* 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. [00:01:04] ADVISE YOU. WATER, MAKE, DRINK. ALL RIGHT. HI FOLKS. UH, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. UH, I'M GOING TO OFFICIALLY CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. UH, IT'S JUST A PROCEDURAL THING. UH, AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE WITH OUR HANGOUT, MEET AND GREET UNTIL SIX 30. WE'LL CALL THE FIRST ITEM AT SIX 30. UH, MADAM CLERK, MAY I HAVE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? COMMISSIONER BROWN. OH, THEY'RE ALL HERE. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. COMMISSIONER DELEON. HERE. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. HERE. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. HERE. COMMISSIONER COLE. HERE. THANK YOU. COMM. DR. LAURA. COMMISSIONER LIZ. THAT FLORA HERE? HERE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY. COMMISSIONER. SO HERE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ. COMMISSIONER SHA MALONE HERE. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BATS HERE. CHAIR COVINGTON HERE. WE HAVE COURT FOR THE RECORD. COMMISSIONER BUTLER IS HERE AS WELL. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, WELCOME EVERYONE. AND I'LL DO AN ADDITIONAL WELCOME LATER TO OUR FIRST, UH, LISTENING SESSION. SO WELCOME TO THE EQUITY HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. UH, THIS HAS BEEN A, UH, PASSION PROJECT FOR MANY YEARS, AND WE'RE EXCITED THAT YOU ALL ARE HERE TO JOIN US TODAY. UM, SO IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, UH, WE'LL RECONVENE FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE. UM, BUT UNTIL THEN, I, I'M GOING TO CALL FOR A RECESS, CORRECT? UNTIL, OR JUST LEAVE IT OPEN. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE WERE GOING TO OPEN THE ITEM AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE HAVE OUR MEET AND GREET. OKAY. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA START OUR MEET AND GREET, UM, PORTION OF OUR MEETING, AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED AT SIX 30. UH, THERE ARE SNACKS OUT IN THE LOBBY. UH, WE ALSO HAVE INTERPRETATION IN SPANISH, KAMAI AND TAGAL. UH, WE HAVE, UM, PARKING VALIDATIONS THAT YOU CAN GET AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM. UH, AND WE, I THINK I ALREADY SAID THAT WE HAVE SNACKS, UM, IN THE LOBBY, SO THERE'S PLENTY OF THEM. SO IF YOU WANT TAKE SOME TO GO, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STOCK 'EM. , UH, WE WANT TO PUT OUR TAX DOLLARS TO GOOD USE AND MAKE SURE, UH, FOLKS GET THE SNACKS THAT THEY WANT. ANY. UM, SO OTHER THAN THAT, UH, ENJOY YOUR MEET AND GREET, UM, COMMISSIONERS. FEEL FREE TO MINGLE. UM, SOME OF US ARE GONNA BE IN THE LOBBY. IF Y'ALL WANT TO COME HANG OUT WITH US AND GET TO KNOW US IN THE LOBBY, FEEL FREE TO DO SO. AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU READY? I'M GONNA GO TAKE ON, [00:06:08] YOU KNOW, IT'S GOOD. LIKE, THAT'S AN OPTION. BEST VEHICLE. OH, NICE. SO THE MCBRIDES ARE ALL PALS WITH ME NOW. . I GUESS WE SHOULD. NO, I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU, I MEAN, 'CAUSE IT WAS LIKE SO LAST MINUTE. RIGHT. AND YOU, YOU ACT LIKE YOU. I CLEANED UP FOR SURE. IF YOU WERE GONNA COME. I'M GLAD I DID. NICE. WHAT A GREAT EVENT. YOU, YOU, UH, YOU KILLED IT. THAT EVENT WAS A VERY, YOU LIKED IT. WE LOVED IT. EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T A FABRIC. I MESSED UP THAT. BUT NOBODY'S GONNA NOTICE AS LONG AS YOU GOT SOMEONE TO BRING IT AND ROLL IT UP AND YEAH. HI. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. GOOD, GOOD. HEY, WAS THAT YOU THAT HONKED AT ME? I DID. I THOUGHT IT WAS, I JUST SAW A CUTE YOU, YOUR HAIR. I SAW A CUTE GIRL IN THE CORNER. I HONK. THAT'S WHAT I DO EVERY TIME. HONKING. YOU GOT SPEED WALKING. I TRIED TO CAT CALL, BUT MY, I WAS LIKE, I WAS LIKE, NO. MONTGOMERY SAID SHE WAS COMING. SHE MUST BE, SHE MUST BE RUNNING LATE. . I GOT OFF WORK, LIKE SHE WALKED. I LIVE, CAT RECEIVED INFORMATION. NOW. CATS, YOU JUST LEAVE. I GOT TWO PUPPIES. YOU HAVE TO TELL. OKAY. GO TO THE BATHROOM AND THEN RUN. AND I HAD TO TAKE MY SON TO CARSON TO THE FIRE STATION IN CARSON AND CAME HERE FROM THERE BECAUSE I RAN OUT. THAT'S WHAT YOU GOTTA DO. AND THEN THEY'LL BE, THEY SHOULD BE GOOD WHEN YOU COME BACK. I HOPE SO. RIGHT? I'M ASSUMING I'M HERE TONIGHT. YOUR NAME THERE IS IT? YEAH, RIGHT THERE. OH, LOOK RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. YEAH, SHE, UH, BENITA WAS OUT. HI, HOW ARE YOU? I KNOW. OKAY. WHAT, SO THESE ARE A MIX OF SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RESIDENTS, FELLOWS. SO THERE'S UNDERSTANDING PROCESS. [00:10:09] SO HERE ARE SOME QUESTION ABOUT VERY IN A YEAH, WE'RE MATTER. SO AS LONG AS, YOU KNOW, WE TO EXPOSURE TO FIRST MEETING. LIKE THIS IS ONE OF MANY COMMISSION ALSO FISHER, AND THEN THREE OR WE'VE EXPANDED AT LARGE AND RECALL. SO, OKAY. I JUST NOTICED, OR BOTH. I AM FRIENDS WITH FRIENDS OF FRIENDS. I'VE BEEN FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE WHO WAS COUNSELING SOCIAL OPENINGS AND SAID TO ME, SHE WAS LIKE, WHAT THAT? AND SHE'S LIKE, WELL, THEY NEED YOU ON THIS ONE. YEAH. PARKING IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT SKILL. SO FROM THE WEST SIDE OF THEM, A LOT OF THEM, [00:15:03] AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THAT PRODUCT EQUITY RECOGNIZED, HISTORIC US LIVED THE ONLY LIKE, AMERICAN LONG POLY GRADUATE, UH, LIKE LONG BEACH RESIDENT. BECAUSE LONG BEACH BEST. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. I'M LIKE A LITTLE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THIS SOMETIMES. THANK YOU. UM, AND UH, WHEN DID YOU BECOME THE CHAIR? UH, I'M A YEAR. OH WOW. CONGRATULATIONS. A BOARD OF RETIRED WHERE YOU ARE. SO HOW LONG YOU BEEN, WHERE YOU GOING HAVE OH YEAH. ADVISORY. THAT'S COOL. . YEAH. THAT'S A GOOD SKILL TO OH WOW. BUT THEY WERE PRETTY TEACHER THE CENTER, OR BOTH? SO SAY IT AGAIN. IT'S DEVELOPMENT JOBS FOR BOTH. OKAY. HAVE A MEETING WHERE THERE'S NO, ARE YOU MEETING INGREDIENTS HERE? FEEDBACK HELPS THEIR JOB. RIGHT? OF COURSE. RIGHT. THE Y'ALL ARE HERE. THE BETTER RATIO THE BETTER WITH US UP THERE. [00:20:06] LIKE, WE DON'T NEED LIKE A PROTOCOL POSITION. AND I THINK IT'S, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S, AND I WENT, I THREW MY CLOTHES. IT CAME DOWN TO SESSION THAT IN NOT A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE. YEAH. WHAT THE GAY, THE, YOU NEED TO REPRESENT YOU. JUST CIRCLE WORK FOR, FOR BROOKLYN. OH. I'VE SEEN YOU IN ORGANIZING STATE AN EMERGENCY. KIDDING. DRIVING WHAT? DRIVING AROUND SOCIAL MEDIA. TAKE WAIT. YOU'RE GONNA WORK IN THE HOSPITAL. FIRST ONE. THANK YOU. YOU'RE GOOD AT THAT. BUT IT'S JUST THE FIRST INTERVIEW. SO WE, 23RD HOURS OR ONLY 40 HOURS FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. SO WHAT'S THE PAY? WHAT'S THE STARTING TYPICAL COMMISSION IS A VERY PROGRAM. MEDIA ADJOURN. AND SO IS THAT, I THOUGHT YOU WERE ENJOYING ALL THE RESTING. EXCITED BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN LIKE ONE OF OUR GOALS. VERY EXCITED. MORE A PUBLIC COMMENT. [00:25:01] UM, SO THIS, I MEAN, I, I CAN'T ANYTHING ELSE? I CAN TALK. YES. THIS GREAT. THAT'S ALRIGHT. DO YOU KNOW ELSE? I DO. WOW. LOOK AT THE LIKE, TEXTURE. YEAH. THIS IS NICE. I WAS FEELING THAT. I WAS LIKE, OKAY, LET IT, WE THOUGHT THAT WE GOT A NEW LITTLE, UM, OH, UH, YES. I CAN'T WAIT TO USE THOSE. I'VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE IT'S LIKE, NO, NO. YEP. I'M GONNA CALL SERVICE JOBS BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT, THAT'S GOOD. HOW? I'M JACKIE JOHN, JACKIE RAY FROM THE POST USED TO BE NOW OFF. YEP, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. . I'M NOT, I'M NOT AS, I'M PETTY. OH YEAH, YOU'RE BUT NOT SENSITIVE . I JUST, I JUST DEMOTED HER THE POST 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT'S WHERE YOU STARTED. I'M A GOOD FRIEND, BUT HER PEOPLE HI JASON. SHE'S STILL ON THE MAST, BUT I KNOW HE'S MORE COST GOING OUT. YEAH. YEAH. EVERYBODY'S DOING SOMETHING. LIKE I'M DOING MY OWN BRAND OCCASIONALLY STUFF. BUT, UM, MY HOPE IS THAT EVERYBODY FIGURES THEIR LIFE OUT AND GET ENOUGH FUNDING TO I I HOPE SO. BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S BECAUSE FOR A LONG TIME. AND THEN HAVE TO HAVE TO CAN YOU GIVE YEAH. AND THEY'RE STILL BEHIND ON STUFF TOO. SO HOPEFULLY IT WOULD BE GOOD IF BOTH OF US ARE RUNNING PROPERLY. BUT WE WENT TO COURT. CONGRATULATIONS. YES. AND WELL, GOOD. THE MC FAMILY. GOOD. AND THEN THEY BROUGHT HAVE TWO, TWO ERNEST THE THIRD. AND I THINK THAT'S, OH, IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY, GREAT. FANTASTIC. MAKE, HOW ARE YOU DOING? DID YOU, OH, SO CITY ATTORNEYS. CITY ATTORNEY. YEAH. I YOU. GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. SAY WELL BEHAVE. DID YOU WRITE WHAT? OH, THAT'S A GOOD, WELL, REGULAR CITY. THIS ONE. I, THIS ONE GETS ME A LITTLE MORE LIKE, OH MY GOD, WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. . I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU POST AND STUFF, BUT SOMETIMES I GET, I NEED TO JUST, SO DID YOU REALLY VOTE? SO YOU WROTE IN THE PEOPLE THAT YOU WANT BE IN OFFICE IN [00:30:06] YOU THAT RIGHT. YOU DID NOT GET, WENT DOWN TO AND ROLLED YOUR DID. I KNOW, RIGHT? THAT'S THE STORY FOR YOU. SIT HERE IS TRYING ON, AND ALL I CAN THINK FIRED ALL THE BLACK AT, AT BO. OH YEAH. TEEN BOAT. ALL OF, BUT HOW COULD THEY NOT? UM, WHO DID IT LAST WEEK THOUGH? THERE WAS ANOTHER MAGAZINE THAT DID IT LAST WEEK. THEY FIRED ALL THE LATINO AND BLACK. THIS, THIS IS THE THIRD MAGAZINE IN A TWO WEEK PERIOD THAT HAD FIRED. NO, THEY'RE SUPPORT. LOST. LOST. NOW THERE WILL BE CLASS ACTUAL LAWSUIT COURSE. TRUST ME, WHEN I, TRUST ME, WHEN I TELL YOU THEY WON'T BE SETTLED UNTIL 2020. RIGHT. TRUE. BY THAT TIME, WHATEVER THOSE MAGAZINES ARE ORGANIZATIONS, THEY WILL BE OUTTA BUSINESS BECAUSE HOPEFULLY, BUT IF THEY'RE NOT, HOPEFULLY THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AFFECTED CAN RECRUIT ALL THAT MONEY. WELL, WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS, THIS IS THE CHALLENGE THAT I HAVE, IS HAPPENING AT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT IF YOU'RE STILL PURCHASING THE MAGAZINE AFTER THIS HAPPENED, THAT IS, THAT SPEAKS VOLUME TO ESTATE. YOU KNOW, LIKE I TELLING PEOPLE, I GET OFFENDED WHEN I SAY IT, BUT MY DAD HAD A THING. ALL RIGHT, FOLKS. UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. UH, SO PLEASE DO WRAP UP YOUR CONVERSATIONS. UH, AS A REMINDER, UH, WE HAVE POSTER BOARDS WITH QUESTIONS. UH, FEEL FREE TO, TO ANSWER THEM AND WHAT COME THROUGH. COME ON, LET'S GO. I NEED THE AGENDA. AGENDA, OKAY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UH, THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR JOINING US AGAIN. AND FOR THOSE WHO JOINED A LITTLE BIT LATER. UH, WELCOME TO THE EQUITY HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. UH, TODAY IS A INTERESTING DAY, IF I MAY, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS FOR MANY YEARS. UH, CHAIR COVINGTON, MAY I JUST DO A QUICK ROLL CALL BEFORE WE GET BACK INTO THE MEETING TO CONFIRM THAT WE HAVE QUORUM? YES, LET'S DO THAT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER BROWN. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. I'M HERE. COMMISSIONER DEION. HERE. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. HERE. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. HERE. COMMISSIONER COLE HERE. THANK YOU. WE ESTABLISHED DR. DELORES OUT TODAY. UH, COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES. HERE. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER AL. HERE. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER SHA MALONE. HERE. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BATS HERE. AND CHAIR COVINGTON HERE. WE HAVE CAR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO AS I WAS SHARING EARLIER, UH, OUR LISTENING SESSION HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS FOR MANY YEARS. UH, WHEN WE INITIALLY DID THE UPDATE TO OUR, UH, MISSION AND OBJECTIVES AS A COMMISSION, UH, THE LISTENING SESSIONS WERE ACTUALLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO, TO LAUNCH. UH, SO WE APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO JOINED US TODAY. AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE JOINING US VIRTUALLY, UM, THE THEME OF, BEFORE I GET INTO THE THEMES, UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE. YOU WANNA APPROVE MINUTES? I CAN TAKE A VERBAL MOTION IN A SECOND. [00:35:01] OH, YOU GOING READ IT? MOTION. SORRY ABOUT THAT. TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, 2025. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND? MOTION SCHULTZ SECOND AND BUTLER SECOND. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION OR EXCUSE ME BEFORE WE GO TO DISCUSSION? UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON OUR MINUTES FROM LAST MONTH? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER ONE, THE MINUTES, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW. SEEING NONE, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS JOINING VIRTUALLY IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE MINUTES, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. OR IF DIAL DIALING IN TELEPHONICALLY, PRE PRESS STAR NINE. NOW. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ARE THERE ANY DISCUSSIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? ARE YOU TYING UP TO SPEAK? NO, I'M NOT, UH, SEEING NONE. UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR A VOTE. AND AGAIN, I CAN DO THAT VERBALLY. COMMISSIONER BROWN? YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER? YES. THANK YOU. I RECEIVED HER. YES. COMMISSIONER DELEON? YES. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY? YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. THANK YOU. I RECEIVED HER. YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER AL? YES. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. COMMISSIONER SHA MALONE. YES. VICE CHAIR BATS? YES. THANK YOU. RECEIVED YOUR YES. CHAIR COVINGTON. YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MAY WE HAVE ITEM NUMBER TWO CALLED PLEASE. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM LONG BEACH FORWARD AS PART OF THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT LISTENING SESSION, PROVIDING BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES ON RELATED ISSUES IN LONG BEACH. THANK YOU. UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO REARRANGE THE ORDER, UM, WITH THE NAACP GOING FIRST. UM, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, UM, WE'LL HAVE TO CALL IT IN THAT ORDER, CORRECT? YES. WE'LL HAVE, IF WE WANNA TAKE THE NEXT ITEM, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND NOT RECEIVE A MOTION. AND SECOND FOR WHAT I JUST READ, I CAN READ THE NEXT ITEM AND WE CAN DO A MOTION AND SECOND FOR THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. SO, ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM CONFLUENCE RISING FROM THE CALIFORNIA, OR EXCUSE ME, I'M SORRY, I'M READING NUMBER THREE INSTEAD OF NUMBER FOUR. NUMBER THREE IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM THE N-A-A-C-P AS PART OF THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT LISTENING SESSION, PROVIDING BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES ON RELATED ISSUES IN LONG BEACH. ALL RIGHT. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND FOR THIS ITEM ALL MOTION MONTGOMERY MOTIONING. I SECOND, UH, GILLETTE. SECOND. ALRIGHT. UM, BEFORE I OPEN UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, ACTUALLY OUR PRESENTATION, UH, I JUST WANNA SET THE GROUND OF WHERE WE'RE AT, UH, IN TODAY'S MEETING. UM, SO AS A PART OF OUR LISTENING SESSIONS, WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON THE FIVE DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. UM, SO TODAY IS ALL ABOUT SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, UM, AND HOW WE GET CONNECTED, WHAT BREAKS THOSE BARRIERS, WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER. UM, SO, UH, EARLIER BEFORE WE GOT STARTED, WE WERE ABLE, UH, TO HAVE A MEET AND GREET. SO I HOPE THAT YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO MEET OUR COMMISSIONERS. UH, WE HOPE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH OUR THREE QUESTIONS. UH, THE ANSWER TO THE THREE QUESTIONS WILL BE GOING INTO A REPORT, UM, OF ALL THE LISTENING SESSIONS THAT WE'LL BE SUBMITTING TO CITY COUNCIL. UM, BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE PRESENTATIONS, UH, THERE HAS BEEN SOME INCIDENCES IN OUR CITY, UH, THAT HAVE CAUSED DISCONNECTION. UH, SPECIFICALLY IN CENTRAL LONG BEACH. OUR FAMED MARTIN LUTHER KING STATUE WAS, UM, UH, DISGRACED WITH GRAFFITI, UM, AND HURTFUL AND HARMFUL TO GRAFFITI, UM, TO ANTAGONIZE OUR BLACK COMMUNITY. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SEE OFTEN FOR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WITHIN OUR CITY. UH, AND WE'RE HOSTING THIS MEETING IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES AND ALSO THE SOLUTIONS. UH, SO WE INVITE EVERYBODY WHO IS JOINING US HERE TODAY, TO BE HONEST, UH, TO BE COURAGEOUS, UH, SPEAK FROM YOUR, YOUR TRUTH AND YOUR EXPERIENCE, UH, AND LET US KNOW WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THEM [00:40:01] AND THEN BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS. UH, SO WITH THAT, UH, WE HAVE OUR MOTION IN A SECOND. AND SO WE'RE GONNA GO INTO THE PRESENTATION AND WE'LL START WITH THE NAACP. UH, SO IF YOU CAN COME UP, THANK YOU SO MUCH, . AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED WITH THAT. YOU CAN HEAR ME, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S, NOW IT'S ON. THERE WE GO. THAT BETTER. . GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS JACKIE RAY. I AM A JOURNALIST HERE IN LONG BEACH, AS WELL AS THE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER FOR THE NAACP. UM, NAACP LONG BEACH BRANCH HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR 85 YEARS. WE JUST CELEBRATED OUR 85TH ANNIVERSARY. WE SAW SOME OF YOU AT OUR GALA, WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. SINCE IT'S FOUNDING BY SOMEONE WHO IS VERY HISTORIC, WHICH, YOU KNOW, ERNEST MCBRIDE, THE NAACP LONG BEACH BRANCH, HAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCE FOR JUSTICE FOR ALL PEOPLE. NOT JUST ANYWHERE BUT EVERYWHERE. WE HAVE BEEN DISMANTLING HOUSING DISCRIMINATION, ADVOCATING FOR FAIR EMPLOYMENT, HOSTING LEGAL AFFAIRS, EXPANDING ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION, AND PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST VOTER SUPPRESSION, STOOD AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY, AND AMPLIFIED THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO ARE OFTEN SILENCED. UM, IN 2025, WE WERE BLESSED AND WE HAVE A BRAND NEW PRESIDENT, DR. SHARIFA BATZ. AND UNDER HER LEADERSHIP, WE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING TO REALLY REESTABLISH OURSELVES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW THAT LONG BEACH HAD A NAACP LONG BEACH BRANCH, BUT UNDER OUR NEW LEADERSHIP, THEY DEFINITELY KNOW THAT NOW. AND SHE HAS RE REESTABLISHED US AS A BEACON OF HOPE IN THE CONTINUED FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND EQUALITY. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, DR. SHARIFA, AND WITH HER NEW LEADERSHIP. OUR MEMBERSHIP HAS INCREASED BY 42% SINCE JANUARY. THAT'S THANKS IN PART TO HER DILIGENCE AND BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER THAT'S PARADES, SOCIAL FUNCTIONS, BEING INVOLVED WITH LOCAL CHAPTERS, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN GET OUT IN FRONT OF THE COMMUNITY AND LET THEM KNOW WE'RE HERE. DR. SHARIFA HAS BEEN A CHAMPION OF THAT. AND WE'VE ALSO INCREASED OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, WHICH I HOPE ALL OF YOU ARE FOLLOWING US BY THE WAY. UM, NAACP, LBC, I'M GONNA SAY IT ONE MORE TIME. NAACP, LBC ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA. YOU CAN FOLLOW US THERE. WE'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, BY THE WAY, ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. HINT, HINT. UM, THE BRANCH HAS PARTICIPATED IN PARADES, COMMUNITY EVENTS AND HEIGHTENED VISIT VISIBILITY, STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS VISIT LONG BEACH AND THE QUEEN MARY. UM, WE'VE BUILT BRIDGES WITH L-B-U-S-D AND WE HAVE CREATED AN NAACP CHAPTER AT LBCC AND IN THE PROCESS OF REACTIVATING OUR SULB CHAPTER AS WELL. AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE GREAT LEADERSHIP, UM, AT LBCC AND OUR NEW, UH, PRESIDENT OF OUR CHAPTER, AS WELL AS THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT. HIS NAME IS PRINCE BASS. HE HAS DIVED HEADFIRST INTO ADDRESSING EQUITY AND INCLUSION ON THE CAMPUS. SO HE IS BRINGING MORE VISIBILITY FOR US AS WELL. WE HOSTED OUR FREEDOM FUND GALA ON THE QUEEN MARY, WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE ORGANIZED AND RECOGNIZED AND SCHOLARSHIPS WERE GIVEN OUT. AND THEN AGAIN, WE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WITH POLICY ADVOCATION OVER PROP 50, WHICH DEFINITELY PASSED YESTERDAY. SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS WELL. WE'VE HAD VOTER OUTREACH, WE HAD OUR TOWN HALL, WE'VE HAD VOTER EDUCATION AND GIVEN PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER AT NEW HOPE BAPTIST FAMILY OF FAITH CHRISTIAN CHURCH. AND WE WILL CONTINUE WITH YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE ARE INFORMED ON THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEM AND HOW THEY CAN HELP THEIR COMMUNITY AS WELL AS HOW THEY CAN POTENTIALLY VOTE. WE ARE NON-PARTISAN, BUT WE DO BELIEVE IN STRONG VOTER EDUCATION. SO WHAT DOES BEING INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY MEAN TO US AS AN ORGANIZATION? IT MEANS GETTING OUT IN THE PUBLIC. HEARING PEOPLE LISTENING IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE FIRST AND FOREMOST GOAL OF OUR ORGANIZATION TO FIND OUT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, HOW WE CAN HELP, OR HOW WE CAN POTENTIALLY PLUG THEM WITH OTHER PEOPLES, OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP. I WANNA GIVE ONE SLIGHT CAVEAT, THOUGH. AS A JOURNALIST HERE IN THE CITY, I TYPICALLY GET A CALL ABOUT STORIES WHEN THE BOTTOM IS FALLING OUT. THAT'S USUALLY WHEN IT'S GONE A LITTLE TOO FAR. I THINK HOW THE CITY CAN REALLY HELP IS MAKE SURE IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT POLICY, YOU THINK ABOUT PEOPLE FIRST. OUR PEOPLE IN CENTRAL LONG BEACH HAVE COME TO ME AND THEY'RE VERY UPSET ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF THE NEW HOMELESS SHELTER IN THE, IN THE HOTEL IN THAT DISTRICT OFF OF PCH. THERE ARE ALREADY TWO HOMELESS HOTELS IN THAT AREA AND THAT COMMUNITY WAS NOT CONSIDERED. I GET CALLS FROM THAT COMMUNITY EVERY OTHER DAY THAT IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED BY OUR CITY COUNCIL. AND I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO TAKE A MOMENT AND NOT ONLY HEAR THEM, BUT UNDERSTAND THEM. TRY TO LISTEN WITH UNDERSTANDING. SO THAT'S JUST MY JOURNALISTIC CAVEAT THERE. BUT, UM, FOR THE NAAC PR NAACP BRANCH, UM, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE HOLD OURSELVES VERY ACCOUNTABLE ON. WE WANNA HEAR FROM OUR MEMBERS. WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO JUST LOG IN, JOIN. [00:45:01] WE, WE DO WANT Y'ALL TO BECOME MEMBERS. LET ME JUST CLARIFY THAT. BUT WE DON'T WANT THAT TO END THERE. IF YOU HAVE AN EXPERTISE THAT YOU KNOW THE COMMUNITY HAS A NEED IN, PLEASE SHARE THAT WITH US BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT E EACH INDIVIDUAL, IF THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SOMETHING, IF THEY HAVE AN EXPERTISE ABOUT SOMETHING, THEY CAN HELP US IN THAT ENDEAVOR TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. SO WE DON'T WANT JUST PEOPLE TO BE MEMBERS, WE WANT THEM TO BE INVOLVED AND CARE ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY. IT'S, UM, ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO US AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THIS CLIMATE THAT MARGINALIZED NOT, ARE ONLY NOT ONLY SEEN BUT HEARD AND FEEL LIKE THEY ARE REPRESENTED AS WELL. TO MAKE ENGAGEMENT EASIER, UM, THE CITY CAN CONTINUE TO CREATE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE SPACES. UM, I DO KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE MADE SURE THAT EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO CITY COUNCIL, I KNOW WE CAN WATCH IT ONLINE, BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANNA COME TO SPEAK AND THEY DON'T HAVE AVAILABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY TO TRANSPORTATION TO DO THAT. SO IF YOU, MAYBE WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO COME AND SPEAK AT PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, MAKE SURE THAT MEETINGS ARE HELD AT CONVENIENT TIMES AND LOCATIONS PROVIDE LANGUAGE, CHILDCARE SUPPORT. THE TIMES IS REALLY IMPORTANT. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WORKING ONE, TWO JOBS. A LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE MEETINGS AT 5 30, 6 30. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DON'T WORK IN THE CITY AND HAVE TO COMMUTE AND WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN FOR THEM AS WELL. UM, PARTICIPATION FEELS LIKE A MEANINGFUL PROCESS. IT FEELS LIKE LISTENING TO PEOPLE AGREEING TO DISAGREE, BUT MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE SAME GOAL AND THAT IS THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. SO THEN THE TOUGH QUESTION IS, HOW DOES DISCRIMINATION SHOW UP IN YOUR DAILY LIFE AND IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS RESOURCE AND PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES? I HAVE A LONG LIST OF THINGS, BUT I'M GOING TO DEVIATE AGAIN AS A JOURNALIST. AND I HAVE SEEN, I'VE DONE STORIES ON PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVE DISCRIMINATION CASES. IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY WHEN THEY'RE HYPER-FOCUSED ON THE DISCRIMINATION THAT IS AFFECTING THEM PERSONALLY. I THINK THAT IS HARD TO PROCESS WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND SOMETIME ECONOMICALLY BECAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION. AND THEN GO OUT AND BE AN ADVOCATE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY, IT'S, IT'S A VERY ISOLATING MOMENT. SO IF WE CAN ONLY HEAR PEOPLE WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, BUT ALSO OFFER THEM SOLUTIONS BEING BE THAT COUNSELING OR SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT BECAUSE IT IS A VERY LONELY EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING AGAINST DISCRIMINATION, ESPECIALLY IN THE WORKPLACE. UM, FOR MANY RESIDENTS OF COLOR BIAS CAN MANIFEST IN THE FORM OF OVER-POLICING LIMITED ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND EQUAL TREAT TREATMENT AND CIVIC PROCESS, WHICH CAN DISCOURAGE PARTICIPANTS FROM, UM, FROM PARTICIPATING AND FOSTER DISTRUST IN LOCAL INSTITUTIONS. SO AGAIN, MAKING THIS MORE ACCESSIBLE. UH, THERE WAS A TIME LONG, LONG AGO THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING USED TO MOVE AROUND AND THAT WAS GREAT 'CAUSE IT GAVE PEOPLE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INVOLVED. WE ARE SEEING A LACK OF ENTHUSIASM AND A LACK, LACK OF TRUST AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. SO IF WE CAN LOCALLY GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, I THINK THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY. UM, ADDRESSING THESE ISSUE ISSUES REQUIRES CONTINUED EDUCATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY TO ENSURE EQUITY IS NOT A STATEMENT. OH, OH, I, OKAY. I GOT BUTTONS NOW. NICE. YEAH, LIKE SQUIRREL, LIKE, OH, THIS WAY. OKAY. I'M LIKE, OKAY, I'M PRESSING THE BUTTON. SHOULD I TRY THIS BUTTON? I'M ASSUMING GREEN IS FOR GO. THERE IT GOES. OKAY. I THINK WE ALREADY COVERED THIS ONE ON THE MISSION. UM, THESE ARE ALL THE EVENTS WE'VE RECENTLY DONE. WE'VE BEEN OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND ABUNDANCE, WHICH AGAIN IS, UH, AND THANKS TO DR. SHARIFA, AND SHOUT OUT TO THE DRESS THAT DR. SHARIFA WORE AT THE GALA. OKAY. BECAUSE THAT DRESS IS IT, BUT I LOVE IT. WE ALSO HAD THE, UM, COMMUNITY FORUM. UH, DR. AL AL AUSTIN WAS THERE. WE HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE GALA. HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS ALL CAME. WE ALSO HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE MOVING US FORWARD IN THE REALM OF TECHNOLOGY. IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR OLDER MEMBERS. YOU KNOW, THEY LIKE TO DO THINGS OLD SCHOOL WAYS, BUT A LOT OF YOUNGER PEOPLE, THEY WANT QUICK, FAST, AND IN A HURRY. SO WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE HELP US. AND NOW WE HAVE OUR, SO IF YOU WANNA TAKE A MINUTE AND KNOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIAS, THOSE, UH, THOSE CODES ARE UP THERE. DO Y'ALL NEED A SECOND? OKAY. YEAH. TAKE A SECOND. THAT'S A GOOD JOB. . WHO DID THOSE FOR US BY THE WAY? MILES DID THOSE FOR US. YOU GUYS GOOD? I LOVE TECHNOLOGY. IT'S SUCH A GREAT THING TO SEE PEOPLE. THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING US. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. UM, THAT SEE, AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO REACH OUT TO US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO IN YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU CAN EMAIL US AT LB AACP 20 TWENTY5@GMAIL.COM. SO YOU CAN EMAIL US THERE AS WELL. OH, THAT'S IT. IS THAT IT FOR THE WHOLE PRESENTATION? OKAY. I THINK THAT'S IT. UM, BUT I STILL HAVE A FEW MORE POINTS. HOW CAN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UM, BETTER [00:50:01] PARTNER WITH OUR, UM, WITH YOUR COMMUNITY? I THINK SOMETIMES, UM, JUST BEING HONEST ABOUT CERTAIN COMMUNITIES DO GET LEFT BEHIND IN LONG BEACH. IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT IT IS. AND I THINK LEANING INTO THE TRUTH OF THAT AND INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, MAKING EXCUSES ABOUT THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO MAKING IT DIFFERENT FOR THE FUTURE. SO I WOULD SAY LEAN INTO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NEGLECTED, EITHER FINANCIALLY OR JUST IN THE PROBLEMS IN THAT COMMUNITY. AND NOW, LET'S SAY, BUT FROM HERE ON OUT, WE ARE GOING TO DO X, Y, AND Z. SO I THINK INTENTIONALITY WOULD GO A LONG WAY. THEY COULD STRENGTHEN THE PARTNERSHIPS BY EMBRACING AUTHENTIC COLLABORATION WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE NAACP LONG BEACH BRANCH AND ENGAGE US EARLY IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT, NOT JUST DURING IMPLEMENTATION. LIKE I SAID, WE ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB IN OUTREACH, AND IF YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY, I THINK WE HAVE THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND THAT CAN DO IT FROM LBCC ACROSS THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT AND WE WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT. UM, PARADE PLANNING. THERE WAS A BIG ORDEAL WITH THE MLK. UH, WE WERE INVOLVED IN THAT LAST YEAR, AND THAT IS A PRIME EXAMPLE. THE MLK PARADE LAST YEAR IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN PEOPLE DON'T LISTEN OR WHEN YOU DON'T ASK QUESTIONS. A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY COULD BE AVOIDED IF WE SIMPLY ASKED A QUESTION AND THEN LISTEN GENUINELY TO THE RESPONSES THAT ARE GIVEN. I KNOW IT SOUNDS EASY, BUT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN THAT OFTEN. BUT THOSE ARE MY POINTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JACKIE. YOU ARE WELCOME. UH, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, AND UM, FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, FOR THOSE WHO ARE JOINING US FOR THE FIRST TIME, UH, US AS COMMISSIONERS, WE CANNOT ADDRESS, UH, ANYTHING THAT IS SHARED DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION, UH, THAT'S WHEN WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS, UM, OF JACKIE, UH, JACKIE CAN COME BACK UP AT THAT TIME. UM, SO AS WE ARE GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THE THREE QUESTIONS, UH, THAT WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE, UH, ANSWERED, UH, DURING EACH OF OUR PRESENTATIONS TODAY. THEY'RE THE SAME QUESTIONS THAT ARE ON THE WALL. UM, SO EVEN IF YOU'RE, UH, LISTENING TO A PRESENTATION OR LISTENING TO SOMEONE GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT, IF YOU, SOMETHING COMES UP FOR YOU AND YOU WANNA, UH, WRITE AN ANSWER, FEEL FREE TO DO THAT. UH, THIS IS TECHNICALLY A COMMISSION MEETING, BUT IT'S HYBRID, A COMMUNITY MEETING, UH, LISTENING SESSION. UM, SO FEEL FREE TO GET UP. UH, AND THEN, UH, GO AHEAD AND WRITE ON THE STICKIES AND POST THEM UP IF YOU CHOOSE TO. UH, THE THREE QUESTIONS, UH, THAT WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE ANSWERED TODAY IS, WHAT DOES BEING INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY MEAN TO YOU? HOW CAN ALL, UH, WITH HELP FROM THE CITY MAKE IT EASIER AND MORE ENJOYABLE? THE SECOND QUESTION IS, HOW DOES DISCRIMINATION SHOW UP IN YOUR DAILY LIFE AND IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS RESOURCES AND PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES? AND THEN THE THIRD ONE IS, HOW CAN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH BETTER PARTNER WITH YOUR COMMUNITY? UM, SO AT THAT, AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PER PUBLIC AND PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM NOW. MM-HMM . ALL RIGHT, COOL. GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES. HI. UM, IS THERE A TICKER? OH, GOOD. OKAY. UH, MY NAME IS EMILY. I WAS BORN IN LONG BEACH. I'M A WEST SIDE RESIDENT. UM, MY ISSUE, I HAVE TWO THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. I'M NOT REPORTING GRAFFITI ANYMORE ON THE GO LONG BEACH APP. FIRST OF ALL, IT'S NOT SAFE FOR ME TO BE SEEN PHOTOGRAPHING GRAFFITI, EVEN IF I TRY TO HIDE. I GO MOSTLY FOR GRAFFITI THAT'S ON SCHOOL, [3. 25-56789 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the NAACP as part of the Social and Community Context Listening Session, providing background and community perspectives on related issues in Long Beach.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] UH, SAFE PASSAGES. SO WHEN I'M MOCKING MY DOG, OR YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS PICKING UP MY KIDS. SO I'VE BEEN DOING THIS EVER SINCE ROBERTO CAME TO GARFIELD ELEMENTARY AND THEY SHOWED US HOW TO USE THE APP WHEN IT CAME OUT. SO I HAVE TRACKED A LOT OF GRAFFITI REFERENCE NUMBERS ON MY APP. WHAT I SEE IS CK, WHICH MEANS CRIP KILLER, WHICH MEANS THE BLACK COMMUNITY ON OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT SAFE. I STARTED THIS WHEN MY SON'S FRIEND, KESHAWN BROOKS WAS STABBED IN THE BACK AT STEVENS ELEMENTARY. MOST OF US HAVE A DEFINING MOMENT, AND THAT WAS MINE. I AM NO LONGER REPORTING THE [00:55:01] GRAFFITI. INSTEAD I'M SENDING IT TO SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS. THIS IS BECAUSE BLACK LIVES MATTER. MOMS ENCOURAGED ME TO STOP REPORTING BECAUSE I AM GIVING YOU A HATE CRIME AND IT'S NOT BEING ADDRESSED. WE HAVE TAPE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THIS. WE HAVE THEM WALKING HOME. WE, WE KNOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE THEY LIVE. WE, WE ALL HAVE RING CAMERAS IN THE WEST SIDE AND WE CAN CONNECT THIS. AND IT'S NOT SAFE FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE OTHER HOMEOWNERS POSTING THEIR IMAGES ONLINE THAT THEY ARE DOING THIS. WE NEED SOCIAL WORKERS, NOT POLICE. ALSO, TODAY AT HUDSON IS A DIFFERENT ISSUE. THERE WAS ABOUT 200 FAMILIES TURNED AWAY FROM THE FOOD BANK, AND I WAS THERE PICKING UP FOR MY NEIGHBOR. UM, I TALKED TO MY FRIEND AND THE FOOD BANK AT 10TH AND TEMPLE ONLY HAD 30 PEOPLE AND THEY WERE GIVING AWAY SPIRAL HANDS. SO I WOULD LIKE GOD OR AI TO FIX OUR INJUSTICE IN THE FOOD BANKS IN LONG BEACH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT? YES. OKAY. COME ON UP. UH, GOOD EVENING. UM, LET'S SEE. I MADE SOME NOTES. AS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE LONG BEACH NAACP AND A LIFELONG COMMUNITY BUILDER, I'D LIKE TO ENTER A BRIEF STATEMENT FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD, HONORING THE FIRSTBORN CONTRIBUTION, UH, TO THE CITY'S MORAL AND ECONOMIC FOUNDATION. UH, MY NAME IS DR. GERALD HIGGINBOTHAM. I RISE TONIGHT AS A DESCENDANT OF AMERICA'S FIRST ENSLAVED FAMILY. OUR ANCESTORS, UNPAID LABOR AND UNBROKEN FAITH BUILT THIS NATION'S FOUNDATION. WE'RE NOT ASKING TO LEAVE AMERICA. WE'RE ASKING HER TO REMEMBER WHO HER FIRSTBORN IS. THE DESCENDANTS OF AMERICAN SLAVES STAND INSIDE THE NATION'S PROMISE, CALLING IT TO INTEGRITY. OUR WORK IS RESTORATION FAITH THAT BUILDS ENTERPRISE, THAT UPLIFTS AND COOPERATION THAT HEALS DIVISION. WE SEEK PARTNERSHIP WITH THIS CITY TO TURN INHERITANT PAIN INTO PRODUCTIVE POWER, EDUCATION, HOUSING, BUSINESS OWNERSHIP, AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION THAT LIFTS EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. LET THIS STATEMENT ENTER THE PUBLIC RECORD AS A REMINDER THAT THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THIS COUNTRY ARE STILL BUILDING IT THIS TIME WITH VISION AND RIGHTEOUSNESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ARE THERE ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE. UH, CAN WE GO TO ONLINE? YES. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC JOINING VIRTUALLY THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. IF DIALING IN TELEPHONICALLY, PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE. NOW. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO WE'LL TAKE IT BEHIND THE RAIL, UH, INTO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. UH, SO WHO HAS QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THEY WOULD LIKE TO ADD? AND THEN LET ME GO TO GO AHEAD AND QUEUE UP IF YOU CAN. UM, QUEUE UP THING. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA DO OLD SCHOOL. UH, GO AHEAD AND RAISE YOUR HANDS. ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO FIRST? ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER DOCKERY, LET'S GO. YEAH, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO, UM, GO BACK AND JUST ASK A QUESTION OF CLARIFICATION. YOU MENTIONED JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO ABOUT THE LIST OF QUESTIONS WE'RE ASKING. UM, AND I'M LOOKING AT THE FLYER THAT WE SENT OUT, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT I DON'T HAVE THE LIST OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU SAID WE'RE ASKING VERSUS WHAT'S ON THIS FLYER. SO I WAS JUST WONDERING, UM, IF THOSE CHANGED OR IF WE'RE STILL ASKING THESE QUESTIONS THAT WERE SENT OUT ON THE FLYER. NUMBER [01:00:01] ONE, UH, THEY WERE CONDENSED INTO THREE QUESTIONS. UH, AND THEY ARE ON THE WALL. UM, AND WE CAN, CAN WE TRY TO SEND THEM OUT? YEAH. SO, SO THE QUESTIONS ON THE FLYER ARE STILL WITHIN THE THEME JUST TO PROVIDE A GENERAL CONTEXT. BUT THEN THE, THE, THE QUESTIONS WE'RE ASKING TODAY, THAT WAS A LIST OF BROADER QUESTIONS, AND THEN TODAY'S QUESTIONS WERE CONDENSED TO JUST THREE QUESTIONS, WHICH ARE ON THE WALL. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET A COPY OF THE, UM, POWERPOINT PRESENTATION FROM THE NAACP LIKE WE GOT FOR THE OTHER TWO? YES. THE, THAT PRESENTATION IS AVAILABLE, UH, UH, RIGHT NOW. AND IT WILL BE EMAILED TO ALL OF YOU. THEY CAME. OKAY. YEAH. GREAT. THANK YOU. COOL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR THAT? YES, YES. THIS IS THE TIME WHEN WE CAN ENGAGE WITH THE SPEAKERS. RIGHT? UM, WOULD YOU BE DOWN TO COME BACK UP TO THE PODIUM? JACKIE RAY? DON'T WANNA HAVE TO MAKE YOU SHOUT FROM OVER THERE. I GOT A LOUD VOICE. . I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT. I KNOW, I KNOW YOU CAN. YOU WOULD'VE HEARD ME . UM, WELL, UM, ONE, I THINK IT'S REALLY EXCITING FOR US JUST TO, JUST TO SET THE STAGE. UH, WE HAVE SO MANY FOLKS WHO HAVE COME TO MEETINGS AND A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE NEVER COME TO MEETINGS ALL IN THE SPACE RIGHT NOW. AND SO IT'S VERY EXCITING, I THINK FOR US AS COMMISSIONERS TO HAVE THIS SPACE. UH, AND TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL. UM, I THINK ONE THING THAT'S BEEN REALLY STRIKING FOR ME IN, IN MY DAY JOB, I WORK WITH AN ORGANIZATION THAT DOES A LOT OF BASE BUILDING. UH, A LOT OF FOLKS IN DISTRICT SEVEN, DISTRICT NINE, UH, AND DISTRICT TWO. UM, AND SO I THINK FOR EVERY ONE OF US WHO ARE PART OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, UM, WE HAVE OUR OWN BASIS, OUR BASIS OF COMMUNITY, AND WE LEARN FROM THEM. RIGHT. AND SO I'M CURIOUS, UH, WHAT ARE, IF YOU COULD DISTILL AS YOU'VE GROWN AS YOU MENTIONED, 43% MEMBERSHIP FROM JANUARY TO NOW, UM, WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON, LIKE TWO OR THREE THINGS THAT YOUR NEW MEMBERS ARE RAISING THAT MAY HAVE KEPT THEM FROM BEING INVOLVED IN A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION BEFORE? IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE GROWING A LOT. WHAT'S, WHAT WAS THE BARRIER AND HOW YOU, HOW YOU, HOW ARE YOU OVERCOMING THAT? UM, THE FIRST BARRIER WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE, AGAIN, DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE NAACP WAS STILL IN LONG BEACH. THEY DIDN'T KNOW THE BRANCH WAS STILL ACTIVE. AND THEN AFTER THAT, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE STILL ACTIVE, THEN IT'S, THEN IT BECOMES, WELL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? UM, AND SO NOW WE HAVE A VERY, UH, UNIQUE AND OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THERE'S, UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING WE CAN BE DOING ESPECIALLY BETTER. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING WE CAN DO BETTER. SO NOW IT'S ABOUT BEING AVAILABLE, STAYING ENGAGED. SOCIAL MEDIA HAS PLAYED A HUGE PART IN THAT. UM, AS A JOURNALIST, I'M NOT A FAN. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE REALLY NEED INFORMATION CONDENSED IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. SO WE'VE KIND OF BECOME REALLY GOOD AT THAT. NOT ONLY TELLING PEOPLE WHAT'S GOING ON WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION, BUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE COLLEGES, OTHER EVENTS THAT WE PARTNER WITH. WE ARE, WE'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD AT DISSEMINATING THAT INFORMATION. SO I THINK WE'VE POSITIONED OURSELVES AS A, NOT ONLY A SOURCE FOR HELP, BUT ALSO A SOURCE FOR INFORMATION. SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY HELPED US GROW OUR MEMBERSHIP. YEAH. AND THEN I WANT TO KIND OF CHECK AN ASSUMPTION I, I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM, FROM OUR COMMUNITY, AND I WANNA SEE IF THAT'S COME FOR YOU AS WELL, IS, I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN A MOMENT WHERE WE'RE IN A BASIC NEEDS CRISIS. RIGHT? RIGHT. UM, AND SO I'M CURIOUS SORT OF WHAT ARE THE BASIC NEEDS, THE LIVED EXPERIENCE, UH, THAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN HAVING, THAT YOU'VE BEEN SEEING AND, AND WHAT, WHAT C RESOURCES HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY MEETING THOSE NEEDS AND, AND WHAT HASN'T BEEN, WHETHER IT'S THE FOOD BANKS OR MENTIONED OR, OR OTHER THINGS. YEAH, THE FOOD BANK IS A BIG THING. I HEARD THE SAME THING. I GOT A THE SAME CALL, UM, YESTERDAY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR FOOD BANKS ARE DOING. BUT ALSO I THINK THERE'S A FRUSTRATION IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE, THAT THEY FEEL UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES HAVE TO BEAR THE BRUNT OF SERVICE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. SO EVEN THOUGH THESE COMMUNITIES ARE UNDERSERVED, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO HOLD THE HOMELESS SHELTER BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT SEEN AS A PLACE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU IS A NICE PLACE. SO THAT'S WHY THEY BIXBY K KNOWLES, THEY FEEL LIKE HOMELESS IS THE HOMELESS ISSUE, SPECIFICALLY IS AN ISSUE THAT AFFECTS ALL OF US, BUT THEY WEAR THE WEIGHT OF SHOULDERING THAT BURDEN WHILE ALSO BEING UNDERSERVED THEMSELVES, HAVING HIGHER, UM, EVICTION RATES, YOU KNOW, AND BEING UNDERSERVED COMPLETELY. SO IT'S A, IT'S A FRUSTRATING TIME AND IT ALSO BUILDS A LACK OF TRUST IN THAT WAY. ANY OTHER QUESTION? I'LL JUST COME THAT I THINK, UH, IF FOLKS AREN'T CONNECTED TO, UH, SOME RESOURCES THAT HAVE JUST STARTED, UH, GETTING MORE FUNDING, THERE IS A TENANT RIGHT TO COUNSEL PROGRAM, UH, THAT, UH, JUST GOT ADDITIONAL FUNDING AS PART OF THE MOST RECENT BUDGET, UH, WHICH, UH, CREATES LEGAL DEFENSE FOR FOLKS WHO ARE FACING, UH, EVICTION. UM, AND THERE'S ALSO LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND FOR FOLKS WHO ARE UNDOCUMENTED, UH, OR ASYLUM SEEKERS FACING DEPORTATION. AND SO, UM, I SEE A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS AS REALLY GOOD EXAMPLES OF THESE LIKE SMALL CITY IMPLEMENTATIONS TO PROTECT FOLKS. BUT TO YOUR POINT, THERE AREN'T ENOUGH, UH, [01:05:01] IN MY VIEW, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK THIS IS A REALLY HELPFUL PART OF OUR DISCUSSION TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN SERVICES THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED BY THE CITY? WHERE ARE GAPS THAT ARE BEING DONE BY THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT? 'CAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT PULLING AWAY RIGHT NOW, UH, IN FACT THE OPPOSITE. UH, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT. YOU'RE WELCOME AWAY, . WE ALREADY MOVED TO HOVER VOTE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THE VOTE NOW? YES, PLEASE. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. THERE YOU GO. VOTE NOW. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE A VOICE VOTE, I CAN TAKE THAT. I RECEIVED YOUR, YES, THANK YOU. YES. I'M SORRY. YOU'RE FINE. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES? YES. YES, YES. AND COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR THE ROBUST DISCUSSION AND THANK YOU JACKIE, FOR THE RESPONSES. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS A PRESENTATION FROM CONFLUENCE RISING. UH, MAYBE HAVE THE ITEM READ, PLEASE. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM CONFLUENCE RISING, FORMERLY THE CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE FOR EQUITY AND JUSTICE AS A PART OF THE SOCIAL AND A COMMUNITY CONTEXT LISTENING SESSION, PROVIDING BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES ON RELATED ISSUES IN LONG BEACH. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? OH, I DON'T KNOW WHY. UM, SCHULTZ MOTIONS. SO FROM WHAT I SEE, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM CHAIR COVINGTON AND A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ. HOW DO I DO THAT? WE CAN CHANGE IT IF YOU WOULD LIKE. OKAY. I'LL MOVE IT. I GUESS I DON'T LIKE TO MOVE ITEMS ON THE CHAIR. , UH, BUT OKAY. I'LL MOVE IT. AND THANK YOU. THE SECOND QUESTION. THANK YOU. UM, ALRIGHT. SO AS A REMINDER, UH, IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, WE HAVE THE SURVEY QUESTIONS, UH, FOR, UH, OUR OVERALL LISTENING SESSION. UH, THERE'S A SET OF, UH, SEVEN QUESTIONS THAT REALLY GET INTO WHAT OUR DISCUSSION IS GOING TO BE TODAY. AND THEN WE'VE CONSOLIDATED THEM INTO THREE FOR THE BUTCHER PAPERS. UH, AND AS A REMINDER FOR THE PRESENTATION, AS WELL AS, UH, FOR FOLKS WHO ARE GEARING UP TO, UH, SPEAK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, THE THREE QUESTIONS ARE, WHAT DOES BEING INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY MEAN TO YOU? HOW CAN ALL, WITH THE HELP OF THE CITY MAKE IT EASIER AND MORE ENJOYABLE? HOW DOES DISCRIMINATION SHOW UP IN YOUR DAILY LIFE AND IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS RESOURCES AND PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES? AND THE LAST ONE IS, HOW CAN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH BETTER PARTNER WITH YOUR COMMUNITY? UM, SO WITH THAT, WE'RE GONNA INVITE CONFLUENCE RISING TO PRESENT. GOOD EVENING. HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING? UH, MY NAME IS DANIEL SOLIS. I AM WITH CONFLUENCE RISING, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE. PART OF THE REASON WE CHANGED OUR NAME IS 'CAUSE IT WAS VERY LONG, AND PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK US, WHERE WAS THE CONFERENCE? UM, IT ALREADY HAPPENED, SO, OH, THE CLICKER. OKAY. YES. SO I'M HERE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR WORK, UM, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN BASED HERE IN LONG BEACH SINCE 1964, BUT WE'RE PART OF AN EVEN OLDER ORGANIZATION, UH, CALLED THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CHRISTIANS AND JEWS STARTED IN 1927 WHEN PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT CATHOLICS AND JEWISH PEOPLE WEREN'T DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. UM, AND SO SOME OF THOSE ISSUES THAT WE WORK ON HAVE EVOLVED. OKAY? THERE'S A DELAY. SO OUR MISSION IS TO, UH, EDUCATE AND EMPOWER YOUTH AND ADULTS, UH, TO LEAD CHANGE FOR EQUITY AND JUSTICE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. UM, WE ARE TRYING TO WORK TO A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE LIVE FREE OF OPPRESSION AND THRIVE. AND OUR VALUES ARE RELATIONSHIPS, CARE, CURIOSITY, IMAGINATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND INTERDEPENDENCE. AND SOME FOLKS MIGHT BE ASKING THEMSELVES, WHAT DOES CONFLUENCE MEAN? UH, SINCE WE OURSELVES HAD TO LEARN WHAT THAT WORD MEANT BEFORE WE CHOSE IT, UM, WHICH I'LL GET TO RIGHT HERE. UM, AND SO IF YOU COULD SEE THE IMAGE, A CONFLUENCE AS WE LEARNED, IS WHEN MANY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS LIKE WATER COME TOGETHER FROM MANY DIFFERENT KIND OF STRANDS AND FORM A LARGER, MORE POWERFUL UNITED FRONT, UH, RIVER, IN OUR [01:10:01] CASE, A MOVEMENT. AND SO, UM, WE PICKED IT BECAUSE WE LIKE THE IDEA OF THAT THAT HAS BEEN AT THE CORE OF OUR WORK SINCE WE WERE FOUNDED, WHICH IS HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE TO RESPECT DIFFERENCES, TO HONOR DIFFERENCES, TO BUILD POWER TOGETHER, TO BUILD HONEST, AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY, TO LEARN HOW TO BE IN CONFLICT AND DISAGREEMENT WITH EACH OTHER WITHOUT FALLING APART OR WITHOUT TRYING TO ERASE THE DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE. SO WE THOUGHT CONFLUENCE WAS A NICE WAY TO KIND OF TRY TO COMMUNICATE THAT CERTAINLY A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BETTER, A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN, UH, UH, CONFERENCE EQUALITY AND JUSTICE. UM, AND SO RISING, WE CHOSE THAT ALSO TO TALK ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER. WHEN WE COME TOGETHER, WHEN WE DEMAND CHANGE, WE MAKE CHANGE, AND ALSO WE MAKE CHANGES THAT ARE MAY BE SOMETIMES MORE HIDDEN, SOMETIMES THAT MAY FEEL A LITTLE SMALLER. UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF OUR, A LOT OF OUR WORK IS FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE REALLY GREAT PARTNERS HERE AT LONG BEACH FORD AND, AND NAACP WHO DO A LOT OF REALLY POWERFUL ADVOCACY. AND SO PART OF WHAT OUR FOCUS IS, IS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MAYBE THE POLICY IS PASSED, RIGHT? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE ARE, SAY THEY'RE ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN THEY WANT TO MAKE CHANGE, BUT ACTUALLY HOW DO YOU DO THAT ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS? AND SO THAT'S A LOT OF WHERE OUR WORK IS FOCUSED ON, ESPECIALLY THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH ADULTS. UM, AND SO THE TEAM THAT I LEAD IN CC OR CONFLUENCE RISING, I'M STILL LEARNING THE NEW NAME. IT'S CALLED INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION. AND BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON IS HOW DO WE MAKE CHANGES TO WORKPLACES, TO ORGANIZATIONS, TO THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE REALLY WHERE VICTORIES FOR JUSTICE KIND OF FALL APART, RIGHT? UM, MANY YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A HUGE MOVEMENT TO PUSH, UH, LONG BEACH UNIFIED LA UNIFIED TO START DOING WORK AROUND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, RIGHT? SO WE WOULDN'T BE SUSPENDING AND EXPELLING, UH, ESPECIALLY BLACK AND, UH, BROWN YOUTH AND PUSHING THEM INTO THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM. AND SO THAT WAS A LOT OF MOVEMENT, A LOT OF ORGANIZING, A LOT OF ADVOCACY, A LOT OF COUNTLESS HOURS FROM PARENTS, FROM STUDENTS, FROM TEACHERS, FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED, RIGHT? WHAT, WHO IS GONNA MAKE THAT REAL? WHO IS GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S HAPPENING IN EVERY CLASSROOM? THAT IT'S [4. 25-56790 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from Confluence Rising, formally the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ), as part of the Social and Community Context Listening Session, providing background and community perspectives on related issues in Long Beach.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation.  ] NOT JUST AN OFFICIAL POLICY ON PAPER, BUT THAT WHEN A TEACHER IS FRUSTRATED, THEY'RE OVERLOADED, THEY ARE FEELING UNDER SUPPORTED, MAYBE THEY'RE FEELING UNDERPAID. HOW ARE THEY NOT GONNA LEAN INTO THE EASY THING TO SUSPEND OR EXPEL A KID, RIGHT? HOW ARE THEY GONNA LEAN INTO THE HARDER PART OF LIKE, I'M GOING TO TAP INTO THE VALUES OF ASKING QUESTIONS, MAYBE MAKING SURE THEY'VE EATEN. MAYBE I'M GONNA TRY TO SLOW DOWN AND THINK ABOUT IS MY CLASSROOM CREATING A SPACE FOR COMMUNITY? AND SO THAT'S WHERE OUR WORK FALLS INTO WHERE WE DO A LOT OF TRAINING, A LOT OF COACHING, ALSO A LOT OF, UH, FACILITATION OF FOLKS THAT ARE IN CONFLICT IN THESE ORGANIZATIONS. UM, AND WE DO IT FROM A PLACE OF NOT JUDGMENT, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT THERE TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER. LIKE THEY'RE NOT TRYING THEIR BEST, RIGHT? SO WE TRY TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT, WHICH IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR VALUES. UM, AND SO WE WORK AROUND WITH 40, UH, PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. AND THAT'S EVERYTHING FROM, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, FROM FAITH COMMUNITIES, FROM NONPROFITS, UH, LESS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THESE DAYS FOR LOTS OF REASONS I THINK WE'RE ALL NAVIGATING, UM, BUT ALSO BUSINESSES, RIGHT? SOMETIMES FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES THAT GET THAT THEY NEED TO DO THIS WORK, RIGHT? IF YOU WANNA SAY YOU'RE FOR EQUITY, YOU'VE GOTTA REDUCE BARRIERS, RIGHT? AND IT CAN'T JUST BE LIP SERVICE. UM, AND SO WE TRAIN AROUND 200, SORRY, 2000 PEOPLE EVERY YEAR THROUGHOUT, UH, NOT JUST LONG BEACH, BUT THROUGHOUT REALLY CALIFORNIA AND ACTUALLY INCREASINGLY MORE NATIONALLY AS WELL. SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT WORK, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR FOLKS WHO, UH, THEIR ORGANIZATIONS ARE UNDER ATTACK, RIGHT? FROM THEIR OWN HOME STATES. SO WE HAVE SOME PROTECTION HERE IN CALIFORNIA, SO WE'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM. AND SO WE REALLY FOCUS ON THREE KIND OF MAIN AREAS. SO WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND JUSTICE, UH, COACHING AND TRAINING WHERE REALLY WE'RE FOCUSING ON RACIAL AND GENDER JUSTICE. SO WITH RACIAL JUSTICE, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO TACKLE THINGS LIKE ANTI-BLACKNESS, RIGHT? WHICH WAS WE'RE REFERENCING, RIGHT? ROOTED IN ENSLAVEMENT WHERE WE TALK ABOUT BIAS AND, UH, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST IMMIGRANTS, WHERE WE TALK ABOUT, UM, ISSUES, UH, WHERE PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE KIND OF PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER. BUT WE ALSO TALK ABOUT KIND OF THE NORMS OF THE SOCIETY WE LIVE IN, RIGHT? THAT THERE IS THIS SENSE OF WHITE SUPREMACY, RIGHT? WE DON'T ALWAYS CALL IT THAT, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT IS, RIGHT? THERE ARE THESE NORMS AND THESE VALUES THAT KIND OF SPEAK INTO HOW WE SET UP THINGS, HOW WE STRUCTURE OUR MEETINGS, RIGHT? WHO GETS TO HEAR, BE HEARD. AND SO WE REALLY TRY TO TACKLE THAT AND HELP PEOPLE FEEL LIKE ALL OF US HAVE A ROLE IN THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT OUR IDENTITY IS. UM, AND WE ALSO THEN DO A LOT OF WORK AROUND GENDER JUSTICE. AND SO FOR US, THAT MEANS TACKLING THINGS LIKE SEXISM, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, BUT IT ALSO MEANS TACKLING, UH, OPPRESSION AGAINST TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AND NON-BINARY PEOPLE, LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO I'M TRYING TO FIND THE CONNECTIONS OF LIKE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN WE THINK OF WHAT IT, UH, IT MEANS TO BE A MAN OR A WOMAN, OR IT MEANS TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP OR IT MEANS TO BE THE NORM IN SOCIETY. AND HOW DOES THAT THEN AFFECT WHAT WE DO? RIGHT? AND I THINK THERE'S A REASON WE'RE SEEING NATIONALLY THAT ESPECIALLY TRANSGENDER PEOPLE, RIGHT, ARE UNDER SERIOUS ATTACK BECAUSE IT IS AN EASY WAY TO SCAPEGOAT THAT COMMUNITY AND BLAME THEM FOR PROBLEMS BECAUSE MAYBE THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN HOW SOME OF US ARE OR HOW WE GROW UP, RIGHT? SO WE DO A LOT OF WORK AROUND THOSE TOPICS. WE ALSO DO A LOT OF WORK ON RESTORATIVE [01:15:01] JUSTICE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAYBE WE'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER KNOWN FOR. UH, SO WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH LONG BEACH UNIFIED AROUND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE OR DOING TRAINING, UH, BOTH LIKE IN HOW TO RUN A COM COMMUNITY CIRCLE, HOW DO YOU HANDLE CONFLICT? HOW DO YOU HANDLE FIGHTS EVEN WHEN THERE'S THINGS LIKE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, RIGHT? AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IS EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THAT WHEN WE PROPERLY INVEST IN IT. UM, BUT WE ALSO DO THAT IN WORKPLACES WITH ADULTS, RIGHT? AND THAT WE SOMETIMES SEE AS A LITTLE TOUGHER, RIGHT? TRYING TO GET, UM, ADULTS TO LISTEN, RIGHT? TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY WE NEED TO MAYBE THINK ABOUT THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE SOLUTION, RIGHT? TO KIND OF MAYBE UNLEARN SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE'RE TAUGHT THAT THE GOAL OF CONFLICT IS TO BEAT SOMEONE AND WIN, RIGHT? AND HOW DO WE ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT MAYBE IT'S POSSIBLE FOR EVERYBODY TO WIN IN CONFLICT? SO THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF OUR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE TRAINING, ESPECIALLY IN THE WORKPLACE IS FOCUSED ON. UM, AND WITH AUTHORIZING CONFLICTS THAT WE'RE SEEING, IT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO TRY OUT MORE, RIGHT? INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING, WE'RE GONNA FIRE YOU OR WE'RE GONNA REFER THIS TO HR AND MAYBE NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. INSTEAD IT'S LIKE, CAN WE FIND AN ACTUAL SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS? UM, CONNECTED TO THAT IS WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO DIRECT, UH, CONFLICT FACILITATION. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF FOLKS ARE CALLING US IN TO DO WHEN THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT A CONFLICT AND IT'S STARTING TO BREAK APART THEIR ORGANIZATION. AND I WILL SAY THAT BE WITH THE RISE THAT WE'RE SEEING AGAINST IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, AGAINST OTHER MARGINALIZED GROUPS, A LOT OF FOLKS ARE UNDER TREMENDOUS STRESS AND PRESSURE AND THEY'RE UNFORTUNATELY TURNING ON EACH OTHER. UH, SO WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF CALLS FROM FOLKS WHO ARE KIND OF WHAT WE CALL LIKE KIND OF FRONTLINE FOLKS WHO ARE DIRECTLY TRYING TO PROTECT PEOPLE, TRYING TO FEED PEOPLE, TRYING TO SAVE OUR COMMUNITIES, AND THEY'RE BURNT OUT. THERE'S A LOT OF TRAUMA, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, EXHAUSTION. AND THEN YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY TAKE THAT OUT ON THE SOURCES OF THAT, OF THOSE ATTACKS ON THE COMMUNITY. IT MIGHT BE EASIER TO TELL YOUR COWORKER TO LEAVE YOU ALONE, RIGHT? OR YOU MIGHT NOT BE AS GENEROUS WITH THEM. OR YOU MIGHT THINK THAT LEADERSHIP IS NOT HONORING THE VALUES, RIGHT? SO WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING A LOT OF DIRECT SUPPORT AND TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE LIVE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND ACTUALLY ADDRESS THEIR CONFLICTS. SO I THINK WHAT ELSE I ALSO DID WANNA MENTION, 'CAUSE THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT FOR FOLKS WHO GREW UP IN LONG BEACH MIGHT KNOW OUR, OUR YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS. WE HAVE OUR BUILDING BRIDGES CAMP, WHICH SOME OF US IN THIS ROOM ARE ALUMNI OF A LOT OF FOLKS. IF YOU WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL IN LONG BEACH. UH, AND SO THAT'S A THREE DAY CAMP THAT WE PROVIDE, UH, THAT AGAIN FOCUSES, UH, CAMP ON GENDER JUSTICE. THAT'S HAPPENING THIS FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WE'RE ACTUALLY TAKING ABOUT, I THINK 80 STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER SCHOOLS TO THE MOUNTAINS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO STOP A BIT. UM, WE'LL BE HAVING A RACIAL JUSTICE CAMP IN MARCH, I BELIEVE. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THOSE CAMPS, UH, SINCE I BELIEVE THE EIGHTIES, NINE SEVENTIES FOR A VERY LONG TIME. UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR CONSCIOUS CLASSROOMS, WHICH IS OUR IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE GO TO SCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS, AND DO SOME OF THIS WORK WITH STUDENTS AND HELP THEM LEARN THESE TOOLS AND APPLY IT. UM, WE ALSO HELP THEM TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING. FOR A LOT OF STUDENTS, THEY MIGHT NOT FEEL WELCOME. THEY MIGHT NOT FEEL RESPECTED, THEY MIGHT FEEL DISCONNECTED, AND THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE WORDS FOR THAT. AND SO OUR CONSCIOUS CLASSROOMS PROGRAM HAS MANY TOPICS WHERE WE TALK ABOUT WITH STUDENTS WITH THOSE ISSUES. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO RUN, UH, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE YOUTH DIVERSION PROGRAM. SO RIGHT. ONE OF OUR CORE ISSUES IS HOW CAN WE HELP OUR YOUNG FOLKS STAY OUT OF THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM? SO WE WORK WITH LONG BEACH PD WITH LAPD. WAS THAT MY TIME? OKAY. OH, HERE YOU GO. UH, OKAY. . ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. IT'S VERY LIKE INTIMIDATING. THIS, THIS STRUCTURE , UM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE COULD TALK ABOUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE. BUT ANYWAY, UM, SO GOING BACK TO RESTORATIVE JUSTICE DIVERSION, UH, SO WE WORK WITH OUR, OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE LA COUNTY DISTRICT'S ATTORNEY OFFICE. AND INSTEAD OF HAVING YOUNG FOLKS GO THROUGH THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM, THEY'LL DIVERT THEM TO US WHERE WE DO A VERY COMPLEX IN-DEPTH RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROCESS WITH THEM. THE PEOPLE THEY HARMED, THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, THEIR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THEIR TEACHERS, UH, AND TRY TO REALLY ADDRESS THE ROOT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE MAKING THESE CHOICES AND TRY TO PROVIDE THEM WITH A WAY OF TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE HARM THEY CAUSE, WITHOUT PUNISHING THEM, WITHOUT SHAMING THEM, OR WITHOUT THROWING THEM AWAY. UM, AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT PROGRAM SINCE, UH, I BELIEVE 2014. SO IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST RESTORATIVE JUSTICE DIVERSION PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG FOLKS HERE IN CALIFORNIA. UH, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT. UM, AND EVERY YEAR ABOUT A HUNDRED, 150 STUDENTS COME THROUGH THAT PROGRAM AND WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE THEM AWAY FROM THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM. 'CAUSE ONCE THEY COMPLETE WITH US, THEIR CASE IS DISMISSED, THEIR RECORDS ARE EXPUNGED, AND THE ISSUE IS SETTLED. AND THOSE ARE FOR ISSUES AT LIKE ASSAULT, VIOLENCE, RIGHT? ROBBERY, SOMETIMES EVEN SEXUAL VI VIOLENCE, UNFORTUNATELY. SO IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT HANDLING THINGS THAT ARE MAYBE EASY, THEY'RE THINGS THAT ARE COMPLICATED, THAT ARE REAL SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IS WORKING TO HELPING PEOPLE TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THOSE THINGS. SO, AND SO, YEAH, JUST, I JUST TO SHARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS RIGHT, THAT WE WERE SEEING, UM, IS WE'RE SEEING LIKE, I THINK EVERYONE IS A HEIGHTENED AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE, DISCRIMINATION. I THINK THERE'S A FEELING THAT LIKE, UH, IT'S OKAY TO TARGET CERTAIN COMMUNITIES. AND I THINK PEOPLE WHO MAYBE [01:20:01] IN THE PAST WERE HOLDING BACK SOME OF THEIR OPINIONS AND ACTIONS, THERE'S A LOT MORE JUST KIND OF LETTING THINGS GO. SO A LOT OF OUR WORK IN WORKPLACES WE'RE HEARING IS NOT ONLY JUST MORE, UH, AGGRESSIONS LIKE SLURS, THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT ALSO JUST STRAIGHT UP DISCRIMINATION. LIKE STRAIGHT UP SAYING, WE'RE NOT GONNA PROMOTE YOU, WE'RE NOT GONNA HIRE YOU. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE. RIGHT? AND EVEN IF IN CALIFORNIA WE HAVE PRETTY STRONG NON-DISCRIMINATION LAWS. PEOPLE ARE FEELING EMBOLDENED, RIGHT? SO ESPECIALLY FOLKS WHO ARE FEELING TARGETED BECAUSE OF THEIR IMMIGRATION STATUS, BECAUSE OF THEIR RACIAL ETHNIC IDENTITIES, THEIR GENDER IDENTITIES, UM, OR ALSO EVEN RELIGION OR FAITH, RIGHT? WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF ATTACKS ON JEWISH FOLKS, A LOT OF ATTACK ON MUSLIMS FOLKS, RIGHT? SO THAT THERE'S A SENSE THAT THESE, THIS NATIONAL ISSUES ARE AFFECTING US HERE, AS WE'VE SEEN, RIGHT? WITH THE ISSUE THAT HAPPENED, UM, AND LONG BEACH PRIDE, THE ISSUE THAT WE SAW THE ISSUE HAPPEN WITH THE MLK STATUE, RIGHT? THERE'S AN IMPACT HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, WE'RE ALSO, AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, FOR THE FOLKS WHO ARE DIRECTLY KIND OF PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES AND TRYING TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES, PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED. PEOPLE ARE BURNT OUT. PEOPLE ARE FEELING UNDER SUPPORTED PEOPLE ARE, I THINK, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, FEELING HOPELESS, RIGHT? AND I THINK HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME STAYING MOTIVATED TO TAKE CARE OF THE, OUR COMMUNITIES, RIGHT? THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ORGANIZING PROTESTS, WHO ARE DOING FOOD DELIVERIES, PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING ALL THE VITAL SERVICES THAT ARE KIND OF RISING UP TO MEET THE ONSLAUGHT OF ATTACKS THAT OUR COMMUNITIES ARE FACING. UH, AND SO I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT IS HOW CAN WE PART SUPPORT THOSE FOLKS, RIGHT? HOW CAN WE TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY PUTTING THEIR BODIES IN THE LINE BETWEEN WHAT'S COMING AT, AT FOLKS, RIGHT? UM, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE DOING OUR PART TO TAKE CARE OF THEM, AND I THINK WE ALL NEED TO TEND, TEND TO THOSE FOLKS MORE. UM, SO YEAH, I THINK THOSE ARE THE MAIN THINGS. UH, I THINK I HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA PLUG TO DO. I'M NOT AS TECH SAVVY AS OTHER FOLKS, BUT HERE THEY ARE. SO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER WON'T BE MAD AT ME. UH, SO PLEASE FOLLOW US ON ALL OF THESE APPS. UH, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DANIEL, UH, AND CONFLUENCE RISING FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT, SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON WHAT WAS DISCUSSED OR ON THE THREE QUESTIONS THAT I PRESENTED, FEEL FREE TO COME UP IN LINE UP. ALRIGHT. GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND GET STARTED. OKAY. WELL, HI, GREETINGS. UM, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS CAROLYN ESSEX, AND I'M A RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH. AND I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE STOOD UP ON, UM, UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE. UM, BUT THIS, UH, THE YOUNG MAN THAT JUST SPOKE, IT ENTAILS THINGS THAT I AM ACTUALLY, UM, INVOLVED IN AS WELL, UM, AS, AS, AS WELL AS WITH THE NAACP. UM, SO A FEW WEEKS AGO I WAS VISITING, UM, OH, WELL, I SPOKE AT THE, UM, LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE APPARENTLY, UM, ALSO, UM, BEFORE I CONTINUE ON WITH THE COALITION FOR A JUST AND EQUITABLE CALIFORNIA, AND I'LL BE SPEAKING LATER ABOUT, ABOUT THAT TOO. BUT, UM, I SPOKE ON AN INCIDENT WHERE A TEACHER, AN EDUCATOR, THOUGHT IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO SEND OUT A RACIST EMAIL TO HIS COLLEAGUES. AND, UM, AND WHEN I WAS THERE, UH, ABOUT 25 OTHER PEOPLE SPOKE, UM, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. AND, UM, THE THINGS THAT I HEARD WERE JUST VERY TRAUMATIZING TO OUR BLACK COMMUNITY. IT, AND, AND IT WAS A MULTIRACIAL, UM, PRESENTATION FROM THE COMMUNITY. OUR BLACK STUDENTS ARE BEING ATTACKED, ANTI-BLACK. UM, RACISM IS OFF THE CHARTS AND NOTHING IS REALLY BEING DONE ABOUT IT. AND, AND SO I'M STANDING HERE TODAY BECAUSE I'M ASKING THIS COMMISSION AS PART OF ONE OF THE QUESTIONS TO, TO HELP US WITH ADDRESSING THIS IN THE COMMUNITY AND, AND HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE THINGS I UNDERSTAND THE EDUCATOR WAS HELD ACCOUNTABLE, BUT THIS GOES TO WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE SCHOOL ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND IT'S NOT JUST BLACK STUDENTS, BUT IT IS A PREDOMINANTLY A ANTI-BLACK ISSUE THAT IS GOING ON. AND, AND SO WHAT WE WANNA SEE, OF COURSE, WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THIS. AND, UM, WE WANNA SEE, UH, THAT, UH, IT'S ADDRESSED APPROPRIATELY AND THAT THE COMMUNITY HEARS THAT IT'S BEING ADDRESSED APPROPRIATELY AND THAT IT'S NOT DONE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I JUST BELIEVE OUR STUDENTS SHOULD SEE US, UM, STANDING UP FOR THEM. AND THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE, UM, ANYONE IS STANDING UP FOR THEM. THEY HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL AND THEY'RE BEING ATTACKED, UM, DAILY BULLY DAILY, UM, UH, FOR BEING BLACK. AND, AND THIS IS JUST, IT IS JUST RIDICULOUSNESS. [01:25:02] I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TO REALLY SHOW UP FOR OUR STUDENTS IN WAYS THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN ALSO GET INVOLVED AND SAY, WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANY OF THIS. WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR RACISM. WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE, UM, FOR, FOR, UH, UH, UH, BEING DISRESPECTFUL TO ANYONE THAT IS DIFFERENT OR OTHER