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OF THE CITY OF LAHABRA, CALIFORNIA, FINDING THAT THE ORDINANCE IS EXEMPT FROM REVIEW UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL[1. DULY NOTICED PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER TERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT NO. 22-03 WITH JP420, LLC, FOR A NON-STOREFRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS THAT NEVER COMMENCED OPERATIONS AT 536 WEST MOUNTAIN VIEW AVENUE, SUITE B That the City Council: CONSIDER, APPROVE AND ADOPT THE FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. CC 2026-___ ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA, FINDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS EXEMPT FROM REVIEW UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT AND TERMINATING DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22-03 BETWEEN THE CITY OF LA HABRA AND JP420, LLC FOR A NON-STOREFRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS THAT NEVER COMMENCED OPERATIONS AT 536 WEST MOUNTAIN VIEW AVENUE, SUITE B.]
QUALITY ACT AND TERMINATING THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.UH, TWO TWO DASH ZERO THREE BETWEEN THE CITY OF LAHABRA AND THE JP FOUR 20 LLC FOR NON STOREFRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS THAT NEVER COMMENCED OPERATIONS.
LOCATED AT 5 3 6 WEST MOUNTAIN VIEW AVENUE, SUITE B SECOND.
ALRIGHT, WILL COUNSEL PLEASE VOTE? THERE IT GOES.
UM, IT IS HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, SO WE CAN DO, UM, LET'S DO A VOICE VOTE PLEASE.
UM, MAYOR, UH, WELL, I'LL START HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER DIRECTOR LAMPKIN? YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER DIRECTOR NAZARIAN? YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER DIRECTOR ESPINOZA.
WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO.
DULY NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER TERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22 DASH ZERO FOUR WITH SHRINE LAHABRA,
[2. DULY NOTICED PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER TERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22-04 WITH SHRYNE LA HABRA, LLC (DBA BLAZE) FOR A NON-STOREFRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS THAT NEVER COMMENCED OPERATIONS AT 1721 EAST LAMBERT ROAD, SUITE A That the City Council: CONSIDER, APPROVE, AND ADOPT THE FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. CC 2026-__ ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA, FINDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS EXEMPT FROM REVIEW UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT AND TERMINATING DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22-04 BETWEEN THE CITY OF LA HABRA AND SHRYNE LA HABRA, LLC (DBA BLAZE) FOR A NON-STOREFRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS THAT NEVER COMMENCED OPERATIONS AT 1721 EAST LAMBERT ROAD, SUITE A. ]
LLC, DOING BUSINESS AS BLAZE FOR A NON-STORE FRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS THAT NEVER COMMENCE OPERATIONS AT 1 7 2 1 EAST LAMBERT ROAD.SUITE A UH, CAN I HAVE A STAFF REPORT, PLEASE? YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS ON AUGUST 15TH, 2022, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED ORDINANCE NUMBER 1846, WHICH APPROVED DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22 DASH ZERO FOUR BETWEEN THE CITY OF LAHABRA AND SHRINE LAHABRA, LLC, DOING BUSINESS AS BLAZE FOR THE OPERATION OF A NON-STORE FRONT RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS AT 1721 EAST LAMBERT ROAD, SUITE A.
THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT APPROVED FOR A FIVE YEAR TERM AND THE CORRESPONDING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.
22 DASH 13 GRANTED THE DEVELOPER, THE VESTED RIGHT TO DEVELOP AND OPERATE THE PROJECT IN ACCORDANCE WITH CITY AND STATE LAW.
FOLLOWING THE INITIAL APPROVAL OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22 DASH FOUR, SEVERAL CRITICAL CHANGES IN THE CORPORATE STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL C CONTROL OF SHRINE LAHABRA, LLC OCCURRED WITHOUT THE REQUIRED NOTIFICATION OR APPROVAL ON MARCH 14TH, 2023, THE PARENT COMPANY SHRINE GROUP INCORPORATED COMPLETED A MERGER WITH ITS SUBSIDIARY TI Z INCORPORATED, WHILE THE DEVELOPER'S LEGAL ENTITY REMAINED SHRINE LAHABRA, LLC, THE BUSINESS BEGAN EFFECTIVE,
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THE BUSINESS EFFECTIVELY BEGAN OPERATING UNDER THE BRAND NAME TIZI.ON JUNE 1ST, 2025, SHRINE LAHABRA, LLC EXECUTED A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH OPTION TO PURCHASE WITH HR LH INCORPORATED, DOING BUSINESS AS HONOR ROLL DELIVERY.
THIS AGREEMENT GRANTED HRLH, INCORPORATED OPERATIONAL RIGHTS AND GROSS REVENUES FROM THE LAHABRA ROAD SITE.
CITY STAFF DETERMINED THESE ACTIONS CONSTITUTE A MATERIAL BREACH OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 22 DASH 13 AS BOTH DOCUMENTS EXPLICITLY PROHIBIT THE TRANSFER OF INTERESTS OR OPERATIONAL CONTROL TO ANOTHER PARTY WITHOUT PRIOR CITY APPROVAL.
IN RESPONSE TO THE CITY'S NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSIONS REGARDING THE UNAPPROVED TRANSFER, THE DEVELOPER ELECTED NOT TO PURSUE A FORMAL CURE.
INSTEAD ON FEBRUARY 18TH, 2026, SHRINE LAHABRA, LLC SUBMITTED A FORMAL LETTER TO THE CITY VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERING ITS PROJECT AND ITS LICENSE.
THE DEVELOPER REQUESTED THAT THE LICENSE BE RENDERED NULL AND VOID THROUGH THE LE THROUGH LEGISLATIVE ACTION RATHER THAN DISCIPLINARY REVOCATION BECAUSE THE BUSINESS NEVER COMMENCED OPERATIONS AND HAS NOW FORMERLY ABANDONED THE PROJECT.
TERMINATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT IS THE FINAL STEP TO CLEAR THE ENTITLEMENT ON THIS SUBJECT PROPERTY IN ACCORDANCE WITH CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE 6 5 8 6 8 AND 6 5 8 6 7.
THE TERMINATION OF A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, WHICH WAS APPROVED BY ORDINANCE, REQUIRES A PUBLIC HEARING AND THE ADOPTION OF A NEW ORDINANCE.
THEREFORE, STAFF RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL FOLLOWING A PUBLIC HEARING INTRODUCE AN ORDINANCE TO TERMINATE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 22 DASH FOUR.
THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM, UH, CITY COUNCIL? NO, MAYOR.
I'LL OPEN IT UP TO A PUBLIC HEARING AND ASK THOSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK TO PLEASE GIVE THEIR NAME FOR THE RECORD AND NOT BE REDUNDANT IN THEIR TESTIMONY.
IF I CAN INVITE THOSE IN SUPPORT TO SPEAK FIRST.
I'LL INVITE THOSE IN OPPOSITION TO SPEAK.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
CALL FOR, UH, COUNCIL QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION, INTERACTION.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE A, ACTUALLY, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR CITY MANAGER.
UH, IS THIS THE LAST, UH, ARE THESE THE LAST OF THE, UH, CANNABIS, UH, UH, BUSINESSES IN, UH, IN LAHABRA? NO.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME LICENSES STILL ISSUED, UH, I WANNA SAY ONE WAREHOUSE OPERATION AND PERHAPS ONE DELIVERY OPERATION STILL.
BUT GINGER, DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO BUSINESSES OPERATING.
UM, ONE IS CANADA AMERICA, THEY'RE A DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS.
THE OTHER ONE IS A NON-STORE FRONT RETAIL.
UM, THEY ARE CALLED ONDECK DELIVERY, LLC.
UH, ANY THANK YOU, UH, MR. MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION.
I'LL MAKE, I'LL MAKE A MOTION.
UH, SO MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION, UH, THAT THE CITY HE'S, HE'S GOT THE FIRST TIME THE MOTION TO.
I, I MADE THE MOTION TO APPROVE.
WE'RE NOT GONNA READ THE ORDINANCE.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE TO READ THE ORDINANCE.
YOU WANT A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
IF WE CAN HAVE THE, UH, VOICE VOTE PLEASE.
[3. DULY NOTICED PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) PROGRAM ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 That the City Council: A. Receive public comments; B. Consider and approve the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan for the City of La Habra Community Development Block Grant Program; and, C. Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the City of La Habra’s annual application and certifications and submit the Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for its Community Development Block Grant Funding Approval/Agreement in the amount of $549,702 and $161,197 in estimated carryover funds.]
WILL NOW MOVE ON TO PUBLIC HEARING ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS TITLED DULY NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT, CDBG PROGRAM, ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 TO 2027.GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS GARY CARAL, MANAGEMENT ANALYST WITH THE COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
THE PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT IS TO CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOG GRANT, KNOWN AS CDBG ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 27.
THE ACTION PLAN IS AN ANNUAL DOCUMENT THAT OUTLINES PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOR EACH YEAR'S CDBG FUNDS BASED ON FIVE YEAR PRIORITIES IN THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN.
THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR 26 27 ACTION PLAN HAS A GRANT ALLOCATION OF $549,702 AND $161,197 IN CARRYOVER FUNDS.
THIS YEAR'S ACTION PLAN INCLUDES THREE NEW PROJECTS THAT FALL UNDER PUBLIC SERVICES OR PUBLIC FACILITIES AND IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
FIRST, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SENIOR
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CITIZEN CENTER AS PART OF THE LAHABRA COMMUNITY CENTER EXPANSION.THIS PROJECT WILL HELP TRANSFORM THE COMMUNITY CENTER INTO A PLACE FOR LAHABRA SENIOR CITIZENS TO SOCIALIZE AND ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES BEFORE AND AFTER THE SENIOR MEALS PROGRAM.
SECOND, A VETERANS DROP IN RESOURCE CENTER AT THE HILLCREST CENTER.
THE COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION AND REFERRALS TO ANY VETERANS IN NEED.
THE INTENT IS TO PROVIDE VETERANS WITH ACCESS TO FOOD, SHELTER, EMPLOYMENT, AND OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP GAIN AND MAINTAIN SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
AND THIRD IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PUBLIC WORKS ALLEY AREA 10 ALLEY AREA 10 COMPRISES FOUR ADJACENT ALLEY'S PARALLEL TO LAHABRA BOULEVARD BETWEEN BEACH BOULEVARD AND THE WEST CITY LIMITS.
EACH ALLEY WILL NEED A GRIND AND OVERLAY AND VARIOUS OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
ON FEBRUARY 11TH, 2026, THE COMMISSION MADE ITS FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUNDING LEVELS FOR PUBLIC SERVICES.
AND AS OF TODAY, NO PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED.
THE DRAFT FISCAL YEAR 26 27 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN WAS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW FOR 30 DAYS FROM MARCH 20TH TO APRIL 20TH, 2026.
TODAY'S THE FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT, AND WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY WRITTEN COMMENTS.
AS OF TODAY, WE ARE ASKING YOU TO APPROVE FUNDING OF ALL PROJECTS TOTALING $710,899.
THIS INCLUDES THE SEARS ALLOCATION AND CARRYOVER FUNDS THAT'LL BE DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.
ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS CAPPED AT 20%.
PUBLIC FACILITIES AND IMPROVEMENTS, $518,504 AND PUBLIC SERVICES, WHICH IS KEPT AT 15% $82,455.
THE ACTION PLAN IS DUE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, KNOWN AS HUD BY MAY 15TH EACH YEAR.
AND WITH THAT SAID, WE'RE REQUESTING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING AND AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING, APPROVE THE FISCAL YEAR 26, 27 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO SUBMIT THE ACTION PLAN AND TO SIGN AND SUBMIT ALL REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS AND AGREEMENTS TO HOOD.
UH, THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION AND WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
ANYBODY ON COUNCIL HAVE QUESTIONS? JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
I REALLY WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK SUSAN LOUIE.
UH, I'VE HAD SEVERAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND I, WHEN A QUESTION HAS COME UP ABOUT CDBG FUNDING, SHE HAS BEEN VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN PROVIDING THE INFORMATION TO OUR PUBLIC.
AND ALSO, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT, BUT GOING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL.
SO, SUSAN LOUIE, I, I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU DO, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS PROGRAM.
THIS THE CDBG GRANT THIS TIME WAS 500 SOMETHING THOUSAND, WASN'T IT? YES.
WHAT WAS IT LAST FISCAL YEAR? UH, LAST FISCAL YEAR.
IT DID DROP OR IT LITTLE IT DID DROP A LITTLE BIT, YEAH.
AROUND SIX TO $7,000 IT DROPPED.
THE CLIENT BUYS SIX TO $7,000 THIS YEAR OVER THE LAST, OKAY.
UM, THE CARRYOVER FUNDS DO, IS THERE A DEADLINE THAT THAT CAN BE MAINTAINED WITH THE CDBG? WE HAVE 161,197 THAT WE'RE CARRYING OVER, AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE IS SOME TIME OF DEADLINE THAT WE CAN NO LONGER USE THEM.
DO, DO WE HAVE TO RETURN HIM BACK? 28, IS IT THREE YEARS? YEAH, WE HAVE ABOUT THREE YEARS TO EXPEND THE FUNDS.
WE, IT'S THE FIRST YEAR WHERE WE HAVE CARRYOVER FUNDS.
WE HAVEN'T HAD CARRYOVER FUNDS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO THIS YEAR WE DO HAVE, UM, CARRYOVER FUNDS AND WE'RE GOING TO HOPEFULLY USE IT FOR THE PARK PROJECT.
WELL, THE STREET, THE BALL FIELD.
I THINK WE'RE HAVING ALSO A NEW PROJECT.
IT'S THE, UM, LET ME SEE, WHERE DID I SEE IT? IT, IT'S ONE TO DO WITH VETERANS.
THE DROP IN, UM, RESOURCE CENTER.
I WILL THAT BE HELD AT THE HILLCREST, UH, WHERE THE GARY CENTER.
UH, AND, AND, UH, WELL, I'LL SAVE MY COMMENTS FOR AFTER, BUT, UH, SEE, THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS.
WE WILL OPEN THE, UH, PUBLIC HEARING, ASK ALL THOSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK TO, PLEASE GIVE THEIR NAME FOR THE RECORD AND NOT BE REDUNDANT IN THEIR TESTIMONY.
INVITE THOSE IN SUPPORT TO SPEAK.
WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
I'LL CALL FOR ANY COUNCIL QUESTIONS.
I DO HAVE A, A QUESTION OR COMMENT
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OF HER, BUT ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FOR DISCUSSION? NO, SIR.JUST AN OBSERVATION I MADE AS I WAS READING THIS OVER THE WEEKEND, AND IT WAS A GOOD OBSERVATION TO A DEGREE, THANK YOU STAFF FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT YOU DO AND, UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, THIS MONEY IS NOT GONNA SAY IT'S DRYING UP, BUT, UH, AGAIN, UH, FIVE TO SIX TO $7,000 LESS, UH, FROM WHAT WE DID THE PREVIOUS, UH, FOR THE PREVIOUS ALLOCATION.
UM, AND I NOTICED IN UNDER PUBLIC SERVICES, AND I WANTED, WANTED TO BRING THIS UP, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT OUR AUDIO ISN'T WORKING, BUT, UH, FOR IT IS NOW.
UH, FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN TV LAND, AS I ALWAYS SAY, UH, THAT THEY, UH, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND, UH, THERE'S A COMMUNITY SERVICE, UH, PORTION OF THIS FOR GRAFFITI REMOVAL.
UM, AND I AM VERY AND OVERWHELMINGLY GRATEFUL THAT THE CITY OF LA HABRA, UH, PROVIDES GRAFFITI REMOVAL TO THE, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY.
ONE THING I NOTICED WAS, UH, WE'RE SPENDING $53,320 ON GRAFFITI REMOVAL.
AND THIS IS NO, UH, THIS IS NOT A DIG AT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, AT OUR CITY STAFF, BUT JUST A POINT, UH, THAT, UH, THAT WE EVEN AS A CITY EVEN HAVE TO DEDICATE THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
UH, AND UNDERSTANDING THAT GRAFFITI NOT ONLY HAPPENS FROM WITHIN, UH, BUT THAT IT COMES FROM OUTSIDE OF LA HABRA AND INTO LA HABRA, UH, BY, UH, BY VANDALS, BY CRIMINALS, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAVE YOU.
I JUST THINK IT'S A SHAME THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND THIS TYPE OF MONEY.
AND I'M GLAD THAT WE DO, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AGAIN, AND OUR CITY STAFF, BUT $53,000.
AND NOW, UH, WE HAVE, UH, UH, LA HABRA VETERANS DROP IN RESOURCE CENTER WHERE WE'RE ONLY SPENDING $3,298.
WHAT DOES THAT SAY FOR US AS A, UH, AS A CITY, AS A COUNTY, AS A STATE, AS A COUNTRY, AND, UH, WHERE WE ARE, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, GRAFFITI, AND I, AND I, I OPENLY SAY SHAME ON PEOPLE FOR COMING IN AND, UH, AND GRAFFITI IN OUR CITY.
UH, HAVING SPENT AS MUCH TIME IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AS I HAVE DARREN AND DALE HAVE, IT'S JUST, IT'S SAD TO SEE, UH, THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR GRAFFITI.
