[00:00:01]
[Call to Order]
EVENING.WELCOME TO OUR MARCH 21ST, 2023 COUNCIL MEETING.
IT IS 7:08 PM MEETING IS NOW IN SESSION.
TONIGHT'S INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY PASTOR SAMUEL MARTINEZ FROM AMAZING LOVE MINISTRIES, AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE LED BY ANALISE MORA FROM SOUTH HILLS HIGH SCHOOL.
PLEASE RISE SMALL, SMALL CORRECTION.
READY?
WE REMEMBER THE WORDS OF KING SOLOM, OF LAO WHO SAID THAT WISDOM IS A PRINCIPLE THING.
SO WE PRAY AS WE ALWAYS DO, FATHER, FOR UROGRAM WISDOM TO OUR MAYOR, THE CITY COUNCIL, AND ALL THOSE IN AUTHORITY IN OUR CITY.
NOT ONLY DO WE ASK THAT YOU BLESS THEM, FATHER WITH, WITH, UH, WISDOM, BUT TO BLESS THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH HEALTH AND DIVINE PROTECTION.
AND WE PRAY FOR ALL THOSE IN THIS CITY, FATHER, THAT ARE IN POSITIONS OF AUTHORITY AND THAT WORK FOR THE CITY THAT YOU WOULD GRANT THEM WISDOM FATHER, IN ALL THE AFFAIRS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO REGARDING THIS CITY.
FATHER, WE PRAY FOR OUR SCHOOLS THAT YOU KEEP OUR SCHOOLS SAFE HAVEN HAVENS, AND THAT THEY, THEY CHILDREN THERE AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE BE PROTECTED DIVINELY IN JESUS' NAME, EMILY.
FATHER, WE PRAY FOR OUR BUSINESSES TO PROSPER.
WE PRAY FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TO STAY SAFE.
AND FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FAMILIES IN OUR CITY AND WE BLESS THEM AS WELL.
NOW, FATHER, THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING OUR POLICE OFFICERS WHEREVER THEY GO, ON OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND ALL OUR AMERICAN SOLDIERS AROUND OUR COUNTRY OR AROUND THE WORLD.
WE PRAY AND WE THAT YOU PROTECT THEM AND WE BLESS THEM IN JESUS' NAME.
NOW, FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR GUIDING US AND THE ALL THE AFFAIRS THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS THIS EVENING, AND WE THANK YOU FOR THIS.
READY PLEDGE ALLEG THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NATION.
UH, GOOD EVENING, MADAME MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER.
SO I'LL BE STEPPING IN FOR THE CITY CLERK THIS EVENING.
UM, UH, COUNCILMAN CONTOS HERE, UH, COUNCILWOMAN LOPEZ VIDO PRESENT, UH, COUNCILMAN WILL HERE,
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE BE REPORTED OUT OF CLOSED SESSION? MADAM MAYOR, CITY ATTORNEY GA MARTINEZ WILL RESPOND.
NOTHING TO REPORT TO MADAM MAYOR.
[PRESENTATIONS]
TODAY, WE HAD A VERY SPECIAL DAY.WE HAD OUR GOVERNMENT, UM, STUDENT GOVERNMENT HERE, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THE CITY, HOW THE CITY'S RUN, AND THEY GET TO SEE THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND, UH, I THINK IT WAS A REALLY NICE THING THAT OUR CITY WAS ABLE TO DO FOR THEM.
UM, THEY WERE HERE FROM THIS MORNING AT NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, AND, UM, THEY CAME BACK TODAY AT SIX 30 SO THEY CAN SEE AND, AND HOW THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
SO I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THEM THIS, THIS, UH, DAY.
SO NOW WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, UM, THE STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE GOVERNMENT DAY.
CAN I BRING 'EM DOWN WITH ME? SHOULD WE GO? IF YOU WANT.
[00:05:16]
HELLO? I'LL JUST TALK LOUD.SO THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WEST CO.
YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE OPERATIONS COUNCIL AND STAFF BEFORE CITY HALL AND POLICE DEPARTMENT, JOB SHADOW CITY STAFF IN THE MORNING.
THERE WAS A LAW CITY COUNCIL MEETING IN THE AFTERNOON.
SO NOW I'M GONNA START RECOGNIZING THE STUDENT.
AND SHE'S ON MAYOR VICTORIA CHUN.
SHE'S OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO MOUNT SAC EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY.
JULIA HERNANDEZ, SHE'S OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
SHE IS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
HE WORKS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, NOW WE'RE GONNA GO MOVE ON TO SOUTH HILLS HIGH SCHOOL.
GAIL MARTINEZ, CAST, THAT'S OUR CITY ATTORNEY.
THAT'S OUR FIRE CHIEF, NOT HERE.
SHE WORKS IN OUR PUBLIC SERVICES.
MARK, MAYBE WE SHOULD MOVE THAT.
NOW WE'RE MOVING ON TO WEST COVINA HIGH SCHOOL.
LENA SHA SARI, SHE'S PART OF OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER GAVIN FLORES.
[00:10:02]
HE'S PAULA, PART OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.SHE'S IN OUR ECONOMIC DE DEPARTMENT.
SHE'S PART OF OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE MOVING ON TO EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL.
NOW WE'RE MOVING ON TO CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL.
TYLER BROOKLYN IS OUR ASSISTANT CITY CLERK.
ISRAEL ARMAND AND FERNANDO PEREZ.
ABIGAIL PEN PENOLA FROM WEST COVINA HIGH SCHOOL.
AND LORI LOY FROM SOUTH HILLS HIGH SCHOOL.
I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE WITH US.
I HOPE YOU LEARNED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR CITY OR A LOT.
I I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE FUTURE, SITTING UP HERE WITH US OR SITTING BACK THERE AS A CITY ATTORNEY, A CITY CLERK, A CITY MANAGER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD BE REALLY REWARDING FOR US THAT YOU GET TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
DO YOU WANT ME TO MOVE IN? BEN, CAN WE ALL MOVE THIS WAY PLEASE? I THINK WE'RE GONNA DOUBLE LINES AS LONG AS WE CAN SEE YOUR HEADS.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS, THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING?
WE HEAR THE MAYOR WOULD LIKE TO SAY.
THE MAYOR WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING.
SO, SO I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME AND FOR EVERY STUDENT IN HERE FOR LET US TO UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNIZE HOW HARD YOUR WORK ACTUALLY IS AND HOW EVERYTHING WORKS.
AND FOR ME, IT'S SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY AND TO BE A MAYOR.
NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S THE HIGHEST POSITION, BUT BECAUSE IT'S MY GOAL.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND I'M GLAD
[00:15:01]
THAT I'M, I'M SENIOR RIGHT NOW AND IT WAS MY LAST CHANCE TO ATTEND STUDENT GOVERNMENT DAY TODAY.SO MY LAST TIME PARTICIPATED IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT DAY AND I'M A MAYOR.
THE HIGHEST POSITION I MADE IT.
OH, I'M SORRY, MR. MANNING, CAN YOU SAY A FEW WORDS MANNING? YEAH, THAT'S A PROBLEM.
I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK THE CITY FOR ALLOWING US TO PUT ON THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT DAY.
OBVIOUSLY WITHOUT A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND QANTAS, UH, THIS COULDN'T HAPPEN.
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE KIDS TO LEARN ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE ONE GOVERNMENT WHERE YOU HAVE DIRECT, UH, INPUT.
YOU CAN BE HERE EVERY TWICE A MONTH.
TALK TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAKE AN IMPACT.
WE WANT THAT THEM TO KNOW THAT AS WELL.
THANK YOU TO THE CITY FOR ALL YOUR HELP.
I THINK I'M GONNA STAY UP HERE.
SO TONIGHT WE'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MR. PETER ANO, WHO IS THE OWNER OF LOCOS.
UH, MR. ARIANA WAS KIND ENOUGH TO DONATE TO DANIEL FOE'S BIRTHDAY.
HE, UM, DONATED HIS TIME, HIS, UH, CATERING.
HE, HE CATERED TO THIS, UH, PARTY.
AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY ANYBODY OR ANYONE KNOWS ABOUT DANIEL FONSECA, BUT, UM, HE WAS A RESIDENT OF, UM, WEST COVINA THAT WAS, UH, A LITTLE UNFORTUNATE AND HE NEEDED TO FIND A HOME.
AND SO I KNOW OUR MAYOR, UM, FORMER MAYOR, LET LOPEZ, VITO HELPED HIM OUT ALONG WITH, UM, MR. MANNING AND, UM, HELPED HIM OUT AND THEY GOT HIM, THEY RECOVERED, UH, THEY WERE ABLE TO GET HIM A HOME, GET HIM A JOB, GET HIM FOOD, AND ALL THE SERVICES THAT HE NEEDS.
AND, UM, I JUST WANNA THANK THEM BOTH FOR DOING THAT.
AND NOW WE WERE CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY AT THE SENIOR CITIZENS.
AND, UM, MR. ARIANO WAS NICE ENOUGH TO CATER FOR THAT PARTY.
SO, UH, I WANNA GIVE HIM A RECOGNITION, A CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION.
AND I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS.
UM, WANT TO THANK THE CITY FOR ALLOWING US TO PARTICIPATE AND SHARE, UH, IN THIS SERVICE, UH, FOR A COMMUNITY MEMBER.
UH, PETER'S A LOCAL IS DEFINITELY HERE, UH, THROUGH THE BASE OF SUPPORT OF OUR CLIENTELE, WHICH ALLOWS US TO GIVE BACK.
SO WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF THE CLIENTELE, UH, FOR US TO SERVE.
A RECOGNITION, PETER AND FOR LOCAL.
WHAT'S YOUR, OKAY, MY NEXT PRESENTATION WILL BE WHAT? UH, ABOUT THE RED CROSS IS PATTY MADERA HERE.
UM, WELL I AM GONNA TALK ABOUT IT AND SAY, UM, WHAT DO I, I WAS GONNA RECOGNIZE, UH, THE RED CROSS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE HERE, SO I'M GONNA SKIP THAT.
[ORAL COMMUNICATIONS]
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ORAL COMMUNICATIONS.IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL, PLEASE FILL OUT A YELLOW SPEAKER CARD AND SUBMIT IT TO THE ASSISTANT CITY CLERK.
[00:20:01]
OKAY.UM, WITH THE CONCURRENCE OF OUR CITY COUNCIL, CAN WE LIMIT IT TO THREE MINUTES? OKAY.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA LIMIT IT TO THREE MINUTES.
UM, FIRST STEP IS, UH, LLOYD JOHNSON AND FOLLOWING WOULD BE JOHN SHOEMAKER.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M HERE MAINLY CUZ I AM YOUR SAN GABRIEL VALLEY FACTOR MOSQUITO REPRESENTATIVE TRUSTEE.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE EVERYBODY AWARE, YOU KNOW, WITH ALL THE RAINY SEASON WE HAVE NOW, YOU DON'T WANNA LEAVE ANY STANDING WATER IN YOUR YARD.
REMEMBER, MOSQUITOES CAN BREATHE IN A HALF AN INCH OF WATER.
AND THIS IS A ONE, ONE TYPE OF ANIMAL OR INSECT THAT THE FEMALES DO ALL THE DAMAGE.
THE FEMALES ARE THE ONES THAT BITE MALES DON'T BITE THE SAN GABRIEL VECTOR.
WHAT WE DO, WE COLLECT THE MALES, WE STERILIZE THEM, AND THEN THEY TURN 'EM LOOSE.
AND WHEN THEY BREED WITH THE FEMALES, WHEN THE FEMALES SAY EGGS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT EVEN GOOD.
YOU KNOW? SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I WANT EVERYBODY JUST TO BE AWARE OF IT BECAUSE MOSQUITO SEASON WILL COME AROUND, IT WILL COME AROUND EARLIER BECAUSE OF ALL THE RAIN WE HAD.
SO LET'S ALL MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE IT AND THAT TIME, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM, YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY BACK TO MOSQUITO DOING WESTCO OR GIVE THE CITY, LET ME KNOW AND I'LL TURN IT IN FOR YOU.
JOHN SHOEMAKER, FOLLOWED BY RYAN SERRANO.
YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE THING COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THE CITY AND THE RESIDENTS WAS ONE 10TH AS INTENSE AS THEIR DISLIKE OF THE MAYOR PRO TEMP.
IT'S THAT SIMPLE BECAUSE THERE IS NO REASON TO STOP IT.
WHAT I FOUND ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AT, UH, THE MEETING WHERE THE GENTLEMAN WAS GIVING THE HISTORY, HOW ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO STOPPED IT SAID, I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT YOU.
SO IT WASN'T LIKE HE WAS SAYING, HEY, THE WRONG PERSON IS SPEAKING.
YOU KNOW, UH, AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, IT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING.
WHO SPEAKS FOR WHO SEEMS LIKE COUNCILMEMBER WU WOULD BE THE LAST PERSON WHO'D BE WORRIED ABOUT WHO SPEAKS FOR WHO.
CONSIDERING THAT LIKE 80 OR 90% OF THE WORLD'S GOVERNMENTS DO NOT RECOGNIZE HIS HOME COUNTRY, SEEMED LIKE HE'D BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
AND WHAT MAKES IT EVEN FUNNIER SAD IS IT WAS THE CELEBRATION OF THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF OUR CITY.
HOW ARE WE FOUNDED? A GROUP OF PEOPLE DECIDED THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF COVINA ANY LONGER.
THEY BROKE OFF AND CREATED THEIR OWN.
THAT IS WHAT THAT, THAT IS WHAT'S SAD.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I, I'M GONNA BE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HERE.
THE TONE THAT HAS BEEN SET BY AN EXCLUDE COUNCILMAN CONTOS, BECAUSE YOU'RE BRAND NEW BY THIS CONSOLE AND PEOPLE ON THIS CONSOLE IS UNBELIEVABLE AND HAS NEVER BEEN ACCEPTABLE BEFORE.
WE HAVE ONE PLANNING COMMISSIONER WHO GETS UP HERE AND MAKES REMARKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE MEI PRO TIMS, UH, UH, ETHNIC HERITAGE.
WHO CARES? WHO CARES? THAT PERSON SHOULD BE FIRED.
AND I FIND IT UNBELIEVABLE THAT THE PERSON WHO APPOINTED HIM LETS HIM GET AWAY WITH THAT.
I ALSO SEE COUNCILMAN WU, OR WHO I'VE BEEN REFERRING TO AS VLADIMIR WOOTEN, CUZ HE ACTS MORE LIKE A DICTATOR THAN A MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS, HE'S LETTING HIS DISLIKE FOR ONE PERSON OVERRIDE HIS SENSIBILITIES.
WE DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT MAYOR DIAZ ON, AND HER COMMENTS AND SUPPORT OF THINGS LIKE, WE NEED MORE WHITE PEOPLE IN WEST COVINA.
YOU KNOW, SO WE, WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, START ACTING LIKE GROWNUPS.
[00:25:01]
FOLLOWED BY MATTHEW SMITH.GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, AND THOSE IN ATTENDANCE AND WATCHING AT HOME.
MY NAME IS RYAN SERRANO AND I'M A FIELD DEPUTY WITH THE OFFICE OF SUPERVISOR HILDA SOLI.
I'M HERE TONIGHT TO PROVIDE A STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF SUPERVISOR SOLIS AND THE STATEMENT BEGINS, DEAR COUNCIL, MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, I MUST EXPRESS MY DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT OVER THIS ATTEMPT TO REPRIMAND MAYOR PRO TEM BRIAN TABBA TOBA ON UNFOUNDED CLAIMS RELATED TO THE CITY OF WEST COVINA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, AND A PRE-PLANNED LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND BLESSING.
AS LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR TO THE FIRST DISTRICT, IT IS MY DUTY TO ENSURE OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPERATES WITH TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND FAIRNESS.
UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR PROPOSED ACTIONS IN THIS MATTER HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF THESE STANDARDS.
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THERE IS CURRENTLY A THIRD PARTY INVESTIGATION INTO THE MATTER AT HAND, MAKING ANY DECISION BEFORE RECEIVING.
THE FINDINGS OF THIS INVESTIGATION IS NOT ONLY ILL CONCEIVED, BUT ALSO ERODES THE TRUST OF OUR SHARED CONSTITUENTS, INCLUDING THE FIRST PEOPLES OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
THE AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITY IS A VITAL PART OF OUR LOS ANGELES COUNTY, INCLUDING THE CITY OF WEST COVINA.
LOCAL TRIBES ARE STILL HERE, AND THEY HAVE NOT LEFT THEIR ANCESTRAL LANDS, DESPITE CENTURIES OF HARM AND SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION.
THAT IS WHY LAST NOVEMBER, AFTER MANY MONTHS OF COLLABORATION WITH LEADERS FROM LOCAL TRIBES, THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED A COUNTYWIDE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AT MY DIRECTION.
MY AIM, MY AIM IN THIS WAS TO COUNTER THE DESTRUCTIVE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY WITH A STATEMENT CREATED BY THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ALREADY HERE, AND TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN REPAIRING RELATIONSHIPS AND RESTORATIVE COLLABORATION WITH OUR NATIVE COMMUNITIES.
YOUR RECENT ACTIONS TO NOT ALLOW A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND BLESSING TO MOVE FORWARD AT THE CITY'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IS AN ACT OF SILENCING, ERASURE, AND DISCRIMINATION.
LET'S HAVE SOME ORDER AND LET HIM FINISH, PLEASE.
IT IS CRITICAL NOW MORE THAN EVER TO PRIORITIZE INCLUSIVITY AND CENTER HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED VOICES THAT ALSO INCLUDES GROUNDING YOUR WORK IN TRUTH.
I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR ACTIONS SINCERELY, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR TO THE FIRST DISTRICT, HILDA EL SALISE.
AND THE THE ITEM THAT IS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD IS A RECENT, UH, STUDY THAT TOOK PLACE DISCUSSING THE HARMS THAT THE NATIVE PEOPLES HAVE EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT HISTORY AND CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE.
I URGE YOU TO PLEASE REVIEW THOSE ITEMS. I YIELD THE REMAINDER OF MY TIME.
MATTHEW SMITH, FOLLOWED BY EMMA DEL OH, MATTHEW SMITH, FOLLOWED BY EMMA DEL.
GOING TO ONCE AGAIN WEAR TWO DIFFERENT HATS.
FIRST ONE IS SAN GABRIEL VALLEY SENIOR SOFTBALL.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK WITH THE ORGANIZATION TO GET US BACK UP, AS WE CALL IT.
THE HILL, YOU KNOW, THE WEST CONVENIENT SPORTSPLEX, UM, WORKED WITH THE CITY ASSISTANTS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS RISK MANAGEMENT, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE PAPERWORK ALL FINALIZED AND WE WERE UP THERE FOR THE FIRST TIME, UH, LAST THURSDAY.
THE FIELDS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE.
YOUR DEPARTMENTS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB ON IT.
UH, ONE TUESDAY MORNING, WE'RE THERE AND THEY'RE SCRAMBLING TO DROP, UH, NEW DIRT ON BEFORE THE RAIN STARTED.
SO YOU, UH, THE CITY'S, UM, INTENTION OF MAKING THE SPORTS COMPLEX TOP NOTCH IS, IS COMING TO FRUITION.
YOU GUYS HAVE SPENT A LOT OF WORK AND, AND WE OBVIOUSLY ARE THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
UM, THE SECOND, UM, UM, TOPIC I'M WANNA SPEAK ON TONIGHT IS REGARDING BUN STREET, SCOOP STREET, TAMALE STREET AND OUTDOOR DINING.
UM, OF COURSE, THE, UH, HEALTH DEPARTMENT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE A NEED FOR EMERGENCY NEED FOR BECAUSE OF COVID ANYMORE.
UM, SO WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH THE CITY IN REGARDS TO DISMANTLING THE OUTDOOR EATING AND MOVING THE TABLES TO COMMONPLACE LOCATIONS OUT OF THE PARKING LOT.
WE DEFINITELY WANT TO WORK WITH THE CITY AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE CITY LOOKING AT MAKING SOME PERMANENT CHANGES THAT WILL ENABLE OUTDOOR DINING, UM, BECAUSE THE ESTABLISHMENTS THERE ALL USED IT.
I KNOW IT'S AN AWFUL NIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS AS WE HAVE LIKE THREE DAYS OF RAIN AND I'M SAYING HOW WONDERFUL OUTDOOR EATING IS.
[00:30:01]
BUT JUST THE SAME WHEN SPRING COMES AROUND AND SUMMER, IT'S, IT'S OF GREAT VALUE TO THE ESTABLISHMENTS THERE.WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS HAVE, HAS RULES THAT THE CITY NEEDS ABIDE BY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE, THE, THE QUICKER THE CITY REVIEWS THESE AND POTENTIALLY MAKES THEIR OWN ORDINANCES, UH, IT'LL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENTS THERE.
THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.
DURING COVID, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DROPPED BARRIERS, FILLED 'EM UP WITH WATER, THE CITY DROPPED, UH, PLANTED TREES TO MAKE IT LOOK NICE, AND WHEN YOU COULDN'T COME, WHEN YOU COULDN'T EAT INDOORS, UM, IT IT, IT WAS A HUGE, UH, FACTOR FOR US TO CONTINUE IN BUSINESS AND IT ALSO ADDED, YOU KNOW, 50 60 ADDITIONAL SEATS OUTDOORS FOR ALL THE, THE RESTAURANTS THERE.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE CITY OF MAKING DECISIONS AND POTENTIALLY, UM, OKAYING, UM, OUTDOOR EATING, UH, PERMANENTLY.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR BOTH ISSUES TONIGHT.
THANK YOU EMMA JO FOLLOWED BY PEGGY MARTINEZ.
I AM A WEST CAMINA RESIDENT AND REGISTERED VOTER.
I AM BARLA YU'S VOICE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I CAME OUT TO THIS CITY HALLS MEETING TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE COUNCILMAN ALI CONTOS CONSIDERATION TO REMOVE MAYOR PROTE BRIAN TABATA'S POSITION FROM HIS POSITION.
OUR CITY IS A FAMILY-ORIENTED COMMUNITY.
WEST COVINA IS NOT A CITY THAT PARTAKE IN RADICAL AND HOSTILE POLITICAL AGENDAS.
HIS BEHAVIOR AND TACTICS AT THE HUNDRED HUNDREDTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY DINNER DID NOT HELP OUR COMMUNITY.
COUNCILMAN ALI CANTOS IS DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
I BELIEVE IT WAS WRONG THAT COUNCIL MEMBER W AND MAYOR DIAZ WAS CHASTISED AT OUR LAST CITY HALL MEETING.
I REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME BEING PART OF THE WEST COVINA YOUTH COUNCIL WHERE I FIRST MET COUNCILMAN WU.
COUNCILMAN WU IS VERY ACTIVE AND MINDFUL OF THE YOUTH, SO I URGED COUNCILMAN WU AND MAYOR DIAZ TO VOTE WITH COUNCILMAN CONTOS TO REMOVE BRIANT TABBA FROM HIS MAYOR PROTE POSITION.
I ALSO ENCOURAGE MY COUNCILWOMAN LETTI LOPEZ TO VOTE WITH COUNCILMAN OLI CONTOS.
AGAIN, OUR CITY IS NOT A HO SPORADICAL AND BEHAVIORS.
WE ARE A PEACEFUL FAMILY-ORIENTED COMMUNITY.
AND BY THE WAY, WEST COVINA WAS CREATED BECAUSE IT DIDN'T WANNA BE THE SEWAGE WASTAGE PLANT FOR COVINA.
THANK PEGGY MARTINEZ, FOLLOWED BY THERESE GARCIA.
OKAY, I COME HERE TONIGHT, NOT ALONE, BUT WITH APPROXIMATELY 200 SIGNATURES FROM RESIDENTS WHO LIVE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.
WE DID NOT HAVE TO WALK FOR THESE PEOPLE CONTACTED US AND WE DROVE WHOLE HOUSE TO HOUSE TO GET SIGNATURES BECAUSE WEATHER WAS BAD.
PEOPLE IN THE CITY DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS AT ALL.
OKAY, SO I AM RESPECT RESPECTFULLY ASKING ALL OF YOU TO VOTE NO.
THEN I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE CITY MANAGER.
ONE, WILL THE PUBLIC BE NOTIFIED OF THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION THAT MAYOR DIAZ REQUESTED AT THE COUNCIL MEETING ON 2 21 23? AND IF SO, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT THOSE TWO FOR THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION RESPONSIBILITY WAS IT TO APPROVE PARTICIPANTS, THE CITY COUNCILS OR THE STAFF AND THE CITY MANAGER? THREE ON THE SECOND EVENING OF THE HUNDREDTH DAY CELEBRATION ON GLENDO AVENUE WAS MAYOR DIAZ.
AND THANK YOU WU'S INVOLVEMENT IN REMOVING JAMIE ROJA A VIOLATION OF CITY PA.
ANYWAY, THOSE THREE QUESTIONS.
DID YOU UNDERSTAND MY FIRST QUESTION, UM, BECAUSE I STILL HAVE TIME, WOULD PUBLIC BE NOTIFIED WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE THIRD ONE? THE THIRD ONE WAS ON THE SECOND EVENING OF THE HUNDREDTH DAY CELEBRATION, UH, WAS MAYOR DIAZ AND COUNCILMAN WU'S INVOLVEMENT IN REMOVING JAMIE ROCHA A VIOLATION OF CITY POLICY.
OKAY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
[00:35:02]
OH, TRACE GARCIA, FOLLOWED BY THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE NAACP.MY CLOCK IS RESET, RIGHT? YES.
MY NAME IS TORRES GARCIA AND I'M A DISTRICT FOR RESIDENT.
I'M ALSO A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OF A LAW FIRM IN DISTRICT ONE MAYOR PRO TEM TABATA DESERVES TO KEEP HIS TITLE OF MAYOR PROTE AND I WILL GIVE YOU THREE REASONS WHY.
NUMBER ONE, REMOVING HIS TITLE OF MAYOR PROTE IS SIMPLY UNWARRANTED MAYOR PROTE TABBA HAS COMMITTED NO OBJECTIVE WRONGDOING, NO VIOLATION OF LAW OR ETHICS.
THERE HAS NOT EVEN BEEN A SPECIFIC ACCUSATION SET FORTH BY ANY ENTITY.
THE INVESTIGATION HAS NOT RELEASED ANY FINDINGS.
HAD THE MAYOR PRO TEMME BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME OF MORAL TURPITUDE, FOR EXAMPLE, THEN PERHAPS REMOVAL OF THE TITLE OF MAYOR PRO TEM WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
BUT THAT IS FAR FROM THE CASE HERE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THE MUNICIPAL CO MUNICIPAL CODE DOES NOT REQUIRE A JUSTIFICATION TO CHANGE THE MAYORAL SUCCESSION AND THAT ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS AT LEAST FOUR VOTES.
BUT PLEASE DO NOT EXPLOIT THAT LOW BAR AND ALLOW THIS TO DEVOLVE INTO A POPULARITY CONTEST OR AN ATTACK ON SOMEONE WHO HOLDS DIFFERENT IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS FROM YOURSELVES, PLEASE ACT HONORABLY AND DIPLOMATICALLY.
NUMBER TWO, MAYOR PROTE TABBA TABBA HAS EXHIBITED QUALITIES THAT A MAYOR PROTE AND A MAYOR SHOULD HOLD.
I AGREE THAT MAYORS AND MAYORS PRO TEME SHOULD BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
AND MAYOR PROTE TABBA ATTEMPTED TO DO JUST THAT.
HE INVITED AN INDIGENOUS GROUP THAT HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY ERASED TO JOIN IN AS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY DURING OUR CITY'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
THAT IS THE EPITOME OF INCLUSIVITY, AND I CANNOT THINK OF A MORE BEAUTIFUL WAY TO BRING THE PEOPLE TOGETHER.
MAYOR PROTE TABATA TABBA HAS ALSO SHOWN US THAT HE IS NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST INJUSTICE.
WHEN THE IDEA OF JAMIE ROACH'S BLESSING WAS ALLEGEDLY MET WITH NEGATIVITY BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER WU MS. ROCHA WAS DEEPLY HURT.
AND MAYOR PRO TABATA BY RECOGNIZED THE INJUSTICE OF THAT SITUATION.
HE SHARED WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE ELECTED OFFICIALS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR WORDS AND ACTIONS.
SPEAKING UP AGAINST INJUSTICE IS WHAT A MAYOR AND MAYOR PROTE SHOULD DO, AND THAT IS WHAT MAYOR PROTE TABBA HAS DONE.
NUMBER THREE, REMOVING MAYOR PROTE TABATA'S TITLE AS MAYOR PRO TEME WOULD DIVIDE THE COMMUNITY.
MAYOR PRO TEM TABATA TABBA WAS DULY ELECTED BY THE DISTRICT, HIS DISTRICT TO STRIP HIM OF THE TITLE OF MAYOR PRO TEME IS REALLY TO STRIP THE PEOPLE WHO STAND BEHIND HIM AND THOSE WHO LOOK UP TO HIM OF THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF CALLING THEIR REPRESENTATIVE.
MAYOR, IT'S UNDIPLOMATIC UNDEMOCRATIC AND IT'S THE ANTITHESIS OF JOINING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER BECAUSE IT DISENFRANCHISES A LARGE SWATH OF THE COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND I HOPE YOU ACT HONORABLY AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION ON THIS MATTER.
OKAY, UH, NEXT OH, NEXT STEP IS FREDERICK SYKES.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY NAACP.
WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO STOP ALL AND ANY ACTIONS TOWARDS STRIPPING MAYOR PROTE TABATA BY OF HIS TITLE.
THIS PENDING ACTION IS WITHOUT MERIT.
IT'S VERY PETTY AND IT'S BASED ON A LOT OF HEARSAY.
AND TRUST ME, I HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS AROUND THIS INCIDENT.
I KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS TWO SIDES OF A STORY AND ONE THAT IS NEVER TOLD.
IT APPEARS TO BE A CASE OF RETALIATION, A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS TOWARD THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
THIS PENDING ACTION WILL RESULT IN THE CITIZENS OF WEST COVINA.
TO FURTHER QUESTION, WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE CITY COUNCIL IN WEST COVINA? THE PROBLEM IS MS. ROCA WAS MADE TO FEEL UNWELCOME AT THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF WEST COVINA FESTIVAL AND LEFT WITHOUT PERFORMING.
INSTEAD OF STARTING THE HEALING PROCESS, THIS COUNCIL IS ATTEMPTING TO PUNISH ONLY MAYOR PROTE FOR THE ACTIONS OF MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL.
JUST AS QUICKLY AS THE NEWS SPREAD ABOUT THE CONFEDERATE FLAG BEING DISPLAYED AT THIS COUNCIL MEETING.
NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE AND SO DID THE UNWELCOMING OF JAMIE ROKA.
THE COUNCIL CANNOT STOP COMMUNITY MEMBERS
[00:40:01]
FROM REACTING WHEN THEY FEEL THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HARMED BY THE ACTIONS OF THIS COUNCIL.I UNDERSTAND THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY WAS IN A HISTORIC EVENT.
WE ALL WISH THAT THERE WAS NO MEG NEGATIVE INCIDENTS, BUT THERE WAS ONE.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT AT THIS POINT IS HOW THE CITY COUNCIL HANDLES AND RESOLVE ISSUES BECAUSE IT WILL DETERMINE WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE CITY OF WEST COVINA.
CONDUCTING THIS VOTE BASED ON HEARSAY WITHOUT SUBSTANTIATED FACTS AND WITHOUT A LEGAL INQUIRY OR HEARING OR LETTING THE MAYOR PRO TEM RESPOND IS A VIOLATION OF HIS CONSTITUTION AND CIVIL RIGHTS.
THIS EXTREME POWER PLAY OF STRIPPING THE MAYOR PRO TEM POSITION BASED ON HEARSAY ARGUING IN FRONT OF A 16 YEAR OLD CHILD AND THEN USING THE BLAME GAME TO JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE OF WEST COVINA WILL THINK ABOUT THE LEADERS OF THIS CITY, THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY NAACP, URGE YOU TO DROP THESE PETTY UNFOUND ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MAYOR PROTE.
DIANA SYKES WILL BE FOLLOWING.
GOOD EVENING MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE.
I AM FREDERICK SYKES, 45 YEAR RESIDENT OF THIS CITY.
RETIRED DEPUTY SHERIFF, ALSO A FORMER MAYOR OF THIS CITY.
THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS HAVE SAID EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID.
IT'S VERY CLEAR WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG.
AND WE ALL HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS NEGATIVE, BAD, WRONG FOR THE CITY.
I HOPE YOU REMEMBER TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND THINK ABOUT THOSE PROMISES THAT YOU MADE AS YOU ALL RAN FOR OFFICE.
IT WASN'T ABOUT TACKING YOUR FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBER WHEN YOU GOT THE ELECTED, IT WAS ABOUT TAKING CARE OF THE CITY.
YOU PROMISE TO WORK FOR THE RESIDENTS AND NOW HERE YOU ARE REALLY SHOWING WHAT YOU ARE WASTING THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY.
CAN WE LET 'EM FINISH? PLEASE? WASTING PRECIOUS RESOURCES THAT SHOULD BE USED FOR THINGS LIKE WE KNOW FINANCIALLY THE CITY IS HURTING, THE CITY IS BANKRUPT.
I CAN TAKE YOU RIGHT NOW TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THERE ARE THREE HOUSES THAT HAVE BEEN BROKEN INTO RECENTLY.
WHY? BECAUSE THE CITY CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE ENOUGH POLICE OFFICERS THAT ARE OUT PATROLLING THAT REPRESENT CRIME PREVENTION, THAT HELP THIS CITY FEEL SAFE RIGHT NOW.
I'M SURE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR SURE.
THEY DON'T EVEN WANNA LEAVE HOME TO GO TO WORK BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID THAT WHAT THEY MIGHT FIND WHEN THEY RETURN HOME.
SO PLEASE, I BEG YOU, FOCUS NOT ON MR. BRIAN TABBA TOBA AND WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO FOR HIS DISTRICT.
JUST BECAUSE HE DOESN'T AGREE WITH YOU, THAT'S NO REASON TO ATTACK HIM.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING TO MAKE THE CITY BETTER.
I'M A, UM, 30 YEAR OLD, 30 YEAR RESIDENT OF WEST COVENA.
I'VE THE PETTINESS AND THE SILLINESS STUPIDITY OF THIS ALL IS MIND BOGGLING.
THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE IS A YOUNG LADY SHOWED UP.
SHE WAS, UM, APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER.
SO IF YOU HAD A PROBLEM WITH HER SH SPEAKING, YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE CITY MANAGER NOT GO AFTER THE RESIDENT.
THAT'S WHAT AN ADULT DOES AND THAT'S WHAT SOMEONE IN POWER DOES.
[00:45:01]
GO TO THE PERSON WHO APPROVED IT.UM, I READ IN A COUPLE ARTICLES THAT, UM, FOR INSTANCE, WOO SAID HE DOESN'T LIKE BEING ATTACKED AS A COUNCILMAN, BUT HE'S OKAY WITH ATTACKING COUNCILMAN BRIAN PATTE.
UM, TABBA TABBA AT EVERY MEETING.
LOPEZ VITO, SHE SAID, UM, THE MAYOR PROAM HAS A HISTORY OF CONFLICT.
I GUESS SHE REFERRED TO IT AS CONFLICT WHEN IT'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T AGREE WITH, YOU KNOW, UH, AS A PRESIDENT, I DON'T WANT AN EMPTY SUIT SITTING UP HERE.
OKAY? FIRST OF ALL, I DIDN'T VOTE FOR, UM, COUNCIL, UH, PREMIER PROTE.
IN FACT, NONE OF YOU EXCEPT FOR ONE PERSON, VOTED FOR UM, MAYOR PROTE.
BUT YOU ARE WILLING TO DISREGARD THE 20% OF THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE UP IN DISTRICT ONE AND THEIR VOTE BY TAKING AWAY A TITLE THAT HE WAS IN LINE TO GET.
IT'S NOT LIKE YOU GUYS ELECT ANYBODY.
YOU ARE ELECTED, BUT THIS IS A ROTATIONAL THING TO REMOVE SOMEONE FROM A ROTATION.
THAT MEANS YOU'RE, UM, DISREGARDING THOSE RESIDENTS.
YOU'RE JUST SAYING YOU, WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK.
AS A RESIDENT, I DON'T WANT AN EMPTY SUIT GOING ALONG WITH THE STATUS QUO.
WE NEED PEOPLE QUESTIONING AND EXAMINING THE ISSUES, NOT SOMEONE WHO IS WATCHING THE CLOCK WAITING TO RAM THROUGH THE IN ANTENNA SO THEY CAN BE HOME BY 10.
MET ELSIE MESSMAN WILL BE NEXT.
WHY DID EACH OF YOU RUN FOR YOUR SEAT? WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF HAVING AN AMAZING TITLE AND TO HAVE SOMETHING SPECTACULAR AND EXPERIENCE TO RIDE ON YOUR RESUME OR BECAUSE YOU TRULY CARE TO SUPPORT OUR CITY? AS A PARENT, I WAS INVOLVED IN MANY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS.
I HELD A POSITION OF PTA PRESIDENT ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR A TOTAL OF SIX YEARS.
I HAD ONE PARTICULAR INCIDENT, A COUPLE OF PARENTS AND THE BOARD WANTED ME GONE BECAUSE I DID NOT SUPPORT THE FACT THAT THEY WANTED NOTHING OTHER THAN MUFFINS WITH PEANUTS FOR THE, FOR A SCHOOL EVENT FOR THE STUDENTS.
NOT ONCE DID THEY STOP TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO ARE ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS AND JUST HAVING MUFFINS WITH PEANUTS CREATED A DANGEROUS SITUATION, WHICH BRINGS ME HERE TODAY.
ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE TO STRIP OUR MAYOR PROTE OF HIS TITLE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT LIKE THE FACT THAT HE IS REALISTIC AND LOOKS AT EVERY POSSIBLE SCENARIO OF A PROPOSITION, AN INCIDENT OR EVENT? WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A TEAM MEMBER WHO IS REALISTIC AND DIRECT, OR DO YOU PREFER TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO YOU COULD BE BUDDY BUDDY WITH IN ORDER FOR YOU TO GET YOUR WAY FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIKE AND THEN LATER HAVE EACH YOU GUYS STAB EACH OTHER IN THE BACK? IF YOU ARE HERE FOR US, THE COMMUNITY IN OUR CITY, THEN PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING.
AND ALLOWED MR. TABBA TO CONTINUE WITH HIS PRECISION OF MAYOR PEARL TEMP.
HE BELIEVES IN UNITY AND TEAMWORK AND HE IS NOT JUST HERE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF A TITLE.
HE IS NOT RACIST AND HE DOES NOT PROVOKE AGGRESSION OR DIFFERENCES.
HE CARES ABOUT HIS JOB, HE CARES ABOUT WHAT HE DOES, HE CARES ABOUT HIS COMMUNITY.
AND I ALSO SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU THAT HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THAT I KNOW WHEN COVID CAME INTO PLACE AND STUDENTS HAD TO DO THE ONLINE LEARNING ON ONE PARTICULAR MORNING, I SAW YOU PACING UP AND DOWN OUR STREET.
YOU WERE ON THE CELL PHONE, YOU WERE VERY CALM, BUT VERY CONCERNED.
AND I CLEARLY HEARD YOU SAY, HOW CAN I FAIL MY TWO STUDENTS? IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE IN THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.
IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT THAT THEY LIVE OUT OF A GARAGE.
THERE'S NO WAY I COULD FAIL THEM FOR THAT.
AND YOU SAID, I WILL DO WHATEVER I CAN TO SUPPORT THEM AND TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THEIR HOMEWORK DONE.
WHICH SHOWS THAT HE CLEARLY CLEARS, HE CLEARLY CARES ABOUT EVERYBODY.
UH, DAVID SCHWARTZ WILL BE NEXT.
I'M GONNA CHANGE THIS SUBJECT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
[00:50:01]
GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.WHATEVER HAPPENED TO OUR DISCOVER WEST COVINA, THE LAST ONE I RECEIVED WAS FOR DECEMBER, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, AND NOW IT'S MARCH THE 21ST AND WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED OUR MARCH, APRIL AND MAY, WHICH IS ALREADY 21 DAYS LATE.
IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE ALL THESE SPECIAL EVENTS, MAYBE STAFF WOULD HAVE THE TIME TO GET ANOTHER ONE DONE ON TIME.
WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THERE WAS A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FOR ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WAS TERMINATED BY A TERMINATOR FOR $55,000.
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN THAT THESE TERMINATIONS ARE COSTING THE CITY MONEY THAT SHOULD BE PUT TO BETTER USE? AND THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ATTORNEY'S FEES.
ARTICLE THREE REGARDING CAMPAIGN FINE FINANCE REGULATIONS WAS PASSED BY THE COUNCIL, WHICH IS ILLEGAL.
IT COULD ONLY HAPPENED, IT ONLY HAPPENED WHEN COUNCILMAN RU PUT IT TO A VOTE AND THE TWO COUNCILWOMEN APPROVED IT BY NOT DOING THEIR HOMEWORK AND CHECKING THE FACTS.
THE FACTS PROVES TO ME THAT THEY DO AS THEY'RE TOLD.
COUNCILMAN W REALLY WANTED TO BE ELECTED FOR THIS POST.
HE PUT UP $10,000 OF HIS OWN MONEY, BUT WANTED TO LIMIT THE PACK TO $650.
THIS IS NOT A REAL ESTATE DEAL.
DAVID SCHWARTZ, FOLLOWED BY ERNESTO GARCIA.
SORRY, I WAS WRITING MY SPEECH FOR FIVE MINUTES AND NOW I ONLY GOT THREE ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH AT THE CITY'S CELEBRATION OF OLD TOWN WESTCO AT APPROXIMATELY 6:30 PM AN INCIDENT OCCURRED INVOLVING A WOMAN NAMED JAMIE NICOLE ROKA, WHO WAS AN INDEED INDIGENOUS PERSON OF THE GABRIEL SHUSHAN NATION AND WANTED TO MAKE A PUBLIC LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT RECOGNIZED INDIGENOUS HISTORY AND TRIBAL RELATIONS CHIPS TO THE LAND THE CITY OF WEST COVENA IS ON.
APPARENTLY MS. ROKU'S LAND ACKNOW WASN'T ON THE EVENT SCHEDULE, NOR WERE ANY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS APPRISED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MAYOR PROTE.
BRIAN TABBA, I'M SORRY FOR
FURTHERMORE, MS. ROCHA FELT INSULTED BY SOME OF THE COUNCIL PERSON'S ALLEGED REMARKS AND THUS DEMANDED AN APOLOGY.
AS A RESULT, MS. ROCHA PACKED THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 21ST WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO GET HER MESSAGE HEARD.
FOR THE RECORD, I'M ABSOLUTELY IN FAVOR OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT THAT PROTECTS FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THE PRESS ASSEMBLY, AND THE RIGHT TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR REDRESS AND GRIEVANCES.
AND I'M, AND I ALSO WANT TO NOTE, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, LANDS, COUNTRY, STATES, TERRITORIES, AND EVEN CITIES HAVE BEEN MADE AND CODIFIED VIA WARS, LAWS, AGREEMENTS TRADED, FOUGHT STRAIGHT OUT, ET CETERA.
THUS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER OUR PAST HISTORY.
AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE ONLY TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE, THE DECENT AND THE INDECENT OR OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE GOOD AND THE BAD.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WE ARE ALL AMERICANS AND WE AND WE ALL, AND, UH, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT AN AMERICAN COIN TO SEE OUR THREE BEAUTIFUL MOTTOS.
AND GOD, WE TRUST LIBERTY AND UNUM, WHICH MEANS ONE FOR MANY.
UNUM SERVES AS A REMINDER OF AMERICA'S BOLD ATTEMPT TO MAKE ONE UNITED NATION OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND BELIEFS.
WITH THIS SAID, AND AFTER ATTENDING THE, THE PAST SEVERAL COUNCIL MEETINGS AND GOING OVER THE FEBRUARY 21ST COUNCIL MEETING MANY TIMES VIA THE WEST COVENA WEBSITE, BOY WAS THAT TEDIOUS BECAUSE IT WAS OVER FIVE HOURS LONG.
UH, I REALIZED THAT MAYOR PRO TEM BRIAN TABBA TABE WAS MAINLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MISHAP, THE HUNDRED YEAR CELEBRATION.
INSTEAD OF EXPLAINING TO MS. ROCHA THAT THE CURRENT SCHEDULE WAS FULL, HE ACTUALLY ESCALATED THE PROBLEM BY PROMISING MS. ROCHA THAT HE COULD, THAT SHE COULD SPEAK ON STAGE KNOWING THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO IT.
SINCE IT WASN'T PRE-SCHEDULED,
[00:55:01]
BRIAN PURPOSELY WENT OVER THE MAYOR'S AND THE COUNCIL PEOPLE'S HEADS CREATING DISCOURSE TO THE REST OF THE FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL AS WITH MS. ROJA.THEN AT THE END OF THE FEBRUARY 21ST MEETING, THE MAYOR PROTE, THANK YOU SIR, ITY TO LIE BERATE AND VASE.
THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL, BUT MANY OF US THANK YOU, SIR.
ERNESTO GARCIA, FOLLOWED BY WIN WING.
AGAIN, I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE.
I'M HERE FOR OBVIOUS REASONS TODAY, BUT I WANNA MAKE A LARGER POINT THAT PUTS MAYOR PROTE TOBIS PLACE IN THIS COUNCIL IN WHAT I HOPE WILL BE A CLEARER LIGHT FOR YOU ALL.
YOU HAVE A PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE NOT FACING, WHICH PUTS YOU IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH A LARGE PORTION OF THE CITY YOU'VE BEEN ELECTED TO REPRESENT.
IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT AND FRUSTRATING FOR ME AS THE NEWER OBSERVER OF THE POLITICAL SCENE IN WEST COVINA TO UNDERSTAND HOW SUCH A DIVERSITY COULD HAVE SUCH A TONE.
A CITY COUNCIL, WHICH LACKS IN BASIC CULTURAL ACCEPTANCE AND UNDERSTANDING A CITY COUNCIL WHO WOULD RATHER DEFLECT ON ISSUES AND DIVIDE US RATHER THAN COME TO TERMS WITH ITS OWN SHORTCOMINGS.
IF YOU'RE A LITTLE CONFUSED OR WONDERING WHERE I'M GOING, LET ME OFFER THE MOST CURRENT EXAMPLE I CAN.
WHEN A, WHEN A COUPLE OF YOU CLUMSILY STEPPED IN TO STOP ONE INDIGENOUS PERSON FROM BLESSING OUR 100TH YEAR CELEBRATION A FEW WEEKS AGO, YOU WERE CORRECTLY CALLED OUT BY HER SUPPORTERS.
THE EVENT ITSELF WAS EMBARRASSING TO WATCH UNFOLD, BUT YOU DECIDED INSTEAD OF SELF-ANALYZING AND MOVING TOWARDS TRUE UNDERSTANDING AND GOD FORBID CHANGE, YOU DECIDED TO BRING ANOTHER INDIGENOUS PERSON TO REFUTE HER CLAIM AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF A PARTY WHO COULD LEGITIMATELY DO WHAT? BLESS A CELEBRATION.
HOW WOULD I TRANSLATE TO YOU THAT PITTING ONE PERSON FROM AN UNDERREPRESENTED AND HISTORICALLY TORTURED COMMUNITY AGAINST ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE SAME LARGER GROUP IS ABOUT AS IGNORANT AND ACTION AS YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN IN THAT MOMENT? HOW WOULD I IMPACTFULLY LET HIM SPEAK, EXPLAIN TO THE COMMUNITY, CAN'T HEAR HIM, POSSIBLY FOUR OF YOU UP THERE WHO ARE NOW COMING DOWN THIS ROAD THAT YOUR ANSWER TO YOUR MISSTEP ONLY OPENED THE DIVIDE FURTHER BETWEEN ALL OF YOU AND THE MAJORITY OF WEST COVINA.
THE ANSWER IS, I CAN'T BECAUSE I'M SURE AS I SPEAK, EACH OF YOU IS FEELING SOMETHING BETWEEN FRUSTRATION AND DEJA VU.
WHY WERE THE THREE OF YOU PRESENT THAT NIGHT OF THE CELEBRATION NOT ABLE TO MORE ADEPTLY HANDLE THINGS? WHY IS AN AVERAGE MEMBER OF THIS CITY NOW SO EASILY ABLE TO STAND HERE AND POINT OUT WHERE YOU HAVE FAILED US AS REPRESENTATIVES? HAVE YOU ASKED YOURSELF THESE OR SIMILAR QUESTIONS? OR ARE YOU STILL IN POLITICAL DEFENSE MODE? ONLY IF MY ASSUMPTION WHICH IS FORMED BASED ON YOUR HISTORY IS CORRECT, YOUR STANCE IS THE LATTER.
SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE A PERSON LIKE ME AND THE MANY PEOPLE WHO THINK LIKE ME WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING REAL REPRESENTATION UP THERE, IT LEAVES US WITHOUT SUPPORTING WITH, I'M SORRY, SUPPORTING THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD.
WE HAVE TO GET MORE DECENCY UP ON THAT COUNCIL.
AND THAT IS TO HAVE MR. TABATA BY SITTING NEXT TO YOU, AS FAR AS I CAN SEE UP TO THIS MOMENT, HE'S THE ONLY PERSON UP THERE WHO'S DONE THE WORK.
HE ISN'T AFRAID TO TAKE THE RISK POLITICALLY.
HE HAS ALL OF OUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART.
EVENING, MS. MAYOR, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND EVERYONE.
I'M WEWE WEST COVINA, LIBRARY MANAGER.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO, UM, SPEAK AND, UH, TALK ABOUT A, UH, UH, UPCOMING LIBRARY PROGRAM.
WEST COVINA LIBRARY WILL HOST A VACCINE CLINICS ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH THE 29TH.
SO 1, 2, 3 PM AND THIS IS SPONSORED BY THE LA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH FREE, FREE VACCINES COVID 19 VACCINES AND UPDATED BY VETERAN BOOSTERS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR PEOPLE SIX MONTHS OF AGE AND OLDER.
NO HEALTH INSURANCE, UH, IS REQUIRED.
UH, WELL AGAIN, THE FREE VACCINE CLINICS WILL BE HELD AT WEST COVINA LIBRARY RIGHT OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY ENTRANCE.
[01:00:01]
WEDNESDAY, MARCH THE 29TH.ONE TWO, 3:00 PM JUST MAKE A QUICK SHOT.
R ROBINSON, FOLLOWED BY SHERRY BELLION.
UH, WE ARE EXPERIENCING A WORLDWIDE POISONING OF THE HUMAN GENOME USING EXPERIMENTAL AUTHORIZED, UH, GENE THERAPY.
WE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO GOVERN OURSELVES THROUGH FREE ELECTIONS AND C AND COMMUNITY LEVEL GOVERNANCE IS A PRIORITY.
FAR MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES SUCH AS UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION AND PARENTAL RIGHTS ARE AT STAKE.
UH, RIGHTS ARE ARE ARE RIGHTS THAN AND, AND ALIENABLE RIGHTS ARE RIGHTS GRANTED TO US BY GOD, NOT PRIVILEGES.
ALL THESE RIGHTS MUST BE STRENGTHENED.
METAL MEDICAL TYRANNY LESSENED OR WE SINK AS A SOCIETY.
A A LOT OF TONIGHT'S, UH, COMMENTARY IS JUST A DISTRACTION.
THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF ON THE TABLE THAT WE NEED TO BE PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO.
UH, MORE ATTENTION, UH, NEEDS TO BE ACCORDED TO THE WEST COVINA.
BUDGET DISCUSSIONS AND DEBATES ON, UH, ON THE, UH, EMERGENCY, UH, THE EMERGING BIO SURVEILLANCE STATE, UH, UH, THIS DESERVES OUR, OUR CLOSE ATTENTION, INCLUDING CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY, UPHOLDING CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOMS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS, ANALYZING THE CRASHING NATIONAL ECONOMY BANK ACCOUNT INTEGRITY, EMERGING HYPERINFLATION, AND ANALYZING THE, THE, THE CRASHING DOMINOES OF OUR BANKING AND FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, TITLES AND, AND I MEAN, THIS IS ABSURD.
UH, TOO FEW PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THE JAB AS A, A POISONOUS DEATH SHOT.
THE PRIMARY TOOLS OF, OF, OF A CONTINUING BIO WEAPON, ARMS RACE BETWEEN SPONSORED, ORGANIZED AND DIS AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
THIS IS A CONTINUING BIO WEAPON AND THE, AND THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT IS RUNNING IT.
THIS ARMS RACE, UM, IT'S EXPERIMENTAL GENE THERAPY FOLKS, AS I SAID, AND NO WHAT, INCLUDING MDS, GETS INFORMED CONSENT SINCE THE JABS PACKAGE INSERT IS BLANK.
INSTEAD, WE BLINDLY FOLLOW ORDERS BACKED BY MEDIA PROPAGANDA AND SOPHISTICATED CYOP, UH, UH, OF A PHARMA BACKED CAMPAIGN.
THE PHARMA LOBBY IS THE MOST POWERFUL LOBBY IN HISTORY.
IT'S BEEN ADMITTED THAT THE CLOT SHOTS DON'T EVEN, UH, PREVENT TRANSMISSION FOR THE CITY MANAGER.
UH, BENEFIT, UH, I'LL SAY THAT NOT EVEN MEDICAL DOCTORS KNOW THE PACKAGE INSERT IS BLANK.
BRILLIANT, FOLLOWED BY, UH, CINDY AND ROBERT MITCHELL.
I'M GONNA GO OFF TOPIC FOR A LITTLE BIT.
I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE SPORTS PLEX.
UM, YES, THE CITY JUST HAD ITS HUNDREDTH, UM, CELEBRATIONS AND WE HAD THE DINNER AND THEN WE HAD A THREE DAY EVENT.
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE PATTING THEMSELF IN THE BACK, BUT THE ONLY PERSON ROXANNE SHOULD GET CREDIT FOR DOING ALL THAT HAS NOT GOTTEN THE CREDIT THAT I THINK SHE DESERVES.
OKAY, AND TALKING ABOUT THE SPORTS PLEX, WE HAVE A LOT OF GENTLEMEN HERE WHO SAY, THE SPORTS PLEX IS GREAT.
YOU GUYS DID NOT USE THAT RESTROOM THAT NIGHT FOR THE WOMEN'S RESTROOM.
COULDN'T USE THE HANDICAP RESTROOM.
THERE WERE NO TOILET SEAT COVERS.
THERE WAS THE DISPENSERS THERE, BUT NO SOAP DISPENSERS WERE THERE FOR PAPER TOWELS AND NO PAPER TOWELS.
ONE WAS PUT ON THE COUNTER AND IF YOU WANTED TO HELP YOURSELF, THERE ARE FOUR PARKING PLACES UP THERE FOR HANDICAPPED FOR THE ENTIRE SPORTS PLEX.
I WANNA KNOW IF THAT'S WITHIN ADA COMPLIANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
THE OTHER THING WAS ON THAT EVENING THAT I PULLED UP, I PULLED UP AT THE SAME TIME THAT WILLIAM ELLIOT PULLED UP.
BUT WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE WAS THE MISUSE OF PUBLIC EQUIPMENT AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
WHAT HE DID WAS HE CALLED IN FOR A GOLF CART TO COME DOWN TO PARKING LOT AND PICK
[01:05:01]
HIM UP, TAKE HIM DIRECTLY TO THE CHECK-IN CENTER.THERE WAS FOUR OF US IN LINE AT THE TIME, AND EVERYTHING STOPPED.
THE, EVEN THE GENTLEMAN WHO WORKED AT THE CITY DID NOT HAVE THE COURTESY TO GET OUT OF THE CART AND GO TO THE WINDOW AND GET HIS CHECK-IN TAG.
THEY SAT THERE HONKING THE HORN.
WE DID NOT GET CHECKED IN UNTIL HE DID.
AND THEN THEY DROVE HIM ALL THE WAY UP THERE.
THERE WERE FIVE TABLES AT THAT EVENT WITH LADIES THAT WERE 82 PLUS YEARS OLD.
I DID NOT SEE THEM GET CHAUFFEURED IN AND OUT, BUT UP THERE WE ACTUALLY FROZE OUR BUTTS OFF IT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE THING THAT CAME OUT OF THIS ONE LADY DID.
SHE WAS SO CRIPPLED UP FROM THE COLD.
SHE BEGGED A CITY EMPLOYEE TO COME AND GET HER AND TAKE HER TO THE CAR, AND THEY DID DO THAT.
BUT AN EX MAYOR WAS THERE AND HE FLAGGED HIM DOWN IN THE PARKING LOT, TWO BAD KNEES, AND SAID, COULD I GET A RIDE IN? AND HE WAS TOLD, NO, I CAN'T DO THAT.
SO WE HAVE FAVORITISM GOING ON HERE AND I DON'T LIKE THAT AT ALL.
OKAY, AND THEN AS FOR THE OTHER THING, I, THIS, THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS RIDICULOUS.
I'VE DONE MY HOMEWORK AND I'VE JUST READ ONE WEBSITE AFTER ANOTHER ON THE, THE INDIGENOUS SITUATION HERE.
UM, YES, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DOES NOT NOW OR EVER TAKE A STAND ON ANY SOVEREIGN NATION IN INDIAN THING, ANDS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING EACH OTHER FOR YEARS, BUT THE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT GET INVOLVED.
WHY SHOULD THIS COUNCIL? THANK YOU, MA'AM.
CINDY AND ROBERT MITCHELL, FOLLOWED BY SHAAR SIGAR.
NAME I, AGAIN, I AM CINDY MITCHELL, AND THIS IS MY SON, ROBERT.
UM, I'VE LIVED IN CITY OF WEST, CONVENIENT IN THE SAME HOUSE FOR 50 OF MY 60 YEARS, AND ROBERT HAS LIVED FOR THAT HOUSE WITH US FOR 35 YEARS.
UM, WE WERE HERE AT THE MEETING IN FEBRUARY AND YOU HEARD MY SON ROBERT TALK, AND I FEEL THAT HIS MESSAGE WAS WELL RECEIVED THAT NIGHT.
UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE CLOSURE OF THAT MEETING AND AFTER LISTENING ONLINE TO THE MEETING ON MARCH 7TH, WE WERE LEFT FILLING THAT THE WORDS OF JAMIE AND HER TRIBE AND THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THAT WERE CAME HERE TO REPRESENT HER MAY HAVE BEEN HEARD, BUT THEY WERE NOT RECEIVED IN THE SAME WAY.
SORRY, I'M NOT A PUBLIC SPEAKER,
UM, THEY WERE REFUTED INSTEAD AND DENIED.
THERE WAS NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
I WAS ACTUALLY EMBARRASSED FOR THE CITY.
I WAS EMBARRASSED THAT THERE WERE LITTLE LEAGUERS HERE THAT NIGHT WHEN I WAS HERE.
UM, THAT THEY SEE HOW IMMATURELY, UH, THINGS ARE HANDLED IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
I WAS AN EDUCATOR BEFORE I STARTED STAYING AT HOME TO TAKE CARE OF MY SON.
SO, UM, I THINK THERE'S, WE HAVE A LOT OF ROOM FOR GROWTH.
I THINK THAT, UM, WE NEED TO LISTEN TO OTHER PERSPECTIVES, WHETHER THEY MAKE US FEEL GOOD OR WHETHER THEY MAKE US UNCOMFORTABLE.
THE FACT THAT WE CAN ONLY HAVE POSITIVE THINGS HAPPEN IS NOT REALITY.
WE MAKE CHANGE BY LISTENING TO EACH OTHER.
SOMETIMES THAT VOICE THAT WE'RE GONNA HEAR IS NOT GONNA MAKE US COMFORTABLE.
I FEEL LIKE AFTER THE MEETINGS, THE ATTENTION WAS SHIFTED TO MAYOR PRO, TABBA TOBA AND, UM, JAMIE AND THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE KIND OF GOT LEFT IN THE DUST.
I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT SHIFT TAPPED IN, BUT I'M NOT HAPPY WITH IT AND I'M SURE THEY'RE NOT EITHER.
AND I THINK YOU CAN SEE THAT TONIGHT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SAID BY OTHER SPEAKERS.
UM, UM, HILDA SOLES, I THINK SAID PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT I WANTED TO SAY, BUT, UH, UH, I THINK FOR HEALING TO HAPPEN, WE NEED TO LISTEN TO ALL PERSPECTIVE AND TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT ROBERT WANTS TO SAY, BUT HE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING REAL QUICK.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK AT THE LAST MEETING.
[01:10:02]
LIKE TO RECOGNIZE JAMIE, WHO IS PART OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND DO THAT THERE SHOULD BE AN APOLOGY.UH, THE FAT, SHE DIDN'T GET TO DO LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THERE HAS NOT EVEN BEEN AN ATTEMPT AT ONE.
I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NEED TO HELP OUT AND NOT ONLY TALK ABOUT THE MAYOR PURIM, BUT THEY SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THAT WAS DONE TO THE INDIGENOUS PAPER.
I WOULD LIKE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.
UH, I'M SHAZA GA AND WEST COVINA RESIDENT.
A FEW YEARS AGO, THE CITY COUNCIL ALLOWED THEN COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE SPENCE TO REMAIN IN LINE FOR THE MAYOR PROAM POSITION, EVEN AFTER HE WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND ARRESTED FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF METHAMPHETAMINES.
AT THAT TIME, COUNCIL MEMBER WU WAS ONE OF THE MEMBERS THAT VOTED IN FAVOR OF HIM REMAINING AND IN LINE FOR THAT TITLE.
WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WITH MIKE PENCE.
HE WAS AGAIN ARRESTED, UH, FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND WAS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS IN A HOTEL IN, IN ORANGE COUNTY.
HE WAS ACTUALLY THE MAYOR OF WEST COVINA AT THAT TIME AND WAS FORCED TO RESIGN SOON THEREAFTER.
HOW HUMILIATING WAS THAT EVENT FOR THE CITY? VERY HUMILI.
I I, AS A RESIDENT, I WAS APPALLED THAT MY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER WAS INVOLVING SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO KEEP HIM ON.
NOW THE CITY COUNCIL IS READY TO STRIP COUNCIL MEMBER TABBA TOBA OF HIS TITLE BECAUSE HE FOUGHT FOR A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AT THE CITY CENTENNIAL.
AND HE'S, AND HE'S BEING, AND HE'S BEING BLAMED FOR THE BACKLASH THAT CAME WHEN MAYOR DIAZ AND COUNCIL MEMBER WOO MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE TRIBE WASN'T WELCOME TO PROCEED
[01:15:01]
WITH THEIR PLAN, WHICH HAD BEEN APPROVED BY CITY STAFF AND IT WAS ON THE AGENDA AS OTHER PEOPLE THINK IT WASN'T.AND IT WAS, THIS IS UNETHICAL IN MY VIEW AND COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR FROM THE BEGINNING OF HIS TENURE, I HAVE WITNESSED THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS DISRESPECTING COUNCIL MEMBER.
HE WAS TOLD TO GET TO THE POINT, EVEN THOUGH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO TALK ON AND ON AND ON ABOUT THEIR REPETITIVE THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS.
AND HIS CALLS FOR POINT OF ORDER WERE OFTEN IGNORED WHILE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS FREQUENTLY INTERRUPTED HIM OR TALKED OVER HIM AND OVERRODE ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER WITHOUT BEING ADMONISHED FOR DOING SO.
AND I HAVEN'T EVEN SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, EMOTIONAL DISPLAYS OF DISRESPECT ON, ON THE FACES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SEE THAT THIS MOVE ON THIS COUNCIL'S PART AS IS NOT POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.
COUNCIL MEMBER TABI WAS ELECTED BY HIS CONSTITUENTS IN DISTRICT ONE BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED HE REPRESENTED THEIR VIEWS AND TAKING AWAY HIS TITLE AS MAYOR PROTE SHOULD BE RESERVED FOR SOMEONE WHO IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE CITY'S IMAGE.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN MIKE SPENCE WAS CLEARLY A SUBSTANCE ABUSING COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M STRONGLY OPPOSED TO TAKING AWAY TAB ABOUT MR. TABATA'S TITLE AS MAYOR PROTE AND WOULD ASK FOR A NO VOTE ON AGENDA EIGHT.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M A WEST COVINA RESIDENT, A FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, A FORMER MAYOR, PRO TEM AND MAYOR.
I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE MOTION TO REMOVE, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM TABATA'S TITLE AND TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF SUCCESSION AS PROVIDED UNDER MUNICIPAL LAW.
UH, I SPOKE WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CONTOS EARLIER WHO TOLD ME THAT HE DIDN'T INTEND TO BRING THIS MOTION TO REMOVE THE TITLE, SO I'LL TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD AND TEMPER MY REMARKS.
THOUGH I AM PERPLEXED WHY THIS IS STILL ON THE AGENDA, UH, I JUST WANNA MAKE A FEW POINTS.
THE COUNCIL REPORT GIVES NO REASON FOR THIS MOTION AND THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS.
THERE'S NO CRIMINAL CHARGE, NO ETHICAL VIOLATION, NO ALLEGATION THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM CAN'T PERFORM HIS JOB.
THE MAYOR PRO TEM WENT THROUGH THE PROPER PROCEDURE THROUGH STAFF TO HAVE A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PRESENTED AT A CITY EVENT.
THE MAYOR AND A COUNCILMAN PROTESTED THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CREATING A PROBLEM WHERE NONE SHOULD EVER HAVE EXISTED.
AND THAT LED AND THAT LED JUSTIFI JUSTIFIABLY TO THE PUBLIC OUTCRY AND CRITICISM OF THE COUNCIL.
RATHER THAN APOLOGIZING TO THE CITY'S GUESTS AS OTHERS HAVE DONE, THE MAYOR HAS REFUSED AND THAT HAS COMPOUNDED THE NEGATIVE PERCEPTION OF OUR CITY.
AT THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING, YOU EXPRESSED GRATITUDE TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR THEIR COMMENTS AND EDUCATING US ALL ABOUT LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THE HISTORY OF THIS LAND ON WHICH THE CITY OF WEST COVINA SITS.
BUT LATER IN THE SAME MEETING, AFTER THE PUBLIC HAD LEFT, YOUR TONE COMPLETELY CHANGED, AND THEN YOU BLAMED MAYOR PRO TEM TABBA TO BUY FOR THOSE VERY SAME COMMENTS.
ANY VOTE TODAY TO PUNISH YOUR COLLEAGUE WOULD BE AN INSULT TO THE CITY'S GUESTS WHOSE PARTICIPATION IN A CITY EVENT.
YOU DISPUTED AN INSULT TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHOSE COMMENTS YOU CLAIMED TO APPRECIATE AN INSULT TO THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT ONE WHOSE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE YOU WOULD SEEK TO SILENCE AND AN INSULT TO ALL THE CITY RESIDENTS WHO EXPECT THEIR CITY COUNCIL TO BE STRONG AND FAIR AND NOT LET THE PETTY DESIRE TO EXERT POWER AND INTOLERANCE RULE THE DAY, DO THE RIGHT THING AND DROP THIS FROM THE AGENDA.
MR. ARMANDO HERMAN, FOLLOWED BY ELAINE ROCHA, IT'S YOUR TIME TO SPEAK.
I'M THE, THIS LOOKS LIKE EXPOSED TO YOU THE TRUTH.
[01:20:01]
WHO DISLIKES THE PROMP ENCOURAGED BY THE EX MAYOR MR. WOO, THE BUSINESSMAN WHOSE SELFISHNESS IS TO JUST SIMPLY ADVISE THE PUPPET MAYOR WHAT TO SAY AND DO ON HER BEHALF.BUT WE SUPPORT YOU, BRIAN, WITH ALL LOVE, MAN.
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE THE MAYOR.
I SUPPORT THAT, BUT FOR SOME REASON THE CONFRONTATION ON MARCH 7TH IN WEST COVINA IS SIMPLY AN ISSUE ABOUT WHICH SIDE IS THE MAYOR TAKING, SHE PROTECTS PEOPLE ON HER SIDE, BUT ALLOWS A MAN TO BE ATTACKED HERE ON THE FLOOR IN CHAMBERS, ALL DUE TO A FLAG INCIDENT, RIGHT? A M***********G FLAG.
ELAINE ROCHE, FOLLOWED BY RONALD CONNOLLY.
I WOULD SAY HELLO, BUT I REALLY DON'T WANNA SAY TO ANYBODY ON THIS COUNCIL.
UM, I, MY NAME'S EILEEN ROCHA.
I'VE BEEN IN THE, I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA FOR 44 YEARS AND OF COURSE YOUR HUSBAND KNOWS THAT BECAUSE HE'S WRITING DEROGATORY STUFF ON THE NEXT DOOR APP ADDRESS THE COUNCIL AND STALKING US ON THE NEXT DOOR APP.
AND MY DAUGHTER, CAN YOU PLEASE ADDRESS THE COUNCIL? ALSO THE PROUD MOTHER OF JAMIE ROCHA.
I WOULD NOT HAVE PROBABLY COME OUTER.
BUT YOUR HUSBAND, IS HE HERE? THE BIGOT BIGOT ELLIOT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONTROL? I WANNA ASK YOU ONE QUESTION.
ROSARIO GINGER, ELLIOT DIAZ, WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS, WHAT IS IT? I REALLY WANNA KNOW? I WANNA KNOW.
DO YOU SHARE THE SAME IDEOLOGIES AS YOUR HUSBAND? ANSWER ME.
I WANNA KNOW BECAUSE IF YOU DO, YOU SHOULD NOT BE SITTING IN THAT CHAIR.
AND IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF WHAT'S IN YOUR OWN HOUSEHOLD, YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF THIS CITY.
IT IS THIS DUSTING WHAT YOUR HUSBAND'S DOING.
I'VE SEEN HIM GO BACK TO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, 2018 OR SOMETHING.
IS HE HERE? IS HE HERE OR IS HE BIG CHICKEN S**T THAT COULDN'T SHOW UP AND ANSWER ME TO GET OUT HERE.
MY, I AM PROUD OF MY DAUGHTER AND I'M HERE TO SUPPORT BRIAN.
YOU GUYS WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT UHMI NATION? HE
[01:25:01]
CAME OUT AND MADE IT A POINT TO EDUCATE HIMSELF ABOUT THE TRIBE.WERE YOU GUYS THERE? NO, BUT HE MADE AN APPOINT.
IF HE DIDN'T KNOW, HE KNOWS NOW.
BUT YOU BETTER TALK TO YOUR HUSBAND BECAUSE IF I WILL PLACE A RESTRAINING ORDER ON HIM, IF HE TO GET THREATENING, TELLING ME HOW LONG I LIVED HERE APARTMENT WITH PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT, YES, IT'S DISGUSTING.
BUT LIKE I SAID, IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR HOUSE, YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF THIS HOUSE.
AND YOU SAID THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW AND YOU APOLOGIZE.
I HOPE WE JUST DIDN'T SAY IT JUST TO SAME FACE.
I REALLY HOPE YOU REALLY MEANT IT.
YOU WANNA LEARN, BUT HE DID EDUCATE HIMSELF.
HE PROVED TO US HE SHOULD BE HERE.
DON'T HAVE HIM COME OUT HERE AGAIN.
I DON'T WANNA BE BACK HERE AGAIN TO LOOK AT YOU.
UP NEXT IS STEPHANIE SERRANO TO SHARE WITH YOU WHY I THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD CHOOSE NOT TO REMOVE COUNCIL MEMBER BRIAN TABATA BUY OUR AMERIPRO TEMS POSITION.
AND IF Y'ALL END UP DECIDING NOT TO DO ANYTHING TONIGHT, I'D LOVE Y'ALL TO LET IT TAKE ITS COURSE, THE INVESTIGATION YOU ASKED FOR, AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT.
BECAUSE WE CURRENTLY DON'T KNOW, UNLESS IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN TOLD, WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW IF THAT'S THE CASE WITHOUT EVIDENCE OF A CRIME OR ETHICAL BREAKING FROM HIM.
I CAN'T SEE A REASON TO EVEN CONSIDER ACTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IS IT A CRIME TO VOICE DISSENT TO SAY ANOTHER OPINION THAT DOESN'T JIVE WITH YOU? UH, IS THERE A CODE OR SOMETHING THAT WAS BROKEN BY DOING SO? WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT Y'ALL ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMAGE AND FOCUS OF THE CITY BY DEBATING TO, HE DEBATING TO TAKE AWAY THE POSITION OF A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S EXERCISED THEIR RIGHTS TO SPEECH INTO OTHER THINGS, INTO WHOM MANY FEEL IS SOMEONE THEY CAN TAKE THEIR CONCERNS TO, MYSELF INCLUDED.
AND YES, IN A CITY WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME FEEL UNSAFE TO DO THIS TO THIS PERSON AFTER HAVING EXCLUDED OTHERS, ONLY CONTINUES TO DISTRACT US FROM THE THINGS THAT MATTER.
AND FURTHER DIVIDE THIS COMMUNITY BY FEEDING NEWSPAPER HEADLINES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOCUSED ON NOW, ON TRYING TO REMOVE HIM.
JUST AS SOMEONE MENTIONED EARLIER, NOT ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OR ANYTHING ELSE, IF Y'ALL TRULY WISH TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND THAT'S WHAT IS THE UPSET ABOUT BRIAN, THAT I IMPLORE Y'ALL TO PUT THIS DEBATE ASIDE.
AND LET THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY SORT OUT THEIR FEELINGS AT THE VOTING BOOTH, THE NEXT CHANCE THAT THEY HAVE, WHERE THEY ARE GUARANTEED A VOICE TO CHOOSE IF THEY USE IT TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT THEY EVEN WANT HIM TO REPRESENT US.
JUST AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THE CHANCE TO CHOOSE.
IF WE WANT YOU TO REPRESENT US, PLEASE CONSIDER THIS.
IF THE INVESTIGATION IS NOT FINISHED, UH, WHAT GROUNDS IS THERE? THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS STEPHANIE SERRANO, AND I HAVE, AND I HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR
I ALSO HAVE THE HONOR OF REPRESENTING BELINDA COMMUNITY AND, UH, I'M RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA, ATTENDED WEST COVINA HIGH SCHOOL FOR, AND SO I'M A STAKEHOLDER.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT WHAT WE ARE ALL ADVOCATING FOR IS INCLUSIVITY.
HOW IS THAT CONTENTIOUS? INCLUSIVITY IS PROGRESS, AND THE MAJORITY OF US ARE CREATING THE CHANGE THAT WE WISH TO SEE IN THIS WORLD.
A YEAR AGO ON IN OUR DISTRICT, I HAD THE HONOR OF PASSING INTERSECTIONAL ETHNIC STUDIES.
[01:30:01]
WE'RE ONE OF LESS THAN FIVE DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ARE PUSHING THE UNITED STATES FORWARD IN CREATING AND INCORPORATING INCLUSIVITY INTO OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.SO THAT WAY WE DON'T HAVE GROWNUPS IN THESE SITUATIONS.
WHEN A STUDENT FROM OUR DISTRICT REACHED OUT TO ME AND THEY IDENTIFY AS NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN IN YOUR COMMUNITY, IDENTIFY AS NATIVE AMERICAN.
SO IN CREATING A SPACE OF INCLUSIVITY SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE.
BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER ON SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE.
ACCOUNTABILITY SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE.
AN APOLOGY WOULD'VE SUFFICED A HONEST APOLOGY.
IT WAS A MISTAKE, IT WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION THAT WOULD'VE SUFFICED, BUT WE'RE TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
WE'RE RETALIATING NOT JUST ON A PERSON THAT HAS WORKED SO HARD TO GET HERE.
YOUR TEAM MEMBER, YOU'RE RETALIATING ON ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT HE IS REPRESENTING.
THIS IS REVERBERATING FAR AND WIDE, NOT JUST IN THIS CITY AND NEIGHBORING CITIES.
PEOPLE ARE TALKING, PEOPLE ARE WATCHING NATIONALLY, AND WE IMPLORE YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
WOO, YOU APOLOGIZED LAST TIME AND I REALLY WANTED TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS SINCERE APOLOGY.
BUT YOUR VOTE TODAY IS GONNA BE A TRUE REFLECTION OF THAT.
AND WE ARE WATCHING, AND NONE OF US HAVE A PROBLEM CAMPAIGNING AGAINST PEOPLE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM COMING HERE ON A RAINY NIGHT, OKAY? AND I AM SHOCKED, MS. DIAZ, OF THE RACISM THAT HAS SPEWED FROM YOUR HUSBAND.
I AM HER AS A LATINA, THAT WOMEN THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK UP TO ARE FACILITATING RACISM IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'RE AT A PIVOTAL POINT IN HISTORY, AND THE CHOICES YOU MAKE TONIGHT ARE GONNA HAVE LONGSTANDING CONSEQUENCES.
LASTLY, I WANNA SAY, AND I HAVE MY BUSINESS CARD HERE, I'D LIKE A REPORT ON MEASURE H AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT IN REPRESENTING THE BELINDA COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A BIG ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND IF YOU SUPPORT POLICE, THEN YOU'RE GONNA DO THE RIGHT THING IN SUPPORTING UNHOUSED COMMUNITIES.
I THINK I HAVE MARI SOUL NEXT.
SO I DID NOT PREPARE MUCH, BUT I'M HERE TO SPEAK FROM THE HEART.
SO SANCHEZ, I'M AN ORGANIZER WITH THE P SSO.
I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF THE PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION.
I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE RETALIATION AGAINST TABBA TOBA AND HOW UNCALLED FOR IT WAS.
TABBA WAS ONLY DOING THE RIGHT THING, AND BY RESPECTING THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE ORIGINAL PEOPLES THAT LIVED HERE, THERE'S NO REASON TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NO, LIKE, I MEAN, OF COURSE COMMUNICATION IS CRUCIAL, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO A MATTER OF LAND SOVEREIGNTY, THERE'S NO NEED TO BE LIKE, OH, I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE WANT THAT.
LIKE, DO YOU NOT RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE? AND YOUR HUSBAND, MAYOR DIAZ, HE MADE SOME RACIST COMMENTS.
I THINK THAT REALLY REFLECTS NOT JUST ON HIM, BUT YOU TOO.
LIKE REALLY, LIKE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE WITH SOMEBODY WHO SAYS THINGS LIKE THAT.
LIKE, DO YOU NOT CARE? ARE YOU NOT ANTI-RACIST? LIKE WE LIVE IN THE WORLD WHERE WE SEE THAT HOW MUCH HARM RACISM HAS DONE TO BROWN PEOPLE, BLACK PEOPLE, ANY KIND OF PEOPLE, AND YET YOU'RE MARRIED TO SOMEBODY WHO OPENLY SAYS THAT KIND OF STUFF.
WELL,
AND I WONDER IF YOU, ALL OF YOU DESERVE YOUR OWN TITLES.
WHO DO YOU REPRESENT? DO YOU REPRESENT US OR THE BIG BUSINESS INSURANCE THAT RUN THIS COUNTRY? SO DO THE RIGHT THING.
[01:35:03]
ALGAN, SORRY IF I MISPRONOUNCED IT.UM, I WOULD LIKE TO READ A COMMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CANTOS THAT WAS MADE TO S SUV V TRIBUNE, THAT GOES AS FOLLOWS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING IN FEBRUARY, UH, IT'S BRIAN TIVA.
UH, HE ORCHESTRATED BRINGING IN A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SAID THEY WERE NATIVE AMERICANS OR PART OF THE TRIBE FROM THIS AREA.
ONE PERSON SAID THEY WANTED THEIR LAND BACK.
I'M REALLY TIRED OF THESE TACTICS.
I'VE PAINTED THIS TOWN AS RACIST.
THOSE IN POWER SUCH AS MAYOR OR MAYOR PROTE NEED TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
BUT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN A DISTRACTION, MAKING THE CITY LOOK BAD.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS CITY LOOK BETTER, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE THIS A MOMENT WHERE WE CAN ALL UNIFY ROSARIO DIAZ, IT WAS A MONTH SINCE WE LAST SAW YOU, AND THROUGHOUT THAT MEETING, YOU STARED AWAY FROM PEOPLE SPOKE TO YOU AND YOU REPEATEDLY, YOU WERE REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT YOU SHOULD LEARN THE HISTORY OF THE GABRIELINO PEOPLE, WHICH I WOULD SAY IS VERY MUCH A UNIFYING THING.
SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, CAN YOU TELL ME ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT THE GABRIELINO TRIBE? OKAY, I GUESS NOT.
UM, SO YEAH, WELL, COUNCILMAN CO UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CANTOS, UH, CLAIMED THAT BRIAN SHOULD BE P UH, BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
HOWEVER, I WOULD ARGUE THAT HE WAS DOING HIS JOB IN UNIFYING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER WITH VOICES THAT ARE CONTINUALLY SILENCED.
THIS RETALIATORY MOVE TOWARDS BRIAN IS ANYTHING BUT DIVISIVE AND ONLY INTENDS TO SHRUG AT THE VERY REAL CONCERNS OF A COMMUNITY WHO HAVE HAD ENOUGH WITH ALLOWING RACIST BEHAVIORS TO GO UNCHECKED.
PEOPLE LIKE BRIAN SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED FOR INCLUSION IN A JUST SOCIETY.
PEOPLE SHOULD BE PUNISHED OR BARRED FROM PUBLIC OFFICE FOR ACTIVELY SHOWING EXCLUSION AND NO EFFORT TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE ASK FOR AN APOLOGY, BUT EVEN THAT WAS TOO MUCH.
BUT NOW, EVEN BEFORE AN INVESTIGATION IS EVEN COMPLETED, IT IS APPARENT THAT WEST COVINA CITY COUNCIL HAS NO REAL INTEREST IN WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WANTS TO CODDLE RACIST BEHAVIORS BY SWEP SWEEPING UP MESSES UNDER THE RUG.
WE SHOULD ALWAYS STRIVE TO CELEBRATE PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS THAN OURS, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY AND TO THIS VERY DAY, OPPRESSED AND CONTINUALLY SILENCE FROM THE GENOCIDE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE ENTIRE WESTERN HEMISPHERE TO THE BOARDING SCHOOLS, TO THE SURVEILLANCE OF IMPRISONMENTS OF, UH, INDIGENOUS ORGANIZERS SUCH AS LEONARD PELTIER, WHO STILL REMAINS AS ONE OF THE LONGEST HELD POLITICAL PRISONER IN THE UNITED STATES, TO THE VERY DESTRUCTION OF THE LAND THAT THREATENS ALL OF US.
THIS INACTION TO BUILD GENUINE C UNITY WITH ALL INDIGENOUS GROUPS ONLY PERPETUATES THE SETTLER COLONIAL NATURE OF THE SYSTEM.
THIS MOVE ALSO COMES AT A TIME WHERE WE ARE ALSO IN A DOWNWARDS TREND OF AMERICANS LOSING OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS.
FROM THE REMOVAL OF ROE V WADE TO THE MOR V HARPER CASE, THAT'S GOING TO BE HEARD, WHICH COULD LEAD TO THE MORE SUP VOTER SUPPRESSION.
IT IS RIDICULOUS TO BELIEVE THAT WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY WHEN ONLY FOUR PEOPLE CAN OVERRIDE WHAT THE PEOPLE OF WEST COVINA VOTED FOR.
IF YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THE DECISION TO REMOVE, UH, STRIP THE TITLE OF BRIAN TA TABBA TOBE, WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO REMOVE EVERY PERSON WHO VOTES YES, OUT OF OFFICE BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
UP NEXT CHEYENNE ROCHA, AFTER YOU.
HELLO, MY NAME IS FRANCO COLTON.
I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE.
AND, UH, SO I FELT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE HERE AND SUPPORT BRIAN TODAY, AND THE RAIN AND THE DOWNPOUR.
UM, YOU KNOW, I VOTED FOR HIM AND OTHERS, UH, IN THE DISTRICT VOTED FOR HIM AS WELL.
THAT'S HOW YOU GUYS GOT INTO YOUR SEATS.
PEOPLE VOTED FOR YOU TO BE THERE.
YOU CAN'T VOTED AGAINST EACH OTHER JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT SOMEBODY SAID OR YOU DISAGREE WITH HOW SOMEBODY YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT INDIGENOUS FOLKS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE REALIZE THAT 90% OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WERE WERE WIPED OFF THIS PLANET.
OKAY? NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THAT.
NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HOW BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MISALIGNED, YOU KNOW, MALIGNED FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, FOR CENTURIES AS WELL.
UM, PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE BIASES THAT ARE AFFECTING PEOPLE TODAY.
THEY JUST DON'T HAVE A CLUE, YOU KNOW? AND SO YOU CAN START LEARNING NOW, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOMETHING OF THIS.
WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO LEARN FROM.
BUT TO ME, WHAT THIS ALL SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS HUGE DISAGREEMENT WAS BASICALLY YOU GUYS DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
AND THAT'S OKAY IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT, BUT DON'T JUST, YOU KNOW, KILL THE MESSENGER, YOU KNOW? I MEAN, IT'S JUST, IT'S OB ABSURD TO ME.
I WAS JUST SHOCKED THAT I, I LIVE IN A CITY THAT WOULD, IT WOULD TRY TO VOTE OUT MY MY COUNCIL MEMBER, BECAUSE YOU DISAGREE WITH THE, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'VE DISAGREED WITH MANY OF THE THINGS THAT HE SAID,
[01:40:01]
BUT WE AGREE WITH HIM.IT WAS OUR RIGHT TO PUT HIM IN THAT CHAIR, AND HE DESERVES TO BE HERE.
SO, I JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH HOW, HOW PETTY THIS, THIS WHOLE THING IS THAT YOU GUYS WOULD EVEN GO THIS FAR.
THIS IS REAL PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A GAME WHERE YOU CAN VOTE PEOPLE OFF OF THE ISLAND, YOU KNOW, HE DESERVES TO BE HERE.
SO I'M HERE TO SAY, PLEASE VOTE TO KEEP HIM HERE.
OR, OR JUST FORGET ABOUT THE VOTE ALTOGETHER.
BRIAN, I SUPPORT YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
AND, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME.
CHEYENNE ROCHA, FOLLOWED BY NICK ROCHA.
I'M MAKING SURE THE CLOCK'S RESET.
I AM, UH, LIVED HERE FOR 26 YEARS OF MY LIFE.
BORN AND RAISED IN WEST COVINA, ALSO KNOWN AS THE VILLAGE I KNOWN AS ZENA, WELL, LONG BEFORE WAS WEST COVINA.
UM, MY RELATIVES AND I COME HERE TODAY TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT OF BRIAN TABATA.
UM, I CAN'T SAY I'M SURPRISED TO BE HERE AGAIN IN THIS ROOM,
UM, IT'S THE FACT FOR ME, WHEN ALL OF US LEFT THESE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, ONLY YOU GUYS, UM, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS REMAINING IN THIS ROOM FINALLY HAD THE COURAGE TO SPEAK UP AND DISCUSS YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ON THE MEETING THAT HAD JUST TOOK PLACE ON FEBRUARY, 2020 FIRST, YOUR ROSA DIAZ NOT ONLY RATTED YOURSELF OUT, BUT ADMITTED YOU DIDN'T WANNA PUT NEGATIVITY AT YOUR CELEBRATION.
NOT ONLY THIS, BUT SAYING, MY SISTER JAMIE, REFUSED AFTER SHE FELT DISRESPECTED, OF COURSE, BY YOUR OWN ACTIONS.
AND WORDS SPOKEN THAT NIGHT OF THE EVENT, NOT EVEN APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR ACTIONS CUZ YOU FELT QUOTE UNQUOTE, YOU DID NOTHING WRONG.
I KNOW THAT THIS IS A FACT, A CLEARCUT CASE OF RETALIATION AGAINST BY MAYOR PROTE.
NOT ONLY THIS, BUT YOU ALL SENT OUT LETTERS SAYING THAT THIS ISN'T A RETALIATION AGAINST MAYOR PRO TEM BRIAN TABATA, AFTER ALL THIS, YOU ARE GIVING A BACKLASH FROM THE CAUSES OF YOUR OWN ACTIONS.
YOU WOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED YOU GUYS TO ACT THE WAY YOU DID.
IN RESPONSE TO MY SISTER JAMIE, THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT WAS SAID TO HAPPEN AT 6:30 PM THAT NIGHT.
YOU GUYS PUT YOURSELF IN THAT POSITION.
NOW, MAYOR PRO TEK, THIS WOULD'VE NEVER OCCURRED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IF ONLY YOU SHOWED YOUR TWO COLORS AND WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON, THE ONLY PERSON THAT SHOULD BE QUESTIONING THEIR POSITIONS IS YOUR OWN.
NICK ROHA, FOLLOWED BY PATTY PSMA.
UH, GOD, I WISH YOU GUYS SAY IT'S, I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HERE, BUT I'M NOT.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I LIKE TO THANK, UH, THE OFFICER HILDA ELISE FOR COMING IN, STEPPING IN.
DONE THE LAN MENT FOR HER REELECTION CAMPAIGN AND THE BLESSING FOR HER REELECTION CAMPAIGN.
AND I'M GLAD SHE'S A GOOD FRIEND, AS WELL AS A LOT OF, UH, UH, UH, STATE OFFICIALS ARE TO THE GABRIEL PEOPLE, UH, FIRST OF ALL, GUY, YOU GUYS NOT ONLY DOUBLE DOWN ON STUPID, YOU CAN'T, YOU'RE ALL IN, MY GOD.
YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, MAN.
YOU IN OUR, IN OUR EYES, YOU ARE A TRUE MAN AND A TRUE WARRIOR AND A TRUE POLITICIAN WHO LOOKS FOR THE GOOD, NOT FOR THE BAD.
AND I'M SO HAPPY TO BE A CONSTITUENT OF YOURS AND OUR PEOPLE.
THE SHOSHONE FULLY SUPPORT YOU.
UH, IF YOU EVER NEED US, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD CALL ON US AND WE WILL BE THERE IN NUMBERS, IN DROVES.
NOW, UM, THERE'S ANOTHER THING, UH, THAT YOU GUYS DID THAT WAS PART OF THAT ALL IN CRAP.
UM, YOU GUYS CHOSE TO GO OUT AND GET ANOTHER GABRIELINO KE NATION MEMBER.
ANDY SALAS, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT BECAUSE HE BURNT BRIDGES WHEREVER HE WENT.
THE GUY IS NOTHING BUT A CULT LEADER, AND HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIS SOUTH FOR
[01:45:01]
ACTUALLY STEPPING IN.I'M, I'M KIND OF SHOCKED CUZ HE, YOU KNOW, IN, IN NATIVE, UH, PROTOCOLS, HE, WHAT HE DID WAS APPREHENSIBLE, YOU KNOW, HE, IT WASN'T HIS, YOU KNOW, AND WHAT'S FUNNY IS IF HIS KIDS WERE ATTACKED THE SAME WAY, I WOULD BE STILL BE THE FIRST THERE TO DEFEND THEM, BECAUSE THAT'S THE PEOPLE WE ARE.
SO, LET ME SAY, YOU GUYS HAVE A CHANCE HERE TO REVERSE THIS, THIS TIDE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THIS RED TIDE THAT, THAT, THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, MAN, THAT'S BRINGING ALL THE CRAP AND SEWAGE BACK ON SHORE HERE.
YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS NEED TO CLEAN UP YOUR ACT.
YOU KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, WE DON'T NEED THE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE COMMISSION TO, TO, UH, UH, UH, TO VALIDATE OUR EXISTENCE.
LIKE, UH, LIKE, UH, ANDY DOES.
YOU KNOW, AND IT'S FUNNY THAT THE GUY THAT, THAT USES THAT AS HIS, UH, GLORIOUS, UH, UH, UH, HIS GLORIOUS, UH, VALIDATION OF BEING NATIVE ALSO ATTACKS OTHER GROUPS ON THAT SAME LIST.
SO, YOU KNOW WHAT HE, YOU KNOW, UM, THANK YOU, SIR.
UH, MY NAME IS, UH, PATRICIA, PASTOR REZA.
AND, AND YOU KNOW, LIKE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE HERE WERE A LITTLE JADED AND SURPRISED THAT THIS, THIS, THIS MEMBERS ARE WANTING TO REMOVE A TRAILBLAZER.
MR. WU, YOU'VE HAD YOUR CHANCE, YOU HAD YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO ENACT THE CHANGES THAT YOU WANTED TO WITH THE SUPPORT OF YOUR, OF YOUR, OF YOUR PEERS AND, AND US.
LET SOMEBODY ELSE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON OUR BEHALF.
SO I AM SO GLAD THAT WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT LOOKS LIKE ME AND WE HAVE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
SO IF YOU'RE TRYING, THIS PANEL IS TRYING TO STOP SOMEBODY FROM EXPRESSING THEIR VOICE IN A WAY THAT IS GONNA RUFFLE YOUR FEATHERS, THEN I THINK AS ADULTS, WE NEED TO REALLY REEVALUATE WHAT IT IS THAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU AS OUR REPRESENTATIVES.
SO I'M GONNA TALK TO THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM.
I UNDERSTAND THAT FROM WHAT I'M HEARING, IT WAS NOT, IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S A BRUISED EGO SITUATION.
MR. TABBA DECIDED WHATEVER REASON, AT WHATEVER POINT THAT HE WANTED THE NATIVE AMERICANS TO BE REPRESENTATIVE, REP, REPRESENTATIVE IN, IN A CENTENNIAL, RIGHT? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? OKAY, SO HERE'S A QUESTION THAT I'M GONNA POSE TO YOU IS LET'S SAY HE WAS WRONG, HOWEVER HE DID IT JUST FOR ARGUMENTS SAKE.
DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT ALL THESE PEOPLE HERE ARE GOING TO ALLOW FOR THIS TO CONTINUE? REMEMBER, WE VOTED FOR YOU GUYS.
THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER STEP THAT WE CAN TAKE.
WE CAN ALSO RECALL MR. WU OR WHOEVER IS STARTING THIS, THIS INVESTIGATION.
WHO'S THIS THIRD PARTY? WHO'S FUNDING THIS THIRD PARTY? AND WHO IS GOING TO GIVE US THE RESULTS OF THIS? WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING IS YOU'RE DOING A VOTE ON, ON SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE RESULTS ARE YET.
TALK ABOUT AN UNBALANCED, UH, PROCESS, RIGHT? WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO FACE OUR ACCUSERS.
YOU GUYS ALREADY CRUCIFYING THE GUY BEFORE WE EVEN KNOW WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THE OUTCOME IS.
AND I THANK YOU MISS MS. UH, DIAZ, BUT I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU GUYS SIT THERE AND REALLY REEVALUATE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE THINKING.
KEEP IN MIND THERE'S PEOPLE VOTING I THEY'RE HERE HAS ELAPSED THEIR TIME PROTESTING.
GO AHEAD AND VOTE 'EM OUT, AND I ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL GET, THANK YOU, MA'AM.
[01:50:03]
BRIAN GUTIERREZ, FOLLOWED BY PETER GONZALEZ.GOODEN CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE, I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY SAYING OUR LINES BEGIN TO END THE DAY WE BECOME SILENT ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER.
I HEARD FROM SUPERVISOR, WE HEARD FROM SUPERVISOR SAL'S OFFICE EARLIER TODAY.
AND I WILL ENCOURAGE SUPERVISOR SALISE TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON BEHALF OF THE SHOE SHINE NATION BECAUSE ON AUGUST, ON NOVEMBER 1ST, 2022, SHE RECOGNIZED FERNANDO TO MISSION INDIANS, THE GAMBINO TANGA INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA TRIBAL CONS, THE GABRIELINO MISSION, INDIANS, THE GAMBINO MISSION INDIANS, KSU, THE SAN MISSION INDIANS, ANNA SAN FERNANDO BAN MISSION INDIANS ESPECIALLY, DID NOT RECOGNIZE THIS GROUP.
AND I WILL ENCOURAGE THE SUPERVISOR THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA SET A REPRESENTATIVE, THAT YOU BE HONEST AND YOU EXPLORE ALL GROUPS.
AND IF THIS IS, IF THIS IS THE LEGITIMATE GROUP SUPERVISOR SOLI, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEAD THAT EFFORT.
AT THE SAME TIME, I WILL ENCOURAGE THE CONSULT TO REMOVE BRIAN TABBA TOBI.
MR. TABBA HAS SPREAD RUMORS AND LIES REGARDING ALL FOUR OF YOU.
IT MAKES ME EXTREMELY SAD WHEN HE'S SPREADING LIES ABOUT A NEWLY-ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S BLIND, WHO MADE HISTORY IN THE CITY OF WEST KOREA THAT CALLS THAT PERSON RACIST AND REFERS TO THAT MEMBER AS DISCRIMINATORY BECAUSE THAT MEMBER IS EXERCISING HIS RIGHT AS A MEMBER OF THIS CONSOLE BY THE VOTERS WHO ELECTED HIM TO OFFICE.
YOU TOOK AN OATH TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S PEOPLE WHO, WHO HAVE HATRED HERE, WHO ARE SPREADING LIES.
PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT 0.03% OF OVER THE OVER 120,000 PEOPLE.
WEST REINA HOUSES IN OUR CITY.
THAT'S LESS THAN 36 RESIDENTS WHO ARE, WHO CAME TODAY OF 120,000 RESIDENTS.
THE CITY HAS TRYING TO SEEK, SEEK RECOGNITION.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE ACKNOWLEDGES THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS, IN SOME CASES, STATE RECOGNITION QUALIFIES THE TRIBE FOR FEDERAL AND STATE SUPPORT.
FOR EXAMPLE, FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES, THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING, THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF LABOR, THE EDUCATION AND HEALTH AND HUMAN RESOURCES HAS A STA STATUTORY AND REGULATORY AUTHORITY TO, TO DECIDE THAT NOT MAYOR PROTE TO BUY, TO BUY MAYOR PROTE, TO BUY BUY, DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY AS A MEMBER OF THIS COUNCIL, TO SAY THAT SOMEONE SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED WITHOUT CONDUCTING A FOOD STUDY ON THAT ORGANIZATION.
YOU HARM AND YOU HURT PEOPLE BY NOT CONDUCTING FOOD AND FAIRNESS.
YOU ALSO VOTED TO NOT HIRE 10 POLICE OFFICERS WHO WERE RETIRING EARLIER THIS YEAR.
YOU STAND AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON A SUAN OR ABOVE A MURDER VICTIM, AND YOU SAID THAT YOU WANT TO CATCH THAT VICTIM, BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU VOTE AGAINST HIRING THE REPLACEMENTS OF 10 POLICE OFFICERS? WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT? THAT'S CONTRADICTING YOUR OWN STATEMENTS.
THIS COUNCIL WILL LEAD BY THE EFFORT THAT THEY HAVE DONE SO.
AND I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO VOTE.
IN FAVOR, IN REMOVING TO BY TOBI.
WE ALLOWED, DUE TO SPEAK PETER GONZALEZ, FOLLOWED BY JAY REBEL COSTAL.
I'D LIKE TO YIELD MY TIME TO DAVID SCHWARTZ.
YOU DON'T GET TOO TOUCHED, DAVID.
YOU'RE GONNA, YOU'RE GONNA BE REMOVED FROM HERE IF YOU DON'T STOP.
SORRY, DEMARS, CAN YOU REMOVE HER? SHE HASN'T STOPPED.
YOU WON'T ALLOW ME TO DO THAT.
I'M PROBABLY THE MOST NEUTRAL PERSON HERE, EVEN THOUGH I WAS THERE THAT NIGHT.
I THINK I SPOKE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT AFTERWARDS AND I SPOKE WITH THE COUNCILMAN ALI A LITTLE BIT AFTER THIS SITUATION.
I LOOK AT IT THIS WAY, MY FAMILY'S OWN LAND IN THE CITY OF MEXICO FOR SEVEN DECADES.
[01:55:02]
I REMEMBER THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY AS A CHILD, COUNCILS CHANGED.EVERYBODY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT INCLUSION, ALL THESE BUZZWORDS.
HOW ABOUT MERITOCRACY? HOW ABOUT BEING EFFICIENT? HOW ABOUT MAKING SURE THE STREETS ARE CLEAN, THAT THERE AREN'T PEOPLE LEAVING IN GARAGES WHEN RESIDENTS ARE ONE DOESN'T ALLOW THAT.
SO WE DON'T HAVE THESE ISSUES ALLOWING THINGS TO BE RUN PROPERLY AND WITH MERIT, WITH STANDARDS.
AND IF YOU WANNA BE INCLUDED, CALL YOURSELF AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO DIVIDE YOURSELVES BY SAYING, I'M THIS, I WAS THAT I'M HERE.
THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS COUNTRY'S ABOUT.
COUNTRY'S ABOUT BEING TOGETHER.
I'M TIRED OF HEARING PEOPLE SAY, WELL, THIS USED TO BE SO-AND-SO, THIS USED TO BE SO-AND-SO.
WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? HOW ABOUT A CITY CALLED CONSTANTINOPLE? WHY AREN'T YOU FIGHTING FOR CONSTANTINOPLE? IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK, THE CITY NEEDS TO COME TOGETHER AND BASE THINGS ON STANDARDS MERITOCRACY AND VALUES NOT DIVIDING BEHIND THIS GROUP OR THAT GROUP.
THAT'S NOT INCLUSION, THAT'S EXCLUSION WITH MY REPRESENTATION.
THIS IS WEST CAVINA AND WEST CO.
LIKE WHEN I FIRST CAME UP HERE, CITY COUNCIL DIDN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THIS WHEN I WAS A CHILD.
AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING.
BUT THE SAME THING, YOU GOTTA KEEP THE VALUES AND STANDARDS OF THIS CITY.
NOT WEST, NOT LOS ANGELES, NOT THE COUNTY, BUT PURE STANDARDS OF WEST CO.
AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, MY NAME IS UA ROY BA CASTLE.
AND FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO DO A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I AM ON THE ANCESTRAL LANDS OF THE GABRIELINO SHOSHONE OF THE GABRIELINO TOVA OF THE FERANDO TAVIAN PEOPLE.
I WILL ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE KESH PEOPLE.
I AM ABSENTEE SHANI, AND I AM MUSKOGEE CREEK.
AND I WAS BORN TO THE CREE PEOPLE IN ALBERTA, CANADA.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, INTRODUCE MYSELF AS JOY ROY BA CASTLE.
I'M THE DAUGHTER OF ROSE MARIE ROY BALL.
MY FATHER IS RICHARD DEAN CASTLE, AND I AM WHAT YOU CALL A MERCILESS INDIAN SAVAGE.
THANKS TO PRO TE UH, MARI PROTE TABBA.
I'M SORRY IF I MISPRONOUNCED TABBA TIE TABBA TABBA, EH.
I WANNA APOLOGIZE TO YOU NOT ONLY FOR BIR BUTCHERING YOUR NAME UP
SO I APOLOGIZE TO YOU FROM MY HEART, HEART, BUT I ALSO THANK YOU FOR MY HEART, HEART BECAUSE WHILE YOU'RE BEING CRUCIFIED, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME HERE TOGETHER FOR YOU.
SO YOU DON'T ONLY HAVE PEOPLE FROM WEST COVINA HERE, YOU HAVE PEOPLE FROM THE IE.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE FROM LA, YOU HAVE PEOPLE FROM, UH, ACTUALLY DIFFERENT STATES THAT HAVE PULLED UP AND, AND ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING AS WELL.
AND THEY'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO YOU AND TO YOU AS WELL.
UM, MR. CONTOS, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AND JUST SAY THAT YOU'RE A BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT.
AND I, I I I THANK YOU FOR, FOR, UH, WHAT YOU SAID FOR US THE LAST TIME, BECAUSE I ACKNOWLEDGE IT WHEN YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO LEARN, IT CAME FROM YOUR HEART.
UM, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR GOING AND LEARNING.
UM, AND, AND ALL OF THESE PEOPLE THAT CAME HERE TO SPEAK ON YOUR BEHALF TODAY IS BECAUSE OF YOUR CHARACTER, NOT BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF CHARACTER.
THERE WERE ONLY TWO PEOPLE HERE, UM, TWO AND A HALF OR WHATEVER.
UM, I HAVE A GD SO I DON'T COUNT TOO GOOD.
BUT THERE WERE A COUPLE PEOPLE HERE, UM, IN DISAGREEMENT.
AND INSTEAD WHAT HAPPENED IS, INSTEAD OF DIVIDING PEOPLE, YOU BROUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE TOGETHER.
SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, UM, THE SHIRT THAT I'M WEARING IS, UH, REPRESENTING THE OAK FLATS AND PROTECTING SACRED LAND.
[02:00:01]
THE, UH, US COURT OF APPEALS THIS MORNING, AND PEOPLE CAME IN FROM ARIZONA, FROM NEW MEXICO, FROM COLORADO, FROM VARIOUS STATES TO STAND IN UNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER OVER PRAYERS AND SACRED LANDS.AND WERE WILLING TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SEE THE LAST OF THE LIST OF 27 GRIEVANCES AGAINST KING GEORGE II.
HE HAS EXCITED DOMESTIC INSERT INSURRECTIONS AMONGST US AND HAS ENDEAVORED TO BRING ON THE INHABITANTS OF OUR FRONTIER, THE MERCILESS.
MARY VLADIMIR, FOLLOWED BY JEZEBEL MILIAN WITH BRITNEY RODRIGUEZ.
AFTER THAT, HI, MY NAME IS MARY VAL DEMAR, I, UH, COME VERY HUMBLY TO SPEAK FOR YOU TODAY, REPRESENTING, UH, THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE, AND THE ETHNIC STUDIES COALITION FOR THE INLAND EMPIRE.
UM, ON BEHALF OF MANY OTHERS WHO ARE WATCHING CLOSELY WHAT YOU DO HERE TODAY, AS THEY WERE WATCHING THE COURT DECISION, AND FOR OAK FLATS AND THE APACHE STRONGHOLD, AS THEY'VE BEEN WATCHING DECISION AFTER DECISION, STANDING ROCK DECISION AFTER DECISION, NESTLE WATER DECISION AFTER DECISION ABOUT INDIGENOUS LAND AND NATIVE REPRESENTATION.
SOMEONE DESCRIBED EARLIER THIS ISSUE AS RADICAL.
AND I WOULD ARGUE IT'S NOT AT ALL RADICAL TO CALL FOR HEALING, TO CALL FOR JUSTICE FOR A MEN'S MAKING AND TRUTH TELLING.
AND TO BE FRANK, IT'S LOW HANGING FRUIT.
THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO DO IS BUILD AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PEOPLE OF YOUR LANDS.
THAT SIGN ON THE WALL THAT SAYS A HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY.
WHAT GOOD IS CELEBRATING YOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY IF YOU ARE STILL STUCK IN STAGNANT IN PRACTICES THAT ARE A HUNDRED YEARS OLD? 1923, WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN 1923? THERE WAS A WHOLE LOT OF RACISM, A WHOLE LOT.
WHAT YOU'RE DISPLAYING IS A LACK OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY, A LACK OF GROWTH, AND MOST OF ALL, A LACK OF LEADERSHIP.
THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DISPLAYING FOR EVERYONE TO SEE AS WOMEN, AS MOTHERS, AS PEOPLE OF COLOR.
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO MODEL FOR OUR YOUTH AND OUR CHILDREN HOW TO BE IN THIS WORLD.
WHAT ARE YOU MODELING TODAY? HOW TO BULLY, HOW TO HALT CHANGE IN PROGRESS, HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN ONGOING GENOCIDE, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE PASS, THIS IS THE PRESENT.
THIS IS WHAT ERASURE LOOKS LIKE.
THIS IS WHAT RACISM LOOKS LIKE IN 2023.
THE EXAMPLES WE HAVE BEEN SEEING LATELY IN OTHER POLITICAL LEADERS EXPOSED FOR THEIR ANTI-BLACKNESS AND THEIR ANTI INDIGENEITY.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DOING ALONG THE SAME LINES AND WHOEVER, UH, TALKED ABOUT THE CONS.
MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER THAT WAS THE YOU THAT, THAT ZEAL MILIAN FOLLOWED BY BRITNEY RODRIGUEZ.
UH, I AM A MEMBER OF THE, UM, NATIVE AMERICAN INTERTRIBAL STUDENT ALLIANCE AT MOUNT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE.
UM, AND I W ALSO SERVED, UH, FOUR BEAUTIFUL YEARS, UH, WITH THE COUNTY, ALONG WITH, UH, ACTUALLY JUDO SO'S, UM, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.
UM, WORKING CLOSELY WITH FOSTER YOUTH.
I SPECIFICALLY WORKED IN THIS, UH, DISTRICT OF THE COUNTY.
AND, UM, BEING INDIGENOUS MYSELF, I ALWAYS HAD THE, UM, I ALWAYS, UM, I SPOKE TO MY INDIGENOUS PEERS AND MY INDIGENOUS, UM, POPULATION THAT I WAS IN CHARGE OF, UM,
[02:05:01]
HELPING PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR.AND, UM, A LOT OF THEM SAID TO ME, AND IT MADE IT PROFOUND IN MY WORK NOW, IS WHERE AM I? LIKE, WHO IS LIKE, WHERE, WHY ARE MY PEOPLE SCATTERED? WHY ARE MY PEOPLE GONE AWAY? AND THERE'S, THESE ARE CHILDREN THAT BELONG TO YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
THESE ARE CHILDREN THAT ARE IN SCHOOL TO THIS DAY.
THEY'RE IN YOUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, AND THEY'RE SLEEPING IN INTO THE WORLD, AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN SURE WHO THEY ARE.
AND FOR YOU TO DENY A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IS NOT ONLY DISRESPECTING THE PEOP OUR PRESENT PEOPLE WHO CAN BE HERE, BUT OUR EMERGING YOUTH ARE EMERGING PEOPLE WHO DESERVE TO KNOW AND WHO DESERVE TO BE REPRESENTED WITHIN THIS CITY, WHO DESERVE TO BE SEEN.
A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, HIS NAME IS ANTHONY, HE WOULDN'T BE TOO HAPPY.
A HO BRITTANY RODRIGUEZ, FOLLOWED BY ROBERT TORRES.
UM, I DIDN'T DO A SPEECH, I JUST CAME TO SPEAK ON THE CHARACTER OF BRIAN TABBA.
UM, I THINK EVERYBODY SPOKE FOR THE MOST PART, UM, VERY WELL ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO HERE TODAY AND WHY IT IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE.
SO I'M GONNA, THEY DID WONDERFUL.
I'M JUST GONNA CONTINUE WITH, UH, MR. TIBA TABBA AND WHO HE IS AND WHO I'VE SEEN HIM AS.
UM, I'M GOING TO GIVE A DEFINITION OF ALLYSHIP, ACTIVE SUPPORT FOR THE RIGHTS OF A MINORITY OR MORE MARGINALIZED GROUP WITHOUT BEING A MEMBER OF IT.
SO HE IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THAT I'M AWARE OF.
UM, BUT HE HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO LEARN, FIGURE OUT HOW THINGS HAVE GONE WRONG AND HOW TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY.
I HOPE YOU ALL LEARN FROM THIS EXAMPLE, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN A DIS, UM, A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS.
UM, AND OF THOSE 10 YEARS, UH, I THINK I'VE KNOWN BRIAN FOR FOUR OR FIVE OF THEM.
WE VOTED HIM IN BECAUSE OF THE EXAMPLE HE HAS SET AND HOW HE WILL STAND AGAINST, UM, ADVERSITY AGAINST PEOPLE WHO BRING DOWN OR CONTINUE OPPRESSION OF, OF, UM, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OR JUST MINORITIES IN GENERAL.
UM, HE STANDS UP AGAINST THOSE WHO DO NOT, HE DOES NOT AGREE WITH.
HE DOES IT IN A PROFESSIONAL TONE.
I SEE HIM VERY ACTIVE ON FACEBOOK.
UM, MOSTLY I SEE HIM IN PERSON WHEN HE'S AT ALL OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.
HE'S DISCUSSING WITH THE PUBLIC HIS VIEWS.
HE UNDERSTANDS THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS THAN HE DOES, AND I APPRECIATE THAT HE TAKES THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION.
I ASK THAT YOU DO THE SAME MOVING FORWARD AS A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA.
I VOTED HIM IN FOR THAT REASON.
I KNEW THAT HE WOULD STAND UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT.
HE WAS NOT ALWAYS GOING TO AGREE WITH WHAT YOU WANTED.
AND THAT IS NOT WHAT I WANT ON THIS COUNCIL.
I WANT SOMEBODY WHO'S GOING TO SEE WHEN SOMETHING IS BEING DONE WRONG, SPEAK UP AND SAY THEIR TRUTH, EVEN IF IT PAINTS A TARGET ON THEIR BACK.
I APPRECIATE THAT BRIAN DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THAT TARGET.
HE ASKS, WHAT COLOR WOULD HE LIKE HIS TARGET TO BE? I, I DO NOT WANT SOMEBODY ON THIS COUNCIL WHO ONLY GOES WITH THE FLOW.
PLEASE KNOW, MOVING FORWARD, THAT IS WHAT THIS, THIS CITY IS EXPECTING OF ALL OF YOU TO QUESTION, TO WONDER WHY WE ARE MOVING A CERTAIN DIRECTION.
SO THANK YOU, BRIAN, FOR MOVING US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A CITY.
I HOPE THAT YOU ALL LEARN FROM HIM INSTEAD OF TRYING TO VOTE HIM OUT.
YOU SHOULD STRIVE TO BE LIKE HIM.
APPRECIATE WHAT HE IS DOING, THAT HE IS TRYING TO MOVE US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND I HOPE THAT YOU REFLECT ON WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE TODAY.
REALIZE THAT THE CITY IS ASKING YOU ALL TO DO BETTER, AND I HOPE THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO AND, AND FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS AND DO BETTER.
ROBERT TORRES, FOLLOWED BY CECILIA MUNOZ.
UH, GOOD EVENING, UH, MAYOR DIAZ, MAYOR PROTE.
COUNCILMAN WU, UH, COUNCILMAN LOPEZ, VITO COUNCILWOMAN, SORRY.
UH, FIRST, UH, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO EXPRESS MY
[02:10:01]
APPRECIATION FOR ALL OF YOU AND ALL THE HARD WORK YOU DO.I KNOW BEING THE BEING ON THE COUNCIL IS A MAJOR COMMITMENT.
AND SO I WANTED, I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW I'M DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE AND RESPECT ALL THE SACRIFICES YOU MAKE AND THE DEDICATION AND SERVICE.
SO TONIGHT, I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE NOT REMOVE MAYOR, UH, PROTE TOBA TOBA FROM THE POSITION OF MAYOR PROTE.
UM, I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, MAYOR PROTE FOR MANY YEARS NOW.
I'VE FOUND HIM TO BE AN EXTRAORDINARY FATHER, UH, HUSBAND, SON, TEACHER, COACH, MENTOR, ADVOCATE, AND OF COURSE, COUNCIL MEMBER.
UH, SO ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND AND EMPATHIZE WITH THE CONCERNS REGARDING MAYOR PRO, UH, PROTE ABOUT TOBI, UM, PLEASE KNOW THAT MANY RESIDENTS, MYSELF INCLUDED, UM, VIEW, UH, THOSE SAME CONCERNS IN A POSITIVE LIGHT IN MY VIEW.
UH, ACTIONS TAKEN BY MAYOR PROTE THUS FAR DURING HIS TERM, HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTIVE IN NATURE AND HAVE CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AND GROWTH.
UH, THERE, UH, THE MOST RECENT EXAMPLE IS HIS EFFORT TO INCLUDE THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY INTO OUR CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
UH, SO ALTHOUGH, AS WE ALL KNOW, UH, THINGS DIDN'T GO ACCORDING TO PLAN, I BELIEVE THE UNDERLYING GOAL WAS INCLUSIVITY.
UM, AND, UH, AND IT WAS GONNA RESULT IN A LONG TERM SOCIAL GROWTH WITHIN OUR CITY.
ADDITIONALLY, ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION WITH THE HARD, HARSH, UH, PUBLIC CRITICISM RELATED TO THIS MATTER, UH, IT HELPS TO REMEMBER THAT FREE SPEECH AND PROTEST IS ONE OF THE MAJOR PILLARS OF OUR CONSTITUTION.
A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, WHETHER IT'S POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD ALWAYS BE VIEWED THROUGH THE, THROUGH THAT LENS.
SO AGAIN, I ASK YOU TO PLEASE NOT REMOVE MAYOR PROTE TOBI FROM HIS MAYOR PRO TEMP POSITION.
NOT ONLY WOULD IT, UH, BE UNFAIR TO A CARING AND INSIGHTFUL COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, BUT IT WOULD ALSO BE A, UH, DISSERVICE TO THE THOUSANDS OF DISTRICT ONE RESIDENTS WHO VOTED INTO, VOTED THEM INTO OFFICE.
AND IT WOULD DEPRIVE THEM OF THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE, UH, BEING MAYOR, UH, AS YOU COULD, AS YOU WOULD IMAGINE.
UM, IT WOULD ALSO DEEPLY HURT ME AS ONE OF HIS STRONGEST SUPPORTERS, AND ALSO AS ONE OF ALL OF YOUR STRONGEST SUPPORTERS, UH, TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN.
SO, IMPLO YOU NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE CONSIDERATION TO REMOVE HIM.
AND I THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND ATTENTION MUNOZ FOLLOWED BY JAMIE ROCHA.
MAYOR PROTE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE COMMUNITY.
I AM A 40 YEAR RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA AND LOVE MY CITY.
I'M ALSO VERY MUCH AWARE AND SADDENED OF THE SITUATION THAT HAS OCCURRED AS WE CELEBRATE OUR 100TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
UM, I KNOW MANY RESIDENTS HERE, I'M NOT GOING TO ECHO WHAT THEY'VE ALREADY SAID.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I WOULD ASK FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO RECONSIDER THE REMOVAL OF MERIT BABA'S TITLE.
IT IS, IT SEEMS TO BE UNFAIR, UM, AS WE CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF WEST COVINA.
UM, UH, THE TONGA INDIANS HAVE BEEN IN THE CITY IN THE AREA FOR OVER 200 YEARS, SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT, A LONG WAY TO GO.
I WANT TO DO SAY THAT, UH, THE MARIN, I'M SORRY, I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS
I WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK UP MY, MY FAMILY MEMBER, BUT I JUST FEEL IT'S LIKE REALLY IMPORTANT TO ALSO SPEAK TO EACH INDIVIDUAL AS WHO YOU ARE IN TERMS OF WHY YOU'RE A POLITICIAN, WHY YOU'RE A LEADER.
WHEN I FIRST MET MAYOR PRO TEM, WE WERE FILLING POTHOLES IN A DOG PARK.
THERE WAS JUST A COUPLE OF US, AND THAT WAS ON A SATURDAY.
AND WE WERE THERE BY OURSELVES.
WE HAD A COUPLE OF CITY FOLKS HELPING US.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S THAT TYPE OF DEDICATION THAT I KNOW ALL OF YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEART.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CONTOS, I, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT THE LITTLE LEAGUE IN THE MUD IN THE RAIN, WHICH WAS WONDERFUL.
SO THIS ACTION THAT'S BEING TAKEN, IT FLIES IN THE FACE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT STANDS BEHIND ME.
[02:15:01]
THE SPEAKERS WHO HAVE COME OUT TODAY THAT WE LOVE AND WE RESPECT, COUNCIL MEMBER MAYOR PRO TEM TABBA TOBA, HE IS VERY ACCESSIBLE.WE CAN SPEAK TO HIM ANYTIME WE'VE MET HIS FAMILY.
HE COMES OUT, NOT THAT ANY OF YOU DON'T, OBVIOUSLY YOU CAME OUT FOR THE, UH, THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY.
BUT IN ALL, WITH ALL THAT SAID, I HOPE THAT YOU CONSIDER THE RAMIFICATIONS OF AN ACTION THAT WOULD BE VERY DETRIMENTAL TO A COMMUNITY THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SERVE.
NO, YOU'RE SO EXCITED TO SEE MY FACE AGAIN.
ANYWAYS, UM, I COULD CALL MY MAYOR COME IN UP HERE AND TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON.
ANYONE, EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN THE MEDIA, UH, WE COULD TALK ABOUT, UM, CHOICES MADE BY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALI CANTOS.
WE COULD TALK ABOUT HOW, UM, THE HUSBAND OF MAYOR DIAZ IS CALLING US COCKROACHES ON C**K, NO, EXCUSE ME.
HE CALLS COCKROACHES, YOU KNOW, VERY, UM, VERY CREATIVE ON OUR LAST NAMES.
BUT, UM, BUT I'M HERE STRICTLY TO SHOW SUPPORT.
MY SUPPORT FOR BRIAN TO BUY BUY, HE HAS SHOWN ME, HE HAS NOT ONLY SHOWN ME, HE HAS SHOWN MY COMMUNITY, OUR COMMUNITY, WHAT A REAL LEADER IS.
LAST WEEK, HE CAME IN TO PARTICIPATE WITH, UM, THE TRUTH AND HEALING COUNSEL, COUNSEL, UM, LISTENING SESSIONS WITH OUR GOOD FRIEND, TRIBAL SECRETARY CINA SNYDER, UNDER THE GAVIN NEWSOM, UM, ADMINISTRATION.
AND HE CAME IN AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID? HE LISTENED.
HE TOOK EVERYTHING, ALL THE VOICES OF ALL THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, NOT ONLY FROM OUR HERE AND LANDS, BUT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA, MEXICO, EVERYONE OUT, OUT IN UNITED STATES.
AND WHAT HE HAS SHOWN ME, IT'S, IT'S SO EASY, LIKE THE SOLUTION.
YOU HAVE ALL THIS CRAZINESS, BUT THE SOLUTION'S LIKE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU KNOW, WE CAN MOVE ON PAST THIS POINT AND TRUE A TRUE PATH OF HEALING.
AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU, THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT.
SO INSTEAD OF ATTACKING THE WRONG PERSON, YOU HAVE A PRIME OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO REALLY MAKE REAL CHANGE.
WE COULD BUILD A ROAD OF HEALING AND TRUE EDUCATION CUZ YOU KNOW, I COME FROM THE CITY OF WEST COVINA BORN AND RAISED, AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED NOTHING BUT ACCEPTANCE WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT ETHIC COMMUNITIES HERE.
I GREW UP IN THOSE KIND OF COMMUNITIES KNOWING THAT I WILL NOT TREAT SOMEONE BASED ON THEIR SKIN COLOR, ON THEIR CHARACTER.
AND THAT'S WHY KIM, I'M HOPING, REALLY HOPING OUR ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS REPRESENTS THAT SAME KIND OF VALUES AND, AND ETHICS.
SO I REALLY, I REALLY, AND LIKE SOMEONE SAID, WE HAD SOMEONE, UH, FORMER MAYOR, UH, MIKE SPENCE, WHO WENT THROUGH, WHO HAS SUCH HUGE PROBLEM WITH, HE WAS STILL ALLOWED TO STAY ON UNDER HIS TITLE AND UNDER MAYOR.
AND WHILE I FEEL FOR THAT MAN, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, HE DID HAVE A PROBLEM, HE STILL STOOD ON.
SO I'M STILL WAITING RIGHT NOW.
IF WE COULD HEAR, WHAT EXACTLY DID MR. TABBA TOBI, WHAT POLICY DID HE GO AGAINST? WHAT RULES? BECAUSE UP TO NOW WE HAVE HEARD NOTHING OF WHAT HE DID WRONG TO JUSTIFY THIS VOTE TONIGHT WE HAVE HEARD NOTHING.
JUST BECAUSE YOU DISAGREE WITH HIM, THAT'S FINE.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS COUNTRY BEAUTIFUL.
WE DISAGREE ON DIFFERENT STUFF, BUT WHAT CONSTITUTES OF HIM TO LEAVE HIS TITLE AS MAYOR PRO TIM AND I WASN'T EVEN PLANNING TO SPEAK TONIGHT, BUT I'M JUST REALLY HELPFULLY JUST SEE THE CLEAR, INSTEAD OF DOING THIS MAYBE THE NEXT STEPS, WE ACTUALLY BUILD SOME COMMUNICATIONS.
AND ALSO TOO, I KNOW YOU HAD THE KEYS ON LAST TIME, SO I CALL ON PRESENTATIONS FROM ALL THE CITY COUNCILS OF GABE, THE GABE CONFLICT.
THEY DESERVE THE SAME TIME AMOUNT OF TIME TO PRESENT HERE TO THANK YOU.
THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKER CARDS.
THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKER CARDS.
OKAY, UH, CITY MANAGER, MAY YOU PLEASE RESPOND TO THE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
I'LL TRY AND BRIEFLY RESPOND TO THE COMMENTS.
UM, AND WE HAD QUITE A FEW TONIGHT.
UM, FORMER MAYOR LLOYD JOHNSON, UM, SHARED WITH US AS HE ALWAYS HAS BEEN VERY GOOD ABOUT, UH, ACTIVITIES AT THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MOSQUITO BOARD.
WHAT HE DIDN'T SAY WAS, HE HAD SHARED WITH ME TO SHARE WITH YOU A COPY OF THEIR STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH I'VE READ, BUT I, I NEED TO GET A BETTER COPY TO SHARE IN YOUR WEEKLY PACKET CUZ IT WASN'T, THE FONT WAS SO SMALL, YOU COULDN'T HARDLY MAKE IT OUT, BUT THAT'S COMING YOUR WAY.
UM, ELSIE MESSMAN ASKED ABOUT THE, UM, DISCOVER WEST COVINA.
UM, THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THAT'S DUE
[02:20:01]
TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE END OF APRIL.AND WE'LL HAVE BOTH ONLINE VERSIONS.
THAT'S WHAT THE PREVIOUS AND, UH, AND A MALE DISTRIBUTION, UH, WENWEN ZANGER LIBRARY DIRECTOR.
UH, WE'LL SHARE HER INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE VACCINATION CLINICS ON THE CITY WEBPAGE.
AND I ALWAYS APPRECIATE HER BRIGHT COUNTENANCE.
UM, BILL ROBINSON SHARED WITH US HIS OPINIONS ABOUT, UM, COVID AND THE WORLDWIDE POISONING EPIDEMIC AND A LOT OF THINGS.
I CONTINUE TO URGE PEOPLE TO GET THEIR ADVICE FROM A MEDICAL DOCTOR.
UM, SHERRY BIAN, UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
SHE ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPORTS PLEX.
I WOULD AGREE ALL CREDIT FOR THE BETTERMENTS THERE AND FOR THE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION.
UM, BELONG TO ROXANNE AND THANK YOU TO OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, LAMA FOR THE AMAZING JOB THAT SHE DID.
UM, I WILL RESPOND TO YOU, SHERRY, WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UM, THE RESTROOMS. I KNOW WE BROUGHT IN THE FANCY ONES FOR THAT EVENT, FOR THAT DINNER.
IT MAY BE THAT NIGHT YOU WERE IN ONE, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CLOSED AND UNDER REPAIR.
BUT I'LL OWE YOU THAT RESPONSE.
I WANT TO PUT EYES ON IT AND GET BACK TO YOU AS WELL WITH THE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ADA UH, PARKING SPACES.
I KNOW WE HAVE FOUR SPACES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE.
IF THAT'S NOT TO CODE, WE'LL ADD SOME MORE.
BUT I'LL, I'LL, UM, I'LL RESPOND SUBSTANTIVELY LATER.
WE HAD 34 SPEAKERS TONIGHT ON THIS QUESTION OF WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 18TH AND, UM, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT.
UM, SOME OF THAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THE COUNCIL TO DECIDE ABOUT LATER THIS EVENING.
BUT I'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP, ESPECIALLY FROM, UM, PEGGY MARTINEZ ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION THAT'S UNDERWAY.
I, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT THAT INVESTIGATION IS, IS I THINK, CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY THE 18TH.
UM, A A BIG PART OF ADDRESSING WHAT OCCURRED IS A, IS A PROPER INVESTIGATION.
AND JUST TO REMOVE ANY POSSIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT UNDER THE WEST WILL BE A MUNICIPAL CODE.
THIS IS, UH, ENTIRELY WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE CITY MANAGER.
THIS IS MY RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE MUNI CODE, I HAVE THE AUTHORITY AND THE DUTY TO INVESTIGATE COM COMPLAINTS ABOUT INAPPROPRIATE WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR I HAVE ORDERED.
UM, COUNSEL ASKED ABOUT THIS, A, A COMPLETE OBJECTIVE THIRD PARTY INVESTIGATION INTO THAT INCIDENT OF FEBRUARY 18TH, INCLUDING ALL OF THESE VARIOUS ALLEGATIONS, THE CITY HAS ENGAGED A VERY EXPERIENCED AND DETERMINED TEAM TO DO THIS WORK FOR US.
THIS WILL FOLLOW BEST PRACTICES AND THE RULE OF LAW.
THE INVESTIGATION WILL DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF ALL, INCLUDING MY EMPLOYEES.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH.
IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN QUICKLY, BUT IT'S, IT'S UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW.
AND WHEN IT'S DONE, I WILL REPORT BACK TO YOU ABOUT IT.
I THINK THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT THIS EVENING.
[CITY MANAGER'S REPORT]
THANK YOU.UM, WHO'S GONNA BE PRESENTING THE, UM, CITY MANAGER'S REPORT? UM, THAT'S ALSO ON MY TO-DO LIST THIS EVENING.
AND I KNOW YOU'VE GOT OTHER BUSINESS TO GET TO TONIGHT, SO I'LL ENDEAVOR TO BE REALLY BRIEF ABOUT IT.
UM, FIRST I JUST WANTED TO MAKE MENTION TO THE FACT THAT WE'VE, UM, BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN, UM, GARNERING SOME MONEY FOR A CLEAN STREETS PROGRAM THAT COULD INCLUDE SOME SWALE, SOME MORE TREES, SOME BETTER LANDSCAPING.
IT'S PART OF, UM, A FEDERAL INITIATIVE TO BRING MONEY TO LOCAL AGENCIES.
UM, THIS FIRST PHASE IS THE FEASIBILITY STUDY AND THE, AND THE GOAL OF IT ALL IS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY.
BUT WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE FEDERAL MONEY HELP US ADDRESS LOCAL PROBLEMS. I WOULD HOPE THE COMMUNITY WOULD SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
UM, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26TH, 6:00 PM HERE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
AND MONDAY MAY THE FIRST BEGINNING AT 6:00 PM AT THE CAMERON COMMUNITY CENTER.
UM, SOME PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE SHOPPING CARD ORDINANCE.
UM, SECOND READING OF THAT IS ON YOUR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT.
THE ORDINANCE WOULD BECOME EFFECTIVE ON APRIL 21ST.
WE HAVE STARTED TO GET SOME TRACTION AND SOME INTEREST IN A COMMUNITY MEETING ABOUT THE, THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS AT THE INTERSECTION OF CAMERON AND CITRUS.
LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE INTEREST IN THAT, AND I WELCOME IT.
WE'VE SET UP A SPECIAL MEETING SO THAT PEOPLE CAN MEET DIRECTLY WITH THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER WITH THE CITY ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, UM, WEDNESDAY, MARCH THE 29TH AT 6:00 PM UH, AT THE SENIOR CENTER.
UM, WE'VE GOT SOME COMMUNITY EVENTS COMING UP, SATURDAY, MARCH THE 25TH DRIVE UP COMPOST EVENT AND A, AND A SHOE DRIVE, WHICH WAS RESCHEDULED FROM ONE OF OUR, OUR RAINY DAYS IN COOPERATION WITH THE ROTARY CLUB.
UM, EASTER EXTRAVAGANZA SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST AT, UM, 9:00 AM UH, CORTEZ PARK IN DEL NORTE PARK.
THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT THIS EVENING.
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
COUNSEL.IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO, UH, PULL FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR? ANYONE ELSE? COUNCILMAN? I COULDN'T HEAR.
UH, NUMBER FOUR AND NUMBER FIVE, PLEASE.
[02:25:01]
NO.DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE? OH.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION BY, UM, COUNCIL MIN LOPEZ.
[4) CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NO. 2023-19 CONTINUING THE LOCAL EMERGENCY RELATED TO SEVERE WINTER STORMS]
WE'VE, AND THEN WE'RE PULLING ITEMS NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS A CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NUMBER 2023 DASH 19, CONTINUING THE LOCAL EMERGENCY RELATED TO SEVERE WINTER STORMS IN ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE NUMBER 25 11, ESTABLISHING DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SHOPPING CARD CONTAINMENT.ON THE NUMBER FOUR CITY MANAGER, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US, OKAY.
IN THIS EMERGENCY, WHAT CAN HELP US? CAN WE GET GRANT? OKAY.
CAN WE GET A, I KNOW WE HAVE A RAINSTORM GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
PA THE PLACES, CAN WE GET ADDITIONAL GRANT AND HOW CAN WE APPLY? I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO US RIGHT NOW, UM, THROUGH THE CHAIR.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, COUNCILMAN? YES.
THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES.
BY CONTINUING THIS LOCAL PROCLAMATION OF EMERGENCY, THE GOVERNOR DECLARES A, A STORM EMERGENCY.
WE'RE ABLE TO ACCESS THEN, UM, STATE AND FEDERAL MONIES THROUGH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, EMERGENCY SERVICES, AND THROUGH FEDERAL FEMA.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN, UM, JASON RAINDROPS IN THIS STORM.
WE'VE BEEN, UM, THIS WEEK, I BELIEVE, UM, TODAY OUR CREWS DID, UM, 80 50 POUND BAGS OF POTHOLE REPAIRS.
AND, AND THEY WERE RUNNING THE STREETS AGGRESSIVELY.
UM, BEFORE THE SUN CAME UP THIS MORNING, THEY WERE AT ALL OF OUR UNDERPASSES, MAKING SURE ALL THE, THE EIGHT OF OUR PUMPS WERE WORKING.
AND I'M PROUD TO REPORT THEY WERE.
BUT, UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, LEAKING ROOFS TODAY.
WE HAD LEAFS ROOFING LEAKING AT TWO OF OUR FIRE STATIONS.
AND TO THE EXTENT WE'RE ABLE TO CLAIM, UM, REIMBURSEMENT FOR, FOR SOME OF THESE DAMAGES, WE CERTAINLY WILL.
AND THAT'S WHY I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU ADOPT THIS TONIGHT AND QUICKLY, AND HOW MUCH FUN WE CAN RECEIVE FROM FEDERAL OKAY.
AND, UH, HOW, HOW SOON YOU CAN APPLY AND HOW SOON WE CAN RECEIVE, UM, THROUGH THE CHAIR.
THE, THE, THE APPLICATION PROCESS IS MORE OR LESS AUTOMATIC IF IT'S A STORM RELATED DAMAGE.
I THINK WHERE CITIES GET INTO TROUBLE IF THEY BEGIN TO ACT LIKE THEY WON THE LOTTERY, WE DID NOT.
BUT WE DO HAVE EXTRAORDINARY EXPENSES AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO CLAIM THOSE AND, AND INCLUDING THE ONES THAT I JUST MENTIONED TO YOU.
UM, I, I WILL, I WILL APPLY FOR EVERYTHING THAT I THINK IS LEGITIMATELY ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
COULD YOU SHARE WITH US, TAKE A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS OR, I, I DOUBT IT'LL BE THAT MUCH COUNCILMAN, BUT TO THE EXTENT I CAN CLAIM, UH, ROOF REPAIRS OR REPAIRS OF THOSE TWO PUMPS UNDER THEIR FREEWAY UNDERPASSES THAT, THAT IN FACT WEREN'T WORKING AND GOT CLOGGED UP, UM, I, I WILL CLAIM EVERYTHING I CAN.
SO I DON'T HAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR YOU TONIGHT, BUT I'LL YOU DID.
I'LL CALL YOU THAT AND GET IT FOR YOU.
SO WE DON'T HAVE A MAXIMUM WEEK.
AND DUE TO THE STONE DAMAGE, WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF DAMAGE.
SO I THINK WE SHOULD CLEAN AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THOSE MONEY BACK TO THE CITY.
I, I'VE LOST TRACK OF THE DAYS.
WE'VE HAD SO MANY RAINY DAYS IN A ROW, BUT IT WAS A FRIDAY NIGHT.
WE HAD A PRIVATE TREE ALL COMPLETELY ACROSS CITRUS AVENUE, AND OUR CREWS WERE OUT THERE INTO THE DARK.
WE HAD TO ORDER UP SPECIAL LIGHT BARS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL, CODE ENFORCEMENT CAME TO ASSIST WITH IT.
IT WAS KIND OF A MINI HANDS MIX, A LIGHT LOAD KIND OF A NIGHT FOR US.
BUT WE GOT GUYS OUT THERE ON OVERTIME.
I'M GONNA BE CLAIMING IT, SO YES.
JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE CITY APPLY WITH THIS EMERGENCY SINCE THE STAY ALREADY.
OUR FEDERAL ALREADY GIVE US THAT, THAT KIND OF, UH, RIGHT.
SO LET'S APPLY THE GRAND ASAP.
SO, UM, IF NOT, OKAY, GO AHEAD.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO DOUBLE CHECK.
I KNOW DUE TO THE STORMS, A LOT OF THE TREES UPROOTED AND DAMAGED A LOT OF, UH, PRIVATE PROPERTY, CITY PROPERTY.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IS ALSO COVERED.
DID THAT COVER THAT, UM, AND REPLACED THROUGH THE CHAIR.
WHAT, WHAT THIS, WHAT THE STAFFORD ACT PROVIDES THE FEDERAL ACT THAT COVERS THIS IS DAMAGE TO PUBLIC FACILITIES, WHICH IS PUBLIC.
SO IF IT'S A CITY TREE THAT COMES DOWN IN A PARK AND DAMAGES SOMETHING, ABSOLUTELY.
IF IT'S A PRIVATE PROPERTY WHICH IS DAMAGED, IT GETS A LITTLE MURKY.
EVEN IF IT'S A CITY TREE THAT CAUSES IT.
WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF TREES COME DOWN.
I MEAN, THIS ON THE TAILS OF A DROUGHT, THE, THE ROOT STRUCTURE IS UNSTABLE.
AND WE'VE LOST SOME MAJOR TREES DESPITE SPENDING, I DON'T KNOW, A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR MAINTAINING OUR URBAN FOREST.
[02:30:01]
GOT 25,000 TREES IN OUR FLEET.BUT, BUT IT'S, IT'S DAMAGED TO PUBLIC FACILITIES.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING AFTER WITH OUR, WITH OUR CLAIMS IN THIS.
UM, MOVE TO MOTION TO APPROVE I SECOND MOTION BY, UH, COUNCILMAN WU.
SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN UH, COUNCILWOMAN LOPEZ.
[5) CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE NO. 2511 ESTABLISHING DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SHOPPING CART CONTAINMENT]
OKAY.UH, DO I NOTICE THE SECOND READING? BUT, UH, THE CONCERN IS, OKAY, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE WE SENT A NOTICE TO ALL THE SHOPPING MORE AND INCLUDING SUPERMARKET, BECAUSE WHEN I'M DRIVING AROUND, STILL SEE ALL THE SHOPPING CAR, ALL THE PLACES, AND, UH, IT IS LIKE, IT'S LIKE NEVER STOP.
LIKE WE APPROVE TODAY, HOW SOON WE CAN EXECUTE AND HOW MUCH DEFINE AND HOW SOON THE SUPERMARKET CAN PUT LIKE QUARTER OR SOME MECHANISM OR SOME, OR THEY HAVE TO REMOVE BECAUSE THE CITY, I KNOW I'VE BEEN CALLING CITY YARD.
PROBABLY WALK ALL THE TIME AND TRY TO PICK OUT ALL THE, ALL THE, ALL THE SHOPPING CAR.
UNDER THE BRIDGE, UNDER THE, OKAY.
SO MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO US, PLEASE, UM, THROUGH THE CHAIR IF I MAY, UH, RESPOND.
THIS IS A, A MUCH NEEDED ORDINANCE BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN PLAYING, UM, THE GAME OF CHASE, THE SHOPPING CART FAR TOO MUCH.
BUT FOLLOWING YOUR ADOPTION TONIGHT, ASSUMING IT PASSES WITH THE VOTES, UM, STAFF WILL SEND TO THE IMPACTED BUSINESSES A LETTER SUMMARIZING THIS ORDINANCE, UM, AND INS WITH INSTRUCTIONS AS TO HOW THEY CAN COMPLY WITH IT.
UM, ALONG WITH A COPY OF THE EXECUTED, UM, ORDINANCE SIGNED BY THE MAYOR, AND THEN THE REQUIRED, UM, CARD APPLICATION PROCESS THAT THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
SO IF YOU ADOPT IT TONIGHT, THE ORDINANCE IS EFFECTIVE 30 DAYS FROM NOW.
AFTER THAT FIRST LETTER GOES OUT, FOLLOWING YOUR ADOPTION, UM, WE'RE GONNA SEND OUT A SECOND LETTER ABOUT 60 DAYS AFTER THAT INITIAL LETTER.
UM, TELLING THE EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT UTILIZE CARTS, THAT THEY'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE CART CONTAINER MEASURES APPROVED AND IN PLACE THIS ORDINANCE REQUIRES THEY'D BE INTO PLACE, UM, SIX TO 12 MONTHS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE ORDINANCE.
SO IT'S NOT GONNA BE INSTANT, BUT WE'RE REALLY HOPING TO GET VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE.
AND WE THINK WITH THE LETTERS, UM, THEY'RE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WE'LL BE REMINDING THEM OF THEIR DUTY TO BETTER MANAGE THESE.
SO A FOLLOWING QUESTION WILL BE THE CITY KNOW HOW MANY SUPERMARKET AND HOW MANY SHOPPING MORE WITH CARS.
BECAUSE SOME, OKAY, THEY DON'T.
SO HOW CAN WE HAVE A NUMBER, A CITY WITH ALL THOSE DATA OKAY.
AND SEND TO THE PROPER CHANNEL.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE SOMEBODY DON'T KNOW SAY, OH, I HAVEN'T NEVER RECEIVED ANYTHING.
HAVE YOU SURVEYED FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE ALL THE PROPER COMMUNICATION HAS TO BE MET? OKAY.
AND HOW, WHAT KIND OF TEETH WE HAVE.
IF, UH, THEY DON'T COMPLY, BECAUSE SOMETIME THEY DON'T GIVE, THEY DON'T CARE.
SO HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THEY WILL PICK UP THEIR SHOPPING MORE OR WHAT, HOW MUCH? FINE.
THEY WILL STOP THEM, OR THEY WILL KIND OF ASK THEM TO REMOVE THE SHOPPING CART ON OUR STREET.
UM, WE ARE AWARE OF THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES THAT USE SHOPPING CARTS IN TOWN, THE NUMBER OF GROCERY STORES IN THOSE.
YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE THE NUMBER? WE HAVE A LIST.
I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR YOU TONIGHT, BUT I CAN GET IT FOR YOU.
BUT WE, WE DO HAVE A, A ROSTER OF ALL OF THEM.
VIOLATION OF THIS ORDINANCE IS A MISDEMEANOR.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO DEFER TO THE CITY ATTORNEY AS TO WHAT THE FINES ARE UNDER MISDEMEANOR.
I BELIEVE IT'S A FINE OF UP TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
COULD BE FOR EVERY OCCURRENCE.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE NOT INTERESTED IN THE FINE MONEY.
WE'RE INTERESTED IN COMPLIANCE, BUT, UM, IF I COULD ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY IF I'VE GOT THOSE NUMBERS RIGHT IN TERMS OF THE, THE FINE AMOUNTS FOR A MISDEMEANOR.
WELL, IF THEY DON'T COMPLY, SO WE CAN FIND THEM $1,000 AND THEN, THEN HOPEFULLY THEY COMPLY BECAUSE THET, WE HAVE, YES, SIR.
WANNA I MOVE THE MOTION? I MOVE THE MOTION TO APPROVE.
MOTION BY COUNCILMAN MU AND SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN LADO.
UM, I'LL, UH, COUNCILMAN CONTOS? AYE, UH, COUNCILMAN WILL.
[8) CONSIDERATION OF REMOVAL OF MAYOR PRO TEM BRIAN TABATABAI FROM POSITION OF MAYOR PRO TEM]
LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT.ARE WE GOING TO, UH, WE, OH, THEY'RE GONNA
[02:35:01]
ROCO? NO.SHOULD LET US TO DISCUSS? YEAH.
UM, FIRST I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST ANY INDIGENOUS AT ALL.
OKAY? I THINK, UH, WE NEED TO HAVE, UH, OUR INDIGENOUS, OKAY, THE CULTURES OKAY.
AND, UH, OKAY, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, AND LAST TIME, I ALREADY MENTIONED MANY, MANY TIMES, OKAY? WE WELCOME ALL DIFFERENT GROUP CULTURES.
WE NEED TO PRESERVE, OKAY? EACH OF THEM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT WEST COARD, OKAY? UNITED STATES, OKAY? AND, UH, OUR, OKAY, ALL THE CULTURES OKAY TO BE TOGETHERS.
OKAY? AND THAT, THAT'S WHY MY STRONG BELIEF ALWAYS TRY TO PUT PEOPLE TOGETHERS WITH THE DIFFERENT CULTURES AND THE DIFFERENT TRADITION.
AND WE WANT THE GENERATION, THEY UNDERSTAND, OKAY.
THEIR HERITAGE, AND THEY BE PROUD ABOUT THEMSELF.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
DON'T GET BULLIED, DON'T GET SCARED WHEN THEY'RE IN THE SCHOOL, OKAY? AND THEY, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T WANNA TELL PEOPLE WHO THEY ARE NOW.
THEY SHOULD BE PROUD ABOUT WHO THEY ARE.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT.
SO, AND, UH, REGARDING, OKAY, THIS, UM, AGENDA, I THINK, I HOPE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT ABOUT, ABOUT INDIGENOUS, NOT EVEN ABOUT LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON THE SATURDAY NIGHT, WHAT HAPPENED ABOUT THE ISSUE.
OKAY? WHY CREATE ALL THIS DRAMA, ALL THIS CONFLICT, OKAY? IT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT.
ALL THESE MONTHS FROM THE CENTENNIAL TIER TODAY, DO YOU THINK WON'T GO AWAY.
IT'S CONTINUE, COME BACK TO HANG US.
OKAY? WE SPEND ALL THE TIME, OKAY? AND THEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, ALL THIS ENERGY, OKAY? ALL THIS, OKAY.
WE SHOULD FOCUS ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE OUR CITY, OKAY? HOW TO TAKE CARE OUR CITY.
HOW TO TAKE CARE, OUR COMMUNITY.
HOW TO TAKE CARE OUR CHILDREN.
HOW TO MAKE OUR POWER DISAPPEAR.
HOW TO MAKE OUR TREE THAT SHOULD BE TRAINED.
OKAY? I THINK THIS IS OUR JOB, OKAY? I'M NOT HERE FOR IDEOLOGY, NOT HERE.
TRY TO FIGHT WITH ANYBODY AT ALL.
MAYBE SOMETIMES WITH THE DRAMA, WITH THE RATING, I HAVE A CONFLICT WITH, UH, MR. TABBA.
BUT WE MAYBE HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEOLOGY OR DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE CITY, BUT WE ALWAYS RESPECT EACH OTHER, OKAY? PRIVATELY, OKAY.
AND OVER HERE SOMETIME WE, WE ARGUE ABOUT THE ISSUE.
BUT THE THING IS THIS, THE ISSUE SHOULD BE, GO BACK TO MUNICIPAL.
WHAT WE DOING OVER HERE? WE HEAR, WE GET ELECTED, WE TRY TO TAKE CARE THE CITY PROBLEM AND THE REASON ON THE SATURDAY NIGHT, AND I SAID IT MANY TIMES, EVEN WITH THE INVESTIGATOR, THAT, THAT I HAVE NO IDEA.
I THINK ALL OTHER CITY COUNCIL HAVE NO IDEA.
LAST MINUTE IS THIN, OKAY? IT'S ON THE PROGRAM.
YOU SAW THE PROGRAM NEVER HAVE THIS.
THE CT STAFF NEVER TOLD US, NOT EVEN VERBALLY OR EMAIL OR TEXT, SAY, HEY, OKAY, WE APPROVE SOMETHING, OKAY? WE LET, OKAY, WE DON'T KNOW.
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WE HAVE THIS INSERT OR PROGRAM.
OKAY? SO IN THAT WAY, AND WHEN I SHOWING UP, I WAS THERE.
OKAY? I SAY, WELL, THIS IS VERY TOUGH ONE.
AND I EVEN SAY, THIS IS YOU GUYS DECISION.
I WALK AWAY, I DON'T WANT ANY CONFLICT, DON'T WANT ANYTHING.
I THINK, UH, MR. KENTO AND, UH, UH, MS. DIA CAN BE APPROVED, OKAY? ABOUT WHAT I DID.
I JUST HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, TOUGH ONE, OKAY? BECAUSE, OKAY, THE GUEST, I DON'T KNOW ZOE THERE AND THE, AND THE THING IS HAPPENING AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO ANYWAY, AND FOR THAT THEN RIGHT AWAY, OKAY, I'VE BEEN ATTACKED AS A RACIST THAT I RUN, I'M SCREAMING AND YELLING.
AND EVEN A WITNESS, DJ AND ALL THAT, OKAY? THEY CAN PROVE I I TO WALK AWAY.
WE SHOULDN'T BE OVER THERE FIGHTING WITH SOME, SOME PROGRAM.
OKAY? SO ANYWAY, THAT IS THE ISSUE I HAVE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
AND THEN I KNOW LATER ON, UH, OKAY, MS. KENTO AND, UH, OKAY, THE MALE DEAL, THEY APPROVE.
OKAY? AND ABOUT THE PROGRAM, EVEN THIS LAST MINUTES, I THINK THIS VERY NICE OF THEM.
AND, BUT THEY CAN TO, THEY CAN TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
BUT THE POINT IS THIS, THE FEELING IS WHY WE HAVE TO BE ATTACKED.
WHY WE HAVE TO BE OKAY DRAGGING TO THE MUD.
[02:40:01]
BY MALE PROTEIN, OKAY, POSSIBLE USING, USING HIS OKAY TITLE AND MAYBE ASK THE CITY TO DO AT LAST MINUTES AND WE NEVER GET NOTIFIED.I THINK WE SHOULD BE, BE, HAVE A RIGHT AS A TRANSPARENCY, WE SHOULD RECEIVE AT LEAST A PROPER SAY, HEY, THERE'S LAST MINUTE, PLEASE JUST TAKE IT.
SO I KNOW YOU, YOU ARE REALLY ANGRY, BUT WE HAVE NOTHING AGAINST ABOUT EVEN LEARN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
I SAID THAT I REALLY DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT THE HISTORY.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN LEARN, OKAY? AND LIKE LAST TIME, I SAY, AND I SINCERELY WANT TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE EACH CULTURE, ITS TRIBE ALL VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT YOUR HISTORY.
SO I I I DID ALREADY LAST TIME, OKAY, MA'AM.
OKAY? BUT, BUT ANYWAY, PLEASE NOT LET ME FINISH MY SPEECH.
CAN HE FINISH? PLEASE? PLEASE.
CAN YOU PLEASE RESPECT HIM? LET'S BE RESPECTFUL PLEASE.
I APPRECIATE YOU SHOWING UP, BUT BE RESPECTFUL.
WE LISTEN TO YOU AND, UH, I HAVE A MY WAY TO FINISH MY SPEECH, BUT A BUT ANYWAY, OKAY.
MY POINT IS VERY SIMPLE, IS WHEN THIS THING HAPPEN, AND I THINK, OKAY, UH, MR. TAB, OKAY, TABBY TABBA, UTILIZE, OKAY.
LET OPPORTUNITY AND STUDYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ATTACKING US, OKAY? CALL ME A RACIST, OKAY? CALL.
OKAY? AND, UM, MALE DEAL IS A RACIST.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S NOT RIGHT TO USING YOUR POSITION, OKAY? AND, AND TO ATTACK YOUR CITY AS CENTENNIAL, CELEBRATION AND ATTACK YOUR FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBER ON OUR HANDBOOKS STATED CLEARLY WE DO NOT FABRICATE OKAY.
THE ISSUE AND TRY TO GET THE POLITICAL INTEREST AND GAME.
I KNOW IT'S VERY TOUGH ONE, IT'S A VERY, VERY TOUGH, OKAY? IT IS VERY, VERY TOUGH, OKAY? FOR OUR COUNCIL, UH, MEN, OKAY? CAN TELL TO REALLY WANT TO CONSIDERATION AND I HAVE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT I FEEL.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT I WENT THROUGH AND BE ATTACKED, RACIST AS MY BACKGROUND, OKAY? AND, UH, AND SO IN THAT WAY IT'S REALLY NOT FAIR.
OKAY? WHY YOU DON'T COME TO TALK TO ME? WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE ALL THIS ATTACK? WHAT? THE MAYOR, OKAY, DI DESERVE THIS ATTACK.
SO I HOPE, OKAY, YOU HAVE OPEN-MINDED BUS.
SEE HOW OUR OPPOSITION, WE HERE DO NOT GET PAID ONLY GET PAID COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS.
WE WANT TO SERVE OUR RESIDENT.
WE WANT TO UNITE, WE WANT TO UNITE PEOPLE TOGETHER.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ALL THE GROUP BECAUSE IF WE DO THIS OTHER GROUP WILL SAY, HEY, THIS YOUR QUIET THIS.
WE DO NOT WANT TO DIVIDE PEOPLE.
WE WANT TO UNITE PEOPLE TOGETHER.
I THINK TO UTILIZE A GROUP AND CREATE HATE.
OKAY? AND LET IS THE PROBLEM YOU, YOU BRING HATE YOU, YOU DIVIDE PEOPLE.
YOU MAYBE MAKE, I WILL, I WILL HAVE THE CHAMBERS.
LET ME FINISH MY SPEECH, LET HIM SPEAK.
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, BUT, BUT NO MATTER WHAT, OKAY, I WANT TO SPEAK MY THOUGHT.
SO I, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING, ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOW HIM TO SPEAK? OKAY? LET ME DON'T SENSE MY SPEECH.
YOU NEED TO REMOVE, I ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK.
IT'S DEMOCRACY, RIGHT? IF THIS IS THE UNITED STATES THAT I CANNOT EVEN SPEAK ANYTHING FOR MY THOUGHT, AND YOU GUYS HAVE USED THE MA MENTALITY AND ATTACKING THAT IS WRONG, THAT IS WRONG.
MAYBE WE HAVE A DIFFERENT OKAY.
BUT I HAVE THE RIGHT TO FINISH MY SPEECH.
SO I WILL SAY THIS, OKAY? THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE INCIDENT.
HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RETALIATION.
HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT I, AGAINST OKAY? WITH, UH, MR. TABATA, BY, I THINK HE REALLY MADE A MISTAKE, TRY TO UTILIZE THE SITUATION TO ATTACK HIS FELLOW MEMBER AND THE CITY BECAUSE UTILIZE THE, THE EVENT AT LAST MINUTES THAT WE HAVE NO IDEA.
WE HAVE NO IDEA THEY HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM.
I SAID AGAIN, AGAIN, IF WE KNOW, IF WE AGREE AND WE HAVE NO PROBLEM, WE SAY GO TO DO THE OFFICIALLY IN THE BIRTHDAY LINE, OPEN THE EVENT.
I THINK THIS WOULD BE BEAUTIFUL.
AND FOR THE PERFORMANCE, I THINK WE NEED IT.
BUT ANYWAY, I, I A HUNDRED PERCENT SUPPORT.
OKAY? I THINK ANYTHING MUST HAVE A CONSEQUENCE.
YOU CANNOT JUST DO IT AND TRY TO PLAY THE GAME.
SO I, I THINK OKAY, REMOVAL OF, UH, THIS TITLE IS JUSTIFIED BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED AND BASED ON WHAT THE SCENE, THE TRUTH OKAY.
ABOUT WHAT THE, THE, THE, THE, THE TREATMENT WE HAVE.
AND THEN LET'S BREAK THE CITY, LIKE
[02:45:01]
INTO THE PIECES.BUT SO IPO, I SUPPORT THE, I SUPPORT THE AGENDA REMOVAL OF THE TITLE DUE TO THE ISSUE AND THE ACTION FROM, OKAY, MR.
I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO, TO DO IT, YES.
TO REMOVE THE TITLE, COUNCILMAN CONTOS, GO AHEAD.
I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS AND PLEASE JUST HEAR ME OUT JUST SO YOU CAN GET A FULL CONTEXT, PLEASE.
UH, WHEN, UH, ALL OF THESE THINGS HAD HAPPENED WITH REGARD TO THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND SO FORTH, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT ALL OF THIS WOULD HAVE ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH AISH NATION.
AND SO WHEN PLEA, SO WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING WAS I KEPT IN MIND ABOUT HOW WE, WE, UH, NEED TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT THE, THE CONDUCT OF OUR FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND SO WHAT I, WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT IN, FROM WHAT I WAS TRAINED TO DO, WE CANNOT DISCUSS SPECIFIC, UM, AGENDA ITEMS UNLESS THEY ARE AGEN FIRST.
SO WHEN I BROUGHT UP THE MOTION, IT WASN'T EVEN A MOTION.
WHEN I BROUGHT UP THE ITEM FOR, UH, TO BE AGENDA, UH, I WAS, I WAS, UM, FROM WHAT IT WAS, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT IT WAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF I SHOULD JUST BRING IT UP ON THE AGENDA, PLACE THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA, AND THEN SPEAK ABOUT IT TODAY OR TONIGHT.
AND SO THAT'S WHY AT THE TIME I DIDN'T, UM, ELABORATE ON WHAT I WANTED TO DISCUSS.
I SIMPLY JUST PUT IT ON THE AGENDA.
SO LET, LET ME MOVE TO THE NEXT THING.
SO, BECAUSE, UH, I, I, JUST AS A PERSONAL, UH, CHARACTER TRAIT, I TEND TO EMPATHIZE WITH PEOPLE.
UH, I WAS AFRAID ABOUT HOW IT WOULD MAKE, UM, THE MAYOR PROTE FEEL ABOUT JUST THE SOUND OF SAYING IT WAS A CONSIDERATION FOR REMOVAL.
AND IT REALLY BOTHERED ME TO THE POINT WHERE I HESITATED BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE TO BE THE CAUSE OF PEOPLE'S PAIN.
AND IT REALLY, REALLY PAINED ME.
AND ANYONE AROUND ME WHO SAW HOW I WAS AFTERWARDS, IT REALLY PAINED ME BECAUSE I JUST DID NOT WANT TO CAUSE PAIN TO A COLLEAGUE.
BUT I WAS ALSO INSTRUCTED TO WAIT UNTIL THE DAY OF IN ORDER TO TALK ABOUT IT.
AND SO IN THE MEANTIME, THERE WAS SPECULATION AS TO WHAT THIS WAS.
THERE WAS A DISCUSSION OF, OR, UH, FOLKS THINKING THAT THERE WAS RETALIATION, BUT HERE WERE THE, HERE WERE, HERE ARE THE BASIS FOR WHY I BROUGHT UP THE MOTION.
THE FIRST THING WAS THE, THE CONCERNS THAT I HAD ABOUT, UH, THE SITUATION, GIVING RISE TO THE, UH, UH, INCREASED COMPLEXITIES WITH THE KESH NATION, WHICH COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY IN MY MIND LED TO, UH, UH, DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON THE CITY BECAUSE OF ALL OF THES Q A RELATED, UH, UH, APPROVALS THAT NEEDED TO OCCUR UPON FURTHER A SEARCH IN, IN, IN LOOKING INTO THAT FURTHER, I FOUND THAT THAT WAS NOT A CONCERN, BUT AT THE TIME, I WA I JUST, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS.
THE SECOND THING THAT WAS REALLY CONCERNING TO ME WAS THE, THE TONE OF, OF, OF THESE VARIOUS THINGS THAT HAD OCCURRED.
I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT, UH, THAT EVERY, UH, VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE AMONG THE, UH, THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA.
AND IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO ME PERSONALLY, THAT WE TREAT EACH OTHER WITH, WITH DIGNITY AND, AND RESPECT.
AND THAT NECESSARILY MEANS NOT SPEAKING OF, OF FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COLLEAGUES, EITHER ONLINE OR ELSEWHERE IN A, IN, IN A, WHAT, WHAT SEEMS TO BE A NEGATIVE PERSONAL TONE OR OTHERWISE DOING THINGS TO UNDERMINE AN UNDERCUT FELLOW COLLEAGUES.
UH, EVEN AT THE CONGRESSIONAL LEVEL, PEOPLE, IF THEY, WHEN THEY HAVE DISAGREEMENTS, THEY LIMIT WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT COLLEAGUES WHO ARE FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE BODY.
AND SO THAT ACTUALLY LEADS TO, UH, FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS.
WHERE, UH, I, I ACTUALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE KNOW THIS, BUT I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS TOO.
I'M REALLY SAD THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT I WAS HERE TO, TO, UH, I THAT ALREADY HAD MY MIND MADE UP WITH REGARD TO WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, ON MONDAY, UH, UH, MARCH 13TH, I C I REACHED
[02:50:01]
OUT TO, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM.AND I BEGAN THE CONVERSATION BY SAYING THAT I CONDUCTED MY, MY OWN RESEARCH, INDEPENDENT OF EVERY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER.
I DID THIS ON MY OWN IN THE SAME WAY THAT I ACTED ON, ON MY OWN ORIGINALLY.
UH, IT'S INTERESTING THAT PEOPLE SAID, I'M SOME PART OF SOME WOO CULT OR WHATEVER, THESE AWFUL ATTACKS WHEN I WAS LITERALLY DOING MY DUTY TO TRY TO DO MY BEST TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE COULD MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER.
SO WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING WAS ON MONDAY, MARCH 13TH, I REACHED OUT TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND THE FIRST THING I, THAT I SAID IS, I DON'T SEE, UM, BASED ON LEGAL GROUNDS IN, IN TERMS OF ANYTHING RISING TO THE LEVEL OF SUCH, UH, DISAGREEMENT, UH, SUCH, UH, AN EXTENT THAT, UM, THAT REMOVAL, UH, WOULD, WOULD NECESSARILY BE WARRANTED.
AND I LITERALLY SAID, I, I THINK THAT THINGS WILL BE OKAY.
AND, AND I JUST ASKED, IN ORDER FOR US TO, TO BUILD AND, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, THAT BE CLARIFIED WITH COMMUNITY WHO HAD BEEN LED TO BELIEVE THAT I WAS SOMEHOW READY AND PREPARED TO TAKE SOME SORT OF ADVERSE ACTION WHEN I LITERALLY SIMPLY WANTED TO GENDERIZE THE MATTER, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I WAS TOLD.
I WAS TOLD THAT I CANNOT DISCUSS A MATTER UNTIL IT IS AGENDAS.
SO THAT'S WHAT I DID IN SPITE OF THE ABUSE THAT WAS THROWN AGAINST ME, PEOPLE SAYING THINGS, MAKING ASSUMPTIONS.
I HAD TO SIT THERE DAY IN AND DAY OUT, RECEIVING A NUMBER OF PHONE CALLS, TEXTS, EVERY, ALL MATTER OF, OF MESSAGING WHERE I WAS, UH, SUBJECTED TO, UH, A A LOT OF, OF PEOPLE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT MY MOTIVES WHEN THOSE WERE NOT MY MOTIVES.
I TOLD FOLKS FROM THE BEGINNING THAT, UH, MY, MY ROLE HERE IS TO BE INDEPENDENT AND TO DO THE RIGHT THING AT WHATEVER COST.
SO, SO THEN, UH, WHAT, WHAT IS WORRISOME TO ME EVEN FURTHER, UH, IS THAT IN SPITE OF MY HAVING, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVEN ASSURANCES, I, I HAD ASKED THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM LITERALLY ISSUE WORD TO FOLKS THAT, THAT THERE IS NO DANGER OF IT, OF HIS POSITION, UM, AT THIS JUNCTURE BEING IMPACTED BECAUSE IT DIDN'T RISE TO THE LEVEL OF WHAT WAS, WHAT WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD WARRANT, UH, UH, UH, REMOVAL.
SO ON, ON THAT NIGHT, AND I HAVE MY CELL PHONE HERE IF ANYONE WANTS TO SEE THAT WE, WE SPOKE EXTENSIVELY, BUT WHAT WE DID ALSO TALK ABOUT DURING THAT CONVERSATION IS HE SHARED WITH ME, UH, SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT, ABOUT, UH, UH, UH, MS. ROCHA.
AND, AND HE LITERALLY LAID IT OUT AND HE SAID, HE, HE, AND THIS, WE WERE JUST TALKING INFORMALLY, SO IT WAS JUST PERSON TO PERSON.
HE SAID, ONLY YOU TALKED ABOUT WANTING TO LEARN.
AND THEN YOU WEREN'T IN TOUCH WITH THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WERE INJURED.
AND THEN WITHOUT EXPLANATION, YOU WENT FORWARD AND YOU MOVED TO PUT THIS TYPE OF ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH CAUSED MORE PAIN.
I'M BEING VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I'M TAKING YOU THROUGH THIS STEP-BY-STEP BY STEP.
AND SO WHEN UPON HEARING THAT, I, I, I, I REALIZED THAT UNINTENTIONALLY EVEN BY MY FOLLOWING THE RULES, I CAUSED MORE PAIN.
BECAUSE WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO WAS TO, TO, TO BRING AN ITEM UP ON THE AGENDA, TO DISCUSS CONDUCT OF A COLLEAGUE.
AND I WAS DOING THAT IN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHAT I UNDERSTOOD THE LAW TO BE.
AND I DID IT IN A, IN CONSULTATION WITH COUNSEL, C O U AND SEL WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEY, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS OPERATING PER, UH, CORRECTLY IN CONSULTATION WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEY, JUST TO MAKE SURE.
AND, AND, UH, THEN THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY, THIS LAST WEDNESDAY, UH, IN ORDER TO PREVENT ANY, BECAUSE I'M, I'M STILL LEARNING THE RULES.
I DIDN'T WANNA VIOLATE BROWN ACT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, I, I RELAYED WORD THROUGH THE CITY ATTORNEY AND I SAID, I, UH, I JUST NEED YOU TO RELAY WORD OF, OF LITERALLY WHAT I SAID THE PREVIOUS MONDAY, THAT, THAT, UM, BASED ON MY CONCLUSIONS INDEPENDENTLY OF, OF DONE FROM ANYONE ELSE, I SEE NO NEED FOR A REMOVAL.
AND IF THERE WOULD BE A WAY THAT HE CAN MAKE SURE TO RELAY THAT.
AND SO I DID THAT A SECOND TIME.
AND THE REASON WHY I WENT THROUGH THE CITY ATTORNEY WAS TO ENSURE THAT HE WOULD SEE THAT THERE'S A WITNESS, THAT THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S WHO, WHO RELAYED IT TO HIM, TO ANYONE BESIDES ME, BECAUSE PROBABLY SPEAKING FROM A POLITICAL STANDPOINT, IF I WERE TO TELL HIM THAT BY MYSELF, WHO'S TO SAY THAT I DON'T GO BACK ON MY WORD AND JUST DO THAT AS SOME SORT OF POLITICAL PLOY OR STRATEGY TO CATCH PEOPLE OFF GUARD AND THEN, AND THEN ISSUE A VOTE? I UNDERSTAND THAT HE, HE MAY NOT HAVE TRUSTED ME WITH THAT.
SO THAT'S WHY I EXERTED THAT AS PART OF PROCESS.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO, TO ENGAGE IN THAT STRATEGY.
AND FROM, FROM, UM, WHAT I, I KNOW I AT LEAST, UH, HE, THERE WERE CALLS THAT CONTINUED TO BE MADE TO HAVE PEOPLE COME HERE WITH A MESSAGE THAT THERE'S, UH, TO, TO, TO PROTECT HIM
[02:55:01]
FROM REMOVAL.WHEN I ALREADY MADE IT CLEAR ON, ON MONDAY THE 13TH, THAT THAT WAS MY, THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION.
SO MY QUESTION IS, I DON'T KNOW THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE COMMUNITY IS ACTUALLY AWARE THAT, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM WAS ACTUALLY AWARE OF MY RATIONALE EIGHT DAYS AGO.
BUT WHEN I HEAR THAT HE HAS BEEN MAKING CALLS TO PEOPLE STILL, UH, DRUMMING PEOPLE UP AND GETTING FOLKS RILED UP BECAUSE OF THE ASSUMPTION THAT I'M STILL GOING TO MOVE FORWARD ON SOMETHING THAT I MADE CLEAR I WASN'T GOING TO DO.
AND THEN THERE'S, UH, I MEAN, IT WAS JUST DISCONCERTING.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, WITHIN THE PAST 36 TO 48 HOURS, THERE'S A POST ON CHANGE, WEST COVINA THAT ATTACKED ME, EVEN THOUGH, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO CONTROLS CHANGE, WEST COVINA, EVEN THOUGH I MADE IT CLEAR ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO MOVE FORWARD, BUT I WAS SIMPLY DOING MY DUE DILIGENCE.
AND HERE WE ARE, 34 SPEAKERS WHO WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THERE WAS RETALIATION THAT SOMETHING ELSE HAD OCCURRED, OR THAT THERE'S SOMEHOW WE DON'T ANSWER TO THE PEOPLE.
AND THIS IS THE VERY THING THAT IS THE, IS THE, THE NATURE OF MY SECOND ISSUE WITH REGARD TO CONSIDERATION, WHICH IS WHY I BROUGHT THIS UP IN THE FIRST PLACE, WHICH NAMELY IS THAT, UH, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TONE AMONG COLLEAGUES.
AND THE THING IS, UH, I, I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY, AND I I, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE, THE FELLOW COLLEAGUES CAN VERIFY, I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY INSTANCE IN WHICH, UM, ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES, UH, UM, IN MY, UH, THE, THE, THE MAYOR HERSELF, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN WU AND COUNCILWOMAN LOPEZ, VITO IN, IN ATTACKING THE MAYOR PROTE ON FACEBOOK AND, AND DRUMMING UP, UM, ANY TYPE OF THING AGAINST THEM.
IF, I MEAN, IF, IF I'M WRONG, THEN, THEN THEY'RE WELCOME TO CORRECT ME, BUT I DO NOT SEE IT BECAUSE I ACTUALLY HAVE HAD PEOPLE LOOK, AND YET THERE WAS NO ATTACK.
THE ONLY TYPE OF TA ATTACKS ON, ON, ON FELLOW COLLEAGUES WAS BY, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND THERE ARE ALSO OTHER INSTANCES IN WHICH THERE HAVE BEEN ATTACKS, AND, AND THOSE ATTACKS HAVE BEEN DELETED, EXCEPT WE HAVE COPIES OF THOSE.
THERE WAS ACTUALLY INSTANCES WHERE THERE WAS AN INSTANCE IN WHICH SOMEONE HAD CALLED THUS CONSPIRATORIAL AND RACIST.
AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE COUNTS, UH, THE, THE, THE, UM, MAYOR PRO TEME LIKED THAT COMMENT.
IT'S THOSE SORTS OF, OF, OF SITUATIONS THAT I REALLY WOULD LIKE FOR US TO PUT A STOP TO.
SO HERE, HERE IS, IS, IS WHERE WE ARE.
THE VERY THING THAT, THAT I WORRIED ABOUT IS A VERY THING THAT HAPPENED TODAY IN SPITE OF THE MORE THAN ONE WEEK'S NOTICE OF HOW I LAID EVERYTHING OUT, AND I DID IT DIRECTLY.
I'M LAYING EVERYTHING OUT PIECE BY PIECE BY PIECE IN ORDER, IN, IN ORDER, STEP BY STEP.
I REALIZE THIS IS LONG, BUT BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED, I WANTED TO SET THIS STRAIGHT.
ALL OF THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, ALL OF THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, UH, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, THAT, UM, I, I, I WANT TO BRING US TOGETHER.
AND I AM THE LAST VOTE IN TERMS OF THIS.
WE ARE ALL FRUSTRATED ABOUT THIS TYPE OF TONE.
THE, THE, THE REST OF US, AND I WILL NOT SPEAK FOR MY COLLEAGUES, BUT I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF, THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS SORT OF, THESE SORTS OF TACTICS, IT'S NOT ANYTHING THAT BRINGS US TOGETHER.
PEOPLE WHO'VE COME HERE, IF, IF I GOT THE MESSAGING THAT THEY GOT, I WOULD'VE SAID THE SAME THING.
RETALIATION, RACISM, EXCLUSION AND SO FORTH.
BUT I ALMOST WONDER ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH ALL OF YOU HAVE KNOWN ABOUT ALL OF THIS THAT HAS TRANSPIRED WHEN I RELAYED WORD ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS.
BUT ALL OF THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, I'D, I'D LIKE TO ASK, EXCUSE ME.
CAN YOU PLEASE? THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT I MEAN, THE MOB MENTALITY, BUT PLEASE JUST EX LET ME EXPLAIN, BE BE BECAUSE, UM, I WAS NOT, UM, I COULD NOT DISCUSS THIS UNTIL I, I, I'M FOLLOWING WHAT MY, WHAT MY TRAINING HAS SAID IS REQUIRED FOR ME.
UM, OTHERWISE, UM, I, I WOULD'VE DONE MORE.
AND I'M DOING MY BEST HERE, AND THAT'S WHY I'M EXPLAINING ALL THIS.
SO I APPRECIATE THE, SORRY, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I, OKAY, SO HE'S TRYING TO EXPLAIN, IF YOU COULD JUST SIT AND LISTEN, WHAT I'M ASKING IS, UM, IF THERE WOULD BE A WAY, UM, FOR, FOR THE MAYOR PROTE, UH, TO AGREE IN PRINCIPLE FOR US TO, TO HAVE A, A CHANGE IN TONE HERE WITH REGARD TO ALL OF THIS.
AND THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD, THAT WE CAN'T DISAGREE, DISAGREE ALL WE WANT, BUT IT SHOULD BE ON POLICY.
[03:00:01]
IT SHOULD BE ON, ON THE WAY THAT WE RUN THE CITY, AND IT SHOULD REALLY BE, UM, UH, BASED ON, ON, UH, AT THAT TONE, INCLUDING DISCUSSION HERE.BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO ASK IF, IF, IF THE MAYOR PROTE WOULD BE WILLING FOR US TO ENGAGE IN THAT TYPE OF CIVIL DISCUSSION WITHOUT ATTACKS ONLINE, AGAINST ANY OF US OR WITHOUT WHISPER CAMPAIGNS OR, OR OTHER ISSUES, BECAUSE, UM, HONESTLY, I'M WILLING, I'M WILLING TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE, AND I, I REALLY, I, I, WHAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, BECAUSE THE THING IS, I HAVE RECEIVED OTHER CALLS AND MESSAGES FROM CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE FRANKLY TIRED OF ALL OF THIS, WHERE WE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE MEANT TO BE, UH, AVAILABLE, I MEAN, ARE, ARE INTENDED FOR DISCUSSION OF THE BUSINESS OF THE PEOPLE, NAMELY DEFINED AS THE ADMINISTRATION OF CITY BUSINESS, LIKE THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED, POTHOLES, UH, UH, UH, TREES BEING DOWN, UH, UH, SHOPPING CARTS, ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
IT IS BORING TO TALK ABOUT THE, THESE SORTS OF ISSUES FOR MOST PEOPLE.
BUT THIS IS THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE, OF CITY BUSINESS, AND WE NEED TO STICK TO THOSE SORTS OF DISCUSSIONS.
THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT AGREE.
AND IT IS NOT TO SAY THAT IF THERE'S A DISAGREEMENT, THAT THAT RISES TO SOME LEVEL OF, OF, OF, UM, CAUSING NEED FOR REMOVING ANYBODY.
BUT WHAT IT IS, WHAT I AM ASKING, I AM ASKING, UH, MR. MAYOR PROTE THAT YOU, THAT YOU PLEASE JOIN US IN FINDING A WAY CONSTRUCTIVELY FORWARD, DEFINED AS STICKING WITH THE TOPICS AND ESPECIALLY, UH, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE OF THE, OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, UH, TO BE HERE AND TO BE SUPPORTIVE IN WHATEVER THEY SAY, AGREE OR DISAGREE.
NO, IT IS SIMPLY ASKING FIRST.
IT'S SIMPLY ASKING FIRST, PLEASE LISTEN.
UM, IF, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'D BE WILLING TO DO THAT, BECAUSE I, I, I WANT HEALING AS WELL, BUT I ALSO JUST, I, I NEED TO BE, I WANT HEALING AS WELL, BUT I ALSO NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT, THAT, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR DECORUM HERE, WE NEED TO RESTORE THINGS TO THE WAY I'VE LISTENED TO RECORDINGS OF PAST YEARS, WHERE EVEN WHEN THERE HAVE BEEN DISAGREEMENTS, WE KEEP IT AT A POLICY LEVEL AND THEN WE MOVE FORWARD ACCORDINGLY.
AND THAT IS IT, THAT IS LITERALLY ALL I'M ASKING.
IF YOU ARE WILLING TO DO THAT IN, IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL WITNESSES HERE, THEN I'M WILLING TO GIVE YOU THAT CHANCE.
UH, FIRST, UM, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE AGENCY OF EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO CAME HERE, UM, I DID SHARE WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO SHOWED UP, UH, OUR CONVERSATION, UH, AND HOW IT WAS ASKED OF PEOPLE NOT TO SHOW UP.
THEY WANTED TO SHOW UP ANYWAYS, UH, THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY NAACP INVITED ME TO SPEAK ON SATURDAY.
I SHARED THAT I WAS ASKED TO HAVE PEOPLE NOT SHOW UP.
THEY DID NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT.
THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO VOICE THEIR OPINION.
YOU, YOU ASKED ME HERE AT THE END TO BRING PEOPLE, WELL, I, I AM ON THE COUNCIL BECAUSE I REPRESENT A VOICE THAT HASN'T BEEN REPRESENTED HERE BEFORE.
I, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE ISSUE WAS, AND STILL CONTINUES TO BE, THAT THE GABRIELINO SHOSHONE, JAMIE NICOLE ROCHA, WAS APPROVED BY STAFF TO GO ON STAGE.
IT, IT, IT ISN'T OUR POLICY, NOR IS IT IN OUR PURVIEW AS COUNCIL TO INTERFERE WITH STAFF.
AND YET THE THINGS THAT ARE BEING SAID UP HERE, THINGS ABOUT, UH, FACEBOOK POSTS, ABOUT, UH, I GUESS I'M, I'M BEING SAID THAT I CALLED COUNCILMAN WU A RACIST, THAT
[03:05:01]
I CALLED MAYOR DIAZ A RACIST.I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION COUNCIL MEMBER WU BY NAME.
I DID NOT EVEN MENTION THE THINGS THAT MAYOR DIAZ SAID REGARDING THE SWEET 16 OR THE QUINAN, THOSE THINGS I DID NOT SAY I DID SPEAK OUT BECAUSE THERE WAS HARM DONE, AND THE COMMUNITY THAT WAS HARMED NEEDED TO HEAR AN APOLOGY.
THE COMMUNITY HAS DECIDED TO COME OUT.
WHEN THINGS WERE WRONG IN MY COMMUNITY, I WOULD COME AND SPEAK OUT.
I WISHED MY COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD HAVE SPOKEN OUT AS STRONGLY AS I USED TO DO FROM THE DIAS.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED FROM MY COUNCIL MEMBER.
SO WHAT YOU MAY SEE AS, UH, I GUESS OUT OF BOUNDS IS WHAT I SHARED WITH THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT ONE WHEN I WALKED DOOR TO DOOR AND SPOKE WITH THEM, THAT I WOULD BE THEIR VOICE.
NOW AGAIN, THERE HAS BEEN SOME VERY VILE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID.
I HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THAT.
UH, I HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST IT FROM THE DIAS.
MAYBE PEOPLE SAY THAT THAT WAS INAPPROPRIATE.
WHEN I SPOKE OUT AGAINST WHITE SUPREMACY, THAT WAS SHARED FROM PUBLIC COMMENT BY SOMEONE IN A POSITION OF POWER THAT HAS REPRESENTED THEMSELVES AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MAYOR.
I HAVE, I HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THOSE THINGS.
AND IT'S NECESSARY, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPEAK FOR MARGINALIZED VOICES, THEN WHO IS GOING TO SPEAK FOR THEM? THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THE PLATFORM.
NOW YOU'RE SAYING THIS NEEDS TO BE BORING, RIGHT? THAT, THAT THERE'S POTHOLES AND, AND THERE ARE ALL THOSE THINGS, BUT THERE WERE ALSO, WHEN I WAS A RESIDENT, AND WEST COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT USED TO POST BOOKING IMAGES OF BLACK AND BROWN FOLKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ON FACEBOOK, WHEN THE CHIEF OF POLICE WHEN ASKED, DOES THIS IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, SAID NO.
RIGHT? I NEEDED THE COUNCIL TO STEP IN FOR ME THERE.
SO WHEN THOSE TYPES OF THINGS DIDN'T HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, MY, MY SON, MY WIFE WERE AT THE BLACK LIVES MATTER, GEORGE FLOYD WITH DR.
LOPEZ, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE THERE BECAUSE WE, WE WANTED TO CHANGE OUR COMMUNITY.
CITY MANAGER KNOWS I GAVE HIM HELL FOR THE FIRST DATE OF THE CITY WHERE HE CALLED US, RIGHT? WHERE HE DEMEANED US.
I I I, I DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR SPEAKING OUT FOR ALL THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE.
IS IT, I DID SPEAK WITH YOU FOR TWO HOURS, AND IT WAS AT THE END OF THAT CONVERSATION RIGHT AFTER TWO HOURS.
NEVER DID JAMIE NICOLE ROCHA'S NAME COME UP UNTIL THE VERY END OF THAT CONVERSATION.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TALKING ABOUT THINGS.
MY TITLE, THE, THE, THE TITLE IS MEANINGLESS FOR ME.
I, I WILL STILL HAVE MY VOICE.
I WILL STILL BE ABLE TO REPRESENT EVERYONE HERE.
WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE HAD A PRESENTATION THAT QUESTIONED THE
[03:10:01]
HERITAGE, THE CULTURE, THE IDENTITY OF NATIVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE, THEAND, AND THE FEBRUARY MEETING, I KNOW EVERYONE LIKES TO TALK ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS.
THE FEBRUARY MEETING WAS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE WE HEARD LANGUAGES THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE EXTINGUISHED.
WE HEARD, RIGHT? YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN, WHEN COUNCILMAN CONTOS, I, IT WAS A COVID WHEN I SWORE IN, BUT I, I SPOKE ABOUT MY, MY ANCESTORS, YOU KNOW, AND I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MIRACLE OF ME BEING HERE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT IDENTITY AND, AND IF I'M NATIVE AMERICAN, MY MOM IS SITTING THERE, RIGHT? MY MOM, RIGHT? WE ARE FROM THE MASHIKA
I'VE LOST MY FARSI, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S WHAT MY PARENTS THOUGHT WAS BEST FOR US.
BUT TO HEAR THE BEAUTY OF THOSE LANGUAGES, RIGHT? AND, AND TO, TO HAVE WEST COVINA EXPERIENCE THAT LIKE THAT, THAT'S WONDERFUL, RIGHT? THAT'S BRINGING COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE PRAISED
BUT I, I AM ON THIS DIAS FOR EXACTLY WHAT I'VE DONE AND CONTINUE TO DO MY, I I I AM HERE TO UPLIFT THOSE VOICES THAT HAVE BEEN LONGIE RACED IN THE COMMUNITY.
I'VE DONE THAT FROM THE FIRST MEETING.
I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WATCHED MY, MY CAMPAIGN, BUT MY, MY VERY FIRST, WHEN I, WHEN I SAID I RAN, IT HAD AN IMAGE OF REDLINING BECAUSE WE WEREN'T ALLOWED FOR THE FIRST 50 YEARS OF WEST COVINA TO LIVE HERE.
IT HAD IMAGES OF LYNCHINGS, BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF OUR HISTORY AS WELL.
SO THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT ONE WHO VOTED FOR ME, THEY UNDERSTOOD WHO THEY WERE VOTING FOR.
THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY WANTED A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO WAS GOING TO DISRUPT, WHO WAS GOING TO CHALLENGE, WHO WAS GOING TO MAKE PEOPLE RETHINK THE WAY THEY HAVE VIEWED THEIR CITY, BECAUSE THE WAY THEY HAD VIEWED THEIR CITY ERASED, PEOPLE DID NOT SEE PEOPLE.
WE ARE HERE, THE NATIVE PEOPLE ARE HERE, THEY ARE THRIVING.
YOU, YOU SAY THAT THIS WAS NOT ABOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, YET YOU CONTINUE TO ERASE THEM.
[03:15:01]
WHAT? AND, AND, AND LET ME COUNCILMAN WOO, YOU CONTINUE TO ERASE THEM.MAY MAYOR DIAZ, YOUR, YOUR HUSBAND IS PROBLEMATIC.
I, I, I, I DO THINK, I, I DO THINK IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DECORUM, AND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC TRUST, THOSE THINGS DO NEED TO BE ADDRESSED FROM THE DIAS.
IT, IT IS, IT IS NOT OKAY TO BE SILENT ON THAT.
UH, AND SO COUNCILMAN CONTOS AGAIN, AS FOR YOUR REQUEST, THE RESIDENTS CAME OUT TO SPEAK BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO AS, AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL.
IT IS NOT OUR JOB TO SUPPRESS THEM, TO CONVINCE THEM NOT TO SHOW.
BECAUSE WHAT ARE WE SAYING THEN? NO, OUR, OUR JOB IS TO INVITE THEM TO SHARE WITH THEM WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT YOU HEARD.
DON'T, DON'T SEE THAT THEY'RE SAYING SOMETHING THROUGH, THROUGH MY VOICE THAT'S INSULTING.
AND, UH, I WON'T BE LET ALONE, OKAY? I WILL BE OKAY SHORT ABOUT AT, AT THIS SPEAKER ALREADY.
BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY ONE THING INSTEAD.
NEVER DISRESPECT ANYBODY AT ALL.
I THINK WE ALL SHOULD RESPECT EACH OTHER.
I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT TO, I SAID THAT AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN, WE, WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ABOUT YOUR INDIGENOUS, AND THAT IS THE CULTURE IS BEAUTIFUL.
I SAID IT A HUNDREDTH TIME, AND THAT WE REALLY WANT TO INVITE YOU, OKAY? AND TO OUR PERFORMERS, TO OUR CITY EVENT.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT, BUT THIS IS NOT THE POINT ABOUT WE TRY TO DISRESPECT YOU BECAUSE OUR MALE PROTEIN, TOBACCO BIKE CONTINUE TO TWIST.
NOW, WE TRY TO DISRESPECT YOU.
OKAY? AND THEN WE NEVER, WE SET IT FROM THE BEGINNING.
WE SET IT FROM THE BEGINNING THAT NIGHT, WE HAVE NO IDEA, OKAY? THE ISSUE.
AND NOW HE TWEETS INTO, AGAIN, ANOTHER ATTACK TO US.
WE, WE, AGAIN, AGAIN, WE SAY WE HAVE NO IDEA THAT EVENT AT ALL.
OKAY? AND YOU SAY YOU ARE BEING APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER, BUT CITY MANAGER NEVER TOLD US.
THE CITY, CITY MANAGER, NOT EVEN ON THE SCENE.
SO IN THAT WAY, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HE, AGAIN, OKAY, COUNCILMAN KENTO, JUST ASKING.
SAY, PLEASE JUST DON'T ATTACK EACH OTHER.
HE JUST A VERY HUMBLE REQUEST.
BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ELEGANTLY AND TALKING ABOUT, NO DIS WE DISRESPECT PEOPLE.
I WASN'T EVEN THERE THAT NIGHT.
SO, SO FOR THAT THING, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING, AND I WANT TO CORRECT ONE THING ABOUT ONE OF THE LADY TALKING ABOUT MY EXPENSE.
MY EXPENSE WAS THE CASE WAS, WAS OKAY, HIT OKAY ON THE ACCIDENT MANY TIMES, UH, TWO OR THREE TIMES.
AND THEN WHEN HE BECOME MALE PRO, AND WHEN JAMES, OKAY, FORMER MALE, JAMES TOLD US, OKAY, OKAY, UH, ATTACK HIM.
I SAID, CAN WE GIVE HIM A CHANCE? OKAY? AND, AND THEN WHEN, THEN I ASK HIM THIS, IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO RESIGN YOUR CD COUNCIL SEAT.
AND THEN HE, HE SAY HE WILL, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THIS.
SO THE LADY SAY, I LET HIM GO, NO, IT'S NOT TRUE.
I REQUEST HIM TO RESIGN NOT ONLY THE CITY COUNCIL, THE THE MAYOR, ALSO THE CITY COUNCIL SEAT, AND HE REFUSED TO DO IT, OKAY? AND THE PEOPLE DIDN'T RECALL HIM.
BUT THE POINT IS THIS, SO I WANT TO CORRECT WHAT SHE SAY.
ACCOUNTABILITY, RESR RESPONSIBILITY HAS TO BE APPLIED TO EVERYBODY, EVEN THE PERSON YOU LIKE, BUT THE PERSON, OKAY, MANIPULATE AND CONTINUE TO TWIST.
THE THING IS, IS NOT THE THING WE, WE HEAR, WE TALK ABOUT
[03:20:01]
MR. TABBA, LET'S WORK TOGETHER.OKAY? EVEN WE HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA.
BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO USE THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRY TO FILL THE FIRE, TRY TO CONTINUE TO FILL YOU GUY TO BE ANGRY AND THIS AND THAT.
IT'S NOT, WE HERE FOR, WE HERE, WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOU GUY AND WITH ANYBODY AND UNITED.
BUT WHY YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT, OKAY, I WANT TO ERASE THIS, THIS AND THAT.
WHY YOU PUT THE THING INTO OUR MOUTH.
I THINK MY TRAIL RECORD SHOWING HOW WE WANT TO UNITE PEOPLE.
AND AGAIN, AGAIN, PLEASE, BUT DON'T CONTINUE TO MANIPULATE AND TRY TO FILL THE FIRE AND LET, IS NOT GOING TO HELP FOR OUR CITY UNIT, BASICALLY WASH MY, UH, PLEASE.
DID YOU GET YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED? I'M JUST ASKING AGAIN, JUST A STRAIGHT ANSWER.
IF YOU COULD JUST, CAN WE WORK ON BEING CIVIL WITH ONE ANOTHER? BECAUSE I HAVE, I REALLY WANT TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT ONE.
I I DO, I MET WITH PEOPLE FROM YOUR DISTRICT WHO, WHO IF AND I UNDERSTAND, AND THAT I'M TRYING TO REALLY, BUT I RAN ON TRYING TO BUILD FOLKS TOGETHER, BUT WE CAN'T HAVE, I'M NOT SAYING TO DISAGREE.
AGAIN, I, I SAID THAT EARLIER.
AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE ERASED.
I'M NOT SAYING PEOPLE SHOULD BE STOPPED FROM COMING HERE.
IT'S JUST THE OVERALL TONE OF DIVISIVENESS THAT I, THAT THAT HAS GIVEN A RISE TO THIS.
AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CAN'T SPEAK YOUR, YOUR, THE WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU BELIEVE AND BRING RE WEST COVINA RESIDENTS, NONE, NONE OF THAT.
I MEAN, I, SO SOCIAL DISCOURSE IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
I'M JUST ASKING COLLEAGUE TO COLLEAGUE, IF YOU COULD JUST, JUST FIND A WAY TO COLLABORATE WITH US.
AND, AND I MEAN, THE, THE FACT IS THAT, THAT WHEN WE, WHEN WE ARE TOGETHER ONE-ON-ONE AND IN SMALL GROUPS, I MEAN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE STUFF YOU'RE SAYING HERE, IT'S, IT'S JUST THE TONE IS SO DIFFERENT THAN WHEN WE ARE JUST TOGETHER.
I MEAN, AND I'M NOT SAYING TO, TO, TO ERASE ANYBODY'S VIEW, BUT, BUT WE, WE, WE REALLY WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MOVING BUSINESS IN A PRODUCTIVE WAY.
AND THESE, THIS SORT OF ATMOSPHERE, THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO I ACTUALLY HAVE LEARNED OF WHO ARE, WHO ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP BECAUSE OF THE INTIMIDATION OF THE WAY THAT PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY'LL BE SHOUTED DOWN AND SUCH, LIKE, WHAT'S TRYING, WHAT FOLKS ARE DOING NOW? LIKE WHAT'S EXACTLY HAPPENING NOW? SEE, BUT I DON'T WANT US TO DO THAT.
PLEASE, PLEASE, LET'S NOT ATTACK I, BUT I'M JUST SIMPLY JUST, OKAY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ALLOWED.
I, I'M, THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA COMMEND YOU, COUNCIL MO COUNTS FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE TURNOUT IS.
I JUST WANNA SAY THAT BRIAN TOBA, BUY, YOU HAVE BEEN LYING TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW THAT WE HAD COME TO AN AGREEMENT.
I'M GONNA SPEAK ACCOUNTABILITY.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS WHEN YOU LIE ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
PLEASE, YOU CALLING MY WIFE A LIAR? LET HER FINISH, LET YOU CALLING MY WIFE.
I'M NOT ANSWER YOU CALLING HER A LIAR, RIGHT? TONIGHT.
NORMALLY, CALL IT A RECESS, MAYOR.
OKAY? IT'S COME BACK AND IT'S JUST, ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA CONTINUE.
AS I MENTIONED, BRIAN'S ABOUT TO BUY, LIED TO THE RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON THAT EVENING, COUNCILMAN CANTOS, MAYOR PROTE, TABBA, AND MYSELF.
WE ALL MET AND DISCUSSED WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN ON THAT EVENING.
[03:25:02]
AND MS. ROCHA WAS GONNA PRAY AND MAYOR APPROACH, TIM TOBA WAS GOING TO SAY THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.AS WE APPROACHED MS. ROCHA, SHE DECIDED SHE DIDN'T WANNA DO IT.
SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T WANNA DO IT.
TELL THE WHOLE STORY WHY YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE.
COULD YOU FINISH, FINISH YOUR, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T USE, I DON'T USE WORDS LIKE THAT.
WHAT I SAID WAS, I WANNA KEEP THIS POSITIVE.
LOOK, I WANNA KEEP THIS POSITIVE.
THIS IS OUR 100TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY.
YOU, YOU WERE CRYING, AND I WAS THERE.
CAN WE REMOVE HER? CAN WE REMOVE HER, PLEASE? THIS IS MY DAUGHTER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT YEAH, TELL THE WHOLE STORY WHY.
I'M GONNA SAY WHAT I'M GONNA SAY BE THE WHOLE STORY.
ALL THREE OF US WERE THERE ALONG WITH, UM, TABATA'S WIFE, AND SHE DECIDED SHE DIDN'T WANNA DO IT.
TELL THE WHOLE, AND I SAID, I SAID, I'M SORRY THAT WE PUT YOU THROUGH THIS.
I'M SORRY THAT TRYING TO MULTIPLY PUT YOU THROUGH THIS.
AND SO YOU DIDN'T WANNA DO IT, SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? SO YOU REFUSED IT, YOU REFUSED TO DO IT, RIGHT? SO SOON AFTER THAT, I THOUGHT IT WAS OVER.
I THOUGHT IT WAS DONE, AND THE NEXT DAY IT WAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT WE DENIED YOU OR WE DENIED MS. ROCHA.
AND THAT WAS NOT THE FACT THAT IS INCORRECT.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY, COUNCILMAN.
I MEAN, UM, MAYOR PROTE TABATA BY DECIDED TO PUT THAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA SAYING THAT WE DENIED HER.
SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT ANSWERING YOU.
I WANTED TO KEEP THIS POSITIVE.
THAT'S ONE THING I TOLD MAYOR PROTE ABOUT TO BUY.
I WANTED TO KEEP THIS POSITIVE.
WE WERE CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS CITY, AND THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO DO.
SO THEN THERE WAS A, ON FACEBOOK OR WHATEVER, SOCIAL MEDIA CAME UP, AND NOW IT SHOWS THAT TONY WU AND I ARE RACIST.
FIRST OF ALL, TONY WU WAS NOT PRESENT WHEN WE DECIDED ON WHAT HE, WHAT WAS GONNA BE SAID.
AND CANTOS, COUNCILMAN CANTOS WAS, NOBODY MENTIONED HIM.
NOBODY MENTIONED THAT HE WAS A RACIST.
NO, THEY ONLY ATTACKED ME AND COUNCILMAN WOO.
THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.
YOU COULD HAVE DEESCALATED THIS MARI PRO TIM, BUT YOU DIDN'T, YOU DECIDED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO USE YOUR POWER TO DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU WANTED TO DO.
AND ALL I WANTED TO DO IS KEEP IT POSITIVE FOR OUR CITY.
AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
SO SOON AFTER THAT, WE HAD ALL THESE PEOPLE COMING IN AND SPREADING THESE LIES WITH YOU, CONTINUING IT, PUTTING A BLACK MARK ON OUR CITY, SPREADING ALL THE SMEARING OUR CITY.
ACTUALLY, YOU STARTED THIS FIRESTORM, AND YOU JUST SIT THERE SAYING NOTHING.
SO YOU TALK ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT YET YOU
[03:30:01]
CONTINUE TO LIE.YOU LIE, AND YOU CONTINUE TO LIE.
WHEN DO YOU TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY? I DIDN'T LIE.
SHE WAS NOT, MS. ROCHA WAS NOT DENIED.
AND YOU KNOW THAT COUNCILMAN CANTOS KNOWS THAT AS WELL.
AND IT'S INTERESTING HOW ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S ONLY ME AND TONY WU THAT ARE THE RACIST HERE.
AND YOU AND YOUR PARTNERS, OR WHOEVER YOU CONSPIRED WITH ARE THE ONES THAT STARTED THIS.
AND IT'S NOT FUNNY BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PUT THERE? THERE'S A SMEAR ON OUR CITY, AND I DO NOT LIKE IT.
I'M TRYING TO MAKE A EVERYTHING POSITIVE HERE, AND IT JUST GOT RUINED.
WE, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS, ALL THIS RIDICULOUS RHETORIC ABOUT THE WRONG WRONGDOINGS.
I, YOU AS A MAYOR, PRO TEM ARE, ARE YOUR, YOUR PERFORMANCE IS SO UNACCEPTABLE TO ME.
NO, GOD AND RACIST AS A MAYOR, PROTE, WHAT YOU DID IS SO UNBECOMING.
I DON'T, I JUST THINK THAT'S, THAT'S NOT RIGHT.
WHAT YOU DID, WHAT YOU DID TO THE CITY.
ALL THIS, THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA.
SO, AND LASTLY, THIS BUSINESS ABOUT MY HUSBAND.
I AM THE MAYOR OF WEST COVINA.
YOU KNOW WHAT? HE DOES NOT REPRESENT ME.
I AM, I AM ROSARIO DIAZ, AND I WAS ELECTED TO BE HERE JUST AS ALL OF US WERE ELECTED TO BE HERE.
AND I WORK FOR MY CONSTITUENTS CITY.
SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT.
NOW, I WANNA KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS, OR I, I MOVED MOTION ALREADY.
AND DO WE HAVE A SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT? I'D ACTUALLY LIKE TO, UM, FINISH OFF BECAUSE I WANT PEACEFUL RESOLUTION.
UM, I'D LIKE, UH, COUNT, UH, COUNCILMAN CANTOS HAD A QUESTION, AND I DO AGREE WITH HIM ABOUT CIVILITY.
UM, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME MAYOR THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED.
THIS IS NOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GABRIELINOS OR ANYTHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE, UH, PAST HISTORY, IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE, YOU KNOW, GATHERED, GATHERED AND THEN ATTACKED US, ATTACKED THE COUNCIL.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I HATE THE RACE CARD WHEN THEY THROW RACIST AND, AND ALL THIS STUFF.
AND I'M PUT IN THAT AS A COUNCIL AS WELL.
UM, BUT THAT BEING SAID, COUNCIL MCC CANTOS HAD A QUESTION.
UM, I WANT TO MAKE SURE, LIKE I SAID, I WANNA MOVE FORWARD WITH CIVILITY.
I DON'T WANT THIS TO CONTINUE.
I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED IN THE PAST, I WANT, YOU KNOW, UM, A POSITIVE MOVING FORWARD.
AND I DON'T WANT THIS TO LINGER THE GRUDGES.
UM, I KNOW AT THE LAST, WHAT, TWO COUNCIL MEETINGS AGO, I SHARED MY, I GAVE, I SHARED MY, UM, SPEECH I KNOW WAS ALREADY PAST MIDNIGHT.
EVERYBODY LEFT FOR THOSE WHO DID LISTEN.
UM, OR IF YOU WATCHED IT, I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT IT AGAIN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, WHERE I STAND WITH YOUR BELIEFS, IDEOLOGY, AND MY, YOU KNOW, WITH, WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY AND EVERYTHING.
SO I'VE MET THAT, AND I'VE TOLD YOU AFTER THAT MEETING, WHEN WE ALL HASHED IT OUT HERE, THAT I DO NOT HATE YOU.
I KNOW OUR IDEOLOGIES ARE DIFFERENT AND, YOU KNOW, BELIEFS AND EVERYTHING.
BUT THAT BEING SAID, UM, I DON'T WANNA CONTINUE TO SEE WHERE PEOPLE COME AND THEN JUST BASH OR, YOU KNOW, BEHIND THE SCENES, OF COURSE, WHICH IS LIKE THE SOCIAL MEDIA THAT IS BEING SAID.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN CANTOS HAD A QUESTION, I'D LIKE TO HEAR IT AS WELL.
UM, AND MOVING FORWARD, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.
WE DON'T WANNA REPEAT OF ANY OF THESE ISSUES.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST YOU HAVE HAD THAT HISTORY OF DOING THIS.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA BE THE LAST TIME, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT COUNCILMAN CANTOS WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO, I DON'T KNOW, UH, YOU HAD YOUR QUESTION, YOU HAD YOUR DIALOGUE.
I'D LIKE, I'D LIKE TO HEAR IT FROM BOTH SIDES.
WELL, COUNCILMAN CANTOS HAD HIS QUESTION.
GO AHEAD, OR, WELL, WITHOUT RE-LITIGATING ALL OF THIS, I WOULD JUST LIKE, CAN WE BEGIN WITH A RESET, AN HONEST RESET, PLEASE.
WE, THE, THE RESIDENTS WHO ELECTED ME AND THE RESIDENTS WHO ELECTED VARIOUS OF US HERE, WE HAVE A VISION OF THIS CITY WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH ONE ANOTHER.
I PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE FOR THIS
[03:35:01]
ELECTION, AND I STILL DO.THEY WILL ALL VERIFY THAT I HAVE NOT TALKED WITH THEM ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT ISSUES BECAUSE I WANTED TO COME, COME OUT WITH THIS ON MY OWN.
BUT IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND, AND I'M BEING VERY PUBLIC ABOUT THIS.
CAN WE DO A RESET AND JUST CAN WE FIND A WAY TO ALMOST PRETEND AS IF THERE'S A REORGANIZATION? WE'RE ALL BRAND NEW, WE'RE ALL ELECTED.
WE STARTED WITH A CLEAN SLATE.
WE CANNOT KEEP RE-LITIGATING THIS.
THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE SHOULD ERASE, BUT PART OF THE HEALING PROCESS IS TO, IS TO RECOGNIZE HOW WE CAN FIND WAYS AHEAD AND IF WE CAN DO A RESET, MR. MAYOR PROTE, IF WE CAN JUST, JUST SIMPLE.
IF WE CAN DO A RESET, I'M, I'M PREPARED TO DO THAT, BUT I, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR JUST A COMMITMENT THAT WE COULD RESET AND START OVER.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAST, I'M JUST SAYING IN ORDER TO BE MOST OPTIMALLY CONSTRUCTIVE AND THE KIND OF WORK THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT I TALKED ABOUT IN MY, MY, MY COUNCILMAN'S REPORT.
IF YOU GO TO THE BIO ON THE WEBSITE, YOU SEE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I WROTE FOR ALL THOSE PAGES ABOUT THE, THE, THE WORK OF THE CITY.
I JUST, CAN WE RESET? LET'S JUST, EVERYONE HAS REALLY HIGH EMOTIONS HERE.
AND CAN WE JUST RESET? IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION.
IF EVERYONE HERE IS A, IF WE CAN ALL JUST AGREE, COLLEAGUE, DE COLLEAGUE, THAT WE COULD JUST ALL RESET.
LET'S JUST FOCUS ON THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY.
CAN YOU PLEA, CAN WE ALL, I I WILL START.
CAN WE ALL AGREE TO RESET? JUST LET'S JUST START OVER, PLEASE.
CAN WE GET THAT COMMITMENT? I SECOND MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEMP.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE FLOOR UP HERE ON, ON THE DIAS.
AND, AND WE, WE ALL WATCHED THE, THE END OF THE, OR I GUESS MOST PEOPLE DIDN'T WATCH THE END OF THE FEBRUARY MEETING, BUT WE, WE DID HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT THE, WE JUST HAD A, A, A, A, A MOTHER THAT WAS ESCORTED OUT BY POLICE, NOT, NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING THAT I SAID, BUT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF A ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED.
I, I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE RE REQUEST.
ARE YOU, ARE YOU ASKING THAT, THAT THE PUBLIC THAT HAS BEEN HARMED AND WRONGED, ARE YOU ASKING THEM TO, TO NOT, NOT SPEAK? NO.
SO, SO I'M, I I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
NO, SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN WE'RE UP HERE AND THERE IS THE, THE CONVERSATION, THERE IS THE, THE ITEM THEN I, I DID NOT, AGAIN, I'VE, YOU KNOW, I TAKEN THE FLOOR FROM THE MAYOR.
I ASKED FOR HER PERMISSION TO SPEAK.
I THEN THANKED HER FOR THE FLOOR.
I AM NOW REFERRING TO YOU IS COUNCILMAN CONTOS.
AGAIN, I DON'T SEE THE LACK OF DECORUM BY MYSELF HERE.
NOW AGAIN, IF YOU'RE ASKING FOR MY, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS TO, UH, BE TAMPED DOWN, WELL, AGAIN, I, I HONESTLY DO NOT SEE ANYTHING IN MY SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY WOULD SAY VIOLATED ANY RULES, VIOLATED ANY BROWN ACT OR A VIOLATION OF, YOU KNOW, OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW WHAT, AND, AND I KNOW COUNCILMAN, UH, LOPEZ VITO IS, IS TALKING ABOUT, ABOUT COUNCILWOMAN.
UH, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'VE MADE THAT MISTAKE A FEW TIMES TONIGHT.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE WAS, THERE WAS THE AMAZON PROJECT WHERE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE CAME OUT, UH, THE TEAMSTERS, UH, RESIDENTS THAT LIVED NEAR THAT PROJECT THAT WERE VERY ANGRY, VERY UPSET.
THERE WAS THE NO CONFIDENCE VOTE, UH, ON THE DA GEORGE SCON, WHERE THERE WAS A QUITE A BIT OF ANGER AND, AND PEOPLE UPSET.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE SOME ISSUES THAT ARE HEAVILY CONTROVERSIAL AND, AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE UPSET.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S THE PUBLIC'S, RIGHT? AND IF, IF YOU ARE, YOU'RE SAYING, HEY, DON'T
[03:40:02]
OUTREACH TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW.YOU, YOU, YOU WRITE YOUR REPORTS, OKAY? NOW YOU'VE DECIDED ON YOUR REPORTS WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON.
YOU ARE, ARE YOU ASKING ME THAT THE, THE ISSUES THAT I SEE IN, IN THE CITY AND MY CITY, THESE JUSTICE ISSUES THAT DO INEVITABLY, RIGHT? GET PEOPLE TO SAY, HEY, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING IN MY CITY? ARE YOU ASKING ME TO IGNORE THOSE ISSUES, BEC, BECAUSE THOSE ISSUES DO, RIGHT? THEY, THEY ARE EMOTIONAL, BUT THEY, THEY ARE THINGS THAT ALSO ARE PART OF THE CITY CONVERSATION.
THEY, THEY ARE PART OF WHAT WE DO.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING A LOT OF STREET PROJECTS.
I DO BRING UP THE FACT THAT CERTAIN STREETS IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE NOT BEEN FIXED IN MANY YEARS.
AND PART OF THAT WAS BECAUSE OF THE RACIST HISTORY OF THE PAST THAT THOSE STREETS DID NOT GET FIXED.
I BRING UP THE ISSUE OF A THOUSAND DOLLARS FIREWORK FINE WHEN MOST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE $400 IN SAVINGS AS A JUSTICE ISSUE.
I DO BRING THOSE UP AND I TALK ABOUT THEM IN THAT WAY BECAUSE THOSE ARE REAL ISSUES AND THEY SHOULD BE TALKED ABOUT IN THAT WAY BY AT LEAST SOMEONE.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S HOW I VIEW IT.
YOU'RE WHAT, WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS SOMETHING THAT ONE, I, I MEAN, I THINK YOU'RE ASKING ME TO CONTROL PUBLIC COMMENT, WHICH I CAN'T, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID.
IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE ASKING ME WHEN I'M ON THE DIAS TO TREAT ALL OF YOU WITH RESPECT, TO FOLLOW ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, TO FOLLOW DECORUM, TO NOT SPEAK TO SPEAKERS WHEN THEY'RE GIVING THEIR PUBLIC COMMENTS, TO NOT INTERRUPT YOU WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING, TO TAKE MY TURN ON THE FLOOR, I, I DEFINITELY DEDICATE MYSELF TO THAT.
I HOLD MYSELF TO THAT HIGH STANDARD, UH, AS FAR AS MY ADVOCACY FOR ISSUES IN THE CITY.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE, WE DO AS COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE ARE TO ADVOCATE FOR ISSUES IN THE CITY.
JUST AS SOME OF YOU ADVOCATE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IN TERMS OF MORE POLICE OR MORE QUOTE ENFORCEMENT OR, YOU KNOW, WHICH, WHICH STREETS TO FIX.
WE ALL, WE ALL ADVOCATE FOR THE DIFFERENT ISSUES.
AND THE RESIDENTS THAT VOTED FOR US WANT US TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR THE THINGS WE RAN ON.
THAT THAT'S WHAT I, WHAT I'M DOING, WHAT I CONTINUE TO DO.
UH, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
AND SO, UM, I HOPE THAT THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION.
WELL SEE THIS, THIS IS WHAT I MEAN ABOUT THE, THE TONE.
AND AS YOU KNOW, I SUPPORTED YOU FOR MAYOR PRO TEME, KNOWING YOUR IDEOLOGY AND KNOWING THAT YOUR IDEOLOGY IS DIFFERENT FROM MINE.
Y YOUR ROLE IN THIS POSITION, YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE OF MY SUPPORT.
SO LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
THIS CANNOT BE TWISTED IN THE SENSE OF, I'M NOT TELLING YOU NOT TO ADVOCATE FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.
I'M JUST SIMPLY ASKING, AND I'M TRYING TO DEFINE IT AS, AS PRECISELY AS I CAN, NOT TO WORDSMITH, BUT JUST, JUST, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO FIND A WAY TO HAVE A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER WITHOUT ALL THIS MISTRUST.
I MEAN, I'VE WORKED WITH YOU ALREADY AND I WANT TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU.
AND I'M NOT ASKING THAT YOU DON'T ADVOCATE FOR THE THINGS YOU BELIEVE IN.
I'M JUST ASKING THAT, THAT, THAT THE TONE OF DIVISIVENESS, UM, NOT BE PART OF THE TOOLBOX.
IF YOU WANT TO, UH, UH, OPPOSE OR SUPPORT ANYTHING, THEN THAT SHOULD, THAT'S NOT ONLY YOUR RIGHT, BUT IT'S YOUR, IT'S YOUR AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY.
SO I'M NOT TELLING YOU, I'M NOT TRYING TO MUZZLE OR SILENCE YOU.
I'M NOT TELLING YOU THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BRING, UH, FOLKS FROM WEST COVINA TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.
THAT'S PART OF, OF, OF CIVIL DISCOURSE.
I'M JUST ASKING THAT WE FIND A WAY TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE WITH OUR TONE TOWARD EACH OTHER AND THE WAY THAT, THAT, THAT I'VE BEEN WITH YOU ALREADY, AND THAT, AND, AND THERE, THERE'S, THERE ARE RELATIONSHIPS UP HERE THAT, THAT NEED WORK.
I, THAT'S FOR VARIOUS FOLKS TO, TO, TO WORK ON ALSO JUST FOR ALL OF US
[03:45:01]
TO TRY TO BE TOGETHER.BUT WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE A LEVEL OF RESPECT.
LIKE I, I REALLY BOTHERED BY HOW, UH, WHEN, UM, UM, COLLEAGUES UP HERE EXPRESSED THEMSELVES AND WHEN THERE WAS DISAGREEMENT, HOW THEY WERE SHOUTED DOWN.
AND THAT'S, PEOPLE CAN SAY THAT THAT'S A TACTIC OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OR EXPRESSING THEMSELVES OR WHATEVER.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT THAT THEY CAN'T, IT'S WHETHER THEY, THEY, WHETHER THAT'S THE, THE KIND OF, UH, UH, ENVIRONMENT THAT WE WOULD LIKE HERE.
AND IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE PRETEND THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE.
WE'RE ALL UP HERE ADDRESSING DIFFERENT ISSUES BECAUSE NOT EVERYTHING IS FINE.
WE WANT THINGS TO BE BETTER ON MULTIPLE FRONTS, BUT I, UH, HAVE ENJOYED OUR, OUR, OUR CONVERSATIONS, OUR HONEST CONVERSATIONS.
WE DO NOT AGREE ON, ON, ON A NUMBER OF THINGS, BUT, BUT WE ALSO FIND COMMONALITY THAT WE, WE, OR WE CAN WORK WITH ONE ANOTHER.
BUT, BUT WHAT I'M A, WHAT I'M ASKING YOU HERE WITH REGARD TO, TO, UM, THE, THE KIND OF TONE THAT I REALLY WOULD ASK THAT, THAT WE ALL DO IS THAT WE JUST, WE DON'T SPEAK ILL OF ONE ANOTHER IN, IN, UH, JUST WE NEED TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF ONE ANOTHER.
WE MAY DISAGREE ON INDIVIDUAL ISSUES, BUT WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO BOLSTER UP ONE ANOTHER WRIT LARGE AS A WHOLE, AND NOT TO ATTACK PEOPLE OR FAMILY MEMBERS AND SO FORTH.
AND NOT TO, TO SEW THESE SEEDS OF DIVISION.
WE'VE ALREADY SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THIS.
AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT I'M, WE, I'M SAYING WE SHOULD SILENCE ANYBODY.
I'M JUST ASKING THAT, THAT WE FIND A WAY TO WORK TOGETHER COLLABORATIVELY.
AND WHAT I MEAN COLLABORATIVELY, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE ALWAYS AGREE, BUT THAT WE HAVE A HEALTHY, KIND, UH, UH, RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER.
AND THEN WHEREVER HALL WAY VOTES HAPPEN, THEN WE DON'T THEN RESORT TO NAMECALLING OF, OF ONE SORT OR ANOTHER.
UH, I WILL NOT REFER TO PEOPLE, AND I, I SAID IT BEFORE, NO, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY ONE OF US IS RACIST.
AND, AND I ASSERT THAT NONE OF US IS, AND IF EVER THERE ARE ARE, UH, UH, WHISPER CAMPAIGNS OR THOUGHTS THAT PEOPLE ARE RACIST, THEN IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING TO BRING US TOGETHER.
WE, AND, AND SO I'M JUST, THAT'S LITERALLY ALL I'M ASKING.
IF WE CAN JUST DO, IT'S LITERALLY DO THAT RESET.
THAT IS LITERALLY IT, COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN, IT'S FOR ALL OF US.
I'M COMMITTING FOR ALL OF THIS FOR A SENSE OF HEALING, JUST FOR US TO RESET.
LET'S JUST, LET'S JUST RESET BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE WILL LITIGATE, RE-LITIGATE, AND ALL IT DOES IS IT CAUSES THINGS TO SPIRAL, AND THEN IT, IT CREATES MORE UNNECESSARY DIVISION.
CAN WE YOU GO TO THAT? HERE, HERE WE GO WITH RACE AGAIN, I, I'M SORRY.
THIS IS THE VERY THING THAT I'VE MENTIONED.
UM, YOU KNOW, RUNNING SPORTS, WE, I SEE IT ALL THE TIME WITH COACHES, WHETHER WINNING, LOSING, I SEEN THE COACH CONTROL THE PARENTS, AND, AND I'VE HAD COACHES AS WELL.
THE, THE PARENTS, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO'S DOING IT, OR THEY'RE, IT'S ON THEM.
BUT IN REALITY, I'VE SEEN COACHES HAVE THAT CONTROL TO, YOU KNOW, ALRIGHT, PARENTS, LET'S GO, LET'S MOVE FORWARD.
OR, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S NOT DO THIS.
OR, OR LET'S, YOU KNOW, TAKE IT EASIER.
YOU KNOW, AND I'VE, I'VE SEEN THAT IN HERE AS WELL WITH SOME OF YOU HERE.
AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO, WHO DID THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS THE RESPECT THAT COUNCILMAN CANTOS AND I AT LEAST WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THIS, UM, IN, IN, IN THIS CHAMBERS.
AND THAT IS WHAT COUNCILMAN CANTOS IS SAYING.
AND I'VE SEEN YOU, AND NOT JUST WITH THIS GROUP, BUT OTHER GROUPS, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU, WHEN THINGS ARE ALREADY CALM, YOU'LL GIVE A SPEECH AND THEN R THEM UP AGAIN.
AND THEN GET THEM ALL LIKE UPSET, AND THEN WE'RE LIKE, HERE WE GO AGAIN.
AND THAT IS WHAT I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, WHAT COUNCILMAN CANTOS HAS, UM, IS ASKING, GRANTED, I YOU DON'T GIVE A, A DIRECT ANSWER.
AND, AND MY ISSUE OF COURSE IS ALWAYS BEEN, IT'S A RACIST.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A RACIST ISSUE ON, ON ALL THE THINGS.
AND YOU JUST MENTIONED A FEW OF THOSE THINGS.
IT'S A RACIAL INJUSTICE, RACIAL, RACE, RACE, RACE, RACE.
I'M FOCUSING ON ONE, I'M FOCUSING ON PRESENT.
AND I'VE LIKE, AGAIN, I'VE MADE ALL THIS LENGTHY SPEECH BEFORE, AND I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT ALL THOSE, BUT YOU KNOW, HERE WE'RE GOING BACK AND FORTH.
HE ASKED YOU A QUESTION ONCE, TWICE.
SO AT THIS POINT, I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN CANTO, SO YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWER.
SO IN THAT BEING SAID, UM, THIS IS GONNA DRAG ON ALL NIGHT.
SO I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD AND THEN LET WHATEVER VOTE GOES, GOES 22ND TO YOUR SECOND.
SORRY, CAN I GET CLARIFICATION ON THE MOTION?
[03:50:01]
HAD, UM, SECOND IT DISCUSSION.WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE, THE, THE MAYOR PROMS ANSWER THE ANSWER.
HE DIDN'T GIVE YOU A DIRECT ANSWER.
I I, I THOUGHT I WAS, I WAS PRETTY CLEAR ON, ON MY RESPONSE.
MY DECORUM ON THE DIAS WILL, WILL CONTINUE TO BE TERMS OF ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER.
I WILL TAKE THE FLOOR WHEN IT IS MY SPACE, I WILL SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID IN TERMS OF WHAT RESIDENTS EXPECT FROM MY SEAT ON THE DIAS.
I, I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, COUNCILMAN WILL.
I, I I DON'T WANT TO GO ALL NIGHT, BACK AND FORTH, BUT IT BASICALLY, IT'S VERY SIMPLE, OKAY? AND, UM, IT IS, WE ALL RESPECT EACH OTHER ON THE DIET, OKAY? WE HAVE NO PROBLEM.
OKAY? WHEN A MALE, UH, UH, WENT TO THE, OKAY, BREAK, OKAY, I SAY, HEY, YOU HAVE TO SIT ON THE MAIL BECAUSE YOU ARE THIS, YOU ARE THE MALE PROTEST.
I JUST SAY, BRIAN, YOU CAN SEE, BECAUSE WE, WE ALWAYS CIVILIZE OVER HERE.
MAYBE WE HAVE AGREED DISAGREE, BUT I THINK, OKAY, COUNCILMAN CANTO IS JUST SAY, CAN YOU RESET AND DON'T DO THAT ATTACK AGAIN? AGAIN, I THINK THAT'S WHY HE ASKING, OKAY? IT'S NOT ABOUT HOW WE CIVILE OVER HERE, BUT YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO ANSWER BECAUSE I KNOW YOU FOR TWO YEARS, OKAY? OR MAYBE EVEN LONGER.
OKAY? YOU, YOU, YOU, THIS IS HOW YOU HABIT.
YOU JUST WANT TO, OH, TO ALWAYS TRY TO FIND A WAY AND TRY TO, OKAY, DO YOUR WAY TO ATTACK PEOPLE.
LIKE YOU'RE ATTACKING ME ALL THE TIME.
I NEVER TRIED TO INTERACT IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE THIS IS NOT MY JOB.
TRY TO TAKE CARE OF THE CITY BUSINESS AND TRY TO IMPROVE THE CITY AND MAKE SURE CITY RUNNING SMOOTHLY SO WE CAN HAVE OUR RESIDENTS SAFELY LIVING OUR CITY.
ALL THIS OTHER THING, ALL THIS DRAMA IS NOT WE OVER HERE FOR, OKAY? WE ALL HAVE OUR FULL-TIME JOB.
WE ALL HAVE A FAMILY, AND WE DON'T NEED THIS DRAMA.
HE ONLY ASKING YOU 3, 4, 5, 6 TIMES ALMOST PLEADING YOU SAY, HEY, CAN WE DROP THIS ATTACK? CAN WE ALL GET A LOAN? HE ONLY ASKING OVER THIS, BUT YOU DON'T WANT THE ANSWER, OKAY? YOU JUST SAY, SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE TO GO TO YOUR OLD HABIT, YOU WON'T CHANGE.
SO THAT'S WHY I SAY IT'S, IT IS, IT IS NO WAY YOU WILL TRY TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT.
AND JUST LIKE, OKAY, UH, MIKE SPENCE, OKAY, HE WILL CONTINUE DO HIS THING EVEN, OKAY? WE TRY TO GIVE HIM THE CHANCE, BUT END UP, HE JUST OKAY.
SO IN THAT WAY, I, I, I THINK THIS IS, WE TRY TO GIVE YOU CHANCE AND CHANCE AND JUST SAY, HEY, JUST DROP ALL THIS ATTACK.
LET'S TRY TO MOVE ON OUR CD BUSINESS, BUT DON'T DO IT.
OKAY? SO IN THAT WAY, I HAVE, OKAY, WE ALREADY HAVE A FIRST AND SECOND.
I THINK NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME IS, I WILL TAKE IT OKAY.
WITH MY CONSCIENCE, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THIS DIALYSIS IS ABOUT.
CONSEQUENCE, OKAY? AND, UH, ANY PEOPLE DID DO THE, OR DID THE WRONGDOING THEN HAVE A CONSEQUENCE, OKAY? YOU DON'T DRAG PEOPLE INTO A TAX CITY, A TAXI CITY COUNCIL MEMBER.
WE LOVE GROUND, OKAY? AND, UH, FABRICATE EVERYTHING.
BUT ANYWAY, I, I, I WILL TAKE WHAT THE OUTCOME IS, BUT I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING PEOPLE OR CHILDREN SHOULD UNDERSTAND.
OKAY? ANYTHING HAS A CONSEQUENCE, ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY.
AND OVER HERE WE JUST WANT TO COVER ACCOUNTABILITY AND GET THE THING OVER WITH.
THE, OKAY, SO I HAVE A MOTION BY WU AND A SECOND BY COUNCIL.
WE HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCILMAN WU AND A SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN LOPEZ.
UM, COUNCILMAN CONTOS? NO, COUNCILMAN WILL AYE.
[CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS]
OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE.UM, DO WE HAVE ANY MOTHER MAY EYES? YEAH, I HAVE.
THE CITY, UH, REALLY NEED TO MOVE INTO RECRUIT MORE BUSINESS BECAUSE I THINK THE RECESSION IS COMING UP.
AND THE WHAT SHALL WE DO TO CREATE BUSINESS? I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK INTO
[03:55:01]
THE, SOME ECONOMIC OKAY.IMPROVEMENT TOOL SUCH AS, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OR ANY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION.
I THINK WE SHOULD KIND OF, UH, ASK STAFF TO BASICALLY TO RECRUIT MORE BUSINESS TO OUR CITY.
UH, DO WE HAVE, UH, WE DO, WE CONCUR? I DON'T THINK ANYBODY OBJECTIVES OKAY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ANY MORE? THE, ANY MORE? MOTHER MAYS, UM, COUNCIL, COUNCIL MAYOR, MADAM MAYOR CONTOS, I, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO, TO ASK STAFF TO, UH, LOOK INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF, OF BUILDING A, UH, OF, OF OUR SETTING UP A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO SUPPORT, UH, BUSINESSES, UH, TO COME TO THIS CITY AND ALSO TO, UH, SU SUPPORT BUSINESSES WHO ARE ALREADY HERE, UH, IN ORDER FOR US TO OPTIMIZE VALUE TO THE CITIZENS.
UH, I THINK WE HAVE A CONCURRENCE WITH EVERYONE.
WITH THAT SAID, UH, THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED.