City Council - meeting_joint

Good afternoon, and welcome to the council meeting of Tuesday, February 17. Before I call roll, I will go over speaker card instructions. If you'd like to speak on any agenda item, please fill out a speaker's card and return that card to a clerk representative before the item is called. If you're looking to turn in the online speaker card, they were due twenty four hours before the start of this meeting. And if you wanna speak on any agenda item, this meeting was called to order at 03:31PM.

So speaker cards will be due by 05:31 or before the item is called, whichever comes first. On roll for this meeting are council members Brown. Present. Council member Fife. What am I Is excused. Council member Gayle.

Present.

Council member Houston. Excused. Council member Ramachandran. Sorry. Present. Council member Ramachandran. Present. Council member Unger.

Here.

Council member Wong. Present. And chair Jenkins.

Present.

Showing six members present at this time to excuse Fife and Houston. Do you have any announcements before we begin?

No announcements.

Going to item three modifications to the agenda and procedural items including but not limited to request to reschedule items from consent to non consent items to the next council agenda, speak on consent calendar, register no votes, change agenda order.

So I'm gonna pull item number 5.1. We want to, Doctor. Ramsey, be here to discuss the disparity study. So I'm going to pull that for this session and with the intent that it will come back March 2. Council member Fife, chair Fife, Dean Fife will be working with me to get Doctor. Ramsey to schedule it with that. I'll need a second to pull this item.

Not hearing this at all.

We'll pull on the item but we will hear any public speakers that came to speak on this item. Okay.

On the motion to pull this item moved by council president Jenkins, second by council member Gaio. Council member Brown. Aye. Council member Fife is excused. Council member Gayle.

Aye.

Council member Houston is also excused. Council member Ramachandran. Aye. Council member Unger.

Aye.

Council member Wong. Aye. Chair Jenkins. Aye. Motion passes with a vote of six ayes. This item is rescheduled to March 2. If you signed up to speak on this item, you will.

We'll reschedule it in rules.

It will be rescheduled in rules and if you signed up to speak on this item you will still be able to speak.

So typically at the end of meetings we have council member announcements where we acknowledge success and losses with the some successes and some losses with the slam dunk contest local Oaklander won. And with losses, we had the loss of Reverend Jesse Jackson. So the mayor will be coming on the next item to speak to that. Is to the mayor staff, is the mayor ready? When we call in 51.

Council member Brown.

Excellent. Thank you so much. So I'll just make the announcement that Keyshawn Johnson is about ten minutes out and so then the mayor will be joining us to honor him and his accomplishments. Thank you.

Without any other changes to the agenda? If not, we'll wait on the mayor. Okay. So we will move on from item three. We will take in 5.1.

Read. The mayor's here.

Actually, the mayor's here. You ready, mayor?

Calling in item seven which is council acknowledgment and announcements.

And mayor Keyshawn is about five minutes out.

Okay. So we we'll wait. I'll do reverend Jackson later or well, mister president, can we wait on Keysha?

Yeah. We can wait.

Okay. Then I'll I'll wait.

Alright. Okay. We can call in 51.

Calling in item five point one, receive an information report on the 2024 city Of Oakland disparity study prepared by Mason Tillman Associates pursuant to resolution number 89058. As stated, this item will be rescheduled in rules, but you can speak if you would like at this time. Calling in the speakers, Blair Beekman, Derek Barnes, Kevin Dally, miss Asada Olavala, and Eda Johnson in any order. If you're in chambers, please approach the podium.

So I'm sick and tired of you people playing games with black people. You don't need the Mason Tillman report to understand that disparities are going on related to black contractors. You already know that. So we this has been going on for decades. Then the city administrator submits a report and he doesn't identify that's important that the recommendations be followed up.

During the meeting of committee, nobody nobody said we need to take the recommendations and bring them forward to counsel for full approval of the recommendations based on that report. You're playing games with black people again. So you've been knowing for years this problem. You've been using proposition two zero nine and say we can't do anything. Well, you ignore the law that says illegal immigrants can't come into this country.

So I'm telling you ignore proposition two zero nine and do everything you can to support black people economically in housing. You are you are priding yourself on being a sanctuary city, but you're not a city that looks after the best interest of African Americans. We have 9% unemployment. The state of California is 14% unemployment. We have the homeless situation that nothing has happened of any significance, But as soon as illegal immigrants got an issue, you jump through halt and create ordinances.

The Basin Tillman report is gonna result in absolutely nothing changing. When you wanna do something seriously, you'll just step forward and let it happen. It will not be based on a report. It needs to happen. I know you're not gonna do nothing. You're doing absolutely nothing for black people and that's why I'm in the room to tell you about it. Thank

you, miss Olabala. Your time is up.

Hi. Eddy Johnson, community organizer. It's a shame what I have experienced in the last two years with the city of Oakland. My civil rights have been violated. You, city administrator, you thought I was stupid.

All I do is I I I know how to handle my business. When I am disrespected and when I especially when I do the things the right way. I want every level. But you all I put in my the I put in a paper to get for for the city and call compliance, building codes. You with the pictures of my house, they fixed another house.

Uh-huh. I filed a claim against the city of Oakland. $2,500,000,000.

I got the proof.

You allowed that.

Miss Johnson, I'll

leave you. You allowed it.

Excuse me. Pause your time. Please don't.

Let me finish. I came here to talk about this.

I want to let you finish. Please only address the chair. Please only address me. Okay. Only address me. Not anybody else. Okay?

But anyway, I've been violated. My work the work have never been done in my place. I have had heart surgery. I've been in in and out the hospital. Good thing I worked all my life. But they misusing my insurance with undocumented. I keep track. I have a disability, and they can't repair me like they were trying to because of the condition that you all have left me. And who stay in the other house? Nobody.

But how many times did they fix the house upstairs? Where the undocumented, making methopenemy, blowing up stuff, fell on me. Yeah. They sent me into cardiac arrest, broke my teeth from the ceiling falling on my head. My teeth been paid for. They still haven't they can't put them in until my health get better. The devil is a liar. Now we're going to federal.

Thank you, miss Johnson. Your time is up.

Thank you, miss Johnson.

And mister Hazard, I have a card for you for this item as well.

I'm addressing the community, not you. So you can't tell me who to address. This is for public edification. And if you all wanna come along, come right along because you end up sitting there doing nothing when we address you. I don't even know why this is on the nonconsent. What advice is necessary to discuss the disparity amongst black folks? The data is clear. This should be on the consent calendar. When it comes to immigrants, no disrespect. You put it on the consent calendar.

You approve it. But when it comes to black folks, you got it. You have a task force. Shame on you. I'm addressing you, mister president.

Shame on you. Because when it comes to black folks, y'all decided. This item was two times the disparity study, and doctor Ramsey did a wonderful job. The first one in 2017, somebody said it wasn't worth the paper it was on. Then you gave her another contract.

Well deserved. Now it's thorough. So why is this on the consent calendar? It's been vetted in the committee. You should be approving this on the consent calendar, not on the non nonconsent. Or are you deciding who's gonna be on the sponsorship, then that's fine. Then that means collective approval.

Thank you, mister Hazard. Your time is up. Blair Beekman, Derek Barnes, Kevin Dally. I don't see you in chambers. If you're on Zoom, please raise your hand if you still wish to speak. At this time, all names have been called.

Council member Fife.

I just wanted to speak to the item around the disparity study that came to my committee last week. I spoke with the city administration as well as doctor Ramsey and we decided collectively to pull the item because she couldn't be reached to ensure that she would be in counsel to give the full presentation in the way that she did to the life enrichment committee. We and the committee felt that the entire body should hear the presentation that was presented and and then go from that point. So I wanted to just articulate that for the record that this was a decision that was made in partnership with doctor Ramsey to ensure that the public had all of the information possible. And I look forward to that item coming back on March 3 to the full city council.

Thank you. Thank you. Seeing no more comments.

To the chair, just wanted just to make a comment about 6.11 about the watershed.

We're not on the consent item. We're on item 5.1. You can address that on the next item. Okay. Okay, thank you. Councilmember Brown? No. Okay. So we're gonna We go back to item number seven.

Calling in item seven, which is, acknowledgments council acknowledgments and announcements.

Madam mayor.

Mister president and members of the council, to all of you, really happy to be here for a minute. And I wanna just take a moment to congratulate Kishad. Where here you are. Now, I wanna welcome you home, and I wanna just say how proud we are of you. The town is proud of you. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. We all do. Congratulations on winning the NBA slam dunk competition at the all star weekend. Congratulations. And Oakland has always been a place that produces greatness.

We produce champions from Damian Lillard who showed up at all star weekend injured and still won the three point contest through James Akendra who earned the NBA g league next up MVP honors. Oakland athletes, y'all show up, you compete, and you shine on the biggest stages. And I wanna salute your coach, your family members, your father. You know, I have a connection to your family that I didn't realize until last night. So it was a great reunion for me.

And let me just say, today, one of our own, you're standing right here in sitting right here, look like you're standing in City Hall. Proof of really what happens when talent means determination with Oakland grit. You grew up right here in Oakland. You attended Envision Academy of Arts and Technology. You transferred to San Leandro High School and were named West Alameda County Conference Co MVP.

And then you took the game to San Diego State and helped lead the Aztecs all the way to the NCAA championship game, then on to Arizona. Draft night came, and your name wasn't called, but you didn't quit. You earned a contract with the Miami Heat. And I want you to know I have nephews and a niece who live in Florida, and they are so happy about this day. But you're an example of Oakland grit, and that's Oakland's spirit.

And most recently, you competed in the NBA slam dunk contest at all star weekend, which I mentioned in front, and I watched this as you were winning. In front of the entire country, you really showed out. You let the world see what Oakland swagger really looks like. First round, you you brought out the Bay Area legend e forty. You leaped clean over him and threw it down.

Yeah. That was I've been following you. That was a historic Oakland moment in the dunk contest. Final round, you took off from the free throw line, one handed windmill jam. You brought the Oakland spirit that night, and you put Oakland in the spotlight on a national stage. Just like Dame, just like James, that's what this town does. Afterward, said, and I wanna quote what you said. You said, all the kids out there, keep dreaming. Anything can happen. So, Keisha, those words mean everything coming from you.

They may not believe it from me, but they believe it from you. Because every kid in this city can really look at you, and they can see themselves. So on behalf of the city of Oakland, our council members, our residents, just, say thank we say thank you. We're deeply grateful to you because you continue to make our town proud. Thank you again. Give the whole team a round of applause. I know president Jenkins presented a council resolution to you, and we have mayor's proclamation today also. So why don't you come on up and join us here?

Please feel free to have words if you want.

Come on. Let's do it. Let's do it. I got something for this. First of all, you know, it's an honor. It's an honor. I wear ochre on my sleeves literally. You know, I got it I got it tattooed on me, you know. Not only is it on me, it's also it's also in me. It's in my blood. You know, I I take pride in saying I'm from Oakland, you know. Like you said, we got an extra swag to to us. We got extra confidence, you know. And I just want to show the world, like, you know, being in Oakland, it's always like the odds is always against you. Just being from Oakland, you know, the the upbringing that we have, you know, it's a beautiful it's a beautiful place that we live in.

And I just wanted to show that. I I just wanted to show like the confidence, the swag, our soil. And I put I feel like I did a good job representing us overall. And, yeah, like to be here in front of y'all, like, I just think I'm I'm I think I'm doing something right, you know. And it's always good to let somebody know that they're doing something right, but I'm never satisfied. You know? It's just more in store. So I'm a continue to make us proud, continue to make the kids proud, and pay it forward always. Pay homage to everybody, you know. So thank you all for honoring me and, yeah, the sky's the limit. You know, this is only the start of what a journey gonna take me. Appreciate it.

So we'll come down here and take photos, and then after that, council members can have comments. Okay. So I want to thank council member Brown for helping coordinate this, making sure that Keisha and family could come here today. And I think what's amazing after winning the slam dunk contest, council member Brown council member Brown didn't win the slam dunk contest. Keyshawn came back to Oakland and there was a line of young kids just standing there waiting for autographs and he signed every one of those kids autographs and that's a testament to coming back to Oakland and representing Oakland.

So I appreciate you for doing what you did after the dunk contest. Council member Houston?

Oh, yeah. I'm a say this, we dream to do what you do, indeed, and gonna do. Your father's from Sunnyside. You know, I'm District 7 council member. You got Damian from Brookfield, Dag, all that area. So you are inspiration to the children. And I know the mayor said you came back. Council member president said, I know you're gonna keep coming back and giving us that pride, that inspiration, and the youngsters, they're gonna look up to you. You are you are the future. Okay? So appreciate you. I salute you. And you're from the town, and you do town. We got that town swag. You know it. We got it. Let's do it.

Thank you so much. Madam mayor?

Thank you very much. Kishan, you know, I'm getting ready to present, some thoughts about someone who I know, whether you knew him personally or not, I know he loved you and he paved the way for so much in your life to have him. That's the reverend Jesse Jackson. He loves sports. I've been with him in many games.

He passed away early this morning. He was a legend, a force of nature, a warrior, but he also was a personal friend. So I'm glad you're here. God bless you. Mister president, members of the council, residents of Oakland, it really is with a heavy heart yet with a deep sense of gratitude to present a proclamation today on behalf of the city of Oakland, honoring the life and legacy of a great leader and yes, a great world leader, the reverend Jesse Lewis Jackson, who loved Oakland, California.

He passed away this morning at the age of 84. And first, my condolences and my love, go to Jackie, his wife, his sons. He was grandfather to his entire family including his sister-in-law who lives here in Oakland. Reverend Jackson was a towering figure in the American civil rights movement. A confidant of doctor Martin Luther King junior, you may have seen him on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when doctor King was so untimely assassinated.

He was the founder of a operation push and the rainbow coalition. He was an unrelenting advocate for economic equity and justice for over six decades. And as I said, he was a close friend and mentor of mine. Oakland could claim reverend Jackson as one of its own. He had a deep enduring connection to the city.

Connections he spoke about with love and with pride. And just this past December, my family and I, we he lived in Chicago, and I said on Christmas, I wanted to be there. And we went to see reverend Jackson and spent the day with him on December 25. And he could not speak, but he was very present, very aware. And we talked about a lot, the campaigns.

And I was his state finance chair in 1988 during his presidential primary. And he his eyes lit up when we talked about it. We were communicating. And I said, reverend, I said, do you remember going to the churches in Oakland registration, and we were at Evergreen Baptist Church and the pastor and he blurted out the reverend j l Richards. And now he had not said one word.

He couldn't communicate at all. But when I said Oakland and Evergreen, he knew who the pastor was, reverend j l Richards, and he spoke that in his state where he could not could not verbalize much. But he would mutter, and you would hear what he was saying and understand him, but he was very clear when we talked about Evergreen Baptist Church and JL Richards. Also, he was he officiated at my son's wedding at my son was married at Mills College in the chapel. And Reverend Jackson officiated at this at the wedding.

And it was written up in Ebony magazine. So I took the magazine for him to see and my two granddaughters who had never met. And he saw them in his eyes lit up, he smiled, he held their hand, he looked at my son and smiled, and he he knew he was responsible for

that.

That was just this past December. And it was it was an amazing day for for me personally personally because because was not only a great leader, but he never lost his humanity and never lost his love for even people he did not know, but especially for people like myself who he mentored and helped. When I won elections throughout my life, he would call me at midnight and congratulate me, and then he would pray with me. He would pray with me every single time, every election. Even this mayor's election, he would call his people, his per his a son called and he would mutter something on the phone.

I knew what he was saying, murmur. And he would also, in the past, give me words of wisdom. Who to look out for? How to deal with certain people, be careful. You know, he would give give me advice as he prayed for me for being able to step up and speak truth to power and to deliver for the most marginalized, for people who had been not seen in this country.

In December 2006, some of you may remember, some may not. He came right here to Oakland and stood beside me at a community forum to help enroll mainly African Americans and people of color, seniors in Medicare Part D. He would come to Oakland for different events that we held to bring people out so that people would know their rights and know what the government, the federal government, was pushing forward so that they could be educated about the benefits that they may or may not have heard of. And I remember that day because he showed up all of the time for everyday people, in cities like ours, long long after the the cameras were gone. Here in Oakland, he kicked off a youth violence prevention program focused on education and job job training and jobs.

His two historic presidential campaigns, 1984, actually the convention then was in San Francisco and he gave a very clear speech about what we needed to do to be inclusive in terms of the power of people in this democracy and why we needed to exercise our political power. Was a tough speech to the Democratic Party campaign. Because of that speech, although not all the way where we need to be, The Democratic Party is more democratic than it was before reverend Jackson. His campaigns expanded the democratic process for millions, built coalitions that paved the way for future leaders including president Barack Obama, and proved that anyone, ordinary people, who organized and unafraid can move mountains. And he wanted us to remember that.

And that's and he registered over seven to 8,000,000 people during his presidential campaign. People in rural in the rural South. People who never would have been part of a coalition of people of color and of people who are marginalized, of people who were poor. He brought us together and saw that we had more in common than not. He built the coalitions, again, that paved the way for future leaders and he proved that, you know, he understood the nature of of politics, and also delivery of what this American dream supposedly holds for everyone, which still has not delivered to many in in our country.

Remember being with him one day and said, you know, Jeff Jesse, the House of Representatives, we've never honored you. And he was so humble. He said, well, you know, it's one of those things. Wasn't a big deal for him. But I decided that we would do that.

So I wrote a resolution and we passed it on the house floor honoring his life and his legacy. But he came and he sat in the gallery and he watched it pass the house. And he was just so humble and so happy that we were able to do that. You know, he was a lot of people don't know that he was also a global leader. He actually negotiated the release of hostages in Iraq.

I was at the airport. It was in DC and he brought them back. He negotiated the release of prisoners in in Cuba. I was at the airport when he brought them back. Heads of state listened to Reverend Jackson. He was a world leader. He helped president Mandela become president and was involved in the Free South Africa Movement. I was an observer in South Africa during the elections. Reverend Jackson was there as an observer and a monitor and of course as a VIP. And we won those elections.

The South African people won those elections with the help of Reverend Jackson and the help of many here in Oakland. He was revered around the world. And I hope that we remember him as a person who wanted to make this country better, a person who wanted to make the world a better place for everyone. He was very close with many people here in Oakland and in the East Bay. And I'll mention a few names.

The late supervisor Wilma Chan. Wilma was very close with reverend Jackson and helped him in his campaigns. Butch Wing, Josie Camacho, many many people here in Oakland didn't people didn't know how close they were with reverend Jackson, but I could be in another city and hear reverend Jackson was with people from Oakland with him. He had a very close knit staff. They were his confidants.

And many of his team staff members went on to work for president Obama and also for president Biden. Many of the rainbow coalition people who he trained, who he'd helped carve their own paths ended up working in the White House. They never would have done that had it not been for reverend Jackson. And so finally, I'll just say, he coined some term some terms and messages. And they were not cliches, but they are very profound that I hope young people right now remember, especially in this day and time of what we know is taking place in Washington.

Keep hope alive. You all know? Keep hope alive? We gotta keep hope alive. That's reverend Jackson. I still say that. I am somebody. When so many black people felt so marginalized, we still haven't come full circle. But I am somebody. Also, reverend Jackson reminded us and told us we were African Americans.

You know, and there was some controversy around that, but we he stood the ground and he explained why he thought we should, if we felt it were appropriate to call ourselves African Americans. That was reverend Jackson. That's where it all started. Reverend Jackson was, of course, a minister and as a person of faith, I love listening to sermons. He was a unbelievable pastor. He used the scriptures as our North Star. He interpreted the scriptures in a very revolutionary way. Feed the hungry. That shouldn't be so hard to understand. He quoted the eight beatitudes.

He spoke brilliantly about how, as a preacher, he could be a preacher, the country preacher, that's what he called himself, for social, racial, and economic justice. And I'll close by screw it with the scripture scripture that he would use frequently. He said, what does, the lord command of us? And he would say he would cite this. Do justice, love mercy, and work humbly with thy god.

Every time I hear that, I think of reverend Jackson. That was his his his mandate and that was his message for all of us. And so today, I am heartbroken. He passed away yesterday. He actually, yesterday was the eleventh anniversary of my mother's death.

And reverend Jackson came out to be with me, and he was with her and prayed with us the day before she passed away. And so for him, today, as we think about him and his legacy personally, I'm deeply grateful for his life, for his legacy, for his prayers, and for what he has done to help our young people understand that the world is yours, that you must keep hope alive, you are somebody, and that we will overcome. God bless you. Thank you again.

Thank you mayor Lee. And we will adjourn this meeting in memory of reverend Jesse Jackson. Any other council members have or any council members have any announcements before we get to the business of the people? Council member Wong.

Wanted to make an announcement that this is the first year of the fire horse lunar new year, actually. And for those of you who don't know, the fire horse is actually incredibly powerful year. It happens every sixty years and it's actually a the fire horse is associated with revolution. So in 1966, the Black Panther Party was actually formed here. It's also a key year associated with associated with the women's liberation movement. So time will tell what that means for the city of Oakland but this is this is gonna be a fun year. That's all I can say. Thanks. And oh, come visit Oakland's Chinatown in Little Saigon. There's a lot of activities going on.

Thank you.

Thank you council member. Council member Houston.

I like to say this is on the seventeenth. Right? Huey Newton's birthday is today. Legendary. Legendary. Let's give a round of applause for Huey Newton. And he would be disappointed in us right now on the way our streets look, the way our people are suffering in this rain. He would be disappointed. He would be totally disappointed on what we're doing and we're not passing this EAP that is going to address this critical problem we have. So I wish Huey was here with me.

Thank you council member Houston. Happy birthday to doctor Huey p Newton. Seeing no more announcements, we will go to item six, the consent calendar.

Thank you council president Jenkins. I'll just make a quick announcement welcoming Candace Parker Tree to my team as the assistant city clerk. Today is our first day. Thank you. I'm going into the consent calendar, which is item six.

Welcome back.

Welcome back home. Starting with item 6.1, approval of the draft minutes from the meeting of 02/03/2026. Item 6.2, resolution regarding a declaration of a local emergency due to the AIDS epidemic. Item 6.3, a resolution regarding a declaration of medical cannabis health emergency. Item 6.4, a resolution for a declaration of a local emergency on homelessness.

Item 6.5, an ordinance amending municipal code chapter nine point zero eight point two six zero regarding prohibition of prostitution. Adoption of this item will be final passage. Item 6.6, a resolution travel reimbursement for council members Jenkins and Ramachandran. Item 6.7, a resolution confirming the appointments to the public safety planning and oversight commission. Item 6.8, a resolution confirming the mayor's appointment to the Head Start Advisory Board.

Item 6.9, the information report regarding the multi year plan to meet voter mandated staffing and service level service level. Excuse me. Item 6.1, a resolution for construction contract amendment for citywide pavement rehab for 2022, project number 1006337. Item 6.11, a resolution for measure DD grant agreement for Sigoria Tay land trust watershed acquisition. Item 6.12, a resolution for Foreign Trade Zone Number 56, application for alternative site framework.

Item 6.13, a resolution accepting the impact excuse me, impact fees annual report for years '24 through '25. Item 6.14, a resolution for the sugar sweetened beverage distribution tax community grants for fiscal year twenty five through twenty seven. Item 6.15, a resolution for fiscal year twenty five through twenty seven biennial grants. Item 6.16, a resolution approving PSA with Evergreen Counseling and that does conclude your consent calendar and you do have 22 speakers on this item.

Any comments from the council members? Council member Houston. Which one are you commenting on?

6.11, the watershed. Okay. Yeah. Just wanted to share. I wanted to find out Trinity, can you come up to the podium, please? I wanted to just to find out how do we apply and restore our watersheds in D 7. I remember when it's a piece of property we call the Automobile Graveyard where they had 243 cars that we had removed with all that contamination and things like that was just flowing into that watershed over there. And I remember playing with, having to get frogs, fish, salamanders and lizards and there's nothing there no more. Know, how do we So Trinity, what do we talk about in our morning huddle this morning?

Good afternoon to the chair. This morning during our huddle we were discussing some of the environmental justice that districts have been needs. We have marshes and creeks and sloughs and just various waterways that back in the council members day were lively with marine life, and we're seeking to kind of restore that. So we're just looking to figure out what the process is to perhaps designate a steward of sorts for the areas of District 7.

Back in the council members day. Justin, can you make sure that public works connects with District 7 to ensure that we talk about the watersheds in District 7? Council member Wong.

Thank you. I just wanted to make a comment on item 6.5. I wanted to thank my colleagues for your support in passing this item. I also wanted to note that I've been in conversations with some of the anti trafficking advocates, some of which are in the audience today. And what we've been talking about is the fact that the legislation that is poised to pass today will actually be a model that can serve not only for the city of Oakland because it's not enough to displace exploitation, we have to end it and it's not enough just to displace it from the city of Oakland.

So many of the advocates will actually be going to other cities to to advocate that we use this legislation that we are passing today across the nation and including in other cities in California. And I'm proud to state that. Thank you.

Thank you for your diligence and work on this item. Any more council members before we go to the public speakers? Alright. Seeing none, let's go to the public speakers.

As I call your name, please approach the podium in any order. Please state your name for the record before beginning. If you are on Zoom and you wish to speak and you submitted a card, please raise your hand so I can easily identify you once your name is called. Blair Beakman, Derek Barnes, Fatima Yosef, Steven or Stephen Cole, Katherine Sternbeck, mister Boatwright, Jasmine Marie Brown, Christina Verisa for Visa, Mary Susan Cain Simon, miss Asada Olabala, I have you with multiple items. Janiece Jacobs, miss Etta Johnson, I have you with multiple items.

Crystal and Good, Vanessa Russell, Tim Vinder Lenski, Maribel Tadeo, mister Hazard, I have you with multiple items. Sean Sullivan, Shia Azuma, Karina Gould, Kim Olson. Go ahead, mister Hazard.

In Alameda County, bail amounts of penal code two eighty eight, penal code two sixty six are determined by the superior court of California, County Of Alameda official bail schedule. If a specific event is not listed on the county's 24 misdemeanor and felony bail schedule, the bail is calculated by a multiplying statutory midterm. So what that means is Wang's thing that y'all approved, those traffickers could get bail. They could go into jail today, get arrested, and that's what I gave you. Read it.

It's real clear. They get bailed as opposed to fentanyl. Look on the back. What's the bail amount for the rest of fentanyl? In The United States, there's no minimum amount of fentanyl required for an arrest as possession of any amount can lead to criminal charges due to its extreme potency.

And you sit there on your behinds and you wanna go something that's really incidental and it's not gonna do anything, and you got the law right here. Penal code 288. Penal code 266. Read it. Bail for folks who traffic young people.

And yet you don't do anything about fentanyl. You don't even declare it an emergency, really. The city of Oakland has not formally adopted a specific municipal code or citywide emergency declaration declaring fentanyl a public health emergency. And children are dying as opposed to children being used for sex. Which is more criminal?

The death of a child or somebody being used to sell their bodies? They're both are bad. I'm not saying that. But where are your priorities? Fentanyl, the potency of fentanyl is much greater than the other, but yet you remain silent. And, council member Wayne, you get up there and do this presentation. I got the facts. You don't talk about what the criminal code is. Those are misdemeanors.

Thank you, mister Hazard. Your time is up.

Thank you council members for this opportunity to advocate on behalf of Oakland's waterways and diverse communities. My name is Tim Valensky. I serve on the board of directors for Friends of Saucele Creek. I'm urging you to approve resolution the resolution to award measured DD funds to the Sagorite Land Trust to purchase the 16 acre parcel that has been nurtured for decades by the Chen family. This transaction was made possible by the generosity of the family, the perseverance of your own staff person, Michael Perlmutter, and the unique vision of the land trust to meet rematriate sacred lands across the East Bay.

Your approval of this resolution protects an ecological anchor for the Sasol Creek Watershed and a cultural anchor for indigenous people. The health of creeks and rivers depends on the integrity of their headwaters, and the spiritual health of indigenous people depends on the condition and fate of their ancestral lands. With this resolution, the city council has an unprecedented chance to secure the headwaters of Sausal Creek while rematriating the parcel to its original stewards. Thank you.

Good

afternoon. My name is Steven Cole and I am speaking to item number 6.9. I'm a card carrying member of Oakland Public Library. And the last time I was here, I was with a number of other library advocates to lobby for maintenance of effort language to be included in measure c in 2022. And the council agreed and that language appeared in the text of measure c.

Measure c passed with, 82.4 of the vote. Oaklanders are generous and love their libraries. So it is dismaying to me and a number of other library advocates that we discover that this maintenance of effort, language is imperiled currently.

Thank you, sir. Your time is up.

Thank you, counsel. Kim Olson, SOS Meals on Wheels. Also speaking for Mercy Brownbag, who's my colleague here in the audience. Urging your support for item 6.14, the sugar sweetened beverage funds. These funds will provide nutrition programs like myself, like SOS Meals on Wheels and Mercy Brown Bag, key nutritional services for some of our city's most vulnerable residents.

Mercy Brown Bag will serve 5,000 Oakland seniors each year with this funding. Meals on Wheels will serve 1,300 homebound seniors in Oakland with this funding. Specific with this funding, we will also give additional diabetic friendly snack packs and hydration education to our homebound seniors. We give those seniors who are diabetic, prediabetic, and those from demographics that were most targeted by sugar sweetened beverage, those that need that healthy intervention the most. So we are excited to take these funds to continue using them because we've been using them.

Good afternoon. My name is Vanessa Russell, and I'm the founding executive director of Love Never Fails. And I just wanted to express my gratitude to you council members for placing item number 6.5 on the consent calendar today. I just want to thank you for prioritizing the health and safety of survivors of human trafficking here in Oakland. Lebanon River Fails has served and housed survivors over the last fifteen years.

This is the first time in history that I know of that we have prioritized the safety of survivors while also holding the buyers accountable for their harmful actions. Today, you send a strong message to Oakland's children and adult vulnerable adults that have been ensnared in the life that have not chosen that life, that they are worth being protected, that they are loved and valued and seen. You also send a message very strongly to the world in the midst of the Epstein file cover ups that and the heartbreaking victim blaming

that Miss Russell, your time is up.

Good afternoon, council members, mister president. My name is Mary Kayne Simon, and I have the great privilege of being the co chair or vice chair of your Oakland Public Library Commission. I'm here to speak on item 6.9. Echoing what the the gentleman earlier said, it's very important to restore the maintenance of effort funding to the libraries. And I wanna congratulate and express appreciation the council, the city seems to be on the road to getting back into compliance with what the laws require.

I'm afraid to say, I'm a retired attorney now, but I think the city has been on shaky legal ground for a long time in not having the necessary funds appropriated for the libraries to bring it into compliance. This is in the city auditor's own report to the council, so I'm not gonna belabor that argument. But I just wanna just quickly urge you to keep in mind I know that making

Thank you. Your time is up.

Good afternoon. Speaking to item 6.9, my name is Chia Azuma, District 6 resident, taxpayer, and chair of the library commission. A big part of what the library commission does is to provide citizens oversight of revenue generated by two parcel taxes funding our libraries. That's measure c and measure d. Measure c was passed by voters in 2022 by an overwhelming 82% and it came with a few stipulations.

Measure c specifies that in addition to tax money collected from Us property owners, the city must contribute a minimum of $14,500,000 a year from the general fund. This is what is, what's referred to as the maintenance of effort, MOE. And I need to make this clear, the minimum of $14,500,000 every year, this is not an option. This is a minimum requirement that the city must meet every year.

Thank you. Your time is up.

Yes.

Hello. I'm Janice Jacobs, and I've been an activist on the issue of human trafficking for at least the past fifteen years. And over this time, I've seen lots of public officials get up and take a stand against trafficking, but you are the first city council. And I'm I'm so moved by your unanimous support for this resolution to finally penalize sex buyers for the harm that they're causing our our children, our schools, and every level of, high school, middle school, elementary schools in Oakland are seeing the effects of people coming into our city, raping our children, and leaving the devastation. This resolution is so important and that we finally take a stand that we will not tolerate sex sex buying in our town, and we have to also pair this with a comprehensive strategy so that everyone knows that you can't

Good afternoon everyone. My name is Crystalyn Good and I'm here on behalf of Covenant House California. For those of you who don't know, we're a crisis youth shelter and have a location in Jack London Square where we provide sanctuary to 18 24 year olds that are overcoming housing instability. I have the privilege of serving as the director of mental health and wellness programs and I'm grateful to be here with you all on this rainy Tuesday. We at Covenant House California are so grateful to council member Wong's focus on human trafficking.

This vulnerable group needs more resources, protection, and safe spaces that are dignifying and will meet each person where they're at and not leave them there. Our hope is that the public safety committee will continue to raise awareness for the needs of young people experiencing homelessness and exploitation on our streets in Oakland and that service providers who are ready to support them are funded and sustainable. Thank you.

Hi. Edda Johnson. I'm just gonna bring it to your attention. I'm out there seeing you have Oakland police, day and night, sitting in their trucks with them running their whole shift in on International in East Oakland. Sitting in two of them, but when you call for help, you can't get one.

I said, I guess I have to walk up to East 14th to go get one and make them come down, but they don't work for us. They see a lot of things going on, but you do not y'all letting them make and how much do they get paid an hour? Just just sit there. They don't even get out and mingle. Don't even walk.

Getting overweight, over fat, and out of shape, eating, and sitting. You know, you got to start checking on some of this stuff that you that work that you hired to work for you. It's against the law. There's a lot of laws broken here in Oakland, and they need to be fixed. And as soon as possible because you don't you're not even studying your areas. You know this is going on and then they want raises and stuff. You need to get rid of them. Hire a team that can control some of this stuff that's going on here.

David Boatwright, District four. Item 6.7, Oakland Public Safety Planning and Oversight Commission appointee. I hope Ms. Winn can have an immediate impact on this commission. Meetings are scheduled at no particular time during the month.

There is no list of current commission members on the city website. Meetings are posted and cancelled without adequate notice and the city's coordinator for this commission does not respond to emails. Item 6.15, biennial grants. I again recommend that all grants issued by the city be made with the requirement that at a minimum annual reports to the city document spending in detail, a list of the beneficiaries of each grant, administrative cost limits are established and the specific outcomes of the grant are included and that the city employee assigned to oversee the grant spending and activities be required to make an annual report to the city council committee where the grant is authorized. This kind of documentation and oversight should help guide the committees as to which grantees merit further funding in the future.

Item 6.9. This was a very thorough report. I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about Measure but the numbers didn't add up to the annual value quoted in the measure statement, dollars 2,700,000.0. It's probably too late now, but I'd love to talk to a staff member who could clarify some of the information about the measures. Thank you.

Sean Sullivan, district three, speaking on 6.5. I wanna, thank the council for agendizing and and putting this forward. I have been involved with this issue in trying to address the trafficking of our children, in this city since I began my work with Covenant House some thirty years ago. And I really want to applaud this legislation. Ten years ago, with council member Gayle, I sat on another iteration of a human trafficking task force and did a lot of studying on the issue.

And it always comes down to we do not have enough money to help these young people. And so I want to applaud this legislation because it has in here punitive fines for the sex buyers so that if we can arrest them and hold them accountable, we can eventually develop a fund to help young people out of out of this. The young people that are led into this life unfortunately have no resources and it is up to you and I thank you for for providing those. Thanks.

Hi. Sorry. Hi, everyone. My name is Maribel Tadeo. I'm a survivor shaped by the mental and physical realities of gender based violence that the flats of Oakland have long forced its native residents to endure.

I stand before you as an advocate with shade movement fighting for survivors of labor and human trafficking. I have been given the opportunity to stand on the front lines with the survivors, not only to support them, but to educate, uplift, and empower them as they rebuild their lives. My passion is rooted in helping people understand their worth, know their rights, and access the tools they need to move forward with strength and dignity. I'm here to voice my support for the recent change to the penal code that holds individuals who solicit sex accountable. Education and empowerment are critical, but so is accountability.

When harmful choices fuel exploitation and trafficking in our communities, there must be clear consequences. True change happens when we both empower survivors and address the systems and behaviors that cause them cause harm. This policy is a

This is not the appropriate place to identify any respect for African Americans. I appreciate it if you will not do it in the future. The minutes of with February '13, the citywide strategic plan. You cannot have a strategic plan if you don't address the challenges of gentrification as it impacts particularly African Americans. Sanctuary city status is not in the strategic plan as it impacts negatively African Americans.

Homelessness is not in the strategic plan with any substance. Public housing with the Oakland Housing Authority authority over thousands of homes, you never address it. Declaration of homelessness 6.4, you can't talk about 6.5 intervening with human trafficking when you do absolutely nothing with human homelessness of any competency. You had a housing project that was completed in November for homeless people, a 101 appoint apartments, and they haven't moved into those apartments to this day. 6.7.

Before your approval, Jenkins and Ramashandan going to DC for federal advocacy, what you gonna advocate for? It sure not gonna be black people. I wish I wish you would identify when you go out of town what you're doing.

What's the report?

6.7 qualifications for measure NN. And by the way, rule 24 for what I just talked about, rule 24 plus for six twenty seven for 6.7, 6.8. That means it never went before counsel. 6.9 means you never you are not in compliance with measure q, measure n, measure w, measure x. 6.13,

you have

housing, 13 housing projects, four under construction since 2023, not complete. You have three seeking additional funding. You have two complete with not being occupied. You see when you have these reports you don't go into detail. You have housing but they don't they don't have enough money or they not complete or you don't have people in the housing.

The race and equity statement around that housing report, you say that you are providing resources and excess in supports excessively in an equitable manner, you're not doing that. Okay? So 06/2016, you have $700,000 total without returning the council, and you're talking about you don't wanna have

Thank you, miss Olabala. Your time is up. If your neighbors call and you're in chambers, approach the podium. At this time, we are moving okay.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Karina Gould. I'm the tribal chair for the Confederated Villages of Leshan Nation, and I'm also the one of the directors of the Segorete Land Trust, the first urban indigenous women led trust in the country based here in Huichun, my traditional homeland. Before it was Oakland, it was called Huichun, our place that we have hundreds of place waterways and sacred sites along this in this city that you can no longer see. But thankfully, the city of Oakland has become partners with the Segorete Land Trust in trying to figure out ways to return land and waterways to our people.

A way that the cities can partner now with the traditional tribal people of this land who has been having their land and waterways taken away from them. A place where city of Oakland can't take care of always the lands and waters that they have to take care of. And that this is a great partnership and I thank you so much for taking

Thank you ma'am. Your time is up. Thank you. Moving to the Zoom speaker starting with Fatima Youssef. Oh.

Hi. My name is Christina Vesey, and I'd like to cede my time to Jasmine Brown.

There's no seating time in open I mean, on the consent calendar. So if you wanna speak, you need to take your minute.

Good afternoon council members. My name is Jasmine Brown. I am here representing 211 Alameda County which is operated by Eden INR. Am the I am

Excuse me. Please pause your time. Miss Johnson, please. Let her continue.

But let's talk after this, please. I really wanna hear from you. Please

please restart our time.

And I think that's valid. Let's let's check it. I I hear you. I'm serving as the chief executive officer and I'm here in support of item SB 15 and I wanna thank the life enrichment committee for advancing this funding forward. I recognize that our physical office is not in Oakland but over half of our callers are Oakland residents.

We serve 25,000 Oakland residents this fiscal year which is 49% of all the clients that we serve. That includes connecting people to housing, health, medical services including seniors, people that are experiencing domestic violence. I know as somebody that is from Oakland and has relied on two one one during housing instability how important two one one is to this community. And we're looking forward to continuing and strengthening our partnership and serving the residents of Oakland and Alameda County. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Now moving to the Zoom speakers starting with Fatima Youssef. Please unmute yourself and begin your comments.

Good afternoon. My name is Fatima Youssef, and I am a resident of District 1 and a member of Oakland Public Library Advocates. It's critically important to fund libraries as they're a safe space for kids to learn. We're glad that the council is engaging with maintenance of effort provisions. However, the plan lacks meaningful specifics to guarantee that the return to maintenance of effort effort will occur as promised.

The city has often struggled with long term budget planning, and this plan seems primarily aspirational. We're concerned that failing to adequately fund the maintenance of effort over an extended period of time may eventually make the entire parcel tax collection vulnerable to legal challenge. The Oakland Public Library System provides so many important services to residents, like citizenship resources to immigrant Oakland residents, free kids science classes, and connecting vulnerable residents with critical resources such as free food and dental services. I urge the council to commit to adequately funding these efforts and supporting these services. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your comments. Katherine Sternbeck, you are next. Please unmute yourself and begin your comments.

Katherine Thank you. My name is Katherine Sternbeck. I'm advocacy chair of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library and former chair of the city's library commission. Oakland's public library advocates are glad that the council is engaging with the maintenance of effort provisions. However, the plan lacks meaningful specifics to guarantee that the return to maintenance of effort for Measure C will occur as promised.

The city has often struggled with long term budget planning, and this plan seems primarily aspirational. The council should proceed with urgency to make a more concrete plan. Library advocates remain concerned that failing to adequately fund the maintenance of effort over an extended period of time may eventually make the entire parcel tax collection vulnerable to a legal challenge. More than 80% of Oakland voters voted yes for Measure C to collect these funds exclusively for library services. Please don't betray their trust. Demand a more concrete plan to return to maintenance of effort. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comments. Blair Beakman, you are next. Please unmute yourself and begin your comments.

Hi. Hi. Thank you, Blair Peaceman. I wanted to speak to the, amendment brought by council president Wang. It's it's an important item. It was at council a few weeks ago. A lot of speakers were there. A lot of people who had experience with prostitution. There's many ways to address this sort of item. I hope you can be mindful of all sides of how to address the the issues of prostitution, what it entails.

And good luck in your efforts and how you can be in really addressing this issue. I know Santa Clara County has a good human trafficking program to address human trafficking issues. Definitely talk to them about this project. And and the city of San Diego, they need some help in better understanding how to address their their prostitution issues. Really progressive ideas is what's needed. Good luck in what you're trying to do with this item and how to really listen to all sides when they have issues and problems and good luck that we addressed human trafficking overall. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments Derek Barnes. If you're in the chamber on Zoom steps of the podium, or raise your hand at this time. All names have been called.

I'll entertain a motion.

Second.

On the motion by council member Giles, second by council member Ramachandran to adopt the consent calendar. You guys don't have to put yourself in the queue. Let me get to you. Council member Brown? Aye. Council member Fife? Aye. Council member Gayle? Aye. Council member Houston? Aye. Council member Ramachandran? Aye. Council member Unger? Aye. Council member Wong? Aye. And Chair Jenkins?

Aye.

Motion passes with a vote of eight ayes. You've already dispensed with item seven going to open forum. As I call your name, please approach the podium in any order or raise your hand if you are participating via Zoom so I can easily identify you. Jesse Kane, Blair Beekman, Miss Asada Olabala, I think Paul Hall, mister Hazard, Inez Exerthita Exerthita, sorry if I said that incorrectly. Raynetta Hall, Victoria Montano, in any order please approach the podium.

I will be in court Thursday regarding this special election when I filed an ex parte written mandate. It's gonna be on procedures because for the last two hundred and seventy six days, the city has yet to file an answer or demur or my ex parte, but they haven't told you that. I'd be surprised if they don't show up, madam city attorney. It's regarding the writ. The city is already imposing an illegal sales tax on the residents of Oakland.

On October 1, my writ will void the special election ballot measure once they get to the mayor.

Thank you, mister Hazard, for your comments.

Good evening. My name is Ines Isqueda, and I wanted to speak today in favor of the return of the land at the headwaters of Sawsel Creek through the grant of unused measured DG funds to its ancestral caretakers, the confederated villages of Lashan Nation. I applaud this move and I think it's important for the future of the environmental landscape in the Oakland Hills. And thank you for making this move.

Good afternoon. My name is Vic. I'm also here in support of the land being returned to the headwaters of Sausal Creek to the first nation of this land, the Confederate Villages, Lishaw Nation. I'm born and raised here in the village of Houchoon in East Oakland, Fruitvale. And it's really important. I grew up in those co bordered co bordered creeks, so it's it's really important that those lands get steward. The people of this land, indigenous people, have a very special connection. They know the ancestral names of those waterways. They know the ancestral names of those plants, of those trees, of those species. Them having access to this land is gonna mean that they're gonna be able to practice, continue to practice their cultural their cultural knowledge.

And it's a great way for like, this fake country to see that another world is possible. The land can be returned back to indigenous people. And it won't be the first time that Oakland does it, so we're setting an example. So I just wanna say thank you again, and yeah, I just wanna uplift the people of the land, my relatives, and thank you so much.

Good evening council members. My name is Raynetta Hall, and I'm with the 7th District. And I've heard a lot of what hasn't been done, what needs to be done, there is a lot to be done. But I want to thank today miss Levate Levate and councilman Houston for their work that they did. Recently we had an encampment around our church area, and we called in and asked, could you please see that this encampment is moved for the safety of the people?

The members were afraid to come to church, and we were right by their Foothill Square shopping Center, and it was a ugly blight. And just in a matter of a few days, as promised, it was removed. And we wanna thank you so much councilman Houston and everyone who was involved. And I'm a native Oaklander. Okay? Born and raised in Oakland, born right there on West in Wood Street, and I know Oakland. And Oakland was a great place, and it will continue.

Through the chair, can I share something about the the the constituent that just said that it's it wasn't just removing the encampment? We embraced it. That individual was had we had got him sheltered before and sheltered twice. And they left the shelter, and we got him sheltered again so the the treatment for mental conditions have to be addressed. But it wasn't just closing down the encampment, it was embracing it in a humane way at the same time. So and we did remove the the trash also. And they were both it was a black female and a black male with some animals too. So it was humanely removed. So I appreciate you guys coming out. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Do you have time? Yes. Okay. I'm gonna have you go last, all right? Okay. Okay.

My name is Paul Hall, h a l l. First, I would like to say I thank and respect everyone on the board on the on the council session. I know that the task you have in in Oakland is very is very wide, and I respect each and everyone with Barbara Lee and all. But I'd also like to thank my councilman, Ken Houston, how he did it in a humane way of cleaning up our neighborhood. I know I came to Oakland in 1978.

I love Oakland, and I'm a continue to love Oakland. And anything I can do for Oakland, my cons I told my cons anything I can do, I am willing to help, and I respect each and every councilman, mayors, and police staff in the city of Oakland. And that's all I have to say. Thank you very much for listening. Amen.

Thank you. Council councilmember Hussain, you have some lovely constituents. Just happy. Is there any more speakers in public? If not, we're gonna let our partner from SBA hey. Yeah. We're gonna let them go. Any speakers online? Go to our speaker online and then we'll hear from our partner from the SBA.

Blair Beekman.

Hi. Blair Beekman, thanks for the meeting today. Thanks a lot for the words of mayor Lee. It was really nice just to hear that and to hear just our past and our history. And nice to hear, you know, mayor Lee working with the reverend Jesse Jackson on negotiation and peace issues and practicing peace.

I it was just really nice remembering things, and and good luck that we can continue to work on Jesse Jackson's practices that I think are just more and more clear as time goes on. Thank you. I also wanted to mention that I'm I'm really disappointed that you're only allowing one minute for open forum. I I hope you can return it to two minutes. And, you know, just mister Hazard spoke today. Good luck that we're working on overall practices of good public meeting management and and accountability within the public meeting process. It's important in 2026. Let's hope that's a revolution.

Thank you mister Beakman. Miss Asada. Chair

privilege.

So the item 6.4 on the agenda I'm sorry. 6.5 where y'all have an apartment that was built for 101 people. You ribbon cut in November for a low income and homeless and the reason why they're not having anybody in that those apartments yet is because Eak Oakland Asian Local Development Corporation still owes the contract the money. You all need to do something about that. The city administrator is supposed to provide for you an annual report on his ability to spend up to $250,000, he hasn't done it since 2023, you need to have that happen.

When you allow for grants in the agenda today, you gave a grant to a Vietnamese organization community organization. The Vietnamese community is only 2% of the Oakland pop and they can get a grant.

Thank you, miss Olavala. Your time is up.

Bye bye.

Alrighty. Thank you all for your time today, council members, other officials. I am Jesse Kane, a public affairs specialist with the US Small Business Administration, the office of disaster recovery and resilience. I'm here to share with you about our resources and presence in the area following the disaster declaration of the Oakland apartment fire, which occurred last month. So firstly, we opened our disaster loan outreach center last week that is gonna be at the Rotunda Building Suite 110.

Their hours are Monday through Friday 9AM to 6PM. It's staffed with customer service reps which will be able to answer survivors and those impacted by the disaster. They'll be able to answer their questions and help them with the application process. So about the process, SBA offers fixed low interest rate disaster loans to those impacted by the disaster. This not only includes small businesses, but also homeowners, renters, and nonprofits.

And also not only for physical damage when talking about small businesses and nonprofits, they could be eligible for economic injury with our working capital loans. And lastly, I'm ultimately looking forward at collaborating with you all in the future to reach those survivors and those that were impacted by the fires. And I'm looking at collaborating with other local service organizations to reach and engage with as many survivors and those impacted that we can. Myself and one of my colleagues Christian Lewis will be in the back. We would love to contact, share our contact information with you, and engage with you about what's next in the future. So thank you all very much.

Thank you. Any questions from the

Miss

Etta, the fire was in Downtown Oakland. I think it was what nineteenth and Broadway, 17th And Broadway. But there are some businesses that I've reached out to. There are several independent contractors that were living in that building that my office has made connections with, and we'll continue to do that outreach to the individuals that were impacted, so thank you for making yourself available. And if there are any more connections that need to be made or anything else. You've been working with Deborah, she's amazing in the District 3 office. I have your card now so we can continue the conversation. Thank you. Perfect. Thank you.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for your help. Council member Houston, did you have a comment before we

Yes. I just like to to to comment mister Gene Hazard had mentioned about the cannabis. Asked the same questions why it was on the agenda and I got some reasonable answers back and I'll speak to him about that. But on the fentanyl, in my prior job description I lost three individuals and one of my individuals from fitting them all and one of my individuals lost his baby, two years old, from touching the fitting all. So I got my eye jumping right now.

I have personal experience. I always talk about my personal experience. If I don't have personal experience, I won't speak on it. I'll just let my colleagues speak on it because that's what they're good at. But when it's something about personal experience, I understand about the fentanyl because I lost three workers and a baby from fentanyl. So I do understand what he was saying so that's all I wanted to say.

Thank you council member. If no no more we'll go to the more in memorial. Yep.

We adjourn in honor of Jesse Jackson.

Thank you. This meeting is adjourned.