* 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. [00:13:56] IF [00:13:56] THERE [00:13:56] 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. [00:34:17] ALL [00:34:17] RIGHT. [00:34:18] WELL, [00:34:19] THANKS FOR JOINING US, FOLKS. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL TO ORDER, UH, THE MEETING OF THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL. ROLL [CALL TO ORDER] CALL, PLEASE. COUNCILWOMAN ZENDEJAS. PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN. PRESENT. COUNCILMEMBER DUGGAN. HERE. COUNCILMAN SUPERNOW. HERE. COUNCILWOMAN KERR. PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN SARO. PRESENT. VICE MAYOR YORANGA. PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN THRASH ENTUCK. HERE. COUNCILMEMBER RICK SOTI. HERE. MAYOR RICHARDSON. I'M HERE. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO TO COUNCILMEMBER DUGGAN FOR THE MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. LET'S PLEASE [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO REMEMBER THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO NEED OUR SUPPORT, WHETHER THEY'RE GRIEVING [00:35:01] OR STRUGGLING. LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER THEM. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND IF YOU ARE ABLE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO WE HAVE ONE PRESENTATION THAT'S BEING WITHDRAWN THIS EVENING, SO NO PRESENTATIONS THIS EVENING. LET'S START WITH THE REPORT OUT FROM CLOSED SESSION, PLEASE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, CITY COUNCIL HAS SETTLED THE MATTER OF FILIPO RAFINO VERSUS CITY OF LONG BEACH IN THE AMOUNT OF $400,000, AND THE VOTE WAS APPROVED SEVEN ZERO. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY, NOW WE'LL TAKE CONSENT CALENDAR, PLEASE. [CONSENT CALENDAR (1. – 19.)] IF I CAN GET A VERBAL MOTION AND SECOND. MOTION AND SECOND ON CONSENT, PLEASE. SO MOVED. MOVE FIVE, SECOND EIGHT. ALL RIGHT. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT. THERE IS ONE SPEAKER ON CONSENT, SAM WISE GAMGI, IN ZOOM. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. SAM WISE, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. HEY. THANK YOU. CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TO SAY. UM, ONE THROUGH FOUR, JUST ALL LOOK LIKE RECOMMENDATION FOR INCOME APPROPRIATION. AS USUAL, CONSENT CALENDAR JUST SEEMS LIKE AN EXCUSE TO PASS AS MANY THINGS AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT A LOT OF SCRUTINY. I DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH TO SAY ON THIS, JUST WE HAVE TO USE OUR, UH, PRECIOUS PUBLIC COMMENTS WHILE THEY STILL EXIST. SO HOPEFULLY, UH, NOT TOO MUCH OF OUR MONEY IS GOING TO ANYTHING NEFARIOUS. AND, UH, IF ANY OF THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS NEED EXTRA MONEY FOR THEIR DISTRICT, I JUST WANNA REMIND THEM THAT TOM MODICA MAKES ALMOST $400,000 A YEAR. SO YEAH, UH, DON'T TAKE AWAY OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND I'LL YIELD THE REST OF MY TIME. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CONSENT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, WE'LL HAVE A VOICE VOTE ON CONSENT, 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. MAYOR, BEFORE WE PROCEED, WE DO NEED TO HEAR AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE ON THEIR JUST CAUSE. OKAY. YOU WANNA DO IT NOW? PLEASE. ARE WE READY? YES. YEAH, WE'RE READY. OKAY. UH, PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54953. 8. 3C1, I HAVE JUST CAUSED CIRCUMSTANCES AUTHORIZING MY REMOTE PARTICIPATION IN THIS PUBLIC MEETING. I HAVE A CAREGIVING NEED AND NO ONE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER IS IN THE ROOM WITH ME. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING, UH, AS A, AS A FELLOW PARENT. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. ALL RIGHT. UH, SO THE AYES HAVE IT AND CONSENT? CONSENT. MOTION CARRIES, YES. GREAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA GET INTO THE AGENDA. I KNOW A NUMBER OF FOLKS HAVE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM 29, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE THAT UP FIRST. SO LET'S TAKE ITEM 29, PLEASE. IF I CAN GET A MOTION [29. 26-56299 Recommendation to declare ordinance amending and restating Long Beach Municipal Code Subsection 2.03.020 (G); Sections 2.03.030 and 2.03.040; Subsection 2.03.050(A); Sections 2.03.060, 2.03.070, 2.03.075, 2.03.076, 2.03.100, and 2.03.120; and repealing Section 2.03.090, related to Chapter 2.03 City Council, Article I. Rules of the Council, read the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for final reading. (Citywide)       Office or Department: City Attorney         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AND SECOND. MOTION BY FOUR. SECOND. SECOND BY TWO. THANK YOU. SO FOUR AND NINE. ALL RIGHT. UM, LET'S, UH, HEAR THE ITEM, PLEASE. REPORT FROM CITY ATTORNEY, RECOMMENDATION TO DECLARE ORDINANCE AMENDING AND RESTATING LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE RELATED TO CITY COUNCIL, ARTICLE ONE, RULES OF COUNCIL READ THE FIRST TIME AND LAID OVER TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR FINAL READING CITYWIDE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO NORMALLY ON AN ORDINANCE, ON A FIRST READING OR SECOND READING, THERE ISN'T A PRESENTATION. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST HERE, SO I'M GONNA ASK JUST, UH, JUST SOME CONTEXT AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO RIGHT INTO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, SO FIRST, UH, IF CITY MANAGER COULD JUST WALK US THROUGH THE TIMETABLE OF WHAT BROUGHT US HERE IN TERMS OF, UM, COUNCIL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. SURE. UH, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON THIS OVER THE LAST YEAR, SO I WILL TURN IT TO TYLER TO TALK ABOUT WHERE THIS STARTED AND THE GOE COMMITTEE AND, UH, THEN THE COUNCIL ACTIONS, UH, LEADING UP TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. SO TYLER, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. YEP. THANK YOU. UM, [00:40:01] SO YEAH, THIS ORIGINATED IN THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO IN APRIL OF 2025. UH, THE COMMITTEE WAS INITIALLY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT WAYS TO NOT ONLY ENCOURAGE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN COUNCIL MEETINGS, BUT ALSO, UM, TO FIND WAYS TO STREAMLINE COUNCIL MEETINGS. SO THIS COMBO APPROACH THE GOE COMMITTEE WAS INTERESTED IN, UM, THEY DID A SURVEY, UM, AND THEN THEY DEVELOPED, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT IN THE FALL OF 2025 LAST YEAR, UM, THEY PRESENTED AND THEN FORWARDED THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ON POTENTIAL CHANGES TO THE ORDER OF BUSINESS TO THE CITY COUNCIL. UM, AND THEN IN NOVEMBER OF 2025, WE HAD A COUNCIL ITEM THAT CONSIDERED NOT ONLY THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT ALSO, UM, WAYS TO ADDRESS AND PREPARE FOR ANY CHANGES FOR, UH, SENATE BILL 707. UM, AND THEN THE COUNCIL ALSO REQUESTED THAT WE DO ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH WITH THE SURVEY THAT THE COMMITTEE HAD, UM, INITIALLY CONDUCTED. SO AFTER THAT, UM, IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, WE RECIRCULATED THE COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT THE COMMITTEE HAD INITIALLY DONE. WE TRANSLATED THAT, UM, DID A, UM, A LOT MORE PUBLIC OUTREACH, UM, WITH OUR COMMS TEAM, UM, AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO GET ABOUT, UM, 500 SURVEY RESPONSES COMPARED TO ABOUT 75 FROM THE COMMITTEE. AND THEN WE PRESENTED THOSE ALONG WITH THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COMMISSION, UH, CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, AND THEN ENDED UP BRINGING THOSE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS PLUS, UM, STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL IN MAY OF THIS YEAR TO START, UM, THE INITIAL DISCUSSION AROUND THESE ORDER OF BUSINESS CHANGES. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. AND THEN, UH, MR. CITY ATTORNEY, I WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN, BECAUSE THIS IS AN ORDINANCE THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN THE ORDINANCES BROUGHT FORWARD, EXPLAIN TO ME THE RED LINES, THE DIFFERENCES. YES, DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY MELISSA WILL ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. UH, GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL. UM, ON SEPTEMBER 1ST, CITY COUNCIL PRO- PROVIDED DIRECTION TO THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO DRAFT THIS ORDINANCE BEF - AND BEFORE I GO INTO THE DETAILS OF THAT ORDINANCE, I JUST WANNA, AGAIN, HIGHLIGHT, UM, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PRIOR OR- ORDINANCE AND THE CURRENT ORDINANCE BEFORE YOU TO, UH, PROVIDE CLARITY TO THE PUBLIC. UM, THIS ORDINANCE, UM, DOES NOT INCLUDE THE START, UH, COUNCIL TIME OF 4:30. UH, THIS ORDINANCE STILL, UM, INCLUDES A 5:00 PM START TIME FOR, FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS. IT ALSO, UM, DOES NOT INCLUDE THE EARLY SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEM THAT WAS IN THE PRIOR ORDINANCE, AND IT ALSO DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 90 SECOND, 60 SECOND AUTOMATIC, UM, TRIGGER SPEAKER LIMIT THAT, UM, APPLIES DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS. UM, SO, UH, AGAIN, I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THE MAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ORDINANCE, UH, QUICKLY. UH, SO FOLLOWING CEREMONIALS AND PRESENTATIONS, UH, THE CITY CLERK WILL REPORT ON WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WAS PROVIDED, UM, BY, THAT WAS, UH, UPON COUNCIL'S DIRECTION. UM, AFTER SUCH REPORT, THE PUBLIC IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS. FOR THIS COMMENT PERIOD, IT IS TO BE 90 MINUTES. UM, THE MAYOR OR PRESIDING OFFICER IN THEIR DISCRETION MAY EXTEND THIS TIME BY 30-MINUTE IN- INCREMENTS IF THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK WHO HAVE NOT SPOKEN ALREADY. UH, ALL SPEAKERS IN THIS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD HAVE THREE MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL. UH, THE MAYOR OR PRESIDING OFFICER HAS DISCRETION TO REDUCE THE SPEAKING TIMES BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SPEAKERS. UM, BUT AGAIN, THE, THE PRESUMPTION IS A, A THREE MINUTE, THREE MINUTES PER SPEAKER. UM, UH, A- AGAIN, THE PRIOR ORDINANCE WAS A BIT MORE PRESCRIPTIVE IN TERMS OF, UH, REDUCING THE, THE SPEAKING TIME TO 90 SECONDS AND 60 SECONDS RESPECTIVELY. UH - ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND THEN, UH, LASTLY, UH, CITY CLERK, JUST OUTLINE, UH, AGAIN, A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 90 MINUTES. WHERE DID THE 90 MINUTES COME FROM? UM, WHAT, HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT. SO THE 90 MINUTES WAS BASED ON THE LAST THREE YEARS, UM, 2023, 24, AND 25, THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS WE HAD, AND THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE SPENT TAKING PUBLIC COMMENT ON EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS. FOR 23, IT WAS ABOUT AN HOUR AND 40 MINUTES. FOR 2024, IT WAS AN HOUR AND 11 MINUTES, AND FOR 2025, IT WAS AN HOUR AND 30 MINUTES. SO BASED ON THE PAST THREE YEARS, WE TOOK AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF OF PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THAT IS WHERE THE 90 MINUTES CAME FROM. OKAY. AND, UH, AND, AND LAST QUESTION, WE'RE GOING TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, THE CONCEPT OF DOING PUBLIC COMMENT, TAKING THE 90-MINUTE AVERAGE AND DOING IT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE [00:45:01] MEETING, WHAT OTHER, WHAT DID, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE BENCHMARK AGENCIES THAT DO THAT? SO OTHER CITY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT USE THIS METHOD ARE THE CITY OF SANTA ANA, ANAHEIM CITY, UM, MONTEREY PARK, AND WE HAVE SOME... LBUSD ALSO TAKES, UH, THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, AND I BELIEVE, UH, COMMUNITY COLLEGE ALSO DOES THEIRS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. SO WE DID HAVE EXAMPLES FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS, BOTH IN EDUCATION AND IN CITY GOVERNMENT THAT USE THIS METHOD. ALL RIGHT. NORMALLY, THERE'S IN A PRESENTATIONAL ORDINANCE, WE GO STRAIGHT TO, STRAIGHT TO A, A VOTE IN PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT BECAUSE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE HERE, WE THOUGH THERE WAS AT LEAST A BENCHMARK TO, UH, AS A BASELINE, WE SHOULD EXPLAIN, UH, THAT LEVEL OF INFORMATION. SO WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. I THINK WE HAVE MORE THAN 40 PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. UH, MRS. CLERK, GO AHEAD AND, UM... I DON'T KNOW IF THAT NUMBER'S CORRECT. UH, BUT LET'S GO AHEAD AND BEGIN THE PROCESS OF, OF PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. SO I'M GONNA CALL THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS. WHEN YOU HEAR YOUR NAME, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. I'M GONNA CALL IN GROUPS OF 10, AND PLEASE BE READY TO COME FORWARD. IF YOU ARE ON ZOOM, PLEASE BE PREPARED TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS ARE STUART GALLOWAY, RAY GABLICH, LEE CHARLIE, LAURA ZELMER, OR SELMER, ANDREA ANTHONY HOLMES, CARMEN VALDEZ, SOPHIA KIM, AZURA, SANGHA KHAN, CAROLYN ESSEX, AND MEG, IF YOU CAN PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. FIRST SPEAKER, STUART GALLOWAY. SECTION 54954. 3A OF THE BROWN ACT STATES, AND I QUOTE, "THE PUBLIC IS GUARANTEED THE RIGHT TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY AT ANY REGULAR OR SPECIAL MEETING ON ANY SUBJECT WHICH WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE LEGISLATIVE BODY BEFORE AND DURING ITS CONSIDERATION OF THE ITEM." END OF QUOTE. I'M NEITHER A POLITICIAN, A CITY ATTORNEY, NOR A CITY MANAGER, AND I AM NOT VERSED IN SLIPPERY LEGALESE. I SPEAK PLAIN COMMON SENSE ENGLISH, AND THIS SECTION VERY CLEARLY STATES BEFORE OR DURING CONSIDERATION OF THE ITEM. IT DOES NOT SAY BEFORE A WHOLE GEND - AGENDA FULL OF ITEMS, IT SAYS OF THE ITEM. IT CANNOT GET ANY CLEARER THAN THAT. I'M ASTOUNDED BY THE SHEER UNMITIGATED ARROGANCE SHOWN BY MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL AND CITY ADMINISTRATION. THIS PROPOSED ACTION CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD PREFER THAT THE RESIDENTS ARE PREVENTED FROM ANY REASONABLE DIALOGUE AND DISCUSSION ON ANY AGENDA ITEM. WE SEE THIS ALL THE TIME WHEN YOU SHOW YOUR BOREDOM, INATTENTION, AND LOOKING AT CELL PHONES AND PAPERS WHILE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE SPEAKING. YOU DO NOT RE- REPRESENT YOURSELVES NOR YOUR MONEY BACKERS, BE THEY UNIONS OR BUSINESSES. YOU ARE ELECTED TO REPRESENT US, THE RESIDENTS, AND TAXPAYERS OF THIS CITY. DONALD TRUMP AND STEPHEN MILLER WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. RAY GAVALICH, DISTRICT FIVE AND FORMER CITY COUNCILWOMAN. IN OCTOBER 2025, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA PASSED SEVEN, SB 707 TO ALLOW GREATER PARTICIPATION IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THIS REQUIRED LOCAL BODIES TO PROVIDE ZOOM TYPE ACCESS TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL. THERE WERE NINE MONTHS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST STAFF THESE NEW REGULATIONS. WE ARE ALL CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT A BUDGET SAVINGS, RATHER ABOUT A TIME SAVINGS TO AVOID LATE NIGHT COUNCIL MEETINGS. NOW YOU'RE FOCUSED TO CONVINCE US AND EACH OTHER THAT THIS IS FOR THE GREATER GOOD SEEMS TO BE ON ALLOWING FAMILIES, YOUNG STUDENTS, NONPROFITS WHO HAVE TO GATHER SUPPORTERS FOR THEIR MEASURES AND FOLKS WHO DON'T FEEL ABLE TO STAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH UNTIL YOUR VOTE. BUT THE MAJORITY OF US WANT TO BE A PART OF YOUR DISCUSSION AND HEAR THE OUTCOME IN REAL TIME, NOT HAVE TO EXPLORE THE CITY SITE TO LEARN OF YOUR DECISIONS AND HOW YOU GOT THERE THE NEXT DAY. I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING SUBSTITUTE MOTION. TO ACCOMMODATE FAMILIES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHO WOULD APPRECIATE BEING ABLE TO SPEAK EARLIER IN THE EVENING, WE WILL ALLOW THE CITY CLERK TO ISSUE SPEAKER CARDS TO THEM UNDER THE MEETING AGENDA AND SPEAK IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS. OTHER SPEAKERS WHO WISH TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS WILL BE ABLE TO DO SO AS IN THE PAST. I SAT WHERE YOU ARE TODAY FOR EIGHT YEARS. YES, IT WAS DIFFERENT, BUT THE AGENDAS TOOK US PAST MIDNIGHT. MAYOR O'NEILL [00:50:01] STOPPED OUR MEETINGS AT 11:00 AND CONTINUED THE AGENDA UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING. YOU COULD DO THE SAME. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER IS LEE CHARLIE. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. LEE CHARLIE. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. HEY, LEE CHARLIE, ALAMEDOS BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT TWO. I WANNA FIRST SAY THANK YOU, CITY CLERK. Y'ALL ARE AWESOME, VERY HELPFUL. IF YOU EVER RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL, THEY'RE ALWAYS THERE TO TAKE THE CALL AND REPLY TO EMAILS. BUT I ALSO WANNA RESPOND THAT IT'S HOGWASH CLAIMING IT'S A BUDGET, UM, UH, BUDGET ISSUE. NUMBER ONE, I HAVE 10 YEARS OF EMAILS, RECEIPTS, AND PHONE CALLS. WHEN I HAVE CALLED THE CITY CLERK, THEY'RE LIKE, "MR. CHARLIE, UM, UNFORTUNATELY, THE STAFF WORKING AT CITY COUNCIL COMES IN AT TWO O'CLOCK ON TUESDAY, SO THEREFORE WE WILL..." AND I HAVE ALL THE RECEIPTS. SO SAYING THAT SAVING, UM, COMING IN AT EIGHT AND THEN WORKING CITY COUNCIL TO, TO CUT OUR PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, TO SAVE OVERTIME IS HORSE CRAP. NEXT THING, IT'S NOT THE CITY CLERK THAT VOTED 9-0 FOR FOUR YEARS THAT GOT US IN A $58 MILLION DEFICIT, AND NOW THE CITY CLERK IS TRYING TO FIX AN ISSUE. IT'S THE NINE ELECTED OFFICIALS ALL VOTING 9-0 THAT CAUSED THIS. LET'S NOT FORGET THAT. WE'VE GOT TO GET CHANGE IN OUR CITY OR WE'RE GONNA GO DOWN A DANGEROUS SLIPPERY SLOPE. VOTE 'EM ALL OUT. LET'S GET CHANGE. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA SELMER. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL. MY NAME IS LAURA SELMER AND, UH, I HAVE HANDED OUT THIS YELLOW CARD FOR YOUR REVIEW LATER. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO LONG BEACH. I URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON AGENDA 29. DO NOT ACCEPT AN ORDINANCE THAT SEPARATES PUBLIC COMMENT TO A DIFFERENT TIME THAN THE AGENDA ITEM. SEPARATING OUR VOICE FROM THE TOPIC WILL DISJOINT AND DIMINISH US. BY CORRALLING EVERY PUBLIC COMMENT ON EVERY SUBJECT TO THE SAME TIME SLOT, OUR VOICES ARE MORE LIKE A MOSH PIT, UNCONNECTED TO THE BUSINESS AT HAND. DISENGAGEMENT BY YOU, THE LISTENER, IS CERTAIN. THIS TALKS ABOUT WHEN TOPICS CHANGE AND CHANGE. LISTENERS, THE BRAIN DOESN'T TRACK IT. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE THREE PARTICIPANTS AND AGENDA ITEMS. YOU ARE ELECTED, OUR CITY STAFF AND THE PUBLIC. THERE'S THREE OF US, THREE VOICES. SO LET'S SAY WE WANTED TO BE EFFICIENT AND WE SAID, "CITY STAFF, YOU DO ALL YOUR PRESENTATIONS BEFORE THE MEETING, BEFORE THE AGENDA ITEM. YOU DO THEM ALL AT ONE TIME, ALL TOGETHER, ALL THE PRESENTATIONS FOR ALL THE AGENDA ITEMS." YOU GUYS WOULD THINK I WAS CRAZY. YOU WOULDN'T REMOVE A KEY PARTICIPANT FROM AN AGENDA ITEM, AND WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO TAKE THE PUBLIC COMMENT AWAY FROM THE AGENDA ITEM BECAUSE WE, THE PUBLIC, ARE KEY PARTICIPANTS IN THESE TOPICS. THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SERVICE. NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREA. ANDREA IN ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. ANDREA AND ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT STARTS NOW. WE'LL COME BACK TO ANDREA. NEXT SPEAKER IN PERSON, ANTHONY HOLMES, PLEASE COME FORWARD. HI, ANTHONY. A FEW MONTHS AGO, I WATCHED THE MIRROR SAY THAT OUR DEMOCRACY IS UNDER ATTACK, BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING TODAY. DEMOCRACY IS NOT ONLY THREATENED BY WHAT HAPPENS IN WASHINGTON OR FROM SOME DISTANT PLACE. DEMOCRACY IS THREATENING RIGHT HERE WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE BEING TOLD TO SPEAK BEFORE WE HAVE EVEN HEARD THE AGENDA ITEM WE ARE BEING ASKED TO SPEAK ON. DEMOCRACY IS THREATENING WHEN PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED SO MUCH THAT THE PUBLIC CAN BARELY BE HEARD. YOU CANNOT CALL IT PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IF YOU CONTROL HOW AND HOW MUCH THE PUBLIC IS ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE. WE ARE NOT HERE, WE ARE NOT HERE TO DISRUPT, DISRUPT DEMOCRACY. WE ARE HERE BECAUSE DEMOCRACY IS SUPPOSED TO INCLUDE US. AND TO EVERY MEMBER OF THIS COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR, REMEMBER WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO BE IN THEM SEATS. GENERATIONS OF BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER RESIDENTS STOOD UP, ORGANIZED, MARCHED, VOTED, SACRIFICED AND DEMANDED A VOICE WHEN IT'S EASIER TO, TO SILENCE THEM. THEIR STRUGGLE HELPED CREATE CIVIC RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITY THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO STAND AT THIS MICROPHONE TODAY. SO WHEN, SO WHEN WE SPEAK, UNDERSTAND [00:55:01] THAT THIS VOICE DID NOT BEGIN WITH US. IT COMES FROM OUR ANCESTORS FROM PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO BE SILENCED. DON'T ASK US TO BE QUIET NOW. LISTEN TO US. PROTECT, PROTECT PUBLIC COMMENTS. LET THE PEOPLE HEAR THE ISSUE BEFORE YOU DEMAND OUR RESPONSE BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT THAT TRULY REPRESENTS ITS PEOPLE DOESN'T FEAR THE PEOPLE VOICE. IT MAKES ROOM FOR IT. THAT'S RIGHT. YOU GOT IT. NEXT SPEAKER, CARMEN VALDEZ AND THEN SOPHIE KIM. CARMEN VALDEZ, PLEASE COME FORWARD. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TODAY. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF MY EMPLOYMENT, I CANNOT LEAVE EARLY. I HAD TO TAKE A DAY, ENTIRE DAY OFF. IN DOING SO, I LOSE AN ENTIRE DAY'S WAGE. I DID SO TODAY, WHICH IS A HARDSHIP GIVEN THAT LONG BEACH NOW HAS AN 11% SALES TAX, BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TO ME. IN READING THE ITEM 29 IN TODAY'S AGENDA, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT COVERS. I RELY ON THE INFORMATION DURING THE COUNCIL'S MEETING TO GATHER KNOWLEDGE ON THE ISSUE. TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING ROBS ME OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL KNOWLEDGEABLY, PHYSICALLY, UNLESS I TAKE THE DAY OFF. YOU SOUGHT RE-ELECTION KNOWING WHAT IT ENTAILED AND THE TIME IT TAKES. YOU ARE HERE TO REPRESENT YOUR CONSTITUENTS, US. IF IT IS... INTERFERES WITH YOUR PERSONAL TIME, I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO STEP DOWN. VOTE NO. VOTE NO ON THIS ITEM. AND I THANK YOU, MEGAN KERR, FOR CHANGING YOUR MIND. EX-SPEAKER, AZURA AND SOPHIE KIM. YOU KNOW, THIS ITEM WAS ON THE AGENDA MONTHS AGO AND WE PACKED THE HOUSE. AND GUESS WHAT? WE DID IT AGAIN. WHEN ARE YOU GONNA LEARN YOUR F*****G LESSON? WE DON'T WANT THIS AND WE NEVER WILL WANT THIS. THE PEOPLE'S VOICE NEEDS TO, NEEDS TO BE HEARD. AS WELL, A FEW WEEKS AGO, Y'ALL APPROVED A BUDGET THAT RAISED PARKING TICKETS AND TALKED ABOUT EGREGIOUS, YOU KNOW, PARKING AND PARKING VIOLATIONS. UM, WELL, YOU WANNA VIOLATE OUR FIRST AMENDMENT. THAT'S MORE EGREGIOUS THAN PARKING IN THE RED, IN A CITY THAT IS SO HEAVILY PARKING DENSE AND Y'ALL REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT OTHER THAN JUST PUNISH US FURTHER. REX, YOU CLAIM TO BE A PROGRESSIVE MAYOR, BUT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO FLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO MEET WITH ZORAN MAMDANI IF YOU WERE SO PROGRESSIVE. EXACTLY. AND HE AIN'T PROGRESSIVE EITHER. UM, SO AS THE OTHER SPEAKER SAID, IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT AND YOU CAN'T LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE SPEAKING, RESIGN AND ALLOW PEOPLE THAT WILL, UH, LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE AND REPRESENT THE PEOPLE AND NOT JUST USE LONG BEACH AS A STEPPING STONE TO FURTHER YOUR POLITICAL CAREER. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. SOPHIA AND THEN SANGHA KHAN AND CAROLYN ESSEX, PLEASE COME TO THE LECTOR. HELLO, I'M MEG. I'M IN DISTRICT FIVE. UNDER THE CURRENT PROCESS, UH, CONSTITUENTS WHO TAKE THE TIME TO PREPARE FOR AND SPEAK AT THESE MEETINGS ON ISSUES THAT ARE SOMETIMES DEEPLY PERSONAL, LIKE FEAR OF THEIR PARENTS BEING KIDNAPPED BY ICE, THESE CONSTITUENTS ALREADY FEEL UNHEARD AND PATENTLY DISMISSED. YOU ALREADY LOOK LIKE A COUNCIL THAT'S UNRESPONSIVE TO LOCAL CONCERNS, TOO EAGER TO DO THE BIDDING OF DEVELOPERS, THE WAR AND SURVEILLANCE INDUSTRIES, AND OUR OUTRAGEOUSLY CORRUPT AND EVIL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SADLY, THIS ORDINANCE ONLY VALIDATES ALL THAT. AND IF YOU THINK THAT THE NEW COMMENT PROCESS WILL BECOME NORMALIZED AND THAT PEOPLE WHO COME HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME TO SPEAK WON'T KNOW ANY BETTER AND JUST ACCEPT IT, I DON'T THINK SO. THEY'LL SEE RIGHT AWAY THE CLUMSY, CHAOTIC AND OPPRESSIVE PROCESS FOR WHAT IT IS. YOU TAKE OUR VOICE, WE TAKE YOUR SEAT. DONE. NEXT SPEAKER IS IN ZOOM. SOPHIA KIM IN ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER. MY NAME IS SOPHIA JIM AND I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT. I AM HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 29 REGARDING THE CITY COUNCIL RULE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. AS A FULL-TIME WORKING [01:00:01] MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN, IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY FOR ME TO PARTICIPATE REGULARLY IN CITY COUNCIL MEETING. AFTER WORK, I HAVE IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY AT HOME, INCLUDING PREPARING DINNER, HELPING MY CHILDREN WITH THEIR HOMEWORK, HELPING THEM TO ATTEND THE EVENING LANGUAGE CLASSES AND OTHER ACTIVITY. FOR A WORKING PARENT LIKE ME, WAITING THROUGH AN ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT. I WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND MAKE MY VOICE HEARD. BUT THE CURRENT PROCESS CAN CREATE BARRIER FOR RESIDENT WHO HAVE WORK, FAMILY, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITY. I BELIEVE THE PROPOSED CHAIN CAN HELP MAKE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION MORE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE FOR MORE RESIDENT. IT CAN GIVE WORKING FAMILY, PARENT, AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. FOR THIS REASON, I RESPECTFULLY URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT ITEM 29 AND TO CONTINUE EXPLORING WAY TO MAKE CIVIC PARTICIPATION MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK, AND RAISE FAMILY IN LONG BEACH. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. ANDREA AND ZOOM. ANDREA AND ZOOM. HI, MY NAME IS ANDREA. I AM A STUDENT AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH, AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT AGAINST ITEM 29 REGARDING THE CITY COUNCIL'S RULES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. I OPPOSE THIS ITEM BECAUSE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SHOULD BE MADE A PRIORITY FOR LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. ALTHOUGH AN EARLIER CONSOLIDATION OF PUBLIC COMMENTS WOULD MAKE PARTICIPATION, PARTICIPATION ACCESSIBLE FOR SOME RESIDENTS, IT IS NOT THE CASE FOR ALL. MANY RESIDENTS WORK NINE TO FIVE JOBS OR HAVE CLASSES THAT RUN LATE INTO THE EVENING. SO FOR THIS REASON, MANY RESIDENTS CANNOT MAKE AN EARLIER TIME. THE FOCUS INSTEAD SHOULD BE ON FIXING THE DEFICIT THAT IS PUTTING LONG BEACH IN, YOU KNOW, DEBT OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. SO MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE DON'T HOLD CEREMONIALS DURING COUNCIL MEETINGS. DO THAT ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN THERE'S TIME. MAYBE START THE MEETINGS AT 6:00 PM OR CONSIDER HAVING MULTIPLE, UM, CHALKS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. THAT WAY WE CAN EVENLY DISTRIBUTE IT INSTEAD OF JUST PUTTING IT UP INTO THE FRONT, UM, AND MAKING IT HARD FOR EVERYONE, UM, TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. AND THEN MAYBE MOVE THOSE HOT TOPICS TO THE FRONT OF THE EN - UH, OF THE MEETING LIKE YOU DID TODAY, AND THAT WOULD MAKE IT A LOT EASIER FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, SO I WOULD, AGAIN, LIKE TO URGE THE COUNCIL TO OPPOSE THE ORDINANCE IN ITEM 29. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. IS SENGHAK KHAN IN THE AUDIENCE? SENG HAK KHAN? NEXT SPEAKER THEN IS CAROLYN ESSEX, AND THEN JIM HANNIGAN. WELL, I AM NOT HERE SIMPLY, UM, TO TELL YOU WHAT I OPPOSE. I DO OPPOSE THIS ITEM. UM, I'M ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER A BETTER OPERATING MODEL. UH, YOU SAID OTHER CITIES OPERATE THIS WAY. THAT IS OFFENSIVE, OFFENSIVE TO US, THE RESIDENTS. GIVE RES- RESIDENTS 90 MINUTES IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THEN PRESERVE THE THREE MINUTES OF PUBLIC COMMENT ON INDIVIDUAL AGENDA ITEMS. LEAVE IT THE SAME. IF THE PROBLEM IS THAT COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE BECOMING TOO LONG, THEN WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT IS DRIVING THE LENGTH OF THESE MEETINGS. STOP CRAMMING SO MANY CONSEQUENTIAL DECISIONS ONTO A SINGLE AGENDA. PRIORITIZE THE WORK RESIDENTS DEPEND ON, LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING, PUBLIC SAFETY, ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC DOLLARS. YEP. AND IF THE CITY'S BUSINESS CANNOT REASONABLY BE CONDUCTED WITHIN THE EXISTING SCHEDULE, CONSIDER ADDING ANOTHER COUNCIL MEETING WITH INTENTIONALLY LIMITED AGENDA. THAT IS AN OPTIONAL SOLUTION. IT'S AN OPERATIONAL. REDUCING THE PUBLIC'S OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IS NOT THE ONLY SOLUTION AVAILABLE. AND I WILL SAY THIS AS MY TIME IS WEIGHING DOWN. IF OVERTIME IS A PROBLEM, FIX THE OVERTIME. IF OVERLOADED AGENT, AGENDAS ARE THE PROBLEM, FIX THE AGENDAS. BUT PLEASE DON'T SOLVE AN OPERATIONAL PROBLEM BY MAKING - THIS IS VERY OFFENSIVE. IF I CAN GET SENGHAK KHAN IN ZOOM TO UNMUTE. IF YOU CAN SANGHA KHAN IN ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE. ARE YOU AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? WE'LL COME BACK TO [01:05:01] SANGHA KHAN. CAN I GET JIM HANNIGAN AT THE LECTERN AND THE NEXT ROUND OF SPEAKERS IS SATHEA AND ZOOM, APRIL RONE, KAREN RESIDE, TASHA GIBBONS, SAVINE DEPINA, SEVEN, ROBERT CARLTON, DOMBROWSKI AND SAM WISE? PLEASE PROCEED. JIM HANNIGAN, DISTRICT FIVE. I EXCERPT, ONCE I SAY QUOTE, FROM THE CALIFORNIA COURT OF APPEALS, CHAFFEE VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO LIBRARY COMMISSION, QUOTE, "THE BROWN ACT'S STATEMENT OF INTENT PROVIDES IN ENACTING THIS CHAPTER, THE LEGISLATURE FINDS AND DECLARES THAT THE PUBLIC COMMISSIONS, BOARDS AND COUNCILS AND THE OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES IN THIS STATE EXIST TO AID IN THE CONDUCT OF THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS. THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE DO NOT YIELD THEIR SOVEREIGNTY TO THE AGENCIES WHO SERVE THEM." YEP. THE PEOPLE IN DELEGATING AUTHORITY DO NOT GIVE THEIR PUBLIC SERVANTS THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE TO KNOW AND WHAT IS NOT GOOD FOR THEM TO KNOW. THE BROWN ACT IS INTENDED TO ENSURE THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO ATTEND PUBLIC AGENCY MEETINGS TO FACILITATE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ALL PHASES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISION MAKING AND TO CURB MISUSE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. WHEN THE BROWN ACT IS READ IN ITS ENTIRETY, THIS IS A, I'M QUOTING THE COURT, "WE CONCLUDE THAT THE LAWMAKING BODIES CLEARLY CONTEMPLATED CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH CONTINUANCES AND MULTIPLE SESSIONS OF MEETINGS TO CONSIDER A PUBLISHED AGENDA WOULD BE REQUIRED, AND THUS THEY MANDATED THAT A SINGLE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD BE PROVIDED PER AGENDA IN ADDITION TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON EACH AGENDA ITEM AS IT IS TAKEN UP BY THE BODY. VOTE NO." GET OFF YOUR PHONES. GOOD EVENING, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 29 AND I'M ALSO HERE FOR CHILDREN WHO CANNOT BE HERE FOR THEMSELVES. I'M REPRESENTING HUNDREDS OF LONG BEACH FAMILIES WHO CH - WHOSE CHILDREN ARE LIVING WITH PANS AND PANDAS. CHILDREN WHO ARE OFTEN TOO SICK TO ATTEND SCHOOL, PARTICIPATE IN NORMAL ACTIVITIES, OR EVEN STAND IN THIS ROOM AND SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. I KNOW THIS FIGHT PERSONALLY. I WROTE AIDEN'S LAW AB 2105, CALIFORNIA'S PAN PANDAS HEALTHCARE ACT FOR MY SON. CALIFORNIA HAS ALSO RECOGNIZED PANPANDA'S AWARENESS THROUGH ACR 259 IN 2018. THAT IS WHY I SUPPORT KEEPING ITEM 29, BECAUSE SOMETIMES FAMILIES DO EVERYTHING THEY ARE TOLD TO DO. WE USE THE PROPER CHANNELS, WE CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE OFFICES, WE FOLLOW UP, AND STILL NOTHING HAPPENS. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, LONG BEACH HAS AUTHORIZED LIGHTING CITY HALL, THE BRIDGE AND LIONS LIGHTHOUSE ON OCTOBER NINE FOR PAN PANDA'S GLOBAL AWARENESS DAY. AND FOR TWO YEARS, THOSE CHILDREN HAVE WAITED AND THE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN OUT. FOR TWO YEARS, THAT COMMITMENT HAS NOT BEEN FULFILLED. SO TONIGHT I'M ASKING YOU NOT FOR MYSELF, BUT FOR THESE CHILDREN, WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THIS OCTOBER NINE, LONG BEACH LIGHTS CITY HALL, THE BRIDGE, LIONS LIGHTHOUSE FOR PANS PANDA'S GLOBAL AWARENESS DAY, BECAUSE THESE CHILDREN DESERVE TO KNOW THAT THEIR CITY SEES THEM. THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE - BUT I CAN AND I WILL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. IF I CAN GET SOTHIA IN ZOOM. CYNTHIA IN ZOOM, CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? YES. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS SATYA SAM AND I AM THE CHAIR OF CAMBODIA TOWN LOCATED IN THIS, UH, SIX, DISTRICT SIX. I AM SPEAKING TO EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR ITEM NUMBER 29. WE PROPOSE CHANGE TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN CITY COUNCIL MEETING. PUBLIC INPUT IS AT THE HEART OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY. A RESIDENT SHOULD HAVE MEANINGFUL AND ACCESS, UH, ACCESSIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR CONCERNS, IDEAS, AND PERSPECTIVES WITH THE CITY COUNCIL. I SPECIALLY SUPPORT MAKING PARTICIPATION MORE ACCESSIBLE BY ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO SPEAK IN PERSON, ONLINE, OR BY PHONE, WHILE CONTINUING TO ACCEPT WRITTEN AND ONLINE COMMENT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR SENIOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, WORKING FAMILY, CAREGIVERS, AND RESIDENTS WHO CANNOT EASILY ATTEND THE CITY [01:10:01] HALL. I ALSO SUPPORT, UH, COMBINING, UH, REGULAR AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA COMMON IN ONE SPEAKING TURN, MAKING THE PROCESS MORE PREDICTABLE AND RESPECTFUL OF RESIDENT TIME. THANK YOU, UH, FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TONIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER, KAREN RESIDE, AND THEN TASHA GIBBONS. AND I'M A RESIDENT OF THE FIRST DISTRICT AND RECENTLY RETIRED EX-PRESIDENT OF THE LONG BEACH GRAY PANTHERS. AND I THINKING ABOUT MEASURE 29, AND I'VE BEEN GOING TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR ABOUT 35 YEARS. AND PUTTING THE COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, I GET STARTED THINKING ABOUT ALL THAT TIME THAT I WASTED WITH, UH, LARRY GOODYEU AND THOMAS, AND I WOULD LIKE SOME OF THAT TIME BACK. SO, UM, I DON'T THINK I'LL MAKE IT, BUT, UM, I WANT TO... EVERYBODY LOOK AROUND THE ROOM. YOU'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE THIS CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN A MAJOR FORCE IN MAKING CHANGES TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT AND MORE ENLIGHTENED. TOM MOTICA IS WORTH EVERY DOLLAR THAT HE GETS PAID. UH, THERE ARE NO CROOKS IN OUR CITY GOVERNMENT, NOT LIKE LA. I'M ALSO ON THE COMMISSION, UH, FOR LA. BUT, UH, I WANT US TO RESPECT PART OF THIS PROCESS IS TO LISTEN TO EACH OTHER. AND I'M NOT HEARING LISTENING. UH, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS DIALOGUE, AND YOU'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE THE PROCESS IS OPEN. I THINK WE HAVE A FINE CITY COUNCIL. I THINK WE HAVE FINE CITY STAFF. I'VE WATCHED MANY OF THEM COME UP THROUGH THE SYSTEM WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG PEOPLE. NEXT. UH, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, RESPECT PUBLIC COMMENT. EVERYONE GETS THEIR TURN. UH, RESPECT THEIR TIME. THANK YOU. IF I CAN GET - PLEASE, PLEASE PROCEED. TRICIA GIBBONS. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I ATTEND CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS AND I BELIEVE EQUITY REQUIRES ACTION AND COMMITMENT. UH, AN INVITATION TO SPEAK MEANS LITTLE IF THE PROCESS IS MADE DIFFICULT TO STAY LONG AND TO BE HEARD. LONG BEACH'S DIVERSITY SHOULD BE REFLECTED IN WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE MEETINGS AND... I'M SO SORRY. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE MEETINGS AND... OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY. LONG BEACH DIVERSITY SHOULD BE REFLECTED ON WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE MEETINGS. NATIONAL ATTACKS ON DEI DO NOT MAKE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES DISAPPEAR. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THEM SERIOUSLY. PLEASE SUPPORT PUBLIC P - EARLIER PUBLIC COMMENT AND SHOW THAT ACCESS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT BELONGS TO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS SEVEN. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I AM A STUDENT AT CALIFORNIA STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS, AND INCLUSION IS NOT A BAD WORD TO ME. IT MEANS PEOPLE LIKE ME HAVE A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. HAVING SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST HOURS AVAILABLE TO WAIT. I APPRECIATE LONG BEACH TAKING STEPS TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE. PLEASE SUPPORT EARLIER PUBLIC COMMENTS. OUR VOICES SHOULD MATTER EVEN IF WE HAVE HOMEWORK, JOBS, AND BUSES TO CATCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, ROBERT CARLTON. ROBERT? CHRISEL DOMBROWSKI. HELLO. SAM WISE GAM - OH, I'M SORRY. CONTINUE. SORRY, THIS IS ROBERT CARLTON. UH, MY NAME IS ROBERT CARLTON. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SIX. I BELIEVE HAVING THIS MORE EFFICIENT MODE OF SHARING PUBLIC COMMENTS EARLIER WOULD BE MORE BENEFICIAL TO BOTH THE CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS. I PERSONALLY HAVE THREE SMALL CHILDREN AND WORK WITH SEVERAL CITY NONPROFITS. I'D LIKE TO ATTEND MORE COUNCIL MEETINGS. UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE PUBLIC COM- COMMENT WINDOW, MY FAMILY CANNOT TYPICALLY ATTEND. I THINK IT WOULD BE A GREAT SERVICE TO MOVE THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING LATER AND TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT EARLIER. OUR TIME IS REALLY VALUABLE AND OUR PARTICIPATION IS NECESSARY IN CIVIC DISCOURSE. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. CHRISEL DOMBROWSKI. HELLO. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE, UH, 50-YEAR RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH, 51 YEARS. UH, YES, WE [01:15:01] NEED PUBLIC COMMENT. WE HAVE DESCENDED INTO FULL-ON FASCISM AND PEOPLE NEED TO SPEAK OUT. WE NEED TO BE HEARD. AND, UM, THEY, THE... THEY NEED TO... IT NEEDS TO BE EACH... UH, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON EACH AGENDA ITEM THAT'S PRESENTED BECAUSE THEY WERE RIGHT. IT'S LIKE A MASH, YOU KNOW? YOU... AND MOST OF THE TIME, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS EMAIL FIRST, LIKE MULTIPLE TIMES, HAVE EVERYBODY EMAIL, BECAUSE HALF THE TIME WE DON'T GET LISTENED TO WHEN WE DO PUBLIC SPEAK, BUT I'VE SEEN IT SWAY. I'VE SEEN IT SWAY PEOPLE. YEP. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE ONES THAT PUT EVERYONE HERE ON OFFICE. I WASN'T ABLE TO SPEAK FOR A WHILE BECAUSE I WAS A FULL-TIME STUDENT AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, AND I WASN'T GETTING, UH, DONE WITH MY HOMEWORK OR OUT, UH, UH, OUT OF THE LIBRARY TILL 9:00 AT NIGHT. SO, UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND WE NEED TO SPEAK BECAUSE OUR VOICES MATTER. NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM WISE GAMGIE CALLING IN. I'M GONNA CALL THE NEXT 10 SPEAKERS AFTER SAM WISE, LESLIE GOLDMAN, MATT GOLDMAN, DIKA MCCLAIN, ODOVCE, VAL STEPHENS, ANGELA RUSSELL, DANTE DEREK STANFIELD, JENNY GONZALEZ. IF YOU CAN LINE UP... AND TARA RIGGS, IF YOU CAN LINE UP AT THE LECTERN, AND THE NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM WISE CALLING IN ON ZOOM. PLEASE HIT STAR NINE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. UH, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANOTHER FLAW IN THE CHANGES IS THAT IT RELIES ON YOUR DISCRETION ABOUT PEOPLE SIGNING UP LATE, BUT WE ALREADY HAVE SEEN THAT THERE IS A BIAS. SO, LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, IF THERE'S A BUNCH OF PEOPLE IN WAITING TO SIGN UP LATE, ARE YOU GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO SIGN UP FOR COMMENTS? AND WHAT IN THE HELL IS UP WITH THIS TECHNICAL JARGON B******T? IF YOU'RE TRYING TO NOT SEEM LIKE B-LEVEL JAMES BOND VILLAINS, THEN YOU FAILED. I GUESS I'M GOING TO GIVE PROPS TO CINDY ALLEN. AT LEAST SHE BOTHERED TO PUT OUT A PSA TO CLARIFY THIS LINGUISTIC LABYRINTH THAT IS AGENDA ITEM 29. SO PUBLIC COMMENT IS ONE OF THE FEW WAYS WE DIRECTLY ENGAGE WITH THE COUNCIL ABOUT SPECIFIC DECISIONS YOU ARE MAKING. IT DOES NOT DO US ANY GOOD FOR YOU TO REDUCE THAT TIME OR MOVE IT EARLIER WHILE WE'RE STILL AT WORK. REMINDER, YOU ARE ELECTED OFFICIALS. YOUR ENTIRE F*****G JOB IS TO LISTEN TO OUR CONCERNS. SO HOW IN THE HELL IS IT ALWAYS YOUR FIRST MOVE, WHETHER IT BE TO CONSERVE TIME OR CONSERVE MONEY TO LIMIT OUR TIME TO SPEAK? WHY CAN'T YOU ALL FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE YOUR SPEAKING TIME MORE CONCISELY AND EFFICIENTLY? I GET THAT SOME OR MAYBE ALL OF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE BY THE ENERGY OR RHETORIC SOME OF US BRING TO THESE COMMENTS, AND ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO THAT IS GET THE F**K OVER IT. THESE ARE UNCOMFORTABLE TIMES. DO WE SOUND UPSET AND ANGRY? IT'S BECAUSE WE ARE. OUR NEIGHBORS ARE HOMELESS. OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORS ARE BEING TICKED OFF BY MASS DOGS DRIVING WITH NO LICENSE PLATES. THESE ARE VERY UPSETTING TIMES AND I AM F*****G UPSET AND MY TONE AND VERBIAGE NEED TO ADEQUATELY CONVEY HOW F*****G UPSET I AM. AND I HAVE A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO DO TO DO SO. SO PLEASE VOTE NO ON AGENDA ITEM 29. NEXT SPEAKER, LESLIE GOLDMAN. NO. YEAH. CAN YOU HEAR ME WITH MY MASK ON? PEOPLE ARE BEING PERSONAL, SO I'M GONNA THROW MY HAT IN AND SAY I DON'T REALLY WANNA BE HERE. I HAVE A HUSBAND WITH BLOOD CANCER. I DON'T WANNA BE IN A PUBLIC SPACE AND I'M HERE BECAUSE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE AND YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO US, PLEASE. I AM LESLIE GOLDMAN. I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE PETITION, STOP LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL FROM SUPPRESSING PUBLIC COMMENTS. I SUBMITTED THE TEXT, THE FULL TEXT OF THE PETITION ALONG WITH THE DOCUMENTED SIGNATURES, UM, TO ALL OF YOU AND TO THE CITY CLERK FOR PUBLIC RECORD. AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE 732 SIGNATURES AS OF TONIGHT. SO I'M NOT JUST STANDING HERE FOR MYSELF. I'M STANDING HERE WITH 732 OTHER PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN SAYING THE SAME THING. WE'VE BEEN SAYING THE SAME THING FOR MONTHS. DO NOT UNDERMINE OUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE DURING THE DISCUSSION AND DECISION MAKING PORTION OF COUNCIL MEETINGS. I PREPARED FOR 60 SECONDS. SO I HAVE A LITTLE... WELL, I'LL JUST SAY VOTE NO ON 29 [01:20:01] FOR 732 PEOPLE THAT I REPRESENT. NEXT SPEAKER, MATT GOLDMAN. MATT GOLDMAN. IF YOU'D LIKE TO BRING THE PAPERS OVER HERE, MATT GOLDMAN, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. I'M THE HUSBAND. HI. AND I, I WOULD PREFER NOT TO MASK UP AND EXPOSE MYSELF, BUT THIS IS A PRETTY IMPORTANT ISSUE. I'M IN DISTRICT FOUR. I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE LAST FEW COUNCIL MEETINGS WHEN THIS ITEM HAS COME UP, AND THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT, I WAS SCRATCHING MY HEAD THINKING WHAT, WHAT ARE, WHAT'S COUNCIL TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? AND THEN EACH TIME YOU TALK ABOUT IT, THE, THE REASON CHANGES AND IT EVEN GOT MORE CONFUSING. AND THE ONLY CONCLUSION I COULD COME TO IS THAT YOU JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR S - YOUR RESIDENTS AND THE PEOPLE THAT VOTED YOU IN. SO AS A RESIDENT, DISTRICT FOUR, I URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON THIS MEASURE. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. EXCUSE ME. MY NAME IS JENNY GONZALEZ. I'M FROM THE 9TH DISTRICT. I'M A CPA AND A REALTOR. UH, MY OFFICE IS IN BELLFLOWER, UH, AND I'M ALL OVER THE PLACE. IT'S A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT TO GET HERE. I THINK IT'S SO INSULTING THAT YOU WANT TO LIMIT TIME. I THINK FOR EVERY PERCENTAGE OF TAX INCREASE, WE SHOULD GET AN EXTRA MINUTE. WE NEED TO GET SOMETHING FOR OUR MONEY. ANYHOW, SO I RAN FOR, UH, CITY COUNCIL AND I RAN FOR CITY AUDITOR, AND I CAN'T, I CAN'T WAIT TO RUN AGAIN. NEXT SPEAKER, DIKA MCCLAIN. MCLEAN, DIKA MCCLAIN IN ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YES, I'M HERE. OKAY, HERE WE GO. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS DIKA MCCLAIN. YES. FORMER CAPE COD CHAIR. I AM A DISTRICT FOUR RESIDENT. I'VE CALLED LONG BEACH HOME SINCE 2001, AND I'M PROUD VOICE AND A SERVANT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. TONIGHT, I AM NOT HERE JUST TO MAKE A STATEMENT. I AM HERE TO MAKE IMPACT, MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND HOPEFULLY OFFER A PERSPECTIVE WORTH CONSIDERING. WHEN I FIRST LOOKED AT ITEM 29, I SURPRISED MYSELF BECAUSE I COULD SEE BOTH SIDES. FOR SOMEONE WHO DEPENDS ON TRANSPORTATION, PARATRANSIT, A CAREGIVER, OR SIMPLY CANNOT REMAIN AT CITY HALL FOR HOURS. HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT EARLY CAN BE A WIN FOR ACCESSIBILITY. BUT I ALSO WANT TO, WANT US TO THINK ABOUT TIME. WHEN FEWER THAN 10 PEOPLE SIGN UP TO SPEAK, THEY MAY RECEIVE THREE MINUTES, BUT WHEN MORE PEOPLE SHOW UP, THAT TIME CAN BE REDUCED TO 90 SECONDS. SO I RESPECTIVELY ASKED, SHOULD GREATER COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION RESULT IN LESS OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH PERSON TO BE HEARD? AND THERE IS ANOTHER CONCERN. IF I USE MY 96 - 90 SECONDS BEFORE HEARING THE PRE- PRESENTATION, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION COMES OUT AFTERWARDS? HAVE I TRULY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION? PERHAPS THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EITHER/OR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER. O-D-O-V-C-E. VAL STEVENS, STEPHENS, AND THEN ANGELA RUSSELL. HELLO, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS. NICE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. UM, I JUST WANNA ECHO WHAT I THINK WAS ONE OF THE MOST PERTINENT COMMENTS THAT WE HEARD SO FAR. UM, ANOTHER COMMENTER SAID SOMETHING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T ASK THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OR CITY STAFF TO GIVE THE PRESENTATIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE, THE MEETING. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMENTS BEING NEXT TO THE LINE ITEM ALLOWS THE PERTINENCE OF THOSE TO REMAIN PRESENT. UM, YEAH, I THOUGH THAT MADE A LOT OF SENSE, SO, UH, JUST ADDING MY VOICE TO THAT. AND THEN ALSO LOSING COMMENT TIME JUST FEELS PATENTLY UNDEMOCRATIC, UM, AND I DON'T SUPPORT THAT. UH, PLEASE VOTE NO ON ITEM 29. NEXT SPEAKER IS ANGELA RUSSELL [01:25:01] CALLING IN. PLEASE HIT STAR NINE TO UNMUTE. ANGELA RUSSELL. HI. MY NAME IS ANGELA RUSSELL. I'M A MEMBER OF DISTRICT SIX. UM, I SUPPORT ITEM AGENDA 29, UM, BECAUSE OF MY, UH, I TAKE CARE OF MY MOM AND OTHER THINGS. AND IN THE EVENING, UH, THE TIME IS REALLY, REALLY LIMITED AND THE MEETINGS GO A LITTLE TOO LONG. SO, UH, I AGREE AND I SUPPORT 29. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS DANTE AND THEN DEREK. HELLO, UH, DANTE SCATANA, CD2, UH, MAYOR RICHARDSON, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN, AND THE REST OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I FIND IT OFFENSIVE TO SEE ANYONE TRY AND LIMIT PUBLIC DISCUSSION. YOU HAVE VOLUNTARILY RAN TO BE PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES. YOU'VE CHOSEN THIS JOB. I EXPECT YOU TO WORK THE HOURS YOU SIGNED UP FOR, JUST LIKE OUR HARDWORKING CITY EMPLOYEES DO. I'D LIKE TO ADD, THIS ISN'T WRITTEN, BUT THE FACT THAT WE'RE QUEUING OFF THE RAT F**K ORANGE COUNTY CITIES, NO. I YIELD MY TIME. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS DEREK STANSFIELD. UM, I'M SADDENED TO SEE THAT THE DISSATISFACTION IS WHAT DRIVES SO MUCH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. I JUST WANNA SAY FIRST AND FOREMOST, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DOES. YOU WOULDN'T BE SITTING UP THERE IF AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CAREERS YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE IN CIVI- CIVIL ENGAGEMENT AND CIVIC ACTION. UM, I'VE BEEN A INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER FOR 31 YEARS WITH UPS, AND ONE OF THE BIG THINGS ON THE WALL IN OUR THING IS LESSONS LEARNED. AND THE MAIN DRIVING ONE OF THOSE THAT I'VE LEARNED IN MY CAREER IS THAT THE CUSTOMERS DEFINE QUALITY. IN THIS LAST ELECTION, A LOT OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS SAID THAT THEY WEREN'T BEING HEARD. AND NOW TO SEE THIS COME UP SADDENS ME BECAUSE WE'RE LIMIT... WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO LIMIT THAT. PUTTING COMMENTS BEFORE WE ACTUALLY HEAR WHAT THE AGENDA OF ITEMS ARE IS INEFFICIENT. PLEASE FIND SOMETHING THAT'S MORE EFFICIENT AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT REDUCES THE DISSATISFACTION OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS. I YIELD MY TIME. I'M GONNA CALL THE NEXT 10 SPEAKERS, EVAN JAMES, JOSEPH BASS, SAM LIMON, JOE, MEGAN O'CONNOR, MIKE, IAN PATTON, IAM SHOP STEWARD, CLAUDIA AMBRISE, VICTORIA V, AND SALVADOR S. IF YOU HEARD YOUR NAME, PLEASE LINE UP WITH THE LECTERN. TARA RIGGE, YOUR TIME BEGINS. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS TARA RIGGE. I'M A RESIDENT OF THE 5TH DISTRICT, AND I'M SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION OF ITEM 29. MY ENTIRE CAMPAIGN FOR CITY COUNCIL WAS CENTERED AROUND MORE TRANSPARENCY, MORE ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MORE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, NOT LESS. I MEANT IT THEN, AND I MEAN IT NOW. LONG BEACH PRIDES ITSELF ON BEING A PROGRESSIVE CITY, AND PART OF THAT MEANS MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE IT SERVES. MY PARENTS CAME TO THIS COUNTRY FROM IRAN IN SEARCH OF FREEDOMS THEY DID NOT HAVE, AND THEIR STORY IS NOT UNIQUE TO LONG BEACH. WE ARE A CITY OF IMMIGRANTS AND FAMILIES WHO CAME HERE BECAUSE HAVING A VOICE, BEING ABLE TO SPEAK FREELY, AND PARTICIPATING IN YOUR GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY MEANS SOMETHING. IF WE'RE GONNA CALL OURSELVES A, UH, OUR... IF WE'RE GOING TO CAR - CALL OURSELVES PROGRESSIVE, THEN WE SHOULD PRACTICE THOSE VALUES HERE IN THIS CHAMBER. WE SHOULD BE EXPANDING MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION, NOT MAKING IT HARDER. AND I FIND IT REALLY INTERESTING THAT THOSE THAT ARE SUPPORTING THIS ORDINANCE ARE ALL ON ZOOM AND CAN PARTICIPATE IN ZOOM IF THEY CANNOT COME DOWN HERE FOR HOURS ON A CITY COUNCIL NIGHT. I AGREE, COUNCIL MEETINGS NEED TO BE MORE EFFICIENT, BUT THERE ARE BETTER SOLUTIONS. MOVE CEREMONIALS TO ANOTHER DAY, STREAMLINE PRESENTATIONS, FIND EFFICIENCIES ELSEWHERE. I TALKED TO THOUSANDS OF DOOR... TO PEOPLE WHILE I RAN FOR THIS, FOR CITY COUNCIL. AND ONE THING I HEARD AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN WAS THAT RESIDENTS WANT MORE INVOLVEMENT, NOT LESS. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, EVAN JAMES. NEXT SPEAKER IS EVAN JAMES. EVAN MAM. ARE YOU EVAN JAMES? OH, SORRY. NOPE. THAT'S OKAY. I'M EVAN JAMES, DON'T WORRY, GUYS. UM, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS EVAN JAMES, AND I'M A STUDENT AT LONG BEACH STATE UNIVERSITY. UM, AS A COLLEGE STUDENT AND A MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY, I BELIEVE STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE A, HAVE A CHANCE TO HAVE MEANINGFUL, UM, OPPORTUNITY AND PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS THAT DIRECTLY AFFECT US. I I SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT, [01:30:01] UM, OF MOVING PUBLIC COMMENT EARLIER IN THE MEETING SO THAT, UM, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT DOESN'T HAVE TO JUST COME AT THE EXPENSE OF MY EDUCATION. LIKE MANY STUDENTS, MY EVENINGS ARE FILLED WITH STUDYING, ASSIGNMENTS, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES. WHEN PUBLIC COMMENT IS PUSHED LATER INTO THE NIGHT, IT CAN CREATE A CHOICE BETWEEN BEING AN ACTIVE MEMBER IN MY COMMUNITY AND KEEPING UP WITH MY ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITIES. AND STUDENTS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO CHOOSE THAT. MOVING CUP - MOVING PUBLIC COMMENT EARLIER WOULD MAKE OUR, UH, WOULD MAKE OUR MEETINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE, INCLUSIVE, AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIVE, WORK, AND STUDY IN LONG BEACH. THANK YOU FOR MAKING A, A SPACE FOR COMMUNITY VOICES AND RECOGNIZING THAT STUDENTS DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE TOO. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSEPH BASS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS JOSEPH BASS. I ATTEND CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH. LIKE MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS, I BALANCE CLASSES, HOMEWORK, WORK, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES AND FINDING THE TIME TO ATTEND COUNCIL MEETINGS ALREADY REQUIRES PLANNING AND HAVING TO WAIT SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE BEING ABLE TO SPEAK, WHICH CAN MAKE GETTING MY OPINIONS OUT ALREADY MORE DIFFICULT. MOVING PUBLIC COMMENT EARLIER WOULD HELP US PARTICIPATE WHILE KEEPING UP WITH OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND IN A TIME WHERE CIVIC PARTICIPATION SEEMS FROWNED UPON, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING THE NEEDS OF WORKING STUDENTS AND I ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM LIMON ON ZOOM. SAM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. JUST A MOMENT. YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE SOME YOU LIKE, SOME YOU DON'T. DON'T INTERRUPT THEIR COMMENTS. NO, I'M SORRY. NO. WHEN SOMEONE IS ON THE MIC, WHEN SOMEONE'S ON THE MICROPHONE, THEY, THAT'S THEIR TIME. SO WE'RE NOT GONNA TOLERATE DISRUPTIONS TO THE MEETING. DISRUPTIONS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THE MEETING. THEY GET THEIR TIME ON THE MICROPHONE. YOU GET YOUR TIME. SO THAT'S THE WAY THIS IS GONNA GO. AND IF WE SEE FOLKS IN, UH, INTERRUPTING THE MEETING, WE'RE GONNA WARN YOU AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, UH, TAKE ACTION TO RESTORE ORDER TO THE MEETING. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE TAKE, PLEASE TAKE THE FLOOR. SAM LIMON? SAM LIMON, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS SAM LIMON AND I AM A RESIDENT OF THE 5TH DISTRICT. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR AGENDA ITEM 29. WITH RESPECT TO ALL COMMENTS, I KNOW PERSONALLY HOW DIFFICULT IT IS. UM, IT CAN BE FOR WORKING RESIDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. WHEN I WAS WORKING IN LOS ANGELES, I OFTEN HAD TO TAKE SEVERAL HOURS OFF WORK JUST TO MAKE IT BACK TO LONG BEACH TO ATTEND A COUNCIL MEETING. SOMETIME I SIMPLY COULD NOT ATTEND BECAUSE TAKING THAT MUCH TIME OFF FROM WORK WAS TOO DIFFICULT AND TRAFFIC WAS TOO BAD AROUND THIS TIME. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE IN PERSON, VIRTUAL OR ON THE PHONE. MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE BALANCING WORK, SCHOOL, CHILDCARE, OR CARING FOR AN OLDER, ELDER ADULT OR FAMILY MEMBER WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. THEY MAY WANT TO PARTICIPATE, BUT THEY CANNOT REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR SEVERAL HOURS WAITING FOR OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. WE SHOULD MAKE IT EASIER, NOT HARDER FOR RESIDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR WORK OR FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY TO SHARE THEIR VOICES. AGENDA ITEM 29 HELPS REMOVE THAT BARRIER. I SUPPORT THE AGENDA 29 AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS MY VOICE. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, JOE WEINSTEIN. JOE? WELL, WELL, YOU'VE HEARD THE CASE FOR EARLY COMMENT AND YOU'VE ALSO HEARD THE CASE FOR COMMENTS DURING THE AGENDA. YOU HAVE TO DO BOTH. WELL-TIMED PUBLIC COMMENT IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR REASON DECISIONS. IN DECEMBER OF 2024, YOU FAILED, YOU, YOUR PREDECESSORS, FAILED TO HEAR THE CORRECT WARNING WHICH CAME ONLY FROM A PUBLIC SPEAKER THAT THE COUNCIL COULD NOT LEGALLY CHANGE THE MEASURE A SALES TAX SCHEDULE. THE RESULT OF FAILING TO HEED THAT WELL-CONSIDERED PUBLIC COMMENT WAS THAT THE CITY GOT INVOLVED IN AND LOST TWO LAWSUITS. AMEN. COUNCIL IS OVERSTRESSED. WE AGREE. THE SOLUTION IS NOT TO SCAPEGOAT AND QUASH A NECESSARY ELEMENT OF COMMENT, BUT TO DESIGN AND USE AN UPGRADED PROCESS THAT FITS THE SCALE OF OUR DECISION MAKING. WE'RE A BIG CITY, MORE POPULOUS THAN THE STATES OF NEVADA AND WYOMING WERE WHEN I WAS A KID. THOSE STATES HAVE LEGISLATURES BIG ENOUGH TO HAVE ACTIVE COMMITTEES [01:35:01] THAT CAN ADDRESS SPECIFIC CHALLENGING MATTERS EACH IN MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH PUBLIC HEARINGS. SO TO REALLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND GET BETTER DECISIONS AND LESS COUNCIL STRESS, WE, COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY MUST CONSIDER HOW TO EXPAND DECISION MAKING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS MEGAN O'CONNOR AND THEN MIKE, MEGAN O'CONNOR. MEGAN O'CONNOR, 8TH DISTRICT. ARE YOU TRULY LISTENING TO US? BECAUSE IT FEELS A LOT LIKE BEING MANAGED. THE PROPOSED REVISIONS TREAT CIVIC PARTICIPATION LIKE A SCHEDULING PROBLEM. THE CITY'S OWN SURVEY REFERENCED EARLIER BY MR. MODAKAI FOUND THAT CUTTING SPEAKING TIME CREATES FRUSTRATION AND DISCOURAGES MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION, AND YET THE COUNCIL DECIDED TO MOVE AHEAD ANYWAY. IT ALSO PUTS ALL PUBLIC COMMENT INTO ONE BLOCK BEFORE ANY PRESENTATION OR DISCUSSION WITH NO OTHER CHANCE TO SPEAK. WE, THE PUBLIC WOULD ALWAYS BE BY DEFINITION SPEAKING UNINFORMED. LONG MEETINGS, DISAGREEMENT AND PUBLIC INPUT ARE PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. AMEN. THIS ROOM TODAY IS DEMOCRACY IN ACTION. CIVIC PARTICIPATION IS NOT A PROCESS THAT REQUIRES MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY NOR A PROBLEM TO OPTIMIZE AWAY. COUNCILWOMAN THRASH ENTUCK, AS A MEMBER OF YOUR DISTRICT, I AM COUNTING ON YOU PERSONALLY TO VOTE I - NO ON ITEM 29. AND TO EVERYONE HERE WHO SHOWED UP TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER TODAY, I AM SO PROUD TO SHARE A CITY WITH YOU ALL. IF I CAN GET MIKE AND THEN IAN PATTON AND AFTER IAN, I AM SHOP STEWARD. MY NAME'S MIKE LAQUATTRA, RESIDENT OF CD7, AND I'M OPPOSED TO, UH, ITEM 29 FOR A LOT OF THE REASONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ARTICULATED. UM, I AGREE WITH THE PEOPLE THAT SAID THAT THE REASONING SEEMS TO CHANGE CONSTANTLY. THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME FOR THESE THINGS. HOWEVER, I THINK WE NEED TO BALANCE THE DIFFERENCE. THE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUE IS ADDRESSED BY THE FACT THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO GET HERE. THEY CAN ZOOM IN. THE BUDGETARY ISSUE, THIS IS NOT EVEN A ROUNDING ERROR IN OUR DEFICIT. BEAUTIFUL. AND AS EVERYBODY SAYS, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FULLY SPEAK ON SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T HEARD YET? SO TO ME, THIS JUST SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER WAY TO STIFLE PUBLIC COMMENT. AT A TIME WHEN PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRACY IN THE US, OUR VOTING PERCENTAGES ARE HORRENDOUS COMPARED TO SAY EUROPE, AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE, INCLUDING ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE FROM GETTING INVOLVED. I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT, UH, PROCESS AND WE NEED TO LISTEN TO OUR RESIDENTS AND SPEND LESS TIME ON VANITY, LARGE VANITY PROJECTS AND MORE ON OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. I HAVE, SINCE I HAVE A FEW SECONDS, I HAVE ONE OTHER, UH, ITEM MY WIFE ASKED ME TO, UH, ABOUT. WE NEVER HEAR NOW HOW MANY, UH, SUBMI- SUBMITTED COM - THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER, IAN PATTON. IAN PATTON, UH, DIRECTOR OF LONG BEACH REFORM COALITION. UM, FIRST OF ALL, OVER 700 SIGNATURES ON THIS PETITION. I WAS JUST TOLD BY MS. GOLDMAN THAT ACTUALLY MORE FROM DISTRICT FOUR THAN ANY OTHER. I WENT AND I LOOKED AT THE WRITTEN COMMENT ATTACHED TO THIS ITEM EARLIER TODAY. IT LOOKED LIKE ABOUT 100 COMMENTS, YET AGAIN, 100% OPPOSITION. HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS COME BEFORE YOU? 100% OPPOSITION. NOW, THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE GONNA SAVE, WE ALL KNOW 150,000 IS A PRETEXT. THIS IS GONNA GO RIGHT INTO LITIGATION, SO THAT'S OUT THE WINDOW WITH LEGAL FEES AND, YOU KNOW, A SPRINKLING OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT DO THIS VERSUS THE THOUSANDS THAT ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE BROWN ACT. AND BY THE WAY, LBCC, WHICH I THINK IS IN VIOLATION OF THE BROWN ACT, THEY GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES ON ANY, EVERY SINGLE TOPIC YOU WANNA SPEAK ON, AND THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE PERIOD OF TIME, BUT IT'S STILL A VIOLATION. THE OTHER THING I WANNA DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO IS THE FACT THAT THIS TAKES OUT THE PROTECTION ON AT LEAST GETTING 90 SECONDS. IT IS LITERALLY UP TO THE MAYOR, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SPEAKING TIMES BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF [01:40:01] SPEAKER, SPEAKERS. THAT IS THE NEW LANGUAGE, SO IT WILL BE 100% IN THIS OR SOME FUTURE MAYOR'S DISCRETION TO DETERMINE AT HIS WHIM, AT HIS CAPRICE, WHAT AMOUNT OF TIME PEOPLE GET. LITERALLY, IT COULD BE 10 SECONDS. THAT'S THE LANGUAGE OF THIS ORDINANCE. NEXT SPEAKER IS IAM SHOP STEWARD, THEN CLAUDIA AMBRICE, VICTORIA V, AND SALVATORE S. GOOD AFTER - UH, GOOD EVENING. I AM A PROUD IAM SHOP STEWARD AND A UNION MEMBER. FIRST, I WANNA THANK THE COUPLE THAT CAME OUT AND PUT THEIR OWN HEALTH AT RISK TO BE HERE. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID. WE APPRECIATE YOU. ANOTHER THING I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE TODAY THAT IAN PATTON AND I ARE ON THE SAME AGENDA AND AGREE ON THE SAME ITEM, IT'S A WORLD GONE MAD. I KNOW YOUR, I KNOW YOUR STANCE ON LABOR, IAN, WHEN YOU RAN FOR OFFICE, BUT I DIGRESS. SO ANYWAYS, WOW, YOU GUYS REALLY TOOK A PLAYBOOK FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, DIDN'T YOU? YOU PITTED. YOU'RE PITTING THE CITIZENS OF LONG BEACH AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR THEIR NEEDS WHEN IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN, BUT IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, RIGHT? SO, HOW ABOUT NOT HAVING 30 AGENDA ITEMS ON ONE NIGHT? HOW ABOUT NOT BLOWING SMOKE UP EACH OTHER'S ASSES FOR HOURS WHILE THEY'RE TALKING COMMENTS OR ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT HAVE BEEN ASKED AND ANSWERED? YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT 90 MINUTES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. HOW MANY HOURS HAVE I LOST SITTING HERE LISTENING TO YOU GUYS? IT'S RIDICULOUS. DO BETTER, ACT BETTER. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, READ THE ROOM. DADDY CAME BACK FROM JUNE AND YOU GUYS VOTED AGAINST IT AND HE GOT MAD BECAUSE THE KIDS HAD A VOICE WHILE HE WAS AWAY. AND NOW, YOU GUYS ARE BEING SICK OF FANS AGAIN. DARYL, I THOUGH YOU WERE BETTER THAN THAT. SO N - ALL OF YOU IN THE, UH, IN THE EVEN DISTRICTS, YOU'RE UP FOR ELECTION NEXT. WE HAVE LONG MEMORIES. I HAVE A LONG MEMORY. VOTE STAND OUT. VOTE THEM OUT. VOTE THEM OUT. VOTE GET OUT. VOTE THAT. VOTE THAT. NEXT SPEAKER. CLAUDIA AMBRICE. CLAUDIA, PLEASE COME FORWARD. AND THEN VICTORIA AND SALVADOR. MY NAME IS CLAUDIA. I'M A RESIDENT OF RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE. I'M HERE TO- TODAY TO SHARE MY OUTRAGE OVER ITEM 29. CHANGING THE WAY THE PUBLIC COMMENT WORK AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND LIMITING US TO SPEAK IS A SLAP IN THE FACE OF LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. WITH THIS PROPOSAL, YOU ARE TELLING US THAT WE DON'T MATTER. WE ELECTED YOU TO REPRESENTED US TO REPRESENT OUR VOICE. IT IS YOUR JOB TO LISTEN TO US. PEOPLE ARE ALREADY LIMITED TO SPEAK BECAUSE THESE MEETINGS START AT 5:00 WHEN MIKO ARE STILL WORKING OR LEAVING THEIR JOBS. STOP PRETENDING THAT THIS IS A WAY TO SAVE MONEY FOR THE CITY. WHY ARE YOU ACTIVELY TRYING TO HURT OUR COMMUNITY? CLOSING DOWN THE FIREHOUSE, HOLDING LIBRARY FUNDS HOSTAGE, BRINGING IN THESE RIDICULOUS SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, DESTROYING A LOCAL BUSINESS TO BRING AN SF COMPANY TO RUN BIKE SHARE AND NOT PROTECTING OUR EVERY COMMUNITY? YOU ARE TRYING TO SILENCE US AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED. DO BETTER. NEXT SPEAKER, VICTORIA. UH, THIS, I'M VICTORIA. HELLO, MY NAME'S VICTORIA. I'M A STUDENT AT, UH, CAL STATE LONG BEACH. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO PREFACE, I DO NOT WANNA BE USED AS A SCAPEGOAT FOR THIS, UH, PROPOSITION. I'M AGAINST PROPOSITION 29. IT'S ANYBODY CAN SEE THAT THIS IS CLEARLY TRYING TO FIT PEOPLE AGAINST EACH OTHER AS THEY TRY TO MASH THEIR WAY THROUGH, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER LONG YOU DECIDE TO GIVE US. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW LONG THIS IS GONNA LAST. SO AS, YOU KNOW, EVEN I, AS A STUDENT, I'M NOT EVEN FROM HERE. I'M REGISTERED HERE. I'M A STUDENT HERE. I LIVE HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY FIRST CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE. IT TOOK ME ONE READ TO SEE WHAT THIS IS CLEARLY TRYING TO DO. YOU'RE TR - CLEARLY TRYING TO PUT CLASS INTERESTS AGAINST EACH OTHER. IT DIDN'T WORK. YOU GOT CLEARLY TWO PEOPLE FROM YOUR CITY WHO CLEARLY HAVE ANIMOSITY AGAINST EACH OTHER TO COME TOGETHER AGAINST THIS. SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE MAY NOT AGREE ON ALL THE TIME, IT IS CLEAR WE DO NOT WANT OUR RIGHTS, YOU KNOW, TAKEN AWAY FROM US. THIS IS OUR TIME. THIS IS YOUR JOB. I WORK AT A DINING HALL. I DON'T GET TO TELL MY MANAGER, "I DON'T WANNA WORK TODAY." I HAVE TO SERVE HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS. YOU HAVE TO SIT THERE. THANK YOU. IF I CAN GET THE NEXT SPEAKER, SALVADOR S. AND THEN I'M GONNA CALL THE NEXT 10, CLAIRE S. MELISSA, CHRISTINA, NIKKI CLAIRE, ELLIE, AMY, CORLESS [01:45:01] LEE, ANNE CANTRELL, DAVE SHUKLA, FEE AND LA. IF YOU CAN PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN, NEXT SPEAKER, SALVADOR S. SALVADOR, ARE YOU IN THE AUDIENCE? AFTER SALVADOR IS CLAIRE S. PLEASE COME FORWARD. CLAIRE S. MELISSA. MY NAME IS MELISSA, DISTRICT SEVEN. FIRST OF ALL, TRYING TO PASS THIS AT THE TAIL END OF A REALLY HARD FINAL BUDGET MEETING WAS ALREADY REALLY SLIMY, AND ADDING ON THESE REVISIONS THAT ARE VERY CLEARLY EGO-DRIVEN AND TRYING TO CONTROL NOT ONLY HOW LONG WE CAN TALK AND WHAT ITEMS, BUT ADDITIONALLY, WHO IS DEEMED APPROPRIATE ENOUGH TO MAKE COM - PUBLIC COMMENT IS CRAZY. IT'S A FARCE THAT THIS IS TRYING TO RESPECT RESIDENTS' TIME WHEN IT'S THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME THAT ARE THE ONES THAT THIS WOULD ACTUALLY AFFECT, AND THEY'RE THE ONES ACTUALLY SHOWING UP AND TELLING YOU THEY DON'T WANT THIS. I HOPE THAT THERE ARE STILL SOME OF YOU THAT ARE UNDECIDED UP THERE THAT, LIKE MEGAN KERR, ARE WILLING TO LISTEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS. COUNCILMAN URANGA, I'M IN YOUR DISTRICT. I WANNA ASK YOU DIRECTLY NOT TO TAKE AWAY THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE IN YOUR DISTRICT, WHICH ARE ALREADY OVERLOOKED. WE ALREADY HAVE TO DEMAND THAT THE CITY EVEN CARES ABOUT US, AND THE RESPONSE TO PUBLIC PARTICIPATION CANNOT BE UNDERCUTTING THE WAY THAT WE PARTICIPATE. I VERY MUCH DOUBT THAT EACH OF YOU TOOK THESE COUNCIL SEATS WITH THE GOAL OF PERMANENTLY DAMAGING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND THE, AND LOSING THE RESPECT OF, AND SUPPORT OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS, BUT THAT'S WHAT IS AT RISK HERE. VOTE AGAINST ITEM 29. CHRISTINA N. AND THEN NIKKI CLAIRE. CHRISTINA NEGRELLI, DISTRICT FIVE. I OPPOSE ITEM 29. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M DAMN TIRED OF DECISIONS BEING MADE FOR US INSTEAD OF WITH US. WHY SURVEY CONSTITUENTS IF YOU DON'T INTEND TO LISTEN AND INCORPORATE THE RESULTS? I REVIEWED THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY RELATED TO THIS ITEM, THE WRITTEN FEEDBACK PREDOMINANTLY CRITICAL, ESPECIALLY ABOUT WHETHER COUNCIL LISTENS. I REITERATE PRIOR COMMENTS REGARDING COUNCIL BEING DISENGAGED AND OTHERWISE OCCUPIED DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. LOOK UP, MAKE EYE CONTACT. PLEASE ENGAGE WITH US AS YOUR CONSTITUENTS. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE'RE HERE GIVING YOU OUR FEEDBACK, LETTING YOU KNOW WHAT WE WANT. SOME COMMENTS DESCRIBE DECISIONS AS ALREADY MADE. I FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY. SOME COMMENTS SAY THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS NEED TO ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT RESIDENTS. I FEEL THAT WAY. THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY AND NEARLY THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR PERSPECTIVES AND LET YOU HEAR DIRECTLY FROM US TO INFORM YOUR DECISIONS. STOP MAKING DECISIONS FOR US WITHOUT US. DO NOT USE THE BUDGET DEFICIT AS AN EXCUSE TO SHORTEN MEETINGS. I CAN'T AFFORD TODAY'S GAS PRICES AND I CANNOT AFFORD WHAT IT COSTS ME TO FEED MY FAMILY. CAN I GET NIKKI, CLAIRE, ELLIE, AMY? SEND CITY COUNCIL. I WOULD LIKE TO WEIGH IN ON ITEM 29 AND RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU VOTE NO ON THIS ITEM. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WHEN IMPORTANT ISSUES REGARDING OUR COMMUNITY ARE BEING DISCUSSED, ESPECIALLY ISSUES SPECIFIC TO YOUR DISTRICT, WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ARE AFFECTED? AND AS A COUNCIL MEMBER REPRESENTING THAT DISTRICT, WOULDN'T YOU WANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR YOUR COMMUNITY'S CONCERNS AND SUPPORT WHILE THAT SPECIFIC ISSUE IS BEING DISCUSSED? AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU ALREADY HAVE SO MUCH ON YOUR PLATES. IF PUBLIC COMMENT IS SEPARATED FROM THE AGENDA ITEMS BEING DISCUSSED, HOW CAN WE EXPECT COMMENTS MADE HOURS EARLIER TO HAVE THE SAME IMPACT OR CONTEXT WHEN THAT ITEM FINALLY COMES BEFORE YOU? AS BOTH A LONG BEACH BUSINESS OWNER AND RESIDENT, I ATTEND MANY OF THESE MEETINGS [01:50:01] AND HAVE SPOKEN DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. THAT OPPORTUNITY GIVES RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS A VOICE, A RIGHT TO BE HEARD, AND HOPE THAT OUR PARTICIPATION CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. PEOPLE WILL LOSE INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING IF THEY FEEL THEY ARE NOT BEING HEARD. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES LONG BEACH SO SPECIAL IS OUR STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND HOW INVOLVED OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES ARE IN WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR CITY. PLEASE RECONSIDER THIS DECISION AND THE IMPACT IT COULD HAVE ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN LONG BEACH. OUR COMMUNITY'S VOICE SHOULD REMAIN AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS DISCUSSION WHEN DECISIONS AFFECTING US ARE BEING MADE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ELLIE. I'M A RENTER IN DISTRICT TWO. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS WORK FOR US, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. YOU DO HAVE A BOSS. IT'S US AND WE WILL VOTE YOU OUT. FOR ME PERSONALLY, YOU'VE ALREADY LOST MY VOTE. I MADE A PERSONAL DECISION TO NOT VOTE FOR ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS GENOCIDAL AND APARTHEID STATES SUCH AS ISRAEL. SO NOT IF YOU NEED THAT CRITERIA, BUT I'M STILL GONNA GIVE YOU MY THOUGHTS. UM, THE SOLUTION IS PRETTY OBVIOUS. I, I... IT'S, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS WE NEED TO HAVE OPTIONS, MAKE THINGS ACCESSIBLE, LET PEOPLE SHARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING AND DURING THE AGENDA ITEM. WE ARE THE BOSS HERE. WE DESERVE TO SPEAK AT BOTH TIMES. UM, I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SAY IF YOU'D LIKE TO DONATE ANY WATER OR ICE PACKS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE AND OUT THERE ARE USING THEIR OWN MONEY TO BUY STUFF FOR PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE. THIS ITEM IS GOING TO BE IRRELEVANT IF THE CITIZENS OF THIS CITY ARE DEAD BECAUSE YOUR NEGLIGENCE TO PROVIDE HOUSING, HEALTHCARE AND FREEDOM FROM POLICE VIOLENCE. SPOT ON. HI, MY NAME IS AMY. I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT TWO AND MY COMMENT'S GONNA BE ALL OVER THE PLACE JUST BECAUSE I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS AND SO LITTLE TIME. UM, SO I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN SUPPORT OF THIS AGENDA ITEM ARE CONFUSED, JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT FILLED OUT THE SURVEY WERE CONFUSED BECAUSE THE WAY THAT YOU GUYS WORD THINGS ARE, IT'S VERY CONFUSING TO REGULAR PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHY WE COME AND WE PAY ATTENTION TO THE PRESENTATION. UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THIS. I THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE BOTH. LIKE PEOPLE DO NEED TO BE HEARD SOONER, BUT LIMITING OUR TIME IS NOT THE SOLUTION. UM, AND I'M QUITE FRANKLY SURPRISED THAT 10 BRAINS CAN'T COME UP WITH A BETTER PLAN THAN THIS. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN COUNTING THE ADDITIONAL BRAINS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ON YOUR STAFF BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE A WHOLE TEAM. UM, IF YOU MOVE AGENDA ITEMS UP TO THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, IT SHOULD BE AFTER EVERYONE'S IN LINE, EVERYONE IN LINE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO SIGN UP BECAUSE THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE IN LINE BEFORE FOUR FOR, 4:45 AND THEY DIDN'T GET TO SIGN UP FOR ITEM 29 BECAUSE YOU GUYS READ IT RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING. UM, IF YOU GUYS ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT HOW LONG THESE MEETINGS ARE, WHY NOT CUT PEOPLE OFF THAT ARE WASTING TIME, 90 SECONDS OF SOME LADY COMING UP HERE TO KISS YOUR ASS. I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE CUT OFF COMMENTS BEFORE, SO WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS CUT HER OFF? UM, YOU GUYS ARE JUST REPEATING THE SAME B******T TALKING POINTS THAT YOU GUYS HAD BACK IN JUNE WHEN THIS FAILED. UM, YOU GUYS REITERATED THAT YOU HAD A SURVEY OF 500 PEOPLE WHEN SOMEBODY IN THE AUDIENCE DID OVER 700 S - LIKE PEOPLE, LIKE COME ON, DO BETTER. NEXT SPEAKER. CORLESS LEE. AND THEN ANNE CANTRELL, DAVE SHUKLA, FEE AND LA. CORLESS? CORLESS LEE, DISTRICT FIVE. I WRITE THE EAST SIDE VOICE NEWSLETTER. I'M HERE TO URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON THIS A- AGENDA ITEM. AND I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT SB 707, WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO ALLOW ZOOM AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, I REALLY DOUBT THAT THEY EXPECTED THAT YOU WOULD NOT PUT THE PHOTOS UP OF THE PEOPLE SPEAKING, THAT THEY HAD TO ACTUALLY SAY THAT IN THE LAW. MM. I THINK THAT'S DISRESPECTFUL TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TAKING THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE. GOING BACK TO THIS PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEM, THE MOST EGREGIOUS ASPECT IS SPLITTING UP THE COMMENTS AND THE ACTUAL AGENDA ITEM. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO PARSE COMMENTS AND CONNECT THEM BACK TO THE UP TO 60 AGENDA ITEMS THAT SOMETIMES MAKE IT ON THERE. THIS MAKES PUBLIC COMMENT USELESS. THIS SAME FEATURE WAS INCLUDED IN THE JUNE AGENDA ITEMS ON THIS TOPIC, AND I WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THOSE. THERE WERE OVER 73 PAGES OF WRITTEN COMMENTS AGAINST THAT, THOSE FEATURES, AGAINST THE SAME SORT OF THING THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE TODAY. 100% OF THE COMMENTS WERE OPPOSED, AND IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY VOTED DOWN. THANK YOU. BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENED? WHY ARE WE HERE AGAIN? YOU ARE THREATENING [01:55:01] TO TAKE OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. WHAT CHANGED YOUR MINDS? WHAT WERE YOU PROMISED FOR SWITCHING SIDES? AND I'VE BEEN TOLD BY MY FRIENDS I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SPECULATE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE... THANK YOU, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. ANNE CANTRELL. AFTER ANNE CANTRELL, IT'S DAVE SHUKLA, FI, AND THEN LA. GOOD EVENING, ANNE CANTRELL. I'M A 93-YEAR RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH, AND I'M ASHAMED OF MY HOMETOWN. I'VE BEEN COMING TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR AT LEAST 35 YEARS, AND I'VE WATCHED PUBLIC COMMENT GO FROM FIVE MINUTES PER SPEAKER, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKER, AND WE WERE EVEN ALLOWED TO PUT AGENDA ITEMS ON THE AGENDA BACK IN THOSE DAYS. AND NOW YOU WANT TO CUT US DOWN TO MAYBE 60 SECONDS AND HAVE US DISCUSS EVERY AGENDA ITEM BEFORE IT EVEN COMES BEFORE YOU. UH, I THINK ROBERT RULES OF ORDERS SAY THAT THERE HAS TO BE A MOTION AND A SECOND BEFORE DISCUSSION CAN TAKE PLACE. SO I WOULD, UH, URGE YOU TO VOTE THIS DOWN. AND, UM, ALSO, ALTHOUGH LONG BEACH IS FOLLOWING THE LETTER OF THE LAW BY PROVIDING ZOOM ACCESS, THERE IS DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE THERE'S NO CAMERA TO SHOW THE SPEAKER. I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU COULD... YOU DO HAVE A CAMERA, YOUR COUNCIL PERSON WAS ON IT TONIGHT. YUP. AND MOST OTHER GOVERNOR... MS. CANTRELL, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. DAVE SHUKLA. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. DAVE SHUKLA. AFTER DAVE SHUKLA'S FEE, AND THEN LA. GOOD EVENING. UH, IN ADDITION TO MY, UH, COMMENTS BACK IN JUNE, UH, THE SOLUTION TO LONG MEETINGS IS TO HAVE MORE FREQUENT MEETINGS. STOP TAKING THE FOURTH TUESDAY OFF. UM, THE SOLUTION TO ACCESSIBILITY IS TO SCHEDULE, UH, ITEMS EARLIER, UH, JUST LIKE YOU'VE DONE WITH THIS ITEM. UH, STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE POWERLESS AND THIS ISN'T IN YOUR CONTROL. STOP PITTING PEOPLE AGAINST EACH OTHER. UM, MRS. DUGGAN, AS YOUR CONSTITUENT, UM, I URGE YOU TO VOTE AGAINST THIS ITEM. NOW, TO THE REST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, IF THESE NINE PEOPLE FOLLOW THE MAYOR IN VOTING FOR ITEM 29, THERE ARE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD. YOU CAN TAKE THEM TO COURT FOR VIOLATING THE BROWN ACT. MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU CAN RAISE THE SOCIAL COSTS. YOU CAN MAKE THE NEXT TWO YEARS OF THEIR LIVES HELL AND THEIR NAMES RADIOACTIVE BEFORE THE OLYMPICS. AND WHEN THE OLYMPICS COME, INSTEAD OF THE WINDFALL THAT THEY'RE HOPING FOR, YOU CAN MAKE THEM SO RADIOACTIVE THAT BUSINESSES WON'T WANNA DEAL WITH ANY OF THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR CAREERS. IF THE ONLY THING THAT THEY RESPOND TO IS MONEY, TARGET THAT. WOO. PREACH. HE JUST DROPPED THE MIC. PLEASE VOTE NOW. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS WILDLY UNPOPULAR. UM, I USED TO BE A PRODUCTION COORDINATOR FOR TELEVISION AND I ENJOYED SPREADSHEETS, RESEARCHING, FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO MAKE A FILM SET SUCCESSFUL. EACH LOCATION HAS ITS OWN PERMITTING, OBSTACLES, REQUIREMENTS. IT'S WILD TO WATCH Y'ALL WORK. I FIND IT LAUGHABLE THAT WE ARE JUST SHY OF A HALF A MILLION POPULATION IN LONG BEACH. MM-HMM. EACH OF YOU REPRESENT 50,000 PEOPLE. YEAH. IT'S INSANE THAT YOU WOULD CUT PUBLIC COMMENT DOWN TO NOT EVEN DISCUSSING THE ITEMS IN- INDIVIDUALLY. THESE MEETINGS ARE OVERSHADOWED EACH SESSION WITH YOU SPENDING COPIOUS TIMES THANKING EACH OTHER AND ADMINISTRATING CELEBRATION CEREMONIES AND PHOTO OPS. YOU CAN DO ALL OF THAT ON YOUR OWN TIME. ABSOLUTELY. HEARING FROM YOUR COMMUNITY SHOULD BE YOUR TOP PRIORITY. [02:00:01] IF YOU AREN'T HERE TO LISTEN AND ACTIVELY ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS, YOU DON'T REPRESENT US. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE TO SPEAK, THE LESS TIME WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THESE ITEMS. YOU ARE REPRESENTATIVES AND THIS IS VALUABLE TIME FOR US. WE ARE NOT GETTING PAID TO GET HERE, SO THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS LISTEN. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS LA. I'M GONNA CALL THE NEXT 10 SPEAKERS, FB, SEAN CUTT, RAY LAWSON, SHARON WEISMAN, SEYMOUR COMMENTS, KYLE PATTERSON, ALYSSA G AND JOE SOPO, IF YOU CAN LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. NEXT COMMENTER, LA. ALL RIGHT, SO I'M GONNA TAKE THE TIME RIGHT NOW AND SAY F**K US, FREE PALESTINE, FREE SUDAN, F**K THIS REGIME AND F**K YOU GUYS, ESPECIALLY YOU TANUA. I S - I WATCH YOU. WE ALL WATCH YOU HERE WITH YOUR SNIDE FACE. YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. AND YOU, REX, WE VOTED ON THIS MONTHS AGO AND I SAW, UM, A FACEBOOK POST WHEN THIS LITTLE F*****G BABY AND ALSO YOUR, YOUR OTHER MINION, DR. JOANIE, WAS LIKE, OH, IT DIDN'T PASS. YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, WE'LL GET HIM NEXT TIME. F****R, WE'RE GETTING YOU NEXT TIME, OKAY? I AM SO F*****G SICK OF COMING HERE. AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HERE. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL THING. LOOK AT THIS. THIS, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED. AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I STARTED COMING TO CITY COUNCIL, MY TAGLINE WAS VOTE THESE F*****S ALL OUT. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? PEOPLE ARE COMING FOR YOUR JOBS. MARY, CINDY, CHRISTINA, DARRYL, MEGAN'S THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS SINCE RIGHT NOW. F**K REXER, REX, F**K DR. SOULI, AND ROBERTO, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M SORRY YOU'RE SICK, BUT THIS IS THE F*****G PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IN THE UNITED STATES WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU TAKING UP SPACE FOR PEOPLE LIKE US THAT WE CAN GO AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ASKING FOR IT. TANUA, YOU'RE JUST A F*****G B***H. F**K YOU GUYS. DO THE RIGHT THING TODAY, OKAY? LISTEN TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS. F**K THESE F*****S. SHAKING YOUR HEAD. NEXT SPEAKER, UH, FV. AFTER FB IS SEAN CUTT AND THEN RAY LAWSON. GOOD JOB. I HAVEN'T STARTED SPEAKING YET. AS YOU ALL SEE, THEY'VE ALREADY TAKEN SECONDS OUT OF MY SPEECH, MY FIRST FREED, FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT. YOU FASCIST C***S. NO ONE HERE LIKES YOU. WE'VE BEEN COMING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, QUOTE BROTHER MALCOLM X, "YOU DON'T GET FREEDOM PEACEFULLY. FREEDOM IS NEVER SAFEGUARDED PEACEFULLY. ANYONE WHO'S DEPRIVING YOU OF FREEDOM ISN'T DESERVING OF A PEACEFUL APPROACH BY THE ONES WHO ARE BEING DEPRIVED OF THEIR FREEDOM. YOU FASCIST C***S. FASCIST C***S. THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE. THAT'S RIGHT. GIRL, YOU CAN'T HEAR IT. THE WHITE WOMAN IN THE ROOM CAN'T HEAR IT. AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT TOM MODICA, THE F*****G WHITE SUPREMACIST PIECE OF S**T F*****G DOING ALL THIS S**T TO THE COMMUNITY. F**K YOU PIECE OF S**T. THAT'S THE VIBE. THE VIBE IS F**K YOU REX. F**K YOU MEGAN. F**K YOU DARRYL. F**K YOU CHRISTINA. F**K YOU CINDY ALLEN. F**K YOU MARY. F**K YOU TANUA. DR. JONI, F**K YOU TOO. WHEREVER THE F**K YOU ARE. AND THEN YOU F*****G DUMB B***H. F**K YOU. AND ROBERT, YOU TWO GO F**K YOURSELVES. FREE PALESTINE, F**K ISRAEL AND F**K YOU FASCIST PIECES OF S**T C***S. F**K YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS SEAN CUTT AND THEN RAY LAWSON. IT'S SO HARD TO FOLLOW Y'ALL. THAT WAS AWESOME. UM, MY NAME IS SEAN CUTT FROM DISTRICT ONE. UH, REGARDING ITEM 29, THE ENTIRE POINT OF DEMOCRACY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE FEEL HEARD. HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO US? IT'S ABUNDANTLY CLEAR WHAT THE PUBLIC OPINION IS. WE DO NOT WANT THIS CHANGE. LITERALLY SHOVERING, SHOVING ALL OF OUR COMMENTS TO THE START REMINDS ME OF WHEN I WAS A KID AND I WOULD EAT ALL MY VEGETABLES THAT STARTED DINNER BECAUSE I HATED THEM THE MOST. IT'S VERY CLEAR YOU GUYS DON'T LIKE US. UM, SO IF, YOU KNOW, SHOWING THIS ONE CORNER DISCUSSION, IT'S JUST MAKES IT EASIEST, EASIER FOR YOU TO TUNE US OUT. IT'S VERY OBVIOUS. UM, WORST OF ALL, WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE TIME AWAY FROM US, UM, IT COULDN'T BE MORE OBVIOUS THAT YOU WERE JUST TRYING TO KNEECAP OUR VOICES WITH THIS MOVE. UH, SEPARATING OUR TIME FROM THE PERTINENT ITEMS IS AN OBVIOUS ATTEMPT TO FURTHER OBFUSCATE THE DISCUSSION. IT DECONTEXTUALIZES EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO BE OBVIOUS TO YOU. YOU MUST SEE THAT. DON'T SHOVE US UNDER THE RUG. DON'T CLAIM THAT THIS IS FOR AUSTERITY AS IT IS. [02:05:01] IT'S NOT REALLY AN ATTRACTIVE ARGUMENT FOR THIS CROWD, I CAN TELL YOU. IT'S A CONSERVATIVE POSTURING FOR A FASCIST POLICY. VOTE DSA EVERYBODY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, RAY LAWSON AND THEN SHARON WEISSMAN AND SEE MORE COMMENTS. UH, GOOD EVENING MAYOR, UH, MEMBERS, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS RAY LAWSON. I REPRESENT THE HARD WORKING MEN AND WOMEN OF THE CARPENTERS UNION. WE BUILT THIS BUILDING AND EVERYTHING IN HERE. UH, AS A, TONIGHT WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU TO VOTE YES ON ITEM 29. OUR MEMBERS DON'T JUST SIT IN FRONT OF COMPUTER SCREENS ALL DAY. THEY DON'T HAVE THE FLEXIBLE NINE TO FIVE SCHEDULES. TOMORROW MORNING THEY'LL BE UP AT 4:30, 5:30 IN THE MORNING. OUR CARPENTERS WILL BE ROLLING OUT OF BED, PACKING THEIR PI - LUNCH PAILS AND GETTING TO JOB SITES ACROSS LONG BEACH TO POUR CONCRETE, FRAME BUILDINGS AND BUILD THIS CITY'S FUTURE. THEY WORK HARD ALL DAY WITH THEIR HANDS AND THEY HAVE FAMILIES TO TAKE CARE OF WHEN THEY GET HOME. UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM, OUR MEMBERS ARE WORKING AND FA - AND WORKING FAMILIES, UH, WANT TO COME DOWN CITY HALL TO ADVOCATE FOR MORE WORK FOR THE COMMUNITIES, FOR THEIR SCHOOLS, UM, JOB STANDARDS, AND THEY ARE FORCED TO SIT HERE SOMETIMES TO 10, 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, MIDNIGHT, JUST TO GET ON THE MIC. UH, TH- THAT'S NOT A PUBLIC HEARING. THAT'S AN ENDURANCE TEST. WE SIT ON, WE SAT AT A JUNE 9TH MEETING OF COMMUNITY SAFETY INITIATIVES THAT WERE PUSHED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, LOCKING OUT WORKING PARENTS AND YOUTH. WHEN THE CITY HALL OPERATES THAT WAY, WE'LL SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE. UNLESS YOU HAVE A LUXURY TO SIT AROUND ALL NIGHT, YOUR VOICE DOESN'T GET HEARD. LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHOULDN'T BELONG TO LOBBYISTS AND THE PEOPLE WITH INFINITE FREE TIME. IT BELONGS TO WORKING MEN AND WOMEN WHO BUILD AND SUSTAIN THIS CITY. ITEM 29 ESTABLISHES THAT AND DEDICATES A PREDICTABLE AND BEGINNING AND END TO THE MEETING SO EVERY, ALL THE - THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER, SHARON WEISMAN. THANK YOU. I WANNA START OFF BY SAYING THAT I DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND SO DO YOU. WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL, I WAS OPPOSED. I THOUGH IT WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA, BUT THEN I DID SOME RESEARCH AND I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE CURRENT PROPOSAL AND I TALKED TO OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THIS ITEM. I LOOKED AT WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING. MANY OF THEM AS WELL AS LOCAL EDUCATIONAL BOARDS HAVE GONE TO THE METHOD THAT IS PROPOSED IN ITEM 29. I HAVE SAT IN THIS CHAMBER AND WAITED HOURS TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM. I HAVE WORKED WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WANTED TO COME AND SUPPORT AN ITEM, BUT THEN I TELL THEM WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME THE ITEM WILL COME UP OR HOW LATE THE MEETING WILL GO AND THEY SAY NO BECAUSE IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT OR IT'S A WORK NIGHT OR THEY HAVE CHILDREN AT HOME OR THEY HAVE TO WORK. I KNOW CHANGE IS HARD, BUT OTHER LARGE CITIES AND SMALL, SOME SMALL HAVE GONE TO THIS METHOD WITH SUCCESS. THEIR CONSTITUENTS HAVE FOUND IT MORE CONVENIENT TO KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GONNA SPEAK. I KNOW THIS PROPOSAL DOES NOT ELIMINATE PUBLIC COMMENT. IT MAKES IT MORE CONVENIENT. I KNOW THIS PROPOSAL IS MORE LIKELY THAT IF MANY PEOPLE ARE HERE TO SPEAK, THEY'LL STILL HAVE THREE MINUTES RATHER THAN 60 SECONDS. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDER - YOUR SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THIS ITEM, WHATEVER IT IS YOU DECIDE. CAN I GET SEE MORE COMMENTS? SEE MORE COMMENTS? KYLE PATTERSON, ALYSSA G, AND JOE SOPO. HEY, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. UH, I JUST WANNA TAKE A QUICK SECOND, YOU ALL, TO JUST PAUSE REAL QUICK. MY NAME IS KYLE PATTERSON. TONIGHT, WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE ROOM IS A LOT OF FOLKS, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT GIVING THE RESPECT. AND I THINK, AND I THINK THAT IT'S MY TURN RIGHT NOW AND I THINK THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT, THINK ABOUT LONG BEACH. SECOND LARGEST IN THE, IN THE COUNTY. SETTING REAL GOOD EXAMPLES HERE. LEADERSHIP, OPPORTUNITY, RESPECT. THAT'S WHAT I SEE WHEN I COME TO LONG BEACH. I'M A CONSTRUCTION WORKER JUST LIKE RAY AND THE REST OF MY BROTHER. LET'S NOT DISTURB YOUR COMMENT. THIS - HOLD ON. UH, SORRY. SORRY, SIR. LET HIM FINISH HIS PUBLIC COMMENT. DON'T DISTURB. THIS IS A WARNING. PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB. SO TIME OUT. TIME OUT. DON'T START AGAIN. DON'T START AGAIN. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE RESTORE THE ROOM TO THE STATE OF ORDER AND ISSUE A WARNING. THIS IS - SPECIFICALLY THIS LADY HERE. THIS IS THE SECOND WARNING YOU ARE RECEIVING. YOUR BEHAVIOR IS DISRUPTING THE MEETING. IF IT GOES TO A THIRD WARNING, WE WILL BE ASKING YOU TO LEAVE THE CHAMBER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PLEASE RESET HIS TIME SO HE CAN START OVER AND DELIVER HIS COMMENT. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A TOPIC FOR ME PERSONALLY, EVERYBODY. I'M AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. I PAY MY TAXES. I COME TO THESE MEETINGS. I'VE BEEN TO MORE MEETINGS THIS YEAR IN DIFFERENT CITY COUNCILS THAN A LOT OF FOLKS CAN SAY RIGHT NOW. THE LONGEST I'VE BEEN THIS YEAR SO FAR, GARDENA, 1:00 PM IN [02:10:01] THE MORNING SPEAKING AND ADVOCATING FOR WORKERS THAT WAS, THAT, THAT STAYED, THAT CAME WITH GOOD INTENTIONS AND THEN HAD TO TAP OUT AND SAY, "HEY BROTHER, I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW." BECAUSE WE WERE A- ACTUALLY OUT THERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF CREATING WORK OPPORTUNITIES. CHANGE IS HARD. A LOT OF PEOPLE DONE TALKED ABOUT THAT. I THINK THAT THIS RIGHT HERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS GONNA BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE, THE CITY. BUT SOMEONE WHO REPRESENTS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I'M UP AT FOUR IN THE MORNING ON JOB SITES. AND TO BE HERE TO COME TO A, A PUBLIC COMMENT, JUST THINK ABOUT IT. WE'RE HERE TALKING ABOUT MOVING THE MEETING, UM, UH, THAT RIGHT NOW ISN'T A GOOD TIME. WE ALREADY ARE, ARE HERE LONG, JUST THINK IF THIS WAS LATER ON TONIGHT, WE'D BE WITH, WITH A, A MINUTE AND 30 SECONDS TIMES 100 PEOPLE. WE'LL BE HERE FOR, FOR LATE AT NIGHT. SO I'M JUST SAYING, I'M JUST SAYING LIKE THIS. UM, UH - ALL RIGHT, LET'S ISSUE A WARNING. TO THE GENTLEMAN, UH, I DID, I DIDN'T... LET'S ISSUE ANOTHER WARNING, UH, TO THAT AREA. I THINK IT'S THE GENTLEMAN WITH HIS HAND UP. H'S ACKNOWLEDGING. THANK YOU. YEAH. ALL RIGHT, THIS IS YOUR SECOND WARNING. YOUR BEHAVIOR IS DISRUPTING A MEETING. IF IT GOES TO A THIRD, WE WILL BE ASKING YOU TO LEAVE THE CHAMBER. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK WHEN THEY'RE AT THE MICROPHONE. IT'S REALLY SIMPLE. LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK WHEN THEY'RE AT THE MICROPHONE. THAT'S ALL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YEAH. PLEASE CONTINUE. UM, HEY, WELL, WELL, UH, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, HEY MAN, EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM, JUST TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBOR, MAN. I, I, I HOPE THAT I'M ONE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS RIGHT THERE TOO AND IT'S NOT, UH, ILL WILL JUST BECAUSE I WANTED TO SPEAK IN, ON MY, UM, WHAT I BELIEVE IS GOOD FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND MY MEMBERS. I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO COME AND SPEAK EARLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. HELLO. UM, FOR THE COUNCIL, VOTE NO. IF THIS PASSES, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE LITIGATION THAT'S GONNA FOLLOW THIS. UH, TO ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO SHOWED UP IN SUPPORT OF THIS AGENDA ITEM, UH, THE COUNCIL MOVED THIS ITEM TO THE FRONT OF THE MEETING. SO CLEARLY THEY HAVE THE POWER TO REDUCE THE INCONVENIENCE FOR US. WHEN WE GOTTA STAY LATE, WHEN WE GOTTA STAY TILL 11:00 PM, THAT'S A DELIBERATE CHOICE ON THEIR PART BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA HEAR US SPEAK. UH, TO THE REST OF Y'ALL, UH, WHAT'S UP? UH, I'M, I'M ELLIE. IT'S, IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE THESE CHAMBERS SO PACKED. IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE SO MANY FAMILIAR FACES HERE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE PEOPLE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE PEOPLE HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT'S GREAT TO SEE PEOPLE THAT I DON'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH, BUT TODAY WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE. UH, AND I JUST WANNA SAY TO Y'ALL, LIKE, WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH THIS AGENDA ITEM TONIGHT, LIKE, WE GOTTA KEEP DOING THIS. WE GOTTA KEEP SHOWING UP BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT PUBLIC COMMENT. THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE ALL TYPE OF STUFF AWAY. THEY'RE TRYING TO RAISE OUR TAXES. THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY OUR LIBRARIES, AND WE SHOWED UP FOR THAT AND WE STOPPED IT. AND LIKE, WHATEVER THEY DO, IF WE KEEP SHOWING UP, WE CAN MAKE A BETTER CITY FOR US. AND I KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMEONE OUT HERE FROM DISTRICT TWO, AND THERE'S SOMEONE IN THIS ROOM FROM DISTRICT FOUR, AND SOMEONE FROM DISTRICT SIX, AND SOMEONE FROM DISTRICT EIGHT, AND I AM SO, SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE FOUR OF Y'ALL UP THERE IN TWO YEARS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER IS ALYSSA G, AND THEN JOE SOPO. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME'S ALYSSA GUTIERREZ, SECOND DISTRICT RESIDENT. THREE DAYS A MONTH, THAT'S HOW MANY TIMES THE PUBLIC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERFACE WITH YOU. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE ADEQUATE AND MEANINGFUL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IS NOT A PROCEDURAL COURTESY. IT'S THE BEDROCK OF OUR DEMOCRACY. THERE'S SOMETHING SACRED ABOUT THE CURRENT PROCESS WHERE WE, THE PUBLIC, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE STAFF REPORTS, SEE THE PRESENTATIONS, UNDERSTAND THE ITEM THAT IS ACTUALLY BEFORE YOU, AND THEN RESPOND TO WHAT WE JUST HEARD. AND THEN YOU, AS OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, HAVE THOSE COMMENTS FRESH IN YOUR MINDS AS YOU BEGIN YOUR DELIBERATION AND MAKE YOUR DECISION. MOVING ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT TO THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING ASKS RESIDENTS TO SPEAK BEFORE WE'VE HEARD THE INFORMATION YOU'RE GONNA USE TO MAKE YOUR DECISIONS, AND IT'S DISCONNECTED. WHEN THE PUBLIC COMMENT IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE ITEM BEING PRESENTED AND DELIBERATED, IT SENDS A VERY TROUBLING MESSAGE THAT OUR COMMENTS ARE SOMETHING TO GET THROUGH RATHER THAN INFORMATION THAT YOU SHOULD, THAT SHOULD INFORM YOUR DECISIONS. UNDER THIS PROPOSAL, RESIDENTS MAY HAVE AS LITTLE AS 60 SECONDS, AND THAT IS NOT MEANINGFUL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. IT'S A BOX TO CHECK. I KNOW THIS PROCESS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DAIS. AS COMMISSIONER, WHEN I WAS COMMISSIONER AND CHAIR OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, IT WAS ONE OF MY PERSONAL GOALS TO INCREASE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID. PUBLIC PARTITION WASN'T A INCONVENIENCE, IT WAS PART OF THE WORK. IF WE, WHEN YOU LIP IT, UH, PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE, YOU DON'T JUST SHORTEN THE MEETING, YOU WEAKEN DEMOCRACY. [02:15:01] THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. RIGHT, JOE SOPO, FIFTH DISTRICT. AND DID IT, DID ANY OF YOU SMART PEOPLE UP THERE, UH, REALIZE THAT YOU WERE GIVING US THE PUBLIC A MESSAGE? AND THE MESSAGE IS HOW WE'VE ACCEPTED YOU DON'T LIKE TO HEAR FROM US. YOU DON'T, UH, WANT OUR INPUT. THERE ARE TOO MANY, UH, YOU'RE TOO BUSY TO HEAR FROM US. UH, YOU DID NOT READ YOUR, UH, THE, UH, UH, JOB DESCRIPTION WHEN YOU WENT TO WORK. AND, AND YOU ARE BETTER THAN US. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING. THAT'S IT. SO, UH, I HEARD THAT THIS PROPOSAL WAS BROUGHT FORWARD TO SAVE TAXPAYERS' MONEY. SO LET'S GO FORWARD WITH THAT AND LET'S SAVE SOME TAXPAYERS MONEY. ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR CAN ONLY SPEAK AT THE DESIGNATED TIME YOU HAVE FOR THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK. IMAGINE THE SAVINGS ON THAT. IF, IF YOU VOTE YES ON THIS, WHOEVER VOTES YES ON THIS SHOULD HAVE THE COURAGE WHEN THEY VOTE TO SAY WHY. WE ALL WANNA HEAR IT. WE WANNA KNOW HOW YOU VOTE, WHAT YOU THINK. SO HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO THAT. I DARE YOU. THIS IS THE LAST CALL FOR PUBLIC SPEAKER SALVADOR S. AND CLAIRE S. IF YOU WERE IN THE AUDIENCE. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT. WELL, UH, THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, A FEW THINGS AND WE'LL GO TO, UH, WHATEVER COMMENTS THE COUNCIL HAS. UH, FIRST, YOU KNOW, I WAS RECEIVING A, A LOT OF MESSAGES. I GET THIS QUESTION EVERY TIME. WHEN SOMEONE APPROACHES THE DIAS AND SAYS PROFANITY AND CURSE WORDS AND SHOUTS, THEY HAVE A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO USE PROFANITY AND TO BE AS LOUD AS THEY NEED TO BE. NOW THEY CAN'T DISRUPT THE MEETING. THERE'S A DISTINCT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY ARE RECOGNIZED ON THE MICROPHONE AND WHEN WE ARE CONDUCTING THE BUSINESS OF THE MEETING OR WHEN SOMEONE IS SPEAKING. I WOULD LIKE THE CITY, THE CITY ATTORNEY TO OUTLINE WHERE THE LINES ARE AS IT RELATES TO DISRUPTIONS AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO WHEN IS THEIR TIME ON THE MICROPHONE. I THINK YOU CAPTURED IT VERY WELL, MAYOR. UM, YOU'RE RIGHT. PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS, TO USE PROFANITY, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE POINT OF DISRUPTING A MEETING WHERE YOU CANNOT CONDUCT BUSINESS AS A GROUP, THAT'S WHEN WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO WARN THEM. UM, IF IT CONTINUES, YOU WARN THEM A SECOND TIME, THE THIRD TIME, YOU CAN HAVE THEM EXCUSED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO PUBLIC COMMENT SHOULD BE ON TOPIC OF, UM, OF THE SUBJECT MATTER. UH, A NUMBER OF FOLKS RAISED SOME VERY GOOD ISSUES, AND I KNOW IT'S A DIFFICULT, IT'S A DIFFICULT, UH, UH, CHOICE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS, UH, DEALT WITH. THIS IS AN, THIS IS A DISRUPTION. THIS IS A DISRUPTION. SO I'M ACKNOWLEDGING AGAIN, THIS IS A DISRUPTION. SO, SO, UH, BUT, AND ULTIMATELY CITY COUNCIL MAKES THE CHOICE, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY MAKE A CHOICE ON THE SAME SET OF FACTS. SO I WOULD, CITY ATTORNEY HAD ONE ADDITIONAL THING TO ADD ABOUT, UH, WHAT, WHAT WASN'T DISCLOSED IN THE, UH, IN THE, UH, LINE ITEM. Y- YES. SURE. UH, JUST FOR, TO CLARIFY AS, AS, UM, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC BELIEVE 60 SECONDS IS, UM, PRESCRIBED IN THE ORDINANCE, THERE IS A S- SEPARATE PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS FOR HEARINGS. UM, A- AT TIMES, COUNSEL ACTS IN A QUASI-JUDICIAL FASHION, AND IT, OF COURSE, HAS BUDGET HEARINGS. THERE'S A SEPARATE PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS FOR THAT. FOR THAT PROCESS, THERE, EACH SPEAKER GETS THREE MINUTES IF IT'S LESS THAN 10 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP. UM, IF THERE'S 11 TO 20 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP, THEY GET 60 SECONDS, OR, UM, EXCUSE ME, 90 SECONDS. AND IF THERE'S 21 OR MORE SPEAKERS, THEY GET 60 SECONDS. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT IS... SO TO BE CLEAR, UH, WHAT THE ATTORNEY IS OUTLINING IS THERE'S TWO SEPARATE PUBLIC COMMENTS. THERE'S GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THEN WHAT ARE CURRENT PRACTICES ON HEARINGS? HEARINGS WOULD BE LIKE BUDGET HEARINGS OR LAND USE HEARINGS. THOSE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THEIR OWN SEPARATE DISTINCT PUBLIC COMMENT UNDER THE CURRENT RULES. THAT IS WHAT'S DISTINCT HERE. UH, ONE CONSOLIDATED PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AT THE BEGINNING WITH 90 MINUTES, THE ABILITY TO EXTEND. UM, AND HERE'S WHAT I WOULD SAY. UH, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL... THE REALITY IS I'VE BEEN A COUNCIL MEMBER AND I, I KNOW THE CHALLENGES THEY DEAL WITH, WITH, UH, HAVING CONSTITUENTS FROM ALL OVER TOWN. YOU HAVE AN ISSUE, YOU WANT YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO [02:20:01] BE ABLE TO COME DOWN AND SPEAK. AND A LOT OF WORK GOES INTO MAKING THAT HAPPEN. AND THE FURTHER YOU ARE, I REPRESENTED NORTH LONG BEACH, SOMETIMES IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. YOU'RE PROUD WHEN YOU SEE YOUR CONSTITUENTS COME DOWN. IT'S NOT EASY. UM, SO I CAN CERTAINLY SEE THE BENEFIT OF SAYING YOU KNOW WHAT TIME TO COME. IF YOU COME BETWEEN 5:00 AND 6:30, THAT'S YOUR TIME TO SPEAK. IT MAY BE EXTENDED. I CAN'T GUARANTEE, GUARANTEE HOW MANY TIMES IT WILL BE EXTENDED. HOWEVER, THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN SAYING, "COME DOWN TO SPEAK ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE, YOUR FIRE STATION, YOUR FIRE ENGINE, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT TIME IT'S GONNA HAPPEN." SOMETIMES THERE'S THREE OR FOUR ITEMS OF PUBLIC INTEREST, AND SOMETIMES IT COMPETES. SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL SAY, "MAYOR, CAN YOU PULL MY ITEM UP?" YOU KNOW, SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME GROUPS WHO MIGHT HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A REALLY ORGANIZED GROUP MAY START TEXTING CAMPAIGNS TO THE COUNCIL, MOVE OUR ITEM UP. I GET IT. IT MAKES... BY HAVING ONE PRO - YOU KNOW, ONE PERIOD AT THE BEGINNING, IT DEMOCRATIZES THAT. THERE'S NO MORE PAYING FAVORITES AND MOVING ONE AMONG, AMONGST THE OTHER. IT'S ONE CLEAR... LET ME JUST EXPLAIN. ONE CLEAR SYSTEM FOR EVERYONE. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE, THE TRADE-OFF. FOLKS MAY SAY IF YOU SEPARATE PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE ACTUAL PRESENTATION, THEN THAT PUTS, THAT LOWERS MY IMPACT OF MY PRES - MY COMMENT. I UNDERSTAND THAT TRADE OFF TOO. SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT BOTH ARE SAYING. REALLY, WHAT I SEE HERE IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION THE CITY COUNCIL'S HAD FOR MANY YEARS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF ITEMS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DEALS WITH EVERY SINGLE YEAR GROWS. WHEN I STARTED IN 2010 AS A CHIEF OF STAFF OR A COUNCIL MEMBER, THEY HAD LESS THAN A THOUSAND ITEMS THAT THEY WOULD TAKE ON A YEAR, 800 OR SO ITEMS A YEAR. TODAY, ABOUT 40, 30 TO 40% MORE ITEMS, BUT YOU HAVEN'T ADDED AN ADDITIONAL NIGHT. YOU HAVEN'T ADDED A LA - YOU KNOW, BRING BACK THE MEETING ON THE LA - DARK TUESDAY, ADD A SECOND MEETING OF THE, OF THE WEEK, TWO MEETINGS A WEEK. THE CITY COUNCIL HAS CONSIDERED SOME OF... HOLD ON. LET ME FINISH. EXPLAIN. SO WITHOUT ADDING ADDITIONAL TIME, IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE SAME, LET'S SAY FIVE HOURS, RIGHT, BETWEEN 5:0 PM AND 10 O'CLOCK, YOU HAVE THE SAME THREE MEETINGS A MONTH, FIVE HOURS EACH, AND YOU HAVEN'T ADDED ADDITIONAL TIME, BUT THEN YOU ADD MORE WORK EVERY YEAR INTO THAT TIME, THE ONLY NATURAL THING THAT CAN HAPPEN IS THE MEETINGS GO LATER. THE LATER A MEETING GOES, IT DISENFRANCHISES PEOPLE ON PUBLIC TRANSIT OR MAYBE WHO CAN'T STAY OUT LATE. I GET THAT POINT. SO SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE. IN REALITY, YOU EITHER NEED TO ADD ADDITIONAL TIME, YOU NEED TO START THE MEETINGS EARLIER, WHICH WAS A CONSIDERATION. COUNCIL DECIDED NOT TO DO THAT, OR YOU CAN CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF THE CITY COUNCIL. AND CITY COUNCILS... I WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER. I WORKED FULL-TIME. IT'S PART-TIME. THEY MAKE A QUARTER OF WHAT THE MAYOR MAKES. HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. CITY COUNCIL COULD PUT FORWARD A MEASURE TO CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF CITY COUNCIL, GO HALF-TIME, GO FULL-TIME, MEET ON A MORE REGULAR BASIS, MORE THAN ONCE A, ONCE A MONTH, UH, ONCE A WEEK. ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. SO, SO THE POINT HERE IS THAT YOU HAVE REALLY A CONFLICT, A NATURAL TENSION, THAT AT SOME POINT, SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN. SO I'M AGNOSTIC ON HOW IT, HOW IT PLAYS OUT, BUT ULTIMATELY, THE COUNCIL ON ALL SIDES HAS BEEN GRAPPLING WITH THIS FOR SOME TIME. AND SO, THANK YOU. SO NOW WE'RE GONNA GO TO CITY COUNCIL. UH, I THINK THE FIRST PERSON TEED UP TO SPEAK IS COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WHEN THIS PROPOSAL CAME TO US SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM YOU, THE RESIDENTS, THAT YOU DID NOT SUPPORT REDUCING YOUR OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK ON INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. AND WE HEARD THAT HERE TONIGHT VERY CLEARLY. THAT YOU WANT YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT PROTECTED, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM WHEN THAT ITEM IS ACTUALLY BEFORE US, AFTER THEY HAVE HEARD THE STAFF PRESENTATION AND BEFORE COUNCIL MAKES A DECISION. I DON'T THINK ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE ONE COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING HOURS BEFORE D - WE DISCUSSED THE ISSUE THEY CAME HERE FOR IS THE SAME LEVEL OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. I UNDERSTAND OUR MEETINGS RUN LONG. PART OF OUR MEETINGS IS DELIBERATION AND DISCUSSION. I UNDERSTAND PUBLIC COMMENT CAN SOMETIMES BE DIFFICULT. I DON'T ACCEPT IT BEING DISRESPECTFUL, BUT SITTING HERE AND LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC IS ONE OF THE MOST BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES [02:25:01] WE HAVE AS COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M GOING TO BE REGISTERING MY OPPOSITION TONIGHT AS I HAVE ON PREVIOUS VOTES. I DO THINK WE NEED TO MAKE OUR MEETINGS MORE EFFICIENT, AND I THINK WE CAN START BY LOOKING AT OUR PROCESSES THAT WE DO NOT FOLLOW. OUR ORDER OF BUSINESS LIMITS CEREMONIAL ITEMS AT THE BEGINNING OF MEETINGS TO FIVE MINUTES PER ITEM, THREE ITEMS PER MEETING. OVER THE NEARLY FOUR YEARS I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, I DON'T KNOW IF WE EVER HAD A CEREMONY LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES. BEFORE WE REDUCE THE TIME OR OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS, LET'S START BY HOLDING OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO THE EXISTING ORDER OF BUSINESS. I DO THINK THERE ARE GOOD CLEANUP ITEMS WITHIN THIS ITEM THAT WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH. CLARIFYING SOME OF THE LANGUAGE FROM CHAIRMAN TO CHAIR SEEMS LIKE A GOOD CHANGE AND REQUIRING ALL PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND MEDIA USED FOR DISCUSSION SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY SO PEOPLE HAVE TIME TO REVIEW AND PREPARE IS ALSO A GOOD CHANGE. I'D LIKE TO RESTART THE DISCUSSION TO MOVE THE SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA TO DEADLINE TO THURSDAY, NOT FRIDAY. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE CITY CLERK TEAM TO MOVE TO A 980 SCHEDULE, WHICH WILL SAVE THE CITY OVERTIME COSTS DURING MEETINGS AND GIVE THE CITY ATTORNEY'S TEAM FRIDAY TO REVIEW SUPPLEMENTAL ITEMS INSTEAD OF WORKING OVER THE WEEKEND. I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION ON HOW WE CAN MAKE OUR MEETINGS MORE EFFICIENT, BUT I CONTINUE TO DISAGREE WITH THE PROPOSAL BEFORE US TONIGHT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. FOR THAT REASON, I AM VOTING NO. ALL RIGHT. FORGIVE ME IF I DON'T, IF I'M NOT SEEING ANY ADDITIONAL... COUNCILMEMBER ALLEN, DID YOU HAVE COMMENTS? YEAH, UM, THERE WAS A MOTION AND A SECOND. UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF, IF YOU WANT ME TO GO - TYPICALLY WE GO WITH - DEFER WHEN I LOOK. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR IT. ALL RIGHT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA THANK, UH, EVERYONE FOR YOUR TIME AND, UH, FOR EVERYONE THAT CAME OUT TODAY. UM, THE PETITION THAT CIRCULATED WITH 700 SIGNATURES AND OPPOSITION, UM, IS, IS SIGNIFICANT. UM, I ALSO PERSONALLY HAVE READ THE NUMEROUS LETTERS AND EMAILS THAT I RECEIVED OVER THE MONTHS IN OPPOSITION. I'VE BEEN AT NUMEROUS COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND, UM, AND THIS IS JUST NOT A POPULAR... I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORTS TO STREAMLINE OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS, BUT WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY IS JUST NOT DEMOCRATIC. AND THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN, WE NEED VOICES TO BE HEARD MORE THAN EVER. SO, UM, I DO ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT MAKING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION EASIER. I WANT, UH, UH... BUT THIS PROCESS AND POLICY DIS- DISCUSSION, UM, HAS BEEN EXTREMELY FRAUGHT, UH, FROM THE BEGINNING. UM, IF THESE CHANGES ARE MADE, WE CAN'T GO BACK, SO WE JUST HAVE TO GET THIS RIGHT. THE, UH, THE PROPOSALS THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING ARE ALL VERY, UH, SIMILAR, BUT NONE MAKE IT EASY FOR THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE. I THINK ALL IT DOES IS CONSOLIDATE COMMENTS. AS I SAID BEFORE, AND I THINK EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE I STAND, I DO NOT SUPPORT CONSOLIDATING PUBLIC COMMENT INTO ONE TIME PERIOD BEFORE COUNCILMEN MEETINGS AND ELIMINATING THE ABILITY TO COMMENT ON EVERY AGENDA ITEM. IN MY OPINION, THIS CHANGE REPRESENTS A MAJOR SETBACK IN PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, AND IT'S JUST VERY UNPOPULAR. SO I JUST CONTINUE TO ASK MYSELF, "WHAT ARE WE DOING THIS FOR?" AND IT'S BEEN INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE REASONS AND JUSTIFICATIONS, UM, THAT KEEPS YOU SHIFTING. FIRST, IT WAS, UH, SB 707 COMPLIANCE, AND IT WAS SAVING MONEY ON STAFF TIME, AND IT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE OFFICERS. UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL NOW FOR, FOR SIX YEARS, AND THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST CONVOLUTED, UNDEMOCRATIC, AMBIGUOUS BACKROOM POLICY DECISION-MAKING THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. I, I STILL, I STILL, UM, I STILL AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE SPEAKING TIME. DURING OUR SEPTEMBER 1ST COUNCIL MEETING, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE EXI - THE EXISTING PRACTICE WOULD CARRY OVER THREE MINUTES FOR UP TO 10 SPEAKERS, 90 SECONDS FOR 11 TO 20, AND 60 SECONDS FOR 21 OR, OR MORE. UM, BUT NOW THE ORDINANCE BEFORE US PROVIDES THREE MINUTES TO ALL SPEAKERS IN A 90-MINUTE WINDOW AND ALLOWS THE PRESIDING OFFICER TO REDUCE THE TIME BASED ON THE TOTAL SPEAKERS WITHOUT CLARIFYING THE THRESHOLDS. AND TO MY UNDERSTANDING, THIS WAS NOT EVEN DIRECTED BY COUNCIL, BUT, BUT NEVERTHELESS, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY. [02:30:01] UM, I, I DO BELIEVE THAT I WORK UP HERE WITH SOME SMART PEOPLE ON THE DIAS. I THINK THEY'RE SMART PEOPLE IN THE CITY. AND I JUST CAN'T SEE WHY WE CAN'T COME UP WITH A POLICY THAT MEETS EVERYONE'S NEEDS. WE DON'T HAVE TO PIN PEOPLE AGAINST EACH OTHER. I THINK WE CAN FIGURE THIS OUT. UM, WE COULD ALLOW EXEMPTIONS, UM, FOR FOLKS. UM, BUT I STILL THINK IF PEOPLE DO CHOOSE TO STAY AND WANNA SPEAK ON EVERY, UH, AGENDA ITEM, THEN WE SHOULD MAKE THAT HAPPEN FOR THEM. UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, WE RECEIVED, I KNOW THAT ALL MY COLLEAGUES RECEIVED, UM, AND I WANNA UPLIFT THIS, A LETTER FROM THE DISABILITY RIGHTS COUNCIL. AND IN THAT LETTER, THEY CLEARLY ASK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT WHEN A SPECIFIC, WHEN A SPECIFIC ITEM IS CALLED. THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE AND NEED OF BEING INCLUSIVE AND ACCOMMODATING MORE THAN EVER, THAN ANY OF OUR OTHER CONSISTENCY GROUPS. AND, UM, AND THEY ARE IN OPPOSITION OF WHAT WE HAVE TODAY. AND WE NEED TO TAKE NOTE AND GIVE THAT POINT, UM, THE RECOGNITION THAT IT DESERVES. UM, I SUPPORT FINDING EFFICIENCIES IN OUR MEETING, BUT THOSE EFFICIENCIES SHOULD NOT COME AT LIMITING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. IT SHOULD NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF CONVENIENCE. AND IT SHOULD NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF MAKING OUR JOBS EASIER. I KNOW THIS IS AN UNPOP - A VERY UNPOPULAR POLICY SINCE THE DAY IT WAS PUBLISHED ON THE WEBSITE. PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE CONSOLIDATING ALL THEIR COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. PEOPLE WANT CHOICES, ACCOMMODATIONS, TRANSPARENCIES, AND NOT RESTRICTIONS. IF PEOPLE WANT TO TALK AT THE BEGINNING, THE MIDDLE, OR THE END OF THE MEETING, THEN SO BE IT. THAT IS THEIR CHOICE AND IT SHOULD BE THEIR RIGHT TO DO SO. AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN AND HONOR THEIR PREFERENCES. WE ACCEPTED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SERVING RESIDENTS. WE ACCEPTED THE RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE CHARTER TO COME TO THREE COUNCIL MEETINGS A MONTH. THAT'S OUR JOB. AND IF THAT MEANS WE STAY LATE, WE LISTEN TO COMMENTS, EVEN WE DON'T DISAGREE WITH THEM, THAT IS OUR JOB. SO I CANNOT IN GOOD FAITH SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL, CONSOLIDATING ALL COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF A COUNCIL MEETING AND ELIMINATING PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY AGENDA ITEMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CARR. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO'S HERE TONIGHT. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE REACHED OUT TO MY AND MY COLLEAGUES' OFFICES WHO HAVE ATTENDED MEETINGS, SHARED PUBLIC COMMENT, WHETHER IT'S TONIGHT OR IN PREVIOUS LITIGATIONS ON THIS CONVERSATION. I HAVE ALWAYS KEPT THE DIVERSITY OF CONCERNS AND OPINIONS AT THE FOREFRONT OF MY MIND WHEN MAKING DECISIONS THAT IMPACT SO MANY. AND WHILE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN AT COUNCIL, ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE THAT WE HAVE... WHILE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT HAPPENS AT COUNCIL MEETINGS AND IT ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE, BEING PUBLIC, BEING AROUND AND PRESENT IN THE PUBLIC IS ALSO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. THIS IS ON THE RECORD. THIS IS THE PUBLIC RECORD. THIS IS THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT COUNTS. IT GETS RECORDED, IT GETS PUT ONLINE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. I'VE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF LIMITING PUBLIC COMMENTS SINCE THIS CONVERSATION BEGAN, FIRST WITH THE GOE COMMITTEE WHEN IT FIRST CAME TO COUNCIL LAST NOVEMBER. THE ORIGINAL INTENTIONS OF THE SURVEY WERE, WERE TO MAKE COUNCIL MEETINGS MORE WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE. BY THE TIME IT CAME TO COUNCIL, THE ORDER OF BUSINESS CHANGES SEEMED SOLELY FOCUSED ON MEETING EFFICIENCY IN TERMS OF REDUCING THE OVERALL LENGTH OF COUNCIL MEETINGS OR THE CHANCE OF MEETINGS RUNNING LATE INTO THE NIGHT. WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO CONDUCT THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY, WE HAVE A DUTY AND AN OBLIGATION TO KEEP THE PUBLIC INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. AS I HAVE SHARED DURING PREVIOUS MEETINGS, THIS IS THE PLACE PEOPLE COME TO BE HEARD. WE KNOW THAT WE DO NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, VERY RARELY AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND OFTENTIMES THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE THE MOST, AND THE MOST LOCAL PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME TO HAVE THEIR FEELINGS HEARD ON THE RECORD ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CITY, OUR STATE, AND OUR NATION AND THE WORLD. IT'S IMPORTANT AND WE NEED TO RESPECT THAT. I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL THAT THE PUBLIC HAS COME TO HAVE THEIR MOMENT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S ON NON-AGENDIZED ITEMS BECAUSE IT'S THE TIME PEOPLE COME TO SAY SOMETHING THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM. IT'S CLEAR THAT THESE CHANGES AS PROPOSED TONIGHT DO NOT MAKE OUR RESIDENTS FEEL WELCOMED OR THAT THEY'VE INCREASED ACCESS TO PROCESS. I UNDERSTAND ALSO THAT THE TENOR AND VITRIOL OF SOME PUBLIC COMMENT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO SOME RESIDENTS NOT FEELING WELCOME OR COMFORTABLE TO ATTEND OR WATCH OUR PUBLIC MEETINGS. I MADE AMENDMENTS LAST WEEK TO TRY TO INCREASE THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE AND IF IN CASE THIS ITEM MOVES FORWARD. THOSE CHANGES FALL FAR SHORT IN DOING SO AND I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THIS ITEM TONIGHT. AND I WANT IT NOTED, AS MY COLLEAGUE SAID, THAT MEMBERS OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY HAVE BROUGHT TO LIGHT REAL CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES TO PARTICIPATION IN OUR MEETINGS AND WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ADDRESS AND CONSIDER THOSE. I WILL BE VOTING NO, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING [02:35:01] WITH MY COLLEAGUES, ONE OR TWO OF MY COLLEAGUES TO BRING SOME ADA ACCESSIBILITIES CONSIDERATION, TO CONSIDERATION BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, VICE MAYOR, I MEAN, VICE MAYOR YURANGA. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, EARLIER TODAY, THIS EVENING, WE ALL HEARD IT, SOMEBODY COME UP AND SAID, "I'M SORRY YOU'RE SICK, BUT YOU'RE TAKING UP SPACE." I AM NOT TAKING UP SPACE. I TAKE MY TIME, MY CHOICE TO BE HERE. WHEN I GOT SICK FOUR YEARS AGO, I BROUGHT THAT UP IN OUR LAST MEETING. I HAD A CHOICE. I COULD HAVE RESIGNED. I COULD HAVE JUST WALKED AWAY AND TAKEN CARE OF MY HEALTH. BUT I JUST GOT ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE 7TH DISTRICT. I WAS A NEWLY ELECTED COUNCILPERSON. DO I WALK AWAY FROM THEM OR DO I CONTINUE MY SERVICE? I CHOSE TO CONTINUE MY SERVICE BECAUSE I WAS ELECTED BY MATEMO TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES. NOW, I MAY BE INCAPACITATED PHYSICALLY, BUT I'M NOT INCAPACITATED HERE OR HERE. I HAVE A RIGHT. I HAVE AS MUCH A RIGHT TO BE HERE AS YOU DO. AND WHY? BECAUSE YOU ELECTED ME. NOW, THERE, THERE MIGHT BE SOME, SOME CHANGES. I KNOW THERE'S PEOPLE HERE WHO DID NOT, BUT THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S WHAT DEMOCRACY IS ALL ABOUT. DEMOCRACY IS YOU, WHO YOU ELECT TO BE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND THEN WHAT WE DO. WE'RE HERE BECAUSE WE REPRESENT THE, THE, OUR CONSTITUENTS. SO WHAT I'M DOING HERE TODAY, DON'T INTERRUPT ME. DON'T INTERRUPT ME. I HAVE A CHOICE. I HAVE THE FLOOR. I CAN, I HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEAK. AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO WHATEVER DECISIONS I MAKE, I MAKE THEM BECAUSE I FEEL WHATEVER'S THE BEST FOR MY COMMUNITY, WHATEVER IS THE BEST FOR MY CITY COUNCIL, WHATEVER IS THE BEST THAT MAKES THIS CITY COUNCIL WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY AND MORE COST EFFECTIVELY. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. I'M HERE TO HELP THE CITY WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY FOR ITS CONSTITUENTS FOR ITS PEOPLE. NOW, HAVING SAID THAT, THERE'S A... ALL RIGHT. BENJAMIN IS REALLY ONCE SAID, CHANGE IS INEVITABLE. IN A PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY, CHANGE IS CONSTANT. WHAT WE HAVE HERE TONIGHT AND WHAT WE ARE CONSIDERING IS CHANGE. AND WE AS A CITY COUNCIL HAVE TO DECIDE, ARE WE GOING TO BE A PROGRESSIVE CITY OR A REGRESSIVE CITY? I CHOOSE PROGRESSIVENESS OVER PROGRESSIVENESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT IS... ALL RIGHT. NO INTER - DISRUPTIONS TO THE MEETING. TRYING TO GET TO A... THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER SORO. WE KNOW YOU. SO I THOUGH I'VE SAT AND LISTENED TO EVERYONE AND OBVIOUSLY WHAT I'M GONNA SAY IS NOT GONNA BE POPULAR, BUT I WANNA BE ABLE TO SPEAK. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I'VE BEEN CONSISTENTLY VOTING FOR THIS BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO MY RESIDENT. I'VE HAD DIVERSE COMMUNITY RESIDENT CALLED IN BECAUSE THEY'VE HAD VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AND NOT ONLY IN WHY THEY COULDN'T ATTEND THE MEETING, BUT WHY THEY ALSO HAVE CHALLENGES CALLING IN. I HAD DR. ELISA NICHOLAS WHO COULDN'T CALL IN EVEN BECAUSE SHE HAS A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD SHE'S TAKEN CARE OF. SO I'M JUST SAYING THAT THERE ARE MANY VOICES THAT ARE ALSO NOT HEARD AND MANY HAVE SAID EARLIER, "OH, WELL, WHO AM I SPEAKING FOR? I'M SPEAKING FOR MY RESIDENT WHO HAVE CALLED IN AND SHARE THAT THEY ARE IN SUPPORT OF THIS." SO I'M GONNA MAKE SURE TO UPLIFT PARENTS WHO HAVE SPOKEN AND THEIR BARRIERS AS WELL WHERE THEY'RE PROVIDING CHILDCARE. SO I ALSO RESPECT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR COMMENTS, BUT IT'S CHANGING THE WAY WE'RE DOING COMMENTING, NOT TAKING IT AWAY. IT IS CHANGING IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER THRASHENTU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT - UH, JUST A MOMENT, COUNCILMEMBER. OH, SORRY. OKAY. LITTLE... I'M WAITING. I'M WAITING. THANK YOU. [02:40:01] THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID WANNA SHARE TONIGHT, I HAVE SHARED SEVERAL OCCASIONS REGARDING THIS PARTICULAR MATTER AND WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR THE CONSTITUENTS THAT I REPRESENT. THE REASON WHY I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE AT A MOMENT WHERE WE NEED TO LOOK AT CHANGING HOW WE ENGAGE IS RELATED TO MY CONSTITUENTS THAT I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE DONE SOME ANALYSIS, AND FINALLY, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE FACT, OR I WILL SHARE, THAT I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS MORE THAT CAN BE DONE. HOWEVER, WE'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GOVERN RIGHT NOW. SO FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO GET A LOT OF INPUT. BUT I SPENT SEV - THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS TALKING WITH MY CONSTITUENTS WHO DON'T JUST WORK ONE JOB, TWO JOBS, SOME WORK THREE JOBS, AND DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO A COUNCIL MEETING AND THE LEISURE TO SIT HERE THIS ENTIRE TIME. WITH THAT - APRIL, APRIL. WITH THAT - SO PLEASE RESTORE, UM, THE MEETING TO THE STATE OF ORDER AND PLEASE ISSUE A, A, A WARNING HERE. AND I THINK THAT'S THE THIRD WARNING OF THIS GENTLEMAN. SIR - YEAH. JUST A MOMENT. PLEASE ISSUE THE FINAL - THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, SIR. THIS GENTLEMAN IS DISRUPTING THE MEETING. HOPEFULLY HE - AND PLEASE ISSUE WARNING TO, TO APRIL IN THE FRONT ROW. THANK YOU. HOPEFULLY HE CAN GET SOME REST BECAUSE I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS OUT THERE. IT'S SECOND WARNING. BEHAVIOR IS DISRUPTING THE MEETING. IF YOU CONTINUE TO DISRUPT THE MEETING, A THIRD WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AND YOU'LL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE CHAMBER. THANK YOU. AGAIN, THERE'S A TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. THERE'S A TIME FOR BUSINESS. IT'S NOW TIME FOR THE COUNCIL TO DELIBERATE AND MAKE THE CHOICE THAT YOU'RE WAIT - THAT YOU'RE WAITING ON. THANK YOU. WE ALSO HAVE... I'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF CONSTITUENTS THAT THEY NO LONGER FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING TO THE CHAMBERS GIVEN THE WAY THAT THINGS ARE HANDLED RIGHT NOW AND THE WAY THAT THE PUBLIC HAS BEHAVED. I HAVE CONSTITUENTS WHO'VE MADE CLEAR THAT THEY ARE NOT COMFORTABLE AND ARE AFRAID TO BE IN THE CHAMBERS BECAUSE OF THE WAY PEOPLE ARE EXPRESSING THEMSELVES HERE. THEN I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THE ANALYSIS THAT HAS BEEN DONE - UH, JUST, JUST A MOMENT. OH, WE HAVE ONE. THE GENTLEMAN IN THE CHAIR, ISSUE YOUR FINAL WARNING. I THINK THAT'S HIS THIRD WAVE. THANK YOU, SIR. TAKE CARE. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. PLEASE PROCEED. THANK YOU. AND THEN, UH, WE, WE WON'T EVEN GO INTO THE DETAIL OF THE ANALYSIS. WE HAVE THAT HERE REGARDING NOT ONLY WHAT THE TOP 10 CITIES ARE DOING, BUT ALSO WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES IN OUR REGION ARE DOING IN ORDER TO RESPOND TO SB 707. AND WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE ON ZOOM HAVE A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE, UH, IN OUR MEETINGS. FURTHER, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY FORMAT IN WHICH WE CAN ENGAGE WITH ONE ANOTHER. WE HAVE OFFERED MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, AND LIKE I SAID, I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH MY CONSTITUENTS ABOUT WHAT IS NEEDED, AND THERE ARE MANY ISSUES BEYOND THE ONES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY. AND I WISH SOME OF YOU WOULD COME OUT FOR SOME OF OUR MEETINGS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING, MAKING SURE THAT WE ERADICATE THAT WITHIN OUR CITY AS SOMETHING THAT WE GET FOCUSED ON. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THAT HAS TO DO WITH THIS, BUT THAT'S A DISRUPTION TO THE MEETING. UH, PLEASE ISSUE A, A WARNING TO, UM, RESTORE ORDER TO THE MEETING. IN ORDER TO RESTORE DECORUM, I WILL ASK OFFICERS PRESENT TO PLEASE CLEAR OUT THE MEETING IF YOU CANNOT CONDUCT YOURSELVES IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER. THIS IS THE LAST WARNING TO THIS GROUP, YOUR THIRD AND FINAL WARNING. THANK YOU. AND TO BE CLEAR, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GENTLEMAN IN THE TIE-DYE THAT CONTINUES TO DISRUPT THE MEETING. LET'S JUST GET THROUGH THE, THE ORDER OF BUSINESS. THANK YOU. PLEASE PROCEED. UH, FINALLY, I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCIES COMMITTEE. THIS COMMITTEE HAS HAD TIME OVER THE LAST YEAR TO CONSIDER WHAT THE STRATEGY MIGHT BE IN ORDER TO RESPOND TO 707. I CHAIR OTHER COMMITTEES AND SIT ON OTHER COMMITTEES, AND I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR MY COLLEAGUES HERE TO PRESENT IDEAS AS TO HOW WE CAN COME TO ANOTHER CONCLUSION REGARDING THIS PARTICULAR, UH, POLICY. WE ARE WHERE WE ARE TODAY IN TERMS OF A POLICY THAT DOES REQUIRE, THAT WE, THAT WILL REQUIRE SOME CHANGE. [02:45:01] I'M COMFORTABLE WITH WHERE WE ARE TODAY. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CANNOT HAVE A CONVERSATION FURTHER ALONG REGARDING HOW ELSE THIS POLICY CAN BE AS RESPONSIVE AS POSSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR OTHER WAYS TO ENGAGE IN PUBLIC COMMENT. SO I ASK MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE HAD, UH, DIRECT OVERSIGHT AND S - UH, WITH THAT PARTICULAR COMMITTEE TO PLEASE SHARE ANY IDEAS YOU MIGHT HAVE REGARDING HOW THIS POLICY COULD BE, UH, LOOKED AT AND ASSESSED IN THE FUTURE. UH, BUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY IS THAT I HAVE A NUMBER OF CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE READY TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC PROCESS BY KNOWING WHEN AND ABOUT WHAT TIME THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PRO- PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. IT WAS NOTED BY ONE OF THE SPEAKERS EARLIER THAT WE, UH, HELD FROM OUR OFFICE A PRESENTATION ON COMMUNITY VIOLENCE AND PREVENTION. WE HAD NEARLY 100 YOUTH HERE AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO SPEAK BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE A TIME CERTAIN AT WHICH THEY COULD DO SO. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT FAMILIES... SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FAMILIES, UH, WHO DON'T HAVE INFINITE FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC PROCESS BY KNOWING WHEN OUR PUBLIC COMMENT WILL TAKE PLACE AND WHEN THEY CAN EXPECT TO BE HEARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS COUNCILWOMAN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S THE MOMENT, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND DEJAS. I AM. I... THANK YOU. UM, MICHAEL, UH, LET'S ISSUE A FINAL WARNING TO MICHAEL ON DISRUPTING THE MEETING. THIS IS YOUR THIRD AND FINAL WARNING. YOUR BEHAVIOR IS DISRUPTING... NAH, WE WARMED YOUR GROUP TWICE. YOU WERE IN THAT GROUP. I'M SORRY, PLEASE CONTINUE.THIS IS YOUR THIRD AND FINAL WARNING. YOUR BEHAVIOR IS DISRUPTING THE MEETING. WE WILL BE ASKING YOU TO LEAVE THE CHAMBER IF WE HAVE FURTHER DISRUPTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILWOMANS AND DEJAS, PLEASE PROCEED. THANK YOU. UM, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CONTINUE TO BE AN AFTERTHOUGH. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE ADVOCATED FOR SO LONG, FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE, TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE ACCESS TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, AS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND ME A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THAT COMMUNITY, I FEEL THAT, UM, THERE ARE TOO MANY DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WITHOUT HAVING THE EXPERIENCE, UH, OF WHAT WE EXPERIENCE IN A DAILY LIFE. I HAVE SEEN MANY, MANY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES COME TO CITY COUNCIL WANTING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT AND HAVING TO LEAVE BEFORE THEY ARE HEARD. AND I ALSO HEARD A COMMENT EARLIER TODAY, "WELL, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE ZOOM NOW." YES. SO YOU'RE, UM, SAYING THAT, OR WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY SHOULD NOT COME TO CITY COUNCIL TO VOICE THEIR OPINION. UH, SO BECAUSE WE HAVE ZOOM NOW. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. LET'S FI - LET'S FINISH. BECAUSE - JUST A MOMENT, COUNCIL, A MOMENT. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. JUST A MOMENT, COUNSEL. JUST A MOMENT. JUST A MOMENT. LET... OKAY. LET'S LET HER FINISH. PLEASE CONTINUE. THAT'S WHAT I HEARD, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY HEARD WHEN THEY SAY WE HAVE ZOOM NOW. YES, ZOOM MAKES IT WONDERFUL FOR EVERYBODY TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE, BUT HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THE PERSON THAT HAS TO MAKE YOUR RIDE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE? UM, AND THAT IS... AND THAT, AND THAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOUR RIDE. SEE, PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. AND I KNOW THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES STRUGGLE, STRUGGLE WITH HAVING TO MAKE TRANSPORTATION PLANS. AND THE... AND PEOPLE HAVE TO COME AND WANT TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD, BUT THEY CAN'T BECAUSE THE AGENDA ITEMS GET PUSHED. THIS IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SET TIME FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE DISABILITIES, WHO CANNOT CHANGE THEIR RIDES, UM, AND WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON. AND, UM, AND I THINK THAT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER AS A COUNCIL MOVING FORWARD, BUT, UM, BUT THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE IMPORTANT TO ME. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU. NEXT IS COUNCIL MEMBER RICKSODI. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND RESIDENTS. UH, FOR YEARS, RESIDENTS WHO WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT FACED UNPREDICTABLE SCHEDULES AND LATE NIGHT PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS. BEFORE I WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I WAS ONE OF THOSE RESIDENTS. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, I'M BALANCING FAMILY NEEDS IN THE WORK OF BEING A COUNCIL MEMBER. MY CHILDREN ARE, ARE TRYING TO GET INTO THE LIVING ROOM RIGHT NOW. BY CONSOLI - BY CONSOLIDATING PUBLIC COMMENT INTO A SINGLE COMPREHENSIVE 90-MINUTE WINDOW [02:50:01] EARLY IN THE EVENING, THIS ORDINANCE PRIORITIZES COMMUNITY MEMBERS' TIMES AND RECOGNIZES THE DIFFICULTY WITH LONG AGENDAS AND LATE NIGHT PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS ALLOWS PEOPLE TO PROVIDE ALL THEIR PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR EVERY ITEM BY A PREDICTABLE TIME, WHETHER YOU ARE ONLINE OR IN PERSON. FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH CHILDREN LIKE MINE, THAT MEANS MAKING IT HOME FOR DINNER, PICKING UP KIDS FROM PRACTICE, HELPING WITH HOMEWORK, AND BEING HOME FOR BEDTIME. BEYOND SMARTER SCHEDULING, THIS UPDATE EM - UM, EMBEDS REAL EQUITY INTO OUR MUNICIPAL CODE. MOREOVER, THIS ORDINANCE INCLUDES THE CITY CLERK READING WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT TOTALS FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM, ALLOWING COUNCIL MEMBERS TO KNOW REAL TIME WHICH ITEMS RECEIVED A LOT OF COMMUNICATION, PRESERVES THREE MINUTES PER PUBLIC SPEAKER, STILL ALLOWS A SEPARATE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS, INCLUDING BUDGET HEARINGS, ALLOWS WHOEVER IS CHAIRING THE MEETING TO ADD MORE TIME IF WE HAVE A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENT, AND ENSURES THAT REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS ARE ATTACHED TO POSTED AGENDA ITEMS NO LATER THAN FRIDAY BEFORE COUNCIL MEETING ALLOWING TIME COMMU - TIMELY COMMUNITY REVIEW. GOOD LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE, TRANSPARENT, AND RESPECTFUL OF WORKING FAMILIES AND THE DEMANDS OF LIFE. I'LL BE VOTING IN SUPPORT OF THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. ALL RIGHT. UH, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GET BACK TO IT. COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AS THE CHAIR OF THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCIES COMMITTEE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, I BROUGHT AN ITEM FORWARD WITH, UH, THE SUPPORT OF MY COLLEAGUES TO HELP... WE BROUGHT IDEAS FORWARD, SUCH AS TIME CERTAIN ITEMS. THESE ARE THINGS THAT I BROUGHT TO COUNCIL AND COUNCIL VOTED TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER 707 WAS IMPLEMENTED. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY ITERATIONS OF THIS NOW. UM, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO, UM... CITY ATTORNEY, UM, I WANNA... I MOVE THAT WE RETURN WITH AN ORDINANCE THAT INCLUDES THE PROPOSED CHANGES, BUT KEEPS THE CURRENT ORDER OF BUSINESS AND CURRENT PUBLIC COMMENT PROCEDURES UNCHANGED. THE GOAL OF THE... DID YOU GET THAT? DID, YES. GO AHEAD. THE GOAL OF THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCIES, UM, ITEM THAT WE BROUGHT TO COUNCIL WAS TO HELP WITH TRANSPARENCY, TO DRIVE PEOPLE TO THE MEETINGS, TO SPEAK AT PUBLIC COMMENT. I THINK A TIME CERTAIN OPTION IS VERY GOOD FOR PEOPLE. ITEMS THAT RELATE TO KIDS, WE COULD MOVE THEM FORWARD IN THE MEETING. PEOPLE... SO I'M, I'M ASKING FOR THAT TO BE LOOKED AT, UH, AND BROUGHT BACK AS PART OF THE ORDINANCE. COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN? YES, AND THEN, UM, PART OF THE OR- ORDINANCE, UM, WITH REGARDS TO, UH, DISABILITY, I'D LIKE YOU TO LOOK AT JUST TIME CERTAIN, THAT ANYONE WITH A DISABILITY IS GUARANTEED TO SPEAK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, UM, THAT THERE'S AN EXCEPT, UH, EXEMPTION IF, UH, IF THERE'S OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SPEAKERS, IF THEY'RE, UH, FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY, THAT THEY AUTOMATICALLY GET TO SPEAK. AND, UM, AND I AGREE WITH, UH, MY, UH, COLLEAGUE KEEPING, UH, THE, THE, THE MEETING THE WAY IT IS SO PEOPLE... ANYONE WITH DISABILITY CAN SPEAK ON AN AG - ANY AGENDA ITEM AT THE BEGINNING OF A MEETING, SO THEY'RE TIME CERTAIN BECAUSE I DO BE - I DO AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES IN DEJAS, TRANSPORTATION, UM, AND, AND, AND, UH, MY STEPDAD BEING IN A WHEELCHAIR IS REALLY DIFFICULT. AND WHAT SHE WAS SAYING IS SO TRUE, IT'S HARD, BUT IF WE CAN TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT AND SAY, LET'S, LET'S DO TIME START IN THE BEGINNING AT EVERY MEETING THAT ANYONE WITH A DISABILITY CAN, CAN TALK ON ANY AGENDA ITEM, C - WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. AND MR. MAYOR, MR. MAYOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS IN DEJAS. MR. MAYOR, JUST TO BE CLEAR, ARE WE... ARE THESE FRIENDLY AMENDMENTS THAT ARE BEING MADE BY - NO, THE, THE, THAT MOTION WAS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, NOT A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. AND I, AND I DIDN'T HEAR A SECOND, BUT I THINK THAT WAS A SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. YES, SIR. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT IS OUNCIL MEMBERS INDEXAS. I JUST WANNA SAY I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN, BUT, UM, ALSO, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE DISABILITIES THAT DON'T WANNA DISCLOSE THEIR DISABILITIES, SO THAT WOULD BE JEOPARDIZING THAT, SO THAT WOULDN'T WORK, BUT... AND THERE ARE. AND - PLEASE LET THE DISCUSSION TAKE PLACE. THIS IS THE PROCESS. PUBLIC COMMENT HAS ENDED. THIS IS THE DECISION-MAKING DELIBERATION PROCESS. [02:55:01] THEY HAVE TO, LIKE, DISCUSS ONE ANOTHER. YOU ALL GET YOUR CHA- CHANCE, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR CHANCE TO DELIBERATE. THAT'S THIS, THAT'S THIS OPPORTUNITY. SO PLEASE ALLOW THE DELIBERATION TO TAKE PLACE. THAT'S A DISTUR - DISRUPTION OF THE MEETING. 90 SECONDS. ALL RIGHT. LET'S DO FINAL WARNING TO, UH, THIS INDIVIDUAL IN THE FRONT WHO'S STANDING AND CONTINUES TO INTERRUPT THE MEETING. YOU'VE CONTINUED TO WILLFULLY INTERRUPT THE MEETING. THIS IS YOUR THIRD AND FINAL WARNING. IF WE HAVE TO DIS - STOP THE MEETING AGAIN FOR DISRUPTIONS, WE'LL BE ASKING YOU TO LEAVE THE CHAMBER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. PLEASE PROCEED, COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBERS OF DEHAS, WERE YOU, WERE, WERE YOU, WERE YOU FINISHED WITH YOUR STATEMENT? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE... NOW WE MOVE TO THE VOTE. SO WE FIRST HAVE THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, DUGGAN, WHICH WOULD, UH, NOT MOVE THIS, THE ORDINANCE THAT'S ON THE AGENDA FORWARD AND START THE CREATION OF A SECOND MOTION WITH OTHER CONSIDERATIONS THAT SHE MENTIONED. AND THEN AFTER THAT MOTION, THE MAIN MOTION WOULD BE WHAT'S ON F - ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF US. SO THAT SAID, ROLL CALL VOTE. UM, WHAT... MAYOR, AND THEN I HAVE A FRIENDLY FOR MY - INCLUS- INCLUSIVE OF THE FRIENDLY. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESTATE THE MOTION? WHICH IS... WELL, THE, THE FRIENDLY IS THE TIME CERTAIN FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, CORRECT? THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE FRIENDLY. ALL RIGHT. SO LET'S DO ROLL CALL VOTE. CAN YOU PLEASE REPEAT THE ENTIRE... I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE FIRST VOTE IS SPECIFICALLY. THE FIRST VOTE IS YOURS. LET'S RES - WHAT IS, WHAT ARE WE VOTING ON TODAY? RESTATE IT, PLEASE. RIGHT NOW. SO THE FIRST VOTE, IF, IF I UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY... YEAH. UH, I UNDERSTOOD, COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, THAT YOU MADE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ORDINANCE AS WRITTEN, EXCEPT FOR THE ORDER OF BUSINESS SECTION. SO THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD WOULD BE TAKEN, UH, WE WOULD TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AS EACH AGENDA ITEM IS HEARD. IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. PUBLIC COMMENT WOULD BE UNCHANGED, UH, UNCHANGED IT AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW. IT'S NOT PART OF THE NEW ORDINANCE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES. THANK YOU. SO THAT WOULD BE... THEY WOULD BRING BACK THIS ORDINANCE WITH THAT REVERTED TO THE CURRENT STATUS QUO SYSTEM, PLUS THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. THAT'S WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US. EVERYONE CLEAR? ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, UH, ON... LET'S CAST OUR ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION. DISTRICT ONE? NAY. DISTRICT TWO. AYE. DISTRICT THREE. AYE. DISTRICT FOUR. NAY. DISTRICT FIVE. AYE. DISTRICT SIX. NAY. DISTRICT SEVEN. NAY. DISTRICT EIGHT? NAY. DISTRICT NINE? NAY. NOW LET'S VOTE. THANK YOU. NOW LET'S HAVE ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE MAIN MOTION, PLEASE. SO THE FIRST, UH, SUBSTITUTE MOTION HAS FAILED ON THE FLOOR. THE SECOND ROLL CALL VOTE. DISTRICT ONE. AYE. DISTRICT TWO. NAY. DISTRICT THREE. NAY. DISTRICT FOUR? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? NO. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN? AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT? AYE. DISTRICT NINE? YES. MOTION ON THE FLOOR CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. THE AYES HAVE IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO I'M GONNA STATE THE NEXT ORDER. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA, UH, COME BACK WITH THE PEDAL MOVEMENT MOBILITY ITEM. THANK YOU. REMEMBER THEIR FACES. WHEN YOU GET OFF THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. GET ACTIVE. VOTE THEM OUT. VOTE THEM OUT. [03:15:51] ALL [03:15:51] RIGHT, [03:15:51] WE'RE [03:15:51] GONNA GO AHEAD AND RECONVENE THE CITY COUNCIL ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILWOMAN ZENDEJAS. PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN. PRESENT. COUNCILMEMBER DUGGAN. HERE. COUNCILMAN SUPERNOW. HERE. COUNCILWOMAN KERR. PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN SARO. PRESENT. VICE MAYOR URANGA. PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN THRASH ENTUCK? HERE. COUNCILMEMBER RICK SODI? HERE. MAYOR RICHARDSON? I AM HERE. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND CON - RECONVENE, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL. WE'RE S - GONNA START WITH ITEM 20. LET'S READ ITEM 20, PLEASE. [20. 26-56177 Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFP PW-25-631 and award a contract to Drop Mobility, California LLC, of San Francisco, CA, for operation, maintenance, and modernization of the City of Long Beach’s BikeShare program, in the amount of $23,346,518, authorize a 10 percent contingency in the amount of $2,334,652, for a total contract amount not to exceed $25,681,170, for a period of three years, with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract, including any necessary subsequent amendments. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Public Works         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS, RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT AND AWARD A CONTRACT TO DROP MOBILITY, CALIFORNIA FOR OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND MODERNIZATION OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH'S BIKE SHARE PROGRAM FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 25,681,170 AND EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO ENTER INTO THE CONTRACT, INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS. CITYWIDE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A, A BRIEF STAFF PRESENTATION, THEN WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. TOM? THANK YOU, UH, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. THIS WAS A ITEM THAT WE, UH, HEARD A PRETTY EXTENSIVE, UM, PRESENTATION AND PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING. UH, AND YOU ASKED US TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL WORK AND COME BACK, UH, WITH THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS. SO, UH, WE PUBLISHED ALL THAT ON FRIDAY AND THAT GOT UPLOADED WITH THE AGENDA AS WELL AS A PRESENTATION, UH, THAT WE'LL GO THROUGH TONIGHT TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND THEN, UH, HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT AND TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL. UH, TURN TO OUR TEAM. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. AS MR. MODICA NOTED, WE DO HAVE TWO ITEMS THAT ARE RETURNING, UH, CONTINUED FROM SEPTEMBER 22ND. WE DID ISSUE A MEMO ON OCTOBER 2ND THAT OUTLINED - JUST A MOMENT. THERE'S A, THERE'S A INTERACTION HAPPENING HERE. JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE FLAG IS OVER THE TV THAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO IF IT BLOCKS THE TV, WE CAN'T SEE WHAT'S ON THAT SCREEN. SO THE CLERK IS JUST DOING HER JOB BY MAKING SURE THAT SCREEN'S ACCESSIBLE. SO LET'S NOT MISTREAT THE CLERK IF SHE'S JUST ATTEMPTING TO DO HER JOB. THEN, THEN LET'S NOT HAVE THE PROPERTY WHERE IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE, AND WE, WE CAN PROCEED. PLEASE BEGIN THE PRESENTATION. YES, SIR. BEFORE WE GET INTO THE PRESENTATION, IF I CAN GET A MOTION, A SECOND ON THE ITEM, PLEASE. MOTION. THANK YOU. SECONDED BY COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. PLEASE PROCEED. OKAY. UM, SO AS MENTIONED, WE ARE RETURNING TONIGHT WITH, UH, TWO DIFFERENT ITEMS THAT WERE CONTINUED FROM SEPTEMBER 22ND. WE DID ISSUE A MEMO ON OCTOBER 2ND THAT HELPED ADDRESS AND OUTLINE A NUMBER OF THE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED FROM CITY COUNCIL ON THE 22ND. WE'RE GONNA START OFF HEARING FROM OUR PROCUREMENT SERVICES TEAM. THEY'RE GONNA OUTLINE AND WALK THROUGH THE SELECTION PROCESS, SPECIFICS OF HOW THIS RECOMMENDATION CAME BEFORE YOU, UH, HOW IT WAS DEVELOPED AND ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS. SO FROM HERE, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO TARA MORTENSEN, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK AT THE END AND GIVE YOU SOME MORE PUBLIC WORKS INFORMATION. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR THIS ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE CITY GOES ABOUT SELECTING VENDORS. THE PROCESS WE USE THAT HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND AWARDED MANY INDUSTRY RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS AS IT HAS BEEN EVALUATED AS A BEST PRACTICE IN THE NATION. MY NAME IS TARA MORTENSEN, AND I AM THE BUSINESS SERVICES BUREAU MANAGER AND ALSO THE ACTING CITY PURCHASING AGENT AS THE PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION IS WITHIN MY BUREAU. I'M THE ACTING BECAUSE MICHELLE MASON HERE WITH ME TONIGHT IS NOW THE CITY'S BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUREAU MANAGER IN PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE, BUT WAS THE CITY'S PURCHASING AGENT FOR MUCH OF THIS SPECIFIC COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT. SHE'LL HELP ME WALK THROUGH HOW THE PROCESS USUALLY WORKS, SPECIFIC ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFP, AND HOW THE PROTEST WAS DETERMINED. LET'S START WITH THE FOUNDATION FOR SELECTION, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR RFP, AND WHY WE USE THE PROCUREMENT METHOD. AN [03:20:01] RFP RE... AN RFP HELPS THE CITY FIND THE BEST VALUE FOR GOODS AND SERVICES IN AN OPEN, FAIR, TRANSPARENT, COMPETITIVE, AND EQUITABLE WAY. IT IS BY FAR THE INDUSTRY STANDARD AND NORM TO PROVIDE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL PROPOSERS WHEN THERE ARE MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER THAN THE LOWEST PRICE. THE RULES ARE DISCLOSED PUBLICLY UPFRONT SO THAT EVERYONE THAT WANTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE CONSIDERED CAN BE AND HAS ACCESS TO THE SAME INFORMATION AND SAME OPPORTUNITY, AND THE CITY CAN FIND THE BEST VALUE FOR ITS ORGANIZATION AND ULTIMATELY THE TAXPAYERS. THE CITY HAS THE PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION TO PROVIDE FOR AN INDEPENDENT AND SEPARATE FACILITATOR OF PROCUREMENT PROCESSES AND OVERALL OVERSIGHT OF HOW THE CITY SPENDS ITS CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES ON GOODS AND SERVICES. THIS PROVIDES FOR OVERSIGHT OF THE PROCESS AND FOR SEPARATION BETWEEN THE OPERATIONS AND THE PROCESS, AND THAT WE HAVE DOCUMENTATION AND TRANSPARENCY ON HOW GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS ARE ULTIMATELY AWARDED THAT WILL UTILIZE THE PUBLIC'S RESOURCES. THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE VERY UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED MODEL OF HAVING A HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT TO HAVE OVERSIGHT ON HIRING PRACTICES. THE PROCESS TO HIRE IS ESTABLISHED AND CONSISTENTLY APPRO - APPLIED ACROSS THE CITY, SO ARE THE PROCUREMENT PRACTICES. AND JUST LIKE HR, EVALUATING IS INHERENTLY SUBJECTIVE AND DECISIONS ARE MADE IN OUR, THE CITY'S BEST INTERESTS. SEPARATION OF DUTIES IS A CORNERSTONE IN ALL GOVERNMENT FINANCE OPERATIONS AND THE CITY'S FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS... THANK YOU FOR ADVANCING. UM, THIS IS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY AND WE HAVE ESTABLISHED APPROPRIATE PROCESSES UTILIZED ACROSS THE 22 OF THE CITY MANAGERS, UM, THE CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENTS. IN FY25, WE ADMINISTERED 255 FORMAL SOLICITATIONS, WHICH INCLUDED BIDS AND RFPS, RESULTING IN MILLIONS IN CONTRACT SPEND. ALL FORMAL SOLICITATIONS ARE POSTED ON LONG BEACH BUYS AND THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT PLATFORM. OUR PROCUREMENT VALUES ARE GROUNDED IN HOW WE SERVE THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. EVERY PURCHASE SHOULD DELIVER MEANINGFUL VALUE TO RESIDENTS, DEPARTMENTS, AND TAXPAYERS. THE CORE VALUES YOU SEE HERE ON THE SLIDE GUIDE OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS. FIRST, WE AIM TO BE RESULTS DRIVEN. SECOND, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE ARE GETTING THE BEST VALUE AND THAT PRICE AND QUALITY AND RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE. WE STRIVE TO BE COMPETITIVE AND EQUITABLE, EFFICIENT, AND THEN OUR DECISIONS SHOULD BE UNBIASED WITHOUT PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT AND OUR PROCESSES AND INFORMATION SHOULD BE CLEAR AND ACCESSIBLE. A KEY TAKEAWAY HERE IS THESE VALUES ALL WORK TOGETHER. WE WANT PROCUREMENT THAT IS COMPETITIVE AND FAIR, EFFICIENT, AND TRANSPARENT, AND ULTIMATELY DELIVERS THE BEST OUTCOME FOR LONG BEACH. COMPETITION IS A GOOD THING FOR THE CITY. IT IS IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO HAVE A COMPETITIVE PROCESS. AWARDING CONTRACTS IS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY THAT CAN LEAD TO DIFFICULT DECISIONS, BUT CHANGE IS NOT RARE. TRANSITIONING FROM ONE VENDOR TO ANOTHER IS A CONSTANT OCCURRENCE ACROSS ALL GOVERNMENT BODIES IN OUR REGION, THE STATE, AND THE NATION. NATIONAL BEST PRACTICE IS TO CONDUCT A NEW PROCUREMENT EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS. PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS HAD EXCLUSIVITY FOR 10 YEARS. RECEIVING A HEALTHY POOL OF PROPOSALS IS EVIDENCE THAT THE PROCESS IS WORKING. IT IS VERY MUCH ACCEPTED THAT FAIR COMPETITION WILL BRING THE BEST VALUE TO THE CITY AND HELP US SPEND TAXPAYER DOLLARS APPROPRIATELY AND RESPONSIBLY. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. PROCUREMENT HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY AND PROCUREMENT SERVICES IN LONG BEACH HAS BEEN PROUD TO WORK WITH AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY IN A VARIETY OF WAYS, INCLUDING OUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL PREFERENCE PROGRAM, WHICH WAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED PER COUNCIL DIS - UH, DIRECTION IN 2022. UNDER THE LOCAL PREFERENCE PROGRAM, LONG BEACH-BASED BUSINESSES RECEIVE AN EXTRA FIVE OR 10% TO THEIR SCORES AFTER EVALUATION. RESIDENTIAL-BASED LOCAL BUSINESSES RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 5% TO THEIR SCORES AFTER EVALUATION AND NON-RESIDENTIAL BRICK AND MORTAR LOCATION BUSINESSES RECEIVE 10. LOCAL PREFERENCE WAS APPLIED TO THIS RFP AND PEDAL MOVEMENT RECEIVED THE FULL 10% EXTRA CREDIT. AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION IS THAT LOCAL PREFERENCE IS NOT A SPECIFIC EVALUATION CRITERIA AND A BUSINESS'S LOCATION CANNOT BE AN EVALUABLE CRITERIA. INSTEAD, LOCAL PREFERENCE EFFECTIVELY WORKS LIKE EXTRA CREDIT. IT IS ADDED TO A PROPOSER SCORE AFTER THE EVALUATION IS COMPLETE. IT IS ADDED TO ALLOW FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO BETTER COMPETE WITH BUSINESSES THAT COULD BE OUT OF THE AREA AND HAVE A LOWER COST OF LIVING. IT LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD. IN ADDITION, PEDAL MOVEMENT'S ADDRESS THAT QUALIFIED THEM AS A LOCAL BUSINESS IS A CITY-OWNED BUILDING. IN A SIMILAR WAY, DROP WILL BECOME A LOCAL BUSINESS WITH THEIR L - WITH, WITH THEIR OWN LOCAL OPERATION AS REQUIRED BY THE RFP. [03:25:01] THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION IS SEEN AS A LEADAL - LEADER IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT. THROUGH OUR EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER, THE PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION HAS TAKEN GREAT STRIDES TO TRANSFORM OPERATIONS TO DELIVER IMPACTFUL, INNOVATIVE, AND MEANINGFUL RESULTS TO THE CITY THAT ARE ROOTED IN OPENNESS, FAIRNESS, TRANSPARENCY, COMPETITION, AND EQUITY. THESE PRINCIPLES, AS WELL AS PROCUREMENT BEST PRACTICES, INFORM THE RFP DOCUMENT AND COMPETITIVE PROCESS AS A WHOLE. PROCUREMENT SERVICES HAS PARTNERED AND CONTINUED TO COLLABORATE WITH THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE LAB, PROCUREMENT EXCELLENT NETWORK, PARTNERS FOR PUBLIC GOOD, BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES, THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OFFICIALS, AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT PURCHASING. THESE ARE LEADING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DRIVE PROCUREMENT AND ESTABLISH THE BEST PRACTICES FOR THE INDUSTRY. THEIR EXPERTISE HAS BEEN CRITICAL IN ENSURING THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT PROCESS MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE NATIONAL STANDARDS. PROCUREMENT SERVICES HOSTS EVENTS AND SPEAKS AT STATE AND NATIONAL CONFERENCES REGULARLY. JUST LAST MONTH, PROCUREMENT SERVICES ATTENDED THE PROCUREMENT INNOVATION EXCHANGE IN LOS ANGELES WHERE A COHORT OF EIGHT OF THE TOP CITIES IN THE NATION WERE HAND SELECTED TO COME TOGETHER TO SOLVE PROCUREMENT CHALLENGES WITH THEIR SUPPORT OF THEIR MAYORS. THE PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION HAS BEEN NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED WITH THE NATIONAL PROCUREMENT INSTITUTE ACHIEVEMENT OF EXCELLENCE AND PROCUREMENT AWARD FOR SIX OUT OF THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, PUTTING US IN THE TOP 1% IN THE COUNTRY. THE DIVISION AND ITS STAFF HAVE ALSO BEEN RECIPIENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICER ASSOCIATION AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE, NATIONAL COOPERATIVE PROCUREMENT PARTNERS ABOVE AND BEYOND AWARD, AND GF- GFOA RECOGNITION FOR OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE. THIS IS ALL TO SAY THAT OUR PROCESSES HAVE BEEN REVIEWED BY ALL OF THESE EVALUATION COMMITTEES, OUTSIDE EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT INSTITUTION, AND INDUSTRY LEADING ORGANIZATIONS AND HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE THE BEST IN THE NATION. NOW LET'S DIVE INTO THE DETAILS OF THE SPECIFIC RFP. IT WAS PUBLICLY POSTED ON DECEMBER 16TH, 2025. 116 POTENTIAL PROPOSERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THE OPPORTUNITY OF WHICH NINE WERE LOCAL. ADDITIONALLY, 44 LOCAL, SMALL, MINORITY-OWNED, AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES WERE ALSO NOTIFIED. THERE WAS AN OPTIONAL INFO SESSION ON JANUARY 6TH TO PROVIDE EQUAL ACCESS TO KEY INFORMATION, MAKE CLARIFICATIONS, AND SET EXPECTATIONS. ANY INFORMATION SHARED DURING THIS MEETING WAS SHARED WITH ALL POTENTIAL PROPOSERS. PROPOSERS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS AND EVERYONE WAS GIVEN ACCESS TO ALL OF THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. NO QUESTIONS ABOUT MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, EVALUATION CRITERIA, OR LOCAL PREFERENCE WERE SUBMITTED. ALL F - OUR, ALL FOUR PROPOSALS RECEIVED, RECEIVED, WERE DEEMED RESPONSIVE. THIS IS A ROUTINE REVIEW AND CHECK BY PROCUREMENT SERVICES STAFF TO ENSURE THAT ALL PROPOSALS START ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD AND ARE ELIGIBLE TO PROCEED, ENSURING AN EQUITABLE START TO THE SELECTION PROCESS CONSIS- CONSISTENT WITH FAIRNESS PRINCIPLES. AFTER ESTABLISHING RESPONSIVENESS, THE PROPOSALS WERE SENT TO THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE. ON MAY 11TH, 2026, THE NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD WAS POSTED, PUBLICLY ANNOUNCING DROP MOBILITY AS THE WINNER. THEY WERE FOUND TO HAVE THE BEST PROPOSED OPERATING MODEL THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE USERS, RESIDENTS, AND VISITORS TO THE AREA. THE POSTING OF THE NOI ALSO STARTED THE PROTEST PERIOD, WHICH FOLLOWED THE RULES ESTABLISHED IN THE RFP AND ARE THE SAME THAT WE USUALLY FOLLOW. THE PROTEST PERIOD WAS EXTENDED TO ALLOW MORE TIME TO REVIEW ALL REQUESTED DOCUMENTS. A TIMELY PROTEST WAS SUBMITTED BY PEDAL MOVEMENT, AND AFTER A THOROUGH, THOROUGH REVIEW OF ALL PROTEST DOCUMENTS AND CLAIMS, I, AS THE CITY'S PURCHASING AGENT AT THAT TIME, DETERMINED THERE WAS NO BASIS TO SUPPORT OR SUBSTANTIATE THE PO - THE PROTEST. THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE WAS MADE UP OF THREE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND ONE EXPERT FROM TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION. PRIOR TO THE EVALUATIONS, THE EVALUATORS DID ATTEST THAT NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST EXISTED. THE EVALUATION CONSIDERED ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AND EXPERIENCE, METHOD OF APPROACH, COMMUNICATION AND REPORTING, AND REASONABLENESS OF COST. EACH CRITERIA HAD SPECIFIC DETAILS AND IS FURTHER DEFINED IN THE RFP. THE MODEL AND TOOL THE CITY USES TO EVALUATE PROPOSALS WAS DEVELOPED WITH HARVARD'S ASSISTANCE DURING THE EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER. THIS EVALUATION TOOL HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AS A BEST PRACTICE AND HAS BEEN ROLLED OUT NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. DROP MOBILITY RECEIVED AN OVERALL SCORE OF 91%. PEDAL MOVEMENT RECEIVED AN OVERALL SCORE OF 79%. AFTER FACTORING IN LOCAL PREFERENCE, PEDAL MOVEMENT [03:30:01] SCORE WAS INCREASED TO 89%. WITH THE HIGHEST OVERALL SCORE, THE STAFF RECOMMENDED AN AWARD TO DROP MOBILITY, FOLLOWING OUR VALUES OF FAIRNESS, TRANSPARENCY, AND BEST VALUE. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE CITY RARELY RECEIVES PROTEST, WHICH IS A TESTAMENT THAT THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS IS OPEN, FAIR, TRANSPARENT, COMPETITIVE, CONSISTENT, AND EQUITABLE. THIS WASN'T ALWAYS THE CASE IN THE CITY. I AM PROUD WE HAVE MOVED THE NEEDLE IN THIS DIRECTION AND PROUD OF THIS RESULT. THAT BEING SAID, I ALSO WELCOME PROTESTS BECAUSE THE ACT TO HOLD US AS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE IS IMPORTANT. PROTESTS ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS JUST LIKE AUDITS FROM THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE. SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE CITY FULLY INVESTIGATE PROTESTS IN AN UNBIASED AND NEUTRAL MANNER, AND THAT IS WHAT I DID HERE. I WAS NOT PART OF THE OPERATION AND WAS ABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY LOOK AT THE DETAILS. I TOOK THIS RESPONSIBILITY OF MY DUTIES SERIOUSLY. THE CITY RECEIVED A PROTEST FROM PE- PEDAL MOVEMENT WITHIN OUR TIMING REQUIREMENTS, AND I BEGAN TO CONDUCT MY INVESTIGATION. I REVIEWED ALL OF THE CLAIMS AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE TO SUBSTANTIATE OR SUPPORT THE PROTEST. I FOUND THAT THE PROCESS WORKED, WE HAD SUFFICIENT POOL OF RESPONSES, WE EVALUATED THEM, THEM CONSISTENTLY AND UNIFORMLY, AND WE HAD AN APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF EXPERTS CONDUCT THE EVALUATION. SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING THE PROTEST CLAIMS, THE CITY CONFIRMED THAT ALL FOUR PROPOSERS MET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATION SPECIFIED IN THE RFP. UNDER MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, THE RFP STATES THAT PROPOSERS MUST HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD MANAGING FLEETS OF AT LEAST 1,000 VEHICLES IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS COMPARABLE TO LONG BEACH. ALL FOUR PROPOSERS MET THIS REQUIREMENT. THE CITY WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN FINDING BUSINESSES THAT HAD THE APPROPRIATE EXPERIENCE TO OPERATE HERE. NO ONE WAS EXCLUDED OR PREVENTED FROM BEING CONSIDERED. IT IS IN THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST TO ENSURE THE LA- LARGEST POOL IS CONSIDERED. EVEN IF WE REALLY GOT THE FLEET LANGUAGE WRONG, WHICH TO BE CLEAR, WE DO NOT BELIEVE WE DID, WE WOULD HAD, WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE RIGHT TO ADJUST IT BASED ON SECTION 5.2 OF THE RFP WHERE WE CAN ALTER, AMEND, OR MODIFY ANY PROVISIONS WITHIN THE RFP. WE STILL HAD THE RIGHT TO ADJUST THE LANGUAGE TO MAKE IT SO THAT MORE OF THE SUBMITTED PROPOSALS WERE AVAILABLE TO BE EVALUATED IF THAT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY. THERE ARE TWO OTHER THINGS I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER. ONE, IT IS CLEAR DROP MOBILITY IS A LARGER OPERATOR, IS A LARGE OPERATOR. THEY OPERATE IN 60 LOCATIONS ACROSS 17 STATES WITH A TOTAL OF 10,000 BIKES. THEY HAVE CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE. PEDAL MOVEMENT OPERATES HERE IN LONG BEACH WITH LESS THAN 10% OF THAT OVERALL FLEET AND HAS ONLY HAS EXPERIENCE HERE. WE FOUND A COMPANY THAT KNOWS HOW TO DO THIS. THAT'S WHAT THE QUALIFICATION CRITERIA WAS ALL ABOUT AND WE DID IT AS INTENDED. TWO, IF, EVEN IF WE DID THIS ALL OVER AGAIN WITH A DIFFERENT QUALIFICATION, WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE SAME RESULT. WE EVALUATE ALL OF THE PROPOSALS THAT WE RECEIVED. IF THE PROTESTS HAD BEEN THAT WE DIDN'T EVALUATE PEDAL MOVEMENT AND THEY NEEDED THE PROTEST TO BE CONSIDERED, THEN DOING THIS AGAIN COULD HAVE HAD A DIFFERENT RESULT. THE FLEET SIZE DOESN'T CHANGE THE RESULT THAT DROP IS A LARGE, EXPERIENCED OPERATOR AND PROVIDED THE BEST PROPOSAL FOR THE OPERATIONS MOVING FORWARD FOR LONG BEACH. DROUGH MOBILITY WAS FOUNDED IN 2017 AND HAS EIGHT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BIKE SHARE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING NEW ORLEANS SINCE 2021 AND ALBANY SINCE 2023. THEY HAVE TRANSITIONED A LEGACY SYSTEM, DELIVERED OVER A THOUSAND E-BIKES, WORKED THROUGH MAJOR SPECIAL EVENTS, MODERNIZED FLEETS, CREATED MEMBERSHIP AND OPERATIONAL PROCESSES, DESIGNED AN INCLUSIVE EQUITY PROGRAM, PREPARED FOR SURGE RIDERSHIP, COORDINATED LOGISTICS WITH EVENT ORGANIZERS AND PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES, AND IMPLEMENTED ACCESSIBILITY FOCUSED PROGRAMS AMONGST MANY OTHER DELIVERABLES. I WILL NOW TURN IT BACK TO JOSH, UM, AND PUBLIC WORKS TO DISCUSS MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFIC OPERATIONS. ALL RIGHT. SO ON THE 22ND, WE RECEIVED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO DROP MOBILITY. SO SHOWN ON THIS SLIDE HERE ARE SOME RESPONSES TO THOSE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. WE DO HAVE DROP AVAILABLE HERE THIS EVENING AND THEY CAN ELABORATE AND THEY ARE PREPARED TO HELP ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UH, SHOULD THE COUNCIL BE SO INTERESTED. UM, JUST TO QUICKLY GO OVER SOME OF THE ITEMS ON THE SLIDE, WE HAVE THE HEADQUARTERS FOR DROP MOBILITY IS IN CALIFORNIA. [03:35:01] AS PART OF THE RFP PROCESS, MULTIPLE REFERENCES WERE CHECKED. AND THEN RATHER THAN REQUIRE A SPECIFIC STAFFING MODEL, WHICH WAS ASKED ABOUT, UM, ON THE 22ND, THE RFP SETS A REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN 80% OF THE BIKE FLEET AVAILABLE AND IN SERVICE. IT'S UP TO THE VENDOR AND THE PROPOSER TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY ARE GOING TO STAFF AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO DO THAT AND THEIR PROVISIONS WITHIN THE RFP TO TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD THAT NOT BE THE CASE. SPECIFIC TO LOCAL BUSINESS AND HIRING REQUIREMENTS, THE RFP DOES REQUIRE A LOCAL WORKFORCE. IT DOES REQUIRE A FACILITY WITHIN LONG BEACH. IT DOES REQUIRE A COMMUNITY OUTREACH PLAN, AND IT DOES REQUIRE BIKE SHARE SUPPORT AT MAJOR EVENTS. THE RFP DOES NOT REQUIRE HIRING THE INCUMBENT'S OPERATORS OR EMPLOYEES. IT DOES NOT REQUIRE SPONSORSHIPS AND IT DOES NOT REQUIRE VOLUNTEERS. SPECIFIC TO SOME OF THE NUMBERS, UM, PEDAL MOVEMENT DOES REPORT THAT THEY SUPPORT 19 POSITIONS HERE IN LONG BEACH. UH, DROP'S PROPOSAL DOES INCLUDE A LOCAL FULL-TIME 16 POSITIONS, UH, FIVE OF WHICH ARE ALREADY HERE IN LONG BEACH AS WE SPEAK. UH, DROP IS COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY RIDES, BILINGUAL BIKE EDUCATION, AND A SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SERIES, UH, THAT, THAT THEY'LL ROLL OUT AS THEY START IMPLEMENTING THE NEW PROGRAM. IN ADDITION TO THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS IN THE RFP, UH, DROP DID SUBMIT A LETTER CONFIRMING IN WRITING THAT THEY ARE COMMITTED TO MOVING THEIR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HEADQUARTERS FROM LA MIRADA TO LONG BEACH. UH, THAT'S A WIN FOR THE CITY AND IT ADDS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND HARDWARE POSITIONS IN ADDITION TO THE OPERATIONS, UH, AS OUTLINED WITHIN THE RFP. THEY'RE ALSO COMMITTED TO INTERVIEWING EVERY PEDAL MOVEMENT EMPLOYEE, AND IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO FILL ALL THE POSITIONS THERE, THEY'D LOOK AT A SECOND ROUND OF INTERVIEWS SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON LONG BEACH RESIDENTS, AND IF THERE WERE STILL OPEN, OPENINGS, UH, WITHIN THE OPERATION, THEY WOULD BE LOOKING AT HIRING OTHER CANDIDATES FROM WITHIN THE AREA. UH, THEY'RE ALSO DEDICATED TO, UH, FREE BIKE VALET FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS AS WELL AS REPAIR CLINICS THAT THE COMMUNITIES USED TO. SO A LITTLE MORE SPECIFICS ON THE HYBRID MODEL. UM, HYBRID PARKING IS A MIX BETWEEN DOCKED AND DOCK LIST SYSTEMS. THE DOCK SYSTEM USES, UH, UH, USERS ARE REQUIRED TO BRING VEHICLES BACK TO A DESIGNATED PARKING HUB. THE DOCK LIST SYSTEM, USERS CAN LEAVE VEHICLES IN ANY LEGAL SPACE WHERE A BIKE COULD BE PARKED, THAT COULD BE A BIKE RACK, THAT COULD BE, UH, LOCKED UP TO SOME OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY. A HYBRID SYSTEM ALLOWS FOR BOTH OF THESE AND TYPICALLY INCENTIVIZES USERS TO PARK IN A MARKED DOCK, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRED. THIS ALLOWS THE CITY TO RETAIN THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALLOWS US TO, UH, CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE DO NOW WITH OUR CURRENT HYBRID MODEL. ALSO, WITHIN THE NEW CONTRACT STRUCTURE, UH, IT DOES ALLOW FOR FEE TRANSPARENCY, MEANING THAT OUR EXPENSE REIMBURSED AT ACTUAL COSTS. IT MEANS THAT THERE'S A TIERED FEE ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF FLEET VEHICLES DEPLOYED AND THAT IT COMPARES TO THE CURRENT FIXED CONTRACT WHERE IT'S KIND OF REGARDLESS OF THE BIKES DEPLOYED OR THE NUMBER OF HOURS NECESSARY TO RUN THE PROGRAM. SO A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICS ON THE DOCKS VERSUS, UH, HYBRID SYSTEM. SO SECTION TWO OF THE RFP SPECIFICALLY NOTES THAT AS PER THE PARKING MODEL REQUIREMENTS, PROVIDE A HYBRID PARKING MODEL PLAN THAT INCLUDES ALREADY ESTABLISHED BIKE SHARE PARKING ZONES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, TACTICS FOR INCENTIVIZING USERS TO PARK IN DESIGNATED HUBS, AND PROPOSALS FOR HAVING SOME PARKING DROP ZONES BE ELECTRIFIED. UH, FURTHER IN THAT SAME SECTION TOO, UH, IT'S, THE RFP STIPULATES THAT THE CONTRACTOR SHALL MAINTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY AND ADA COMPLIANCE BY ENSURING PROPER PARKING FOR A HYBRID MODEL OF DOCK STATIONS AND DOCKLESS OPTIONS. SO WHILE THE RFP IS CLEAR AND THE HYBRID MODEL IS MORE FAVORABLE, THE TEAM TOOK THE MORE LIBERAL INTERPRETATION, ALLOWING PEDAL MOVEMENT AND OTHERS THAT SUBMITTED DOCKED ONLY SYSTEMS TO CONTINUE IN THE PROCESS, I.E. NOT BE DISQUALIFIED, UH, AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL SUBMITTAL. THIS ALLOWED FOR REVIEW AND DEMONSTRATION TO SEE AND HEAR MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY OFFER AND IF THEY MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CITY. SO DIVING INTO THE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT, UH, THE HYBRID PARKING ALLOWS SAVINGS TO BE REINVESTED INTO THE BIKES RATHER THAN PARKING [03:40:01] AND DOCKING TYPE SYSTEMS. SO IN A, IN A HYPOTHETICAL WORLD, THE CITY WOULD BE FORCED TO DEPLOY 70% LESS BICYCLES WITHIN THE OVERALL PROGRAM UNDER THE PEDAL MOVEMENT PROPOSAL, UH, GIVEN THE CAPITAL, UH, INVESTMENT OR THE, OF 1.9 MILLION DOLLARS. PEDAL MOVEMENT'S PROPOSAL WOULD FUND ABOUT 255 BIKES INSTEAD OF APPROXIMATELY 850 AS SHOWN ON THIS SLIDE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, UM, I, I UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T CATCH A TYPO HERE ON THIS SLIDE. THE ONE-TIME RETROFIT COSTS SHOULD REFLECT 25,000 AS SHOWN WITHIN THE UNIT PRICE COLUMN VERSUS THE 75,000 SHOWN IN THE TOTAL COLUMN. I WOULD LIKE TO, TO NOTE THAT THE 1.99 TOTAL IS STILL ACCURATE, UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO DISCLOSE THAT FOR THE RECORD. UM, THE DOCK SYSTEM DOES REQUIRE ADDITIONAL DOCKS EVERY TIME THE FLEET GROWS, SO THAT GAP CONTINUES TO WIDEN AS THE PROGRAM SCALES, UH, IN A, IN ALSO IT, IT INCREASES THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE AS WELL AS CLUTTER WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY. SO WE DO KNOW IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE. WE KNOW THAT HAVING THE DOCKING STATIONS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE IN, TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN, AND THAT'S WHY WE SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR A HYBRID OPTION WITHIN THE RFP. COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS THAT HAD COME UP. UH, THE BIKES ARE GEO-FENCED TO THE SERVICE AREA AND THEY ARE RETRIEVED IF THEY LEAVE, AND THE BIKE SHARE SYSTEM FOR ALL, UH, WILL CONTINUE. THE CITY SETS THE PRICE AND THE RFP DOES REQUIRE THAT EQUITABLE PRICING BE BUILT INTO THE PROGRAM AND CONTINUE AS THE PROGRAM EVOLVES AND ADAPTS. SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? SHOULD STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS GET APPROVED? DROP WILL BEGIN RECRUITMENT. THEY WILL ORDER THE FLEET. WE'LL TRANSITION TO THE NEW PLATFORM IN EARLY 2027. WE'LL DEPLOY NEW BIKES AND THEN SCALE AS FUNDING IS AVAILABLE THROUGH 2027 AND INTO 2028. SO BASED ON ALL THE CRITERIA, BASED ON EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE HEARD THIS EVENING, UH, BASED ON THE FAIR AND COMPETITIVE RFP PROCESS, THE SAVINGS, UH, THAT WERE OUTLINED, THE NUMBER OF BIKES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DEPLOY, THE REUSE OF OUR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE, THE REUSE OF OUR EXISTING BIKE FLEET, THE DEMONSTRATED PERFORMANCE AND THE RESPONSE FROM THE DROP TO THE QUESTIONS, WE DO CONTINUE TO STRONGLY RECOMMEND DROP FOR THIS CONTRACT AWARD. THAT CONCLUDES STAFF REPORT, AND I'M AVAILABLE WITH MY COLLEAGUES TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF PUBLIC COMMENT THIS EVENING, SO WE'RE GONNA GO RIGHT INTO IT. SO, UH, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE, UH, FACILITATE PUBLIC COMMENT. WE HAVE 40 SPEAKERS IN, UH, TOTAL. WILL THE FIRST 10 PLEASE LINE UP THE PODIUM? THE FIRST SPEAKER IS JOEL, THEN AZURA, GABRIEL MENDEZ, JACKIE MENDEZ, CHRIS BUCKLEY, SHELBY BUCKLEY, JOSH C. SARAH H. JUSTIN HARRIS, AND MATT GOLDMAN. ALL RIGHT. LET'S, UH, CORRECT THE TIME PER THE CURRENT, CURRENT PER COUNCIL RULES. ALL RIGHT. YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. ALL RIGHT. UH, MY NAME IS JOEL NEWTON. I LIVE IN DISTRICT FOUR, UH, WHERE SNOOZE AND SUPERNAW RUNS. SO I'M, I'M, I'M GLAD HE'S TAKEN THE TIME TO LISTEN TO ME AFTER I'VE WAITED FOR HIM WHILE YOU GUYS WALKED OUT. SO GREETINGS, COWARDS, FASCISTS, TIME WASTERS. THEY'RE ALL... THERE YOU ARE, RICKS. UH, BOOTLICKERS, THE REGRETFULLY VOTED FOR AND THE CORPORATE SPONSORED. I'M HERE IN DEFENSE OF PEDAL MOVEMENT'S CONTRACT WITH OUR CITY BIKES. UH, PEDAL MOVEMENT EMPLOYS 19 PEOPLE. 17 OF THOSE, I'M TOLD, RESIDE INSIDE LONG BEACH, UH, LIMITS. SO, UH, MY QUESTION IS, WHY WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THOSE 17 JOBS AWAY? SURE, THEY SAY THEY'D LIKE TO KEEP THEM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THEY'RE NOT GOING TO. UM, I'M ALREADY SHORT HERE, SO I'M JUST GONNA END WITH, IF YOU TAKE THESE JOBS, WE'LL TAKE AND WE CAN TAKE YOUR JOBS. REX, I VOTED FOR YOU AND I PUT A SIGN IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE BECAUSE YOU RAN - THANK YOU. WE'VE SEEN NOTHING FOR - YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO COME UP [03:45:01] HERE AND CUSS YOUR ASSES OUT IF YOU WOULD ACTUALLY KEEP OUR F*****G TAX DOLLARS IN THE CITY THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN SCREAMING AT YOU TO DO SO. $20,000 TO A COMPANY IN MAINE, A MILLION DOLLARS TO A COMPANY IN NORWALK, $2 MILLION TO A COMPANY IN ONTARIO, $300,000 TO A COMPANY IN TEXAS FOR SOME POLICE S**T. UM, $25 MILLION TO THIS F*****G COMPANY OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO. UM, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO KEEP LONG BEACH JOBS HERE IN LONG BEACH, AND MAYBE $25 MILLION, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EXPANSION THAT THIS COMPANY WANTS TO DO OR WHATEVER. UM, MAYBE WITH $25 MILLION, PEDAL MOVEMENT CAN DO THAT EXPANSION, BUT YET YOU DIDN'T CONSIDER THEM. UM, YEAH, DO YOUR F*****G JOB. LISTEN TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND BUILD OUR BETTER, UH, W - QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN LONG BEACH. YEAH. FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE YOUR OVERPAYING JOBS. MY NAME IS JACKIE MENDEZ AND I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE. I WENT TO NURSING SCHOOL AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH AND I'VE WORKED AS A NICU NURSE IN LONG BEACH FOR OVER 12 YEARS. TO ME, IT'S AN HONOR TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF MY CITY. MY HUSBAND IS AN EMPLOYEE OF PEDAL MOVEMENT. WE ARE LONG BEACH LOCALS THROUGH AND THROUGH. SO NO, JUST BECAUSE DROP MOBILITY CAN WORK IN A LONG BEACH CITY BUILDING DOESN'T MAKE THEM ONE OF US. PEDAL MOVEMENT IS A COMPANY MADE UP OF OUR OWN COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT SERVES THE COMMUNITY WE LIVE IN. THEY RESPECT, THEY VALUE THEIR WORKERS, AND THEY PAY THEM A LIVABLE WAGE. WE KNOW THAT'S RARE THESE DAYS. THESE ARE GOOD, HARDWORKING, LOCAL PEOPLE WHOSE JOBS ARE IN JEOPARDY, AND AN INTERVIEW PROPOSED BY DROP MOBILITY IS NOT A JOB. HOW IS THIS GOOD FOR OUR LOCAL ECONOMY? YOU ARE IN THOSE SEATS TO PROTECT AND FIGHT YOUR LO - FOR YOUR LOCAL CONSTITUENTS. THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE VOTED INTO OFFICE TO TAKE CARE OF. TO CHOOSE AN OUTSIDE COMPANY FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO TAKE OVER THE CONTRACT IS INSULTING. DO THE RIGHT THING, KEEP LONG BEACH LOCAL, SHOW THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE THAT YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THEM. AND I HOPE FOR OUR MORALE AND YOU AS OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THAT YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE. VOTE NO ON ARTICLE 20. SAN FRANCISCO 85 CITY. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M THE HUSBAND OF THE NURSE THAT JUST SPOKE. MY NAME IS GABRIEL MENDEZ. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE AND I WORK AS A BIKE TECHNICIAN FOR PEDAL MOVEMENT. I AM ONE OF THE FACES THAT, UM, WHOSE LI- LIVELIHOOD IS DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE DECISION BEING MADE TONIGHT ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. UM, FOR ME, THIS ISN'T JUST A CONVERSATION ABOUT BIKES, CONTRACTS, OR NUMBERS ON A BUDGET. THIS IS MY JOB. AND I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, JUST IN CASE IT HASN'T REALLY HIT YET, THIS IS MY JOB. THIS IS OUR JOB. I WORK ALONGSIDE PEOPLE WHO DEPEND ON THESE JOBS TO PAY THEIR RENT, THEIR MORTGAGES, SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES, AND BUILD A FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES EVERY DAY FROM 6:30 IN THE MORNING TO 11:30 AT NIGHT. WE'RE OUT THERE IN THE CITY MAKING THIS PROGRAM WORK. WE INSPECT THE BIKES, WE REPAIR THEM, WE MOVE THEM FROM WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED, RESPOND TO PROBLEMS IN THE FIELD AND MAKE SURE THAT WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS A BIKE, A SAFE AND RELIABLE ONE IS AVAILABLE. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE'RE OUT THERE CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. PLEASE VOTE NOW. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. MY NAME IS CHRIS BUCKLEY. I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT, AND I LIVE IN THE WEST SIDE IN DISTRICT SEVEN. I MOVED TO LONG BEACH SEVEN YEARS AGO AND QUICKLY FOUND A HOME WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT. I MET MY WIFE HERE. I BROUGHT A HOUSE HERE. I PLANNED TO START A FAMILY HERE. PEDAL MOVEMENT GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, TO GROW, TO DEVELOP MYSELF PROFESSIONALLY. THIS IS THE ETHOS I CHOOSE TO LEAD WITH AND ENCOURAGE ALL OF MY LOCAL STAFF TO EMBRACE. WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT LOCAL JOBS, BUT ALSO LIVING WAGES AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR STAFF AS LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. REGGIE IS THE PRIMARY CARETAKER FOR HIS ELDERLY MOTHER. BRIAN, TIM, GABS, NATE, AND FALICI ARE ALL PURSUING DEGREES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. PATRICK IS ABLE TO VOLUNTEER AT ANIMAL SHELTERS. WE EMPLOY MOTHERS AND FATHERS RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. WE'RE NOT JUST JOBS, BUT REAL PEOPLE, REAL RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH, REAL RESIDENTS WHO WANT FAIR, HONEST, AND TRANSPARENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CITY OFFICIALS. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. PLEASE VOTE NO. HELLO, EVERYONE. I APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT ITEM. MY NAME IS SHELBY BUCKLEY. I'M A LONG BEACH NATIVE, NEONATAL ICU NURSE HERE IN LONG BEACH [03:50:01] AND A DISTRICT SEVEN HOMEOWNER ALONGSIDE MY HUSBAND, WHO'S THE VP OF OPERATIONS AT PEDAL MOVEMENT. THROUGH HIM, I'VE BECOME IMMERSED IN THE BIKE SHARE WORLD AND I'M ASKING TO VOTE NO ON ITEM 20. THIS E-BIKE FLEET, E-BIKE FLEET UPGRADE SHOULD BE SO EXCITING FOR OUR CITY, BUT INSTEAD I'M LEFT WORRIED AND DISAPPOINT- DISAPPOINTED BY THE MISMANAGEMENT OF THE SELECTION PROCESS. THERE'S JUSTIFIED CONCERN ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE OPERATING THIS PROGRAM AT THE SAME HIGH STANDARD WE'VE GROWN TO EXPECT FROM PEDAL MOVEMENT. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION, AS WAS EVERYONE ELSE WHO CAN READ, THAT WHOEVER WAS CHOSEN TO OPERATE THIS PROGRAM WOULD HAVE, AND I QUOTE, "A PROVEN TRACK RECORD MANAGING FLEETS COMPARABLE TO LONG BEACH," YET THAT IS NOT WHAT OUR COMMUNITY WILL BE GETTING AND WE DESERVE BETTER. OUR CITY SHOULD NOT BE A PRE-OLYMPICS GUINEA PIG FOR AN OUTSIDE COMPANY'S SINGLE LARGEST OPERATION TO DATE. THIS PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS EXISTS FOR THE RARE EXCEPTION WHEN STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION'S NOT FAIR AND NOT THE BEST DEAL FOR OUR COMMUNITY. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. PLEASE VOTE. MR. MAYOR, UH, CITY COUNCIL. UM, MY NAME'S JOSH. I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE. MARY, I RUN THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS FOR THIS BIKE SHARE. ALL THE STAFF HERE, THEY'RE MY STAFF. THE GOOD PAYING JOBS I OFFER, THEY GET, THEY START AT $34.25 AN HOUR. WILL DROP BE ABLE TO OFFER THAT? WE OFFER A FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK, AND AS CHRIS JUST ILLUSTRATED, IT'S LET OUR... IT'S LET OUR EMPLOYEES DO IMMENSE THINGS WITH THEIR TIME. LET ME GO BACK TO MY SPEECH NOW. I'M HERE TO OPPOSE, UH, ITEM 20, GIVING A $26 MILLION BIKE SHARE CONTRACT TO AN OUT OF STATE, OUT OF TOWN COMPANY LIKE DROP DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FOR LONG BEACH. PEDAL MOVEMENT'S LOCAL HAS BEEN FOR THE WHOLE TIME, AND IT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS 19 LOCAL JOBS. YOU ALL CAMPAIGN ON SUPPORTING LOCAL JOBS. SUPPORT THEM NOW. VOTE NO. HI, MY NAME IS SARAH. I'M LONG BEACH, BORN AND RAISED. I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE. UM, LONG BEACH HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS, SUPPORTING LOCAL PEOPLE, SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITY. PEDAL MOVEMENT'S BEEN DOING THAT THIS WHOLE TIME, AND IT FEELS LIKE A MASSIVE SPIT IN THE FACE TO GO AND OUTSOURCE ALL OF THESE LOCAL LONG BEACH JOBS TO A COMPANY THAT HAS NO EXPERIENCE WITH A FLEET THIS SIZE. MOST OF THEIR EXPERIENCE, YOU FORGOT TO MENTION, IS AS A SUPPLIER AND NOT AS AN ACTUAL OPERATOR. WE SAW THE RESULTS OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN NEW ORLEANS. THERE'S AN ARTICLE WRITTEN ABOUT HOW BADLY THEY FAILED WHEN THEY TOOK OVER AS THE SUPPLIER OF NEW ORLEANS. AND IF YOU LET THEM HAVE IT, NOT ONLY WILL WE LOSE A TON OF LONG BEACH JOBS, WE WILL PROBABLY LOSE OUR BIKE SHARE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T HANDLE IT. VOTE NO. ONE SECOND. I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE NEXT 10 SPEAKERS. PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. UH, WE HAVE GRAHAM BADEN, NICHOLAS GAUTHIER, ANDREW DARA HUENAN, EVAN KELLY, AARON HOOPS, JACQUELINE MOUNT CASTLE, NICK RUSSO, CHRISTIAN NUNEZ, DANTE SCATENA, AND GRAHAM. VP OF CULTURE AND ENGA... THERE WE GO. VP OF CULTURE AND ENGAGEMENT FOR PEDAL MOVEMENT. UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL TO VOTE NO ON, UM, ITEM 20. UH, THE MAIN REASON IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR SO LONG, AND FOR PEOPLE TO SAY THAT, WELL, THEY'VE HAD EXCLUSIVITY, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT'S A COMMITMENT. I WOULD SAY THAT YOU WOULDN'T SAY THAT IN A MARRIAGE, YOU WOULDN'T SAY THAT IN ANYTHING ELSE WHERE YOU'VE ACTUALLY BUILT A FOUNDATION, A FOUNDATION THAT WE'VE GIVEN OUR HEARTS AND OUR SWEAT TO THROUGH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY EVENTS. WE SHOW UP FOR THE CITY WHEN THE CITY CAN'T SHOW UP FOR ITSELF. WE PUT OUR STAFF, WE PUT OUR STAFF OUT THERE AND WE PAY THEM THE WAY THAT THEY NEED TO BE PAID. I DON'T WANNA SEE STARBUCKS COME IN FOR A SMALL COFFEE SHOP. I DON'T WANNA SEE A MCDONALD'S COME IN. AND IF IT'S JUST ABOUT MONEY, THEN THAT'S GONNA SPEAK A LOT MORE TO THE CHARACTER OF THE CITY, AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE THE CHARACTER OF THE CITY BECAUSE WHAT YOU GUYS SAY IS BEAUTIFUL - YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. WHAT WE DO NEEDS TO BE MATCHING THAT SAME... GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS GRAHAM BADEN, DISTRICT FIVE. [03:55:01] I FOUNDED PEDAL MOVEMENT IN 2009 AS A GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FROM INTRODUCING LONG BEACH'S FIRST BIKE CO-OP TO PARKING BIKES AT BASICALLY EVERY CITY EVENT. UH, PEDAL MOVEMENT WAS BORN HERE, GREW HERE, AND HELPED LONG BEACH GROW ALONGSIDE US. OVER THE LAST 17 YEARS, I'VE WORKED ALONGSIDE EVERY LOCAL BICYCLE ADVOCATE SINCE THE LATE MARK BIXBY, AND I HOPE TO HELP SEE HIS VISION TRULY COME TO PASS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS KNOW HIM OR KNEW HIM. I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT BECAUSE THE PUBLIC WORKS PRESENTATION AT THE LAST MEETING WAS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED AND NON-OBJECTIVE. THE CITY EVALUATED DROP'S NEW PROPOSAL AGAINST OUR CURRENT AGING EQUIPMENT, COMPLETELY IGNORING THAT PEDAL MOVEMENT'S PROPOSAL INCLUDES A BRAND NEW FLEET TOO. FURTHERMORE, PEDAL MOVEMENT'S MORE SOPHISTICATED PROPOSED BIKES SHARE THE EXACT SAME SYSTEM AS LA METRO BIKE SHARE. THIS ALLOWS VISITORS TO TRAVEL SEAMLESSLY BETWEEN LA AND LONG BEACH DURING THE UPCOMING OLYMPICS. VOTE NO, THIS IS NOT OBJECTIVE. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ANDREW DERYUHIN. I AM A REPRESENTATIVE FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORGANIZATION CALLED EVERYBODY'S LONG BEACH AND A DISTRICT MEMBER OF NUMBER THREE. RIGHT NOW, PEDAL MOVEMENT PROVIDES 19 FULL-TIME JOBS. 17 OF THOSE EMPLOYEES LIVE RIGHT HERE IN LONG BEACH. THEY'RE OUR NEIGHBORS AND HAVE BEEN LOYALLY SUPPORTING AND DOING THE BEST FOR THEIR CITY. HANDLING THIS PROGRAM OFF TO ANOTHER OUT OF TOWN COMPANY WOULD ELIMINATE LOCAL JOBS, DISRUPT CURRENTLY MAINTAINED SERVICES, AND PUSH OUT A LOCAL BUSINESS THAT'S IN TOUCH WITH THE NEEDS OF ITS COMMUNITY. WE CONSTANTLY HEAR ABOUT SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND KEEPING THE LONG BEACH ECONOMY STRONG. TODAY IS A CHANCE TO PROVE THAT'S REALLY THE CASE. PLEASE VOTE NO ON ITEM 20. HI. UH, MY NAME IS NICO AGATHIOPIN. I AM THE CHAIR OF BIKE LONG BEACH, UH, WHICH PROMOTES BICYCLES AND MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION AND RECREATION IN LONG BEACH. WE ARE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION AS A CHAPTER OF BIKE LA. YES, THAT'S IN BIKE LA. UH, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT WITH THIS, AND WE KNOW THEY SHARE A GOAL TO MAKE LONG BEACH A MORE BIKE-FRIENDLY CITY WHILE EMPLOYING LOCALLY, PAYING LIBERAL WAGES AND OFFER VIABLE CAREER PATHWAYS. THEY DON'T DO THIS BECAUSE THEY'RE BOUND BY A CONTRACT. THEY LIVE IN THE CITY. THEY CARE DEEPLY ABOUT IT. I SEE THEM AT THE STORE. I SEE THEM AT FORT FRIDAYS. I RUN INTO THEM. THEY COME TO OUR BIKE RIDES. THAT SHOULD COUNT FOR WAY MORE THAN 10% OF THE SCORE. UM, ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF BIKE LONG BEACH, I URGE YOU VOTE NOW ON 20. THANK YOU. CD2. UH, MAYOR RICHARDSON, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN, AND THE MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL, LONG BEACH HAS HISTOR- HISTORICALLY VOTED TO KEEP THINGS LOCAL. UH, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE PASSED MEASURE LB, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON KEEPING JOBS IN, IN THE CITY FOR CITY RESIDENTS. WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO THE SAME THING WITH OUR, WITH OUR CONTRACT TO COMMUNITY SERVICES. PEDAL MOVEMENT IS ALREADY HERE. THERE'S NO STARTUP, NO WARMUP PERIOD WHERE SERVICES SUFFER, JUST A CONTINUOUS UNERUP - UNINTERRUPTED COMMUNITY SERVICE. PEDAL MOVEMENT IS MADE UP OF A LOCAL OWNER AND LOCAL EMPLOYEES. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT DROP MOBILITY WILL EVEN HAVE THOSE EMPLOYEES. IT'S A SAN FRANCISCO TECH COMPANY THAT WILL LIKELY USE EXPLOITED CONTRACTOR LABORERS TO CUT THEIR COSTS. THIS ISN'T WHAT LONG BEACH NEEDS. WE ARE A COMMUNITY SERVICE RUN BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, NOT A PIGGY BANK TO BE PRIVILEGED BY OUT OF TOWN TECH EXECUTIVES. YEP. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME IS EVAN KELLY. I'M ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF PEDAL MOVEMENT ALONG WITH, UH, GRAHAM. WE STARTED THIS COMPANY 17 YEARS AGO. I'VE BEEN IN TOWN FOR 19 YEARS DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. I HELPED SUPPORT AND PRODUCE MOST OF THE EVENTS THAT YOU'VE BEEN TO. UM, OH, NO. WHERE ARE WE? OKAY. IT SHOULD RAISE CONCERN THAT THE OPERATIONS COST THAT DROP MOBILITY, UH, PROPOSED WAS SO LOW. THEY OBVIOUSLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE OPERATIONS. EVERY SINGLE ITEM REQUESTED IN THE RFP IS ALREADY OFFERED BY PEDAL MOVEMENT PLUS MORE. DROPS PROPOSAL IS AN EQUIPMENT DEAL THAT SACRIFICES OPERATIONS AND IS CLEARLY JUST A, UM, MEDIA PLAY FOR, UH, UH, OLYMPICS. UH, STAFFING FOR THE NUMBER OF BIKES MEANS CONSTANT HIRING AND FIRING. WE'VE WORKED WITH THE CITY FOR NINE YEARS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT AND HOW TO WORK WITH THEIR CONTRACT. FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN UNDER AN EXTENDED CONTRACT WITH NO CHANGES, NO INPUT, NOTHING. WE HAVEN'T... AND THROUGH THE LARGEST INFLATION - THANK YOU. IN WHAT? KEEP GOING. OH, NO. THE NEXT SPEAKER WE HAVE IS IN ZOOM, AARON HOOPS. YOU'VE BEEN UNMUTED. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. [04:00:02] THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ERIN HOOPS. I'M IN DISTRICT TWO. I'M ALSO SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF CARLIT LONG BEACH. AT THE MISSION OF CARLITE, LONG BEACH IS TO ADVOCATE FOR SAFER STREETS AND ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. AND THE DESIRE TO MODERNIZE THE FLEET OF BIKE SHARE VEHICLES FOR OUR CITY IS ONE THAT WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT. HOWEVER, WE FIND THE SELECTION OF DROP MOBILITY AS A VENDOR TO BE CONCERNING DUE TO CLEAR PRICE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE KNOWN TWO RESPONSIVE BIDDERS, PEDAL MOVEMENT AND DROP. BUT SIMPLY, WE DO NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT DROP MOBILITY KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE GETTING THEMSELVES INTO. THEY DON'T OPERATE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM IN NEW ORLEANS, AND THEY QUOTE A CONCERNINGLY LOWER PRICE THAN THE COMPETITION IN TERMS OF INSULATION, DOCKING INFRASTRUCTURE, AND OPERATIONS. UH, THEIR PRODUCT ALSO HAS A BAD HISTORY OF THEFT. WE LIVE IN LONG BEACH WHERE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ARE COSTLY, INFRASTRUCTURE INSTALLATION IS COSTLY, AND BIKE THEFT IS FAMOUSLY COMMON. THEY ALSO DON'T RUN THE PROGRAM IN NEW ORLEANS, A NONPROFIT DOES. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE THAT THE CITY IS JUST, IS DECIDING THAT JUST BECAUSE DROP SUPPORT, SUPPLIED THE BIKES THAT COUNTS FOR THEM MANAGING THE FLEET, THEY DON'T. LAST, THIS IS A GENERAL EVENT, BUT WE'RE NOT CONVINCED THAT A DOCKLESS SYSTEM WITH CABLE LOCKS IS GOING TO RESULT IN ANYTHING - YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JACQUELINE IN ZOOM. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. HI, YES, I'M JACQUELINE. UM, PLEASE VOTE NO. PEDAL MOVEMENT IS CLEARLY SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. UH, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BIKE SHARE. THEY PROMOTE SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE MOBILITY FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH. IT WOULD BE SUCH A HUGE DISSERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY IF WE OUTSOURCE, UM, THIS DEDICATION AND LOVE AND AWESOME WORK THAT THEY DO TO A COMPANY OUTSIDE OF LONG BEACH. PLEASE VOTE NO. THANK YOU. YOU CAN BEGIN AT THE PODIUM. PEDAL MOVEMENT ISN'T JUST ANOTHER CONTRACT ON A PIECE OF PAPER. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE, KNOW THE STREETS, KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THIS COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE YEARS OF HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE KEEPING BIKE SHARE OPERATING FOR LONG BEACH RESIDENTS AND VISITORS. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOCAL JOBS? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE THAT HAS BEEN BUILT OVER YEARS? AND WHAT ARE THE MESSAGES THAT WE'RE SAYING TO SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES IN LONG BEACH IF THEY CAN SPEND YEARS HELPING THEM BUILD A CITY PROGRAM ONLY TO EVENTUALLY BE REPLACED BY A COMPANY FROM OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY? I UNDERSTAND BIKE SHARE NEEDS TO GROW AND MODERNIZE. I'M NOT AGAINST IMPROVING THE SYSTEM. IF NEW NECTOLOGY, BIKES, AND BETTER SERVICES NEEDED, LET'S MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS. BUT PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS BEEN HERE SINCE YEARS AND YEARS AND HAS CREATED A SAFE HAVEN FOR MOST OF US HERE IN LONG BEACH, AND LET'S SAY MANY OF, OUT OF LONG BEACH AS WELL. SO I APPROVE TO VOTE NO ON ITEM 20. THANK YOU. BEFORE THE NEXT SPEAKER, I'D LIKE TO CALL THE NEXT FEW. UH, WE HAVE VAL STEPHENS, SKYLAR HARRIS, JANE DOE, JOE DOE, MELISSA, QUAMIN WANG, JEFF COATES, LEILA FEH, AND MICHAEL JUDE. YOU CAN BEGIN. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M NICK RUSSO, CEO OF PEDAL MOVEMENT. UM, I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU HOW MANY YEARS WE'VE BEEN HERE BECAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD THAT, BUT I AM ASKING YOU TO VOTE NO ON ITEM 20. TWO WEEKS AGO, THIS COUNCIL ASKED IF THE CITY REGRETS ITS AMBIGUOUS LANGUAGE IN THE RFP, WHY PUSH AHEAD INSTEAD OF REDOING THE RFP? YOU STILL DON'T HAVE A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM THE CITY. STAFF SAYS EVERY BIDDER QUALIFIED UNDER THE CITY'S READING. THAT READING DEPENDS ON THE WORD CUMULATIVE, WHICH STAFF NOW PROMISES TO ADD INTO FUTURE RFPS. BUT THE PROBLEM IS IT WASN'T IN THIS RFP AND THE CITY NEVER TOLD A SINGLE BIDDER THAT THAT'S WHAT IT MEANT UNTIL AFTERWARDS. THE 10,000 BIKES STAFF CITES IN THEIR OCTOBER TWO MEMO, DROP'S OWN LETTER WRITTEN AFTER YOUR LAST MEETING SAYS THAT EVERY BIKE IT HAS, THAT'S EVERY BIKE THAT'S DELIVERED SINCE 2017, INCLUDING SYSTEMS THAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OPERATE. QUALIFICATIONS ARE JUDGED ON THE PROPOSAL, NOT ON LETTERS SENT AFTERWARDS. A THOUSAND PEOPLE SENT YOU LETTERS OPPOSING THIS AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE YOU TO LISTEN TO THEM. VAL STEVENS. HELLO AGAIN. UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT WE'RE NOT IN THE LIKE EARLY COMMENT SECTION THAT WAS DESCRIBED IN THE MOTION THAT WAS PASSED EARLIER AND YET SOMEHOW OUR COMMENT TIME HAS BEEN REDUCED. I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT MAKES SENSE. UM, WE LOVE OUR JOBS. WE LOVE THIS TOWN. UM, WHEN I MOVED HERE, PEDAL MOVEMENT WAS LONG BEACH TO ME. UM, YOU'RE LOSING SO MUCH MORE THAN A CONTRACT OPERATOR [04:05:01] WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT. UM, I'M JUST GONNA TAKE MY TIME. UH, I'M UP HERE FIGHTING FOR MY JOB, YOU KNOW? UM, WE, WE EDUCATE PEOPLE. LIKE I TAKE SO MUCH TIME AND PATIENCE TO LIKE TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO AIR UP THEIR TIRES. PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO AIR UP THEIR TIRES. LIKE IS DROP GONNA DO THAT? YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE. YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING THAT STUFF, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT DROP IS REALLY GONNA OFFER. THERE'S NUMBERS IN A REPORT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SCORES FROM THIS RFP WHICH WE DON'T FEEL WAS FAIR REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE HAS TO SAY. UM, I SHOULD HAVE 30 MORE SECONDS. VOTE NO. SKYLER HARRIS. IF I WASN'T ALREADY PRETTY DISGUSTED BY THIS PRESENTATION, HAVING TO SIT THROUGH THAT PRESENTATION AGAIN WHEN IT WAS CLEAR TWO WEEKS AGO THAT THIS SITE ALREADY KNOWS WHO THEY WANT AND THE FACT THAT YOU'RE SAYING YOU'VE GOT DROP, YOU'RE READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS WHILE PEDAL MOVEMENT'S OUT HERE WITH THE PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR THEIR JOBS WHEN THEY'RE THE ONES THAT PUT YOU WHERE YOU ARE. UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS HOW MONOPOLIES HAPPEN. BIG COMPANIES MOVE INTO COMMUNITIES, DRIVE THEIR COMPETITION OUT OF BUSINESS BY UNDERBIDDING CONTRACTS. FROM THE SOUND OF IT, DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THEY'LL BE ABLE TO COMPETE, KEEP THEIR PROMISES. UM, PEDAL MOVEMENT OFFERS THEIR EMPLOYEES FAIR COMPENSATION, WORK-LIFE BALANCE THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT. UM, I'M GONNA SKIP AHEAD. AT THE LAST MEETING, SOMEBODY SAID THAT THEIR COUNCIL HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THE BEST DEAL FOR THE PEOPLE. BEST DEAL ISN'T ALWAYS THE LOWEST PRICE. IT'S A MATTER OF VALUES, NOT DOLLARS, MORALS AND PRINCIPLES. OH, NO. THE NEXT SPEAKER I HAVE IS JANE DOE. I'M, I'M SKYLER HARRIS. SO... GO AHEAD. SKYLER HARRIS IN DISTRICT THREE. I ORGANIZE A LOCAL BIKE RIDE HERE IN LONG BEACH, UM, LB BICYCLE RIDES. UH, PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS WORKED WITH MULTIPLE BIKE GROUPS AND EVENTS, UH, HERE IN LONG BEACH FOR YEARS NOW. UM, DOES THIS CITY COUNCIL HATE, UH, LOCAL HOMEGROWN SMALL BUSINESSES? YES. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU'RE PUSHING THEM OUT THREE LESS LONG BEACH JOBS JUST BECAUSE A, A TWO, THREE POINT PERCENTAGE DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. UH, LOCAL HOMEGROWN IS DEFINITELY WHAT WE WANT HERE. UH, THOSE INDIVIDUALS WORK HERE. THEY RIDE BIKES. THEY'VE JOINED MY BIKE RIDES. THEY'VE JOINED PLENTY OF OTHER BIKE RIDES AS WELL. UM, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO VOTE NO ON 20, AND I WILL TAKE THE EXTRA 10 SECONDS I HAVE TO STAND HERE. I APPRECIATE IT. HELLO, MY NAME IS LIZ AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT TWO. TELL ME THAT YOU HATE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES WITHOUT SAYING YOU HATE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES. THAT IS ITEM 20. IT SHOWS WHERE YOUR PRIORITIES ARE WHEN YOU OUTSOURCE A SERVICE THAT IS SO LOVED AND INGRAINED IN THE COMMUNITY WITH A PRIVATE COMPANY THAT ISN'T FROM HERE. DO NOT DIMINISH THE COMMUNITY TO NUMBERS AND LISTEN TO WHAT WE WANT. IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T EXIST. PLEASE KEEP MY TAX DOLLARS ON LONG BEACH, NOT SOME COMPANY IN SAN FRANCISCO. LONG BEACH CONSTITUENTS ARE MORE THAN CAPABLE OF TAKING CARE OF THE CITY. PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES. I URGE YOU TO VOTE NO. HELLO. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. UH, MY NAME IS OLIVER. I LIVE IN ALAMEDOS BEACH DISTRICT TWO. UH, PEOPLE JOKE THAT YOU'RE NOT OFFICIALLY A LONG BEACH RESIDENT UNTIL YOUR BIKE GETS STOLEN. PERSONALLY, I'D RATHER GET A WELCOME BASKET, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY, AND THAT'S WHY A PEDAL MOVEMENT MATTERS. THEY PREPARED MY BIKES AND PROVIDED A SAFE PLACE TO PARK THEM DURING EVENTS HERE IN LONG BEACH WHEN I CAN'T FIND A PARKING SPOT OR THE PARKING GARAGE AND TICKETS SUDDENLY COST MORE THAN MY PLANS FOR THE EVENING AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO SHOW UP AND ENJOY OUR CITY. WHAT SETS PEDAL MOVEMENT APART FROM OUTSIDE AGENCIES IS THEIR INVESTMENT IN THIS COMMUNITY. THE MONEY WE SPEND WITH THEM STAYS LOCAL AND SUPPORTS THE KIDS AND FAMILIES WHO WANT TO ENJOY THE BIKES AND SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, AND ALL OF... THAT WE ADVERTISE OURSELVES TO BE. IF WE'RE GOING TO CALL LONG BEACH A BIKE AND SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY CITY, WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL ORGS AND MAKE, UH, THAT MAKE IT PRACTICAL, ACCESSIBLE, AND SAFE. PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS DONE THAT FOR ME AND SO MANY OTHERS HERE, AND I WANT THEM TO STAY. A 2% DIFFERENCE FOR THE FINAL SCORE, UH, ONE NOT INCLUDING ANY LOCAL WEIGHT OR INPUT IS NEGLIGIBLE. IF YOU COULDN'T PICK UP THIS, UH, ON THE VIBES IN THE ROOM TONIGHT, LONG BEACH WANTS TO SUPPORT ITS COMMUNITY. THIS DECISION, AGAIN, WILL PROVIDE Y'ALL WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUR STANCE ON SMALL BUSINESSES. IT IS THE NEXT - YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. AT MINIMUM, READ - THANK YOU. MY NAME IS MELISSA, DISTRICT SEVEN. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES. [04:10:01] OH WAIT, THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE DOING. UM, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH. NO, THAT'S NOT IT EITHER. UM, I DON'T HAVE A COMPLICATED MESSAGE VOTING ON ITEM 20. I CARE ABOUT LONG BEACH. PEDAL MOVEMENT CARES ABOUT LONG BEACH. EVERYTHING ABOUT LONG BEACH IS ABOUT KEEPING THINGS LOCAL AND TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER, AND THIS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS HELPING TO DO THAT AND YOU WANNA RIP IT AWAY. I DON'T SUPPORT THAT. I SUPPORT PEDAL MOVEMENT. THANK YOU. PEDAL MO- MOVEMENT HAS BEEN THE HEART OF OUR BICYCLING COMMUNITY FOR A LONG WHILE. WE SHOULD BE KEEPING LONG BEACH DOLLARS IN LONG BEACH. I UNDERSTAND THAT LA HAS SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH DROP MOBILITY AND FOR THE OLYMPICS, AND I ASSUME YOU WANNA MATCH THEIR MOBILITY PROGRAM BECAUSE OF THEIR TECHNOLOGY, BUT LET'S FACE IT, OLYMPICS IS ONLY THREE WEEKS OF THE YEAR IN 2028. LET'S WORK TOGETHER AND KEEP IT IN HOUSE. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU'RE SELLING OUT OUR COMMUNITY TO STREAMLINE THE HYPE OF OLYMPICS. WHEN YOU HAVE SKILLED CITIZENS THAT REPAIR AND REFURBISH IN-HOUSE, YOUR CHOICE TO CRIPPLE A THRIVING COMMERCIAL BUSINESS IS IN THE CITY IS NOTED. LET'S INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. UH, MY NAME'S MICHAEL. I CURRENTLY LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE. I'VE BEEN IN LONG BEACH FOR 20 YEARS, AND I LOVE RIDING MY FREAKING BIKE. I GO EVERYWHERE. AND EVERYWHERE I GO, WHO'S THERE TO HELP? IT'S PEDAL MOVEMENT. OVER... WHEN, WHEN I WAS NEW TO TOWN AND I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS, BIKES IS WHAT BROUGHT ME COMMUNITY, AND THROUGH THAT, I JUST KEEP MEETING THESE AMAZING NEIGHBORS WHO ARE NOW MY FRIENDS IN MY COMMUNITY AND FOR- FORGET ABOUT... I MEAN, DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT OF OUR 19 LOCALS, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THAT THEY HAVE JOBS, IT'S THAT THEY DO A DAMN GOOD JOB AT IT. PEDAL MOVEMENT IS SO GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO, AND IT'S THE BIKES IN FIXING THE BIKES, KEEPING THEM RUNNING, AND KEEPING PEOPLE TOGETHER. THEY'RE BRINGING US TOGETHER. PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JEFF COATS, AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS AND LAUNCHES FOR DROP MOBILITY. UH, OVER THE PAST 10 MONTHS, WE'VE BEEN ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING WITH THE CITY IN THIS RFP PROCESS, WHICH CULMINATED IN THE AWARD OF THE CONTRACT TO RUN LONG BEACH'S, UH, BIKE SHARE. AT EVERY LEVEL, WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE. WE WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CITIES, COMMUNITIES, COUNCIL MEMBERS, EVERYWHERE TO DELIVER TRANSPORTATION ECOSYSTEMS THAT SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. AS WE PREPARE TO SCALE THE FLEET AND DEPLOY THE NEW E-BIKES THAT ARE ALONGSIDE THE CITY'S EXISTING PEDAL BIKE FLEET, WE HAVE COMMITTED IN WRITING TO THE CITY, UH, TO PRIORITIZE THE INTERVIEWING, HIRING OF MEMBERS OF THE EXISTING TEAM WHO ARE INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THE OPERATIONS. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE ARE KEY PARTS OF WHAT DROP DOES IN EVERY OPERATION. OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROPOSAL INCLUDES MULTIFACETED APPROACH, INCLUDING OUTREACH TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, EQUITY EVENTS, COMMUNITY RIDES, PARTICIPATION AT COMMUNITY EVENTS AND MORE. STANDING... YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED. STANDING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. GARBAGE. GET OUT OF OUR CITY. BEFORE I, BEFORE THE NEXT SPEAKER. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. PLEASE, NO IN - NO DISRUPTIONS TO THE MEETING. LET'S CONTINUE PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA CALL THE REMAINING SPEAKERS. WE HAVE MATT GOLDMAN, LAYLA SOCHI, DYLAN AMBROSE, SEAN CUTT, STU S. KEITH, KEITH MASON, SKYLER, ISAAC MARTINEZ, ALEX ESCOBAR, AND SERENA D'ANGELO. PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. AND DAVE SHUKLA. YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. COUNCIL MEMBERS, MR. MAYOR. MY NAME IS KIMMING. I'M THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF DRAB MOBILITY. WE STARTED DRAB NINE YEARS AGO WITH A FIRM BELIEF THAT BUILDING GREAT BIKE SHARE REQUIRES GREAT TECHNOLOGY, BUT ALSO A PARTNERSHIP-DRIVEN APPROACH. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER ON OUR PROPOSAL AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE LONG BEACH BIKE SHARE. IN ALBANY, NEW YORK, WHERE THEY HAVE A SYSTEM OF BIKES FROM THE SAME DISSOLVED MANUFACTURER AS THE CURRENT LONG BEACH BLUE PEDAL BIKES, WE WERE ABLE TO ADD 400 E-BIKES AND TRIPLE THEIR TRIPS TO OVER 200,000 PER YEAR, MORE THAN DOUBLE OF LONG BEACH TODAY. IN NEW ORLEANS, [04:15:01] WE HAVE JUST RENEWED OUR CONTRACT FOR FIVE MORE YEARS TO DELIVER 2,500 ADDITIONAL E-BIKES AND CHARGING STATIONS FOR NEXT SPRING. WE... THE SUIT DOESN'T SUIT ME. I WORE THIS TO APPEAR IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND COUNCIL. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. WE'RE NOT GONNA BULLY THE SPEAKERS WHEN THEY WALK UP. PLEASE, CUT IT OUT. DON'T BULLY THE SPEAKERS ANY - EITHER SIDE OF IT. DON'T DISRUPT PUBLIC COMMENT. EVERYONE STANDING AT THIS PODIUM DESERVES THEIR TIME TO SPEAK, NO MATTER THE TOPIC. SO THE NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE COME FORWARD AND S - AND SPEAK, AND GIVE THEM THE RESPECT OF, OF PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. EVENING. MY NAME IS SOCHI, CD2, AND I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO VOTE NO IN ITEM 20. OUTSOURCING LOCAL LONG BEACH JOBS THAT ARE ALREADY HELD BY LONG BEACH RESIDENTS DOESN'T FEEL VERY VIBE CITY REX. THESE FOLKS ARE HERE SHOWING UP TO TALK TO YOU FOR OUR COMMUNITY, OUR NEIGHBORS, OUR FRIENDS, OUR FAMILY. THAT IS THE VIBE CITY THAT WE ARE SHOWING UP FOR THESE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE IMPACTED BY NO LONGER HAVING PEDAL MOVEMENT AND ITS EMPLOYEES PROCURE THE LONG BEACH BIKE SHARE PROGRAM. THIS IS THE VIBE CITY THAT YOU CAN'T MARKET WITH ADS, BUT YOU CAN HELP FUND IT. AND IT WILL BE AN INVESTMENT OF CITY FUNDS SPENT IN LONG BEACH AND STAY IN LONG BEACH TO POWER LONG BEACH'S ECONOMY. I PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL COMMUNITY BIKE RIDES THAT OCCUR EVERY MONTH. HUNDREDS OF US SHOW UP, RIDE OUR BIKES, AND EVEN RENT CITY BIKES THAT PEDAL MOVEMENT OVERSEAS FOR DISTRIBUTION AND REPAIR. WE RIDE THROUGH OUR LONG BEACH COMMUNITY WITH OUR LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW WHO'S THERE IN THE COMMUNITY? PEDAL MOVEMENT. YOU KNOW WHO IS HERE TODAY WHEN THE BIKE VALET SERVICE FOR THOSE OF US WHO CANNOT FIND PARKING DOWNTOWN WITH, WITH THIS ONE HOUR CUT AND HOW TO RIDE A BIKE HERE? YO TIME'S CONCLUDED. PEDAL MOVEMENT. THANK YOU. THE NEXT SPEAKER WE HAVE IS LAYLA IN ZOOM. YOU'VE BEEN UNMUTED. YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS LEILA. UM, I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE. I PLAN BIKE RIDES EVERY TUESDAY AND I ALSO, UH, TEACH BIKE SAFETY. UH, AND I HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED SINCE I MOVED HERE FROM DAY ONE BY PEDAL MOVEMENT. UM, I'M HERE TO ASK THAT LONG BEACH KEEP ITS BIKE SHARE CONTRACT WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT. I MEAN, YOU, YOU JUST HEARD IT FROM DROP RIGHT NOW THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY, THEY HAVE CONTRACTS, ALL THE CONTRACTS THAT THEY NEED IN NEW ORLEANS. I THINK WHAT WE NEED IS A BUSINESS THAT CAN FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE HERE IN LONG BEACH, UH, AND PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS BUILT A STRONG PRESENCE IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY SHOW UP AT EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY FROM LONG BEACH COAST BASEBALL GAMES TO PRIDE RUN AND PROVIDE PROGRAMS LIKE BIKE SAFETY EDUCATION AND FREE BIKE REPAIR THAT DIRECTLY BENEFIT LONG BEACH RESIDENTS. THEY'RE EVEN PROVIDING BIKE VALET AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING, WHICH WAS JUST MENTIONED. UH, SOMETHING I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE THINKING ABOUT OR PROVIDING IN OUR COMMUNITY. AS A BIKE COMPUTER - YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. DYLAN AMBROSE. HI, MY NAME IS DYLAN AMBROSE. I'VE BEEN EMPLOYED WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT SINCE 2019, AND I AM THE MANAGER OF THE DOWNTOWN FACILITY. THIS CONTRACT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST BIKES ON THE STREET. THIS IS GONNA AFFECT A CAREER FOR MANY OF US THAT IS COMMUNITY FACED AND VERY STABLE. PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO HAVE A BRAND NEW CHILD AND A FAMILY THAT DEPENDS ON THIS JOB. BEYOND THAT, THERE'S TONS OF CITY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS THAT HAVE RELIED ON OUR TEAM AND THE AMAZING WORK WE'VE DONE OVER THESE PAST NINE YEARS TO HELP THE CITY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO EVEN OPERATE A BIKE SHARE PROGRAM. AND AS I MENTIONED, WE TOOK IT FROM SOMEBODY WHO IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONE IN QUESTION OF BEING AWARDED, MANAGED A DOWNTOWN FACILITY THAT'S GONE THROUGH TONS OF HARDSHIPS AND WE CONTINUE TO BE A STAPLE FOR THAT COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS TONS OF EVENTS. SO BASICALLY, WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR THE CITY SINCE 2017, AND WE HOPE WE STILL CAN BE. SO PLEASE, DON'T TAKE IT AWAY FROM US BECAUSE THIS IS WHO YOU'RE HURTING. VOTE FOR NO ON PROP 20. I KNOW IT'S ITEM NUMBER 20. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. SEAN. HELLO. SEAN CUTT FROM CD1 AGAIN. UM, I'M A CYCLING AND URBAN PLANNING NERD AND I REALLY WISH I WERE HERE TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING FUN AND EXCITING, LIKE MORE PROTECTED BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, BUT I'M HERE TALKING ABOUT THIS INSTEAD. PEDAL MOVEMENT WAS A BIG REASON AS TO WHY I MOVED HERE, UH, MOVED BACK HERE. IT'S BECAUSE OF HOW GOOD THEIR STAFF IS. UM, FROM WHAT YOU JUST TOLD ME, PEDAL MOVEMENT SOMEHOW LOST BY JUST TWO POINTS ON THIS ARBITRARY SCORE YOU MADE. IS THAT SCORE IMMUTABLE AND FALLIBLE, MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE IMPASSIONED RESPONSES FROM MY NEIGHBOR IN THIS COMMUNITY? YOU'RE CHOOSING TO BE STUBBORN IF YOU DON'T ACTUALLY JUST CHANGE THE SCORE JUST BY A FEW POINTS AFTER [04:20:01] ALL OF THIS. MAYBE IF YOU COULD JUST TRY RUNNING OUR CITY AS A COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF SOME SOLACE MACHINE DICTATED BY A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, I'D VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT. THIS EVALUATION YOU'VE INVENTED AND MADE YOUR DECISION KIND OF REMINDS ME OF THAT MEME WHERE OBAMA'S JUST GIVING HIMSELF A MEDAL. UM, PEDAL MOVEMENT HELPED ME PUMP MY TIRE WHEN IT WAS FLAT. THEY'VE HELPED ME MATERIALLY, BUT IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE HELPING MATERIALLY IS NOT THE PRIORITY HERE RIGHT NOW. SO PLEASE VOTE NO ONE 20 TO MAKE THAT NOT THE CASE. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD EVENING. MY AME'S ISAAC MARTINEZ, DISTRICT NINE. UH, SORRY, DR. JONI, YOU COULDN'T BE HERE. UH, CONDOLENCE. UH, I WAS AT, UM, A HARDEN PARK PUBLIC WORKS, UH, MEETING NOT TOO LONG AGO, UM, TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPROVEMENTS AND, UH, MS. EILEEN CAME OVER FROM PARKS AND REC. SHE'S LIKE, "HEY, UH, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, UH, THERE WAS, LIKE, THE BIKE CAMP AND, LIKE, UH, THE KIDS LOVED IT. IT WAS A WHOLE WEEK FULL OF, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST BIKE INSTRUCTION, UH, BIKE RIDES, HOW TO BE, UH, SAFE IN PUBLIC WITH BIKES." AND, UH, IT TURNS OUT IT WAS A PEDAL MOVEMENT THAT HAD, YOU KNOW, UH, ADMINISTERED THAT WEEK-LONG BIKE CAMP WITH, UH, THE PARKS PROGRAM. AND ALSO, JUSTIN, ALSO, JUSTIN HARRIS, HE HAPPENED TO BE HERE, OR HE HAPPENED TO BE AT THAT MEETING AS WELL, AND RIGHT AWAY, WE CONNECTED. HE'S LIKE, "OH, YEAH, I REMEMBER YOU. WOW, THAT WAS, LIKE, 10 YEARS AGO." SO, THAT'S THE TYPE OF, UH, I GUESS, COMPANY THAT PEDAL MOVEMENT IS. LIKE, THEY'VE, THEY'RE IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY ALSO HELPED THE BUS FEST, WHICH, UH, REX AND YOU WERE AT. UH, THEY ALSO PROVIDED, UH, IN-KIND, UH, BIKE VALET. SO, PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS. UH, DROP'S NOT WORTH IT. HELLO, COUNCIL. MY NAME IS DR. STUART STEVENS, AND I'M A CONSTITUENT OF THE CITY'S 5TH DISTRICT, AND A FORMER EMPLOYEE WHO WAS ABLE TO PURSUE HIS DOCTORATE AT PEDAL MOVEMENT. THIS RIGHT NOW IS A MORAL CHOICE. THIS MORAL CHOICE STANDS BEFORE YOU AS A TEST. A CHALLENGE, YES, BUT ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY. I ASK THAT YOU EACH LOOK WITHIN YOURSELVES AND INTO THE EYES OF THE CITY YOU SERVE. I ASK THAT YOU PROTECT AND UPLIFT YOUR OWN, AND THAT YOU FIND THE MORAL COURAGE TO STAND BY THOSE WHO RIDE OR DIE FOR LONG BEACH. I ASK YOU TO MAKE THE MORAL CHOICE TO KEEP LONG BEACH BIKE SHARE, THE WELL-OILED MACHINE IT HAS BEEN FOR NEARLY A DECADE, AND TO KEEP THE HANDS THAT GREASE IT. NO 120. HELLO. UH, MY NAME IS SERENA. I LIVE IN DISTRICT TWO, AND I RIDE A BIKE BECAUSE OF THE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT THAT PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS PROVIDED TO ME. YOU ARE HOPING THAT DROP WILL HAVE THE SAME KNOWLEDGE OF LONG BEACH AS PEDAL MOVEMENT. YOU'RE HOPING THAT THEY WILL SAVE YOU MONEY AT THE EXPENSE OF PROVIDING WORKERS A LIVING WAGE. YOU'RE HOPING THAT THESE UNDERPAID WORKERS WON'T QUIT OR BE UNRELIABLE. YOU'RE HOPING THAT DROP WILL REHIRE PEDAL MOVEMENT WORKERS AT THIS MUCH LOWER RATE WAGE, AND YOU'RE HOPING THAT THEY WILL SETTLE IN AND FIGURE ALL THEIR STUFF OUT BEFORE THE OLYMPICS. HOPE IS A BEAUTIFUL CONCEPT, BUT HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY. PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS PROVEN THEMSELVES TO BE A REAL SOLUTION. THEY HAVE PROVIDED SO MANY EXTRAS TO THIS CITY'S BENEFIT, MUCH MORE THAN THE CONTRACTED FOR A YEAR, BECAUSE THEY CARE ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY. YOU'RE HOPING THAT AN OUTSOURCED COMPANY WILL HAVE THE SAME CARE AND DRIVE THAT PEDAL MOVEMENT DOES. HOW FAR ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE THAT HOPE? HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY, BUT PEDAL MOVEMENT IS. THANK YOU. UH, KEITH MASON, THIRD DISTRICT. UM, IT'S INTERESTING. UH, I, I ACTUALLY HAVE CHANGED MY OPINION A LITTLE BIT, UM, WHICH IS JUST REFLECTS THE EARLIER MOTION. UM, I HEAR A LOT OF PASSION FOR THIS GROUP. UM, I, I ALSO HEAR THAT THEY DELIVER A LOT MORE THAN WHAT WAS ASKED FOR IN THE RFP, OR AT LEAST THAT'S THE IMPRESSION I GOT. UM, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT REALLY STRIKES ME IS $475 MILLION IS MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY TO HAVE KEPT A FIRE STATION OPEN IN MY DISTRICT. $279,000 PER EMPLOYEE IS WHAT THEY'RE ASKING THE CITY COUNCIL TO SPEND. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR 19 EMPLOYEES, 279,000 PER EMPLOYEE. AND I JUST THINK WE NEED TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD TO, FOR THE CITY TO MAYBE TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR COMMENTS RELATIVE TO LIVING WAGE. MAYBE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED IN THE RFP AND ALSO THE RESULTS OF WHAT WAS ON, WENT ON IN, UH, NEW ORLEANS. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. UH, I OPPOSE THIS ITEM. UH, I BELIEVE THIS, [04:25:01] UH, PROCESS AND CONTRACT ARE FLAWED AND DIRECTED TO A PREDETERMINED OUTCOME. UH, MR. MODICA, THIS IS A VERY EASY CONTRACT TO TRACK IN CONCRETE TERMS IF IT'S AWARDED AND DROP MOBILITY DOES NOT PROVIDE EQUAL OR BETTER SERVICE THAN PEDAL MOVEMENT. THAT IS SOMETHING I THINK SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY CITY STAFF WHO WORKED ON THE RFP, WHO EVALUATED IT, WHO PUSHED FORWARD WHAT I THINK TO BE A FLAWED PROCESS, AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO FAIL UPWARDS, NOR SHOULD THOSE WHO VOTE FOR IT. AT WHAT POINT ARE YOU GONNA ACTUALLY LISTEN TO YOUR CITY? THE NEXT SPEAKER WE HAVE IS ALEX ESCOBAR IN ZOOM. ALEX, YOU'VE BEEN UNMUTED. YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE HAVING TO REWRITE YOUR 90-MINUTE PUBLIC COMMENT IN REAL TIME TO ACCOMMODATE A NEW ONE-MINUTE RULE. TALK ABOUT A REAL SLAP IN THE FACE, REX RICHARDSON. I'M ASKING THE COUNCIL TO VOTE NO ON ITEM 20 AND REQUEST THAT PUBLIC WORKS COME BACK WITH A STRUCTURE THAT MODERNIZES LONG BEACH BIKE SHARE WHILE KEEPING OPERATIONS LOCAL TO PEDAL MOVEMENT. MARY, YOU CAN MAKE THAT MOTION AS MY COUNCILWOMAN. AS WE HEARD TONIGHT, PEDAL MOVEMENT HAS OPERATED IN LONG BEACH FOR A DECADE, AND EVERYONE SPEAKING HERE IS A TESTAMENT TO THAT, BUT A QUICK STORY THAT I THINK SHOULD INFORM THE WAY YOU VOTE. BEFORE MOVING TO LONG BEACH, I SPENT FIVE YEARS WORKING AND LIVING IN DC, WHERE I SAW LYFT TAKE OVER CAPITAL BIKE SHARE, THEIR LOCAL OPERATOR. AS A WRITER, THE EXPERIENCE OF CONVERTING THAT TO A BAY AREA COMPANY NEVER IMPROVED MY RIDER EXPERIENCE, AND I DON'T WANNA SEE THAT HAPPEN NOW. SO MAKE THE HARD VOTE TONIGHT, VOTE NO, MODERNIZE THE SYSTEM WE HAVE, WHILE PRESERVING THE LOCAL JOBS AND EXPERTISE THAT'S LOCAL. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. OUR LAST SPEAKER IS MELISSA. I WANT TO UPLIFT THE VALUE OF HOMEGROWN BUSINESSES AND THE CAPACITY WE BUILD HERE IN LONG BEACH. AND WHEN WE'RE INVESTING MILLIONS OF PUBLIC DOLLARS, I THINK WE SHOULD BE ASKING HOW WE PRESERVE AND GROW THAT VALUE. ASIDE FROM ALL THE GREAT POINTS ALREADY STATED HERE, I ACTUALLY WANNA DRAW ATTENTION TO HOW WE'RE STRUCTURING LARGE COMPLEX RFPS. UH, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS DESIGNED AND OVERSEEN RFP PROCESSES AT A LARGE PUBLIC ENTITY, THERE ARE MORE EQUITABLE WAYS TO DESIGN THESE RFPS. DO WE ALWAYS NEED TO CREATE A PROCUREMENT WHERE ONE LARGE VENDOR HAS TO PROVIDE THE TECHNOLOGY, THE EQUIPMENT, OPERATIONS, EVERYTHING ELSE? OR COULD WE INSTEAD CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTNERSHIP, LARGER TECHNOLOGICALLY SOPHISTICATED COMPANIES TO PARTNER AND LEVERAGE LOCAL EXPERTISE OF BUSINESSES LIKE PEDAL MOVEMENT? THAT COULD GIVE LONG BEACH THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE RETAINING LOCAL JOBS, RELATIONSHIPS, EXPERTISE, AND ECONOMIC INVESTMENT. I'M ASKING YOU TO THINK MORE CREATIVELY ABOUT WHAT AN EQUITABLE PROCUREMENT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE FROM DESIGN TO EVALUATION TO IMPLEMENTATION. IF WE SAY WE WANNA BUILD A STRONG LOCAL ECONOMY, OUR LARGEST PUBLIC CONTRACT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE WAYS WE DO IT. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. UH, BEFORE WE GO TO COUNCIL, JUST, UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, SO WHENEVER THERE'S A CONTRACT AWARD AND THERE'S A PUBLIC RFP PROCESS, UH, THE COUNCIL HAS A FEW OPTIONS IN FRONT OF THEM ON WHAT THEY CAN DO WHENEVER IT'S A CONTRACT AWARD. IF THIS... IF THERE'S A PUBLIC PROCESS, A PART OF YOUR DECISION MAKING, YOU SORT OF, UH, GIVE UP TO SAY, "HEY, LET'S HAVE A PUBLIC PROCESS," AND WHEN IT COMES BACK, YOU HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE PROCESS ITSELF. SO I WANT THE ATTORNEY TO WALK THROUGH WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AND THAT'S CORRECT. THIS IS AN RFP, A PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PROCESS THAT TRANSPIRED. TARA EXPLAINED THE IMPORTANCE OF A FAIR, OPEN, AND COMPETITIVE PROCESS. IT'S A REQUIREMENT UNDER THE LAW, AND THAT PROCESS DOESN'T JUST END THE NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD, IT CONTINUES ON THROUGH THE AWARD PROCESS. SO THIS EVENING, A YES VOTE ON THIS ITEM WOULD BE THE AWARD OF THE CONTRACT UNDER THE RFP THAT WAS FACILITATED BY CITY STAFF. THE OTHER OPTION THAT'S AVAILABLE TO COUNCIL WOULD BE TO VOTE NO AND TO DIRECT THE STAFF TO CONDUCT, TO RERUN THAT COMPETITIVE PROCESS ON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS IN SOME WAY DEFICIENT OR FLAWED, UM, AND THEN THAT FLAW RESULTED IN AN OUTCOME THAT WOULD NOT BE THE SAME IF WE WON. OKAY. SO REDIRECTING FROM ONE CONTRACTOR TO ANOTHER IS NOT AN OPTION IN FRONT OF THE CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT. THE PROCESS NEEDS TO BE FAIR, OPEN, AND TRANSPARENT, AND SO YOU WOULD NEED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOMETHING INSIDE OF THAT PROCESS THAT WOULD NOT FAIR, OPEN, [04:30:01] TRANSPARENT, OR COMPETITIVE AND ASKED FOR THE RERUNNING OF THE PROCESS. I WANNA, I WANNA, UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, YOU KNOW, BOTH GROUPS WITH, UH, AND ALL THE GROUPS THAT HAVE, HAVE, UH, SIGNED UP AND, TO DO BUSINESS WITH OUR CITY, AND WE CERTAINLY, WE CERTAINLY WELCOME THAT. AND I'LL TELL YOU, I, AND I DON'T KNOW, UM, UH, THE ONE WHO'S PROPOSED TO BE AWARDED. I, I DON'T KNOW DROP MOBILITY. I DO KNOW PEDAL MOVEMENT. I'VE WORKED WITH THEM FOR MANY YEARS. ON AN RFP, THE QUESTION THAT THE COUNCIL HAS TO FOCUS IN ON HERE IS THE PROCESS. IF YOU STEP OUTSIDE OF PROCESS, THAT IS WHEN WE WADE INTO LEGAL AREA. SO THE QUESTION IN FRONT OF US IS THE PROCESS. SO THE COUNCIL CAN, CAN CERTAINLY ACKNOWLEDGE LOCAL IMPACTS. THE QUESTIONS WOULD BE, HOW DID, HOW WAS THAT ADDRESSED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE PROCESS? YOU CAN TALK ABOUT VALUE. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP TODAY, WAGES, LOCAL, ALL OF THAT, BUT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE PROCESS, THAT HAS INFORMED WHATEVER DECISION IS MADE BY THE COUNCIL TONIGHT BECAUSE THIS IS ONE STEP OF THAT PROCESS THAT IS NOT YET CONCLUDED. SO I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR SPEAKING. WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE COUNCIL. UH, THE, UH, LET'S SEE, MAKER OF THE MOTION. WELL, LET'S START WITH, UH, ACTUALLY WHO COUNCIL DISTRICT WAS, COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU. UM, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL HIRE, UM, CONTINUES TO BE A PRIORITY FOR ME. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE THAT IN THE CO - UH, CONTRACT, IT SAYS THAT, UM, JOB MOBILITY IS TO HIRE A LOCAL WORKFORCE AND PROCURE A LOCAL FACILITY. UH, MY QUESTION IS, UM, IF THIS IS STIPULATED AND WRITTEN AND WRITTEN INTO THE CONTRACT, AND WHAT WILL BE THE REMEDY IF THIS IS NOT FULFILLED? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. SO WE DO HAVE PROVISIONS WITHIN THE CONTRACT TO ADDRESS ANY, ANY OF THE VENDORS THAT AREN'T COMPLYING WITH THE CONTRACT AT LARGE. SO WE WOULD BE WORKING WITH THEM, UH, IMMEDIATELY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE THEIR LOCAL ESTABLISHMENT, HOW ARE WE GOING TO START PROCURING VEHICLES IN THE BIKE, BIKE FLEET, AND THEN HOW ARE WE GOING TO, UH, WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO BE HOUSED AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO THERE ARE OPTIONS WITHIN THE RFP TO NOT ONLY MAKE SURE THAT THEY COMPLY WITH ALL THE PROVISIONS WITHIN IT, BUT ALSO SOME OF THE ITEMS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER RELATED TO MAINTAINING, UH, AVAILABILITY OF THE FLEET ITSELF THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THANK YOU. UM, ONE MORE QUESTION. UM, SO THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS IN THE CON- CONTRACT, BUT IS IT WRITTEN IN THE CONTRACT? COUNCIL MEMBER, TO BE SPECIFIC, UH, WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT WHEN WE HAVE AN RFP, THE RFP DOCUMENT ITSELF BECOMES AN ATTACHMENT TO THE CONTRACT. SO IT'S LITERALLY ATTACHED. THE PROPOSAL THAT THEY PROVIDE IS ALSO A PART OF THAT. AND THEN THERE'S NEGOTIATED TERMS THAT HAPPEN, WHICH ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEYOND WHAT CAME FROM THE RFP. THERE'S NEGOTIATIONS THAT HAPPEN AFTER THAT, AND THOSE TERMS AND CONDITIONS WILL BE ADDED INTO A PAPER CONTRACT THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS GOING TO DRAFT. NOW, EVERY CITY PROCUREMENT CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE IS GOING TO HAVE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ADMINISTER THE CONTRACT. IF THERE IS ANY CONTRACT FOR ANY SERVICE WHERE THEY ARE NOT MEETING EACH OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED, THERE'S ALWAYS A REMEDY. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO MEET WITH THE VENDOR, WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITH THEM AND GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO CURE. THERE IS DEFINITELY SITUATIONS WHERE VENDORS DO NOT MEET THOSE STANDARDS AND DO NOT CURE, AND THEN WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS. WE'VE ABSOLUTELY BROUGHT THOSE CONDITIONS TO CITY COUNCIL AND YOU'VE RE- RE- REAWARDED THE CONTRACT. WE'VE TAKEN DIFFERENT STEPS, WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING ELSE. BUT AT THIS POINT, WITH THE EVALUATION CRITERIA THAT WAS PROVIDED AND THE PROPOSALS THAT WERE PROVIDED, STAFF DOES THINK THAT THE EVALUATION IS FOR THE BEST VALUE FOR THE CITY FROM THE CONTRACT THAT WE'RE, UM, REQUESTING THAT YOU RECOMMEND, YOU, UM, AWARD THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. UH, IT'S NEVER A GOOD SIGN WHEN LOBBYISTS ARE REACHING OUT TO ELECTED OFFICIALS TO INFLUENCE RESULTS OF THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS. PUBLIC CONTRACTING RULES EXIST TO PROTECT THE CITY, TAXPAYERS, VENDORS, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS. WHEN WE START REOPENING A COMPETITIVE BID PROCESS TO LOBBYING, [04:35:01] THAT IS WHERE GOOD GOVERNANCE STARTS BREAKING DOWN. I FEEL THE EMPLOYEES, I FEEL FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF PEDAL MOVEMENT. YOU ARE REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL JOBS, LIVING HERE IN LONG BEACH FOR MANY OF YOU, AND YOU'VE WORKED ON THIS PROGRAM FOR YEARS. BUT OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO THE PUBLIC FIRST. THIS CITY COUNCIL JUST APPROVED A BUDGET WITH LAYOFFS, AND WE WERE LOOKING AT 17 CITY EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYEES LOSING THEIR JOBS ON OCTOBER ONE BEFORE THE CITY MANAGER WORKED TO HELP GET MOST OF THEM PLACED. 17 EMPLOYEES IS THE SAME NUMBER OF PEDAL MOVEMENT EMPLOYEES WHO LIVE IN LONG BEACH. WHAT MESSAGE ARE WE SENDING TO OUR CITY EMPLOYEES IF AFTER MAKING PAINFUL BUDGET REDUCTIONS, WE OVERRIDE A BIDDING PROCESS TO SELECT A VENDOR THAT COSTS NEARLY $5 MILLION MORE WITHOUT IDENTIFYING A MATERIAL FLAWS IN THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE OPERATION OF THIS PROGRAM HAS GONE THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT PROCESS SINCE 2019. AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN ISSUING NO BID CONTRACT EXTENSIONS. NOW THE CITY HAS FINALLY GONE BACK OUT TO MARKET AND ASKED COMPANIES TO COMPETE. FOUR COMPANIES SUBMITTED PROPOSALS. DROP RECEIVED THE HIGHEST EVALUATION SCORE, DESPITE PEDAL MOVEMENT RECEIVING THAT 10% BUMP FOR BEING A LOCAL BUSINESS. THE CITY'S PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONTINUES TO RECOMMEND AWARDING THE CONTRACT TO DROP. THERE ARE SUBSTANTIVE REASONS BEHIND THAT RECOMMENDATION. THE CURRENT SYSTEM HAS 250 BIKES UNAVAILABLE FOR USE. UNDER THE NEW CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, THE MANAGEMENT FEE WOULD ALREADY BE REDUCED BASED ON THE NUMBER OF BIKES CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. LOOKING AT THE PROPOSALS, I LIKE THE IDEA OF BRINGING THE ENTIRE PROGRAM UNDER ONE CONTRACT INSTEAD OF HAVING TWO CONTRACTS FOR ONE SERVICE. I LIKE THE CONCEPT OF A PARKING SYSTEM WITH 350 CHARGING STATIONS COMPARED TO THE 80 OFFERED BY THE PROPOSAL BY PEDAL MOVEMENT. I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF INSTALLING MORE THAN 1300 NEW DEDICATED BIKE SHARED DOCKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. I BELIEVE THERE WAS A PICTURE OF THE DOCKING SYSTEM AND THEY'RE VERY LARGE. DROP'S PROPOSAL CAN USE OUR EXISTING PUBLIC BIKE RACKS. I DON'T LIKE THE PEDAL MOVEMENT SUBMITTED A BID FOR FULL-TIME BENEFITED EMPLOYEES TO ONLY WORK 32 HOURS A WEEK. THAT'S FOUR DAYS A WEEK. NO CITY EMPLOYEE OR ANY OTHER CITY CONTRACTOR WOULD BE ALLOWED TO WORK 32 HOURS AND STILL BE CONSIDERED FULL-TIME WITH BENEFITS. IMPORTANTLY, I LIKE THAT DROP MOBILITY IS NEARLY $5 MILLION LESS THAN THE OTHER BID IN YEAR ONE. I UNDERSTAND CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED. THE LANGUAGE AROUND WHETHER BIDDERS HAD MANAGED FLEETS OF A THOUSAND BIKES IS UNFORTUNATE, BUT IF YOU READ IT LITERALLY, OUR TWO TOP BIDDERS WOULD BOTH BE DISQUALIFIED. RESTARTING THE ENTIRE PROCESS WOULD PRIMARILY BENEFIT THE CURRENT CONTRACT HOLDER AND NOT THE PUBLIC. COUNCIL ABSOLUTELY HAS AN OVERSIGHT ROLE, BUT THIS IS ALSO NOT THE FIRST TIME COUNCIL HAS BEEN ASKED TO CHANGE COURSE ON THE BIKE SHARE CONTRACT AFTER ORGANIZED ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THE INCUMBENT. PUBLIC BIDDING IS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO SEPARATE PROCUREMENT DECISIONS FROM POLITICAL INFLUENCE. I HAVE NOT READ OR HEARD ENOUGH TO CONCLUDE THAT CITY STAFF GOT THIS COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT PROCESS WRONG. I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR DROP MOBILITY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER IS, UH, LET'S SEE. COUNCIL MEMBER THRASH AND TUT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UM, SOME, THAT DISCUSSION. SO ANYTIME WE START TALKING ABOUT TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM A HOMEGROWN LOCAL PARTNER, LIKE PEDAL MOVEMENT, THE CONVERSATION IS DIFFICULT. UM, AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE REAL IMPACT TO COMMUNITY THAT WE'VE HEARD HERE THIS EVENING AND WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE SOME MORE TIME TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED HERE AND HOW DID WE GET TO THAT POINT. SO, UM, I'VE GOT A, [04:40:01] A SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT I THINK WILL, UM, HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND, UH, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. WHEN I THINK ABOUT, UM, THIS CONTRACT, I HEAR FROM PEDAL MOVEMENT NO SENSE THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE THIS KIND OF DRASTIC CHANGE. HAD WE DONE ANY CONSUMER FACING ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PUBLIC IS CURRENTLY INTERACTING WITH OUR, UH, BIKE SHARE SYSTEM AND WHAT THEIR PERSPECTIVE IS ABOUT WHERE IT SHOULD BE GOING? THANK YOU. I WOULDN'T SAY THAT WE'VE CONDUCTED LIKE SURVEYS WITH IT. WE CAN LOOK AT OUR RIDERSHIP VERSUS WHAT THE EXPECTED RIDERSHIP IS OF A SYSTEM OUR SIZE. OKAY. AND IT'S UNDERPERFORMING. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL OR IN, AS WE, UM, WE CONSIDERED CRAFTING THAT RFP WOULD HAVE SIGNALED TO THE MARKET THAT THERE WAS SOME INTEREST IN REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR CURRENT BIKE SYSTEM, GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM OUR CONSUMERS, SO THAT WAY WE COULD ALSO HAVE INCLUDED THAT CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE WITHIN THE RFP GOING FORWARD. I DO WANNA THANK THE STAFF FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REALLY GO THROUGH, UM, AND HELP US UNDERSTAND THE INTEGRITY OF THE PROCESS THAT WAS USED. UM, THANK YOU. YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT SMALL BUSINESS AND PROCUREMENT IS TO ME, UH, FOR GOING THROUGH THAT AND CONNECTING THAT TO ALL OF THE VARIOUS, UH, BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT YOU'VE BEEN UTILIZING. YOU STATE THAT WE RARELY RECEIVE PROTESTS. ANY IDEAS REGARDING ANY PERCENTAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT? UM, I THINK I WOULD SAY IN THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE PRO- PROBABLY RECEIVED FOUR TO FIVE AND WE'VE HAD 255 FORMAL SOLICITATIONS, SO 1% - ISH. OKAY. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, IS SO UNIQUE, I THINK, ABOUT LONG BEACH IS THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE A LOCAL PREFERENCE. UM, COULD YOU, UM, OPINE ON WHETHER OUR LOCAL PREFERENCE, BECAUSE TYPICALLY I SEE 5%, BUT WE HAVE 10%. HOW COMMON IS THAT AMONG CITIES OF OUR SIZE? UH, I DON'T THINK IT'S VERY COMMON AT ALL, ACTUALLY. I KNOW 5% IS KIND OF, UM, WHAT WE'VE SEEN, UH, WITH JURISDICTIONS OUR SIZE, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANOTHER ONE THAT IS 10%. SO QUITE, QUITE GENEROUS IN TERMS OF LOCAL PREFERENCE AND THE COMMITMENT TO, UM, LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS. IT IS GENEROUS, COUNCIL MEMBER. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE REASON FOR THE LOCAL PREFERENCE BEING ABLE TO BE THAT, IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE WE WANT IT TO BE, AND WE WANNA PROVIDE THAT PREFERENCE. WE HAVE TO HAVE A NEXUS AS TO WHY. WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO BACK INTO WHY 10%. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANTED IT TO BE 25%, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT NEXUS. THERE'S 10% IS GENEROUS AND IT IS AS HIGH AS EVERYONE BELIEVES THAT WE COULD GET IT. RIGHT. I, I THINK YOU, WE MADE IT, WE MADE THE ORIGINAL POINT, WHICH IS THAT FIVE IS PRETTY TYPICAL AND 10% IS ALREADY QUITE GENEROUS. SO CHANGE IS QUITE DIFFICULT AND, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU. YOU, YOU'VE PUT OUT INTO THE PUBLIC THE CATEGORY SO WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT, UM, THE CATEGORIES WERE THAT THEY WERE, UM, EVALUATED AGAINST. UM, I, I TOO THINK THAT IF THERE WAS A WAY TO MARRY THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS WITH THE TECHNOLOGY, WITH THE EXPERIENCE, WITH THE LOCAL CULTURE OF PEDAL MOVEMENT, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN, YOU KNOW, AN IDEAL, UM, SITUATION AND, AND JUST SORRY THAT THAT WAS NOT WHAT HAPPENED GOING FORWARD. UM, I WANNA THANK YOU. IN THE RFP, UM, I LOVE THE FACILITY WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS AS A REQUIREMENT, ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS THERE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE RFP DID NOT REQUIRE IS, UH, SPONSORSHIP OR, UH, VOLUNTEER COMMITMENTS. I DO WANNA SAY THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE COMMUNITY HEARS THIS. UM, THE ETHOS OF A PEDAL MOVEMENT DIDN'T REQUIRE THAT WE HAD THAT IN ANY WRITTEN DOCUMENT, BUT MY EXPECTATION IS THAT ANY COMPANY THAT WOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF CONTRACT, UM, WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THAT WOULD BE AN EXPECTATION TO SHOW UP AS A, A CORPORATE CITIZEN AND PARTNER WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND WOULD HAVE A STRATEGY ACCORDINGLY, UH, TO INVEST IN THAT WAY. SO THEN... OH, I'M ALMOST OUT OF TIME, MAYOR, AND I HAVE A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS. SHOULD I QUEUE BACK UP? UH, SURE. GO AHEAD AND CUE BACK UP. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. NEXT IS COUNCIL MEMBER SORO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I ALSO AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILWOMAN BASTANTUK, THAT THIS IS DIFFICULT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A LOCAL HOMEGROWN BUSINESS AND WITH WORKERS WHO LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT IS WHY I ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL TIME FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REVIEWING ALL OF THE MATERIALS THAT COMES BEFORE US, THAT WE'RE HEARING, ALL OF THE INFORMATION [04:45:01] AS SHARED. UH, PROTEST DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN, BUT WE ALSO ARE NOT INVOLVED WITH THE BIDDING PROCESS, THE PUBLIC PROCESS FOR THE, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR A REASON. AND SO I, I DO WANT TO CLARIFY, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE CLARIFICATION ON WHAT'S DECISION BEFORE US, BUT I NEED A LITTLE MORE CLARIFICATION BECAUSE THERE, THERE IS A TIMELINE WITH THIS GRANT, RIGHT? SO, SO EARLIER WE HEARD THAT IF WE VOTED NO ON THIS ITEM, IT MEANS THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO GO TO REBID. IT DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY GO TO ONE. IT, IT'S A PUBLIC BIDDING PROCESS, IS THAT CORRECT? IT'S A PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PROCESS THROUGH AN RFP. THANK YOU. SO IT WOULD HAVE TO BE RERUN. AND SO HOW LONG WOULD THAT TAKE AND WOULD WE STILL HAVE TO, WOULD WE HAVE TO SPEND THESE DOLLARS IN A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME? WOULD WE, BASICALLY, WOULD WE HAVE TIME TO GO THROUGH A PRO- PROCUREMENT PROCESS AGAIN? SO THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, A- AS OUTLINED IN THE MOST RECENT MEMO, I THINK THE AVERAGE IS RIGHT AROUND SEVEN MONTHS OR SO, UH, WOULD TAKE US, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO DRAFT THE NEW PROCESS, THE NEW RFP THAT WOULD GET OUT ON THE STREET. THERE IS A, A, A PERIOD OF TIME THAT IT TAKES TO CORRECT WHATEVER IT IS AS THE CITY ATTORNEY HAD, HAD NOTED. WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THOSE CORRECTIONS ARE, WORK THOSE CORRECTIONS INTO THE RFP, GET IT OUT ON THE RESTREET, TAKE ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS OR SO, AND THEN TO BRING AN ITEM BACK TO CITY COUNCIL. WE'RE LOOKING AT CLOSE TO A YEAR. UM, THAT WOULD GIVE US NOT A LOT OF TIME BETWEEN THE CULMINATION OF THAT PROCESS AND THEN TRYING TO DEPLOY A NEW FLEET BEFORE THE 2028 GAMES. SO IT WOULD SET UP ANYONE WHO GETS THIS CONTRACT THROUGH THE REBIDDING, THE RE - THE, THE NEW PROCESS, LITTLE TIME AND ALMOST SETTING THEM UP FOR FAILURE THAT THEY COULDN'T EVEN SET UP THEIR SYSTEM IN TIME IF WE WENT THROUGH A NEW PROCESS. IT, IT WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT. THERE'S ALSO A GRANT THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE SUBMITTED FOR THAT WOULD HELP US, UH, AUGMENT THE CAPITAL DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REINVEST INTO THE PROGRAM. UH, THAT GRANT WOULD ALSO POTENTIALLY BE IN JEOPARDY IF WE, IF WE PROLONG THIS, UH, PROCESS. POTENTIALLY HOW MUCH IS THAT GRANT? UH, WE SUBMITTED FOR FIVE MILLION, FIVE MILLION. UM, ALL RIGHT. THAT, THAT'S, THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE FOR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER KERR. YES. UH, THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TO THE CITY TEAM FOR YOUR THOROUGH PRESENTATION TONIGHT. UM, I THINK I'LL JUST REITERATE MY COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK OR LAST MEETING. I CONTINUE TO BE DISAPPOINTED AT THE WAY THIS CONTRACT HAS COME TO PASS. I AM A STRONG SUPPORTER OF BIKESHARE ON OUR BIKEABLE CITY GOALS. FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, WE HAVE BEEN INTENTIONAL IN OUR WORK TO PROMOTE RIDERSHIP, SAFETY, BIKE PROGRAMMING ACROSS THE CITY, FROM BEE STREETS AND CRITICAL MASS, MOONLIGHT BIKE RIDES, PRESENCE IN DOWNTOWN, UM, EVENTS IN ALL OF THESE SMALL SPACES. AND PADDLE MOVEMENT AND THE BIKING COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN A HUGE PARTNER WITH US IN THIS CITY, UM, TO HELP ACHIEVE THESE GOALS. THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT AND EXCITING PROGRAM, AND AS ONE OF THE COMMENTERS SAID, I WISH I COULD BE JUMPING UP AND DOWN BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE EXPANSION OF OUR PROGRAM, UH, FOR YEARS. AND MS. MORTENSON, I APPRECIATE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE PROFESSIONALISM AND THE WORK THAT PROCUREMENT HAS DONE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE AWARDS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN, UM, THE WAYS IN WHICH WE HAVE CHANGED PROCUREMENT, UM, TO HAVE SUCH A STELLAR RECORD. AND I THINK WE GOT THIS ONE WRONG. BOTH OF THOSE TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE. WE CAN HAVE A STELLAR DEPARTMENT AND YOU ALL ARE DOING AMAZING WORK AND WE CAN STILL GET SOME THINGS WRONG. UM, SO IT'S DISAPPOINTING. I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THIS ITEM TONIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER THRASHENTUP. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SO I WANTED TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT SEEMS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UM, WE HAVE, DROP MOBILITY HAS SHARED SOME ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS THAT I WANNA JUST DIG INTO A LITTLE BIT. SO, UM, WE, WE NOTE THAT IN THE RFP, THERE IS A NEED TO MOVE THE HEADQUARTERS TO, OR NOT THE HEADQUARTERS, BUT MOVE THE FACILITY, A FACILITY TO LONG BEACH. UM, THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN LA MIRADA, AND I WAS WONDERING, UM, IF DROP MO- MOBILITY HAS ANY CONTRACTS RIGHT NOW WITH, UM, LA MIRADA? I THINK THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE A BETTER QUESTION ANSWERED BY DROP, BUT I WOULD JUST, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS PART OF THE RFP, THE DROP MOBILITY IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A LOCAL PRESENCE HERE. YES, I CAUGHT THAT. IN ADDITION TO MOVING THE HEADQUARTERS, THE LOCAL HEADQUARTERS TO LONG BEACH. SO THERE'S KIND OF TWO, TWO THINGS GOING ON, BUT MAYBE SOMEBODY FROM, FROM DROP COULD HELP ANSWER THAT. I SEE A HAND THERE. THE [04:50:01] GENTLEMAN HAS STATED NO, THAT THERE IS, THERE IS NOT A CONTRACT WITH LA MIRADA. OKAY. SO PART OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE OF, AND AGAIN, JUST MAKING A PUBLIC STATEMENT, IS THAT I WOULD NOT WANT PEDAL MOVE - I WOULD NOT WANT DROP MOBILITY TO, UM, GET A CONTRACT SOMEWHERE ELSE AND DECIDE TO MOVE HEADQUARTERS OR SPACES SOMEWHERE ELSE WITHIN, UH, THE REGION. SO JUST WANTED TO GET A SENSE OF THAT. THEN, UM, I REALLY, I APPRECIATE THE EMPHASIS ON HIRING. UH, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT LOCAL JOBS. UM, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO THE DETAIL OF THE, THE SALARY LEVELS. UM, I KNOW THAT WAS MENTIONED IN PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I THINK IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT THERE ARE SOME EXPECTATIONS AROUND QUALITY JOB OPPORTUNITIES THAT, UM, THOSE HERE IN LONG BEACH WHO HAVE WORKED IN THIS MOVEMENT SO LONG WOULD EXPECT, UH, FROM ANOTHER COMPANY. AND THEN, UM, THERE HA - I NOTICED IN THE WRITTEN REPORT THERE IS, UH, DEFINITELY WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, CONSUMER PROTECTION AND EQUITY INTO THE PROGRAM. SO AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THE, UM, BIKE SHARE FOR ALL PROGRAM, UH, IMPLEMENTA - IMPLEMENTED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE CASH PAYMENT OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE. AND, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT, UH, FOR COMMUNITIES THAT NEED ASSISTANCE WITH ACCESSING THE SYSTEM. ALL OF THAT IS CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. AND THEN, UM, THERE ISN'T, I DON'T THINK, A SPECIFIC PERCENTAGE, BUT, UM, WE'D WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE BIKES ARE DISTRIBUTED AS EQUITABLY AS POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY SO THAT THE NORTH OR PARTS OF THE WEST, PLACES THAT MAYBE TYPICALLY HAVEN'T HAD AS MUCH BIKE SHARE EXPERIENCE, UM, AND HUBS WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT. DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, COMMITMENTS ON THAT SO FAR? THAT IS A BIG PART OF WHY WE WANTED TO BRING THIS ITEM FORWARD AND WHY WE RECOMMENDED THE EXPANSION OF THE PROGRAM. AS THE PROGRAM CURRENTLY OPERATES TODAY, UH, AS YOU'VE HEARD OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS, IT IS DECLINING. SO THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES WE HAVE AVAILABLE HAS DECLINED YEAR OVER YEAR. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO EXPAND INTO SOME OF THOSE AREAS WHERE WE HAVEN'T HAD, UH, AS MANY BIKE FLEETS. OKAY. WE CERTAINLY NEED SOME MORE IN THE NORTH. AND THEN, UM, HOW WILL, UM, THE DROP MOBILITY, UH, BIKES CONNECT IN WITH METRO AND THE LA COUNTY REGION? WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO INTEGRATE THE SYSTEMS. I KNOW THEY HAVE, UH, THEIR OWN PROCUREMENT PROCESSES AND THEIR OWN, UM, SYSTEMS IN, THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT ROLLING OUT INTO THE FUTURE. UH, WE COULD CERTAINLY PAIR UP WITH THEM AND, AND LOOK AT HOW WE COULD EXPAND THAT NETWORK. OKAY. I THINK THAT WILL BE CRITICAL. AND THEN, UM, WE, I NOTICED THAT THIS IS A HYBRID SYSTEM NOW, AND SO BIKES CAN BE LEFT AT HUBS OR OTHER PLACES AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE AS YOU DESCRIBED. UM, HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT BIKES THAT ARE NOT PART OF A DOCK SYSTEM, UM, GET CONNECTED TO THE RIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE AND THAT THERE'S SOME LEVEL OF RETRIEVAL OF THOSE BIKES SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THEM IN PLACES THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE? THERE'S SPECIFIC STAFF LEVELS THAT ARE, THIS, THERE'S SPECIFIC STAFFING THAT, THAT'S THEIR ENTIRE JOB IS REBALANCING THE VEHICLES. SO THEY, THEY HAVE A HANDHELD THAT TELLS THEM WHERE THE BIKES ARE LOCATED, THEY GO AND REBALANCE THEM. OKAY, THANK YOU. WE CAN, WE CAN SET SERVICE LEVELS TOO. SO IF IT'S SIMILAR TO THE SCOOTERS, WE HAVE A, LIKE A 72-HOUR RULE OR 20, 48-HOUR RULE IF WE, OR WE CAN EVEN INTEGRATE IT INTO THE GO LONG BEACH APP AND HAVE CITIZENS REPORT THEM ON THERE TOO. OH, I LIKE HOW THAT SOUNDS. UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE CRITICAL BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A, A, A NEW WAY OF HANDLING, UM, OUR BIKE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE CITY. UM, DIRECTOR HICKMAN, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE NOTE ON, UH, SLIDE 19. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, AND WITH THAT, I THINK I HAVE SHARED, UH, ALL OF MY COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MATTER. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILMAN SARA, I SEE YOUR HAND. YOU'RE GOOD? UH, NO, I'M GOOD, YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE NEED TO STAY WITHIN THE LENS OF THE PROCESS AND JUST A QUESTION ON WORKFORCE. SO SHOW ME A LITTLE, ADD A LITTLE MORE COLOR TO IF THE COUNCIL MAKES THE DECISION TO AWARD THE CONTRACT TO DROP, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO, UH, THE EXISTING WORKFORCE WHO WANTS TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITHIN OUR BIKE SHARE SYSTEM? SH - WHAT WILL THAT LOOK LIKE? SO FIRST UP, UH, IF THE ITEM IS APPROVED TONIGHT, WE WOULD WORK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES TO GET THE CONTRACT IN PLACE, GET THE CONTRACT EXECUTED BY, UH, BOTH THE, THE VENDOR AS WELL AS THE CITY MANAGER SO WE COULD START TO, UH, PUT IT INTO EFFECT. THAT WOULD THEN ALLOW DROP TO INTERVIEW AS THAT FIRST PHASE THAT WAS NOTED ON, ON ONE OF THE SLIDES. THEY'D BE ABLE TO INTERVIEW, UH, THE INDIVIDUALS FROM PEDAL MOVEMENT THAT ARE SO INTERESTED IN COMING ON BOARD [04:55:01] TO DROP. UM, THAT, THAT PROCESS, I IMAGINE, WOULD TAKE PLACE OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. THAT WAY, COME THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, AND DROP WOULD BE ABLE TO REALLY TRANSITION INTO FULL OWNERSHIP OVER THE PROGRAM, UH, STARTING IN EARLY 2027, AND WE THEN START TO DEPLOY OUT THE NEW, THE NEW, UH, FLEET FROM THERE. AND THERE'S A SUBSEQUENT ITEM TONIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THAT ITEM AND THIS ONE? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. SO THE SUBSEQUENT ITEM WAS ALSO CARRIED FORWARD FROM SEPTEMBER 22ND, AND THAT IS AN EXTENSION TO THE EXISTING PEDAL MOVEMENT CONTRACT THAT EXPIRED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THAT WILL GIVE US THE, THE RUNWAY BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR EXISTING FLEET, OUR EXISTING PROGRAM CAN CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND THROUGH THAT TRANSITION PROCESS THAT I HAD JUST DESCRIBED. SO IDEALLY, YOU HAVE, UH, A CONTRACT BEING EXTENDED WHILE THAT INTERVIEW AND RAMP UP PROCESS WOULD TAKE PLACE CONCURRENTLY. SO WHEN WOULD WE HEAR BACK ON THE SUCCESS OF THAT LOCAL HIRE, LOCAL RETENTION PROGRAM? UH-UH, NOPE, NOPE, NOPE. THAT'S ENOUGH. THIS IS NOT YOUR TIME. LET'S CONTINUE. PLEASE DON'T INTERRUPT. PLEASE CONTINUE. GO AHEAD. SO WE'D BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK ON THE PROGRAM, THE CONTRACT EXECUTION, THE HIRING PROCESS, THE PROCUREMENT OF THE FLEET, AND EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE MEETINGS. UM, IN EARLY 2027, WE'D BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK ON THAT. OKAY. AND THEN FINALLY, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY MY NEXT QUESTION, HOW DO THE SALARIES COMPARE BETWEEN THE TWO? SO TO, FROM A BIG PICTURE, UM, HIGH LEVEL STANDPOINT, WE, WE KIND OF RAN SOME, SOME NUMBERS HERE AND, AND OVERALL, WHEN YOU AVERAGE OUT THE SUBMITTALS FOR BOTH, UM, DROP AND PEDAL MOVEMENT, THE EXISTING AVERAGE HOURLY RATE FOR DROP MOBILITY IS $32 AN HOUR BASED ON A 40-HOUR WORK WEEK. THE AVERAGE FOR PEDAL MOVEMENT IS $39 AN HOUR. THAT'S OVER A 32-HOUR WORK WEEK. SO WHEN YOU EXTRAPOLATE THAT OUT AND DO THE MATH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE QUITE COMPARABLE AS FAR AS, UH, SALARIES ARE CONCERNED. AND AGAIN, THAT'S AN AVERAGE BASED ON - SO THE TAKE HOME IS THE SAME, THE STRUCTURE IS DIFFERENT? THAT'S CORRECT. UNDERSTOOD. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR, UH, CLARIFYING THAT. COUNCILMAN SORO, ARE YOU QUEUED? Y- YES. OKAY. YES. I WANTED TO ASK A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION TO THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU'VE BEEN ASKING IS, UH, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, AS I THINK WE'VE ALL HEARD, HOW IMPORTANT LOCAL HIRE IS, AND WHILE IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT IN THIS, UM, I, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A REPORT BACK, UM, SHOULD THE CONTRACT BE AWARDED ON THEIR HIRING PROCESS, IT BEING LOCALLY HIRED, UM, WITHIN, I DON'T KNOW IF SIX, THREE TO SIX MONTHS IS REASONABLE. UH, IS, IS THAT A POSSIBILITY? WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET A REPORT BACK IN EARLY 2027 WITHIN THAT THREE TO SIX MONTH WINDOW THAT, THAT YOU SUGGESTED REQUEST. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I'LL JUST SAY, IF DROP MOVES FORWARD AS A NEW OPERATOR, THEY BETTER GET THIS RIGHT. THIS IS... I UNDERSTAND THE, THE CERTAINLY THE... HEY, HEY, HEY, THAT'S ENOUGH. I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE, I CERTAINLY, UH, UH, APPRECIATE, UM, THE EFFORT AND THE, THE TURNOUT AND ALL OF THAT THAT'S HAPPENED, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, RESIDENTS, THEY'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN TO THEM AN RFP PROCESS. YOU CAN'T SAY, YOU KNOW, "HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, IT'S NOT YOUR, IT'S NOT YOUR TURN." LIKE, WHEN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, PEOPLE WANNA KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA GET THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT THEY'VE EXPECTED FOR A LONG TIME. IF THEY DON'T GET THAT SERVICE, YOU CAN'T GO BACK AND SAY, "WELL, THE RFP PRODUCED THIS FORMULA," AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S THE OUTCOME. IT'S THE SERVICE. AND WHOEVER THE OPERATOR IS, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, UH, PEDAL MOVEMENT OR DROP MOBILITY, THERE'S A CERTAIN LEVEL SEL - S- SERVICE THAT NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED, MOVING FORWARD IS THE POINT. SO MY MESSAGE TO WHOEVER IT IS, WHETHER IT'S DROP MOBILITY OR PEDAL MOVEMENT, IS THAT YOU GOTTA GET THIS PROGRAM RIGHT. BIKE SHARE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE CITY. I'VE BEEN THERE SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING. IT WASN'T PERFECT IN THE BEGINNING. UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LOT OF CONCERNS. WE WERE JUST FIGHTING TO GET SOME BIKES IN NORTH LONG BEACH. THEN WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THE DOCKING. I MEAN, IT HASN'T BEEN PERFECT, BUT IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO A CITY LIKE OURS. SO THE EXPECTATION IS THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WE HAVE A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY, WE HAVE HIGH QUALITY SERVICE [05:00:01] AND THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT OF A COMMUNITY THAT LEANS INTO BIKING. THAT'S THE EXPECTATION. IT MAY NOT HAVE TRANSLATED EXACTLY THROUGH A FORMULA. EVERYTHING CAN'T COME OUT THROUGH A PROCO - A PROCUREMENT FORMULA. AND I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE GREAT STAFF LEADING OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESSES, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY GOTTA GET IT RIGHT. LONG BEACH NEEDS TO HAVE A TOP TIER BIKE SHARE PROGRAM THAT OUR RESIDENTS CAN USE, THAT PEOP - MIGHT, LIKE FOLKS WHO USE BIKE SHARE CAN USE, AND WE WANT THAT FEEDBACK MOVING FORWARD. SO THAT SAID, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO A ROLL CALL VOTE. MAYOR, I'M QUEUED UP. OKAY, I DIDN'T SEE ANYONE. OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. ALL RIGHT. UM, I, I JUST THINK IT'S PRESUMPTUOUS TO THINK THAT THE FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW FOR PEDAL MOVEMENT ACTUALLY WANNA, WANT A NEW EMPLOYER. UM, UM, THEN I ALSO WONDER, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS, AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT ANYONE'S EVER HEARD THIS, THAT, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA INVEST IN LONG BEACH BUSINESSES THAT HAVE INVESTED IN OUR CITY. UM, AND A LOT OF REASON THAT I EVEN RAN FOR COUNCIL WAS OVER HOW SCREWED UP THE RFP PROCESS WAS BA - WAY BACK WHEN. SO I KNOW WE'VE DONE A, WE'VE DONE A LOT AND WE'VE COME A LONG WAY AND I COMMEND THE CITY FOR THEIR WORK, BUT IT'S NEVER PERFECT. UM, AND SO, UM, AND I'M NOT SAYING THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS PROCESS AT ALL. I JUST KNOW THAT IT'S JUST NOT, IT JUST, YOU NE - WE NEVER CAN GET IT PERFECT. AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT LONG BEACH, UM, THAT WE DON'T MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO WORK WITH LONG BEACH BUSINESSES. I'LL KEEP ON ADVOCATING FOR THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS HERE. WE NEED TO INVEST IN PEOPLE THAT INVEST IN OUR CITY AND EMPLOY IN OUR CITY. UM, I'LL BE A NO VOTE. ALL RIGHT. FOR SOME REASON, IT'S NOT SHOWING ME ANY OTHER SPEAKERS. SO FINAL CALL. ANY OTHER SPEAKERS BEFORE WE GO TO A VOTE? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, ROLL CALL VOTE, PLEASE. DISTRICT ONE? NAY. DISTRICT TWO? NO. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? NO. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN. AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT? AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. VOTE THEM OUT. ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO TO THE NEXT ITEM, PLEASE. ITEM 21, REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS. RECOMMENDATION TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO AMEND A CONTRACT WITH PEDAL MOVEMENT FOR OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH'S BIKE SHARE PROGRAM FOR A REVISED CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 8,261,369 CITYWIDE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. PLEASE FACILITATE PUBLIC COMMENT. IF WE CAN GET A MOTION TO SECOND. THERE ARE TWO SPEAKERS FOR THIS ITEM, EVAN KELLY AND AMY. IF YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE LECTERN, EVAN KELLY AND AMY. OH, NOW WE GET THREE MINUTES. SO, UM, YEAH. UH, THANKS FOR VOTING US OUT. UM, I JUST ALSO WANNA SAY THAT MAYBE IT'S A LITTLE FLAWED THAT, UH, THE TIMINGFRAME OF THIS WHOLE SITUATION SET US UP TO FAIL. THE WHOLE PROGRAM THAT, UH, WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING WITH AND THROUGH AND FOR HAS BEEN AN UPHILL BATTLE. WE'VE BEEN ON THE EDGE OF BANKRUPTCY SEVERAL TIMES. WE'VE, UH, TAKEN OUT LOANS TO KEEP PEOPLE EMPLOYED BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HOLD ON TO STAFF THAT ARE IN THE CONTRACT, A NUMBER THAT'S CONTRACTUALLY, UH, OBLIGATED AND NOT, UH, DUE TO THE NUMBER OF BIKES. THAT'S IN THE CONTRACT, THAT'S IN OUR CONTRACT NOW. IT'S IN THE CONTRACT THAT HASN'T CHANGED FOR THREE YEARS, UH, DESPITE, UH, INCREASES, INFLATION, ET CETERA. SO THIS IS NICE THAT WE GET AN EXTENSION, UH, FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS TO BASICALLY WIND DOWN OUR COMPANY AND FIRE EVERYBODY. I'M CURIOUS TO, I, I MEAN, DO YOU KNOW THAT WE ALSO HAVE A, ANOTHER FACILITY IN LONG BEACH WHERE ALL THE BIKES AND THE BIKE STUFF IS DONE? UM, THE FACILITY THAT WAS MENTIONED HERE IS THE BIKE STATION, WHICH IS A CITY FACILITY THAT WE RAN BEFORE BIKESHARE EXISTED, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S LISTED AS OUR, UH, BUSINESS. UM, BUT YEAH, I'M, I'M ALSO JUST UPSET THERE WASN'T REALLY MUCH QUESTIONING OR CLARIFICATION TO PEDAL MOVEMENT SPECIFICALLY. THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO CITY STAFF. WE KNOW WHAT SIDE THEY'RE ON. AND, UH, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THE RECOMMENDATION, A NO VOTE WOULD JUST GO TO SAY NO TO THE CITY RECOMMENDATION AND GO TOWARDS ANOTHER RFP [05:05:01] PROCESS OR A NEW NEGOTIATION. THERE'S NO REASON WHY PEDAL MOVEMENT, LIKE WE'VE MENTIONED ALREADY, CAN'T DO THE OPERATIONS AND PURCHASE ALL OF DROP'S EQUIPMENT. THERE'S A HYBRID OF A HYBRID. THERE'S SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS HERE. THERE WERE SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS HERE. BUT NOW THERE'S NO MORE OPTIONS FOR US. AND WHEN DROP FAILS, NOT THAT WE WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, BUT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR NINE YEARS. WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT TAKES. AND DROP WILL GO, YOU KNOW, PUT A BUNCH OF MONEY TOWARDS MAKING IT WORK, I GUARANTEE, BECAUSE THEY NEED THAT MEDIA PLAY FOR [21. 26-56178 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to amend Contract No. 36734 with Pedal Movement Inc., of Long Beach, CA, for operating and maintaining the City of Long Beach’s (City) BikeShare Program, to increase the contract amount by $709,586, with a 10 percent contingency in the amount of $70,959, for a revised contract amount not to exceed $8,261,369, and extend the term of the contract to December 31, 2026. (Citywide) Levine Act: Yes       Office or Department: Public Works         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] OLYMPICS. BUT WE'LL BE GONE BY THEN. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WILL BE GONE, YOU KNOW? SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS AMY. IS AMY IN THE AUDIENCE? THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE'LL GO TO ROLL CALL VOTE, PLEASE. SHAME. SHAME. DISTRICT ONE? AYE. DISTRICT TWO? HOW IS, HOW DOES THAT WORK? DISTRICT TWO? AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN? AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT? AYE. DISTRICT NINE? IT'S ALREADY ON THE, ALL OF THE JOBS THAT ARE LOST. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOW WE'RE GONNA GO TO GENERAL CO - PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER ONE. PLEASE FACILITATE. WILL THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN? TED ZELMER, RAY GABLICH, [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.] MARY CARMEN MERCADO, AZURA, CAROLYN ESSEX, SAM WISE, FB, STEVEN SOLO, BIANCA, AND DR. SUBRAMARANI. IF YOU CAN LINE UP AT THE LECTERN, IF YOUR NAME WAS CALLED. THE FIRST SPEAKER IS TED ZELMER. IS TED IN THE AUDIENCE? NEXT SPEAKER IS RAY GABLICH. IS RAY GABLICH IN THE AUDIENCE? MARIO MERCADO. AZURA? CAROLYN ESSEX. CAROLYN. I WON'T BE LONG. I'M SORRY. UM, I, I, I JUST, IT JUST HURTS MY HEART RIGHT NOW WHAT, WHAT JUST HAPPENED. UM, BUT, UM, TONIGHT I JUST, UM, WANTED TO SAY, UH, I'M TALKING ABOUT HAS THE CITY OR MOFFITT AND NICOLE EVALUATED TRACK, TRAP BAG FOR A COMPARABLE ENGINEERED RAPID DEPLOYMENT FLOOD AND WAVE BARRIER SYSTEM AS AN INTERIM PROTECTION SYSTEM FOR THE PENINSULA? IF SO, WHAT DID THE ENGINEERING ANALYSIS CONCLUDE REGARDING WAVE LOADING, OVERTOPPING, ANCHORING, DEPLOYMENT TIME, COST AND, AND THE COASTAL COMMISSION REQUIREMENTS? IF NOT, WHY HASN'T THAT ALTERNATIVE BEEN EVALUATED AND CAN PUBLIC WORKS HAVE A COASTAL ENGINEER COMPLETE THE EVALUATION BEFORE THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT SOUTHERN SWELL EVENT? SO I JUST MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE WE'RE IN THAT INTERIM PERIOD BETWEEN WHEN'S THE NEXT EVENT AND, AND, AND DOING THE DREDGING PROJECT. SO I MENTIONED TRAPBAG, UM, UM, DOT COM AS A PRODUCT THAT IS USED BY OTHER COASTAL CITIES, UM, UH, THAT ARE, ARE UNDER, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, WEATHER ALERTS RIGHT NOW. OKAY? SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT. THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION IS I HAVE A CONSTITUENT CONCERN INVOLVING A FAMILY MEMBER, AN ADOPTED FAMILY MEMBER WHO IS COMPLETELY BLIND. HE BELIEVED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WAS FREE FOR BLIND RESIDENTS. UM, AND WE'VE NOW LEARNED THAT THE FAIR RULES [05:10:01] MAY BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT, BUT MY LARGER CONCERN IS ACCESSIBILITY AND DIGNITY. AND SO HE REPORTED TO ME, UM, OF BEING TREATED POORLY BY SOME OPERATORS. HE SAID MOST, MOST OF THE DRIVERS TREAT HIM WITH DIGNITY, UM, UH, UM, BUT SOME OPERATORS, ONE OPERATOR SUGGESTED HE WAS FAKING THAT HE WAS BLIND. UM, AND SO I'VE BEEN TALKING TO HIM FOR SEVERAL DAYS ABOUT THIS. IT'S VERY, UM, HEARTBREAKING TO ME THAT HE HAS TO GO THROUGH THAT. I'M VERY PROUD OF MY UNCLE. I'M VERY PROUD OF HIM ABLE TO NAVIGATE, UM, BEING 100% BLIND. AND FOR HIM TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT, I DON'T KNOW. I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THAT AND TO HELP HIM NAVIGATE THAT, UH, BECAUSE THAT IS VERY DEPRESSING AND YOU'RE OUT HERE, UM, TRYING TO LIVE AND PEOPLE ARE CALLING YOU FAKE. AND THEY'RE CITY EMPLOYEES, THIS IS LONG BEACH TRANSIT. UM, SO I, I... YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM WISE. IF YOU ARE IN ZOOM, PLEASE UNMUTE. ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME? YES. UH, SULLY SORROW, YOU'RE FULL OF S**T. I'VE BEEN GOING TO THESE MEETINGS ALL DAMN YEAR. NO ONE IS SCARED TO COME HERE. IF ANYTHING, THERE'S MORE PEOPLE SHOWING UP NOW THAN WHEN I FIRST STARTED COMING. MARY ZENDEAS, DON'T F*****G TALK TO ME ABOUT INCONVENIENT ACCESSIBILITY. B***H, WHY DO YOU THINK I'M DOING MY COMMENTS THROUGH ZOOM? EVEN IF I GET HERE AS FAST AS I CAN, AS SOON AS I CLOCK OUT FROM WORK, I CANNOT GET HERE TO SIGN UP FOR IN-PERSON COMMENTS. BUT HERE WE F*****G ARE. AND EVERYONE WHO VOTED YES ON 29, CONGRATS ON VOTING AGAINST THE RIGHTS OF YOUR CITIZENS. FREE PALESTINE, F**K ISRAEL, F**K ICE. AS WE ARRIVE AT THE ANNIVERSARY OF OCTOBER 7TH, DID YOU KNOW THAT THE RUBBLE IN GAZA IS ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO 20 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF REBEL GENERATED BY ALL WARS IN THE WORLD OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS? AND IS THIS CITY COUNCIL PRO-WAR WITH IRAN? 'CAUSE IF IT'S NOT, THEN WHY DO WE HAVE CONTRACTS WITH COMPANIES LIKE GENERAL DYNAMICS WHO ARE CONTRACTED WITH THE DHS? IS THIS CITY COUNCIL PRO-FASCISM? 'CAUSE IF IT'S NOT, THEN WHY INVEST ALL THIS MONEY IN PUTTING UP FLOCK CAMERAS ALL OVER THE CITY, WHICH ONLY INCREASES THE ALREADY WIDE NET OF MASS SURVEILLANCE ENCROACHING IN ON US? A FLOCK CAMERA WRONGLY TIED A 23-YEAR-OLD WOMAN TO A DEADLY CRASH. SHE WAS LOCKED IN SOLITARY FOR 86 HOURS AND HELD FOR NEARLY TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE MISTAKE WAS DISCOVERED AND THE CHARGES WERE DROPPED. THAT'S KIND OF HELL YOU'RE TRYING TO BRING HERE. FLOCK HAS EXPANDED TO AI-POWERED DRONE CAMERAS. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT LONG BEACH IS OFFERING UP SPEED CAMERA INFORMATION TO ICE, SO HOW LONG BEFORE THE DRONES ARRIVE? AND SPEAKING OF EVIL AI-POWERED DRONES, PALMER LUCKY, FOUNDER OF ANDURIL INDUSTRIES, WHICH IS CURRENTLY BUILDING NEXT TO THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT, WHEN ASKED IF HE WOULD DRAW THE LINE AT BUILDING SOMETHING LIKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS SAID, "I WOULD DEFINITELY BUILD NUCLEAR WEAPONS. I WOULD BUILD FISSION WEAPONS. I WOULD BUILD FUSION WEAPONS." IS THIS WHY THERE'S DISCUSSION OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN THE PORT IN 2028 TO ALLOW MORE DEATH MACHINES TO BE MANUFACTURED IN THE CITY? OR IS THIS FOR A DATA CENTER THAT WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOMETIME IN THE PENDING FUTURE? WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THIS TOWN? BECAUSE US, THE RESIDENTS, WE LIVE HERE. WE LOVE LONG BEACH. WE TAKE OUR PERSONAL TIME TO COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT TO PRESERVE ANYTHING GOOD THAT'S LEFT IN THIS CITY. LONG BEACH ISN'T A JOB THAT WE'RE DOING ON OUR WAY TO SOME OTHER HIGHER ELECTED OFFICE, AND IT ISN'T A WAY FOR US TO MAKE CONNECTIONS AND NETWORK. THIS PLACE IS OUR HOME. WE LOVE OUR LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY, AND WE LOVE OUR IMM- IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY, AND WE DO NOT WANT OUR CITY TO PROFIT FROM WAR AND DEATH. AND IF YOU DON'T WANNA HELP US WITH THAT, THEN F*****G SHAME ON YOU. I GUESS CASH YOUR F*****G CHECKS, INVEST IN YOUR STOCKS AND GO TO HELL. FREE, FREE PALESTINE. NEXT SPEAKER IS AZURA AND THEN FB AND STEVEN SOLO. I HAD SOME STUFF PREPARED, BUT I MEAN, THIS WHOLE DISGRACE OF A COUNCIL TONIGHT, TWO VOTES, VERY IN OPPOSITION ON BOTH VOTES, AND Y'ALL STILL WIN AGAINST THE PUBLIC. SO WE S - WE KNOW WHO YOU SERVE WHEN THERE'S MONEY INVOLVED. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU [05:15:01] NEEDS TO LOSE YOUR JOBS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT SERVING THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY, AND YOU NEVER HAVE AND YOU NEVER WILL. REX, I ALSO LOVE THAT YOU, UH, CAMPAIGNED AND RAN FOR A POSITION THAT YOU DON'T EVER ACTUALLY INTEND ON FINISHING YOUR TERM. SO AGAIN, WE SEE WHERE YOUR, UH, PRIORITIES LIE. F**K YOU ALL. FREE PALESTINE. NEXT SPEAKER IS FB, AND THEN STEVEN SOLO, BIANCA. GOOD EVENING TO THE PUBLIC THAT STAYED HERE TILL ALMOST 10:00 PM. UM, F**K YOU, YOU WHITE SUPREMACIST PIECE OF S**T, CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND TAMOTICA CONVENIENTLY IS NOT HERE. GENOCIDE IS A DELIBERATE AND SYS- SYSTEMATIC DESTRUCTION OF A RACIAL AND POLITICAL OR CUL- CULTURAL GROUP. TOMORROW MARKS 1,097 DAYS OF WATCHING A LIVE GENOCIDE ON OUR DIGITAL DEVICES. THE LAST TIME THIS DUMB-ASS CITY COUNCIL ACKNOWLEDGED WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN PALESTINE GAZA WAS DUE TO, ONCE AGAIN, THE EFFORTS OF THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY, WHICH THEN RESULTED IN THIS DISHONORABLE CITY COUNCIL TO BEGRUDGINGLY APPROVE THE PERMANENT CEASEFIRE PROCLAMATION ON DECEMBER 19, 2023. IT'S OCTOBER 6TH, 2026, ALMOST THREE YEARS OF A GENOCIDE. THE ONLY THING THAT THIS BODY OF BLOODSUCKING MOSQUITOES DID AFTER 2023 IS EXTENDING CONTRACTS WITH COMPANIES THAT HAVE, UH, CONNECTIONS TO THE GENOCIDAL MONSTROSITY THAT IS ISRAEL, DHS AND ICE. THESE COMPANIES, AGAIN, ARE LEXISNEXIS, GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, CDW GO- GOVERNMENT, GOV INK CONNECTION, ANDURIL, A WEAPONS MANUFACTURER BEING BUILT BY OUR AIRPORT, FLOCK, MORE SURVEILLANCE THAT NO ONE F*****G IN LONG BEACH ASKED FOR, PIECE OF S**T, MAYOR, UH, THAT INFRINGES ON OUR FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHT AND PRI- PRIVACY. WE ARE NOT HERE TO ASK YOU TO MAKE SURE Y... ALL WE'RE ASKING IS THAT YOU F*****G DO YOUR JOBS. THAT'S ALL WE'RE HERE. WE COME HERE EVERY TUESDAY TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE DOING YOUR F*****G JOBS. CLEARLY, YOU'RE NOT. THAT'S WHY WE KEEP COMING BACK. YOU PIECES OF S**T, AND THAT'S WHY YOU WANNA TAKE OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT FROM US, BECAUSE WE'RE CALLING YOUR A- ASSES OUT. YOUR FAILURES ARE DESTROYING THE LIVES OF LONG BEACH. IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO, TO, UH, OUR PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU START BOYCOTTING IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. USE TOOLS LIKE BOYCAT, NO THINKS, AND BDS.MOVEMENT.NET. THE WHOLE CITY HATES YOU, YOU FASCIST PIECES OF S**T. F**K ICE, F**K ISRAEL. F**K YOU, TAMOTICA, YOU F*****G CONSTIPATED WHITE PIECE OF S**T. F**K YOU, REX, YOU PIECE OF S**T YOU F*****G SELL OUT, C**T. FREE PALESTINE, PROTECT BLACK WORKERS, WHICH YOU NEVER DO, REX, YOU ACTUALLY LIMIT BLACK WORKERS', UH, TIME WHEN THEY'RE UP HERE. FREE PALESTINE, PROTECT BLACK WORKERS, WHITE SUPREMACY AND ZIONISM EQUALS... THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER IS STEPHEN SOLO. F**K YOU. BIANCA, DR. SUBMARANIAN. F**K YOU. THE BOTTOM OF MY F*****G HEART, PIECES OF S**T, PUNTS. NEXT SPEAKER, STEVEN SOLO. AND THEN BIANCA. THREE MINUTES, I GUESS I SHOULDN'T CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY. I'M HERE WITH FLOCK OUT LONG BEACH. UH, IT'S HARD TO SPEAK ON A SPEECH YOU'VE HAD TO REWRITE SEVERAL TIMES FOR TIME PURPOSES AND IT'S EVEN HARDER TO FOLLOW UP THAT HEART-RIPPING SHOW THAT YOU GUYS JUST HAD EARLIER. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW PEOPLE WEEPING OVER THERE. GOOD JOB, YOU GUYS. UM, BUT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T READ A ROOM, I'M HERE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU THAT NOBODY WANTS FLOCK. NOBODY WANTS ANY OF THESE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS. THIS IS NOT WHAT LONG BEACH WANTS. YOU KNOW, AFTER THE POLICE MURDERED GEORGE FLOYD, LONG BEACH ADOPTED THE RACIAL EQUITY AND RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE, AND THROUGH ITS COMMUNITY OUTREACH, YOUR OWN RECORDS FOUND THAT THE MOST PEOPLE RECOMMENDED DEFUNDING THE POLICE, INCREASING OVERSIGHT AND TRANSPARENCY OF BOTH GOVERNMENT AND POLICE, COMMENTING HOW TA- TACTICS LIKE TICKETING DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED MINORITIES AND THE POOR. NO ONE ASKED FOR MORE TICKETS, UGLY FENCES, [05:20:01] OR CREEPY CAMERAS. BUT BECAUSE OF YOU, WE LIVE IN A HORROR MOVIE WHERE PRIVATE COMPANIES OWN CAMERAS THAT FOLLOW US AROUND, AND THEY SELL THAT INFORMATION TO COPS SO THEY CAN EASILY STALK THEIR EXES. MORE THAN EVER, WE'RE WATCHED ONLINE AND ON THE STREETS WHILE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, WEALTHY CEOS, THEY GET PROTECTION FOR ALL THEIR LITTLE PRIVACY, SO PRECIOUS FOR THEM, RIGHT? AND YOU PROTECT ICE AS THEY ASSAULT AND KIDNAP OUR PEOPLE, SPREADING FEAR IN THE STREETS, AND NOW YOU WANNA LET THEM BUY OUR DAILY ROUTINES? YOU SELL OUR LAND TO MERCHANTS OF DEATH LIKE ANDURIL, WHO MAKE JETS AND MISSILES, WEAPONS THAT ARE GONNA BEAR YOUR BLOODY NAMES AS THEY GO TO DESTROY HOMES AND DISMEMBER CHILDREN. REX, LISTEN. YOU MAKE A MAZE OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR HARDWORKING FAMILIES WHILE YOU HOLD THE DOOR OPEN TO THE RICH. AND YOU... LOOK AT IT, YOU'RE... LOOK HOW MUCH LONG BEACH IS FOR SALE WITH YOU GUYS. YOU JUST SOLD IT OUT TO ANOTHER COMPANY GETTING RID OF THIS LOCAL COMPANY. WE'RE JUST FOR SALE, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT VIBE CITY IS, RIGHT? DEATH AND SURVEILLANCE FOR THE POOR, MONEY AND LAND FOR THE RICH. THAT'S VIBE CITY RIGHT THERE. NOW RATHER THAN SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE, YOU SHIELD THE RICH AND SHRUG OFF ALL ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY. YOU PASS IT ALONG TO SOMEONE ELSE WHILE YOU COLLECT THE CHECK. YOUR BETRAYAL SHOWS THAT WE NEED A NEW SYSTEM WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST HEARD, BUT ARE GIVEN THE POWER TO DECIDE, A SYSTEM WHERE DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR LIVES ARE NOT FOR SALE WHILE OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE NOT FOR SALE. OTHER CITIES HAVE ALREADY MADE THE DECISION TO REFLECT FOC - FLOCK AND ALL THE KINDS JUST LIKE THEM BECAUSE THE PEOPLE DEMANDED IT, BECAUSE SOMEHOW THEIR COUNCIL PEOPLES DECIDED TO LISTEN. SOMEHOW THEY DECIDED TO CARE, BUT IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE, BECAUSE THEY SPOKE UP FOR IT. YOU KNOW WHAT LONG BEACH DEMANDS IT, DEMANDS FLOCK OUT OF LONG BEACH. NOW WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GATHER PEOPLE AND INFORM THEM OF YOUR BETRAYAL UNTIL YOU DO WHAT WE PAY YOU TO DO. GET FLOCK OUT OF LONG BEACH. AND AT THE SAME TIME, TOMORROW IS OCTOBER 7TH. AND YOU WANNA COMPLAIN ABOUT TIME TOMORROW? I'M GONNA BE AT THE BRIDGE 6:00 AM SAYING, "FUCK ISRAEL, FREE PALESTINE F**K ICE AND F**K ALL OF Y'ALL THAT DON'T WANNA SEE US FREE PEOPLE AND DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR US, DON'T WANNA WORK FOR YOUR PAYCHECKS." 'CAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT? IF I WALK OUT ON MY JOB, I GET FIRED. I DECIDE ON MY BREAK, I GET FIRED. I DO FOOD SERVICE. PEOPLE TELL ME THAT FOOD IS COLD, I GET FIRED. ALL RIGHT? YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SERVE ME JUSTICE, THAT PLATE IS COLD, OKAY? NEXT SPEAKER, BIANCA. IS BIANCA IN THE AUDIENCE? DR. SABMARANIAN. SEEING NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, PUBLIC COMMENT IS CONCLUDED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO NOW WE'LL GO TO ITEM 22, PLEASE. REPORT FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, RECOMMENDATION [22. 26-56260 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on development impact fees, the status of the Long Beach Development Impact Fee Nexus Study and next steps. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Community Development         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION ON DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, THE STATUS OF THE LONG BEACH DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE NEXUS STUDY, AND NEXT STEPS CITYWIDE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THIS ITEM. WE DO. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ITEM. UH, WE HAVE, UH, SENT YOU SOME MEMOS ON IT. I THINK WE HAD A, A BRIEF PRESENTATION LAST YEAR AND, UM, WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS IN COMMITTEE, BUT, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, A LONGER TERM STUDY TO RAISE OUR IMPACT FEES, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THAT. WE WANNA DO GIVE A, UM, UH, OVERVIEW. THIS IS NOT A - F**K YOU! CITY COUNCIL! F**K YOU! CITY COUNCIL! F**K YOU! JUST A MOMENT, TOM. F*****G PIECE OF THE S**T, F*****G LOSERS. OKAY. UM, SO TONIGHT IS NOT A, A FINAL VOTE. I GUESS IT GOT A LITTLE LATE FOR, UH, COUNCIL MEETING. THEY ALL LEFT. ALL RIGHT, PLEASE CONTINUE. YEAH, SO TONIGHT IS NOT A FINAL VOTE ON IMPACT FEES, BUT WE DO WANNA GIVE YOU, UM, UH, AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, AND THEN GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL SO THAT WHEN WE COME BACK THE NEXT TIME, UH, UH, WE ARE READY TO, UH, TAKE SOME ACTION. SO I WILL TURN IT OVER, UH, TO, UH, CHRISTOPHER KOONTZ AND HIS TEAM. ALL RIGHT. SO AS TOM MENTIONED, UH, THIS HAS TO DO WITH FEES THAT ARE ON MOST BUILDING PROJECTS AND HELP PAY FOR IMPORTANT CITY INFRASTRUCTURE, SUCH AS FIRE STATIONS, POLICE STATIONS, OUR ROADWAYS, OUR PARKS, UM, AND APRIL APADAKA, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES BUREAU MANAGER, IS GONNA GIVE THE FULL PRESENTATION. OKAY. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL AND MEM - UM, MEMBERS OF THE CI - MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. UM, I'M HERE, AS CHRISTOPHER AND TOM BOTH MENTIONED, TO, TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES. THEY'RE KIND OF A COMPLICATED, UH, TOPIC, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE RELEASING A, A DRAFT NEXUS STUDY FOR REVIEW AND COMING BACK TO YOU IN A MONTH. AND I WANTED TO DO, UH, SOME, SOME SETTING OF FRAMEWORK AND MAKE SURE WE COULD USE SOME KIND OF SIMPLER LANGUAGE TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE SO THAT BY THE TIME YOU'RE ALL READING THE REPORT AND WE'RE TALKING TO YOU NEXT TIME, THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED IT IN PLAIN LANGUAGE. AND SO I WANNA START WITH AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES [05:25:01] ARE, WHICH THOSE ARE FEES THAT ARE CHARGED AGAINST DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TO HELP OFFSET THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE DEALING WITH THE AD- ADDITIONAL GROWTH THAT COMES AS A RESULT OF THOSE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. THEY ARE NOT FEES THAT WE CAN SET VERY EASILY WITHOUT A LOT OF WORK AND RESEARCH BEHIND THE SCENES. UM, WE HAVE RULES THAT, THAT DICTATE HOW THOSE ARE SET AND WHAT HAS TO GO INTO THOSE CALCULATIONS THAT COME FROM THE CALIFORNIA MITIGATION FEE ACT, WHICH WAS AMENDED BY AB 602, AND RULES IN OUR OWN, UH, MUNICIPAL CODE. AS A CITY, WE COLLECT IMPACT FEES FOR OUR FIRE FACILITIES, PARKS AND RECREATION, POLICE, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS, SENSITIVE COASTAL RESOURCES, AND UTILITY SEWER CAPACITY, AND WE COLLECT THE LBUSD SCHOOL FEES, WHICH ARE SET BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ITSELF, BUT COLLECTED ON, UH, BY US ON THEIR BEHALF. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES IS THERE ARE SPECIFIC WAYS ABOUT HOW THEY CAN BE USED. THEIR ELIGIBLE USES ARE MEANT TO, TO FUND NEW CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, REMODEL AND IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS THAT EXPAND CAPACITY, AND FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT THAT PROVIDE EXPANDED PUBLIC SERVICES. SO KEYWORDS IN ALL OF THAT ARE ABOUT EXPANDED AND NEW AND ABOUT, UM, ADDING THINGS THAT HELP ADDRESS THE GROWTH THAT'S GOING TO COME INTO THE CITY. WHAT WE CAN'T FUND WITH IT ARE THINGS LIKE STAFFING OR PROJECTS THAT ARE FIXING A CURRENT DEFICIENCY IN OUR LEVEL OF SERVICE TO EXISTING RESIDENTS, OR THE ROUTINE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE COSTS, EVEN FOR THE NEW THINGS THAT WE ADD. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT MOST OF THE... MOST RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS ARE NOT DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THESE FEES BECAUSE THE ONLY PROJECTS THEY'RE EXPECTED TO ADD, NEW WORKERS OR RESIDENTS ARE SUBJECT TO DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE CALCULATIONS. BEFORE I GO ON TO TALKING ABOUT THE NEXUS STUDY, I WANNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ABOUT HOW, UH, DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES ARE PART OF A LARGER PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT, UM, PUZZLE. THEY'RE MEANT TO SUPPLEMENT OTHER EXISTING FUNDING. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE A, A ONE SIZE FITS ALL TO ALL INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS. UH, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE CALCULATED IN A WAY THAT'S PROPORTIONAL TO THE GROWTH RELATED NEED. AND SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT COME UP AS A THEME A LOT. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THE NEXUS OR THE PROPORTION, THE RATE OF NEED AND HOW THAT APPLIES TO WHAT WE SHOULD BE CHARGING TO A PROJECT. FEES THAT INFLUENCE THE, UH, COST AND ATTRACTIVENESS OF DEVELOPMENT IN LONG BEACH. AND SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FEES THAT EVENTUALLY COME OUT OF THE PRO - UH, NEXUS AND THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THIS COUNCIL, IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE BALANCING DEVELOPMENT COSTS WITH OUR OTHER DEVELOPMENT GOALS AS WELL. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE DON'T SET THEM IN A WAY THAT STIFLES OUR HOUSING PRODUCTION OR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE KEEP FEES APPROPRIATE AND COMPETITIVE AND HELP ACHIEVE BALANCE. OUR DEVELOPERS AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY ALSO PAY PERMIT AND ENTITLEMENT FEES, WHICH HAVE RISEN IN RECENT YEARS, AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UM, LOOKING AT THESE THINGS HOLISTICALLY AND MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT STIFLING THAT DEVELOPMENT. WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMPLYING WITH STATE LAW, WHICH REQUIRES THAT ADUS AND CERTAIN TYPES OF PROJECTS FOR REMODEL AND CHANGE OF USE ARE EXEMPT FROM SOME OR ALL OF THE FEES. SO WHAT'S A NEXUS STUDY, RIGHT? THE NEXUS STUDY THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS, UM, IT FOCUSES ON FOUR OF OUR PRIMARY MAJOR FEES, OUR FIRE FACILITIES, PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE, NEW... WHICH, UH, PROVIDES FOR NEW PARKS AND RESOURCES LIKE PLAYGROUNDS, RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT, AND SPORTS FIELDS, OUR POLICE FACILITIES, UH, WHICH... AND OUR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH ARE MANAGED BY OUR PUBLIC WORKS TEAM. THE NEXUS STUDY ITSELF IS A DETAILED ANALYSIS THAT LOOKS AT THE ESTIMATED GROWTH OF RESIDENTS AND EMPLOY - UH, RESIDENTS AND WORKERS WHO WILL BE COMING INTO THE CITY AS A RESULT OF A DEVELOPMENT. IT LOOKS AT CALCULATIONS TO ESTIMATE H - WHAT WILL BE NEEDED TO SERVE THAT GROWTH. AND SO WHEN WE DO THAT, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THE NEXUS STUDY IS EVALUATING ALL FOUR OF THESE MAJOR FEES USING MORE CONSISTENT AND CONTEMPORARY DATA. IT'S USING DATA THAT WE HAVE FROM OUR LAND USE, URBAN DESIGN, AND HOUSING ELEMENTS OF THE GENERAL PLAN, AND IT WILL ALSO SHOW COMPLIANCE WITH NEW REQUIREMENTS THAT CAME OUT OF AB 602. SO I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL THE WORDS ON THIS SLIDE, BUT BASICALLY WHAT THE NEXUS STUDY WILL DO IS IT CONTAINS A SERIES OF TABLES AND CHARTS AND ANALYSIS THAT EXPLAINS HOW WE ARE ABLE TO JUSTIFY THE PURPOSE OF A FEE, HOW IT WILL BE USED, AND HOW IT RELATES TO, UH, HOW WE'RE ABLE TO RELATE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOP THAT IS CAUSED BY NEW DEVELOPMENT AND ALLOCATE ITS FAIR SHARE TO HELPING OFFSET OUR COSTS FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT NEEDS THAT THAT CREATES. UH, THE AB 602 REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE NEW ALSO INCLUDE THAT WE WILL HAVE A SPECIFIC CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT IS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE, THAT WE HAVE EXPLANATIONS FOR HOW THE LEVEL OF SERVICE WAS DETERMINED FOR EACH OF THE FEES, AND IT CHANGES OUR CALCULATIONS SO THAT FEES ARE ABLE TO BE CHARGED PER SQUARE FOOT SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THEY ARE PROPORTIONAL. THE NEXUS STUDY [05:30:01] SHOWS THAT WE ANTICIPATE GROWTH WILL PLACE SIGNIFICANT DEMAND ON CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND AMENITIES THROUGHOUT 2040. BASED ON THE NEXUS STUDY AND THE MATER - UH, THE INFORMATION AND THE CALCULATIONS CONTAINED IN IT, WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN BEFORE YOU IS THE, THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE FEES THAT WE COULD JUSTIFY TO BE CHARGED FOR OUR IMPACT FEES. SO YOU'LL SEE THAT, UH, FOR RESIDENTIAL DWELLING UNITS, WE COULD GO UP TO AS HIGH AS 17, UH, A LITTLE OVER $17 A SQUARE FOOT, WHEREAS COMMERCIAL USES COULD GO, UH, NON-RESIDENTIAL USES COULD GO FROM $4 A SQUARE FOOT TO $21 A SQUARE FOOT, OR EVEN 4,000, OVER $4,000 A HOTEL ROOM. BUT BEFORE I GET INTO A, A RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FEES, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE RATES AND WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN TERMS OF YOUR POLICY DECISIONS, BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES SHOULD JUST BE CONSIDERED ONE PIECE OF A LARGER PUZZLE. WE CAN PROVIDE THE LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE MAXIMUM WITH THE NEXUS STUDY, BUT, UM, AS, AS, UH, MANY OF THE TEAM AND I HAVE DISCUSSED BEFORE, THE MAXIMUM TIME ZERO DEVELOPMENT IS STILL ZERO DOLLARS. SO WE WANNA BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHERE WE'RE SETTING OUR FEES AND EVALUATE HOW THEY'RE FITTING INTO A BROADER STRUCTURE BECAUSE ANY FEE INCREASE IS GOING TO IMPACT PROJECT FEASIBILITY. WE KNOW THAT OUR FEE INCREASES WILL BE, UH, INCREASED COSTS FOR DEVELOPERS, WHICH COULD INFLUENCE THEIR DECISIONS. SOME OF THE CITIES NEAREST CHARGE HARD, HIGHER FEES, BUT SOME ALSO CHARGE LOWER FEES OR EVEN NONE, INCLUDING LAKEWOOD, COMPTON, DOWNEY, NORWALK, AND SANTA FE SPRINGS. SETTING THE FEES AROUND THE MID-RANGE BETWEEN OUR CURRENT FEES AND THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE FEES HELPS KEEP FEES COMPARABLE WITH OUR SURROUNDING CITIES. WE'D ALSO RECOMMEND THAT FEES ARE INCREASED OVER A PHASED IN TIME PERIOD, WHETHER, UH, OVER A FIVE TO 10 YEAR PERIOD, AND THAT NOT ALL FEE CHANGES START RIGHT AT THE MIDPOINT. AND I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT. THE PROPOSED FEE THAT WE COULD, UH, THAT YOU COULD ADOPT AND THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT YOU LOOK AT THIS MIDPOINT, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN BEFORE YOU NOW, WHICH HAS A TOTAL DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES FOR RESIDENTIAL UNITS AT JUST OVER $14.48 A SQUARE FOOT. IT PROVIDES FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL USES IN RANGES BETWEEN $3.23 A SQUARE FOOT OR $14.24 A SQUARE FOOT, DEPENDING ON THE USE, AND KEEPS HOTEL ROOMS AT $750 A ROOM. THAT'S TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UH, ALSO NOT HINDERING OUR ECONOMIC VITALITY HERE IN THE CITY. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ATTRACTIVE TO HOTEL DEVELOPMENT, THAT WE'RE ATTRACTIVE TO ENCOURAGING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING PRODUCTION. AND SO WE THINK THAT THIS MIDPOINT MAKES US COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER CITIES IN THE REGION AND WOULD ALSO STILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO HELP SUPPORT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS. WE WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND THAT WE DO THIS AFTER A PHASE IN PROCESS, AND HERE'S WHY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SCREEN IN FRONT OF YOU NOW, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS, UH, A COMPARISON OF WHAT HAPPENS TO SOME TYPICAL, UH, TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY, WHETHER IT'S A 2,500 SQUARE FOOT SINGLE FAMILY HOME OR AN 875 SQUARE FOOT MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT. YOU'LL SEE THAT THE CON - JUMP FROM THE CURRENT RATE TO MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE WOULD BE PRETTY CONSIDERABLE. UH, WHAT WE WOULD, EVEN IF WE DID MAKE THE JUMP FROM THE, THE CURRENT TO THE PROPOSED PHASE IN TOP AMOUNT, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SEE IN THE FAR COLUMN THERE ON THE RIGHT, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT PRETTY BIG JUMPS. AND SO TO REDUCE THE SHOCK AND THE IMPACT OF THAT, WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS A PHASED IN SCHEDULE THAT GETS THERE GRADUALLY SO THAT IN YEAR ONE, THOSE TYPES OF DEVELOPMENTS SEE A MODEST INCREASE AND DEVELOPERS CAN PLAN FOR THE INCREASED RATES OVER TIME. WE'VE RUN SOME PROJECTIONS TO, TO, UH, LOOK AT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO OUR REVENUE OVER THE YEARS USING A PHASED IN MODEL. AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS WHAT YOU SEE, UH, HERE IS THAT WE DO SHOW THAT BASED ON PROPOSED FEE CHANGES, WE CAN EXPECT THAT REVENUE WILL INCREASE SLOWLY AND STEADILY OVER THE YEARS, ULTIMATELY GETTING UP TO 7.79 MILLION PER YEAR BY FY33 VERSUS A COMPARISON OF 2.82 PROJECTED FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. THERE'S SOME CONSIDERATIONS AND SOME CAVEATS THAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, WHICH IS THE IMPACT FEES ARE PAID WHEN PERMITS ARE ISSUED AND THEY'RE PAID AT THE END OF THE PROJECT, WHICH MEANS THEY TAKE TIME TO BE REALIZED AND COME INTO OUR COFFERS. WE DO EXPECT THOSE REVENUE INCREASES WILL INCREASE OVER TIME, BUT PROJECTED REVENUE IS DEFINITELY INFLUENCED BY MARKET CONDITIONS, WHICH IS SOMETHING YOU CAN SEE IF YOU LOOK AT THE PAST, UH, ACTUALS ON THE SCREEN FROM FY21 THROUGH FY25, YOU'LL SEE THAT THOSE NUMBERS HAVE FLUCTUATED OVER TIME. AND THERE'S REALLY HARD TO PREDICT AND HARD TO SHOW CONSISTENCY IN BECAUSE EVEN WHEN THEY'VE BEEN SET AT THE SAME RATE OVER TIME, THEY HAVE FLUCTUATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE. SO WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU IN NOVEMBER AND ASK FOR YOUR, YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UH, UH, YOUR APPROVAL OF A RECOMMENDATION, [05:35:01] YOU'LL SEE THAT FEES ARE GOING TO BE RECOMMENDED AT A LEVEL THAT WE THINK REPRESENTS THAT BALANCE THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. IT'S A WAY TO MAKE SURE WE'RE RECOVERING AN APPROPRIATE SHARE THAT HELPS COVER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS WHILE NOT KILLING DEVELOPMENT. YOU'LL SEE THAT NOT ALL FEES WILL BE PROPOSED TO RISE BY THE SAME AMOUNT, THAT THE PHASE IN WILL BE PART OF THE PROPOSAL, AND THAT THE RATE OF THE PHASE IN WILL BE BASED ON DEVELOPMENT NEED. AND FINALLY, THAT WE WILL INCLUDE A PROPOSAL THAT FUTURE INCREASES SHOULD BE BASED AUTOMATICALLY EACH YEAR, UH, BASED ON THE CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION COST INDEX, WHICH IS A FACTOR THAT, UM, IS CALCULATED BY THE, THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE GENERALIZED INCREASED COST OF IN - CONSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING YEAR OVER YEAR. THE REASON FOR THE PHASE IN AND FOR THE, UH, DIFFERENT RATES OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FEES IS BECAUSE EACH FEE IS DIFFERENT. UH, WE HAVE VERY, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE REC - GOING TO RECOMMEND THAT FIRE FEES BE SET AT THEIR MIDPOINT RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE FEWER RESOURCES AND OTHER WAYS TO OFFSET THEIR DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, WHEREAS PARKS AND TRANSPORTATION HAS THE ABILITY TO COMMUNI - TO COMPETE FOR GRANT FUNDS AND LAYER MORE FUNDING THAT CAN HELP SUPPORT THOSE PROJECTS. THE PROPOSAL ALSO RECOMMENDS THAT THE PHASE IN BE, UH, DONE DIFFERENTLY BASED ON AREA AND DEVELOPMENT NEED WITHIN THE CITY. AREAS WHERE THERE'S A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE A MORE ACCELERATED PHASE IN PLAN OF FIVE YEARS, WHEREAS THE REMAINING AREAS WHICH ARE SHADED IN BLUE ON THE MAP IN FRONT OF YOU WILL RECOMMEND THAT THEIR PHASE IN BE DONE MORE SLOWLY AND OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD. AND THEN, UH, ONE THING, SOME MORE INFORMATION TO CONSIDER IS THAT, UH, DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES ARE NOT RECURRING REVENUE. THEY DO COME IN OVER TIME, BUT THEY'RE NOT CONSISTENT AND THEY ARE MORE, UH, ONE-TIME SOURCES THAT BRING IN A PAYMENT ONE TIME WHEN THAT PROJECT IS FIRST PROPOSED TO BE BUILT AND IT'S, UH, ISSUED ITS CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY. WHEREAS ONCE THE PROJECT IS DONE, THEN, UH, IT WILL GENERATE MORE TAX REVENUE, WHICH WILL COME IN YEAR OVER YEAR AND BE A MORE CONSISTENT AND ONGOING SOURCE OF REVENUE. AND THEN FINALLY, WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REM - MINDFUL AND THAT I AM TALKING ABOUT THE LEGAL LIMITS. IMPACT FEES CANNOT PAY FOR A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED. IT CAN'T PAY FOR SALARIES, FOR MAINTENANCE, CAN'T PAY FOR NEW FIREFIGHTERS OR LIFEGUARDS OR PARK STAFF. AND EVERYTHING WE BUILD IS ALSO GOING TO COME WITH OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE COSTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY FOR IN THE ONGOING YEARS. SO WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT BECAUSE THIS IS AN UNPREDICTABLE REVENUE SOURCE AND THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS UNDER A LOT OF SCRUTINY WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING THINGS IN A VERY LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE WAY, THAT WE SHOULD SET THE FEES, UH, APPROPRIATELY, USE THEM ON OUR ALLOWED EXPENDITURES, BUT MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MINDFUL THAT, UH, MARKET CONDITIONS CAN CHANGE THESE, UH, CAN IMPACT THEM AND THAT WE SHOULD BUDGET THE MONEY AS IT COMES IN AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING SO CONSERVATIVELY. SO THAT WAS A LOT OF WORDS FOR A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT'S COMING OUT. UM, NEXT STEPS, WE WILL BE POSTING OUR DRAFT NEXUS STUDY AND THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ONLINE TOMORROW. IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE NOTIFIED IN THE, UH, PRESS TELEGRAM AND BE SENT OUT TO INTERESTED PARTIES WHO HAVE INTEREST IN OUR FEE CHANGES. AND, UH, WE HAVE TO SET UP A DEDICATED EMAIL ADDRESS TO SOLICIT QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK BECAUSE THE GOAL IS THAT WHEN WE COME BACK TO SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER, WE ARE, UH, ABLE TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE TAKEN ANY OF YOUR FEEDBACK INTO ACCOUNT AND DEMYSTIFY WHAT IS A VERY COMPLICATED AND, AND, UH, TRICKY PROCESS. SO THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT, AND THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THE MAS - THIS, UH, IMPACT FEES ARE AN INCREDIBLE PART AND AN IMPORTANT PART OF HOW WE MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, HOW WE BUILD OUT THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A GROWING CITY, HOW WE MAKE SURE WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED TO BUILD FIRE STATIONS AND POLICE STATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, UTILITIES AND SEWERS AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS, INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. THERE IS A BALANCE. IF YOU ARE TOO AGGRESSIVE ON IMPACT FEES, IT STIFLES GROWTH, IT STIFLES INVESTMENT, BUT ALSO IF YOU'RE NOT CAPTURING WHAT YOU NEED TO CAPTURE, YOU HAVE TO CALL, YOU KNOW, THE INFRASTRUCTURE HAS TO BE PAID FOR SOMEHOW. AND THAT IS A BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS WHO SEE LESS INVESTMENT GOING WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE WHEN WE NEED TO BUILD HOUSING AND WE NEED TO, TO GROW. SO I APPRECIATE, I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE GETTING IN FRONT OF US WITH THIS PRESENTATION. UM, WE'RE GONNA GO TO COUNCIL, SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, COUNCILMEMBER THRASHENTUP. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WANNA THANK THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. I LOVE THAT YOU STARTED OUT WITH WANTING TO MAKE SURE IT WAS CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE. UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SHARING ALL OF THIS INFORMATION NOW SO THAT WE HAVE MORE TIME TO DIGEST IT AS WE GET CLOSER TO REVIEWING THE NEXUS STUDY AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK LATER ON THIS YEAR. UM, AND THEN, [05:40:01] UH, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE, UM, DEMONSTRATED COMPLIANCE WITH AB 602 AND HOW THAT NOW IS INCORPORATED INTO CREATING A LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE BASELINE, UM, WHILE WE TRY AND BALANCE OUR, UM, BROADER FISCAL HEALTH. SO, UM, AS THE MAYOR STATED, I WAS GONNA USE THAT SAME WORD, BALANCE. WE GOTTA FIND THE RIGHT EQUILIBRIUM. UM, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE DEVELOP - NEW DEVELOPMENTS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE, BUT ALSO, UM, MAKING SURE WE DON'T CREATE ANY COST BURDENS, UM, ON COMMUNITIES AS WE TRY TO DO THAT. SO THANK YOU FOR STARTING THAT CONVERSATION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WOULD BE GOOD FOR, I THINK, THE PUBLIC TO GET A SENSE OF IS, UM, WHY SCHOOL, SEWER, AND SENSITIVE COASTAL USES WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE NEXUS STUDY, UM, AND HOW THOSE FEES ARE EVALUATED AND MAINTAINED. SURE. SO TAKING THOSE, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUESTIONS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. TAKING THOSE SORT OF ONE BY ONE, UM, SCHOOL FEES ARE SET BY THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD. SO IN THIS CASE, LONG BEACH UNIFIED SETS THEIR SCHOOL FEES. THEY TRANSMIT THOSE TO THE CITY IN A WAY, UM, THAT'S PRESCRIBED BY STATE LAW, AND THEN WE IMPLEMENT THAT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT THAT OCCURS HERE IN THE CITY. SO, UH, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THOSE FEES ARE PAID, BUT WE DON'T SET THOSE FEES. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, UH, DONE BY THE SCHOOL BOARD. UM, THE COASTAL RESOURCE FEE IS SPECIFIC TO A COUPLE LOCATIONS IN COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE THAT ARE ADJACENT TO WETLANDS, AND IT PAYS FOR, UM, MONITORING OF THE URBAN WILDLIFE INTERFACE, AND THAT, THE NEXUS STUDY WAS DONE JUST A COUPLE YEARS AGO, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE UPDATED AGAIN AT THIS TIME. AND THEN, UM, SEWER FEES ARE SET BY, UM, THE COMMISSION THAT IS OVER UTILITIES, AND THEY GO THROUGH A DIFFERENT PROCESS THAT, UM, MEETS THE STATE LAW AND, AND THEIR REGULATORS UP AT THE PUC. THANK YOU. I ALSO NOTED THAT ADUS UNDER 750, UM, SQUARE FEET WERE ALSO EXCLUDED. IS THAT ALSO TRYING TO CREATE THAT BALANCE? WE WANT PEOPLE TO BUILD THOSE, BUT WANNA MANAGE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN? WELL, I WOULD ARGUE THAT'S GOOD POLICY, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S DRIVEN BY STATE LAW. STATE POLICY. SO STATE LAW PROHIBITS US FROM COLLECTING ANY FEES ON ADUS THAT ARE UNDER 750 FEET. UM, THE LEGISLATURE TOOK UP A BUNCH OF BILLS, UM, THAT THE GOVERNOR IS FINISHING THE SIGNING PROCESS, WHICH IS GONNA FURTHER RESTRICT OUR ABILITY TO COLLECT FEES EVEN WHEN IT'S OVER 750 FEET. SO WHATEVER THE STATE, UM, SAYS, WE FOLLOW THE LAW, UH, WHICH REALLY LIMITS OUR, OUR ABILITY TO COLLECT ON ADUS. MM-HMM. AND THEN, UM, IS COSMOT PARTNERS ASSISTING WITH THIS PARTICULAR, UH, MATTER? COSMOT IS NOT OUR CONSULTANT ON THIS - OKAY. BUT WE USED COSMOT PREVIOUSLY TO REALLY UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE FISCAL IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT AND NOT ONLY, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT COST IN TERMS OF PROVIDING MEDICAL SERVICE, POLICE, FIRE, BUT WHAT DOES IT BRING IN IN TERMS OF PROPERTY TAX, SALES TAX, AND, UM, I THINK SOME DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS THAN MAYBE WE'RE USED TO IN THE PAST, UM, SHOWING THAT THERE IS LONG-TERM VALUE TO THE CITY AND ITS TAXPAYERS FROM THE RECURRING REVENUE THAT COMES FROM DEVELOPMENT, LIKE PROPERTY TAX. YES, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT. BUT IN TERMS OF, UM, MY QUESTION WHY I ASKED ABOUT COSMOT, UH, AS WE LOOK AT THE NEXUS STUDY, I'D BE VERY INTERESTED IN ANY, UM, UH, REGIONAL BENCHMARKING THAT MIGHT BE DONE JUST TO HELP US GET A SENSE AS TO DEPENDING ON WHERE WE ARE AND IF OTHER NEARBY CITIES ARE WITHIN THAT SIMILAR RANGE, HOW THEY'VE DONE IN TERMS OF ATTRACTING DEVELOPMENT, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT THE PRICING THAT THEY'VE PLACED THEIR IMPACT FEES ARE, ARE NOT DETERRING DEVELOPMENT IN THOSE AREAS. SO JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE WE TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. UM, THEN GETTING TO REVENUE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS WONDERING ON SLIDE 10, UM, WE, UH, FOCUS ON WHAT THE IMPACT FEES WILL BRING US, UM, BUT WONDERING IF THERE'S, UH, OTHER ANALYSIS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE HOTELS, IF WE ADD, YOU KNOW, THOSE HOTELS AND WE MIGHT GET THAT 750 IN, UM, THE IMPACT FEES, BUT WHAT ABOUT TOTS AS A SEPARATE STUDY, AS A DIFFERENT ANALYSIS - YEAH. THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT ANALYSIS? YEAH. SO WE HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS TO THINK ABOUT. WE DO HAVE A DIFFERENT STUDY - UH-HUH. WHICH IS WHY, UH, I THOUGH YOU WERE BRINGING UP COSMOT. SO COSMOT DID DO A STUDY FOR US ABOUT THE FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF RESIDENTIAL, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETIMES AN ASSUMPTION THAT HOUSING DOESN'T PAY, BUT ACTUALLY THE CITY DOES BREAK EVEN OR ACTUALLY ACCRUE REVENUE ON NEW HOUSING CONSTRUCTION. UM, AND WHILE MOST FEES ARE RISING, THE ONE EXCEPTION IS WE ARE NOT PROPOSING ANY INCREASE IN HOTEL [05:45:01] FEES. THAT'S FOR A COUPLE REASONS. HOTEL FEES, UH, THE IMPACT FEE IS MUCH LESS VALUABLE THAN HAVING THE HOTEL WHEN WE HAVE ADDITIONAL HOTEL ROOMS IN THE CITY THAT DRIVES NOT ONLY TOT, BUT WE HOPE PEOPLE COME HERE AND THEY HAVE A GREAT TIME, THEY EAT FOOD, THEY BUY MERCHANDISE, THEY GO TO A CONCERT AND PAY FEES AT THE CONCERT, UM, THAT THEY'RE INVESTING, UH, MONEY HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THAT IS, THAT RECURRING REVENUE IS MUCH MORE VALUABLE THAN A HIGHER IMPACT FEE THAT MIGHT DETER SOMEONE FROM BUILDING A HOTEL. THANK YOU. MY TIME IS UP. I'LL QUEUE BACK UP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBER FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. I APPRECIATE... I GOT QUITE A, A GOOD BRIEFING ON THIS, AND I APPRECIATE THE BALANCE THAT'S TAKEN, UM, BECAUSE WE WANT DEVELOPERS TO PAY IMPACT FEES, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO DRIVE THEM AWAY. WE CERTAINLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE FUNDING, UH, OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL FUND FOR THESE IMPACTS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SORO. YES, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I WANTED TO KNOW, UM, SINCE COSMO WA- WAS BROUGHT UP, IS HOW THE NEXUS STUDY IS GOING TO HELP INFORM THE EN- ENHANCED INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE DISTRICT PROCESS. UH, IT'S A GOOD TIMING AS FAR AS MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE STUDY. SO I'M WONDERING IF IT'S GONNA HELP CONTRIBUTE TO, TO, TO ITS CREATION AND BETTER INFORMING IT. YEAH, SO THEY, THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER AND COSMONT IS OUR CONSULTANT ON THE EIFD. YES. UM, WE HAVE AN UPDATE, I THINK, STUDY SESSION FOR COUNCIL LATER THIS MONTH, I BELIEVE ON THE 20TH, UM, ON EAFD. SO THOSE TEAMS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATING WITH, AND S - ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EIFD CAN PAY FOR IS INFRASTRUCTURE. SO IF I'M A DEVELOPER, I'M STILL GONNA HAVE TO PAY DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, BUT IF THE CITY HAS ALREADY FIXED THE SIDEWALK, IF THE STREET IS IN GOOD CONDITION, THAT'S GONNA DO TWO THINGS. THAT'S GONNA MAKE THE SITE MORE, UM, ATTRACTIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND IT'S GONNA LOWER MY OFFSITE IMPROVEMENT COST OF DOING THE DEVELOPMENT ITSELF. SO THE TWO ARE COMPLIMENTARY IN TERMS OF THE EIFD DRIVING INVESTMENT, UM, AND THEN, UH, REALIZING, UH, A PORTION OF THAT INVESTMENT THROUGH THE IMPACT FEES. THE OTHER THING, UM, APRIL SHOWED A SLIDE WHERE THERE WERE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY HAVE DIFFERENT PHASE IN. YEAH. SO YOUR DISTRICT THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS AN AREA THAT WE REALLY WANNA WORK ON, UM, GETTING MORE INVESTMENT AND HASN'T NECESSARILY SEEN THE INVESTMENT, UM, THAT IT NEEDS AND DESERVES. SO IT WILL HAVE THE SLOWER, UM, PHASE IN OF THESE FEES AND ALSO WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, FOR US TO BE SPENDING THOSE EIFD REVENUES AS THEY START COMING IN. SO THE TWO ARE MEANT TO WORK, UH, COMPLIMENTARY. THANK YOU. I WANTED TO JUST MAKE SURE. AND THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS, AS IT WAS SHARED EARLIER, WHILE THE IMPACT FEE WILL NOT ALLOW US TO HIRE MORE FIREFIGHTERS, CAN YOU MAKE SURE TO CLARIFY WHAT EXACTLY IT DOES? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, WITH MORE DEVELOPMENT, THERE'S GONNA BE MORE, UM, NEED FOR SERVICES. SO HOW DOES THAT NOT TRANSLATE INTO MORE FIREFIGHTERS OR A STATION, RIGHT? 'CAUSE THAT'S HAPPENED IN OTHER PLACES WHERE WHEN A WHOLE COMMUNITY GETS DEVELOPED, THEY BILL A STATION. YEAH. SO THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE CAN HELP FUND FACILITIES, IT CAN HELP FUND ADDITIONAL, UM, EQUIPMENT. UH, YOU NEED TO SHOW THAT IT IS BASICALLY HELPING NEW DEVELOPMENT. AND SO, UM, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE, UM, FIRE FACILITIES FOR THAT, UM, PURPOSE, UH, BUT IT DOESN'T FUND THE ACTUAL ENGINE AND THE IN- IN THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE. THAT, UH, TECHNICALLY WOULD COME FROM THE NEW TAX REVENUE THAT THEN COMES FROM THAT DEVELOPMENT. AND SO, UM, AS, AS YOU HEARD, UM, FROM CHRISTOPHER IN THE PAST, UM, RESIDENTS, UH, RESIDENTIAL USES DIDN'T NORMALLY PRODUCE ENOUGH TO COVER ALL OF THE COST. AND SO WE ARE SEEING THAT BEGINNING TO CHANGE. AND SO, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, THEY DEFINITELY BRING IN TAX REVENUE, BUT THEN YOU ALSO LOOK AT YOUR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES, YOU LOOK AT YOUR INDUSTRIAL B- BUSINESS AND TAX BASE, AND ALL OF THAT IS WHAT THEN HELPS PROVIDE FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER THRASHENTOK. YES, THANK YOU. UM, SO GOING BACK TO SLIDE NUMBER 12, UM, WE HAVE HERE THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE REVENUE PROJECTION, UM, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, QUITE POSITIVE AND CONTINUES TO MOVE UP. UM, YOU NOTE IN THE, UH, PRESENTATION THAT COST OF CAPITAL, COST OF MATERIALS, AND WE MIGHT, AND PLEASE CLARIFY IF I'M NOT CORRECT, UM, HAVE A SLOWDOWN IN CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE TIME OF THE OLYMPICS. SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, I WORRY, HOW HAS THAT BEEN STRESS TESTED AGAINST, [05:50:01] UM, THESE NUMBERS THAT ARE HERE? NOT THAT WE HAVE TO ANSWER IT NOW, BUT I JUST THINK AS YOU, YOU KNOW, CONDUCT THAT ANALYSIS AND THE CONSULTANT TAKES A LOOK AT THIS, I'D LOVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE STRESS TESTED WITH THAT IN MIND. YEAH, THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR THE DIRECTION. AND, UM, WE WELCOME PEOPLE'S INVESTMENT, AND WHILE THERE WILL BE AN INTERRUPTION TO CONSTRUCTION IN SOME AREAS DURING THE SPECIFIC WEEKS THAT, UM, THE GAMES ARE OPERATING, PEOPLE CAN STILL START PROJECTS BEFORE THEN. THEY CAN CONTINUE THEM, UM, RIGHT AFTER THE GAMES CONCLUDE. SO WE ARE STILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BRING PROJECTS. UM, ACTIVITY'S BEEN, UH, RESILIENT HERE IN THE CITY, BUT THE, THE NATIONAL ECONOMY IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO, UM, DEVELOPMENT AT THIS TIME. UH, DEVELOPMENT'S USUALLY INVERSE TO INTEREST RATES. SO, UM, WE ARE TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT, UM, AND, AND THAT'S, UM, WHY WE'RE KIND OF CHOOSING A MIDPOINT AND CAUTIONING THAT THESE ARE PROJECTIONS, BUT THEY MAY BE WRONG. UM, BUT WE'LL PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, INFORMATION ON THAT STRESS TEST WHEN WE COME BACK IN A FEW WEEKS. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. ON SLIDE 13, UM, I NOTED THE USE OF AN ACRONYM THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD. CCCI? YEAH. SO CCCI IS THE CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION COST INDEX. OKAY. SO A LOT OF TIMES, FEES MIGHT GET ADJUSTED, UM, BY, UH, CONSUMER, UM, PRICE INDEX, WHICH IS CPI, BUT WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS SINCE COVID IS, UH, OUR COST IN PUBLIC WORKS TO CONSTRUCT PROJECTS, TO BUILD A FIRE STATION, TO BUILD A NEW ROADWAY, HAVE GONE UP MUCH FASTER THAN THE UNDERLYING RATE OF INFLATION, UM, WHAT YOU AND I MIGHT PAY AT THE GROCERY STORE. UM, AND THEN WE IN CALIFORNIA HAVE EXPERIENCED THAT MORE THAN FOLKS IN OTHER STATES LIKE TEXAS. SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS CHOOSE AN INDEX THAT RELATES TO OUR COST OF BUILDING THESE FACILITIES. SO A CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC INDEX OF WHAT CONSTRUCTION COST. THANK YOU. TOM, DID YOU WANNA ADD? NO, JUST THAT THEY, THEY FUNCTIONS VERY SIMILAR TO CPI, BUT LOOKS AT VERY SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTION TYPE, UM, COST. AND SO CPI REALLY LOOKS AT GOODS AND, AND FOOD - RIGHT. AND THE THING IT, IT DOES TO, TO NORMAL RESIDENTS THAT THEY PAY. MM-HMM. NORMAL RESIDENTS AREN'T BUYING THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE SHEET METAL AND, AND THOSE TYPES OF, UH, COSTS. AND SO CCI IS MUCH MORE, UH, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH THE PUBLIC. NOW, UH, MOVING ON TO SLIDE 15. UM, WHEN I LOOK AT THE SUB AREAS, MY IMMEDIATE, UH, FEEDBACK IS THAT, UM, IT SIMPLY DOESN'T COVER ENOUGH OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT DO NEED INVESTMENT, UM, AND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, HOW WE HAVE, UH, DETERMINED THAT THESE ARE THE, THE SUB AREAS THAT WILL HAVE A SLOWER PHASE IN WHEN I CAN SEE THAT THERE'S SWATHS OF MY COMMUNITY THAT REALLY NEED, UM, AND TO ATTRACT A LEVEL OF INVESTMENT. YEAH, I HEAR YOU. I WANNA REALLY STRESS THAT THIS PHASE IN MAP IS REALLY ABOUT WHERE WE CHARGE AND COLLECT, WHICH MAY NOT MATCH WHERE WE SPEND. SO WE SPEND OUR CAPITAL DOLLARS IN AREAS OF NEED. UM, SO WHILE YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT HAS GREAT NEED, IT ALSO HAS GREAT NEED FOR INVESTMENT, AND A FASTER PHASE IN WOULD RESULT IN HIGHER FEES IN THE SHORT RUN TO DEVELOPERS AND LESS INVESTMENT AS A RESULT. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE PUSH AND PULL IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, BUT THE CITY MAINTAINS, UM, THE ABILITY TO SPEND ITS CAPITAL DOLLARS IN PLACES OTHER THAN DIRECTLY WHERE IT WAS, UM, ORIGINATED. UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, UH, TO THE NORTHEAST OF YOUR DISTRICT IS A HIGHER FEE AREA WHERE WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, UM, INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT, UM, BUT THE FEES GENERATED OUT OF THAT AREA WOULD BE SP- SPENT IN THE GREATER NORTH LONG BEACH AREA, SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE YOUR DISTRICT AS WELL AS, UH, DISTRICT NINE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, ONE MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. SAGE, ARE YOU READY? HELLO, MR. MAYOR. HELLO, COUNCIL. I AM HERE BEFORE YOU TO COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEM 22. REASSESSING DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, UH, ORDINARY, UNREMARKABLE, NOT VERY INTERESTING, PROBABLY WHY I'M THE ONLY PERSON IN LINE TO LEAVE COMMENT ABOUT IT. UM, BUT AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, ONE OF THE, [05:55:01] UH, YOU KNOW, BRAINLESS SLACK JAWED YOKELS THAT THE MAYOR BELIEVES IS INCAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING AN RFP, I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE CAPABLE OF CRITICAL THINKING AND ARE CAPABLE OF LOOKING AT THE THINGS ON THE AGENDA ITEM AND BRINGING FORTH INTERESTING VALID POINTS. I HAPPEN TO BE CAPABLE IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA BECAUSE I HAVE A DEGREE FROM CORNELL IN URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOMETHING YOU ALL MAY FIND INTERESTING THAT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN FROM UNDERSTANDING JUSTICE PRESENTATION ALONE, WHICH IS THAT DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, AGAIN, TOTALLY NORMAL, TOTALLY WITHIN THE, THE, THE NORMAL RANGE OF WHAT A CITY DOES. PEGGING IT TO AN INFLATION INDEX MAKES A LOT OF SENSE, BUT CONSIDER WHICH INFLATION INDEX WE'RE CHOOSING. BY CHOOSING THE CONSTRUCTION INFLATION INDEX, YOU ARE PEGGING IT TO SPECIFICALLY THE COSTS THAT ARE GOING UP IN CONSTRUCTION. WHAT ARE THE COSTS THAT ARE GOING UP IN CONSTRUCTION? THINGS AFFECTED BY IMPORT TARIFFS, IMPORT TARIFFS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY ALL OVER THE PLACE BECAUSE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER WITH YOUR DOCTORATE DEGREES, WITH YOUR CRITICAL MINDS, THAT I BELIEVE YOU ARE FULLY CAPABLE OF USING BECAUSE YOU USE SO MUCH CREATIVITY WHEN ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS YOU'RE GONNA VOTE AGAINST. IT'S FASCINATING TO WATCH YOU ALL WORK. YOU ARE CLEARLY CAPABLE OF MUCH MORE CREATIVE THINKING THAN YOU BRING HERE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A FUNCTION OF THIS BEING PART-TIME THAT YOU THINK IT REQUIRES ONLY ONE LOBE, BUT CONSIDER SPECIFICALLY WHAT THIS INCENTIVIZES AND DISINCENTIVIZES FOR HOW MUCH YOU CHOOSE TO RAISE THIS DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE. I HAVE NO SKIN IN THIS GAME. I DO NOT OWN A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. I AM NOT SENDING OUT ANY BIDS TO BUILD ANY CONSTRUCTION IN THIS TOWN. BUT WHEN YOU ASSESS IT TO BE EXTREMELY HIGH, CONSIDER WHO IS ABLE TO PAY THAT BECAUSE THE ENTRENCHED OWNING, UH, THE, THE ENTRENCHED PROPERTY OWNERS WHO ARE MAKING ONLY MODIFICATIONS TO AN EXISTING BUILDING, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, PAY A LOWER ASSESSMENT, UH, LOWER IMPACT ASSESSMENT FEE THAN YOU WOULD FOR BRAND NEW CONSTRUCTION, BREAKING GROUND. WE NEED MORE HOUSING IN TOWN, DON'T WE? I THINK WE ALL AGREE ON THAT. YOU ALL CERTAINLY CAMPAIGNED ON NEEDING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IF THE ASSESSMENT FEES ARE PUT AT THE LEGALLY AMALABLE MAXIMUM, IT WILL LOOK LIKE A SWEET PROJECTED SOURCE OF REVENUE IN THE FUTURE, MUCH LIKE THOSE PARKING FEES THAT YOU JUST RAISED, BUT WILL THOSE FEES BE PAID IF NO ONE BREAKS GROUND AND THE HOUSING THAT IS BUILT IS TREMENDOUSLY EXPENSIVE PER UNIT, HAVE YOU REALLY WORKED TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. I WOULD LIKE TO LUXURIATE IN MY REMAINING 15 SECONDS OF LINE ITEM AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT TIME. OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. UH, ROLL CALL. ACTUALLY, WE DON'T HAVE VIRTUAL ANYMORE, SO WE CAN DO... ALL RIGHT. UH, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. COUNCILWOMAN SARO, YOU'RE AN AYE. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. I NEED TO PUT THE BUTTON NOW. OKAY, YOU GOTTA RELOAD. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. 23, PLEASE. REPORT FROM DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. [23. 26-56317 Recommendation to continue the local emergency proclaimed in response to impacts from Hurricane Marie and the imminent and proximate threat to the safety of persons and property within the City of Long Beach (City) associated with the developing 2026-2027 El Niño event and winter storm season, pursuant to Section 2.69.060 of the Long Beach Municipal Code. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE THE LOCAL EMERGENCY PROCLAIMED IN RESPONSE TO IMPACTS FROM HURRICANE MARIE AND THE IMMINENT AND PROXIMATE THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF PERSONS AND PROPERTY WITHIN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPING 2026-2027 EL NINO EVENT AND WINTER STORM SEASON CITYWIDE. ALL RIGHT. SO PER THE LAW, WE HAVE TO, EVERY TWO WEEKS, CONTINUE THE LOCAL PROCLAMATION OF EMERGENCY. AGAIN, THIS JUST ALLOWS US THE FLEXIBILITY TO MOVE QUICKLY, UH, SHORTEN NORMAL BUREAUCRATIC TIMETABLES TO PREPARE FOR ANY POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF, UM, UH, EL NINO. I WANNA THANK AND RECOGNIZE STAFF, UH, FOR YOUR EFFORTS. I'VE BEEN OUT THERE TO SEE THE PREPARATION, STILL MORE TO COME DURING THIS SEASON. UM, AND WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, I HAVE THREE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, DAVE SHUKLA, UH, PHE, AND SAGE. I WANTED TO DO PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER SEEING THE PRESENTATION. THERE ISN'T A PRO - THIS IS, UH, CONTINUING THE LOCAL PROCLAMATION. WELL, UM, FROM WHAT IS IN THE STAFF REPORT, UH, UH, IT SHOULD BE SAID THAT I NOT ONLY SUPPORT, UH, THIS ITEM AND SUPPORT CONTINUING THE PROCLAMATION, BUT FROM WHAT IS IN THE STAFF REPORT, UM, I SEE A LOT OF SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS FOR PROBLEMS THAT AREN'T NAMED, UM, NAMELY CONTINUING, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTREME HEAT, UH, THE FACT THAT THIS, A TREE... TRIBUTABLE WEATHER EVENT [06:00:01] IS, UH, GREATER IN MAGNITUDE INTENSITY AND, UH, POTENTIAL DAMAGE, UH, THAN PREVIOUS ITERATIONS OF THE EL NINO PHENOMENON. UM, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN THE STAFF REPORT, UH, ABOUT NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS. UM, THERE ARE KELP BEDS, BUT BY THE TIME YOU SET THOSE UP, HOW MUCH WAVE ACTION WILL THAT REALLY MITIGATE COMPARED TO A MANGROVE, UH, GROVE? UH, I SEE A LOT OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION STUFF THAT WOULD, UH, SOUND GOOD TO CERTAIN ENTRENCHED INTERESTS THAT WE JUST HEARD ABOUT ON THE PREVIOUS ITEM. UM, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY HONESTY, UH, DURING A PRETTY HISTORIC HEAT WAVE. I DON'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME IT WAS 100 DEGREES FOR MULTIPLE DAYS AND, UH, THERE WAS NO NIGHTTIME COOLING IN OCTOBER IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, FUN FACT, AFTER HEAT AND HUMIDITY GET ABOVE 85 DEGREES AND 85% AT NIGHT, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY NIGHTTIME COOLING. THAT'S WHEN MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY SPIKE. THAT'S WHEN A LOT OF YOUR RESIDENTS AND CONSTITUENTS ARE GONNA HAVE REAL PROBLEMS. I SEE NOTHING IN HERE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S JUST ABOUT THE PENINSULA AND THIS ONE FLASH EVENT, THE WHOLE POINT OF THE STATE EMERGENCY, UH, STATE, UH, PROCLAMATION OF EMERGENCY AS WELL AS THE LOCAL ONE IS TO BE PROACTIVE. I HEAR NOTHING, NOTHING ABOUT WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR NOTIFYING, UH, YOUR RESIDENTS AND CONSTITUENTS THAT, UH, THINGS ARE ONLY GONNA KEEP GETTING WORSE. WE ARE NOW STARTING TO SEE WHAT THE HOCKEY CURVE IN GLOBAL TEMPERATURES IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN REAL TIME. AND IT MUST BE SAID THAT THAT INCREASE IN, UH, GLOBAL TEMPERATURES, UH, WITH 20 TO 30 YEARS OF ATMOSPHERIC LAG BEFORE WE REALLY FEEL THE EFFECTS OF WHAT WE'RE BURNING TODAY, UM, THAT'S ONLY GOING TO CONTINUE UNLESS WE HAVE A DRAMATIC REVERSAL IN OUR CURRENT, UH, FOSSIL FUEL CENTERED MODE OF DEVELOPMENT AND PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION AND ALL THE REST. UM, AT SOME POINT THE BILL WILL COME DUE AND THE, THE HALF MEASURES LIKE THE NAPLES SEAWALL BEING THE ONLY CLIMATE ADAPTATION FOR THE CITY, UM, AT CERTAIN, AT A CERTAIN POINT, THE, THE, THE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T BEING SERVED BY THESE THINGS, INCLUDING PEOPLE IN NAPLES, UH, ARE GOING TO ASK WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE SOONER AND WHY DIDN'T YOU DO IT? AND THEY'RE GONNA WANNA LOOK FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. SO REX, YOU SAID, UH, MOTHER NATURE IS DOING ITS THING AND THIS IS THE REALITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE. SO THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS HAVE PROTECTED THIS FOR A LONG WHILE IN LONG BEACH. UM, THE PENINSULA AND MOST OF THE COASTS, IT'S ONLY 40 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. AND I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU, WE ARE BUILDING A $60 MILLION POOL ON THE BEACH AT 40 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL AS WELL. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE SAND, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT, I DON'T KNOW, LITTLE ODD. UM, WE'RE SPENDING $9.27 MILLION, UH, DREDGING THE CHANNEL, WHICH YES, NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR THE BOATS, BUT PLUS A MILLION ANNUALLY TO MOVE SAND. NOW, I HAVE TO ADMIT IT'S BEEN ENTERTAINING TO WATCH YOU GUYS TRY TO BUILD A SANDBREAKER OR I DON'T KNOW WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING WITH THE, THE CONSTRUCTION, BUT IT'S PRETTY ENTERTAINING. BUT LET'S BE SERIOUS, WHATEVER SUCCESSFULLY NEEDS TO BE DONE WILL MOST LIKELY OBSTRUCT OR HINDER THAT MILLION DOLLAR VIEW ON THE PENINSULA. AND I HOPE THAT YOU SPEND MORE TIME PROTECTING THE INLAND FLOODING AREA, UM, WHERE MORE PEOPLE LIVE, LIKE BELMONT SHORE. UM, I DO KNOW WHEN I PADDLE BOARD, IT'S ACTUALLY ALREADY GETTING A LITTLE TOUGH TO GET UNDER THOSE, LIKE, SMALL BRIDGES. AND SO I JUST ASSUME IT'S JUST GONNA KEEP GETTING WORSE. AND I, LIKE OUR, UM, HE WAS JUST SAYING ABOUT, UH, YEAH, PUBLIC HEALTH. UH, LAST TIME WE HAD A HEAT WAVE, UH, THERE WERE SEVERAL DEAD BIRDS, LIKE, JUST LINED ACROSS THAT, THAT SHORELINE. I MEAN, I JUST, YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE ANY LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS FOR THIS. AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT SINCE YOU'VE KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR A BIT, THAT IT WOULD, WE'D SOLVE IT. SO VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU GUYS. UM, PUBLIC COMMENT, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, SPEAK ON THESE ITEMS SPECIFICALLY, BUT YOU GUYS ARE TAKING THAT AWAY FROM US. UM, 20 PEOPLE WERE STOLEN FROM LONG, OR FROM, UH, YESTERDAY FROM, UH, ICE AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU GUYS ARE HEADED WITH ALL OF THIS, BUT I'M JUST [06:05:01] BEYOND DISAPPOINTED AND WE, WE DESERVE BETTER. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. MY COMMENTS REGARDING ITEM 23, UM, ARE ABOUT THE BASIC CONCEPT OF WHAT AN EMERGENCY IS. THIS WAS NOT AN EARTHQUAKE. EARTHQUAKES YOU CANNOT PREDICT. EL NINOS HAPPEN ON THE ORDER OF EVERY FOUR TO SEVEN YEARS, AND WE GET SEVERAL MONTHS HEAD UP FROM THE METEOROLOGICAL SURVEY AND FROM, FROM, UH, THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. IT SHOULD NOT TAKE ANYONE BY SURPRISE WHEN THERE IS AN EL NINO, BECAUSE IT IS NOT A SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED EVENT. YOU KNOW WELL EARLY INTO SUMMER WHETHER OR NOT THE COMING WINTER WATER SEASON WILL BE ONE OF TURBULENT HIGH TIDES AND LIKELY TO HAVE WARM WATER STORMS, WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING. I'VE GONE OUT TO THE PENINSULA SEVERAL TIMES THIS, THIS PAST, FOR THE PAST FOUR WEEKS, THE PAST MONTH, TO TAKE A LOOK FOR MYSELF AT ALL OF THE, THE, THE BERM BUILDUP, ALL THE SAND THAT WE ARE TRUCKING FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE BEACH TO BUILD UP THIS TINY PART OF THE PENINSULA. AND I UNDERSTAND THE URGE TO BE FRUSTRATED THAT THERE IS CITY MONEY BEING SPENT ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE JUST FIVE HOMES. BUT WHAT I FIND MORE UPSETTING IS THAT THE CITY IS NOT COMMUNICATING CLEARLY THE REASON WHY IT IS SO CRITICALLY NECESSARY TO PROTECT WHAT APPEARS TO BE JUST FOUR TO FIVE WATERFRONT HOMES. IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE HOLDING THE WATER BACK FROM THE REST OF THE PENINSULA FLOODING. THAT NARROW POINT THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY REPLENISHING THAT WE'VE DONE IN DECADES PAST AND CONTINUE TO DO NOW IS BECAUSE THOSE BERMS ARE NOT PLANTED. THERE'S NO REINFORCEMENT. THEY ARE LITERALLY HOUSES BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF SAND. IF I HAD THE MONEY TO BUY A BEACHFRONT HOUSE, YES, I WOULD. IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF ANYONE WHO INDULGES IN THAT BECAUSE WHAT GREAT FORTUNE YOU HAVE TO DO THAT. IT IS A FAULT OF THE CITY FOR BUILD, FOR PERMIT, FOR PERMITTING CONSTRUCTION IN AREAS THAT FRANKLY ARE NOT FEASIBLE LOOKING FORWARD. WE KNOW THAT. WE LIVE ON RECLAIMED MARSHLAND. HALF OF THIS CITY IS INFILLED DEVELOPMENT. BUT GIVEN THE WAY THAT THIS COUNCIL BEHAVES, WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN BRING YOURSELVES TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF SOMETHING ALL BUT UNANIMOUSLY ENCOURAGED BY THE PUBLIC, WHERE WILL YOUR GUTS BE WHEN IT COMES TIME TO USE EMINENT DOMAIN? WHERE WILL YOUR COURAGE BE WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY GENUINELY DEF - DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT ARE IMPENDING BECAUSE OF THE SIMPLE NATURE OF THE WAY WEATHER AND CLIMATE ARE CHANGING? THERE'S NO SURPRISE HERE. TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON BAND-AID ON TOP OF BAND-AID ON TOP OF BAND-AID WHEN YOU HAVE A FESTERING WOUND UNDER THERE IS EMBARRASSING. I WILL ONCE AGAIN LUGURIATE IN MY REMAINING TIME. THERE'S ACTUALLY NOT A THING. WE ALLOWED THAT LAST TIME BECAUSE IT WAS A FEW SECONDS LEFT. OKAY, I'LL KEEP TALKING THEN. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB WHOSE FLEECE WAS WHITE AS ACTUALLY I HOPE THIS PLEASES YOU MR. MAY. I'M SORRY WHICH PIECE OF - YEAH. GIVEN THIS BACK AND FORTH, LIKE THE PERSON WHO WAS INTERRUPTED PREVIOUSLY, DO I GET TIME BACK? OH, I DON'T. THAT IS VERY CURIOUS - I'M CLARIFYING THE PROCESS. VIOLATIONS? IT IS CURIOUS THE WAY THAT YOU SELECTIVELY ENFORCE DISCIPLINE, MR. MAYOR. JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THE RULES. THANKS A LOT. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, JUST TO BE, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE LOCAL EMERGENCY ALLOWS US TO PREPARE CITYWIDE, UH, NOT JUST IN ONE AREA. UH, SO TOM, JUST, UH, CLARIFY THE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPEN CITYWIDE AND WHAT IMPACTS WE TYPICALLY SEE WHEN WE SEE STORM EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY. YES. SO THIS IS AN EMERGENCY THAT'S GONNA HELP US, UH, CITYWIDE FOR THE ENTIRE, UM, UH, FOR THE ENTIRE EMERGENCY. UH, WE'RE OBVIOUSLY SEEING COASTAL IMPACTS RIGHT NOW. UH, WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN THE RAIN YET, BUT WE KNOW THAT'S COMING. THIS WILL HELP US CLEAN OUR STORM DRAINS. THIS WILL HELP US WHEN TREES ARE COMING DOWN, WHEN THERE'S FLOODING IN, IN NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, STORM DRAINS ARE DESIGNED FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WATER AND WE'RE EXPECTING IT TO BE HIGHER THAN WHAT THEY'RE DESIGNED FOR. AND SO, UH, THIS WILL HELP US MOBILIZE CREWS, UM, RESPOND WHERE WE NEED TO, REALLY PROTECT LIFE AND SAFETY FIRST, UM, AND THEN PROPERTY DAMAGE COMES AFTER LIFE AND SAFETY. RIGHT. THE IMPACTS IN THE PENINSULA ARE PROBABLY THE MOST PUBLIC, THAT'S WHERE THE CAMERAS ARE, BUT WE KNOW ANYTIME THAT IT RAINS IN THE REGION WHERE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, END OF TWO RIVERS AND MULTIPLE WATERSHEDS THAT FLOWS TO OUR CITY, WE SE- SEE IMPACTS ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY. AND AT TIMES, THEY'RE EXPENSIVE AND THEY REQUIRE US TO FLEX UP OUR OPERATIONS TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND CITYWIDE. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO, UH, HAVE THE LOCAL EMERGENCY IN PLACE AND BE ABLE TO DO LARGER PURCHASING AND, AND, AND, UM, AND POTENTIALLY HAVE REIMBURSEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. [06:10:01] THAT'S CORRECT. UH, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. OKAY. REAL QUICK, THE, THE, YOU'RE ON THE, YOU'RE THE MAKING THE MOTION. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. GO FOR IT. UM, ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR, UH, FOR THAT. I WANNA START OUT BY THANKING TOM FOR HIS FORESIGHT IN DECLARING THIS EMERGENCY. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR LONGER THAN... UH, BEFORE HURRICANE MARIE, WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO SEE, UM, AS THE WINTER CAME ALONG. I APPRECIATE HOW SERIOUSLY CITY, CITY LEADERSHIP HAS TAKEN WHAT WE COULD BE FACING THIS WINTER AND PAYING ATTENTION TO IT. AND THIS EMERGENCY IS FAR BIGGER THAN THE PENINSULA OR LOW-LYING AREAS. BUT I DO WANT TO ADDRESS ONE ITEM ABOUT THE PENINSULA BEFORE GETTING TO THE REST OF THE, UM, EMERGENCY. I HAVE HEARD COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE ASKING WHY THE CITY SHOULD BE PAYING TO REPLENISH SAND IN FRONT OF THE PENINSULA. I'VE HEARD PEOPLE ARGUING THAT PENINSULA RESIDENTS SHOULD PAY FOR IT THEMSELVES. I JUST WANNA PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION. UH, I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THIS AND I THINK PEOPLE NEED SOMEWHAT OF MORE INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND IT. UM, IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF US IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A BEACH NOURISHMENT PROGRAM EXTENDING 17 MILES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE SAN GABRIEL RIVER AND SEAL BEACH TO NEWPORT BAY. THAT PROGRAM WAS AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS IN 1962 AND THE ARMY CORPS DESCRIBES IT AS A MITIGATION PROJECT FOR BEACH EROSION CAUSED LARGELY BY THE LOS ANGELES AND LONG BEACH BREAKWATER SYSTEM, THE ANAHEIM BAY JETTIES, THE CHANNELIZATION OF THE LA AND SAN GABRIEL RIVERS. THESE ARE THE SAME PROJECTS IDENTIFIED AS CHANGING SAND MOVEMENT IN LONG BEACH. THAT FEDERAL PROGRAM IN ORANGE COUNTY IS NOW ON STAGE 13. DURING THE MOST RECENT, RECENT PROJECT BEGINNING IN LATE 2023, 1.1 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF SAND WERE PLACED AT SURFSIDE. THIS WAS A $23 MILLION PROJECT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKING $15 MILLION OF THE COST SHARE. NOW, THERE'S ANOTHER FEDERAL PROJECT IN THE PORT OF LONG BEACH SCHEDULED FOR 2029 CALLED THE DEEP DRAFT NAVIGATION PROJECT, WHICH IS A DREDGING IN LONG BEACH'S TIDELANDS AND TAKING THE SAND TO ORANGE COUNTY. I HAVE BEEN LEADING THE EFFORTS TO UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS SO LONG BEACH CAN KEEP A PORTION OF OUR OWN SAND IN OUR THAILANDS FOR OUR BEACH NOURISHMENT NEEDS AFTER ORANGE COUNTY GETS ITS SHARE FIRST. SO BEFORE WE SAY THAT LONG BEACH RESIDENTS ALONG THE PENINSULA SHOULD PAY FOR THIS THEMSELVES, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE LARGER PICTURE. OTHER COASTAL COMMUNITIES HAVE FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS BECAUSE GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGED THE NATURAL MOVEMENT OF SAND. LONG BEACH HAS EXPERIENCED MANY OF THOSE SAME CHANGES, BUT WE HAVE HISTORICALLY PAID FOR THESE PROJECTS OURSELVES. WHEN THESE AGREEMENTS WERE MADE IN THE '60S, LONG BEACH TIDELANDS WERE IN A FAR DIFFERENT FINANCIAL POSITION THAN THEY, WE ARE RIGHT NOW. WE WERE MAKING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM OIL REVENUE IN TODAY'S DOLLARS BACK THEN. THIS IS THE WHOLE REASON WHY I STARTED SAYING WE NEED MORE OF A LOCAL SHARE OF OIL REVENUE BECAUSE OUR LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES ARE MORE THAN OTHER COASTAL CITIES. THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY AGREEMENTS IN PLACE THAT SHORT CHANGE LONG BEACH. THIS IS AN OPEN INVITATION TO ANYONE WANTING TO SIT DOWN WITH MY OFFICE AND TALK ABOUT THE TIDELANDS AND THE INEQUITABLE DEALS IN PLACE BECAUSE WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET HERE IN LONG BEACH. YOU WANT ME TO QUEUE UP BECAUSE I HAVE A LITTLE MORE TO SAY. I THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE ON THIS. GO FOR IT. ALL RIGHT. LAST WEEK, MY OFFICE ORGANIZED A CALL WITH NOAA, THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. ALONG WITH LEADERSHIP FROM FIRE LIFEGUARDS, THE MARINE BUREAU AND PUBLIC WORKS, WE HEARD DIRECTLY FROM THEM ON WHAT WAS CONCERNING. MY TAKEAWAY WAS THAT THE RISKS WILL CHANGE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE SEASON. WE'RE IN THE PACIFIC HURRICANE SEASON NOW, WHICH IS EXPOSING THE PENINSULA TO DIRECT SOUTHERN SWELLS THAT ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE BREAKWATER. AS WE MOVE DEEPER INTO THE WINTER STORM SEASON, OUR RISK WILL TURN TO EXTREME TIDES AND SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENTS AS, UH, MR. MODICA SAID. WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THE EFFECTS WITH OUR TIDES. LAST TUESDAY, A WEEK AGO, TIDE CHARTS SHOWED A 6.2 TIDE, BUT THE OBSERVED TIDE [06:15:01] WAS CLOSER TO 7.4. THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE THAT WE ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING ON OUR TIDES. THAT MEANT MARINE STADIUM, A 6'2", UH, TIDE WAS SPILLING OVER IN MARINE STADIUM, UH, OVER A FOOT HIGHER THAN PREDICTED. THE MAJOR CONCERN IS AROUND THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS WHEN PROJECTED TIDES ARE ALREADY AROUND SEVEN FEET, AND WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF WE SEE MORE THAN A FOOT TO A FOOT AND A HALF ON TOP OF THAT. WE NEED TO BE WORKING NOW LIKE IT'S AN EMERGENCY TO SEE WHERE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IS AT RISK AND LET PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS KNOW THEY NEED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE OTHER ISSUE I DO NOT WANT US TO LOSE SIGHT OF IS THE RAIN. MORE THAN HALF OF LONG BEACH IS BUILT ON WETLANDS AND FLOOD PLAINS, AS WAS STATED EARLIER, SO PARTS OF OUR CITY FLOODS WHEN WE HAVE HEAVY RAINS. I CAN NAME A FEW SPOTS IN DISTRICT THREE THAT DEAL WITH FLOODING DURING NORMAL STORMS, SO WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CITY-WIDE DISCUSSION TO MAKE SURE RESIDENTS ARE PREPARED ACROSS THE CITY. PUBLIC WORKS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT CANNOT BE EVERYWHERE AT ONCE DURING A MAJOR STORM, SO PEOPLE NEED TO BE PREPARED. NONE OF US KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THE WINTER WILL BRING, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN LOOK BACK AND SAY THAT WE OVER-HYPED WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I JUST KNOW I'D RATHER BE PREPARED. I THINK ALL OF US WANNA BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST AND HAVE NOTHING HAPPEN THAN NOT BE PREPARED ENOUGH. SO THANK YOU AGAIN TO TOM AND OUR CITY TEAMS, UM, WHO'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS, AND I, OF COURSE, SUPPORT THE LOCAL EMERGENCY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. UH, UH, UH, MAYOR, I'M SECOND ON THIS. OKAY, GO AHEAD. ALL RIGHT. UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US ON, ON MANY FRONTS. UM, I DO WORRY ABOUT US HAVING THE RESOURCES TO COMBAT, UH, ALL THE ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY. UM, WE HAVE TO WORK, LIKE MY, UH, COLLEAGUE SAID ON EDUCATION AND PREPAREDNESS, UH, ACROSS THE CITY BECAUSE OUR RESOURCES ARE VERY LIMITED. UM, TOM, WHEN, WHEN WE, UM... I KNOW I TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS, AND IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER, UH, THAT'S OKAY, BUT SILVER SANDS, WHICH WAS THE BIG PROJECT AT THE BEACH, IT'S, UH, AT OCEAN AND CHERRY, AND WE TOOK ALL THAT SAND AND WE WATCHED, UH, WE WATCHED THE TRUCKS GO ONE AFTER ANOTHER LEAVING WITH OUR SAND TO GO TO, TO RIVERSIDE. CAN YOU JUST REMIND ME, LIKE, WHAT WAS THE REASONING WHY WE COULDN'T KEEP ALL THAT SAND RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY AND WHY WE HAD TO SHIP THAT ALL THE WAY TO R- RIVERSIDE? YEAH. SO, UM, THE COASTAL COMMISSION HAS VERY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ABOUT WHAT SAND CAN GO ON WHAT BEACH. UH, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT GRAIN SIZE, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT COM - UM, COMPOSITION, YOU HAVE TO GET A PERMIT, UM, AND SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE LOOKED AT IN ORDER TO PUT IT THERE. SO WITH ADDITIONAL TIME AND PLANNING THAT SOME OF THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO THERE BY THE TIME THEY HAD DECIDED WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH IT, THEY WERE ALREADY TRUCKING THAT AWAY. SO THAT WOULD BE A VERY SMALL AMOUNT COMPARED TO WHAT WOULD, WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED, UM, UH, IN THIS AREA. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE PROJECTS, WE HAVE TO GO AND SEE IS IT APPROPRIATE TO PUT IT ON THE BEACH? CAN YOU PUT IT NEXT TO THE BEACH? DO YOU HAVE TO DISPOSE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE, OR IS IT THE WRONG GRAIN SIZE? SO IS THAT SOME TYPE OF POLICY WE COULD LOOK AT, LIKE ANYTIME WE'RE HAVING, UH, ANY CONSTRUCTION ALONG OUR BEACHFRONT, THAT THAT'S JUST PART OF THE, THE DEAL THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE, WE CAN KEEP OUR SAND RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY AS OPPOSED TO IT GOING SOMEPLACE ELSE? YEAH, SURE. WE CAN LOOK AT THAT THROUGH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. WE REALLY, LIKE, THAT WAS THE ONE PROJECT I THINK I'VE EVER RUN ACROSS THAT ACTUALLY HAD WHAT LOOKED LIKE BEACH QUALITY SAND THAT, THAT COULD GO THERE, BUT, UM, ON ANY PROJECT ELSE ALONG THAT COASTLINE, WE WOULD CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT IN THE FUTURE. OKAY, THANK YOU. THAT'S END OF MY COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. AND, YOU KNOW, AND THANK YOU, THAT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT IDEA. UM, WHEN WE GET PAST THIS, UH, EL NINO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, NO MATTER THE IMPACT, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WE HAVE AN ONGOING PUBLIC EDUCATION CON- CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT REAL STRUCTURAL LONG-TERM INFRASTRUCTURE CHA- CHANGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN, WHAT THE REAL COST OF THAT IS, AND WHAT, WHAT FINANCIAL STRATEGIES NEED TO LOOK LIKE. THIS ISN'T A CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO BE LIMITED TO JUST, SAY, THE PENINSULA. THIS IS A CI - ISSUE OF CITYWIDE CONCERN. WE KNOW THERE ARE THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE. WE KNOW THAT THEY COME SIGNIFICANT PRICE TAGS. IT'S A CHALLENGE, BUT WE'VE, WE'VE HANDLED BIG CHALLENGES BEFORE, MITIGATION, CREDITS, INNOVATIVE WAYS OF FINANCING, BUT I KNOW THE LIKELIHOOD OF FEDERAL PARTICIPATION UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION'S NOT LIKELY, BUT, YOU KNOW, OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS COME IN, AND THIS IS A LONG-TERM PROJECT. WE HAVE TO PREPARE FOR WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IF WE DO HAVE FEDERAL AND STATE, UH, PARTICIPATION. I ALSO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A CLIMATE BOND. LET'S EXPLORE STATEWIDE IF THIS CATEGOR - IF, IF THIS QUALIFIES AS A POTENTIAL PROJECT CATEGORY FOR [06:20:01] CLIMATE RESILIENCE. UM, SO THESE ARE THINGS, YOU KNOW, AS WE COME OUT OF, UH, THIS SHORT-TERM EMERGENCY THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE PUBLICLY. ALL RIGHT, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. NOW WE ARE ONTO ITEM 25. 24? NO, 24. YEAH, THAT'S THE ONE. REC - REPORT FROM HUMAN RESOURCES, RECOMMENDATION [24. 26-56257 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to approve the 2027 calendar year Benefits Package rates, employee contribution amounts and plan updates for active employees and retirees on the following plans; Anthem Blue Cross, the City’s third-party administrator for the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) group health plans, and Medicare Supplement plan; UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage PPO Plan; Scan Health Plan for the Medicare Advantage Plan; and Vision Service Plan (VSP) for the vision plan; CVS Caremark as the Prescription Benefit Manager (PBM) for the Prescription Drug Plan for the PPO and HMO plans; Delta Dental for the fee-for-service dental plan (DPPO) and Delta Dental USA (HMO plan); The Standard Insurance Company for employer-paid life insurance, voluntary life insurance, and short- and long-term disability insurance; Union Mutual Life Insurance Company (UNUM), through Larry Lambert & Associates Insurance Services, for long-term care insurance; Health Advocate (HA) for the Employee Assistance Plan and 360Support, a suite of resources designed to streamline healthcare navigation, and Carrum Health as a third-party administrator for eligible surgeries to be performed through a Centers of Excellence facility and approve an agreement with Trustmark Insurance Company Group for an Employee-Paid Life Insurance with Long-Term Care (LTC) plan. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Human Resources         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO APPROVE THE 2027 CALENDAR YEAR BENEFITS PACKAGE RATES, EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION AMOUNTS, AND PLANNED UPDATES FOR ACTIVE EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES WITH VARIOUS HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN OPERATORS CITYWIDE. ALL RIGHT. ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? OH, IS I SEE ONE? SAGE. COUNCIL, MR. MAYOR, I HOPE YOU HAVE PICKED UP ON THE PATTERN RECOGNITION. I HAVE SIGNED UP FOR EVERY REMAINING ITEM. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE TALKING TO EACH OTHER. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU TREAT ME DIFFERENTLY THAN ANYONE ELSE WHO COMES TO SPEAK IN THE PUBLIC. FOR SOME REASON, YOU LIKE TO HAVE A BACK AND FORTH WITH ME IN PARTICULAR, WHICH IS A VERY STRANGE, WHAT'S CALLED DISPARATE IMPACT, BUT THE CITY ATTORNEY LIKE TO EXPLAIN WHAT DISPARATE IMPACT IS TO THE COUNCIL BECAUSE IT DOES SEEM TO BE CONFUSED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT ME THAT GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN, BUT I AM A PERSON WHO IS PERMITTED TO SPEAK ON ANY AGENDA ITEM, INCLUDING THIS ONE, A BENEFITS PACKAGE. FANTASTIC, FABULOUS. I LOVE THAT CITY EMPLOYEES GET A GREAT BENEFITS PACKAGE. IT'S GREAT THAT THEY COVER HEALTH INSURANCE, HEALTH INSURANCE THAT I GET THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE AND THAT I RECENTLY, UH, IN ADDITION, HAVE A SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BECAUSE I AM A PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON, A PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON WHO IS HERE TONIGHT, LIKE SO MANY OTHER PHYSICALLY DISABLED PEOPLE. MUCH LIKE YOU REPRESENTED IN DEJAS, YOU ARE HERE TONIGHT. WE'RE BOTH DISABLED AND SOMEHOW WE ARE HERE. IT REALLY IS A MIRACLE WHAT HEALTH INSURANCE CAN DO. SO I'M QUITE HAPPY FOR THE CITY EMPLOYEES TO GET THEIR, THEIR, UM, HEALTH INSURANCE RE-UPPED. UM, I CONTINUE TO BE CONFUSED BY WHAT IT IS ABOUT ME IN PARTICULAR THAT MAKES THE MAYOR WANT TO SPEAK BACK AND FORTH WITH ME DURING THIS, WHICH HE DOES NOT DO WITH ANYONE ELSE. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR THE ENTIRE TIME AND NO ONE WAS ADMONISHED FOR BEING OFF TOPIC BUT ME. I FIND THAT CURIOUS. SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN, IF I'M GOING TO BE ADMONISHED ONCE AGAIN WITH THE 90 SECONDS LEFT FOR BEING OFF TOPIC OF THE AGENDA ITEM, SOMETHING YOU HAVE DONE TO ME SINGULARLY WITH AN O- OPINION OPPOSED TO YOURS, A DISPARATE IMPACT THAN ANYONE ELSE. IF YOU STAY ON TOPIC, WE'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. PREVIOUSLY WHEN I HAVE BEEN HERE, WHEN I ASKED ABOUT VARIOUS ITEMS, WHEN I WANTED A, WHEN I WANTED SIMPLE EYE CONTACT OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, NEVER DID I GET BACK AND FORTH, NEVER DID I GET SO MUCH AS EYE CONTACT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT ME THAT BOTHERS YOU SO MUCH, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT SEEMS TO BE GETTING UNDER YOUR SKIN. I WOULD LIKE TO ENJOY THE REST OF MY TIME STANDING HERE READING THE CONTENTS OF NUMBER 24. AS IS MY ALLOTTED TIME, I'M GOING TO ENJOY IT ALL. SO TO BE CLEAR, THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT THE RULE. OUT LOUD IS NOT WHAT I S - I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS BACK AND FORTH IS. YOU DON'T DO THIS WITH ANYONE ELSE. IT'S MY JOB TO RUN THE MEETING. YOU'RE CLEARLY UNCLEAR ON THE RULES. YOU CAN'T STAND THERE SILENT. OH, I'M PERFECTLY CLEAR. YOU'RE CLEARLY NOT. WOULD LIKE ME TO WHISPER? STANDING THERE SILENT IS NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO. YOU CAN SPEAK ON TOPIC. I WILL SPEAK SLOWLY SO THE MAYOR WON'T TALK OVER ME. WHAT WONDERFUL USE OF OUR TIME THIS IS. I'M SO PLEASED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. CHANGE THE MEETING RULES SO THAT SHE CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE. OH YES. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. UH, ITEM 25, PLEASE. REPORT FROM HUMAN RESOURCES, RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE 2026 [25. 26-56258 Recommendation to adopt resolution approving the 2026-2029 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). (Citywide)       Office or Department: Human Resources         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] THROUGH 2029 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS CITYWIDE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO RECOGNIZE, UM, IBW LOCAL 47 FOR, UH, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES IN OUR CITY. UM, THEY REPRESENT, UH, WORKERS IN OUR UTILITIES DEPARTMENT, UM, AND, UH, THEY'VE RATIFIED... THEY'VE COME TO AN AGREEMENT AND RATIFIED THEIR UPCOMING CONTRACT BETWEEN 2026 AND 2029. SO WE WANNA THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE, FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP IN WORKING WITH OUR CITY, UH, TO FIND, UH, TO NEGOTIATE FAIRLY, UH, A FAIR CONTRACT, [06:25:01] UH, THAT CERTAINLY RECOGNIZES THE DIGNITY OF THOSE WORKERS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. DID YOU, UH, HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THIS TIME? IF YOU'D LIKE ONE, HR CAN GO THROUGH IT, BUT I THINK IT'S PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY. THE COUNCIL'S FULL UP TO SPEED AND WE PUBLISHED THE WHOLE REPORT. UM, THIS IS A GREAT AGREEMENT WITH, UH, THE, UH, UH, THE FIRST OF OUR LABOR UNIONS THAT WE'RE NEGOTIATING WITH RIGHT NOW. UM, AND IT'S ALL WITHIN OUR STRUCTURAL BUDGET CAPACITY, SO WE'RE NOT ADDING TO THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, AND IT'S GONNA HELP US HIRE AND RETAIN OUR EMPLOYEES. INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. BARGAINED A CONTRACT, UH, THAT STAYED WITHIN AUTHORITY AND DID NOT, UH, EXPAND OR MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE DEFICIT. SO THAT'S GREAT. COUNCILMEMBER KERR, ANYTHING? NO, GRATEFUL FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP. GREAT. COUNCIL MEMBER THRASHENTOK? UH, DITTO. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SAGE, PUBLIC COMMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO ENJOY ONE OF MY FEW REMAINING AGENDA ITEM PUBLIC COMMENTS, UM, BY STATING THAT, UH, IT IS OBVIOUSLY A, A, UM, A WORK OF, A WORK OF GREAT COOPERATION FOR, FOR THE UNION TO HAVE A DEAL WITH THE CITY. UM, I DEEPLY APPRECIATE MEETING SO MANY UNION WORKERS AND UNION REPRESENTATIVES DURING THE PREVIOUS BUDGET SEASON IN WHICH SO MANY PEOPLE CAME OUT TO SHARE THEIR OPINIONS ON HOW IMPORTANT UNION LABOR IS, HOW IT FUNCTIONS, AND WHAT A GREAT ASSET IT IS TO THE CITY, AND THAT EACH OF THEM WERE ABLE TO BE HEARD ON THEIR AGENDA ITEM TOPIC, THAT THEY WERE EACH ABLE TO SHARE PER THE ITEM WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED, WHAT IS BEING DECIDED ON, THAT THEY ALL GOT THAT OPPORTUNITY, AS I THINK IS RIGHT. I WILL RUN DOWN THE REMAINDER OF THE TIME, BECAUSE THE REASONS, AGAIN, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHEN WE DECIDED TO PASS AGENDA ITEM 29 IN THE TEXT OF THIS NEW, OF THIS NEW VERSION OF THE CIVIL CODE IS THAT THE MAYOR AT THEIR SOLE DISCRETION, OR WHOEVER IS PRESIDING OVER CITY COUNCIL, AT THEIR SOLE DISCRETION, MAY DECIDE WHAT IS DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT. AND I WONDER IF I'M BEING DISRUPTIVE RIGHT NOW, SIMPLY LEAVING A PUBLIC COMMENT THAT IS SLOW AND ANNOYING. DOES THIS CO - DOES THIS COUNT AS DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT? HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO SAY AGENDA ITEM 25 FOR IT TO NOT BE DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT? HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO SAY THE CONTENTS OF AGENDA ITEM 25, THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS, FOR IT TO NOT BE DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT? I AM ASKING IN THIS CASE TO THE MAYOR IN PARTICULAR... NO, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR RESPONSE BECAUSE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RULES, YOU'RE SO INTERESTED IN THE RULES AND THE PROCESS, THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE UP COMMENTERS' TIME WITH YOUR OWN SPEECH TALKING OVER THEM WHEN THEY DON'T GET THAT TIME GIVEN BACK. SOMETHING I'VE ONLY EVER SEEN WHEN IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE IN FAVOR THAT THE PERSON IS SPEAKING OF, THAT THEY GET THEIR TIME BACK, BUT NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE SPEAKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU DISAGREE WITH. AGAIN, IT IS A CURIOUS PATTERN. I WONDER IF THIS COUNTS AS DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT. I CONTINUE TO WONDER. I WILL WONDER FOR 40 MORE SECONDS. FOR 30 SECONDS, I HAVE TO THINK TO MYSELF, IN THE HANDFUL OF AGENDA ITEM COMMENTS I HAVE LEFT AS A CITIZEN OF LONG BEACH, WHAT WILL COUNT AS DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT IN THE FUTURE AT ONCE AGAIN, THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE PRESIDING OFFICER, IN THIS CASE, THE MAYOR? A DISSENTING OPINION? IS THAT DISRUPTIVE? IT'S CERTAINLY DISRUPTIVE TO THE, TO THE QUICK FLOW OF A VOTE. I WONDER. ALL RIGHT. MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. UM, THERE IS ONE MORE PUBLIC COMMENT SPEAKER, CAROLYN ESSEX, IN ZOOM. CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? YES, I, UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, UM, I JUST WANT TO SAY I SUPPORT APPROVAL OF THE IBEW, UM, MEM- MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. OUR SKILLED CITY WORKFORCE IS PART OF OUR FOUNDATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THESE ARE THE WORKERS AND INSPECTORS WHO HELP MAINTAIN THE SYSTEMS AND PUBLIC ASSETS RESIDENTS DEPEND ON EVERY DAY. I SUPPORT ITEM 25, AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT THE WORD BROTHERHOOD REPRESENTS. IBEW TRACES HISTORY TO 1891 WHEN ELECTRICAL WORKERS ORGANIZED AROUND SAFETY, FAIR COMPENSATION AND DIGNITY IN A DANGEROUS PROFESSION. MORE THAN 130 [06:30:01] YEARS LATER, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CONTINUES THAT WORK. AND SO THE SKILLED EMPLOYEES REPRESENTED HERE HELP INSPECT, MAINTAIN, AND PROTECT THE INFRASTRUCTURE. OUR RESIDENTS DEPEND UPON. UM, INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE WHO MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS PART OF INVESTING IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE ITSELF. AND SO I DO SUPPORT ITEM 25, UH, COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION WORKER RETENTION. AND I RESPECT, UM, THE SKILLED LABOR AND THE INVESTMENTS IN RELIABLE CITY SERVICES. SO I SUPPORT THE MOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS. ALL RIGHT. MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. NOW WE'RE ON TO ITEM 26, PLEASE. REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS, RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS [26. 26-56261 Recommendation to adopt Plans and Specifications No. R-7192 and award a contract to Sully-Miller Contracting Company, of Brea, CA, for the Shoreline Drive Realignment Project, in an amount of $44,106,775, authorize a 15 percent contingency in the amount of $6,616,016, for a total contract amount not to exceed $50,722,791, at the discretion of the City Manager; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract, including any necessary subsequent amendments; Adopt Specifications No. RFP PW-25-547 and award contract to PMCS Group Inc., of Long Beach, CA, for construction management and inspection services for the Shoreline Drive Realignment Project, in an amount of $3,396,054, authorize a 10 percent contingency in amount of $339,605, for a total contract amount not to exceed $3,735,659, for a period of three years, with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods, at the discretion of City Manager; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into contract, including any necessary subsequent amendments; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $35,000,000, offset by $35,000,000, of Measure M Highway Contingency funds from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro); and Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $35,000,000, offset by a transfer of $35,000,000, of Measure M Highway Contingency funds from the Capital Projects Grant Fund. (District 1)        Office or Department: Public Works         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AND AWARD A CONTRACT TO SULLY MILLER CONTRACTING COMPANY FOR THE SHORELINE DRIVE REALIGNMENT PROJECT FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 50,722,791 AND EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO ENTER INTO THE CONTRACT, INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS AND ADOPT SPECIFICATIONS AND AWARD CONTRACT TO PMCS GROUP FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION SERVICES FOR THE SHORELINE DRIVE REALIGNMENT PROJECT FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 3,735,659 AND EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO ENTER INTO THE CONTRACT, INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS. DISTRICT ONE. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THIS IS A, A LANDMARK PROJECT. IT'S GONNA COMPLETELY TRANSFORM HOW PEOPLE ENTER OUR DOWNTOWN. UH, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S NO, NO QUESTION THAT WHEN YOU ENTER DOWNTOWN, IT'S A LITTLE FUNKY, A LITTLE CONGESTED. UM, AND YOU SEE THAT LARGE SWATH OF OPEN SPACE. NO ONE'S EVER THERE BECAUSE IT'S NOT ACCESSIBLE, USABLE. UH, THIS PROJECT TRANSFORMS THAT. IT FINALLY ALLOWS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HAVE A, A MORE, UH, UNIFIED ENTRY AND EXIT FROM THE DOWNTOWN AND REUNIFY THOSE SIX ACRES OF OPEN SPACE, FIVE OR SIX ACRES INTO PROGRAMMABLE OPEN SPACE IN AN AREA THAT CERTAINLY, UH, NEEDS IT. UH, IT'S NOT LOST ON ME THAT THIS WAS, THIS PROJECT WAS IN, IN JEOPARDY. IN FACT, IT WAS A NUMBER ONE PRIORITY WHEN I JOINED THE METRO BOARD WAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO UNLOCK THOSE DOLLARS. THESE WERE FEDERAL DOLLARS. THERE'S A TIMETABLE ON IT AND WE ARE NOT, UH, INTERESTED IN SENDING BACK PERFECTLY GOOD FEDERAL MONEY THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPACT, HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITIES. SO, AND THAT WAS THE, THE CASE. WE WANNA RECOGNIZE AND THANK, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, PARTICULARLY THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION WHO, UH, PROVIDED US THIS RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT. IT WAS THE SECOND LARGEST AT THE TIME AT 30 MILLION DOLLARS, BUT IT REQUIRED A SIGNIFICANT MATCH, ABOUT 40 SOME ODD MILLION DOLLARS FOR US TO COME UP WITH LOCALLY. WE WANNA THANK AND RECOGNIZE METRO, UH, FOR SUPPORTING THE METRO BOARD, SUPPORTING MY MOTION, UH, TO BRING FORWARD THESE DOLLARS LOCAL EARLY, UH, TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN. UH, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE, UH, COUNCILWOMANS AND DEJAS, UH, THE COMMUNITY AROUND CESAR CHAVEZ COMMUNITY, UH, THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY ON WHAT WILL BE A, AN INCREDIBLY TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECT. AND I JUST WANNA THANK STAFF, UH, FOR MAKING SURE WE ARE ORGANIZED AND, AND ABLE TO GO AFTER AND SEEK THAT FUNDING AND DELIVER IT IN TIME TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN THIS FIRST PHASE IN ADVANCE OF THE 2028 GAMES. SO WE HAVE A, A BRIEF STAFF PRESENTATION. YES, SIR. YEAH, GOOD EVENING AGAIN, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE ARE EXCITED TO BE HERE TONIGHT FOR THIS MAJOR MILESTONE FOR A LARGE TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECT IN DOWNTOWN. I DO HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION, BUT I KNOW IT'S LATE, SO I'LL, I'LL TRY TO BREEZE THROUGH THIS, UH, RELATIVELY QUICKLY. SO THE, THE PROJECT IS PART OF AND THE CATALYST TO REALIZE THE DOWNTOWN VISION PLAN, INCLUDING USABLE PARK SPACE, UM, AND PARKING AND JUST BETTER USE OF THE OVERALL SPACE THAT YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE, THE DRAKE CHAVEZ CONNECTION PROJECT, THE LB MUSK, THE CESAR CHAVEZ PARK, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO OVER TWO ACRES OF ROADWAY WILL BE REMOVED, BUT FUNCTIONALLY THAT, THE REALIGNMENT CREATES OPPORTUNITY FOR A TOTAL OF 22 ACRES TO ALL BE CONJOINED THAT TODAY ARE LARGELY UNUSABLE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE NORTHBOUND SHORELINE DRIVE WILL BE SHIFTING TO THE WEST CLOSER TO LA RIVER AS SHOWN IN THE IMAGE ON THE SLIDE HERE. SO OVERALL, IN ADDITION TO SHIFTING SHORELINE DRIVE NORTH, WE'RE ALSO REMOVING THE EXISTING BROADWAY BRIDGE. WE ARE ADDING AND, UM, REHABBING STREETS A- ACROSS THE AREA, INCLUDING 3RD, BROADWAY, [06:35:01] GOLDEN, AND, UH, SHORELINE DRIVE. WE ARE ADDING BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN SHARED USE PASS. WE ARE ADDING TRAFFIC SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS, UTILITIES, DRAINAGE, AND LANDSCAPE AND IRRIGATION. SO THE FIRST PHASE, AS THE MAYOR HAD NOTED, UH, THE INTENTION IS TO DELIVER THAT BEFORE THE 2028 GAMES AS AN EARLY ACTION TYPE PROJECT THAT CONSISTS OF THE WORK SOUTH OF OCEAN BOULEVARD AS SHOWN IN THIS IMAGE, INCLUDING NEW PAVEMENT, LANDSCAPING, STRIPING, TRAFFIC SIGNAL MOD - UH, MODIFICATIONS. PHASE TWO WILL HAPPEN AFTER THE 2028 GAMES IN THE FALL OF 2028 AND BEYOND, UH, MAINLY BECAUSE THAT INCLUDES MORE SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS, INCLUDING TRAFFIC SIGNALS AT THE INTERSECTIONS NOTED ON THIS SLIDE, AS WELL AS A 72-INCH STORM DRAIN LINE THAT NEEDS TO BE MODIFIED AS PART OF THIS PROJECT. SO THIS SLIDE'S ORIENTED A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHERS. NORTH IS ACTUALLY FACING TO THE RIGHT, BUT GIVES YOU A GENERAL OVERVIEW AS TO ALL OF THE WORK THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE WITHIN THE AREA, INCLUDING SOUTH OF OCEAN AS PART OF PHASE ONE, AND THEN THE REALIGNMENT OF SHORELINE DRIVE NORTH, UH, TO THE WEST. SO THERE IS A LOT OF COORDINATION WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS. SOME OF THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. UH, SOME OF IT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN AND SOME OF IT WILL, WILL START HERE SHORTLY. UH, MOST RECENTLY, WE DID OBTAIN THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION CDP PERMIT. SO WE HAVE THAT IN HAND AND WE'RE READY TO GO. AS THE MAYOR NOTED, WE'VE BEEN COORDINATING PRETTY, PRETTY HEAVILY WITH METRO TO SECURE THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS NECESSARY TO DELIVER THE PROJECT. OVERALL, THIS SLIDE HERE REPRESENTS THE FUNDING STACK. IT IS A $73 MILLION PROJECT. UM, AS, AS NOTED PREVIOUSLY, WE DO HAVE A $30 MILLION GRANT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. UH, NOW WITH THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT ARE BEING ALLOCATED FROM METRO THAT ARE BE - UH, BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE FUNDING STACK NECESSARY TO DELIVER THE PROJECT. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS DOES REQUIRE REPAYMENT OF A THIRD OF THE 35 MILLION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING FROM METRO OR $11.5 MILLION. OUR PROPOSAL IS TO REPAY THAT LOAN OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD STARTING IN FY 2033. UH, THAT WOULD IMPACT OUR FUTURE ABILITY TO MAKE STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. UH, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SHOW YOU HERE ON THE SCREEN IS THAT TODAY, IF THE MEASURE R AND MEASURE M DOLLARS REMAIN FLAT, WE CURRENTLY RECEIVE APPROXIMATELY $16 MILLION ANNUALLY THAT GETS REINVESTED INTO OUR STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. UM, IN THE FUTURE, 2033 AND BEYOND, THAT WOULD BE REDUCED TO 14.85 MILLION. IF THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS APPROVED TONIGHT, WE'LL KICK OFF THE FIRST PHASE, START THAT IN EARLY 2027, WRAP UP THE FIRST PHASE, WHICH AGAIN IS SOUTH OF OCEAN IN EARLY 2028. WE TAKE A, A SMALL BREAK AND THEN WE'D COME BACK IN THE FALL OF 2028 AND START CONSTRUCTION ON THE NORTH OF OCEAN PHASE, INCLUDING THE REALIGNMENT OF SHORELINE DRIVE NORTHBOUND. THE FUTURE EFFORTS, INCLUDING THE PARK MASTER PLAN BUILD OUT, WOULD THEN HAPPEN AFTER THAT PROJECT IS COMPLETE AND AFTER SHORELINE DRIVE IS REALIGNED, OPENING UP THAT CONTIGUOUS PARK SPACE. THAT CONCLUDES STAFF REPORT AND WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT, GREAT. I DON'T HAVE MY SCREEN UP. I'M JUST GONNA GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, ACTUALLY WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, UH, I SEE RYAN WOLF ON ZOOM AND SAGE. I DON'T BELIEVE MR. WOLF IS IN THE ZOOM ANY LONGER. I'M, I'M HERE. OH, OH, OH, YOU ARE. I'M SO SORRY. YES. YEAH, NO, NO PROBLEM AT ALL. UM, SO RYAN WOLF, UH, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE WILMORE CITY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, AND WE ARE A NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO, UH, IMPROVING AND PROTECTING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS SINCERE AND, YOU KNOW, VERY INTENSE THANKS TO CITY STAFF AND TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ZINDEHAUS AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THIS. UM, THIS IS KIND OF UNBELIEVABLE FOR US. THIS IS MOVING FORWARD. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A NEED THAT'S BEEN EXPRESSED BY THE COMMUNITY FOR, I MEAN, I, I'M NOT EXAGGERATING DECADES. AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY INVEST, UM, FROM A MO- MOBILITY PERSPECTIVE AND A RESILIENCE PERSPECTIVE IN A COMMUNITY WHICH HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, HAD MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES BASED [06:40:01] ON INFRASTRUCTURE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE, YOU KNOW, GENERATIONS AGO. UH, WE SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY RECONNECT OUR COMMUNITY, TO PROVIDE GREEN SPACE, UM, TO REALLY RE-ENVISION PART OF DOWNTOWN WHICH HAS, YOU KNOW, REALLY FAILED TO GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES OVER THE YEARS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE JUST REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE TO GO AFTER THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT, UM, AND TO REALLY THINK VERY INNO- INNOVATIVELY AND GO AFTER THIS FUNDING WITH, IN, WITH METRO AS WELL. UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT GOING FORWARD AND, YOU KNOW, FINGERS CROSSED, WE CAN ALSO GET THAT MONEY FOR THE SHOEMAKER BRIDGE AND CONTINUING TO JUST REALLY KIND OF REIMAGINE OUR DOWNTOWN, UH, MOBILITY, MOBILITY NETWORK AND OUR, JUST MAKE IT A MORE LIVABLE, UM, BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SAGE. MY COMMENT REGARDING ITEM 27, UM, IS THAT, UH, HIGHWAY REALIGNMENT IS A PARTICULARLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR, AS, AS MENTIONED BY THE, THE PREVIOUS COMMENTER, SPECIFICALLY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. SO I USED TO LIVE QUITE CLOSE TO THIS PARK AND THE PARTICULATE DEBRIS IN PARTICULAR, SO TAILPIPE EMISSIONS THAT WE USUALLY THINK OF AS LIKE AIRBORNE, YOU KNOW, GASES IN THE AIR, IS REALLY A SMALL PART OF WHY LIVING SO CLOSE TO A HIGH SPEED ROAD IS SO TERRIBLE FOR YOUR HEALTH, IN PARTICULAR YOUNG CHILDREN. NOT ONLY ARE THEIR ORGANS SMALLER AND MORE DELICATE, THEY ARE LITERALLY LOWER TO THE GROUND. THEY ARE CLOSER TO THE HEIGHT OF A TAILPIPE. SO MOVING THIS IS A PARTICULARLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO, TO DO RIGHT BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD NEXT TO THE PARK. THE PARK ITSELF IS VERY DIFFICULT TO UTILIZE BECAUSE IT IS SO CLOSE TO SHORELINE DRIVE WHERE PEOPLE DRIVE AT HIGH SPEEDS. SO THIS IS A VERY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY. I WOULD SIMPLY URGE THAT COUNCIL, AS THIS MOVES ON, AS IT GETS TO THE PLANTING PHASE IN, WHAT IS THAT, FIVE, SIX, FIVE, SIX YEARS, WHEN IT GETS TO LANDSCAPING, TO PLEASE CONSIDER MORE THAN AESTHETICS, MORE THAN THE, THE BEAUTY OF THE, OF THE ICONIC LA PALM TREE, TO CONSIDER SPECIFICALLY PLANTING SCHEMES THAT LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF PARTICULATE DEBRIS THAT GETS INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, LIKE SPECIFICALLY JUST SH - LIKE VERY BUSHY SHRUBS CAN PREVENT AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF POLLUTION. YOU'VE SEEN THE MAP OF PARTICULATE POLLUTION. IT'S VERY BAD FOR EVERYONE WHO LIVES NEAR THE 710. THAT IS TERRIBLY UNFAIR. THAT IS MY ENTIRE COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS INDEJAS. THANK YOU. I'M SUPER EXCITED TO FINALLY SEE THIS ON THE AGENDA. UM, I WANNA THANK THE PUBLIC COMMENTERS FOR THEIR WORDS TONIGHT. UM, SHORELINE DRIVE WAS CONSTRUCTED THROUGH WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS, DISPLACING HOMES AND BUSINESSES AND CREATING A PHYSICAL BARRIER BETWEEN RESIDENTS, PARKS, DOWNTOWN AND THE WATERFRONT. THE PROJECT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING, TO BEGIN CORRECTING THE EFFECTS OF THE PAST TRANSPORTATION DECISION. FOR DISTRICT ONE, THIS PROJECT IS NOT ONLY S- SIMPLY A ROADWAY IMPROVEMENT, IT WILL RESTORE ACCESS TO APPROXIMATELY 2.2 ACRES OF OPEN SPACE, SUPPORT A POTENTIAL CONTINGENCE OF 22 ACRE PARK SYSTEM, AND CREATE SAFER PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE CONNECTIONS TO CAESAR CHAVEZ PARK AND THE NEARBY DESTINATIONS. THE PROJECT ALSO ADVANCES ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOBILITY GOALS BY CONVERTING APPROXIMATELY 5.5 ACRES OF ROADWAY INTO LANDSCAPE AREAS AND ADDING MORE THAN 1.5 MILES OF PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PATHS WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA. THIS PROJECT IS NOT ONLY IMPORTANT TO DISTRICT ONE, BUT THE CITYWIDE, ESPECIALLY AS WE PREPARE TO WELCOME THE WORLD FOR LA 28. UH, ON BEHALF OF MY RESIDENTS, UM, THANK YOU MAYOR RICHARDSON FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS A BOARD MEMBER ON METRO FOR SECURING THESE, THESE FUNDINGS THAT WERE SO, SO DESPERATELY NEEDED. I WANNA THANK THE ENTIRE BOARD OF METRO, UM, FOR BELIEVING IN THIS PROJECT AND FOR THEIR SUPPORT AS WELL. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I WANNA THANK MY RESIDENTS, UM, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ALONGSIDE ME, UH, AND MY OFFICE TO ENSURE THAT THIS PROJECT REMAINS A PRIORITY FOR THE CITY. MORE [06:45:01] GREEN SPACE IMPROVES LIVES OF ALL RESIDENTS. I ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KERR. YEAH, I JUST WANNA THANK THE CITY TEAM FOR THEIR TENACITY AND CONTINUOUS ADVOCACY ABOUT THIS PROJECT. I REMEMBER WE DID AN INTERGOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TRIP TO WASHINGTON MAYBE THREE YEARS AGO, UM, AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVOCATE DIRECTLY IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT. UM, AND SO TO THE MAYOR FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AT METRO AND MAKING THAT MOVE A LITTLE FASTER SHOWS THAT, UM, WHEN WE STILL STICK ALL TOGETHER, WE CAN GET SOME OF THESE THINGS DONE. SO THANK YOU TO THE TEAMS. ALL RIGHT. WELL DONE. UH, SO THIS PROJECT BREAKS GROUND WHEN? AS SOON AS WE CAN GET THE CONTRACT SIGNED. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GET STARTED IN EARLY 2027. EARLY 2027. FANTASTIC. ALL RIGHT, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. 27. REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE, RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT, [27. 26-56259 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to accept, appropriate, and expend grant funding awarded from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District Competitive Grant Program to projects including, 10th Street Greenbelt, Washington Neighborhood Community Center, and Willow Springs Trailhead, in an amount not to exceed $5,786,460; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department by $286,460, offset by grant revenue from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department by $286,460, offset by a transfer of Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District grant funds from the Capital Grants Fund; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $5,500,000, offset by grant revenue from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District; and Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $5,500,000, offset by a transfer of Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District grant funds from the Capital Grants Fund. (Districts 1, 3, 5)       Office or Department: Public Works; Parks, Recreation and Marine         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] APPROPRIATE, AND EXPEND GRANT FUNDING AWARDED TO THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY REGIONAL PARK AND OPEN SPACE DISTRICT COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM TO PROJECTS INCLUDING 10TH STREET GREENBELT, WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY CENTER, AND WILLOW SPRINGS TRAILHEAD IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 5,786,460, DISTRICTS ONE, THREE, AND FIVE. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THIS IS OUR FINAL PRESENTATION OF THE NIGHT AND S - AND A REALLY GOOD THING TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY RESOURCES IN AREAS THAT CERTAINLY NEED MORE PARKS AND OPEN SPACE. SO WE'RE GONNA GO TO STAFF PRESENTATION, THEN WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. GREAT JOB. STEVEN SCOTT, OUR DIRECTOR OF PARKS, REC AND MARINE. GREAT. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. UH, HONORABLE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. UH, THE ITEM BEFORE YOU TONIGHT IS TO ACCEPT, UH, APPROPRIATE AND EXPEND, UH, CLOSE TO $5.8 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY REGIONAL PARK AND OPEN SPACE, UH, DISTRICT. UM, LET ME... SO JUST LOOKING BACKWARDS BEFORE GETTING INTO, UH, THE SPECIFIC, UH, GRANTS, UM, BACK IN 2016, LA COUNTY VOTERS APPROVED THE SAFE, CLEAN NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS AND BEACHES MEASURE, UH, THAT PROVIDED DEDICATED FUNDING FOR PARK RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT. AND EARLIER THIS YEAR, UH, THIS BODY, UH, APPROPRIATED OR, OR ALLOCATED CLOSE TO $17 MILLION IN ANNUAL ALLOCATION FUNDS TO PARK PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY. THIS IS A COMPETITIVE, UH, GRANT PROGRAM THAT THE, UH, COUNTY JUST, UH, OPENED UP LAST YEAR IN 2025, AND WE WERE SUCCESSFUL FOR THREE COMPETITIVE GRANT AWARDS. THE FIRST I- IS, UH, CLOSE TO $290,000 FOR THE WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY CENTER. UH, THE PROJECT INCLUDES SITE FEASIBILITY FOR WHERE THAT, UH, COMMUNITY CENTER COULD GO ALONG 14TH STREET PARK OR SEASIDE PARK, UH, LOOKING AT CEQA ANALYSIS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, RELATED TO THE DESIGN OF A NEW COMMUNITY CENTER IN THAT WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, SECONDLY, UH, CLOSE TO $1.5 MILLION FOR THE 10TH STREET GREENBELT. UH, THIS WOULD, UH, PROVIDE FUNDING TO HELP IMPROVE CLOSE TO 2.3 ACRES OF WHAT, UH, WAS FORMERLY THE PACIFIC ELECTRIC RIGHT OF WAY, UH, AND WILL FEATURE DROUGHT TOLERANT LANDSCAPING AND, UH, EXPAND THE URBAN TREE CANOPY BY, UH, CLOSE TO 40 TREES. AND THEN LASTLY, UH, $4 MILLION FOR THE WILLOW SPRINGS TE - UH, TRAILHEAD PROJECT, UH, WHICH WILL BRING A, AN EDUCATIONAL CENTER, TRAILHEAD, AND DEMONSTRATION SITE FOR SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION, INCLUDING A SHADED PLAZA, UH, TO SERVE AS A GATHERING AREA. THIS WAS, UH, THE SITE OF THE FORMER, UH, TRAIN DEPOT THAT UNFORTUNATELY BURNED DOWN, UH, A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT, UH, LOOKING TO CONTINUE WITH THAT TRAILHEAD PROJECT. UH, THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES REALLY JUST COVERS, UH, WHAT I JUST DISCUSSED. UH, SO JUST SOME ADDITIONAL TAKEAWAYS FOR EACH OF THESE, THE WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY CENTER. WE'VE BEEN DOING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, THROUGHOUT 2026, UH, AND ARE WORKING ON A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, UH, FOR, UH, LOCATIONS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, UH, BY THE COMMUNITY. WE LOOK TO GO BACK OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, LATER THIS WINTER, UH, WITH, UH, SOME OF THAT, UH, INFORMATION. UH, 10TH STREET GREENBELT, UH, THAT IS ONGOING, THAT IS IN THE DESIGN PHASE. AND THEN LASTLY, WILLOW SPRINGS, UH, TRAILHEAD PROJECT IS ALSO IN THE DESIGN, [06:50:02] UH, PHASE AND SOMETHING THAT, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, WHO IS THE LEAD ON THIS PROJECT, UH, IN ADDITION TO PARKS AND REC AND, UH, THE OFFICE OF, UH, CLIMATE ACTION AND SUSTAINABILITY WILL BE GOING BACK OUT, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, FOR, UH, COMMUNITY IN, UH, ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, WITH, UH, SOME OF THE INITIAL DESIGNS FOR THAT PROJECT. AND THAT'LL BE HAPPENING, UH, IN THE COMING MONTHS. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR BRIEF STAFF REPORT. ALL RIGHT, FANTASTIC. WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, GO AHEAD AND FACILITATE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE. I HAVE MONA EICHNER IN ZOOM, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. HELLO. UM, I'M MONA EICHNER, AND I AM, UH, THE CO - ONE OF THE CO-LEADERS OF FRIENDS OF WILLOW SPRINGS PARK. AND WE ARE, UH, THE WHOLE GROUP IS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THIS GRANT PRESENTS. WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS FOR THE, UM, TRAIN DEPOT TO BE RE- RE-REALIZED, AND WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY INVOLVED, UM, THE PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR, UH, STEVEN SCOTT AND THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, JOSH HINKMAN AND COUNCILWOMAN MEGAN KERR, MAYOR, EVERYBODY. WE, WE ARE REALLY EXCITED AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DESIGN PROCESS AND BEING INVOLVED AS ANY WAY WE CAN TO HELP THIS GET REALIZED. IT'S A GREAT, UM, IT'S A GREAT THING AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREW. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. HELLO, EVERYBODY. ANDREW MANDUHANO, PROJECT DIRECTOR WITH BOOKS AND BUCKETS. I WANNA SEND, UH, MY APPRECIATIONS TO CITY STAFF AND OUR COUNCIL ALLIES IN, UH, CD1 FOR CONTINUOUSLY, UM, ADVOCATING, UH, FOR THIS COMMUNITY CENTER, UM, AND IDENTIFYING, UH, NEW FUNDING SOURCES. UM, SO JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, THANK YOU ALL. UM, ONE LITTLE AREA OF CONCERN, I DO FEEL LIKE WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THIS, UH, PLANNING PHASE. UM, I BELIEVE WE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN FY23 ALLOCATED $750,000 FOR THE PLANNING PHASE, UH, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE, LIKE, PRELIMINARY DESIGN, I THINK, AS A PART OF ONE OF THE DELIVERABLES. UM, I THINK FY25, UH, CONGRESSMAN, UM, ROBERT GARCIA ALLOCATED $250,000. UM, SO THAT'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS, UH, TOWARDS THAT PLANNING PHASE. SO I'M HOPING WITH THIS ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UH, WE CAN REALLY HAVE SOME CONCRETE MILESTONES, UH, TO CELEBRATE. UM, LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE, UM, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS, UM, IN THE WINTER. UH, JUST PLEASE, YOU KNOW, GIVE US A HEADS UP SO WE CAN MOBILIZE, UM, SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. LOOK FORWARD TO, TO SEEING STUFF IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS SAGE. REGARDING ITEM 27, UM, FABULOUS GRANT MONEY FOR PARKS. I, AS A FORMER RESIDENT, UM, OF WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD, IT ABSOLUTELY FEELS LIKE ONE OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT GETS FORGOTTEN BY THE CITY. SO IT IS MORE THAN OVERDUE, AND IT IS A WONDERFUL THING TO HAVE INVESTMENT. I CANNOT HELP BUT WONDER WHO WILL STAFF THAT COMMUNITY CENTER, GIVEN THIS PAST BUDGET SEASON AND THE PROJECTED BUDGET SEASONS UPCOMING, BUT I SUPPOSE THAT IS OFF TOPIC. I AM PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED BY THE WAY THAT THE CITY FOUGHT HARD TO GET THIS GRANT. A COMPETITIVE GRANT IS A LOT OF WORK TO PUT TOGETHER, AND I ADMIRE THAT WE GOT MONEY FOR PUBLIC SPACE, FOR PUBLIC GREEN SPACE IN PARTICULAR. WE ARE IN DIRE NEED OF MORE PUBLIC GREEN SPACE AND THINGS LIKE THE REALIGNMENT PLAN AND, AND EXPANDING THE TRAILHEAD ARE GREAT WAYS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO PUBLIC GREEN SPACE IN A CITY THAT NEEDS IT. I DO WONDER, THOUGH, WHERE THAT INCREDIBLE INGENUITY, HARD WORK AND EFFORT WAS WHEN IT CAME TO, AGAIN, STAFFING THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DURING BUDGET SEASON. THERE ARE PLENTY OF CAPABLE MINDS, AND I WONDER WHY THEY ARE NOT BEING PUT TOWARDS KEEPING THINGS RUNNING, THE SORT OF SMALL PEOPLE WHO HELP SMALL PEOPLE. I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU SEE SO MANY OF US AS JUST AN IRRITANT, JUST AN ANNOYANCE. OH, THAT'S ALL RIGHT, MR. MAYOR. I'LL TALK TO YOU ON INSTAGRAM SINCE THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. HI, MR. MAYOR. UM, I'M TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW I'M CONCERNED THAT EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE DONE THIS WONDERFUL THING OF SPENDING GRANT MONEY TO BUILD AND EXPAND OUR PARKS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC, I WONDER WHO WILL STAFF THE PROGRAMMING THERE OR THAT IF THERE WILL BE ANY AT ALL. UH, I HOPE YOU SAW THAT ON THE INTERNET. I LOOKED AT THE SCREEN FOR YOU. THAT IS THE ENTIRETY OF MY COMMENT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER KERR. YEAH, I WANNA THANK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR WORKING SO HARD, UM, AND BEING READY TO APPLY FOR GRANTS AND HAVING A VISION, [06:55:01] UH, KNOWING THAT AT SOME POINT THEY WOULD OPEN UP DOLLARS FOR US AND BEING, UM, ALMOST SHOVEL READY ON SOME OF THESE PROJECTS. APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER THRASHENTUT. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT AND, UM, I SUPPORT. THANK YOU. AND COUNCIL MEMBERS INDEX. THANK YOU. UM, FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS GREAT. UM, GREAT, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE OPENING OF A RIBBON CUTTING OF DRAKE PARK THAT WE HAD THIS PAST WEEKEND, WHICH WAS SUCH A WONDERFUL ASSET AND A RENOVATION FOR OUR WILMORE, UH, CITY RESIDENTS. AND, UM, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO DO A RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY CENTER. UM, I STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS ITEM, UM, BECAUSE IT IS, UH, ADVANCES THE CITY, THE COMMUNITY CENTER WILL ADVANCE THE PLANNING FOR NE - MUCH NEEDED RECREATION AND SOCIAL SPACES IN DISTRICT ONE. UM, THIS SITE, UM, THAT WE'RE STUDYING, UM, THIS VISIBILITY STUDY WILL, UH, REVIEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, AND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WILL ALLOW WASHINGTON RESIDENTS TO HELP SHAPE A CENTER THAT IS FOCUSED ON ACCESSIBLE HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAM. UM, THE BROADER 5.78 MILLION GRANT AWARDED ALSO SUPPORTS IMPROVEMENTS I - TO THE 10TH STREET GREENBELT, WILLOW SPRINGS TRAILHEAD, AND TOGETHER THESE PROJECTS EXPAND PARKS, GATHERING SPACES, AND OUTDOOR RECREATION ACROSS THE DISTRICTS, ONE, THREE, AND FIVE. THIS IS A GREAT INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY, AND I AM IN ABSOLUTE FULL SUPPORT OF THIS. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. 28, PLEASE. REPORT FROM TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, RECOMMENDATION TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO AMEND A CONTRACT WITH UTILITY SOLUTIONS PARTNERS FOR MANAGED SERVICES, FOR PROVIDING MAINTENANCE AND INTEGRATION SUPPORT FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH'S UTILITIES INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR A REVISED ANNUAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 4,08,884 CITYWIDE. THANK YOU. I SEE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. LET'S FACILITATE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE. OUR TWO SPEAKERS ARE DAVE SHUKLA AND SAGE. IF YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE LECTERN, DAVE SHUKLA AND SAGE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. UM, I FIRST HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR, UH, NOT, UH, PROVIDING THIS PUBLIC COMMENT TWO WEEKS AGO. UH, WHEN HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY, I HAD LOW BLOOD SUGAR AND I JUST WANTED TO LEAVE, UM, AND GIVEN THAT IT WAS BEING ROLLED OVER TO THIS WEEK, IT SEEMED FUNNY, UH, THAT THE STAFF REPORT, WHICH FOR THE RECORD HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED, UM, ISSUED A LIST OF DIRE WARNINGS OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DIDN'T RENEW THIS CONTRACT, UM, WHICH APPARENTLY WERE THROWN OUT THE WINDOW, UH, BECAUSE DESPITE IT NEEDING TO BE DONE BY THE 30TH, UM, OF SEPTEMBER, UH, WE COULD WAIT A WEEK. AND DURING THIS HEAT WAVE, UH, APPARENTLY NONE OF THOSE THINGS HAVE COME TO PASS. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW IF THEY HAD, BUT WHAT I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW, TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH YOU, IS THE CONTINUED PATTERN, CONTINUED PATTERN OF WHERE THE CITY'S CLIMATE PRIORITIES ARE. I MEAN, THE PREVIOUS ITEM COMPARED TO THIS ONE, IT'S, IT'S A JOKE. I MEAN, IT'S A JOKE. A COUPLE OF BOBBLES WHEN THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING THAT THIS CITY COULD BE DOING, [28. 26-56312 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to amend Contract No. 34740 with Utility Solutions Partners, LLC, of Washington, DC, for managed services for providing maintenance and integration support for the City of Long Beach’s utilities information systems, to increase the  annual contract amount to $2,670,368, plus a 5 percent contingency in the amount of $133,518, and authorize an additional one-time amount not to exceed $1,204,998, for the upgrade of the utility billing technology stack, for a revised annual contract amount not to exceed $4,008,884, and extend the term of the managed services contract to September 30, 2027 at the discretion of the City Manager; and Increase appropriations in the General Services Fund Group in the Technology and Innovation Department by $1,345,450, offset by one-time charges to user departments. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Technology and Innovation         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] WHICH IS UNDOING HOW THIS CITY WAS MADE DEPENDENT ON SCE BY, WELL, THE PAST THREE ADMINISTRATIONS NOW. I MEAN, I... RUNNING... NOT JUST IN 22, BUT MR. MAYOR, THIS YEAR, I HAD THE CONVICTION THAT WE DON'T NEED A THIRD FOSTER ADMINISTRATION. IT'S NOT WHAT THE CITY NEEDS. IT NEEDS TO, TO UNDO SOME OF THAT DAMAGE, AND YET, HERE WE ARE. I, I DON'T FEEL MY FAILURES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ANY MORE STRONGLY WHEN ITEMS LIKE THIS COME UP, BECAUSE I COULD HAVE BUILT A BETTER SYSTEM. FOR A LONG BEACH UTILITY [07:00:01] THAT INCLUDED ELECTRICITY, THEN THIS. BUT EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU SEE THE BLOAT, YOU SEE MORE BUCKETS OF HOURS, YOU SEE THE SAME COCKAMAMIE SCHEME TO KEEP THIS STUFF GOING. AND WE'RE GONNA ISSUE CLIMATE BONDS. WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE BOND MARKET INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, MAKING POLLUTERS PAY FOR THE DAMAGE THEY'VE CAUSED. I MEAN, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY WAYS TO SKIN THE CAT WITH FUNDING. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE HARD CHOICES AT SOME POINT. THE SOCIETY IS GONNA HAVE TO MAKE HARD CHOICES AT SOME POINT. THE TIME TO HAVE GOTTEN AHEAD OF IT, UNFORTUNATELY, AND I, AGAIN, I, I CAN'T BUT APOLOGIZE SO MUCH, THAT TIME HAS PASSED AND I FAILED. I FAILED THIS CITY. I FAILED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, EACH, AND EVERY PERSON LISTENING TO THIS NOW OR IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE I COULD HAVE DONE BETTER. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY. NEXT SPEAKER. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. THIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING EVENING. I GET TO TELL YOU ALL MY WHOLE RESUME. I USED TO WORK FOR A UTILITY DEPARTMENT. BEFORE I LIVED ON THE WEST COAST, I WENT TO COLLEGE ON THE EAST COAST. I WORKED FOR THE PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT. UTILITY BILLING IS A NOTORIOUSLY CLUMSY, CLUNKY, AND ANNOYING THING. BUT IT IS ALSO A THING THAT YOU CAN DO ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET. I KNOW, I'VE SEEN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA DO IT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE WATER AND ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE HISTORY OF IT, IN ONCE, DURING THIS SORT OF RUST BELT YEARS, THE START OF WHEN THE, THE, THE TYPES OF JOBS THAT TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, BROUGHT IN ADDITIONAL INCOME TO CITIES LIKE PHILADELPHIA, WHEN THE, WHEN THE, THE, THE STEEL AND MANUFACTURING JOBS WERE LEAVING PENNSYLVANIA, THEN BEGAN THE YEARS IN WHICH PHILADELPHIA WAS HOLLOWING OUT, FEWER AND FEWER RESIDENTS, AND YET THERE WERE THE SAME NUMBER OF MILES OF UTILITY PIPE, THE SAME AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL NETWORK THAT NEEDED TO BE MAINTAINED, BUT A SMALLER TAX BASE. THAT'S A PRETTY DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO HAVE. IT IS NOT THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE. WE ARE QUITE FORTUNATE. WE HAVE A GROWING CITY AND A GROWING TAX BASE. SO WITH THAT GROWING CITY, GROWING TAX BASE, GROWING OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND MONEY WISELY FOR A COUNCIL SO DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR, FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION SO DEEPLY CONCERNED WITH THE BUDGET. USING PRIVATE CONTRACTORS HAS ITS UPSIDES. YOU HAND IT OFF TO THEM AND THEN THEY DO, AND THEN THAT'S IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT ANYMORE. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING DOING BILLING ARE NOT ON CITY PAYROLL AND THEREFORE THEY DON'T GET CITY BENEFITS, WHICH OF COURSE ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WHAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR GENERALLY OFFERS. BUT IF YOU GET TRAPPED IN THIS, IF YOU BUNDLE MORE AND MORE THINGS THIS WAY, IF YOU CONTINUE TO SPEND SO MANY THINGS ON OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS, I WONDER HOW TRULY CONCERNED YOU ARE ABOUT THE BUDGET RATHER THAN WHAT I WOULD NEVER ACCUSE OF BEING SWEETHEART DEALS, BUT WHAT ARE CONSPICUOUSLY THE SORT OF DEALS THAT ARE MADE WITH OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE A STAKE IN SQUEEZING, SQUEEZING YOU ALL, BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE STUCK. NOW YOU'RE USING THEIR SYSTEM. NOW YOU'RE LOCKED INTO IT. IT'S LIKE HOW GOOGLE GETS YOU WITH GMAIL AND THEN THEY, AND THEN YOU ADD ONTO STORAGE AND THEN YOU ADD ON TO DOCS AND YOU ADD ONTO EVERYTHING ELSE. THAT IS MY COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, MEMBERS PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. ITEM 30. REPORT FROM CITY ATTORNEY, RECOMMENDATION TO DECLARE ORDINANCE AMENDING THE LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO EFFECTUATE THE DISILLUSION OF THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS APPEALS AND CONDEMNATION AND ASSIGN THE DUTIES OF THE BAC TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION READ AND ADOPTED AS READ. ALL RIGHT. SO THIS IS A PART OF, UH, GOVERNANCE REFORM. UH, WE THANK, UH, BAC FOR THEIR SERVICE AND, UM, THIS IS, UH, AN IMPORTANT CONSOLIDATION. UM, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW WE'LL GO [30. 26-56190 Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending Section 2.93.010, Subsection 5.77.090.O, Chapters 8.56, 8.58, 8.76, 10.46, 18.03, 18.06, 18.10, 18.20, 18.21, 18.29, 18.30, 18.40, 18.60, 18.68, to effectuate the dissolution of the Board of Examiners, Appeals and Condemnation (BEAC) and assign the duties of the BEAC to the Planning Commission, read and adopted as read.       Office or Department: City Attorney         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO, UH, OUR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER TWO. [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.] LET'S GO AHEAD AND FACILITATE THAT. IF YOUR NAME IS READ, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE LECTERN. IF YOU ARE IN ZOOM, PLEASE BE PREPARED TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. ERIC OGARTE, CHRISEL DOMBROWSKI, RUBY ARRINGTON, ELLIE, DAVID, KARI MENDOZA, SAGE, VICTORIA, MARQUEZ, AMY FEE, FRANCIS EMILY HARRIS, DAVE SHUKLA, BRENT B. PETE MARSH, JOE SOPO, SEAN LU, SALVADOR S. [07:05:01] CLAIRE S. STEVEN JAMES, AND ERICA GARCIA. IF YOU HEARD YOUR NAME CALLED, PLEASE LINE UP WITH THE LECTERN. PLEASE COME FORWARD. IF YOU HAD, HEARD YOUR NAME CALLED. HELLO. MY NAME IS KIRSTY MENDOZA, PROUD MEMBER OF DISTRICT FIVE. MR. MAYOR, ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAY YOU WANNA MAKE LONG BEACH IS SPACE BEACH, BUT IT IS CLEAR THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER DON'T WANNA LEAVE ANY SPACE FOR LONG BEACH RESIDENTS OR LONG BEACH SMALL BUSINESSES. REX MENTIONED, WHILE TRYING TO MANSPLAIN WHAT HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE THE PUBLIC COMMON ORDINANCE WAS, IS THAT CITY COUNCIL IS PART-TIME AND IT WOULDN'T BE FAIR TO THEM TO HAVE LONG MEETINGS. I WANNA REMIND HIM THAT WHILE THEY ARE PART-TIME, THE DECISIONS THEY MAKE AFFECT US RESIDENTS ARE FULL-TIME. I'D ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER DUGAN HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH 32 HOURS OF WORK WITH BENEFITS, EVEN THOUGH AS A PART-TIME EMPLOYEE, AS MAYOR REX RICHARDSON POINTED OUT, SHE'S ELIGIBLE FOR FULL HEALTH, DENTAL, AND PENSION AMONG OTHER THINGS. I THINK THAT MEANS, REX, YOU HAVE A SOLUTION TO YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT ISSUE, JUST MAKE YOUR JOBS FULL-TIME. ONE FINAL THOUGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER TINUA THRASH UNTUCKED, DR. REX ODIAN, YOU STATED THAT WE HERE TODAY HAD THE LEISURE OF SHOWING UP TODAY, THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE, YOU INSINUATED THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE WORKING JOBS THAT MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO GET DOWN HERE. I WORKED EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS TODAY AND STILL TONIGHT HAVE TO DRIVE 20 MINUTES HOME BEFORE I WORK ANOTHER EIGHT AND A HALF HOUR SHIFT. MY FRIENDS WERE LITERALLY WAITING IN A LONG LINE, STILL TRYING TO GET IN 15 MINUTES AFTER THE MEETING HAD STARTED. THAT'S NOT LEISURELY. THAT'S DOING THE WORK BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO HEAR US AND TO TREAT US RIGHT. YOU TALK ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY. YOU TALK ABOUT WANTING TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS A VOICE, BUT YET YOU CONSISTENTLY DENY THE PEOPLE WHO COME OUT HERE AND DO THE WORK EVEN AT 11:30 AT NIGHT. I WANT AND HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU REFLECT ON WHY YOU DO THESE JOBS. AND I KNOW THAT YOU WON'T GO MORE THAN SURFACE DEEP, BUT JUST KNOW WE ALL KNOW WHAT YOU DO THIS FOR, AND THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST STOP ON THE LADDER FOR POWER. AND FINALLY, MUCH LIKE MOST THINGS IN LONG BEACH LAST MINUTE, DOING THINGS LAST MINUTE AND FARMING THEM OUT WILL ONLY MAKE US A WEAKER CITY. WOO-HOO. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. FOR MY FINAL TIME SPEAKING ON AGENDA ITEMS... FOR MY FINAL TIME SPEAKING THIS EVENING, NOW IT IS NOT ON AN AGENDA ITEM. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE MAYOR POST HIS CELEBRATORY INSTAGRAM VIDEO, WHICH SAYS THAT HE REFORMED THE WAY THAT, THAT PUBLIC COMMENT WORKS, THAT IT'S SO MUCH BETTER NOW. I LOOK FORWARD TO WATCHING THAT VIDEO YOU POST, MR. MAYOR. I'M LOOKING AT YOU THROUGH THE CAMERA SINCE YOU'RE NOT HERE LOOKING AT US NOW. I'VE REALIZED THAT WE ARE NOT WORTH YOUR TIME, OF COURSE. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU EXPLAINING TO EVERYONE HOW YOU SAVED THE CITY, HOW YOU MADE PUBLIC COMMENTS SMOOTHER AND BETTER FOR EVERYONE, MORE ACCESSIBLE, BUT I DON'T LOOK FORWARD TO THE WAY THAT YOU WILL IN BAD FAITH ANSWER EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU, WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN PEOPLE COME BACK AND SAY, "BUT THAT, BUT NOW I DON'T GET TO DO INDIVIDUAL AGENDA ITEM COMMENTS, BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME IN MY SITUATION? BUT STARTING AT FIVE IS NOW INACCESSIBLE TO ME." WHEN EACH OF THOSE PEOPLE RESPOND TO THE VIDEO YOU WILL INEVITABLY POST THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY EDITED, MAYBE IT'S LIVE NOW IN WHICH YOU CELEBRATE THIS VOTE PASSING THAT, THAT NOW THAT THE WAY THE CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS ARE, HAVE CHANGED, I DON'T LOOK FORWARD TO THE WAY THAT YOU WILL TALK DOWN TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S YOUR HOBBY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DO IT. IN COMMENT SECTIONS, IN, WHILE INTERFACING WITH THE PUBLIC, WHILE WALKING BY AND IN THIS CHAMBER, YOU TALK DOWN TO US CONSISTENTLY. IT IS BIZARRE, IT IS UNNECESSARY, AND IT IS NOT PRODUCTIVE. SO NOW IN MY FINAL COMMENT OF THIS EVENING, THE LAST DAY [07:10:01] THAT I GET TO ENJOY THE OLD SCHEMA OF WHAT I PERCEIVE TO BE A FAIR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD, I'D LIKE TO ASK, MR. MAYOR, DID I EMBARRASS YOU? WHEN I SAID THAT THE VIBE OF VIBE CITY IS ILLITERACY, DID THAT HURT YOUR FEELINGS? IS THAT WHY THIS IS HERE? IS THAT WHY THIS ZOMBIE RESOLUTION WAS, WAS RESURRECTED? DID EVERYONE FIGHTING FOR THE LIBRARY MAKE YOU ALL TOO UNCOMFORTABLE TO HEAR PEOPLE SAYING, "BAD WORDS. OH GOODNESS GRACIOUS, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE THE FCC." OF COURSE IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT HAS BROAD SPEECH RIGHTS, HEARING PEOPLE SAY UNCOMFORTABLE THINGS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS IS PART OF THE GIG. YOU HAVE, YOU DO NOT HAVE A RIGHT TO BE COMFORTABLE WHILE SITTING UP THERE. WE DID NOT ELECT YOU TO ONLY HEAR NICE WORDS DIRECTED TO EACH OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY. OF COURSE IT'S UNPLEASANT, BUT UNPLEASANTRY IS ALLOWED. THAT'S PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. WHAT YOU HAVE CURTAILED TODAY IS CURTAILING LISTENING TO ANYONE. YOU HAVE DECIDED BEFOREHAND WHO IT IS THAT YOU LIKE, WHO YOU'D LIKE TO LISTEN TO, AND IT IS NOT THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP ACCORDING TO THE CURRENT RULES, NOT THOSE OF US WHO ARE GONNA KEEP SHOWING UP UNDER THE NEW RULES. YOU DON'T LIKE THE IRRITATING PERSONALITIES OF PEOPLE WHO STAND AT THIS PODIUM, AND YOU THINK THAT THAT MEANS THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED IN VOTING AGAINST THEIR INTERESTS BECAUSE YOU FIND THEIR PERSONALITIES UNPLEASANT. THAT'S NOT DEMOCRACY. I'M NOT SORRY THAT WE EVIDENTLY EMBARRASSED YOU INTO RUNNING... THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. GOOD EVENING, COUNS - CITY COUNCIL AND HONORABLE MAYOR. I WANTED TO CONTINUE FROM LAST WEEK, I, FROM TWO WEEKS AGO, I HAD MENTIONED THAT MIKE ORTEGA, A HOMELESS MAN, UH, WAS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ON SEPTEMBER 9TH AND I, I WAS ACTUALLY WALKING WITH HOMICIDE EARLIER AND THEN I TURN AROUND AND THEN I SEE THIS HOMELESS MAN AND I, I ENDED UP HELPING HIM BUT IN 13 DAYS HE'S NO LONGER HOMELESS AND I WILL TELL YOU HE'S REUNITED WITH HIS SON, BUT I HAVE ANOTHER LADY AND I DIDN'T, I FORGOT, GOT HER NUMBER AND EVERYTHING, BUT HER NAME IS COURTNEY BRIDGES AND HOMELESSNESS CAN COME FROM HAVING HOPE THAT THE SYSTEM'S GOING TO HELP YOU AND THE SYSTEM IS FAILING AND I, AND I'M, AND I WANNA SAY THIS IN THE SENSE THAT COURTNEY DOES NOT SPEAK SPANISH. I'M GONNA GET TO THE POINT AND SHE LEFT HER ABUSIVE HUSBAND AND SHE HAS FOOTAGE OF GOING TO SHELTERS AND BEING THE FIRST IN LINE DOING EVERYTHING THEY'RE TELLING HER AND THEN SHE IS SHOED AWAY AND STILL LIVING IN HER CAR. SHE'S BEEN IN HER CAR FOR THREE YEARS. SHE HAS TWO CHILDREN. SHE'S A SUPERVISOR AT, AND AT DISNEY OF ALL PLACES AND WONDERFUL WOMAN. AND SHE BROKE DOWN AND CRIED AND SAID THAT, "I'LL GIVE YOU ALL OF MY INFORMATION, BUT EVERYONE'S TRYING TO HELP ME FOR OPTICS, BUT THEY ARE NOT HELPING ME AND I'M SO ASHAMED BECAUSE MY CHILDREN ARE BEING, UM, RIDICULED FOR BEING HOMELESS." IF YOU MET HER AND YOU SPOKE WITH HER, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW SHE'S HOMELESS AND SHE'S TRYING SO HARD TO GET OUT OF HOMELESSNESS, BUT BECAUSE SHE WAS AN ABUSIVE WIFE AND SHE LEFT HOPING THE SYSTEM WOULD HELP HER, SHE WOULD'VE STAYED WITH HER ABUSIVE HUSBAND INSTEAD OF BEEN, INSTEAD OF BECOMING HOMELESS. IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WE HAD THE INCIDENT, UH, WE WERE HAVING INCIDENTS AND A LOT OF THE HOMELESSNESS, A LOT OF THE UNHOUSED MURDERS ARE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND IT SEEMS THAT THERE'S A PATTERN OF WOMEN TRYING TO LEAVE, AND IT COULD BE MEN, BUT IT'S MAINLY WOMEN I, THAT I, THAT I'M NOTING, THEY'RE LEAVING AND THEY'RE GETTING GUNNED DOWN OR STABBED TO DEATH. AND SO I'M JUST SAYING THAT I- IS THERE... ARE THERE COURSES THAT MAY HELP HER BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE HER, HER, HER STEP IS SHE HAS COVERED, SHE, SHE IS NOT A SUBSTANCE ABUSER, SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, SHE'S NOT UNEMPLOYED. YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. [07:15:03] ALL RIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. UM, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS STEVEN JAMES. I'M BOTH A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT TWO AND A CITY EMPLOYEE. SPECIFICALLY, I WORK IN ADMINISTRATION WITHIN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE IAM UNION. I'M HERE BECAUSE I FEEL A DISSERVICE IS BEING DONE TO MYSELF AND MY FELLOW IAM MEMBERS IN THE FORM OF THE CITY'S PROPOSED WINTER CLOSURE POLICY, AND I'M HERE TO VOICE MY OPPOSITION. FIRSTLY, CITY EMPLOYEES DESERVE THE RIGHT TO USE THEIR VACATION LEAVE AS THEY WISH. MYSELF AND MY FELLOW EMPLOYEES PUT A LOT OF EFFORT AND CARE INTO OUR ROLES. AT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WE WORK WITH RESIDENTS ACROSS A HOST OF PROGRAMS DOING EVERYTHING FROM VACCINES TO LEAD ABATEMENT TO COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE. I SEE THE WORK THAT GETS PUT IN EVERY DAY, AND I SINCERELY BELIEVE ALL OF MY COWORKERS DESERVE TO MAKE OUR OWN DECISIONS AS TO WHEN WE WANT TO TAKE OFF. IF THAT IS AROUND THE HOLIDAY SEASON, SO BE IT, BUT IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO USE THEIR EARNED TIME IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER OR FALL, THAT SHOULD BE THEIR RIGHT. AND I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROPOSED POLICY HAS THE OPTION TO TAKE AN UNPAID LEAVE, BUT IT IS FUNCTIONALLY NOT A VALID OPTION GIVEN EXPENSES SUCH AS RENT ARE NOT ANY LOWER IN DECEMBER. SECONDLY, I THINK THIS IS A NEGATIVE IDEA FROM A RECRUITMENT PERSPECTIVE. THE CITY IS ALREADY GETTING LAPPED IN TERMS OF PAID TIME OFF BY VARIOUS PRIVATE ENTITIES. IAM MEMBERS BEGIN WITH 12 VACATION DAYS PER YEAR UNTIL THEY ARE WITH THE CITY FOR 4.5 YEARS, AT WHICH POINT THAT INCREASES TO 15. MY BROTHER WORKS FOR A SMALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY AND STARTED WITH 20 VACATION DAYS AND STILL GETS ALL MAJOR HOLIDAYS. I HAVE OTHER FRIENDS ON SALARY WHO GET THE WEEK BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR OFF WITH NO LOSS IN PAY OR FORCED USE OF VACATION DAYS. IF THIS POLICY IS ENACTED, 33% OF NEW EMPLOYEES' VACATION TIME WOULD BE ALLOCATED TO LATE DECEMBER EVERY YEAR. EVENTUALLY, THIS WOULD DROP TO 20%, WHICH I STILL REGARD AS UNFAIR. UH, THERE ARE CERTAINLY... SORRY. THERE ARE CERTAINLY PRIVATE ENTITIES THAT OFFER INFERIOR PAID TIME OFF TO THE CITY, BUT I DON'T SEE IT AS A GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICE FOR THE BENEFITS OFFERED BY THE CITY TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY WORSENED FROM THEIR CURRENT STATE. LASTLY, THE POLICY GOES AGAINST THE CITY'S MANY EMAILS AND MEMOS PROMOTING EMPLOYEE WELLBEING. PART OF WHAT GOT ME HIRED INTO MY POSITION WAS MY MASTER'S DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AND I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT THE BIGGEST LESSON I LEARNED IS THAT AN ORGANIZATION WILL RUN BETTER IF IT LISTENS TO EMPLOYEES AND TREATS THEM WELL. I DO NOT THINK THERE IS ANY WAY TO FRAME THE WINTER CLOSURE PROPOSAL AS KIND WHEN IT TAKES AWAY EMPLOYEE FLEXIBILITY. I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT LEAVING A BITTER TASTE IN THE MOUTHS OF EMPLOYEES EVERY HOLIDAY SEASON WHEN THEY MUST FACE A CHOICE BETWEEN SPENDING THEIR LIMITED VACATION DAYS OR GOING WITHOUT PAY IS IMMORAL. IN CONCLUSION, THE PROPOSED WINTER CLOSURE POLICY SHOULD BE DROPPED IMMEDIATELY. EMPLOYEES DESERVE THE FREEDOM TO USE OUR EARNED VACATION TIME AS WE WISH. IT IS BAD BUSINESS TO INTRODUCE A POLICY THAT HARMS NEW EMPLOYEES MOST, AND IT GOES AGAINST EMPLOYEE WELLBEING TO PUT A NEGATIVE BURDEN UPON EMPLOYEES EVERY HOLIDAY SEASON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION AS BOTH A RESIDENT AND A CITY EMPLOYEE. HAVE A LOVELY EVENING. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. PERHAPS I SHOULDN'T HAVE WAITED TO BE LAST. I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TOP A ARGUMENT FOR SELF-MANAGEMENT. UM, IT WAS MY GOAL, UH, COMING INTO THE MEETING AS SOMETIMES I DO TO TALK ABOUT A NON AGENDA ITEM, UM, AND SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT'S TRANSPIRED HERE TODAY. UH, I'VE BEEN EVERY ELECTION CYCLE, UH, PRACTICALLY EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, UH, I'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO THINK WHAT'S GONNA BE THE OCTOBER SURPRISE THIS TIME? UH, IN 2023, UH, OCTOBER 7TH WAS QUITE A GUT PUNCH FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. UM, AND EACH YEAR, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT, UH, THROWS THINGS SIDEWAYS. UH, AS WE ALL KNOW, THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, UH, EVERY ELECTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE, UH, BUT THESE ELECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT AND IN ADDITION TO BRIBES THAT... DOES IT COUNT A BRI - COUNT AS A FI - DOES $5,000 PROMISE TO YOU COUNT AS A BRIBE IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA ACTUALLY GET IT? UM, IN ADDITION TO THINGS LIKE THAT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN REALLY CONCERNING IS QUITE OBVIOUS SIGNS THAT, UH, AS A LAST DITCH ATTEMPT, UH, INSTEAD OF WAITING TILL 2029, UH, IN JANUARY OF 2027, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY LED BY DONALD TRUMP WILL TRY AND DECERTIFY ELECTION RESULTS AT CERTAIN STATE LEVELS, UH, CLAIMING VOTER FRAUD AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MALFEASANCE, UM, ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S SIDE, NOT ON THEIR SIDE. UH, THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT AND RAISE THE ALARM ABOUT THAT, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT ON THE RECORD. UH, BUT NOW, UH, MY... A- ALL NIGHT, MY BRAIN HAS BEEN SWIMMING, LIKE, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO MAKE A COHERENT COMMENT ABOUT THINGS AS DISPARATE AS THAT? AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE UTILITY INFORMATION SYSTEMS CONTRACTS IN ITEM 28 OR, [07:20:01] UH, YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH, UH, THE, UH, EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION ITEM 23, YOU KNOW, UH, HOW, HOW DOES ONE ACTUALLY DO ALL THAT? AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, THERE'S THE VERY CLEAR SENSE, MR. MAYOR, THAT THIS WAS A FAIT TO COMPLETE, TO QUOTE, UH, SOMEONE WHO I, I SHOULD NEVER BE IN AGREEMENT WITH. I SHOULD NOT BE IN AGREEMENT WITH IAN PATTON ON THINGS, YET HERE I AM, BECAUSE I THINK YOU GOT IT WRONG, AND I THINK WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO REALLY SEARCH YOURSELF BECAUSE WHAT I CAN DO, NOT JUST IN THE NEXT WEEK, BUT OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF, THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE RUNNING FOR OFFICE, IS PROVE WITH DATA THAT IT'S A S**T SYSTEM, AND IT'S WORSE THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW, AND THAT WILL REFLECT ON WHAT YOUR PROSPECTS ARE IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUSHED THIS THROUGH MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE. NO ONE, NO INFORMED OBSERVER WOULD BE WATCHING WHAT TRANSPIRED HERE TONIGHT, BOTH IN ITEM 20 AND ITEM, UH, 29, AND SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS W- WOULD'VE HAPPENED WITHOUT REX." NO ONE WOULD SAY THAT. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO OWN THIS, AND IF YOU'RE WRONG, I HOPE YOU HAVE THE GRACE LIKE A COUPLE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES SUGGESTED, MAKE - THANK YOU, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED. I GET IT. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU. IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT? THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO NOW WE'LL GO TO OUR CLOSING COMMENTS AND ADJOURNMENT. I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ADJOURN TONIGHT'S MEETING, UH, IN MEMORY OF NAVID RODRIGUEZ, A VALUED MEMBER OF OUR LONG BEACH CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM, A CHERISHED PARTNER, PART OF OUR GREATER LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. NAVID WAS A DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT, A TRUSTED COLLEAGUE, A DEAR FRIEND TO MANY ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION. HER PASSION FOR SERVING LONG BEACH AND HER COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK ON ALL WHO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING ALONGSIDE HER. HER TRAFFIC TRAGIC PASSING IS PROUNDA - FOU - A PROFOUND LOSS FOR OUR ENTIRE LONG BEACH FAMILY. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH HER LOVE- LOVED ONES, HER FAMILY, AND COLLEAGUES DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME. ALL RIGHT, WELL... OH, HERE WE ARE. IS ANYONE [ANNOUNCEMENTS] CUED? OKAY, I THINK THEY GOT IT. OKAY, THERE IT IS. COUNCILMEMBER KERR. YES, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UM, I WANNA TAKE THE TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE CREWS, UH, AT FIRE STATION NINE, WHO PUSHED IN THEIR ENGINE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND ARE BACK OPERATING, UH, IN THE HEART OF BIXBY KNOLLS TO SERVE, UH, OUR GREATER NORTH LONG BEACH COMMUNITY IN BIXBY KNOLLS. UM, WE'RE JUST GLAD TO HAVE THEM BACK, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM. UH, THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10TH IS SECOND SATURDAY, WHICH THE... IN THE 5TH DISTRICT MEANS YOU CAN SPEND YOUR MORNING VOLUNTEERING WITH A LOCAL CLEAN TEAM BEGINNING AT 8:30 FROM 455 ORANGE... 4555 ORANGE AVENUE OR 1240 EAST CARSON STREET. YOU CAN ALSO SPEND THE AFTERNOON SUPPORTING, UH, PARKVIEW VILLAGE SECOND SATURDAY BLOCK PARTY, AS WELL AS SECOND SATURDAY EVENTS, UH, IN BIXBY KNOLLS. I ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO VISIT THE HANGAR AT LBX IN THE 5TH DISTRICT FOR ONE OR BOTH POP-UP MARKETS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH IS THEIR FRIDAY NIGHT MARKET FROM 5:00 TO 9:00, AND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10TH IS THE NOT SO SPOOKY DAY MARKET FROM 12:00 TO 5:00. YOU'LL FIND LOCAL VENDORS, SEASONAL FINDS AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES. YOU CAN ALSO GET INTO THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON BY ATTENDING THE LONG BEACH SHAKESPEARE COMPANY'S DOUBLE FEATURE OF THE TELLTALE HEART BY ED- EDGAR ALLEN POE AND ZERO HOUR BY RAY BRADBURY. SHOWTIMES ARE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10TH, AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11TH. YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION AT LBSHAKESPEARE.ORG/EVENTS. AND THIS SUNDAY, YOU CAN CELEBRATE OCTOBER AS ARTS MONTH BY JOINING THE NEXT WILLOW SPRINGS PARK EXPERIENCE PAINTING IN THE PARK AT 3:00 PM. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER THRASHENTA. THANK YOU, AND GOOD EVENING. BEFORE WE CLOSE, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OCTOBER IS BOTH BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. UH, BOTH OF THESE ISSUES TOUCH FAMILIES WAY MORE THAN WE OFTEN REALIZE IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND TO THOSE WHO ARE FIGHTING, AND TO THOSE WHO ARE SURVIVING, AND TO THOSE WE HAVE LOST. WE SEE YOU, WE STAND WITH YOU, AND YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET THEIR SCREENINGS REGARDING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, CHECK ON YOUR LOVED ONES, AND KNOW THAT HELP AND RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. I WANNA THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT THIS PAST SATURDAY TO BEAUTIFY LONG BEACH BOULEVARD. WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT STATIONED AT LONG BEACH DESIGNERS, A LOCAL DISTRICT EIGHT BUSINESS. VOLUNTEERS SHOWED UP AND WORKED ALONGSIDE OUR CITY'S CLEAN TEAM. I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS. THIS WAS A NEW AREA THAT WE FOCUSED ON, AND I BELIEVE THAT IT'S THE PRIDE OF OUR [07:25:01] RESIDENTS AND OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO A COUPLE OF EVENTS COMING UP AS YOU LOOK TO MONDAY, OCTOBER 12TH. FIRST, THE 8TH DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY WILL BE CELEBRATING THE MILESTONE AND THE COMPLETION OF THE 51ST STREET GREEN BELT. THIS IS GONNA BE A NEW PARKLET PROVIDED IN NORTH LONG BEACH, AND IT'S GONNA HAVE SOME GREAT AMENITIES, INCLUDING A PLAYGROUND, PEDESTRIAN TRAIL- TRAILS, AND BEAUTIFUL GREENERY. THE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY WILL START AT 9:30 AM AND WILL BE LOCATED AT 167 DEFOREST AVENUE. AND THEN FINALLY, FEEL FREE TO COME OUT TO DISTRICT 8'S AQUARIUM NIGHT ON MONDAY, OCTOBER THE 12TH. UM, SPACE IS LIMITED, SO MAKE SURE YOU RSVP BY GIVING OUR OFFICE A CALL AT 562-570-6685 OR, UH, THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE. GOODNIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER ALLEN. UM, THERE ARE TWO EVENTS I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO THIS WEEKEND ON SATURDAY FROM 1:00 TO 6:00 PM. JOIN US AT THE WANT PERO BEACH PARKING LOT FOR A PUBLIC CELEBRATION FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COASTAL ACT. UM, THE WEATHER'S GONNA BE BETTER. IT'S GONNA BE 79 DEGREES, SO IT SAYS... SO, UH, COME OUT, UH, AND, UH, JOIN US. ALSO, FROM 2:00 TO 6:00, UH, PLEASE JOIN THE BUFF - BLUFF PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR ANNUAL FALL HARVEST BLOCK PARTY ON MOLINO BETWEEN 1ST AND OCEAN. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ZENDAS. THANK YOU. I'D LOVE TO INVITE EVERYONE TO THE 43RD ANNUAL LONG BEACH LEADERSHIP PRAYER BREAKFAST ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH FROM 7:00 AM TO 9:00 AM AT THE WEST IN LONG BEACH HERE IN DOWNTOWN. ALSO, IT IS NATIONAL COFFEE WITH A COP DAY. UM, TOMORROW'S OCTOBER 7TH AT ALL LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, PLEASE CONTACT MY OFFICE. ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH WILL BE THE FOURTH ANNUAL NOCHE LATINA AT A RENAISSANCE HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, AGAIN, CALL MY, MY OFFICE. UM, ALSO WANNA INVITE YOU THIS SATURDAY TO SKATE YA AT LINCOLN PARK. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL YOU DO, DISTRICT ONE AND CITYWIDE RESIDENTS, AND WE'LL SEE YOU OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THAT CONCLUDES, UH, COUNCILMEMBER COMET. UM, WE APPRECIATE YOU FOR PARTICIPATING. IT IS 11:59. WE BEAT MIDNIGHT. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, MEETING ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * 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.