SO MY, UH, MY CALL IS TO, UH, ANYONE OUT THERE THAT'S LISTENING IS, UH, YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.
AND, UH, IF YOU SEE GRAFFITI, UH, LET US KNOW.
PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE WHAT A WASTE OF RESOURCES THAT WE EVEN HAVE TO DO THAT.
BUT AGAIN, I'LL SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE THIRD TIME, I'M GRATEFUL, UH, THAT WE HAVE THE, UH, THE MONEY ALLOCATED FOR THAT.
UM, IF THERE COULD ONLY BE A YEAR, UH, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO DEDICATE SO MUCH MONEY TO GRAFFITI REMOVAL, AND WE CAN ALLOCATE THAT TO OTHER MORE, UH, WORTHY CAUSES WOULD BE GREAT.
BUT AGAIN, THANKS TO OUR STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING, THANKS TO OUR POLICE CHIEF FOR CONSTANTLY ANSWERING THAT CALL AND TO OUR GRAFFITI REMOVAL PEOPLE.
ANYONE ELSE, MR. MAYOR, MR. MAYOR, AND MR. MAYOR TO, TO THAT POINT? YEP.
I MEAN, THIS 53,000 FOR GRAFFITI REMOVAL IS ONLY THE CDBG PORTION.
THE CITY PROBABLY SPENDS BETWEEN COMMUNITY SERVICES GENERAL FUND, CDBG, AND THEN PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
WELL OVER $200,000 A YEAR IN GRAFFITI REMOVAL AND VANDALISM REPAIR.
AND SOME YEARS WAY MORE THAN THAT, DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF VANDALISM WE'VE HAD.
MR. MAYOR, UM, IF I, YEAH, PLEASE, MAYOR.
YOU KNOW, UH, ROSE AND I, WHO WERE LIFETIME RESIDENTS IN LAW, REMEMBER THE WAY IT WAS BACK IN THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES, AND WHAT A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE, UH, BACK WHEN WE PUT IN THIS GRAFFITI PROGRAM, UH, ABATEMENT PROGRAM BACK.
AND ONE OF THE EARLY PIONEERS WAS A GUY BY THE NAME OF ERNESTO, AND HE WOULD COME IN ALL THE WAY FROM THE INLAND EMPIRE EVERY SINGLE DAY, DAY AFTER DAY.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, WE'VE GOTTEN A LEAPS AND BALANCE WITH, UH, COVERING THAT STUFF UP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
MAYOR, UH, IF I MAY, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE THE FISCAL YEAR 20 26, 20 27 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF LAHABRA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM, AND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ALSO APPROVE AND AUTHORIZED CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE CITY OF LA HARE'S ANNUAL APPLICATION AND CERTIFICATION, AND SUBMIT THE ANNUAL ACTION PLAN TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UH, FOR ITS, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDING APPROVAL SLASH AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $549,702 AND $161,197 IN ESTIMATED CARRYOVER FUNDS.
I'LL SECOND VERY WELL, IF, UH, WE CAN HAVE A VOICE VOTE PLEASE.
WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO CONSIDERATION, CONSIDERATION ITEMS. ANY MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE MAY REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE CITY LA
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HABER CITY COUNCIL ON ANY CONSIDERATION ITEM PRIOR TO THE LA HABER CITY COUNCIL, TAKING A FINAL VOTE ON THE ITEM, PUBLIC COMMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER INDIVIDUAL WITH A TOTAL TIME LIMIT OF 30 MINUTES PER CONSIDERATION ITEM, UNLESS OTHERWISE MODIFIED BY THE MAYOR OR CHAIR.SPEAKING TIME MAY NOT BE GRANTED AND OR LOANED TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL FOR PURPOSES OF EXTENDING AVAILABLE SPEAKING TIME AND COMMENTS MUST BE KEPT BRIEF, NON-REPETITIVE, AND PROFESSIONAL IN NATURE.
[1. NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS That the City Council: A. Receive and file this report; and, B. Provide direction to staff.]
WE HAVE ONE CONSIDERATION ITEM THIS EVENING, AND THAT IS THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP OPTION STAFF REPORT.ALRIGHT, CAN WE GET A STAFF REPORT, PLEASE? GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AT ITS MEETING ON HELD ON NOVEMBER 17TH, 2025, THE CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERED A STRATEGIC GROWTH PROPOSAL FROM THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OR NOCC THAT WOULD HAVE THE CITY ENTER INTO A FORMAL AGREEMENT WITH THE NOCC, IN WHICH THE CITY WOULD PAY THE NOCC TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROGRAM THAT WOULD SUBSIDIZE CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN ELIGIBLE AND LICENSED SMALL BUSINESSES IN LAHABRA.
UH, IT WAS STRUCTURED SO THE ELIGIBLE LAHABRA BUSINESSES WOULD RECEIVE A FREE MEMBERSHIP TO THE NOCC, INCLUDING ACCESS TO NOCC STAFF RESOURCES, BUSINESS ADVOCACY, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIP IN REGIONAL AND IN REGIONAL INITIATIVES.
WITHOUT REQUIRING THOSE BUSINESSES TO PAY A SEPARATE MEMBERSHIP DUE, UM, THE PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE COST THE CITY BETWEEN 120,000 TO POTENTIALLY AS MUCH AS $247,000 IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND A MINIMUM OF 100,000 EACH SUBSEQUENT YEAR.
ASSUMING THE CITY WAS CHARGED FOR A MINIMUM OF 1000 BUSINESSES AT $100 PER BUSINESS, THIS COST COULD HAVE ALSO INCREASED IF THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES ENROLLED WAS HIGHER THAN THE 1000 MINIMUM THAT WAS PROPOSED DURING A MEETING BETWEEN CITY STAFF.
AND THE NOCC STAFF LEARNED THAT THE NOCC PROVIDED A DIFFERENT MEMBERSHIP LEVEL FOR GOVERNMENT ENTITIES AT A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER COST OF APPROXIMATELY 5,000 PER YEAR.
FOLLOWING THE REPORT AND DISCUSSION, CITY COUNCIL MADE A MOTION TO RECEIVE AND FILE THE REPORT WITH NO FURTHER ACTION REGARDING N OCCS SMALL BUSINESS STRATEGIC STRATEGIC GROWTH PROPOSAL.
COUNCIL DID, HOWEVER, DIRECT STAFF TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION ABOUT N NO'S LOWER CAUSE GOVERNMENT ENTITY MEMBER MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM, AND REPORT BACK TO COUNSEL, WHICH IS A REPORT THAT IS BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING.
STAFF REACH OUT TO THE NOCC TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE LOWER COST, UM, MUNICIPAL ENTITY MEMBERSHIP LEVELS, COST AND BENEFITS.
THE NOCC PROVIDED INFORMATION FOR TWO TYPES OF LOWER COST MEMBERSHIP PLANS FOR CONSIDERATION.
THE FIRST PROPOSAL IS STRUCTURED AS A COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND PARTNERSHIP FOR AN ANNUAL COST OF $30,000.
THE SECOND PROPOSAL, UH, SERVES AS A BASIC MUNICIPAL ENTITY MEMBERSHIP FOR AN ANNUAL COST OF 5,500, SORRY, $5,500.
THE FIRST OPTION INCLUDES SERVICES AND BENEFITS, SUCH AS COLLABORATION WITH STAFF TO SUPPORT BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION, PROMOTION OF CITY INITIATIVES AND EVENTS THROUGH THE N OCCS NETWORK, DIRECT OUTREACH TO THE HABER BUSINESSES TO INTRODUCE RESOURCES AND PLACEMENT OF THE HUBBER BUSINESSES WITH THE NCCS ONLINE DIRECTORY PLATFORM AND MORE.
THE SECOND OPTION INCLUDES SERVICES AND BENEFITS, SUCH AS ACCESS TO THE NOCC PORTAL TO POST EVENTS AND UPDATES, STAFF TRAINING TO USE THE CHAMBER PORTAL INCLUSION IN THE NOCC COMMUNICATIONS, A CHAMBER TALK FEATURE, AND DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION, AND ACCESS TO N-N-O-C-C EVENTS FOR COUNCIL AND STAFF TO ATTEND AT MEMBER RATES.
IN ADDITION TO THE PROPOSAL SUBMITTED BY THE NOCC STAFF, LEARN THAT NOCC PROVIDES OTHER TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THEIR WEBSITE.
STAFF INQUIRED IF THE CITY COULD JOIN NOCC AS A GLOBAL COMPANY'S SLASH LARGE PROFIT ORGANIZATION AT AN ANNUAL COST OF $1,600.
AND WE'RE TOLD THAT MUNICIPALITIES DO NOT FALL WITHIN THESE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES AS THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS BASED ON THEIR SIZE AND OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE.
THEREFORE, THE LOWEST COST NOCC MEMBERSHIP LEVEL CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO THE, THE CITY OF LA HABRA WOULD BE THE PROPOSED $5,500 MUNICIPAL ENTITY MEMBERSHIP.
THIS MEMBERSHIP LEVEL INTENDS TO PROVIDE THE CITY AND ITS BUSINESS COMMUNITY WITH REGIONAL EXPOSURE AND ACCESS TO N OCCS BROADER BUSINESS NETWORK, INCLUDING ITS COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORK PLATFORM.
AND OCC HAS INDICATED THAT THIS MEMBERSHIP TIER IS STRUCTURED AS AN ENTRY POINT FOR THE CITY, WITH FLEXIBILITY TO EXPAND INTO MORE COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP MODEL, POTENTIALLY AT A HIGHER ANNUAL COST
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SHOULD THE CITY WISH TO PURSUE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE.THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL? NO QUESTIONS.
NOW WORK, I DO HAVE QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK THE, MY QUESTIONS WOULD BE MORE SO GEARED TOWARDS, UM, THE NOCC.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME.
NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO ASK, TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
WILL YOU BE ABLE TO GET THE NO CCC UP? I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS AS WELL.
YEAH, MR. GREGSON, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR.
AND, AND, AND I WANTED TO DIRECT THE QUESTIONS TOWARDS YOU BECAUSE I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE IF THE CITY STAFF BASED ON A REPORT WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, UH, THAT I HAVE AFTER I'VE READ THE ENTIRE REPORT.
UM, IF WE CAN ALSO GET, AND I APOLOGIZE, UH, COUNCILMAN.
IF, UH, WE CAN ALSO GET YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD WHEN YOU DO, PLEASE.
I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF NORTH ORANGES COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHICH IS DOING BUSINESS AS NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBERS.
WE'RE ACTUALLY FULLERTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
UM, SO IN, IN READING THE, UM, THIS REPORT HERE, UH, THERE WAS A FEW THINGS I WERE HIGHLIGHTED AS FAR AS I, I I'M GONNA JUST SUMMARIZE, SAY, PERKS OF JOINING, UH, THE NOCC.
UH, YOU MENTIONED, UH, 27 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS WITH THE MONTHLY CAMPAIGN REACHING ABOUT 7,966.
WAS THERE ANY ANALYTICAL DATA OR ANYTHING THAT YOU SUBMITTED TO OUR CITY WHEN THEY INQUIRED ABOUT THIS, UH, MEMBERSHIP THAT WOULD VALIDATE OR, OR, OR SO VALIDITY TO THAT NUMBER? SO, ORIGINALLY WHEN WE CAME TO COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
SO ORIGINALLY WHEN WE CAME TO COUNCIL, UH, WE CAME TO THEM WITH, UH, A PLAN THAT IS NOT HYPOTHETICAL.
WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN RUNNING THIS FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND IN OUR ORIGINAL PLAN, WHICH WHERE THIS HAS ALL STEMMED FROM, IS YES, WE GAVE ALL THAT DATA.
SO, UH, OUR DIRECTORY ONLY LAST MONTH ACTUALLY HAD 186,000 PEOPLE VISIT TO IT, AND 44,000 OF THEM ACTUALLY WENT TO OUR MEMBER SHIP PAGES.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT, AS YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE YOU'RE A BUSINESSMAN, IS THAT IF SOMEBODY'S LOOKING ONLINE FOR A BUSINESS, THEY'RE ALREADY SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING.
THE FACT THAT THEY THEN FOUND OUR CHAMBER AND THEN WENT FROM THERE TO RE DIRECTORY AND THEN EVEN MADE ANOTHER STEP LOOKING FOR A PARTICULAR BUSINESS, TURNS THAT INTO MORE LIKE A LEAD FOR THE BUSINESSES.
SO, YES, I DON'T HAVE THE ANALYTICAL DATA ON ME RIGHT NOW, BUT I COULD GO OUTSIDE, GET MY LAPTOP, OPEN UP MY CRM, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.
UM, BUT THAT'S THE TYPE OF THING WE'RE DOING.
AND WHAT IT, WHAT BROUGHT US TO THIS IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN BUILDING THIS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IT'S ALREADY WORKING FOR A LOT OF OUR MEMBERS ALREADY.
AND SO THEREFORE, WE WANTED TO BRING IT TO THE CITIES.
AND LAHABRA WERE ONE OF THE CITIES THAT WE WERE ASKED TO BRING IT TO.
AND THAT'S WHY WE FIRST CAME IN FRONT OF COUNCIL IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND, AND JUST IN YOUR ANSWER, I, OF COURSE, THESE ARE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS THAT I HAD DURING MY, THE LAST TIME YOU VISITED HERE.
UM, UH, AND SO, AND, AND I, AND I HATE TO CUT YOU SHORT THERE, BUT I KNOW I DON'T WANNA TAKE TOO MUCH TIME FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, BUT, UH, I THINK I GOT THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, WHICH IS YOU DID PROVIDE THE ANALYTICAL DATA TO OUR CITY STAFF.
YEAH, NO, IT'S, IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT TOOK ME MONTHS TO WRITE THAT.
WE JUST DON'T HAVE IT IN THE REPORT.
I I, I DON'T THINK IT'S IN THE REPORT.
I DON'T HAVE THAT PARTICULAR ONE WITH ME.
'CAUSE TODAY WE WERE ASKED TO COME FORWARD AND ASK FOR THESE OTHER TWO PLANS, SO I WASN'T PREPARED WITH THAT.
SO I DON'T HAVE IT HERE WITH ME.
THAT WAS THE DATA THAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE CITY STAFF AND COUNCIL FOR THEIR PRIOR PROGRAM THAT COUNCIL, UM, DIDN'T MOVE FORWARD WITH.
YEAH, IT WASN'T ANYTHING RELATED TO THESE TWO MEMBERS, BUT I WOULD BE HAPPY TO EMAIL THAT FULL THING TO YOU AND YOU CAN BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO READ THROUGH IT IF YOU LIKE.
I, I, I, I, AND IF IT WAS PROVIDED IN THAT PREVIOUS REPORT, THEN I'VE KIND OF ALREADY DEVELOPED MY, I GO BACK TO THE SAME THOUGHTS I'D HAD AT THAT LAST MEETING REGARDING THAT DATA THAT WAS PROVIDED.
UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S, UM, EIGHT THOU 80,000 MONTHLY WEBSITE VISITS.
UM, DID YOU PROVIDE ANY ANALYTICAL DATA ON THAT? UH, SUCH AS, UM, YEAH, AN, UH, ANALYTICS TO OUR, WAS THAT ALSO INCLUDED IN THERE? I DON'T RECALL SEEING THAT IN THAT REPORT.
AGAIN, I, I'M, I'M AFRAID I DON'T, IT, IT'S, I'VE SLEPT A FEW TIMES SINCE THEN.
UH, SO I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT WAS IN THAT ORIGINAL REPORT.
I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
I DO KNOW ON THE TOP OF MY HEART HEAD IN MARCHES, UH, JUST FOR THE, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE DIRECTOR PEOPLE GETTING STUCK ON THIS DIRECTORY THING.
I'M NOT EXPLAINING IT PROPERLY.
I, I, I AM AN IMMIGRANT, SO I DO KNOW THAT I'M NOT SPEAKING AMERICAN SOMETIMES.
SO MAYBE I'M NOT SAYING IT THE RIGHT WAY, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO, UH, REALLY BRING THIS IN TO EXPLAIN THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT REVENUE.
[00:50:01]
AND IT STARTS WITH A CITY.THE CITY REQUIRES REVENUE IN ORDER FOR ALL OF US TO LIVE WELL, AND THE WAY THAT A CITY RECEIVES ITS REVENUE IS THROUGH SALES TAX.
SO IF WE ARE HELPING THE BUSINESSES AND SUPPORTING THEM STAYING IN BUSINESS, THAT EARNS THEM A REVENUE.
WHEN THEY PAY A SALES TAX, THE CITY ITSELF INCREASES ITS REVENUE.
SO REALLY, BASICALLY IT'S INVESTING IN OURSELVES AND THAT'S ALL IT'S ABOUT.
AND, AND AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO CUT YOU SHORT.
I WANNA BE RESPECTFUL AS FAR AS THE TIME FOR BOTH YOU AND MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL.
SO I'M JUST ASKING THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT, SPECIFICALLY TO THESE NUMBERS HERE.
UM, SO WHICH ANALYTICS WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBER? THAT WOULD BE THE BETTER ONE.
