City Council - Regular Meeting

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Welcome to the Lancaster City Council meeting. We're going to have to get a bigger council chamber is all I can say. This is fabulous. City clerk, city council member, agency director, authority members, Hughes Leslie present. Molly present. Man, present. Vice Mayor, Vice Chris, Vice Mayor, Vice Chair Chris, sorry about that. Present. Mayor, chair Paris here. We have a quorum. Thank you. The invocation today was with Jordan Coror. Coru of Grace Chapel. Did I get the name right? Coru. Yeah. Coru.

Close enough. Thank you guys for having me. Let's pray.

God, we come here today and we just are thankful for you, Lord. Thankful for the grace that you give out to each one of us, Lord. thankful uh for how you see us Lord how you are near us Lord how no matter where we are in our life Lord that you care deeply about each one of us Lord so we come today with thankful and grateful hearts Lord today is a joyous day Lord because you are in today Lord Lord uh thankful for the city council Lord uh be with them Lord as they lead and guide Lord let their decisions be anchored in you Lord because again there is no greater plans than your plans for our our life, Lord. And that's what I ask today, Lord. We would just walk in what you have in store for us, Lord. And we would go where you have us, Lord. Because when we walk with you, Lord, there is grace, there is love, there is peace, there is kindness in those areas, Lord. So we would continue to be walking in the path that you have in store for us, Lord. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you, guys. Mr. Sure. Everybody will put their right hand over their heart. Face the flag and repeat with me. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

For all. Thank you. What did I just do?

Okay.

Good afternoon. Today we have the opportunity to recognize two individuals who have given years of service, leadership, and commitment to the city of Lancaster. Vice Mayor Marvin Christ and Council Member Raj Mali. Public service is not easy. It requires time away from family, a willingness to make difficult decisions, and a commitment to showing up for the community. It means listening to residents work through challenges, standing by your convictions, and doing what you believe is right for this city. Vice Mayor Chris has been a steady and dedicated presence in Lancaster for many years, almost 20 years, wasn't it? 20 years. His service has been defined by a deep love for his community and a practical focus on the issues that impact residents every day. Marvin has been a strong champion for public safety, including his long-standing support for the sheriff's boosters and efforts that strengthen local law enforcement partnerships. He has also been a consistent voice on regional transportation through his work with the North County Transportation Coalition, helping advocate for infrastructure and mobility improvements that are critical to Lancaster's future. Beyond that, Marv has helped represent Lancaster on issues that infect affect the entire Antelopee Valley, including air quality and regional transit through his involvement with AVAQMD and AVTA. When I needed to step away for my health last year, Marvin proactively took the reigns and helped start and spearhead Lancaster's love for your city cleanup events, bringing

bringing residents, churches, organizations, and businesses, and city teams together to take pride in our neighborhoods and make a visible difference in the community. That kind of service is hands-on, practical, and deeply connected to the people of Lancaster. It reflects who Marv is in the way he has always approached this work. Council member Ra Raj Mali has also served Lancaster with dedication and pride for 16 years. Two on the planning commission for 14 on the council. Raj has brought an important voice to this council and has remained focused on the future of our city, supporting economic growth, community investment, and projects that strengthen Lancaster for the long term. Raj played a key role in spearheading Ready Lancaster, helping ensure our community is better prepared for emergencies and that residents have access to information, resources, and tools before disaster strikes. He has also been an important supporter of Lancaster Health District Project, which represents a major investment in the future of health care, wellness, and quality of life in our city. Throughout this his service, Raj has also shown a strong commitment to the people who are often at the heart of this community. Our seniors, our veterans, and the families who depend on strong local pro programs and services. His work has reflected a genuine desire to make Lancaster a healthy, safer, and more connected place to live. Lancaster continues to grow. The work of this council also continues to evolve.

But today is not about trans transition. Today is about gratitude. And I want to thank their families. 15 years 18 years their families have sacrificed. their husband, their father was frequently not there because they were in the city doing stuff for the city. And we forget, we all forget this is not a paid position. It's not a job. It's a sacrifice to the community. their wives and children did not sign up for that, but they made the sacrifice equally. I I can't tell you how much gratitude I have for the two of you. We have built something that has unrivaled, despite what you might hear on social media, there is no city doing the things we are doing. And I am thankful and I'm grateful as For those of you who stood, thank you. It is sometimes important to let go of political affiliation and love your community.

These men have loved their community. As Lancaster continues to grow, the work of the council also continues to to evolve. Marvin Raj, thank you for the years you've given to Lancaster. Thank you for your willingness to serve. Thank you for helping move this city forward. At this time, it's my honor to present these proclamations in service and in recognition of your dedication and commitment to the city of Lancaster.

The next presentation we have is George. Can we say a couple words? Yes. I'm sorry. I was going to have you do it at the end, but it

Okay. Um, rather than talk about me, I' I'd like to talk about the the two new incumbents. I wish them luck. Congratulations on your victory. I think it's a a great thing. I think you guys did a wonderful race. Um, we leave the city in good hands. We leave the city with a huge amount of reserves. We leave the city with 35% reduction in crime. But I think and hope that both of you can continue the progress and you brought and bring a lot of things to the uh to us as a community and just thank you for stepping up.

Oh yeah, I'm sorry. No, it's okay. I just like Marvin said, you know, it's um it's been a privilege and it's been a great great um experience that I had since 2008. I really want to thanks to our staff because you guys do amazing job. I want to personally each and everybody all of you guys have done done and you continue doing it the what you guys been doing for the community and city of Lancaster and congratulations to both of you guys. So you know we're hoping you guys continue the great work and which which you guys will. So just it's nice to see everybody here. So just want to say thank you Mayor Paris 2008 you appointed me the planning commission and uh thank you for that you know great experience that I had and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be around. I'm going to still continue serving this community. uh you know just council member is just a title but I can still you know um serve many of different ways so I'm going to be around so just want to say thank you everybody thank you