THAN US. AND, UM, AND SO BASICALLY THAT'S WHAT I WANT, I WANNA SEE HAPPEN, AND I'M WILLING TO WORK CLOSELY WITH ANYONE ON THIS COMMISSION BOARD, ESPECIALLY ROBBIE. I'M SO GLAD THAT I MET YOU. THANK YOU. PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS. I'M SORRY. PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS. YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED. I'M DONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MM-HMM . THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND YES, SHOUT OUT TO COMMISSIONER BUTLER NEXT SPEAKER. HOW ARE YOU DOING? MY NAME IS, UH, REGGIE BUTLER FROM LONG BEACH, GREW UP HERE. ALL THE SCHOOLING, ALL OF THE THINGS, BUT SOME OF THE UNDERLYING ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED, I THINK, FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. SO I DO UNDERSTAND THAT CITY OF LONG BEACH IS DIFFERENT FROM LONG BEACH UNIFIED, BUT I THINK IT DOES NEED TO BE CONSORTED EFFORT FOR YOU ALL TO STEP FORWARD AND PARTNER WITH THE LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SHOW A, SHOW A FORCE THAT YOU ARE SUPPORTING ALL THE STUDENTS, BLACK STUDENTS THAT ARE DEALING WITH THE RACIST THINGS. BUT I ALSO THINK THERE'S SOME OTHER ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED, WHETHER IT BE THE, SO SOME OF THE STUDENTS FROM THE UNDERREPRESENTED SIDE, THE BLACK OR BROWN STUDENTS, THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE OTHER TRACKS ALSO FOR THEM, WHETHER IT BE THROUGH LONG BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THE VOCATIONAL SCHOOLING. I THINK THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT THAT THERE IS OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE ISSUES ARE BORN FROM THE THOUGHT THAT THERE ISN'T ENOUGH OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE. AND WHEN YOU'RE IN A COMMUNITY TOGETHER, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR RESOURCES, YOU'RE GONNA FIGHT AGAINST EACH OTHER. AND THAT'S LITERALLY BEEN THE NARRATIVE FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS IN LONG BEACH. IT HASN'T CHANGED MUCH. I MEAN, NOW IT'S THE WEATHER, IT BE THE DEFACING OF, UH, DR. KING'S STATUE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN IT BEEN IN THE PAST. BUT THE TAGGING, THE, UH, THE TAGGING OR THE OVERT SYMBOLS THAT YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE. WHETHER IT WAS KIDS WALKING FROM SILVERADO OR KIDS ON THE EAST SIDE OF LONG BEACH, THERE IS DEFINITELY THAT, UH, CULTURE OF THE SUBCULTURE THAT IS THERE. AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. AND WE HAVE PUSHED FORWARD POLICING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE ANSWER, BECAUSE AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S GONNA BE A PUSHBACK FROM THAT. I THINK IT IS A, UM, IT'S MORE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY COMING FORWARD WITH. I HEARD SOMEBODY MENTION EARLIER, RIGHT? IT'S THE PREVENTION SIDE OF IT. IT'S THE THERAPEUTIC SIDE OF IT WHERE YOU GET IN FRONT OF THE PEOPLE AND YOU TALK TO 'EM. AND ONCE YOU START TO, ONCE YOU START TO, I THINK, FILL SOME OF THOSE GAPS AND HEAL SOME OF THOSE WOUNDS, WILL, WILL GET OVER SOME OF THE HUMPS. AND IT DOES START HERE THOUGH, BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE THE EXTENSION OF THE PEOPLE. IT'S THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY. SO, LIKE I SAID, IT'S EITHER REACHING OUT TO LONG BEACH UNIFIED, IT'S PARTNERING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOWING THAT, YEAH, WE DON'T NEED TO BE POLICED. WE NEED THE POLICE TO BE THERE AS A, AS PROTECTION, BUT NOT AS AN, AS AN IMPOSING FORCE TYPE OF THING. AND WE NEED TO ALSO KNOW, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES. SO, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH, IF YOU'RE FROM LONG BEACH, YOU GO TO LBCC, IT'S FREE BASICALLY, FROM WHAT I KNOW. SO THE KIDS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE ANOTHER TRACK THAT THEY CAN GO DOWN, THAT IS THAT THEIR OPPORTUNITY IS THERE. AND THEN I THINK ONCE EVERYBODY REALIZE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AND THERE'S OTHER THINGS OUT THERE, IT'LL START TO HELP SOME OF THAT. AND FOR YOU ALL, I THINK IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PUSH IT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND PUSH IT OUT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND LET THEM KNOW THESE THINGS ARE AVAILABLE. AND THEN IT'S DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO, SORRY, I KNOW I GOT ALL MY TIME JUST RIGHT. LET'S TO DEVELOP THE STRATEGIES TO HOW YOU'RE GONNA DEPLOY THAT INFORMATION. SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME FORWARD. SEEING NONE. NOW, LET'S GO TO ONLINE. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC JOINING VIRTUALLY THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE AT THIS TIME. OR IF DIALING IN TELEPHONICALLY, PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, SO WE'LL NOW GO TO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION, ADDITIONAL ITEMS, IDEAS, [01:30:01] REFLECTIONS, QUESTIONS FOR CONFLUENCE RISING. YES, COMMISSIONER SAM, WE GOOD EVENING FOLKS. UM, I'M WONDERING IF, UH, THE PRESENTER CAN COME BACK TO THE MIC. DANIEL, DANIEL, HELLO AGAIN. , THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION, CLARIFYING QUESTION. UM, YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, GAVE US A LOT ABOUT WHAT CONFLUENCE CONF CONFLUENCE RISING DOES, AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAK TO WHAT YOU FEEL THE CITY CAN DO TO HELP, UM, CONFLUENCE RISING RE UH, FURTHER THEIR MISSION? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK JUST PICKING BACK OFF THE, THE COMMENTS WE JUST HEARD, I DO THINK THAT THIS COMMISSION PLAYS A VERY UNIQUE ROLE IN KIND OF BEING INSIDE THE SYSTEM, BUT ALSO HAVING FOLKS FROM THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH WHO I THINK ARE CONNECTED TO COMMUNITIES THAT UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, RIGHT. AND WHAT WHAT'S NEEDED. SO I THINK PUTTING, UH, FRIENDLY PRESSURE ON THE CITY IS HELPFUL. I, I THINK WHETHER IT'S THE CITY OF LONG BEACH GOVERNMENT, WHETHER IT'S LONG BEACH UNIFIED, IT IS HELPFUL TO, TO HAVE OUR, THESE INSTITUTIONS BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. AND AS INSTITU AND AS A GROUP WITHIN THAT, IT'S HELPFUL TO SAY THIS MATTERS TO US, RIGHT? AND, AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE LIMITS AND CHALLENGES AROUND LIKE A LOT OF THESE, UM, RULES AND POLICIES, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE EMPLOYEES AND THAT KIND OF STUFF, RIGHT? BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY, RIGHT? AND COMMUNITY TRANSPARENCY WHEN THINGS THAT, UH, FROM ONE LENS YOU COULD SAY MAYBE ARE TARGETING AN INDIVIDUAL OR A HANDFUL OF STUDENTS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. BUT WHEN WE ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT FROM A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LENS, LIKE ALL THESE KIND OF ISSUES WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT, UM, AFFECTED SPECIFIC PEOPLE DIRECTLY, BUT ACTUALLY IMPACTED MANY COMMUNITIES, RIGHT? THE ISSUES THAT HAPPENED WITH US BLACK STUDENTS BEING TARGETED, AFFECTED THOSE BLACK STUDENTS. AND IT ALSO AFFECTED BLACK STUDENTS THROUGHOUT, AND BLACK FAMILIES AND BLACK PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE REGION, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT JUST REINFORCES THIS SENSE THAT THESE INSTITUTIONS ARE NOT BUILT FOR BLACK FOLKS. AND AGAIN, WE SAW THAT AGAIN WITH THE, UH, THE VANDALISM THAT HAPPENED OUTSIDE OF THE LONG BEACH PRIDE ORGANIZATION. SO I THINK THAT THIS, THERE'S A ROLE IN KIND OF NAMING THAT IN SPEAKING TRUTH AND SAYING, UM, THESE ISSUES MATTER. AND IT'S NOT JUST KIND OF LIKE THE, UH, ZEROING IN THAT SOMETIMES I THINK OUR INSTITUTIONS RESPOND WITH, WHICH IS LIKE, OH, IT'S JUST ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S ABOUT PATTERNS. IT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT RIPPLE EFFECTS. AND I THINK YOU ALL, SINCE YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY OVERSEEING THOSE RESPONSES, YOU HAVE I THINK, A SPACE TO NAME THAT AND SAY, THAT IMPACTED A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND THEN THE INSTITUTIONS NEED TO SPEAK TO THAT. SO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, BUT ALSO HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH ANTI-BLACKNESS IN GENERAL, OR ANTI L-G-B-T-Q BIAS IN GENERAL, WHATEVER THE SPECIFIC THING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THEN CREATES AN OPENING FOR OUR ORGANIZATION TO COME IN AND THEN ACTUALLY START DOING SOME OF THAT WORK INSIDE AND SITTING WITH PEOPLE AND SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, HEARING SOME OF THESE FOLKS SAYING, UH, REAL HONEST THINGS, BUT THINGS THAT ARE REALLY IN INFURIATING AND ALSO CHALLENGING AND HARD AND FRUSTRATING. BUT SOMEONE HAS TO BE THERE FOR THEM TO HEAR THAT AND SAY, LET ME START TALKING TO YOU, WHY THAT'S NOT GREAT. RIGHT? AND THAT'S NOT OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK, RIGHT? LIKE, THAT'S WHAT MY ORGANIZATION DOES REALLY WELL. UM, BUT WE NEED THAT PUBLIC PRESSURE. 'CAUSE SOMETIMES FOLKS WILL ONLY BE OPEN TO THAT CHANGE TO ACTUALLY TRANSFORMING POLICIES AND CULTURE, WHICH IS THE HARD THING TO CHANGE. UM, THEY'LL ONLY BE DOING THAT WHEN THERE'S A SENSE OF LIKE, WE HAVE TO DO THIS. THERE'S ENOUGH PRESSURE ON US THAT PEOPLE ARE WATCHING US. AND SO I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF POWERFUL GROUPS HERE IN LONG BEACH THAT DO A GOOD JOB OF THAT. AND WE ALSO NEED SOME INSIDER FOLKS TO PUT SOME OF THAT PRESSURE. UM, AND I KNOW THAT COULD BE TRICKY, BUT I THINK THAT IS ACTUALLY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE FOR THE SPECIFIC WORK THAT WE DO TO GET US, UH, BROUGHT INSIDE TO DO SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE CAN DO AND THAT WE KNOW THAT WE DO WORKS WELL WHEN WE WE'RE BROUGHT IN. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR SPEAKING. I, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU, BUT, BUT, UH, UH, UH, WHILE WE CAN ADDRESS, UH, UH, MEMBERS WHEN YOU COME UP AND SPEAK, I, I, UH, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS DID INSPIRE ME TO, UH, TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR, FOR OUR YOUTH. UM, ONE OF MY OTHER ROLES, UM, ALONG WITH, UH, DR. BATS IS I'M ON THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS FOR LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE. AND, UM, I'M ALSO A, A 13 YEAR, UM, UH, PARENT IN THE L-B-U-S-D SYSTEM. HE, HE DIDN'T FLUNK. I'M COUNTING KINDERGARTEN. OKAY. SO JUST FOR THE RECORD, , UH, UH, AND, AND I'M VERY ACTIVE AT MY SCHOOL SITE, UH, UH, ERNEST MCBRIDE, UH, HIGH SCHOOL. UM, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TRIED TO, ON THE SCHOOL SIDE, ON THE COLLEGE SIDE, TRY TO GET WORD OUT. UH, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES YOU HAVE FOR YOUR CHILDREN, UH, OR FOR, FOR KIDS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, STARTING I BELIEVE IN THE EIGHTH GRADE, UH, IS IT'S CALLED, UH, DUAL ENROLLMENT. UM, WHERE STARTING IN, IN THE EIGHTH GRADE, I BELIEVE IT'S IN EIGHTH GRADE, [01:35:01] BUT CERTAINLY THE NINTH GRADE, YOU CAN ATTEND LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE FOR FREE. THERE IS A, UM, SOMETHING CALLED THE THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE. AND THAT GIVES YOU, AS LONG AS YOU ATTEND THE, THE 13TH, UH, THE 13TH YEAR, UH, WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER GRADUATING, YOU GET TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE FOR FREE. AND THAT IS, UH, UH, THE BEST $20,000 COUPON YOU CAN GET TOWARDS A FOUR YEAR DEGREE. UM, YOU GET TO ATTEND COLLEGE FOR, FOR FREE FOR TWO YEARS IF YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THE L-B-U-S-D. UM, BUT THE, THE, THE NEWER AND AND LESSER KNOWN THING IS DUAL ENROLLMENT STARTING, UH, EARLY MIDDLE SCHOOL. UH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN EITHER TAKE, UM, CLASSES ON CAMPUS, UM, UH, THEY OFFER TWO OR THREE CLASSES. UH, I I THINK ON EACH CAMPUS AT LEAST, THEY DO DO AT MCBRIDE, WHERE YOU CAN GET, UH, UH, COLLEGE CREDITS AND TAKE THOSE CLASSES AT THE SAME, SAME TIME ON CAMPUS. UH, UH, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT'S BETTER. IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN THE, THE, THE A THE AP THING, WHATEVER YOU THINK ABOUT AP. BUT YOU CAN ALSO TAKE CLASSES AT THE COLLEGE. MY SON IS A, A, BOTH A STUDENT OF LBSD AND LBCC, UH, AND SOME KIDS IN OUR SCHOOL, AND SOME KIDS PROBABLY AT EVERY SCHOOL, YOU, YOU'RE ABLE TO GET ENOUGH CREDITS. YOU CAN GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL WITH A COLLEGE DEGREE, UM, IF YOU START SOON ENOUGH. UH, SO, UM, AND IT'S FREE. UH, IF YOU TAKE THE CLASSES ON CAMPUS, THE LIMITED OFFERINGS THEY HAVE, YOU, THERE'S NO COST. IF YOU DO THE DUAL DUAL IMMERSION WHERE YOU'RE GOING ON CAMPUS AT LBCC OR ONLINE, UH, YOU MAY HAVE TO BUY MATERIALS, YOU MAY HAVE TO BUY BOOKS. BUT I ENCOURAGE ANYBODY THAT KNOWS A KID, UH, UH, GET STARTED, START THINKING ABOUT IT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WANNA DO FOR A LIVING. UH, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PICK YOUR PATHWAY IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT GET YOUR KID REGISTERED FOR LBCC AS SOON AS YOU CAN. THEY USE, UH, CANVAS, UH, IF ANYBODY IS IN HIGH SCHOOL, CANVAS IS THE ONLINE, UH, UH, TOOL THAT SCHOOLS USE TO, UM, FOR HOMEWORK AND COMMUNICATIONS. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT VERSION LBCC. BUT PLEASE, I WISH WE HAD STARTED SOONER. UH, UM, UH, LET YOUR KIDS LET YOUR CLIENTS KNOW ABOUT, UH, DUAL IMMERSION WITH LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE. IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S JUST THE BEST COLLEGE LB L-B-U-S-D STUDENTS. ALSO, UH, IF THEY KEEP A CERTAIN GPA GET AUTOMATIC ACCEPTANCE TO LONG BEACH STATE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST APPLIED TO, UH, UM, COLLEGES IN THE COUNTRY. BUT, UH, UM, I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY TO KNOW ABOUT, UH, THE LBCC, UH, DUAL ENROLLMENT. SO THANKS FOR LETTING ME, UH, UH, SHARE. I THINK I GOT EVERYTHING CORRECT THERE. UH, UH, AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING AND THANKS TO EVERYBODY THAT CAME OUT AND, AND, AND SPEAK OUT. I JUST, I LOVE HEARING PUBLIC COMMENTS AND I SEE JACKIE RAY OUT THERE, AND I'VE BEEN A FAN OF HER BEFORE. I, I LEARNED TODAY. SHE'S, YOU GOT HER AS, UH, NO, THEY GOT JACKIE . THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. THEY GOT JACKIE AS THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. BUT IT, UH, I FINALLY GOT TO MEET HER IN PERSON. SHE'S LIKE, SORRY, I'M FOLLOWING HER A LONG TIME. . UH, UM, SO THAT, THAT'S IT. I'LL CUE OUT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, DANIEL. UM, SO I KNOW THAT YOU WORK WITH BOTH ADULTS AND STUDENTS MM-HMM . AND SO IN ORDER TO, TO MAKE CULTURE SHIFTS, IT HAS TO BE INTERGENERATIONAL MM-HMM . UM, AND YOU HOST MANY DIFFERENT DIALOGUES AND SOMETIMES INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUES AS WELL. UM, WHAT HAS BEEN SOME LIKE AHA MOMENTS OR LIKE, UM, PROMISING PRACTICES OR LIKE, UM, LIKE THIS IS WORKING TO, TO KIND OF CHANGE THAT MINDSET OR UNLEARN SOME OF THOSE BAD HABITS THAT LEAD TOWARDS MISUNDERSTANDING BIAS AND CONFLICT IN YOUR EXPERIENCE? YEAH, NO, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY, IT'S ABOUT CONNECTION. I THINK WHEN WE ARE HUMAN TO EACH OTHER, IT'S A LOT HARDER, I THINK, TO GIVE INTO THESE NARRATIVES AND STORIES WHEN ACTUALLY I'VE MET SOMEBODY FROM A COMMUNITY THAT MAYBE I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT, OR MAYBE I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH, OR MAYBE I EVEN THINK I DON'T LIKE, OR MAYBE I'VE HAD NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES WITH. UM, IT'S EASY TO JUST KINDA LIVE IN THAT, RIGHT, IN THOSE KIND OF NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS OR, AND EVEN THAT BIAS OR THAT, UH, ALIGNMENT WITH KIND OF THESE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION. BUT I THINK IT'S A LOT HARDER WHEN PEOPLE ARE REALLY HUMANIZED. AND I DON'T MEAN JUST LIKE CHITCHAT, SMALL TALK, BUT LIKE, WHEN WE'VE ACTUALLY SHARED DEEPLY, RIGHT? AND A LOT OF OUR WORK IS DIALOGUE BASED, WHICH IS HOW DO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES? HOW DO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THEY CARE ABOUT? HOW DO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT DRIVE THEM, THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO THEM, THE THINGS THAT MAYBE WORRY THEM THAT KEEP 'EM UP [01:40:01] AT NIGHT? UM, AND I THINK IT'S A LOT HARDER TO THEN DISMISS THAT EXPERIENCE WHEN SOMEONE ISN'T JUST LIKE AN ABSTRACT NAME OR AN ABSTRACT GROUP AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH YEAH, THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, CHRIS, WHO I TALKED TO FOR THREE HOURS. AND WE TALKED ABOUT REALLY INTENSE STUFF AND I SHARED THINGS THAT I MAYBE NEVER SHARED WITH OTHER PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF MY FRIENDS, RIGHT? AND OUR, IN OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS, WE SEE THAT QUITE A BIT. THE CAMP THAT WE'RE HAVING THIS WEEKEND, THAT IS ONE OF ITS POWERS AND THAT'S WHY IT'S ENDURED. AND THAT'S WHY A LOT OF FOLKS WHO GO TO IT, I MYSELF WENT TO THE CAMP WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL IN 10TH GRADE, AND I BECAME A VOLUNTEER. AND I'VE STAYED INVOLVED IN THE ORGANIZATION SINCE, BECAUSE I STILL REMEMBER THOSE CONVERSATIONS. LIKE AT 1:00 AM IN OUR CABIN WHEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP. UM, AND SOMEONE TELLING ME ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, A, A BLACK PERSON, FOR EXAMPLE. I REMEMBER I MADE A REALLY IMPORTANT CONNECTION WITH SOMEBODY. UM, I ALSO ASKED THE FIRST, FIRST TIME I MET SOMEBODY WHO WAS UNDOCUMENTED THAT I KNEW ABOUT. THAT WAS ALSO THE FIRST TIME I MET SOMEBODY WHO WAS TRANSGENDER, ALTHOUGH IN THE NINETIES, RIGHT? WE WERE STILL KIND OF FIGURING OUT SOME OF THOSE TERMS, BUT THOSE EXPERIENCES, AND I STILL AM FRIENDS WITH THOSE PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT'S THE THING THAT WHEN SOMETIMES I'M BEING SATURATED WITH ALL THESE MESSAGES AND I'M LIKE, WAIT, ACTUALLY THAT'S NOT TRUE BECAUSE THIS PERSON TOLD ME IT WASN'T TRUE. RIGHT? AND SO THAT KEEPS US ANCHORED. SO I THINK THAT'S THE POWER OF DIALOGUE. AND I, AND I THINK WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT LOOKING AT GENERATIONAL INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUE, THAT'S OFTEN SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO HELP PEOPLE DO. SO, AND I THINK, TO BE HONEST, ADULTS, WE'RE OFTEN USED TO JUST BEING ABLE TO TAKE CHARGE, HAVE OUR OPINION, AND MAKE, AND I EXPECT YOUNG PEOPLE TO LIKE JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO US. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE TRY TO DO IS HOW DO WE CHALLENGE OURSELVES TO BE LIKE, MAYBE YOU ACTUALLY AREN'T THE ONE WHO KNOWS THE MOST ABOUT SOMETHING, JUST 'CAUSE YOU'RE OLDER, RIGHT? ACTUALLY, MAYBE IT'S THIS YOUNG PERSON WHO'S GOT THIS LIVED EXPERIENCE, WHO'S GOT A WISDOM AND WE'RE BLOCKING FROM HEARING THAT, OR BLOCKING THEM FROM HAVING POWER TO BRING THAT WISDOM INTO THEIR LIVES OR SCHOOLS, THEIR FAMILIES. SO A LOT OF THAT IS ALSO JUST KIND OF TRYING TO SLOW US DOWN AND SAY, MAYBE LET'S TRY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT INSTEAD OF JUST JUMPING INTO WHAT WE'RE USED TO DOING. RIGHT? AND THEN THAT CREATES A SPACE, I THINK, FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE LESS POWER IN THIS SENSE, YOUNG FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO MAYBE SAY LIKE, MAYBE I'M GONNA BE REAL WITH THIS ADULT. MAYBE I'M ACTUALLY GONNA TELL THEM WHAT I'M THINKING, RIGHT? 'CAUSE MAYBE THEY'RE ACTUALLY JUST BEING QUIET FOR A MINUTE AS OPPOSED TO JUST TRYING TO TELL ME WHAT I, WHAT I SHOULD BE THINKING OR FEELING. UM, SO I THINK WE TRY TO TAKE THAT APPROACH AND IT WORKS, RIGHT? WHEN PEOPLE FEEL RESPECTED AND PEOPLE FEEL EMPOWERED AND CARED FOR, WE SEE THEIR AUTHENTIC SELVES COME OUT, RIGHT? AND THAT'S WHERE TRANSFORMATION HAPPENS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, COMMISSIONER GILLETTE AND THEN COMMISSIONER FLORES. YES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. YOU MENTIONED DURING YOUR PRESENTATION THAT IN YOUR WORK YOU HAVE FOUND SOME COMMUNITY LEADERS OR ORGANIZATIONS TURNING ON EACH OTHER JUST BECAUSE OF THE TIMES THAT WE'RE FACING NOW. UM, I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON HOW WE AS A COMMUNITY, THE CITY, CAN ALLEVIATE THOSE TENSIONS, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN FOCUS ON THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. UM, I MEAN, EVEN PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS OR PSYCHIATRISTS, THEY NEED THAT TIME TO KIND OF JUST RECHARGE. HOW CAN WE RECHARGE THE COMMUNITY LEADERS SO THAT THEY COULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING? YEAH, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. AND, AND IT'S A BIGGER CHALLENGE THAN JUST THE CITY GOVERNMENT, UM, OR THIS COMMISSION. BUT I THINK A BIG THING OFTEN CAN START WITH FUNDING. UM, IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH FOR STAFF TO GET, YOU KNOW, EVEN SOMETIMES FOOD UNDER SOME FUNDING CONTRACTS THAT WE GET. AND SO IT'S LIKE JUST SIMPLE THINGS LIKE EVEN STARTING, LIKE HOW, WHAT ARE THE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD USE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS? HOW CAN WE START GIVING PEOPLE THE SPACE TO SAY, ACTUALLY MAYBE INSTEAD OF LIKE, CHURNING OUT A LOT OF NUMBERS TO FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING GOOD WORK, MAYBE YOU SHOULD DO SOME OF THIS MONEY WE'RE GIVING YOU TO HIRE A THERAPIST FOR THE DAY AND YOU ALL CAN KIND OF, OF HAVE SOMEONE TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT AROUND. SO I THINK THERE'S THINGS LIKE THAT ARE, ARE, THAT SOUND A LITTLE SIMPLE, BUT I THINK SHIFTING THE CULTURE AND THE DYNAMIC AROUND POWER AND WHAT'S A LEGITIMATE USE OF, OF PUBLIC MONEY IS A BIG CHALLENGE. AND A LOT OF NONPROFITS, A LOT OF COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE USED TO KIND OF JUST PUTTING THEMSELVES LAST AND THEN THAT, THAT STARTS WITH HOW THE PUBLIC SEES A LOT OF THE WORK THAT NONPROFITS AND OTHER WORK GROUPS DO. AND THEN IT PERMEATES DOWN TO THEN MAYBE THE MANAGER IS NOT GONNA BE SO PATIENT WITH THEIR STAFF WHO WANTS TO CALL OFF. 'CAUSE LIKE MAYBE THERE WAS AN ICE RAID IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEY JUST NEED TO MAYBE TAKE A DAY BEFORE THEY COME BACK TO TAKING CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO SURVIVE THE SITUATION. AND WE ALWAYS DON'T HAVE THE SPACE FOR THE MANAGER TO SAY, YEAH, DO THAT. TAKE THE DAY, RIGHT? HOW CAN I TAKE CARE OF YOU? RIGHT. DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOU TAKING CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE. AND THAT DYNAMIC IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK A LOT OF US, ESPECIALLY IN WORKPLACE SETTINGS, HAVE A HARD TIME ALLOWING FOR. SO I THINK EVEN JUST HAVING THE CONVERSATION AROUND FUNDING, BUT I THINK EVEN JUST PUTTING THE, THE, THE MESSAGE, YOU ALL CREATED THIS GREAT EVENT TODAY, RIGHT? FOR US TO DO LISTENING, BUT WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF YOU INVITED MAYBE COMMUNITY LEADERS OR IF YOU ACTUALLY, YOU'RE BETTER IF YOU INVITED THE FRONTLINE FOLKS, RIGHT? IF YOU INVITED THE CASE MANAGERS, THE ORGANIZERS, THE COUNSELORS, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY HOLDING [01:45:01] SO MUCH AND GAVE THEM A DAY, RIGHT? OR GAVE THEM A SPACE TO KIND OF SHARE AND REFLECT OR JUST BE TAKEN CARE OF, RIGHT? I THINK THERE'S ACTIONS LIKE THAT THAT COULD AT LEAST POINT THE WAY TO, THERE'S PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WE'RE NOT TAKEN CARE OF, AND THEY'RE HOLDING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH A TREMENDOUSLY DIFFICULT TIME. UM, I THINK THOSE ARE JUST THINGS THAT THIS COMMISSION COULD DO. I THINK THERE'S BIGGER THINGS THAN LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO FUND US AND FOUNDATIONS AND THAT KIND OF STUFF CAN DO. AND I THINK ALSO JUST THE PUBLIC, WHEN THEY SEE HOW WE USE THEIR TAX DOLLARS, CAN, CAN REMEMBER THAT IT'S PEOPLE DOING REALLY IMPORTANT, COMPLICATED HARD WORK THAT NOBODY ELSE IS DOING, RIGHT? THAT, THAT OFTEN ARE UNDER SUPPORTED. THEY THEMSELVES ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE BEING ATTACKED AND THEY ARE NOT GETTING PAID ENOUGH AND THEY DON'T, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S ALL THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES, BUT THAT I DON'T WANNA MAYBE, WELL I DO WANNA OPEN THAT, BUT ANYWAY, YEAH. SO THAT WAS KIND OF AN ANSWER, BUT NOT, I THINK IT'S JUST MORE COMPLICATED THAN JUST EVEN WHAT THIS COMMISSION CAN DO. BUT I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION. COMMISSIONER FLORES. YES. I JUST WANTED TO, UH, SAY THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BRINGING UP LBCC AND THE DUAL, UM, WHAT IS IT? DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM. THAT'S AMAZING. LBCC IS AMAZING AND I'VE SHARED IN THE PAST SINCE MR. BUTLER WAS TALKING ABOUT EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THAT LBCC HAS IN NORTH LONG BEACH. UM, A CENTER THAT'S CALLED NORTH LONG BEACH HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER. AND IT'S A COLLABORATION WITH LBCC, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, I DUNNO IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR. AND ALSO PACIFIC GATEWAY WORKFORCE. AND SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY PROVIDE RESOURCES AND CAREER, CAREER PLACEMENT, LBCC ENROLLMENT SUPPORT. IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO ENROLL, THEY'LL HELP YOU WITH THAT. TUITION FREE NON-CREDIT CLASSES, UH, SHORT TERM WORKFORCE TRAINING AND SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. IT'S A SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER. SO LET'S LOOK AT ALL THE RESOURCES AND HOPEFULLY WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONSTANTLY PROMOTE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE SO THAT, UH, WE CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER FLORES. MM-HMM . UM, ANY OTHERS? YES, COMMISSIONER SENATE WHILE, UM, JUST CLARIFICATION CHAIR, IS IT, IS IT TOO LATE TO ASK, UM, THE, UH, REPRESENTATIVE FROM NAACP A QUESTION OR I'M JUST REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT ONE OF THE LAST STATEMENTS. SHE IS. I'VE BEEN, IT'S CONVENIENT. IT IS. OKAY. UM, I RESPECTFULLY SEED MY TIME TO THE NAACP REPRESENTATIVE IF THAT HELPS , PROCEDURALLY YES, IT IS PAST THE TIME. OKAY. HOWEVER, ASK THE QUESTION AND THEN MAYBE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT IT CAN BE ANSWERED. OKAY. PERFECT. OKAY. SO THE QUESTION WAS, UM, YOU HAD SAID THERE WAS A STATEMENT THAT WAS SET AT THE END OF YOUR, UM, PRESENTATION WHERE YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MLK PARADE WAS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO, BUT YOU DIDN'T GIVE SPECIFIC SPEC SPECIFICATIONS OR SPECIFICITIES. AND I'M VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT THE CONTEXT WAS BEHIND THAT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. AND THERE IS ALSO AFTER THE MEETING AS WELL, , 'CAUSE THAT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY LONG ANSWER. , UM, I WONDER WHAT, OKAY, COOL. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR DANIEL AND CONFLUENCE RISING? SEEING NONE, THANK YOU. YES, COMMISSIONER BUTLER. SO, UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU GUYS HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS, DO YOU ALSO USE PUBLIC SPACES SUCH AS LIBRARIES TO CONDUCT ANY OF YOUR ACTIVITIES OR IS IT JUST AT YOUR SPECIFIC LOCATIONS? YEAH, NO, THAT, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. WE DEFINITELY DO, UH, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR RESTORATIVE, UH, JUSTICE DIVERSION PROGRAM. UH, SO PART OF THAT PROCESS IS WE MEET WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES TO GET THEM READY TO HAVE A, A, A, WHAT WE CALL A CIRCLE WITH THE PEOPLE THEY HARMED, RIGHT? SO IF WE'RE WORKING WITH A YOUNG PERSON WHO COMMITTED SOME KIND OF ASSAULT ON SOMEONE, WE'LL MEET WITH THEM IN A PRIVATE SPACE OF THE LIBRARY. 'CAUSE LIBRARIES OFTEN HAVE MEETING ROOMS FOR THAT. UM, AND IT'S LIKE A NEUTRAL SPACE, RIGHT? AND ESPECIALLY IF THE YOUNG PERSON'S NOT ABLE TO GET TO OUR OFFICES, RIGHT? OR THEY'RE JUST MAYBE NOT FEELING COMFORTABLE. SO WE DEFINITELY USE LIBRARIES QUITE A BIT. UM, AND THEY'RE A GOOD RESOURCE. UM, I SOMETIMES I JUST WISH THEY WERE OPEN LATER, RIGHT? BECAUSE SOMETIMES FOLKS CAN ONLY MEET AT SIX, SEVEN O'CLOCK AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS WHEN THE LIBRARIES ARE OPEN, THEIR MEETING ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE. SO THAT'S ACTUALLY MAYBE ANOTHER PUBLIC FUNDING ISSUE THERE, RIGHT THERE. THEY DID COME DURING THIS BUDGET SEASON ASKING FOR MORE MONEY TO EXTEND THE HOURS GOOD FOR THE LIBRARIES. YEAH. AND THEY WERE DENIED WE'RE IN A DEATH. HELL Y'ALL. YEAH. ANY ADDITION, ANY SPACE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU? UH, NOT FOR US, BUT I KNOW FOR SOME OTHER, OTHER GROUPS RIGHT, IT IS FINDING A SPACE, RIGHT? YEAH. BUT FOR US IT'S, THE LIBRARIES ARE A PRETTY GOOD RESOURCE FOR THE, THAT WORK. AND MAYBE WE'LL HEAR ABOUT AN AMAZING ONE IN [01:50:01] SOUTH CENTRAL LONG BEACH, THE YOUTH CENTER YOUTH ORGANIZING CENTER, I THINK IT'S CALLED. UM, BUT WE'LL HEAR ABOUT THAT LATER. UM, OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, DISCUSSIONS? SEEING NONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENT. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, DANIEL. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WITH THAT WE'RE GONNA GO TO ITEM NUMBER TWO BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CALL THE VOTE FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR? ABSOLUTELY. MAYBE WE HAVE A ROLL CALL. VOTE FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR. ARE ARE YOU SURE? YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY, IF YOU'D LIKE TO PROVIDE A VOICE VOTE, I CAN TAKE THAT. YES, I RECEIVED YOUR YES. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES, THANK YOU. AND COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES. YES. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE VOTE. UH, WE'LL GO TO ITEM NUMBER TWO. [2. 25-56788 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from Long Beach Forward as part of the Social and Community Context Listening Session, providing background and community perspectives on related issues in Long Beach.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation.  ] ITEM NUMBER TWO IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM LONG BEACH FORWARD AS PART OF THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT LISTENING SESSION, PROVIDING BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES ON RELATED ISSUES IN LONG BEACH. ALL RIGHT. THE ITEM WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY AND ALSO SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER COLE. UM, SO AS LONG BEACH FORWARD IS, UH, MAKING THEIR WAY UP, I JUST WANNA REMIND FOLKS OF THE THREE QUESTIONS. UM, WHAT DOES BEING INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY MEAN TO YOU? HOW CAN WE ALL WITH THE HELP OF THE CITY MAKE IT EASIER AND MORE ENJOYABLE? HOW DOES DISCRIMINATION SHOW UP IN YOUR DAILY LIFE AND IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS RESOURCES OR PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES? AND HOW CAN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH BETTER PARTNER WITH YOUR COMMUNITY? UH, WITH THAT, WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO LONG BEACH FORWARD. GO FOR IT JAMES. ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. UM, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS, CITY STAFF AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THANKS Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE LATE ON THIS, WHATEVER. IT'S WEDNESDAY NIGHT. I'M GOING ON VACATION TOMORROW, SO I'M GONNA BE READING MY NOTES BECAUSE MY MIND IS GONE ALREADY. UM, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE INVITATION FOR US TO BE HERE. UM, AS I SAID, MY NAME IS JAMES SCHWAZO. MY PRONOUNS ARE HE AND HIM. UM, AND I HAVE THE HONOR AND PLEASURE OF PLAYING THE ROLE OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT LONG BEACH FORWARD. UM, I'M GONNA START CALLING ROSE PARK SOUTH CENTRAL LONG BEACH, SO THAT'S GREAT. UM, , I'M ALSO A RESIDENT OF THE SIXTH DISTRICT AND I'VE CALLED LONG BEACH HOME FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS AND LONG BEACH FORWARD MY ORGANIZING HOME FOR 11 AND A HALF YEARS. SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED, UM, ON BEHALF OF OUR PARTNERS AND OUR MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION TO BE PART OF THIS REALLY UNIQUE CONVERSATION AND PUBLIC FORUM TO DI DISCUSS AND DISSECT THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING. UM, TONIGHT, UH, MYSELF ALONG WITH MEMBERS FROM OUR TEAM ARE GONNA SHARE MORE ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION AND COLLECTIVE VISION AND WHAT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND POWER BUILDING MEANS TO US, UM, AND HOW WE EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTAND THE SOCIETAL PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, WHEN WE GOT THIS INVITATION, I WAS LIKE, OH, THIS IS OUR BREAD AND BUTTER. THIS IS A, THIS IS A NORMAL TUESDAY NIGHT. WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SO IS IT THE GREEN BUTTON THAT I PUSH? OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, . SO TO BEGIN, LONG BEACH FORWARD IS A GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT CREATES A HEALTHY LONG BEACH WITH LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES OF COLOR BY BUILDING COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE, LEADERSHIP, AND POWER. AS A HYPER-LOCAL ORGANIZATION, OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS SEE US AS A MULTICULTURAL AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL THIRD SPACE FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND MOVEMENT BUILDING WHERE WE CAN COLLECTIVELY ADVANCE RACIAL, SPATIAL ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE WITHIN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. WE DO ALL OF THIS BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT RACE AND INCOME SHOULDN'T DETERMINE SOMEONE'S FUTURE IN THE CITY. AND WE SEEK TO CO-CREATE A SAFE, CONNECTED AND HEALTHY LONG BEACH ROOTED IN BELONGING, LIBERATION, AND LOVE. SO WHEN WE ENGAGE IN OUR POPULAR, POPULAR EDUCATION WORK, I OFTEN SAY THAT PEOPLE HAVE 99 PROBLEMS AND THEY'RE NOT LOOKING FOR ANOTHER. UM, THAT'S VERY MUCH THE CASE WITH MANY OF US, RIGHT? IN REALITY, WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT CONCERNED WITH JUST POVERTY OR JUST FOOD INSECURITY OR JUST NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME. RATHER, IT IS THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT AND THE CHRONIC STRESS FROM ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS THAT COMPOUND INEQUITY AND COMPLICATE SOLUTION BUILDING. THIS IS WHY WE ORIENT OURSELVES ALONG THESE FOUR NORTH STARS. RACIAL JUSTICE, INCLUSIVE OF RACE, CULTURE, AND ETHNICITY. [01:55:01] SPATIAL JUSTICE, EXPLORING THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF THE LAND WE OCCUPY, HOW WE USE IT, AND THE MOVEMENT OF HOUSING AND DISPLACEMENT, ECONOMIC JUSTICE THAT CHALLENGES THE DYNAMICS OF CLASS POVERTY AND WEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE THAT PROMOTES EQUITABLE ACCESS AND ATTAINMENT TO KNOWLEDGE. OUR ORGANIZATION BEGAN IN 2010 AS THE BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITY'S LONG BEACH HUB ORGANIZATION, THE LONGEST AND SEXIEST NAME EVER. UM, AND WE REBRANDED SIMILAR TO CONFLUENCE RISING IN 2018 TO LONG BEACH FORWARD, TO ALIGN WITH OUR EXPANDED SCOPE APPROACH AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE MULTI-ISSUE AND VALUES-BASED ORGANIZING WORK THAT OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS SOUGHT TO COLLABORATE ON. THIS YEAR, WE CELEBRATED OUR QUINCEANERA 15 YEARS OF BEING ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE'RE SET TO UNVEIL A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN IN THE BEGINNING OF 2026. Y'ALL ARE GONNA GET THE PARTY INVITATION. IT'LL BE COMING SOON. AND OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, WE'VE PLAYED A COLLABORATIVE ROLE IN SEVERAL DEEPLY AND WIDELY FELT ISSUES, INCLUDING COMMUNITY LED WINS ON LANGUAGE ACCESS, INCLUSIONARY HOUSING, COUNTYWIDE FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH MEASURE A STREET VENDING LEGALIZATION JUSTICE REFORM THROUGH PROPOSITION 47 EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS FOR IEP STUDENTS AND L-B-U-S-D AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH FUND AND ADJOINING, UH, PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROCESSES AMONG OTHERS. SO I WILL PASS IT OVER TO, I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF. IT WAS LIKE DOT, DOT DOT . UM, SO HI EVERYONE. MY NAME IS KIMBERLY LIM, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER WITH LONG BEACH FORD AND A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE. UM, SO I'M GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR VALUES AND PRINCIPLES. WHEN THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PART OF A COMMUNITY WE IDENTIFY WITH AND BE INVOLVED IN COLLECTIVE EFFORTS, WE TURN INTO OUR SHARED VALUES AND PRINCIPLES FOR GUIDANCE. THESE ARE A SUMMARIZED SAMPLE OF OUR VALUES AND PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE OUR ORGANIZING WORK. SO FIRST PURPOSE. WE STAY GROUNDED IN PURPOSE AND VALUES SO THAT WE CAN BE AND DO THE BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AS ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZERS COMMITTED TO BUILDING LONG-TERM POWER, WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SEEKING JUSTICE PATIENT WITH THE PROCESS OF CHANGE AND SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER AND OUR COMMUNITY. FAIRNESS. WE WORK WITH GROUPS OFTEN NOT INVITED TO THE TABLE TO ENSURE THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD. THEY CAN LEAD CHANGE AND OUR DEMOCRACY IS STRENGTHENED. OPPORTUNITY AND PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL PROCESSES SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRAINED BY INCOME OR RACE. UM, INTEGRITY. WE SUPPORT PEOPLE TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE AND WE ARE COMMITTED AND ACCOUNTABLE TO HELP PUSH THIS CHANGE FORWARD. STANDING ON THE SIDE OF JUSTICE IS SYNONYMOUS WITH CONFLICT, BUT AS WE TEACH ABOUT NARRATIVE CHANGE, A GREAT MESSAGE DOESN'T SAY WHAT'S ALREADY POPULAR. A GREAT MESSAGE MAKES POPULAR WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID. COLLABORATION. OUR ORGANIZATION CANNOT DO IT ALONE. WE ARE ONLY STRONGER WORKING TOGETHER AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS AND DECISION MAKERS IS ACHIEVED BY THE SHARED GOALS. CONNECTION. WE CREATE A SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER AND BE PART OF A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES AND WORKING TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. BELONGING. EVERYONE DESERVES TO FEEL BELONGING TO A GROUP, A PLACE, AND A HOME. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF BELONGING OVER OTHERING AND ACTIVELY SEEK TO CULTIVATE BRAVE SPACES TO SPEAK UP, CONNECT ACROSS OUR DIFFERENCES, AND HONOR OUR INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENTS TO LEARNING, GROWING, AND STRUGGLING TOWARDS A BIGGER VISION. FOR A BETTER WORLD CHANGE, WE TRANSFORM HOW BUSINESS IS DONE AND DECISIONS ARE MADE BY ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES AND SUPPORTING THOSE AFFECTED TO LEAD THE CHARGE. WE SEEK LONG LASTING CHANGE TODAY, SOLIDARITY. WE VALUE THE ABILITY TO WORK ACROSS DIFFERENCES, IDENTIFY COMMON GROUND WITH OTHERS, AND PROVIDE MUTUAL SUPPORT, VISIBILITY AND COMPASSION. WE CONNECT THE HYPER-LOCAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL FROM PGA TO PALESTINE. ABOLITION, WE RECOGNIZE AND ARE AWARE OF THE SOCIETAL PRESSURES PLACED ON US BY POVERTY AND THE INEQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF MONEY AND RESOURCES. THIS IS WHY WE ACTIVELY WORK TO BUILD THE CONNECTIONS, THE RELATIONSHIPS AND LA AND LANDSCAPE THAT CAN END OUR RELIANCE ON POLICING, PRISONS AND SURVEILLANCE. AS ANSWERS TO OUR COMMUNITY PROBLEMS, MULTI-TENDENCY, WE VALUE AND EMPLOY ALL THE TOOLS OF SOCIAL CHANGE IN COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS, INCLUDING DIRECT SERVICES, MUTUAL AID RESEARCH, POLICY ADVOCACY, AND DIRECT ACTION ORGANIZING. WE RECOGNIZE THAT DIFFERENT APPROACHES AND METHODS OF SOCIAL CHANGE LEAD TO A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM. RELATIONSHIPS. WE ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ONE ANOTHER. [02:00:01] RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE BEDROCK THAT HELP US WORK THROUGH MISTAKES, CONFLICTS, AND THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS OF OUR STRUGGLE TOWARDS A BETTER WORLD. CREATIVITY. WE SEE ARTS AND WE SEE CULTURE AS INTEGRAL PARTS OF SOCIAL CHANGE AND MOVEMENT BUILDING. TOO OFTEN THE STRESS OF LIVING AND PROVIDING FOR OUR FAMILIES ROB US OF TIMES AND SPACE TO BE CREATIVE AND USE OUR IMAGINATIONS. CREATIVITY ALLOWS US TO INSPIRE OTHERS AND IMAGINE NEW POSSIBILITIES. EXPERIMENTATION, WE SEE ALL ORGANIZING AS SCIENCE FICTION BECAUSE WE ARE CREATING A CITY THAT DOES NOT YET EXIST. WE EXPERIMENT WITH NEW MODELS AND TOOLS OF MOVING PEOPLE INTO ACTION AND BUILDING SHARED SOLUTIONS GROWTH. WE ARE A LEARNING ORGANIZATION THAT IS INTENTIONAL ABOUT CREATING SPACE AND IMPLEMENTING PRACTICES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GROW CHALLENGE THEMSELVES AND REFLECT. WE ARE DEDICATED TO A LIFELONG LEARNING AS WE ARE NEVER DONE GROWING AS INDIVIDUALS. AUTHENTICITY, WE EMBODY AND FOSTER EMPATHY, TRUST, COMPASSION, HUMILITY, RESPECT AND TRANSPARENCY FOR ONESELF AND FOR EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF OUR IDENTITIES OR BACKGROUNDS. AND WE DO THIS BY SHARING OUR FEELINGS, OUR OPENNESS, OUR VULNERABILITY, AND DEEP LISTENING WITH EACH OTHER. AND LASTLY, WE HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THROUGH OUR WORK TO BETTER THE COMMUNITY WE WILL, WE WILL HURT, MISUNDERSTAND, AND HARM EACH OTHER AS WE ARE HUMAN AND LIVE IN AN INCREDIBLY VIOLENT AND HARMFUL WORLD. PROACTIVELY TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS IS HOW WE BUILD TRUST AMONGST EACH OTHER. IT IS A WAY TO CARE FOR THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OURSELVES AND SHOW THAT WE HAVE DONE OUR OWN INTERNAL WORK OF DEEP, GENUINE REFLECTION TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS. AND THEN NEXT I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR THEORY OF CHANGE. JUST GOTTA PUSH IT ONE LIKE THE, OKAY, COOL. YEAH. ALRIGHT. SO OUR THEORY OF CHANGE. SO HOW WE ACHIEVE SOCIETAL CHANGE IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO OUR VISION AND THE SOLUTIONS WE ARRIVE AT TO MAKE THAT VISION A REALITY. SO HERE'S OUR THEORY OF CHANGE AND SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS WE ARE CURRENTLY UPLIFTING. WE SEE COMMUNITY ENGA, COMMUNITY BUILDING, ENGAGEMENT AND ORGANIZING AS BEING ROOTED IN RELATIONSHIPS, HISTORIES, HISTORY AND PRINCIPLES. THESE INGREDIENTS MAKE UP THE SOIL THAT FERTILIZE OUR IDEAS AND SURROUND THE ROOTS THAT KEEP US GROUNDED IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES. IT IS THIS FOUNDATION THAT STABILIZES THE TREE OF CHANGE AND HOLDS UP THE TRUNK, THE BRANCHES, THE LEAVES, WHICH ARE THE VISIBLE PARTS OF OUR WORK. THIS INCLUDES BUILDING MULTI-RACIAL AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL COMMUNITY, TEACHING AND SHARING LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND ORGANIZING STRATEGY AND MOBILIZING FOR ACTIONABLE CHANGE. IN TURN, THESE TREES GIVE US THE OXYGEN AND CLEAN AIR NEEDED TO GROW PEOPLE. PEOPLE POWER TO GROW, PEOPLE POWER AND MOVE MORE AND MORE WITH PEOPLE FROM FEAR AND ISOLATION AND INTO EMPOWERMENT AND COMMUNITY. WITH PEOPLE POWER, WE COME BACK TO OUR ROOTS AND LEAD WITH VALUES AND COMMITMENTS TOWARDS A SAFE, CONNECTED AND HEALTHY LONG BEACH. THROUGH AN EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE MOVEMENT. THE PROJECTS AND CAMPAIGNS ARE LISTED RIGHT THERE ON THE SIDE THAT OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS UNDERTAKE OFTEN SHIFT WITH THE LANDSCAPE AND ACCORDING TO DEEPLY AND WIDELY FELT NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. SOME OF THE PROJECTS AND CAMPAIGNS THAT WE SUPPORT AND LEAD INCLUDE THE LB ROOTED AND LB BLOOMING OR ORGANIZING TRAININGS TO TRAIN PEOPLE AS COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS. THE BEST START CENTRAL LONG BEACH NETWORK TO BRING TOGETHER PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, AND ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AGES ZERO THROUGH FIVE AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH POLICY AND SYSTEMS CHANGE. NEXT, THE LONG BEACH LANGUAGE JUSTICE COALITION TO PUSH FOR EFFECTIVE AND USEFUL TRANSLATION OF CITY OF CITY SERVICES AND SPANISH KA TAGALOG, THE PEOPLE'S PLANNING SCHOOL TO DEMOCRATIZE URBAN PLANNING AND ORGANIZE FOR EQUITABLE LAND USE DECISIONS IN IN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS. OUR SOCIAL HOUSING FOR LONG BEACH CAMPAIGN TO PUSH FOR DECOM, PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE AND COMMUNITY OWNED HOUSING. THE VENDOR JUSTICE COMMITTEE TO ORGANIZE STREET VENDORS FOR EQUITABLE INCLUSION INTO THE FORMAL ECONOMY AND THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE TO TRAIN AND EMPOWER MEMBERS TO SERVE ON CITYWIDE COMMISSIONS JUST LIKE THIS ONE. AND THEN NEXT I'M GOING TO PASS IT ON TO GO OVER OUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT. I THINK THAT'S YOUR TURN. THANK YOU. OH, THANK YOU. HELLO AND [02:05:01] GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS TALIA WATTS AND I AM A LOCAL PARENT LEADER AND CURRENTLY ORGANIZING OR IN LONG BEACH FOR MOVEMENT RESIDENCY PROGRAM WHERE I ORGAN ORGANIZE PARENTS AND FAMILIES FOR EDUCATION, JUSTICE JUSTICE OVER THE PAST YEAR LONG BEACH FOR PARTNERED WITH LONG BEACH COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT COLLABORATIVE, MADE UP OF POOR LOCAL HOSPITALS AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO GATHER PRIMARY DATA THAT WOULD INFORM AND SHAPE THEIR RESPECTIVE AND LISTENING SESSIONS. TARGETING SPECIFIC COMMUNITY NEGATIVELY IMPACTED HEALTH DISPARITIES. WE GATHER INSIGHTFUL DATA THAT SPEAKS TO THE NEEDS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE CURRENTLY FACING. THE DATA SHOW THAT AMONG ALL POPULATIONS, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH HAVE HAD THE MOST SEVERE IMPACT ON COMMUNITY HEALTH, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS. ECONOMIC INSECURITY, RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION AND MENTAL HEALTH HAVE GOTTEN WORSE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. LASTLY, THE STORIES AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE HAVE GOTTEN WORSE OVER. UM, OOPS. THERE ARE STILL INSIGNIFICANT RESOURCES TO ADDRESS TELL, UM, THE SCOPE OF NEED WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND ECONOMIC INSECURITY. WE ALSO FOUND THAT WHILE WE HAD MANY SIMILARITIES, MANY COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCE THESE PROBLEMS DIFFERENTLY. FOR INSTANCE, BLACK COMMUNITY MEMBERS CITED HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO ADDRESS WHILE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER, INTERSEX, ASEXUAL, AND TWO-SPIRIT COMMUNITY MEMBERS CITED ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE HEALTHCARE AS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. THE FULL PRIMARY DATA REPORT THIS YEAR IS AVAILABLE FOR, UH, IN, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.LONGBEACHFORWARD.ORG/C NA. THANK YOU. OKAY. HELLO, MY NAME IS DESTINY MARQUEZ AND I'M A LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE STUDENT AND AFFORD FELLOW LONG BEACH FORWARD, UH, SUPPORTING YOUTH ORGANIZING AND INVEST YOUTH COALITION BEYOND PRIORITIES. HERE ARE SOME OF THE EMERGENT THEMES THAT WE CONCLUDED FROM THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT. FIRST, THE STATE OF THE ONE'S HOUSING, MENTAL HEALTH AND INCOME STATUS, SHAPE ALL THE DOWNSTREAM OUTCOMES AND DETERMINE ONE'S ABILITY TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE. HOUSING SUSTAINABILITY HAVE ABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY WILL COME, WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY A DRIVE FORCE IN CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND CHRONIC STRESS. THE ONGOING HOUSING CRISIS WAS NOT NEW PRIOR TO THE REPORT YET HOUSING AS ROOT CAUSES SEVERAL DISPARITIES AND INEQUALITIES IDENTIFIED BY BOTH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND INITIAL LEADERS SIGNALS THE SEVERITY OF THESE ISTIC ISSUES. MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT ISSUE AND A PRIORITY WITH MANY EXPRESSING HOW CRITICAL MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES HAVE GOTTEN AND REACHED NEW LEVELS OF CRISIS AND CATASTROPHE WHILE CHALLENGES STIGMA, PRECISE LEVEL OF CONVERSATIONS OPENLY ADDRESS THE STIGMA AND CONNECTION. BORDER ESSENTIAL CHALLENGES WITH THE COMMUNITY HELD BACK TO MENTAL HEALTH IS A SIGNIFICANT SIGN. THE CURRENT EFFORTS TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS AND SOCIETY BOOSTS. AND SINCE THE MEDICAL IS NOT A STRONG ENOUGH SECOND COVID TO 19 PATHETIC PME, SORRY GUYS. PANDEMIC HAS BEGUN IN 2020, HAS BEEN UNDENIABLE AND IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY DESPITE THE DRAMATIC DECREASE IN DEATH, INCREASE IN VACCINATION RATES, THE LINGERING IMPACTS ON MENTAL HEALTH, ECONOMY AND FOOD INSECURITIES, CHRONIC DISEASE, RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION AND HEALTHCARE ACROSS CONTINUED TO STRESS TEST THE LIMITS OF OUR CURRENT HEALTHCARE DELIVERED SYSTEM ON MULTIPLE FRONTS. WHILE MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS SPOKE DIRECTLY TO SOCIAL ECONOMY NEEDING TO CONTINUE TO EXIST TODAY IN ABSENCE SOCIAL SAFETY NET THAT WAS EXPANDED DURING THE PANDEMIC HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDED, SPOKE A NEW NORMAL OF CARE AND CRISIS, OVERWHELMED DELIVERY SYSTEMS. THIS STRESS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE RIPPLE EFFECTS WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES. WE'LL BE STRUGGLING FOR GENERATIONS AND LESS PLAN AND DRASTIC INTERVENTIONS OR UNDERTAKE THE MA, THE MA THAT THE NEED. THIRD. MANY PEOPLE NOTED THAT THE UNEQUAL DETERMINATION OF THE POWER, MONEY, AND RESOURCES CHALLENGE THEIR OWN DESIRES TO RECOGNIZE HEALTHCARE AS A HUMAN RIGHT. IT IS CLEAR THAT RAPIDLY CHANGING POLITICAL ECONOMY AND SOCIAL LANDSCAPE INFLUENCED BY THE CURRENT UNITED STATES FEDERAL MISSION [02:10:01] IS SPREADING WIDESPREAD FEAR AND AGGRAVATED ONGOING INDIVIDUALS AND ISTIC STRESS EFFORTS TO SOLVE PROBLEM HEALTH. THERE IS NO DOUBT FURTHER CUTS IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS, CHILDREN AND SENIORS. COUPLED WITH THE FAILURE OF RIGHTS FOR PROTECTED CLASSES FOR PEOPLE WILL FURTHER HAMPER POSITIVE PROGRESS IN ADDRESSING COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS. FOURTH AND FINALLY, THE SOCIAL DETERMINING OF HEALTH MUST PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SHAPING PEOPLE'S ATTITUDE, PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF HEALTHCARE, BUT ALSO DRIVING FORCE IN A DESIGN AND EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTHCARE DELIVERY. HEALTHCARE PROFESSION SPOKE FOR THE INABILITY TO CONTROL OF WHAT WAS IMPACTING PEOPLE'S HEALTH. COMMUNITY MEMBERS SPOKE TOWARDS THIS BEING THROUGH ENOUGH FOR THEMSELVES, BOTH FROM PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING THEIR OWN, EXPERIENCING ADDRESSING HEALTH ISSUES THAT TAKE PLACE WITHIN FORMAL MEDICAL SETTINGS AND WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF BORDER COMMUNITIES IS NOW WE BEST SOLUTION THAT ADDRESS THE ROOTS CAUSE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS. THAT WAS TOO . ALRIGHT, SO TO BRING US HOME AS WE WRAP UP OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS DISCUSSION, UM, WE WANNA OFFER THESE OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS AS WE EXPLORE SOLUTIONS AND OUR SHARED PATH FORWARD. SO FIRST, UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS TOO. 'CAUSE I'M LIKE, OOH, IT HIT ON ALL THESE POINTS. SO LET'S, LET'S DIG IN. SO FIRST OFF, ADDRESSING THE CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND LEGAL BARRIERS THAT LIMIT LOW INCOME PEOPLE FROM COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. WE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT THE CURRENT STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS THAT SHAPE OUR DAILY LIVES KEEP MANY LOW INCOME AND WORKING PEOPLE IN ISOLATION, CONSTANT DISTRACTION AND ALIENATION. SO THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO PROACTIVELY DESIGN ENGAGEMENT AND SPACES THAT CATER TO THE DIRECT NEEDS PEOPLE HAVE FOR LANGUAGE EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING FOOD, CHILDCARE, AND TRANSPORTATION. THIS INCLUDES BEING AWARE OF THE STIGMA AND SHAME THAT COMES FROM BEING IN WORKING POVERTY AND ACCOUNTING FOR THE, THAT MAY IMPACT THE WAYS THAT PEOPLE SHOW UP AND ENGAGE. UM, ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE BEEN HAVING A LOT LATELY IS JUST TALKING THROUGH THE SHAME AND THE GUILT THAT A LOT OF US INTERNALIZE. AS MANY AS WE ARE IN ONE OF THE ROUGHEST ECONOMIES THAT WE'VE HAD IN GENERATIONS, I THINK DARE TO SAY, RIGHT? AND WHAT THAT IS, PUTTING THE MENTAL STRESS THAT THAT IS PUTTING ON NOT JUST FOLKS WHO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WERE STRUGGLING BEFORE, BUT FOLKS WHO THOUGHT I WAS DOING SO WELL BEFORE AND NOW I'M IN THIS POSITION, RIGHT? SECOND, LEVERAGING RESOURCES AND PLATFORM TO COMPENSATE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS. AND I THINK THIS TIES IN NICELY TO THE CONVERSATION WE STARTED AROUND THE CONFLUENCE RISING PRESENTATION. THE REALITY IS THAT IF WE WANT MASK CHANGE ON A MASK SCALE, WE NEED MASS ORGANIZATION. SO AS WE LOOK TO BUILD A MORE NETWORKED COMMUNITY AND ENGAGE ORGANIZED PEOPLE IN VARIOUS WAYS, WE HAVE TO HAVE AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET AND SHARE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY BUILDING WORK. KNOWING THAT BUDGETS AND RESOURCES MAY OFTEN BE TIGHT. WE INVITE YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT HOW THIS COMMISSION OR THE CITY CAN LEVERAGE YOUR PLATFORM, YOUR REACH AND NETWORKS TO MOBILIZE OTHER RESOURCES, ORGANIZING FUNDRAISERS, MAKING CONNECTIONS, AND CONTRIBUTING DIRECTLY TO ORGANIZED GROUPS. LASTLY, MEET THIS EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT WITH EXTRAORDINARY SOLUTIONS. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, WE MUST CONSTANTLY ASK OURSELVES IF THE MEDICINE IS STRONG ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS. UM, I RECALL DURING THE PANDEMIC WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS HUGE INFLUX OF MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING INTO L-B-U-S-D, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO AMAZING THINGS TO HIRE NEW MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS, PROVIDE NEW SUPPORT, AND WE STILL SAW CHALLENGES, RIGHT? AND THAT'S NOT TO DISMISS THE GOOD THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING. WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, IS THE MEDICINE STRONG ENOUGH? ARE WE MEETING THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF THE NEED THAT EXISTS? RIGHT? UM, DURING THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION 2018, THE SANCTUARY LONG BEACH COALITION AND CAMPAIGN PUSHED FOR LOCAL PROTECTIONS FOR IMMIGRANT RESIDENTS AMID TARGETED ICE PICKUPS AND DEPORTATIONS, RIGHT? THIS WAS YEARS AGO, RIGHT? AND IN RESPONSE, THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO CREATE THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND, WHICH CONTINUES TO THIS DAY, TO UTILIZE PUBLIC DOLLARS TO DEFEND IMMIGRANT RESIDENTS WITH FREE LEGAL REPRESENTATION AND KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER. I REMEMBER THAT DURING THAT NIGHT OF THE CITY COUNCIL VOTE, FORMER CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AL AUSTIN, EXPLAINED HIS SUPPORTING VOTE, SAYING EXTRAORDINARY TIMES CALL FOR EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES. SO AS WE CONTINUE TO FACE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC AUSTERITY OVER THE COMING YEARS, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE OVERTON WINDOW IS SHIFTING. ONCE AGAIN, IDEAS THAT ONCE SEEMED EXTREME ARE NOW BECOMING TANGIBLE. WE ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE BOLD SOLUTIONS SUCH AS THE HUMAN RIGHTS SCREENING POLICY, GREATER PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL HOUSING, AND AGGRESSIVE ANTI-POVERTY MEASURES SUCH AS GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS AMONG OTHER OTHERS. SO WITH THAT, UM, MY COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZER IS RIGHT BEHIND ME, SO I'M GONNA MAKE SURE TO PLUG THIS, UM, TO STAY CONNECTED WITH US@LBFOUR.ORG. UM, I WANNA ENCOURAGE, UH, BOTH YOU ALL, AND ALSO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, A LOT OF OUR WORK IS TO DEMOCRATIZE [02:15:01] THIS KNOWLEDGE AND GET IT OUT THERE. SO, UM, IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, YOU CAN FIND OUR CALENDAR THAT WE CURATE ON A DAILY BASIS OF UPCOMING MEETINGS, EVENTS, UM, OUR RESOURCE LIBRARY AS WELL. UM, I KNOW FOR FOLKS WHO ARE LISTENING, UM, IN THE PUBLIC, UM, WE'VE BEEN COMPILING AND ORGANIZING A LIST OF FOOD RESOURCES, BOTH FOR NON-PERISHABLE GOODS, HOT MEALS, UM, AND GROCERIES AS WELL. AND YOU CAN FIND THAT ON OUR HOMEPAGE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN INTERNING AND JOINING THE CREW. LIKE THE FOLKS BEHIND ME, ALL THAT IS ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE ARE ALSO ON ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIAS. UM, AND OUR STUDENT FELLOWS ARE DOING AMAZING THINGS THAT I CANNOT DO. SO CHECK IT OUT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN WE'LL DO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION AFTERWARDS. COMMENT ON THIS AGENDA. SO IF YOU HAVE, UH, COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM, FEEL FREE TO COME THROUGH, JACKIE. OKAY. SO I'M GONNA ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE MLK PARADE, BUT I WANNA KIND OF START BY REMINDING EVERYBODY WHAT MLK STOOD FOR. AND HE WAS LITERALLY HERE TO HELP LIBERATE BLACK PEOPLE, UM, SINCE THAT TIME THAT HIS MESSAGE HAS GOTTEN WATERED DOWN IN A LOT OF WAYS. AND NOW WE, WE CONTINUALLY SAY THE PHRASE PEOPLE OF COLOR. WHILE I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT PER SE, IT DOES WATER DOWN. EXCUSE ME. BEFORE YOU CONTINUE, OUR ZOOM HAS GONE DOWN, SO WE'LL NEED TO PAUSE THE MEETING MOMENTARILY UNTIL WE GET THAT BACK UP. OH, OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. SORRY, Y'ALL, WE'VE BEEN HAVING TECH ISSUES ALL DAY. WE TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS SO WE CAN GO OVER AND READ THIS STUFF ON THE WALL. UH, JUST A THOUGHT. YEAH, IT'S A GOOD IDEA. UM, MADAM CLERK, IS IT OKAY IF WE TAKE A RECESS? WE CAN TAKE A RECESS. YES. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. READ THIS STUFF. READ THIS STUFF ON THE WALL. TALK TO THE PHONE QUESTION. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . AND WITHOUT FULLY GRASPING WHAT IT'S THAT THE ORGANIZATION DOES, I CANNOT ENDORSE THAT. RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. SO BEING ABLE TO HEAR THIS TIME, LIKE, WOW, THAT'S PERFECT, BUT WHAT I AM, SO THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SAY IS, IS RIGHT. YOU BE RIGHT HERE BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE, I HATE IT. I DON'T. YEAH. AMERICAN. AMERICAN. OKAY. LET'S MAKE SURE WE, SO THAT PROGRAMS THAT ARE ALLOCATED FOR INTO PEOPLE OF COLOR. EXACTLY. RIGHT. IT DOESN'T GO TO THAT'S EXACTLY . SO YOU, YOU WERE CLEARLY THE PERSON TO TALK . YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK TO THESE DIFFERENT, UNDERSTAND THE FIGHT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS A CHAMPION EXCEPT THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. OKAY. SO I'M A CHAMPION FOR US. I'M UNAPOLOGETIC HAVE TO LOSE EVERY ELECTION, BUT MY PLATFORM GETS SPOKEN ON. SO, SO THE PRESENTATION WE'RE GONNA BE DOING, FIRST ONE IS GONNA BE OUR NETWORK. OKAY? HIGH NET WORTH PEOPLE. DO WE WANT THEM TO BE AMBASSADORS FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, RIGHT? SO THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE GONNA INVITE, THAT WE'RE INVITED, I IT IS CHARGED. MM-HMM . BUT YOU'RE MY GUEST. OKAY. YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? YEAH. YEAH. SO I WANT YOU IN PARTICULAR, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE THE 7TH OF JANUARY UNTIL WE HAVE THAT BOOST, BECAUSE YOU SOUND LIKE ME. YOU A WOMAN'S VOICE. YES. . AND, AND, AND I'M, AND I'M, HOW, HOW, HOW DO YOU SAY THIS? I'M FEARLESS. AS AM I, YOU SEEM PRETTY FEARLESS TO ME. SO I NEED PEOPLE WITH SOME TEETH TO GET OUT THERE WHO'S GONNA BE A PUSH BACK AGAINST ALL THIS, RIGHT. WHO, WHO ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH HAVING THIS TYPE OF, I KNOW I TELL PEOPLE, UM, A GIRL, SHE PHRASED IT BETTER ON. OKAY. BETTER. YES. THAT'S PRETTY, YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WAS IN NEW YORK MM-HMM . 25 YEARS. GOOD MAN. GOOD MAN. BUT THE AIR FORCE IS HIGHLY RACIST. MM-HMM . LIKE NEXT LEVEL. RIGHT. [02:20:01] AND WHAT I FIND INTERESTING IS WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL, I WENT TO FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL. OKAY? RIGHT. YOU KNOW, SOUTH CENTRAL, AVOIDED GANG, ALL THAT. MATTER OF FACT, GANG BANGERS, MY NICKNAME GOOD WAS PEX. SO THEY WOULD NOT LET ME GANG. RIGHT. GANG USED TO HAVE A LITTLE, THEY HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A CODE, NOT THEY, BUT I GROW UP AND I HEAR THIS WORK LIKE YOUR, WHICH IS LIKE THE BIGGEST INSULT EVER, BECAUSE NOT GOING THERE ANYWAY. SO I JOINED THE MILITARY, HAVE GREAT TIME, ALL THE STUFF THAT WAS GOING ALONG WITH RACISM, ALL THE DISCRIMINATION. BUT I'M, LET YOU SEE ME BE PHASED. DISCRIMINATION. RIGHT. I'M STILL GOING TO SUCCEED IN SPITE OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. SO YOU FAST FORWARD TODAY AND I SEE ALL THIS STUFF THAT'S GOING ON, AND I SEE SO MANY PEOPLE SAVORING AND JUST DOING ALL THIS, YELLING AND SCREAMING. AND THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY THE WORK DONE FOR THEM ARE THE ONES WHO SO MUCH TO WORK MM-HMM . MM-HMM . AND IT'S LIKE, OH MY GOD. IT'S, IT'S NOT, WE'RE LAZY, IT'S JUST THAT WE'RE BURNED. WHAT THE HELL AM I GONNA DO? SO WHEN I, WHEN I HEAR WE GOT ALL THESE PROGRAMS AND YOU KNOW, LIKE THE KIDS, 'CAUSE THAT, THAT PART, OKAY, SO YOU'RE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST THE BLACK KIDS AND THREATEN THE BLACK KIDS. AND AS LONG AS THE BLACK KIDS DO NOTHING, THEY CAN STILL GO TO SCHOOL. BUT IF THEY GET FED UP WITH THIS AND THEY FIGHT BACK, THEN YOU'RE GONNA PUT 'EM IN THE PENAL SYSTEM. EXACTLY. RIGHT. PRESCHOOL PIPELINE. AND THAT'S THE STUFF THAT DRIVES BATS. SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I DO MY FINANCIAL LITERACY CLASSES, THESE RESOURCE ARE IMPORTANT NEWS BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, LOOK, I NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR MOM IS MOST LIKELY THE WORLD'S LOOKING OUT. RIGHT? BUT SHE'S WORKING TWO JOBS, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE NO ONE LOOKING OUT FOR YOU. SO NOW, AND NOW YOU GETTING THE WRONG INFORMATION. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, YOU SLAP THE FELONY LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT THEY DON'T CARE. PRISON, THEY DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU GETTING THAT. BECAUSE ONCE YOU HAVE THAT, DON'T THEY? DON'T THEY JUST, AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT MOST PART PRISONS ARE PRIVATIZED. THEY ALL WHICH, WHICH DEMOCRAT. RIGHT. WHAT I'M SAYING. SO THIS, THIS IS JUST THE NEFARIOUS NATURE OF WHO WE'RE RIGHT. AND IT'S FOR OH, DID YOU? OR, OH, THE NA YES. I, WHO CHECKS THAT EMAIL? OH, OKAY. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OFF, THAT MEANS THE TIME TO GO. OH, THANK YOU. HELL YEAH. WHAT'S MS. JESSIE? ALL RIGHT. UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND RECONVENE THE MEETING. UM, SO OUR RECESS IS OFFICIALLY OVER. UM, JACKIE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FINISH YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. I AM, YOU KNOW, I GOT YOU. ARE WE BACK? IS ZOOM GOOD? BEFORE WE CONTINUE, LET ME JUST DO A QUICK RECALL, OR EXCUSE ME, UH, ROLL CALL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE QUORUM. . COMMISSIONER BROWN, PRESENT. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. I'M STILL HERE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER DEION? HERE. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. HERE. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. YES. HERE. COMMISSIONER COLE? HERE. COMMISSIONER LIZETTE FLORES. HERE. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER SEMIAL. HERE. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER SHA MALONE. HERE. VICE CHAIR BASS. CHAIR COVINGTON. HERE WE HAVE QUORUM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, SO THE FLORE IS NOW YOURS, JACKIE . AND THEN IF ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, UM, FEEL FREE TO LINE UP. [02:25:01] OKAY. SO, UM, GOING BACK TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, UM, AGAIN, HE WAS FIGHTING FOR THE LIBERATION OF BLACK PEOPLE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WITH THE LIBERATION OF BLACK PEOPLE, THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY HELP EVERYONE. HOWEVER, RIGHT NOW WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. DEI HAVE BEEN WHITE WOMEN. MM-HMM . IS, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PEOPLE OF COLOR, THERE IS AN OVERARCHING THEME IN THIS SOCIETY THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LEFT OUT OF THAT NARRATIVE. SO, LAST YEAR WE HAD THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. PARADE IN A PARADE THAT IS NOTORIOUSLY UNDERSERVED BY OUR CITY COUNCIL. THERE ARE HOLES IN THAT, THE GREENERY OUT THERE, THE POOL HAS JUST NOW BEEN REDONE, BUT STILL PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY ARE CONCERNED IF EVEN THEIR CHILDREN CAN USE THAT POOL. SO, ONCE AGAIN, IN A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK COMMUNITY, WE HAVE A SPIRIT OF NEGLECT. THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PARADE COMES AROUND AND INSTEAD OF ADDRESSING BLACK PEOPLE, ASKING BLACK PEOPLE WHO ARE, WHO IS IMPORTANT TO YOU IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT YOU WANT US TO LIFT UP, WE DEFAULT TO PEOPLE OF COLOR. AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BLACK PERSON THAT WAS NAMED A GRAND MARSHALL IN THAT EVENT. BLACK PEOPLE WERE NOT CONSULTED. ONE GRAND MARSHAL WAS NAMED IN THAT EVENT. SO THE PROBLEM WITH THAT, AND I, I SOUNDED THE ALARM, I'M NOT EVEN GONNA HOLD YOU. YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT IT@LONGBEACHWATCHDOG.COM, . BUT, BUT I SOUNDED THE ALARM. AND WHAT MY ASK IS TO THE COMMUNITY WAS, HOW LONG ARE WE GONNA LET THIS NARRATIVE CONTROL OUR BEING? HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO SIT BACK AND LET PEOPLE WHO RESPECTFULLY DO NOT LOOK LIKE US, CONTROL OUR NARRATIVE? AND AT THIS POINT IN OUR SOCIETY, THAT CANNOT BE BECAUSE BLACK IS A REAL THING. BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL, BLACK IS LOVED, BLACK IS POWERFUL, AND DUMBING IT DOWN IS DISRESPECTFUL. AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT SITUATION. AND I PUT OUT THE CALL TO WHAT CAN WE DO? NOT ONLY TO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT TO MAKE SURE OUR VOICES ARE HEARD. SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT SITUATION. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER TWO, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FUNCTION AT THIS TIME. SEEING NONE THAT CONCLUDES WELL, BUT COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, WE'RE GONNA GO TO COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. GO AHEAD. UM, THE LAST ORGANIZATION THAT SPOKE, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. IT WAS QUITE INFORMATIVE. AND YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS, I, IT MAY HAVE GONE OVER MY HEAD, OR I MAY HAVE ZONED OUT FOR A MOMENT. BUT WHAT, WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW IS HOW, HOW IS YOUR ORGAN ORGANIZATION CURRENTLY FUNDED? WHERE, WHERE DO YOU GET THE MONEY TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS YES. THAT YOU OPERATE? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. UH, HOW ARE WE CURRENTLY FUNDED? VERY MINIMALLY. I'LL PUT THAT OUT THERE. WE ARE GOING THROUGH, UM, WE HAVE BEEN IN A RECESSION. AND SO OUR ORGANIZATION HAS, OUR ORGANIZATION IS A FORMAL 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. SO WE HAVE MULTIPLE, OUR BUSINESS PLAN IS THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE FUNDING STREAMS. WE RELY ON GRANTS FROM PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS. WE HAVE, UM, VERY MINIMAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS. WE'RE RARELY PARTICULAR ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE DO. AND WE HAVE A RIGOROUS PROCESS OF US TAKING ON GRANTS TO FIGURE OUT ONE, IF WE'RE THE BEST ORGANIZATION FOR IT, BUT ALSO THE REALITY THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SERVICE-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE BETTER EQUIPPED FOR THAT KIND OF WORK. UM, BUT A BIG PORTION OF OUR FUNDING RELIES ON INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS, SPONSORSHIPS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, BUS LOCAL BUSINESSES AS WELL. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE IS OUR EARNED INCOME. SO MANY OF US ON OUR SMALL TEAM OF EIGHT PEOPLE, UM, WE HAVE EIGHT FULL-TIME FOLKS WHO DEDICATE THEIR TIME ABOVE AND BEYOND TO THE ORGANIZATION. AND SO WE USE OUR TIME AND TALENTS AND THE SKILLSET THAT WE HAVE FOR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE GET APPROACHED TO, AND THE MONEY THAT WE EARN FROM THOSE, UM, EARNED INCOME CONTRACTS HELPS SUPPORT THE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING WORK THAT WE, OUR MEMBERS TAKE ON. SO YOU SAID EARNED INCOME CONTRACTS. MM-HMM . ARE, IS THIS MONEY THAT YOU USED TO PAY YOUR STAFF, OR IS DO YOU, DOES YOUR STAFF WORK IN A VOLUNTEER IN A VOLUNTARY CAPACITY? SO WE HAVE FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS. UM, SO THEY'RE ALL PAID. AND WE, UM, WE WORK REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STAFF ARE PAID, UM, LIVING AT NOT JUST LIVING THRIVING WAGES. AND SO THAT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN SUSTAIN THAT AS WELL. UM, SO THE MONEY THAT WE RAISE FOR EARNED INCOME GOES TO WHATEVER OUR KIND OF PRESSING NEEDS ARE. SO WHETHER THAT'S PAYING STAFF, WHETHER THAT'S, ESPECIALLY I THINK, UM, DANIEL MENTIONED EARLIER FROM CONFLUENCE RISING, SOMETIMES WE TAKE GRANTS THAT MAY GIVE US A LOT OF RESOURCES, BUT THEY'RE REALLY RESTRICTIVE ON WHAT WE CAN SPEND IT FOR. I CAN GIVE YOU A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE. WE HAVE A, LIKE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS GRANT, UM, THAT WE HAVE THAT'S BEEN GREAT FOR SOME OF OUR HOUSING WORK. WE CAN'T USE IT FOR ANY, WE CAN'T AND USE ANY OF IT FOR FOOD. AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE A 7:00 PM MEETING WITHOUT HAVING FOOD THERE TO FEED FOLKS. [02:30:01] SO THOSE ARE INSTANCES WHERE I, AND MY ROLE AS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FUNDRAISER, UM, HAVE TO GET REALLY CREATIVE AND THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE SUPPORT THIS. RIGHT. UM, ANOTHER BIG NON-NEGOTIABLE FOR US IS INTERPRETATION, TRANSLATION. UM, THAT'S ALSO A REALLY BIG ASK OF FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME IN FOR. SO WE'VE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS WITH FOLKS WHO ARE PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETERS TO BE ABLE TO PAY THEM FOR THOSE SERVICES AND BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND ENSURE THAT NOT JUST THE LANG THE MEETINGS ARE ACCESSIBLE, BUT ALSO THAT THERE'S JUST AN INTERPRETATION. MANY FOLKS DON'T THINK ABOUT. YOU KNOW, EVEN JUST THE ACCESS. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO HAVE AN INTERPRETER IN THE ROOM, BUT TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS THE CONTEXTUAL AND CULTURAL TRANSLATION, THAT'S NOT ONE FOR ONE ALL THE TIME. AND SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY TRANSLATING IN OTHER LANGUAGES LIKE KAMAI, THERE MAY NOT BE A DIRECT TRANSLATION. RIGHT. AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THOSE KINDS OF SERVICES. AND THAT'S WHY THE BIGGEST THING THAT FOLKS CAN DO TO SUPPORT OUR ORGANIZATION BESIDES GETTING INVOLVED, IS DONATING. AND THE AVERAGE DONATION SIZE, UM, TO OUR ORGANIZATION IS $20. I GOT YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. AND, AND I'LL, I'LL END WITH JUST ONE LAST COMMENT. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, FOR RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT. IT, IT'S CRITICAL. IT'S AS IMPORTANT AS ANY OTHER HEALTH, ANY OTHER FACET OF HEALTH, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL MM-HMM . THE MENTAL, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY'S, UH, UM, SOCIETY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR RECOGNIZING THAT. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR THE ANSWER. CAN I, CAN I COMMENT BACK TO THAT? YEAH. OKAY. COOL. I APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK ONE THING THAT, UM, I WANNA LIFT UP THAT, UM, I WAS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT TEAM ENCODING A LOT OF THE DATA THAT WE GOT. UM, AND IN THAT PROCESS, UM, SOME OF THE SLIDES THAT WE SHARED, WE INTERVIEWED NOT JUST COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES, BUT ALSO WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT LIKE, CLINICIANS, FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING WITHIN THESE ORGANIZATIONS. UM, AND I, I DON'T FIRMLY, I DON'T KNOW THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS THAT WE'RE NOT JUST, WE'VE BEEN, THAT WE'VE BEEN IN RIGHT. AND STRESS TESTING OUR SYSTEM. UM, AND IT WAS REALLY SURPRISING TO HEAR, EVEN FOR THE FOLKS WHO ARE PROVIDING THAT. AND I THINK GOING BACK TO THE QUESTION, THE REALLY BROAD QUESTION WE ASKED EARLIER ABOUT LIKE, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SUPPORT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND THOSE PEOPLE? I THINK WE ALSO NEED A CULTURE SHIFT IN TERMS OF LIKE, HOW ARE WE DEFINING WHAT PRODUCTIVITY IS? WHAT IS REALISTIC FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MEET THAT NEED? UM, AND IT TAKES ALL OF US, RIGHT? WE'VE DONE THAT WORK IN OUR ORGANIZATION TO FIGURE OUT LIKE, HOW DO WE MAKE OUR WORK SUSTAINABLE? UM, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS WE HAVE A SABBATICAL PROGRAM. SO REGARDLESS OF THE POSITION THAT YOU'RE IN AFTER FOUR YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT, WE OFFER EIGHT WEEKS PAID FOR FOLKS TO GO REST. UM, AND I HAVE, UH, ONE OF OUR ORGANIZERS WHO WAS ABOUT TO GO ON SABBATICAL, AND SHE WAS JOKINGLY FIGHTING ME TODAY. LIKE, WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME LEAVE? BUT THAT'S REAL. WE CARE DEEPLY. I THINK ALL OF US ARE HERE IN THIS COMMISSION 'CAUSE WE CARE DEEPLY, BUT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST LIKE IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL, BUT ALSO THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING AND BRINGING OTHER FOLKS IN. BECAUSE MY BACK HURTS ALREADY. I'M TIRED RIGHT. WHO'S GONNA COME AFTER US AND AFTER ME. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE OVER TIME, UH, AND I WANT TO ASK THE COMMISSION IF WE CAN GO AT LEAST 15 MINUTES MORE. UM, THIS INCLUDES, UH, FINISHING DISCUSSION. UH, WE HAVE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THEN WE HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS AS WELL. UM, SO IS EVERYBODY OKAY WITH GOING 15 MINUTES? YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. UH, COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. OH, OKAY. YEAH. SO WE'LL CONTINUE. GOTCHA. UM, SO AT THIS POINT WE'LL CONTINUE, UM, WITH COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. SO I SEE COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, UH, COMMISSIONER DOCKERY, UH, ANYONE ELSE? UM, COMMISSIONER DEION. AND THEN WE'LL CUT IT OFF AT DEION. ALRIGHT. NO, YEAH. BROWN. BROWN. OKAY. GREAT. WE'LL CUT OFF ON BROWN. GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE. DONE. . COMMISSIONER GIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I WAS FORTUNATE TO ATTEND ONE OF YOUR GALAS, LONG BEACH FORWARD GALAS, I THINK IT WAS LAST YEAR. AND I NOTICED THAT YOU, YOU HAVE QUITE A BIT OF SPONSORSHIPS, WHICH WAS GREAT TO SEE, INCLUDING LA CARE MM-HMM . UM, WHICH DURING YOUR PRESENTATION YOU TALKED ABOUT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND I HOPE THAT YOU ARE PARTNERING WITH, UH, YOUR, YOUR CLIENTS WITH THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER. UM, AND I JUST WANNA PUT IT OUT THERE IN CASE THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY LA CARE'S COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTERS, WHICH IS THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, NOT JUST LONG BEACH, BUT IT'S FREE TO EVERYONE, NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE INSURED BY LA CARE PROVIDES WEEKLY OR MONTHLY FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS, HEALTH SCREENINGS, INCLUDING BLOOD PRESSURE BMI, AND HEARING FLU SHOT CLINICS, CPR CLASSES, WITH CERTIFICATION ASSISTANCE, WITH HEALTHCARE COVERAGE, ENROLLMENT, UM, AND FREE CLASSES, FITNESS CLASSES, AMONG [02:35:01] OTHER THINGS. SO I, I'M GLAD THAT YOU ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THOSE SERVICES BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A GREAT PROGRAM THAT THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEW THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY. THANK YOU. UM, I WANTED TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. UM, IT, IT, IT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME AND, AND WHEN I WAS LISTENING TO THINGS, IT BROUGHT BACK A LOT OF, UM, THOUGHTS THAT I'VE HAD. UM, I REALLY LIKE THE FACT ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE. AND, YOU KNOW, AS OUR, OUR, UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONER ALREADY BROUGHT THIS UP, THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY BIG CONCERN FOR ME. AND WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT FOOD INSECURITIES NOWADAYS, WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRATION INSECURITIES, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN ON MY MIND FOR MANY YEARS IS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH WORLD, IS, AND IT'S NOT BEEN TALKED ABOUT MUCH. AND THAT'S LONELINESS. AND, AND I FEEL LIKE, ESPECIALLY IN THE TIMES WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW, THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON WITH ALL OF THESE COMMUNITIES BEING SO AFRAID AND NOT GOING TO WORK, OR BEING SO AFRAID AND BEING LONELY AT HOME. MM-HMM . AND, AND I WORRIED ABOUT THIS DURING THE, THE, DURING COVID, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE ALL HUNKERED DOWN AND WE COULDN'T COMMUNICATE, OR, YOU KNOW, UM, I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE HOW MUCH EMPHASIS YOU HAVE PUT ON THAT. AND, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I THINK THAT, THAT, UM, THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. CAN I RESPOND TO THAT AGAIN? YOU HAVE A RESPONSE TO THAT? YEAH. I WAS JUST GONNA ADD TO IT. YEAH. YEAH. IS THAT OKAY? OKAY. YEAH. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I WOULD, UM, I WANT TO ADD TO THAT AS WELL. LIKE, A BIG PART OF OUR WORK, AND I THINK WHY WE VALUE CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS IS TO ALSO LIFT UP THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS, RIGHT? AND THE COMPLEXITY. UM, AND OFTENTIMES WE TALK ABOUT WE'RE LIVING IN A MOMENT OF POLY CRISIS. THERE'S NO JUST HOUSING CRISIS. IT'S NOT AN AFFORDABLE, IT'S EVERYTHING. RIGHT? AND I, I OFFER THAT BECAUSE AS CHRIS MENTIONED, IN, IN SOUTH, WHAT'D YOU SAY, SOUTH CENTRAL LONG BEACH, UH, WE, UM, HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF THE OPERATING, WHAT WE CALL OUR, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY SPACE. AND IT'S A THIRD SPACE. THE REALITY IS THAT IN OUR CURRENT STATE OF THE WORLD, WE'RE LOSING THIRD SPACES, SPACES THAT ARE NOT WORK, THAT ARE NOT SCHOOL, WHERE PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, OF DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE CAN COME TOGETHER AND ONE, GET IN FRONT OF THAT LONELINESS, BUT ALSO CONNECT IN WAYS THAT FEEL LIKE I BELONG. RIGHT? AND I THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM MEMBERS WHO COME AND SPEND TIME WITH US, AND THEY'RE LIKE, I DON'T HAVE TO SAY HI TO YOU. I WALK THROUGH THE DOOR AND I FEEL LIKE MY STRESS LEAVE. AND IT'S BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE AND MORE CHALLENGING AS PEOPLE ARE COMING AND SAYING, I'M SCARED OF WHEN I WALK TO MY CAR. I'M SCARED OF WHO'S GONNA BE WATCHING ME. I'M SCARED OF IMMIGRATION. I'M SCARED OF X, Y, AND Z. RIGHT? BUT I THINK AT THE SAME TIME, IT PUSHES US TO REALLY BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HAVING MORE PRIVATE OR MORE THIRD SPACES. 'CAUSE THE REALITY IS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PUBLIC SPACES, ESPECIALLY POST COVID, HAVEN'T FELT SAFE FOR FOLKS WHERE BUILDING NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND NEW BUILDINGS WITH LIKE, AMENITIES, BUT THOSE AREN'T PUBLIC. THEY'RE PRIVATE FOR THOSE RESIDENTS, RIGHT? AND SO WHERE ARE THOSE SPACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN CONGREGATE IF OUR LIBRARIES AREN'T OPEN, IF WE DON'T HAVE SAFE PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO GO? AND SO I JUST WANT TO CONNECT THAT BECAUSE I APPRECIATE YOU LIFTING IT UP. IT'S ALL INTERCONNECTED, RIGHT? IT'S JUST EVEN THE PHYSICAL SENSE OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IS A PART DRESSING THAT LONELINESS, THAT ISOLATION TOO. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER DARION. YEAH. AND THANK YOU. AND I, I ALSO WANT TO APPRECIATE THE, THERE ARE SEVERAL YOUTH HERE. UH, WE HAD A FELLOW AT LBCC WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, STUDIES, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT STUDENT, UM, A POLI SCI STUDENT AT SEATTLE STATE LONG BEACH. SO Y'ALL REALLY TURNED OUT A LOT OF YOUTH, AND WE'VE GOTTA TALK TO THEM. SO REALLY APPRECIATE THE ONES WHO ARE STILL HERE IN THE ONES WHO AREN'T, UM, EVEN SOME FOLKS WORKING IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, WHICH I THINK IS VERY CONNECTED TO THIS PRESENTATION. SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THEM OUT. WAS GREAT TO TALK TO THEM. UM, I'M STARTING TO READ THROUGH THE REPORT, UH, SIX THREE PAGES, SO I'M NOT DONE YET, BUT YEAH, DON'T, DON'T READ IT BEFORE BED. YEAH. . OH, I'M AWAKE. . UM, AND IT, LIKE, IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT, UH, ONE OF THE TRENDS ACROSS EVERY SINGLE DEMOGRAPHIC IN THIS STUDY IS, UM, IS THE WORSE THE WORSENING HEALTHCARE CRISIS, ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, ACCESS TO PREVENTATIVE CARE, ACCESS TO, UM, CARE AFTER THE INITIAL INTERACTION WITH DOCTORS. SO I'M CURIOUS IF YOU COULD COMMENT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FACT THAT UNFORTUNATELY, AT THIS MOMENT WITH THE FEDERAL DEFUNDING OF PUBLIC HEALTH ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, THE LONG BEACH HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, HAS GONE THROUGH LAYOFFS, IS EXPERIENCING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FUNDING CUTS. UH, AND SO IN THIS MOMENT OF CRISIS, WHICH YOUR REPORT DEMONSTRATES THAT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS SINCE COVID HEALTH HAS IN MANY CASES WORSENED FOR SO MUCH OF OUR COMMUNITY, UM, WE ARE LOSING [02:40:01] MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF REVENUE AND DOZENS AND DOZENS OF STAFFS IMPORTANT CITY STAFF. CAN YOU COMMENT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH ALL OF THIS? AND WHAT ARE THINGS THE CITY CAN DO AND COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO, UH, TURN THE TIDE, UM, IN THIS MOMENT WE'RE BEING DEFUNDED, UH, BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? YEAH. BUCKLE UP. UM, IT'S BAD. UM, I THINK TO SUCCINCTLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UM, I ALSO, I GUESS JUST TO ANSWER THAT, I WANT TO CONTEXTUALIZE THAT IT'S, IT'S BAD NOW. IT IS GOING TO GET WORSE. BUT ALSO, I WANT TO ALSO PUT, LIKE, MAKE IT A LITTLE SOBERING FOR US THAT EVEN IF THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATION CHANGE, WE'RE GONNA BE DEALING WITH THESE IMPACTS FOR GENERATIONS, RIGHT? AND SO FOR US, PART OF IT IS PERSPECTIVE AND THINKING ABOUT LIKE, WHERE ARE WE EVEN DEALING WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF COVID NOW, RIGHT? UM, ONE THING I WANT TO OFFER IS JUST THAT, LIKE, WE'RE ALL FEELING THE CRUNCH, RIGHT? THE REALITY IS THAT WHEN A RECESSION COMES, EVERYBODY'S IMPACTED, OUR GOVERNMENT IS IMPACTED, RIGHT? IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. WE ARE SEEING INEQUALITY, UM, AND WEALTH GET CONCENTRATED TO ONE OF THE, THE, THE BIGGEST CONCENTRATIONS AT THE TOP THAN WE'VE EVER SEEN, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S VERY ALARMING WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. BUT I SAY THAT TO ALSO NOT ENCOURAGE US. LIKE, YES, PART OF OUR WORK IS HOLDING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE. LIKE, WE ENJOY THIS CONVERSATION. WE'RE ALSO GONNA HOLD YOU ALL ACCOUNTABLE, RIGHT? TO THE ROLES THAT YOU HAVE. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT WE'RE NOT POWERLESS AND WE'RE POWERFUL IN NUMBERS. AND I'M REALLY ENCOURAGED AND, UM, UM, HEARTENED BY SEEING SO MANY PEOPLE MOVE INTO MUTUAL AID THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. I WOULD ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO CHECK OUT, UM, ARE THEY WHAT I THINK IT'S MUTUAL AID, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH MUTUAL, LBC OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I'M BUTCHERING IT, I'M SORRY, JANE. UM, BUT THERE'S SOME FOLKS WHO ARE ORGANIZING WHO ARE NURSES IN OUR LOCAL HOSPITALS SAYING, OUR SYSTEM CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. WE'RE GONNA ORGANIZE OUR OWN MUTUAL AID GROUP BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE THIS EXPERTISE AND WE'RE GONNA HELP PEOPLE DO, GET TO CLINICS, GET TO THE CARE THAT THEY NEED, RIGHT? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL DO, RIGHT? WE CAN SUPPORT THAT. WE CAN RELY ON THE NETWORKS THAT WE HAVE. 'CAUSE I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT ALSO IS INCUMBENT ON US TO BE ABLE TO LOOK INTO OUR OWN COMMUNITY. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR VALUES AND REDUCING OUR RELIANCE ON THESE PUNITIVE SYSTEMS, IT REQUIRES US TO BE PART OF A COMMUNITY, RIGHT? I LIVE IN A FOUR BEDROOM, OR FOUR BEDROOM, A FOUR BUILD, FOUR UNIT BUILDING, RIGHT? I HAVE TO KNOW WHO MY NEIGHBORS ARE, RIGHT? AND HOW MANY OF US CAN SAY WE KNOW ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS ON OUR BLOCK IN OUR BUILDING, RIGHT? TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. SO THIS IS THE TIME THAT WE'RE MORE. SO YES, WE NEED TO HOLD FOLKS ACCOUNTABLE, UM, BUT WE ALSO CAN DO THAT WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITIES AS WELL. THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO SEE, UM, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO PUSH FOR EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, RIGHT? UM, I HAD A CONVERSATION, UH, AND WAS INVITED TO THE MAYORS, UM, CONVENING LAST WEEK, TWO WEEKS AGO, I THINK IT WAS, I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WAS, UM, RECENTLY WITH THE FOOD EQUITY PARTNERS, WHEN WE KNEW THIS, THE EBT CLIFF WAS COMING, RIGHT? AND A QUESTION I POSED TO PEOPLE WAS L-B-U-S-D OPERATES IF YOU DON'T KNOW, AN ENTIRE NUTRITION FACILITIES RIGHT NEXT TO THE AIRPORT. AND THEY'VE SAID SEVERAL TIMES THAT IN AN EVENT OF A NATURAL DISASTER, THEY COULD PRODUCE MEALS, HOT MEALS FOR PEOPLE. WHY AREN'T WE DOING THAT? WHY AREN'T WE PARTNERING AS A CITY WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SAY, LET'S GET MEALS OUT TO PEOPLE? WE HEARD EARLIER THAT 200 FAMILIES WERE TURNED AWAY AT A FOOD BANK, RIGHT? LIKE THERE'S, I GUARANTEE YOU THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A BLUEPRINT FOR THAT, BUT THIS IS THE TIME FOR US TO FIGURE THAT OUT, RIGHT? SO I PUT THAT IN THE, IN THE ZOOM CHAT. I DIDN'T REALLY GET A RESPONSE, BUT I'M, THIS IS AN INVITATION FOR YOU ALL TO HELP ME BRING THAT AWARENESS SO WE CAN TRY AND GET SOME COLLABORATION ACROSS OUR DISTRICTS TOGETHER. AND WE CAN SOLVE THIS. WE COULD DO THIS IN LONG BEACH. UM, I OFTEN SAY THAT LONG BEACH, WE'RE A BIG CITY. WE HAVE BIG CITY PROBLEMS, BUT IT FEELS LIKE A SMALL TOWN, RIGHT? 'CAUSE I CAN GO TO MY GROCERY STORE AND SEE MY NEIGHBORS OR COUNCIL MEMBERS, RIGHT? SO LET'S TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. WE CAN PUT OUR HANDS AROUND THE PROBLEM AND PROVE IT AT SCALE. SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER BROWN. UM, I'LL BE BRIEF. I, UM, WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. ONE THING THAT I HEARD FROM ALL THREE OF THE GROUPS, AND UNFORTUNATELY YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT'S STILL HERE, UM, WAS THAT YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS HAD A NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AS OPPOSED TO AGAINST EACH OTHER. AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU'RE A PART OF THE NON-PROFIT PARTNERSHIP, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. THEY BRING ALL OF THE NONPROFITS TOGETHER AND THEY, THEY HELP THEM TO ALL WORK TOGETHER FOR A COMMON GOAL. SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WERE PART OF THAT OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU GUYS COULD LOOK INTO. YEAH, WE ARE VERY CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THE NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP. I ENCOURAGE ANY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LISTENING, IF YOU'RE NOT CONNECTED TO THE NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP, PLEASE DO. UM, I ACTUALLY THINK THIS IS VERY, LIKE, SERENDIPITOUS TOO, BECAUSE ALL THREE OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS THAT PRESENTED TONIGHT ARE, UM, RECENTLY COLLABORATED, UH, WITH BLACK HISTORY LONG BEACH ON, UH, GRACE AND GLORY GOSPEL BRUNCH OF THE QUEEN MARY. AND SO WE'RE PLANNING OUR NEXT STEPS ON SOME FUTURE COLLABORATIVE WORK. SO I, UM, JUST WANNA LIFT UP, LIKE, THIS IS THE TIME. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT THIS IS THE TIME THAT WE NEED TO BE WORKING TOGETHER. BECAUSE THE REALITY IS WE DON'T OFTEN GET TO TALK TO EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME. RIGHT? AND WE HAVE TO BE VERY PROACTIVE ABOUT BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS. AND I THINK THIS IS THE TIME NOW MORE SO THAN EVER. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO [02:45:01] MUCH. UH, SO THIS CONCLUDES, UH, COMMISSIONER DISCUSSION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, THE RESPONSES. UM, WE'RE NOW GONNA GO TO ROLL CALL VOTE. COMMISSIONER BROWN. YES. COMMISSIONER BUTLER. YES. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER DELE? YES. COMMISSIONER DOCKERY? YES. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES. COMMISSIONER COLE? YES. COMMISSIONER, IS THAT FLORES? YES. COMMISSIONER MONTGOMERY? YES. COMMISSIONER AL. YES. COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ? YES. COMMISSIONER SHA MALONE. YES. VICE CHAIR BATS? YES. CHAIR COVINGTON. YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE INTO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Equity and Human Relations Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] ON ANY, ANY ITEMS OFF OF THE AGENDA OR, OR ON THE AGENDA, UH, FEEL FREE TO LINE UP NOW. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. HELLO. UM, MY NAME IS LIZ BARNETT. I'M A RETIRED PROFESSOR AT FROM CAL STATE LONG BEACH. I AM, UM, HERE TO BRING UP THE TOPIC OF RANK CHOICE VOTING, UM, WHICH IS AN OF AN INTEREST TO THE EQUITY COMMISSION BECAUSE IT HAS A ROLE IN MAKING POLITICS MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE RESPONSIVE TO THE PUBLIC. UM, AS THE RANK CHOICE, VOTING IS A CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE VOTE. SO INSTEAD OF JUST VOTING FOR ONE CANDIDATE, YOU RANK THE VOTE THE CANDIDATES IN ORDER OF YOUR PREFERENCE. THEN WHEN THE VOTES ARE TALLIED, IF SOMEONE HAS MORE THAN 50% OF THE VOTE, THEY WIN. IF NO ONE HAS MORE THAN 50% OF THE VOTE, THEN THE PERSON IN THE LAST POSITION IS ELIMINATED. AND THEN THOSE VOTES ARE REDISTRIBUTED TO THE BALLOT'S SECOND CHOICE UNTIL SOMEBODY HAS OVER 50% OF THE VOTE. SO, UM, IT HAS THE EFFECT OF MAKING PEOPLE HAPPIER AND TRUSTING THEIR GOVERNMENT MORE WHEN AT LEAST 50% OF THE POPULATION HAS VOTED FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WON. AND SO, NO MORE WINNING. AND TO ME, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN LONG BEACH IS THAT MANY OF THE CITY COUNCIL RACES ARE DECIDED AT THE PRIMARY. SO PRIMARIES, OF COURSE, HAVE MUCH LOWER TURNOUTS THAN GENERAL ELECTIONS. SO IN 2024, A HUNDRED THOUSAND MORE PEOPLE SHOWED UP AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, BUT THREE OUT OF FOUR OF THE DISTRICTS HAD ALREADY BEEN DECIDED AT THE PRIMARY. THEY DIDN'T GET TO VOTE FOR THEIR COUNCIL MEMBERS AT ALL. I'M GOING TO, AND THEN I HAVE ANOTHER TOPIC THAT I WANTED TO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, ANOTHER HAT I WEAR. UM, AND THIS IS RELATED ALSO AN EQUITY CONCERN. UM, IT'S THE CAL KIDS, UM, SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM THAT'S BEING RUN BY THE STATE. IT PROVIDES A SEEDED FIVE TWENTY NINE ACCOUNT FOR EVERY NEWBORN. IT'S A UNIVERSAL PROGRAM. EVERY NEWBORN IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, SINCE JULY 1ST, 2022, HAS A SEED OF, THERE'S, IT'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED, BUT AROUND A HUNDRED DOLLARS, UM, INVESTED IN A FI THE SCHOLAR SHARE 5 29 PROGRAM. ADDITIONALLY LOW THROUGH THE LCFF FORMULA, STUDENTS, LOW INCOME STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A 501 TIME, $500 GRANT, UM, WHEN THEY ENTER FIRST GRADE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL. SO THERE ARE, LA COUNTY HAS, I DIDN'T STUDY MY NUMBERS WELL ENOUGH, BUT, AND I DON'T HAVE THIS SPECIFIC NUMBERS FOR LONG BEACH, BUT I CAN GET THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WAITING TO BE CLAIMED. IT IS A VERY, YOU KNOW, THE CLAIM RATES ARE VERY, VERY LOW. UM, LA COUNTY IS NOT ONE OF THE LEADING COUNTIES IN THE STATE CLAIMING THEIR GET, HELPING THEIR KIDS CLAIM MONEY. SO I'M BRINGING THAT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE EQUITY COMMISSION, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO INFORM THE PUBLIC AND GET THESE ACCOUNTS CLAIMED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, UH, I DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL ABOUT RING CHOICE VOTING, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING IN THE FUTURE. UH, AND THEN THE ITEM OF, UM, YOUR OTHER ITEM, CAL KIDS. UM, YES, CAL CARES. KIDS, KIDS CAL KIDS. UM, PLEASE ASK FOR TONY'S EMAIL OKAY. AND THEN SEND US MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. WILL DO. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. YEAH. GREETINGS AGAIN, UM, TO THIS VERY IMPORTANT COMMISSION. AGAIN, MY NAME IS CAROLYN ESSEX AND I'M HERE TONIGHT REPRESENTING MY COMMUNITY AND THE MANY HARDWORKING GRASSROOTS ADVOCATES FOR THE COALITION FOR A JUST AND EQUITABLE CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS A STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON REPARATIVE JUSTICE FOR DESCENDANTS OF CHATTEL SLAVERY AND EMANCIPATED HUMAN BEINGS. I'M PLEASED AND GRATEFUL FOR THIS COMMISSION [02:50:01] AND ALL OF YOU HERE TO TONIGHT, I WANNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT A VERY IMPORTANT BILL AND, UH, SHARE SOME FACTS. IT'S, IT'S SB FIVE 15 WRITTEN BY SENATOR, UM, RICHARDSON. AND, UM, IT GOES INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1ST, 2027. IT'S LOCAL GOVERNMENT COLLECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC DATA. UM, BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT COUNTED, WE ARE NOT SERVED. SO THE PURPOSE FOR SB FIVE 15 ENSURES THAT CALIFORNIA CITIES, COUNTIES, AND LOCAL AGENCIES COLLECT MORE DETAILED DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ON EMPLOYEES WHO IDENTIFY AS BLACK OR AFRICAN-AMERICAN. DISTINGUISHING THEM BETWEEN DESCENDANTS OF PERSONS ENSLAVED IN THE UNITED STATES, FREEDMEN, AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS, AFRO-CARIBBEAN POPULATIONS, AND OTHER RELEVANT SUB SUBGROUPS. WITHIN THE BROADER BLACK COMMUNITY, THE PRECISION WILL ENABLE MORE EQUITABLE POLICY DECISIONS, TARGETED FUNDING, AND VITAL REPARATIVE ACTION AT THE LOCAL AND STATE LEVELS. THIS IS ABOUT VISIBILITY AND TRUTH. OKAY. SO FOR GENERATIONS, AMERICAN FREEMEN HAVE BEEN INVISIBLE AND DESEGREGATED DATA LEADS TO REAL RESULTS. IT'S BEEN USED IN SAN FRANCISCO. UM, UH, UH, DESEGREGATED DATA SHOWED THAT VIETNAMESE AND TONGAN FAMILIES WERE BEING LEFT OUTTA CITY PROGRAMS. UM, SANTA CLA, UH, CLARA COUNTY USED DESEGREGATED, UH, HEALTH DATA TO IDENTIFY HIGHER COVID-19 INFECTION VACCINATION SITES AND COMMUNITY HEALTH, UM, WORKERS. UM, WHY DOES THIS MATTER? UH, SO FOR TOO LONG, UM, UH, FOR TOO LONG, UH, THE DATA SYSTEMS HAVE GROUPED ALL BLACK POPULATIONS INTO A SINGLE CATEGORY. THIS CONCEALS DISPARITIES BETWEEN SUBGROUPS AND, AND SO SB FIVE 15 PROVIDES A FOUNDATION OF VISIBILITY AND FAIRNESS. UM, AND SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS, UH, UM, IMPLEMENT STEPS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, REVISE DATA SYSTEMS, TRAIN STAFF, SO THAT THEY'RE USING THIS ON EMPLOYMENT, UM, UH, APPLICATIONS, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, DATA USE, UH, REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY. SB FIVE 15 GIVES EVERY LOCAL GOVERNMENT A TOOL TO MAKE RACIAL EQUITY MEASURABLE AND REPARATIVE JUSTICE. POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION ISN'T JUST COMPLIANCE. IT'S A CHANCE TO SEE OUR COMMUNITIES CLEARLY AND DESIGN FAIR SYSTEMS FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AND THEN IN THE BACK, THERE SHOULD BE AGENDAS, UH, AVAILABLE. AND TONY'S EMAIL IS ON THE TOP. OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I LOVE THAT INFORMATION. UH, WE ALSO RECEIVED, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT AB 19, UM, ADDRESSING THE DISAGGREGATED DATA FOR NORTH AFRICANS AS WELL. UM, SO IT'S DISAGGREGATED DATA SEASON. YES. , WHICH IS IMPORTANT, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR, I LIKE OUR, UH, UNCOUNTED UNREPORTED COMMUNITIES. UM, ALL RIGHT. MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON, UH, THIS ITEM BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD? WOULD YOU LIKE TO CALL THE SPEAKERS IN ZOOM? YES, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SORRY. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT IN ZOOM? PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FUTURE. NOW WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS. WE HAVE THREE SPEAKERS. ALRIGHT, LET'S DO IT. ZOOM'S WORKING. CJEC, YOU ARE UNMUTED AND YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. HEY. HI. THANKS MUCH. SO, HI. SO THIS IS, UH, THIS IS KRUGER WITH CALL FOR ADJUST EQUITABLE CALIFORNIA. THANK YOU, UH, TO STAFF AND TO THE MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, EVERYONE FOR BEING UP SO LATE AND TO WORK SO LATE. ALSO, THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE CAROLYN, WHO JUST SPOKE ABOUT SB FIVE 15. WE ARE, WE WROTE FIVE 15 WITH SENATOR MEETING, GETTING ENOUGH TO TALK TO YOU AND TELL YOU, UH, BUSTED TIME, UM, MAKE ALL RESOURCE FOR, AND, [02:55:02] AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE DROPPED OFF OF THE ZOOM. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT SPEAKER THAT WE HAVE WITH THEIR HAND NAME RAISED IS AUDRA. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. AUDRA, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. COMMISSIONERS MEMBERS OF THE STAFF AND PUBLIC. MY NAME IS ARA WALTON. I LIVE IN THE CITY OF MARINA MONTEREY COUNTY IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE BEAUTIFUL CENTRAL COAST OF CALIFORNIA. AND ALTHOUGH I AM CURRENTLY THE VICE CHAIR OF THE CITY OF MARINA'S PLANNING COMMISSION, I'M CALLING IN THIS EVENING AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN AND PROUD TO BE PART OF BOTH BLACK AF.NET AND THE COALITION FOR ADJUST AND EQUITABLE CALIFORNIA OR CJI, UM, WAS HOPING TO FOLLOW CHRIS, BUT I THINK HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO BRING HIM BACK. AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THIS EVENING'S MEETING HAS BEEN VERY INFORMATIVE AND I'M VERY GLAD THAT THE COMMISSION HAS ASKED THESE THREE QUESTIONS THIS EVENING, BECAUSE TONIGHT I AM CELEBRATING THE PASSAGE OF SB FIVE 15. AND WITH RESPECT TO, UH, SB FIVE 15, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MY COLLEAGUE CAROLYN'S, UH, HAS ALREADY SAID HERE TONIGHT. AND BRING AWARENESS TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BEEN WITNESSING AN EXODUS OF BLACK AMERICAN FREEMEN FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SINCE ITS PEAK IN THE 1980S, WHICH IS REALLY SAD TO ME, GIVEN THE FACT THAT MY GRANDPARENTS ARRIVED HERE IN THE EARLY FIFTIES FROM PARIS, LAMAR COUNTY, AND THEIR PARENTS WERE SHARECROPPERS. AND A MINISTER, I APOLOGIZE FOR MY THOUGHT, GAVE BIRTH MY FATHER SOME 72 YEARS AGO WHILE MY GRANDFATHER SERVED OUR NATION IN THE US ARMY. LIKE OTHER FREEDMAN FAMILIES IN CALIFORNIA, THEY LIVED THROUGH SEGREGATION REDLINING, AVOIDING SUNDOWN TOWNS, THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, THE CRACK AND GANG EPIDEMICS OVER POLICING, AND A HOST OF OTHER INJUSTICES. CURRENTLY FREEDMEN FAMILIES ARE LIVING THROUGH AN ECONOMIC CRISIS, AND I FEEL AS IF WE ARE INVISIBLE, IN PART BECAUSE OUR DATA HAS BEEN FLATTENED AND RACIALLY LUMPED TOGETHER UNDER ONE UMBRELLA OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN SLASH BLACK. FOR EXAMPLE, BLACK AMERICAN NEGRO FREEDOM FAMILIES HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS FROM NIGERIAN AND SUDANESE FAMILIES, JUST LIKE THE VIETNAMESE AND TONGAN FAMILIES, WHO AFTER SAN FRANCISCO DISAGGREGATED A API DATA FOUND THAT THOSE TWO GROUPS BEING LEFT OUT OF CITY PROGRAMS AND RESPONDED WITH VIETNAMESE AND TONGAN SPECIFIC RESOURCES, THIS HISTORIC LEGISLATION FIXES THAT FOR US TOO. THAT IS TO SAY DISAGGREGATED DATA COLLECTION FOR BLACK AMERICAN NEGRO FRIEDMAN UNDER SB FIVE 15 ENSURES THAT EVERY CITY AND COUNTY AND CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING THIS ONE, UPDATES ITS HIRING FORMS AND DATA SYSTEMS TO CREATE A NEW CATEGORY OF DATA COLLECTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF PERSONS ENSLAVED AND EMANCIPATED FROM CHATTEL SLAVERY IN THE US. THIS WILL ALLOW CITIES AND COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND AND ACT ON SPECIFIC CONDITIONS AND NEEDS OF BLACK AMERICAN PRE IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY. AND IF I CAN TAKE THE LIBERTY OF ANSWERING YOUR THIRD QUESTION OF THE EVENING, THE CITY COULD AND SHOULD REACH OUT TO CJE, WE ARE HERE TO HELP. CJ WROTE, THANK YOU, ARA, YOUR TIME HAS CONCLUDED. PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS AND GOVERNOR NEWMAN SIGNED IT. AND NOW OUR TEAM IS AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE TRAINING TEMPLATES AND EXAMPLES TO HELP DEPARTMENTS UNDERSTAND THE LAW UPDATE FORMS AND IMPLEMENT IT SMOOTHLY AND EFFECTIVELY. THANK YOU. CJA OFFICIAL.ORG AND BLACK AF DONE IT. THANK YOU. THE NEXT SPEAKER IN THE ZOOM WITH THEIR HAND RAISED IS YASMINE. YASMINE, YOU HAVE BEEN UNMUTE OR EXCUSE ME, UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS YASMINE ABDU SABI OAKLEY, AND I AM ALSO A MEMBER OF THE COALITION FOR JUST AND EQUITABLE CALIFORNIA. AND WE ARE HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR SENATE BILL SB FIVE 15 THAT ALLOWS US TO UPDATE ITS HIRING FORMS AND DATA SYSTEMS TO CREATE A NEW CATEGORY FOR DATA COLLECTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF PERSONS ENSLAVED AND THEN EMANCIPATED IN CALIFORNIA. UM, AS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE MENTIONED, UM, THIS IS A NEW AND EXCITING BILL WHERE WE ARE FINALLY ABLE TO ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE WHO COME FROM THIS GREAT LINEAGE AS AMERICAN FREEMEN DESCENDANTS OF PEOPLE ENSLAVED IN THIS COUNTRY. AND DURING THIS MEETING, IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL TO LISTEN TO ALL THE AMAZING WORK BEING DONE IN LONG BEACH. UM, BUT IF WE CAN MAKE LONG BEACH, UM, A LEADER IN THIS TYPE OF WORK TO IMPLEMENT A HISTORIC BILL LIKE THIS SO WE CAN FINALLY GET RESOURCES [03:00:01] TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM THE MOST. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. I WON'T TAKE UP MUCH MORE OF YOUR TIME. HAVE A GREAT EVENING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. DOES THAT CONCLUDE VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENT? THERE ARE TWO MORE PEOPLE IN THE ZOOM WITH THEIR HANDS RAISED WHERE I COME. I'M COMING . OKAY, THE NEXT PERSON IN THE, IN THE ZOOM WITH THEIR HANDS RAISED IS IKA. YOU HAVE BEEN UNMUTED. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR THREE MINUTES STARTS NOW. HI, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS MALIKA VELASQUEZ. UM, I AM ACTUALLY ALSO CALLING YOU FROM MONTEREY COUNTY, BUT I AM A LONG BEACH NATIVE. I WAS BORN IN LONG BEACH AND MOST OF MY FAMILY'S PROPERTIES WERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH BEFORE THE MILITARY MOVED US UP HERE, UM, TO MONTEREY COUNTY. SO, UM, IT'S BEEN VERY ENLIGHTENING LISTENING TO THE MEETING TODAY. UM, AND THOUGH I DO SIT ON, UH, MULTIPLE BOARDS AND, UM, I AM A CITY COMMISSIONER HERE IN MONTEREY COUNTY, I'M SPEAKING AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN. UM, I TOO AM ALSO, UH, REACHING OUT TO CELEBRATE SB FIVE 15, WHICH, UH, BASICALLY IS THE DESEGREGATION OF INFORMATION, UM, FOR PRETTY MUCH ALL COMMUNITIES, BUT SPECIFICALLY IN REGARDS TO MY, UH, BLACK AMERICAN FRIEDMAN COMMUNITY, UM, A COMMUNITY THAT HAS BASICALLY BEEN HIDDEN OR INVISIBLE UNDER THE BLACK UMBRELLA IN THIS COUNTRY AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE, UM, WHICH HAS CAUSED REAL DISPARITIES IN HOUSING, HEALTH, INCOME, AND EVEN OPPORTUNITIES BEING HIDDEN. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, NOT TOO LONG AGO IF, UH, EVERY, UH, IF YOU GUYS HAD PAID ATTENTION IN REGARDS TO, TO THE MEDIA WAS A, A MAN BY THE NAME OF ANDREESSEN, UH, MENTIONING IN THE REAGAN ECONOMIC FORUM HOW WHEN IT CAME TO EMPLOYMENT, UM, CORPORATIONS AND EVEN UNIVERSITIES WERE, UH, BASICALLY CALLING BACK TO THE CONTINENT AND BASICALLY BRINGING OVER NIGERIAN AND OTHER CONFIDENTIAL AFRICANS TO BASICALLY DISPLACE AFRICAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEES AND STUDENTS. AND SO WITH SB FIVE 15, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE IT WILL ALSO ADDRESS, UM, BECAUSE NOW STUDENTS, OR NOT STUDENTS, BUT, AND WHEN IT COMES TO EMPLOYMENT, WE WILL HAVE THIS NEW CATEGORY THAT BASICALLY, UM, IDENTIFIES WHETHER YOU ARE A DESCENDANT FROM AMERICAN CHATTEL ENSLAVEMENT, OR IF YOU ARE A CONTINENTAL AFRICAN, OR IF YOU ARE FROM THE CARIBBEAN, OR IF YOU ARE, UH, UM, IN REGARDS TO AFRO-LATINO OR AFRO UH, SOUTH AMERICAN, IT'LL IDENTIFY THAT. SO, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK THAT WE NEED BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE THESE UMBRELLA LIKE, UH, RACIAL OR ETHNIC, UM, IDENTIFIERS, YOU OFTEN HAVE PEOPLE WITHIN THAT RACIAL IDENTIFIER OR ETHNIC IDENTIFIER THAT ARE LACKING IN RESOURCES OR NOT EVEN GIVEN RESOURCES. AS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE MENTIONED WHEN IT CAME TO, UM, THE TONGAN AND, UH, VIETNAMESE COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE A IPI COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THERE IN LOS ANGELES, UH, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE, UM, OAXACAN COMMUNITY IN REGARDS TO LATINOS AND HOW A LOT OF TIMES THAT COMMUNITY IS NOT GIVEN, UM, THE SAME AMOUNT OF RESOURCES AS THE REST OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY. AND THE SAME THING GOES FOR OUR BLACK FREEDMEN COMMUNITY UNDER THE BLACK UMBRELLA THAT INCLUDES SO MANY OTHER, UM, DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS WITHIN BLACK AMER BLACK CULTURE. SO, UM, I AM CELEBRATING THIS. I AM HOPING THAT YOU GUYS WILL NOT WAIT UNTIL JANUARY 1ST, 2027, BUT YOU GUYS WILL BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT IT NOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, YOUR TIME HAS, HAS LAPSED. LASTLY, WE HAVE CJEC BACK IN THE ZOOM. YOU HAVE BEEN UNMUTED. CJEC, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES NOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN. AND, UH, COMMISSIONER, I WON'T, I WON'T TAKE YOUR TIME. I WON'T, I WON'T BELABOR THE POINT. I'M HERE AGAIN WITH THE TEAM, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO AGAIN ALERT YOU AND INFORM YOU ABOUT SB FIVE 15, UM, AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR CITY. UM, BUT REALLY, I, I JUST WANNA JUST PICK UP ON ONE, MAYBE ONE OR TWO THINGS THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID SO FAR IF I CAN STAY ON LONG ENOUGH TO DO IT. SO ONE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED A LOT TODAY ABOUT EQUITY AND INCLUSION AND, AND ALL EVENING, AND I LOVED ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT EQUITY INCLUSION SPECIFICALLY AS, AS IT CONCERNS ALL PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY. UM, BUT, UM, IF, IF, IF RIGHT NOW WE, WE ASKED YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE IN LONG BEACH ARE DESCENDANTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENSLAVED IN THIS COUNTRY, COUNTRY, YOU WOULD HAVE NO ANSWER, RIGHT? IF I ASK YOU HOW ARE, HOW ARE THE KIDS WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF THOSE WHO ARE ENSLAVED IN, IN THIS [03:05:01] COUNTRY DOING IN THE LONG BEACH SCHOOLS, YOU WOULD HAVE NO ANSWER IF I ASK YOU HOW, HOW ARE, ARE THE, THE, THE, THE, THE MOMS WHO ARE, ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENSLAVED IN THIS COUNTRY DOING IN THE HOSPITALS AND, AND DOING IN CHILDCARE AND HEALTHCARE. UM, THERE'S NO ANSWER. OKAY? YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW WEALTHY WE ARE. YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW, HOW MUCH INCOME WE HAVE. YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW HOW MUCH WE'RE WE'RE BEING HIRED OR FIRED. THE THE ANSWER IS ZERO. AND THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY FOR 400 YEARS, FOUGHT IN EVERY SINGLE WAR. WE, WE COME UP ON VETERANS DAY, RIGHT? WE, WE, WE'VE BEEN IN A BUNCH OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS OVER THE PAST FOUR, EIGHT HOURS, HEARD A LOT ABOUT VETERANS DAY. UM, SO THIS, LET ME KEEP IT BRIEF ENOUGH. WE ARE HERE TO HELP, UM, THIS NEW BILL, THIS NEW REQUIREMENT, YOU KNOW, IS ABOUT YOUR CITY AND YOUR COUNTY, AND WE WANNA HELP YOU IMPLEMENT IT. AND THIS HELPS FIX THAT GAP BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF GAP, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC NEEDS AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, AS WE WERE JUST SAYING. SO AGAIN, UM, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. UM, HAVE A GREAT NIGHT. UM, CAROLYN IS RIGHT THERE IN THE ROOM. UM, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE INFORMATION. WE, WE'LL BE IN TOUCH, UH, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ALSO, YOU KNOW, TALK TO THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL. AND PLEASE DO CONSIDER ADOPTING THIS AS A RECOMMENDATION OF YOUR COMMISSION TO THE CITY COUNCIL ALSO, UM, THAT YOU DISAGGREGATE AND EVEN GO FURTHER THAN THE STATE HAS REQUIRED. UM, AND START TO GET THIS DATA ON RESIDENCE. YOU NEED THIS DATA. TRUST ME, TRUST ME. UM, ALL RIGHT, HAVE A GREAT NIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ARE THERE ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SEEING NO FURTHER RAISED HANDS, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. ALRIGHT, UH, THANK YOU FOR, UM, THOSE WHO SPOKE ON PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, AS A REMINDER, UM, ON OUR WEBSITE AND ALSO, UH, HEAR PRESENT IN THE ROOM, IF THERE IS ANY INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH US AS A COMMISSION, UH, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL TONY, UH, AND TONY'S EMAIL IS ON THE TOP OF, UM, THE AGENDA. UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO, UM, COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCEMENTS NEXT. UM, [ANNOUNCEMENTS] ONE SECOND, JUST YES. UM, SO WE HAVE ONE FROM OUR VICE CHAIR, SO I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU, VICE CHAIR. ALRIGHT, I WILL TRY TO MAKE THIS REALLY QUICK. UM, BUT FOR ALL MY COMMISSIONERS, I'M REALLY SADDENED TO SAY THAT TODAY I SUBMITTED MY LETTER OF RESIGNATION. UM, AND TONIGHT IS MY LAST MEETING WITH THE EQUITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. I STRUGGLE WITH THIS DECISION FOR QUITE SOME TIME. UM, IT WAS REALLY TOUGH, BUT I WANNA EXPRESS MY SINCERE GRATITUDE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ALONGSIDE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND CHAIR. UM, IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO COLLABORATE WITH SUCH DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS COMMITTED TO ADVANCING EQUITY, INCLUSION AND JUSTICE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE EQUITY TEAM. UM, TOGETHER WE HAVE ENGAGED IN MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE, EMBRACED DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND WORKED, YOU KNOW, TIRELESSLY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. SO I AM DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE SUPPORT, PARTNERSHIP AND SHARED COMMITMENT, UM, THAT WE HAVE ALL SHOWN EACH OTHER. SO THANK YOU. AND, UM, I DID HAVE TO MAKE THIS DECISION BECAUSE I AM REALLY COMMITTED TO THE SHARED GOAL OF FOSTERING EQUITY IN HUMAN RIGHTS IN LONG BEACH. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY, THE COMMISSION, AND WITH THE N-A-A-C-P. SO I WISH ALL THE COMMISSIONERS CONTINUED SUCCESS AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE POSITIVE IMPACT. AND I WILL BE UP THERE AT THE SPEAKER WHEN I HAVE SOMETHING TO PRESENT AS WELL, . SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, VICE CHAIR. UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? IT'S, IT'S NOT REALLY AN AN ANNOUNCEMENT, IT'S MORE OF A COMMENT. I JUST WANNA THANK COMMISSIONER GILLETTE AND COMMISSIONER BATS FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR THE VALUE THAT YOU BROUGHT TO THIS COMMISSION. IT HAS REALLY BEEN AN HONOR SERVING WITH BOTH OF YOU, AND I WISH YOU THE BEST IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE ARE DEFINITELY GONNA MISS Y'ALL. UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT, UM, GOODBYE. BUT SEE YOU SOON. UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER BROWN? YES. UM, SORRY GUYS, I KNOW EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO HOME ON YOUR, IN YOUR AREAS. UM, I PASSED OUT, UM, THESE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS THINGS. I'M ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE [03:10:01] FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR LONG BEACH AND I HAPPENED TO GO TO READY LONG BEACH, 2025, AND I RAN INTO COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ THERE AND WALKING THROUGH ALL OF THE BOOTHS. I FOUND THIS. AND THIS HAS EVERY INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD NEED FOR EVERY NATURAL DISASTER IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. THESE ARE READILY AVAILABLE AT THE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICE OVER BY THE LONG BEACH WATER DISTRICT. AND I CAN GET AS MANY OF THESE AS WE WANT. SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO GET THESE AND GET THEM TO EACH DISTRICT AND HAVE THEM DISTRIBUTED BY EACH DISTRICT, UH, AS A CENTRAL PLACE TO, UM, GET THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED. AND WE, WE DON'T HAVE TO REINVENT THE WHEEL BY, UH, COMING UP WITH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IDEAS BECAUSE IT'S ALL LISTED RIGHT HERE. I ALSO HAVE IT IN SPANISH, TAGAL AND KIR. SO IT'S, IT GOES ACROSS TO ALL THE BOARDS AND THEY HAVE PLENTY OF THEM. THEY SAID, OH, PLEASE, PLEASE COME AND TAKE THEM. SO ANYBODY WHO NEEDS MORE, LET ME KNOW. I ALREADY GONNA GET SOME FOR COMMISSIONER BUTLER AND UM, WE'LL GO FROM THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COMMITMENT. REAL FAST BROWN. I KNOW 'CAUSE YOU WANNA GO? UH, OH, JUST ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT. YES, JUST ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT. VERY FAST. IF YOU'RE AROUND AND ABOUT AND NEAR THE MICHELLE OBAMA LIBRARY THIS SATURDAY AT 10:00 AM THERE'LL BE A RIBBON CUTTING AND A REOPENING, UM, FOR THE COURTYARD. IT WAS GARDEN FOCUSED BEFORE, BUT NOW IT'S BEEN REDONE SO THAT IT'S AN AREA THAT'S ACCESSIBLE AND PEOPLE CAN GATHER AND IT'LL BE MORE COMMUNITY ORIENTED. COME OUT TO THE RIBBON CUTTING AT MICHELLE OBAMA, SATURDAY 10:00 AM THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT. UM, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THE MEETING AT NINE, WHAT IS THIS? TWELVE TEN NINE, TWELVE TO 13. UM, AND BEFORE WE GO, CAN WE PLEASE GET A GROUP PICTURE? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. AUR. YEAH. * 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.