'CAUSE I COULD TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE WENT TO THE WEBSITE, HOW MANY PEOPLE THEN WENT OFF TO SEE THEIR MEMBERS, UH, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE BE, I CAN, I I, I WANT TO GO MORE SO WHAT'S IN THE REPORT, RATHER IT BE FROM THE PREVIOUS REPORT OR THIS REPORT.
IF IT'S NOT READILY AVAILABLE TO ME AT THE MOMENT, WHICH I DID RE I DID REVIEW THE PREVIOUS REPORT AND READ THIS REPORT, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT PRE AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THOSE, THOSE ITEMS WERE IN THERE.
I, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT WE DID WRITE IN THERE THAT IT WAS ABOUT 70,000, UH, FOLKS WERE GOING TO THAT EVENT, 70,000 MONTHLY VIEWS.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WAS HAPPENING PRIOR TO US INDEXING THE WEB, WEB, UH, WEBSITE.
WHICH AS YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH GEO.
SO WE HAD TO INDEX THE WEBSITE.
'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE NOW ARE SEARCHING BUSINESSES AND ASKING QUESTIONS THROUGH, UH, UH, AI TYPES OF SERVICES RATHER THAN JUST ON GOOGLE OR BING OR YOUTUBE, OR, SORRY, YAHOO.
SO AFTER INDEXING IT INCREASED, BUT BACK IN THE DAY WHEN WE FIRST DID THIS, UH, REPORT, I THINK IT PROBABLY HAVE SAID THAT WE HAD 70, UH, THOUSAND MONTHLY VIEWS, UH, TO THE E DIRECTORY.
AND FROM THAT, ABOUT 22,000 WE'RE THEN GOING TO THE 1500 MEMBERS PAGES.
I'M, I'M, AGAIN, I'M GOING TO TRY TO STICK TO, WELL, THAT SHOULD BE IN THAT REPORT.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
AND AGAIN, I I DON'T BELIEVE IT WAS THOSE, THAT ANALYTIC DATA WAS NOT THERE.
DID YOU READ THE REPORT I ACTUALLY GAVE TO THE CITY OR JUST THE ONE THE CITY GAVE? SIR, I'M, I JUST, I'M JUST ASKING QUESTIONS HERE, SIR.
UM, SO CAN I NOT ASK A QUESTION IF I MAY? I JUST, I JUST WANNA GET THROUGH MY QUESTIONS IF OKAY.
UM, THE WEBSITE, UM, FROM THE PREVIOUS TIME THAT THE WEBSITE THAT FROM THE PREVIOUS TIME YOU PRESENTED BACK IN NOVEMBER, THERE HAS BEEN A FEW CHANGES TO THE WEBSITE.
THE, IN UNDER THE MEMBER SECTION ARE ALL THE ME ARE ALL OF THE BUSINESSES LISTED IN THE MEMBER SECTION? ARE THEY MEMBERS OF YOUR CHAMBER? YES.
UM, CAN YOU TELL ME THE ONES IN THE DIRECTORY? YES.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT LAHABRA LIFE? COULD I TELL YOU WHAT, SORRY.
YOU HAVE LAHABRA LIFE LISTED AS A BUSINESS THAT IS A MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER, AND IT'S LISTED AS A NEWSPAPER AND NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION.
I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO, UM, THERE'S 1500, UH, MEMBERS, I'M AFRAID.
SO I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU, UH, AN EDUCATED RESPONSE ON THEM.
THE REASON WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION, SIR, IS BECAUSE LA HARBOR LIFE IS A PUBLICATION BY OUR CITY, AND I DON'T RECALL, NOR DO I FIND ANY HISTORY THAT INDICATES THAT THIS BODY IS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED LAHABRA LIFE TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER OF THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
UM, IT'S SPECIFICALLY LISTED AS A NEWSPAPER OR NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION.
I, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE PRESUMED THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN RELATED TO A PREVIOUS BUSINESS IN LA HABRA, BUT THAT'S A MEDICAL FACILITY.
SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING YOU TO USE THAT AS JUST AS A SAMPLE AND ON YOUR WEBSITE.
IT, IT ALSO SH I MEAN, IT SHOWS IT AS A, AS AS A MEMBER UNDER YOUR DIRECTORY.
SO I, I GROW A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
BUT DID YOU SAY THERE WERE A, THERE WERE, YOU SAID IT'S A, A PUBLISHER FOR THE CITY? IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? WE DO HAVE A PUBLICATION CALLED THE HABRA LIFE.
SO IT COULD BE, SO, IT COULD HAVE BEEN BECAUSE FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE I TOOK THE CHAMBER OVER, THE CHAMBER DID HAVE, UH, THEY CALLED THEM, UH, IT WASN'T COMPLIMENTARY MEMBER, THEY CALLED THEM SOMETHING ELSE.
THEY ADDED LIFE IN LAHABRA BACK IN THE DAY.
AND, UM, WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY HAD DONE IS THEY'D ACTUALLY, UH, GIVEN PEOPLE COMPLIMENTARY, UH, SERVICES.
SO THEN THEY SHOW THEM ON THERE.
AND IF THE NAME IS VERY SIMILAR OR IS, OR WAS, I DON'T KNOW, PART OF WHAT THE CITY IS, IT COULD BE BECAUSE THEY INTERACT AND SEND THINGS THROUGH, AND THEREFORE WE PUSH THROUGH, UH, CITY EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT WITHOUT LOOKING INTO IT, I WOULDN'T REALLY BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE FULL DETAILS ON THAT.
SO, I GUESS ANOTHER, UH, A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT WOULD BE, ARE THERE ANY BUSINESSES THAT ARE ON YOUR DIRECTORY THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A, A MEMBER OF, UH, YOUR CHAMBER, BUT IS NO LONGER A MEMBER? THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF MY
[00:55:01]
QUESTION, IS RELATING THAT TO THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS YOU CLAIM TO HAVE, WHICH MANY OF THOSE MAY BE INACTIVE AND NO LONGER EXIST AS A BUSINESS.UH, I WOULD SAY, I MEAN, IT'S A LOT TO CLEAN UP, BUT I WOULD PROBABLY SAY WHEN I TOOK OVER THE CHAMBER FIVE YEARS AGO, WE HAD OVER 4,800 PEOPLE IN THAT DIRECTORY.
AND IT TAKES A LOT TO GO THROUGH THAT.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY WE'RE CLOSE TO EVERYONE WHO IS PART OF THE CHAMBER, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORIES.
AND THE F QUESTION AS WELL IS, ARE THOSE BUSINESSES LISTED IN DIRECTORY? DO THEY HAVE ACCURATE INFORMATION? REASON WHY I ASK THAT QUESTION IS 'CAUSE ON THE WEBSITE, THERE WERE SEVERAL BUSINESSES THAT WERE EITHER MISSING INFORMATION OR THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS WERE CELL PHONE NUMBERS THAT WERE NOT ACTUAL BUSINESS NUMBERS.
THERE WERE SEVERAL THAT HAD BROKEN LINKS TO WEBSITES OF BUSINESSES THAT NO LONGER EXIST.
OH, YOU'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT.
IN FACT, BEYOND THAT, SO THERE'S 74% OF BUSINESSES IN OUR REGION THAT THE URLS DON'T WORK ANYMORE.
AND PRIOR TO ME TAKING OVER THE CHAMBER, UH, IT WAS LEFT FOR MEMBERS JUST TO FILL OUT THEIR, UH, DETAILS.
AND NOW WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS IS WE'VE BEEN CLEANING THIS UP.
SO NOW IF YOU CAME TO US AS A MEMBER, WE'RE NOT WAITING FOR YOU TO BUILD UP YOUR PAGE.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT IS IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN THERE AS WELL, WHERE WE TALK ABOUT HOW WE DO THE TAGLINES, THE KEYWORDS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE FOR PEOPLE.
SO SOME OF THOSE WILL BE BAD 'CAUSE WE'RE WORKING ON THEM.
UM, AND WE'RE WORKING ON 'EM TO, TO, TO FIX THAT ALL.
BUT DEFINITELY THE LAST TWO YEARS FOR SURE, UH, WORK OF, OF MEMBERS WHO'VE COME IN OR THE ONES THAT WE'VE WORKED ON ARE, ARE, ARE ACCURATE.
UM, ON THE WEBSITE, ON YOUR WEBSITE, YOU HAVE A MEMBER SECTION THAT'S SPECIFICALLY IS FOR LAHABRA BUSINESSES.
ON THAT WEBSITE, YOU HAVE THE TRADEMARK LOGO OF THE CITY OF LA HABER ON IT.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME THE PERMISSIONS YOU RECEIVED TO ACTUALLY PUT THAT LOGO ONTO THE, THE, ONTO YOUR WEBSITE? I, I THINK THAT WAS PRIOR TO MY TIME ACTUALLY, AND IT'S JUST ON THERE.
BUT IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO TAKE IT OFF ON MORE THAN HAPPY TO REMOVE THAT.
WELL, THAT WOULDN'T BE UP TO ME.
A CITY ATTORNEY, IF YOU CAN MAYBE OPINE ON WE POSITION ARE, ARE NECESSARY FOR A IF EXCUSE.
WELL, I'M STILL ANSWERING THE QUESTION IF I MAY.
YOU'RE ASKING QUICKLY LIKE THAT, AND I'M NOT AS QUICK AS YOU CLEARLY.
UM, SO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THOSE LOGOS WERE ON THERE IS BECAUSE WE HAD A LOT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY OVER COVID FOR ALL OF THE CITIES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF ORANGE COUNTY.
SO THERE ARE PAGES ON THERE THAT ARE STILL, LIKE, SAT THERE THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH, WHICH WE'RE WORKING THROUGH.
AND SO THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A REASON WHY THE LOGO WAS ON THERE.
UH, CITY ATTORNEY, I GENERALLY, UH, HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT MY OWN USE OF THE CITY LOGO AS A COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THE CITY OF LAHABRA, CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME INSIGHT AS TO WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS AND WHAT PERMISSIONS WOULD BE NEEDED FOR A PRIVATE ENTITY TO UTILIZE OUR, UH, THE CITY'S LOGO? SURE.
THE, THE PERSON WHO WOULD LIKE TO USE THE CITY'S LOGO WOULD NEED TO MAKE FORMAL INQUIRY WITH THE CITY FOR THAT PERMISSION.
AND IT CAN BE GRANTED OR DENIED BY THE CITY.
UM, YOU HAVE ON THE, ON YOUR CITY MEMBERSHIP, UM, 'CAUSE YOU INDICATED THAT THAT DIRECTORY DOES, OR THAT DIRECTORY INDICATES THOSE ARE MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH ME HOW THE, HOW THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, UM, BECAME A MEMBER OR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS COMPANY OR CSU FULLERTON, CAL STATE FULLERTON BECAME MEMBERS, OR SCE OR EVEN THE ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BECAME MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER? I DON'T THINK I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY, SO IF I'M CORRECTING, I CAN ADD CLARITY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO.
SO I ASKED YOU EARLIER ABOUT, UM, THE DIRECTORY UNDER THE MEMBERS PORTION OF THE WEBSITE.
AND YOU INDICATED THAT THE DI THAT THE DIRECTORY IS ARE MEMBER, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THAT DIRECTORY ARE MEMBERS OF YOUR CHAMBER.
ON THAT DIRECTORY, YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE GOVERNMENT ENTITIES LISTED AS MEMBERS.
SO IS THERE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THEY BECAME MEMBERS OR, UH, SO YOU MENTIONED, I THINK EDISON, THE GAS COMPANY, ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
IS THAT CORRECT? SO A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE JOINED WELL BEFORE I WAS EVEN BORN.
SO EDISON JOINED BACK IN 1947, I THINK.
I THINK THEY'RE OUR ELDEST MEMBER.
THE SECOND OLDEST WAS AMWAY, WHO HAVE NOW LEFT CALIFORNIA, UH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
IT WAS ACTUALLY THE SECOND BOARD OF SUPERVISOR IN ORANGE COUNTY THAT STARTED
[01:00:01]
ORANGE CHAMBER COMMERCE, WHICH WE ORIGINALLY WERE BACK IN 1893.SO HOW ALL THEIR INFORMATION IS STILL ON THERE, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT BECAUSE I, THEY, THEY WERE A PART OF OUR SYSTEM BEFORE I JOINED.
BUT WE WORK ALONGSIDE THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS A LOT AS WE DO WITH ALL OUR SENATORS, UH, CONGRESSMEN AND WOMEN, AND ALSO WITH THE CITIES THAT WE SERVE.
UM, MY LAST QUESTION, AND I'LL JUST END THERE.
SO MY, MY LAST QUESTION IS, PLEASE PROVIDE ME ONE SECOND HERE, PLEASE.
UH, HAS THERE BEEN A CHANGE IN YOUR, UH, STAFFING AT YOUR EXECUTIVE LEVEL AS FAR AS YOUR MEMBERS OR YOUR, UH, THE PEOPLE WHO MANAGE YOUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND, AND, AND, AND I APOLOGIZE, HAS THERE BEEN ANY CHANGES SINCE THE LAST TIME, UH, WE MET OR YOU PRESENTED HERE IN NOVEMBER? NOT THAT I, NOT THAT I CAN THINK OF, NO.
I DO HAVE, UH, A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU MR. GREGSON, IF YOU WILL.
UH, DO YOU MIND IF I GET A DRINK OF WATER THERE? OH, NO.
DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE, DO YOU DO THAT? I FEEL LIKE I'M ON AN INQUIRY HERE.
OH, IT'S TOUGH IN, IT IS TOUGH, ISN'T IT? ALRIGHT.
SORRY, I BEG YOUR PARDON? YOU THOUGHT HE WAS TOUGH? OH BOY.
UH, SO, UH, MY, HOW MANY, UH, HOW MANY CITIES ARE CURRENTLY MEMBERS? UH, FOUR.
WHICH CITIES ARE THOSE? SO WE HAVE, I'M GONNA DO ALPHABETICAL ORDER.
BUENA PARK, FULLERTON, UH, LA PALMER AND STANTON.
WHAT WERE THE, WHAT WAS THE THIRD ONE? I'M SORRY.
LA PALMER, BUENA PARK, FULLERTON LA PALMER AND STANTON BUENA PARK'S, OUR ORIGINALLY CITY, AND THEN STANTON, LA PALMER AND BUENO PARK.
THEY WERE, UH, ORIGINALLY THEY WERE OF THEIR OWN.
AND THEN THEY MERGED, EXCUSE ME.
AND THEN BACK IN 20 14, 20 15, THEY ASKED IF THE FULLERTON CHAMBER OF COMMAS WOULD, UH, WOULD TAKE THEM UNDER THEIR WING, EXCUSE ME, WHICH THEY DID.
AND THEN BACK THEN THE BOARD THEN CHANGED OUR NAME AS A DBA TO NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER.
OH, SORRY, TO NORTH ORANGE COUNTY.
AND, UH, SO ONE, ONE THING, UH, OF, OF CONCERN TO ME PERSONALLY AS A, UH, AS A PUBLIC SERVANT HAS AND ALWAYS BEEN, UH, TRANSPARENCY AND, UH, IF THE LABOR CITY COUNCIL THIS EVENING IS TO, IS TO SAY YES TO A CERTAIN DEGREE OF MEMBERSHIP, UM, MY CONCERN IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE, UH, HOW OUR RESIDENTS MONEY IS BEING SPENT.
UM, AND, UH, I'VE, UH, I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE WITH OUR, UH, WITH THE, UH, THE LOCAL CHAMBER, UH, MENTIONED, UH, INCIDENTS THAT HAD, UH, HAD HAPPENED OVER IN THE CITY OF ANAHEIM, UH, WHICH CAUSED THEIR, UH, THEIR, THEIR ANAHEIM, UH, BUSINESS CHAMBER, SOME ISSUES WITH THE, UH, WITH THE FBI INDICTMENTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND I AM, AND I DIDN'T HAVE HERE, YOU DON'T, WE DON'T EARN THAT MUCH MONEY.
AND JUST THE SAME, OUR LOCAL CHAMBER, THE SAME, THEY ABOVE BOARD AS FAR AS I KNOW.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ANY TIME, ANY ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS, IF WE ARE TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER, THAT THERE IS TRANSPARENCY AND, UH, THAT YOU WILL MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE, UH, AS, AS NEEDED.
AND OF COURSE, UH, UH, IN, IN AN AGREEABLE, IN AN AGREEABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, UM, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, WE ALL UNDERSTAND HOW STICKY ANAHEIM IS.
UH, WE'RE NOT IN THOSE POSITIONS THOUGH.
UH, WE'RE A MEMBER DRIVEN ORGANIZATION, AND WE ARE A 5 0 1 C SIX, AND WE ALSO HAVE A 5 0 1 C3 AS A FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION.
UM, HOWEVER, JUST AS ANYONE ELSE CAN, I'LL BE READY, AVAILABLE TO SHARE ANY INFORMATION WE NEED TO, TO WHETHER IT'S COUNCIL OR EVEN OUR MEMBERS.
GRANTED, UH, SOME DAYS I DO HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO, BUT I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, WITHIN A WEEK, I THINK I COULD VERY MUCH MAKE MYSELF VERY READILY AVAILABLE FOR ANY OF YOU TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
AND, AND I'LL ASK YOU TEXT, CELL PHONE CALL, WHATEVER.
REASONABLE AMOUNT OF REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.