Mr. Monarch who's doing the presentation for that

it's Mr. George Monroy, supervisor for the parks department. He's making his way up to the podium right now. Good afternoon, mayor and members of the city council. I'm pleased to present an update on our park senior programs for 2026. In honor of this update, we're here to uh today to officially proclaim the month of May as older Americans Month here in the city of Lancaster. This year's national theme, champion your health, serves as a vital call to action that aligns with our department's mission to empower our seniors through proactive wellness, mental engagement, and social connection. By providing these diverse resources, we are ensuring our residents have every opportunity to take uh charge of their well-being and thrive in the place they call home. Um, so let's go ahead and start with our most po one of our most popular programs, the Movers and Shakers Walking Club. Oh, there we go. Thank you. Um, which continues to be a true community favorite. We meet every Monday and Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. at the beautiful Prime Desert Woodland Preserve. It's um it's been incredible to see the consistent engagement here with an average of o over 40 participants joining us for each week uh to stay active and enjoy the outdoors. We're also proud of our partnership with High Desert Medical Group who joins us to provide complimentary arthritis friendly stretching sessions and valuable health resources to ensure everyone is moving safely and comfortably. These warm-up sessions are a vital part of the experience, helping our members prepare for their walk with gentle,

intentional movements that promote joint health and flexibility. Another core program is our senior bingo which takes place on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month um at the Lancaster Community Center and they have become a fantastic way for our seniors to stay connected. We typically see a steady group of 25 to 30 participants at each session. And as you can see from the photos, it's the lively atmosphere complete with prizes uh that provides a fun, low pressure environment for social interaction and community building among our residents. To round out our fitness offerings, we provide two distinct senior exercise classes hosted uh at the Lancaster Community Center. These sessions are specifically designed to be accessible and low impact, ensuring that our residents can stay active regardless of their fitness level. As you can see in the photos, we utilize chairs and light weights to ensure the movements are safe and effective, helping our seniors maintain their strength and independence in a supportive group environment. In addition to our weekly programming, we host several senior special events throughout the year that draw large crowds and offer deeper community engagement. These events are instrumental in building a stronger support network and ensuring our senior community feels celebrated and well informed. One of our most popular and highly anticipated programs is our senior excursions, also known as AV Boomers. These outings are designed specifically for residents aged 55 and older who believe it's that life's too fun to sit still.

With a consistent turnout of over 50 participants per trip, these excursions are more than just a day out. They're a vital way for our seniors to create new friendships, explore the region, and make lasting memories together. As we wrap up, I want to share a quick preview of what's to come for our senior community this summer. We are constantly looking for innovative ways to keep our residents engaged and we have two very exciting additions to the calendar. In July of 2026, we'll be launching our senior tech time, navigating the world of AI. These sessions are designed to bridge the digital digital divide, providing a comfortable environment for seniors to explore new technology and learn how AI can be a helpful tool in their daily lives. Then in August of 2026, we'll be hosting the senior summer breeze boogie dance. This will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together and enjoy some music and celebrate the end of the summer season with friends. We're excited. We're incredibly excited about these upcoming programs and look forward to seeing the continued growth and connection with our senior community. Thank you. You guys have transformed that park system. I I'm really really proud of you. Thank you.

Thank you. Absolutely. And then um before we wrap up, Mayor, um we would love a photo op. Some of our participants are here today. So we would love to get a picture with our proclamation for May as um senior citizens month. Come on up. There's a lot

Come back. Come back. Come back. The show's still going on. Now we have a recognition for what I think is the jewel of the Analope Valley. The we accomplish a lot of things in the Analopee Valley but we have never accomplished something as wonderful as this and that is Soore High School. Sore High School is at the top rung of high schools throughout the nation. They are composed of students who are one-third black, one-third brown, and one-third white. their their parents for the most part did not attend college and they are at the top of the food chain when it comes to education. They all go to college. Most of them graduate with two years of college from high school. These kids work their tail off every single day. I I am proud of many many things in the city, but I got to say I'm most proud of Soar because it shows what what it shows the world what we're capable of and they have consistently done that year after year. Triss,

thank you. Mayor, you actually stole my entire speech. So, let's go ahead and I'll bring on down. I saw Greg Nian standing here, the superintendent of the school district. Um, Wendy Johnstone, the principal. Let's get her on down. And I don't know if Mr. Hughes, the board member, wants to come on down to for this recognition. So, we will be giving them we will be giving them a proclamation for their 2026 California Distinguished Schools honor. Um, so here it is. And I think you, one of you wanted to say a few words and tell us a little more about Soore.

I would love to. I would love to. Um this really is a reflection of the dedication, the perseverance and the resilience of the entire community at Soore High School. Our faculty, our staff, our students, um and our community that is supporting us. This is actually the third time we are being named a California Distinguished School. The second time we have been named an exemplary dual enrollment school and just last year we were again recognized as a national blue ribbon school. So, I just want to thank each and every one of you, my students who are joining us today as representatives of Soore High School, um, for all of the hard work and community support that we receive.

Thank you. If I could just add, good afternoon, council mayor. Um it it only happens a school like this only happens with the support of our board and the Annal Valley I'm sorry the Annal Valley Colleg's board um as well and we have amazing teachers our students are phenomenal but it starts at the top with the leadership of our respective board. So, thank you to them.

And I'd say it starts from the top with our outstanding superintendent and our incredible um instructor um our our principles are, um just the staff that we have in our district are truly amazing and we're blessed, just like you Raj said, we're blessed to have our administrators and our staff. They're incredible. Thank you. For those of you who don't know, that is Charlie Hughes. He's the chairman of the board for Annella Union High School.

Pictures. What are we doing down there? Yeah. Students, please. Students. Yeah. Yes.

So for the six seniors, all of who are going to great schools, by the way, you get a $1,000 scholarship individually. You're going to need it.

My turn or your turn? My turn. Next presentation. Oh yeah. Urban Coreo. Is he here? Yeah. Bring on upr.

Can you bring your family, too? Urban Couo was appointed to the California Architects Board. They make the rules for architects. And look how young he is. He is definitely a mover and shaker. Congratulations. Thank you. So, so Irvin, he currently works for and I I guess you new company or did you guys?

Okay. New uh principal of S synthetic mass. He's a licensed California architect and he also holds a cast which is a certified access specialist. So, if anybody needs anything ADA related, he's your guy. There's very few of them in the state. We used or we used to have one as our building official here. Um, another fun fact about Irvin, he did work for the city of Lancaster in our building and safety department for a few for a little bit there. He now serves on our planning commission. He likes to give back to the community. Um, and you've served eight years as a subject matter matter expert developing the test. Then I know as an engineer I hated that test, but the architect's board licensing exam, which probably has what, like a 30% pass rate?

Yeah. Yeah. Why do you make it so hard? And because of that service, he was appointed by the governor to serve on the California Architectural Board. So, let's give Irvin a hand and bring up.

There you go. Would you like to say a couple words? Yeah, I do.

