IS TO INTEGRATE THE EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT INTO POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND BUDGET WORKFLOW. SO THAT EQUITY IMPACT IS THE STANDARD PART OF HOW LONG BEACH MAKES DECISIONS. BUT TO CLARIFY, WE KNOW THAT THIS COMMISSION DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THOSE POWERS. WE'RE JUST MAKING THE RECOMMENDATION TO HELP MOVE THOSE THINGS FORWARD. AND THAT'S IN A NUTSHELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER COLE. UH, WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE, UH, TO A PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER TWO, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW I WANNA THANK COMMISSIONER COLE, AND I ALSO WANNA APOLOGIZE IF I MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT THE EQUITY, UM, IMPACT STATEMENT WAS. I SAW THAT IT'S BASED ON THE RACIAL EQUITY ONLY OF THE CITY IS. IF THAT IS CORRECT, THEN MY COMMENTS PROBABLY DON'T APPLY. IF IT'S MEANT TO BE UNIVERSAL, UM, 'CAUSE I SAW THE WORD MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY, I BELIEVE THEN IT IS ESSENTIAL TO BE CLEAR AND GROUND WHAT IS A MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY IN A CLEAR EVIDENCE-BASED DEFINITION. AND RECOGNIZE THAT MARGINALIZATION STEMS FROM SYSTEMATIC BARRIERS AND HISTORIC PATTERNS OF EXCLUSION, NOT JUST INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. I PERSONALLY URGE THE COMMISSION TO EXPLICITLY INCLUDE JEWISH AMERICANS OR ANY OTHER RELIGIOUS MINORITY AND OLDER ADULTS WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK. UNLESS I MISREAD WHAT IT IS ABOUT. AND IF IT'S ONLY RACIAL EQUITY, THEN MY COMMENTS MAKE NO SENSE. UM, OLDER ADULTS, WELL JEWISH AMERICANS RIGHT NOW, AND I ONLY FOCUSED ON THAT RIGHT NOW, FACE RISING ANTI-SEMITISM THAT NOW ACCOUNTS FOR NEARLY 70% OF ALL RELIGION BASED HATE CRIMES NATIONWIDE. OLDER ADULTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE LIVING ON FI INCOMES EXPERIENCE, AGEISM, DIGITAL EXCLUSION, AND HIGH POVERTY RATES THAT REFLECT STRUCTURAL NEGLECT. A TRULY EQUITABLE FRAMEWORK MUST REFLECT THE FULL DIVERSITY AND INTERSECTIONALITY OF LONG BEACH AND ADDRESS THE DISCRIMINATION IN ALL ITS FORMS. UM, I HAVE ACTUALLY SUBMITTED WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT WITH DATA AND SOURCES, UM, TO THIS AGENDA ITEM, BUT AGAIN, IF I MISREAD IT, I APOLOGIZE. IT DOESN'T APPLY. IT'S VITAL THAT ANY EQUITY FRAMEWORK ADOPTED BY THIS COMMISSION AND RECOMMENDED BE INCLUSIVE OF ALL MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, ENSURING THAT NO GROUP IS LEFT OUT IN THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC, UH, IN-PERSON PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, ARE THERE ANY ONLINE, IS THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER TWO? PLEASE USE THE RAISE HEAD FUNCTION NOW. THANK YOU. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT. UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. [00:30:02] LEMME GO FOCUS. WELL, MY SCREEN IS A LITTLE DELAYED. ARE THERE ANY FOLKS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? DR. LARA? THANK YOU, CHAIR. UM, SO COMMISSIONER, UM, WELL, I KNOW FIRST NAME, BUT HE'S CHERYL, COMMISSIONER CHERYL. UM, I, I WANT TO COMMEND YOU. I WAS, UM, REFLECTING ON WHEN YOU STARTED ON THE COMMISSION, WHICH I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NAME FRAME FOR RIGHT AWAY, YOU RAISE YOUR HAND TO BE ON, ON THIS AD HOC COMMITTEE. AND SO I WANNA COMMEND YOU AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE BECAUSE IT'S COME A LONG WAY. AND I KNOW THIS WORK IS NOT EASY. UM, PERIOD. ALSO INCLUDING YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU WERE ON THE COMMITTEE, INCLUDING YOURSELF ORIGINALLY. I WAS ORIGINALLY I WAS SO EARLY ON I WAS, BUT THANK YOU, THANK YOU CHAIR FOR, FOR MENTIONING THAT. UH, BUT, UM, BECAUSE I WAS EARLY AND I SAW THE SEEDS OF THIS AND TO HAVE IT GROW TO THIS ROBUST DOCUMENT, UM, I WANTED TO JUST, UH, GIVE ACCOLADES WHERE ACCOLADES IS DUE. UM, MY QUESTION IS, UM, GIVEN, AND YOU MAY HAVE MENTIONED THIS IN IN YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, INTERSECTIONALITY AND HOW THAT FITS INTO THE EQUITY STATEMENT OR, UM, AND I REALLY LIKE THE PILOTING PHASE OF THIS. UM, AND ARE THERE ANY COMPARISON CITIES THAT MAY DO SIMILAR WORK TO THIS? I KNOW I KINDA KNOW THE ANSWER 'CAUSE THEY'RE RIGHT. BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO HAVE THAT RESPONSE AS WELL AS WE CONSIDER, UH, UH, OUR NEXT STEPS HERE WHEN, UH, WE EVENTUALLY GET TO THE VOTE. COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU. UM, THERE ARE MANY CITIES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN OUR BACKUP. UM, AND EVEN, I MEAN, THERE WERE, WELL, MORE THAN A DOZEN CITIES, UH, COUNTIES AND STATES, AND WE LOOKED AT THEIR EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENTS OR ASSESSMENTS AND TOOLKITS WHEN THEY WERE AVAILABLE. IT RANGES FROM SAN DIEGO TO COUNTIES IN MARYLAND, PORTLAND, UH, LET'S SEE, AUSTIN, MINNESOTA, BLOOMINGTON, THEY'RE A LOT. WE HAVE A LIST AND IT'S INCLUDED LIKE IN ALL OF OUR BACKUP RESEARCH. AND YOUR QUESTION ABOUT INTERSECTIONALITY AGAIN, PLEASE. YEAH. HOW DOES THAT FIT IN INTO THE, UH, IF IT FITS IN, INTO THE, UM, THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS? UH, I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE I EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN AS FAR AS INTERSECTING ACROSS POPULATIONS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ASSESSING A GIVEN CONSIDERED OR POTENTIAL ORDINANCE YES, OR POLICY, WHEN WE LOOK AT, UH, RACIAL DISPARITIES, RIGHT, AND HOW IT IMPACTS IT, HOW DO WE INTERSECT THAT WITH OTHER LIVED EXPERIENCES? SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT MM-HMM , GOT IT. UH, BLACK EQUITY ISSUES, HOW ARE WE TO DRAW FROM PUBLIC COMMENT? WE AT OLDER POPULATIONS, RIGHT? AS AN EXAMPLE FOR THAT TO SEE HOW THAT IMPACT STATEMENT IS DISAGGREGATED ACROSS VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF INEQUALITY. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. THERE ARE A FEW PIECES THAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT AND SOME I KNOW ARE IN PROCESS WITH THE CITY, FORMULATING SOME PIECES THAT WILL DRIVE THIS. BUT REMEMBER THIS INVOLVES COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND INPUT. SO THERE'LL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES AND THEIR CONCERNS AND THEIR WISHES. THERE'S ALSO DATA THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN COLLECTED OR IS AND CONTINUES TO BE COLLECTED ACROSS THE CITY THAT WE WOULD REFER TO. AND THEN ALSO, UM, ONE THING WITH THE, YOU KNOW, CH CHANGING ENVIRONMENT AND WORKING ACROSS POPULATIONS, THIS IS NOT MEANT TO EXCLUDE ANY POPULATION, UM, UPON EVALUATION. AND THIS IS NOT FINALIZED, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE WOULDN'T BE A LIST. LIKE, HOW IS THIS COMMUNITY IMPACTED? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. HOW ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY? HOW ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY? IT'S MORE ABOUT LOOKING AT THE PROJECT OVERALL, THE VALUE IT BRINGS, WHAT ARE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES? WHO, WHO MIGHT IT IMPACT? AND WHAT IS THAT POPULATION VERSUS STARTING WITH, HEY, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO THIS SPECIFIC GROUP? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? ACTUALLY, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO INTERSECTIONALITY, UM, ALTHOUGH ORIGINALLY THE FRAMEWORK WAS GROUNDED AND STILL IS RIGHT? IN BLACK WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES, AND THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE DISCUSSION, RIGHT? THAT DISCOURSE HAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE SO MANY MULTIPLE FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION. AND IT'S REALLY UP TO US AS A COMMUNITY TO BRING [00:35:01] UP THOSE MULTIPLE FORMS WITHIN THAT PROCESS. I REALLY APPRECIATE HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE QUESTION. JUST SO THE PUBLIC IS VERY AWARE, THIS POLICY IS VERY MINDFUL OF THOSE MULTIPLE FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION. AND AS YOU MENTIONED, I'M IN, IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOU WHEN WE ENTER INTO NAMING DIFFERENT GROUPS, THAT LIST CAN NEVER BE EXHAUSTIVE. MM-HMM . RIGHT? IT'S HAVING THAT FRAMEWORK IN MIND TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS FOR DIFFERENT FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION. UM, AND IT ALSO SHIFTS, RIGHT? UM, EARLIER THAT WAS MENTIONED OF ANTISEMITISM, RIGHT? SOMETIMES IN PERIODS OF TIME, THOSE UNFORTUNATELY RISES. AND THEN HOPEFULLY IT ALSO DECREASES. RIGHT NOW OUR LATINO COMMUNITY, OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY THAT IS HIGH. UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY OUR BLACK COMMUNITY, THAT'S A CONSTANT, UNFORTUNATELY ANTI-BLACK RACE THAT'S CONSTANT THROUGHOUT HISTORY. SO, SO HAVING INTERSECTIONALITY, THANKFULLY, UH, BECAUSE OF, UM, KIMBERLY CRENSHAW AT UCLA WHO REALLY COINED THE TERM HAS HELPED US GIVE THE LANGUAGE AND THE CONCEPT ALRIGHT, TO MOVE THIS IMPORTANT WORK FORWARD. SO I APPRECIATE YOU. ARE THERE ANY SPEAKERS? OKAY, UH, SEEING NONE, UH, I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE, UH, COMMISSIONER COLE ON ALL OF THE WORK, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, COMMISSIONER DELEON WHO IS NOT HERE TODAY, UH, WHO, UH, CONTRIBUTED TO, UH, THE FINAL, UM, ASSESSMENT TOOL AS WELL AS, UH, OUR POLICY RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL. UM, THE UNIQUE THING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR, UH, POLICY AND ASSESSMENT TOOL, UM, IT IS SUPPOSED TO COMPLIMENT THE WORK OF THE OFFICE OF EQUITY DOES IN THE CITY. UH, THEY HOLD MULTIPLE TRAININGS WITH TOP LEVEL CITY STAFF, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TO TALK ABOUT EQUITY, TO TALK ABOUT IMPLICIT BIAS. LET'S TALK ABOUT INTERSECTIONALITY. AND WE'RE HOPING WITH THIS TOOL, UM, AS DEPARTMENTS ARE STARTING TO LEARN AND TO INTEGRATE THESE UNDERSTANDINGS AND VALUES, THAT THIS TOOL WILL BECOME SECOND NATURE TO THEM. UM, CULTURAL CHANGE AND INSTITUTIONS TAKE VERY MANY, MANY YEARS. UH, AND THE FIRST WAY TO DO IT IS TO JUST START. UH, AND SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS IS A STARTING POINT TO BE EQUITABLE THROUGHOUT THE FULL CITY. WE'RE STARTING FIRST WITH THE COUNCIL PRIORITIES BECAUSE THOSE TYPICALLY, UM, ARE MOST IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, UH, ALONG WITH OTHERS. BUT WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS WILL BE, UH, A PILOT TO SOMETHING AMAZING AND LIVES UP TO OUR CITY VALUES AS WELL. SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER AND ALL OF THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ASSESSMENT. UH, MAY WE HAVE A, A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND CONGRATULATIONS TEAM, YOU, UH, MANY YEARS AND WE'RE, WE'RE CLOSE, CLOSE TO SUBMITTING IT TO COUNCIL. UH, NEXT UP WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER THREE. MAY WE PLEASE HAVE IT READ. [3. 25-56589 Recommendation to review and approve a draft letter from the Chair regarding the Civil and Human Rights Investment Screen, presented by Long Beach Area Peace Network, and, if appropriate, forward recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation.  ] ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW AND APPROVE THE DRAFT LETTER FROM THE CHAIR REGARDING THE CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTMENT SCREEN PRESENTED BY LONG BEACH AREA PEACE NETWORK. AND IF APPROPRIATE, FORWARD RECOMMENDATIONS TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? COMMISSIONER SAMUEL WILD IS, UH, MO MOVED AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, MAY WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT? OH, BEFORE WE DO PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, MAY I SEE A RAISE OF HANDS OF WHO'S ALL PREPARING TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY? OKAY. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA DECREASE THE ALLOTMENT OF TIME TO 60 SECONDS. UM, YES, 60 SECONDS, UH, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, UM, GET TO, UH, OUR OTHER ITEMS AS WELL. UM, WE HAVE RECEIVED MULTIPLE PUBLIC COMMENT VIA EMAILS. UM, AND SO FOR THAT REASON, WE'RE GOING TO REDUCE THE TIME. UH, SO MAYBE PLEASE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW START. I'M NATE TUSHNET REPRESENTING THE ONE, ONE SECOND. I APOLOGIZE. AND IF WE CAN HAVE THE TIME, RESTART IT, IT'S UP THERE. IF FOLKS CAN JUST, UH, CREATE A SINGLE FILE LINE, UH, AND THEN WE'LL GET THROUGH AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU NEED. UH, IF YOU DO NEED TO SIT, UH, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE. UM, JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S QUITE A FEW FOLKS WHO NEED TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. [00:40:01] OKAY. UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND START. I'M NA ETT REPRESENTING THE LONG BEACH AREA PEACE NETWORK. LE BOIN LE BOIN, WHICH ADVOCATES BROADLY FOR PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND IN FACT HAS NEVER TAKEN A STAND ON THE OUTCOME. WE WERE STRONG ON CEASEFIRE. WE HAVE DISAGREEMENTS AMONG US ABOUT WHAT WE WANT IN THE LONG RUN. THAT'S ASIDE. UH, WE STRONG, WE SUGGESTED THIS POLICY. WE'VE CONSULTED WITH OTHER CITIES ABOUT SIMILAR SCREENS. BERKELEY, WHICH IS CITED IN THE CITY'S RESPONSE, DEVELOPED A SERIES OF SCREENS. WE PUT IT ALL IN ONE BECAUSE IN BERKELEY IT TOOK TIME AND ENERGY FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE STAFF AND CITY COUNCIL. AND WE'RE AWARE OF SOME WELL-ESTABLISHED AND RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED LISTS THAT COULD BE USEFUL IN ANY SCREEN. ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS SCREEN BECAUSE IT FITS THE VALUES I WAS RAISED ON AND HOW I'VE LIVED MY LIFE, INCLUDING WHEN I MARCHED FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AS EARLY AS THE FIFTIES FASTED IN FRONT OF THE WHITE HOUSE IN 1961. PLEASE WRAP UP, COMMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOUR TIME IS OVER T LA . THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, NEXT PUBLIC SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. UM, I'M GONNA SKIP SOME OF THIS AND READ QUICKLY. WHILE WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY INCLUSION, THE EHRC IS AN ADVISORY BODY UNDER THE CITY CHARTER. ONLY LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DEVELOP OR IMPLEMENT CITY POLICIES OR REGULATIONS. UH, WHEN COMMISSION, WHEN COMMISSIONS MOVE BEYOND THAT ADVISORY SCOPE, IT BECOMES AN OVERSTEP OF POLICY, POSSIBLY ILLEGAL AND IMPEDES THE CITY OF LONG BEACH FROM POSSIBLY STEWARDING ITS INVESTMENTS. CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 2 8 4 4 SECTION ONE J ALSO MAKES IT CLEAR THAT TAXPAYER FUNDS CANNOT BE USED TO SUPPORT OR PROMOTE DISCRIMINATORY ACTIONS UNDER THE PRETEXT OF PROTECTED SPEECH, INCLUDING BOYCOTTS TARGETING ISRAEL OR INDIVIDUALS OF THE JEWISH FAITH. AND THIS ACTION FEELS LIKE A THIN THINLY VEILED ATTACK AGAINST THE JEWISH STATE BEYOND LEGALITY. THIS IS AN OVERREACH AND IT'S SIMPLY BAD FOR CITY BUSINESS. IT FURTHERS COMMUNITY DIVIDES AND DOES NOT CREATE PEACE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. IF YOU HAVE THE NEXT PUBLIC SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. I'M RABBI FOX FROM TEMPLE ISRAEL, WHICH IS THE LARGEST SYNAGOGUE CURRENTLY IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. I RECOGNIZE THIS RESOLUTION DOESN'T NAME ISRAEL SPECIFICALLY, HOWEVER, GIVEN THE TIMING AND THE CONTEXT OF THIS DISCUSSION TONIGHT, I, I WANNA ADDRESS WHAT I BELIEVE ARE THE REAL WORLD CONSEQUENCES. IF THIS RESOLUTION IS APPLIED AS I BELIEVE IT'S INTENDED TO THE CURRENT CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, I PERSONALLY OPPOSE THIS RESOLUTION, NOT BECAUSE I'M UNCRITICAL OF THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT POLICIES, MANY OF WHICH I FIND MYSELF DEEPLY TROUBLING. BUT BECAUSE BOYCOTTS LIKE THIS DON'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR PEOPLE OVER THE PAST, EXCUSE ME. OVER THE PAST YEAR, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ISRAELIS HAVE TAKEN TO THE STREETS PROTESTING THEIR OWN GOVERNMENTS ACTIONS, DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUSHING FOR PEACE, RISKING THEIR LIVELIHOODS AND SAFETY FROM THE COUNTRY FROM WITHIN. AND A BLANKET BOYCOTT PUNISHES THEM AS WELL. IT TELLS THE VERY ISRAELIS FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS THAT THEY'RE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THESE POLICIES. THIS CONFLICT IS CREATED UNBEARABLE SUFFERING ON ALL SIDES. THANK YOU VERY, I ASK THAT WE NOT ADD TO IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT. SO MY NAME IS STEVE ASIN. I'M DELIGHTED TO SPEAK IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY RABBI, BUT I'M HERE TO TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT. MY WORK INVOLVES INVESTIGATING CORPORATE, FINANCIAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. I HAVE REVIEWED AND I WILL SUBMIT FOR THE RECORD, A LIST OF OUR CITY'S CORPORATE INVESTMENTS. THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE. HOWEVER, WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH INVESTMENTS IN COMPANIES LED BY TOYOTA, WHICH ARE INVOLVED IN MASSIVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CHINA. AGAIN, I WILL BE SHARING FOR THE RECORD AN ARTICLE ON THAT AND A LIST OF OUR INVESTMENTS, WHICH SHOWS THAT TOYOTA IS BY FAR OUR LARGEST INVESTMENTS. I URGE PASSAGE OF THIS BY THE COMMISSION AND SUBMISSION TO THE CITY COUNCIL SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A CONSISTENT APPROACH ACROSS THE ENTIRE WORLD WITH REGARD TO HUMAN RIGHTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. HI, MY NAME IS BARRY SACHS. I LIVE IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH IN THE FIRST DISTRICT, I'M AN ASHKENAZI JEW. BEFORE I WAS BAR MITZVAH, MY MOTHER REMOVED ME FROM HEBREW SCHOOL BECAUSE SHE FELT I WAS SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON MY RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND NOT ENOUGH ON MY SECULAR STUDIES. I ENDED UP GETTING A [00:45:01] BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN MATHEMATICS, AND TO MY MOTHER'S CHAGRIN, I BECAME AN ATHEIST. MUCH LATER, I JOINED A SMALL GROUP IN LOS ANGELES DOING INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WORK AGAINST THE SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID STATE. BUT I, BUT I WANNA ADD SOME MORE TO THAT STATEMENT BACK THEN. I REMEMBER THE SAME ARGUMENTS WHY THE BOYCOTT AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA SHOULDN'T OCCUR THE SAME ARGUMENT, ESPECIALLY ABOUT IT HURTING THE, THE GENERAL POPULATION. THANK YOU. PLEASE, DREZ. NO, I'M NOT. AM I? OKAY. I'M DONE. GOOD ENOUGH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. HI, MY NAME IS MARLENE ALVARADO. I LIVE IN THE FIRST DISTRICT HERE AT THE CITY LEVEL. WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE INVESTMENTS DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. OUR LOCAL CITY GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STAND AGAINST WAR THAT CREATES CLIMATE CHANGE. ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS NOT ONLY VULNERABLE CONFLICT ZONE POPULATIONS, BUT ALSO LONG BEACH CITIZENS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF ASTHMA, DIARRHEA, AND HEART DISEASE. THE SOOT AND BLACK CARBON FROM WAR WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT CHRONIC ILLNESSES OF LONG BEACH MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION. THE SOOT AND BLACK CARBON FROM EXPLOSIVE AND CONFLICT ZONES CAN ALTER THE EARTH'S OZONE LEVEL BY REDUCING INCOMING SOLAR RADIATION AND IMPACT CLOUD FORMATION. LONG BEACH COM COMMUNITIES ARE IMPACTED BY ORAL DRILLING WHEN IT IS NEAR SCHOOLS AND DAYCARES PROTECTING CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, AND SAFE LAND IS INSEPARABLE FROM PROTECTING HUMAN DIGNITY AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS. HERE IN LONG BEACH AND IN WAR, UH, UH, ZONES, STATES STATE SENATOR LEN GONZALO HAS FOUGHT TO DIVEST FROM OIL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND CALIFORNIA SENATOR CALIFORNIA STATE, UH, YOUR TIME IS OVER. THANKS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. AS THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, I'M SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE UPHILL BATTLE THAT FIGHTING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CAN BE. I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FEEL THE BUREAUCRACY OF POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT AND CAN, HOW IT CAN SOMETIMES STAND IN THE WAY OF REALLY CHANGING THE MATERIAL REALITIES FOR THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ALL REPRESENT. I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU'VE ALL READ THIS POLICY AND SEE IT FOR WHAT IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE EXACTLY WHAT THIS COMMISSION IS FOR. AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE THE MISSION OF INSPIRING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN LONG BEACH. WHILE THIS IS A HUGELY FISCALLY SOUND POLICY AS EVIDENCED BY THE PRESENTATION YOU ALL HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE, I'M ALSO JUST HOPING THAT YOU JUST GET IT ON A PERSONAL NOTE. DO ANY OF US TRULY WANT OUR HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS THAT GO TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, INVESTED IN GENOCIDE, APARTHEID IN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS? I HONESTLY THINK NOT. AND I CANNOT IMAGINE WHY YOU'D SIT ON THE, THE COMMISSION IF YOU FELT OTHERWISE. BEST CASE SCENARIO, THE EXISTING INVESTMENTS IN LONG BEACH ARE ALREADY ETHICALLY INVESTED AND MOST OR EVEN ALL INVESTMENTS DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CHANGE. BEST SECOND, BEST CASE SCENARIO, WE MAKE SOME CHANGES AND THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION WILL ALWAYS BE KNOWN AS THE FIRST CHAMPION OF THIS POLICY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING COMMISSION. THANK YOU. I AM A JEWISH QUEER RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH AND I LOVE THIS CITY. THIS POLICY IS ABOUT DEFENDING AND PROTECTING THE HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS OF ALL PEOPLE. THIS BROAD PROTECTION ENSURES ALL ENTITIES ARE LOOKED AT WITH THE SAME SCRUTINY AND ALL PEOPLE'S RIGHTS ARE SAFEGUARDED. IT IS A SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD POLICY. THERE IS NO BIAS, JUST PROVEN MEASURES OF HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION AND A STANDARD TO HOLD ALL ENTITIES TO. IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THE PHRASE, IF THE SHOE FITS, WE ARE SEEING GENOCIDES IN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ACROSS THE WORLD, INCLUDING IN SUDAN, CONGO, AND IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER LOCATIONS GLOBALLY AND LOCALLY. WHY WOULD LONG BEACH BE OKAY WITH ANY HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS HAPPENING TO ANY PEOPLE? ETHICAL INVESTING HAS BEEN A WELL-RESEARCHED AND ESTABLISHED PRACTICE FOR DECADES. THIS MUST BE AN ETHICAL GOVERNANCE PRIORITY. I URGE THE COMMISSION TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY IMMEDIATELY, UH, CITY COUNCIL IMMEDIATELY ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT THIS SCREENING POLICY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS ALYSSA SECOND DISTRICT RESIDENT, UH, BORN AND RAISED. JEWISH HISTORY SHOWS US THAT WE USE OUR, THAT HOW WE USE OUR MONEY IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST LEVERS FOR JUSTICE. WHERE WE PLACE OUR DOLLARS CAN EITHER UPHOLD SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION OR HELP DISMANTLE THEM. AND I WANNA BE CLEAR, WHILE THERE ARE SEVERAL GENOCIDES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK, THIS POLICY IS NOT ABOUT ONE COUNTRY. IT IS ABOUT REFUSING COMPLICITY. WHEREVER ATROCITIES OCCUR TODAY, IT MAY BE ONE GOVERNMENT TOMORROW, ANOTHER. AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS WRITTEN TO ENDURE ACROSS [00:50:01] TIME AND CONTEXT. SO LONG BEACH DOESN'T HAVE TO REINVENT THE WHEEL EVERY TIME A NEW EVIL POWER EMERGES IN THE WORLD. FOR FOLKS CLAIMING THIS POLICY IS SECRETLY TRYING TO TARGET A SINGLE COUNTRY, THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY ADMITTING THAT THAT GOVERNMENT'S CONDUCT WOULD MEET THE CRITERIA OF GENOCIDE OR SOME OTHER EGREGIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION. THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY AN ARGUMENT AGAINST THE POLICY. I'D SAY THAT'S AN ARGUMENT FOR IT. AT A TIME WHEN SPEAKING OUT AGAINST INJUSTICE IS INCREASINGLY BEING SILENCED OR EVEN CRIMINALIZED, WE CAN'T AFFORD HESITATION. WE MUST MUST PUSH BACK. WITH UNW UNWAVERING MORAL CLARITY. I URGE COMMISSIONERS TO VOTE YES ON A RECOMMENDING THANK CITY COUNCIL ADOPT, UH, HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENING ON OUR CITY'S INVESTMENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. LET'S SEE. I'M MARSHALL BOFSKI. I'M A JEWISH AMERICAN. I BELONG TO TEMPLE ISRAEL, BUT I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR TEMPLE ISRAEL. I APPLAUD THE, UH, COMMISSION FOR TAKING A STAND AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, INCLUDING GENOCIDE, APARTHEID, OCCUPATION. AND SOME PEOPLE SAY, WHY IS LITTLE OLD LONG BEACH BECOMING INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS? THIS IS NOT OUR BUSINESS. AND WHILE WE ARE ALL PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, WHAT WE DO HERE IS, HAS AN EFFECT WORLDWIDE. HAS WE INVEST OUR MONEY COULD HAVE GLOBAL EFFECTS. WE CAN ALSO BE A MODEL FOR OTHER CITIES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES TO TAKE A STAND. AND I HOPE THIS, I HOPE THE SIS CEASEFIRE THAT'S GOING AROUND IS REAL. AND I REALIZE THAT THIS DOES NOT SINGLE OUT ANY ONE COUNTRY. AND IT'S A MORE GENERAL, UM, A MORE GENERAL THING. AND I WANTED TO THANK, UH, THE COMMISSION FOR AND THE MAYOR FOR MOVING THIS FROM YOM KIPPER TO A TIME WHEN WE CAN ALL PARTICIPATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. HELLO, I'M TED, ALSO A JEWISH LONG BEACHER AND LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER FOLKS WHO HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN, UM, IT'S ALSO MY JEWISH EDUCATION THAT HAS BROUGHT ME TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENER. ALTHOUGH THE RESOLUTION DOES NOT SINGLE OUT ANY PARTICULAR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION, A FEW FEW PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTLY POINTED OUT THAT ISRAEL'S VIOLENCE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, TWO YEARS AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, CLEARLY CONSTITUTES THE TYPE OF ACTIVITY THE SCREENER WOULD CATCH. AT THIS POINT, ALL REPUTABLE HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE DECLARED THE VIOLENCE AGAINST PALESTINIANS AND GAZA TO BE A GENOCIDE, INCLUDING UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL COUNCIL. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS, THE LEMPKIN INSTITUTE FOR GENOCIDE STUDIES, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS, AND A COUPLE ISRAELI HUMAN RIGHTS ORGS. TWO, THE OFFICIAL COUNT OF DEAD IN GAZA ARE, IS OVER 70,000, INCLUDING 20,000 CHILDREN. BUT THE LANCET HAS SAID IT'S PROBABLY IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFIC ATROCITIES EVER COMMITTED BY MANKIND. THAT'S NOT WHAT OUR CITY SHOULD BE INVESTED IN. AND THIS HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENER ALLOWS US NOT TO, WHICH I THINK MOST PEOPLE IN LONG BEACH WOULD SUPPORT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MAY WE HAVE THE NEXT SPEAKER. HI, GREETINGS TO EVERYONE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. MY NAME IS KAREN HARPER. I LIVE IN THE THIRD DISTRICT AND I'M PART OF THE LONG BEACH AREA PEACE NETWORK. AND I WANTED TO BRING MY COMMENTS BACK HOME A LITTLE BIT. UM, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTING, WHICH IS SORT OF A HUMAN RIGHTS SCREEN FOR A LONG TIME. AND AS I SAID BEFORE, I'M ASHAMED THAT IT DON DIDN'T DAWN ON ME TO ASK OUR CITY TO DO THE SAME BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND THAT OUR CITY COUNCIL WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT IN A WAY THAT'S LIVABLE AND WORKABLE. UM, AND THE OTHER COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE THAT I'D MADE BEFORE IS THAT AS LONG BEACH WE, WE HAVE SOME AMENDS TO MAKE IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCREEN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. WE'VE BEEN EXTRACTING OIL FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AND THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE RISE OF THE OCEANS AND GLOBAL WARMING. AND AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND HUMAN RIGHTS SCREEN WELL MIGHT MAKE SOME AMENS IN THAT DIRECTION. AND, UH, WHAT WAS THE OTHER POINT I WANTED TO MAKE? I'M OUT OF TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I'M NOT JUST A ZIONIST, I'M A PROUD ZIONIST BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT JEWS HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN THEIR HISTORIC HOMELAND. THE LAND OF ISRAEL, AS THE BIBLE REFERS TO IT, THE LAND OF ZION. ALL THIS CHATTER YOU'RE HEARING TONIGHT ABOUT A GENOCIDE IN GAZA IS NOT JUST LIES. IT'S NOT JUST THEM LIES, IT'S THE BIGGEST FRAUD PERPETRATED ON MANKIND. WHAT ALL THESE ANTI-SEMITES AND THEIR JEWS FOR HAMAS COLLEAGUES WANT IS TO MURDER THE SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION JEWS WHO PROUDLY LIVE IN THEIR HOMELAND. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. SO WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE TRY, UH, FLIPPING THE SITUATION UPSIDE DOWN ON ITS HEAD. THE WAR IN GAZA IS THE OPPOSITE OF A GENOCIDE. IT IS THE PREVENTION OF A SECOND HOLOCAUST. THE FIRST HOLOCAUST COSTS A LIFE OF 6 MILLION JEWS, [00:55:01] HAMAS, AND ALL THESE ANTISEMITES HERE AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WANNA MURDER SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION JEWS. AND THEY TELL ME THAT THEY'RE NOT ANTISEMITES 'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA MURDER ALL 15 MILLION JEWS. THEY ONLY WANNA MURDER THE JEWS THAT LIVE IN THEIR HOMELAND. THERE'S NO 50% DISCOUNT ON ANTISEMITISM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS AND, UH, CITY STAFF. MY NAME IS, UH, AJAI. UH, THE FINANCE MEMO PORTRAYS THAT THE POLICIES ON WORKABLE LARGELY DUE TO A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE TECHNICAL DEFINITION OF INVESTMENTS. HOWEVER, A FOLLOW-UP LETTER WAS SENT TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITION, SHOWING THAT THE POLICY, UH, NOT IN SUCH A BROAD, UH, APPLIES NOT SUCH IN A BROAD MANNER ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS OF THE CITY MEMO. WHAT DOES THE SCREENING DO? IT'S SIMPLE, BOTH, UH, SIMPLE AND NECESSARY. IT ENSURES THAT LONG BEACH DOES NOT INVEST PUBLIC FUNDS AND ENTITIES COMPLICIT IN THE MOST ATROCIOUS AND SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. THIS IS NOT A RADICAL IDEA. THIS IS NOT A RECKLESS IDEA. THIS IS A RESPONSIBLE ONE ACROSS, UH, UNDER THE CALIFORNIA. WELL, THE CRITERIA, UH, ISN'T POLITICAL OPINIONS. IT COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL LAW, GENEVA AND GENOCIDE CONVENTION, WHICH THE UNITED STATES ARE A PARTY TO, AND, UH, PREVENTS COMPLICITY IN THE GRAVES HUMAN VIOLATIONS. UH, THIS IS NOT ABOUT IDEOLOGY, IT'S ABOUT OUR LONG BEACH VALUES. IF WE BELIEVE IN HUMAN DIGNITY, THEN OUR INVESTMENT SHOULD REFLECT THAT ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS POLICY BEING PASSED AND MOVE FORWARD FOR CONSIDERATION, CONSIDERATION FOR POTENTIAL FOR SUCH A VALUABLE WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS TOOL FOR LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HELLO. I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT OUR DEFINITION OF INVESTMENTS DOES NOT INCLUDE CONTRACTS OR CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND THEREFORE DOES NOT HAVE THE FINANCIAL IMPACT. THE CITY INITIALLY PREDICTED THERE'S ACTUALLY ALSO PRESIDENT IN THE CITY OF BERKELEY, WHICH DIVESTED FROM ENTITIES THAT SUPPORTED CONSTRUCTION OF THE BORDER WALL APARTHEID AND FOSSIL FUELS. AND THIS DID NOT IMPACT THEM IN A NEGATIVE WAY. SO WE KNOW IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD DO THIS. THIS WOULD BE INCORPORATED IN THE ALREADY EXISTING PROCESS, COMMUNICATING WITH INVESTORS, INVESTOR EXPERTS, AND JUST REPORTING THE ALREADY EXISTING PROCESS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY, WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO ETHICAL GOVERNANCE. THIS WOULD BE A DECLARATION OF THE CITY'S VALUES AND COMMITMENT TO PRESERVE HUMAN RIGHTS, ESPECIALLY AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE FEARFUL THAT OUR HUMAN RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED ACROSS THIS COUNTRY. AND THIS IS INTENTIONAL TO DECLARE AND PRESERVE HUMAN RIGHTS. AND I JUST WANNA NOTE THAT A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DID IN THIS COLLECTIVE, WE'VE ACTUALLY KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR FIVE TO 10 YEARS WORKING IN VARIOUS COMPONENTS. AND WE ACTUALLY MET WITH THE FRAMEWORK OF, UH, RECONCILIATION THAT COMMISSIONER COLE MET. THAT'S HOW A LOT OF US CONNECTED. AND SO THIS IS WHAT INSPIRED THIS POLICY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. UM, BASED ON THE PUBLIC RECORD AND PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, SOME OF YOU COMMISSIONERS SITTING HERE TODAY AND VOTING TODAY, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE ENTITLED TO YOUR PERSONAL FREE SPEECH, YOUR POLITICAL AGENDA, YOUR PERSONAL BIASES HAVE PUBLICLY ALIGNED WITH ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING THE BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, AND SANCTION CAMPAIGNS AGAINST ISRAEL. SOME OF YOU ACTUALLY USED YOUR OFFICIAL TITLES ALONG WITH OTHER GROUPS WHO ARE VERY CRITICAL OF ISRAEL AND CALLING FOR A BOYCOTT. THIS RAISES CLEAR ISSUES UNDER THE CITY'S CODE OF CONDUCT AND SOME OF THE BYLAWS THAT YOU GUYS SIGNED ON OCTOBER 4TH, 2023. YOUR LANGUAGE REFERENCING OCCUPATION, ILLEGAL, AN ANNEXATION REALLY SEEMS TO TARGET ISRAEL AND SOME OF THE COMMENTS LAST TIME. UM, I ASK THAT THOSE OF YOU WITH THAT BIAS OR PERSONAL OR POLITICAL AGENDA, RECUSE YOURSELF TODAY AND OTHERS TO REJECT THIS PROPOSAL. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HELLO. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S HERE. UM, EVERYBODY WHO STANDS UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. AND AS A LONG BEACH RESIDENT, I DO FEEL SAFER KNOWING THAT, UH, SOMETHING LIKE THE SCREENING EXISTS IN OUR CITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, BEFORE WE MOVE TO, UH, VIRTUAL COMMENTS, ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WANT TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC COMMENT? GIVE YOU ANOTHER TRY? OKAY, WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE TO VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE. THANK YOU. AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING ON ZOOM, UM, ONE MINUTE STILL APPLIES. CAROL, YOU HAVE CAROL, YOU'VE BEEN IN UNMUTED. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. THANK YOU. THIS POLICY AND THE ORGANIZATION THAT'S BEHIND IT WANTS TO SPECIFICALLY DIVEST [01:00:01] FROM ISRAEL. PASSING THIS POLICY WOULD NO LONGER MAKE YOU A TRUE COMMISSION OF EQUITY OR HUMAN RELATIONS. IT MAKES YOU FALL INTO THE PROPAGANDA TRAP USED AGAINST ISRAEL. THE RIGHT PATH FOR LONG BEACH IS TO NOT ENGAGE IN POLICIES THAT DIVIDE PEOPLE. AND IN PARTICULAR, AND EQUITY IN HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION IS BREACHING THEIR VERY MISSION WHEN THEY CREATE MORE ISSUES AND DIVISIVENESS IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY THAN THEY DO TO HELP HEAL AND HELP THEIR COMMUNITY. THE HIDDEN AGENDA OF THIS POLICY IS HATE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. IT'S HATEFUL TO JEWS, HATEFUL TO ISRAELIS, AND HATEFUL TO THE PALESTINIANS THAT ARE DESPERATE TO BE FREE FROM HAMAS. AS A REMINDER, HAMAS IS A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION SINCE 19 97, 97, DESIGNATED AS SUCH BY PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON. ASSISTING A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION'S DESIRES TO MANIPULATE CITY HALL IS NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR LONG BEACH. PLEASE THINK CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT YOUR VOTE REPRESENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTER HAS LOWERED THEIR HAND. SO JUST TO CONFIRM IF THERE'S ANYBODY IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE USE THE RAISED HAND FUNCTION AT THIS TIME. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. OKAY, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR PROVIDING WHO PROVIDED PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. WE'RE NOW GOING TO, UH, MOVE IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. ALRIGHT, ITEM NUMBER THREE. UM, SO FOR COMMISSIONERS, UH, WHO WISH TO SPEAK, PLEASE DO QUEUE UP. UH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I WANT TO, UH, REMIND FOLKS THAT, UH, WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS THE POLICY THAT'S AT HAND TODAY. UM, AND IF THERE, I WOULD LIKE FOR FOLKS TO FOCUS THEIR COMMENTS ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY. UM, I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES WE CAN HAVE COMMENTS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC. WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE COMMENTS BASED OFF OF OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS. UM, SO I, I'M ASKING OUR COMMISSIONERS TO SPEAK TO THE POLICY THAT'S AT HAND. UM, WITH THAT, WHO IS QUEUED UP TO SPEAK? UH, CHAIR. OH, UH, CHAIR. WE ALL, OH, SORRY. ARE YOU GONNA, OR YOU WHAT? OH, YOU SAY, I JUST WANNA REMIND THE COMMISSION THAT WE DO HAVE STAFF HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM. YES. UH, SO FOR FIRST FOR US, WE HAVE, UH, THE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT, UH, AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HERE. SO THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR JOINING US ON THIS SPECIAL MEETING. UM, I'M EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ALL HERE. SO IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS FOR, UH, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, THEY ARE HERE. WE HAVE OUR, UH, CITY ATTORNEY HERE AS WELL. UH, SO IF ANY QUESTIONS ARE POSED TO THEM, THEY'RE HERE TO SUPPORT US. UM, SO YEAH, LET'S GO AHEAD WITH COMMISSIONER COLE. QUESTION, JUST LIKE LOGISTICALLY FIRST, SO THIS, THE PROPOSAL WAS SUBMITTED, BUT THE DEFINITION WAS INCORRECT. DOES IT HAVE TO BE RESUBMITTED? LIKE IF WE WERE TO APPROVE, WHAT ARE WE, WHICH ONE WOULD WE BE APPROVING? IS THERE? YES. SO THE AMENDED POLICY WAS ATTACHED TODAY. OKAY. SO IT'S, IT DOES INCLUDE THE AMENDED DEFINITION, UH, OF INVESTMENTS. OKAY. THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR. AND THEN A QUESTION FOR THE, OUR, UM, FINANCE TEAM HERE AS WELL. UM, I USED TO WORK FOR, UM, A COMPANY THAT WAS OWNED BY BLACKROCK AND IT WAS FOCUSED ON ESG AND, UM, ETHICAL INVESTING. I DON'T, THAT POSITION WENT AWAY DUE TO OUR CURRENT, UM, ADMINISTRATION. UM, BUT I, YOU KNOW, KNOW ENOUGH JUST TO BE TROUBLED. BUT, UM, I I, I BELIEVE IN ETHICAL INVESTING. HOWEVER, I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE A VARIETY OF LAWS AND CODES, UM, AND FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE VIOLATED IF WE WERE TO, IF THIS WERE TO GO FORWARD. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? UH, YES. COMMISSIONER, UH, MY NAME IS KEVIN RIPER FROM FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND OUR DEPARTMENT IS REPRESENTED THIS EVENING BY DEPUTY FINANCE DIRECTOR AMANDA HALL, BY CITY TREASURER HANK KIM, AND BY ASSISTANT CITY TREASURER AND INVESTMENT MANAGER CHRISTOPHER ASHI. AND I'M THE DEPARTMENT HEAD. UM, THE, THE ANSWER IS THAT, UH, THERE IS NOTHING IN THE POLICY THAT, IN THE PROPOSED POLICY THAT WE FEEL IS CONTRARY TO STATE LAW AND THE WAY THAT WE ARE CONSTRAINED BY STATE LAW TO INVEST PUBLIC FUNDS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ARE THERE ADDITIONAL [01:05:01] QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER COLE? NO, THAT IT? OKAY, THANK YOU. I DON'T, COMMISSIONER DOCKERY, UH, OH. FOR WHATEVER REASON, I'M NOT SEEING THE FOLKS QUEUED UP. BUT, UM, COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO? I HAVE A QUESTION AND I THINK THE CITY ATTORNEY, I THINK YOU'RE THE RIGHT ONE WHO CAN ANSWER THIS. THERE WAS SOMEONE THAT SUGGESTED, POSSIBLY FROM MY RECOLLECTION, UM, THAT US MOVING THIS FORWARD AND SENDING THIS TO COUNSEL COULD BE ILLEGAL. IS THAT TRUE? ARE WE WITHIN OUR PURVIEW TO DO THIS? YEAH, SO, SO COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY, UH, AS YOU KNOW, THE, SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS RAISED SOME POTENTIAL ILLEGALITIES AND OUR OFFICE, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE RIGHT NOW IS STILL CURRENTLY DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO LOOK INTO IF WE FEEL THAT THERE ARE SOME ILLEGAL THINGS. UM, AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING THAT WOULD WARRANT, UH, DISCUSSION ON THAT. I THINK, UH, RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THIS IS A ADVISORY BOARD, UH, BASICALLY THE COMMISSION WOULD BE FORWARDING THIS TO COUNCIL TO TAKE ACTION. SO WE DO, OUR OFFICE DOES HAVE MORE TIME TO COMPLETE OUR, OUR DUE DILIGENCE. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY IF WE FIND ANYTHING, WE DEFINITELY WOULD BRING IT, UH, TO THE COMMISSION'S ATTENTION. PERFECT. THANK YOU. AND THEN I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION. UM, AND I THINK THIS WOULD BE TO FINANCE, ARE WE ABLE TO GET POSSIBLY A LIST? ARE WE ABLE TO POSSIBLY GET A LIST OF OUR CITY'S INVESTMENTS SO WE COULD SEE WHAT IS ETHICAL AND WHAT IS POTENTIALLY NOT ETHICAL? YES. CITY TREASURER KIM PUBLISHES TO THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ONCE EVERY QUARTER, A COMPLETE LIST OF EVERY SINGLE, UH, CITY INVESTMENT. AND, UM, IF WE CAN TAKE 30 SECONDS, MR. KIM CAN DESCRIBE THE GENERAL CATEGORIES RIGHT NOW. HANK THANK YOU. SO, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT REPORT THAT, UM, MR. RIPER REFERENCED, UH, IT'LL DETAIL ALL OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT THE CITY OWNS. UM, SO BROADLY SPEAKING, WE HAVE ABOUT 26% OF THE INVESTMENTS IN US TREASURIES, UH, FOLLOWED BY, UH, US AGENCY SECURITIES, WHICH ARE, UH, THEY'RE NOT GUARANTEED BY THE US GOVERNMENT, BUT THEY DO HAVE AN IMPLICIT BACKING. SO THESE ARE, UM, AGENCIES LIKE FEDERAL HOME LOAN FARMER MAC. UH, SO IT, IT'S AN IMPLICIT, UH, BACKING BY THE US GOVERNMENT. UH, NEXT WE OWN SOME CREDIT PRODUCTS, UM, LARGELY, UH, ISSUED BY FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES THAT ARE, UH, OF SOUND BALANCE SHEET AND FINANCIAL STRENGTH. KEEP IN MIND WHEN WE MAKE ANY INVESTMENTS, UH, WE HAVE VERY STRICT CRITERIA THAT WE HAVE TO ADHERE TO AND, UH, THERE'S A MINIMUM RATING CRITERIA THAT REALLY DRIVES AND DICTATES WHAT TYPE OF INVESTMENTS THAT WE CAN MAKE. SO, YEAH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, SO FOR COMMISSIONERS, PLEASE DO CLICK ITEM THREE AND ON ITEM THREE, UH, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO REQUEST TO SPEAK JUST IN CASE IF YOU'RE STILL ON ITEM ONE OR TWO. UM, SO NEXT UP WE HAVE COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. UM, THANK YOU, UM, CHAIR, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO, UM, THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ON SEPTEMBER 16TH. I RECEIVED COMMUNICATIONS FROM YOU ABOUT WHAT THIS WOULD COST. AND IN LOOKING AT THIS KNOWING AND HAVING WORKED AT CITY HALL WITH A FORMER BUDGET CHAIR ON THE COUNCIL, I UNDERSTAND HOW THE CITY BUDGET CAN SOMETIMES BE COMPLICATED. UM, YOU RAISED SEVERAL QUESTIONS IN THIS LETTER, UM, AND I AM JUST CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THIS LETTER, YOU, YOU MENTION THAT THERE'S $80 MILLION LOST TO THE CITY AND THEN THERE'S $12 MILLION LOST TO THE GENERAL FUND AND THAT IT'S GONNA COST $2 MILLION ANNUALLY TO ADMINISTRATE THIS PROGRAM. IS THAT ALL STILL CORRECT? NO, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THE ANALYSIS THAT I SUBMITTED TO YOU IN MID-SEPTEMBER WAS BASED ON THE DRAFT THAT THE, THE, THE DRAFT POLICY THAT THE COMMISSION REVIEWED AT ITS SEPTEMBER 3RD MEETING. OKAY. AND AS YOU HEARD IN PUBLIC TESTIMONY, UH, AND AS IS ATTACHED TO YOUR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT, THE POLICY IS QUITE DIFFERENT. FOR EXAMPLE, IT EXEMPTS FROM THE SCREENING, UH, US TREASURY SECURITIES. SO EVEN IF WE HAD TO LIQUIDATE THE REST OF THE PORTFOLIO FOR THESE PRIVATE COMPANIES, WE COULD AT LEAST REINVEST THOSE PROCEEDS IN TREASURY SECURITIES. [01:10:02] AS A RESULT. UH, THE LOST REVENUE WOULD DROP BY ABOUT 90% FROM WHAT I WROTE. SO THE POLICY THAT WE'RE NOW, UH, THAT YOU'RE NOW CONSIDERING WOULD HAVE, WOULD, UM, HAVE BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE LESS FINANCIAL IMPACT AND WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T, WE NEED 12 ADDITIONAL STAFF. WE COULD PROBABLY GET BY WITH FOUR OR FIVE BECAUSE THE POLICY SAYS THE CITY TREASURER HAS TO PROVE A NEGATIVE. THE CITY PR TREASURER HAS TO PROVE THAT ANY INVESTMENT OTHER THAN THE US TREASURY SECURITY IS NOT VIOLATIVE OF THE HALF DOZEN CATEGORIES OF PROHIBITED INVESTMENTS. AND OF COURSE, PROVING A NEGATIVE IS LEGENDARILY DIFFICULT. OKAY. BUT, AND I, THE EFFECT, EXCUSE ME, THE EFFECT ON THE GENERAL FUND AND THE TOTAL, UM, UH, GENERAL FUND INTEREST EARNINGS AND TOTAL INTEREST EARNINGS WOULD BE ONLY ABOUT 10% UNDER THIS VERSION OF THE POLICY COMPARED WITH THE SECOND VERSION THAT I WROTE ABOUT TO YOU IN MID-SEPTEMBER. IF THAT ANSWERS QUESTION, AND I APOLOGIZE, I'VE BEEN READING THROUGH SO MANY COMMUNICATIONS AND HUNDREDS OF PA PAGES. WE GOT A EMAIL TODAY, WHICH WAS A THOUSAND PAGES LONG, SO I'M SORRY I WAS NOT UPDATED ON THAT. I COMMISSIONER, DON'T FEEL BADLY. I'M GIVING THIS INFORMATION TO YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING MY QUESTION. NEXT UP IS VICE CHAIR BATS, DR. BATS. THANK YOU. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR ATTORNEY. ATO, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOUR OFFICE IS STILL INVESTIGATING IF THERE'S ANY VIOLATIONS. CORRECT. SO HOW DOES THAT WORK OUT? I HAVE A CONCERN THEN IF, UM, WE'RE VOTING ON THIS TONIGHT AND YOUR OFFICE ISN'T DONE INVESTIGATING, WHAT IF WE WERE TO MOVE THIS FORWARD AND THEN YOU FOUND SOME VIOLATIONS? HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO IF IT GETS MOVED TO TONIGHT, IT WOULD, IT, IT WOULD EVENTUALLY, UH, BE PUT ON A COUNCIL AGENDA FOR, FOR FULL PRESENTATION AND FOR THE REQUEST FOR COUNSEL TO ACTUALLY TAKE, UH, UH, ACTION ON THAT TO VOTE TO IMPLEMENT THIS OR NOT. SO THAT GIVES US MORE TIME, UH, IF THERE IS ANY ISSUES WE CAN REACH OUT TO, TO COMMISSIONS PRIOR TO THAT HAPPENING. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IN EFFECT, I THINK THAT'S HOW IT WOULD WORK LOGISTICALLY. UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, YOUR OTHER QUESTION JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL. I MEAN, THERE ARE CERTAIN LIKE GOVERNMENT CODES AND, AND, AND CERTAIN CASE LAW THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO AND DELVING INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY, UH, PRECEDENTS OR IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE FEEL REALLY WOULD BE, UH, IMPROPER TO DO SO. BUT BASED ON WHAT WE'VE UH, UH, LOOKED AT SO FAR, WE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONCERNS AT THIS AT THIS MOMENT, BUT JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMISSION UNDERSTOOD THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL UNDERGOING OUR PROCESS AS WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I JUST WANNA CLARIFY ONE THING THAT YOU SHARED. UM, UM, CITY ATTORNEY, YOU MENTIONED THAT IF IT GETS APPROVED TONIGHT, IT WILL BE ADDED TO A CITY COUNCIL AGENDA. UM, I WANNA JUST CLARIFY THAT IT ACTUALLY REQUIRES THE CITY COUNCIL TO AGENDIZE THE TOPIC. NOT THAT IT WILL ACTUALLY GO ONTO THE AGENDA. I WISH THAT WAS THE CASE BECAUSE WE'VE SENT THEM SO MANY THINGS AND THEY REFUSE TO ADD IT TO THE AGENDA. LOOK ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. BUT I JUST WANNA JUST GIVE THE COMMUNITY THAT CLARIFICATION. NO, A ABSOLUTELY. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY, UH, CORRECT CHAIR COVINGTON. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SELECTED TO BE PLACED ONTO THE, THE, THE COUNCIL'S AGENDA. CORRECT. THANK YOU. IT IS NOT, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT BEING PUT PLACED ON THERE. JUST BECAUSE IT, IT, THE VOTE PASSES TONIGHT, DOES NOT MEAN IT AUTOMATICALLY GETS ONTO, UH, COUNCIL'S AGENDA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CLAR CLARIFICATION. UH, COMMISSIONER, DR. LARA, UH, THANK YOU CHAIR AND, UM, CITY ATTORNEY, UH, TOY FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE REMINDED. AND SPEAKING OF REMINDERS, WE ARE, UH, RECOMMENDING BODY, WHICH HAS BEEN ECHOED, UH, ALSO IN PUBLIC COMMENT. AND IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS, SHOULD THIS MAKE IT OUT, UM, IT IS REALLY UP TO CITY COUNCIL, THE MAYOR, A LOT OF MOVING PARTS HERE, IF IT'LL MAKE AN AGENDA. AND AT THAT POINT, DEMOCRACY, RIGHT. ALSO IN ACTION TO SEE WHAT, IF ANY, THE FINAL RESULT WILL BE, AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS. UM, UH, THERE'S BEEN MENTIONING OF THE TIMELINE REGARDING THE DOCUMENTS WE RECEIVE IN THERE. EXHAUSTIVE, A LOT OF DOC. SO THANK YOU TO THE FINANCE TEAM FOR SENDING US THE ORIGINAL LETTER, WHICH PROMPTED THE DEFINITION OF HOW WE CONCEPTUALIZE INVESTMENT FOR THIS POLICY. AND I KNOW SEVERAL FOLKS HAVE MENTIONED THE REWRITTEN, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO PUT THIS IN PUBLIC RECORD AT TONIGHT'S MEETING. WHEREAS FOR PURPOSES OF THIS POLICY THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING, INVESTMENT REFERS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE PLACEMENT OF CITY FUNDS INTO FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AUTHORIZED UNDER CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE 5 3 6 0 0 AT SEQUENTIAL. AND THE CITY OF LONG BEACH INVESTMENT POLICY, [01:15:01] APPENDIX A, WITH THE EXCEPTION, AS STATED EARLIER, OF US TREASURY SECURITIES. I ALSO WANNA UPLIFT THE PROHIBITED INVESTMENTS, UH, BECAUSE SIMILAR TO MY, THE MEETING LAST MONTH, I WAS WRAPPING MY BRAIN AROUND THIS LANGUAGE, AND I JUST, AT THE HEART OF THIS LANGUAGE, IT'S REALLY ABOUT MOVING SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES FORWARD TO ENSURE THAT TAXPAYER MONEY DOES NOT, UM, GO INTO VIOLATING ANY TYPE OF HUMAN RIGHTS, DISPLACEMENT, OCCUPATION, APARTHEID, GENOCIDE, UM, LABOR RIGHTS VIOLATION, CORPORATE AND INSTITUTIONS COMPLICITY AND STATE VIOLENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL HARM. I THINK THESE CONCEPTS REALLY SPEAK TO THE WORK OF THIS BODY AND THE VALUES OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, SO I THINK WHEN, WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, UM, UH, AND CONSIDER THIS POLICY, FOR ME, IT'S REALLY ABOUT TRYING TO MOVE THESE VALUES FORWARD AND CODIFYING THEM IN SOME WAY. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, I KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, SHOULD THIS MAKE IT OUT OF, OUT OF TO, UH, TONIGHT'S MEETING, BUT THE DECREASE OF 90% THAT WAS STATED EARLIER, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN A FINAL NUMBER. UM, AND IN TERMS OF THE LEGALITY ISSUE, UH, I'VE BEEN ON THIS BODY FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I'VE EVEN LOST TRACK OF TIME, SO I CAN'T EVEN SAY HOW LONG I'VE BEEN BEING HERE. BUT I'VE BEEN HERE, UH, RELATIVELY SPEAKING FOR A WHILE, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN AMAZING TEAM. JUST LOOK AT EVERYONE HERE. AND I JUST LOOK AT, I'M TALKING ABOUT EVERYONE HERE, ALL THE STAFF WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR RESPECTING FIELDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UPHOLD, UH, THE POLICIES, THE BROWN ACT, AND EVERYTHING GOING ON TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, THAT WE DO. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU AND YOUR EXPERTISE. 'CAUSE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SPEAKING OF QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SO, UH, FIRST QUESTION HERE IS, UM, THERE WAS A REFERENCE AT THE LAST MEETING OF THE CITY OF OAKLAND HAVING SIMILAR, NOT EXACT RIGHT, BUT SIMILAR, UH, POLICY. UM, AND OAKLAND, ALTHOUGH NOT LONG BEACH, SIMILAR IN DIVERSITY, LARGE PORT CITY, UM, AND HAS A SUITE OF INVESTMENT PROHIBITIONS AGAINST SEVERAL INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING FOSSIL FUEL AND FIREARMS. HAS LONG BEACH FROM LAST MONTH TO THIS MONTH REVIEWED, AND IT'S OKAY, WE HAVEN'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY IT'S THE NEXT STEP HOW OAKLAND IMPLEMENTS THEIR POLICY IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW A SIMILAR POLICY MIGHT BE IMPLEMENTED HERE IN TERMS OF BEST PRACTICES. WE'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THAT LEVEL OF ANALYSIS. THAT WOULD TAKE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WORK. MM-HMM . AND SO WE'VE NOT DONE THAT. NOT DONE. OKAY. THAT MIGHT BE A POTENTIAL STEP. UM, SHOULD THIS MAKE IT OUT OF, UH, COMMISSION TODAY. UM, AND WHAT IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH INVESTMENT OFFICERS EVALUATE POTENTIAL CORPORATE ISSUERS? SO OUR INVESTMENT PROCESS AS IT RELATES TO CORPORATE CREDITS REALLY DRIVEN BY STATE GOVERNMENT CODE. SO THE CODE WILL BASICALLY OUTLINE WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T BUY, WHAT THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS ARE. UH, ONCE WE HAVE, UM, ONCE WE HAVE THAT CRITERIA SET, WE DO HAVE A LIST OF APPROVED ISSUERS THAT, UM, WHERE THE CREDIT HAS BEEN VETTED BY OUR, UH, CREDIT ANALYSTS AND, AND STAFF. SO WE DO HAVE A, A, AN APPROVED LIST OF PROBABLY, UH, 20 TO 25 US DOMICILE CORPORATE ISSUERS. AND DEPENDING ON, UM, WHAT THE RATES ARE, UM, WHAT THE OUTLOOK IS FOR THAT PARTICULAR CREDIT, WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE, THE CITY'S NEEDS, THAT'S WHAT REALLY KIND OF DRIVES THE, UH, DECISION TO, UM, TO BUY A, A PARTICULAR SECURITY. OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. TWO MORE QUESTIONS, I PROMISE. UM, DOES THE CITY HAVE A CONTRACT WITH AN INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRM? AND IF SO, CAN THIS POLICY BE INTEGRATED? RIGHT, OR A VERSION OF THIS POLICY DOWN THE LINE, IF THAT IS THE CASE INTO THE EXISTING DIRECTIONS, DIRECTIVES TO THE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FIRM? SO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THE CITY DOES HAVE A INVESTMENT ADVISOR. UM, AND WE WORK WITH THEM ON, UH, NUMEROUS PROJECTS. UM, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE, THEY ACT AS A, A COMPLIANCE OFFICER PER SE. AND ALSO, UM, ANOTHER SET OF EYES, UH, TO REALLY MONITOR THE, UM, PERFORMANCE OF THE PORTFOLIO AS WELL AS THE ACTIONS THAT THE, THAT STAFF TAKES. SO I CAN ENVISION SEEING, UH, OR WORKING WITH THEM TO INCORPORATE, UH, YOU KNOW, OTHER, UH, INITIATIVES, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT WE DIRECT THEM TO. OKAY. NOW, EARLIER IN OUR SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM, UM, WE HEARD ABOUT THE, UH, EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT AND IMPLEMENTING PILING IN AND PROBABLY NEEDING RESOURCE AND CAPACITY. SO IN THAT SAME VEIN, WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNMENTAL POLICIES PERHAPS ARE ALREADY IN PLACE ON THE BOOKS HERE IN THE CITY? AND WHAT STAFFING IS USED TO SUPPORT THESE POLICIES? THE CITY'S INVESTMENT POLICY, AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS, DOES NOT CONTAIN AN ENVIRONMENTAL, [01:20:01] SOCIAL, AND GOVERNMENTAL, UH, COMPONENT. MM-HMM . THE CITY COUNCIL'S INVESTMENT POLICY, THAT'S ONE OF THE 23 FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT WE ADHERE TO. OKAY. THE CITY DOES, HOWEVER, HAVE ITS RACIAL EQUITY AND RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE, THE LONG BEAST VALUES ACT, AND THE MANY OTHER, UM, CITY ADOPTED VALUE STATEMENTS THAT UNDERLIE THE CREATION OF THE, UM, PROPOSED CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTMENT SCREENING POLICY. AND SO WE ADHERE AS A SORT OF A PRACTICAL MATTER MM-HMM . TO THE, TO THE GUIDELINES FROM THE LONG BEACH VALUES ACT AND THOSE ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THOSE ROBUST, UH, RESPONSES, UH, AS WE ALL WRAP OUR BRAINS AROUND, UH, AN IMPORTANT PROPOSED POLICY THAT HAS FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS. SO THANK YOU. AND JUST FOR CLARITY, UM, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TEAM, YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT DOESN'T HAVE POLICIES THAT YOU ADHERE TO IN RELATION TO RACE, UH, ENVIRONMENT OR SOCIAL JUSTICE, HOWEVER YOU CONSIDER A TAKE IN THE OTHER POLICIES THAT THE CITIES HAVE? THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. NEXT UP IS COMMISSIONER COLE. ALL MY QUESTION DOVETAILS ON COMMISSIONER LARA'S QUESTIONS. UM, I KNOW THAT THE CRITERIA THAT WE LOOK AT FOR, UM, THESE ISSUERS IS BASED ON POTENTIAL FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. HOW WOULD IT WORK FOR SOMEONE IN THE FIRM, WHETHER IT'S SOMEONE HERE OR AN EXTERNAL FIRM DECIDE HOW WOULD THEY DECIDE WHAT'S ETHICAL AND NOT ETHICAL, WHERE THE EQUITY COMMISSION, NOT THE ETHICS COMMISSION, AND THAT ALSO IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S TAX DOLLARS AND PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS. SO HOW WOULD THAT BE MANAGED? FAIRLY, YOU'RE WAY AHEAD OF US. COMMISSIONER COLE. WE'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. . OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ. THANK YOU, CHAIR. I HAVE A FEW COMMENTS AND THEN SOME QUESTIONS FOR STAFF. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY WHO, WHO CAME OUT, UM, UH, AND THEN, UH, THEN WE HIT YOU WITH THE, UH, THE ONE MINUTE. UM, I, I HAD PLANNED A WHOLE THREE MINUTE SPEECH TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AT A RECENT MEETING. AND, UH, JUST BEFORE I WANTED TO SPEAK, THEY LIMITED DOWN TO ONE MINUTE. AND, UM, YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW THIS, BUT I'M NOT KNOWN FOR MY BREVITY , AND IT JUST PANICKED ME. AND, UH, UH, UH, I THINK YOU GUYS, UH, GUYS, AND I THINK GUYS, GALS, YOU ALL, I THINK Y'ALL, UH, I GOT YOUR POINTS ACROSS. UH, GREAT. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND, AND SPEAKING UP TO EVERYBODY. UM, UH, AND ALSO WITHOUT MENTION, UH, OF ANY SPECIFIC PROP, I'M GONNA TAKE CREDIT FOR THE LARGER FONTS THAT WE SEE OUT IN THE, OUT IN THE GALLERY, BOLD FONTS. I CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT THEY, WHAT THE SIGNS SAY. THAT'S GREAT. UM, LEAST YOU THINK WE DON'T TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY FOR EITHER SIDE. I DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THAT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN HERE. FIRST OF ALL, WHEN THERE'S MORE AUDIENCE MEMBERS THAN COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN FOR A RIDE. , WHEN THERE'S MORE STAFF MEMBERS THAN COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. YOU HAVE AN AS YOU HAVE A DEPUTY OR A ASSISTANT DEPUTY CITY MANAGER HERE, UH, THREE STAFF MEMBERS, TWO CLERKS, UH, UH, YOU HAVE YOUR FINANCIAL MANAGER HERE. YOU HAVE THE CITY TREASURER. I'D NEVER EVEN SEEN THAT GUY BEFORE. , I LIKE, EXCEPT MY EVERYBODY SAY HI, CITY TREASURER, UH, UH, AND, UH, UH, UH, AND AN APPEARANCE BY ONE OF MY FAVORITE, UH, CITY ATTORNEYS. SO, UM, UH, LAST MONTH WHEN THIS WAS PRESENTED, I, I JUST, IT WAS A RECEIVE AND FILE. SO I JUST, I KEPT QUIET, UH, AND THEN, NO, IT WAS NO LONGER A RECEIVE AND FILE. AND, UM, I, I WANT TO, UH, UH, COMMEND BOTH THE PERSON WHO PUT TOGETHER, OR THE TEAM THAT PUT TOGETHER THE, THE POWERPOINT. I, I'M JUST HALF IMPRESSED WHEN ANYBODY CAN DO A POWERPOINT. BUT LAST YEAR, YOU, YOU MADE YOUR POINT, UH, UH, AND PRESENTED IT WELL. UH, I THOUGHT IT WAS OVERLY BROAD, UM, AND THAT IT WASN'T GONNA GO ANYWHERE. AND THEN I GOT A LETTER, UH, UH, THE SAME TIME YOU DID FROM THE CITY'S FINANCIAL MANAGER WHO, WHO, WHO TOOK IT VERY SERIOUSLY, [01:25:01] UH, AND REPLIED IN A, A VERY FAIR AND BALANCED, UH, AND INFORMATIVE, UH, MANNER. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I WAS, I WAS LIKE, LIKE, WOW, I'M GETTING A LETTER FROM THE CITY FINANCIAL MAN. THIS IS IMPORTANT. AND HERE AT THE MEETING, HE BROUGHT THE TREASURER ALONG. SO, UM, UH, UH, AND THEN, UM, WE, WE HEARD, WE HEARD WHAT, WHAT COULD BE GOOD NEWS, UH, UH, FROM THE FINANCIAL MANAGER WENT FROM, UH, I, I JUST, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE 10% TO 90%. UH, AND MY QUESTION IS, UH, IF YOU COULD, IF YOU COULD STATE FOR BOTH, UH, UM, UH, CITY ATTORNEY, CITY FINANCE MANAGER, CITY TREASURER, DO YOU HAVE AN OFFICIAL STANCE OR OPINION OR RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS HUMAN? UH, UM, I'M GONNA SAY IT WRONG, FOR THE DRAFT, UH, THE, THE SECOND DRAFT THAT'S BEFORE YOU NOW, UH, I, I'D, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM, FROM EACH OF YOU ABOUT THAT. AS A CFO, I SPEAK FOR THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, AND WE ARE HERE IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY. THIS IS A PURE POLICY ISSUE. THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED AS CITY STAFF. THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS AND OPINIONS ON, ON POLICY. UH, THE ONLY ONE THAT I BELIEVE DOES IS THE CITY MANAGER HIMSELF. OKAY. THANKS FOR BEING HERE, STAFF. WE JUST, UH, UH, OUR STAFF, CITY STAFF, THAT'S JUST FANTASTIC THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE HERE. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. AND THAT'S ALL I GOT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TEAM, UH, CITIZEN, UH, COUNTIES ALL OVER HAVE PAST SIMILAR SCREENINGS. IS THERE, UH, IS THE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT FAMILIAR OF HOW THESE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE IMPLEMENTED, PARTICULARLY SEVERAL COUNTIES AND CITIES IN CALIFORNIA? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM THE DEPUTY, THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING THE QUESTIONS. , HI CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS. UM, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE LOOKED INTO, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AGAIN, WE WOULD HAVE TO GET TO, TO SEE HOW IT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN OTHER CITIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. AND SORRY FOR PUTTING ON THE SPOT, . I JUST WANTED TO HEAR FROM EVERYBODY OVER THERE. IT'S THE FIRST TIME Y'ALL ARE HERE. UM, UH, SO COMMISSIONER, UH, DEION IS UNABLE TO JOIN US, UH, AND HAS REQUESTED, UH, HIS STATEMENT TO BE SHARED, UH, WITH THE COMMISSION. UH, SO I'M GOING TO, UH, SHARE THEM. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME. IT IS QUITE LONG. UM, SO TO MY FELLOW EQUITY HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSIONERS, UH, WITH THE PROPOSED CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTMENT SCREENING POLICY ON THE AGENDA, I WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE MY RESEARCH AND VOICE ON THE MATTER AS I'M UNABLE TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING WHILE I'M OUT OF TOWN ON AN IMPORTANT FAMILY COMMITMENT, WHAT THE POLICY ENTAILS. FIRST, WE SHOULD BE CLEAR AS A COMMISSION WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON TODAY, WE ARE REVIEWING A PROPOSED CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTMENT SCREENING POLICY, WHICH HAS NOW COME BEFORE THE BODY FOR A THIRD TIME. FIRST IN PUBLIC COMMENT ON AUGUST 6TH. THEN AS A PRESENTATION ON SEPTEMBER 3RD, AND NOW TODAY IN A SPECIAL MEETING, WE, IF WE BELIEVE THAT THE POLICY WOULD BE A BENEFIT TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, THEN OUR VOTE IN FAVOR WOULD TRANSMIT THE POLICY TO CITY COUNCIL, UH, WITH OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT THEY AGENDIZE VOTE ON AND IMPLEMENTED. I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD, THE SCREENING POLICY AS REVISED AND SUBMITTED BY THE LONG BEACH AREA PEACE NETWORK ON SEPTEMBER 26TH, WOULD PROHIBIT THE CITY FROM INVESTING IN ANY CORPORATE ISSUER OR FUND, UH, THAT MATERIALLY BENEFITS FROM THE MOST SERIOUS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS, LABOR RIGHTS, STATE VIOLENCE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL HARM SUPPLY, CONCHA, EXCUSE ME, SUPPLY CHAIN DUE DILIGENCE AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STANDARDS. AS RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH, OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS ENABLE THE CITY TO INVEST AT ALL. IT IS WELL WITHIN OUR RIGHT TO ASK THAT OUR MONEY DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO EGREGIOUS OFFENSES WITHIN CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS. WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? PER THE PROPOSED POLICY? THE CITY INVESTMENT OFFICERS WOULD ADD ONE MORE LAYER OF EVALUATIVE CRITERIA WHEN ASSESSING CURRENT AND FUTURE CORPORATE ISSUERS FOR INVESTMENT, WHETHER OR NOT THAT THEY HAVE COMMITTED OR PROHIBITED, EXCUSE ME, PROFITED FROM GRAVE CRIMES AGAINST CIVIL [01:30:01] AND HUMAN RIGHTS AS WRITTEN, THIS POLICY IS ROOTED IN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED STANDARDS OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW, SPECIFICALLY THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS OF 1949 AND THE GENOCIDE CONVENTIONS OF 1948, AS WELL AS THE US AND CALIFORNIA LAW THROUGHOUT THE US STATE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT, THE US CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, AND THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPARENCY AND SUPPLY CHAINS ACT SB 6 57. THIS MEANS THAT THERE ARE ALREADY RECOGNIZED INSTITUTIONS, PARTICULARLY THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AND THE UNITED NATIONS ON ISSUES ABROAD, AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RIGHTS DIVISION, AND THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ON ISSUES DOMESTICALLY, WHICH PROVIDES RULINGS AND CARRY OUT INVESTIGATIONS THAT IDENT IDENTIFY VIOLATORS CITY INVESTMENT OFFICERS CAN USE THE PO UH, USE THESE PUBLIC AVAILABLE FINDINGS IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHICH CORPORATE ISSUERS SHOULD BE SCREENED OUT AS A VIABLE INVESTMENT RECIPIENTS AS PART OF THE REGULAR DUTIES SUBMITTING AN ANNUAL INVESTMENT REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THE CITY TREASURER WOULD INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL SELECT SECTION TO THE REPORT THAT DETAILS COMPLIANCE WITH THIS POLICY. I'M NOT DONE YET, Y'ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. IF YOU KNOW COMMISSIONER DELIA AND HE IS VERY ON POINT, UH, THIS MEANS THAT THE FOLLOWING AREAS WOULD NOT BE WITHIN THE PURVIEW. CITY FUNDED PROJECTS SUCH AS AMPHITHEATERS OR, OR THEIR CAP, UH, CAPITAL AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS RAISED BY THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT'S OFFICE SEPTEMBER 19 LETTER WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED, NOR WOULD VENDOR CONTRACTS WITHIN THE CITY. THIS ADDRESSES MULTIPLE KEY CONCERNS RAISED IN THE LETTER, AND I APPLAUD BOTH THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OFFICE FOR THEIR ATTENTION, UH, ON THIS IMPORTANT IMPLEMENTATION QUESTIONS AND THE LONG BEACH AREA PEACE NETWORK FOR THEIR INCORPORATION OF THIS FEEDBACK INTO THE IMPROVED VERSION OF THE POLICY. AS WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY, THE REMAINDER AND MAJORITY OF THE CITY'S 2.3 BILLION IN INVESTMENTS, WHICH ARE HELD AT THE US TREASURY NOTES AND US FEDERAL ENTITIES LIKE THE FEDERAL FARM CREDIT BANK, AND THE FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK, AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA LOCAL AGENCY INVESTMENT FUND, WOULD ALSO NOT BE IMPACTED. TREASURY NOTES BONDS ISSUED BY ANY COUNTRY BESIDES THE US WITHIN, OR, UH, WITHIN WHICH THE CITY ALREADY DOES NOT DIRECTLY INVEST. THE SCREENING POLICY IS ALSO MAINTAINS THE CURRENT HIGH FIDUCIARY STANDARDS OF THE CITY ALREADY FOLLOWS AS REQUIRED BY THE LAW OF CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE 5 3 6 0 0, AND THE CITY OF LONG BEACH INVESTMENT POLICY APPENDANT APPENDIX A, IS THIS POLICY APPROPRIATE AND FEASIBLE? NEXT, WE WOULD CLARIFY THAT AS A COMMISSION, IF A, WE HAVE THE STATUTORY ABILITY TO WEIGH IN ON THIS TOPIC, AND B, IF SO, WHETHER OR NOT THE POLICY WOULD BE LEGALLY FEASIBLE BASED OFF EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH OF RELEVANT POLICY LANDSCAPES. THE ANSWER TO BOTH IS YES, IT IS FEASIBLE AND APPROPRIATE FOR OUR OWN ABILITY TO DISCUSS THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THIS MATTER. THE EQUITY HUMAN RELATIONS COMMITTEE AS CHARTERED, HAS A DUTY TO SUBMIT ADVISORY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN ORDER TO FOSTER MORE EQUITABLE. AND SO SOCIALLY, JUST LONG BEACH AT THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY AND SYSTEMS LEVEL, THIS MEANS THAT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SUBMIT THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL AS COMMISSIONERS. IN ESSENCE, THIS IS OUR JOB. FURTHER, AS A COMMISSION CHARGED WITH IDENTIFYING SOCIALLY JUST POLICY IMPROVEMENTS, WE ARE WITHIN OUR SCOPE TO ADDRESS SYSTEMIC QUESTIONS SUCH AS CITY FINANCIAL PRACTICES. THIS IS VIEWED SHARED BY THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, WHICH WROTE IN THEIR SEPTEMBER LETTER THAT THE GOALS, UH, OF INSURANCE TO CITY'S FINANCIAL PRACTICES ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE POLICIES OF JUSTICE, EQUITY, AND HUMAN DIGNITY ARE THE GOALS THAT WE SHARE. LONG BEACH HAS A LONG AND PROUD RECORD OF LEADERSHIP ON SOCIAL JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THE DESIRE EMBEDDED THOSE VALUES WITHIN THE CITY'S INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK AND PRACTICES REFLECT THAT TRADITION FOR THE CITY'S LEGAL STANDING ON IMPLEMENTING SUCH A POLICY. THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY TREASURER ACT AS A TRUSTEE, A SAFE KEEPER, RESPECTFULLY FOR THE CITY INVESTMENT FUNDS, AND THUS CAN SET AN UPDATED POLICIES REGARDING THESE INVESTMENTS PER SECTION 1.3 OF THE DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE CITY'S INVESTMENT POLICY. AS LONG AS THE THESE POLICIES DO NOT CONTRADICT CA, CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE 5 3 6 0 ON THE POWERS, CITIES HAVE TO INVEST SURPLUS [01:35:01] FUNDS BASED OFF OF MY READING OF THEIR GOVERNMENT CO CODE, THE PROPOSED HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENING IS LEGALLY VIABLE. AB TWO, EXCUSE ME, AB 2 8 4 4 SIGNED BY GOVERNOR BROWN IN 2016, HAS ALSO BEEN RAISED AS A DISCUSSION ON THE PROPOSAL, BUT IT IS NOT LEGALLY RELEVANT HERE AS IT APPLIES TO THE CONTRACTS WITHIN THE STATE, UH, CONTRACTORS, NOT THE CITY INVESTMENTS. FURTHER, AB 2 8 4 4 AFFIRMS NON-DISCRIMINATION BASED OFF PROTECTED IDENTITIES SUCH AS RACE AND RELIGION. THE HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENING POLICY APPLIES IN INVESTMENT STANDARDS BASED ON THE VIOLATIONS OF CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, NOT BASED ON A SPECIFIC IDENTITY OR CHARACTERISTICS. THESE, THERE ARE SPECIFIC SIGNIFICANT PRECEDENT IN THESE CITIES AND DISTRICTS FOR VARIOUS VALUE DRIVEN STANDARDS IN THE INVESTMENT POLICIES. LONG BEACH WOULD NEITHER BE THE FIRST NOR THE ONLY TO DO SO. FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY OF OAKLAND PROHIBITS INVESTMENTS TO THE TOBACCO OF FOSSIL FUELS AND FIREARM COMPANIES, AS WELL AS COMPANIES THAT CONTRA THAT CONTRACT WITH IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENTS. THE CITY OF BOSTON HOLDS ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE CRITERIA, WHICH INCLUDES HUMAN RIGHTS WITHIN ITS OVERARCHING INVESTMENT POLICY. AND THE LONG BEACH OWNED SENATOR STATE SENATOR LENA GONZALEZ, WAS A PROMINENT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ENDING ITS INVESTMENT IN FALL FOSSIL FUELS. OKAY, LA LAST COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS, Y'ALL, , MOVING THIS POLICY FORWARD. WE LIVE IN A POLITICAL MOMENT WHERE WE ARE OFTEN TWO JAGGED EDGES, UH, OF UNJUST SYSTEMS, AND ARE FELT DEEPLY AND PAINFULLY IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND AROUND THE WORLD. AS A PRODUCT OF DPO DIASPORA, A SON OF IMMIGRANTS RAISED IN THE CITY WHERE SO MANY OF DIASPORAS HAVE CONVENED AND BUILT VIBRANT VIBRANTLY TOGETHER. MY MORAL CIRCLE IS NOT CONSTRAINED BY MY LOVED ONES, MY NEIGHBORS, MY COLLEAGUES ALONE. I REFLECT ON REVEREND KING'S LETTER IN BIRMINGHAM JAIL. INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE. WE ARE CAUGHT IN AN ESCAPABLE NETWORK OF MUTUALITY TIED IN A SINGLE GARMENT OF DESTINY. SO THE MONEY THAT WE LONG BEACH RESIDENTS CONTRIBUTE AS TAXES BECOMES FUNDS IN THE CITY USED TO INVEST. WE CAN AND SHOULD HAVE A VOICE IN HOW THE MONEY IS USED AND HUMAN RIGHTS. THOSE MOST BASIC AND ESSENTIAL OF UNIVERSAL ITIES ARE, TO ME, A COMMON SENSE STANDARD THAT WE CAN AND SHOULD WEAVE INTO THE CITY SYSTEM AND POLICIES. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME, UH, AND RIGOROUS DISCUSSION ON THIS IMPORTANT MATTER AND TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE SIGNIFICANT INTEREST AND ENGAGEMENT. REGARDLESS OF THE RESULT OF THE MEETING, THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE END OF THE CONVERSATION AS A COMMISSION, AS A COMMUNITY, OR AS A CITY ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS. BUT TODAY, WE HAVE ONE SPECIFIC IMPORTANT POLICY TO REVIEW TOGETHER AND TO EVALUATE ITS MERITS. AND WITH MUCH REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS, I BELIEVE THIS POLICY SHOULD MOVE FORWARD. I ENCOURAGE TO ADVANCE THE POLICY AS A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL. JOSHUA DELEON, A HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. GOOD JOB. UM, COMMISSIONER DELEON, IF YOU'RE WATCHING, PLEASE CONDENSE YOUR COMMENTS NEXT TIME. . UH, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT. UM, SPECIFICALLY ON THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, FOR MYSELF, UH, OH, I'M GONNA ACTUALLY TAKE A BREAK. SO, UH, VICE CHAIR, DR. PR, YOU'RE QUEUED UP. OKAY. I WILL TRY TO MAKE MINE NOT AS LONG. UM, YOU CAN MAKE IT AS LONG AS YOU WANT. YOU'RE SAYING IT. OKAY. UM, THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, IT EXISTS TO UPHOLD THE CITY OF LONG BEACH'S VALUE OF EQUITY, INCLUSION, FAIRNESS, AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN DIGNITY, ALL HUMAN DIGNITY, THE PROPOSED CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTMENT SCREENING POLICY. IT KIND OF FALLS SQUARELY WITHIN THAT MISSION. UM, OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A COMMISSION AND AS A COMMUNITY IS TO CREATE A SPACE FOR HONEST DIALOGUE AND ENSURE THAT EVERY RESIDENT KNOWS THAT THEY ARE SEEN, VALUED AND RESPECTED. PUBLIC INVESTMENTS ARE A REFLECTION OF COMMUNITY VALUES. WHEN THE [01:40:01] CITY INVESTS IN PUBLIC FUNDS, THOSE CHOICES CAN EITHER REINFORCE OR UNDERMINE, UM, OUR STATED COMMITMENTS TO HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY. UM, THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A UNIQUE MANDATE TO EVALUATE WHETHER CITY POLICIES ALIGN WITHIN THESE PRINCIPLES, ESPECIALLY WHERE MARGINALIZED OR IMPACTED COMMUNITIES MAY BEAR THE CONSEQUENCE OF FINANCIAL OR POLICY DECISIONS. IT APPEARS THAT THE GOAL OF THIS POLICY IS TO ALIGN OUR CITY'S FINANCIAL PRACTICES WITH OUR SHARED VALUES, NOT TO SINGLE OUT, PUNISH, OR DIVIDE. WE CAN AND MUST HOLD TRUE TO THE PRINCIPLE THAT JUSTICE AND HUMANITY, THEY'RE UNIVERSAL, AND THAT STANDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ANYWHERE STRENGTHENS THE SAFETY, THE TRUST, AND THE BELONGING OF EVERYONE. HERE IN LONG BEACH, THE PROPOSAL SUBMITTED, PRESENTED IT SEEKS TO ESTABLISH A CLEAR, LEGALLY GROUNDED CRITERIA TO GUIDE THE CITY'S INVESTMENTS DECISIONS, ENSURING THAT TAXPAYER DOLLARS ARE NOT PLACED IN ENTITIES COMPLICIT TO SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS SUCH AS GENOCIDE, APARTHEID, OR FORCED LABOR. THE INTENT SEEMS TO BE, TO STRENGTHEN THE ETHICAL GOVERNANCE, NOT TO DIVIDE OR POLITICIZE, UM, KIND OF HOW WE INVEST OUR CITY'S MONEY, OUR MONEY. UM, THE CONVERSATION HAS GENERATED PASSIONATE RESPONSES ACROSS THE COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY AMONG OUR JEWISH AND PALESTINIAN RESIDENTS, MANY OF WHOM HAVE DEEP, PERSONAL AND HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS TO ISSUES OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE. AND I WILL SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS HERE TODAY, BECAUSE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO AFFIRM THAT, UM, THE PROPOSAL IS, IT'S NOT A STATEMENT FOR OR AGAINST PEOPLE, ANY PEOPLE, NATION OR FAITH. IT'S A REFLECTION OF OUR SHARED MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO UPHOLD UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND TO PREVENT COMPLIC COMPLICITY AND HARM WHEREVER IT MAY OCCUR. LONG BEACH IS A DIVERSE, COMPASSIONATE CITY, HOME TO STRONG JEWISH, PALESTINIAN, BLACK, LATINO, ASIAN, PACIFIC ISLANDER, ARAB, AND MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES. AND WE MUST APPROACH EVERY DISCUSSION WITH THE FOUNDATION OF RESPECT, EMPATHY, AND UNDERSTANDING. EACH COMMUNITY, THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE FABRIC OF WHO WE ARE. WE CAN HONOR THE PAIN AND PERSPECTIVES OF ALL COMMUNITIES WHILE REMAINING GROUNDED IN FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY. WHEN ANY COMMUNITY FEELS UNHEARD OR ATTACKED, IT IS OUR MORAL DUTY TO LISTEN WITH COMPASSION AND TO PROTECT THE DIGNITY OF ALL PEOPLE. AND OUR GOAL MUST BE TO FOSTER UNDERSTANDING, NOT DIVISION, DIALOGUE, NOT HOSTILITY, THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. WE CAN APPROVE, AS WE HEARD, OUR PREVIOUS COMMISSIONER, WHO'S NOT IN ATTENDANCE DE LEONE, SAY, UM, TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO APPROACH THIS MATTER WITH EMPATHY, PRO CLARITY AND INTEGRITY, ENSURING THAT ANY FINAL POLICY REFLECTS BOTH THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP AND ITS MORAL LEADERSHIP. THIS IS ABOUT ALIGNING OUR CITY'S ACTIONS WITH OUR SHARED VALUES, WHICH IS COMPASSION AND HUMILITY AND RESPECT FOR ALL. AND REAFFIRMING THAT LONG BEACH'S COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE INCLUDES EVERY MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ON THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, IN REVIEWING THE LETTER, UM, FROM THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TEAM, UH, I WANTED TO ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION. UH, ON PAGE TWO, THE LAST PARAGRAPH, IT STATES, WHILE THE INTENTION OF [01:45:01] THE POLICY, AND MIND YOU, THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THE AMENDMENTS, UM, WHILE THE INTENTION OF THE POLICY ALIGNS WITH THE CITY INVESTMENT PRACTICES OF OUR VALUES OF JUSTICE AND EQUITY IS CLEAR AND COMMENDABLE, ITS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES WOULD UNFORTUNATELY UNDERMINED THE VERY VALUES DEPRIVING THE CITY OF THE REVENUE NEEDED TO FUND LIBRARIES, PARKS, COMMUNITY SAFETY INITIATIVES, HOUSING, YOUTH PROGRAMS, AND THE CORE CITY SERVICES THAT THE LONG BEACH CITY RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES DEPEND ON. UH, BASED OFF THE CURRENT UPDATE OF THE POLICY, UM, WHAT IS THE OFFICE STANCE ON THIS POLICY IN RELATIONSHIP TO, UH, DEPRIVING THE CITY OF ITS REVENUES FOR THESE PRIMARY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES? SO OUR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE, UH, CURRENT VERSION OF THE POLICY THAT'S BEFORE THE COMMISSION NOW, CORRECT. UM, UH, WE ESTIMATE SEVEN AND A HALF TO $8 MILLION OF LESS INTEREST EARNINGS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY PORTFOLIO. AND MAYBE A MILLION AND A QUARTER THAT WOULD BE IN THE GENERAL FUND. SO THE, THE REFERENCE IN THIS PARAGRAPH, WHILE THE DOLLAR AMOUNT IS DOWN BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE, IT'S DOWN, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONLY 10% OF THE NUMBER I WROTE IN, UM, THE SEPTEMBER 19TH LETTER. THE POLICY POINT STILL STANDS THAT THE GENERAL FUND AND THE WHOLE REST OF THE CITY RELY ON INTEREST EARNINGS TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THE CITY PROVIDES, INCLUDING THOSE HERE. THAT'S JUST THE GENERAL POINT, THAT THERE'S A BUDGETARY IMPACT FROM THE FOREGONE INTEREST EARNINGS, UH, UNDER THE POLICY AS IT WAS IN MID-SEPTEMBER, AND TO ONLY A 10% EXTENT, THE POLICY THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT. THANK YOU. AND IN REGARDS TO THE ACTUAL IMPACT ON THOSE PRO, UM, ON THOSE SERVICES, IT'S NOT BASED OFF OF THE REVENUE, IT'S BASED OFF THE CITY COUNCIL'S DECISION ON WHERE THE FUNDS GO. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. THE LETTER'S TALKING ABOUT THE REVENUE SIDE, THE REVENUE IMPACT, AND IT CITES THE KIND OF PROGRAM THAT THE REVENUE SUPPORTS, BUT THAT REVENUE ALL SUPPORTS ALL THE REST OF THE GENERAL FUND, TOO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO AS CHAIR, UH, I DON'T THINK COMMISSIONER COLE, YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION? YEAH. OKAY, GO. SORRY. I'VE TALKED MORE IN THIS ONE MEETING THAN I HAVE FOR TWO YEARS. OKAY. UH, SO THAT'S, SORRY ABOUT THAT. IT'S NOT MY, LIKE, ATTENTION. UM, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE A COMMENT. UH, , I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S APPROPRIATE OR NOT, BUT I AM VOTING NO BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN POLI THIS TOPIC HAS BEEN POLITICIZED, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT EVERYONE'S BEEN HEARD, AND ANYONE'S WELCOME TO TALK TO ME AFTER. BUT SINCE I AM VOTING IN THIS MANNER, I JUST WANTED TO SAY A WORD AND SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS ON THIS COMMISSION AND WE TAKE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES SERIOUSLY, BUT WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS THAT WE CAN EXPRESS INDIVIDUALLY. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER COLE. UM, AND IN RELATIONSHIP TO THAT, UM, I, I HOPE THAT THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR THIS MATTER, UH, AND HEARING FROM EITHER PUBLIC COMMENT, THE MULTIPLE EMAILS ON THIS MATTER, UH, THE, THE PUBLIC COMMENT, THE PRESENTATION, TODAY'S, UH, ITEM AS WELL AS THE POLICY, UM, NOT S SWAY, BUT JUST TAKE THAT IN CONSIDERATION, UH, THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR FROM ALL SIDES. AND THIS, UH, ITEM HAS BEEN SO PUBLICLY ADDRESSED THAT, UM, ALL PARTS OF THE CITY HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN THIS CONVERSATION. THEY'RE JUST NOT HERE TODAY. UM, AND SO, UM, FOR, I RESPECT YOUR DECISION, UH, AS WE SHOULD RESPECT EVERYBODY'S DECISION WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE VOTE. UM, FOR MYSELF, UH, WHEN THE ITEM CAME FORWARD, UH, I REVIEWED THE POLICY. I REVIEWED THE LETTER FROM THE CITY MANAGEMENT, UH, EXCUSE ME, THE FINANCE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TEAM. UH, I LOOKED AT THE LAWS, UH, I SHARED FEEDBACK WITH, UH, THOSE WHO PROVIDED THE PRESENTATION. AND I FEEL THAT THE POLICY HERE BEFORE US TODAY IS A SOUND POLICY, UH, THAT CAN BE ADOPTED TODAY BY CITY COUNCILS IF THEY SUE, SO CHOOSE TO DO SO. UH, AS A REMINDER, THIS BODY IS AN ADVISORY BODY. UM, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO RESEARCH, BE EDUCATED ON ANY TOPIC FROM ANY PERSON, UH, OR GROUP IN THIS CITY THAT RECOMMENDS IT TO US. UM, IT IS OUR DUTY TO REVIEW THE INFORMATION, CONSIDER [01:50:01] THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, CONSIDER THE RESEARCH, AND OUR CITY MANAGEMENT'S TEAM AND THE CITY'S TEAM, ALL THE TEAMS THAT, UH, COME FORWARD WHO ADVISES US AS A BODY, UH, IN DOING SO WITH ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS. UH, UP UNTIL THIS TIME, I STAND FIRM IN SUBMITTING THIS, UH, POLICY RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL. I THINK IT IS SOUND. I THINK IT ALIGNS WITH THE CITY'S VALUES, AND IT ACTUALLY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING COMMUNITY FORWARD SO THAT WE'RE NOT BLINDLY JUST TRUSTING OUR CITY TO INVEST IN ANYWHERE. IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO WHAT YOU HEARD TODAY, TO LOOK INTO THE FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS FROM THE CITY, FINANCIALS TEAM, FINANCIALS TEAM, AND ALSO PROVIDE THEM SOME GUARDRAILS ON HOW AS AN INSTITUTION THEY CAN MAKE THOSE INVESTMENTS, NOT SO THAT IT'S JUST TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE THE CITY COUNCIL BELIEVES IN PARTICULAR VALUES FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM. EQUITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SHOULD BE A VALUE FOR EVERYONE. IT IS IN THE NATURE OF OUR CITY AS A WHOLE, EVEN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOW THE CITY WAS CREATED. AND FOR THAT, UH, I STAND FIRM IN MY SUPPORT OF THIS POLICY, AND I ASK OUR COMMISSIONERS TO STAND IN SUPPORT OF THE POLICY AS WELL. I'M GONNA MOVE FOR A VOTE. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY AND VICE CHAIR BATS, MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR ALL THE TIME, UH, THAT WE PUT INTO THESE DECISIONS. AND I WANNA THANK THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR COMING OUT, SHARING YOUR STORIES, SUBMITTING THE EMAILS, UM, AND ALSO TO THOSE WHO THREATENED US, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP WORKING TOWARDS EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS. THAT'S OUR JOBS. EVEN IF WE WEREN'T HERE ON THIS BIAS, WE WOULD STILL DO THAT. SO WITH THAT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR. ITEM NUMBER [4. 25-56590 Recommendation to review and approve the Equity and Human Relations Commission FY26 Budget, and, if appropriate, allocate funds in support of the Commission’s 2026 Workplan.        Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] FOUR IS A RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW AND APPROVE THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION FY 26 BUDGET. AND IF APPROPRIATE, ALLOCATE FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF THE COMMISSION'S 2026 WORK PLAN. BEFORE WE DO A, A, A SECOND AND A, A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, UM, WE WERE HOPING TO GET CONFIRMATION FROM THE, UM, FINANCE TEAM AND THE BUDGET DEPARTMENT ON WHETHER THE FUNDS WOULD BE ROLLED OVER OR NOT. SO FOR THAT REASON, I'M ACTUALLY GONNA REQUEST THAT WE HOLD THIS ITEM UNTIL A FUTURE MEETING. OKAY. WE CAN TAKE A MOTION TO LAY THE ITEM OVER. OKAY. AND THEN, SO I'LL MAKE THE MOTION THEN, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO WITHDRAW IT OR LAY IT OVER? WITHDRAW IS REMOVING IT AND LAY IT OVER. IS, IS, IS PLACING IT ON ANOTHER AGENDA? IF I WITHDRAW IT, CAN I BRING IT BACK? YES. OKAY. IT'S JUST A TIMING THING. LIKE THE, THE BUDGET DEPARTMENT THEY TAKE FOREVER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WITHDRAW IT, THEN WE DO NOT NEED A MOTION TO WITHDRAW. OKAY. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LAY IT OVER, WE'LL NEED A MOTION TO LAY OVER. UH, I'M GONNA WITHDRAW IT. THANK YOU. AGENDA. AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, CHAIR, YEAH. MOTION TO LAY OVER? NO, I MOVE TO LAY OVER. UM, ARE WE GOING TO LAY THE ITEM OVER? ARE WE GOING TO WITHDRAW THE ITEM? UM, WE'RE GONNA WITHDRAW THE ITEM SO THAT WE CAN BRING IT BACK IN DECEMBER. UM, NEXT MONTH, UH, IS GOING TO BE OUR LISTENING SESSION. UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEAVING, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LISTENING SESSION NEXT MONTH ON, UH, THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, SPECIFICALLY SOCIAL AND CONNECTED COMMUNITIES. UH, SO WE INVITE YOU OUT TO THAT, UH, . BUT, UM, IT'S OKAY. THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING ARE LISTENING AND THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT. UM, AND SO IF WE HOLD IT OVER, THEN WE HAVE TO SQUEEZE IT INTO THAT AGENDA ITEM. SO I'M GONNA WITHDRAW AND THEN I'M GONNA BRING IT BACK, UM, AT OUR NEXT REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND SORRY, THERE'S, WE HAVE KILLED SO MANY TREES WITH ALL THE PAPER THAT WAS PRINTED. UM, I HOPE THE CITY CAN SEND A DONATION TO A LOCAL NURSERY. UM, [01:55:01] TODAY'S AGENDA NUMBER FIVE. SO WE'RE GONNA WITHDRAW ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET. WE'LL BRING THAT BACK INTO DECEMBER. AND THEN, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ITEM FIVE, UH, WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE DISBANDING, UH, SOME [5. 25-56591 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. ] COMMISSION, EXCUSE ME, SOME, UH, SUBCOMMITTEES. AND THEN WE'LL GET AN UPDATE AS TO WHAT OUR LISTENING SESSION IS LOOKING LIKE NEXT MONTH. UM, SO LET ME JUST SEE, UH, MADAM CLERK, CAN WE HAVE ITEM FIVE, RED, OF COURSE. ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS A 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 FOR THAT. UM, MAY I HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT? NO. MOTION. AND A SECOND, PLEASE. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ AND A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER LARA. OKAY, GREAT. I DON'T KNOW WHY MY THING DID NOT SHOW THAT. ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW, SEEING NONE, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC JOINING VIRTUALLY THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. NOW, SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. UM, WE'LL START WITH, UM, OUR, OUR, UM, LISTENING SESSION, AD HOC COMMITTEE. FIRST. UH, THAT WILL PROBABLY BE THE LONGEST DISCUSSION. SO FOLKS FROM THAT COMMITTEE WHO WOULD LIKE TO REPORT BACK. THANK YOU. WELL, I HAVE AN UPDATE AND PLEASE CHIME IN. COMMITTEE IF I LEAVE ANYTHING OUT. I THINK WE HAVE A VERY SOLID PLAN AND AGENDA FOR THAT MEETING. UM, THE, WE ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO CONFIRM, AND THAT IS A FINAL APPROVAL OF THE FLYER, SO WE COULD START SHARING IT WITH OUR COMMUNITY ALSO, IF WE HAVE BUDGET FOR SNACKS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE KIDS THAT COME. AND, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT. BUT WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM AND A GREAT STRUCTURE FOR THAT MEETING, AND WE'RE EXCITED FOR IT TO BE THE PILOT FOR MANY MORE TO COME. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, WE CAN CERTAINLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS POINT ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE. AND WE ALSO HAVE A SURVEY AT THE END TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN HEARD AND HOW WE CAN IMPROVE FOR FUTURE LISTENING SESSIONS. AND JUST TO, TO PROVIDE SOME MORE CONTEXT. AND IN YOUR PACKET, YOU'RE GONNA FIND THE FRAMEWORK FOR THIS FIRST LISTENING SESSION THAT THE, UH, AD HOC DEVELOPED. UM, IT INCLUDES THE LOGISTICS, SOME LOGISTICAL DETAILS FOR THE LISTENING SESSION, AS WELL AS, UM, THEME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ASK. IT ALSO INCLUDES THE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE, THE, THE AD HOC ABOUT FRAMED ALL OF THE LISTENING SESSION SERIES, UH, AND SOME SURVEY RECOMMENDATIONS. AND THEN, UH, THE, THE, THE FLYER, UM, TO PROMOTE IT. AND JUST TO PROVIDE SOME FURTHER CONTEXT, UH, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH BOTH THE CITY ATTORNEY AND THE CLERK'S OFFICE TO PUBLISH THE AGENDA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE'RE LOOKING AT EARLY NEXT WEEK, ONCE THE AGENDA IS PUBLISHED, YOUR ROLE ABLE TO START DISSEMINATING THE FLYER. IT ALSO. AND LASTLY, THE UH, FRAMEWORK ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THE THREE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH ARE CONFIRMED TO PRESENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. UH, AND, UH, MANY THANKS AND APPRECIATIONS TO OUR SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS. UH, Y'ALL HAVE PUT IN AMAZING WORK, AND I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL, UH, TRANSITIONED OVER FROM THE ACTUAL FRAMEWORK COMMITTEE, UH, OVER TO THE ACTUAL AGENDA AND PLANNING, UH, COMMITTEE. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE AMAZING WORK, UH, FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. UH, THE LISTENING SESSION WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH. UH, WE ARE ASKING, UH, FOLKS TO ARRIVE AT 6:00 PM UH, WE WILL START PROMPTLY AT SIX 30. UM, SO FOR THOSE OF Y'ALL WHO ARE PROCRASTINATORS AND A LITTLE BIT LATE, WE'RE STARTING AT SIX. UH, SO GET HERE EARLY. UH, IF YOU'RE EARLIER ON TIME, AND IF YOU'RE ON TIME, YOU'RE LATE. UH, SO PLEASE JUST DO, JOIN US ON TIME. UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, FOLKS WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES PER SPEAKER. UM, WE'LL HAVE A SERIES OF QUESTIONS. UH, THE QUESTIONS ARE REALLY, UH, DEVELOPED OUT IN A WAY TO HEAR WHAT THE ISSUES OUR COMMUNITIES ARE FACING IN REGARDS [02:00:01] TO SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT. UM, SO THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. UH, IF THERE HAVE BEEN ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY, YOUR FAMILY, UM, AND OR NEIGHBORS OR THE CITY, THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THOSE CONCERNS SO THAT WE CAN TAKE THEM IN, WE CAN, UM, UH, ASSESS THE DATA AND THEN DEVELOP OUT A REPORT FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE US HANGING WITH AN EMPTY, UH, CHAMBERS BECAUSE SO MUCH WORK HAS GONE INTO, UH, THE PLANNING OF THIS. SO IF YOU'RE WATCHING NOW, UH, PLEASE COME SHARE YOUR ISSUES. WE WANNA HEAR THEM. OFTENTIMES CITY COUNCIL DON'T SAY THAT, BUT WE DO. WE WANNA HEAR YOUR ISSUES, COME AND SHARE THEM. UM, SO YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE COMMITTEE. UM, AND DOES THAT COMPLETE THE, THE, THE UPDATE? YES. I'M LOOKING SO FORWARD TO THIS. 'CAUSE UH, THIS WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSION INCLUDED IN ITS, UH, ORDINANCE DEVELOPMENT OF THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO DO AS A COMMISSION. AND I BELIEVE FOUR YEARS LATER, MM-HMM. FIVE YEARS LATER, WE'RE NOW ABLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. SO, UM, A LONG TIME, BUT PROGRESS NONETHELESS. ALL RIGHT. UH, NEXT WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO, UM, OUR BIPOC, UM, SUBCOMMITTEE THAT'S WORKING ON THE DEFACING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ART THROUGHOUT THE CITY. UH, MAY WE HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THAT AD HOC? I CAN UPDATE THAT AS WELL. UH, SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MEET, WE'RE STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM, UH, COREY TO MEET WITH THE ARTS COUNCIL AND THE STAFF PERSON AT THE CITY WHO WOULD, WOULD SUPPORT THAT SPECIFIC PIECE, UM, IS NO LONGER WITH THE CITY. UM, SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MEET AS AN AD HOC. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE AND THANK YOU COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR STICKING WITH IT. , THESE ARE EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT IS DELAYING OUR ABILITY TO MOVE THIS FORWARD, BUT I DO KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE AN AMAZING RECOMMENDATION THUS FAR. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, FOR THAT TO COME TO A CLOSE. UM, AND MAYBE PERHAPS A RECOMMENDATION TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE IF, IF WE DON'T HEAR BACK FROM A CERTAIN DATE, I THINK IT'S TIME TO MOVE THE RECOMMENDATION FORWARD. UM, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SITTING AND WAITING FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW. UH, AND IT'S TIME TO MOVE THE, THE RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, OTHER THAN THAT, WE, UH, NEXT UP, UH, IS GOING TO BE THE EQUITY, UH, ASSESSMENT, UH, AD HOC. UH, AND WE'RE GONNA BE DISBANDING THAT. DO YOU WANNA SHARE MORE? COMMISSIONER COLE. WE WILL BE DISBANDING , THAT AD HOC , UM, AS WE MOVE TO THE NEXT PORT, THE NEXT STEP, AND OBVIOUSLY WE'LL BE FOLLOWING UP TO SEE HOW IT MOVES FORWARD AND HOW AND IF WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE ON THAT PIECE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. SO IN ORDER TO DISBAND TONIGHT, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION, NOT A MOTION, BUT A RECOMMENDATION, A MOTION, I APOLOGIZE, A MOTION THAT WE DISBAND THE EQUITY AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT AD HOC. THANK YOU SO MUCH, . UH, SO IN ORDER TO, UH, TO MOVE THAT, UH, MOTION FORWARD, UH, WE HAVE TO ASK OUR SECOND UHER, WHICH IS, UH, DR. LAURA, IF YOU ACCEPT, UH, THAT MOTION I ACCEPT. AND THEN OUR MOVER, UH, COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ, IF YOU ACCEPT THAT MOTION. OKAY. . THANK YOU. UH, SO WE'LL INCLUDE THAT MOTION, UH, TO THE OVERALL MOTION. UM, WE HAVE ANOTHER, UH, AD HOC, EXCUSE ME, WE HAVE ANOTHER YES. AD HOCS. THEY'RE NOT SUBCOMMITTEES, WHICH IS, THEY'RE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AD HOC ON THE EMERGENCY, UH, RESPONSE. UH, ARE THERE ANY UPDATES FROM THAT AD HOC COMMISSIONER COLE? WELL, WE DID MEET AND WE DISCUSSED FOCUSING IN, UH, WE HAD SOME NEW COMMISSIONERS JOIN US OVER THERE. UM, AND WE TARGETED INDIVIDUALS THAT WE KNOW, OR IN DIFFERENT OFFICES IN THE CAPACITY OF, UM, DEALING WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES. AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF REACHING OUT TO THEM TO COME AND INTERVIEW THEM TO SPEAK ABOUT THESE [02:05:01] ISSUES. AND THERE ACTUALLY IS A BIG EVENT THIS COMING WEEKEND, PUT ON BY THE CITY ON SUNDAY. THIS ISN'T THE ANNOUNCEMENT SECTION, BUT IT DIRECTLY REFERS TO THAT. IT'S, UM, READY LONG BEACH AND IT'S A CITYWIDE CALL TO ACTION. UM, OH, YOU HAVE IT? OKAY. OH, I DON'T, COMMISSIONER BROWN HAS IT, BUT HE'S NICE. . SO, UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION? AND YOU'LL BE ATTENDING MY FELLOW COMMISSIONER. I'LL BE A LEAD. UM, I'M SORRY. AND IT'S SUNDAY FROM NINE TO TWO, AND IT'S AT THE VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM. IT USED TO BE AT THE UNIVERSITY, BUT, SO THIS IS A NEW AND BIGGER LOCATION, AND THERE'S A TON OF EVENTS AND MUSIC, LOTS OF STUFF FOR KIDS TO DO AND A LOT OF VENDORS. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO GO BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT PREPAREDNESS AND IT ACTUALLY IS FUN AND EMPOWERING AND IT'LL HELP US ALL GET IDEAS FOR WHAT WE CAN BRING TO THE TABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T ATTEND OR DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, FOR THE AD HOC, UH, THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF OUR AD HOC UPDATES. UH, MAY WE MOVE TO A VOTE? I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER LARA WOULD LIKE TO, TO SPEAK. I APOLOGIZE. UH, COMMISSIONER LARA. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. SO REALLY A QUESTION FOR YOU OR THE AD HOC COMMITTEES, IF I HAVE. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK, UH, THE AD HOC COMMITTEE WHO DID THE LISTENING SESSION AND THE PROTOCOL AND QUESTIONS. UM, JUST AMAZING WORK. AND AS THE CHAIR MENTIONED, IT HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE. AND NOW THAT WE'RE HERE, I JUST APPRECIATE WHERE THIS COMMISSION IS MOVING IN TERMS OF LISTENING AND GROUNDING OURSELVES INTO THE REAL NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. UM, FOR FEEDBACK PURPOSES, WOULD YOU PREFER THAT OVER EMAIL OR HERE I JUST WANNA BE SENSITIVE TO TIME AND THE PREFERENCE HERE. 'CAUSE I CAN CERTAINLY DO THIS OVER EMAIL IF THAT'S PREFERRED, OR, OR DO I JUST SHARE THE FEEDBACK NOW VERBALLY OR WHAT'S THE, IS THERE ANY PROTOCOL THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW? IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK NOW. YOU CAN ALWAYS SEND IT VIA EMAIL TO TONY, AND TONY CAN DISPERSE IT TO THE AD HOC AS WELL. SO I COULD DO IT VIA EMAIL. MM-HMM . I CAN DO THAT. I'LL DO IT. I'LL DO IT OVER EMAIL. OKAY. OKAY. DO NOW JUST DO IT QUICK. OKAY. I'M GONNA DO IT REAL QUICK. UM, SO QUESTION TWO. UNDER FRAMING QUESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY INPUT, UH, I WOULD RECOMMEND WHERE HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONNECTED OR DISCONNECTED OR INCLUDED OR, UM, OR EXCLUDED? UM, BECAUSE I THINK THE DIRECTION OF THAT QUESTION WAS GOING INTO THOSE OPPOSITE CONCEPTS. SO, UM, I WOULD RECOMMEND EITHER OR IN TERMS OF THREE, HOW DO RACISM, XENOPHOBIA, OR OTHER FORMS OF BIAS SHOW UP IN YOUR DAILY LIFE? RACISM IS A SYSTEM AND THEN XENOPHOBIA, UH, FORM OF PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION. SO I WOULD SAY DISCRIMINATION IN TERMS OF BIAS, JUST TO MAKE THOSE CONCEPTS CONSISTENT. AND THEN QUESTION FIVE, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT, TIMELY QUESTION. HOWEVER, I WOULD HAVE TO THINK, OR WE WOULD HAVE TO THINK OF HOW, 'CAUSE THE QUESTION READS, HOW DOES IMMIGRATION STATUS AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS RESOURCES OR PARTICIPATING COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES? VERY NECESSARY QUESTION. HOWEVER, IN TERMS OF LOGISTICS, IF WE HAD ANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THIS SPACE THAT'S BEING RECORDED, RIGHT? AND DISCLOSING THAT INFORMATION, OR THERE WOULD BE A FEAR, RIGHTFULLY SO, TO DISCLOSE THAT INFORMATION, WE'D HAVE TO BE CREATIVE WITH HOW TO INCLUDE OR UNDOCUMENTED COMMUN COMMUNITY WITHOUT THEM FEELING MORE FEAR THAN THEY ALREADY DO RIGHT NOW. UM, SO MAYBE THE QUESTION CAN BE MORE BROAD. UM, SO PEOPLE CAN TALK AROUND THE ISSUE. JUST MORE CREATIVITY IS NEEDED. KIND OF FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE INCLUDE THIS WITHOUT OUTING PEOPLE'S IMMIGRATION STATUS. UM, AND THAT'S IT IN TERMS OF MY FEEDBACK. BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MM-HMM . YEAH. AND I THINK THE, FOR QUESTION FIVE, YOUR IS THE KEY IDENTIFIER, SO MAYBE IT'S YOUR OR OTHERS. UM, BUT YES, FOR THE COMMITTEE TO BE ABLE TO EXPLORE, UM, ALTERNATIVES TO THAT QUESTION, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GREAT, UM, ADVICE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM OR ANY OF THE, UH, AD HOCS? SEEING NONE? UM, WE'RE GONNA GO TO A VOTE. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MAY WE HAVE, UM, ITEM SIX READ, OR SHOULD [6. 25-56592 Recommendation to receive and file a monthly update from the Office of Equity.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] I WITHDRAW THAT ITEM? [02:10:02] OKAY, GREAT. ITEM NUMBER SIX IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. ALRIGHT, ILL BE, I'LL BE QUICK. UM, SO JOIN US ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST AT THE LONG BEACH CONVENTION CENTER ARENA FOR AN EXCITING EVENING DEDICATED TO EDUCATION, CAREERS AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPO, UH, WILL BE, UH, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FROM 5:30 PM TO 8:00 PM. UH, ALSO THE, UH, JOINED THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES FOR A WEBINAR DESIGNED TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ABOUT THEIR WORKPLACE RIGHTS. TOPICS WILL INCLUDE WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATIONS, DISABILITY RIGHTS, LAWS, AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES WITH EMPLOYERS. PARTICIPANTS WILL GAIN INSIGHTS INTO FOSTERING AN INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND ENHANCING THEIR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS. THIS WILL TAKE PLACE VIRTUALLY ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23RD, UM, AT 2:00 PM AND THEN IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SUBMIT YOUR CULTURAL HOLIDAYS AND OBSERVANCE TO OUR CULTURE AND HERITAGE CALENDAR. HMM. AND, UM, LET'S SEE. I THINK THAT'S ALL THE UPDATES WE HAVE FOR RIGHT? THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF THERE, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SEEING NONE, THERE ARE NO MEMBERS JOINING OF THE PUBLIC JOINING VIRTUALLY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION FROM COMMISSIONERS? SEEING NONE. OKAY. UH, MAY WE GO TO VOTE PLEASE? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT WE'RE GONNA GO TO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE COMMENT ON SOMETHING THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW, UM, FIRST I WANNA THANK YOU DR. LARA, FOR MENTIONING ABOUT WHAT OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY IS UNDER RIGHT NOW HERE IN LONG BEACH. I WANNA EXPRESS MY DISAPPOINTMENT THAT UNTIL DR. LAURA [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.] SPOKE, NOT AT LAST MEETING OR THIS MEETING, WAS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CRISIS AND THE INJUSTICE FACING OUR LOCAL RESIDENTS. OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY FEELS TO ME LIKE THIS COMMISSION SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE HERE FOR THESE LOCAL RESIDENTS. AND YOU'RE FOCUSED ON ISSUES. IT'S LIKE YOU'RE SENDING THE FIREFIGHTERS TO DEAL WITH AN OVERSEAS ISSUE. I WISH I COULD BRING YOU BACK TO HELP THESE PEOPLE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE DONE IS SOMEBODY LIKE ME, I ACTUALLY HAVE A LEGAL BACKGROUND. I WOULD BE OUT THERE SUPPORTING THESE PEOPLE AND HELPING TO DEFEND. BUT I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN SO ATTACKED BY SOME OF YOUR POLICIES AND SOME OF THE WAYS I'VE BEEN ATTACKED HERE. I'M AFRAID TO DO IT. IT DOESN'T INSPIRE IN ME THAT KIND OF SENSE TO PARTICIPATE. AND I THINK YOU NEED TO CONSIDER THAT. THE OTHER THING IS, AND I MENTIONED THIS, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE CODE OF CONDUCT YOU'VE SIGNED, ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL AND POLITICAL BIASES THAT MIGHT IMPACT YOUR DECISION MAKING. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF. YOU'RE ENTITLED TO THOSE OPINIONS. IT IS FREE SPEECH, BUT I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE CROSSED THAT RUBICON OF TAKING THEM AND PUSHING IT INTO THESE AGENDAS. AND YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO HAVE 'EM ON THE AGENDAS. BUT YOU SHOULD RECUSE YOURSELVES. AND IF I READ THE RULES CORRECTLY, YOU CAN THEN COME HERE AND SPEAK TO IT, BUT YOU DON'T VOTE ON IT. AND I'M ASKING YOU TO TALK TO THE ETHICS OFFICER, TALK TO THE ETHICS COMMISSION, TALK TO THE CITY ATTORNEY ABOUT WHETHER YOU NEED TO REFLECT ON ARE YOU BEING FAIR TO THE COMMUNITY IN THOSE ACTIONS YOU'RE TAKING. I'M NOT SAYING YOU CAN'T, BUT BE TRANSPARENT. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOUR CHARTER SAYS. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UM, WE WILL MOVE TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. ALRIGHT? NO PUBLIC. LET'S GO TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. YES, YES. ALL RIGHT, DR. LARA. [ANNOUNCEMENTS] ALL RIGHT. THIS MONTH IS LGBTQ PLUS HISTORY MONTH, AND WE HAD A FORMER RESIDENT OF THE CITY MAKE LOCAL HISTORY, CHE OF MAY, REST IN PEACE AND POWER. UH, HE DIE DIED LAST YEAR, BUT HE MADE LOCAL HISTORY BY STARTING. IT'S A DRAG HERE IN LONG BEACH THAT WILL BE HELD NOVEMBER 15TH. [02:15:01] UM, SOME OF YOU MIGHT MAY, MAYBE THE CHAIR KNOWS, I MAY MAY HAVE MENTIONED THIS TO A COUPLE FOLKS, BUT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS THAT DROP. BUT BEFORE HE PASSED AND AT LAST YEAR'S, IT'S A DRAG EVENT, I MADE A PROMISE TO HIM THAT I WOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE NEXT ROUND OF, IT'S A DRAG. YES. AND UNFORTUNATELY, HE PASSED AWAY A FEW WEEKS LATER. AND, UM, NOW THAT IT'S NOVEMBER 15TH, I WILL BE, UH, DOING DRAG FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, NOVEMBER 15TH. SO I'D APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S SUPPORT HERE AND IN THE PUBLIC BUY TICKETS GO TO, IT'S A DRAG. UM, AND IT IS MEANT FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE IN LONG BEACH WHO'VE NEVER DONE DRAG BEFORE. UM, THAT WOULD BE ME. I'M STARTING FROM GROUND ZERO AND PART OF THE INTERESTING STORY OF INTERSECTION, UH, WORK HERE, ONE OF MY FORMER STUDENTS, UH, ROBBIE OSA, KNOWN IN THE GREATER COMMUNITY WHEN I WAS A PROFESSOR AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH. HE, HE HAS AGREED, OR THEY HAVE AGREED TO BE MY DRAG MOTHER. SO NOW I AM THE STUDENT. UM, AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT NUMBER I I'M DOING YET. I DON'T KNOW, I HAVEN'T DONE THE, I HAVEN'T WALKED IN HEELS YET. I WILL FIGURE IT OUT. PLEASE RECOMMEND DRAG NAMES . UM, BUT IN FIVE WEEKS OR SO, MAYBE SIX WEEKS, I HAVEN'T DONE THE WHOLE COUNTING. I WILL, UH, BE DOING THIS AND HOPEFULLY Y'ALL CAN BUY A SEAT, BE THERE SUPPORT FOR GOOD. CAUSE IT ALL GOES BACK TO LGBTQ PLUS ORIENTED CHARITIES. UM, YEAH, AND IT, IT'LL BE A FUN TIME. SO I'VE, I'VE BEEN GOING FOR YEARS AND A HONEST MEMBER NOW I'M ACTUALLY GONNA BE DOING DRAG. SO WISH ME LUCK WITH THOSE HEELS AND, UM, SEE YOU ALL THERE IN NOVEMBER. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT, Y'ALL, LET'S GET OUT AND SUPPORT. YEAH, WE'VE GOTTA BE THERE FOR THAT. UH, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. YES, THANK YOU. I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH AND THANK EVERYONE OUT THERE. UM, ON ZOOM, UH, HERE, WHO PARTICIPATED IN OUR CELEBRATION THIS PAST TUESDAY, WE HAD, UH, ROMEO GARCIA SERVE AS OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM LONG BEACH WHO WAS SELECTED AFTER OUR NATIONWIDE SEARCH TO SERVE AS THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE FILIPINO AMERICAN NATIONAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. THIS, THIS IS THE ORGANIZATION THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR NAMING OCTOBER AS AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH. AND WE HAVE SOMEONE HERE FROM LONG BEACH WAS SELECTED FOR THAT, SADLY FOR US. HE, UH, RELOCATED TO SEATTLE YESTERDAY. UH, SO, UM, TO START HIS, HIS CAREER WITH FONTS. UM, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE HIM. HE HAPPENS TO BE MY BROTHER, BUT NO NEPOTISM THERE. UM, MANY OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW HIM FROM ESTABLISHING ROMEO CHOCOLATES, UM, CO-FOUNDING KUBO, UH, IN, IN BIXBY KNOWLES CUBO ORGANIZING PROJECT, AS WELL AS DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH ALLIANCE AND STARTING UP THE TRADITION OF THE LONG BEACH PARA LANTERN FESTIVAL. SO I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN FROM HIM AS MY YOUNGER BROTHER, AND I JUST WANNA THANK HIM. I DON'T THINK HE'S LISTENING, BUT I'LL, I'LL SHARE THIS WITH HIM. UM, SECONDLY, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE OUR COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES, AT THE SEPTEMBER 28TH, UH, LONG BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION'S, GREAT EXPECTATIONS GALA. SHE'S TOO MODEST AND HUMBLE TO, TO SAY THIS, BUT I WANNA GIVE HER HER FLOWERS. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES RECEIVED THE DIRTY FAMILY AWARD FOR HER INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP AND DEDICATION TO THE LONG BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM AND COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR, FOR LONG BEACH. UM, AND FINALLY, I WANTED TO MENTION THAT I WILL BE LEAVING THE COMMISSION. UM, I'M NOT SURE, I, I BELIEVE IT'S NEXT MONTH, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I STAYED FOR THE NOVEMBER 15TH, UH, NOVEMBER 5TH LISTENING SESSION BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME TO BE A PART OF THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT LISTENING SESSION. GIVEN MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CITY, UM, I HAD BEEN APPOINTED, UH, TO SERVE ON THE CITY'S ETHICS COMMISSIONER, UH, COMMISSION BY MAYOR RICHARDSON. SO, UH, DATE IS STILL TO BE DECIDED, BUT, UM, THAT WILL BE SOON HAPPENING. SO THANK YOU ALL. I'M GOING TO MISS EVERYONE ON THIS COMMISSION AND THE STAFF. UH, I TRULY ENJOYED MY TIME HERE AND I VALUE THE WORK THAT WE DO FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT OUR COMMISSION IS DOING. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A PLEASURE TO HAVE ON THIS COMMISSION. YOU'VE LED WITH NOT ONLY CARE, BUT INTEGRITY AND, UH, YOUR EXTENSIVE LEGAL BACKGROUND ON THIS COMMISSION. AND IT'S SERVED SO MANY PEOPLE. UM, ON YOUR TIME ON THIS COMMISSION, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU FLOURISH IN [02:20:01] THE COMMISSION, THE ETHICS COMMISSION IN YOUR NEXT ROLE. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. UH, ARE THERE OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? UH, VICE CHAIR, GO FOR IT. JUST WANTED TO INVITE ALL OF YOU TO MY FIRST, UH, GALA AS THE N-A-A-C-P PRESIDENT. IT'S ON SATURDAY ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY HERSELF. AND, UM, YEAH, WE HAVE OVER 330 TICKETS ALREADY SOLD. AND SO THE MAYOR WILL BE SPEAKING THE PRESIDENT FOR CALIFORNIA, HAWAII, AND A CP WILL BE THERE AS WELL. UM, BUT YOU GUYS ARE ALL WELCOME. AND LET ME TELL YOU, THE PROGRAM, WHEN I SAY IT'S GONNA STOP AT NINE, IT STOPS AT NINE AND THE DJ AND BAND IS PUMPING. SO IT'S GONNA BE ALL FUN AFTER THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, VICE CHAIR BATS. AND IF YOU'RE UNABLE TO MAKE IT DONATE, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE DONATE. UM, AND DON'T MAKE SURE THAT YOU DONATE TO ALL, UH, CHARITIES, UH, THAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. UM, THE STATE OF FUNDING FOR NONPROFITS IS DOWN, UH, DUE TO FEDERAL POLICY. UH, A LOT OF FOUNDATIONS HAVE SHIFTED THEIR POLICIES, UH, AGAINST AND AWAY FROM NONPROFITS. UM, SO WE'RE ENTERING INTO A NEW WORLD WHERE WE'RE GOING TO START SEEING MORE AND MORE NONPROFITS CLOSE THEIR DOORS. UM, SO DO SUPPORT, UH, NOT ONLY THE NAACP, BUT THE NONPROFITS THAT YOU CARE FOR SO DEEPLY. UM, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, THE FOUNDATIONS ARE NOT GONNA SAVE US. WE, THE PEOPLE HAVE TO SAVE OUR, OUR LOCAL NONPROFITS THAT ARE THE LIFELINE TO SO MANY PEOPLE WHO NEED THE SUPPORT. UM, SEEING THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS, I'M GONNA CALL THEM MEETING TO, UH, CLOSE, CLOSED. AND THE MEETING IS CLOSED AT 8 21. [ADJOURNMENT] THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. WE CLOSE THAT AGAIN. X, X, X. OKAY. * 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.