100% IS WHAT I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR.
UM, AND AS FAR AS, UH, LOOKING AFTER OUR BUSINESSES, PERIOD.
UM, THAT, UH, THERE ARE BUSINESSES IN THE CITY THAT MAY NOT HAVE CHAMBER REPRESENTATION.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, IF WE ARE TO DO BUSINESS WITHIN THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER, THERE ARE CURRENT BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT MEMBERS OF ANY BUSINESS CHAMBER ARE NOT PRESSURED INTO BECOMING MEMBERS.
[01:05:01]
THAT, THAT'S THE WHOLE THING ABOUT THIS IS IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I'VE RUN MY OWN BUSINESS FOR MANY YEARS AND I'VE RUN ACROSS DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND WORKED ACROSS ALL SORTS OF INDUSTRIES FROM LEGAL, RUNNING A LAW FIRM TO, UH, MANUFACTURING AND EVERYTHING.AND THE SAME THING IS, IS BUSINESSES, THEY NEED A REVENUE.
THAT'S REALLY THE BE ALL AND END ALL.
AND THEN THE REST OF IT IS GRAVY.
LIKE IF YOU'RE MAKING MORE MONEY, YOU CAN GO ON VACATION OR WHATEVER.
AND, UH, THAT'S WHAT I GIVE MY LIFE TO.
LIKE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, WHEN I WAS 16, I WAS PREPARED TO GIVE MY LIFE FROM MY COUNTRY.
I WENT TO WAR, AND I WAS PREPARED TO LIE DOWN AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE STOPPED UNLESS I WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR DIE.
AND THAT'S THE WAY I LOOK AT THE JOB I'M IN TODAY.
UH, I'M NOT A WEALTHY MAN, BY ALL MEANS.
WE, WE DON'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO TO, TO LIVE REALLY WELL.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT'S THE BIGGEST THING IS, AND IT'S, UH, TOM BERG OR SENATOR TOM BERG SAID THIS TO ME, IS THAT I'M WEALTHY IN EMOTIONAL DOLLARS.
WE GET TO HELP AS MANY BUSINESSES, OBVIOUSLY IT HELPS IF THEY'RE MEMBERS, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE RUN.
WE'RE A MEMBER DRIVEN ORGANIZATION ONLY.
HOWEVER, IF SOMEBODY COMES TO ME AND THEY'RE CLOSING OR THEY'RE NEEDING HELP AND THEY CAN'T AFFORD MEMBERSHIP, I NEVER TURN THEM DOWN.
AND YOU COULD EVEN ASK, I'VE ACTUALLY GOT SOME BOARD MEMBERS WITH ME HERE TODAY WHO MAKE SURE I AM VERY TRANSPARENT.
WE HELP ANYONE THAT WE CAN BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE DON'T, WHO IS, THERE'S NOBODY ELSE HERE DOING IT.
THERE'S NOBODY ELSE TRYING TO COME WITH THESE IDEAS.
THERE'S NOBODY ELSE TRYING TO, TRYING TO HELP FOLKS STAY IN BUSINESS.
WELL, I'M PREPARED TO DO THAT BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I'M A STEWARD OF A ORGANIZATION THAT'S GONE ON FOR 133 YEARS, AND I DON'T WANT THIS SHIP TO GO DOWN ON MY PATCH.
UH, AND, UH, DO YOU, UH, AS A NORTH ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS CHAMBER, UH, YOU SERVICE THE CITY OF WINTER PARK, DO YOU HAVE, UH, UH, ANY CONTACTS WITHIN, UH, THE, UH, THE, THE MAJOR BUSINESSES THERE? PORTOS, UH, UH, KNOTTS BERRY FARM, UH, MEDIEVAL TIMES, ANY AND ALL OF THE, UH, THE, UH, THE BUSINESSES THERE ALONG BEACH BOULEVARD THERE? DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THOSE AS MEMBERS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UH, PORTALS DON'T JOIN CHAMBERS, JUST SO YOU KNOW.
OTHERWISE, SHE'D HAVE GOT HAMMERED TO DEATH FOR SPONSORSHIP AND STUFF.
UH, KNOTTSBERRY FARM, UH, IS ACTUALLY NOW OWNED BY, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, BY RED, UH, SIX FLAGS AND SIX FLAGS ARE A MEMBER.
AND RECENTLY, IN FACT, THEY JUST RENEWED THEIR MEMBERSHIP FOR KNOTS HOTEL.
UM, MEDIEVAL TIMES ARE NOT MEMBERS.
THEY WERE MEMBERS, THEY DROPPED OFF.
BUT THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT IN, IN, UH, MANAGEMENT.
UH, HOWEVER, YES, WE DO HAVE A SIGNIF, I THINK EIGHT, SORRY, THAT'S WRONG.
I THINK 55 MEMBERS TOTAL IN BANO PARK.
UM, THAT'S IT FOR ME AS FAR AS QUESTIONS.
I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP TO, UH, PUBLIC, FOR THE PUBLIC.
I'M GONNA INVITE THE PUBLIC TO TESTIFY.
PLEASE GIVE THEIR NAME FOR THE RECORD IF I OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC.
ANYONE WISHING TO TESTIFY? ONE ONCE.
CALL FOR COUNCIL DISCUSSION INTERACTION.
I'LL START OVER HERE ON MY RIGHT.
UH, YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT THIS BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF A NAUGHTY ISSUE AND BECAUSE THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO THIS QUESTION.
UH, AND THE FIRST ONE CANNOT IGNORE WHAT IS NOT JUST A MINOR INCONVENIENCE OR A SMALL THING.
IT'S ACTUALLY BECOME, OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL YEARS, A HUGE PROBLEM.
AND IT COMES ON THE HEELS OF US HAVING A MAGNIFICENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CURRENT LAHABRA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OVER DECADES, WHERE THE PARTNERSHIP WAS VERY VITAL AND, UH, VERY COLLABORATIVE IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DID.
AND THEN, UH, AFTER, UH, MARK DURANT, UH, DEPARTED AND HIS SUCCESSOR TOOK OVER THE CHAMBER THAT BEGAN TO CHANGE.
AND THE ISSUES INITIALLY BEGAN WITH THE FACT THAT WE WERE PROVIDING THE LA HABRA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WITH $20,000 A YEAR.
AND AFTER THE ANAHEIM DEBACLE, IT WAS INCUMBENT FOR US AS FIDUCIARIES TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHERE EVERY DOLLAR THAT MONEY WAS GOING.
AND WE ASKED TO SEE AN ACCOUNTING IN THE INTEREST OF TRANSPARENCY.
WE WANTED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE MONEY WAS, WAS BEING SPENT, AND TO WHAT EFFECT.
AND TO DO THAT, WE ASKED TO SEE THEIR BUDGET.
UH, WE WERE DENIED THAT WE ASKED TO SEE THEIR INCOME TAX RETURNS, THEIR NINE NINETIES, AND WE WERE DENIED THAT.
NOW, AS IT TURNS OUT, NINE NINETIES ARE PUBLIC RECORD.
AND WE DID GAIN THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS OF THEIR INCOME TAX RETURNS.
AND IT SHOWED A RELATIVELY DREADFUL SEA OF RED INK WHERE THE CHAMBER WAS HEMORRHAGING MONEY YEAR AFTER YEAR.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY, WE DETERMINED THAT IT WAS NO LONGER PRUDENT FISCALLY TO CONTINUE THAT PUBLIC STIPEND OF PUBLIC MONEY.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT SAT WELL WITH THE BOARD, THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
[01:10:01]
THEY REACTED VERY NEGATIVELY TO THAT.AND IT WAS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT, THAT ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS MOUNTED A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
AND THIS IS, THERE'S NO PROBLEM WITH THIS, THIS EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY HER, RIGHT? BUT SHE DID AGAINST INCUMBENTS.
AND THE FEELING WAS THAT SHE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THIS COUNCIL, WHICH AGAIN, IS ABSOLUTELY HER, RIGHT? SHE CAN, SHE CAN GO FOR THAT WITH ALL THE GUSTOS SHE WANTS TO MUSTER.
AND THEN RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF THAT, THERE CAME A THING CALLED MEASURE V, WHICH WAS A SALES TAX EXTENSION.
AND THE CHAMBER, THE HABER AREA CHAMBER DID NOT HAVE TO TAKE A POSITION ON THAT, BUT THEY ELECTED TO COME OUT IN DIRECT OPPOSITION TO MEASURE V AND HAD MEASURE V FAILED, THAT WOULD'VE COST THE CITY OF LA HABRA OVER $13 MILLION A YEAR.
THAT WOULD'VE GUTTED PUBLIC SAFETY.
IT WOULD'VE GUTTED INFRASTRUCTURE, IT WOULD'VE GUTTED COMMUNITY SERVICES.
IT WOULD'VE CHANGED THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF THIS COMMUNITY.
I'M, AND I'M, I DON'T MEAN TO SPEAK FOR MY COLLEAGUES, BUT I KNOW I CERTAINLY FELT THAT THAT WAS A COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE POSITION TO TAKE BECAUSE BUSINESSES THRIVE IN A CITY THAT'S WELL POLICED, WELL MAINTAINED, AND HAS ATTRACTIVE COMMUNITY SERVICES THAT ATTRACT NEW BUSINESS.
SO AGAIN, IT ALMOST SEEMED LIKE AN EMOTIONAL KNEEJERK KIND OF RESPONSE THAT THEY DID WHEN THEY CAME OUT AGAINST MEASURE V AND SHORTSIGHTED AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT WOUND UP PASSING BY A LANDSLIDE.
WELL OVER 70% OF ALL THE VOTES TOLD US THAT THEY LIKE LA HARBOR AS IT IS.
THEY DON'T WANNA SEE PUBLIC SAFETY DEGRADED.
THEY WANNA SEE AN ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR EXISTING BUSINESSES.
AND AS AN ATTRACTOR FOR NEW BUSINESSES.
WELL, SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE, UH, THE CEO AT THAT POINT IN TIME ABRUPTLY AND IMMEDIATELY RESIGNED.
UH, AND AGAIN, THAT, THAT GAVE US PAUSE IN TERMS OF THE STABILITY OF THIS ORGANIZATION.
THE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THIS ORGANIZATION WAS STILL UNDER GREAT QUESTION.
AND THAT WAS ONLY AMPLIFIED RECENTLY BY, AND AS YOU FOLKS KNOW, MARK STEWARD'S FAMOUS CITRUS FAIR HAS BEEN A STAPLE OF LA HABER FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS.
AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE THINKING AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
I CAN ONLY SAY THAT OFFICIALLY THE CITY KNOWS THERE'S BEEN NO APPLICATION MADE TO HOLD THE CITRUS FAIR THIS YEAR.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, THE CHAMBER'S FACING, I THINK THAT'S A, A LIKELY CAUSE THAT THE, THE MONEY'S JUST NOT THERE.
THE STARTUP MONEY, I DON'T KNOW.
ALL I KNOW IS THAT THAT EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER RAN TWO TIMES TO OUST INCUMBENTS.
AND NOW THIS YEAR SHE, NOW SHE'S RUNNING AGAIN, AGAIN, TOTALLY HER, RIGHT? I WISH HER THE BEST OF LUCK.
BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY ENGENDER KIND OF A WARM AND FUZZY COLLABORATIVE ATMOSPHERE FOR US TO PARTNER WITH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, I MEAN, THERE IS THIS, UH, KIND OF PARTISAN AGENDA THAT THEY'VE BEEN TELEGRAPHING TO US AND A RELIGIOUS AGENDA TOO AS WELL.
THEY'VE BEEN TELEGRAPHING US TELEGRAPHING TO US.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE WAY I FEEL IS THAT WHAT THIS CITY NEEDS, TO THE EXTENT THAT CHAMBERS ARE STILL RELEVANT, AND THEY'RE LESS RELEVANT NOW THAN THEY WERE 20, 30, 40 YEARS AGO, WHAT BENEFITS THE CITY THE MOST IS A SECULAR NON-PARTISAN CHAMBER WHERE BOTH PARTIES STAY IN THEIR LANE MORE OR LESS, AND A, A CHAMBER THAT'S WILLING TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND COOPERATIVELY WITH THE CITY AS A FULL PARTNER.
NOW, NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THEY'VE GOT THESE VARIOUS LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP AND ALL THAT.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IF, IF WE JOINED, AND THIS IS WHAT I'M THINKING, UH, SOME OF THESE MEMBERSHIPS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE RIGHT NOW.
I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE, AND I THINK IT'S CALLED THE BASIC MUNICIPAL ENTITY MEMBERSHIP AS FOR $5,500 A YEAR.
UM, ALL OF A SUDDEN BUSINESSES THAT ON THEIR OWN IN THE HARBOR JOIN THIS CHAMBER AND THROUGH OUR AUSPICES, IT'S A TREMENDOUS FORCE MULTIPLIER, WHERE NOW THEY HAVE ACCESS TO A TOTAL OF FIVE CITIES.
RIGHT NOW, THE AREA CHAMBER, OF COURSE, FOCUSES ESSENTIALLY ON THE HARBOR.
BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE GOT THESE FOUR OTHER CITIES TOO, AND IF THEY JOIN, THEIR NAMES ARE GONNA BE IN THIS DIRECTORY WHERE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR BUSINESS DETAILS AND THEIR HOURS OF OPERATION AND WHAT SERVICES OR PRODUCTS THEY OFFER AND ALL THAT.
WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN IS DOING WHATEVER FOSTERS SUPPORTS AND GROWS OUR LOCAL BUSINESS ECONOMY.
AND THAT'S ALL I'M INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, WHAT WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS IS SIMPLY NOT WORKING.
I WANNA HAVE SOMETHING THAT WORKS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD RAISE THE CITY'S PROMINENCE IN THE WHOLE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY AREA.
AND I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY A VERY POSITIVE THING FOR FRANKLY, NOT A LOT OF MONEY.
THESE OTHER LEVELS ARE PRETTY EXPENSIVE.
I THINK IT'S TOO RICH FOR MY BLOOD SPEAKING FOR MYSELF.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S CLEAR THAT THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING IN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL CHAMBERS ARE THE WAY TO GO BECAUSE OF THAT FORCE MULTIPLYING EFFECT.
WHEN YOU'RE BRINGING IN PEOPLE FROM BUENA PARK AND BREA PLACENTIA, LA PALMA, THEY FIND OUT ABOUT THIS FAN.
WE'VE GOT SOME OF THE MOST FANTASTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN LA HABRA ANYWHERE, RIGHT? WELL, WHEN WORD GETS OUT AND WORD CAN GET OUT BY UTILIZING A REGIONAL CHAMBER.
SO IN SHORT, I THINK TO SUCCESS SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTE A BUSINESS OWNERS NEED OPTIONS
[01:15:01]
AND CHOICES AND YOU KNOW, THE BEST FIT, THAT REPRESENTS GOOD VALUE.AND FOR ME, I'M IN SUPPORT OF GIVING THIS A TRY AND JOINING, JOINING AT THE MUNICIPAL ENTITY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM.
AND, UH, THAT WAY FOLKS HAVE OPTIONS.
AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING CHOICES.
BY ALL MEANS, CONTINUE YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH THE HARBOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
IF YOU ARE MEMBERS, IF YOU, IF YOU WANNA JOIN THIS, UH, NOCC, THAT'S GREAT TOO.
IF YOU WANNA PICK ONE OVER THE OTHER, THAT'S GREAT TOO.
I WANT FOLKS TO HAVE EVERY OPPORTUNITY THEY HAVE TO ENSURE THAT THEIR BUSINESSES ARE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THEIR SUCCESS IS LA HABER'S SUCCESS.
MAYOR PRO TIM, UH, I, I JUST FIRST OF ALL WANT TO SAY, ANDREW, I I, I APPRECIATE, UH, YOU COMING HERE TODAY.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TAKE DOWN THAT CITY LOGO THAT THAT'S UP THERE ON YOUR WEBSITE, THE HARBOR LOGO? DIG IT DOWN.
IT'S HAPPENED WITH AN EVENT WITH THE LA HARBOR CHAMBER.
IT WAS DONE ON HARBOR STREET, AND THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THAT LOGO IN.
I DON'T THINK IT WAS INTENTIONAL OR ANY HARM OR ANY MALICIOUS, UH, PART ON, ON YOUR PART, BUT I APPRECIATE YOUR TRANSPARENCY.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK YOU.
EVERY TIME I'VE CALLED UPON YOU, YOU HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH ME AND, AND THAT I APPRECIATE SITTING DOWN ONE-ON-ONE WITH ME.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND, UH, TWO OF YOUR EVENTS, AND BOTH OF 'EM HAPPENED TO BE IN WINTER PARK AND THE PEOPLE THERE THAT WERE THERE, WINTER PARK MET PEOPLE FROM THE CAREER, ALL PHASES OF LIFE.
IT WAS LIKE THE MELTING POT THERE.
EVERYBODY WAS, WAS GREAT FROM, UH, PEOPLE FROM THE SOURCE.
UH, PEOPLE FROM UH, UH, UH, KNOT VERY FARM WERE THERE.
UH, FANTASTIC, UH, MIXER OF THE TWO OF THEM THAT I ATTENDED HAPPENED TO BE IN BUENA PARK.