Good afternoon, mayor and council members. Um, I just want to share a few quick points. Um, so I grew up here in the Emerald Valley and graduated from Rosebornne High School. Um, so being recognized here means a lot, you know, being local. Um, and I think, uh, it's really important to point out that this community, and I really truly believe this, has given me a lot of opportunities, whether it's home ownership, family, job, ability to live here and build a life. Um, so I'm really thankful for that. Um, and I also want to add that, uh, becoming an architect is a dream I've had since I was like 13 years old. So I've held it for a long time. And the reason I want to share that is because I want it to be a reminder to anybody, especially like all the high school students that I see around that believing in yourself and like having dreams really makes a difference and it is possible to achieve what you want. You just have to be committed and persistent and not lose sight of it. So, and then go around the back.

And now we have the Courtz Hill High School girls soccer team. I believe coach Erica is here and I think Mr. Nihan and Mr. Hughes come on back down too. So, I got a list of notes on this soccer team and I started going through it and I'm pretty sure they won just about everything you can. And if I went through it all, I'd probably spend an hour just going through it. So, we'll cut to the chase. It It looks like you guys won the CIF Division 3 state regional championships by defeating Milin High School one zero. and and and I hope I'm right here. That then qualified them for the inaugural California State Championship in Sacramento where they then defeated Selena's High School two to zero to win the entire state championship. So my understand they are the first public school in California to win this championship. So let's let's give them another big round of applause for that one. Police here is your proclamation. Yes.

Uh I think principal is here too. So have him come over to Yeah. Come on up. I'll I'll turn it over to your team and you guys run through and tell us all about it. I have a couple things to say.

Hello. Good evening, mayor and city council members. First of all, on behalf of Courtzell High School and the girls soccer team, I would like to start by saying thank you for honoring us and recognizing us today. It is truly an honor to be celebrated by our community and I couldn't be more proud of how the the girls represented Courtz Hill with unity, hustle, and pride. They've set a new standard not just for our program, but for the next generation of athletes in our community. They've shown that no matter where you come from, something special is possible when you put in the work and trust each other. So, I want also want to thank the families, our school staff, and the entire community for the support you've given us throughout this journey. This achievement belongs to all of us. Thank you again for this honor. We are proud to represent Courtsell High School and our community.

We have players as well. Can we get the players in the picture? Absolutely. Get them up here.

Wait, break it. I just I want to add something really quick because I

I feel the need to call something out to our attention. So Raj and I are proud Courtzill alum. Their outstanding principal is a Courtzill alum. And their coach who you just heard from, she's an alum. We went to high school together and she failed to mention that she too was on the soccer team. She went away to college, did some other things, and now she's back here in our community leading this team to victory. So thank you to everyone for coming back and growing up. But I only think Miss is like a rebel. When I was there, I was rebels, not royals. So

before we get started with uh NB1, I just want to point out that when the mayor gives scholarships to individuals, that's his money. That's not the city's money. So don't write to the paper because they're over there. Okay? And it's it's not the city's money. It's his money and uh he has a lot of it. So,

all right. As you can tell, I am ready to roll. Uh first, Avala might want to recruit some uh some girls.

All right. So, good afternoon, mayor and council members. I am here to present the results of the general municipal election and certify the canvas of election returns which was held on April 14th, 2026. As presented in the resolution, the results are as follows. Total vote by mail ballot returns was 9,114. Voter turnout was approximately 9.27% and the total number of registered voters was n 98,285. Cedric White has been elected as council member for a term of four years. Rosio Castellonus has been elected as council member for a term of four years.

So congratulations to each of you. But before I leave, I definitely must thank those who helped make sure that this election ran smoothly, which would be first my staff, uh the the election volunteers, volunteers from other departments that made sure we did everything we need to do, the consultants that came on board. Uh definitely want to thank the LA County Sheriff's Department for assisting and helping make sure on election night that we retrieve those remaining ballots safely. um also to LAPD who assisted and made sure we were safe and also to the security assistants that they assigned to help us with our various functions. So, I definitely want to give a shout out to everyone because it wasn't just a one-man show. It took an effort, a collaborative effort uh to make that happen. I even want to thank the public for coming out and making sure we did what we needed to do and asking questions because this process is democratic. So, and I don't mean as in party. Um, but again, congratulations to each one of you. Um, if you have any questions, I'm available and I'll take it now. If not, we will go ahead and allow um our members to be sworn in.

First, we need to adopt the resolution. We do need a motion on the resolution that is before you. Uh, resolution 36-13. Motion to adopt resolution 26-13. I'll second that motion. Let's vote

and it passes unanimously. So, I think each um new council member has someone else that they want to swear them in. So we will allow them to do that at this time. If you guys will come on this side for whoever you have to swear you in at this time. So we'll start with new council member Cedric White. I guess

repeat after me. Raise your right hand. Thank you. I, Cedric White, I, Cedric White, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California. That I will repeat that again. that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies against all enemies foreign and domestic

foreign and domestic. that I will bear true faith and allegiance that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the State of California that I take this obligation freely that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion or purpose of evasion. and that I will well and faithfully that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter which I am about to enter.

Thank you. All right, let's go. Now at this time, I'm Rosio Castellon. So, we're going to do it in Spanish.

Let's see how it goes.

We try to practice. Californiaos nationalit. Gracias. CONGRATULATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. CEDRIC. We're going to take a break and we'll come back in about We are going to actually recess to close session for the items as stated on the agenda. Under close session, items one through 16. Perhaps grabbing a snack on the way

We're back in session. City attorney. In close session, the city council took up close session item number one. Gave direction to staff and legal counsel. No reportable action. Thank you. Okay. Consent calendar. Any items to be removed? Mayor, you wanted to pull 16 and 17.

16 and 17 is pulled. Is there a motion for the remaining part of the consent calendar? We're not pulling nine and 14 trillies. The numbers are different in the actual versus what we were going off of. Thank you. Is there a motion? I'll make a motion then to accept the the calendar as comprised. Moving nine and sorry, moving those two numbers that you just mentioned. 16 and 17. Is that correct? Correct. Correct. I second. So it's 16 and 17, 9 and 14 on No,

it's the entire consent calendar except items 16 and 17 was council member Hughes Leslie's motion and council excuse me, council member man's motion and Leslie's second. So are we pulling nine and 14? No one has asked to pull nine and 14 at this time. He has a different version. Oh god. Okay, let me get you a correct um agenda. Uh Council Member White. Yeah, we ought to give Council Member White the right agenda.

There's one here on this end. I don't I can't I can't I think he does have the right agenda. I think we're the ones messing them up. U the what we pulled off was the body cam cameras and the other one.

So midtown will be CC16 on your script. Let's take a recess while we sort this.

agendas before we proceed. The one that's on the website is correct and we're printing from that. Um, but I I' I'd like us to have a correct agenda available for anyone who wants it before we proceed just to make sure there's no question about what's being done. So, let me get this right. You You slipped a bad agenda to the new guys.

Clearly, I did not, but I do want to make sure we have a correct agenda available for anyone who wants it. Okay. the council picture. Yes.

As we wait for additional copies, I wanted to just briefly explain my understanding of what happened, which was uh the agendas that were printed and placed at the back of the council chambers were printed off the back end instead of off the one that was put up to the website and it was an older version. So, some some things were omitted and so we just want to make sure that everybody has access, but the website was right the whole time. Just the printouts that were in this room were incorrect. We ready. Okay, we're back in session. Public hearing is open on PH1.

Oh, the consent count. That's right. There's two items on the consent calendar. Consent calendar. Yes. Okay. The consent calendar. We're removing what items. We had a motion to approve the consent calendar as presented, removing 16 and 17 and a second. So that is what is before you right now. Okay. Let's vote. Cedric, you have to

four yeses, one no. It passes with council member White voting no. And moving on, CC 16, 16 and 17. Okay. Sonia, who's doing the presentation from the city?

Mayor, city council. I'll be discussing item uh 16. Um staff I staff is recommending the purchase of 33 interior and exterior cameras and nine door controls, one video intercom, as well as licensing installation and materials to support the facility access control and security at the new Midtown Recreation Center. Uh Vicotta is the system that's being purchased. It is our standardized camera indoor access system that we're being util that is being utilized throughout our parks and facilities in the cities. It's already been installed in uh facilities such as Sky Tower Park, Jen Royals Park, Memorial Park, Lancaster Community Center. Um and we're seeing lots of success with using that system. Um the system will provide for increased safety and security for our facility visitors and program participants as well as safeguard the city's investment in the infrastructure and technology that we are purchasing and placing at Midtown. And I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Any questions? Any public comment? So, when is the city's cameras going to be built out? The entire system. I don't have a exact answer for that. Um, but I know we're working diligently over the course of time and doing facility by facilities. I don't know if it's just a matter of having enough infrastruct or not infrastructure, but facility uh staff time and budget to do that over the course of the year. So, so I don't have a date for the complete buildout. Do you have a completion date, Rob? Sir, we don't have one we can provide for you now, but we can certainly get an estimate together and get that to you because there are plans for additional cameras.

Just so everybody knows, what's happening with the cameras is our crime rate is just dropping incredibly fast. If the if it continues at the same rate, we will be below 50% by year's end. And that's because of LPD working with the sheriff's department and our surveillance quite frankly. U I'm more than happy with it. But I I do want a a policy as to when we destroy the u whatever you call it the data. Okay. I think that the danger of this lies in how long we store it. you know, the privacy dangers. Once we've passed the the the mark of what's no longer for crime prevention, I think it should disappear.

Yes, sir. And we do currently have a policy in place where we keep all data uh 365 days plus one. And what do these what are these cameras placed? Everywhere. Yeah, we have them in some of our facilities and then LPD has them in other locations throughout the city. Throughout the city. Ultimately, it'll be every intersection. Uh we we can do it with intersections, right? Uh yes, sir. An example of how it works is they got a call at 7 a.m. There was a murder at 3:00 a.m. at 20th and J. Two hours later, he's in custody.

That's all they had. All they had was the murder was committed by somebody in a car. It's It's really incredibly sophisticated. Sir, I'm just going to add that 365 days plus one is state law. I think it's a bit long. We could have our own policy, couldn't we? Not shorter than state law. Not shorter. Not shorter than state law. No. State law mandates 365 plus one. All right. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Uh what's the next one? We'll do them both at the same time. Is Chris is coming up.

Good afternoon, Mayor and City Council. How's that feel?

That was great. staff is recommending the approval for the purchase of Axon body cams, vehicle cams, tasers, and uh the accompanying systems in addition to authorizing the city manager to negotiate, revise, and finalize all associated agreements subject to approval by the city attorney. Uh as you may recall, we were here last year asking for something very similar, but since then, uh we've been put on marching orders to increase our our size. So we're asking for purchase of additional equipment for those officers and those vehicles that are coming in. In addition to that, there are some other features within the Axon ecosystem that we believe are valuable to us now at this point. One of those is the auto triggering of body cam and vehicle cameras when the vehicle is placed in a code three position, which is the lights and sirens, when the gun is drawn, or when a taser is drawn. So, those are additional systems that we'll be adding to as part of this request.

That's pretty cool. Good. So, are we getting the drones with the tasers on them yet? We're not getting those yet, sir. I'm not I'm not joking. I'm not joking at all. Are What's the status of that? When I spoke to Axon last month at ISC West, that had not been developed yet. I saw him at a conference and he said it was those are here's what's coming type of presentations. Um they do have one that exists but it's not on the market. So does it mean every officer will have a body cam?

Yes, as part of our policy every officer has a body cam and uh we'll be deploying a taser with every officer as well as a less lethal option. Outstanding. Good. Okay. What on the tasers we're getting are the 10 shots. Tasers. Taser tens. Yes, sir. People would be crazy to commit a crime in Lancaster. It's the most I'm really proud of it. It is our our LPD has the best equipment of any department in the country. Wouldn't you say? Absolutely, sir.

Good. Uh and it's a it's a kinder situation because of it, I think. I mean, I agree. Uh we're members of the members of the community. Um and we want safety for our families. This isn't us telling you. This is us uh determining how we want to be treated. Thank you, sir. As we deploy, I I would like more community involvement and setting policies. And Yes, sir. I mean, you know, I'm the last guy to tell you to be soft, but at the same time, I want to make certain everybody's respected. Yes, sir. Understood.

And uh and I think we we're we're very unique. I think our policies need to be unique also. Okay. Uh Rod, I just want to commend you and your officers on uh putting community policing first and making sure our citizens are safe and feel safe and deploying less than lethal uh apparatus. I really appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sir. We all good? Is there a motion? I move to approve CC16 and CC 17. Second. Let's vote.

