* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:41] IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEMS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. IF DIALING IN, PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE. NOW. FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO A TOTAL OF 10 SPEAKERS, COMBINING BOTH IN PERSON AND ZOOM PARTICIPANTS. [00:05:31] [00:16:24] IF [00:16:24] THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR, ITEMS ON THE AGENDA OR SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. IF DIALING IN, PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE NOW. [00:28:10] OKAY. [00:28:11] HELLO EVERYONE. JUST AN ANNOUNCEMENT. UM, THE MEETING WILL BE STARTING SHORTLY, BUT IF YOU SIGNED UP FOR SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT TO SPEAK ON THE FIRE ENGINE 14, WE'RE BEING TOLD, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE YOU TO THE CONTINUED BUDGET HEARING SO YOU CAN BE, UH, TALKING ABOUT IT DURING THE BUDGET HEARING AS IT IS A CONTINUED BUDGET HEARING. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP PUBLIC COMMENT UNDER THAT SECTION, AND WE KNOW A LOT OF YOU SIGNED UP UNDER SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT, SO IF YOU CAN SEE CITY CLERK STAFF OUT THERE, WE'RE GONNA MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT SO YOU'RE NOT WAITING TILL THE END OF THE MEETING TO PROVIDE YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN DO IT EARLIER IN THE MEETING. THANK YOU. [00:33:52] WOW. WOW, WOW. [00:40:10] ALL [00:40:10] RIGHT. WELL, THANKS EVERYONE FOR JOINING US FOR OUR SEPTEMBER 1ST. HAPPY SEPTEMBER. [CALL TO ORDER] UH, FIRST COUNCIL MEETING OF THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. WE'LL START, UH, WITH ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILWOMAN AND DEJAS PRESENT, [ROLL CALL] COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. HERE. COUNCILMAN SUPER HERE. COUNCILWOMAN KERR. PRESENT, UH, VICE MAYOR URANGA. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN THRASH OOK HERE. MAYOR RICHARDSON. I AM HERE. WE HAVE A QUORUM, AND I THINK WE HAVE, UM, I'VE JUST ANNOUNCED COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN IS PHONING IN, UH, REMOTELY. WE'RE GONNA START NOW WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IN A MOMENT. SILENCE LED BY COUNCILWOMAN THRASH AND TOOK. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] ALL RIGHT, UH, WELL, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO OUR FIRST MEETING IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. AS WE GET READY TO, UH, GIVE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, I JUST ASK THAT WE TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK, UH, ALL IN OUR LABOR COMMUNITY AS WE GET READY TO CELEBRATE LABOR DAY NEXT WEEK. SO, CONSIDER ALL THOSE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO WILL BE WORKING ON LABOR DAY, AND THOSE WHO WILL HAVE LABORED ALL YEAR LONG AT THIS TIME. THOSE WHO ARE ABLE, PLEASE STAND, FACE THE FLAG, PLACE YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART. READY? BEGIN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO WE HAVE NO PRESENTATIONS AS THIS IS BUDGET SEASON. WE'RE GONNA REPORT OUT FROM CLOSED SESSION, PLEASE. WE'LL DO THAT LATER. I'LL SEE THE ATTORNEY. ALRIGHT, LET'S TAKE UP, UH, WE'RE GONNA TAKE CONSENT CALENDAR, THEN WE'RE GONNA GO RIGHT INTO THE BUDGET HEARING. LET'S QUEUE UP CONSENT CALENDAR, PLEASE IF I CAN GET A VERBAL MOTION. AND A SECOND. SECOND. ALRIGHT, IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT? THERE [CONSENT CALENDAR (1. – 22.)] IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT. ROLL CALL. VOTE PLEASE. DISTRICT ONE. AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR. AYE. DISTRICT FIVE. AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN. AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT. AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, WE'LL COME BACK TO THE REPORT OUT LATER. WE'RE GONNA GO TO ITEM 23. PLEASE READ THE CONTINUED BUDGET HEARING, PLEASE. ITEM 23 IS A REPORT FROM FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION TO CONDUCT A BUDGET HEARING TO RECEIVE AND DISCUSS AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET FOR PUBLIC WORKS [23. 26-55901 Recommendation to conduct a Budget Hearing to receive and discuss an overview of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget for Public Works Department and Proposed Capital Improvement Plan. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Financial Management         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] DEPARTMENT AND PROPOSED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN CITYWIDE. ALRIGHT, WELL THIS IS OUR FINAL, UH, UH, PRESENTATION DURING THE BUDGET SEASON. WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM PUBLIC WORKS AND HEAR ABOUT OUR ANNUAL CIP CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. UH, AND, UH, LOTS, LOTS OF INVESTMENT, LOTS TO TALK ABOUT. SO WE'LL PASS IT TO OUR CITY MANAGER TO KICK IT OFF. MAYOR, BEFORE THE CITY MANAGER SPEAKS, CAN I GET A VERBAL MOTION AND A SECOND? MOTION? MOTION. AND SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU. GREAT. LET'S PROCEED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. SO, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT HEARINGS. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH. THERE'S BEEN BUDGET OVERSIGHT MEETINGS. THIS IS THE, UH, FINAL SCHEDULED PRESENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT REVIEWS. SO WE WILL HAVE OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, GO THROUGH THEIR OPERATING BUDGET, AND THEN WE WILL ALSO GO THROUGH THE CAPITAL BUDGET. SO THOSE ARE TWO SEPARATE FAIRLY LARGE PRESENTATIONS. IT'S A LOT OF WORK GOING ON IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. UH, THEY'RE ALSO MAKING, UM, A NUMBER OF CUTS. THEY'RE PART OF THE SOLUTION AS WELL, JUST LIKE EVERY DEPARTMENT IS, UH, THEY'VE MADE SOME PRETTY HEAVY REDUCTIONS ON THEIR ADMIN SIDE, BUT YOU'RE ALSO GONNA SEE SOME AREAS, UM, THAT WE HEAR CONSTANTLY FROM THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY OF AREAS THAT NEED SOME ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT. AND SO A LOT OF THOSE CUTS HELPED FUND SOME OF THE, UH, INVESTMENTS IN THINGS LIKE MEDIANS AND MAINTENANCE AND TRASH AND, AND, UH, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. THERE'S ALSO SOME ADDITIONAL PARKING METER REVENUE MONEY THAT CAN HELP WITH THAT. UH, LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE STREET LIGHTING CREWS, AND THEN A BIG FOCUS ON TRAFFIC AS WELL AS WE REALLY LOOK AT, UH, HOW DO WE REFORM OUR TRAFFIC, UM, UH, DIVISION AND, UH, AND CREATE A BUREAU THAT IS REALLY FOCUSED ON THAT. AND ALSO ADD A NUMBER OF POSITIONS. SO I WILL TURN TO JOSH TO GO THROUGH THE OPERATING BUDGET, AND THEN WE CAN GO THROUGH CAPITAL. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. MOCA AND GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. AS MR. MOCA HAD MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE A LOT TO COVER THIS EVENING, AND I'LL DO MY BEST TO BE SUCCINCT, BUT WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE YOU APPRISED OF AND, UH, SOME OF THE DIFFICULT DIS DECISIONS THAT WE'VE HAD TO MAKE AS A DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE CHALLENGES. BUT, UM, AS, [00:45:01] AS MR. MOTO COULD NOTED, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL. SO, TO KICK THINGS OFF, UH, WE'RE PROUD TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER A NUMBER OF KEY SERVICES FOR THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING DELIVERING THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY, ACROSS, UH, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. WE MAINTAIN AND REHAB MUCH OF THE CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WE PROVIDE CORE SERVICES SUPPORTING A HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE CITY. RECENTLY THE DEPARTMENT RELEASED A NEW MISSION, VISION, AND OUR NEW TAGLINE, SERVICE PURPOSE AND COMMUNITY. WE'VE ROLLED THESE OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE BUREAU, UH, ALL SIX, ALL SIX OF THE BUREAUS, UM, OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AS WE WENT THROUGH THE BUDGETING PROCESS. SHOWN ON THIS SLIDE IS AN OVERVIEW OF ALL 532 FTES THAT ARE BUDGETED ACROSS SIX DIFFERENT BUREAUS WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS. SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE SHOWN ON THE NEXT TWO SLIDES FOR EACH OF THE SIX BUREAUS. I'M NOT GONNA READ OFF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT HIGHLIGHTS. UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HERE FOR ANYBODY THAT IS SO INTERESTED, BUT DID JUST WANNA CALL OUT A COUPLE KEY ITEMS WITHIN EACH OF THE BUREAUS. UM, WITHIN OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS TEAM, WE'VE ONBOARDED 67 NEW EMPLOYEES AND PROMOTED 36 EMPLOYEES. REALLY PROUD OF THAT. WE'VE INSTALLED 400 NEW A DA COMPLIANT CURB RAMPS AND REPAIRED, UH, $6 MILLION WORTH OF SIDEWALKS. AND IN OUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM, WE'VE ISSUED OVER 900 PERMITS IN OUR PUBLIC SERVICES TEAM. WE'VE REPAIRED OVER 29,000 POTHOLES AND OUR TRANSPORTATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM, UH, WE'VE REHABBED OVER 90 MILES OF STREET REPAIRS. AND IN OUR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, WE PROCESSED OVER 5.6 MILLION TRANSACTIONS, UH, IN OUR PARKING TEAM. DIVING A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO SOME OF OUR SPECIFIC TEAMS THAT ARE OUT THERE DELIVERING SERVICES, UH, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THEM IN A NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR YOU. WE'VE GOT OUR CLEAN TEAM THAT HAS CONDUCTED, UH, 3,500 ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS AND 950 ALLEY CLEANUPS OVER THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, AND REMOVED APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION SQUARE FEET IN GRAFFITI. OUR STREET MAINTENANCE TEAM, AS I HAD MENTIONED, REPAIRED 29,000 POTHOLES, AND THEY'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON 2 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF ASPHALT REPAIRS, UH, KNOWN AS OUR CRACK SEAL ANCILLARY TEAM. OUR TREE MAINTENANCE TEAM HAS BEEN OUT IN FULL FORCE TRIMMING 15,000 TREES AND REMOVING 300 TREE STUMPS. AND A MORE RECENT HIGHLIGHT, OUR TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TEAM HAS BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK REPAINTING, UH, RED CURBS. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE OVER 10 MILES, UH, LINEAR FEET OF RED CURBS, AS WELL AS CENTER LINE, UH, MILES 31 CENTER LINES AND REPLAYED, UH, 10,000 TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND, UH, 2,600 STREET LIGHTS. OVERALL, THE DEPARTMENT'S VACANCY HAS DECREASED SLIGHTLY. UH, LAST YEAR WE, WE REPORTED THAT WE HAD AN 18% VACANCY. UH, WE'RE NOW DOWN TO 17. YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE HERE A COUPLE OF OUR KEY CLASSIFICATIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TO REDUCE. SO, OUR ADMIN ANALYST, WE'VE REDUCED FROM 15 TO ZERO, OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS COORDINATORS. UH, WE'VE REDUCED DOWN TO 16. AND OUR CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION TEAM, WE'VE REALLY RAMPED UP AND DROPPED THAT VACANCY RATE DOWN TO 12. SO NOW TO DIVE SPECIFICALLY INTO OUR BUDGET AND WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING AS PART OF FY 27, OUR OVERALL GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT IS 69 MILLION. UM, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, WHICH WE'LL GET INTO, UM, IN, IN, UH, LATER PRESENTATION. IT ALSO DOESN'T INCLUDE OTHER OPERATING BUDGETS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS. STRICTLY OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET. OF THAT 69 MILLION, UH, ABOUT 30 MILLION OR SO IS REALLY, UH, EFFECTIVELY NON-DISCRETIONARY. SO WE'RE NOT ABLE TO TOUCH THAT. THAT'S OUR FLEET, MOU, OUR T-I-M-O-U, OUR LIABILITY INSURANCE. UH, THAT LEAVES US ABOUT 38 MILLION OR SO THAT WE HAVE, UM, TO, TO WORK WITH. SO WHAT WAS THE PROCESS WE WENT THROUGH TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO MEET OUR SAVINGS TARGETS WITHIN THE 38 OR SO MILLION AVAILABLE TO US? SO FIRST WE WANTED TO LOOK AT AND UNDERSTAND, UH, WHICH OF OUR CORE SERVICES ALSO GENERATE REVENUE. AND AS YOU COULD SEE ON, ON THIS SLIDE HERE, MANY OF OUR SERVICES ALSO GENERATE REVENUE. SO THE TOP OF THE LIST, THE STREET SWEEPING AND PARKING ENFORCEMENT, UH, THAT'S OUR LARGEST GENERAL FUND EXPENSE WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS AT OVER $12 MILLION. UH, BUT THEY DO GENERATE $20 MILLION ANNUALLY. UH, SO ANY SORT OF REDUCTION IN THESE SORT OF PROGRAMS WOULD [00:50:01] BE COUNTER COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. UM, WE ALSO WANTED TO LOOK AT MINIMIZING IMPACTS TO OUR CORE CUSTOMER FACING OR COMMUNITY FOCUSED SERVICES. UH, IF YOU THINK OF THESE AS THE TREE TRIMMING PROGRAM, OUR POTHOLE REPAIRS, GRAFFITI REMOVAL, UM, THE, YOU CAN SEE IN THE COLUMN, GENERAL FUND REVENUE BUDGET. UH, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY GENERATE REVENUE, BUT THEY'RE REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY. AND WE WANTED TO MINIMIZE IMPACTS AND THOSE COSTS TO THOSE CORE SERVICES HAVE GROWN AND THEY CONTINUE TO GROW. SO OUR, OUR EXPENSES TO SUSTAIN OUR BASELINE CORE SERVICE TODAY, UM, HAS INCREASED. SO OUR STREETLIGHTS ALONE, UH, OUR UTILITY COSTS ALONE NOW CONSUME THE ENTIRE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE FOR STREETLIGHT REPAIRS. UM, OUR GRAFFITI REMOVAL, UH, IT'S INCREASED FROM 800, UH, CLOSE TO 900,000 TO OVER 1.2 MILLION. UH, THAT REQUIRED US TO REDUCE ONE OF OUR TRUCKS. SO FOR, WE WENT FROM FIVE TRUCKS DOWN TO FOUR TRUCKS. UH, WE WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A 90% PLUS, UM, RATE OF SUCCESS IN, IN THAT PROGRAM BY REDUCING THE TRUCK. UM, SIMILAR WITHIN TREE TRIMMING, THE COSTS HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND THAT'S PROMPTED OUR PROPOSAL AS PART OF THIS BUDGET TO GO FROM A SIX YEAR GRID TRIMMING CYCLE TO EIGHT YEAR CYCLE. OUR MEDIAN MAINTENANCE COSTS HAVE ALSO INCREASED, UH, FROM 1.8 TO 2.4 MILLION. WE'VE ALSO SEEN SOME NEW EXPENSES THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN THE PAST. SO COPPER WIRE THEFT HAS BEEN, UH, SOMETHING NEW TO US, UH, THAT'S BEEN INCREASING, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT WITH SOLAR LIGHT CONVERSION, WHICH IS ONE OF THE ITEMS WITHIN OUR BUDGET, UH, AS WELL AS HARDENING SOME OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, BUT NONETHELESS, THIEVES ARE AND CONTINUE TO GET INTO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, CREATING UNFUNDED LIABILITIES. WE'VE ALSO SEEN, UM, UNBUDGETED REQUESTS SUCH AS FENCE GUARDRAILS, IRRIGATION, AND OTHER REPAIRS. UH, WE CURRENTLY RECEIVE REQUESTS FOR THOSE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY BUDGET. UH, SO THOSE COME OUT OF OTHER FUNDING SOURCES WHEN WE DO GET THOSE REQUESTS IN. UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, UH, REQUESTS SUCH AS SOME OF OUR CORE SERVICES IS TREE REMOVALS AND STUMP REMOVALS. WE HAVE A FAIRLY SMALL BUDGET, SO 65,000 THAT'S CONSUMED ALMOST ENTIRELY AS PART OF OUR STORM CLEANUP, UH, WHEN WE HAVE TO REMOVE TREES OR STUMPS, UM, NOT PART OF A STORM OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S REALLY AT AN UNBUDGETED EXPENSE. SO AS WE WENT THROUGH THIS BUDGET CYCLE, WE REALLY TRIED TO, UH, DISTILL THIS DOWN AND BOIL IT DOWN TO FOUR KEY THEMES, AND YOU'LL SEE IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDES HERE, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON AS TO HOW WE DID THAT. UM, IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT AS WE WENT THROUGH THIS EXERCISE, UH, WE REALLY WANTED TO ADVANCE SAFETY AND MOBILITY INITIATIVES, UM, HEARD FROM THE CITY COUNCIL LOUD AND CLEAR OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES THERE AND MAKE SOME ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS. UM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL GET INTO THAT. UM, WE ALSO HAVE BEEN FOCUSING IN ON STRENGTHENING OUR REVENUE. UH, WE WANT TO USE THESE AS OPPORTUNITIES SO WE CAN, UH, HOPEFULLY THEY'LL SERVE AS VIABLE ALTERNATIVES TO FUTURE REDUCTIONS IN OUR, IN OUR CORE SERVICES. UM, AS A BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE, EACH YEAR, WE LOOK AT ALIGNING OUR BUDGET WITH OUR OPERATIONS. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO US FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT REASONS, UM, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT WE CAN RUN REPORTS THAT THAT MAKES SENSE AND HELP US AGGREGATE THE INFORMATION. AND THAT, THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, THOUGH. THIS YEAR, IN ORDER TO MEET OUR $4.8 MILLION SAVINGS TARGET, UH, WE DID HAVE TO PROPOSE SOME BUDGET REDUCTIONS. SO FOR THE FIRST THEME, ADVANCING SAFETY AND MOBILITY INITIATIVES, UH, WE'VE GOT FOUR DIFFERENT ITEMS, UH, CREATION OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION. UH, THIS WILL HELP US CENTRALIZE THE DELIVERY OF THE AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM, OR WHAT WE'RE NOW REFERRING TO AS THE SPEED SAFETY SYSTEM. UH, THIS WILL ALLOW US TO ROLL OUT THAT PROGRAM, REINVEST THOSE FUNDS INTO TRAFFIC CALMING AND QUICK BUILD IMPROVEMENTS. THE AUTOMATED SAFETY, UH, OR AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM ITSELF, UH, WE REALLY WANTED TO STRUCTURE, MAKE THAT STRUCTURALLY SOUND, UH, ADD THE OVERALL PROGRAM TO THE BUDGET AND THEN REINVEST, UH, INTO OUR QUICK BUILD PROJECTS. AS I NOTED PREVIOUSLY, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE TRANSFERRING OUT THE SCHOOL GUARDS. CURRENTLY, THEY RESIDE WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS. UM, IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION TO FILL. IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION TO RETAIN, AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO OPTIMIZE THAT PROGRAM. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT USING SOME OF OUR GRANT FUNDING THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO FUND INTERNAL STAFF TO BE ABLE TO, UH, INCREASE THE, THE WORK THAT WE DO AND SOME OF THE CORE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. UM, SO WHAT YOU [00:55:01] SEE HERE IS A, AN H CIP GRANT HIGHWAY SAFETY GRANT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR STREET SIGNAGE PROGRAM. SO, AS PART OF THEME TWO, STRENGTHENING OUR REVENUE, UH, WE WANTED TO LOOK AT PARKING METER REPLACEMENT RATES. UM, HOW CAN WE GENERATE MORE REVENUE? HOW CAN WE MAKE IT A MORE FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT AS PEOPLE COME INTO OUR CITY, UH, USING, WE CURRENTLY TODAY WE HAVE DIFFERENT METERS WITH DIFFERENT, UH, WAYS TO COLLECT FUNDS. WE WANNA HAVE A ONE STOP KIND OF SIMILAR, UH, APPROACH NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE CITY. UM, ADDING NEW PARKING METER ZONES AND THEN INTRODUCING A NEW SMART LOADING ZONE PROGRAM, UH, THAT WILL ALLOW US TO, UM, EFFECTIVELY TURN OVER VEHICLES IN THE DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT A LITTLE MORE EFFECTIVELY. SO, THEME THEME THREE, UM, ALIGNING OUR BUDGET STRUCTURE WITH OPERATIONAL REALITIES. UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT A CIP INDIRECT COST PLAN UPDATE. UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON FOR A COUPLE YEARS, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BRING THAT TO FRUITION. OUR CALL CENTER CENTRALIZATION. CURRENTLY, WE HAVE, UH, DIFFERENT CALL CENTERS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. UH, WE'RE BRINGING ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS UNDER ONE UMBRELLA AND ONE LEADERSHIP, SO WE CAN HAVE A UNIFIED VOICE AND A UNIFIED CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE MAINTAINING THE, UH, THE BUDGET REALLOCATION. THAT'S, UH, AS NOTED KIND OF OUR ANNUAL ANNUAL APPROACH TO MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN RUN OUR REPORTS AND BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, UH, ALONG WITH ALIGNING OUR STAFF TO BUDGET. UM, THEME FOUR, AS NOTED, WE, WE DO STILL NEED TO MAKE SOME REDUCTIONS IN ORDER TO MEET THAT SAVINGS TARGET. UH, SO WHAT'S REPRESENTED ON THIS SCREEN ARE THOSE ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS, UH, SHIFTING OUR CATCH BASIN COSTS FROM GENERAL FUD TO OUR LID FUNDING. UH, SO THIS IS NOT A REDUCTION IN SERVICE. THIS IS SIMPLY CHANGING THE FUNDING SOURCE THAT WE USED TO DO THIS WORK. UH, THIS CONTINUES UPON THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN PREVIOUS YEARS TO SHIFT SOME OF THIS GENERAL FUND EXPENSE TO OUR, UH, LID FUNDING, UH, REALLOCATION OF THE POTHOLE CREW. THIS IS SOMETHING SIMILAR. UM, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT REDUCING THE POTHOLE CREW ITSELF. WE'RE REALLOCATING THE FUNDING FROM GENERAL FUND TO OUR REFUSE NEXUS FUND, UH, WHICH, WHICH IS THE NEXT, UM, NEXT LITTLE GUY WITH THE SHOVEL THERE. UH, AND THEN WE DO STILL NEED TO MAKE SOME FURTHER REDUCTIONS. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT 22 FTES. UH, THAT'S 43 IMPACTED STAFF BECAUSE THE SCHOOL GUARDS ARE PART-TIME. YOU'LL SEE THAT ON A, ON A FUTURE, UH, SLIDE, UH, AS WELL AS MAKING FLEET REDUCTIONS. SO WE DID LOOK, UH, WE DID A FULL, UH, INTERNAL MINI AUDIT ON ALL OF OUR VEHICLES AND RETURNED AS MANY AS POSSIBLE TO LIMIT OUR EXPOSURE AND LIMIT OUR OUR NEED FOR FLEET VEHICLES GOALS. SO THIS SLIDE HERE SHOWS ALL OF THE STAFF REDUCTIONS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED AS PART OF THE BUDGET. UM, MANY OF THEM YOU'LL NOTE, ARE WITHIN OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUREAU ON OUR ADMIN TEAM. ESSENTIALLY, THIS IS WHAT'S REMAINING AFTER WE WENT THROUGH THAT EXERCISE OF LOOKING AT ALL OF THE REVENUE GENERATING PROGRAMS AS WELL AS OUR CUSTOMER FACING CORE SERVICES. UH, AND WE'VE NEEDED TO MAKE SOME REALLY DIFFICULT DECISIONS AS TO HOW ARE WE GOING TO MEET THE SAVINGS TARGET. UH, THIS DOES MEAN THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFECTIVE AND A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFICIENT WITH THE REMAINING ADMIN STAFF THAT WE HAVE. UM, BUT THE, THE SILVER LINING IS THAT MANY OF THESE POSITIONS ARE VACANT TODAY. SO, TO DIVE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THE REORGANIZATION OF THE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES BUREAU, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT BRINGING THE PARKING AND MOBILITY AND THE STREET SWEEPING AND PARKING CONTROL TEAMS. THESE WERE THE TWO TEAMS THAT WERE LEFT WITHIN THE PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BUREAU WHEN SOLID WASTE, UH, MOVED OUT FROM PUBLIC WORKS AND BECAME THEIR OWN DEPARTMENT. UH, WE, WE MAINTAINED PARKING AND MOBILITY AND STREET SWEEPING AND PARKING CONTROL. AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT BRINGING IN THE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TEAM, WHICH CURRENTLY RESIDES WITHIN PUBLIC SERVICES BUREAU, BRINGING IN THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING TEAM THAT'S CURRENTLY WITHIN THE ENGINEERING BUREAU AND ADDING A BRAND NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION. UH, AS WE TALKED ABOUT ON A COUPLE SLIDES PREVIOUS, THIS ALLOWS US TO BE A ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TRANSPORTATION AND ENGINEERING RELATED FUNCTIONS THAT CURRENTLY TODAY RESIDE WITHIN MULTIPLE GROUPS, UH, CREATING BOTTLENECKS AND, UM, AND JUST INEFFICIENCIES. UH, BUT WE DIDN'T WANNA DO THIS IN A VACUUM. UH, WE WANTED TO DO THIS WITH SOME SUPPORT FROM OUTSIDE FOLKS. WE BROUGHT ON BOARD ERNST AND YOUNG TO COMPLETE A HOLISTIC WORKFORCE REVIEW. THIS IS THE SAME TEAM THAT WE USED AS PART OF THE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BUREAU WORKFORCE REVIEW [01:00:01] THAT WE DID A COUPLE YEARS AGO. UM, AND THEN JUST LAST YEAR WE DID A VERY SIMILAR APPROACH WITH OUR PUBLIC SERVICES BUREAU. IT WAS QUITE EFFECTIVE. AND, UM, NOT ONLY DID THE LEADERSHIP TEAM GET A LOT OUT OF THIS, BUT THE, THE STAFF ACROSS THE BUREAUS THAT WE FOCUSED THIS WORKFORCE REVIEW ON, UH, REALLY CAME AWAY WITH A LOT OF BENEFITS. SO THE NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION THIS WILL FOCUS ON IS THAT WE'RE ADDING, UM, 15 FTES. AND THIS, THEIR MAIN FOCUS WILL BE ON ROLLING OUT THE NEW AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM. UH, THERE WAS A RECENT TFF THAT OUTLINED, UH, THE PROGRAM AND, AND SOME OF THE NEXT MILESTONES THERE. UH, THE REVENUE THAT'S GENERATED FROM THAT PROGRAM IS REQUIRED TO BE REINVESTED WITHIN TRAFFIC CALMING ENHANCEMENTS. UH, SO THIS TEAM WILL BE FOCUSED ON UTILIZING ANY REVENUE THAT'S GENERATED FROM THIS PROGRAM AND REINVESTING IT INTO THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE LOOKING AT A WARNING GO LIVE IN OCTOBER, UH, FOLLOWED BY A CITATION GO LIVE IN DECEMBER. THE STREETLIGHT AND TRAFFIC SIGN PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS ARE SOMETHING THAT FALL UNDER OUR TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TEAM THAT IS MOVING FROM PUBLIC SERVICES BUREAU TO TRANSPORTATION SERVICES BUREAU, BUT REALLY WANTED TO UPLIFT SOME OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING AND SOME OF THE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE'VE ADDED AS PART OF THE FY 27 BUDGET. SO WE ARE ADDING, UH, THREE FTES FOR SOLAR CONVERSION, AND WE ARE, UH, LOOKING AT ASSISTING THIS TEAM WITH SOME, UH, SOME DOLLARS THAT YOU'LL SEE AS PART OF THE CIP BUDGET AS WELL. SO WE HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS AS PART OF AB 32, UH, TO ROLL OUT A PILOT PROGRAM FOR SOLAR CONVERSION. UM, AND THEN AS NOTED PREVIOUSLY, OUR TRAFFIC SIGN MAINTENANCE BUDGET, WE ARE LOOKING AT ADDING SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THERE TO UTILIZE THAT GRANT FUNDING TO, UM, STEP UP THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC SIGNS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO REPLACE NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. AS PART OF THAT GRANT, A COUPLE OTHER AREAS AND ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, YOURSELVES AND THE COMMUNITY WE'RE AWARE OF. UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT INVESTING WITHIN OUR MEDIAN PROGRAM. UM, AS NOTED PREVIOUSLY, THE UTILITY COSTS HAVE GONE UP AS WELL AS JUST THE OVERALL COST TO SERVICE OUR MEDIANS. AND WE WANNA GET TO A POINT WHERE WE UNDERSTAND, FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE OUT THERE, GET IT ON A GIS LAYER, AND HELP, UM, UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE AT AND CONTINUE TO INVEST WITHIN OUR MEDIANS, UH, ACROSS THE CITY. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT INCREASING AND ENHANCING OUR TREE PROGRAM TO ALLOW US TO, UM, AS WE'RE SHIFTING FROM A SIX YEAR TO AN EIGHT YEAR CYCLE FOR TREE TRIMMING, WE WANNA LOOK AT OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY ROLL OUT TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. UH, WITH TREE TRIMMING A LITTLE BIT FOCUSED, UH, A LITTLE MORE FOCUSED ON OUR SCHOOL GUARD PROGRAM, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, ELIMINATING THE POSITIONS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ON THE TEAM AND CONTRACTING OUT THIS WORK. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THIS RECENTLY, AND THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, HAPPENING IMMEDIATELY ON OCTOBER ONE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME TO GO THROUGH. THE PROP L ANALYSIS IS GONNA TAKE SOME TIME TO, UM, SOLICIT, PROCURE AND ONBOARD A NEW VENDOR. AND THEN THERE'LL BE A TRANSITION OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WE HAVE ON STAFF TODAY. UH, SHOULD THEY WANT TO MOVE OVER TO THE NEW VENDOR, SHOULD THAT ALL TRANSPIRE, UH, THERE'LL BE A TIME, UH, AND A TRANSITION PLAN TO WORK ALL THE WAY THROUGH THAT. CENTRALIZING OUR CUSTOMER RELATIONS TEAM IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US FOR A UNIFIED VOICE TO THE COMMUNITY. UH, WE OFTEN GET REQUESTS THAT COME IN THROUGH DIFFERENT MEANS AND METHODS, WHETHER THAT BE GO LONG BEACH OR EMAIL, OR, UH, DIRECTLY TO ONE OF OUR ADMIN TEAMS. AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A UNIFIED VOICE, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE ROLLING OUT, UH, THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS. WE'RE ADDING A NEW AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ALL ALIGNED WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING, HOW WE'RE DOING IT, AND HOW WE'RE MESSAGING IT. IT ALSO HELPS US MAKE SURE THAT AS WE'RE GETTING THOSE CALLS IN, AS WE'RE GATHERING THE DATA AS TO WHAT IT IS THAT, THAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW WE'RE DOING IT, WE CAN THEN AGGREGATE THAT INFORMATION AND INCREASE THE VISIBILITY ON OUR WEBSITE, WHICH ALLOWS US TO HELP ADDRESS AND POINT EVERYBODY TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO TO FIND MORE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT, WHAT THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN. SO, UH, WHAT DOES THIS ALL LOOK LIKE IN OUR NEW PROPOSED ORG STRUCTURE? UH, YOU CAN SEE REPRESENTED ON THIS SLIDE IN ORANGE ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES. UM, AS NOTED, OUR TRAFFIC OPERATIONS, TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, AND TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION WILL ALL RESIDE WITHIN OUR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES BUREAU, AND OUR NEW [01:05:01] CONSOLIDATED CALL CENTER WILL RESIDE WITHIN OUR PUBLIC SERVICES BUREAU. UM, WE ARE, I THINK WE'VE SPRINKLED A FEW OF THESE IN THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION, BUT DID JUST WANNA REITERATE A FEW OF OUR CHALLENGES THAT, THAT OUR TEAM IS FACING, UH, RISING COSTS OF GOODS AND SERVICES. UH, THEY CONTINUE TO OUTPACE OUR BUDGETS AND IT CONTINUES TO BE, UH, DIFFICULT TO RIGHTSIZE OUR CORE SERVICES WITH AVAILABLE BUDGET. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE, UH, RIGHT NOW TO DELIVER ON THE LAST YEAR OF OUR ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM TO ROLL OUT THESE NEW PROGRAMS TO PREPARE FOR THE, UH, 20, 28 GAMES. AND WE'RE, WE'RE VERY CONCERNED IN LOOKING AT, UH, WORKLOAD AND BURNOUT. SO WE'RE COGNIZANT OF THAT. THE COPPER WIRE THEFT, UH, AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, WE DON'T HAVE BUDGET FOR, FOR THIS CURRENTLY, AND IT CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM. UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO HARDEN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO CONVERT OUR, OUR LIGHTING FIXTURES TO SOLAR. UH, BUT NONETHELESS, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE'RE TRACKING AS A CHALLENGE. UH, BUDGET SAVINGS AND, AND COST CUTS. THOSE ARE OF COURSE, A CHALLENGE. UM, LIMITED RESOURCES THROUGH 2028, NOT JUST WITHIN OUR OWN TEAM, BUT ACROSS THE, UH, THE REGION. WE ARE LOOKING AT A LIMITED NUMBER OF RESOURCES, WHETHER THAT BE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, CONTRACTORS, OR WHATNOT, IN ORDER TO DELIVER OUR CORE SERVICES AND PROJECTS. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND UNFUNDED LIABILITIES. UH, WE TALK ABOUT THIS EACH YEAR. UH, WE DO HAVE, UM, BILLIONS. UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER $4 BILLION OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEED OUT THERE. UM, AND OF COURSE OUR, OUR BUDGET CANNOT SUSTAIN THAT, BUT ENOUGH OF THE NEGATIVE STUFF, UH, WE DO HAVE A FEW OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE. UH, WE, WE ARE ENTERING THE LAST YEAR OF OUR ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE EMBARKING ON, UM, FY 27 AND CONCLUDING OUR $1.25 BILLION CIP. UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LA 28 GAMES TO SECURE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SOME OF OUR CORE SERVICES, SOME OF OUR, UH, STREET REHAB WORK AND, AND OTHER EFFORTS. UM, OUR IN-HOUSE TEAMS JUST CONTINUE TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AND HAVE BEEN PERFORMING WITH CONTINUED SUCCESS. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. OUR CONCRETE TEAMS, OUR, OUR, UM, SLURRY TEAMS, OUR CRACK SEAL TEAMS HAVE REALLY BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB AND LOOKING FORWARD TO ROLLING OUT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING AND OUR STREET SIGNS AND THE, LIKE, THE NEW ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. I THINK I SPRINKLED THIS IN THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION, BUT I THINK THIS SETS US UP FOR SUCCESS. ALLOWS US TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFICIENT, A LITTLE BIT MORE PRODUCTIVE AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UM, ENHANCED COMMS AS PART OF OUR, UH, CUSTOMER CENTER AND SERVICE FOCUSED APPROACH IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND, UH, CENTRALIZING OUR CALL CENTER WILL REALLY HELP US BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR, A LITTLE BIT MORE PROFESSIONAL, A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, RESPONSIVE TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE. THAT CONCLUDES STAFF REPORT, AND WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ARE YOU GONNA GO RIGHT INTO THE CIP OR IS THAT INCLUSIVE OF THE CIP THAT WAS NOT INCLUSIVE OF THE CIP. THERE IS A SEPARATE PRESENT PRESENTATION FOR CI IF YOUD LIKE TO GO, GO THROUGH INTO LET'S C IP, THEN WE'LL DO PUBLIC COMMENT, THEN WE'LL TAKE COUNCIL DISCUSSION. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. COULD, COULD THE CITY CLERK PLEASE PULL UP THE NEXT PRESENTATION? OKAY. SO JUMPING RIGHT IN. SO SHIFTING GEARS, WE'RE GONNA TAKE OFF OUR OPERATING HAT AND PUT ON OUR, UH, CIP HAT. ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, SHOWN HERE ON THIS SLIDE, WANTED TO JUST HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF OUR, OUR CURRENT PROJECTS. AND, UH, EVERYBODY LOVES PRETTY PICTURES. THEY REALLY SHOWCASE ALL OF THE HARD WORK THE TEAM'S BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST YEAR. YOU CAN SEE ON, ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE CLARK AVE, RAMONA PARK, WE'VE GOT SOME OF OUR RESIDENTIAL STREET REHAB PROJECTS, OUR ROSE PARK, AND SOME OF OUR, UH, A DA CURBED WRAPS AS WELL. AND THIS SLIDE REALLY HIGHLIGHTS A LOT OF OUR FY 26 ACCOMPLISHMENTS. SO THE NUMBERS ARE ALWAYS QUITE STAGGERING. UH, YOU HEARD MANY OF THESE IN THE LAST PRESENTATION, SO I'M NOT GONNA, UH, REPEAT ALL OF THEM, BUT THEY ARE HERE. YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE DONE MANY THOUSANDS OF REPAIRS AND DELIVERED MANY THOUSANDS OF PROJECTS OVER THE LAST FISCAL YEAR. SPECIFIC TO CIP, THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE OVER THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, UH, IN THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AS OUTLINED WITHIN OUR CIP BUDGET. [01:10:01] SO FOR, FOR THIS YEAR, UH, INCLUSIVE OF ALL OF PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS, UH, WE ALSO REPRESENT WITHIN THE CIP BUDGET BOOK, WE INCLUDE WATER, UH, WE INCLUDE AIRPORT, WE INCLUDE THE SEWER PROJECTS, THE GAS AND UTILITY PROJECTS. UH, THESE ARE ALL HANDLED BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUT NONETHELESS, ALL INCLUDED WITHIN THE SINGULAR CIP BUDGET. SO FOR, FOR THIS YEAR, WE'RE JUST SHY OF $300 MILLION WORTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND ACROSS THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. UM, MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THE, THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES YOU CAN SEE THAT OUTLINED HERE. UH, AIRPORT BEACHES AND MARINAS, MOBILITY AND SAFETY IS THE, THE HIGHEST, UH, WITH OVER A HUNDRED MILLION, UM, AS WELL AS UTILITIES WITH 126 MILLION SHOWN ON THIS SLIDE HERE IS THE 10 YEAR HISTORIC CIP BUDGET. YOU CAN SEE, UH, AT THE START OF ELEVATE 28, THE INCREASED IN NUMBER IN, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING JUMPED. SO THAT WAS FY 23. AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH THE UP AND DOWN EVERY OTHER YEAR ARE THE BOND TRANCHES. SO FY 2325, AND NOW THIS YEAR, AS PART OF THE FY 27 PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, THERE WAS ADDITIONAL BOND REVENUE THAT WE'VE, WE'VE USED, UH, TO INVEST IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL. OUR GRANTS, WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF LEVERAGING THE AVAILABLE DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE TO SECURE GRANT FUNDING ACROSS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UH, FUNDING AND GRANT TOURS. UH, YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THIS SLIDE OVER 132 MILLION HAS BEEN SECURED SINCE WE STARTED THE ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM BACK IN FY 23. THE FY 26 IS SHOWN A LITTLE BIT LOWER. UH, THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T YET RECEIVED INFORMATION REGARDING 10 PENDING GRANT AWARDS. SO HOPEFULLY THAT NUMBER WILL, WILL JUMP AS ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS SECURED. SO THE NEXT FEW SLIDES DIVE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC INTO THE VARIOUS PROGRAMS. SO FOR THIS ONE HERE, OUR AIRPORT, UH, WE ARE INVESTING $2 MILLION AT THE AIRPORT, INCLUDING THE TERMINAL AND PAVEMENT REHAB. IN THE BEACHES AND MARINAS PROGRAM, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF $36.5 MILLION, UH, WORTH OF FUNDING IN BOTH TIDELANDS AND THE MARINA FUNDS AND AB 32. AND WE'RE SPENDING THAT ACROSS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UH, USES SEEN IN THE TABLE HERE, THE BIGGEST ONE BEING SOME RESTROOM FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS, UH, NOTED AS MARINA IMPROVEMENTS ON THIS SLIDE. WITHIN THE MOBILITY AND THE SAFETY PROGRAM, WE ARE INVESTING OVER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS ACROSS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UH, AREAS ACROSS THE CITY. UH, WE DID SUBMIT A, UH, AN UPDATED MEMO WITH UPDATED MAPS FOR OUR ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM AND THE COMPLETION OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE SLATED FOR ELEVATE 28. SO I WANTED TO JUST TAKE A MINUTE TO SHOW AND COMPARE HOW WE'RE DOING TODAY VERSUS HOW WE WERE DOING 30 YEARS AGO. SO THAT SQUIGGLY LINE ON, ON THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS, UH, 30 YEARS AGO AND, UH, TO THE LEFT. AND THEN EVERYTHING TO THE RIGHT IS, IS OUR CURRENT INVESTMENT. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INVESTMENT HAPPENING NOW THAN THERE WAS 30 YEARS AGO. AND YOU MAY BE SAYING, WELL, THE, THAT MIGHT NOT BE ACCOUNTING FOR ESCALATION OR INFLATION, BUT THESE NUMBERS ARE, ARE ADJUSTED FOR THAT. SO OUR MOBILITY MAP IS, IS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN HERE. THIS INCLUDES ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE PLANNED AS PART OF ELEVATE 28. SO WHEN WE FIRST ROLLED THIS OUT, UH, BACK AS PART OF FY 23, WE, WE PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM FOR WHAT WE WERE GONNA DO OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AS MENTIONED, WE'RE HEADING INTO OUR LAST YEAR, SO WE WANTED TO REALLY FOCUS IN ON WHAT ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO DELIVER WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OF THE PROGRAM. SO I'LL SCROLL THROUGH THESE, SOME OF THESE NEXT ONES PRETTY QUICKLY. WE HAVE A, A LOT OF, UM, NICE PICTURES TO SHOW YOU A LOT OF THE WORK THAT THE TEAM HAS DONE OUT THERE. SO, SOME OF OUR MAJOR STREETS ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE SOME MORE, MORE OF OUR COMPLETED MAJOR STREETS. AND, AND WE'RE NOT DONE, WE'RE GONNA BE EMBARKING ON A NUMBER OF PROJECTS HERE IN THE COMING MONTHS. [01:15:01] ORANGE J IS GONNA BE KICKING OFF. UH, WE'LL BE RETURNING TO CITY COUNCIL LATER THIS MONTH FOR THE, UH, CONTRACT AWARD FOR ANAHEIM, UH, BOULEVARD. AND THEN WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WILL BE GOING OUT TO BID HERE AND THE COMING MONTHS. SO WE HAVE PACIFIC NORTH PACIFIC SOUTH DOWNTOWN WALKABLE CORNERS. OUR GOAL IS TO GET THESE OUT TO BID, GET THE A CONTRACTOR IN PLACE AND GET THESE STARTED. UH, WE ALSO HAVE OCEAN BOULEVARD AND CLARK, WHICH WE ARE REALLY PUSHING TO GET THESE, UH, DONE AS PART OF THE, OR BEFORE THE 2028 GAMES. SO WE'RE WORKING AT WRAPPING UP THE DESIGN AND GETTING THOSE OUT FOR, UM, PRICING HERE IN EARLY 2027. WE HAVE SOME NICE BEFORE AND AFTERS FOR A RECENT ALLEY THAT WAS COMPLETED, RESIDENTIAL STREET THAT WAS COMPLETED. OUR IN-HOUSE SLURRY TEAM HAS BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK MOST RECENTLY IN CD TWO AND CD SEVEN. A LITTLE BIT DEEPER DIVE INTO OUR SLURRY TEAM. UH, THEY HAVE COMPLETED OVER 400 LANE MILES, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING AT WRAPPING THINGS UP IN FY IN, UM, COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN BEFORE THE, THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR. AND BEFORE THE RAINS COME, AS I THINK I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED A COUPLE TIMES, OUR POTHOLE CREW HAS FILLED OVER 29,000 POTHOLES LAST YEAR IS REALLY DOING A GREAT JOB OUT, OUT IN THE FIELD. WE'VE COMPLETED OVER 400 CURB RAMPS. THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A RECENT RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECT. WE'VE ALSO REALLY BEEN WORKING HARD AT STANDING UP AN IN-HOUSE CONCRETE TEAM, UH, HERE BEFORE YOU, IS A GOOD BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURE OF SOME WORK, UH, AN UPLIFTED SIDEWALK THAT WAS REPAIRED AS PART OF OUR IN-HOUSE TEAM. I, SO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER DIVE INTO OUR SPEED SAFETY SYSTEM. YOU'VE ALSO HEARD ME REFER TO THIS AS THE AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM. UH, THIS IS THE NEW PROGRAM, INCLUDING DEVICES THAT ARE BEING INSTALLED AT 18 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY. WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THIS WILL GENERATE SOME, UH, AROUND $5 MILLION OR SO ANNUAL REVENUE. THAT'S NOT THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS REALLY TO SLOW FOLKS DOWN AND CREATE A SAFER ENVIRONMENT WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. BUT WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THE BYPRODUCT WILL BE A REVENUE STREAM THAT WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO REINVEST WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND WITHIN OUR TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAM. UH, ONCE THE PROGRAM IS SUSTAINED, ONCE WE GET IT UP AND OPERATIONAL, UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT THERE'LL BE AN INCREASED ADMIN COST TO GET THE PROGRAM UP AND STARTED. AND THEN ONCE WE GET IT GOING, UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL HAVE APPROXIMATELY TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, UH, THAT WILL BE ABLE TO REINVEST ANNUALLY. JUMPING INTO OUR PARKS PROGRAM, WE HAVE 14 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO INVEST IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES THAT WILL BE USED FOR PARK OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT, AMENITIES, AND FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS. SIMILARLY, WE HAVE 18.7 MILLION FOR PUBLIC FACILITIES THAT WILL BE REINVESTING IN FACILITIES AND, UM, ACROSS, ACROSS THE CITY. THESE ARE ALL IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LAST YEAR OF OUR ELEVATE 28 CIP PROGRAM. AND OUR UTILITIES PROGRAM IS LARGELY MANAGED BY THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT. WE DO, UH, IN, WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS MANAGE THE STORM WATER PROGRAM. UM, BUT THE, THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT HANDLES THE REMAINING OF THE UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS. SO OUR, OUR UTILITY TEAM, UH, WILL BE DOING AN, AN UNDERTAKING $1.26 MILLION WORTH OF IMPROVEMENTS IN FY 27. A LITTLE BIT DEEPER DIVE INTO PARK IMPACT FEES. WE HAVE, UH, 1.6 MILLION THAT'S BEING ALLOCATED TO BOTH MLK PARK AND HARTWELL PARK WITHIN OUR CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION FEES. UH, WE HAVE TWO, JUST OVER 2 MILLION THAT'LL BE ALLOCATED ACROSS THE FIVE PROJECTS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN. UH, THE, THE TOP PROJECT BEING THE WILLOW SPRINGS TRAILHEAD WITH [01:20:01] A MILLION DOLLARS, A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR LID FEES OR LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT FEES. UM, THESE ARE, AND, AND THEY DO REQUIRE SPECIFIC, UM, THEY BE, THEY HAVE TO BE SPENT ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS TO ADDRESS POLLUTANTS, UM, CONSTRUCTION OF LID INFRASTRUCTURE OR MAINTAINING THOSE PROGRAMS. UH, SO WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA USE SOME OF THIS FUNDING FOR OUR CATCH BAITS AND MAINTENANCE, UH, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE INVESTING WITHIN OUR LONG BEACH MUST AND OUR SKY LINKS PROJECT. A CLOSER LOOK AT MEASURE W WE HAVE $3.4 MILLION, UH, THAT'LL BE ALLOCATED TO, UH, WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, LB MUST AND TRASH CAPTURE DEVICES ALL, UH, REQUIRED AS PART OF OUR NEARSHORE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. CLOSER LOOK AT AB 32, WE HAVE $5.9 MILLION AVAILABLE, UH, THAT'LL BE ALLOCATED OR PROPOSED TO BE ALLOCATED ACROSS THE SIX PROJECTS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN. NOW, A LITTLE BIT DEEPER DIVE INTO OUR MEASURE A PROGRAM. UM, SO MEASURE A, WE HAVE 37.2 MILLION WITHIN OUR MOBILITY AND SAFETY PROGRAM. THAT'LL BE ALLOCATED ACROSS THE PROJECTS SHOWN IN THE LEFT HAND TABLE, INCLUDING ALLEYS, ARTERIAL STREETS, AND ADDRESSING THE A DA COMPLIANCE ITEMS AS WELL. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ARE PUBLIC FACILITIES, SIX AND A HALF MILLION, UH, ACROSS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS THERE, INCLUDING A COUPLE FIRE STATIONS AND SOME CRITICAL RESERVES TO ADDRESS ANY SORT OF PROJECTS THAT COME IN OVER BUDGET OR IF BIDS COME IN HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED. WITHIN OUR PARK IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WE HAVE OVER $12 MILLION ACROSS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PARKS. UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE ALL PROJECTS THAT WERE HIGHLIGHTED WITHIN THE ELEVATE 28 5 YEAR CIP PROGRAM, UH, RECEIVING THE FINAL YEAR OF FUNDING. AND OUR, WITHIN THE UTILITIES GROUP, WE HAVE $1.3 MILLION FOR PUMP STATION AND STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS. SO THIS IS, UH, A MAP THAT I KNOW ALL OF YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS FOR THE LAST, UH, FIVE YEARS OR SO, HIGHLIGHTING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ELEVATE 28 PROGRAMS, UH, AND THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND HOW WE'VE BEEN GROUPING THESE PROJECTS, UH, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO THIS IS OUR LAST YEAR. FY 27 IS THE LAST YEAR OF OUR HISTORIC 28, UM, UH, ELEVATE 28 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PLAN. AND NOW, BASED ON THE BUDGET THAT'S BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING, THE TOTAL VALUE OF THAT FIVE YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN HAS GROWN TO $1.25 BILLION, UH, WHICH IS JUST A, A HISTORIC INVESTMENT ACROSS ALL OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS THE CITY. SO THIS INCLUDES BOTH, UM, INTERNAL FUNDS, EXTERNAL FUNDS, MEASURE A GRANTS, AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, AS NOTED PREVIOUSLY, REALLY UTILIZE THE AVAILABLE FUNDING TO PURSUE GRANTS AND OTHER, UH, GRANT TOURS, UH, AVAILABLE FUNDING WHEN, WHEN WE CAN. SO WE ARE ADDING A FEW PROJECTS EACH YEAR. UH, WE ADD A FEW PROJECTS TO THE ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM. UH, MAINLY ONCE WE GET THEM FULLY FUNDED, UH, WE, WE OFFICIALLY ADD THEM. SO THE NUMBER AND THE VALUE CONTINUE TO GROW, UH, THE ALAMITOS BAY MARINA IMPROVEMENTS, THE BROADWAY CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS, THE DAVIES LAUNCH RAMP AND THE EL DORADO BRANCH LIBRARY PROJECT ARE ALL SLATED TO BE ADDED TO THE ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM. AND WE'LL TRACK THEM TO COMPLETION OVER THE NEXT, UH, YEAR TO 18 MONTHS. SO HERE IS OUR CURRENT PLAN FOR A TOTAL OF $1 BILLION, UH, AS WELL AS OUR REVISED PLAN WITH THE INCREASE AS PART OF THE FY 27 UPDATE FOR A TOTAL OF $1.25 BILLION, UM, FOR A TOTAL FIVE YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN. I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES. THESE, UH, REALLY JUST HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND THE LIST OF PROJECTS THAT, THAT WE'RE TRACKING AS PART OF ELEVATE 28, AND EACH OF THE CATEGORIES AS OUTLINED WITHIN THE ELEVATE 28 5 YEAR CIP PROGRAM, AND AS SHOWN ON THE WEBSITE. SO IF ANYBODY HAS MORE DE OR WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE DETAILS, YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE. [01:25:11] ALL RIGHT, SO IN IN TOTAL, UH, THIS IS A, A SUMMARIZED VERSION OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT, THAT WE JUST FLIPPED THROUGH. AGAIN, IF YOU WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PARTICULAR PROJECTS, WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON OUR PUBLIC WORKS WEBSITE, AS WELL AS THE ELEVATE 28 WEBSITE. UH, BUT BROKEN DOWN INTO THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES, UM, THE, THIS TABLE SHOWS THAT WE'VE, WE WILL HAVE INVESTED A GRAND TOTAL OF 260 MILLION IN OLYMPIC LEGACY PROJECTS. UM, A GOLD MEDAL PARK REFRESH PROJECTS OVER A HUNDRED MILLION, UH, MOBILITY AND SAFETY, OVER 550 MILLION AND RIGHT OF WAY AND WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS, UH, ABOUT ABOUT 139 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $1.25 BILLION IN OUR FIVE YEAR PROGRAM. PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE. THIS OUR ELEVATE 28, UH, WEBSITE, AND IT'S GOT A REALLY COOL DASHBOARD ON THERE THAT SHOWS YOU HOW MANY PROJECTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, HOW MANY ARE IN CONSTRUCTION, HOW MANY ARE IN DESIGN, AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA TRACK THESE TO COMPLETION OVER THE NEXT, UH, 12 TO 18 MONTHS. SO HOW, HOW ARE WE TRACKING? UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANTED TO DO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER DIVE AND UNDERSTAND HOW ARE WE DOING? AND IF WE'RE ENTERING OUR LAST YEAR OF OUR FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, UH, WHICH OF THESE ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO COMPLETE, WHICH ONES WE'RE, UH, FUNDING FOR DESIGN ONLY, AND WE'LL BE CARRIED FORWARD. UM, WANTED TO, TO DO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER ANALYSIS. SO AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE 183 PROJECTS, AND OF THOSE 75 PROJECTS ARE EITHER ALREADY COMPLETED OR IN THE WORKS, UH, IN ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION. AND AS MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION, WE HAVE A NUMBER THAT WILL BE BIDDED AWARD IN THE COMING MONTHS. 15, UH, OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE RECEIVING FUNDING FOR THE FIRST TIME AS PART OF THIS FY 27 BUDGET. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO WHAT WE CAN WITH THOSE FUNDS, UH, OR CARRY OVER THE, THE ACTUAL WORK AND THE CONSTRUCTION WORK TO A FUTURE, FUTURE YEAR. UM, OF ALL OF OUR STREET PROJECTS, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT EXCEEDING. SO THE 175% OF ALLEYS, UH, WE'RE GONNA, UH, EXCEED THE NUMBER OF ALLEYS THAT WE, THAT WERE PROMISED. UH, WE'RE ALREADY THERE TODAY. UH, WE'VE, WE'RE LOOKING AT 84% OF ALL THE SLURRY SAIL PROJECTS. UM, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT EXCEEDING THAT, UH, 90% OF THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS WE'RE GONNA GET UP OVER A HUNDRED IN THE NEXT, UM, 12 MONTHS. SO WE'RE GONNA COMPLETE THOSE, UH, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THEM. AND AS OF TODAY, 32% OF THE ARTERIALS, THEY ARE TRACKING A LITTLE BIT LOWER. UH, WE, WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BUT THEY TAKE A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY TO DESIGN, CREATE THE FUNDING STACK, AND GET THE GRANTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO DELIVER ON THOSE. WE ARE UNDERWAY ON A NUMBER OF 'EM, INCLUDING, UM, PROJECTS THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN YOUR, IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE GETTING UNDERWAY SOON ON ANAHEIM PACIFIC, NORTH PACIFIC SOUTH DOWNTOWN WALKABLE, THAT ARE ALL CONSIDERED, UH, UNDER THESE ARTERIALS. SO THIS NUMBER IS GONNA JUMP, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN WE REPORT BACK AS PART OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. SO OF ALL THOSE 183 PROJECTS, WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO AND HOW ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IT, UM, 138 OF THOSE, OR ABOUT 75% ARE ON TRACK TO MEET THEIR, THE ELEVATE 28 COMMITMENT THAT WAS PUT FORWARD TO, UH, THE COMMUNITY AND TO CITY COUNCIL BACK IN, UM, PRIOR TO FY 23. SO WE'RE ON TRACK TO COMPLETE 75 OF THEM. WE, 75% OF THEM. WE FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THAT. UH, 33 OR 18%. WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING INTERNALLY TO FIGURE OUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO DELIVER THOSE BETWEEN NOW AND 2028. OUR GOAL BEING THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET ALL 33 OF THOSE, BUT WE WANT TO GET AS MANY OF THOSE, UH, CLEAR ACROSS WHATEVER HURDLES THEY ARE. UM, WITH A, WITH A GOAL OF GETTING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 80 AND 90% OF ALL THE PROJECTS COMPLETE, UH, BY 2028, UM, THE, THE REMAINING 12 OR 70 OR 7%, UH, THOSE ARE PROJECTS THAT WE, WE DO NOT, UH, HAVE THE CAPACITY OR THE FUNDING, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER BETWEEN NOW AND 2028. AND THEY WILL BE CARRIED FORWARD TO, UM, TO THE NEXT FIVE YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN DUBBED RENEW 32, SPECIFIC TO OUR STREET PROJECTS. DID WANNA CALL OUT THAT A TOTAL OF 1028 LANE MILES ARE ON TRACK TO BE COMPLETED BY 2028. UH, THESE ARE THE MAPS THAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IN THE RECENT MEMO THAT WAS PUBLISHED. UM, AND THAT COMPARES TO 1034 [01:30:01] LANE MILES THAT WERE INCLUDED WITHIN ELEVATE 28. SO WE'RE ON TRACK TO COMPLETE 99% OF ALL OF THE COMMITTED STREETS AND ALL OF THE PROMISED STREETS, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY BACK FIVE YEARS AGO, UH, WHICH IS QUITE, UH, MONUMENTAL GIVEN THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, UH, ACROSS, ACROSS PUBLIC WORKS, ACROSS CONSTRUCTION. UH, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO TRACK TO, UH, NOT QUITE A HUNDRED, BUT 99% COMPLETION. AND, AND THEN AS NOTED OF THE PROJECTS, UH, ABOVE, WE ARE LOOKING AT COMPLETING MANY, UH, OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE, UH, PARTIALLY DELIVERED BY 2028 OR WE'RE, WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE HOW WE'RE GONNA GET OVER THE LAST FEW HURDLES, UH, BUT WE ARE ON TRACK TO GET SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO 90% OF ALL OF THE PROJECTS PROMISED, UH, DELIVERED WITHIN THE NEXT 15 MONTHS. SO NOW TAKING OFF OUR FY 27 HAT AND PUTTING ON OUR, OUR FUTURE NEXT FIVE YEAR CIP, WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED OUR INITIAL PLANNING WORK FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEAR FI, UH, CIP AS WE HEAD INTO THE LAST YEAR OF OUR ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM. SO I WANT TO JUST GIVE A, A QUICK UPDATE AND A FEW SLIDES TO SHOW WHERE ARE WE HEADING NEXT. SO AS PART OF OUR, UM, RENEW 32 PROGRAM AND SPECIFIC TO OUR STREET INFRASTRUCTURE, WE, AS PART OF LAST YEAR, LAST SUMMER, WE RELEASED A MEMO THAT OUTLINED OUR PCI AND THE ANALYSIS THAT WAS COMPLETED BACK THEN TO SHOW THAT WE HAD INCREASED OUR PCI FOR THE FIRST TIME IN IN GENERATIONS. WE THEN TOOK THAT DATA, USED THAT DATA TO INFORM THE PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN, UH, WHICH WAS COMPLETED THIS PAST SPRING. AND THAT WAS BASED ON THAT PREVIOUS PCI ANALYSIS, THE ESTIMATES THAT, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR, OUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. UM, AND THEY'VE PREDICTED, UH, ROUGHLY, UH, THAT WE'D HAVE ABOUT $50 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR MOBILITY AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ANNUALLY. SO FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 50 MILLION ANNUALLY, OR 250 MILLION IN TOTAL. UM, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS IS ABOUT HALF OF WHAT WE CURRENTLY ALLOCATE AS PART OF THE ELEVATE 28 5 YEAR PROGRAM. SO THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM WILL BE REDUCED COMPARED TO ELEVATE 28. UM, BUT THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY LEAN INTO OUR, UH, SLURRY, OUR RESIDENTIAL REHAB PROGRAMS AND SOME OF OUR PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE TYPE EFFORTS. BROKEN DOWN IN THE TABLE, UH, YOU COULD SEE THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. WE BREAK IT DOWN WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS INTO ARTERIAL STREETS, RESIDENTIAL STREETS, ALLEYS, AND THEN OUR RESIDENTIAL SLURRY PROGRAMS. WE'RE LOOKING AT INVESTING, UH, 20 MILLION IN ARTERIAL STREETS FOR A TOTAL OF FIVE, UH, FIVE YEAR TOTAL OF A HUNDRED MILLION AND, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH THROUGH THE TABLE. SO THE, THE 50 MILLION INVESTED ANNUALLY IS ANTICIPATED TO RESULT IN A, IN A DECREASE IN THE OVERALL NETWORKS PCI. SO WE HAD A 56 PCI WHEN WE STARTED THE ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM THAT HAD GROWN TO A 61 AS PART OF THAT LAST ANALYSIS. GIVEN THE $50 MILLION ANNUAL, UH, EXPENDITURE IN, IN OUR STREETS, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT A REDUCTION BACK TO 56 PCI. UM, THE BACKLOG IS ALSO ANTICIPATED TO, TO INCREASE. UM, WHILE WE DO BELIEVE THIS TO BE A CONSERVATIVE MODEL, UH, WE WILL, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON GRANTS. WE'LL CONTINUE TO PURSUE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO ADD TO OUR, OUR PROGRAM, MUCH LIKE WE DID AS PART OF THE LAST FIVE YEAR PROGRAM. UM, BUT WE ARE, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, A DECREASED LEVEL OF INVESTMENT, UH, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN A DECREASED PCI. UH, WE TOUCHED UPON THIS A LITTLE BIT AS, AS WE WENT THROUGH SOME OF THE PREVIOUS SLIDES, UM, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT COMPLETING MUCH OF THE ARTERIAL PROGRAM. WE ARE GONNA BE CARRYING THROUGH, UH, FIVE STREET SEGMENTS, WHICH E EQUATES TO ABOUT 25 LANE MILES TO THE, THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, THE RENEW 32 PROGRAM. WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT WE'RE GONNA COMPLETE ALL OF OUR RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS, OUR ALLEY PROJECTS AS WELL. UM, AND A FEW OF THE SLURRY PROJECTS WILL, WILL BE CARRIED FORWARD AS WELL. UM, YOU CAN SEE IN THE TABLE BEFORE YOU, WE'VE GOT, UH, THE LANE MILES PROPOSED IN ELEVATE 28, UH, AS WELL AS THE, THE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT'S, UH, WHAT'S BEEN ALREADY COMPLETED AND WHAT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS. THIS CORRELATES WITH THE, UH, GREEN, YELLOW, RED MAPS, UH, THAT, THAT WE PRODUCED AS PART OF THE MEMO. [01:35:05] UH, HERE IS THE ACTUAL MAP THAT REPRESENTS, UM, WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO COMPLETE OR WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED, SHOWN IN, IN GREEN, UH, WHAT'S TO BE COMPLETED SHOWN IN YELLOW, AND THEN A FEW OF THE STREET SEGMENTS THAT WOULD BE CARRIED FORWARD AS PART OF THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM. AND, UH, VICE MAYOR, I DO HAVE A SEPARATE, UH, MAP FOR YOU THAT, UH, WILL HELP HELP YOU OUT THAT I CAN DROP OFF SO YOU CAN SEE YOUR, YOUR SPECIFIC DISTRICT. UM, SO WHAT WAS SOME OF THE METHODOLOGY BEHIND OUR ARTERIAL STREETS AND HOW WOULD WE ALLOCATE OUR LIMITED INVESTMENT ACROSS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT NEEDS ACROSS THE CITY? UH, WE DO HAVE THE FIVE SEGMENTS THAT WERE PROMISED AS PART OF THE ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM THAT WE INTEND TO CARRY FORWARD AS PART OF THE RENEW 32 PROGRAM. UH, WE ALSO HAVE THE FIFTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH STREET THAT WILL BE COMBINED WITH THE SECOND PHASE OF THE DOWNTOWN WALKABLE CORNERS, THE DECOUPLING AND ADDRESSING THE STORM DRAIN CONCERNS ALONG SEVENTH AS WELL. UH, WILLOW CORRIDOR WAS A DESIGN ONLY PROJECT OUTLINED WITHIN ELEVATE 28, SO WE INTEND TO CARRY THAT FORWARD. WE'LL CONTINUE TO PURSUE GRANTS AND DELIVER THAT PROJECT IF AND WHEN GRANT FUNDS BECOME AVAILABLE. WE ALSO HAD ATLANTIC CORRIDOR AND TI FREEWAY THAT RECEIVE SOME NOMINAL FUNDS FOR EARLY PLANNING AS PART OF THE ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM, AND WE INTEND TO CARRY THOSE FORWARD, CARRY THAT, UH, WORK FORWARD SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO, UH, INVEST WITHIN THOSE CORRIDORS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN WAS UTILIZED TO PROGRAM THE, THE AVAILABLE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE JUMPING OVER TO OUR RESIDENTIAL STREETS AND ALLEY PROGRAM. SO THAT LAST SLIDE REPRESENTED OUR ARTERIAL STREETS. THESE ARE OUR RESIDENTIAL STREETS. UH, WE HAD A, A WORKING SESSION AT CITY COUNCIL, UH, A COUPLE WEEKS BACK WHERE WE REALLY DID A DEEP DIVE INTO HOW DO WE PROGRAM OUR RESIDENTIAL STREET FUNDS. UM, SO OUR RESIDENTIAL, RESIDENTIAL STREET FUND ALLOCATION WAS BASED ON THAT MODEL AND BASED ON THOSE DISCUSSIONS, UM, BACK ON JUNE 9TH, THE IDEA HERE IS THAT THE STREETS THAT ARE SELECTED FOR REHAB ARE GENERALLY BELOW THE 30 PCI RANGE. UH, THEY, THEY DO RANGE BETWEEN ZERO. SOME ARE, SOME ARE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ZERO, UH, ALL THE WAY INTO THE LOW FORTIES, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, THEY'RE USUALLY SOMEWHERE IN THE, IN THE 30 PCI RANGE. UM, WE ALSO TRY TO GROUP THESE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IT'S NOT HELPFUL FOR OUR, OUR TEAMS AND OUR CONTRACTORS TO BE BOUNCING ALL AROUND THE CITY OR BOUNCING ALL AROUND THE DISTRICT. SO WE TRY TO GROUP 'EM AS BEST WE CAN TO, UH, MOBILIZE ONCE, IMPACT A NEIGHBORHOOD ONCE, UH, IMPACT A COMMUNITY ONCE AND THEN, AND THEN GET OUT OF THERE. SO HOW DOES THE RESIDENTIAL STREET REHAB COMPARE TO, UH, PREVIOUS? WE HAVE 169 LANE MILES INCLUDED WITHIN THE RENEW 32 PROGRAM. UH, THIS COMPARES TO 215 LANE MILES INCLUDED WITHIN THE CURRENT ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM. SO THERE IS A, A SLIGHT REDUCTION, UH, SIMILAR FOR THE ALLEY PROGRAM, FOUR LANE MILES IN RENEW, 32 COMPARED TO EIGHT LANE MILES IN ELEVATE 28. SO, AS MENTIONED, WE REALLY WANNA BE ABLE TO FOCUS IN ON THE, THE SLURRY SEAL PROGRAM. OUR SLURRY SEAL PROGRAM DOES A GREAT JOB OF MAINTAINING WHAT WE HAVE TODAY, MAINTAINING OUR CURRENT STREET CROSS SECTIONS IN GOOD CONDITION. UH, WE, WE GENERALLY FOCUS ON STREETS WITH A PCI THAT RANGES BETWEEN 65 AND 85. THIS IS THE SWEET SPOT TO ADDRESS AND PRESERVE THE STREETS BEFORE THEY DEGRADE FURTHER. UM, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SOME OF THESE STREETS WERE DONE AS RECENTLY AS 10 TO 15 YEARS AGO. UH, THAT'S GENERALLY THE, AGAIN, THE SWEET SPOT THAT WE WANNA PRESERVE WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE THEY DEGRADE FURTHER. UH, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE REALLY INVESTED WITHIN, UH, OUR SLURRY SEAL PROGRAM, 457 LANE MILES INCLUDED WITHIN THE RENEW 32 PROGRAM THAT COMPARES TO 500 LANE MILES INCLUDED WITH EL ELEVATE 28. SO THERE IS A SLIGHT REDUCTION, UH, BUT NOT, NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE HAD JUST DISCUSSED. SO WE LOVE MAPS IN PUBLIC WORKS. UH, SO HERE'S ANOTHER MAP FOR YOU THAT SHOWS ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE INTEND TO COMPLETE AS PART OF THE RENEW 32 PROGRAM. WE HAVE 107 LANE MILES FOR OUR ARTERIALS 167 RESIDENTIALS, FOUR ALLEYS, UH, 457 SLURRY FOR A TOTAL OF 737 LANE MILES INCLUDED WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM. AND IF ANYBODY LOVES THE MAPS AS MUCH AS WE DO, YOU CAN FIND THESE ON THAT, THAT RECENT MEMO THAT WE HAD PRODUCED, [01:40:02] BUT WE'RE NOT DONE WITH MAPS YET. ONE MORE. SO, UH, WHEN YOU TAKE OUR ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM, OUR OUR CURRENT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, AND YOU LAYER IT ON TOP OF OUR NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, YOU CAN REALLY SEE THAT THE INVESTMENT IS CITYWIDE. THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING, UH, ACROSS THE CITY, AND OVER A TOTAL OF 1700 LANE MILES WILL HAVE BEEN REHABBED AS, UM, AF AFTER WE CONCLUDE THE RENEW 32 PROGRAM. THAT'S A GREAT MAP. , I LIKE THAT MAP. ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO. WE GOT AT LEAST GOT ONE THUMBS UP. IT'S MY FAVORITE MAP TOO. UM, ALRIGHT, SO I'M ALMOST DONE HERE. WE'RE GETTING THERE. UM, THE, THE FIVE YEAR, THE NEXT FIVE YEAR, UH, RENEW 32 PROGRAM, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? UM, WE, WE'VE ALREADY SHOWCASED A LOT OF THE MAPS WE'VE SHOWCASED, UH, WHERE WE'RE HEADING FROM A STREET INVESTMENT STANDPOINT. UH, WE ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS, PUTTING TOGETHER OUR ESTIMATING HATS, GETTING ALL OF THE, THE SMART FOLKS IN THE ROOM TO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH MONEY IS GONNA BE AVAILABLE FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM. UH, UTILIZE OUR FACILITIES CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT TO ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS WHERE, UH, WHERE WE CAN BEST INVEST THEM AND, AND BEST ENHANCE, UH, WHAT WE HAVE TODAY WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OUR, OUR WEBSITE. SO THESE ARE GREAT MAPS, BUT IF NOBODY CAN FIND THEM, THEY'RE NOT THAT HELPFUL. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE AVAILABLE SO PEOPLE CAN SEE 'EM ONLINE AND THEY CAN ZOOM IN MUCH LIKE THEY DID AS PART OF THE, THE LAST PMP. UM, THEN AS PART OF 2027, WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, WORKING AS PART OF THE, THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. WE'LL BE ROLLING OUT THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, UH, AND, AND REALLY SHOWCASING THAT TO THE WORLD. SO I MENTIONED OUR FACILITIES CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT. UH, WE HAVE A GREAT DASHBOARD THAT ALLOWS US TO DO A DEEPER DIVE INTO ALL OF OUR FACILITIES. UM, WE HAVE OVER 250 STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES ACROSS THE CITY. UH, IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE VISIBILITY INTO ALL OF THEM AND ALLOWS US TO MAKE A A BIT MORE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UH, ESPECIALLY IF THE RESOURCES ARE ARE GONNA BE LESS THAN WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THEY'RE GOING WHERE THEY NEED TO BE GOING MOST EFFECTIVELY AND MOST EFFICIENTLY. SO WE WILL BE USING THAT TOOL TO HELP US, UH, FIGURE OUT WHERE, WHERE TO INVEST AND WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. UM, HERE'S WHAT THE DASHBOARD LOOKS LIKE. IT IS, IT IS REAL, IT LIFTS TODAY, UH, WHERE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, ALL THE MOST RELEVANT INFORMATION WITHIN IT. WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE HARD WORK AS PART OF ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM IS INPUT INTO THIS DASHBOARD AS WELL, SO WE CAN USE IT EFFECTIVELY AS PART OF THE NEXT FIVE YEAR BUDGET DEVELOPMENT. THAT CONCLUDES THE CIP PRESENTATION AND WE ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ALRIGHT, WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION. GOOD JOB. I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE PRESENTATIONS THIS BUDGET YEAR HAS GOTTEN ANY CLAPS, SO GOOD. GOOD JOB, . ALRIGHT. OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. WE HAVE ABOUT HOW MANY, UH, MADAM CLERK, ABOUT 48 SPEAKERS, ALL FOR THE ITEM. SO ABOUT 48 SPEAKERS ON PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, LET'S MOVE RIGHT INTO IT. PLEASE PROCEED. I WILL READ THE NAMES OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO REQUESTED TO SPEAK. IF YOU ARE HERE IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. I WILL CALL 10 NAMES AT A TIME. THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS ARE KAT MAYS, IAM, SHOP STEWARD KELLY M VICTOR JULIANO, MIKE GREEN, BOB KAY, BRIAN COCHRAN, CODY AND RICO. IF YOU WERE IN PERSON AND YOUR NAME WAS CALLED, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. CAN I GET KAT MAZE? YOUR TIME BEGINS. UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANNA POINT OUT. AGAIN, I'VE WORKED WITH THE CITY FOR EIGHT YEARS AND, UH, WE'VE GONE THROUGH AT LEAST TWO MAYORS, THREE SUPERINTENDENTS IN MY DIVISION AND THREE, UH, BUREAU MANAGERS. AND THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING NOW ARE THE EXACT SAME ONES WE FACED EIGHT YEARS AGO WHEN I CAME TO THE CITY. THEY'RE JUST A LITTLE BIT WORSE. AND THE KEY ISSUE WITH THE CITY IS THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH EMPLOYEES TO MAINTAIN YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND YOU CONTINUE TO UNDERPAY THEM. SO WHAT DO WE HAVE? WE HAVE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE PAID POORLY WHO THEN GET OVERWORKED AND OVERBURDENED. THEY'RE EXPECTED TO DO THE WORK OF TWO TO 10 PEOPLE EACH, AND THEY EITHER GO TO ANOTHER CITY WHERE THEY GET A 15% PAY INCREASE FOR HALF THE WORK, OR THEY STAY HERE AND THEY GET BURNT OUT AND THEY GET MORE WORK PUT ONTO THEIR SHOULDERS LIKE THIS BUDGET IS PROPOSING. AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE INFRASTRUCTURE FALLS BEHIND THE WORK ORDERS FALL BEHIND. THERE WAS MORE DAMAGES TO PEOPLE AND PROPERTY, THE CITY HEMORRHAGES OF MONEY THROUGH LAWSUITS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT COUNCILWOMAN DUG IN, POINTED OUT PREVIOUSLY. AND THEN OF COURSE, 30 SECONDS, IT'S WRONG. IT'S JUST WRONG. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER. I AM SHOP STEWARD. [01:45:03] GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS NATH SCHUSTER AND I'M APPEL SHOP STEWARD FOR THE I AM, UM, UNION. I'M HERE TO ELEVATE CONCERNS BUT NOT NECESSARILY DO A REALLY DEEP DIVE. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I HEARD THAT IN THE LAST TIME. MY MIND'S NUMB. SO ANYWAYS, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT, UM, IS BEING DONE TO OUR SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS IN PUBLIC WORDS. IT'S A SHAME. I LIKE THE CREATIVE TONE OF WE'RE TRANSFERRING IT OUT. THAT MEANS YOU'RE LETTING THEM GO, BRINGING IN YET ANOTHER CONTRACTOR TO THE CITY, ELIMINATING I AM POSITIONS AND THESE ARE HARDWORKING PEOPLE THAT GET YOUR KIDS TO AND FROM SCHOOL SAFELY, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM AND AC UM, MS. THEY'RE NOT ANY CHEAPER. YOU'RE GONNA PAY THEM MORE THAN WHAT YOU'RE PAYING. OUR CROSSING GUARDS, WHICH ARE THE LOWEST PAID CLASSIFICATION IN THE CITY, THEY'RE NON-CAREER, DON'T GET BENEFITS, DON'T GET VACATION, AND YOU'RE JUST GETTING RID OF THEM. THAT DOESN'T REALLY SEEM ELEVATING TO ME IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. SO IT'S NOT GONNA SAVE US MONEY. YOU'RE PRIVATIZING OUR UNION AND OUR CITY EVEN MORE. SHAME ON YOU. DO BETTER TRY BETTER. IT'S NOT THAT HARD. YOU CAN FIRE RETIREES, OLDER PEOPLE, PEOPLE THAT USED TO WORK IN THE CITY. GET CREATED. DO SOMETHING MA'AM, YOUR TIMES CONCLUDED. I'M USING JARGONS. THANK YOU. SPEAKER PLEASE. KELLY M PLEASE COME FORWARD. YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. UM, I'M ALSO HERE FOR THE CROSSING GUARDS. I WANNA START BY NOTING THAT NEITHER LOWELL ELEMENTARY NOR ROGERS MIDDLE SCHOOL HAVE PARKING LOTS. THERE'S NO SYSTEM IN PLACE FOR OR PICKUP. UM, IT'S COMPLETE CHAOS EVERY DAY. AND I WANNA NOTE THERE ARE TWO CROSSING GUARDS HERE THAT WORK AT OUR SCHOOLS AND THEY'RE HERE AND THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR THE JOBS THAT THEY WANT TO BE AT. I DON'T ACCEPT THAT THERE ARE VACANCIES AND THAT THEY'RE HARD TO FILL. IT'S COMPLETE BS. JOSH AND MR. MATTHEWS, WHO MOST PARENTS KNOW ON A FIRST NAME BASIS, ARE RESPECTED NECESSARY MEMBERS OF OUR COM COMMUNITY. THEY PROVIDE A SERVICE THAT PROTECTS OUR FAMILIES AND BRINGS A SENSE OF ASSURANCE ON OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE. UM, WE SEND OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL KNOWING THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE THERE AND THEY'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. AND I, I KNOW THAT THEY, YOU GUYS MIGHT MAKE THE WRONG DECISION, SO I WANNA PERSONALLY THANK BOTH OF YOU FOR DOING YOUR JOB, DOING IT WELL. UM, AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS VICTOR IN ZOOM. CAN I GET VICTOR IN ZOOM PLEASE? UNMUTE YOURSELF. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. HI. UM, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? YES. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE PROPOSED, UH, CUT TO FIRE ENGINE 14. UH, I AM A RESIDENT OF STONY BROOK VILLAS, UH, VERY NEARBY THE FIRE STATION. WE HAVE A LARGE POPULATION OF ELDERLY RESIDENTS. A LOT OF THEM HAVE MEDICAL CONDITIONS. UH, WE'VE HAD TWO FIRES IN THE PAST AND ENGINE 14 HAS SAVED US AND PART OF THE REASON WHY THEY'RE SO SUCCESSFUL, UH, IS BECAUSE OF THAT QUICK RESPONSE TIME. UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF OLD PEOPLE. LIKE I SAID, IT'S VERY, UH, IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME FOR THEM TO EVACUATE THE BUILDING. UH, WE HAVE A VERY BIG BUILDING, UH, ALMOST 500 UNITS HERE. UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE AMBULANCE CREW WILL REMAIN UNDER THIS PROPOSAL, BUT THOSE FIREFIGHTERS ARE USUALLY THE FIRST ONES, UM, ON THE SCENE, UH, OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. AND UH, BASICALLY WHAT I'M SAYING HERE IS THAT CUTTING ENGINE 14 PUTS THOUSANDS OF VULNERABLE SENIORS IN OUR COMMUNITY AT GREATER RISK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER JULIANO IN ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS TONY JULIANO AND I HAVE BEEN A LONG-TERM CITY EMPLOYEE AS WELL AS A CONSTITUENT HERE IN THE CITY. I AM COMING TO OPPOSE THIS BUDGET, UH, THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED, UH, TO ELIMINATE ENGINE NUMBER 14, WHICH SERVES IN MY DISTRICT AND ALL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. ELIMINATING ENGINE 14 WILL INCREASE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES WHEN OTHER ENGINES ARE IN THE AREA ARE ALREADY ON A BALLOT, I'M SORRY, ON A ROLLOUT AND WILL CAUSE A DELAY OF APPROXIMATELY 54 SECONDS. ALSO, A PROPOSED BUDGET TO REDUCE COSTS, NOT JUST BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, BUT BY MANAGEMENT AS COUNCIL THE MAYOR. HAVE YOU LOOKED AT REDUCING OR ELIMINATING THE CAR ALLOWANCE FOR MANAGEMENT, WHICH COULD [01:50:01] POTENTIALLY SAVE 2.4 TO $3.6 MILLION? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER, MIKE GREEN. THAT'S A FACT. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. UH, AND MEMBERS OF THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME'S MIKE GREEN. UM, I HAVE, I LIVE DIRECTLY, UH, NEXT TO THE APPIAN WAY STREET CROSSING FOR LOW ELEMENTARY AND ROGERS, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL. OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, WE'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW MR. MATTHEWS, UM, AS OUR LOCAL CROSSING GARDEN. I'LL TELL YOU THAT MR. MATTHEWS IS A MENTOR, PROTECTOR, HERO, AND FRIEND TO THE PEOPLE OF BELMONT SHORE AND AN ASSET TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, APPIAN WAY IS A, IS A NEARLY ONE MILE STRAIGHTAWAY PUNCTUATED, PUNCTUATED BY A SINGLE CROSSWALK THAT DOES NOT HAVE AN ACCOMPANYING STOP SIGN. FOR YEARS, THIS STRETCH HAS BEEN USED FOR ILLEGAL CAR AND MOTORCYCLE, E AND E-BIKE RACING. I HAVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED MR. MATTHEW SHIELD OUR CHILDREN AND ALERT AND EDUCATE AN INCREASINGLY LAWLESS TRAFFIC PUBLIC ON A DAILY BASIS. I CAN SAY WITHOUT, WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF CERTAINTY, THERE ARE SEVERAL CHILDREN THAT ARE ALIVE TODAY BECAUSE OF MR. MR. MATTHEWS AND THE OTHER CROSSING GUARDS. UH, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE CHANGES TO OUR CROSSING GUARDS. PLEASE SUPPORT THEM. THANK YOU. DO YOU NEXT SPEAKER, BOB K AND THEN BRIAN COCHRAN. AND CODY IS BOB K IN THE AUDIENCE? GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS BOB KIRKIN. APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS AGO, MY HEALTHY, HAPPY AND ATHLETIC DAUGHTER CAME HOME EARLY FROM SCHOOL WITH WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A TOUCH OF THE FLU. SEVEN HOURS LATER, SHE COLLAPSED IN OUR HOME FROM SUDDEN ONSET ACUTE SEPSIS, A CONDITION WHERE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTACKS THE BODY'S ORGANS AS IT GETS CONFUSED BETWEEN THE ORGANS AND THE GERMS THAT SHOULD BE FIGHTING. ENGINE 14 WAS THE FIRST ON THE SCENE. THEY MEASURED MY DAUGHTER'S BLOOD PRESSURE AT 57 32 THAT IS NEAR DEATH. HAD ENGINE 14 NOT RESPONDED IN THAT TIME PERIOD, IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT MY DAUGHTER WOULD NOT BE WITH US TODAY. THEIR ABILITY TO DRAW RESOURCES, MAKE SURE MY DAUGHTER WAS IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED TO MEMORIAL WHERE SHE SPENT NEARLY TWO WEEKS. MUCH OF THAT TIME, BARELY ABLE TO SPEAK OR CONSCIOUS IS KEY TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S EASY TO SAY THAT A FEW MORE MINUTES IS NO BIG DEAL. IT WAS THAT NIGHT MY DAUGHTER COLLAPSED. PLEASE SAVE. ENGINE 14. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. BRIAN COCHRAN, THEN CODY AND RICO. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I'LL BE AS BRIEF AND TIGHT AS POSSIBLE HERE. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY INPUT AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT. THERE WERE FIVE MEETINGS THAT GATHERED A SUM TOTAL OF 216 TOTAL ATTENDEES ON THE BUDGET THAT'S ACROSS THE CITY. THERE WAS A A MULTI-MONTH PERIOD THAT RESULTED IN ABOUT 340 INPUTS ON THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARDS. THAT IS A MINUSCULE PROPORTION OF OUR CITY AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE POPULATION, THIS LARGE EVERYONE HERE, EVERYONE WHO'S DONE THOSE THINGS. THE PASSION REFLECTS THE PA, THE THAT OF A HUNDRED OTHER PEOPLE OR MORE. THERE IS MONEY FOR THE THINGS THAT WE CARE ABOUT IN COMMUNITY, SHUFFLE IT AROUND, BE CREATIVE, THE PASSION THAT COMES FROM THINGS IN THOSE CARDS INDICATED THAT FIRE SAFETY WAS THE NUMBER ONE LIBRARY'S NUMBER TWO NLP. THE NEIGHBOR'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM WAS NUMBER THREE IN PASSIONATE INPUT COMMENTS THROUGHOUT THAT ALL THESE PROGRAMS CAN BE SAVED AND PRESERVED AS IS. FIND THE WILL, FIND THE EFFORT. PLEASE PUT THE EFFORT IN. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS CODY. CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? CODY? YES, YOUR TIME BEGINS. GARY? YES. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. I WANNA SPEAK ON THE POTENTIAL CUTS TO LONG BEACH FIRE IS A THIRD GENERATION RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH, RAISING THE FOURTH AS WELL AS A CAREER FIREFIGHTER AT A LARGE NEARBY AGENCY. ANY CUTS TO A DEPARTMENT SERVING A CITY OF 400,000 RESIDENTS? NOT COUNTING TOURISTS AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND RECKLESS. A STRUCTURE FIRE APPROXIMATELY DOUBLES EVERY MINUTE WHEN LEFT UNCHECKED AND ANY DELAY IN GETTING ENGINES AND TRUCKS ON SEAT IS PUTTING LIES AND PROPERTY IN JEOPARDY. KNOWING THAT PUBLICLY IT'S NOT THERE. THIS IDEA TO SHUT DOWN ENGINE 14 AND TO POSSIBLY IMPLEMENT A ROLLING BROWN OUT OF ANOTHER FIRE COMPANY IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT OUR CITY NEEDS AND DESERVES. WHILE THE ADDITION OF A PARAMEDIC RESCUE AT FIRE STATION 14 WOULD BE A WELCOME SITE, IT CANNOT BE IN PLACE OF LEAVING A DISTRICT WITHOUT A FIRE COMPANY. WE JUST BARELY GOT A 10TH PARAMEDIC RESCUE FOR A SERVICE AREA OF 56 SQUARE MILES WITH THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF WATERFRONT, A BUSY PORT, AND A BUSY AIRPORT. ALL THIS IS JUST TO ALSO BRING INTO THE FACT THAT THE OLYMPICS ARE COMING IN THREE YEARS AND WE HAVE 18 EVENTS WE'RE HOSTING HERE IN LONG BEACH SAVE ENGINE 14. THANK YOU. IF I CAN GET THE NEXT 10 SPEAKERS. [01:55:01] RICO IS NEXT AND AFTER THAT IS CAMERON, MATTHEW WHITE, CRYSTAL, TOM, KAREN, NOAH, B DAVID ARD, MOLLY DAVIDSON, SPEEDY WATSON AND KELLY MCCOY RICO, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YES. HI. I JUST WANTED TO STATE THAT I UNDERSTAND THERE'S CUTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. HOWEVER, UH, FIRE ENGINE 14 SHOULD BE THE VERY LAST, IF NOT AT ALL BECAUSE SAFETY IS THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR. AND GETTING RID OF SAFETY VERSUS SOMETHING ELSE IS, IS JUST NOT OKAY. SO PLEASE SAY FIRE ENGINE 14. THANK YOU. ARE WE READY TO CALL THE NEXT TIME? NEXT SPEAKER. IS CAMERON IN ZOOM PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. I'M WHAT TOO? UM, HELLO, MY NAME IS CAMERON FANNO, A SENIOR AT LONG BEACH POLYTECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL AND A STUDENT LEADER AT CALIFORNIA'S FOR JUSTICE. I'M HERE TO DEMAND $3 MILLION FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. 2.2 MILLION TO EXPAND ATTENDANCE RIGHT TO COUNCIL PROGRAM AND 200,000 TO THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. LAND TRUST AS A VICTIM OF EVICTION NOTICES HARMING MY PLACE OF LIVING. IT IS AN UNFAIR JUSTICE TO ME AND MY COMMUNITY AROUND ME AS THEY'RE FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES. I SEE IT AS A CORRUPT SYSTEM TRYING TO GENTRIFY MY NEIGHBORHOOD AS WE ARE A STRUGGLING COMMUNITY ALONG WITH THAT LEGAL SUPPORT, HARMING PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT HAVE NO PLACE TO RETURN TO BUT HERE SEPARATES THEIR SENSE OF CITIZENSHIP FROM OUR CITY, WHICH CAN SOMETIMES MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SEEN, NOT SEEN OR HEARD. AS A YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE WHO IS ONE OF THE MANY SILENT VOICES AS HERE TO TALK, I AM SPEAKING FOR THE LIVES OF MANY OTHERS IN MY COMMUNITY THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THE INJUSTICE LIKE ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. MATTHEW WHITE. MATTHEW WHITE, PLEASE COME FORWARD. MATTHEW, GOOD AFTERNOON. I WANT YOU TO READ THESE TWO SIGNS. YOU SEE WHAT THEY SAY? CAN YOU SEE 'EM? ALRIGHT. I AM THE MATTHEW. THEY WAS TALKING ABOUT OUTSOURCING US WILL MAKE THAT CITY. I MEAN THE COMMUNITY AND THE SCHOOL GET BAD QUALITY SERVICE. TRUST ME. BELIEVE ME. OKAY, NOW I'M NOT GOING TO REPEAT WHAT THEY SAY. I'M GONNA BRING YOU SOME MESSAGES FROM MY KIDS. SO OPEN YOUR HEART UP AND LISTEN TO WHAT I'M GONNA SAY. I HAVE A KID, GRANDMOTHER TELL ME THAT GOD PUT ME THERE TO TAKE CARE OF HIS CHILDREN. THAT'S ONE. THE NEXT ONE IS THE 5-YEAR-OLD KID TELLS ME I'M NICE AS JESUS. THAT'S MY PERSONALITY. LIKE TO THE KIDS. THE FINAL ONE, A LITTLE GIRL GAVE ME A KEY CHAIN. IT SAYS GOD COULD NOT BE EVERYWHERE, SO HE CREATED THE CROSSING. GOD. OKAY, NOW I HAVE ONE MORE THING TO YOU, MR. MAYOR. I REMEMBER WE WAS CAMPAIGNING THE PARK EARLIER AND I GAVE YOU ASKED ME FOR YOUR VOTE. I GAVE IT TO YOU. I'M ASKING YOU FOR MY VOTE NOW. OKAY, CRYSTAL ALMOND, PLEASE COME FORWARD. NEXT SPEAKER IS CRYSTAL. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I AM CRYSTAL LAMAN, A YOUTH LEADER WITH CALIFORNIA FOR JUSTICE AND A SENIOR AT JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL. I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TO INVEST MORE IN THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES. LONG BEACH CITY, LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND FOR $3 MILLION TENANT RIGHT TO COUNCIL FOR 2.2 MILLION AND THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST FUND FOR $200,000 TO BEGIN WITH THE LONG BEACH CITY. THE LONG BEACH CITY JUSTICE FUND IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE FAMILIES TO OUR COMMUNITY DESERVE ACCESS TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION. AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS DEALT WITH THE FEAR OF LOSING A LOVED ONE OR SOMEONE AROUND ME TO NOT HAVING THE ENOUGH BUDGET TO, SORRY TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY, I'VE FEARED A LOT OF OTHER THINGS. THE CITY ALREADY INVESTED IN THIS PROGRAM BEFORE, BUT THE COMMUNITY BELIEVES IN YOUR INVESTMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE STRONGER AND MORE CONSISTENT. SECONDLY, THE ATTENDANT COUNSEL, THE ATTENDANT RIGHT TO COUNSEL DOESN'T JUST AFFECT ADULTS, IT AFFECTS ENTIRE FAMILIES AND YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. TOM C TOM C IS OUR NEXT SPEAKER. HE'S IN ZOOM. TOM, CAN YOU UNMUTE YOURSELF PLEASE? YES, THANK YOU. [02:00:01] UM, I TRUST YOU CAN HEAR ME. YES. UM, IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ALL TONIGHT. MY WIFE MARGIE AND I ARE RESIDENTS OF ALAMEDA HEIGHTS COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE. WE'VE LIVED HERE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS AND ARE ADDING OUR VOICES TO THE CHORUS, ASKING THE CITY COUNCIL NOT ELIMINATE ENGINE 14. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE CITY IS HAVING TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS WHEN IT COMES TO CLOSING THE GAP IN ITS BUDGET, BUT THE LOSS OF ENGINE 14 IS PENNY-WISE BUT POUND FOOLISH. NOT ONLY IS THE EAST SIDE OF LONG BEACH IN THE MIDST OF A RESIDENTIAL BOOM REQUIRING AN INCREASE OF FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES FOR ITS RESIDENTS, BUT THE WHOLE OF LONG BEACH BENEFITS WITH THE PRESERVATION OF ENGINE 14 BY ENSURING THAT ITS COLLECTIVE FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES ARE NOT STRETCHED TOO THIN. IF THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION AND SAFETY OF ITS RESIDENTS, WE WOULD ARGUE THAT THIS DEBATE IS UNNECESSARY. ENGINE 14 IS CRITICAL FOR THE PROTECTION AND SAFETY OF ALL RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH AND THE CITY CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE IT. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS KAREN RIVERA. KAREN, CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? I'M SORRY KAREN, PLEASE COME FORWARD TO THE LECTERN. OKAY. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL AND MAYOR RICHARDSON. MY NAME IS KAREN RIVERA AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING CALIFORNIANS FOR JUSTICE AND I AM ALSO A SENIOR AT JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL. I'M HERE TO DEMAND $200,000 BE ALLOCATED TO THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST BECAUSE HOUSING ISN'T GETTING ANY MORE AFFORDABLE FOR ESPECIALLY THE FUTURE GENERATION. I AM HERE TO DEMAND $2.2 MILLION. GO TO THE TENANT, RIGHT TO COUNCIL PROGRAM. I'M HERE TO DEMAND $3 MILLION, SORRY, $3 MILLION TO THE $3 MILLION FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A SHAME FOR ANY OF OUR RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH TO BE SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILY AND HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT NOT HAVING ENOUGH FUNDS FOR AN ATTORNEY. THIS ISN'T JUST A BUDGET TO NEGOTIATE. THIS IS OUR FUTURE THAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR. THANK YOU. CAN I GET NOAH B NOAH B IS NOAH B IN PERSON? YEAH, I'M HERE. THANK YOU. AND AFTER THAT, DAVID ARD. COOL. I'M DOING THIS WITH THE LIFE CENTER OF MY PHONE. ALRIGHT, I'M HERE BECAUSE I LOVE MY CITY. LONG BEACH. COME ON. AND I WANNA ASK THE COUNCIL TO CHANGE HOW THEY FUND CURRENT RESOURCES THAT THE COMMUNITY ASKS FOR, WANTS AND NEEDS RESOURCES LIKE OUR LIBRARIES, THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND, TENANT TO WRITE COUNCIL PROGRAM, AND THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY TRUST. INSTEAD OF HAVING TO ASK FOR THESE PROGRAMS TO BE FUNDED EVERY YEAR, THEY SHOULD JUST HAVE STABLE FUNDING. I GREW UP GOING TO THE LIBRARIES AND STILL GO TO THE LIBRARIES. NOW AS AN ADULT, THEY PROVIDE SO MANY RESOURCES THAT HAVE FREED THEIR SPACE AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S AVAILABLE. AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP LOW INCOME LIBRARIES REALLY HELPED NOT ONLY ME BUT MY PARENTS TOO. LIBRARIES SUPPORTED US THROUGH BOOKS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, WIFI, PRINTING, AND SO MUCH MORE. THAT ALLOWED MY PARENTS TO FOCUS THEIR FUNDS ON OTHER NEEDS LIKE FOOD AND RENT, WHILE ALSO PRIORITIZING MY EDUCATION. PEOPLE ARE NOT, PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TO KEEP THEIR HOMES AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT WORKING HARD, IT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO MEET ALL THEIR NEEDS. SUPPORT LIKE THESE FUNDS AND THE LIBRARIES CAN TRULY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THEY ALREADY HAVE BEEN THE KEY FAMILIES TOGETHER IN HOUSE. PLEASE CONTINUE SUPPORTING THE WORK THEY'RE DOING BY CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF THE FUNDING. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BEG FOR THIS MONEY EVERY YEAR. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRUST THAT OUR REPRESENTATIVES WILL PUT OUR LIVELIHOODS BEFORE MONEY ON PROPERTY. IF Y'ALL CAN CONTINUE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. IF Y'ALL CAN GENERATING REVENUE FOR THE CITY, CAN I GET THE NEXT SPEAKERS TAX RICH TAX PROPERTY LOSS, THAT BEST FUNDING FROM THE DAVID, WHATEVER, IT'S MOLLY DAVIDSON. JUST SOMETHING TO HELP US BETTER OUR CONDITIONS. SPEEDY WATSON. THANK YOU. KELLY MCCOY. DAVID, HI, IT'S ARD ARD. I SOFTEN THIS GENTLEMAN'S PRESENTATION. UM, TALKING ABOUT THE PARKING, YOU'RE LOOKING AT PARKING AS A REVENUE GENERATOR. YOU WANT TO GO FROM 3.4 MILLION TO 4.3 MILLION. UM, ONE OF THE WAYS ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS OF THAT IS CITY PLACE PARKING, WHERE YOU'VE DECIDED TO RAISE A HUNDRED AND WELL, YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN RAISE 150,000 A YEAR BY REDUCING THE FREE PARKING FROM TWO HOURS TO ONE HOUR. WHILE THIS WON'T AFFECT MANY BUSINESSES, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, CHIPOTLE, YOU CAN GET IN AND OUTTA CHIPOTLE EASILY IN AN HOUR. WHAT IT WILL AFFECT IS PLACES LIKE GYMS, YOGA STUDIOS, AND PILATES STUDIOS WHERE YOU TYPICALLY WILL VISIT FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. UM, FITNESS CLUBS AND YOGA AND PILATES STUDIOS ARE REFERRED TO IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS AS TRAFFIC GENERATORS. THEY BRING BUSINESS INTO THE DOWNTOWN. PEOPLE LEAVE THE YOGA STUDIO AND THEN THEY GO OUT AND GET A COFFEE. THEY GET A MEAL. IF THEY'RE GONNA WORRY ABOUT PARKING, THEY'RE GONNA GET THE HELL OUT. [02:05:01] UM, I SAW THE OBJECTIVES FOR BUILDING THOSE CITY PLACE LOTS WAS TO, UH, BRING RESIDENTS, RETAILS AND CUSTOMERS BACK DOWNTOWN TO INCREASE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, NOT TO RAISE. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, MOLLY DAVIDSON, SPEEDY WATSON, KELLY MCCOY. HI, MY NAME'S MOLLY DAVIDSON. I OWN, UM, A LOCAL YOGA STUDIO CALLED YOGA 1 0 8. WE'RE ON THIRD STREET. WE'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. UM, THE RECENT CHANGES THAT WENT INTO EFFECT TODAY FOR PARKING LOT, A, B, AND C GOING FROM TWO HOURS, FREE PARKING TO ONE HOUR FREE PARKING FOR, LIKE DAVID SAID, FOR YOGA STUDIOS. AND I THINK ALSO FOR GYMS LIKE PLANET FITNESS, THIS COULD, IT COULD KILL US. EVERY OTHER YOGA STUDIO IN LONG BEACH. YOU CAN PARK FOR FREE EVERY OTHER GYM IN LONG BEACH. YOU CAN PARK FOR FREE. WHY WOULD SOMEONE COME? SOMEONE COME TO US IF YOU CAN'T PARK FOR FREE. I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO RAISE MONEY. THERE'S SO MANY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT NEED MONEY, BUT IF DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH IS A GHOST TOWN, UM, AND THERE'S NO THRIVING BUSINESSES TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS, I DON'T THINK THAT THE MISSION'S GONNA BE ACCOMPLISHED NECESSARILY. UM, THERE'S ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE. PERSONALLY, I'VE BEEN ATTACKED MOST MULTIPLE TIMES IN DOWNTOWN, FOLLOWED WITH BY PEOPLE WHO ARE ARMED. PARKING CLOSE BY IS REALLY ESSENTIAL. HOPE YOU GUYS WILL CONSIDER, UM, 90 MINUTES FREE. THANKS. NEXT SPEAKER, SPEEDY WATSON AND THEN KELLY MCCOY. GREAT, THANK YOU COUNSEL. UH, SO I'M HERE TO SUPPORT ENGINE 14, UH, FROM STONY BROOK, ONE OF THE CONTINGENT FROM STONY BROOK. WE ARE A HIGH DENSITY 500 UNIT CONDOMINIUM PROJECT ON THE EAST SIDE. AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THERE'VE BEEN TWO COOKING FIRES THERE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. AND HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR ENGINE FOURTEEN'S CLOSE PROXIMITY, THE RAPID RESPONSE AND THE PROFESSIONALISM OF THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARRIVED THEN STONY BROOK COULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER DEVASTATING DISASTER REMNANT OF THE PALISADES OR EVEN ALTADENA, UM, UH, DRAMATICALLY AFFECTING THE LIVES OF OVER A THOUSAND RESIDENTS THERE AT STONY BROOK. THE FACT THAT THE FIRE WAS CONTAINED AND PREVENTED FROM SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY WAS, UH, IN MY OPINION, AN EXTRAORDINARY OUTCOME AND ONE THAT UNDERSCORES JUST HOW IMPORTANT A TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO A DENSELY POPULATED, CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY IS. WHETHER THE CALL IS A MEDICAL IS THERE TIMES CONCLUDED? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA CALL THE NEXT 10 SPEAKERS. ANDREA V MARCO, ANNETTE, MONICA, LEE, ARLO, ANITA, BRIAN DAR, LAURA C AND KI BETH AND LAMONT N NEN. NEXT SPEAKER KELLY. HI, I AM KELLY MCCOY. I AM A RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH AND I WOULD BE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE CLOSURE OF ENGINE 14. I AM ALSO EMPLOYED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA'S FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ANALYST AND CRITICAL INCIDENT ARREST MANAGER. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE DIRECT, UM, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS THAT THE CLOSURE OR THAT TAKING ENGINE 14 OUT OF SERVICE WOULD HAVE ON FIREFIGHTERS AND THEIR FAMILIES DIRECTLY. UM, INCREASING RESPONSE TIMES ALSO DECREASES REST AND RECOVERY TIMES, WHICH ARE CRUCIAL FOR, UM, MITIGATING CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS RESPONSE AND PTSI, THIS MIGHT BE A SHORT TERM SOLUTION TO THE BUDGET SHORTFALL, BUT IT WILL FALL BACK FINANCIALLY IN WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS, CALL OUTS, OVERTIME, ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. IF WE CARE ABOUT FIREFIGHTERS TODAY AS MUCH AS WE CARED ABOUT THEM JANUARY OF LAST YEAR, WE WILL NOT, UM, SHUT DOWN. ENGINE 14. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREA AND THEN MARCO AND THEN ANNETTE, ANDREA, ANDREA V MARCO. IF YOU CAN COME FORWARD PLEASE. AND THEN ANNETTE. GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. MY NAME'S MARCO CHARLA. I'VE BEEN WITH THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT SINCE 2023. IN MY RELATIVELY SHORT TIME WITH THE DEPARTMENT, I'VE ALREADY SEEN MULTIPLE SITUATIONS WHERE SECONDS AND MINUTES ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. LAST WEEKEND WE WERE IN, UH, STATION FOURTEEN'S, NEIGHBORHOODS TALKING TO THE RESIDENTS AND ONE CONVERSATION WAS PARTICULARLY, UH, COMING TO MIND HERE WHERE WE TALKED TO A FATHER WHO HAS A CHILD WITH SEVERE ASTHMA. HE TOLD US THAT HE'S ALREADY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THREE TIMES ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AND HE TOLD US THAT HAD ENGINE 14 NOT ARRIVED AS [02:10:01] QUICKLY AS THEY HAD, HE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED TO HIS KID. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REDUCING LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT RESOURCES AND REMOVING AN ENGINE THAT, UH, IS THE FIRST RESPONDING UNIT TO MEDICAL CALLS AND FIRES. SO WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, ARE WE TRULY DOING WHAT'S IN THE BENEFIT OF THE LIFE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN LONG BEACH? THANK YOU. I LIVE IN ALBAN HEIGHTS WHERE THREE WEEKS AGO MY NEIGHBOR'S HOME CAUGHT FIRE. WE STOOD TOGETHER WAITING FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITHIN FOUR MINUTES. ENGINE 14 ARRIVED AND IT WAS CONTAINED ON THAT DAY. ENGINE 14 MET THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION RESPONSE STANDARD OF FOUR MINUTES OR LESS. IF ENGINE 14 IS DECOMMISSIONED THOUGH RESPONSE WILL NOT MEET THIS STANDARD NOT ONLY IN DISTRICT THREE, BUT CITYWIDE. THIS IS NOT THEORETICAL. THESE ARE STATISTICS PROVIDED BY CITY OF LONG BEACH. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REPORTED AUGUST 25TH, THAT FIRST ENGINE RESPONSE TIME WOULD INCREASE FROM 4.26 MINUTES TO 5.33. WHEN ENGINE 17 WAS REMOVED, SIGNIFICANT DELAYS IN FIRE ENGINE RESPONSE WERE RECORDED. CITYWIDE OVER 9% DELAY FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND 34% FOR APARTMENT AND COMMERCIAL COUNCIL APPROVED GROWTH IN SOUTHEAST LONG BEACH THAT COMES WITH THE DUTY OF CARE FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. MA'AM, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. CAN I GET MONICA LEE ARLO AND ANITA AND BRIAN D MONICA LEAGUE PLEASE COME FORWARD. ARLO ARLO. ANITA DOHERTY. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL. ARLO ALLEGRE WITH THE FILIPINO AMERICAN CENTER BASED IN DISTRICT SEVEN, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SIX AS WELL. TODAY I'M HERE WITH THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET. WHILE WE APPRECIATE THE 1 MILLION FUNDING IN THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDATION, WE WANT TO PUSH THE COUNCIL TO BRING US CLOSE TO 3 MILLION, ESPECIALLY NOT BELOW THE 2.2 MILLION AL ALLOCATION FROM THE CURRENT YEAR. THIS IS THE TRUE COST OF PROTECTING IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES WHO WORK, STUDY, AND LIVE IN LONG BEACH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE INCREASE ATTACKS IN OUR COMMUNITIES. NOT ONLY ARE FAMILIES BEING SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER, BUT WORKING FAMILIES ARE BEING SEPARATED FROM THEIR BASIC SERVICES, HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND JOBS. SO I'M CALLING ON A COUNCIL TO STEP UP FOR ITS PEOPLE AND THEN FUND THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER ANITA AND THEN BRIAN. DAR, ANITA, BRIAN OR ANITA? ANITA? YEAH. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. UM, I, I LIVE, UH, RIGHT NEXT TO UM, UH, FIRE STATION 14 AND RECENTLY, UH, I'VE LIVED THERE FOR 40 YEARS. I'VE RAISED FOUR SONS THERE. UM, AND MY HUSBAND HAD THREE VERY CRITICAL EMERGENCY SITUATIONS AND IF IT HADN'T HAVE BEEN FOR FIRE STATION 14, I DON'T THINK HE WOULD'VE SURVIVED IT. THEY WERE THERE WITHIN LIKE FOUR MINUTES WITH THE PARAMEDIC UNIT AND THEY, THEY TOOK HIS BLOOD PRESSURE, THEY TOOK HIS BLOOD SUGAR, THEY MADE SURE HE WAS STABLE AND TOOK HIM DIRECTLY TO THE HOSPITAL. THIS HAPPENED THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. NOW, UM, MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I'VE BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME. HOWEVER, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND YOUNG FAMILIES MOVING INTO THE AREA AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CHILDREN ON BICYCLES AND SUCH AND, YOU KNOW, SKATEBOARDS. I CAN JUST IMAGINE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AND PEOPLE DRIVE RECKLESS RECKLESSLY. MA'AM, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. KIDS GET HIT AND THEN WHO, WHERE'S 14? MA'AM, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER. BRIAN DAR. PLEASE COME FORWARD. GOOD EVENING LIVE NINE BLOCKS FROM STATION 14. YOUR ON AUGUST 27TH. MEMO SAYS, REMOVING EDGE OF 14 MAKES FIRE RESPONSIBILITY AT COLORADO. NEARLY MINUTES SLOWER. THE SAVINGS IS $3.88 MILLION. THE PORT JUST HAD ITS BUSIEST YEAR IN 115 YEARS. 50 CENTS A CONTAINER WOULD COVER THIS ENGINE WOULD FUND IT. NOW HERE, THIS ON STE DEBA ROAD IN THIS DISTRICT, IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST LITHIUM ION BATTERY INSTALLATIONS IN THE WORLD. NEXT TO A GAS PLANT AT A HIGH SCHOOL YOU'VE APPROVED TO TRIPLE, UH, THE FACILITY AT THERE'S 1300 APARTMENTS MOVING IN DOWN THE STREET. OTAI MESA FIRE, MAY, 2024. IN SAN DIEGO, A BATTERY FACILITY STARTED BURNED FOR 60 DAYS. IT TOOK 8 MILLION GALLONS TO PUT IT OUT. LETHAL SIDE EYE GAS WAS IN [02:15:01] THE AREA WITHIN THREE HOURS OF THE STATE PRISON. NEXT DOOR WAS LOCKED DOWN. UH, IF YOU PROPOSED A PRISON HERE, YOU'D NEVER HAVE YET PASSED THE FIRST READING. INSTEAD, UH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, UH, TRIPLING THE BATTERY PLANT AND TAKING AWAY THE EDGE OF IT. COVERS IT. AN AMBULANCE CANNOT FIGHT THAT FIRE. SIR, YOUR TIME CONCLUDED. THANKS. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA C PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. LAURA C. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL MEMBERS. YES, I'M HERE TO ALSO VOICE OPPOSITION AGAINST THE ELIMINATION OF ENGINE 14. IT JUST, IT'S A DECISION THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE, THAT IT'S NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE. YOU HAVE INCREASED THE POPULATION DENSITY IS SECOND AND PCH. THERE'S OVER 1200 HOUSING UNITS BEING BUILT AT THIS POINT AND, UH, YOU'RE CUTTING BACK ON THE ENGINE 14. IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. ADDITIONALLY, THE, THE DANGER POST, BUT BY THE A ES, UH, EMERGENCY BATTERY FACILITY POSES A POTENTIAL RISK THAT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC AND IT WOULD BE MORE, MORE COSTLY TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TO DEAL WITH A CATASTROPHE OF THAT SORT THAN IT WOULD BE TO PAY TO MAINTAIN ENGINE 14. THEREFORE, I'M VOICING MY OPPOSITION. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS KAYA BETH, AND THEN LA LAMONT N NEN. THE NEXT SPEAKERS AFTER THAT ARE MADISON DODD, PHILIP HANLIN, ANGELA ERIC GARCIA, DENISE TAPIA, MARIA DOLORES, CARLOS V AND AMBER NORMAN. FERNANDO ACEVEDO, IF YOU CAN LINE UP AT THE LECTERN NEXT SPEAKER, KAI BETH. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, KI SANCHEZ, I'M THE HEALTH JUSTICE MANAGER WITH, OR I'M HERE TO DEMAND THE CITY RAISE STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND TO $3 MILLION. UM, ICE CONTINUES TO TERRORIZE OUR COMMUNITIES EVERY SINGLE DAY. UM, AND IT'S NOT GONNA END ANYTIME SOON. AS WE'VE CLEARLY SEEN. THE GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO IMPLEMENT TACTICS THAT ARE GONNA CONTINUE HARMING AND SEPARATING FAMILIES. AND SO LONG BEACH NEEDS TO BE READY, UM, FOR WHEN THEY COME TO OUR CITY AND THEY TRY TO SEPARATE FAMILIES AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT SUPPORT READY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, FAMILIES HAVE BEEN TERRORIZED BY ICE LONG BEFORE THE RAISED IN THE RAIDS INCREASED LAST YEAR, WHICH IS WHY COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO ADVOCATE FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND IN 2018. AND YET EIGHT YEARS LATER, WE'RE STILL HERE HAVING TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS PROGRAM IS A LIFELINE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, AND OUR COMMUNITY, LIKE I MENTIONED, KNOWS, UM, THE IMPACTS OF THIS EVERY DAY AND THEY ALSO KNOW THE IMPACT OF THIS PROGRAM AND THE PROGRAM AND THE IMPACT THAT THIS PROGRAM HAS HAD TO OUR GREATER LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. UM, AND SO AGAIN, I'M HERE TO DEMAND THAT YOU ALL SUPPORT, UM, $3 MILLION TO THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING IMMIGRANT FAMILIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. UH, YOU'VE HEARD DIRECTLY FROM OUR FIREFIGHTERS, RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT WHAT THEY SAID, I JUST WANNA MAKE IT CLEAR. AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR LONG BEACH FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 3 7 2 THAT OUR POSITION IS CLEAR, UH, WE ARE FIGHTING TO SAVE AND KEEP ENGINE 14 IN SERVICE. WE RECOGNIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY FINANCIAL CHALLENGES FACING THE CITY AND THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS BEFORE YOU. BUT THE OPERATIONAL NEED FOR ENGINE 14 DID NOT DISAPPEAR BECAUSE OUR FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGED. WE ARE ASKING THE CITY TO EXHAUST EVERY REASONABLE FUNDING AND BUDGETARY ALTERNATIVE AVAILABLE TO THE CITY TO PRESERVE THIS FRONTLINE RESOURCE BEFORE THE BUDGET IS FINALIZED. AND WE SHOULD ALSO BE CLEAR, A DIFFICULT BUDGET YEAR SHOULD NOT BECOME THE JUSTIFICATION FOR A PERMANENT REDUCTION IN THE LEVEL OF FIRE PROTECTION THIS COMMUNITY DESERVES. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS MADISON DOD AND THEN PHILLIP HANLIN. AND ANGELA, COME FORWARD PLEASE. MADISON DODD, YOU HAD SKIPPED ME. I'M SORRY. YOUR NAME SKIP ME. MONICA LEE. MONICA LEE, PLEASE PROCEED. OKAY, MAYOR COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER. MY NAME IS MONICA LEE, TRUSTEE OF THE CITY'S LARGEST EMPLOYEE UNION. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE I AM FRONTLINE WORKERS. UM, I'M ALSO A 24 YEAR CITY EMPLOYEE AND, UH, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FOUR. SO THE CITY CLAIMS THAT DEFICIT REQUIRES CUTTING MANY I AM IAM POSITIONS AND OUTSOURCING OUR CROSSING GUARDS. BUT THE TRUE SHARED SACRIFICE IS MISSING HERE. WE'VE SEEN PRESENTATIONS TALK ABOUT CUTTING SERVICES AND, UM, FRONTLINE WORKERS. BASED ON OUR LAST DEMOGRAPHIC REPORT, 48% OF OUR MEMBERS ARE LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. 72% OF I AM IAM WORKERS EARNED BELOW THE THE REGIONAL LOW INCOME THRESHOLD. [02:20:01] OUR LAST CONTRACT IAM EMPLOYEES RECEIVED ONE 2% RAISES. MEANWHILE, EXECUTIVES AND MANAGERS ENJOY SALARIES EXCEEDING 200 K PADDED WITH AUTOMATIC INFLATION INCREASES 85% OF OUR SCHOOL. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MADISON DODD, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. ARE YOU IN PERSON, MADISON? YES, PLEASE PROCEED. AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN LONG BEACH, THERE CAN BE MANY CHALLENGES. SOME OF US SPEND ALL DAY WONDERING WHERE TO GO TO COLLEGE WHEN OUR HOMEWORK IS DUE. WHO'RE GONNA ASK THE HOMECOMING. HOWEVER, SOME STUDENTS ARE, SOME STUDENTS WONDER HOW THEY'RE GONNA PAY FOR LEGAL FEES AFTER THEIR MOTHER WAS TAKEN BY ICE. THEY WONDER WHERE THEY'RE GONNA LIVE AFTER THEY'VE BEEN EVICTED. THEY WONDER TONIGHT IF THEY'RE GONNA SLEEP UNDER THE STARS OR UNDER A ROOF. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN IN THE LONG BEACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE CHILDREN GO UNHOUSED UNNOTICED. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS. BY DISTRIBUTING $2.2 MILLION TO EXPAND THE TENANT'S RIGHT TO COUNSEL PROGRAM, A FAMILY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TAKEN OUT OF A HOME. BY GIVING $3 MILLION TO THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND, FAMILIES CAN GAIN LEGAL ACCESS IN THE UNNERVING, IN OUR UNNERVING TIMES AND TO THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY LAND TRUST. SO INDIVIDUALS ALL OVER LONG BEACH CAN HAVE A UN CAN. SORRY ALL OVER LONG BEACH CAN HAVE A WARM ROOF, NOT A TENT. I AM MADISON DOD, A YOUTH LEADER WITH CALIFORNIA'S FOR JUSTICE AND AN LL RESIDENT. LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE AND PLEASE INVEST IN US. YAY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. PHILIP HANLIN. AND THEN ANGELA PHILIP HANLIN. PHILIP? YES. GOOD EVENING. PUBLIC SAFETY. TWO WORDS SHOULD NOT, SHOULD CARRY A DIFFERENT WEIGHT THAN ALMOST ANYTHING IN THIS BUILDING. I'M A LONG BEACH FIREFIGHTER AND PARAMEDIC. FOR 20 YEARS I'VE LIVED HALF MY LIFE WITH MY FAMILY AND HALF LIVING IN LONG BEACH FIREHOUSES. RESPONDING TO 9 1 1 CALLS 24 HOURS AT A TIME ALONGSIDE ALL OF YOU. ON YOUR WORST DAYS, LONG BEACH WAS A DESTINATION FIRE DEPARTMENT. TODAY, FIREFIGHTERS ARE LEAVING. WE ALREADY HAVE LESS FIRE ENGINES THAN WHEN I STARTED AND WE'RE RUNNING 70 TO 80% MORE CALLS NOW IT IS ABSURD TO THINK YOU ACTUALLY INTEND TO TAKE AWAY ANOTHER FIRE ENGINE. OUR SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE EXCESS CAPACITY IF ENGINE 14 IS GONE, OTHER ENGINES ALREADY ON CALLS IN THEIR AREAS. WHEN A BABY IS NOT BREATHING, SOMEONE HAS A HEART ATTACK OR A FAMILY IS TRAPPED BY FIRE, THOSE PEOPLE WILL WAIT AND SECONDS DO MATTER. I WORK ON RESCUE FOUR REGULARLY AND RESCUE FOUR WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE DURING THE TIME OF NEED. IT'S A RESCUE, IT'S GOING TO BE ALL OVER THE CITY AND IT DOES NOT HAVE LADDERS OR FIRE HOSE. PLEASE PROTECT YOUR FIREFIGHTERS, PROTECT THE PEOPLE WE PROTECT AND DO NOT CLOSE. ENGINE 14. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. ANGELA, GOOD AFTERNOON TO ALL OF YOU. MY NAME IS ALA AND I'M HERE WITH ORES ASSOCIATION. I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE AND I'M HERE TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF $3 MILLION FOR THE JUSTIN FUND RIA. THIS FUNDING WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP FOR MANY FAMILIES SINCE A LAWYER CHARGES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND THESE FAMILIES WHO FOR THE MOST PART ARE LOW INCOME, CANNOT, UH, PAY FOR THESE SERVICES YEAR AFTER YEAR. WE'RE HERE TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE JUSTICE FUND. I HOPE THAT YOU ALSO CONSIDER MAKING THE JUSTICE FUND STRUCTURAL THIS YEAR. . THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER ERIC GARCIA. AFTER ERIC IS DENISE TAPIA AND MARIA DOLORES. HEY Y'ALL. UH, ERIC GARCIA. I'M THE ORGANIZING PROGRAM DIRECTOR WITH AND I'M HERE TO ASK FOR 2.2 MILLION [02:25:01] FOR THE TENANT'S RIGHT TO COUNSEL AND 200 K TOWARD THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, AS WELL AS $3 MILLION FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. UH, THE 2.2 THAT YOU ALLOCATED LAST YEAR WAS BEFORE THE, UH, RAMPING UP OF ICE OPERATIONS NOT ONLY IN LONG BEACH BUT IN THE REGION. AND SO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO REDUCE THE FUNDING LEVEL THIS YEAR WHEN THE NEED IS ONLY GONNA BE GREATER. UH, WE'RE ALRE, WE'RE ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH THE CURRENT CONTRACT. AND BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDER, PUBLIC COUNSEL BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY MET THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND DELIVERABLES FOR THAT CONTRACT, BUT CONTINUE TO DO CONSULTS. AND SO IF WE WERE COLLABORATING WITH SOMEBODY WHO WAS ONLY THERE TO MEET CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, THE SERVICES WOULD STOP. AND SO WE KNOW THE NEED IS THERE. IT HAS TO BE 3 MILLION. UH, AND LASTLY, UH, ON THE PARKING SITUATION, OUR FOLKS DEPEND ON THE TWO HOUR, UH, FREE PARKING AND THE STRUCTURE BY OUR OFFICE. WE'RE CENTRAL. WE PICKED THAT LOCATION STRATEGICALLY AND THE REDUCTION IN PARKING IS REALLY GONNA AFFECT OUR FOLKS ACCESSING CRITICAL SERVICES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. PLEASE PROCEED. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M RESIDENT OF NORTH LONG BEACH, ALSO A MOTHER. AND TODAY I'M ASKING YOU TO SUPPORT AND INVEST 3 MILLION OF DOLLARS FOR THE JUSTICE FUND TO PROVIDE LEGAL SUPPORT TO UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS WHO URGENTLY NEED IT. WE, WE DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE IN FEAR AND SINCE YOU GUYS HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TAKE EYES OUT OF OUR CITY, AT LEAST WE ASK TO INVEST 3 MILLION OF DOLLARS FOR DIGEST AND FUND AND BRING HOPE TO OUR FAMILY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, MARIA DELORES. CARLOS V AMBER, NORMAN, MARIA, CARLOS V AMBER NORMAN. ALRIGHT. UH, HELLO CARLOS, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT EIGHT HERE WITH HERE TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR THE ALLOCATION OF 2.2 MILLION FOR THE TENANT RIGHT TO COUNCIL PROGRAM, 200,000 FOR THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND $3 MILLION IN STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. WE MIGHT NOT ALWAYS SEE IT THE SAME WAY AS WE DID SAY ABOUT A YEAR AGO, BUT WE KNOW THAT ISIS VIOLENCE CONTINUES AND THEY'RE PREPARING TO RAMP IT UP. OUR MOST VULNERABLE ARE AT RISK AND WE ARE AT RISK OF LEAVING THEM BEHIND IF WE DO NOT PROPERLY FUND THESE RESOURCES THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS. UH, ONE KEY WAY TO KEEP SHOWING UP FROM YOUR FAMILIES IS BY ENSURING THAT LOCAL FAMILIES CAN CONNECT TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION. WE KNOW THAT THE NEED IS ONLY GOING TO INCREASE AND IMMIGRATION ATTORNEYS ARE NOT ONLY NOT PROVIDED BY A LAWYER, BUT THEY'RE HARDER TO GET AND PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. STATISTICS SHOW THAT REPRESENTATION MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOMES. PEOPLE WITHOUT REPRESENTATION ARE SIGNIFI SIMPLY SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO LOSE. AND IN THIS CASE, THESE LOSSES LEAD TO FAMILY SEPARATION, INSTABILITY, HUNGER, AND EVEN THE LOSS OF JOBS AND HOMES. THESE ARE LIVES THAT ARE AT RISK. THE DECK IS STACKED AGAINST THESE FAMILIES AND PROPERLY FUNDING THE RESOURCES LIKE THE JUSTICE FUND IS HOW YOU CAN HELP ENSURE BETTER OUTCOMES FOR THE PEOPLE OF OUR CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER IS FERNANDO ACEVEDO, ASMAN, CARMEN FLA MARGO, ANY OF THOSE SPEAKERS? I THINK SHE WAS NEXT. AMBER. AMBER. YEAH. AND FERNANDO, YOU'LL GO AFTER THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS AMBER NORMAN. I'VE LIVED IN LONG BEACH FOR 24 YEARS. I AM A MANAGER AT YOGA 1 0 8, OWNED BY MOLLY DAVIDSON. IT'S ON THIRD STREET HERE, DOWNTOWN DISTRICT ONE, LOTS A, B, AND C AND CITY PLACE PARKING USED TO BE TWO HOURS FREE IN THE 10 YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN OPEN AND IT'S NOW CHANGED TO ONLY ONE HOUR FREE. THIS IS WHERE OUR CLIENTS PARK. OUR BUSINESS SURVIVES BY CLIENTS ATTENDING THE STUDIO MULTIPLE TIMES WEEKLY AND STAYING AT OUR BUSINESS FOR OVER THE HOUR GRACE PERIOD TO TAKE CLASSES. AND MANY CLIENTS HAVE STATED IN THE 10 YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN OPEN THAT THE GRACE PERIOD OF UH, TWO HOURS HAS BEEN THE SELLING POINT FOR BECOMING A MEMBER. AND WE HAVE MANY CLIENTS WHO ATTEND ABOUT FIVE TIMES WEEKLY, WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE TO PAY APPROXIMATELY $40 EXTRA PER MONTH. THAT'S $480 PER YEAR IN PARKING FOR OUR CLIENTS. UM, BRINGING OUR MEMBERSHIP FROM AFFORDABLE TO NO LONGER AFFORDABLE FOR MANY. WE'VE ALREADY HAD A NUMBER OF MEMBERSHIP CANCELLATIONS AS A RESULT OF THE CHANGE AND THEY'RE BRINGING THEIR ELSE, THEIR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE. UM, LONG BEACH WAS NAMED MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY CITY IN LOS ANGELES. THE CHANGE IN THE PARKING LOTS GRACE PERIOD IS EVIDENCE THAT ACTIONS ARE NOT ALIGNING WITH CLAIMS AND ACCOLADES. MA'AM, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. WE ASKED FOR 90 MINUTES FREE. CAN I GET THE SPEAKER PLEASE? THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS TO LINE UP AT THE LECTERN ASMAN. CAMERON, MARGO, DIEGO MAYAN, ANTHONY BRYSON AND JOE MASSEY. PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. THANK YOU. HELLO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS FERNANDO [02:30:01] VEDO, COMMUNITY LAWYER WITH OR, AND BEFORE YOU ONCE AGAIN, ADVOCATING FOR 3 MILLION FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. AS WE NEAR THE END OF BUDGET SEASON, I KNOW YOU ARE FACING TOUGH DECISIONS. I KNOW OUR ASK IN PARTICULAR IS A TOUGH ONE TO REACH. HOWEVER WE NEED A JUSTICE FUND, OUR LOCAL IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY CAN DEPEND UPON WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVING BILLIONS TO EXPAND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND THE FACT THAT THIS PAST JULY ICE CARRIED OUT THE LARGEST NUMBER OF ARRESTS SINCE PRESIDENT TRUMP'S RETURN TO OFFICE HITTING NEARLY 50,000 ARRESTS FOR THE MONTH AND IN JULY APPREHENDING ON AVERAGE 1,500 PEOPLE AND DEPORTING 1,100 PER DAY. UM, LONG BEACH MUST BE PREPARED. WE APPRECIATE THE MAYOR'S 1 MILLION RECOMMENDATION AND FURTHER CITY COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL FUNDING, BUT ADDITIONAL FUNDS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED FALLING BELOW 2.2 MILLION. UH, THE EVENTUAL ALLOCATION FOR LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND LAST YEAR WOULD BE A DISSERVICE TO OUR LOCAL IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. SO WE ASK YOU TO AUGMENT FUNDING TO THE JUSTICE FUND. LASTLY, I'M SHARING SUPPORT FOR CITY WORKERS FACING LAYOFFS, OUR LIBRARIES AND BUDGET PRIORITIES FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS, INCLUDING 2.2 MILLION FOR RIGHT TO COUNCIL AND 200,000 IN COUNTY MEASURE A FUNDS FOR CLT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, ASMAN, COME FORWARD. YES. YES. BEACH. HELLO, MY NAME IS ASIN ALCARAZ AND I'M A LONG BEACH RESIDENT BELONGING TO DISTRICT NINE. TODAY I ASK YOU THAT YOU APPOINT $3 MILLION TO THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. UH, IN THE LAST YEAR, THE ICE RAID HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. OUR COMMUNITY AND MANY OF OUR LOVED ONES REMAIN IN DETENTION CENTERS, ATTEMPTING TO CONFRONT ILLEGAL SYSTEM ALL BY THEMSELVES. AND FIA THE JUSTICE FUND HAS HELPED GUARANTEED FOR FAMILIES WHO HAVE ACCESS TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION DURING IMMIGRATION RELATED PROCESSES. THIS COULD MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CLOSE KNIT FAMILY, UH, OR SOMEONE BEING DEPORTED. I ASK THAT YOU APPOINT $3 MILLION TO THE JUSTICE FUND TO ASSIST THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY CAN FEEL SAFE IN OUR, UH, IN OUR CITY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS MARGO. THANK YOU JAIME. IF YOU CAN STAY MARGO AND AFTER MARGO IS IRMA MARGO AL. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS MARGO ALCARAZ. I'M A MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER. THE INVESTMENT IN THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO OFFER SERVICES THAT WOULD ASSIST RESIDENTS IN ORDER TO PREVENT DEPORTATION PROCEDURES THROUGH PROGRAMS SUCH AS YOU AND T VISA VISAS, UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE VICTIMS OF CRIME AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING. WHENEVER THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY ACHIEVES STABLE LEGAL STATUS, EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM THIS. SINCE IT DIMINISHES COMMUNITY TRAUMA AND INCREASES ECONOMIC STABILITY, THE FUND HAS DEMONSTRATED ITS WORTH AND IT NOW NEEDS SUSTAINABLE FINANCING THAT ADJUSTS TO ITS NEEDS AND LONG BEACH. [02:35:01] WE NEED $3 MILLION IN NEW STRUCTURAL FINANCING FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. MY NAME IS, UH, IMA FERREIRA, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE FUNDS. I'M ASKING FOR YOU TO APPROVE. I BRING THIS LETTER WITH ME, UM, THAT ASKED FOR $3 MILLION FOR THE LUMPING JUSTICE FUND. 2.2 MILLION FOR THE TENANT'S RIGHT TO COUNCIL AND 200 FOR MILLION $202,000 FOR THE UH, LONG BEACH CLT. THE COMMUNITY SENT OUT, UH, 1500, UH, OF THESE LETTERS TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT WE ALL NEED TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND THESE FUNDS WILL HELP DO SO. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS CAMERON. CAN I GIVE THIS TO REX ESON? YOU CAN GIVE IT TO, YOU CAN LEAVE IT OVER HERE WITH US AND WE'LL MAKE SURE HE GETS THAT. IF YOU CAN GO BEHIND. SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. IT'S OKAY. FIRST TIME. NEXT SPEAKER CAMERON AND THEN DIEGO MAYAN. ANTHONY BRYSON AND JOE MOSEY. CAMERON. CAMERON, PLEASE COME FORWARD. I'M ON CAMERA, BUT I THINK HE SKIPPED DIEGO. YOU MIGHT. OH, CAN I JUST, OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. IF YOU CAN SAY YOUR NAME PLEASE. OKAY. HELLO. FIRST TIME HERE, UH, SOCHI. MY PRONOUNS ARE THEY THEM AND I AM A TEEN SERVICES LIBRARY AID THAT WORKS AT THE BILLIE JEAN KING LIBRARY NEXT DOOR. UM, IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THAT LONG BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION IS PLEDGING $750,000, UH, OVER A COURSE OF THREE, UH, THREE YEARS TO KEEP LIBRARIES OPEN ON MONDAYS. AND YOU'LL IDENTIFY A STRUCTURAL FUNDING TO PAY FOR RESTORATIONS. BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET CUTS AND LAYOFFS FOR LIBRARY STAFF? UM, A MAJORITY OF THE FOLKS WHO WORK, UM, FOR THE LIBRARY IF THE CUTS WERE MADE WOULD BE NON-CAREER PART-TIME. UH, LIBRARY STAFF SUCH AS MYSELF, I DO NOT MAKE A LIVABLE WAGE. I DON'T MAKE ENOUGH TO PAY FOR MY GROCERIES. I DON'T MAKE ENOUGH TO COVER MY RENT. AND, UM, THIS IS A REALLY BIG CONCERN BECAUSE YOU ARE THEN ASKING TO CUT, UM, THE LIVABLE WAGES OF THESE PEOPLE TOO. SO, UM, IF YOU'RE GONNA KEEP LIBRARIES OPEN, MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO WORK IT ARE NOT OVER EXTENDED AND ABLE TO LIVE HERE IN LONG BEACH. NEW TIMES CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. NEXT WEEK IS CAMERON AND THEN DIEGO, ANTHONY BRYSON AND JOE MAISIE. PLEASE COME FORWARD IF I CALLED YOUR NAME. UH, HELLO. MY NAME IS DIEGO MAY. I'M THE RAPID RESPONSE ORGANIZER WITH . UM, AND I'M THE PERSON THAT REFERS FOLKS OVER TO THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND, UM, ON BEHALF OF OUR ORGANIZATION, UM, HAVING A LOVED ONE DETAINED BY IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT COMPLETELY DERAILS, UH, THE LIVES OF THE FA THE LIVES OF FAMILIES ON SO MANY LEVELS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS GONE ON RECORD SAYING THAT THEY WANT TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO EXIST AS AN IMMIGRANT IN THE UNITED STATES. AND YOU CAN SEE IT, HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS ARE BEING CUT, SOCIAL PROGRAMS ARE BEING CUT, HOUSING PROTECTIONS ARE BEING WEAKENED. AND THE MOST TWO COMMON THINGS THAT I HEAR FROM OUR COMMUNITY, UM, IN LONG BEACH IS THAT THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND IS A BLESSING TO HAVE BECAUSE OTHERWISE PEOPLE WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO ORIENT THEMSELVES IN THIS SITUATION, BUT ALSO THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD, UM, FOOD OR RENT ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY PAID A LAWYER, UM, UPWARDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND THAT HAS IMPACTED THEIR, UH, FINANCIAL STABILITY. AND HAVING ACCESS TO FREE LEGAL CONSULTATIONS AND SERVICES MEANS THE FAMILY WON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GROCERIES FOR A WEEK, UH, BUT THEN ALSO, UM, OR A LAWYER FOR EXAMPLE. AND ALSO WHEN I URGE THE CITY, UM, TO INCREASE THE FUNDING FOR THE JUSTICE CENTER TO 3 MILLION. AND I APPRECIATE THE 1 MILLION IN YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. UH, MARY. [02:40:01] HEY CINDY ALLEN, I CAME JUST TO SPEAK TO YOU. LIKE I TOLD YOU, I'M A MAN OF MY WORD. I TOLD YOU I WOULD APOLOGIZE IN FRONT OF THE COUNSEL FOR STATING HERE THAT YOU SHOT AN UNARMED BLACK MAN, WHICH WAS INCORRECT. THE FACTS WERE THAT YOU SHOT A MAN WHO WAS JUST ROBBED AND BEAT UP BY TWO WOMEN, AND YOU, UH, ARRIVED TO THAT SCENE. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET AND POLICING WHEN WE SEE THAT OFFICERS LIKE CINDY ALLEN AND OTHER OFFICERS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA LONG BEACH AND NATIONWIDE PROLIFERATE IN SHOOTING AND KILLING UNARMED INDIVIDUALS. WE NEED TO DEFUND THE POLICE, NOT DEFUND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. NEVER ONCE HAVE I HEARD ANYONE SAY DEFUND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. LET'S START BY DEFUNDING THE POLICE. $19.5 MILLION OUT OF LONG BEACH PD IS NOT ENOUGH WHEN THEY ARE THE OVERBEARING CAUSE TO THE DEFICIT WHEN WE'RE PAYING OFF LAWSUITS FOR THEIR WRONGDOING. ALSO, WE NEED TO GET RID OF A CITY MANAGER WHO UPHOLDS WHITE SUPREMACY AND ACKNOWLEDGE A BLACK PERSON LIKE TAMIKA WAGNER AS CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU. IS CAMERON HERE? CAMERON, HAVE YOU SIGNED, IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE WHO SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM WHOSE NAME WAS NOT CALLED? THERE ARE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS WHO SIGNED UP FOR SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT TO TALK ABOUT BUDGET ITEMS. IF YOU ARE HERE TO TALK ON THE BUDGET, PLEASE COME FORWARD. SIR, PLEASE COME FORWARD IF YOU'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET. CALLING MY NAME EARLIER YOU, YOU SKIPPED ME. I'M SORRY. I'M JOE MASSEY JOE, ABSOLUTELY. COME FORWARD, JOE, YOU WERE. COME FORWARD, JOE. APPRECIATE IT. YEP. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR AND COUNSEL. UH, IN FEBRUARY IN 2024, A FIRE BROKE OUT AT STONY BROOK VILLAS AT 7:50 PM WITHIN 27 MINUTES, EDGE IN 14 HAD CONTAINED WHAT BECAME A THREE ALARM FIRE. BY 8:17 PM IT WAS UNDER CONTROL. OUR BUILDING STOOD AND OUR COMMUNITY SAVED. THAT 27 MINUTE WINDOW FROM IGNITION TO CONTAINMENT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONTAINED INCIDENT AND A TOTAL LOSS. ENGINE 14 RESPONDS TO OUR COMMUNITY IN UNDER FOUR MINUTES, THAT SPEED SAVES. THIS ISN'T OUR FIRST CLOSE CALL THOUGH STONY BROOK HAS SAVED US FACED TWO MAJOR FIRES IN RECENT YEARS. EACH TIME THE RAPID RESPONSE FROM ENGINE 14 MEANT WE COULD REBUILD, NOT START FROM SCRATCH. EACH TIME LIVES AND HOMES WERE SPARED REBUILDING AFTER FIRES OF STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. OUR 471 RESIDENTS HAVE ALREADY ENDURED THAT TWICE. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE RESPONSE TIME THAT WAS KEPT, THAT HAS KEPT US SAFE. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LEARN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ENGINE 14 IS NOT THERE. AND ESPECIALLY I'D LIKE TO THANK COUNCILWOMAN DOGAN FOR YOUR SUPPORT AT STONY BROOK. THANK YOU. WOO. THANK YOU. HI THERE. DARREN CARSON LIVED IN LONG BEACH MY ENTIRE LIFE. I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND, UH, THEIR EXCELLENT PROFESSIONALISM. I LIVED IN ALAMITOS HEIGHTS. UH, I HAD A FIRE LAST YEAR IN JANUARY. THEY CAME OVER, UH, SAVED MY HOUSE, SAVED MY WIFE AND MY DAUGHTER WHO WERE INSIDE. AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY BAD DECISION IF YOU GUYS REALLY SHORTSIGHTED. LIKE SOMEBODY SAID BEFORE, IF YOU GUYS WERE TO, UH, SHUT DOWN ENGINE 14, IT WOULD BE A HUGE MISTAKE. UH, I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE IT AND, AND FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF IT MYSELF, UH, AFTERWARDS, BUT WITHOUT THEIR HELP, UH, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE IN A WORLD OF HURT AND I'D HATE TO SEE A LAWSUIT, ANOTHER LAWSUIT FOR THIS CITY OR ANOTHER POOR DECISION MADE BY YOU GUYS. SO, UH, I WOULD REALLY THINK HARD ABOUT THAT. I THINK IT'S A BIG PUSH THIS EVENING. SO, UH, FOR ME PERSONALLY, THANK YOU FOR THE LONG BEACH, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT. I OWE THEM A LOT. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE RIGHT NOW. SO, UH, REALLY CONSIDER THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY. I AM HERE IN OPPOSITION TO CLOSING ENGINE 14. WE'VE ALREADY PAID FOR AND PREPARED FOR THIS DAY. MEASURE A WAS PASSED IN 2016, A 1% SALES TAX INCREASE THAT HAS PAID FOR DAILY BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE VOTERS WERE WILLING TO RAISE TAXES ON THEMSELVES FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. THE STATEMENT, THE HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SAFETY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IS STILL FOUND TODAY ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. WHEN I LOOKED UP HOW THE MEASURE A FUNDS TO BE SPENT, THE FIRST THING MENTIONED PUBLIC SAFETY. ADDITIONALLY, A PORTION OF THESE MONIES THAT CITIZENS TAX THEMSELVES ON WAS TO BE DEPOSITED INTO A SPECIAL RAINY DAY FUND. TO QUOTE, HELP BALANCE FUTURE GENERAL FUND SHORTFALLS. IT'S EVIDENT THAT TAX PAYING CITIZENS VOTED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AS A PRIORITY. YET HERE WE ARE WITH POTENTIAL CUTS TO ENGINE 14. REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP TONIGHT AND SPEAK, AND HOW MUCH PRESSURE YOU RECEIVE, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE TAXPAYERS HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN FOR AND CLEARLY DIS DISPLAYED THAT PUBLIC SAFETY IS THEIR PRIORITY AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE. SIR, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. [02:45:05] GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ELMER DAVID GONZALEZ. I'M A SPECIAL SERVICE OFFICER HERE AT THE LONG BEACH JAIL. AND I WANT TO CONTINUE SPEAKING ABOUT THE HAZARDS I AM MEMBERS FACE, PARTICULARLY IN THE JAIL FOR JAIL EMPLOYEES AND EXPOSURES TO BLOOD, BONE PATHOGENS, BLOOD, UH, FECES, URINE VOMIT IS AN EVERYDAY THING. RECENTLY, 11 MEMBERS OF THE IM WERE EXPOSED TO MONKEYPOX, UH, NOW KNOWN AS OCX, UH, WHICH A SITUATION THAT HAPPENED IN OUR JAIL AND A CDC BECAME, UH, INVOLVED. THIS IS CONCERNING AS THEY RAISED CONCERNS OF, UH, TIMELY, UM, NOTIFICATION TO OUR EMPLOYEES. THE RISKS. THESE RISKS ARE NOT LIMITED TO JUST THE JAIL, THOUGH IT'S LIMIT. IT'S FOR ALL EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE TO FACE THESE, UH, EXTRAORDINARY EXPOSURES. LIBRARIANS, SPECIAL SERVICE OFFICERS AND ALL FIELDS. BUT, UH, HARBOR PATROL, UM, OTHER IM MEMBERS. SO WE ARE ASKING NOT, UH, WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR FEDERAL FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT. WE ARE ASKING THAT THE CITY RECOGNIZE THAT THESE RISKS. SIR, YOUR TIMES CONCLUDED ARE IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. MAYOR, MY NAME IS RICHARD AND I HAVE SERVED THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AS AN AIRPORT PEACE OFFICER FOR 18 YEARS. I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE MY PEACE OFFICER STATUS WAS REVOKED AND THAT CHANGE IS NOT JUST A PERSONAL ISSUE. IT REPRESENTS A PERMANENT SHIFT IN HOW THE CITY TREATS THE PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP EVERY DAY TO KEEP THIS COMMUNITY SAFE AND RUNNING. THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THAT DECISION NOW, NOT LATER. I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY AND I AM UNION THAT HAS BEEN DOING DURING CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. THEY MET WITH THE CITY MORE THAN 10 TIMES. AND I KNOW YOU'RE, THEY'RE FIGHTING THROUGH THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS AND FUNDING CHALLENGES. BUT TODAY I NEED TO FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION AND IMMEDIATE PERSONNEL ISSUE BECAUSE IT AFFECTS SAFETY, RETENTION, AND THE LONG-TERM STABILITY OF OUR WORKFORCE. I'M NOT HAVE, I'M NOT HERE TO CRITICIZE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE, THAT WHILE THEIR BUDGET IS THE LARGEST IN THE LONG BEACH, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE ALL CITY WORKERS, ESPECIALLY UNION MEMBERS, AREN'T BEING LEFT BEHIND WHEN IT COMES TO THE WAGES AND FAIR TREATMENT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, INVESTING IN WORKERS IS INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY. AND JUST LIKE ANY WORKPLACE, WHEN EMPLOYEES FEEL UNDERVALUED, THEY TAKE THEIR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'VE SEEN CERTAIN TIMES CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. ALRIGHT, SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND PARTICIPATED IN PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. UH, CERTAINLY, UH, UH, A MASSIVE, UH, TURNOUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'RE GONNA ASK, UH, STAFF TO PREPARE FOR COUNCIL QUESTION. JUST, UH, A FEW REACTIONS. FIRST OF ALL, TO THE FOLKS WHO TALKED ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE, THERE WAS A MEMO SUBMITTED OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS THAT SAID THAT THE, UH, THE DECISION, UH, TO INCREASE WAS PUSHED BACK TO OCTOBER ONE. SO IT IS NOT, UH, THE PARKING RATE HAS NOT GONE UP YET. UH, AND THE CITY COUNCIL HAS SOME OPTIONS TO CONSIDER. SO SOME OPTIONS WERE PRESENTED. SO THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE COMING WEEKS. BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE PARKING RATE, THE TWO HOURS HAS NOT CHANGED, UH, TO ALL THE RESIDENTS WHO CAME OUT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT. I HEARD A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT, UH, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, ENGINE 14. AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, FOCUS, UH, LOOK, I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE A, A, A RESOURCE. WE DEALT WITH, UH, RESCUE 12 IN NORTH LONG BEACH, AND IT WAS DIFFICULT AND WE FOUGHT AGAINST THAT. SO JUST SO WE DON'T TAKE THIS, UH, LIGHTLY. SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK, UH, EVERY DAY TO TRY TO FIND A RESPONSIBLE SOLUTION, A RESPONSIBLE PATH FORWARD, UH, BECAUSE WE TAKE THIS VERY SERIOUSLY. SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE STAFF, THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, UH, OUR LABOR PARTNERS TO FIND WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE. SO WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT. UH, JUST I WANT TO, UH, JUST GO TO, UH, JUST KICK OFF SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HERE. UM, SO WHAT, WHAT A COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION. UH, WE KNOW THERE'S BUDGET CONSTRAINTS. WE ALSO, THAT YOU, YOU'RE DOING AN AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK. WORK. I WROTE DOWN 1,730 LANE MILES ACROSS THE TWO PROGRAMS. THAT'S AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF WORK, EVEN CONSIDERING CITIES WITHIN OUR OWN COUNTY STOPPED STREET WORK ALTOGETHER, UH, GIVEN THIS BUDGET CHALLENGE. AND SO THE FACT THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO FIND WAYS TO PAVE STREETS IS A BIG DEAL. THIS IS A BIG AMOUNT OF PROJECTS. UM, PALO VERDE PHOTOS ARE GREAT. I LOVE WHAT'S WHAT HAPPENED ON ARTESIA BOULEVARD MARKET STREET. UH, I TAKE MY KIDS TO SCHOOL DOWN CLARK. I'VE SEEN THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF CLARK GREAT WORK. SEE A LOT HAPPEN IN STUDEBAKER. UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO ANAHEIM PACIFIC, UH, AND ATLANTIC. AND AS YOU TALK ABOUT THAT, UM, AND A LOT OF THIS WORK BEING DONE BY 2028, SOME OF THOSE STREETS, AND IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME, WILL BE THE OLYMPIC TORCH PATH. YOU MAY ACTUALLY HAVE, UH, ALL NEW STREETS IN LONG BEACH THAT THE TORCH WILL ACTUALLY [02:50:01] GO THROUGH. 'CAUSE THE HOPE IS THAT WE GET THE TORCH TO COME FROM NORTH LONG BEACH ALL THE WAY THROUGH, RIGHT FROM JORDAN HIGH TO POLY HIGH. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UH, BUT THIS IS GREAT TO SEE THIS AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT IN THESE STREETS. UM, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, I, I I WANT TO JUST, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UM, UH, THE CONTRACT IN CONTRACT OUT DISCUSSION. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FOCUS IN RECENT YEARS. BEEN REALLY PROUD OF THAT CONTRACTING IN SLURRY SEAL AND CONTRACT WORK AND EXPANDING POTHOLES TO, TO CAPACITY TO DO THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF POTHOLES. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES CONTRACTING IN ACTUALLY SAVES US MONEY. SO AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH, UH, WITH, UH, THE CROSSING GUARDS, IF YOU SEE THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, BRING THAT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SO WE CAN KNOW ABOUT THAT. SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES PUBLIC EMPLOYEES DELIVER QUALITY SERVICES AND, AND IT ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY ARE MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE QUALITY, UH, THAN CONTRACT THAN OURS. SO THAT'S IMPORTANT JUST TO NOTE. UM, WE CERTAINLY NEED, UM, I, I'M, TOM, I'M GLAD, OR WHOEVER I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD YOU GUYS ARE DOING LED LIGHTS. UH, AND, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF A PILOT THERE, AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD A COPPER THEFT PROBLEM. UH, BUT IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING. JUST, JUST ADD A LITTLE MORE COLOR TO THIS. WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH SOLAR LIGHTS TO REDUCE THE COPPER THEFT, AND HOW, AND HOW ARE WE RESOURCING THAT PROGRAM? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. SO WE'RE, WE'RE DOING A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS. ONE, ON THE, TRYING TO ALLEVIATE THE THEFT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T STOP IT, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS HARDEN SOME OF OUR IN INFRASTRUCTURE TO TRY TO PREVENT IT AND WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR COLLEAGUES IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PREVENT FUTURE, UH, THEFT AND VANDALISM. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THE, ON THE PREVENTATIVE SIDE. UH, WHAT WE'RE ALSO DOING ON THE SOLAR SIDE, AS YOU NOTE, WE HAVE ROLLED OUT A PILOT PROGRAM AND WE'VE TESTED OUT A FEW DIFFERENT DEVICES TO SEE WHICH ONES WORK BEST, UH, WHICH ONES SUIT OUR NEEDS, AND ALLOW FOR US TO, UH, DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAINTAIN THESE THINGS INTO THE FUTURE. UH, WE HAVE SELECTED A DEVICE. THEY ARE ROUGHLY ABOUT THREE 30, $500 OR SO, UH, INSTALLED. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT DEPLOYING THOSE ON A WIDER BASIS IN AREAS THAT WE COULD PREVENT SOME OF THAT THEFT, RE REDUCE THE, THE NEED FOR COPPER IN THOSE AREAS AND, AND HOPEFULLY HELP TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE PROBLEM. SO AS PART OF THE BUDGET, WE ARE PROPOSING A MILLION DOLLARS TO BE ALLOCATED FOR THE PROGRAM. SO IF YOU DO DO THE MATH, IT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT 250 TO 280, UH, DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WE'D BE ABLE TO DEPLOY. AND THEN WE ARE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION REDUCTION MONEY THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY TO GO BACK AND SEE, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PROPOSE SHIFTING, UH, PRIORITIES TO TRY TO PUT SOME MORE MONEY INTO THAT PROJECT. SO WE'RE, UH, DOING THAT ANALYSIS. WELL, I'M GREAT TO, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE MAKING THAT PROGRESS. UM, OTHER CITIES ARE, ARE TAKING A LOOK AT THIS AS WELL, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IT TAKES TO REPLACE THAT STOLEN COPPER. UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT MUCH MORE TO JUST SIMPLY ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM BY GOING SOLAR. WE KNOW THERE'S CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE CANOPY. THERE HAS TO ACTUALLY BE SUNLIGHT, NOT OBSTRUCTED, UH, SUNLIGHT, BUT IT, IT SAVES, IT SAVES RESOURCES AND IT'S A SMART INVESTMENT. SO WE WANT, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THAT. I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL. SO WE'RE GONNA GO, UH, TO COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SOTE. UH, THANKS MAYOR. AND, UH, THANKS. PUBLIC WORKS FOR, UM, WHAT I KNOW WAS A LOT OF TALKING AND A LOT OF PRESENTATION ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. 'CAUSE YOU GUYS DO A TON OF WORK IN THE CITY, AND SO WE ARE APPRECIATIVE. UM, I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF POINTS OF CLARIFICATION. UM, AND THEN A FEW, UH, QUESTIONS. UM, WITH THE SLIDE DECK, COULD WE BRING THE, THE SLIDE DECK UP? WELL, ACTUALLY THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT ONES. UH, I THINK THE ONE I WANT IS THE, UM, NOT THE, WHAT WAS THE LA I'M LIKE, I FORGET WHICH ONE YOU DID. I FORGOT WHICH FIRST WORKS. AND C-I-P-C-I-P-I THINK IT'S CI THINK I WANT CIP. THE OPERATING BUDGET WAS THE FIRST PRESENTATION, AND THE CIP BUDGET WAS THE SECOND PRESENTATION. THINK HOW MANY SLIDES DOES CIP HAVE? SIX. SIX. YEAH. I THINK IT WAS CIP . I HAVE SLIDE NUMBERS, BUT I FAILED TO SAY TO TELL MYSELF WHICH SLIDE DECK I WAS TALKING ABOUT. SO I WAS LOOKING FOR SLIDE 53 AND I THINK IT WAS CIP. GIVE THEM JUST ONE MOMENT. THEY'LL BE OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH, I THINK IT WAS THAT ONE. SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, I'M GONNA LOOK IT AT MY SCREEN SO I DON'T HAVE TO LIKE, STRUCTURE, LIKE HURT MY NECK. SO I, I, UM, I, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT, UM, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR BUDGET 0.3, WHERE YOU SAID, OH, THE PROJECT'S COMPLETED AND I CAPTURED ABOVE. 33 PROJECTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITH $122.3 MILLION EXPENDED COMPARED TO THE $133.7 MILLION IN BUDGET, WHICH IS 91% OF [02:55:01] THE BUDGET EXPENDED. SO TO ME, THAT COMMUNICATES THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING SOME OF THESE PROJECTS UNDER, UNDER BUDGET. RIGHT. UM, AND SO CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT ARE THE EFFICIENCIES THAT PUBLIC WORKS IS USING TO DO SOME OF THAT KIND OF WORK? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND WE, WE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF PUBLISHING, UH, A MEMO, UH, THAT'LL BE COMING OUT HERE, UH, MOMENTARILY THAT WILL HAVE MORE DETAILS AS TO HOW THESE NUMBERS ARE DERIVED. BUT IN ESSENCE, YES, WE DELIVER MANY PROJECTS, UM, ON TIME UNDER BUDGET. UH, WE DO HAVE SOME THAT HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN THE MEDIA RECENTLY. SOME, SOME INFORMATION HAS BEEN, UM, ERRONEOUS THAT WE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING AT CORRECTING. UM, BUT OVERALL, MANY OF OUR PROJECTS DO COME IN ON, ON TIME, AND MANY OF 'EM COME IN UNDER BUDGET WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE AGGREGATE PROGRAM AS A WHOLE. SO, AS, AS YOU, UM, NOTED, WE'RE TRACKING 99% COMPLETION OF ALL OF OUR STREETS, UH, THAT THOSE ARE ESSENTIALLY ALL ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET. YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE 1% OF PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE A LITTLE BIT MORE RESTORATION THAT ARE BEING CARRIED FORWARD, UH, BUT OVERALL A PRETTY GOOD SUCCESS RATE. UM, SO WHAT, WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY ON TRACK FOR 138 OF OUR 150, UH, 83 PROJECTS. AND THEN WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, BRIDGING THE GAP WITH THE REMAINING 33. SO WE DO ANTICIPATE DELIVERING 90% OF OUR PROJECTS, UH, OVERALL ON, ON TIME PER THAT FIVE YEAR CIP PROGRAM. GREAT. THANKS FOR THAT ANSWER. AND I THINK AS WE ARE ALL PURSUING THE KIND OF MYTH BUS MYTH BUSTERS PART, RIGHT, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR BUDGET, I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT HEARING THAT NARRATIVE, UH, OUT IN THE, IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR FOR US TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, THE, THE ACCURACY AND THE INFORMATION THAT'S COMING OUT OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS TEAM. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND THEN CAN WE GO TO SLIDE 60? AND THEN, I KNOW WE TALK ABOUT THIS A TON, UM, BUT THIS IS STILL, UH, A, A QUESTION THAT I GET FROM RESIDENTS ALL THE TIME. CAN YOU JUST GIVE LIKE A, UM, DIRECTOR, CAN YOU JUST GIVE LIKE A BRIEF EXPLANATION WHEN PEOPLE SAY LIKE, MOST STREETS SELECTED ARE AT A 30 PCI OR BELOW, YOU KNOW, ZERO TO 40. CAN YOU JUST GIVE A, A A GENERAL, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT WITH PCI? AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PMP OR THE PAYMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN PROGRAM, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AS WELL, AND HOW DOES THAT WORK IN WITH OUR PLANNING FOR OUR NEXT FIVE YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. I, I KNOW I BREEZED OVER THIS PRETTY QUICKLY, AND THIS IS A QUESTION THAT WE GET OFTEN, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE SHOW UP TO THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS. UM, THE QUESTION WE OFTEN GET IS, WHY ARE YOU DOING THE STREET NEXT TO ME WHEN MINE IS IN WORSE SHAPE? AND WE, IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT, UH, QUESTION TO, TO KIND OF ANSWER EASILY. BUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS SQUEEZE THE MIDDLE. SO WE HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OF RESOURCES AND A LIMITED BUDGET. AND WHAT WE TRY TO DO WITH OUR LIMITED BUDGET IS PRESERVE THE STREETS THAT WE HAVE IN DECENT CONDITION AND THEN TAKE THE, THE REMAINING BUDGET THAT WE HAVE AND HIT SOME OF OUR WORST STREETS TO CONTINUOUSLY CLOSE THE GAP IN THE MIDDLE. BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT WE STILL HAVE A GAP IN THE MIDDLE, AND WE HAVE STREETS THAT IN SOME CASES HAVEN'T BEEN RESTORED IN 30 YEARS OR LONGER. UM, AND, AND THAT IS SORT OF A PRODUCT OF THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE IN, GIVEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT OVER OUR HISTORY. UM, SO WHAT THIS SLIDE IS TRYING TO CONVEY IS THAT WE WILL TAKE THE RESOURCES WE HAVE AND INVEST IN SOME OF THOSE WORSE STREETS WITH A PCI OR PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX SOMEWHERE BELOW 40, UH, OR IN THAT, IN THAT RANGE, UH, TO HELP US GET THOSE STREETS INTO A, A BETTER SHAPE SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO PRESERVE WITH THINGS LIKE SLURRY SEAL. UH, SO SPECIFICALLY TO YOUR QUESTION, HOW DOES THIS ALL FIT IN TOGETHER? WE, UH, EVERY COUPLE YEARS WE GO OUT AND DO AN ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS OUR PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX AS A NETWORK AND AS THE INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS. AND THEN THE PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM HELPS US, UH, AND RECOMMENDS HOW DO WE INVEST OUR LIMITED RESOURCES, UH, TO INCREASE OR PRESERVE OUR, OUR PCI. EXCELLENT. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND THEN TWO LAST QUESTIONS. ONE IS, UM, FOR THE TRAFFICKING OF PARKING INVESTIGATIONS SECTION, IT STATES THAT, UM, THERE'S A, IT'S PROJECTED TO RISE TO 800 7875 COMPLETED INVESTIGATIONS UP FROM THE 521 YOU SAW, WE SAW IN FISCAL YEAR 25 DUE TO INCREASED SERVICE REQUESTS VIA THE NEW ONLINE PORTAL REQUESTS. I WAS JUST WANTED TO, I WANTED TO ASK, SINCE IT'S, IT'S UNDER TRAFFIC AND PARKING INVESTIGATIONS, ARE WE ANTICIPATING THAT INCREASE BECAUSE OF THE, THE NEW COMMUNITY REPORTING, THE, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC SAFETY REPORTING PORTAL? AND SO WE'RE JUST, WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UM, THERE TO BE INCREASED REPORTING OVER TIME THROUGH THAT PORTAL? OR IS IT, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT PORTAL? Y YES. SO SHORT ANSWER IS YES. WE SAW AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF REQUESTS THAT CAME IN [03:00:01] AS WE ROLLED OUT THAT NEW PORTAL, UH, THAT WAS PART BY DESIGN. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE GOT ALL THAT INFORMATION IN AND HAD IT AGGREGATED IN ONE LOCATION. UH, WE HEARD CONCERNS FROM, UH, SOME OF YOUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY, THAT SOME OF OUR ITEMS THAT WERE COMING IN WEREN'T NECESSARILY BEING TRACKED OR WERE GETTING DUPLICATED OR WHATNOT, AND WE WANTED TO HAVE ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH SO WE COULD MAKE SURE TO ROLL THAT PROGRAM OUT, UH, MORE EFFECTIVELY. UM, DO WE ANTICIPATE THOUGH THAT LEVEL TO STAY THAT WAY FOREVER? UH, HOPEFULLY NOT. WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT WAS AN EARLY SORT OF, WE ROLLED OUT A NEW PROGRAM, WE ENCOURAGED EVERYBODY TO SUBMIT, AND WE'LL START TO SEE A LEVEL OFF OVER TIME. UM, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF THAT, IF THAT, UH, IS TRUE. EITHER WAY, WE'VE BUILT A STAFFING MODEL WITH THIS FY 27 BUDGET THAT WILL ALLOW US TO RAMP UP AND ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE BACKLOG OF REQUESTS. EXCELLENT. UH, AND THEN LAST QUESTION IS ON PAGE SIX 17 OF THE BUDGET BOOK, UH, THIS IS THE, THE PAGE THAT HAS THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND GROUP SUMMARY. SO IT HAS THE REVENUES, EXPENDITURES, ET CETERA. UM, AND SO OVER TIME, FROM FISCAL YEAR 25 TO THE PROPOSED FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, THE ENDING FUND DECREASES, AND THEN IN FISCAL YEAR 27, WE END UP IN ABOUT A $4.4 MILLION DEFICIT. UM, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT, UM, SOME OF THE REVENUE WE'RE STILL WAITING ON WITH LIKE CERTAIN GRANTS, ET CETERA. SO CAN YOU JUST KIND OF WALK ME THROUGH, UM, WHY THE BUDGET, UH, WHY THE BUDGET LOOKS LIKE THAT FOR THE CAPITAL FUNDS GROUP? CERTAINLY JONATHAN BOLAND, BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUREAU MANAGER, PUBLIC WORKS. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. SO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND GROUP, UH, THAT NEGATIVE BALANCE REFERENCED, EXCUSE ME, IT'S NOT AN ACTUAL DEFICIT. THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND GROUP IS A MULTI-YEAR FUND, UH, WITH REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS ALIGNING IN THE SAME FISCAL YEAR. UM, SO YOUR, YOUR ASSUMPTION IS, IS CORRECT. IT IS BECAUSE REVENUES ARE RECEIVED MAYBE TWO YEARS PRIOR, AND WE'RE SPENDING THE FUNDS NOW, AND SO THOSE WILL BE A BIT MISBALANCED. UM, BUT I DID CONFIRM WITH OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COLLEAGUES THAT IT IS NOT A TRUE, UH, EXPECTED DEFICIT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, AND THAT'S MY FINAL QUESTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW. YEAH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I ALSO WANNA THANK, UH, YOU DIRECTOR HICKMAN FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE, UH, REPORT ON, ON BOTH, UM, UH, PRESENTATION. I KNOW YOUR TEAM WORKED REALLY HARD TO PUT THAT TOGETHER TO MAKE IT AS SUCCINCT AS AS POSSIBLE. AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE BY THE TEAM. I KNOW THAT CITY STAFF AND PUBLIC WORKS ARE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT, UM, LITERALLY RIGHT, TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR STREETS ARE FIXED AND, UM, OUR INFRASTRUCTURES ARE INTACT. AND, BUT I ALSO APPRECIATE HAVING RESIDENTS GIVE US UPDATES AND TELL US WHAT'S WORKING AND NOT WORKING, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE GO THROUGH PROCESS OF CONSIDERING HOW DO WE CONSOLIDATE, HOW DO WE TRANSFER, HOW DO WE REORGANIZE TO BE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WITH THE INVEST THE RE THE, THE LIMITED RESOURCES WE HAVE, WHICH IS WHY I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO QUESTION, UH, YOU KNOW, IS IT WORKING OR NOT WHEN WE REORGANIZE AND RESTRUCTURE OR TRANSFER THINGS? AND THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE IS, UH, THAT WE DID TRANSFER REFUGE TO ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT SERVICES, UH, UH, ABOUT LAST YEAR. AND SO, UH, BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN HEARING A LOT OF ISSUES WITH REFUGE PICKUP. SO I'M JUST QUESTIONING AND WONDERING IF SOMEBODY FROM EAS CAN BE HERE TO HELP EXPLAIN, IN ADDITION TO YOU, DIRECTOR HICKMAN, IS THAT RELATED TO THIS TRANSFER? IS IT BETTER BECAUSE IT'S BEEN TRANSFERRED TO EES? SO, SO I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN GET SOME ANSWERS ABOUT THAT. SURE. BOB DOW, OUR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIRECTOR IS COMING UP RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. SO YOU'RE RIGHT. A YEAR AGO, WE CONSOLIDATED OR, OR INTEGRATED, UH, REFUSE INTO ENERGY INFORMED ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES. SO IT WAS A LARGE STEP TO DO THAT. UM, PUBLIC WORKS AT THE TIME HAD OVER 700 EMPLOYEES, AND WE KNEW THAT THESE ISSUES WOULD BECOME TO THE FOREFRONT. UH, REGULATIONS WERE ADDING MORE AND MORE REQUIREMENTS, UH, REQUIRING US TO DO MORE. WE'VE ESSENTIALLY, SINCE THE LAST A HUNDRED YEARS, ONLY HAD REALLY ONE CHANGE. AND THAT WAS IN 1990 WHEN WE, WE STARTED, UH, RECYCLING. IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE ESSENTIALLY DOUBLED THE WORKLOAD OF THE DEPARTMENT, ADDING THE, THE GREEN BIN, THE ORGANICS COLLECTION, UH, AS REQUIRED BY THE STATE, AND THEN SWAPPING OUT THE BLUE CARTS WITH THE PURPLE CARTS FROM 1990. SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF LEFT US IN A POSITION WHERE WORKFORCE, WE INCREASED IT FOR THE ORGANICS, AND WE'VE ALSO ADDED MORE FTES TO, TO MEET THAT SAME RESPONSE WITH THE TRUCKS AND THE FTES. WHAT'S HAPPENED THOUGH [03:05:01] IS THAT IT'S, IT'S A MONUMENTAL EFFORT. IT'S, THEY SERVICE 50,000 CARTS A DAY. UH, AND SO WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THE ROUTE SIZING AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE IS WE'RE TRYING TO RIGHTSIZE THAT, UH, WHEN YOU ADD THAT THE, THERE'S DIFFERENT QUANTITIES OF REFUGE OR TONNAGE COLLECTED FOR ONE ROUTE VERSUS THE OTHER. SO THESE ARE ALL ELEMENTS THAT GO INTO THE ASSESSMENT. WE'RE AT, WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS REFINING THAT. SO WE'VE ADDED SOME THINGS. WE'RE CHANGING THE ROUTES, UH, RIGHT SIZING WORKFORCE, AVAILABLE WORKFORCE BY THE DAY. WE TEND, WE HAVE 114 FULL, FULL-TIME ROS STAFFED IN, IN, SO THAT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT ZERO VACANCY FACTOR. WHAT'S HAPPENED IS WE'VE HAD A RECENT INCREASE IN SOME WORK TIME INJURIES, WHICH IS ABOUT 20 TO 25 PEOPLE. AND THEN YOU HAVE YOUR DAILY CALL IN SICK, UH, FMLA VACATION, THINGS OF THAT. SO THE AVAILABLE WORKFORCE, UH, DOESN'T MATCH THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE ROUTES. SO JUST TODAY WE COMPLETED, UH, THE HIRING OF SOME, UH, NON CAREERS, ABOUT 14 OF THEM. UH, SO THOSE WILL BE ADDED. THEY'RE SUPPLEMENTAL TO THE WORKFORCE THAT WE HAVE. WE DID OVERSTAFF IN, UH, 2025, EARLY 2026 WITH SOME UNBUDGETED, ROS. THOSE FOLKS HAVE NOW KIND OF TRANSITIONED INTO FULL-TIME, UH, ROS THROUGH RETIREMENTS, UH, PEOPLE LEAVING, UH, TERMINATIONS. SO THAT WORK, THOSE 20 EXTRA WE HAD ARE EXHAUSTED. SO IT'S KIND OF TRYING TO PLAY A NUMBERS GAME TO TRY TO HAVE THEIR WORKFORCE MEET THE NEEDS THAT ARE REQUIRED ON A DAILY BASIS. UH, WE, WE ARE RUNNING VERY CLOSE. WE STILL BELOW INDUSTRY AVERAGE, WHICH IS 1%. SO, AND IF WE'RE PICKING UP 50,000 CARTS, THAT COULD BE UP TO 500 CARTS A DAY THAT ARE NOT PICKED UP. BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE PUBLISH INFORMATION DAILY TO THE WORKFORCE OR TO THE COUNCIL OFFICES OF WHAT WAS MISSED FROM THE PRIOR DAY. AND WE PRIORITIZE THAT NOW FIRST THING IN THE FOLLOWING MORNINGS. SO THOSE ARE ALL COLLECTED. THE LONG STORY, LONG ANSWER IS IT'S TAKING SOME TIME TO GET THE WORKFORCE ON BOARD, TO GET THE PEOPLE ON BOARD. WE JUST WENT OUT WITH THE RFP, WHICH IS GONNA HELP US BUILD REAL TIME ROUTING, UH, FOR, UH, FILL IN OPERATORS. SOMETIMES WHEN GUYS FILL IN FOR A DIFFERENT, UH, REFUSE OPERATOR, THEY'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ROUTES. I CAN TELL YOU THAT ANY GPS THAT'S OUT THERE TODAY DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR OUR ALLEYS. AND MANY TIMES, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE NOT COLLECTED ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO THERE'S A LOT TO GO WITH THIS DOUBLING OF THE WORK THAT THE DEPARTMENT TOOK ON A YEAR AGO, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO WITH THE ORGANIC ROLLOUT. IT HAS TAKEN SOME TIME TO GET THERE, BUT I ASSURE YOU, UH, EVERYTHING IS BEING DONE TO MEET THE NEEDS. UH, AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE, UH, SOME OF THE FOLKS COME BACK FROM, UH, UH, INJURIES. AND SO I THINK WE'RE THERE. THANK YOU. UM, I APPRECIATE THE RESPONSE BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHARE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CHANGES, AND I DO WANNA CONTINUE TO RECEIVE UPDATES AS WELL AS I'M SURE MY COLLEAGUES WOULD, TOO, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THIS TRANSITION IS GOING WELL AND THAT WE'RE, WE JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME IN FIGURING OUT HOW TO ADJUST TO THE STATE LAWS AROUND ORGANICS AND OTHER PROCESS. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT, THAT QUESTION ALONE TOOK UP MY FIVE MINUTES, SO, BUT I DO HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTION, BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE MY OTHER QUESTION, IS WHAT? OH, PLEASE CONTINUE. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, BECAUSE IT IS IN LINE WITH TRANSITIONING AND, UH, REORGANIZING, AND THIS GOES BACK TO, UM, TRANSPORTATION, THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION SERVICE BUREAU THAT'S BEING NEWLY FORMED. WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT TRA UH, TRANSITION WITH STAFFING AS WELL THERE. SO I WANTED TO JUST HEAR HOW, HOW DO YOU THINK BY, UH, SHIFTING AROUND STAFF IS GONNA MAKE THIS DEPARTMENT MORE RESPONSIVE TO RESIDENT? BECAUSE MINE HAVE BEEN REALLY A LITTLE FRUSTRATED ABOUT THE RESPONSE AROUND TRAFFIC, UM, YOU KNOW, STUDIES AS WELL AS SLOWING MECHANISMS. SO HOW IS THIS GONNA HELP US BETTER, UH, RE YOU KNOW, ENSURE THAT WE'RE FINISHING PROJECTS ON TIME TO MEET OUR RESIDENTS' NEEDS? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. SO WE, WE HAVE A COUPLE THINGS GOING ON. UH, ONE, WE HAVE A NEW LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE, WHICH IS GONNA HELP, UH, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE'RE BRINGING INTO THE TEAM THAT WILL HELP. UH, WE'RE ALSO GOING THROUGH THAT WORKFORCE REVIEW. UH, THAT'S A THIRD PARTY ANALYSIS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING WELL, WHAT'S NOT GOING SO WELL, AND WHERE CAN WE MAKE, UH, STRATEGIC IMPROVEMENTS. UM, I'LL SHARE A QUICK STORY WITH YOU TO HELP UNDERSTAND WHERE, WHY WE'RE DOING THIS. IN ORDER TO DO A STREET SWEEPING, WHICH, WHICH MANY PEOPLE WANT, UH, WE NEED TO HAVE APPROPRIATE SIGNAGE IN PLACE IN OUR RIGHT OF WAY, UH, WHEN THAT SIGNAGE NEEDS TO BE FIXED. THE WAY THAT THAT GOES TODAY, THE REQUEST COMES IN THROUGH A GO LONG BEACH. THAT'S ONE BUREAU THAT THEN GOES OVER TO OUR, UM, ENGINEERING TEAM, WHO WILL THEN DRAFT THE PLANS AND GET 'EM APPROVED. THOSE THEN GO TO ANOTHER BUREAU. SO NOW WE'RE AT THREE BUREAUS TO INSTALL THAT, UM, THAT EQUIPMENT, AND THEN THE FOURTH BUREAU FOR SOMEBODY TO ACTUALLY DO THE STREET SWEEPING AND PARKING CONTROL. SO [03:10:01] WE'RE BRINGING ALL THOSE TEAMS TOGETHER NOW SO WE CAN REDUCE THAT KIND OF BUREAUCRACY AND THAT, AND THAT BURDEN TO GET SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THAT DONE AND DONE EFFECTIVELY. GREAT. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. I, I TOO AGREE THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA BE WORKING ON A PROJECT, YOU SHOULD BE MEETING REGULARLY FROM DESIGN STUDY TO DESIGN AND THEN IMPLEMENTATION. UH, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS RELATING TO WHAT THE MAYOR TOUCHED UPON, WHICH IS THE SOLAR LIGHTING. YOU KNOW, I, I BROUGHT FORWARD AN ITEM TO DO A LIGHT STREET LIGHTING, UH, STUDY, AND I APPRECIATE COUNCILWOMAN THRASH AND TOOK, AND COUNCILWOMAN KERR SIGNING ONTO IT, AND COLLEAGUE SUPPORTING THE REPORT CAME OUT IN JULY 17TH. AND THERE'S SO MANY INFORMATION THERE THAT I DIDN'T KNOW, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WAS I THINK, CONNECTED TO STREET LIGHTING, RIGHT? UM, IT ANSWERED A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT IT ALSO RAISES A LOT OF QUESTION ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE FIX STREETLIGHT FASTER, KNOWING THERE'S A COPPER THEFT ISSUE. UM, BUT ALSO, UM, I'M SEEING IN THIS BUDGET THAT YOU MADE SOME CHANGES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONDING QUICKER TO A LOT OF THE CONCERNS RAISED BY RESIDENTS WHERE IT'S DARK IN CERTAIN PLACES. AND WE, YOU KNOW, STREET LIGHTING IS SO IMPORTANT TO SAFETY. SO IF YOU CAN SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE THREE FTES, WHY, WHY THAT WAS CREATED TO RESPOND TO THIS REPORT? WELL, THANKS FOR THE APPRECIATION OF OUR RECENT MEMOS. WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME, AND THE TEAM DOES A LOT OF WORK TO, TO PUT THOSE TOGETHER, BUT THEY'RE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO COMMUNICATE HOW WE DO OUR WORK, HOW WE PRIORITIZE OUR WORK, AND THEN WE USE THOSE AS TOOLS TO INFLUENCE HOW CAN WE COMMUNICATE THIS MORE EFFECTIVELY ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL. SO IT'S REALLY, UM, UH, A FULL ENCOMPASSING TOOL. BUT SO SPECIFICALLY TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE, THE THREE POSITIONS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT, WE'RE ADDING THREE POSITIONS, UH, TO OUR TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TEAM WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES BUREAU. THIS EFFECTIVELY CREATES A SECOND TEAM THAT CAN BE DEDICATED TO THE SOLAR LIGHT CONVERSION. AND IF AND WHEN WE DON'T HAVE MORE LIGHTS TO CONVERT, UH, TO, TO SOLAR OR WE RAN OUT OF THE FUNDS AVAILABLE, UH, THAT'LL BE ANOTHER CREW THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND TO HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE VANDALISM, UH, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY. THANK YOU. UM, AND ONE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS REGARDING, UH, BACK TO A LITTLE BIT, TRANSPORTATION IS ABOUT THE AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY. SO I THINK IT'S JUST, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU CAN SHARE WHAT THIS TECHNOLOGY IS AND WHO IS THIS, WHAT, WHO, UH, WHO WILL RECEIVE THE DATA AND HOW IT'LL BE USED? YEAH, SO OUR AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM, OR OUR, UH, SPEED SAFETY SYSTEM THAT WE'RE CALLING IT NOW, IS A PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE INSTALLING DEVICES AT 18 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO SLOW DOWN. WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN FOLKS SPEEDING. WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN FATALITIES, UM, AND IT, IT'S REALLY QUITE SAD. AND WE WANT TO TRY TO ADDRESS THAT, UH, WITH THESE DEVICES. SO SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU'LL SEE OUT THERE, OR, OR WHAT ANY MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY WILL SEE IS A, A SIGN THAT SAYS PHOTO ENFORCEMENT AHEAD. THEY'LL, YOU'LL THEN SEE THE SPEED FEEDBACK SIGN, WHICH IS THAT BLINKING NUMBER IF YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST. UH, AND THEN IF YOU'RE STILL GOING 10 MILES OR MORE ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT, UH, THE DEVICE WILL CAPTURE THE REAR LICENSE PLATE. THE VERA MOBILITY IS OUR VENDOR, UH, THAT, THAT DOES THIS. THESE AREN'T, UH, FLOCK CAMERAS. THEY'RE NOT, UH, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THIS, THIS AI STUFF THAT HAS BEEN IN THE, IN THE NEWS RECENTLY, THESE CAPTURE A REAR LICENSE PLATE IMAGE ONLY IF SOMEBODY'S SPEEDING 10 MILES PER HOUR OR MORE, THAT DATA IS, IS THEN STORED WITHIN THE SYSTEM FOR THE APPROPRIATE TIME IN CASE THERE'S AN APPEAL AND, AND THEN GOES AWAY. IT'S NOT SHARED WITH ANYBODY ELSE. SO ARE YOU SAYING THEN IT'S ONLY WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, IT'S NOT SHARED WITH POLICE DEPARTMENT OR ANY CORRECT EXTERNAL, UM, ENTITY? THAT'S CORRECT, YEAH. PER THE, THE STATE RULES AND MANDATES, WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT. WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF DOING THAT, AND THAT'S NOT THE WAY THAT THE PROGRAM'S SET UP. AND HOW CAN YOU ENSURE IT WON'T GET, LIKE, STOLEN OR LEAKED TO OTHER, UH, ENTITIES? HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THIS IS SECURE THAT OTHERS WON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THIS WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT? YEAH, SO THE, THE VENDOR THAT WE'RE USING HAS EXPERIENCE DOING THIS ELSEWHERE, UH, IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND THEN DELETES THAT INFORMATION AF AFTER A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DAYS, UH, BASED ON THE USE POLICY. SO IT GETS DELETED RIGHT AFTER IT'S NOT STORED PERMANENTLY OR FOR A LONG TIME. CORRECT. AND IT'S NOT ATTACHED TO A PERSON'S FACE. A PERSON IS NOT TAKING PICTURE PHOTO OFF. RIGHT. AND I ASKED THIS QUESTION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PRI PRIVACY IS SO IMPORTANT, I THINK MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE'S, UH, PRIVACY RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED. AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE [03:15:01] SURE IT'S VERY CLEAR YOU JUST SAID THAT IT'LL GET DELETED. THE LICENSE PLATE, THE PHOTO OF THE LICENSE PLATE GET DELETED AFTER HOW MANY DAYS? I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE SPECIFIC NUMBER OF DAYS THAT THAT INFORMATION GETS STORED. I BELIEVE IT'S 30 TO 60 DAYS, BUT I'LL, I'LL HAVE TO CONFIRM THAT EXACT NUMBER. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS. JUST PIGGYBACKING ON THAT QUESTION, SO I, I BELIEVE WE HAVE, AND MAYBE DON MAYBE CHIME IN ON THIS MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, IF THERE WAS A BREACH WITH THIS, UH, VENDOR. WE HAVE PROTOCOLS NOW IN OUR CITY CONTRACTS UNDER THE VALUES ACT. CAN YOU SPEAK HOW SPEAK TO THAT. UH, YES, MAYOR, THE CONTRACTS REQUIRE THAT WE OWN THE DATA. THEY CANNOT SHARE THE DATA, AND IF FOR SOME REASON THEY DO THAT, WE HAVE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THEM. FANTASTIC, UH, FOR DOING THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS COUNCIL MEMBERS IN DEJAS. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HICKMAN AND TEAM FOR THAT GREAT PRESENTATION. UM, DESPITE THE INEDIBLE BUDGET CUTS THERE, THERE ARE MANY GOOD THINGS IN THIS PRESENTATION. UM, INCLUDING THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION, UM, THE NEW MEDIUM PROGRAM, AND A FOCUS ON OUR, UH, STREET LIGHTS. I CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING DISTRICT ONE'S MAJOR CORRIDOR MEDIUMS, BEAUTIFIED. I WOULD ALSO, UM, LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR CLARIFYING THE, UM, PARKING, UM, MEMO THAT WENT OUT ON FRIDAY EVENING. THANK YOU, UM, TO TOM AND THE TEAM FOR, UM, NOTICING THAT AND FOR ACTUALLY TRYING TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIND OPTIONS AND FOR EXTENDING THE TIME. THIS IS A BIG, UM, CHANGE FOR DOWNTOWN, NOT ONLY FOR OUR RESIDENTS, NOT ONLY FOR OUR BUSINESSES, BUT FOR, UM, CITYWIDE. IT'S A HUGE CHANGE. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS TO CONSIDER. SO, WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION EARLIER, MAYOR. UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT THE NEW DOWNTOWN PAID, UH, PARKING AREAS AND THAT ARE PROPOSED ON PORTIONS OF MAGNOLIA, LOCUST OCEAN, LINCOLN PARK, AND CHESTNUT, ALONG WITH THE MULTI SPACE PACE STATIONS AND A SMART LOADING ZONE. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS RELATED TO THIS ITEM. UM, ONE, WHAT, WHAT CITY SERVICES AND PROJECTS DO PARKING REVENUES PAY FOR, UH, OVERALL, IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN ANSWER NOW? YEAH, SO IN GENERAL, UM, ALL REVENUES COME INTO THE GENERAL FUND AND THEN THEY'RE ALLOCATED OUT. UM, SO IN INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS, WE MIGHT COME AND MAKE A PROPOSAL THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO RAISE EXPENSE HERE AND RAISE REVENUE HERE, BUT IN THE END, THEY DON'T, THEY'RE NOT TARGETED ONLY TO THOSE SERVICES. BUT THAT'S THE PROPOSALS WE BRING IN THIS ONE. WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT WITH THOSE INCREASED, UM, SER UM, INCREASED REVENUES, WHICH ARE, UH, PRIMARILY IN THE DOWNTOWN AND ALSO IN BELMONT SHORE, UH, THAT THOSE WOULD HELP FUND THOSE IMPROVEMENTS TO MEDIAN CLEANLINESS, TO FENCING REPAIRS, TO TRASH PICKUP, UH, AND THEN ALSO THE STREETLIGHT CREW. SO HOPE THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, DTLB ALLIANCE HAS A REVENUE SHARING ORDINANCE FOR METERS WITHIN THE, THEIR BOUNDARIES ARE THE NEW METERS. UM, WILL THEY BE SUBJECTED TO THIS ORDINANCE? I WANT TO ENSURE THAT A PORTION OF THE REVENUE IS REINVESTED BACK INTO DOWNTOWN. I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, SEE THIS BEING COVERED IN THE RESPONSE BACK FROM THIS HEARING IF POSSIBLE. ALSO, UM, QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER REGARDING THE SMART NOTING ZONE PROGRAM. WHERE ARE THESE BEING DESIGNATED? WHY IS A FULL PROGRAM BEING IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTED INSTEAD OF A PILOT PROGRAM? AND WHAT DOES THE SMART LOADING ZONE REVENUE GO TOWARDS? UM, NATI, I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THAT CLEANLINESS, AS WE ALL KNOW, REMAINS A TOP CONCERN FOR MY RESIDENTS. PUBLIC WORKS AS A DEPARTMENT IS THE ONE DEPARTMENT THAT I WORK WITH THE MOST IN REGARDS TO RESIDENT REQUESTS. WE MUST ENSURE THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN CORE SERVICES OUR RESIDENTS RELY ON IN ADDITION TO THE LARGER PROJECTS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH PUBLIC WORKS, UM, AND TEAM FOR YOUR WORK. UM, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SO MUCH UNDER PUBLIC WORKS AND WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND THANK YOU FOR TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING YOU CAN INTO THIS BUDGET AND MAKING SURE THAT WE STILL ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES OUR RESIDENTS DESERVE AND [03:20:01] ARE USED TO. JOSH, CAN YOU GIVE A COUPLE OF QUICK RESPONSES ON THE, UM, SMART METER PLEASE? THE SMART, UM, LOADING ZONE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO AS FAR AS THE, UM, DTLB ALLIANCE, SO THERE IS A, A PARKING METER REVENUE SHARE PROGRAM THAT'S CURRENTLY IN PLACE. THE NEW METERS, WHILE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SWITCHING OUT SOME METERS TO MULTI PAY STATIONS, THEY ARE, MANY OF THEM THAT ARE INCLUDED WITHIN THE FY 27 BUDGET ARE WITHIN THAT DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH AREA AND WILL FALL UNDER THE PURVIEW OF THAT PROGRAM. SO THAT'S, UM, THAT WAS THE FIRST QUESTION, UH, REGARDING THE SMART LOADING. IT ESSENTIALLY IS A PILOT PROGRAM. SO WE'RE, WE'RE ROLLING THIS OUT. UH, YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT THE REVENUE BEING REINVESTED. IT'S REALLY, UH, WE'RE ALLOCATING ENOUGH FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM IN ITS FIRST YEAR TO JUST SEE IS THIS GONNA WORK? IS THIS SOMETHING WE WANT TO EXPLORE AND ROLL OUT ON A WIDER BASIS, OR, OR IS, OR DOES IT NOT? SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS EXPLORE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE A SAFER ENVIRONMENT DOWNTOWN AND ELSEWHERE WITHIN THE CITY, WHILE WHILE WE ALSO LOOK AT REVENUE DRIVERS IN THE FUTURE THAT CAN HELP SUPPORT, UM, OUR CORE SERVICES GOING INTO THE FUTURE. UM, AND THEN I DID WANT TO JUST TOUCH ON, WE HAVE, UH, OUR TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES FACT CHECKING ME IN REAL TIME. UH, I HAD SAID 30 TO TO 60 DAYS. UH, THE ANSWER IS 60 DAYS, UH, THAT THE INFORMATION GETS STORED FROM AND MORE INFORMATION IS ON OUR, UM, AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT WEBSITE AS WELL. COUNCIL MEMBER, IS THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBER? OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KERR. YES. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HICKMAN, AND TO YOUR TEAM. WE KNOW A LOT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN ONGOING CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST, UM, NOT ONLY MANY MONTHS, BUT ALSO MANY YEARS. WE'VE BEEN IN SUBCOMMITTEE WORK AROUND IT, UM, SOME SPECIAL STUDY SESSIONS AS WELL. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR CULMINATING THAT AS IT'S REFLECTED, UM, IN THE BUDGET PRIORITIES AND REALLY KEEPING, UM, TOP OF MIND THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR FROM RESIDENTS ALL THE TIMES IN TERMS OF STREET LIGHTING, MEDIANS, TRAFFIC SAFETY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UM, ARE REFLECTED IN YOUR PRIORITIES AND I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, I HAVE A COUPLE SPECIFIC, I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UM, THE QUESTIONS. UM, I'M GONNA NOT REPEAT THEM. I'M GONNA TRY TO ASK, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. SO, GOING TO YOUR SPEED SAFETY PROGRAM, UM, AS WE KNOW, THAT IS PART OF A STATE PILOT PROGRAM, AND MOST OF THE RULES AROUND IT ARE WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY BY THE BILL, UM, WHICH I THINK IS ALSO REFLECTED, AS YOU SAID ON THE WEBSITE, THERE IS THAT EXTRA INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR IT. UH, SO MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE FUNDING. SO I KNOW AS WE BEGIN THIS TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION, SOME OF IT IS, UM, JUST MOVING PEOPLE FROM OTHER PLACES INTO THAT. IT IS CREATING SOME NEW RE UH, SOME NEW, UH, POSITIONS AS WELL. SO YOU TALKED ABOUT IN OCTOBER, UH, WARNING AND THEN A CITATION GOING LIVE IN DECEMBER OF 26. SO FROM A BUDGET PERSPECTIVE, MY QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT WHERE YOU, WHERE YOU GOT YOUR NUMBERS IN ESTIMATING WHAT YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BRING IN THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO BUDGET. AND SO IF THE PROGRAM IS SUCCESSFUL, WE KNOW IT MEANS PEOPLE SLOW DOWN, WHICH MEANS FEWER CITATIONS. AND SO IF THE FUNDS THAT YOU HAVE PROJECTED, UH, DO NOT MEET EXPECTATIONS, WHAT CHANGES WOULD BE ANTICIPATED? I GUESS THE FIRST PART OF THAT QUESTION IS AS THAT MONEY COMES IN, UM, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE DOLLARS? AND IT'S NOT OBVIOUSLY IN OCTOBER, UM, BUT WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA CHANGE, DO SOME BUDGET CHANGING. SO AS THAT MONEY COMES IN, IF IT IS LESS THAN PROJECTED, WHAT KIND OF CHANGES DO YOU ANTICIPATE NEEDING TO MAKE IN SOME OF THE PROPOSALS YOU'VE PUT FORWARD? YEAH, THAT'S A, A GREAT QUESTION, UM, WITH A COUPLE DIFFERENT PARTS. SO FOR, FOR STARTERS, YES, THERE'S FOLKS THAT ARE MOVING INTO THE TRAFFIC SAFETY DIVISION FROM OUR CURRENT ENGINEERING DIVISION, AND WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING TO ADD ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO OPERATE THE PROGRAM AND TO ENHANCE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND OUR CALL CENTER, AS WE ANTICIPATE THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT COME IN RELATED TO THE PROGRAM AS SOON AS THE WARNING GOES LIVE IN OCTOBER. UM, BUT YOU'RE CORRECT WARNING LIVE IN OCTOBER, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY REVENUE TO BE GENERATED THAT WON'T BEGIN UNTIL THE CITATIONS BEGIN IN DECEMBER. AND THEN EVEN STILL THERE'LL BE A DELAY BECAUSE IT'S NOT LIKE PEOPLE PONY UP THEIR CREDIT CARD AS SOON AS THIS THING HAPPENS. SO, UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT THAT WILL START IN 27, WE'LL START TO SEE THAT REVENUE. UM, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MONITOR THAT THIS IS NEW TO US. UH, WE PROJECTED THIS BASED ON OTHER ENTITIES THAT HAVE ROLLED OUT THIS PROGRAM PREVIOUSLY. SO WE HAVE SOME CONFIDENCE IN THE NUMBERS, BUT WE WON'T KNOW FOR SURE UNTIL WE START SEEING HOW THIS ROLLS OUT WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE ANTICIPATE RETURNING, UH, OR WRITING A MEMO OR SOMEHOW KE GIVING, UH, COUNCIL AN UPDATE ON HOW THE PROGRAM IS [03:25:01] GOING. UH, TO YOUR QUESTION, WHAT DO WE DO IF WE DON'T GENERATE THE REVENUE? UM, UH, IF YOU RECALL BACK IN THE PRESENTATION, WE, WE ARE ANTICIPATING ABOUT $5 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE. THE PROGRAM, ONCE IT GETS UP AND RUNNING, WE WILL, WE WILL COST ABOUT TWO AND A HALF TO ADMINISTRATE. WE ANTICIPATE IT MIGHT BE HIGHER THAN THAT THE FIRST YEAR, UH, BUT TWO AND A HALF. AND THEN GOING INTO THE FUTURE, THE OTHER HALF WOULD BE USED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING. SO IF FOR SOME REASON WE DIDN'T SEE THAT, UH, REVENUE GENERATION, IT MEANS WE'D HAVE FEWER DOLLARS AVAILABLE, UH, AS PART OF NEXT YEAR'S CIP BUDGET TO REINVEST INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING. AND, AND I WILL SAY THAT WHILE WE ARE TRYING TO BE CONSERVATIVE IN THOSE NUMBERS AND, AND NOT BET ON EVERYTHING, WE ARE TAKING SOME RISK HERE. UM, THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY THE COUNCIL TOLD US YOU WANTED TO FOCUS ON FOR THE BUDGET. UM, YOU ASKED US TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR TRAFFIC. WE TOOK THAT VERY SERIOUSLY. YOU HEAR THAT FROM EVERY SINGLE CONSTITUENT. SO THE SAFEST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO NOT HIRE ANY STAFF OR DO ANY WORK UNTIL THE MONEY'S IN HAND. UH, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULDN'T MEET YOUR PROGRAM GOALS, YOUR POLICY GOALS. SO WE ARE TAKING SOME CALCULATED RISK HERE. I THINK IT'S MANAGEABLE, UH, AND WE'LL MONITOR IT AND MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IF WE NEED TO. GREAT. UH, MOVING ON, UH, THE EXTENDED TREE TRIMMING CYCLE, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT TREES. UH, WE NOTICE THAT IN THE BUDGET BOOK TREE TRIMMING SCHEDULES WILL BE, UM, ALLIED TO THE CURRENT PRACTICES THAT WE ARE DOING. MY QUESTION IS NOT ABOUT THE SIX TO EIGHT YEAR CYCLE, UM, BUT THE CLEARANCE TRIMS THAT ARE NEEDED BECAUSE OF TREES THAT HAVE EITHER OVERGROWN WITHIN THEIR CYCLE, UM, THAT PER THAT COULD INHIBIT ACCESSIBILITY, INHIBIT REFUSE, OR, UM, STREET SWEEPING TO HAPPEN OR OTHER SAFETY NEEDS. IS THAT GOING TO BE IMPACTED AS WELL? OR WILL THERE STILL BE ALLOWANCES FOR THOSE KINDS OF CLEARANCES? UH, SO IT'S A LITTLE MORE NUANCED THAN A YES OR NO. WE'RE, WE'RE MAINTAINING OUR EXISTING BUDGET FOR OUR SAFETY TRIMS AND OUR IN-HOUSE TEAM TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WORK. I DO ANTICIPATE MOVING FROM A SIX YEAR TO EIGHT YEAR CYCLE WILL REQUIRE, OR THERE'LL BE ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR SAFETY TRIMS. THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MONITOR AND TAKE A LOOK AT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PRIORITIZING ACCORDINGLY. UH, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON A MEMO NOW, UH, THAT WILL HELP OUTLINE HOW WE PRIORITIZE, UH, THAT SERVICE. AND ONE THING I WANNA MAKE SURE IS NOT LOST IN THE DISCUSSIONS. WE ARE LOOKING AT A WAY FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO HELP PARTICIPATE AND SAY, I WANT MY TREE TRIMMED MORE OFTEN THAN, AND THEN EVERY EIGHT YEARS, UH, THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM SOME OPTIONS TO DO THAT. AND SO WE'LL BE WORKING ON THAT THIS YEAR. IT COULD BE ONE, YOU TAKE ON THAT COST AND YOU DO IT WITH YOUR OWN, UM, TREE TRIMMER THAT IS PERMITTED THROUGH THE CITY. OR WE COULD LOOK AT A SLIDING SCALE REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM WHERE THE CITY WOULD PROVIDE SOME INCENTIVE AND THE HOMEOWNER WOULD PAY SOME OTHERS. SO IT'S SORT OF A SHARING AND LOOKING AT THAT THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS. SO THAT'S A ASSIGNMENT IN THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT AND GETTING BACK TO YOU ON WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE. THANK YOU. THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY NEXT QUESTION, THE NEW PROGRAM ON SLIDE 25. AND SO DO YOU HAVE A PROJECTED TIMELINE ON WHEN YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE? UM, TO US AND TO RESIDENTS AS WELL? SO, UH, AS PART OF THIS BUDGET, UH, WE, WE'VE INCLUDED A POSITION TO HELP SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM. WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT FILLING THAT PRO, UH, THAT POSITION QUICKLY, UH, AND BEING ABLE TO REPORT BACK ON WHAT THAT PROGRAM WOULD LOOK LIKE IN EARLY 27. THANK YOU. UM, THIS WAS A, THIS WAS A QUESTION I ASKED THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS WELL. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FUNDING THINGS THROUGH GRANT FUNDING, UM, ESPECIALLY POSITIONS, MY QUESTION IS WHAT ASSURANCES DO WE HAVE THAT THE GRANTS FOR WILL BE APPLIED FOR, FOR RENEWAL, IF THEY'RE EVEN AVAILABLE, HOW SOON, YOU KNOW, HOW SOON IN THAT CYCLE WE MIGHT KNOW IF THEY'RE AVAILABLE OR, OR NO LONGER AVAILABLE? AND WHO IN YOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD BE IN CHARGE OF DOING THOSE GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR THOSE KINDS OF POSITIONS? THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M ASSUMING THIS IS IN RELATION TO THE MAINTENANCE, UH, FOR THE STREET SIGN GRANT MM-HMM . CORRECT. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER, THAT'S FINE TOO. I, I CAN COME BACK. SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT HC GRANT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT'S FOR $10 MILLION. UM, IT IS THROUGH 2031. UM, AND SO THAT IS THE LIFE OF THE GRANT. UH, WHILE IT IS NOT RENEWABLE, SO TO SPEAK, THERE WILL BE FUTURE H CIP CYCLES. UM, BUT WE ANTICIPATE OBVIOUSLY A MULTI-YEAR, UH, STRATEGY, UH, TO BRING IN-HOUSE STAFF TO COMPLETE ALL OF THOSE STREET SIGNAGE REPLACEMENTS, UH, PRIORITIZING PHASE ONE, UM, IN AND AROUND OLYMPIC VENUES, UH, TO BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO 2028, AND THEN AFTER THE OLYMPICS PHASE TWO, UH, OUTSIDE OF THOSE AREAS. THANK YOU. AND, UM, THE CAUTIONARY TALE OF, I DON'T, UM, TRUST THIS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON ANY MULTI-YEAR GRANTS THAT HAVE BEEN PROMISED IN THE PAST. SO IF WE COULD KEEP AN EYE ON THOSE NUMBERS AS WELL, WOULD BE HELPFUL. UNDERSTOOD. UM, ON SLIDE 27, THIS NEW COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT, OR [03:30:01] HOW ARE WE CALLING IT? THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS DIVISION. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WAY THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS. WE KNOW, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY JUST TALKING WITH A RESIDENT TODAY WHO HAD TALKED TO ONE PERSON IN, IN ONE BUREAU AND THEN ANOTHER BUREAU AND WONDERING WHERE THOSE GET LOST. UH, SO I APPRECIATE THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE FORMED. I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN YOU SEE IT BEING, UM, FAIRLY FULLY OPERATIONAL, AND HOW CAN RESIDENTS BE ASSURED THAT IF THEY HAVE REQUESTS CURRENTLY IN DIFFERENT PIECES OF THE SYSTEM, THAT THOSE DON'T GET LOST IN TRANSITION TO THIS NEW ENTITY? YEAH. UH, GREAT QUESTION AND, AND SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE FRUSTRATION FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD IN THE PAST AND PART OF THE REASON WHY WE PUT THIS FORWARD AS PART OF THE FY 27 BUDGET. UM, SO AS FAR AS THE TIMING, THE, THE, A LOT OF THESE POSITIONS, UH, EXIST TODAY JUST IN DIFFERENT GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT, AND WE'RE BRINGING THEM TOGETHER OVER TIME. UM, IT WON'T BE AN OVERNIGHT SITUATION. WE'RE FOCUSED NOW ON CONTINUING TO SUPPORT OUR EES DEPARTMENT AND THE REFUSE TEAM. SO PUBLIC WORKS, UH, STILL MAINTAINS THAT CALL CENTER FUNCTION, SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, TO SUPPORT THEM. UM, THE NEXT KIND OF PHASE IS HOW DO WE RAMP UP FOR THE AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM? SO WE REALLY WANNA INTEGRATE THEM INTO THE TEAM. UH, THEN WE WILL START TO INTEGRATE EVERYBODY ELSE THROUGHOUT PUBLIC WORKS. UH, I ANTICIPATE THAT WILL TAKE OVER THE COURSE OF FY 27 TO GET EVERYBODY TOGETHER AND AND FUNCTIONING AS ONE UNIFIED TEAM. THANK YOU. UM, MR. MAYOR, CAN I CONTINUE TO HAVE TWO QUICK MORE? THANK YOU. UM, CITY MANAGER MOCA, WE HEARD TONIGHT ABOUT CROSSING GUARDS AND SCHOOL GUARDS, AND I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY. UM, IN MY BRIEFING, YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE PROCESS THAT YOU WILL GO THROUGH IF THIS IS APPROVED, UM, THAT IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME AND THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS TO BE HAD. UH, I APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING TODAY THE POSSIBILITY OF TALKING WITH A POTENTIAL VENDOR ABOUT OUR CURRENT EMPLOYEES. UM, I FULLY UNDERSTAND AND FEEL WITH MY WHOLE HEART, THE PEOPLE WHO COME FORWARD AND TALK ABOUT THE CROSSING GUARDS WHO SEE THEIR FAMILIES EVERY DAY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, AND HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE NOT JUST FOR SAFETY, UM, BUT FOR EMOTIONAL SAFETY FOR OUR FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL. SO ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO CONTINUE TO SERVE, UH, IN A NEW CAPACITY WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ME. UH, MR. MOCA, YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, SOMEBODY MENTIONED, UM, FORMER EMPLOYEES, UM, OR RETIRED EMPLOYEES DOING THAT WORK. CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE STATE RULES THAT HAVE CHANGED THAT ARE, ARE ALSO PLAYING A PART IN THIS CONVERSATION? YEAH, SO, UM, WE ABSOLUTELY VALUE THE CROSSING GUARD SERVICES THAT ARE OUT THERE. WE LOVE THE CROSSING GUARDS THAT ARE DOING THE WORK. UM, WHAT WE'RE KIND OF DEALING WITH HERE IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO KEEP THAT PROGRAM RUNNING AND TO GET THOSE CROSSING GUARDS OUT ONTO OUR, OUR DOOR STREETS. UM, CROSSING GUARDS ARE SET BY ORDINANCE. IT WAS ACTUALLY A VOTER APPROVED ORDINANCE IN THE SEVENTIES, AND IT'S VERY PRESCRIPTIVE AND IT CAN ONLY BE CHANGED BY THE VOTERS. SO WE STAFF ACCORDING TO THAT. UH, WHAT'S BEEN HARDER AND HARDER IS TO ACTUALLY, UM, GET, UH, PEOPLE THROUGH THE SYSTEM ON, UH, YOU KNOW, IN A HIRING, UH, WITH LONG BEACH FAST ENOUGH, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH BODIES TO BE ABLE TO COVER THEM EVERY SINGLE DAY. UH, COMPANIES THAT DO THIS TEND TO HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE AND, AND USE LOTS OF, OF, UM, ECONOMIES OF SCALE. 'CAUSE THEY SERVE MULTIPLE CITIES AND THEN THEY HAVE LARGER, UM, GROUPS THAT THEY CAN PULL FROM TO MAKE SURE EVERY DAY IT'S STAFFED. UH, LONG BEACH HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF BUDGETED POSITIONS, AND IF WE HAVE VACANCIES, IF WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, SICK LEAVE AND OTHERS, UM, WE DON'T HAVE OTHER POSITIONS THAT CAN SERVE IN THAT ROLE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR US RECENTLY IS, UM, THE, UH, UH, PEOPLE WHO REALLY LIKE DOING THIS JOB, UH, TEND TO BE PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT. THEY TEND TO BE RETIRED GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. THEY TEND TO BE RETIRED TEACHERS. UH, BUT WE HAVE GOTTEN, UM, UM, UH, ISSUES WITH THEIR PENSION SYSTEM, UH, FROM STIRS AND PERS SAYING THAT THAT'S POTENTIALLY, UH, DOUBLE DIPPING IF YOU WORK FOR A GOVERNMENT AND YOU WORK, UM, UH, AND RECEIVE A PENSION. AND SO, UH, THAT REALLY NARROWS THE POOL FOR US, AND THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR THAT EMPLOYEE TO HAVE TO UNRETIRE TO GO DO THAT WORK. AND SO THOSE ARE THE INTRICACIES WE'RE DEALING WITH. UM, IN ADDITION TO REDUCING SOME OF THE STAFFING AND PUBLIC WORKS THAT DO THAT AD ADMIN HIRING, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST INTENSIVE HIRINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO GO THROUGH ALL THE BACKGROUND CHECKS, UH, FOR THESE, UH, POSITIONS THAT ARE, THAT ARE BASICALLY PERMANENT OR, UH, PART-TIME POSITIONS. THANK YOU. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION AND, AND I'M SORRY, CAN I ANSWER THE ONE THING YOU SAID? UM, IF WE MOVE TO A COMPANY, THERE'S A LONG PROCESS WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH. UM, WE WILL SPEND MONTHS GOING, DOING THE MEET AND CONFER AND LOOKING FOR A VENDOR. NOTHING WILL CHANGE UNTIL ANY OF THAT IS DONE, UNTIL WE COME BACK TO COUNCIL ON THAT. AND IF WE GO THROUGH THE MEET AND CONFER AND DECIDE WE, WE SHOULD DO THIS, AND THE NUMBERS MAKE SENSE TO DO IT OR DON'T MAKE SENSE TO DO IT, THEN WE WOULD WORK WITH THAT NEXT VENDOR TO WORK WITH ANYONE WHO'S CURRENTLY EMPLOYED, UH, AND REALLY ASK THEM, UH, TO, TO HIRE THEM IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. UM, AND ON A COMPLETELY [03:35:01] UNRELATED NOTE, A LOT OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT ARE FAMILIAR. I JUST, ONE THING THAT'S TOPICAL THAT I DIDN'T HEAR, UM, DIRECTOR HICKMAN, IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO A LITTLE BIT, JUST BECAUSE IT'S IN THE NEWS A LOT LATELY, IS AS WE ARE PREPARING FOR WHAT COULD BE A RECORD STORM SEASON, UM, HAVE WE BUDGETED AND PLANNED FOR STORM DRAIN CLEAN OUT, UM, PREPARING AHEAD OF TIME, UH, TO BE READY FOR RECORD STORMS. WE KNOW THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IN THE PAST AND IT MADE A DIFFERENCE, BUT WE DO HAVE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE PRONE TO FLOODING. UM, ARE WE BUDGETED AND READY, UH, TO BEGIN THAT WORK IN WHAT, IN THE FACE OF WHAT COULD BE, UM, SOME SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND FLOODING? YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT. UM, IS, IS THESE FORECASTS THAT ARE PREDICTING THIS HISTORICAL EL NINO. UM, DO WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED? YOU KNOW, WE COULD ALWAYS USE MORE RESOURCES AND FUNDING. WE HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. UM, BUT NONETHELESS, THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE FEEL THAT WE'RE PREPARED FOR. WE HAVE THE TEAMS, UH, THAT DO THIS ANNUALLY. UH, WE ARE ANTICIPATING HAVING ALL OF OUR CATCH BASINS CLEANED OUT BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER. UH, WE'LL BE ADDRESSING SOME OF OUR, UH, OPEN CULVERTS IN OCTOBER AND WE'LL, WE'LL BE PREPARED AND HAVING SOME, UH, PUMPS AVAILABLE, UH, ON, UH, ON STANDBY IF AND WHEN NEEDED, UH, IF, IF THE NEED ARISES. THANK YOU. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER THRASH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. UM, SO AS I PREPARE MY, UH, COMMENTS TO GIVE FOR THIS EVENING, I TOO WANNA THANK YOU MR. HICKMAN, FOR YOUR WORK AND FOR THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU SHARED HERE TODAY. I EVEN WANNA THANK, UH, BOB DOWELL DIRECTOR, UH, FOR COMING UP AND BEING READY TO ANSWER A SERIES OF QUESTIONS AS WELL. UM, ONE OF THE THEMES THAT I THINK IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL, UH, GOING FORWARD FOR THIS NEXT YEAR AND MY COLLEAGUE, UM, COUNCILWOMAN SORROW, UH, REALLY I THINK HIT ON IT BY ASKING YOU DIRECTOR DOW TO, TO COME UP AND SPEAK, IS THAT THERE ARE LEVELS OF, UM, OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES THAT WE ARE HOPING THAT EACH OF YOUR DEPARTMENTS WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, AND BEGIN TO SEE WHERE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT SUCH THINGS SO THAT WE CAN SERVE THE PUBLIC BETTER, FASTER, MORE EFFICIENT, BUT ALSO WITH AS FISCALLY RESPONSIBLY AS WE CAN. AND DIRECTOR HICKMAN, YOU HAVE SHARED HERE THIS EVENING ALREADY, UM, WITH SOME OF THE WAYS THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT CHANGES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT THAT LEVEL OF EFFICIENCY IS COMING TO THE DEPARTMENT. SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT YOU AND, UH, DIRECTOR DOW WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND TIME, UH, FOCUSED ON THOSE THINGS, IDENTIFYING WHAT THEY ARE, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO HAVE THE SPACE AND THE TIME TO DEAL WITH THAT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO AND, AND WANNA BE ABLE TO SEE, UM, GOING FORWARD. ONE THEME THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALSO BROUGHT UP, UM, AND IT IS A THEME FOR ME, UM, MANY OF US, WE SOMETIMES CALL OURSELVES THE MOM CAUCUS ON THE COUNCIL WHEN IT COMES TO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE WE CAN KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE, A FATALITY OR A LOSS OF LIFE WITHIN, WITHIN OUR STREETS, UM, AT ANY POINT DURING THE YEAR IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE. AND WE KNOW THAT THE PUBLIC HAS CHANGED THE WAY THAT THEY BEHAVE, UM, IN TERMS OF HAVING VEHICLES ON THE ROAD AND THEIR INTERACTION AND COLLISIONS AND, AND POTENTIAL FATALITIES, UM, WITH PEDESTRIANS. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR REPORT, UH, I THINK TALKS A LOT ABOUT HOW DO WE CREATE STREETS, UM, THAT ARE SAFER FROM A PHYSICAL STANDPOINT. UM, THE, UM, PROGRAM TO HELP DRIVERS SLOW DOWN, AT LEAST BE AWARE THAT THEY MAY BE MOVING TOO FAST, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT. AND, UM, AS COUNCILWOMAN KERRS STARTED TO SPEAK ABOUT, ONE OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE ARE OUR CROSSING GUARDS WHO HELP OUR SMALLEST HUMANS TRAVERSE THE, THE STREETS AND THE HIGHWAYS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO GET TO THEIR PLACES, UM, OF SCHOOL JUST AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. SO WE WILL BE VERY MUCH WATCHING AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CITY, UH, IN TERMS OF DETERMINING WHETHER WE OUTSOURCE THIS OR NOT. I KNOW THAT PREVIOUSLY YOU BROUGHT TO THIS COUNCIL SOME I THOUGHT REALLY CREATIVE IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE MODERNIZE THE, UM, THE, UH, THE, UM, TRAFFIC. UM, WHAT CALL? NO, NO, NO, NO. THE, UM, I'M REFERRING TO OUR PARKING CONTROL CHECKERS. OUR CROSSING, YES. HOW OUR CROSSING, YOU HAD A, AN INTERESTING PROGRAM. SO HOW OUR CROSSING GUARDS PROGRAM COULD BE UPDATED, BUT IT SEEMS THAT THAT'S NOT QUITE WORKING. UM, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT THOSE NEXT STEPS WOULD BE AND WHAT THE MEET AND CONFER IS LIKE, AND WHAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ENTITY [03:40:01] WHO COULD POTENTIALLY DO THAT. IS THAT BETTER THAN WHAT THE CITY CAN DO? SO, UM, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY. UM, I WAS ALSO WONDERING, AS IT RELATES TO PARKS AND RECS, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF PART-TIME STAFF, UM, AS WELL, UM, AND WHO I WOULD HOPE WOULD HAVE SIMILAR REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE LEVEL OF, UM, SCRUTINY THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO UNDER IN ORDER TO BE ENGAGED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INDIVIDUALS TO SUPPORT OUR CROSSING GUARD PROGRAM. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED. THEN MOVING ON TO THE TOPIC OF, UM, SOME OF THE POSITION POSITIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO, OR YOU'VE NOTED THAT YOU WILL ELIMINATE. UM, DIRECTOR HICKMAN, WE KNOW WE MUST PRIORITIZE, AND YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT PRIORITIZING OUR ENGINEERS, OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEERS, OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, UM, LEADERS, ALL OF THOSE AREAS THAT ARE REALLY CRITICAL TO BEING ABLE TO DELIVER THE PROJECTS WITHIN YOUR DEPARTMENT. UM, HOWEVER, I NOTED THAT THE POSITION OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE, SEVERAL OF WHICH, UH, WILL BE ELIMINATED WITHIN YOUR DEPARTMENT. AND THAT TO ME, UH, SIGNALS A BIT OF CONCERN BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE HAD, UM, ANALYSIS, UH, BY THIRD PARTIES HELPING US TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE RIGHT, WHAT TO CREATE THE CULTURE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. UM, AND I KNOW SOME CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THAT, BUT WE DO NEED TO HAVE STAFF WHO CAN IMPLEMENT THOSE CHANGES THAT WE, THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION. SO I HEAR YOU, UH, SHARE YOUR, UM, PERSPECTIVE ON HOW TO BRING THE VARIOUS BUREAUS TOGETHER. UM, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE, I'M ALSO GONNA BE WATCHING, AND THAT IS HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS AN EMPHASIS ON THE PEOPLE AND THE CULTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT IN SUCH A WAY THAT GETS US TO ALL OF THE GOALS THAT WE WANNA ACHIEVE WITH AT LEAST RENEW 32 AS WE FINISH ELEVATE 28. UM, AND SO THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, SOME AREAS WHERE I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I RAISED AS WELL FOR THIS EVENING. UM, CERTAINLY ALONG WITH SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I SAID THAT MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVE RAISED THIS EVENING, FEEL FREE TO RESPOND IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON ANY OF THOSE. AND COUNCIL MEMBER, I'LL START AND THEN I'LL TURN TO JOSH. BUT, UM, ON THAT, UH, THOSE ARE ALL EXCELLENT QUESTIONS. WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT PRM AND CROSSING GUARDS, BUT ON YOUR LAST POINT, I REALLY WANNA UNDERSCORE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MAKING THESE TYPES OF REDUCTIONS AT THESE LEVELS, THE THINGS THAT TEND TO GET THE MOST ATTENTION ARE THE OUTWARD FACING SERVICES, RIGHT? IT'S THE CROSSING GUARDS, IT'S ENGINE 14, UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, HOMELESSNESS, IT'S, IT'S QUALITY OF LIFE, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. BUT WE'RE MAKING SOME VERY, VERY DEEP PRODUCTIONS IN OUR ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY BEFORE WE EVEN GOT TO THOSE. AND SO THIS BUDGET INCLUDES EXAMPLES LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT, AND THE PEOPLE AND CULTURE OPERATION IS ONE OF 'EM. IT'S A WONDERFUL PROGRAM. WE'RE ABLE TO PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO REALLY MAKING SURE THAT OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE A GOOD ENVIRONMENT, THAT THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED, THAT THEY'RE MOTIVATED, THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEY'VE GOT TRAINING AND ALL THESE GREAT THINGS. WE'VE GOT GREAT METRICS FOR IT, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TO MAKE A TOUGH CHOICE AND MAKE THOSE REDUCTIONS. SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'RE DOING BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S NOT EFFECTIVE. IT IS VERY EFFECTIVE, BUT IT IS ONE OF THOSE TOUGH CHOICES THAT WE ARE MAKING INTERNALLY BEFORE WE EVEN MAKE ANY EXTERNAL ONES. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE DEPARTMENT AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND WAYS TO DO THAT WORK WITHOUT THOSE, THOSE DEDICATED, UH, EMPLOYEES THAT WE'RE REALLY, UH, FOCUSED ON PEOPLE AND CULTURE. YEAH, AND I CAN ADD TO THAT CONVERSATION A LITTLE BIT AS WELL. IT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF OUR, OF OUR TEAM, AND IT'S THE TEAM THAT'S DONE A LOT OF SOME OF THE HARDEST WORK OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AS WE DID THE WORKFORCE REVIEW AND, UH, ESB, WHICH IS NOW EES, AND THEN IN PSB. UM, THE GOOD NEWS IS THE, THE TEAM AND THE LEADERSHIP TEAM HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB CREATING GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS AND HELPING US, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD DO A BETTER JOB. AND AS PART OF, AND, AND WHAT I BREEZED OVER IN THE, UH, IN MY HASTE OF, OF GOING THROUGH ALL OF THE SLIDES IS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY RETAINING A COUPLE INDIVIDUALS, SO WE'RE NOT LOSING THE ENTIRE PEOPLE AND CULTURE TEAM. UM, IT'S JUST A, A COUPLE KEY POSITIONS WITHIN, WITHIN THAT GROUP. AND THE, THE TEAM THAT'S DOING A LOT OF THAT HARD WORK IS GOING TO NOW ROLL UP INTO OUR PERSONNEL TEAM. SO WE WILL STILL HAVE THAT FUNCTION. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING A LOT OF THAT IMPORTANT WORK, UH, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS YOU MENTIONED, INCLUDING THE EFFICIENCY AND, UH, WORKING ON THE ONLINE FORMS. AND, UH, FUN FACT FOR THE FIRST TIME, UH, THE BRIEFING SHEETS, UH, THIS MONTH THAT, THAT YOU ALL HALF OF YOU HAVE RECEIVED, THE OTHER HALF WILL RECEIVE SHORTLY. UH, WERE GENERATED, UH, WITH THE USE OF AI TO HELP STREAMLINE A LOT OF OUR PROCESSES. SO, UH, THAT, THAT HELPS. THANK YOU. LET'S PROCEED NOW. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NEXT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. HI, GOOD EVENING [03:45:01] AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR HICKMAN FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, BEFORE I GET INTO MY QUESTIONS FOR PUBLIC WORKS, I DO WANNA BRIEFLY ADDRESS ENGINE 14. I APPRECIATE EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TONIGHT, UH, TO SPEAK, WHO HAS WRITTEN TO MY OFFICE, WHO'S WRITTEN TO THE CITY CLERK. UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT ENGINE 14, AND I'VE BEEN CLEAR THAT I DO NOT SUPPORT ELIMINATING ENGINE 14. AT THE SAME TIME, I RECOGNIZE THAT IDENTIFYING 3.8 MILLION IN ONGOING STRUCTURAL FUNDING TO FULLY RESTORE THIS ENGINE THIS YEAR IS VERY DIFFICULT. OVER THE PAST MONTH, AND ESPECIALLY OVER THE PAST WEEK, I'VE BEEN HAVING LONG AND DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP, THE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, OUR STAFF, THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, AND AGAIN, WITH THE COMMUNITY. I'M GOING TO BE CONTINUING THESE CONVERSATIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS THIS WEEK TO PRESERVE THIS RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. BUT GIVEN OUR FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, I'M LOOKING AT SERVICE ALTERNATIVES THAT ALLOW US TO MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SERVICE POSSIBLE WHILE FINDING THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES. MY GOAL REMAINS THE FULL RESTORATION OF ENGINE 14, KEEPING ENGINE 14, BUT THE REALITY OF OUR BUDGET IS FORCING ME TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS AS A BRIDGE WHILE WE WORK THROUGH THE CITY'S CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE WORKING ON, UM, THIS WEEK. SO NOW I WANNA JUMP BACK INTO PUBLIC WORKS IN OUR CONTINUED BUDGET HEARING. UM, GREAT PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALL OF THEIR QUESTIONS. UM, I WANNA START WITH A FEW THINGS IN THE BUDGET THAT I'M GLAD TO SEE. ONE OF THE BIGGEST IS THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR MEDIAN MAINTENANCE. I THINK ACROSS THE CITY WE'RE, WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING WITH PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE MEDIAS. IT'S BEEN A REAL ISSUE IN DISTRICT THREE. WE HAVE MEDIANS WHERE LANDSCAPING WAS INSTALLED FIVE OR 10 YEARS AGO, BUT WITHOUT ADEQUATE ONGOING MAINTENANCE, MUCH OF THAT LANDSCAPING HAS NOW DIED. IF WE ARE GOING TO SPEND MONEY IMPROVING OUR PUBLIC SPACES, WE ALSO NEED TO BUDGET FOR MAINTAINING THEM. SO I'M HAPPY TO HEAR WE ARE, WE ARE WORKING, WE'RE HAVING, UM, BUDGET FOR MAINTAINING OUR MEDIAS. I'M ALSO VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE TRANSITION TO SOLAR STREETLIGHTS WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE. UH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE MAINTENANCE ISSUES CAUSED BY PEOPLE TAPPING INTO THE STREETLIGHTS AND THE WIRE THEFT. SO THIS IS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE. I'M GLAD TO SEE IT. UM, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS I WANNA SHARE ABOUT SOME OF THE PROPOSED REDUCTIONS ON TREE TRIMMING. WE'RE PROPOSING TO EXTEND THE STREET TREE TRIMMING CYCLE FROM APPROXIMATELY SIX TO SIX YEARS TO EIGHT YEARS. WE REGULARLY SEE CLAIMS COME TO, TO, TO THE CITY INVOLVING FALLEN TREES AND BRANCHES, AND I'M CONCERNED WE'RE CREATING LARGER COSTS AND SAFETY ISSUES IN THE FUTURE BY REDUCING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE TODAY. UM, I'VE HEARD FROM NEIGHBORS WHO CHOOSE TO TRIM THEIR TREES OUT OF CYCLE, SO THEY'RE SPENDING THEIR OWN DOLLARS. THEY'RE CURRENTLY CHARGED ABOUT 85 TO A HUNDRED DOLLARS PER TREE, WHILE THE CITY PAYS ABOUT $500 PER TREE FOR ITS OWN TRIMMING. WITH THE PROPOSAL TO ALLOW RESIDENTS TO USE CITY APPROVED CONTRACTORS AND POTENTIALLY RECEIVE REBATES. CAN YOU TALK THROUGH WHO WILL NEGOTIATE, UH, THE PRICES OR HOW THE PRICES ARE GOING TO BE ESTABLISHED WITH THE CONTRACTORS FOR TREE TRIMMING? YES. SO WE WILL NEED TO WORK ON WHAT THAT PROGRAM'S GONNA LOOK LIKE, AS WELL AS ANY SORT OF RATES OR REIMBURSEMENTS THAT WOULD COME FROM THE CITY OR HOW THAT WOULD WORK. SO AS PART OF THIS FY 27, UH, BUDGET PROPOSAL, WE ARE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL POSITION TO HELP US SORT THROUGH SOME OF THOSE DETAILS SO WE CAN RETURN, UH, TO CITY COUNCIL WITH, WITH THE DETAILS OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. SO YOU'RE RETAINING A POSITION OR DID YOU ADD A POSITION? I'M SORRY, I MISSED THAT. UM, IT'S, IT'S ACTUALLY NEITHER I, I MISSPOKE, UH, FACT CHECK IN REAL TIME HERE. IT'S AN UPGRADED [03:50:01] POSITION OF OUR, OUR EXISTING POSITION. SO ONE OF OUR EXISTING POSITIONS IS BEING UPGRADED, UH, TO SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. AND SO SPECIFICALLY THEY'RE GOING TO, UM, WORK ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF, OF PRICES FOR THE CONTRACTORS THAT RESIDENTS CAN USE TO GET THEIR TREES TRIMMED. SO IDEALLY WE'D LIKE TO COME UP WITH A COUPLE OF CONCEPTS. ONE, UM, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO GO THE ROUTE WHERE THEY DO IT THEMSELVES AND THEY WANT TO GO OUT AND FIND, UH, SOMEONE YOU KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY MIGHT BE PAYING JUST, YOU KNOW, MINIMUM WAGE, THEY NOT, MIGHT NOT BE PAYING PREVAILING WAGE LIKE THEY WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT, PROVIDED THAT IT'S A, UM, IT'S A CERTIFIED, YOU KNOW, UM, PERSON THAT CAN CERTIFY AND GET THE TREE AND GET THE PERMIT DONE CORRECTLY. THAT WOULD BE ONE OPTION. WHEN CITY DOLLARS GET INVOLVED, WE HAVE LOTS OF RULES THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW FROM THE STATE LAW TO LOCAL LAW ABOUT PREVAILING WAGE. UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT, UM, APPLIES WHEN PUBLIC DOLLARS COME INTO IT. AND SO, UH, THEN WE WOULD HAVE A, UH, WE ENVISION A GROUP OF CONTRACTORS THAT WE WOULD SAY, THESE ARE AVAILABLE, HERE ARE THE PRICES. UM, IF YOU CHOOSE TO, UM, GO THROUGH THE CITY CONTRACT, UH, AND THEN, UH, WE WOULD LOOK AT A SLIDING SCALE. UM, PROBABLY MEANS TESTED AND MEANS BASED ON AN EQUITY LENS TO SAY, HERE IS KIND OF HOW THE CITY COULD REIMBURSE A PORTION OF THAT. AND SO THAT IS WHAT'S GOTTA BE NEGOTIATED AND AND LAID OUT. SO WE HOPE TO HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PATHS FOR PEOPLE TO CHOOSE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, I WANNA MOVE TO, UH, CROSSING GUARDS AND THE TRANSITION OF CROSSING GUARDS FROM CITY EMPLOYEES TO CON TO A CONTRACTED MODEL. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT CROSSING GUARDS. UM, CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH HOW THE CONTRACTED MODEL IS EXPECTED TO BE BETTER THAN THE CURRENT SYSTEM WE HAVE? SURE. I'LL START. SO, UM, WE EXPECT THE LOCATIONS TO REMAIN THE SAME. SO THOSE ARE ALL SET BY ORDINANCE. UH, A NUMBER OF OUR NEIGHBORS, INCLUDING LAKEWOOD AND A NUMBER OF OTHER CITIES USE OTHER USE CURRENTLY CONTRACTED, UM, GUARDS. AND SO THERE ARE SERVICES THAT DO THIS OUT. UM, YOU KNOW, IN OUR REGION, UH, ONE OF THE BENEFITS WE BELIEVE IS THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO HIRE FASTER AND BE ABLE TO BRING ON, UH, MORE PEOPLE. IT GOES THROUGH, UH, A PRETTY EXTENSIVE PROCESS FOR US THROUGH THE CIVIL SERVICE PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO HIRE CON, UM, TO GUARDS. UH, THEY WOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO PULL ON A LARGER POOL OF GUARDS THAT THEY, UH, CAN SHIFT AROUND IN CASE THERE ARE ARE AREAS WHERE WE DON'T HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SHOW UP IF SOMEBODY HAD A, HAD AN ISSUE AND COULDN'T COME TO WORK THAT DAY, UM, IMMEDIATELY CALL ON THE COMPANY TO DO THAT. SO WE DO SEE SOME, UH, REDUCTIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO ONBOARD EMPLOYEES. UH, AND THEN ALSO, UH, WE WOULD LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE ACTUAL COST TO DEPLOY THEM. AND THAT'LL ALL BE A COST ANALYSIS THAT'LL COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL. AND UNDER THE CHARTER, WE HAVE TO PROVE THROUGH ANALYSIS AND MEET AND CONFER WITH THE UNION THAT THE, UM, THE, THERE IS MORE BENEFIT TO CONTRACT IT OUT THAN THERE IS TO DO IT IN-HOUSE. AND SO THAT'S A, A VERY SPECIFIC PROCESS CALLED PROPOSITION L, UH, THAT WE WOULD BRING BACK TO YOU. UH, AND THEN THE COUNCIL WOULD MAKE A DECISION. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT. UM, LASTLY, I, I WANNA TALK ABOUT, UM, FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET. I SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL TO THE BOC TO REALLOCATE, UM, $150,000 IN MEASURE A FUNDING THAT IS CURRENTLY SET ASIDE FOR A MARINE AMPHITHEATER FEASIBILITY STUDY. THAT FUNDING WAS PROPOSED YEARS AGO BEFORE THE F AND M BANK AMPHITHEATER WAS BUILT AND BE BEGAN OPERATING THIS YEAR. SO I'M PROPOSING, UM, TAKING THAT 150,000 AND 120,000 OF THAT WOULD BE FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY REUSE AND RECYCLING HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY, AND 30,000 TO EXPLORE A HABITAT MITIGATION BANKING FRAMEWORK IN LONG BEACH. BOTH CONCEPTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS WHILE CREATING NEW REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY. I THINK THIS IS A BETTER USE OF FUNDING THAT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO STUDY ANOTHER POTENTIAL REVENUE GENERATING OPPORTUNITY. SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD FOR, UH, THE CAPITAL BUDGET. THANK YOU, UH, AGAIN FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION TONIGHT DIRECTOR. THAT'S ALL FOR ME. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. AND, UM, UH, THE CONCEPT OF TAKING THAT AMPHITHEATER MONEY AND EXPLORING [03:55:01] FURTHER REVENUE GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THAT, WITHIN THE TIGHTS IS A GOOD IDEA. UM, LET'S CONTINUE. WHAT DO WE HAVE EVERYONE? DID YOU QUEUE UP AGAIN? COUNCIL MEMBER THRESHING TOOK I THINK NOT. OKAY. I JUST, I THINK I NEED TO REFRESH THIS. YEAH. ALRIGHT. WELL, I, DID I MISS ANYBODY? DID WE GET EVERYONE? 'CAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T SEE, UH, IT'S NOT UPDATED HERE. OKAY. WELL THAT CONCLUDES, UM, THIS, UH, WEEK'S BUDGET HEARING. WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH FIRST CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET MEMBERS, PLEASE. UH, ACTUALLY WE'RE GONNA DO A ROLL CALL. VOTE PLEASE. DISTRICT ONE? AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR. AYE. DISTRICT FIVE. AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT. AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, IS EVERYONE GOOD OR YOU WANT, YOU WANNA TAKE A TAKE FIVE OR IS EVERYONE GOOD TO KEEP GOING? YEAH, I ATE. OKAY, LET'S KEEP GOING. ALRIGHT, SO WE'RE NOW GONNA TAKE ITEM 24, PLEASE. THANKS STAFF. APPRECIATE YOU MAYOR. AS A REMINDER, WE STILL HAVE A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. LET'S DO THAT GENERAL, GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DO HAVE THAT. THERE ARE NINE SPEAKERS. CAN I [PUBLIC COMMENT: Obtain speaker card from the City Clerk Opportunity to address the City Council (on non-agenda items) is available to the first 10 individuals, combined across in-person and remote participation, who submit a request to speak beginning 15 minutes before the meeting starts. Each speaker is allowed up to three minutes to provide comments.] GET LUCY, WHO'S CALLING IN MARGO TO LINE UP AT THE LECTERN? JOE TED ZELMER, A H HOLMES FB, BRIAN DUNN FEE, AND MS. WILLIAMS, UH, SHYLAN WILLIAMS. IF I CAN GET THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE IN PERSON TO LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. OUR FIRST, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS LUCY CALLING IN ZOOM. LUCY HAS LEFT THE ZOOM MEETING. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. MARGO. MARGO, ARE YOU HERE? JOE? TED ZELMER. ALL RIGHT. ANTHONY HOLMES. YOU GUYS CAN START MY TIME. UM, ANOTHER LONG NIGHT. I CAME DOWN HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE REFUGE APARTMENT. OF COURSE, I JUST HEARD BOB DOE SPEAK AND I GOT LOVE FOR BOB DOE. GOOD GUY, REAL GOOD GUY. BUT HE JUST READ SOMETHING TO YOU GUYS THAT WAS ON THE CHANNEL FOUR NEWS. SAME STATEMENT. AND ROD FISH. THE ROD FISH THO STORY ROD FISH STORM WAS THE GUY THAT USED TO WORK IN THE REFUGE DEPARTMENT UNDER THE DECO ADMINISTRATION. THEN HE WENT ON TO MOVE DOWN THE CIVIL SERVICE. HE STARTED GETTING BULLIED BY A WOMAN BY THE NAME OF MARIA ALAMO. HE RAN TO A BLACK WOMAN FOR HELP TELLING HER THAT WE CAN'T WORK LIKE THIS, WE CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS. SO THE BLACK WOMAN DECIDE TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND WON 790,000 ROD FISH. THORN THEN MADE IT WAY BACK TO THE REFUGE DEPARTMENT. NOW EVERY, EVERY BLACK PERSON THAT ROB FISH, BLACK EMPLOYEE THAT ROB FISH HAVE COME ENCOUNTER WITH, HE PUNISHED THEM. ROB FISH IS DOING THE SAME THING THAT MARIA ALAMO DID TO HIM, WHICH WAS BULLY HIM, RETALIATION AGAINST HIM AND DISRESPECT HIM EVERY DAY. ROB FISH. FISH IS A PERSON THAT NEVER HAD NO FRIENDS, GREW UP AS A LONER, PROBABLY GAVE HIS LUNCH MONEY AND LUNCH AND LUNCH TO EVERY POPULAR KID IN, IN SCHOOL. SO NOW ROD FITN GOT A LITTLE POWER AND ROD FITN IS NOT DOING INVESTIGATIONS CORRECTLY. ROD FITN. ROD FITN IS VIOLATING SAFETY POLICY AND SOMEBODY NEED TO DO SOMETHING. UM, I'M GONNA SHARE THIS LAST STORY. IT WAS A GUY BY THE NAME OF CHRISTOPHER DOER. CHRISTOPHER DORNER USED TO WORK FOR THE A PD PI. CHRISTOPHER DORNER FILED MULTIPLE CASES AGAINST HIS COLLEAGUE, THEN LONE, LAP DRI NOT DISCRIMINATED, BUT RETALIATED AGAINST HIM JUST FOR FOULING COMPLAINTS. NOW I DON'T, I DON'T BELIEVE, AND I DON'T CONDONE IN VIOLENCE, BUT BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY AS A BLACK MAN, ALL WE HAVE IS OUR NAME. UM, YEAH, ALL WE HAVE IS OUR NAME. SO THEY PAINT CHRISTOPHER DONER OUT TO BE THIS CRAZY, CRAZY BLACK MAN, ANGRY BLACK MAN, BUT ALL HE WAS WAS A BLACK MAN THAT FILED COMPLAINTS. SO I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW TOM MOCA THAT IT'S A MILLION BLACK MANS OUT THERE, LIKE CHRISTOPHER DORNER, JUST WAITING. UM, AND I HEARD THAT YOU WAS AT A, A SPECIAL SPEAKER TODAY AT A, FOR SOME DEPARTMENT, A CLASS THAT YOU, THAT YOU TOOK, UM, TOM MOCA COMING UP IN THE RANKS. UM, YOU TOLD, YOU WAS ASKED HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE STUFF? HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN PEOPLE COME AT YOU? YOU SAY YOU HAVE TO HAVE THICK [04:00:01] SKIN. SOME PEOPLE JUST DO THIS. JUST TRY, JUST TRY TO MAKE A NAME FOR THEY SELF. SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT PUBLIC PEOPLE THAT COME SPEAK IN THE PUBLIC IS TRYING TO MAKE A NAME FOR THEY SELF AND, AND WORKERS IS TRYING TO JUST MAKE A NAME FOR THEY THEYSELF IS BIGGER THAN THAT. I HOPE YOU TAKING NOTES NOW. MACINTOSH. Y'ALL HAVE A BLESSED DAY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. SO, SO BEFORE WE DO THE NEXT SPEAKER, JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE CHRISTOPHER DORNER KILLED PEOPLE. SO LET'S, LET'S JUST BE CLEAR THAT WE DON'T CONDONE THE BROWN ACT VIOLENCE. REMEMBER THE BROWN ACT? WE HAVEN'T CALLED YET, YET, WE HAVEN'T CALLED YOU YET BROWN ACT. SO WE WANNA BE CLEAR. UH, WHY IS HER MICROPHONE ON? WE HAVEN'T STARTED HER TIME . THANK YOU. SO LET'S BE CLEAR WE DON'T CONDONE THREATS, REFERENCES OF VIOLENCE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS HERE AT THE COUNCIL MEETING. SO WE'RE CLEAR NOW. LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, PROCEED WITH YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU GOT THREE MINUTES, BROWN EYE COUNSELOR? NOTHING. OKAY. UH, TODAY'S LONG BEACH POST MAYOR, A ABANDONS PLAN TO CUT LIBRARY HOURS FOLLOWING PUBLIC OUTCRY. AT LAST WEEK'S BUDGET HEARING, WE HEARD MORE PUBLIC. THIS IS QUOTED AT LAST WEEK'S BUDGET HEARING. WE HEARD MORE PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT THE LIBRARY THAN ANY OTHER HEARING, AND THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR, KEEP OUR LIBRARIES OPEN. ON MONDAYS SAID REX RICHARDSON, HOW ABOUT THIS FOR A PUBLIC OUTCRY? TOM MOCA REX RICHARDSON, PLEASE RESIGN. YOU BOTH ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND ITS FUNDAMENTAL VALUES. QUITE SIMPLY, WE ARE TIRED OF YOUR LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, YOUR LIES GASLIGHTING, LET ALONE THE FUMBLING OF OUR CITY'S BUDGET. THE OTHER OUTCRY, THE PUBLIC OUTCRY THAT, UH, YOU HAVE YET TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS THE OUTCRY FOR, UH, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TO END ITS CONTRACTS WITH COMPANIES TIED TO ISRAEL, WHO'S CURRENTLY COMMITTING A GENOCIDE IN GAZA. ISRAEL IS SYNONYMOUS WITH GENOCIDE, APARTHEID, RAPE, MURDER, BULLETS FOUND IN SKULL, IN THE SKULLS AND HEARTS OF CHILDREN SYSTEMICALLY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY DO. THIS, THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE KNOWN FOR, AND THE CITY HAS CONTRACTS WITH LEXINEXIS, GENERAL DYNAMICS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, GOV, INC. CTW, GOVERNMENT CONNECTION AND RAIL, A WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION COMPANY THAT OUR MAYOR WANTS TO PUT OUT THERE BY THE, UH, LONG BEACH AIRPORT. IT'S ALREADY THERE. UM, THE FLOCK CAMERAS ARE WEAPONIZED SURVEILLANCE. I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT VERA MOBILITY, WHO HAS A SUBSIDIARY, UH, CONNECTION TO ISRAEL. ONCE AGAIN, ALL OF THESE SURVEILLANCE OF WEAPONIZED SURVEILLANCE COMPANIES HAVE ALL THESE TIES TO ISRAEL. CURRENTLY, CALIFORNIA SPENDS $2.8 BILLION, SENDS IT STRAIGHT TO ISRAEL, OUR COMPANIES THAT WE'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH HERE IN LONG BEACH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GENOCIDE FREE WRECKS. UH, HERE I ANO, ANOTHER THING THAT WE GOTTA REMEMBER IS, IS THAT I HAVE A LITTLE BIT LEFT THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. PLEASE STUDY THE FACES OF YOUR MAYOR, CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO BE SURE TO GIVE THEM THE SAME TREATMENT WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT YOUR RESTAURANTS STORES, OR ANYTIME YOU SEE THEM IN PUBLIC AND DON'T MESS WITH THEIR FOOD. F**K ISRAEL, F**K ICE. F**K YOU, REX AND TOM MOCA FOR S******G AT ON US BY YOUR LACK OF TRANSPARENCY. UH, AND I DON'T KNOW, BE NICE TO UNIONS. LISTEN TO UNIONS, PROTECT BLACK WORKERS AND FREE THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS IF YOU'RE IN THE CHAMBER. NEXT, JOE BRIAN DUNN FEE AND SHYLAN WILLIAMS. IF YOU'RE IN THE CHAMBER, CAN YOU PLEASE LINE UP THE LECTERN? I THINK I HEARD BRIAN FIRST. BRIAN DUNN FEE. EXCELLENT. WHAT ARE WE DOING? CITY COUNCIL CONTRACTS. YOU SUPPORT OUR WITH COMPANIES FUNDING GENOCIDES. IMMIGRANTS ARE BEING FORGOTTEN, SWEPT AWAY IN THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, QUIETLY AT THEIR CHECK-IN APPOINTMENTS JUST DOWN THE STREET AT THE COURTHOUSE AS WELL. EVERYTHING IS BEING FEDERALIZED. YOU HAVE CITIZENS LOSING HOPE IN ADELANTO DETAINED FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW. NO CHECK IN WITH THEM. YOUR SILENCE [04:05:01] IS DEAFENING. MEANWHILE, DOWNTOWN HAS BECOME FULLY FEDERALIZED. YOU HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE FIRST WAVE OF SPEED CAMERAS AND ADDED MORE PARKING FEES. FAMILIES ARE SCARED. YOU ARE SQUEEZING YOUR CITIZENS INTO POVERTY. WHILE EVERYTHING IS BECOMING LESS AFFORDABLE. FAMILIES ARE PAYING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO PRESERVE THEIR LIVES HERE. YET YOU ARE FUNDING ALL OF THIS FLUFF, PATTING EACH OTHER ON THE BACK FOR BASIC COSMETIC COSMETICS TO OUR CITY. WE NEED THE CITY TO BE EFFICIENT AND SPEND OUR TIME WITH OUR, LIKE INVESTING IN OUR CITIZENS. WE HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE, ARE, ARE GETTING, UM, LITTLE, UH, I'M SORRY, LIKE, UH, TRACKING DEVICES ON THEIR ANKLES. OKAY? I I RARELY HEAR YOU GUYS. WE HAD THE PRINCESS OF CAMBODIA COME. DID YOU GUYS EVER BRING UP ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE? I AM JUST DISGUSTED THAT THIS IS HAPPENING ON OUR WATCH. AND I'M DISGUSTED THAT YOU GUYS KEEP TALKING ABOUT ALL THESE, YOU KNOW, LITTLE PUFF PROJECTS FOR THE OLYMPICS AND FOR ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER BECAUSE WE ARE THE CITIZENS THAT HAVE TO LIVE HERE. THE OLYMPICS ARE ONLY GONNA COME FOR A FEW DAYS OR LIKE A WEEK. AND YET YOU ARE INVESTING ALL OF THIS TIME, ALL OF THIS MONEY ON ALL THESE FLUFF PROJECTS WHILE PEOPLE ARE STAYING IN THE STREETS. EVERY SINGLE HOMELESS PERSON THAT IS OUT THERE IS A PERSON THAT YOU HAVE FAILED. AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU GUYS ARE CONTINUALLY DOING THIS TO OUR CITIZENS. HELP US WORK HARDER. AND PLEASE, I NEED YOU GUYS TO TAKE THIS JOB SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS JUST FLUFF. IT IS SERIOUSLY DISGUSTING. JUST SITTING HERE LAUGHING ABOUT, OH, WE CUT DOWN THIS TREE. OH, IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE DID A GREAT JOB ON THE STREET THAT YET WE HAVE OUR LONG BEACH. WE LIVE IN LONG BEACH IN OUR OCEAN IS JUST DISGUSTING TO THE POINT THAT I DON'T EVEN TRUST MY KIDS TO GO IN THE WATER HERE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. AND I, I'M JUST, JUST FRUSTRATED TO ALL HELL THAT YOU GUYS KEEP THIS UP. LET THE BI LET THE POLICE RIDE BICYCLES. OKAY, FUNDING THAT'S MOMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. LAST CALL FOR THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS IF YOU ARE IN THE AUDIENCE. MARGOT JOE MASSEY, BRIAN DUNN AND SHYLAN WILLIAMS. IF YOU WERE IN THE AUDIENCE, PLEASE COME TO THE LECTERN. PUBLIC COMMENT IS CONCLUDED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ITEM 24, PLEASE. ACTUALLY, BEFORE WE DO SO, MADAM ATTORNEY, HAVE YOU REPORTED OUT FROM CLOSED SESSION? THANK YOU, MAYOR. THERE IS NO REPORT FROM CLOSED SESSION. GREAT REPORT. THANK YOU. NEXT IS ITEM 24, REPORT FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDATION TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO AMEND CONTRACTS WITH VARIOUS CONTRACTORS FOR PROVIDING AS NEEDED PLAN, REVIEW AND INSPECTION SERVICES, AND AUTHORIZE [24. 26-55903 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to amend Contract No. 36111 with Bureau Veritas North America, Inc., of Santa Ana, CA, Contract No. 36113 with CSG Consultants, Inc., of Orange, CA, Contract No. 36133 with Interwest Consulting Group, of Irvine, CA, Contract No. 36110 with JAS Pacific, of Upland, CA, Contract No. 36109 with TRB & Associates, of Long Beach, CA, Contract No. 36114 with True North Compliance Services, of Long Beach, CA, Contract No. 36104 with The Code Group dba VCA Code, of Orange, CA, and Contract No. 36112 with Willdan, Inc., of Anaheim, CA, for providing as-needed plan review and inspection services, to extend the term of the contracts to October 31, 2027, and authorize an annual aggregate amount of $3,500,000, for the additional year of contracting authority. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Community Development         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AN ANNUAL AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF 3,500,000 CITYWIDE. WE'LL HAVE A VOICE, UH, MOTION. AND SECOND, WE NEED A MOTION. AND SECOND. ALL RIGHT, I HEAR FIVE AND SIX. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC? UH, WE ALREADY, IS THERE ALREADY ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE ITEM. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. VOTE, ROLL CALL, VOTE PLEASE. DISTRICT ONE AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR, AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN, AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. 25, PLEASE REPORT FROM HUMAN RESOURCES RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE CITY'S SALARY SCHEDULES EFFECTIVE MAY 16TH, 2026. JUNE 27. 2026. AND JULY 25TH, 2020 CITYWIDE. ALRIGHT, [25. 26-55904 Recommendation to adopt resolution amending the City Salary Schedules effective May 16, 2026, June 27, 2026, and July 25, 2026. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Human Resources         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] UH, WE NEED A VOICE MOTION. AND SECOND, WE WE NEED A MOTION. A SECOND. I HEAR, UH, NINE AND SEVEN. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. ALRIGHT, ROLL CALL, VOTE PLEASE. DISTRICT ONE. AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. OUR FINAL ITEM, ITEM 26, PLEASE. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILMAN SUBINA, VICE MAYOR, URANGA COUNCILWOMAN THRASH ENUK. RECOMMENDATION TO REQUEST CITY ATTORNEY TO PREPARE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO CONSOLIDATE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS AT CITY [26. 26-55991 Recommendation to request City Attorney to prepare an ordinance amending Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC), Title 2, Chapter 2.03, to consolidate the public comment periods at City Council meetings into a single public comment period at the beginning of meetings, following the call to order, roll call, pledge of allegiance, ceremonials, and presentations; and direct City Manager to work with the Budget Oversight Committee to identify eligible funds for reprogramming toward the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget restorations and community priorities.       Office or Department: Daryl Supernaw, Councilman, Fourth District; Roberto Uranga, Vice Mayor, Seventh District; Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, Councilwoman, Eighth District         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COUNCIL MEETINGS INTO A SINGLE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AT THE BEGINNING OF MEETINGS FOLLOWING THE CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, CEREMONIALS AND PRESENTATIONS AND DIRECT CITY [04:10:01] MANAGER TO WORK WITH THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO IDENTIFY ELIGIBLE FUNDS FOR REPROGRAMMING TOWARDS THE FISCAL YEAR 2027. BUDGET, RESTORATIONS AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. AND I WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN SUPER FOR BRINGING THIS ITEM FORWARD. UH, SO THIS CONTINUATION OF A, A DISCUSSION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS AT CITY COUNCIL. UH, IN MY BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS, I OUTLINED THAT THERE'S A FINANCIAL IMPACT TO, UH, SB 7 0 7 IMPLEMENTATION. UH, AND THAT THOSE DOLLARS COULD BE REPROGRAMMED IF THE COUNCIL FINDS A PATH FORWARD. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY NEED TO BE WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY PRESENTED, UH, BUT SOMETHING THAT FINDS A MORE EFFICIENT WAY TO REDUCE THE STAFFING BURDEN OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 7 0 7. SO I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE AND THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN SONO FOR REALLY STRIPPING DOWN AND PARING DOWN THE ORIGINAL ORDINANCE WITH SOMETHING REALLY REAL, UH, SOMETHING, UM, UH, STREAMLINED. SO WE'RE GONNA NEED A, A MOTION. SECOND, I'LL GO TO COUNCILMAN SUPERAL, THEN WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. SO MOTION. AND SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. SO I HAVE FOUR AND SEVEN. COUNCILMAN SUPER. YOUR, YOUR COMMENTS. OKAY. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK MY, UH, COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, URANGA AND TH TOOK FOR, UH, SIGNING ON THIS ITEM WITH ME. UH, SO WE LAST, UH, VISITED THIS ISSUE AT COUNCIL ON JUNE 16TH. AND THAT WAS, UH, A MEETING I WELL REMEMBER BECAUSE I CHAIRED IT NOW. IT WAS DIFFERENT THAN TONIGHT BECAUSE IF I'M CHAIRING A MEETING, THAT MEANS BOTH THE MAYOR AND THE VICE MAYOR ARE NOT HERE. BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, THE CITY MANAGER WASN'T HERE. THE CITY ATTORNEY WASN'T HERE, AND OUR CITY CLERK WASN'T HERE. SO I THINK, UM, AN ITEM LIKE THIS, SHE WAS THERE. OH, I'M SORRY SHE WAS THERE. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. I SHOULD'VE KNOWN THAT OTHERWISE I WAS CHAIRING THE MEETING. RIGHT. UM, BUT, UM, UH, UH, SOMETHING OF THIS SIGNIFICANCE, I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL HANDS ON DECK TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS. AND, UH, THE MAYOR, OH, THE OTHER THING, UM, I THINK THAT WAS DIFFERENT IS, UH, WE WERE LESS BUDGET FOCUSED AND YOU ALWAYS ARE IN JUNE AS OPPOSED TO SEPTEMBER. AND I THINK THAT'S A, A, A KIND OF A, A MAJOR DIFFERENCE NOW, UM, THE MAYOR DID A GOOD JOB OF COVERING THESE ITEMS. I JUST WANTED TO READ FROM THE ITEM A LITTLE BIT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T READ IT. SO, IMPLEMENTING SB 7 0 7 HAS REQUIRED SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND STAFF TIME THAT COULD OTHERWISE SUPPORT CRITICAL CITY SERVICES DURING THIS CHALLENGING BUDGET CYCLE. ADOPTING THIS STREAMLINED FORMAT PRIOR TO OCTOBER ONE RELEASES THE OVER $150 MILLION. UM, STRUCTURAL GENERAL FUND ALLOCATION CURRENTLY DESIGNATED FOR THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE. UH, REPROGRAMMING THESE FUNDS WILL ALLOW THE CITY TO RESTORE VITAL COMMUNITY PRIORITIES SUCH AS EIGHT QUALITY OF LIFE OFFICERS AND EXPANDED LIBRARY SERVICES. AND I'LL ADD TO THAT, THAT, UM, UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THIS IS A STARTING POINT, UH, A DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT IS A STARTING POINT THAT WILL LEAD TO IDENTIFYING ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES. UH, SINCE JULY 1ST, 2026, EFFECTIVE DATE OF SB 7 0 7, THE CITY HAS NOT EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN VIRTUAL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT COUNCIL MEETINGS. HOWEVER, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE. UNDER THE CURRENT MEETING STRUCTURE IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATIONAL COSTS REMAIN HIGH REGARDLESS OF THE TURNOUT DUE TO THE STAFFING NEEDS REQUIRED TO FACILITATE PUBLIC COMMENT THROUGH THE ENTIRETY OF THE MEETING. UM, I GUESS I MIGHT SAY THAT, UH, IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAT CONSOLIDATING PUBLIC COMMENT TO THE FRONT OF THE MEETING WILL ELIMINATE THE NEED TO HAVE THE MEDIA RUNNING THE ENTIRE MEETING FOR CITY STAFF WHETHER THEY'RE NEEDED OR NOT. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SO THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA TRANSITION TO PUBLIC COMMENT. I SEE, UH, 23 SIGNED UP, BUT I DON'T, 24 SIGNED UP, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE 24 STILL HERE. AND I, UH, HOW MANY ARE STILL ON ZOOM? I SEE THREE SIGNED UP. THREE OR FOUR SIGNED UP FOR ZOOM. BUT HOW MANY ARE STILL THERE? THERE ARE STILL THE THREE ZOOM CALLERS ONLINE. OKAY, SO IT'S THREE ON ZOOM AND I SEE AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE HERE. SO WE WON'T, SO UNDER THE RULES IS 62ND, WE'RE GONNA BRING IT UP TO 90 SECONDS, UH, BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE HERE. SO LET'S PROCEED WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA CALL THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC COMMENT SPEAKERS, WHEN I YOU HEAR YOUR NAME, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. STUART CALLAWAY. CINDY MILAD FEE FB. CHARLIE IS IN ZOOM. SAV IS IN ZOOM. SPEEDY WATSON, SAGE, D CHRIS AND BRIAN COCHRAN, IF YOU CAN LINE UP AT THE LECTERN, IF YOU ARE HERE IN PERSON. THE FIRST SPEAKER IS STEWART AND THEN CINDY, PLEASE COME FORWARD. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. CONSTITUTION OF THIS COUNTRY STARTS [04:15:01] WITH WE THE PEOPLE ON THE LONG BEACH WEBSITE. THE HIERARCHY OF OUR CITY GOVERNMENT HAS WE THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP DURING ELECTIONS. WE, THE PEOPLE VOTE FOR MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO BE OUR LEADERS TO RESPONSIBLY MAKE THIS CITY WORK FOR US. WHY IS IT THAT ONCE YOU ARE ELECTED, YOU QUICKLY FORGET THAT EXPECTATION FROM WE THE PEOPLE NOT SO LONG AGO WE DEFEATED EMOTION LIKE ITEM 26 AND IT HAS NOW RAISED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN, YOU AND THE CITY DEPARTMENTS MAKE LONG SELF-CONGRATULATORY PRESENTATIONS THAT WE ALL SIT THROUGH PATIENTLY. AND NOW YOU WANT TO DENY OUR RIGHT TO QUESTION THOSE PRESENTATIONS WHEN THEY ARE MADE. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW IN ADVANCE WHAT PROPOSALS, DETAILS, ASSUMPTIONS, AND OTHER SUCH ITEMS ARE TO BE MADE? IF WE ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF A MEETING AS RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS, WE HAVE A RIGHT TO COMMENT UPON, VOICE OUR OPINIONS ON AND OTHERWISE DISCUSS A PARTICULAR ITEM ON THE AGENDA. WHEN THAT ITEM COMES UP, YOU ALREADY RESTRICT OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK. ITEM 26 IS NOTHING BUT A SNEAKY UNDERHAND ATTEMPT TO STIFLE AND LIMIT DISCUSSION. AND I PROFOUNDLY OBJECT TO THIS, SIR, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. I HAVE ONE, I HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION FOR CITY ATTORNEY. SINCE COUNCIL MEMBERS APPARENTLY GET A ONE HOUR WIGGLE ROOM IN SIGNING TO ADD AN AGENDA ITEM, FURTHER MUNICIPAL CODE, CAN ALL OF US RESIDENTS GET THE SAME WIGGLE ROOM ON PARKING METERS? NEXT, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER. CINDY MILLER. AND THEN FEE AND FB SITTING UP THERE ON YOUR DAY AS BECAUSE RESIDENTS VOTED FOR YOU. I DIDN'T, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER. ALL RESIDENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEAK. COMING TO A CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS NOT PLEASANT. WE HAVE TO SIT AND LISTEN TO, UH, POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS THAT ARE ENDLESS AND THEN WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO EACH OF YOU THANK EACH OTHER AND SAY, GREAT QUESTION OVER AND OVER. YOU DON'T WANT 50 PEOPLE TO GET UP AND SPEAK, DO YOUR JOB BETTER. MM-HMM MANAGE OR TAX MONEY BETTER FOLLOW UP WHERE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY AND PRIORITIZE PUBLIC SAFETY. THE MONEY SAVING. YOU SAY THAT'S JUST AN EXCUSE. YOU DON'T WANNA HEAR RESIDENTS COMPLAIN. YOU DON'T WANNA LET US AIR OUR GRIEVANCES. YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS ABOUT OUR LIVES. WE'RE ENTITLED TO SPEAK UP AND MAYBE ANSWER YOUR EMAILS. I EMAILED ALL OF YOU LAST WEEK WITH A QUESTION ABOUT HOW THIS, HOW CAN THE CITY CUT ESSENTIAL SERVICES FIRE POLICE, THEREFORE JEOPARDIZING THE CURRENT POPULATION, YET YOU WANNA CONTINUE TO BUILD AND ADD MORE PEOPLE TO A CITY THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO OPERATE PROPERLY. AS IS NO ONE ANSWERED MY QUESTION, NO ONE RESPONDED TO MY EMAIL. OKAY? SO I HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE THAN TO COME HERE AND ASK YOU FACE TO FACE. SO THINK ABOUT THAT. WE ARE A CITY OF ALMOST HALF A MILLION PEOPLE. ALLOWING US TO SPEAK FOR 60 SECONDS IS LAUGHABLE. THIS COUNCIL HAS MADE AN ABUNDANCE OF POOR CHOICES. YET THE FIRST ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK IS OUR RIGHT TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS. HOW DARE YOU SAY WE HAVE NOT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR OUR LIBRARIES. WHEN YOU HANDED THE YACHT CLUB A NEW LEASE FOR TO LAST A LIFETIME PLUS GAVE IT RENOVATIONS. HOW DARE YOU FUND A POLICE EXERCISE FACILITY, AN OLYMPIC POOL WHEN OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO BE FUNDED? OUR SANITATION DEPARTMENT HAS REDUCED SERVICES, YET SPENT OUR MONEY ON SURVEILLANCE AND BRANDING. OLYMPIC HYPE. YOU ARE FAILING YOUR CITIZENS AND THE LACK OF DECENCY TO HEAR OUR VOICES, YOU'LL NOT SILENCE US. WE ARE STAYING HERE. AND IF NOT, WE'LL JUST BE OUTSIDE AND YOU'LL SEE US WHEREVER YOU GO. SO I SUGGEST THAT WE CONTINUE HAVING THESE PUBLIC COMMENTS AND YOU GUYS CAN IGNORE US, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND WE NEED YOU TO BE MORE EFFICIENT. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. FB, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT BECOMING A US CITIZEN WAS THE FACT THAT I HAVE MY FIRST AMENDMENT [04:20:01] RIGHT, WHICH AGAIN, YOU ARE TRYING TO EITHER ELIMINATE, CONSOLIDATE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE F**K YOU GUYS ARE DOING, BUT UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A THEME NATIONWIDE, UH, OF OUR CITY COUNCIL THROUGHOUT THE NATION, LIMITING AND SILENCING, INFRINGING UPON OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. SHAME ON YOU. PIECES OF S**T. THE REASON WHY WE WAITED THIS LONG IS TO ADDRESS THIS CONCERN OF YOU LIMITING OUR FIRST AMENDMENT. YOU F*****G C***S. THE REASON I SAY THESE WORDS, I'M SORRY IF THEY HIT YOUR EARS A LITTLE TOO HARD, BUT MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE. SO YOU CAN GO F**K YOURSELF. THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. UM, AND I DON'T KNOW DEFUND THE POLICE. DEFUND THE POLICE. THAT'S WHAT YOU COULD DO EASY. MAYBE STOP F*****G FOOT PUTTING FENCES AROUND OUR PUBLIC LIBRARIES. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? IT'S SO EASY. YOU'RE A PIECE OF S**T. THIS IS GOING, THIS RECEIPT IS GOING TO FOLLOW EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR WHOLE CAREER. YOU ARE LIMITING OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT BY CONSOLIDATING SUPER NA. PLEASE REMEMBER THESE PEOPLE'S FACES THAT ARE LIMITING OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. F**K YOU. FREE PALESTINE. NEXT SPEAKER. IS CHARLIE IN ZOOM FIRST AMENDMENT B***H. CHARLIE, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI. HI. WE CAN HEAR YOU. MY NAME IS CHARLIE. UM, I'M A RENTER IN DISTRICT FIVE. I'M HERE TO SHAME THE COUNCIL FOR EVEN CONSIDERING THIS MOVE AS IT WILL CAUSE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TO BE MORE CONFUSING AND INACCESSIBLE THAN THEY ALREADY ARE. FURTHERMORE, HOLDING, UH, HOLDING OR ALLUDING TO HOLDING LIBRARY FUNDING HOSTAGE WHILE TELLING US THAT CONSOLIDATING PUBLIC COMMENT WILL ALLOW YOU TO FUND THE LIBRARIES IS EXTORTION. YOU ARE THE CITY. IT IS YOUR JOB TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES AND PLACES FOR US TO COMMUNICATE WITH WITH YOU. DO BETTER ALSO TO ECHO PREVIOUS STATEMENTS. YEAH, DEFUND THE POLICE. LIKE WHAT, WHAT, WHERE IS YOUR ENERGY RIGHT NOW? SPEND IT DOING SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY HELPFUL TO THE CITY. DEFUND THE POLICE FUND, THE FIREFIGHTERS. WHY, WHY ARE WE SOME OF THE, UH, CONVERSATIONS TONIGHT HAVE BEEN ASININE, QUITE FRANKLY. SO, UM, GET IT TOGETHER. DO BETTER. I SEE THE REST OF MY TIME. NEXT SPEAKER IS SAV AND ZOOM. SAV, IF YOU ARE STILL ONLINE, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI, MY NAME IS SAV. I'M A RENTER IN DISTRICT FOUR. IT IS COMPLETELY UNJUST FOR YOU TO EXTORT FROM US OUR RIGHT AS LONG BEACH RESIDENTS TO SPEAK ON OUR CONCERNS AND SHARE OUR LIVED OBSERVATIONS. THE CITY IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND INSTEAD YOU'RE BLAMING US RESIDENTS WHO LOVE OUR CITY OF LONG BEACH. ENOUGH TO COME HERE AND EVEN SPEAK ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING. UM, ALSO TO ECHO PREVIOUS STATEMENTS, DEFUND THE POLICE AND DIVEST FROM ISRAEL. I SEED THE REST OF MY TIME. THANK YOU. THE NEXT SPEAKER IS SPEEDY WATSON AND THEN SAGE D CHRIS, BRIAN COCHRAN, ANN PATTON, TARA RIGGIE. I AM SHOP STEWARD ANTHONY BRYSON RAY GBO. PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN NEXT SPEAKER. SPEEDY WATSON, IF SPEEDY IS NOT HERE. SAGE D IS SAGE D IN THE AUDIENCE. ALL RIGHT, HERE ON, UH, AGENDA ITEM 26 ON THE H-T-T-M-L VERSION OF THE AGENDA MEETING FOR TODAY IS AN ATTACHMENT THAT STATES THAT COMBINING THE TWO, UM, COMBINING THE, THE, THE TWO MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK ON PUBLIC COMMENT INTO ONE WOULD SAVE $150,000 OR MAYBE THAT WAS EXPRESSED IN MILLIONS, UM, TO HELP AID THE 2027 BUDGET AND THAT IT WOULD BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW REQUIRING DIGITAL PARTICIPATION. UM, I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS. I LISTENED TO THE, THE, THE SPEAKER THAT EXPLAINED THAT IT WOULD BE, UM, MOSTLY ABOUT STAFF THAT THE SAVING WOULD WOULD SAVE STAFF. WE ALREADY HAVE ALL THE DIGITAL PIECES. I KNOW I'VE USED THEM, THE DIAL IN, THE ZOOM IN AND THE EMAIL PUBLIC COMMENT. SO MY MAIN QUESTION IS WHY OF ALL OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL HAS PROPOSED AS LIKE AN ACTUAL CONCRETE IDEA THAT WOULD ACTUALLY AMEND THE CIVIL CODE. STRUCTURAL CHANGES OF SAVING IN THIS BUDGET CRISIS. THE ONE THAT YOU CAME FORWARD WITH WAS CONDENSING PUBLIC COMMENT. LISTEN, I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE, BUT TO DO IT A WEEK AFTER THE MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT FOR YOU GUYS AFTER SO MANY PEOPLE CAME [04:25:01] OUT HERE AND SAID, HOW DARE YOU CUT THE LIBRARY. IT'S NOT A GREAT LOOK. SO MY QUESTION IS, WHY, WHY IS THIS THE ONE TIME? AND LIKEWISE TO ECHO SOME OF THE COMMENTS FROM EARLIER TONIGHT, THERE ARE STILL MANY UNEXPLORED OPPORTUNITIES. THERE ARE MANY BUN BENEFITS THAT MANAGERS AND PEOPLE ON COUNCIL GET THAT FRANKLY SEEM QUITE DECADENT TO PEOPLE LIKE US. THE FACT THAT YOU GET A CREDIT FOR THINGS LIKE YOUR VEHICLES, THE FACT THAT I DON'T KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF UNAUDITED NO BID CONTRACTS THAT THE CITY GIVES OUT THAT LIKE MAYBE YOU COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE. PERHAPS THERE'S SOME SAVINGS THERE. THAT'S IT. . THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRIS D IS CHRIS D IN THE AUDIENCE. AND AFTER CHRIS BRIAN COCHRAN AND IAN PATTON. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL. UM, THIS IS MY THIRD CITY COUNCIL MEETING. I HAVE BEEN TO EVER. UM, ALL THREE HAVE BEEN OCCURRED IN THE LAST MONTH BECAUSE I AM A RESIDENT HERE. I'M A STUDENT. I AM HOPEFULLY A FUTURE A LIBRARY EMPLOYEE. UM, AND IT JUST REALLY ANCHORS ME THAT WHILE I DO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS WAS PROPOSED INITIALLY A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE TIMING OF THIS SUCKS. THIS AS PEOPLE HAVE UH, SAID BEFORE, THE SACRIFICE IS MISSING FROM HERE. YOU GUYS ARE OUR CIVIL SERVANTS. WHERE'S YOUR SERVICE TO US? AS AGAIN, ECHOING PEOPLE HAVE SAT HERE FOR HOURS. I DID NOT KNOW THIS MEETING WOULD BE GOING THIS LATE. AND I'M STILL STANDING HERE WAITING TO SPEAK MY PEACE BECAUSE I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO THAT. AND I WANTED TO HEAR ALL OF YOUR OPINIONS AND GET CLARIFICATION ON THIS PROPOSAL BEFORE I FELT I COULD COHERENTLY SPEAK ON IT MYSELF. UM, YOU'RE SILENCING YOUR CITIZENS TO MAKE SOME BUDGET CUTS AND THAT IS B******T. THANK YOU. UM, AND YOU NEED TO INVEST IN YOUR RESIDENTS, YOUR CITIZENS AND THE COMMUNITY. OTHERWISE YOU'RE NOT INVESTING IN LONG BEACH. THANK YOU FOLKS. FRIENDS, YOU HAVE TO WANNA DO THIS THING. YOU HAVE TO WANT TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE. THAT'S THE DNA OF THE JOB. THAT'S THE DNA OF WHY YOU ENTERED SERVICE TO DO THINGS FOR THE PUBLIC. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM US, YOU'RE REDUCING IT TO AN ECHO CHAMBER WHERE YOUR ONLY VOICES ARE STAFF MEMBERS WITH GIANT POWERPOINTS AND PRESENTATIONS AND YOUR OWN VOICES. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. AS EVERYONE'S BEEN SAYING THIS, THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM. I WAS HONORED TO BE ABLE TO RUN FOR A, A COUNCIL SEAT THIS CYCLE. AND THE TENET OF EVERYTHING I DID WAS TO ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, TO HEAR FROM THEM DIRECTLY, TO ASK QUESTIONS AND SOLICIT THOSE OPINIONS AND DRAW THEM OUT. WE'RE NOT DRAWING PEOPLE OUT HERE WHEN YOU REDUCE THEM TO 60 SECONDS, 90 SECONDS, THEY'RE BARELY HAVING A CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE A SINGLE IDEA TO YOU, LET ALONE THE DEPTH OF THINGS THEY'VE RESEARCHED OR SHARED FROM THEIR COMMUNITY. SOME OF YOU ARE PARTICULARLY GOOD AT ENGAGING WITH YOUR COMMUNITIES AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS. DARRELL, I HAVE TO, I'VE NEVER HEARD A BAD THING ABOUT YOU CONNECTING WITH YOUR RESIDENTS. THAT'S A HUGE ASSET. NOT ALL OF YOU DO THAT AS EFFECTIVELY. NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE GET THROUGH THE FILTERS THAT YOU HAVE IN PLACE TO DO THAT. SOME OF US ARE ON THE BOOKS TRYING TO GET AN EMAIL CONVERSATION FOLLOWED UP ON A STAFF REQUEST. ANY NUMBER OF THINGS THAT NEVER REACH THIS MOMENT, DON'T REDUCE THIS DOWN TO THE BARE MINIMUMS THAT SAY YOU CHECKED A BOX, THOSE A HUNDRED AND 127 PAGES OF RECOMMENDATIONS. THERE WERE SOME IDEAS THERE, THERE ARE SOME IDEAS IN COMMUNITY HERE. DON'T JUST REDUCE THIS TO SAVE SOME MONEY AND PUT IT TOWARDS SOMETHING ELSE. I LOVE THE IDEA, BUT DON'T DO IT THIS WAY, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. UH, IAN PATTON LONG BEACH REFORM COALITION. IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT A PROPOSAL MEETS WITH UNIVERSAL OPPOSITION, UNANIMOUS OPPOSITION, AND THEN COMES BACK FOR A SECOND TIME. I MEAN THIS WAS HERE IN MAY AND JUNE. EVERY SINGLE SPEAKER OPPOSED IT. I WENT BACK AND I LOOKED AT THE COMMENTS THAT WERE EMAILED IN SUBMITTED ONLINE. 100% OPPOSITION. SOMETHING IS GOING ON HERE. UH, TO JUSTIFY THIS ON $150,000 REPROGRAMMING THAT REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LIMITING THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS AND IS LIKE LESS THAN UH, 500TH OF 1% OF THE GENERAL FUND IS RIDICULOUS. THAT'S, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT A BUDGET ITEM. UM, THIS IS ABOUT CHANGING THE ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON EVERY AGENDA ITEM FOR ALL TIME THAT IS GUARANTEED IN THE BROWN ACT. CREATING A SITUATION WHERE POTENTIALLY AFTER THE 90 MINUTES ALL AGENDA ITEMS ARE SHIELDED FROM HAVING ANY LIVE SPONTANEOUS PUBLIC COMMENT IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE BROWN ACT. THE LAST TIME I CAME TO YOU, [04:30:01] I SUED YOU. I WAS RIGHT. THE CITY ATTORNEY WAS WRONG. LET'S NOT DO THAT AGAIN. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME'S TARA REGIE. I'M A LIFELONG LONG BEACH RESIDENT. I STOOD BEFORE THIS COUNCIL IN JUNE WHEN A SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR PROPOSAL WAS CONSIDERED. AND I SAID THEN THAT PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOT AN INCONVENIENCE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR STAFF PRESENTATIONS, HEAR QUESTIONS, NEW INFORMATION, AND THEN PROVIDE INPUT ON AN AGENDA ITEM BEFORE A VOTE IS TAKEN. THAT IS HOW INFORMED PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WORKS. THIS PROPOSAL WOULD REQUIRE RESIDENTS TO COMMENT BEFORE ANY OF THAT OCCURS. HOW CAN RESIDENTS PROVIDE MEANINGFUL INPUT IF THEY'RE EXPECTED TO SPEAK BEFORE HEARING THE INFORMATION THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO COMMENT ON YOUR MAY STAFF REPORT FOUND THAT THE MOST FREQUENTLY IDENTIFIED BARRIER TO PARTICIPATION WAS THAT RESIDENTS FEEL THEIR VOICES ARE NOT HEARD. THE SAME REPORT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SHORTENING SPEAKING TIMES CREATES FRUSTRATION AND DISCOURAGES MEANINGFUL PAR PARTICIPATION. YET THIS ITEM MOVES US IN THE EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION. IT CONSOLIDATES PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING WITH 21 SPEAKERS OR MORE, REDUCES EACH RESIDENT'S OPPORTUNITY JUST 60 SECONDS. SB 7 0 7 DOESN'T REQUIRE THIS. OUR GOVERNMENT CODE PROVIDES THAT THE PUBLIC MUST HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE LEGISLATIVE BODY BEFORE OR DURING CONSIDERATION OF AN AGENDA ITEM. WHILE THE CITY MAY ARGUE THAT PLACING ALL COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING TECHNICALLY SAT SATISFIES THE WORD BEFORE, THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOT SIMPLY TO CHECK A PROCEDURAL BOX. THE PURPOSE IS MEANINGFUL. PARTICIPATION THROUGHOUT MY CAMPAIGN, I KNOCKED ON THOUSANDS OF DOORS ACROSS THE FIFTH DISTRICT. PEOPLE WANT MORE INVOLVEMENT IN THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOT LESS. THEY WANT A SEAT AT THE TABLE. THEY WANT TO FEEL LIKE THEIR VOICES MATTER. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IS NOT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER IS IAM SHOP STEWARD. AND THEN ANTHONY BRYSON, RAY GCH, HASANI GUNN, TARA CUMINS, MEG JIM HANNIGAN. IF THOSE SPEAKERS CAN PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS NASTER AND I'M A I AM SHOP STEWARD. FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD ASK YOU TO PLEASE NOT LOOK AT YOUR PHONE WHILE I'M TALKING LIKE YOU HAVE WITH THE OTHER SPEAKERS. I'VE LITERALLY SAID THROUGH THE MOST UNN ROUND OF QUESTIONING FROM ALL OF YOU ASKING THE SAME QUESTION, CONGRATULATING YOURSELVES, THE MOST ROUNDABOUT QUESTIONING I'VE EVER HEARD. I MEAN, WHERE'S THE ACTUAL QUESTION? SO KUDOS TO YOU GUYS. WHEN YOU GUYS SAY GOOD QUESTION, 'CAUSE WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? I LOST TRACK AFTER A THOUSAND WORD SALAD. SO I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT NUMBER 26. AND MAN, REX, YOU'RE TENACIOUS. YOU REALLY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN, DON'T YOU? BECAUSE I COMMENTED ON THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU GOT CUTE AND YOU CAME AND COMMENTED TO ME FROM YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE AND SAID, OH, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT. SO THAT WAS A THREAT. AND I ASKED YOU, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, REX? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION. I'M GONNA KEEP DOGGING YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY LIKE I ALWAYS DO. I'M GONNA KEEP YOU ON YOUR WORD. DO YOUR JOB, LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE FOR YOU TO USE OUR ABILITY TO SPEAK AS A WAY TO HOLD FUNDS FROM THE LIBRARY. BASICALLY PIVOTING THE PUBLIC AGAINST THE LIBRARY IS RIDICULOUS. HEY, YOU WANNA SAVE MONEY? HOW ABOUT YOU GET RID OF THIS VIBE CITY FUNDING WHERE YOU'RE PAYING THE EXT TOURISM STAR WHO YOU GUYS ARE PROTECTING, WHO YOU MADE IT PRIVATE SO HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO ANSWER PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT. AND NOW IT'S A PRIVATE ENTITY INSTEAD OF A PUBLIC ENTITY. STOP PROTECTING BAD PLAYERS. PROTECT THE PUBLIC ELEVATE. DON'T HATE ON THE PUBLIC. HOW ABOUT THAT? DO YOUR JOBS JOB. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. REX, OUR ANCESTORS. WHY YOU IN YOUR SEAT RIGHT NOW AND YOU WANT TO SHORTEN OUR TIME? OUCH. ONE SPEAKER AT A TIME. THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. OUCH. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THE WORDS THAT I DID WRITE TO SHARE WITH YOU ARE TO BALANCE BUDGETS ON THE BACK OF PUBLIC. PARTICIPATION IS A LOW, IT'S A NEW LOW. AND IT INSINUATES THAT YOUR CONSTITUENTS AREN'T WORTHY OF REAL TIME ENGAGEMENT. IT ALSO SUGGESTS THAT OUR DECISION MAKING ELECTED OFFICIALS, EACH ONE OF YOU WHOSE VOTES DO DETERMINE THE QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURES THAT YOU HAVE SUPERIOR BRAIN POWER TO RECALL PUBLIC COMMENTS HOURS LATER WHEN THE AGENDA ITEM FINALLY COMES BEFORE YOU. THAT IS MY BIGGEST THING. I SAT WHERE YOU SIT. I KNOW HOW HARD IT CAN BE TO FOLLOW WHATEVER THAT AGENDA ITEM IS. AND THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE GONNA REMEMBER WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS SAID TO YOU THREE OR FOUR HOURS LATER IS ABSURD. I'M GONNA SAY I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS A BUDGET SAVING ISSUE AT ALL. AND, AND THE THINGS THAT I HEARD TONIGHT, I'M VERY SORRY THAT YOU HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THE LACK OF DECORUM FROM THE PUBLIC AMENDMENT. BUT I WILL SAY THAT WHEN I SAT THERE IN 2004, LONG BEACH HAD $130 MILLION DEFICIT. WE, IT WAS A THREE YEAR RECOVERY PROGRAM. [04:35:01] WE HAD THE GREAT RECESSION IN 2007. WE HAD AGAIN, THEN AGAIN ANOTHER BUDGET PROBLEM IN 2012, ANOTHER ONE IN 2021 AND NOW 2027. IT'S NOT GONNA STOP. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO HAVE BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY. AND ONE QUICK SUGGESTION IS TAKE A PRESENTATIONS AND THE AWARDS FOR A DIFFERENT DAY OF THE MONTH. ONE DAY OUT OF THE MONTH. THANK YOU. THANKS RAY. THE NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE COME FORWARD. CONSIDERING THE CITY FORGOT TO BILL $22 MILLION IN IMPACT FEES, CREATING LIMITS ON PUBLIC TESTIMONY TO SAVE $150,000 IS AN INSULTING ROUNDING ERROR. THE THING IS, THIS PROPOSAL DOESN'T EVEN ACTUALLY SAVE YOU MONEY. YOU'D SAVE MORE MONEY IF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING STARTED ON TIME THIS YEAR. YOU'VE SAT THROUGH AN AVERAGE OF 24 MINUTES OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY PER MEETING. SO THE ONLY THING THAT 26 DOES IS MAKE IT HARDER ON PEOPLE TO COMMENT. IF YOU'RE SICK OF SEEING US STOP THE SHENANIGANS, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO COME DOWN HERE AND SPEND OUR TUESDAY EVENINGS ON ZOOM. WE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO TRUST OUR REPRESENTATIVES, BUT IT'S ACTIONS LIKE THIS THAT CREATE A WEDGE OF TRUST BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE RESIDENTS. BUT IT ISN'T A SINGLE ITEM, IS IT? WHAT ABOUT THE ILLEGAL MEASURE? A TAX EARLY TAX HIKE YOU ALL VOTED ON TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS WHEN NO ONE WAS WATCHING. WHAT ABOUT THE SHADY FIRST TO SERVE $13 MILLION CONTRACT THAT WAS RE-APPROVED WITHOUT AN AUDIT, EVEN THOUGH YOU ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS MISSING INFORMATION AND THEN IT WAS DISCOVERED THERE WAS HIJINKS. WHAT ABOUT THE TEMPORARY AUDITORIUM WHOSE BUDGET WENT OVER $7.3 MILLION THIS YEAR? OR HOW ABOUT THE PROPERTY THAT YOU BOUGHT FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING AND DIDN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE IT WOULD REQUIRE A VENUE AND AND ZONING CHANGE? NONE OF THIS ENGENDERS TRUST. NONE OF IT MAKES ME FEEL REPRESENTED AND ALL OF IT GIVES ME THE ICK MAKING PUBLIC COMMENT AND ENGAGEMENT HARD. THAT'S WHAT FASHION DO MA'AM. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. I'M GONNA CALL THE REMAINING SPEAKERS. HASANI GUNN IS IN ZOOM. TARA CUMINS MEG JIM HANNIGAN NA G SAM WISE GAJI, AMANDA F ELENA, AND ELLIE. WE'RE GONNA TAKE HASANI GUNN IN ZOOM. CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? OKAY. QUICK. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. OKAY. BEAUTIFUL. SO GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS HASANI GUNN. I'M A DIS, I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT EIGHT. I THINK THIS PROPOSAL IS UNDEMOCRATIC IN EFFECT. PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOT. ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW FORMAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT RESIDENTS HAVE TO ADDRESS THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES BEFORE DECISIONS ARE MADE. IN OTHER WORDS, RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS THE SCHEDULING PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ENGINEERED OUT OF A CITY COUNCIL MEETING COUNCILWOMAN THRASH AND TOOK. BECAUSE YOU ARE BOTH MY REPRESENTATIVE AND A SPONSOR OF THIS PROPOSAL, I WOULD PARTICULARLY APPRECIATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING. FIRST, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND ACCESSIBILITY. SO TONIGHT, THE CITY HAS APPROPRIATELY RECOGNIZED THAT EQUAL CLOCK TIME DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN EQUAL ACCESS. BY GIVING AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE TO SPEAKERS WHO REQUIRE TRANSLATION, THAT PRINCIPLE SHOULD PROBABLY EXTEND BEYOND TRANSLATION. IN OTHER WORDS, 60 SECONDS DOES NOT AFFECT A PRACTICED SPEAKER READING RAPIDLY FROM A PREPARED STATEMENT THE SAME WAY IT AFFECTS SOMEONE WHO MAY STUTTER SPEAK. SIR, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED IS IF WE CAN GET THE NEXT SPEAKER, MEG AND THEN JIM GAN NAJI AND SAMIS GAJI. HI, MY NAME IS MEG CRABTREE. I'VE LIVED IN THE CITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS. I JUST WANNA MAKE A COUPLE OF POINTS. FIRST TO REITERATE. IT IS INDEED A CHEAP SHOT TO USE THE LIBRARIES AS A BARGAINING CHIP. THE IDEA THAT IF WE CUT OUR PUBLIC COMMENTING SHORT, MAYBE YOU'LL KEEP OUR LOCAL BRANCH OPEN AN EXTRA DAY OF THE WEEK. THAT'S, THAT'S LOW. IT'S IRONIC TOO THAT YOUR RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC OUTCRY OVER LIBRARY [04:40:01] SERVICES IS BEING THREATENED IS TO LIMIT THAT KIND OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE FUTURE. AND SECOND, WITH A CRIMINALLY CORRUPT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RUNNING ROUGHSHOD OVER DEMOCRACY IN THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR OUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES TO QUIET OUR VOICES. YOU NEED TO BE HEARING US LOUDER THAN EVER. YOU NEED TO PROTECT US. ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER. JIM HANNIGAN. JUNE 9TH. THIS IDEA IN AN ORDINANCE IMPLEMENT INATE WAS PASSED OVER UNIVERSAL PUBLIC OPPOSITION COMMENT WITH ONLINE AND PHONE WOULD OVERWHELM COUNCIL MEETINGS AND HAD TO BE CONSTRAINED BY JUNE 16TH. RECONSIDERED. THIS AND THE ORDINANCE FAILED TO BE ADOPTED AT THE SECOND READING JULY 21ST. AND SI AND SINCE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN HELD WITH ONLINE COMMENTS STRUCTURED AS BEFORE AND THE SKY DID NOT FALL, THERE'S BEEN NO MASSIVE INCREASE IN COMMENT VOLUME. YET THE SAME FAILED IDEA IS BACK ONLY THIS TIME COMMENTS ARE INSUFFICIENT TO JUSTIFY THE COST. AND PARADOXICALLY THE ANSWER IS STILL TO CONSTRAIN COMMENTS. JUST AS BEFORE, ONLY NOW THE EXCUSE IS TO SAVE MONEY. ALL COMMENTS AGENDA. NOT IN ONE DISORGANIZED, RANDOM MASS AT THE START OF MEETINGS. COME ON. 21. TOTAL COMMENTS. THE TIME IS 60 SECONDS. 90 COMMENTS TOTAL. WE SAW HALF THAT TOTAL ON ONE ITEM TONIGHT. HOW DO YOU RUN FOR OFFICE? JUSTIFY YOUR POSITIONS. LOOK YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR IF YOU VOTE TO NOT HEAR YOUR CONSTITUENTS. THE VERY PEOPLE YOU ARE ELECTED TO REPRESENT. FAILED BEFORE FAILURE NOW AND 150 K. YOU BLEW THREE AND A HALF MILLION ON A SLEW OF CONSULTANTS 20 MINUTES AGO WITHOUT BATTING AN EYELASH. THIS IS SHAMEFUL. SHAME ON YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. NAJI, SAM, GAJI. AMANDA, ELENA AND ELLIE. I'M GOOD. I'M GOOD. I GOT IT. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY ONE THING. I CARE ABOUT THE CITY. I LOVE THE CITY, BUT WE'VE BEEN F*****G UP RIGHT AND LEFT. YOU KNOW, ITEM 26, THIS IS NOT CHINA. MM-HMM . RIGHT? I MEAN, I'M JUST CURIOUS, HOW DO YOU GUYS WILL FEEL IF YOU'RE NOT IN A A NUT CHAIR IF YOU'RE SITTING IN THIS SIDE? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? YOU KNOW WHAT? WE LOVE THE CITY. I ASSUME YOU GUYS LOVE THE CITY. LET'S DO SOMETHING BETTER. THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. AND I, FOR THE LACK OF THE WORD, I'M NOT GONNA SAY WHAT IT WAS SAID EARLIER, BUT DON'T GET FLATTERS THAT YOU WON THE REELECTION BECAUSE YOU RUN THE ELECTION. BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS, THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS S**T NO MORE. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. SAM WISE, GAJI AND THEN AMANDA AND ELENA AND ELLIE. I SEE YEAH. ANDREW WILL, INDUSTRY SUCKS AND THEY SHOULD, UH, CHANGE THEIR NAME TO BRINGERS OF DEATH. ANYWAY. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, CONSOLIDATING THE PUBLIC COMMENT, DOES THAT MEAN INSTEAD OF GETTING THREE MINUTES OF GENERAL COMMENT AND UP TO THREE MINUTES FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM I WANNA SPEAK ON, I JUST GET ONE THREE MINUTE BLOCK OF LIKE ALL OF IT. 'CAUSE YOU GUYS DO REALIZE THAT EVEN THE WAY THAT COMMENTS ARE RUN FOR AGENDA ITEMS RIGHT NOW IS LIKE NOT GREAT, RIGHT? THE FACT THAT PEOPLE CANNOT SIGN UP ONCE THE PRESENTATION BEGINS AND YOU'D THINK THAT THE BEST TIME TO SIGN UP WOULD BE DURING THE PRESENTATION OR LIKE RIGHT AFTER WHEN YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT YOU LIKE WANT TO RESPOND TO. SO I DON'T SEE THE POINT OF MAKING IT WORSE. AND I THINK THE REAL REASON WHY YOU DON'T WANT US HER, LIKE YOU COULD SAY THAT IT'S TO GET US HOME EARLIER TO SAVE MONEY. BUT AS MANY TIMES AS I'VE SEEN THIS, UH, COUNCIL FILIBUSTER AND AGENDA ITEM INTO INFINITY, I KNOW THAT YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PUBLIC. YOU JUST DON'T WANT US HERE WHILE YOU VOTE YES ON ALL YOUR CONTRACTS WITH WEAPONS MANUFACTURERS LIKE ANDRE INDUSTRIES OR LIKE LEXISNEXIS. YOU DON'T WANT US HERE WHEN YOU'RE VOTING ON ALL THESE HORRENDOUS WAYS YOU SPEND ON MONEY ON THESE COMPANIES THAT ENABLE ICE, WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KIDNAPPING OUR NEIGHBORS. SO YEAH, PENDING 5 MILLION CONTRACT WITH FLOCK A LPR. THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T WANT US HERE TO ASK WHY YOU'RE WASTING OUR MONEY IS WASTE. SO YEAH, I WILL SHOW F*****G RESPECT WHEN THIS COUNCIL F*****G EARNS IT. NOT A MINUTE SOONER. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE COME FORWARD. AMANDA, [04:45:01] ELENA AND ELLIE, IF YOU'RE IN THE AUDIENCE, PLEASE COME TO THE LECTERN. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS AMANDA FORD. I'M A LIFELONG LONG BEACH RESIDENT. AND THIS SUGGESTIONS IN THIS RECOMMENDATION ARE DEEPLY FLAWED INTERPRETATIONS OF THE GOALS OF SB 7 0 7. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN CONSIDER THIS. I'M SORRY. YOU THINK IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS WHEN WE HAVE TO COME TELL YOU, YOU F****D UP. THAT'S THE JOB. THAT IS THE JOB, . THAT IS THE JOB YOU ASKED VOTERS TO GIVE YOU. THE MEETINGS GET SHORTER WHEN YOU F**K UP LESS, THAT'S YOUR INCENTIVE. LEARN THE LESSONS AND YOU GET YOUR TIME BACK. THE BROWN ACT, AND ITS RECENT REVISIONS IN SV 7 0 7 WERE MEANT TO INCREASE ACCESS TO PUBLIC MEETINGS IN CALIFORNIA AND PROTECT CONSTITUENTS ABILITY TO HOLD A DIALOGUE WITH THEIR ELECTED LEADERS AS A MAINSTAY OF DEMOCRACY. THIS DOES NOT FURTHER THOSE GOALS. IT SPITS IN THE FACE OF SB 7 0 7 IN THE ENTIRE BROWN ACT, GIVING PEOPLE ONE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND CAPPING PUBLIC COMMENT AT 90 MINUTES. REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS TELLS EVERY CONSTITUENT THIS COUNCIL IS UNINTERESTED IN THEIR OPINION AND ENGAGEMENT AND WANTS TO MOVE PAST THEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. DECIDING IN ADVANCE HOW LONG YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE ALLOWED TO ADDRESS YOU IS TELLING US THE EXACT MOMENT WHEN YOU PLAN TO STOP LISTENING AND STOP CARING. AND YOU'RE ASKING FOR THIS WHILE SAYING IT HASN'T BEEN A PROBLEM YET. THE COUNCIL'S RESPONSE TO SB 7 0 7 SHOULD NOT BE BOWING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LAW WHILE IGNORING ITS INTENDED GOALS. THIS ISN'T CARRYING OUT SB 7 0 7 AND YOU CAN'T CONVINCE US IT IS. IT'S MALICIOUS COMPLIANCE AND YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES FOR EVEN SUGGESTING IT. UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MENTIONED THERE'S A FINANCIAL IMPACT TO ALLOWING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS. YEAH, THAT'S THE POINT. IT'S LIKE SAYING, I'M GONNA OPEN A RESTAURANT. I'M GONNA KEEP IT OPEN TILL 9:00 PM BUT I'M GONNA STOP SERVING FOOD AT SIX 30. 'CAUSE THE FINANCIAL IMPACT, OH, IT'S TOO MUCH. IT'S ALL TOO MUCH. SAY WE GOTTA HAVE THIS DISCUSSION. LIKE THIS DISCUSSION HAS BEEN HAD. THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH OVERWHELMINGLY CAME OUT LAST TIME DECLARED, WE DO NOT WANT PUBLIC COMMENT TO BE REDUCED. AND WE COME OUT TONIGHT AGAIN AND WE'LL COME OUT AGAIN, AGAIN AND LIKE, WE'LL KEEP DOING IT. BUT IT'S TRULY ASININE THAT WE EVEN GOTTA HAVE THIS DISCUSSION WHEN ALL THIS DISCUSSION IS DOING IS DEFLECTING FROM THE ACTUAL DISCUSSION THAT NEEDS TO BE HAD ABOUT HOW OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SO GROSSLY MISMANAGED. IT'S GREAT TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE STAND OUT TILL NINE FOR THIS. I KNOW SOME OF MY FRIENDS AND I LIKE TO GET LOUD. I KNOW EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE ISN'T ROCKING WITH IT LIKE THAT. BUT IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE THAT THE SPIRIT OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS IS SOMETHING WE CAN ALL AGREE ON THAT'S BRINGING US TOGETHER. EVEN IF IT'S ONLY BECAUSE OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE SO CORRUPT AND SO RESISTANT TO DOING THEIR JOBS, THAT THEY'VE ESSENTIALLY STOPPED TRYING TO EVEN HIDE IT ANYMORE. UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER MENTIONED THE FUNDS WOULD BE SAVED GOING TO EIGHT QUALITY OF LIFE OFFICERS AND VAGUE, UNDEFINED, ENHANCED LIBRARY SERVICES. SO IT'S CLEAR THIS IS JUST ANOTHER MOVE TO TRY TO BLOW OUT OUR POLICE BUDGET EVEN FURTHER. WE DON'T WANT THAT. WOO. AND OUR LAST SPEAKER IS IN ZOOM. ELENA, IF YOU CAN PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. OH, WE CAN HEAR YOU AFTER I SPOKE AT THE JUNE 16TH MEETING. THE VOTE WAS NO. AND MY DISTRICT LEADER, MEGAN, WROTE TO ME SAYING THAT SHE SUPPORTED US THEN AND I HOPE SHE SUPPORTS US AGAIN TONIGHT. YET HERE WE ARE AGAIN. AND I HAVE ONE SIMPLE QUESTION. WHAT DOES CHANGING PUBLIC COMMENT HAVE TO DO WITH RESTORING THE FIN FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET? I'VE RESEARCHED PUBLIC COMMENT POLICIES IN CITIES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, AS I DID WHEN I SPOKE ON JUNE 16TH. CITIES MAY SHORTEN SPEAKING TIME, THEY MAY CHANGE SPEAKING TIME, BUT WHEN LARGE NUMBERS OR SPEAKERS ARE, ARE WANNA SPEAK. BUT AGAIN, NOT ONE CITY IN CALIFORNIA HAS SHORTENED RESIDENT SPEAKING TIME, SPECIFICALLY AS A BUDGET CUTTING MEASURE. IT'S NOT GONNA SAVE A DOLLAR. THE CITY'S OWN SB 7 0 7 MEMO PROJECTS A HUNDRED THOUSAND IN CITY CLERK OVERTIME. HOW MUCH OF THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND IS ACTUALLY SAVED BY CHANGING PUBLIC COMMENT? STAFF STILL HAS TO BE HERE. ZOOM STILL HAS TO OPERATE. SB 7 0 7 STILL HAS TO BE FOLLOWED. IF THIS PRODUCES MEANINGFUL BUDGET SAVINGS, THEN SHOW US THE CALCULATIONS. IF IT DOESN'T, DON'T PACKAGE CHANGES TO PUBLIC VOICES WITH BUDGET RESTORATIONS. RESIDENTS ARE NOT GOVERNMENT [04:50:01] WASTE. SHOW US THE NUMBERS AND SUPPORT YOUR RESIDENTS. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU, UH, ONLINE THROUGH SB 7 0 7 FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU, UH, TO ALL OF YOU FOR, UH, PARTICIPATING IT HERE AT 9:30 PM UH, IT'S OUR TURN. SO, UM, I WANNA, UH, LIFT UP SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED FROM THE COMMUNITY. JUST GET SOME CLARITY ON, UH, THIS PROPOSAL AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM, UH, THE PROPOSAL WAS DISCUSSED BEFORE. UH, THERE WAS A GOOD QUESTION THAT CAME UP ABOUT HOW THIS PROPOSAL WOULD SAVE MONEY. NOW I CAN SAY THAT A, A NUMBER OF LIKE RESOURCES WERE IDENTIFIED TO HELP WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION, BUT I'M GONNA ASK, UH, STAFF TO, TO REALLY WALK US A LITTLE BIT THROUGH THE MEMO THAT WAS SUBMITTED, UH, RECENTLY THAT REALLY ARTICULATED WHAT THE COST WOULD BE FOR IMPLEMENTING, UH, SB 7 0 7 THROUGH THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MEETING. UM, AND WHY THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FIRST BUDGET PRE IN THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET ORIGINALLY. SO IF WE CAN TALK THROUGH THAT, THAT WOULD BE SOME HELPFUL CLARIFICATION. I CAN START WITH THAT. AND THEN, UH, IT WAS ACTUALLY, UH, MONIQUE'S, UM, UH, MEMO SO SHE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS. 'CAUSE MOST OF THESE COSTS ACTUALLY HIT IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE. UM, SO, UH, WE WERE PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT 7 0 7, UH, THAT WAS STATE LAW. IT WAS CLEARLY AN UNFUNDED MANDATE, DIDN'T COME WITH ANY DOLLARS FROM THE STATE. UH, AND SO WE WERE PLANNING THROUGH THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO, UH, TO DO IT IN THE WAY THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED. UH, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND, AND WE HAD ALL THAT DISCUSSION AND THERE WAS A PROPOSAL. SO THE BUDGET ACTUALLY INCLUDES AN ENHANCEMENT TO MONIQUE'S STAFF. THERE ARE, UM, SPECIFIC COSTS, SO WE CAN CALL THOSE OUT. UH, BUT THEN WE WERE PLANNING BY HAVING THE MEETING, UH, OR ALL THE, UH, INFORMATION AT THE, OR ALL THE COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, UH, THAT REALLY SAVES A LOT OF THE OVERTIME. SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE STAFF THAT ARE, UM, BASICALLY MANNING A CALL CENTER AND WHETHER ONE PERSON CALLS IN OR A THOUSAND PEOPLE CALL IN, THAT IS A COST THAT THEY ARE INCURRING. AND WE'RE DOING THAT EVERY SINGLE MEETING. RIGHT. AND SO THE CONCEPT IS IF YOU ARE ABLE TO, TO SHORTEN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THOSE STAFF ARE THERE ON OVERTIME, UH, THERE IS A COST SAVINGS. AND THE MEMO ACTUALLY OUTLINED THAT AS $150,000 IMPACT. UH, THE TOTAL COST IS OF SB 7 0 7 I THINK IS CLOSER TO 480 SOMETHING. SO I'LL TURN IT TO MONIQUE TO TALK ABOUT THAT. SURE. UH, JUST JUST A MOMENT. THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THERE AREN'T ANY DISRUPTIONS IN THE MEETING WHILE WE GO THROUGH THIS. OKAY. SO I'M GONNA ASK, UH, MADAM CLERK, JUST, UM, RESTORE THE ROOM TO A STATE OF ORDER BEFORE YOU RESPOND. YES. SO THANK YOU. THIS IS A FIRST WARNING FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. IF YOU CAN PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS. THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING. THANK YOU. UM, TO SPEAK TO THE ITEM TOM COVERED, THERE WAS THE OVERTIME COST INITIALLY FOR THE DEPARTMENT. 'CAUSE WE DO STAY LATE ON TUESDAY NIGHTS. AND THE ADDITIONAL OVERTIME COST FOR IMPLEMENTING SB 7 0 7, WE HAVE INCREASED STAFFING REQUIREMENTS. WHEN WE DO HAVE PEOPLE IN ZOOM, WE DO HAVE A CALL CENTER THAT OPERATES ALL EVENING LONG UNTIL THE END OF THE MEETING TO HANDLE INCOMING CALLERS AND PUT THEM INTO BREAKOUT ROOMS AND TALK THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE IN THE PROPER ITEM, EVERY SINGLE ITEM THAT THEY WANNA TALK ON IN ZOOM. WE ALSO HAVE STAFF MEMBERS WHO STAY LATE IN THE LOBBY SIGNING UP PUBLIC COMMENT SPEAKERS, ESPECIALLY FOR LARGER MEETINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS HOW TO PARTICIPATE. THEY NEED A SPEAKER CARD, GET THEM SIGNED UP BEFORE THE ITEM IS STARTED SO THAT THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE. THERE'S ALSO SOME EQUIPMENT NEEDS WITH SP 7 0 7. WE HAVE ENHANCED LICENSING AND, UH, ZOOM FOR ZOOM, IT IS NOT A TRADITIONAL LICENSE FOR ZOOM, SO THERE ARE SOME COSTS FOR THAT. THERE'S ALSO LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS. WE DO HAVE TRANSLATORS WHO DO NEED TO STAY. IF WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE SPEAKING EITHER KUAI OR SPANISH, THAT INCREASE OUR COSTS, THEY HAVE TO STAY FOR THE ENTIRE MEETING IN THE EVENT THAT SOMEBODY HAS LANGUAGE ACCESS NEEDS. SO THERE ARE SEVERAL COSTS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THAT OVERALL MEMO. IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. SURE. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE. THANK YOU. SO IT'S NOT THAT THIS IS A REDUCTION, A SAVINGS STRATEGY, THIS IS ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT IN A REDUCTION SCENARIO OR NOT REDUCTION YEAR, IT'S DIFFICULT TO ADD MORE RESOURCES ABOVE AND BEYOND, UH, HOLDING THE LINE IN THIS SCENARIO, PARTICULARLY WHEN SERVICES BEING CUT. SO IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND WE MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEING USED, UM, IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY POSSIBLE. SO WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOLDING PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE CALL CENTER OPEN ALL NIGHT VERSUS CONSOLIDATING AT THE BEGINNING OF, UH, OF THE MEETING? FROM A COST STANDPOINT, HOW, HOW DOES THAT SAVE YOU MONEY? SO FROM A COST STANDPOINT, EVERY ADDITIONAL PERSON THAT I HAVE STAYING [04:55:01] OVERTIME IS AN ADDITIONAL COST. IT'S TIME AND A HALF. I HAVE ADDITIONAL AT LEAST TWO ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS STAYING OUT IN THE LOBBY FOR THE MEETING. AND I HAVE AN ADDITIONAL THREE TO FOUR PEOPLE STAYING UPSTAIRS IN A CALL CENTER. SO IF THE MEETING GOES BEYOND THEIR FOUR 30 LEAVING WORK TIME, THAT IS OVERTIME COSTS FOR FIVE TO EIGHT ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS TO BE PRESENT. THAT COULD BE ONE HOUR, FIVE HOURS, EIGHT HOURS, DEPENDING ON HOW LONG THE MEETING IS. SO THAT IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR FOR EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL MEETING. AND WE THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT ACCESS. WE CERTAINLY WANT TO HAVE THAT ACCESS. THE ONLY QUESTION HERE IS THE ADDITIONAL STAFF, THE CALL CENTER, IS THERE A MORE EFFICIENT WAY TO DO THAT EARLIER AND UNDER SB 7 0 7, YOU CAN'T KEEP PUBLIC COMMENT OPEN FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE ROOM, BUT NOT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE ROOM. AND SO BY CONSOLIDATING YOU HAVE YOU, YOU HA YOU DON'T HAVE AS MUCH COST THERE. SO FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE THE QUESTION OF WHAT IS THE FISCAL IMPACT AND HOW DOES THAT WORK, I THINK THAT, I THINK, UH, THE GOAL HERE WAS TO EXPLAIN THAT NEXT WE, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT HOW THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN THE PROPOSAL THAT WAS REJECTED BY CITY COUNCIL. SO ONE BIG CONCERN THAT I HEARD AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HEARD WAS A CONCERN ABOUT MOVING, UH, THE START TIME OF THE MEETING UP EARLIER THAN FIVE O'CLOCK TO FOUR O'CLOCK THAT PEOPLE WHO GO TO WORK COULD NOT MAKE IT IN TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THE CITY ATTORNEY OR THE CITY CLERK SHOULD ANSWER, IS THAT A PART OF THIS PROPOSAL THAT IS NOT PART OF THIS PROPOSAL? THIS ITEM, THE WAY I READ IT WAS WE ARE NOT CHANGING THE START TIME OF THE MEETING. THE MEETING WILL START AT 5:00 PM RIGHT? UM, PUBLIC COMMENT WILL STILL BE OPEN BEFORE THE MEETING SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOG INTO THE ZOOM AND TO SIGN UP EITHER IN PERSON OR ONLINE TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM OR SEVERAL ITEMS OR NON AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT, IF THAT IS THEIR PREFERENCE. SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT DISTINCTION, THAT THIS PROPOSAL DOES NOT CHANGE THE START TIME. IF THE MEETING STARTS AT FIVE OR AFTER FIVE, IT WON'T START BEFORE FIVE, BUT IF IT STARTS AT FIVE, THAT'S, THAT IS THE EARLIEST AND WE WOULDN'T, UH, DISENFRANCHISE ANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY STARTING SOONER WITHOUT IT BEING A SPECIAL MEETING OR A SPECIAL STUDY SESSION OR SOMETHING THAT TO THAT EXTENT, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE. SECONDLY, THE PROVISION THAT WAS IN THE ORIGINAL ORDINANCE CHANGED THE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE EXISTING RULES OF THREE MINUTES AND THEN 90 SECONDS. THE SUPER NA RULE IS THAT CHANGING UNDER THIS PROPOSAL. SO THE WAY THIS LETTER IS WRITTEN AND SUPER COUNCILMAN SUPER NOT PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT IT IS A 90 MINUTE PUBLIC PUBLIC COMMENT. NO, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL. THAT'S MY NEXT QUESTION. THE INDIVIDUAL PUBLIC COMMENT LIMITATIONS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE CURRENTLY, ARE WE PROPOSING TO CHANGE THOSE UNDER THIS NEW PROPOSAL? SO IF YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT THE TIME LIMITS, YES. INDIVIDUAL SPEAKER TIME LIMITS, INDIVIDUAL SPEAKER TIME LIMITS. NO, WE CURRENTLY PRACTICE THE THREE MINUTES FOR ONE TO 10 SPEAKERS, RIGHT BEYOND THAT 90 SECONDS. BEYOND THAT ONE MINUTE. SO THAT'S NOT CHANGING BASED ON THIS LETTER. SO THAT IS NOT CHANGING. WHAT WE DO CURRENTLY IS NOT CHANGING UNDER THIS NEW PROPOSAL AND IT WAS PROPOSED TO BE CHANGED UNDER THE OLD PROPOSAL. SO WE'RE CLEAR. THE NEXT PIECE, YOU JUST MENTIONED IT, 90 MINUTES, THE FIRST 90 MINUTES ARE HELD OVER FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WHAT WAS THAT 90 MINUTE, MINUTE NUMBER BASED ON? SO THAT 90 MINUTE NUMBER LAST, UH, TIME WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS WAS BASED ON THE AVERAGE SPEAKING TIME OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. SO CALENDAR YEAR 23, 24, AND 25 ON AVERAGE HAD ANYWHERE FROM AN HOUR AND A HALF TO AN HOUR AND 40 MINUTES OF SPEAKING TIME. AND THAT IS WHERE WE GOT THE 90 MINUTE PROPOSAL RIGHT THE LAST TIME WE HEARD THIS ITEM. SO IT WAS BASED ON DATA THAT WE GATHERED. SO WE ARE NOT REDUCING THE, THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC COMMENT PER MEETING. NOW DO, DO WE HAVE THE ABILITY IF NEEDED TO EXTEND THE 90 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES AT A TIME? IF THAT IS WRITTEN INTO THE ORDINANCE? YES, YOU CAN EXTEND THAT TIME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. NEXT QUESTION. THE MAJORITY OF PUBLIC COMMENT WE HAD TONIGHT WAS UNDER A BUDGET HEARING. UNDER THIS NEW SCENARIO, WILL BUDGET HEARINGS AND ALL HEARINGS, WHETHER IT'S LAND USE ELEMENT OR WHATEVER THESE LARGER ISSUES ARE, WOULD THEY STILL HAVE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL PUBLIC COMMENT? YES. PUBLIC HEARINGS [05:00:01] ARE NOT CONSIDERED THE SAME AS PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS AND GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. THEY WILL HAVE THEIR OWN PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. SO IF ALL OF THAT REMAINS THE SAME, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE FOR ME WHAT THE PROPOSAL IS TONIGHT? SO MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROPOSAL TONIGHT IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE 90 MINUTES OF PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. AND DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS THAT ARE SIGNED UP, WE COULD EITHER HAVE 10 SPEAKERS FOR THREE MINUTES OR ANY ITERATION THEREOF. IF WE HAVE OVER 10, IT WOULD GO DOWN TO 90 SECONDS. AND THEN ONCE WE HIT THE NEXT NUMBER, IT WOULD GO DOWN TO ONE MINUTE, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 90 MINUTES, UNLESS THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL WANTED TO EXTEND IN 30 MINUTE INCREMENTS. IF THAT IS WHAT IS WRITTEN INTO THE ORDINANCE, IT COULD BE LESS TIME IF THERE ARE NOT, UH, ENOUGH SPEAKERS TO FILL THAT FULL 90 MINUTES. ALRIGHT, SO I WANT TO BE CLEAR WHAT THIS IS. THIS IS PRIORITIZING PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THE SAME OVERALL AMOUNT OF PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE TYPICALLY HAVE. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO FLEX IT UP, BUT WHAT IT DOES IS ONCE PUBLIC COMMENT IS CLOSED AND WE'RE DONE WITH THAT PHASE OF THE MEETING, STAFF IN THE CALL CENTER WILL BE RELEASED. THAT FREES UP UNALLOCATED DOLLARS IN THIS BUDGET OF ABOUT $150,000 THAT ARE CURRENTLY NOT PROGRAMMED, WHICH COULD BE PROGRAMMED STRUCTURALLY TOWARD COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. WHAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER IS SAYING IS, I WANT THAT TO GO TOWARD COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. THAT PRIORITY IS DETERMINED BY THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND THEN ULTIMATELY THE CITY COUNCIL LATER. SO THE NEXT, SO TO BE CLEAR, IF THERE ARE ISSUES WITH WHAT THIS DOES DO, THE CITY COUNCIL CAN ADJUST THOSE THINGS. IF YOU FEEL IT SHOULD GET RID OF THE SUPER NA RULE, NO MORE, THREE MINUTES, 90 SECONDS, 60 SECONDS, ALL WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF WHAT THE CITY COUNCIL WILL DO. THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO PRIORITIZE IT AT THE BEGINNING. I SEE A BENEFIT IN THAT, IN THAT I'VE SEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, I REPRESENTED A DISTRICT THAT WAS FURTHER THAN EVERY OTHER DISTRICT. WHEN OUR RESIDENTS ORGANIZED TO COME DOWN TO PROTECT RESCUE 12, TO FIGHT FOR MICHELLE OBAMA LIBRARY, WHATEVER IT WAS, IT WAS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE TO WAIT ALL NIGHT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. AND, AND WE WOULD ALWAYS GO THROUGH THE, CAN MY ITEM GO FIRST? CAN MY PEOPLE SPEAK FIRST? HAVING A DEDICATED TIME, CERTAIN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. SOME FAMILIES WOULD CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT. I ACTUALLY HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF FOLKS FROM THE LIBRARIES AND OTHERS WHO SAID, WHEN WE BRING YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY CANNOT STAY LATE OR FAMILIES CANNOT STIMULATE. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MAYBE DIFFERING OPINIONS ON THIS, BUT LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING HERE. NOW, IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS, TONIGHT'S THE, THE BEGINNING OF THIS NEW PROCESS, AND IT'S MOSTLY A SIGNAL TO THE BUDGET PROCESS, WHETHER THOSE DOLLARS SHOULD BE REPROGRAMMED BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GO AFTER, WE'RE GONNA EXPLORE THIS. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS. THIS IS A SIGNAL. THERE'S NO WAY THAT THIS ORDINANCE GETS DONE BY OCTOBER 1ST WHEN THE BUDGET HAS TO GO FORWARD, THIS IS A SIGNAL TO THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO REPROGRAM THOSE DOLLARS. AND BASED ON WHATEVER THE VOTE COUNT IS FROM THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS, IT WILL INDICATE, UH, WHAT TO DO THERE. THIS DOES NOT SAY THAT IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE VERY SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE VERY NARROW PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF US, THAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE IT AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING, THAT CERTAINLY CAN CHANGE. BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW FROM THE COUNCIL IS ONE SIMPLE QUESTION. ARE YOU OKAY WITH CONSOLIDATING PUBLIC COMMENT INTO A BLOCK AT THE BEGINNING OF MEETINGS BEFORE WE TALK, HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC FIRST? THAT IS THE QUESTION BEFORE US. SO THAT SAID, WE'LL GO TO, UH, ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WANT TO VICE MAYOR. I THINK YOU WERE UP. UH, NO, I DIDN'T SECOND A MOTION. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I DON'T SEE ANY, ANYONE ELSE, UH, QUEUED UP. OH, I DIDN'T SEE YOU. I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. ALL RIGHT. UM, OKAY. I DO APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES' EFFORTS TO STREAMLINE OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS, BUT I JUST CAN'T, UH, SUPPORT THIS. UM, I DO BELIEVE, UM, WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED HERE TODAY IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE PROPOSAL THAT THE MAJORITY OF US HAD, AND WE HAD CONCERNS BEFORE THE CITY'S LEGISLATIVE RECESS. UM, SO SOME OF MY CONCERNS ARE STILL, UM, WITH THE PRESENTATION MATERIALS AND WHEN THEY'LL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE DO NOT RECEIVE THOSE MATERIALS UNTIL THE FRIDAY BEFORE COUNCIL MEETING. AND I UNDERSTAND, UH, THESE ARE INFORMAL GUIDELINES ABOUT FRIDAY'S, UM, RELEASE. HOWEVER, JUST TODAY THE PRESENTATIONS WERE SENT TO STAFF AT LARGE, VERY [05:05:01] RECENTLY, LATE THIS AFTERNOON. IS THERE ANY WAY TO CODIFY THE TIMELINE FOR THE PUBLIC TO ACCESS THESE PRESENTATIONS PRIOR TO A COUNCIL MEETING? YES. SO WE HAVE BEEN MAKING CHANGES TO, UH, WHEN WE DO PRESENTATIONS, EVERY ITEM IS ALWAYS AGENDIZED APPROPRIATELY AND THAT WE HAVE A STAFF REPORT THAT WILL TALK ABOUT IT, BUT THEN OFTENTIMES WE DO ADDITIONAL DETAILS IN THE PRESENTATIONS. UH, IT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE COUNCIL. UH, AND IF YOU NOTICE IN THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN MAKING JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE PRESENTATION ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL. UM, SO THAT GIVES US TIME TO SET THE AGENDA ON THE MONDAY AGENDA, UH, BE ABLE TO WORK ON THAT PRESENTATION. AND ALSO, UH, DURING THAT TIME WHEN IT COMES OUT, WE OFTEN HEAR LIKE, ARE YOU GOING TO COVER THIS ISSUE AND THAT ISSUE? AND THAT GIVES US SOME TIME TO, TO TAKE THAT FEEDBACK, THEN CREATE THE PRESENTATION. AND IT, THEY HAVE ALL BEEN, YOU KNOW, AVAILABLE ON FRIDAY. UM, IT'S BEEN VERY RARE NOW THAT WE'D HAVE PRESENTATIONS THAT AREN'T AVAILABLE UNTIL MONDAY OR TUESDAY. UM, SO, UH, WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE ARE REVISIONS OR UPDATES TO ANY PRESENTATIONS THAT ARE ORIG INITIALLY POSTED? YEAH, SO THEN WE POST THOSE, UH, ON THE AGENDA AND WE MAKE THOSE AVAILABLE. UM, BUT, UH, AGAIN, UH, THOSE ARE COMING OUT NOW ON FRIDAY, AND THERE'S BEEN VERY FEW CASES WHERE THOSE HAVE BEEN CHANGED. IF WE NOTICE A TYPO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR IF WE NEED TO ADD ONE MORE CLARIFYING SLIDE, THEN WE MIGHT DO THAT ON, UH, MONDAY OR TUESDAY AND SEND THAT. AND THAT ALL GETS UPLOADED, UH, SO THAT EVERYONE HAS IT AVAILABLE FOR THE MEETING. OKAY. THANK YOU, TOM. SO, UM, IF THE PUBLIC, UH, TAKES PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, UM, I'M JUST, I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED HOW RESIDENTS ARE SUPPOSED TO COMMENT BEFORE BEING PROVIDED ALL THE FINAL STAFF, UH, PRESENTATIONS, COUNCIL QUESTIONS, OR ANY UPDATED INFORMATION. UM, I'M ALSO CONCERNED THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC COULD RECEIVE ONLY THREE MINUTES, UM, TO COMMENT ON EVERY SINGLE ITEM ON THE AGENDA. SO I KNOW WE WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT THIS, THERE'S NOT CHANGES, BUT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS EVERY PERSON, LET'S JUST SAY THAT THERE ARE 11 TO 20 PEOPLE, THEN EVERY PERSON GETS 90 SECONDS. CORRECT. UM, WHO'S A WHO AM I ASKING QUESTIONS DO, TOM? SO IF THERE, SO THE WAY I'M READING THIS, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THIS. SO IF THERE, LET'S JUST SAY THAT THERE ARE, UH, 15 PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO TALK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THEN THEY GET 90 SECONDS, UH, THE WAY THE LETTER'S WRITTEN RIGHT NOW. YES. OKAY. AND SO, UM, THAT, SO THERE IS A CHANGE TO OUR CURRENT, BECAUSE WE MAY GET 90 SECONDS, BUT THEY GET 90 SECONDS FOR EVERY SINGLE AGENDA ITEM. RIGHT NOW, WITH THIS CURRENT CHANGE, THEY WOULD GET TO SPEAK ONE TIME FOR 90 SECONDS. AND LET'S JUST SAY FOR INSTANCE, THEY HAVE THREE ITEMS THAT THEY WANNA SPEAK ON THAT GIVES 'EM 30 SECONDS TO SPEAK ON EACH ITEM. SO THAT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. AM I, AM I READING THIS CORRECTLY? YES, THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. SO EVERY PERSON GETS ONE TIME TO TALK ON EVERY ITEM ON THE AGENDA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. SO THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE, UM, TO HOW WE CURRENTLY HANDLE PUBLIC COMMENT. AND, AND I AND I JUST, UM, HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THAT. UM, AND ALSO JUST NOT HAVING, YOU KNOW, FIRST AND SECOND GENERAL COMMENT, I THINK THAT ELIMINATING PUBLIC COMMENT ON INDIVIDUAL AGENDA ITEMS MEANS THAT RESIDENTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SPEAK SPECIFICALLY ON THE ITEMS OF THEIR CHOICE. UM, AND, UM, AND THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO ELABORATE, YOU KNOW, ON, UH, THEIR CHOICE. UM, SO, AND I ALSO THINK THAT THIS IS GONNA PUT A LOT MORE STRESS ON OUR COUNCIL OFFICES BECAUSE THE PUBLIC WANTS TO BE HEARD AND THEY WANT THEIR, THEIR ISSUES TO BE HEARD. AND IF IT CAN'T BE HEARD HERE, THEN THEY'RE GONNA BE CALLING ALL OF US INDIVIDUALLY. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL HANDLE THAT, UM, DOWN THE ROAD. UM, BUT I DO HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE LIMITED OPPORTUNITY THAT RE RESIDENTS HAVE TO EXPRESS, UM, THEIR OPINIONS. AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO HEAR OUR QUESTIONS AND OUR, OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH EACH OTHER, UM, BECAUSE IT MAY RAISE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAVE AFTER OUR DISCUSSIONS AND, UM, AND THEY MAY WANNA ENGAGE. AND SO THAT'S ALSO PROBLEMATIC FOR ME. UM, AND I THINK IF WE'RE GONNA GIVE, IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, THIS NEW, THIS NEW FORMAT, AND THEY HAVE THREE MINUTES, THEN AFTER THEY HEAR OUR DISCUSSIONS, I WISH THEY HAD THREE MINUTES AT THE END OF OUR MEETING. UM, SO THEN THEY COULD WRAP UP WHATEVER. BUT I KNOW THAT'S NOT PART OF THIS, UM, BUT IT, IT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE TO ME. UM, I DO SUPPORT FINDING EFFICIENCIES A HUNDRED PERCENT. I MEAN, I'M ALL ABOUT THAT. UM, BUT I THINK, UM, STREAMLINING OUR MEETINGS SHOULD NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF [05:10:01] LIMITING PUBLIC, UM, PARTICIPATION. SO I, I ALSO THINK THAT THIS PROPOSAL DOES NOT SUPPORT WORKING FAMILIES IN ANY MATERIAL WAY. UM, NOR DOES IT PROVIDE AN OVERARCHING, UM, SOLUTION. UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S THE MOST FAIR WAY IS FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO COMMENT ON, ON EVERY ITEM, UM, OF THEIR CHOOSING. UM, I ALSO DIDN'T LIKE HOW THIS ITEM WAS TIED TO LIBRARIES JUST SAYING, I JUST, I MEAN, THAT WASN'T, I JUST, I JUST DIDN'T LIKE IT. UM, UM, I DO, UM, I DO THINK AS I LOOK AT THE CHANGE, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, THIS IS GOOD FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, UM, AND I'M NOT SAYING ANYONE'S MOTIVATED, UM, BY THIS, BUT I MEAN, WE'LL, WE'LL, IT'S GONNA SPEED UP OUR MEETINGS AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET HOME SOONER, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT WHAT WE SIGNED UP FOR. WE SIGNED UP TO COME TO COUNCIL THREE TIMES A MONTH. WE TO SHOW UP TO LISTEN TO PUBLIC COMMENTS AND THEN TELL YOU, I DON'T LIKE A LOT OF STUFF THAT THAT'S SAID UNLESS, BUT IT, IT, IT IS OUR, IT IS OUR JOB. OUR JOB IS TO SIT HERE AND LISTEN TO PUBLIC COMMENT. COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU WANNA QUEUE UP AGAIN? YES, I'LL QUEUE UP. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER CARR? YES. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN FOR YOUR COMMENTS. I HAVE SOME CLARIFYING QUESTIONS SIMILAR TO THE QUESTIONS I HAD LAST TIME. UM, I KNOW IN THE LAST TIME AND IT DIDN'T PASS, UM, I REQUESTED A FORMAL SPOKEN REPORT OUT OF THE NUMBER AND TYPE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS, UH, RECEIVED BY THE CLERK'S OFFICE. UM, I AM APPRECIATIVE, MADAM CLERK, THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SENDING THAT TO US. UH, TODAY THERE WERE FOUR ONLINE COMMENTS AND 19 EMAILS. THE WEEK BEFORE THERE WERE 32 ONLINE COMMENTS, 14 EMAILS, THREE COMMENTS 4 11 0, 6 0. UM, SO I WOULD ASK THAT IF THIS IS CONSIDERED, WE COULD A HAVE, UM, I RENEW MY REQUEST FOR A FORMAL SPOKEN REPORT BEFORE YOU CALL NAMES HERE, LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW JUST HOW MUCH INFORMATION WE HAVE RECEIVED VIA EMAIL AS WELL. UM, I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, AND I THINK THIS IS TO THE MAKER OF THE MOTION, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A 30 MINUTE EXTENSION OF TIME AT THE CHAIR'S DISCRETION IF MORE PEOPLE ARE WAITING TO SPEAK AT THE END OF 90 MINUTES? UM, I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL. IF WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO STILL WANTED TO SPEAK, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CHAIR'S DISCRETION TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL 30 MINUTE INCREMENTS? UM, I HAVE A QUESTION AGAIN ABOUT WHERE DOES SIGN UP BEGIN AND END. SO, UM, YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT STAFF NEEDS TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, PEOPLE CAN SIGN UP AT APPROPRIATE TIMES, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY SPECIFICS OF WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE. UM, COULD YOU TELL US, MADAM CLERK, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO NOW AND, UM, THOUGHTS ON WHEN YOU DECIDE PEOPLE CAN HAVE TO STOP SIGNING UP? UH, YEAH. RIGHT NOW WE FOLLOW THE ORDER OF BUSINESS AND SIGN UP FOR NON-AGENDA. PUBLIC COMMENT STARTS 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING. SO WE OPEN THE ZOOM MEETING TO TEST LINKS AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS FUNCTIONING AT FOUR 30. AND THEN WE OPEN UP THE PUBLIC COMMENT AT A QUARTER TO FIVE AND GIVE EVERYBODY AN OPPORTUNITY TO CALL INTO THE ZOOM AND MOVE THEM OUTTA THEIR BREAKOUT ROOMS AND INTO THE MEETING AND SIGN THEM UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WE ALSO OPEN UP NON-AD AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE LOBBY DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. SO THERE IS A 15 MINUTE PERIOD BEFORE THE MEETING STARTS FOR SIGNUPS. THAT IS IN THE ORDER OF BUSINESS. WE ARE OPEN TO DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL IF YOU WANT US TO OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT SIGNUPS EARLIER. AND WE ALSO CLOSE THE SIGNUPS PER THE ORDER OF BUSINESS WHEN THE ITEM IS BEING READ. SO IF PEOPLE WANNA SPEAK ON AN ITEM, THEY NEED TO BE HERE BEFORE THE ITEM IS CALLED AND READ IN ORDER TO SIGN UP FOR THAT ITEM. AGAIN, THAT IS ALL THE COUNCIL'S DISCRETION THAT CAN BE WRITTEN INTO THE ORDER OF BUSINESS. AND WE CAN CHANGE THE CURRENT PROCESS IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WANNA SEE GOING FORWARD. SO FOR NOW, IF SOMEONE WERE TO WALK IN, WE HAVE ALREADY CALLED PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, AND PUBLIC COMMENT IS BEING MADE, THERE'S NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, NOT ON AGENDA ITEMS. NO. ONCE THE ITEM IS BEING READ, WE CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THAT ITEM, BOTH IN ZOOM AND IN PERSON. OKAY. SO I WOULD, I WOULD BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS, BUT I WOULD ASK IF THE MAKER OF THE MOTION IS OPEN TO, UM, LOOKING AT CLOSING POTENTIALLY MAYBE WHEN THE LAST SPEAKER IS QUEUED UP TO SPEAK. THAT WAY IF SOMEONE WALKS IN 15 MINUTES LATE, THERE'S STILL AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEONE TO SIGN UP IF THEY'VE MADE THEIR WAY HERE. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WORKS FOR THE CLERK'S OFFICE, BUT I THINK THOSE ARE LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS FOR PEOPLE WONDERING, IS IT WORTH RUNNING DOWN TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT? WHEN DO THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SIGN UP UNTIL WHEN? AND I KNOW THERE WAS CONVERSATION THE LAST TIME AROUND ABOUT DOING IT, TIME CERTAIN PUT CAN PUT US IN A BIND IF THERE ISN'T PUBLIC COMMENT TO FILL THE SPACE AND THEN THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A BREAK. UM, SO WONDERING, IS THAT A POSSIBILITY? IS THAT SOMETHING, BUT HOW DO WE MAKE IT SO THAT IF PEOPLE ARE TRYING [05:15:01] TO COME HERE, PEOPLE ARE STILL SPEAKING, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO SIGN UP. SO IF THE COUNCIL DIRECTS, WE CAN CLOSE SIGNUP AFTER THE LAST SPEAKER. UM, AGAIN, THE RISK WITH TIME, CERTAIN ENDING SIGNUP MEANS THAT THERE COULD BE DEAD TIME WHERE WE ARE OBLIGATED TO HOLD PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT NOBODY IS ACTUALLY HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. SO IF THE COUNCIL'S DIRECTION IS TO HOLD IT OPEN UNTIL THE LAST SPEAKER SPEAKS TO GIVE PEOPLE COMING HERE AN OPPORTUNITY, WE CAN, WE CAN WRITE THAT INTO THE PROCESS. I I WOULD BE GOOD WITH THAT. I MEAN, IF THERE'S THAT MUCH DEMAND THAT YOU HAVE A STEADY STREAM OF INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, YOU GOTTA HEAR 'EM OUT. I MEAN, IF THEY'VE FILLED UP 90 MINUTES. YEAH, I THINK WHERE WE MAY NEED CLARIFICATION IS THE RU THE THE TIME. SO WE ARE DETERMINING HOW LONG PEOPLE SPEAK BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SIGNING UP. SO WE COULD RUN INTO ISSUES IF ONLY FIVE PEOPLE ARE HERE AT FIVE O'CLOCK, BUT 5, 5, 10, THERE'S 30 PEOPLE AND WE'VE ALREADY STARTED GIVING PEOPLE THREE MINUTES, DO WE THEN GO TO 90 SECONDS? WHAT IS GONNA BE OUR APPROACH? I WOULD JUST LIKE SOME DIRECTION AND CLARIFICATION SO THAT WE'RE NOT DISENFRANCHISING ANY SPEAKERS AND, AND PRIORITIZING SOME PEOPLE WHO SIGNED UP EARLY BY GIVING 'EM MORE TIME AND PEOPLE WHO SHOULD UP LATE LESS TIME. SO THERE'S GOTTA BE SOME EQUITY INVOLVED IN, IN THAT DECISION. OKAY. THAT MAKES SENSE. UM, AND I SHARE, UH, MANY OF COUNCIL COUNCILMAN ALLEN'S CONCERNS, UM, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION. I I'M GONNA SWITCH TO THIS SITE OVER HERE, UM, TO ACCESS, UH, THE WRITTEN PRESENTATION AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. WE KNOW WHEN THE AGENDA COMES UP THAT USUALLY THERE'S A STAFF LETTER, AS YOU SAID, UM, AND THE STAFF HAS BEEN BETTER ABOUT HAVING THOSE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS READY BY THE SUPPLEMENTAL. UM, FOR ME TO CONSIDER THIS, IT WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE SOME REALLY FIRM REQUIREMENTS OF STAFF TO HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE, UM, AT LEAST BY THE SUPPLEMENTAL. I, I'D LOVE TO SEE IT ON WEDNESDAY IF WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS. UM, AND I THINK THIS GOES BACK TO THE EDUCATION PIECE, UM, MADAM CLERK AROUND HOW PEOPLE ACCESS THE INFORMATION OF SHOWING PEOPLE IN DEMONSTRATING OFTEN, UM, AND BEING REALLY CLEAR ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ADDRESS THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. THEY MIGHT NOT NOTICE THE EYEBALL ON THE SIDE AND, AND KNOW THAT THERE MAY BE SEVERAL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS IN THERE. THEY ONLY SEE THE ONE ITEM. UM, SO MR. MOKA, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? I KNOW, UM, THINGS CHANGE FOR STAFF AND WE ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC NUMBERS AND THEN YOU HAVE HAD THIS INFORMATION TO US A WEEK BEFORE AND SOMETHING CHANGES IN THAT WEEK. UM, BUT I THINK IF I'M GONNA CONSIDER THIS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE HAVE A COMMITMENT FROM STAFF THAT THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE THERE FOR THE, THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO SEE AND REVIEW REALLY THOROUGHLY. YES. LEMME TALK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT. ONE, UM, VERY, VERY FEW ITEMS FROM THE CITY MANAGER GET PLACED ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL THAT AREN'T PLACED ON THE ORIGINAL AGENDA. AND SO THAT IS REALLY SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN THAT REALLY IS THERE FOR THOSE URGENT ITEMS. AND WE DO THOSE RARELY, BUT THEY OCCUR. I STRIVE TO PUT EVERYTHING ON THE MONDAY AGENDA THAT WE CAN AND EVERYTHING WILL HAVE A, A WRITTEN STAFF REPORT WITH MATERIALS THAT PEOPLE CAN READ. AND THEN THE PRESENTATION NORMALLY IS SPEAKING TO THAT AGENDA ITEM. UH, THERE ARE TIMES LIKE TONIGHT'S CIP PRESENTATION WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T WRITE ALL THAT OUT. THAT WAS A PRESENTATION, BUT THAT WAS UPLOADED, UH, IN ADVANCE. AND SO THOSE WERE MADE AVAILABLE. UM, AND SO I CAN COMMIT TO, UM, HAVING THAT ITEM ON MONDAY. I WILL DO MY BEST TO, WHEN IT'S A PRESENTATION THAT IS EASILY FOLLOWING THE STAFF REPORT THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GET ALL THAT INFORMATION TO TRY TO DO THAT ON MONDAY. UH, BUT THEN TO HAVE THOSE BY FRIDAY. UM, AND SO WE'VE BEEN, UM, CONSISTENTLY BEING ABLE TO HIT THAT RECENTLY. UH, WE HAVE MOVED UP ALL OF OUR SCHEDULES. AND SO, AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE SOME WAY THAT IF SOMETHING COMES UP ON A MONDAY OR TUESDAY AND WE NOTICE A TYPO OR WE NEED TO SOMEHOW CORRECT SOMETHING OR ADD SOMETHING IN THAT WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR DOING THAT. AND MAYBE WE CALL IT OUT SEPARATELY SO PEOPLE CAN SEE THAT IT'S ADDED. UH, I EXPECT THAT TO BE VERY RARE, BUT I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD, UM, WE WOULD REQUEST. AND SO, UH, I THINK THAT WOULD AT LEAST GIVE, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, THE ITEM ON MONDAY PLUS THE SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ON FRIDAY WOULD HAVE THE PRESENTATION THREE DAYS BEFORE, UH, ANYTHING WOULD BE WOULD BE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL. I APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATIONS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ALLEN? OH, THE ATTORNEY WAS OUR, DO I NEED TO DO A FRIENDLY FOR, UM, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION? UH, WE ARE GONNA NEED A FRIENDLY, I'VE HEARD A NUMBER OF THINGS, SO IT WOULD JUST BE GREAT TO GET THE IDEAS CONSOLIDATED INTO WHAT ARE GONNA GO INTO THIS. GREAT. YOU WANNA RESTATE? SURE. I THINK THE ONES THAT I STATED WERE, UH, REQUESTING A FORMAL SPOKEN REPORT OUT OF THE NUMBER AND TYPE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT THE CITY CLERK WOULD GIVE PRIOR TO CALLING PEOPLE TO THE PODIUM OR TO THE ZOOM. UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A ADD A FOR THE CHAIR'S DISCRETION, A 30 MINUTE EXTENSION [05:20:01] OR INCREMENTS OF 30 MINUTES EXTENDED AT THE TIME OF THE, AT THE CHAIR'S DISCRETION IF MORE SPEAKERS ARE STILL WAITING IN THE QUEUE, UM, TO GIVE THEIR COMMENTS WHEN THE ALLOTTED TIME HAS LAPSED. UM, AND I THINK HAVING A HARD, UM, DATE ABOUT, UH, PRESENTATIONS AT THE LATEST ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL, UH, ON FRIDAY EARLIER, WHENEVER POSSIBLE. UH, THOSE ARE THE THREE FRIENDLIES THAT I WOULD OFFER. ARE THOSE ACCEPTED? OH, AND THE ONE ABOUT CLOSING IT AT THE LAST SPEAKER. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN THS. AND TOOK, ALL RIGHT. SO THAT WILL WORK. THAT'S 90 MINUTES. UNLESS THERE'S ADDITIONAL PEOPLE IN LINE, THEN WE WOULD AUTOMATICALLY CLOSE IT WHEN THAT PERSON COMES IN. SO THAT'S, THAT'S, YEAH. SO MY UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT WILL WORK. OKAY. SO THE MAKER OF THE MOTION ACCEPTS THAT, BUT I JUST WOULD LIKE TO ADD A LITTLE SOMETHING TO, UM, YOU, THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF PUTTING PRESENTATIONS IS WHATNOT, UH, ON THE AGENDA. I UNDERSTAND WE CAN'T MAKE MONDAY, BUT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. I THINK THAT SERVES EVERYONE. IT CERTAINLY SERVES US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND WOULD REALLY SERVE THE PUBLIC. SO THEY'RE NOT HEARING THAT PRESENTATION FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A TUESDAY NIGHT. AND I, I, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT MR. MOCA AND OUR CITY CLERK GENERATED, I THINK IT WAS A 96 PAGE MEMO ON MAY 1ST, AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS WERE COVERED IN THAT. SO I'LL SAVE THE PUBLIC FROM READING THE 96 PAGES AND SAY THAT I, I, WHATEVER WAY WE CAN, UM, WORD THAT MADAM SENATOR ATTORNEY THAT WE WILL ENDEAVOR TO IMPROVE ON THAT I, I DON'T WANT BE THAT FUZZY ON THIS, BUT, UH, IF THE CITY MANAGER ARE, ARE, IS YOUR LANGUAGE PRETTY SOLID ON THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT YOUR, THE CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT WILL, WILL ENDEAVOR TO, UH, GET THIS INFORMATION ON THE AGENDA FOR, FOR PUBLIC AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER? YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL WORK ON SOME LANGUAGE WE CAN BRING BACK TO YOU THAT'LL BE IN THE ORDINANCE. IT'LL BE VERY CLEAR SO THAT WE DON'T JUST RELY ON THE, ON THE SPOKEN AGREEMENT HERE, THAT WE LAY THAT OUT, THAT IT'LL BE, UH, WHEREVER POSSIBLE, UM, UH, A PRESENTATION ON MONDAY, UH, WHEN NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT IT IS EXPECTED BY FRIDAY WITH THE ABILITY TO UPDATE IT IN A VERY PUBLIC FORMAT AND CALL OUT WHAT ANY UPDATES ARE. SO, UM, BEFORE THE, UH, THE NEXT TUESDAY. OKAY. SO THE MAKER ACCEPTS THAT SECONDER. I CONCUR. I CONCUR. OKAY. AND CAN I, ALL RIGHT. GREAT. GO FOR IT. UM, MR. COUNCIL MEMBER, SUPER. IF I COULD JUST CLARIFY, I KNOW THE CLERK SAID SOMETHING ABOUT, UM, LOOKING AT THAT WHEN WE CLOSE IT WITH AN EQUITY LENS. SO I TRUST THAT AS YOU DO YOUR WORK, YOU WOULD PRESENT SOMETHING POTENTIALLY THAT FITS IN LINE WITH THAT. DOES THAT GIVE HER ENOUGH ROOM TO WORK WITH MADAM CITY ATTORNEY? UH, FITS IN LINE WITH WHAT EXACTLY? UM, WE, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN WOULD SHE CLOSES THE MEETING MM-HMM . CLOSES THE COMMENT LIST. YEAH. THAT IF AT SOME POINT IT WAS NINE SPEAKERS AND THEN IT BECAME 30, HOW DO WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE OF TIME IN TERMS OF, RIGHT. SO WHAT ARE YOU ASKING FOR ON THAT? 'CAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA NEED DIRECTION ON , YOU KNOW, IT'S, YEAH. IF I COULD JUST, SURE. SOME OF IT'S HARD TO PLAN FOR ADVANCE. YEAH. AND THAT'S WHERE YOU NEED SOME, THE CHAIR'S DISCRETION. IF YOU CLEARLY SEE 20 PEOPLE BEEN HUSTLING TO GET DOWN HERE AND THEY FINALLY GOT DOWN HERE AND THEY MISSED IT BY FIVE MINUTES, THAT'S WHEN YOU CAN SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA EXTEND IT FOR 30 MINUTES OR WHATEVER TO ALLOW THIS PUBLIC COMMENT. THE SPIRIT OF IT IS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT STAFF AREN'T HERE THROUGH THE END OF THE MEETING, WHETHER SOMEONE ELSE SHOWS UP ONLINE AT 10 O'CLOCK OR NOT AT NIGHT OR NOT. SO IT'S WITHIN THE SPIRIT AND IT STILL ACHIEVES THE SAVINGS. SO DOES THAT, DOES THAT HELP YOU? NO, NO, NO. SO WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU NEED? HOW DO YOU NEED TO, UM, SO BASICALLY THE CLERK'S ISSUE, UM, WHICH IS WHAT WE WOULD NEED CLARITY FOR IN THE ORDINANCE IS, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY YOU HAVE SEVEN PEOPLE IN THE CHAMBER. YOU ALLOW THEM EACH THREE MINUTES 'CAUSE THERE'S ONLY SEVEN. AND THEN THEY TALK, AND THEN 20 MORE PEOPLE RUSH IN. UM, UNDER THE CURRENT PROCESS, ALL OF THEM WOULD'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, 60 SECONDS OR 90 SECONDS, WHATEVER THE NUMBER WOULD BE. IT WOULDN'T BE, THE FIRST FEW WOULD HAVE MORE TIME, AND THEN AFTER THAT IT WOULD GO DOWN. UM, BUT WE MAY NEED A DIFFERENT SYSTEM HERE. UM, SO IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS, THERE'S ONLY 10. THEY GET THREE MINUTES. THERE'S NEVER MORE THAN 10. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE CUTOFF AT THE FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT. SO THERE COULD BE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT WHERE SPEAKERS FOR THE FIRST 30 MINUTES, GET THREE MINUTES EACH. AND THEN IF THERE ARE SPEAKERS BEYOND THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S 10 PEOPLE HERE TO TALK, THEY GET THREE MINUTES EACH, 20 PEOPLE COME RUSHING IN, THEN IT GETS REDUCED AFTER THAT. SO IT WOULD BE SIMILAR TO HOW OUR MEETINGS GO NOW, IN THE SENSE THAT THE FOLKS THAT SIGN UP FOR FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT AT THREE MINUTES EACH, IF THERE'S 20 PEOPLE FOR SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT, THE TIME GOES DOWN. SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING YOU COULD DO THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO SIGN PEOPLE UP LATER WITHOUT KNOWING [05:25:01] HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE MIGHT BE SCREWED. SO THE SYSTEM RIGHT, WE HAVE CURRENTLY IS IMPERFECT AND , RIGHT? SO IT'S DIFFERENT, DISTINCT, DIFFERENT TIMES NOW. SO IT'S REALLY A COUNCIL PREFERENCE, HOWEVER THEY WANNA MOVE FORWARD ON THAT. YEAH. IT'S JUST, THAT'S ONE WAY YOU COULD DO IT, BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'D BE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT. AS LONG AS WE'RE SAYING WE'RE GONNA DO IT AT THE BEGINNING, WE'RE FLEXIBLE. IF IT'S THREE MINUTES, 90 SECONDS, THAT PART, WHEN THIS COMES BACK, EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN TO US HOW IT WORKS. ALL RIGHT. THIS IS THE COUNCIL'S DELIBERATION. TH THIS IS, THIS IS LIKE, YOU'LL HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT WHEN THIS COMES BACK, BUT THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. FRIENDLY. YEAH, THAT'S FINE. ALRIGHT, SO YOU ACCEPTED THE FRIENDLYS AS PRO AS PROPOSED? UH, YES. FRIENDLY IS ACCEPTED. AND THEN ALSO, UH, FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY, I THINK A STATE CASE LAW IS THAT WE CAN'T GO BELOW 60 SECONDS IS RIGHT OR, OR IT'S UP TO THE CHAIR AT ANY POINT. CAN TAKE US TO 60 SECONDS OR THE CHAIR HAS THAT, UH, DISCRETION. IS THAT KIND OF THE RULE? UH, THE CHAIR HAS DISCRETION ON RUNNING THE MEETING. OKAY. RIGHT. SIMPLE ENOUGH. THANK YOU. RIGHT. ALRIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW. UH, YES. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY MAYOR, MAYOR, I FOUND IT, UH, VERY DISRESPECTFUL. UM, THAT WHEN I'M SPEAKING YOU HAVE, AND YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, THAT YOU STOP ME AT FIVE MINUTES. I CAN TALK, I CAN, I CAN THINK ON, ON ON ONE HAND HOW MANY TIMES I SPOKE OVER FIVE MINUTES IN SIX YEARS SITTING IN THIS SEAT. BUT YOU'LL SIT THERE AND LET COUNCIL MEMBERS SPEAK FOR 10, 15 MINUTES. I'M NOT SAY A WORD. YOU PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANNA SEE. AND I THAT THIS REALLY UPSETS ME THAT YOU CUT ME OFF WHEN I HAD TWO SENTENCES. YOU'LL SHOW OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS RESPECT. LIKE, CAN WE FI CAN WE FINISH YOUR COMMENT? I HAD TWO SENTENCES LEFT AND YOU JUST CUT ME OFF. THAT'S SO DISRESPECTFUL. BUT YOU CHAIR THE MEETING AND YOU PICK AND CHOOSE WHO YOU WANNA HEAR FROM. SO I GET IT. BAD IDEA. SO I WANT TO SAY THIS, UM, THAT, UM, MY LAST TWO SENTENCES THAT I WAS GONNA FINISH BEFORE I WAS SO RUDELY INTERRUPTED, UM, ON MY FIVE MINUTES. UM, BUT, UH, THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY SPEAKERS WE'VE HAD TONIGHT. UH, 50, 60, 70 ON ONE ITEM, WE HAD 47 SPEAKERS ON THE BUDGET HEARING AND ANOTHER 20 PLUS SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM. SO AT LEAST 60 SPEAKERS PLUS ANOTHER 10 FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS, 70 SPEAKERS AT MINIMUM. OKAY. UM, SO I'M JUST GONNA ASSUME THAT, UM, MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS NEW POLICY THAT WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE MORE THAN 10 SPEAKERS AT, SO WE JUST, WE JUST ASSUME THAT THIS IS THE WAY, THIS IS THE PUBLIC GETS 60 SECONDS TO SPEAK, UM, REGARDLESS. UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S, I MEAN, I CAN'T IMAGINE WE'RE GONNA HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING WHERE THERE'S NOT AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE SHOW UP TO TO SPEAK. SO, UM, I JUST, I'M JUST OPPOSED THIS, I I THINK THAT THIS IS THE WRONG, UM, JUST THE WRONG THING TO DO. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. AND I, I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ON HOW I OPERATE TYPICALLY WITH THE FIVE MINUTE LIMITS. SO ON THE BUDGET HEARINGS, UH, WHICH WE'RE IN BUDGET SEASON, TRADITIONALLY, IF COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE STAYED BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MINUTES, SO WE REALLY HAVEN'T INTERRUPTED UNLESS THEY GET TO THE 15 MINUTE MOMENT ON, ON THE HEARINGS. BUT TYPICALLY ON AGENDA ITEMS, THE PERSON WHO BROUGHT IT FORWARD GETS 10 MINUTES. AND THEN ONCE PEOPLE GET AROUND FIVE MINUTES, I FRAME A QUESTION WOULD, LIKE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO QUEUE UP AGAIN? SO TONIGHT YOU WERE AT SEVEN MINUTES AND I FRAMED A QUESTION, WOULD YOU LIKE TO QUEUE UP AGAIN? AND IF YOU SAID, NO, COUNT, NO MAYOR, I HAVE, I WANT TO FINISH MY THOUGHT, OR I HAVE ONE OR TWO MORE QUESTIONS, AND I TYPICALLY SAY, FINE. SO I WANNA MAKE THAT EXPECTATION. UH, WHAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IS, UM, UH, PUT OUT AN EXPECTATION THAT THERE ARE NO FIVE MEMO. THERE ARE, BUT WE REALLY DON'T ENFORCE IT THAT MUCH, ESPECIALLY DURING BUDGET TIME. SO JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR WITH EVERYONE, BUDGET TIME, IT'S A LITTLE MORE LAX ON BUDGET BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF CONTENT, BUT TYPICALLY EVERYONE STAYED UNDER 15. BUT ON REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS, IF WE SEE THAT IT'S COMING UP ON THE NEXT SIDE OF FIVE MINUTES, THE CLERK'S NOT GONNA INTERRUPT A COUNCIL MEMBER. THAT'S MY JOB TO SAY ABOUT HOW MUCH MORE TIME ARE, ARE WE TA ARE WE TAKING? SO I KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT I WOULDN'T PICK ON A COUNCIL MEMBER BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE THE CONTENT OF WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. SO IF THAT CAME OFF THAT WAY, MY APOLOGIES, BUT I'M, BUT I'M BIG ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE METHODOLOGY IS HERE. IF YOU WANNA GO BACK AND WATCH THE TAPE, YOU'LL SEE IT WAS AROUND THE SEVEN, SEVEN AND A HALF MINUTE MARK. AND I FRAMED IT AS A QUESTION, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT'S BEEN CONSISTENT WITH HOW I, HOW I TYPICALLY TREAT MOST OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW. YEAH. SO, UH, I, LIKE EVERYBODY IN AMERICA VALUE MY [05:30:01] FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. AND AS SOMEBODY WHO ACTUALLY HAS PARENTS WHO ARE IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS THAT HAD EVERY RIGHTS TAKEN AWAY, UM, I VERY MUCH UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S IS IMPORTANT, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT PUBLIC COMMENTING IS ONE FORM OF THE WAYS THAT OUR RESIDENT COMMUNICATE WITH US. AND THE REASON WHY I SHARE THAT IS THAT, UH, AS SOMEBODY WHO WORKED FOR A LABOR ORGANIZATION WHO HAD TO ORGANIZE MEMBERS TO COME TO MAKE COMMENTS, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE THERE WITH THEM, BUT YOU ALSO KNOW THEY'RE WORKING. SO YOU WANNA GET 'EM TO SPEAK IMMEDIATELY. IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, I ALSO RAN A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CALLED MY GIRLS IN ACTION, WORKING WITH MINORS THAT ARE UNDER 18 THAT NEEDS TO BE HOME BY A CERTAIN TIME THAT NEEDS TO SPEAK AT CERTAIN TIMES. AND SO THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE MY RESIDENTS. AND I THINK ABOUT IN THE WAYS THAT ALL THE TIME, HOW IS IT NOT ONLY COUNCIL MEETING, BUT HOW IS THE SYSTEM WORKING FOR NOT ONLY WORKING FAMILIES, FOR IMMIGRANTS, FOR EVERYBODY WHO HAS DIFFERENT KIND OF BARRIERS. SO WHAT I HEAR TODAY, I APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK TO ACCOMMODATE EVERYBODY'S ABILITY TO COMMENT. AND I TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY WHEN I MADE IT A DECISION LAST TIME TO VOTE YES ON MODIFYING THIS IS BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THERE ARE GUARANTEED TIMES, NOT ONLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT FOR WORKING PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING WITH LABOR ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THEY GET THEIR VOICE, VOICE HEARD, MULTILINGUALLY. THE OTHER WAYS THAT I COMMUNICATE MY RESIDENTS WHO DON'T COME TO COUNCIL MEETING, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING, BUT THEY'RE AFRAID TO COME TO THESE MEETINGS FOR JUST THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING THEY DON'T WANNA BE OUT, UH, YOU KNOW, LATE OUT, YOU KNOW, LATER THAN THEY NEED TO BE BECAUSE THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO MAKE COMMENTS TO HAVING TRUSTED LEADERS THAT CAN COME WITH THEM. SO I, I SHARE THIS IN THAT I'M VERY THOUGHTFUL IN THINKING ABOUT HOW, HOW I, I DON'T EVER SEE, I WILL TELL YOU MY RESIDENTS STAYING HERE LATER AT NIGHT IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THEIR COMMENTS ARE MADE BECAUSE THEY WANNA MAKE IT IN THE BEGINNING AND THEY WANNA BE HEARD AND THEN THEY LEAVE. AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THEY HAVE, I RESPECT THEIR TIME THAT THEY KNOW THEIR TIME IS CERTAIN WHEN THEY CAN SPEAK. AND UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES WE REALLY TALK A LONG TIME BECAUSE THIS IS THE ONLY TIME YOU CAN TALK TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE BROWN ACT. AND I SEE THAT MANY OF YOU MAY DISAGREE WITH ME WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT, BUT I ALSO AM SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF MY RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH, WHO ARE WORKING BEYOND, YOU KNOW, WHO WORKS THE NEXT DAY. AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I ALSO GET THEIR EMAILS. I GET YOUR EMAILS, I READ YOUR EMAILS, I GET YOUR LETTER, YOU CAN WRITE LETTERS AFTERWARDS AND I'M HAPPY TO STAY HERE AND HEAR COMMENTS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE NIGHT. I AND HEAR ALL KINDS OF LANGUAGE SPOKEN TO US. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE FOR IT, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE I'M SPEAKING UP ON BEHALF OF MY RESIDENTS, YOUNG PEOPLE, WORKING PEOPLE, IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE VARIOUS BARRIERS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY AS WELL. SO THAT'S WHY I'M VOTING, UM, TO SUPPORT THIS ITEM. AND I KNOW THAT YES, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOU MAY SEE IT AS A VIOLATION OF YOUR FIRST, FIRST AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. THAT'S A DISRUPTION OF THE MEETING. BUT I THINK THAT EVERY OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE TO SPEAK AND COMMUNICATE WITH US MAY NOT BE IN THE WAY THAT YOU WANNA HAVE IT DONE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION IN THE BEGINNING. AND THAT'S WHERE I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN I HAVE RESIDENTS COME AND SPEAK, THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO COMMENT IN A TIME THAT'S CERTAIN THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR MY RESIDENT AND I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THEM. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO THAT'S INAPPROPRIATE. THIS IS NOT PUBLIC COMMENT AND YELLING IN THE AUDIENCE IS NOT AN ACTION THAT'S ALLOWED HERE. THAT'S THE DISRUPTION OF THE MEETING. SO THAT'S SO MADAM CLERK, PLEASE ISSUE YOUR SECOND, SECOND WARNING. THIS IS THE SECOND WARNING THAT YOUR BEHAVIOR IS DISRUPTING THE MEETING. PLEASE REFRAIN FOR MAKING COMMENTS WHILE THE COUNCIL IS DELIBERATING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WELCOME. ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SOTE. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I WANNA THANK, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, SORROW FOR HER COMMENTS. UM, MY COMMENT OR MY QUESTION I THINK IS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION. COUNCILMAN SUPER NA, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER. I KNOW THAT THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING YOU COULD SUPPORT. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU, NOW THAT YOU BROUGHT THIS NEW ITEM, COULD YOU JUST KIND OF SUMMARIZE FOR ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE, THE POLICY THAT'S ON THE, UM, BEFORE US RIGHT NOW, DIFFERS FROM THE PREVIOUS ONE AND WHAT HAS CHANGED YOUR, YOUR MIND AND YOUR SENTIMENT ABOUT WHAT THE POLICY WE'RE PUTTING FORWARD TODAY? WELL, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN SAY OTHER THAN WHAT I EXPLAINED INITIALLY THAT I THOUGHT THE, UM, THE JUNE 16TH MEETING, WE, WE WERE, WE DIDN'T HAVE EVERY MEMBER HERE TO VOTE. WE HAD, WELL, WE ASKED THE CITY ATTORNEY AND THE CITY MANAGER A LOT OF QUESTIONS TONIGHT. WE [05:35:01] DIDN'T HAVE THAT LUXURY LAST TIME THAT, THAT ALONE MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT, ABOUT THE THE VOTE. UM, ALSO, AS I SAID, WE'RE REALLY LOCKED IN ON THE BUDGET NOW AND I THINK WE HAVE AN AN OBLIGATION TO LOOK AT ALL EFFICIENCIES WE CAN, WE CAN POSSIBLY FIND. UM, AND, AND REALLY THAT'S IT, IT, I THINK IT, UH, CAME AT US PRETTY QUICKLY AND I DON'T WANT IT DIMINISH ANYTHING THAT, THAT, UH, THAT HAPPENED. THIS WAS AT THE GOEI THINK BACK IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER AND WE GOT ALL THESE REPORTS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M NOT SURE IF WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT OR WE DIDN'T GET THE FEEDBACK AND WHAT THROUGH ALL THOSE MONTHS. AND THEN SUDDENLY IT WAS UPON US IN JUNE. AND I, I, IT JUST, THE, THE TIMING WASN'T RIGHT THERE. I ALSO THOUGHT THAT ALL OF THE, UH, AMENDMENTS WERE MAKING TONIGHT WOULD'VE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL. AND WE WERE AT A SECOND READING, AND I, I, I THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO PRESS THE PAUSE BUTTON AND DO A DO OVER. SO THAT'S, I HOPE THAT EXPLAINS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE I WAS BEFORE. NO, THAT'S HELPFUL. UM, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER SINA. ALRIGHT, SEE YOU. NO FURTHER QUESTION FROM THE COUNCIL MEMBERS'. ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE. DISTRICT ONE AYE. DISTRICT TWO? NO. DISTRICT THREE? NO. DISTRICT FOUR. AYE. DISTRICT FIVE. AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? IT WAS AN AYE. AYE. THANK YOU. DISTRICT SEVEN, SHE'S GOTTA GO. JUST VOTE. JUST THE WE'LL ADDRESS THAT. AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. SO THAT CONCLUDES, UH, THIS ITEM. WE'RE NOT GONNA GO TO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER TWO. THANK YOU. THERE ARE 16 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP. KELLY MCCOY, SPEEDY WATSON, ANNETTE, ANDREA, MOND, CARI, BRIAN COCHRAN, ANITA DOHERTY, SAMANTHA RIVAS, [PUBLIC COMMENT: Immediately prior to adjournment Opportunity is given to those members of the public who have not addressed the City Council on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes unless extended by the City Council.] DONNA TRUMAN, BRIAN VANDERWAL, SAM WISE, GAJI, KIA, BETH SANCHEZ, CARLOS, FERNANDO, AND ELLIE. IF ANY OF THOSE SPEAKERS ARE IN THE AUDIENCE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. PLEASE. IF YOU, IF YOU HEARD YOUR NAME CALLED, PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE AT THE LECTERN. HELLO, MY NAME IS CAR MENDOZA. PROUD RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FIVE FOR THE PAST 28 YEARS. SO ALL MY LIFE I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS BODY, BOTH FOR THE DECISION THAT WAS JUST TAKEN ON. UH, ITEM NUMBER 26. UM, I ALSO BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS BROUGHT UP LAST MEETING THAT LONG BEACH HAS THIS VIBE CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, BUDGET ITEM THAT WE SEND MONEY FOR TOURISM AND THINGS OF THAT MATTER. BUT AS SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, WE DON'T NEED A VIBE CITY BUDGET ITEM TO MAKE PEOPLE KNOW WHO LONG BEACH IS. PEOPLE HAVE KNOWN ABOUT LONG BEACH SINCE IT WAS FIRST CREATED, AND I DO LIKE THAT MY COUNCIL MEMBER KERR BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT WE SHOULD REALLY LOOK AT GETTING RID OF THIS RESTRICTIVE BUDGETING BECAUSE WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO PUT MONEY TOWARDS A CONVENTION CENTER THAT EVERY OTHER YEAR SEEMS TO BE UNDER SOME KIND OF CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION AND INSTEAD WE SHOULD PUT IT TOWARDS WHERE IT REALLY MATTERS OUR LIBRARIES AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH INCLUDES OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND YOU KNOW, PUBLIC COMMENT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT A CITIZEN CAN DO. AND IN AN AGE WHERE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEIR VOTE DOESN'T MATTER, [05:40:01] PUBLIC COMMENT MIGHT BE THE LAST THING THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY CAN DO TO ACTUALLY BE A CIVIC MEMBER OF THEIR COMMUNITY. SO ALTHOUGH YOU PASSED THE MOTION TODAY, I REALLY JUST WANT YOU TO ALL TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOURSELVES AND THINK ABOUT WHY YOU'RE TRULY HERE. I WANNA THANK DISTRICT TWO MEMBER ALLEN FOR ACTUALLY ANSWERING, ASKING THE QUESTIONS THAT ALL OF US IN THE COMMUNITY TODAY WANTED TO BE HEARD. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. ALSO, CAN YOU PLEASE FIX THE ELEVATORS AT THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC? UM, IT'S A DISABILITY ISSUE, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE WORKING ELEVATOR. AND SO AS SEEN IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OKAY, NO WORRIES. YEAH, FIX THE ELEVATORS, DO THE PUBLIC SOME GOOD. YOU CAN ALSO, UH, FIX THAT SCREEN. I KNOW TOM MOCA HAS GOT SOME MONEY IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR MONEY TO FIX THAT. AND YEAH, I CAN'T BELIEVE THE DECISION THAT THIS COUNCIL JUST MADE TONIGHT. CINDY ALLEN SEEMED TO BE THE ONLY ONE TO FIGURE IT OUT. THAT BY LUMPING US ALL TOGETHER INTO ONE LIST, YOU'RE MAKING IT SO THAT WE GUARANTEED TO HAVE OVER 10 PEOPLE EVERY TIME, WHICH AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES US TO 90 SECONDS. AND THAT'S F*****G ATROCIOUS. AND THEN ALSO YOU'RE SAYING, WELL, WE'LL GIVE MORE TIME TO THE FIRST FEW PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP. SO YOU'RE BASICALLY F*****G OVER ANYBODY WHO CAN'T BE HERE EARLIER ON TIME, EVERY F*****G TUESDAY. YOU'RE GIVING PRIORITY TO ONLY PEOPLE THAT CAN BE HERE EARLIER ON TIME, AND THAT ALSO F*****G SUCKS. SO NOW THAT THAT'S, UH, WASTED ENOUGH OF MY TIME FREE PALESTINE, THE ATROCITIES STILL CONTINUE. TWO PALESTINIANS WERE KILLED IN AIRSTRIKE TWO DAYS AGO, FIVE PALESTINIANS WERE KILLED IN GAZA AND THREE IN THE WEST BANK TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THAT. UH, THE ISRAELI MILITARY IS CARRYING AWAY MILLIONS OF TONS OF RUBBLE, WHICH STILL INCLUDES HUMAN REMAINS. SO ISRAEL'S STILL KILLING PALESTINIANS AND THEY'RE TRYING TO HIDE EVIDENCE OF THEIR WAR CRIME. SO ANYBODY WHO'S ON ISRAEL'S SIDE AT THIS POINT IS JUST CAN GO F**K RIGHT OFF AND SHIFTING CLOSER TO HOME. THIS, UH, COUNCIL'S ANSWER TO EVERYTHING IS MORE POLICE. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF YOUR CITIZENS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO MUTUAL AID FUNDS TO ATTEMPT TO KEEP FAMILIES AFLOAT BECAUSE THEIR INCOME EARNERS ARE TOO AFRAID TO GO TO WORK BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING STALKED BY ICE AGENTS? AND EVEN WORSE, YOU'RE ROBBING US BLIND AND GIVING ALL OUR MONEY TO COMPANIES THAT ENABLE THESE KIDNAPPERS AND TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT RAN SECURITY FOR THE KIDNAPPERS. AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TELL US THERE'S NO MONEY FOR PUBLIC SERVICES, FOR UNION JOBS. LIKE HOW THAT'S WHAT THE MONEY'S FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN THE PORT OF LONG BEACH. LIKE, WHAT THE F**K? HOW DOES THAT FIT INTO YOUR WHOLE VIBE CITY THING? AND SPEAKING OF THINGS THAT DON'T PASS THE VIBE, CHECK, LET'S TALK ABOUT ALL THE A LPR CAMERAS. YOU'RE ABOUT TO SPEND A MINIMUM OF $2 MILLION TO INSTALL THESE THINGS, AND THEN A $5 MILLION CONTRACT WITH THEIR MOBILITY TO MAINTAIN THEM. SO TO, TO BE CLEAR, THE VIBE IS FASCISM. HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY USING ALL OF OUR MONEY OR ANYONE'S MONEY TO SPY ON YOUR CITIZENS THAT AREN'T COMMITTING ANY CRIMES EXCEPT EXISTING? YOU'RE ROBBING US BLIND AND USING OUR OWN MONEY TO KEEP US CONSTANTLY SURVEILLED UNDER THIS EVER INCREASING FASCIST GOVERNMENT. AND I'M EXPECTED TO SHOW THIS COUNCIL RESPECT. YOU CAN'T CAPITALIZE ON WHAT MAKES THE CITY GOOD WHILE SYSTEMATICALLY TRYING TO DESTROY ALL OF THOSE THINGS. YOU CAN'T CALL THIS VIBE CITY WHEN YOU ALLOW ICE TO RAVAGE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND WHEN YOU MAKE STREET VENDORS JUMPSUIT, SO MANY FINANCIAL AND BUREAUCRATIC HOOPS THAT THEY CAN'T OPERATE AT ALL, THIS CITY IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT COMMUNITY. THAT'S THE VIBE YOU'RE TRYING TO MARKET, RIGHT? SO FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY EXCEPT YOU JUST F****D OVER PUBLIC COMMENT. SO I DON'T THINK YOU REALLY GIVE A F**K ABOUT COMMUNITY, BUT GIVE MORE MONEY TO MENTAL HEALTH AND HOMELESS SERVICES. A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN THE PORT DROVE BY THE AIRPORT, FLOCK A LPR CAMERAS EVERYWHERE ELSE. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA ADD? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE VIBE IS HELL F**K ICE, F**K ISRAEL FREE PALESTINE. HI, IT'S ME AGAIN. UM, I FEEL A NEED TO COME WITH, COME TO YOU WITH SOME BLUNT AND HONEST TRUTHS THAT, UH, YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF. I'M A PASSIONATE FAN AND RESIDENT OF THE CITY FOR MANY YEARS NOW. IT'S MY ADOPTED CITY. I CALL IT HOME. I'M PASSIONATE EVEN WHEN I DON'T AGREE WITH THE CHOICES THAT YOU MAKE UP THERE. BUT IN THIS INSTANCE, I'M WEARING MY PASSIONATE T-SHIRT FROM THE NLP PROGRAM. I'M A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR THAT. AND I WANT TO CLEAR SOME THINGS UP BECAUSE I THINK YOU'VE BEEN SOLD A BILL OF GOODS, FRANKLY. HOW MANY OF YOU NOD, WAVE, ACKNOWLEDGE, JUST LOOK AT ME, HAVE BEEN TOLD OR STILL ARE OPERATING THE BELIEF THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM ISN'T GOING AWAY IF THE BUDGET CUTS GO FORWARD AS PLANNED, I THINK YOU'VE BEEN SOLD THAT. [05:45:01] I THINK YOU'VE BEEN TOLD THAT BY THE DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT WANT TO GET RID OF THE PROGRAM AS ENVISIONED. RIGHT NOW, THE PROGRAM, IF THE BUDGET CUTS GO THROUGH, WILL REDUCE FROM WHAT WERE ONCE THREE STAFF MEMBERS TO JUST ONE. IT WILL HAVE SUBSTITUTES WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROGRAM COMING IN AS THE NEW HOSTS OR CURATORS OF IT. AND IT'LL GO FROM WHAT IS A 12 WEEK IMMERSIVE COHORT-BASED PROGRAM DOWN TO A SERIES OF 10 WORKSHOPS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. YOU WON'T HAVE GRADUATES FROM THE PROGRAM ANYMORE. YOU GRADUATED THE NINE, THE 900TH MEMBER OF THE PROGRAM THIS AUGUST, JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. YOU WON'T HAVE GRADUATES AGAIN IF THIS PLAN GOES FORWARD. YOU'LL HAVE PEOPLE WHO GET A CERTIFICATE SAYING THEY ACHIEVED SOMETHING IN 90 MINUTES AND LISTEN TO A LECTURE FROM PEOPLE. THAT'S NOT NOP. THAT'S NOT THE PASSION THAT THOSE 32 PLUS YEARS OF PEOPLE HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD. AND I THINK YOU OWE IT TO THE COMMUNITY TO NOT JUST FOLLOW THE LEADS OF DEPARTMENT HEADS WHO HAVE AN AGENDA TO SELL SOMETHING ELSE. THAT IS NOT THE TRUTH HERE. CHRIS KONZ WANTS TO GET RID OF THIS PROGRAM. IT IS NOT HIS PASSION. HE DOES NOT WANNA OWN IT. HE'S UNDERCUTTING THE PROGRAM. YOU NEED TO STEP UP FOR THIS MOMENT, FIND THE FUNDING THE WAY IT'S THERE. THERE'S PLENTY OF MONEY. VOLUNTEER FACILITATORS WILL STEP UP AND MAKE THE GAPS HAPPEN. WE'LL MAKE THE EDUCATION CONNECT. THERE'S HUNDREDS OF US OUT THERE TO DO THE WORK, BUT YOU CAN JUST FIND THIS POOL OF FUNDS TO MAKE THIS THING CONTINUE FOR ONE MORE YEAR SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE NEXT STEPS FROM THAT POINT FORWARD. DON'T LET THIS DIE IN THE VINE BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT MISINFORMATION AND PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T CARE ENOUGH TO OWN THE PROGRAM. THANK YOU. I'M, I'M SORRY I'M NOT ON THE LIST, BUT I JUST HAVE A TWO THINGS. IT, IT'S OBVIOUS IF 21 PEOPLE TOTAL SHOW UP FOR AGENDA AND NON-AG AGENDA ITEMS AT THE START OF THE MEETING. IT'S 60 SECONDS. MARY, ARE YOU OKAY WITH LETTING IT CAN I I I I'LL BE, I'LL BE REALLY QUICK. NO, SO IT'S 60 SECONDS ON ALL SUBJECTS, SO YOUR DISCRETION. YEAH, THAT'S NO, NO. OKAY. I'M SORRY. ALL RIGHT. ALRIGHT. IS THAT WHO'S NEXT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT SIGNED UP FOR SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT AND YOU HAVE NOT SPOKEN, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. WE'LL NOW, UH, MOVE TO OUR CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE MEETING. PLEASE QUEUE UP NOW. F**K YOU. FASCIST PIECES OF S**T. ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER THRASH TOOK F**K YOU FASCIST. [ANNOUNCEMENTS] BIG. UH, ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO AS WE CLOSE TODAY'S MEETING, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT SCHOOL IS OFFICIALLY BACK IN SEASON AND I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT MY OWN HOUSEHOLD HAS MADE THAT TRANSITION WITH MY DAUGHTER SETTLING BACK INTO COLLEGE AND MY SON BEGINNING THE FIFTH GRADE. SO ALL OF OUR FAMILIES OUT THERE NAVIGATING THE SAME BACK TO SCHOOL RHYTHM. I WISH YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS A WONDERFUL YEAR AHEAD. LAST WEEK, WE HAD THE HONOR OF CELEBRATING OUR PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS FELLOWS HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND THE ONES THAT WORKED WITHIN OUR OFFICE. I WANT TO EXTEND MY DEEPEST GRATITUDE TO OMAR AND OSCAR FOR THEIR ENERGY, FRESH PERSPECTIVE AND GENUINE CARE THAT THEY BROUGHT TO OUR OFFICE AND TO EVERY PROJECT AND TASK THAT WE PUT BEFORE THEM. PROGRAMS LIKE THIS ARE EXACTLY WHY PEOPLE MATTER. AND YOUNG PEOPLE MATTER WHO ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY. I WANNA THANK THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT THESE YOUNG ADULTS. LOOKING AHEAD. EARLIER WHEN WE STARTED THE MEETING, I TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE'D BE CELEBRATING LABOR DAY. LABOR DAY IS MORE THAN JUST A LONG WEEKEND. IT IS A TRIBUTE TO THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND SACRIFICES OF WORKERS BORN OUT OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT IN THE LATE 18 HUNDREDS TO HONOR THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF WORKING PEOPLE TO EVERY WORKING FAMILY. THANK YOU AND ENJOY A WELL-DESERVED REST, AND I'M PLEASED TO SHARE THAT. NEXT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, I'LL BE WORKING WITH, UH, SEVERAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HOST THE LONG BEACH UNITY FESTIVAL, A TASTE OF UNITY, PULSE OF THE PEOPLE PREVIEW. THIS WILL BE HELD AT THE WATERFRONT IN CATALINA AND IS PART OF AN ONGOING CELEBRATION THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, WHERE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, FROM 10 TO THREE, WE WILL HAVE A UNITY FAMILY FUN DAY AT THE NORTH POINT BASKETBALL COURT. JOIN US FOR MUSIC, FOOD FORUMS, ENTERTAINMENT VENDORS, GIVEAWAY AND MORE. UM, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT EVENT AND WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU OUT. I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL AND RESTFUL LABOR DAY WEEKEND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CARR. YES, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THIS WEEK I INVITE ALL RESIDENTS TO JOIN CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. AT THIS MONTH'S FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK IN BIXBY KNOWLES THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH FROM SIX 30 TO NINE 30 STROLL ATLANTIC AVENUE CORRIDOR TO FIND ART MUSIC DEALS AND MORE IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES. THE B-K-A-B-I-A INCLUDES MORE THAN 30 HISPANIC SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. JOIN THE CELEBRATION AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. THEN ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH, FAMILIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT THE RANCHO RANCHO LOS CERRITOS FROM 10 TO 12 FOR BILINGUAL [05:50:01] COMMUNITY STORY TIME AND AN ART WORKSHOP FOR KIDS. ENJOY CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION ON THE BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC GROUNDS THAT SAME MORNING. YOU MAY ALSO CHOOSE TO ATTEND THE SOUND BATH IN THE PARK AT WILLOW SPRINGS PARK AT 11:00 AM THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE FALL WILLOW SPRINGS EXPERIENCES MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FRIENDS OF WILLOW SPRINGS PARK. FIND INNER PEACE AND CONNECT WITH NATURE IN ONE OF OUR CITY'S MOST NATURAL SPACES. LASTLY, YOU CAN FINISH YOUR SATURDAY EVENING IN THE FIFTH DISTRICT AS WELL BY VISITING THE HANGAR AT LBX FROM FIVE TO 8:00 PM TO ENJOY THE FINAL REGGAE SUMMER CONCERT OF THE 2026 SEASON. ENJOY LIVE MUSIC BY BAND CALI CONSCIOUS WHILE SHOPPING AND DINING IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER XCEL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE EVERYBODY OUT TO, UH, JOIN US ON SEPTEMBER, UH, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, UH, FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MICHELLE OBAMA LI NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. UM, JOIN US TO CELEBRATE A DECADE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING AND CONNECTION. UM, YOU CAN, UH, RSVP IN ADVANCE TO ATTEND. UH, FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN CONTACT, UH, MY OFFICE AT 5 6 2 5 7 0 6 1 3 7, OR DISTRICT9@LONGBEACH.GOV. UM, AND THEN I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO INVITE PEOPLE OUT TO THE HARTON PARK, UM, PROJECTS COMMUNITY MEETING. UM, I ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY TO JOIN US TO REVIEW PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS, ASK QUESTIONS, AND HEAR ABOUT UPCOMING PARK PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AT HOUGHTON PARK. THIS WILL BE AT THE HOUGHTON PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, UM, UH, AT 62 69 MYRTLE AVENUE, UH, ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH FROM SIX TO 7:30 PM. UM, FOR MORE INFORMATION INTO RSVP OR REQUEST INTERPRETATION SERVICES, VISIT LBC INFO SLASH HOUGHTON PROJECTS. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW. THANKS. SO I WANTED TO INVITE, UM, EVERYONE WHO'S ABLE TO HELP OUT TO JOIN THE OCO NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUP THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 12:00 PM ON THREE 13 EAST DAMON STREET, LED BY ONE OF OUR RECENT NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM GRADUATE RUBY. THANK YOU. HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US TO HELP US OUT THERE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SUPER BRUNO. OKAY. PARKS AND REC IS HOSTING THEIR FINAL SUMMER CONCERT OF THE YEAR. AND THAT'S ON, UH, NINE FOUR AT, UH, SIX, UH, SORRY, FIVE TO 8:00 PM AT, UH, ELDORADO PARK WEST. UH, THE GROUP WILL BE, UH, REMIX. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. ALRIGHT, WELL, THAT CONCLUDES, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. I MEAN, EXCUSE ME. DAMN. A LOT OF QUI COMMENT TONIGHT. UH, THAT CONCLUDES COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING. WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH BUDGET ADOPTION. TAKE CARE. * 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.