UM, AND I THINK, UH, YOU GOT A LOT OF GOOD THINGS GOING ON THERE.
UH, TO ANSWER KIND OF WHAT DARREN'S GOING ON, PIGGYBACK, I, I CAN'T EVEN GET A MEETING WITH THE CURRENT PRESIDENT, CEO OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
I'VE ATTEMPTED, UH, THREE TIMES TO MEET WITH HER.
AND WHILE SHE'S NOT AVAILABLE IS, IS, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN FANTASTIC, PAUL, WHO'S OUT THERE IN THE AUDIENCE, HAS COME TO ME AND SAYS, HEY, YOU KNOW, LET, LET'S SET UP A MEETING.
I SAID, PAUL, I I APPRECIATE YOU AND I I I APPRECIATE, OH, YOU DO, YOU AND YOUR WIFE FOR THE COMMUNITY, BUT YOU CAN'T FORCE SOMEBODY TO MEET WITH ME.
AND, AND YOU'VE TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES AND PAUL FOR THAT, I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I TOLD YOU, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND, AND IT BREAKS MY HEART BECAUSE FOR MANY DECADES I WAS AT EVERY SINGLE CHAMBER EVENT.
CHAMBER CONFERENCE MEANT THE WORLD TO ME HERE LOCALLY.
AND, AND TO SEE THAT RELATIONSHIP CRUMBLED, YOU NAME IT, EVERY CONNECT UP GROUP, EVERY SENIOR COMPOST NIGHT, EVERY RIBBON CUTTING.
AND, AND TO HAVE SOME OF THE ATTITUDE THAT'S GOING ON THERE.
AND, AND, AND, AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING, UH, THERE'S EVEN BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE THERE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE DISAPPOINTED.
IT FEELS IT'S STILL A DICTATORSHIP OVER THERE.
SO, UH, ANDREW, UH, I, I DON'T SENSE ANY OF THAT GOING ON WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION.
AND, UH, I WOULD BE WILLING TO AT LEAST TRY OUT, UH, THE MINIMAL AT THIS POINT AND, AND SEE, UH, ABOUT BUILDING MAYBE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU FOLKS.
I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH, WITH ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING, UH, YOUR, YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, BEING OUT THERE IN THE PUBLIC.
YOU GUYS JUST, YOU GUYS ARE A TREMENDOUS ORGANIZATION.
AND TO THAT, I AM GRATEFUL AND THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING SO WELCOMING TO ME.
I'LL CALL YOU, YOU TALK TO ME, YOU'RE WILLING TO MEET.
IT'S OUTSTANDING ACCESSIBILITY.
YOU EXEMPLIFY THE CITY OF LAHABRA, A MOTTO, A CARING COMMUNITY.
SO, I'M GONNA FIRST START OFF BY SAYING THAT ONE OF THE PRIVILEGES THAT I GET TO, UH, THAT I HAVE SITTING ON THIS DAIS, IS THAT I CAN MAKE STATEMENTS.
I CAN MAKE COMMENTS THAT, UH, MAY TALK ABOUT HOW I FEEL ABOUT SOMETHING OR INTERACTIONS I MAY HAVE HAD WITH OTHERS.
AND MY CONSTITUENTS WILL PERCEIVE THAT TO BE TRUE.
I TREAD WITH CAUTION TO SUGGEST THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE MINDFUL OF WHO THEY ALLOW TO SEE FOR THEM.
I SAY THIS TO SAY, BECAUSE AS I LISTENED TO SOME OF THE COMMENTS, I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER ENTITY.
UH, I, I, I, I, I WANNA BE BROUGHT ABOUT THIS TO SAY THAT MAYBE THE BEST SOURCE OF INFORMATION TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM SOMEONE'S THOUGHTS AS TO WHY, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE EVENT'S NOT HAPPENING, IT'S TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HOLDING THAT EVENT.
UM, AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF SEVERAL, UH, EXAMPLES THAT I JUST WANNA KIND OF IDENTIFY THERE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I GET, I GET THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING ON THIS DIET AND, AND, AND, AND BE ABLE TO MAKE COMMENTS.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I HAVE DONE IN THIS DISCUSSION IS
[01:20:01]
INSTEAD OF MAKING THE COMMENTS, I ASK THE QUESTIONS.AND AS YOU HEARD TONIGHT, I ASKED MANY QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS.
I LIKE TO THINK THAT IN WHATEVER CONSIDERATION WE MAKE TONIGHT, I DO NOT WANT THE, WHATEVER THE STRIFE IS BETWEEN COUNCIL CHAMBERS PER PERHAPS, OR COUNCIL, CITY COUNCIL PERHAPS, AND OUR LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO, TO, TO CLOUD.
WHAT IS SOME VERY, VERY, UM, AT LEAST IN MY EYES AS A BUSINESS OWNER, SOME, SOME VERY OBVIOUS, UH, CONCERNS ABOUT ANOTHER BUSINESS.
UM, I, AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I OPERATE A WEBSITE.
WEBSITE'S BEEN OPERATING FOR OVER A DECADE.
UM, I HAVE STAFFING THAT, THAT MANAGES, THAT.
SOMETIMES I MANAGE, I HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF ATTRIBUTES ABOUT MYSELF THAT MAKES ME A, A, A, YOU KNOW, A A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS.
THESE THINGS, THESE QUESTIONS THAT I'M ASKING HERE ARE, ARE THINGS THAT ARE CLEAR ERRORS.
AND WE'VE HAD THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHO HAS, WHO, WHO WAS HERE IN NOVEMBER, WHO HAD ABOUT FIVE MONTHS BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND NOW TO CLEAN UP WHATEVER ERRORS THAT WERE THERE TO MAYBE EVEN ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAD THAT WE, THAT WE MENTIONED IN NOVEMBER.
AND I MEAN, SOME OF WHAT I HEARD IS, IS THAT, WELL, IT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS WERE AROUND WHEN I WASN'T THERE, BUT LEADERSHIP IS LEADERSHIP, AND YOU'RE AT THE HELM AT THAT POINT.
AND SO NOW WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, HEY, HOW DO WE CLEAN THIS STUFF UP? THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS ERRORS THERE THAT IF WE'RE MAKING THESE MINUTE MISTAKES HERE, WE'RE MAKING THESE MINUTE ERRORS.
IT, IT, I I, I, I CANNOT SEE MYSELF ASKING A CITY GOVERNMENT, LET ALONE EVEN JUST ONE BUSINESS.
MY BUSINESS, I, I CAN'T SEE MYSELF ASKING THE CITY GOVERNMENT TO JOIN AN OUTSIDE ENTITY OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY FOR SERVICES.
I CAN'T EVEN GUARANTEE WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA GET, BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU, AS I, AS I'VE KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE SET TO BE MEMBERS ARE NOT MEMBERS.
SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE SET TO BE MEMBERS DON'T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE.
SOME OF THE, THE, THE, THE INFORMATION THAT'S ON THE DIRECTORY ISN'T EVEN ACCURATE.
THE LAST THING I'LL HIGHLIGHT IS, YOU KNOW, AS I LISTEN TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, NOT JUST WHILE ON THIS DUS, BUT ALSO BEFORE I, I CAME ONTO THIS DUS, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN CONCERNS ABOUT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.
AND SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE RAISED CONCERN ABOUT THAT, RATHER IT BE WITH OUR CHAMBER WITHIN THE HYBRID CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OR EVEN AN OUTSIDE SOURCE, TO BE ABLE TO, TO CONSIDER INVESTING $5,500 A YEAR TO AN ENTITY OUTSIDE OF OUR ORGANIZ, UH, OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY VERSUS ANOTHER ENTITY WITHIN OUR CITY THAT IS 15 TIMES LESS THAN WHAT'S BEING ASKED FOR US TO PAY WITH ANOTHER ENTITY.
I, I, I, I, I THINK THAT THAT'S A, I HOPE WE'RE NOT BEING CONTRADICTORY TO THE MESSAGING THAT WE'VE BEEN CONVEYING FOR SOME TIME NOW.
AND THEN LASTLY, I'LL BRING UP THE, THE, THE, ONE OF THE, I'LL SAY ONE OF THE BIGGEST ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM, WHICH IS WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE CHANGING OF STAFF, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OUR CITY COUNCIL HAS MENTIONED WAS, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT NEPOTISM BEFORE I CAME ON TO COUNCIL.
AND NOW, EVEN WHILE I'M ON COUNCIL.
AND WHILE ONE, OR WHILE, WHILE ONE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHICH IS THE LA HABER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HAS NOW ENDED, THAT WE ARE BEING, WE'RE CONSIDERING JOINING A CHAMBER OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY THAT STILL ENGAGES IN THAT.
I, I JUST WANT MY COUNCIL TO BE CONSISTENT IN THEIR MESSAGING, NOT AT A CONVENIENCE, NOT AS A MEANS TO, YOU KNOW, JOIN ONE CHAMBER AND NOT THE OTHER.
UM, AGAIN, I'M JUST LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY.
AND I THINK THAT AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I AND I AS A BUSINESS OWNER ON THIS, ON, ON THIS DAIS, I I COME WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN KNOWING WHAT COULD BE THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF JOINING, UH, THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IF THAT IS A DECISION THAT OUR, UH, UH, OUR COUNCIL IS GONNA MAKE TONIGHT.
YES, I WAS LOOKING AT THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAD AS WELL, AND I DIDN'T AGREE WITH, FRANKLY, ANY OF THEM, ANY OF OPTION ONE OR OPTION TWO.
I THOUGHT THAT, IF ANYTHING, IF THEY'RE INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES, WHY AREN'T INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES LOOKING AT WHAT KIND OF, UH, PACKAGES AND OPTIONS, THE, UH, NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS TO TAKE IT UPON THEMSELVES? FOR EXAMPLE, A SMALL BUSINESS THAT WANTED TO PAY A $475 PER YEAR MEMBERSHIP, OR A NONPROFIT,
[01:25:01]
AN ENTREPRENEUR SMART BUSINESS THAT WANTS TO PAY 575 PER YEAR MEMBERSHIP.WHY CAN'T THAT BUSINESS ITSELF DO IT? INSTEAD OF THE CITY ACTUALLY, UH, GOING AND PAYING FOR OPTION TWO, WHICH WAS MENTIONED BY COUNCIL MEMBER NAZARIAN, THE BASIC MUNICIPAL, AND ANY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM OF 5,500, I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE LETTING EACH BUSINESS OWNER JUST APPLY FOR THEIR OWN, IF THEY'RE INTERESTED SO MUCH IN THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, LET THEM TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND CHOOSE THE OPTION THEY WANT AND SEE HOW IT GOES.
AND THEN I WOULD WANNA GET FEEDBACK FROM THESE BUSINESS OWNERS, HOW WAS YOUR PRO, HOW WAS YOUR PARTICIPATION WITH THE CHAMBER, THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE? AND THEN IF, IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I COULD SEE THAT, UH, THEY WERE BENEFITING TREMENDOUSLY FROM THEN, I WOULD CONSIDER PAYING IN AND PAYING IN A 5,500 OPTION FOR, UH, OPTION TWO.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE WAY I WOULD GO.
SO A FEW THINGS COME TO MIND AS I'M, UH, AS I'M CONSIDERING THIS, UM, YES, THE COST IS ONE, UH, AND THE, UH, THE, THE LESSER OF THE, UH, OF THE OPTIONS IS WHAT IS, WHAT DOES APPEAL TO ME.
HOWEVER, I WILL SAY THIS BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, UH, THAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS OUR LAHABRA BUSINESSES TO INCLUDE OUR LAHABRA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, UNDERSTAND THAT WE SUPPORT ALL LAHABRA BUSINESSES.
AND I'VE SAID THIS FROM DAY ONE, UH, THAT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING, BUT I WILL REITERATE IT.
WE SUPPORT EACH AND EVERY LAHABRA BUSINESS, WHETHER YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE AREA CHAMBER, WHERE YOU ARE A, A MEMBER OF THE, UH, NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER, WHETHER YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE, UH, UH, ORANGE COUNTY HISPANIC CHAMBER.
UH, AND, UH, THERE, UH, THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW BUSINESSES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR THAT I'VE, UH, THAT I'VE SOLICITED, THAT I'VE ASKED, HEY, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF, UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OUR CHAMBER AND, UH, OTHER BUSINESSES OUTSIDE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF NORTH ORANGE COUNTY? UM, POSITIVES, NEGATIVES TO BOTH.
UH, AND IT DOES SEEM MORE POSITIVES TO NORTH ORANGE COUNTY, UH, FROM WHAT, UH, WHAT I'VE COME TO, UH, TO FIGURE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I AM LOOKING FOR, UH, IN, IN THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP OF SORTS.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, LAHABRA BOULEVARD DEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPMENT, UH, THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DEVELOP.
AND A CERTAIN QUESTION DOES COME TO MIND, UH, QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED OF THE, UH, OF THE LAHABRA AREA CHAMBER SOME YEARS AGO.
UH, WHETHER THEY GO OUT AND SEEK NEW BUSINESSES, UH, AND, UH, AND THAT WAS HERE DURING A, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
AND THE THEN, UH, UH, CEO SAID, NO, THEY DO NOT.
THEY DO NOT, UH, GO OUT AND SEEK NEW BUSINESSES.
THAT STRUCK ME AS ODD, WHICH IS FINE.
UH, BUT, UH, PART OF WHAT I ASKED MR. GREGSON, UH, WAS, UH, HOW MANY CITIES ARE INVOLVED? BUENA PARK, FULLERTON, LA PALMA, AND STANTON, AND I SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED IN ON BUENA PARK, OUR, UH, SOUTHERN NEIGHBOR.
AND THERE WAS A REASON FOR THAT, UH, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE THE LIKES OF, UH, OF KNOTS, UH, AND WHEN YOU HAVE THE LIKES OF A MEDIEVAL TIMES, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT A PART OF THE CHAMBER ANYMORE, WHEN YOU HAVE THE LIKES OF PORTOS, AND WHEN YOU HAVE THE LIKES OF THESE BUSINESSES THAT ARE TRIED AND TRUE AND THAT ARE ON BEACH BOULEVARD, THEY CAN ONLY LEND TO ANY QUESTIONS WE MAY HAVE OR MAYBE PUT US IN TOUCH, UH, WITH, UH, WITH OTHER BUSINESSES.
THAT'S WHAT THE REGIONALIZATION ASPECT IS.
UM, ANY MONEY IS TOO MUCH MONEY.
UH, AND TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL, ANY MONEY IS TOO MUCH MONEY.
UH, BUT THERE'S BEEN NOTHING DONE.
AND I'LL TELL YOU THIS, OUR CITY STAFF WORKS VERY HARD HERE.
UH, THEY DO THE HEAVY LIFTING.
UH, THEY GO TO CONVENTIONS, UH, WHETHER IT BE IN LAS VEGAS, SAN DIEGO, WHEREVER IT IS, TO PULL BUSINESSES IN.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 20, 25 TO 30 YEARS, UH, WHEN I WAS NOT ON CITY COUNCIL, WHEN STEVE SIMONIAN WAS FIRST ON CITY COUNCIL, STEVE SIMONIAN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR GOING OUT TO LAS VEGAS AND GOING OUT TO THE, UH, UH, THE TRADE SHOW THERE AND SPEAKING TO BUSINESSES.
AND THAT'S HOW WE GOT, UH, UH, THE, UH, THE LOWE'S.
'CAUSE OF TRAFFIC STUDIES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WHAT I AM REALLY LOOKING FOR IS A PARTNERSHIP OF SOME SORT THAT CAN PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH A DIFFERENT BUSINESS THROUGHOUT ORANGE COUNTY.
AND I HAVE A FEW IN MIND, UH, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY FILL AN AREA HERE OF LAHABRA TO START IT OFF, THIS GATEWAY OF SORTS FOR LA HABER BOULEVARD, THAT'S HARBOR AND LAHA HARBOR, UH, BOULEVARD AND LA HABER BOULEVARD, THE OLD BIRCH FORD PROPERTY.
AND I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES THERE BECAUSE THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT OWNERS.
UH, AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
UH, BUT WE HAVE TO, I THINK WE HAVE TO, AS A CITY COUNCIL, TAKING YOU LOOK AT THIS, UH, TAKE A NEW LOOK AT IT AS A WHOLE BECAUSE, UH, THINGS ARE CHANGING IN THE CITY,
[01:30:01]
AND THEY'RE CONSTANTLY CHANGING.THAT'S THE DYNAMICS OF A, OF AN EVOLVING CITY.
UH, WHETHER IT'S HOUSING, WHETHER IT'S BUSINESSES WE NEED TO KEEP UP.
UH, THE ONE THING THAT WE DON'T HAVE IS A FREEWAY THAT COMES NEAR US.
BUT WHAT WE DO HAVE, WE HAVE A LOT OF VEHICLE TRAFFIC THAT COMES THROUGH HERE.
AND, UH, VEHICLE TRAFFIC THAT, UH, STOPS AT TRADER JOE'S, UH, THAT STOPS AT SPROUTS, THAT STOPS AT, UH, LOWE'S, UH, THAT, UH, WOULD STOP AT THE, UH, AT, AT, AT THE, UH, GROCERY OUTLET.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY, THEY'RE GOING OUTTA BUSINESS HERE UP ON, UH, WHITTER BOULEVARD, UH, AND, UH, OTHER OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, WHETHER IT BE, UH, IN BEND, UH, OWNER IS HERE, THIS, THIS EVENING, PART OF THE LIONS CLUB.
UH, WHO KNOWS, MAYBE, UH, MAYBE ANGELA'S BUSINESS BUSINESS COULD BENEFIT FROM A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER, BUT IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND, UH, AM I WILLING TO SPEND, UH, $5,500? I WOULDN'T WANNA HAVE TO, BUT I WILL, UH, IF IT, IF IT MEANS, UH, FURTHERING OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND I WOULD ASK IF, IF THIS DOES GAIN SOME TRACTION THIS EVENING, AND IF WE DO DO THIS, I WOULD ASK MR. GREGSON, IN THE SPIRIT OF BEING A GOOD STEWARD, TO REACH OUT TO THE HARBOR AREA CHAMBER AND TO PARTNER WITH THEM IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE, IF POSSIBLE.
NOT ONLY THAT, REACH OUT TO OUR BUSINESSES, DON'T PRESSURE THEM, BUT REACH OUT TO OUR BUSINESSES AND, UH, AND FIND A WAY TO, UH, TO MAKE THINGS WORK TO FURTHER OUR BUSINESSES.
WHAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF TOOK ME OVER THE TOP BACK ON OCTOBER 25TH, ACTUALLY, IT WAS THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 25TH.
I MET, I MET WITH A UPS STORE OWNER HERE ON, UH, ON, UH, HARBOR AND, UH, WHITTER BOULEVARD.
UH, AND HIS NAME IS, UH, SSH VAL, UM, MET WITH HIM BECAUSE, UH, I, UH, I HAD BEEN, UH, SOMEONE HAD REACHED OUT ASKING IF I CAN MAKE THEM BUSINESS OF THE WEEK ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA.
I SAID, ABSOLUTELY, ANY BUSINESS DOESN'T MATTER.
AND, UH, WENT AND MET WITH THEM AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT MR. UH, ALIA IS A MEMBER OF THREE, OR I MAY HAVE, I MAY, MAYBE FIVE, FIVE DIFFERENT BUSINESS CHAMBERS THROUGHOUT ORANGE COUNTY.
HE GOES, BECAUSE HE HAS BUSINESSES AT DIFFERENT PLACES AS WELL, BUT GENIUS TO A DEGREE, BECAUSE HE KNOWS PEOPLE OVER WITH THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS, WITH, WITH THE CALIFORNIA DUCKS, OTHER BUSINESS ENTITIES, NOT JUST THOSE SPORTS ENTITIES, BUT THAT HE'S VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
WELL, HE HAD A RIBBON CUT, OR HE HAD AN EVENT ON MARCH 8TH, UH, WHICH WE ATTENDED.
AND, UH, UH, HE BROUGHT THE LIKES OF, UH, OF DIFFERENT BUSINESSES, UH, FROM, UH, FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO THAT EVENT.
THOSE ARE CONTACTS THAT HE HAS THROUGHOUT ORANGE COUNTY, BECAUSE HE'S A MEMBER OF FIVE DIFFERENT CHAMBERS.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE CHAMBER IN YOUR CITY OR IN YOUR COUNTY.
YOU CAN HAVE MULTIPLE HELL ROSE, UH, ESPINOZA AND I HAVE, UH, HAVE ATTENDED THE ORANGE COUNTY HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, UH, ES AWARDS, UH, NUMEROUS TIMES.
UH, WE WERE INVITED BY, UH, BY THE GONZALEZ FAMILY FROM NORTHGATE.
WHAT AN EVENT THEY PUT ON EVERY YEAR.
AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, UH, UH, UH, SEATED AT THE, UH, AT, AT THE TABLES TO THIS EVENT OVER AT THE, UH, AT THE DISNEYLAND HOTEL.
UM, THE VARIOUS CELEBRITIES HAVE ATTENDED, UH, AND, UH, GUEST MCED, OR WERE GIVEN AWARDS THE LAST I ATTENDED A FEW YEARS BACK, UH, UH, JAMES OLMOS WAS, UH, WAS A RECIPIENT OF AN AWARD.
UH, BUT, UH, WHAT A PHENOMENAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE ORANGE COUNTY HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, THIS IS WHAT I AM LOOKING AT.
YES, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME BUMPS.
AND, AND I, AND I DON'T MEAN TO, UH, UH, TO LESSEN IT, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF TIME, UH, WITH, UH, WITH THE LOCAL AREA CHAMBER.
UH, BUT I CAN'T, UH, I CAN'T WAIT.
UM, I CAN'T, UH, THI THIS IS A, A RACE, ALTHOUGH IT'S A MARATHON.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SOMEBODY TO GET UP ON AND, YOU KNOW, AND TO GET ON BOARD.
WE NEED TO MOVE BECAUSE WE'RE MOVING AT THE SPEED OF BUSINESS HERE.
I'M NOT GONNA BE HERE FOREVER.
AND I TELL PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, I MAY NOT BE HERE AFTER NOVEMBER.
YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
THIS IS, ASIDE FROM THAT, THIS IS MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY OF LA HABRA AND ITS BUSINESSES HAVE A PARTNERSHIP THAT ANYTIME OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, DIRECTOR HAS A QUESTION OF SOME SORT FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, PEOPLE NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH SOMEBODY THAT THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW, THAT THEY CAN REACH OUT TO A REGIONAL CHAMBER AND SAY, HEY, UH, BY ANY CHANCE, CAN YOU GET ME IN TOUCH WITH SOMEBODY ON OPERATIONS OVER AT, UH, KNOTTSBERRY FARM? DO YOU KNOW, UH, THIS PERSON OVER AT CAL STATE FULLERTON? DO YOU KNOW, UH, THIS PERSON OVER IN, UH, IN THE CITY OF STANTON, YOU KNOW, WHO RUNS, UH, THE, UH, THE, THE MOBILE HOME PARK BEHIND THE, UH, WHAT IS IT, THE PARK AVENUE STEAKHOUSE NOW CLOSED? THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU CAN REACH OUT, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THIS IS WHAT I WANNA SEE FOR LAHABRA.
[01:35:01]
SO FOR THAT, I'M, I'M IN SUPPORT, AND I, I'LL BE IN SUPPORT OF THE, UH, UH, OF THE LESSER, UH, OPTION THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, NICK HER HAD OUTLINED.SO, WOULD WOULD, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
WOULD, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO MAKE A MOTION? UH, IF, IF YOU'D LIKE, MAKE A MOTION, PLEASE, I'LL MOVE TO RECEIVE AND FILE, UH, THIS STAFF REPORT.
AND I'LL DIRECT STAFF TO HAVE THE CITY OF LA HARBOR JOIN THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AT OPTION NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS THE BASIC MUNICIPAL ENTITY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SECOND OPTION, UH, WHICH IS JUST SIMPLY, UH, RECEIVE AND FILE, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO RECEIVE AND FILE THE REPORT AS PROVIDED.
UH, WE NEED TO, I WILL SECOND, UH, COUNCILMAN IAN'S MOTION.
SO A POINT OF, UH, ORDER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LAKIN'S.
OH, WELL, WHAT'S THE WORD? COUNCIL MEMBER LAKIN'S MOTION TO RECONSIDER, UH, FAILED FOR HAVING A LACK OF A SECOND.
ALRIGHT, SO I'LL, I'LL SECOND, UH, COUNCILMAN EXPERIENCE MOTION.
CAN WE CALL FOR A VOTE? VOICE VOTE PLEASE.
UH, FOR POINT OF ORDER, AS FAR AS THE TIMING FOR MEMBERSHIP, UH, AS WE'RE GETTING INTO THE BUDGET CYCLE, 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE NO APPROPRIATION FOR FUNDS FOR THIS.
WOULD IT BE ACCEPTABLE FOR COUNCIL FOR US TO START THE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS AND MAKE IT EFFECTIVE WITH THE NEW FISCAL YEAR, ALLOWING US TO BUDGET THE FUNDS IN PART OF THE NORMAL BUDGETING PROCESS FOR ME? YES.
IF I MAY ASK, THAT'S ACCEPTABLE FOR ME AS WELL.
SO, IS THAT TO SAY THAT THE FUNDING FOR THIS, UH, JOINING OF THIS CHAMBER IS COMING OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND? IT WOULD BE A GENERAL FUND EXPENSE, AND THERE'S NO SPECIAL ALLOCATION FROM ANY OTHER FUNDING.
THERE'S NO BUDGET RIGHT NOW FOR A MEMBERSHIP TO ANY CHAMBER.
SO IF IT'S AMENABLE TO COUNCIL, IF SOMEONE CAN MAKE A MOTION TO HAVE THIS TAKE EFFECT WITH THE NEW FISCAL YEAR WE'LL INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET FOR COUNCIL REVIEW, THEN YEAH.
YOU MAKING THE MOTION? UH, DOES IT NEED TO BE A SEPARATE MOTION FOR THAT PURPOSE? IT NEEDS TO BE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND A VOTE, PLEASE.
I I WOULD MOVE TO MAKE THIS EFFECTIVE, UH, WITHIN THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS OF THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? I WILL SECOND YOU TO VOTE.
UH, WE HAVE A VOICE VOTE PLEASE.
SO THE FIRST MOTION, UM, FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT AND TO JOIN THE NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER AT THE $5,500 LEVEL, UM, DID PASS BY A THREE TO TWO VOTE.
AND THE SECOND MOTION TO START THE APPLICATION PROCESS IN THE NEW FISCAL YEAR.
26 27 DID PASS ALSO BY A FOUR TO ONE VOTE.
[ MAYOR'S COMMUNITY CALENDAR:]
MAYOR'S COMMUNITY CALENDAR, HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE AND SHRED EVENT.IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CRR, THE CITY WILL HOST A H HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE AND SHRED EVENT FOR LAHABRA RESIDENTS ON SATURDAY, MAY 16TH FROM 8:00 AM UNTIL 12:00 PM AT THE LAHABRA PUBLIC WORKS YARD, 5 21 WEST MOUNTAIN VIEW AVENUE SENIOR DANCE.
THE ALOHA SENIOR DANCE WILL BE HELD ON SUNDAY, MAY 17TH FROM 2:00 PM UNTIL 4:00 PM AT THE LAHABRA COMMUNITY CENTER.
ENJOY LIVE MUSIC, DANCING, DINNER, RAFFLES, AND DESSERT TRIPS AND TOURS.
JOIN THE CITY OF LAHABRA FOR SIP, SABER AND STROLL THE JULIAN TEA EXPERIENCE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH FROM 8:00 AM UNTIL 5:00 PM PICK UP AND DROP OFF AT LA BONITA PARK.
AND COST IS $149 PER PERSON PARTY IN THE PARK.
THE LA HABER COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT PRESENTS PARTY IN THE PARK ON SATURDAY, MAY 23RD FROM 10:00 AM UNTIL 2:00 PM AT OSD PARK, FAMILIES CAN ENJOY A VARIETY OF SUMMER ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING A FOAM PARTY, WATER GAMES, CRAFTS, CONCESSIONS, AND THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM MOBILE MUSEUM MOVIES IN THE PARK.
THE LAHABRA LAHABRA INVITES YOU TO PREHISTORIC NIGHT UNDER THE STARS.
GRAB YOUR BLANKETS AND LAWN CHAIRS FOR A SCREEN OF JURASSIC WORLD ON OUR GIANT MOVIE SCREEN ON FRIDAY, MAY 29TH AT VINCE SCULLY CENTENNIAL PARK MOVIE STARTS AT DUSK LA HABRA ACTIVE DAY CAMP REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THE LA HABRA ACTIVE DAY CAMP, RUNNING MONDAY, JUNE 1ST THROUGH FRIDAY, AUGUST 7TH AT VETERANS HALL FOR AGES FIVE TO 12 YEARS OLD.
[01:40:01]
$60.A PERSON IN CAMP IS $200 PER WEEK.
LA HABRA SUMMER CONCERTS 2026.
THE LAHARA SUMMER CONCERT SERIES RETURNS JULY 9TH FROM 7:00 PM UNTIL 8:30 PM WITH SMOOTH SOUND.
WHERE'S OUR FUNNEL CAKE WITH SMOOTH SOUNDS OF SANTANA PLAYING AT VINCE SCULLY CENTENNIAL PARK.
ENJOY LIVE MUSIC, LOCAL VENDORS AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES AND LIONS CLUB FUNNEL CAKES.
GET READY FOR THE 2026 LOVE LAHABRA DAY ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING IN THE CITY THAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS HELP, SUBMIT IT THROUGH LOVE LA HABRA.COM COMMISSION MEETINGS.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETS ON THE SECOND AND FOURTH MONDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 6:30 PM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER.
THE COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MEETS ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 6:30 PM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER.
WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS ARE STILL ENFORCED AND CALIFORNIANS ARE BEING ASKED TO CONSERVE WATER LANGUAGE.
IS THAT, AND WITH THAT, UH, ANY COMMENTS FROM STAFF? NONE.
[ COMMENTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS/DIRECTORS:]
COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER DIRECTORS? YES.WE'LL START, UH, OVER TO OUR EXTREME LEFT.
COUNCILMAN LEMKIN? THANK YOU, MAYOR.
UH, I WANT TO FIRST START BY SAYING, UH, THANK YOU TO THE RESIDENTS OF LAHABRA THANK YOU TO CITY STAFF.
THANK YOU TO OUR MANY ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN OUR CITY THAT HAS, AGAIN, UM, SHOWN GREAT HOSPITALITY, NOT JUST ME, BUT MY FAMILY AS WE TRAVEL AROUND THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR CITY.
UM, APRIL 11TH, I WENT TO POST TWO SIX SEVENS, UH, LAHABRA 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
UH, YOU KNOW, I, I, I WANNA THANK CARRIE S FOR THE AMAZING WORK SHE DID IN PUTTING THAT TOGETHER, ALONG WITH HER TEAM.
UM, AND WHAT A WAY TO HONOR OUR VETERANS.
UH, APRIL 13TH, UH, I WENT TO, UH, THE WAREHOUSE FOUR SQUARE CHURCH, WHICH IS ALMOST LITERALLY RIGHT OUTSIDE THE CITY OF LAHABRA.
IT'S, UH, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET OF VALLEY VIEW HOMES.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO, UM, K THROUGH SIXTH GRADERS, UH, A PRESENTATION ON SIMPLY WHAT IS GOVERNMENT.
AND SO IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS GOVERNMENT TO K THROUGH SIX, A WIDE VARIETY OF A BIG AUDIENCE OF STUDENTS.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU, THESE STUDENTS, WHO MANY OF THEM ARE HOMESCHOOLED, UM, ARE SOME SHARP INDIVIDUALS.
I WANT TO THANK THE, UH, STAFF THERE FOR INVITING ME, FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
WE DID A LOT OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES THAT REINFORCE NOT ONLY WHAT IS GOVERNMENT, BUT WHAT MY ROLE IS AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ON APRIL 16TH.
WENT TO LA HABER 1 0 1, AND OF COURSE, I WAS EXTREMELY EXCITED TO BE THERE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S LONG OVERDUE.
IT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO UNDER, UH, TO COME INTO THEIR, UH, CITY HALL AND GET TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW GOVERNMENT OPERATES, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT THEY MAY HAVE, BUT SUSPEND A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS AS WELL.
AND AS I SAID DURING THAT MEETING, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, FOCUSING ON WHAT WE DO, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, THAT THOSE MEMBERS THAT DID JOIN THIS FIRST COHORT, THEY FOCUSED ON WHAT THEY VALUE, UM, AND, AND FOCUS ON WHAT THEY VALUE THAT WILL THEN NAVIGATE THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY ASK.
YOU KNOW, NAVIGATING THE QUESTIONS BASED ON WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM.
UH, THE, THE CITY STAFF'S GOT SOME GREAT INFORMATION THEY WANNA SHARE WITH YOU.
THERE'S A, A GREAT DEAL OF KNOWLEDGE AND, AND EXPERIENCE THAT OUR CITY, UM, UH, STAFF HAS.
AND NOW IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, CAPITALIZE ON RECEIVING THAT KNOWLEDGE, UH, BY ASKING QUESTIONS BASED ON WHAT YOU FOUND TO BE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU.
UM, ON APRIL 18TH, I ATTENDED THE NATIONAL PET DAY AT CENTENNIAL PARK.
UM, I, I FINALLY GOT MY DOGS OUT TO A CITY EVENT.
UM, MANY PEOPLE WERE KIND OF SHOCKED AT HOW BIG THE DOGS WERE.
I HAVE THREE DOGS AND I, AND IN BRINGING THOSE THREE DOGS, I BOUGHT EXTRAS FOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GOMEZ, AND WHO ELSE DOESN'T HAVE A DOG? I BOUGHT ONE FOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, NICK SIAN AS WELL.
UM, SO IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD EVENT.
FIRST ONE FOR THE CITY, UM, JUST LIKE, WHAT'S EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AT CENTENNIAL PARK, RATHER IT BE AN EVENT OR NOT.
AND, UH, IT WAS GREAT THAT I GOT TO MEET SOME RESIDENTS WITH PETS AND, UH, THEY GOT TO MINGLE WITH MY PETS.
UH, RIGHT AFTER THAT, I ACTUALLY WENT TO CATERPILLAR'S ADOPTION DAY.
SO I TOOK THE THREE DOG KIDS, THE, THE THE DOG KIDS TO THE PARK.
BUT AFTER THAT, I TOOK MY HUMAN KID TO THE CATERPILLAR
AND, UH, I WANNA THANK THE MUSEUM STAFF FOR, AGAIN, UH, WELCOMING MY FAMILY WITH OPEN ARMS AND US, UH, BEING ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT EVENT.
UM, MY, MY SON ENDED UP GETTING THE CATERPILLAR, WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL START COCOONING IN THE NEXT 24, 48 HOURS IF WE DID THIS
[01:45:01]
RIGHT.APRIL 19TH, UH, I WENT TO THE FUNERAL OF, UM, BUFFY ECK.
AND, UM, I'LL JUST SAY THAT I WANNA THANK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR ALLOWING ME TO SAY A FEW WORDS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND REPRESENT THE CITY.
UH, AT THAT FUNERAL, UM, THE CITY DID PROVIDE FLOWERS, AND IT WAS, AND WE DID MENTION, UH, THE PLAQUE THAT WE'LL BE PLACING OUT IN FRONT OF CITY, CITY HALL THROUGH THE, THROUGH PRIVATE DONATION.
UM, SO I WANNA THANK MY CITY STAFF AND CITY CO, OR THANK THE CITY STAFF AND MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALLOWING ME TO SAY A FEW WORDS THERE.
UH, APRIL 20TH, WE WENT TO LAHABRA, UH, OR THAT WAS TODAY.
OH, WENT TO A FEW BUILDING DEDICATIONS.
YEAH, SO RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET HERE AT AROUND THREE 30, WE GOT TO DO SOME DEDICATIONS FOR FOUR, UM, UH, FOUR, FOUR LOCATIONS IN TWO BUILDINGS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM ONE ANOTHER.
LAHABRA WOMEN'S CLUB, THE LAHABRA ART ASSOCIATION, THE COMMUNITY SERVICES NOW CONTROL SERVICES, UH, AND IN ALSO THE LAHABRA HISTORY MUSEUM.
AND THE, THE FACILITIES LOOK AMAZING.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW THEY GET POPULATED.
AS I WAS STANDING OUT HERE ON EUCLID, UM, I COULD REALLY SEE THIS, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN COMING TOGETHER FOR WHAT DOWNTOWN LA HARBOR WILL LOOK LIKE.
UM, NOW IT'S ACTUALLY COMING TO FRUITION, AND YEAH, IT MAY TAKE A FEW MORE YEARS, MAYBE EVEN OVER A DECADE, BUT TO SEE, TO VISUALIZE IT NOW AND TO SEE THE POTENTIAL THAT'S THERE, UM, IS AMAZING.
UM, THE LAST THING I'LL JUST MENTION IS IN OUR, UM, UH, IN OUR CONSENT CALENDAR, WE, WE, WE HAD AN ITEM NUMBER NINE LIST RELATED TO THE CENTENNIAL PARK IMPROVEMENTS.
THERE WAS MENTIONING OF SOME CHAIN LINK FENCING THAT WAS GONNA PUT, UH, THAT WAS GONNA BE PUT UP.
UM, I JUST WANNA JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CONSIDERING MANY RESIDENTS, WHILE THEY ARE ENJOYING CENTENNIAL PARK, MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN OFFERING SUGGESTIONS.
THEY'VE BEEN OFFERING FEEDBACK TO SOME OTHER ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE CAN DO AT THE PARK BY DOING THIS CHAIN LINK FENCING.
THIS IS YOUR CITY STAFF THAT IS HEARING YOU.
THEY HEAR SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS, THEY HEAR SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY COMMITTING TO MAKING THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
SO, AND, AND, AND ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS ADDING A CHAIN LINK FENCING.
UH, LAHABRA 1 0 1, WHAT A FANTASTIC CLASS.
I ESPECIALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, ALL OUR STAFF MEMBERS, AND ESPECIALLY BRENA HURT, WHO, UH, HAD A LARGE PORTION OF PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
AND, UH, JIM SADRO, GREAT JOB.
I REMEMBER YOUR VERY FIRST PRESENTATION YOU DID HERE, AND YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY AND DID VERY GREAT AT, AT THIS, UH, PRESENTATION.
AND IT, I'M JUST SO EXCITED THE WAY THAT CLASS TURNED.
I COULD NOT BELIEVE EVERYBODY THAT, THAT ATTENDED THAT, THAT WAS WELL ATTENDED.
AGAIN, BRIAN BRIANNA, YOU HIT IT OUTTA THE PARK PET DAY CELEBRATION, KIM AND NEW YORK, YOUR CREW, FANTASTIC EVENT.
UH, I NO LONGER OWN A DOG, BUT IF I WAS SO GREAT TO SEE PEOPLE FROM EVERY DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE, DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS THEY LIVE, EVERYBODY INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER, EVERYBODY GETTING ALONG.
SHANE, WHAT KIND OF DOG IS THAT? WHAT KIND OF THIS? AND EVERYBODY, I, I SAW NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER.
I SEE ANYBODY GET BY BIT BY A DOG.
UH, WHAT A PERFECT DAY THAT THAT WAS HIT OUTTA THE PARK AT CENTENNIAL PARK.
UH, ANNETTE, I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY.
I WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE BEEN AT, UH, BUFFY'S, UH, MEMORIAL LIFE, UH, CELEBRATION.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD A PRE-EVENT SCHEDULED FROM SIX MONTHS AGO TO BE WITH MY SON AT AN EVENT, OR ELSE I WOULD'VE DEFINITELY BE THERE.
UH, BUFFY AND HER FAMILY, UH, ARE VERY SPECIAL.
I GOTTA TALK TO HER PARENTS THOUGH.
AND, UM, I, I DO APOLOGIZE I WASN'T ABLE TO GET THERE.
BUT PRIOR TO MY EVENT THAT MY SON AND I ATTENDED ON SUNDAY, I DID GET TO GO TO THE SENIOR DANCE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR.
AND AGAIN, UH, THEY HAD AN EASTER THEME AND THERE WAST EVEN A, A, AN APPEARANCE BY THE EASTER BUNNY.
AND SO THEY HAD SECURITY BOARDS AND EVERYBODY GOT THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL SECURITY BOARD, UH, WITH, WITH STUFF.
AND THEN THEY, THEY TOPPED IT OFF WITH A HAM, HAM, UH, LUNCHEON WITH ALL THE FIXING MASHED POTATOES.
AND, AND IT WAS REALLY FANTASTIC.
I WANNA THANK ALL, ALL YOUR STAFF THAT WAS THERE.
AND THERE'S ONE YOUNG MAN WHO A ROSE, AND I SEE HIM AT ALL HIS SENIOR DANCES.
AND THIS KID IS JUST FANTASTIC.
HE'S PART OF THE YOUTH COMMITTEE, BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT, UH, HE WAS PART OF ONE OF THE GUTTERS.
AND AGAIN, HE WAS THERE ON SUNDAY AND I HAD NO IDEA THAT HE WAS CANDACE AND DMITRI'S SON.
I'VE SEEN HIM THERE, AND HE DOES REALLY A GREAT JOB, UH, THIS WEEK, UH, SOMETHING THAT I'M PART OF THE, UH, ORANGE COUNTY MOSQUITO AND VECTOR CONTROL DISTRICT.
UH, THIS WEEK'S MOSQUITO AWARENESS WEEK, I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY OUT THERE TO PLEASE, UH, TIP AND TOSS.
[01:50:01]
UH, PAST YEARS AGO, AND ALSO JOSE MEDRANO, THEY, THEY SHOT SOME VIDEOS FOR ME, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF TIPPING AND TOSSING, GETTING RID OF STANDING WATER.AND I DO WANT TO THANK KTLA FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING, UH, TO REMIND EVERYBODY TO TIP AND TOSS.
UH, I ALSO, UH, WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE AMERICAN LEGION.
GOT TO ATTEND THEIR HUNDREDTH, UH, YEAR CELEBRATION OVER THERE.
AND I WANNA ALSO WANT WELCOME A BRAND NEW BUSINESS, CHAKA.
WE ATTENDED THE GRAND OPENING.
COUNCILMAN LAMBKIN WAS THERE, DARREN AND, AND OUR MAYOR WAS THERE.
AND, UH, THIS IS GREAT BECAUSE THESE ARE, UH, THE OWNERS ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN, IN YOUTH SPORTS, AND THEY KIND OF WANT MAKE IT THAT FEELING WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME, KIND OF A COMMUNITY BAR.
UH, AND IT WAS, IT'S GREAT TO SEE PEOPLE WHO, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF 'EM WAS A FORMER HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL COACH, VERY ACTIVE IN POP WARNER.
AND, UH, IT WAS GREAT TO, TO SEE THEM NOW OPEN A BUSINESS HERE IN LAHABRA.
AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS FANTASTIC.
FINAL NOTE, JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE, UH, CRAB SHACK ON THEIR SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY, I GOT TO MEET WITH THEIR OWNERS, UH, FOR THEIR SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CRAB SHACK.
SEVEN YEARS IN, THEY'RE DOING VERY WELL.
THEY'RE OVER, THEY'RE BY NORTHGATE MARKET.
COUNCILWOMAN ESPINOZA? NO, YOU SAID ESPINOZA.
THE OTHER ESP I PER BASICALLY WENT TO THE SAME EVENTS THAT MANY OF THESE DID.
UH, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, I WENT TO THE VETERANS 100 CENTENNIAL, CARRIE, AND A GROUP OF LADIES CALLED AMIGOS.
IF IT WEREN'T FOR THEM, UM, THE BEAUTY, THE, THE PRIZES, THE RAFFLE PRIZES, EVERYTHING.
I MEAN, UH, WOULD'VE NOT BEEN POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU TO THE PROGRAMS. UH, EVERYTHING.
UH, THEY ARE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE VETERANS 2, 2, 6, 7 WOULD'VE DONE WITHOUT THEM.
SO I'M GRATEFUL TO THEM FOR HELPING OUT.
UH, AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT THIS GROUP FORM, BECAUSE THEY FILL IN THE, THE NEED FOR ANY ORGANIZATION THAT MAY HELP.
AND, UH, IT'S AMAZING AS TO WHAT ALL THEY THEY WILL DO.
AND I'M JUST GRATEFUL TO BE A PARTNER WITH THEM AND JOIN THEM AS WELL.
SO, THANK YOU TO CARRIE FOR ALL HER TREMENDOUS WORK.
THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE THAT SERVE THE COCKTAILS THAT TOOK THE PHOTOS, THE DJ OR THE MUSIC, AND ALL THE DECORATIONS AND THE TABLE ARRANGEMENTS.
I DID GO TO THE LITTLE HARBOR 1 0 1.
I WAS GLAD THAT IT WAS FILLED WITH SO MANY RESIDENTS THAT WERE INTERESTED IN IT.
AND I, I DID GO TO THE, UM, ORANGE COUNTY, AND SO DID COUNCIL MEMBER DAR NAZARIAN.
WE ATTENDED THE, UH, ORANGE SUPERVISOR SHAFI CONDITION OF CHILDREN IN NOR ORANGE COUNTY.
AND ONE OF OUR PANELISTS WAS, UH, JOANNE, JOHANNA PEREZ.
SHE REPRESENTED THE CITY OF LAHABRA.
I WAS VERY PROUD OF HER BECAUSE OUR CITY IS ONE OF THE FEW CITIES, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY, AND YOU CAN'T COUNT THEM ON ONE HAND BECAUSE THERE ISN'T THAT MANY CITIES THAT HAVE ACTUALLY A CITY ZERO THAT'S JUST US, THE CITY OF LA HARBOR THAT HAS A FAMILY CHILDREN'S CARE CENTERS, UH, IN THE CITY OF LA HARBOR.
THERE'S NO OTHER CITY THAT DOES THAT, THAT PROVIDES FOR THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, WHEN I WENT THERE AND I SAW THE, I WAS PICKING UP MY REPORT.
I GO, PLEASE LET IT BE BETTER.
BECAUSE I KNOW A FEW YEARS BACK, OUR PRESCHOOLERS, OUR, OUR EARLY LEARNING KIDS WERE FALLING BEHIND.
UH, AND IT WAS DISMAL THE NUMBERS.
AND NOW IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAP AND YOU'RE SEEING JUST WHAT CITIES ARE AND PRIVATE, UH, PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND, AND BUSINESSES ARE PROVIDING CHILDCARE FOR PRE LEARNERS.
WE HAVE A BIGGEST, THE LARGEST, WE HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST NUMBERS IN ORANGE COUNTY.
THERE ARE A FEW OTHERS, BUT WE HAVE AT LEAST 16, UH, CHILDCARE FACILITIES AND FAMILY CARE FACILITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR CITY.
AND THAT MAKES ME VERY, VERY PROUD BECAUSE WE, AND I BELIEVE THE CITY COLLABORATES WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO YOU'RE PROVIDING THEM A FOUNDATION THAT IS SIMILAR TO WHAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS PROVIDING.
SO THIS WAY, IT'S NOT A MISHMASH OF LEARNING, BUT IT'S, IT'S PREPARING THEM FOR WHERE THEY GO INTO KINDERGARTEN AND THEY'RE, WE BETTER PREPARED.
AND SO THAT LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THAT WE HAVE KIDS THAT ARE GOING TO BE WELL PREPARED WHEN THEY GO INTO KINDERGARTEN AND FAR, FAR ADVANCED THAN THE OTHER KIDS WHO DID NOT GO.
NOW I HAVE A, NOT, I HAVE A NONPROFIT AND I TUTOR KIDS, AND I CAN CLEARLY SEE WHICH KIDS HAVE GONE TO PRE-K AND WHICH KIDS HAVE NOT.
I CAN SEE BY SOME OF MY KIDS ARE SLOW LEARNERS.
AND THE OTHER KIDS THAT HAVE GONE TO PRESCHOOL, THEY ARE ON TOP OF THE PROJECT.
THEY'RE ON TOP OF THE HOMEWORK, THEY'RE ACCELERATING,
[01:55:01]
THEY'RE UP TO PACE WITH THE READING.AND SO WHAT WE AS A CITY ARE PROVIDING AND THE DAYCARES THAT ARE PROVIDING IS SO IMPORTANT IN PREPARING THESE CHILDREN FOR THE FOUNDATION OF THE FUTURE.
AND I'M JUST GLAD THAT WE HAVE, UH, OUR CITY IS CON IS PROVIDING THIS KIND OF SERVICE BECAUSE AS I SAID, NO OTHER CITY IS PROVIDING.
AND JOHANNA IS A PRODUCT OF THE DAY, DAYCARES THAT THE CITY WAS OFF THAT IS OFFERING.
SHE IS NOW IN THAT POSITION WHERE SHE CAN BE A TESTIMONY.
AND SHE IS WITH THE, LET ME SEE, WITH THE, UM, WITH THE LA HARBOR CHILDCARE DIVISION, THE COMMUNITY SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
AND I WAS VERY PROUD OF HER AS SHE SPOKE AND GAVE THE PRESENTATION, UM, AND FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT SHE WAS A PRODUCT OF THAT SERVICE.
AND NOW HERE SHE IS IN THIS POSITION REPRESENTING THE CITY OF LA HARBOR, WAS JUST LIKE A FEATHER IN OUR HAT.
SO KUDOS TO HER, KUDOS TO HER PRESENTATION.
AND, UH, KUDOS TO THE CITY OF LA HARBO, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT LEE REISNER WAS ONE OF THOSE THAT WAS, WAS VITAL IN THIS.
HOW, HOW LONG AGO DID HE, DID HE PROVIDE THE SERVICE? HOW MANY YEARS CAN WE DONE THIS? UM, ALMOST YEARS.
IT WAS BACK, IT STARTED BACK, IT STARTED BACK IN THE LEE REISNER DAYS IS WHEN, WHEN THEY BEGAN THAT.
AND HE WAS THE CITY MANAGER THAT DECIDED THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IN THE CITY OF LAW HARBOR.
AND WE ARE THE ONLY CITY IN ORANGE COUNTY THAT PROVIDES THIS.
SO I AM EXTREMELY PROUD THAT WE ARE CARRYING THAT LEGACY AND THAT WE HAVE INDIVIDUAL LIKE JOHANNA THAT ARE GOING TO BE THE FUTURE LEADERS IN OUR CITY OF LA HARBOR.
SO EARLIER, I'M SORRY, JOHANNA WAS HERE EARLIER.
YES, SHE WAS HERE EARLIER, AND SHE WAS VERY PROUD TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF LA HARBOR AS WELL.
I DID ATTEND, UH, BUFFY'S, UH, CELEBRATION OF LIFE.
AND I RECALL HER BROTHER SAYING THAT WHEN THEY SENT OUT THE FLYER AND THERE WAS GONNA BE RSVPS, THEY EXPECTED MAYBE 20 PEOPLE TO, TO RSS VP.
THAT WHOLE AUDITORIUM WAS PACKED WITH PEOPLE.
AND YOU COULD SEE, CLEARLY SEE BUFFY'S LIFE.