Okay. Now we open public hearing item one and we close public hearing item one. Moving to public hearing item two. Public hearing is now now open. Staff report from Cindy Valdiva. Good afternoon, mayor, city council members. My name is Cindy Valdivia. You're a CDBG and Lancaster energy analyst. This item before you today is the public hearing for the city's annual action plan for the community development block grant funding, otherwise known as CDBG, as well as home funding for program year 2627. Federal HUD regulations require the city to hold a public hearing each year and submit an annual action plan that outlines proposed projects and funding amounts. The city has received CDBG funding since 1986 and home funding since 2020. These funds help support housing programs, public services, neighborhood improvements, economic opportunities with a focus on benefiting low and moderate income residents. There is no negative impact to the general fund. Proposed funding includes 1.59 million in CDBG and 718,000 in home funds. HUD recently received updated funding estimates after the public notice was published 30 days ago. However, these final amounts may still change and new estimates are 1.379 million for CDBG and 548,000 for home. Once the final allocations are confirmed within the next 90 days, staff will

adjust the funding for each activity based on the methodology outlined in this action plan and staff report. If funding changes, staff will first adjust the administrative outline limits as allowed and maintain required federal set aides and direct remain the remaining funding to appropriate eligible projects. Staff recommends that the city council one approve and adopt the annual action plan and substantial amendment to be submitted to HUD. Two, approve the proposed funding adjustment methodology. and three, authorize the city manager or designate to exe execute all related agreements. I also have Rudy Munoz here with LDM Associates, our CDBG consultants, to assist with any answering of questions that you or the public may have. Thank you.

Thank you. Any speaker cards? Is there a motion? Any questions? Is there a motion? Can we close the public hearing, please? I even circled that. I know. Public hearing is now closed. Thank you. Um, city attorney, just want to make sure do can I vote on this because I am one of the board members of one of the grantees. Uh, it would be prudent to recuse yourself from this item. So, it would u it would be appropriate to announce your relationship to the entity and then step behind the curtain over there while the council votes. Perfect. So, I'm a board member for Anolo Valley Partners for Health.

Great. Thank you. So, if you just want to um step behind the curtain while the rest of the council votes, that would be great. And good job bringing that up.

I move to approve PH2 as comprised A, B, and C on the agenda. Is there a second? I'll second that motion. Let's vote. It's unanimous. with council member Castellanos recusing herself. Are there any speaker cards on PH3? No. Okay. We will open the public hearing. We'll close the public hearing. Anybody have any questions? Is there a motion?

I move to approve PH3 with recommendations one, two, one, and two as comprised in the agenda. Is there a second? Second the motion. Let's vote. Passes unanimously. Public hearing item four. Let's open the public hearing. Any speaker cards? No. Close the public hearing. Is there a motion? I move to approve PH4 as comprised in the agenda.

I'll second that motion. this vote and it's passed unanimously. Moving on to the council agenda, CA item one. Since we're out of a vice mayor, time to fill the seat and I am nominating and appointing Lauren Lesley Hughes as vice mayor. I'll second that motion. Any discussion? Let's vote.

Yes, you can.

And it passes unanimously. Now, if I quit, she could be mayor, right? Uh per Yes. Per the uh municipal code, uh if you no longer were serving as mayor, uh then she would have as seed to your position. I remember a day when the whole audience would have collapsed. I'm getting better.

Okay. Uh oh, I'm not I'm just asking. Uh, I want to go on to the boards. I'm not going to do them all, but I'm going to do some of them. The housing authority I don't appoint. We're just already there, right? Correct.

That's all four five of us. I'll do the planning commission at the next meeting. I'll also do the criminal justice commission at the next meeting. Same with the oversight committee. While you're looking through your notes, mayor, I have to share with the community that council member Rosio will no longer be serving as a deputy mayor um with your transition. So,

yes, there is one change. So, do you have a successor? I think I did. So, now you have to find a replacement mayor to succeed you. All right. Good. All right. Uh Cedric, I'd like you to be on the audit. The audit representative to the Explain this to me. I don't know what it is either. The audit representative. Um is that is that the one you're referring to? Yes.

Uh that's for the city's annual audit. It's the council member representative to interface with the auditor. You're good with that? Thank you, mayor. All I accept. Okay, great. I second that nomination. Let's vote. It's unanimous. The Antel Valley Air Quality Management District. Uh, I'm gonna leave Ken on it and uh Lauren, I'm gonna put you on the if you want. Okay, let's vote. We need a second. What? We need a second. A second.

Okay, great. Unanimous. Animal Valley Transit Authority. I don't want to make any changes at this time. The county sanitation district. I'm going to leave Ken on that. Anybody want it? What was that again? The county sanitation district. You want to just delay it till next week, next meeting? We can talk. I'll do it. I'll do it. You'll do it.

Okay. Your honor, remember one rule. They do not raise our rates. Copy that, Cedric. Since 2008, since he's been mayor and I've been on this council, this city has never raised sanitation rates. Just wanted to remind you, they might do that to the south, but we have not done it in Lancaster. No pressure. No pressure. Why is it you guys charge more than I second that nomination. Fake news. Just want to remind you. Thank you, sir. Okay.

There's a second. We had a second from council member Hughes Lesley.

It's unanimous. I was okay saying that. Right, Mayor? I'm good with it. Okay, I'm good with And they're sitting on a bunch of cash, too. That's good to know. Wait a minute. I didn't know that. Well, uh, High Desert Corridor. I'm going to leave that alone till the next meeting. Prison Citizens Advisory Committee. How do you feel about that? I'll accept the responsibility. Great. I second the nomination. Wait a minute. I'm doing them both at the same time.

It's Lauren and Cedric. Is there a motion? No, that's my motion. Is there a second? I'll second that. Good. Unanimous. Southern California Regional Airport Authority. There's such a thing. What did they do? They have jurisdiction over Laa and that whole region over there. Oh, I want on that. I got plans for that property. I second that motion. Mayor,

let's vote. It's unanimous. California contract cities. Who wants it? I do. You do? Okay. So, we have Rosio Cedric. Do you want that? Yes. It's the law enforcement contract with the county. Okay. Cedric and Rosio, let's vote.

I second that motion. unanimous. I'm going to defer the visitors bureau till the next meeting, Westside School District Police Services Authority. That would be Rosio. Yes, sir. I would like to. And uh Anybody want it? I wouldn't take it either. I'll take it. I'll take it all. I'll take it.

Uh, do we need an alternate? We need two. We need two. Do you want to alter? Okay, good. I second that mot. The nomination in motion. Let's vote. unanimous. Did I do the fair? Not yet.

Where is it? It's It's on page three. It would be the fourth one down. Um and we actually have three We have three appointments. Right. U I'll defer that. Actually, no. I'm going to keep it the way it is. That'd be Marvin Christ and Rob Paris. Is there a second? And yourself? Are you in that? Yes. How do I put three people when I only have two? There are there are actually three that JPA was amending. Oh, that's right. I made them do that. Yeah, that's great. That was quite a coup actually. Okay. So, it' be Lauren, Rob, and Marvin, right? Is there a second?

I'll second that. Let's vote. Unanimous. Did I get them all? I didn't hear the question. I'm sorry. Did I get them all? Yes. You You touched on all of them and decided to defer several.

Okay. On the ones that are deferred, make sure that I with you guys and figure out if if you want on them. You got to let me know. You have to let me know. Okay. Uh otherwise, I'll pick somebody out of a hat. No, I really won't. You get the message. All right. Great. Thank you. That's done. Moving on.

Okay, Rosio, let's hear your council report. No council report. I just have to get training orientation. So, what do you think of it so far? So far so good. There's a lot of meetings that I need to attend. There's a lot of back um background information that I need to understand how the city runs. Um and I just want to say thank you to to Triss. I know we planned only 45 minutes for an orientation, but it took almost three hours of your time. So, thank you for that. Had a lot of questions. I heard that. I I came prepared. I did my homework. Good. Good.

Okay. Great. Kim, Lauren, your reports.

It's been so long since we've had a council meeting. Uh, all I can say, I've attended numerous, I'm not necessarily prepared, but we did the ribbon cutting for um the project out on Lancaster Boulevard and they're doing quite well. Um, that would be the housing group. Remind me what what's the guardian capital guardian capital. and they're very interested, mayor, in in perhaps moving forward with more market rate projects. So, that was good to hear from them when we did the the ribbon cutting. Um, what else? Desert Christian had a ribbon cutting. They're doing um infant care, which is very unique. And um we both Lauren and I attended that uh ribbon cutting. And you know, people take for granted if you don't have a mom or a dad to support you this day and age when you have a working couple, it's very challenging. And I know for for a mother, I was a single dad. So for you to go away and leave that little one that's an infant, now we're not talking about five year olds or six year olds where they're actually in school. Um, so that it's probably the first that I'm aware of in the valley providing that that care. So, and I guess it requires some real special education and some certificates. Um, so that was shared with us, but they actually started that and we got introduced to some little youngsters and twins, twin girls. Um, but anyway, uh, we appreciate Desert Christians and what they contribute to the city of Lancaster in the Al Valley.

Uh, let's see who else. I went to the suare the desert suare this last Saturday night and well attended even with a little bit of competition from the college but uh were able to raise monies for um the museum and so was proud to represent the city on as a council member. Uh let's see what else. Gosh, I'm again not preparing my notes, but uh I'll defer to to Lauren because we buddied up in a couple of the the different uh items of of city business.

So, my council update is that I saw a lot of you here in the audience as well as people up here um at the Poppy Festival. I know I don't stand alone when I say it was incredible. Sonia, the rest of your team, uh, the Afair and staff, amazing job. You guys knocked it out of the park and all you've done is exceeded my expectation and raised my expectations. Um, so thank you so much to everyone. I know it was a collabor collaborative event and we have a video to share some highlights. It's day two of the Pop Festival. What does it mean to see such a big crowd out here tonight? Oh my goodness. It means everything. You can feel the energy. We're having so much fun. There's something here for everyone. Whether you want to see some animals, go to the demolition derby, eat some different snacks, ride rides.

City of Lancaster does a great Poppy Festival. I mean, they are professionals and all the vendors and all the exhibits are just amazing. This is also not just a great place to do business. It's a great to raise your family, to come out, join your neighbors at these incredible events.

Yeah. Hi, my name is Michelle. I am a poppy fairy here. We're having a lot of fun at the Poppy Festival. Many cool rides and there's like a lot of cool games and there's really good food add like boba and smoothies. It's just a really good time. Thank you so much to our community. Thank you to the city of Lancaster, every employee, staff member that puts on this amazing event. Uh we're making memories and we're thankful for those people who put it on.

Thank you. You have the video. Oh, I have a video. What do we have? Love your city. event Paris in Levier City, churches, organizations, volunteers, our youth are coming together to make this happen. Why is it so important to involve so many different branches of our community?

Well, because we are a community, you know, it's we're all in this together. Uh and I and I sincerely mean that. You know, the quality of the city will determine the quality of our lives in many respects. the the churches, the unions, everybody. There's no different affiliations, but everybody comes together and it's about loving your city and it's about what you can do for your city. Uh, you know, we never stop and think about not everybody has good solid support system. Not everybody is as fortunate and so when we come out and get into the neighborhoods and you you you leave with a really good feeling when you you go home for the day. It's important that we all come together because again there is no one shape or size on on people who can live on our city and and to do it together is just amazing.

You know, every time we do one of these events, the people that participate, they get it. They feel it. And I wish everybody was out here just at least once to understand the difference. You know, you do walk away from that feeling different, feeling better, feeling connected. And if you haven't done it, I highly recommend it. It It's uh I I personally get more out of it than I give. It's a It's a great idea. I'm glad you guys are doing it. Okay, we're going into a I guess a new era that it's going to be interesting where we go and I want to accomplish a few things differently and I want to undertake a few things. I want us to put together a group to really assess just how serious this disruption that is coming from AI, robotics, and 3D printing. And what are we doing and what can we do to be prepared for it? Because it's not like it's going to happen tomorrow. It's happening now. The projections that I'm hearing are massive unemployment. What do we do with that? How how are we being prepared for that? What I don't want to do is respond to a crisis. I want to be prepared for the crisis. Uh it may be nonsense. It may be real. But so far the trends are showing it is real. You know, our our employment was going up and up and up in the county.

Chat GPT was re released and it flattened and now it's dropping. It may very well be as difficult and a tumultuous time as they're telling us it's going to be and some incredibly smart people are telling us that and everybody's just kind of not knowing what to do so we do nothing. I would really appreciate hearing from people how how do we put together a group to deal with it that is capable of dealing with it is capable of preparing us as best they can. The other thing I'm seeing is what's happening internationally. We should be preparing for that also. the, you know, the last time we had automatic registration for the draft, you know what happened? The the last time we went to the auto dealers and said, "Build us weapons," was World War II. The the world has become a very dangerous place. And I see us walking along as if nothing's happening. We have to prepare better than we are. And what I mean by that is the first thing we would experience is a cyber attack. All the banks would close. Are we telling people to set money aside for that eventuality? Without the banks, how do you buy food? I mean, I think we re I think this is really a serious issue that we should assess the likelihood of something happening and then what do we do to prepare for it if we can? None of us like it. None of us want to think about it. But I think we better. And I think as the mayor, it is my obligation to say, "Let's think about it. Let's

have a plan, some kind of plan before it's too late." If anybody disagrees with me, tell me now. But I think we all know it's coming or could come. Not certain to come, but could come. it uh it's become a very dangerous world. I want our city prepared. I want us to we're not going to walk through it, but I want as little damage as possible. I want our families protected as much as possible, but I don't even I can't even tell you who should be on the committee, who should be on the group, but it needs to be a working group that takes it very seriously. So, police if you could calendar that. Let's get that organized and at least let's start talking about what we need to do. I mean, what do we do if the homeless population quadruples, you know, and this time it's not people they let out of the prisons, it's families. What do we do? How are we prepared? But we better be prepared because I think it's inevitable. The uh at the at the law firm. We're getting ready to reduce hours to 32 hours a week. Now, we're going to pay them for 40. Don't don't get me wrong, but but they don't need to be there 40 already. And we're just now expanding out the AI that's available. We're going to see that across the board. Uh the other thing is I think we're going too slow on training our young people in AI. But if you don't know AI, the people who know AI are going to thrive. The people who don't won't. What are we doing to train them up? What

are we doing to get them proficient in it? I think, you know, whenever whenever something like this occurs, it's also a time of great opportunity. You know, if we seize it, if we're not afraid of it, if we learn it, we're going to be in a pretty good position. If we put our head in the sand, we all know what happens. I mean, it's it's not a secret. So, that's the bad news for today, but I think we should pay attention to it. So, I would like an agenda of how we're doing that, and I want the community involved in it. And I think we might want to reassess our stance on lowincome housing. We may need it for our own people. Well, what do we do to keep people from losing their homes? You know, it it's I just want to be prepared. I want us to be different if this actually occurs. All right. Good with that. Thank you. So, moving on.

City clerk. Oh, wait a minute. Do I have a city manager first, don't I?

Yes. You're trying to skip me today. Um, I wanted to go back to the Poppy Festival because I just got the stats from the parks department for that event. We had 42,600 visitors over the 3-day period. On average, they stayed somewhere between and 3.3 hours at our event. We also had a record number of sponsorships this year. So, thank you to all of the sponsors who sponsored the event. I think we brought in nearly $80,000 in cash sponsorship. So, people want to be involved and I think it showed uh in both the attendance and the sponsorship. So, thank you Sonia and your team for putting on a great event. I know Dan Jacobs with the fair is not here, but thanks to the fair team as well because that is a true true partnership. Um, secondly, couple of events to announce. Monday Night Bites is back. It starts next Monday, May 4th. It's at Sergeant Owens Memorial Park from 5 to 9. Boulevard Market is back starting Thursdays and that's from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. right here on the boulevard. Um, we also have a new event this year that we're going to coordinate. Uh, it's from our our entire executive team and it's related to the budget. We're going to be doing a budget open house May 11th, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at LPAC. We want to hear the community's feedback on our budget. All the directors will be there. They'll have all of the key priorities laid out in the budget. We'll be there to have a conversation with anybody who wants to come by. We will have a community survey. The community survey is going to go out in advance, so you don't necessarily need to come to do the survey, but we'd love to have you there. We'd love to talk to you about our budget and what's in it and what it means for you as a resident.

Thank you.

You know, I've been mayor a long time. I guess you all know that the uh this is the first time we've done this where we've actually invited the community in to find out what they want to do with the budget. Uh, I hope people take advantage of it. It u I think it's an appropriate thing to do. Thank you. Oh, another thing. The people concerned about the streets, you're right. You're right. We We haven't been doing as good enough job as as good a job as we should be doing. And we're changing that. the uh it's going to take us a while to catch up, but we're tripling the budget for roads and we're doubling the number of people who are fixing the potholes. Just so you know, we we do hear you. It just takes us a while sometimes to figure out what to do with it. And but I think you'll see the improvement pretty quickly and I think we fix that or will fix that. But it is a we got a lot of streets. I mean, you know, it's 96 square miles. Beverly Hills is six square miles. I mean, just think about that. The the cost of keeping up with the streets is enormous. And there I personally think there's other priorities. I'd much rather have our family safe than, you know, when I first ran for office, Denise will remember this. I said, "We'll ride we'll drive on dirt roads if that's what it takes to make our family safe." I was I was I didn't know that that might actually happen, but I still think we made the right choices in that regard. And I see Stan Muhammad there. Stan, I want to thank you again. your organization has made a huge difference in in the in the crime

and and you know you you know how to make kids behave and I appreciate that. Uh it makes such a difference. Thank you. City clerk.

This is a time to address the city council agency authority on non-aggendaized matters. Speaker cards may be found on the back table of the council chambers. If you have completed one, please ensure you've given it to us so you may be recognized. Individual speakers are limited to three minutes each. Please keep in mind law prohibits council from acting on items that are not on the agenda and your matter may be referred to the city manager. Thank you. Diana love.

Did you bring me a flower? No, I'm sorry. But um Mr. Mayor, u with your permission, could I have the two new city council members join us down here, please? Of course.

Thanks, Sheila. Come this way. This way. So pink is for the lady. Thank you. This is for you.

So on behalf of Connie Slaughter, Lordis Everard, and myself, Diana Love, we want to congratulate both Cedric Wright and Rosio Costanos and give them a plaque for their wherever they would like to put it on their desk or wherever and a card. Thank you. Just to say congratulations to the both.

Thank you. So kind. You're welcome. I'll bring you some flowers next. Arrangements. arrangements.

Thank you,

Mr. Coronado. Lancaster had 97,959 registered voters as of December 30th, 2025. In the April 14, 2026 January municipal election, ballots were mailed to all registered voters. In total, 16,237 votes were cast for the city council candidates. The results were close. Cedric White received 3,470 votes. Congratulations. Rosio Castayanos, please pronounce your name correctly. Rosio Castayanos received 3,438 votes. Cynthia Hernandez received 3,258 votes. Raj Mali received 3,100 33 votes. Cynthia missed the second seat by 180 votes. I'm very glad she did. She sold out. Uh first and uh second place were separated by 132 votes. Second and third place were separated by 180 votes. Third and fourth place were separated by 125 votes. Now look at the cost. Ballots were mailed to every registered voter. That is 97,959 ballots uh ballot packets. At current first class rates, outbound post alone is about $76,000. Return posted ballots cost uh ads about $12,600. That brings an estimate postage alone roughly $89,000. This does not include the printing, ballot design, translation, envelopes, staffing, verification, counting or payment to Los Angeles County. The council approved paying all election expenses, yet the full cost has not been clearly presented to the public. This raises serious concerns. A city of nearly 98,000 registered voters held an election where turnout was utterly low, outcomes were decided by narrow margins, and taxpayers funded a process that did

not produce broad participation. This is not a strong standard of representation. When elections are held outside November, fewer votes, fewer voters uh take part. The data here proves it. This structure limits participation and concentrates influence among a smaller group of voters that makes decisions for all of us. That's not democracy. Lancaster residents deserve better. We need elections that reflect the full community, not a fraction of it. Moving elections to November will increase turnout, improve representation, and strength public trust. I ask this council to take action, specifically our new council members, Rosio Castanos and Mr. Cedric White. Please do something about it. Move Lancaster municipal election to November. Release all full cost of this election to the public. Give residents full transparency and a fair opportunity to participate. And Triss, thank you for sending people to clean up the Avenue uh K encampment. I really appreciate that. Thank you. And Patty, good job on the work that you do for the uh cleanup. That's a wonderful event.

Thank you. Constantine Anthony. Good afternoon, Lancaster. Uh, Mr. Mayor, Madame Vice Mayor, council members, city staff. Uh, first I want to congratulate uh, Vice Mayor Hughes Leslie on your appointment and I want to congratulate Council Members uh, White and Castanos on your election. Um it was a a big turnout uh comparatively. Um I do want to echo some of the sentiment from the previous uh speaker. Um I'm a council member in the city of Burbank. I had the pleasure of serving as the mayor in 2023 and 10 years ago we had an election in April for our city council race. We had 11% turnout. I believe you guys had around 9%. I will tell you when the city of Burbank moved from April to November, we jumped from 11% voter turnout to 70% voter turnout. When I used to go to council meetings, not many people would show up because not many people knew who the representatives were and were not engaged. When the elections moved and more people were engaged in voting for who represents them, you mentioned earlier how packed it was at the beginning of the meeting. The meetings got more packed. More people had input on the budget. Thank you for doing that. This is a great move, I think. And more people got involved in communicating their wants and needs and criticisms and congratulations to the elected officials. I would highly highly

encourage at least the first step to be and this is key ask the city clerk to put together a detailed report of the cost. I have no doubt that madam city clerk did an excellent job running this election but I will tell you the county has gotten so good at running these elections that the cost is much lower. I believe uh Lancaster is one of only two cities now that runs elections outside of the county. So, do look at that cost. I guarantee you there is money to be saved by doing it in the primary or in November. I think November is a better option because California is weird. We jump around March, June, March, June. It's kind of silly. Just go with November. Um, and then the last thing I would say is being elected to office. Um, the job of getting elected is very different than the job of governance. Uh the mayor, former mayor of Philadelphia, um once said, "There is no Democratic or Republican way to fill a pothole." And that holds true. What we do out there, the things that we say, the things that we campaign on, those are great aspirational things. But when we walk into this room, there's five people that we have to work with. Find those compromises. I guarantee you a 50 vote on a compromise is better than a 32 or 4-1 every single time. Good luck,

Mark Riter.

Good afternoon, council. Mayor Paris, Lauren, Vice, Mayor Hughes, Ken Man Rosio, congratulations. Cedric, congratulations. Uh, I usually come up and talk about my feelings and my kid hates it because nobody cares about feelings apparently. So, instead of talking about feelings, I'm going to talk about the issue of some of Rex's fears that you're talking about in the future. They've already been laid out. People are already smarter than you and I have already handled that. Many mayors across America already know that universal basic income will probably come down the road for lower to middle class folks. However, you might want to look into the city's policies and cost in land development and things of that nature because they're absolutely way too high. When you buy a piece of property in Lancaster, it cost an arm and a leg just to start development. And if you don't adhere to those rules, then they come in, steal, destroy, and then try to bill you for it. $17,874 to steal my son's private property is not acceptable. Rex, you literally held him up 17 years ago as the youngest person in your bike race. It's not acceptable. The only reason why I'm not violent is because of Highway and other places like that that allow me to be a peaceful stoner. However, my son is not a stoner. He's never done anything. So, he's a little more irritated than me. And I just want to see this resolve quickly. I'm definitely not going to pay Justin and the rest of the city employees $17,000 for destroying my stuff. Thank you. Fran, how are you?

Life's like that. I hope you're on the up part, though. Yes.

Good. Well, good afternoon, Mayor Paris, and welcome, old friend, Lauren. Uh, good to see you next to the mayor. Man, Ken Man, thank you for staying with us and sticking with us. But I also want to say welcome to Miss Rosio Castellanos and Mr. CJ Kite. We are our com our city of Lancaster and our Analopee Valley is unique in many many ways. We are treated not very fairly from the city, from the county. As far as our funding goes, we have, and this is what you're gonna, well, you probably know because you've already been involved in the city problem, the city planning, and city so forth. But I love my Lancaster. I work hard for Lancaster. I've been an advocate and now I'm a commissioner for LA County for aging and disabilities and I have I have done some little things for Lancaster that have but the main thing I want to say is together we can make this city a lot not take anything away from our prior council. We have a lot of work to do, especially the way the the economy is going and our seniors are suffering tremendously.

There's they're not getting their social security increases. They go to the market instead of spending $5, they're spending $20. But the main thing I want to say, congratulations. You got a nice big job on your hands. and but don't be afraid because that's what it's going to take to keep you in your positions. Thank you very much. God bless you. Thank you.

You know, I'm I'm not I'm not totally opposed to having the election with the general, but what I am totally opposed to is m making that decision without an intelligent analysis of what that means. Think about it for a second. We do it on the general election. Maybe the guy who owns all the billboards would be able to control that election, right? I mean, if you're just talking about masses of people voting just because it's on the ballot, I know how to do that one. I don't think that's the fairest way to do it. That's why I've resisted it. But perhaps we need to do that. I don't know. I would just like to see an analysis that is not tribal. Not tribal, Denise. I don't think that is beneficial to this city at all. I do not think divisions in this city improve the lives of the citizens. It's just my own personal feeling. And before you lobby for something like that, what is the outcome? What does the outcome look like? I don't hear anybody doing that. I don't see anybody looking at that. What I see is my tribe could win better. I'm not so sure that's true. Matter of fact, I know it's not true. It just increases the costs of elections. There are some people that doesn't matter. They don't care what it costs. But I don't think that's fair. I don't think that that is the best way to grow a city. And I think people really ought

to think about things. What does it look like at the end of it? And it should be more than my team wins. Okay, enough said, I guess. Uh, but I do think it's okay to discuss it, to put together a group, to see what it looks like. I would not I would not be opposed to that. All right. Any other comments from the city council? Ivan, uh, we said a lot of congratulations to my new teammates and I apologize in advance for not warning you or embarrassing you. Um, could I have their family members stand up because as we've heard, it takes a whole team. It takes the people at home to support us. So, let's give them their flowers. Buckle up. It's a lot of fun and we really appreciate your guys' support. So, thank you in advance.

You have no idea what they got you into, but thank you. Okay. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27th, 2026. 26. May 26. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. The meeting is adjourned.