SHE PACKED SO MUCH LIFE INTO THOSE 52 YEARS AS YOU SAW THE PICTURE SLIDING THROUGH WITH THE MUSIC.
I DON'T THINK I EVER SAW A DUPLICATE PICTURE THROUGHOUT THAT WHOLE TIME THAT I WAS THERE FROM ALL THE THINGS SHE DID.
AND I LEARNED OF MORE THINGS THAT SHE HAD DONE, NOT JUST WITH THE CITY, NOT JUST WITH THE ORGANIZATION, BUT WITH HER FAMILY AND HER CHURCH.
I, I KNEW SHE WAS A TASMANIAN DEVIL, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS A TASMANIAN DEVIL IN EVERYTHING SHE DID.
AND, UH, WE WERE JUST FORTUNATE.
I THINK WE WERE JUST FORTUNATE TO KNOW HER.
AND, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DID TO HELP HER IN IT.
SHE IS A ANGEL NOW, AND SHE CONTINUES TO BE AN ANGEL WITH US ALSO.
I DID BASICALLY THE SAME STUFF MOSTLY, UH, AMERICAN LEGION 2 67 WAS GREAT BECAUSE 100 YEARS OF THIS AMERICAN LEGION POST WAS TRULY SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE, AND IT WAS AN HONOR FOR ME TO CELEBRATE THAT WITH THEM.
CARRIES DOES DO A FANTASTIC JOB.
I MEAN, THAT REALLY IS HER FORTE.
I MEAN, SHE'S JUST A PARTY MASTER AND SHE, SHE ALWAYS PUTS ON GREAT EVENTS.
THE HOPPER 1 0 1 WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE THAT LEVEL OF INTEREST AND ENGAGEMENT.
UH, THE MOST FUN PART FOR ME WAS WATCHING THE MASTER CEREMONIES JIM SADRO TAKE TO HELM THERE.
IT WAS LIKE WATCHING JOHNNY CARSON IN HIS PRIME IN THE SENSE THAT HE'S FUNNY, BUT HE'S ALSO INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE AND, UH, JUST REALLY SETS GOOD GROUND RULES.
LIKE I THINK YOU SAID NO CHEWING GUM UNLESS YOU BROUGHT ENOUGH FOR EVERYBODY.
DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT? SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, PET DAY WAS A LOT OF FUN, ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO CORRECT THE RECORD, IS THAT DELL DID NOT BRING DOGS TO THAT EVENT AT ALL.
I WANTED TO GIVE 'EM A SUGAR CUBE OR AN APPLE OR SOMETHING WHEN I SAW THOSE DOGS.
THEY WERE A LOT BIGGER THAN THE MAYORS, UH, GERMAN SHEPHERD MAX.
I CAN JUST TELL EVERY TIME I SEE MAX.
THAT'S WHAT HE TELLS EVERYBODY.
THAT'S WHAT HE TELLS EVERYBODY.
BUT THAT WAS ANOTHER SPECTACULARLY SUCCESSFUL EVENT.
BUFFY SWO DECK SERVICE WAS VERY EMOTIONAL, VERY EVOCATIVE.
I'LL JUST SAY THAT AT THE VERY END, THERE WAS A, HER MOM AND DAD GOT UP THERE, AND I THINK THE DAD IS IN HIS LATE EIGHTIES.
THE MOM IS IN HER EARLY NINETIES, AND THEY BEGAN SINGING THE MOST ANGELIC PERFECT DUET TOGETHER.
AND I KNOW DAD HAD A HARD TIME KEEPING IT TOGETHER WHILE HE WAS SINGING, BUT THEIR VOICES IN UNISON WAS TRULY SOMETHING FROM ABOVE.
AND, UH, I TELL YOU, THERE WAS NOT A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE WHEN THEY WERE SINGING.
AND IT WAS A, A PERFECT TRIBUTE TO BUFFY WHO TRULY WAS A TREASURE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
SO I'M GLAD I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND.
UH, YEAH, I WENT TO A LOT OF THE SAME EVENTS THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAD GONE TO.
THEY ACTUALLY SHOCK ABAR, THE RIBBON CUTTING.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE, UH, NICK MITROVICH AND, UH, AND, UH,
[02:00:01]
AND YEAH.AND, UH, MILES, UH, OPEN UP THEIR BUSINESS.
I KNOW NICK'S BEEN A LONG TIME RESIDENT HERE IN LA HABRA, VERY ACTIVE IN, UH, LAHABRA YOUTH SPORTS, LARA HIGH SCHOOL, UH, FOOTBALL, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UH, HIS DAUGHTER, HANNAH PLAYED, UH, PLAYED SOCCER WITH ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS.
SO, UH, THE MITROVICH, UH, FAMILY ARE, ARE QUITE RECOGNIZED HERE IN LAHABRA.
SO KUDOS AND, UH, AND BEST, UH, BEST WISHES TO THEM ON, UH, ON THEIR HOPEFULLY, UH, CONTINUING A, UH, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS.
UH, CITY MANAGER AND I ATTENDED THE, UH, OCTA MAYOR'S MEETING, UH, THIS PAST WEEK.
THIS WAS, UH, THE FIRST TIME I ATTENDED THAT.
AND, UH, AS MAYOR, OF COURSE, UM, AND, UH, VERY THANKFUL, UH, NOT ONLY TO OUR CITY STAFF, BUT, UH, TO OCTA, UH, FOR A LOT OF THE, UH, FUNDING THAT THEY GIVE US.
UH, PART OF THAT, UH, WHICH IS PART OF MANY.
BUT, UH, FUNDING TO, UH, UH, TO CLOSE THE, UH, OC BIKE LOOP, UH, HERE IN, UH, IN LAHABRA.
THEY HAVE DEDICATED AMOUNT OF MONEY, UH, FOR THAT.
AND OF COURSE, FOR OTHER PROJECTS, UH, THROUGHOUT, NOT ONLY LAHABRA, BUT THROUGHOUT, UH, ORANGE COUNTY, QUITE REFRESHING TO SEE WHAT IT IS THEY DO AND HOW THEY ARE THOUGHT OF AS THE PREMIER TRANSPORTATION AGENCY, UH, UH, NOT ONLY IN THE STATE, BUT IN THE COUNTRY, AND HOW SOUGHT AFTER THEY ARE, UH, IN, UH, IN EVERYTHING THEY DO.
UH, APPARENTLY I DID NOT KNOW THAT.
I KNEW THEY WERE GOOD, BUT I KNOW THEY WERE THAT GOOD.
AND, UH, AND A PART OF IT IS, UH, AS I, AS I CAME TO LEARN, UH, A A SEGMENT OF A CERTAIN FREEWAY HERE IN, UH, IN ORANGE COUNTY, WHICH THEY WOULD, UH, THEY WOULD LOVE TO TAKE OVER, BUT, UH, ANOTHER, UH, STATE ENTITY NOT TAKE OVER, BUT TO TAKE OVER THE WORK THAT ANOTHER STATE ENTITY IS DOING, AND COME TO FIND OUT HOW GOOD, HOW GREAT OCTA IS, UH, IS THEIR JOB, AT THEIR JOB.
AND, UH, FOR OUR LAHABRA RESIDENTS.
UH, SO THEY KNOW HOW THE FREEWAYS DO AFFECT US HERE IN LAHABRA, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT IN TIME, IF THERE'S A BACKUP ON A CERTAIN FREEWAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA FEEL IT.
UH, IF THERE'S A SIGNAL ALERT, SOMETHING, UH, OF, UH, OF GREAT IMPORTANCE THAT HAPPENS ON THESE FREEWAYS, UH, WE'RE GONNA FEEL IT.
SO, UH, JUST, UH, KNOW THAT, UH, THE ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY IS ON IT.
AND, UH, IT WAS A, UH, A WONDERFUL MORNING.
UH, AND, UH, I THINK, UH, WE REPRESENTED WELL OVER AT THE, UH, MAYOR'S MEETING THERE.
THANKS, UH, JIM SADRO, UH, FOR ACCOMPANYING ME, LAHABRA 1 0 1, YEAH.
YOU GUYS, UH, HIT IT OUTTA THE PARK.
BRIANNA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF THE, UH, THE WORK THAT YOU DID TO PUT THAT TOGETHER.
UH, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS BEYOND, UH, UH, THE, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND.
I KNOW, UH, UH, MAYOR PROM GOMEZ SAID THERE WAS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT IN THE SEVENTIES.
UH, I'M GONNA WRESTLE 'EM, UH, TO THE MAT AND SAY THAT IT WASN'T ANYWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS WHAT, UH, OUR STAFF, UH, PUT ON.
AND, UH, WE WERE, WE WERE ALL HAPPY.
UH, WE WERE ALL THERE, UH, FOR THE INAUGURAL CLASS, UH, AND, UH, JUST SEEING THE, THE, UH, THE RESIDENTS IN THERE, I'LL CALL 'EM STUDENTS, UH, BUT, UH, THE FEEDBACK, UH, THAT THEY WERE, UH, UH, THAT THEY WERE, UH, THE PARTICIPATION, I SHOULD SAY, AND THE FEEDBACK THAT THEY GAVE WAS PHENOMENAL.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, UH, WHAT THE PARTICIPATION IS GONNA BE LIKE IN THE COMING WEEKS, UH, BECAUSE THEY, UH, THEY DIDN'T HOLD BACK, UH, WITH THE QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, KUDOS TO, UH, TO STAFF, UH, FOR PUTTING THAT ON.
AND FOR, UH, I LOOK FORWARD, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENS IN THE, IN THE COMING WEEKS.
UM, I'LL PROBABLY POP MY HEAD IN THERE FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT, UH, I DON'T WANT TO, UH, I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE ANY HEARTACHE AND ANYBODY SAY, OH, THE MAYOR'S HERE.
NOW, YOU GUYS, MAN, YOU GUYS, UH, PUT ON A GOOD SHOW.
SO I'LL POP MY HEAD IN FROM TIME TO TIME.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR WHAT YOU DO.
VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, UH, PET DAY CENTENNIAL PARK.
UH, I, I SAID IT ON SATURDAY, AND, UH, YOU GUYS, UH, LITERALLY HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK.
THE, UH, THE FEEDBACK I WAS GETTING FROM RESIDENTS THAT HAD ATTENDED, NON-RESIDENTS THAT HAD ATTENDED, UH, BUSINESS OWNERS OF THE, UH, VARIOUS, UH, UH, BOOTHS, UH, THAT WERE THERE WERE SO COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT OUR, ABOUT OUR PARK OVERALL.
AND THAT WE HAD A DOG PARK, ACTUALLY, NOT ONE DOG PARK, TWO, UH, FOR BIG DOGS AND FOR LITTLE DOGS.
UH, THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS QUITE AN EVENT.
AND, UH, I, I WAS SHARING WITH THE CITY MANAGER THIS MORNING, ONE A SOME THOUGHTS THAT A RESIDENT HAD GIVEN ME, AND I'M NOT GONNA SHARE THEM BECAUSE SHE SWORE ME TO SECRECY, UH, BUT, UH, OF WHAT, UH, OF WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, WITH THIS PARK, UH, IN, IN, IN FUTURE MONTHS AND IN FUTURE YEARS.
AND, UH, I'LL LET EVERYBODY IN ON THAT SECRET MAYBE AFTER THIS NEXT EVENT THAT HAPPENS THERE.
BUT, UH, THEY ARE SO THANKFUL IN THAT COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY NEXT DOOR, JUST EAST OF THE, UH, OF THE PARK, TO HAVE A PARK TO BE ABLE TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, TO GO WALK, TO TAKE THEIR DOGS.
THAT PARK IS FULL ALL OF THE TIME.
IF THE SUN IS OUT, IF IT'S NOT RAINING, PEOPLE ARE THERE ALL THE TIME.
[02:05:01]
WHAT A PARK THAT WE OPENED UP AS A, AS A CITY COUNCIL.AND, UH, I WAS TALKING TO THIS RESIDENT, HOW, FOUR YEARS AGO? FOUR YEARS AGO.
UH, I THINK IT WAS IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER, WE DID THE, UH, THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR THAT.
WE, UH, THE FIVE OF US HAD SHOVELS, UH, AND WE WERE, UH, TOSSING DIRT AROUND.
AND NOW, UH, ALMOST FOUR AND A HALF YEARS LATER, IT WAS REALLY FOUR YEARS LATER THAT THE PARK OPENED A PHENOMENAL JOB.
THAT PARK IS JUST, IT'S THE CROWN JEWEL OF, UH, OF THE PARKS, I THINK, HERE IN LA HABRA.
SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY THAT WAS A PART OF THAT.
MAKE ONE COMMENT ON THAT EVENT.
AND, UH, IT'S A TESTIMONY TO, UH, OUR STAFF.
UH, SO COMMUNITY SERVICES, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ANIMAL CONTROL, WORKED WITH INLAND VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY TO BE AT THAT EVENT AS WELL.
AND THEY'RE OUR SHELTER OPERATOR.
THEY BROUGHT SEVEN, UM, DOGS FOR ADOPTION.
SIX OF THE SEVEN WERE ADOPTED THAT DAY.
SO, UH, FOR, UH, FOR THE VIDEO SNIPPETS, SHOUT OUT TO INLAND VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY FOR PARTICIPATING AND FOR BRINGING OUT THE DOGS.
AND YOU ONLY WENT HOME WITH ONE OF THE SEVEN.
SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
AND FOR EVERYBODY OUT THERE IN TV LAND AS WELL, KNOW THAT THAT'S WHO WE PARTNER WITH IN THE VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY.
THEY'RE IN POMONA, MORE OR LESS OFF THE, UH, 57 AND HOLT, I BELIEVE, IS IT SOMEWHERE PARK? YEAH, SOMEWHERE IN THAT AREA.
AND I, I, I'VE BEEN THERE A FEW TIMES NOW.
I JUST CAN'T THINK OF THE STREET.
UH, BUT I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO ADOPT A DOG.
UM, MY, MY MAX IS AN ADOPTED DOG FROM WEST SIDE GERMAN SHEPHERD IN, UH, IN LOS ANGELES.
HE'S THE FOURTH OF OUR GERMAN SHEPHERDS.
AND, UH, EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, SAW HIM.
UH, HE'S, WE LOVE OUR DOGS, SO, ENOUGH SAID.
BUT THANK YOU TO OUR CITY STAFF FOR THAT.
UH, WANNA DO, UH, MENTION, UH, IF, UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT, UH, THAT DIDN'T KNOW ON THE, UH, CONSENT CALENDAR THIS EVENING, AND IT KIND OF GOES HAND IN HAND WITH THE, UH, IT DOES GO HAND IN HAND WITH THE AMERICAN LEGIONS, UH, HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY A FEW WEEKS AGO.
UM, I'LL, I'LL EXTEND MY REGRETS AND APOLOGIES AGAIN, BUT, UH, I WON'T EXTEND THE APOLOGY, UH, TOO MUCH BECAUSE, UH, I MISSED.
BUT, UH, AND I WON'T APOLOGIZE FOREVER FOR ATTENDING MY DAUGHTER'S SOCCER GAMES DOWN IN SAN DIEGO, SO I WON'T MISS THOSE.
UM, AND, AND THAT IS WHAT IT IS.
UH, BUT, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE, UH, UH, TO THE, UH, AMERICAN LEGION ON THAT THIS EVENING.
WE, UH, WE APPROVED, UH, ACTUALLY RENEWED THEIR LEASE, UH, WITH THE, UH, AMERICAN LEGION OVER AT, UH, VETERANS HALL.
SO THAT'S ALWAYS GOOD NEWS, UH, FOR ANYBODY THAT'S WONDERING.
VETERANS ARE IMPORTANT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE REALIZE THAT WE THANK OUR CITY STAFF FOR MAKING THAT AVAILABLE.
AND, UH, WE WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT, UH, THEY ARE IMPORTANT.
UH, CANDACE GUTIERREZ WAS UP HERE, UH, EARLIER ACCEPTING A, UH, PROCLAMATION.
AND, UH, HER SON, WHO IS AUTISTIC, SHE LEFT THESE FOR CITY COUNCIL.
THESE ARE, UH, AUTISM AWARENESS, UH, UH, WRISTBANDS, WANTED TO THANK HER.
A FEW OF US HAVE 'EM OUT THERE IN THE, IN THE AUDIENCE.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY, AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH.
I KNOW, UH, I HAD A, UH, A COUSIN WHO, UH, WHO UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS AGO, NOT FROM AUTISM.
AND, AND YOU, YOU KNOW HER AS WELL.
UM, AND THAT'S, UH, YOUR AUNTS AND NIECE? YEAH, MY COUSIN, YEAH.
AND IT WAS NOT AUTISM RELATED, BUT SHE HAD A SEVERE FORM OF AUTISM HER WHOLE LIFE.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE SEEN IT MY, UH, MY WHOLE LIFE.
SO, UM, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, CANDACE FOR, UH, GIVING THIS TO US.
AND OUTSIDE OF THAT, UH, THAT'S IT.
UH, THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED TO MONDAY, MAY 4TH, 2026 AT 5:30 PM IN THE CITY COUNCIL.
CLOSED SESSION ROOM ONE 12 C 100 EAST LA HABER BOULEVARD, FOLLOWED BY THE REGULAR MEETING AT 6:30 PM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER.