City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome to the City Council meeting. I appreciate you holding up a little bit. We just had to get some technical stuff in order and a video shoot with these fine young men and women. So I appreciate you. So I want to just start this meeting doing a roll call, please.

Councilmembers, Commissioners Garcia?

Here.

Lara?

Here.

Lutz?

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem, Vice Chairman, Vice President, Dr. Sanchez? Present. Mayor, Chairman, President Camacho?

Here.

All present.

Great. Mr. City Manager, is there any changes to the agenda?

No changes, Mayor.

Thank you. I'd like to ask Councilmember John Garcia to lead us in the invocation, so please rise.

Heavenly Father, as we are assembled here today, may you bless this meeting. As we discuss the business at hand, may you guide us to the proper and correct solutions that have been brought before us today. We pray for the ability to see clearly the directions we need to take for the care and the well-being of our community. As we look with new vision, may our serving CARRYING AND SHARING BEYOND TO US A LIFE OF SERVICE. AMEN.

THANK YOU. AND PLEASE STAY STANDING. WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST WITH US. WE HAVE LENDY GUZMAN, FIFTH GRADER AT VALENCIA ACADEMY OF THE ARTS THAT'S GOING TO LEAD US IN THE FLAG SALUTE. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. IS THE MICROPHONE ON? OKAY, GREAT.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS LENDY GUZMAN, AND I AM A 6th GRADER AT STAUFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT IS MY HONOR TO PLEDGE THE ALLEGIANCE. PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME, FACE THE FLAG, PLACE YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART, AND BEGIN. of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right, Lindy. Lindy, come on up and join us. You can go through this side, either side. And where are your parents? Mom, Dad? Oh, there she is. Join her up here. Join her up here. Yeah, there you go. Either way.

There I am.

There I am.

One, two, three.

One, two, three. One, two, three.

She's next when she's old enough. In a couple years. Thank you so much for having us.

All righty, we'll use this. Thank you. Thank you. All right, better, okay. So we have a couple of recognitions for two teams, the teams that I was saying earlier that for those of you who were here, you saw what we were trying to accomplish and I couldn't have done it without the kids. We had to do a video for the World Spirit Festival that is coming up this weekend and they asked me to do it and as I walked in, I didn't know I had a full audience so I'm trying to remember a few lines but I got the confidence from you all because you guys are champions. So I want to hang out with champions. So I want to recognize two teams that are here from AYSO. But before that, let me put on my glasses. All righty. So as I mentioned, this is an AYSO team called No Mercy Team. It is my pleasure to recognize the AYSO U12 No Mercy team for their outstanding accomplishments and remarkable success during the 2025 season. Under the leadership of their coaches, the team demonstrated exceptional teamwork, dedication, perseverance, and sportsmanship throughout the competitive journey. The No Mercy team competed in the AYSO Region 603 Commissions Cup Tournament and earned an impressive first place finish among 10 competing teams. Give them a round of applause, please. Their championship performance advanced them to their area playoffs in La Habra, where they proudly represent the city of Pico de Vera and once again capture first place in their division, competing against teams from Montebello, Downey, Lakewood, Linwood, Southgate, Compton, La Habra, and Whittier. Boo! Building on their success, No Mercy advanced to the sectional tournament in San Marcos where they continue to compete with determination and pride, concluding the tournament with one win and one loss. On behalf of the city of Pico Rivera and the city council and the entire community, congratulations to the U12 No Mercy team on an exceptional season and outstanding tournament run. We're proud of you. You serve as ambassadors. You represent as well And thank you, and again, congratulations. Come on up and get your certificates. Let's give a little round of applause.

Here's your program.

Coaches too, the coaches. Congratulations.

Just a couple words? How about you, Captain? Anybody want to say a few words?

You raised your hand.

Something about the team, something about what you learned, something about what you want to share. Anyone? No? Okay, it's back at you, Coach.

I just want to say I'm very proud of these boys. We had a lot of ups and downs in the season, but we always overcame them, and we learned from our mistakes. Yeah, they learn a lot this season. They learn a lot from soccer that it's a mental sport and also a physical sport. So I hope they take that in life and every challenge they have.

Yes, the trophy. It's a must. You want to hold this? One, two, three.

One more. One, two, three.

Okay, if you guys want to do number one up, ring number one. Number one. One, two, three.

I did want to share something as well. We have a certificate for each of you. And I want you to save that. The reason why we give it to you is that when you apply for scholarships, college scholarships, jobs, and when you go on to college and play soccer, save those certificates. Put it in your awards booklet. Keep on winning and keep saving those medals and these certificates and racking them up. And we hope to see you in high school and in college. And don't forget Pico Rivera. Just like Christian Roldan playing for the USA team. He is a champion and he came from a legacy just like you from AYSO. So I want to say thank you so much boys and congratulations.

Thank you. Are you guys part of the next group too? Because I just keep you up here. Yeah, kind of figured. Some of them, okay. Who else? Come on guys, come up here. I think last time I did that, I told everybody to sit down and that was the same group. Come back up.

Okay, yeah, please, go ahead.

You guys have all the time in the world, so come on, you guys can wait. It took them forever to get to this moment, so. No mercy on the audience.

So if everybody's settled in, I'll go ahead and read the description here.

It's the adults that don't know where to go. All right, so this is the All-Star Spring Select PICO FC Team. It is my pleasure to recognize the AYSO Boys U12 All-Star Spring Select PICO FC Team for their outstanding accomplishments during the Fall 2025 season and their impressive All-Star Tournament performance. Under the leadership of Coach Ruben Gonzalez, the team demonstrated exceptional teamwork, dedication, sportsmanship throughout the season. Following a successful season, Pico FC competed in the Area 11C All-Star Tournament against nine other cities. You know how I feel about them. All-Star teams then made the city proud by earning a first place finish. Their championship performance advanced them to the All-Star Area sectionals, where they continued to represent Pico Rivera with determination and heart, concluding the tournament with one win and one loss. On behalf of the City of Pico Rivera and the City Council and the entire community, congratulations Coach Gonzalez and the AYSO Boys U12 All-Star Spring Select. Man, that's a long one. Pico FC team on an exceptional season. Congratulations, guys. Let's give them a big round of applause.

All right. I went straight to him. Okay. Is it on? Yeah.

Can you guys hear me? Okay. So right now, you know, right now we're witnessing some of the greatest soccer in the world of all times with the 2026 World Cup. And that is kind of the goal for this team. If you guys see the way that this team plays, I mean, it's phenomenal how they dominate in the field, not only in the sport, but before the game starts, how they come together as a team, and they pray, and they wish the best for everybody. If they have an accidental foul, they'll pick up the other team, the opposing team, showing them good sportsmanship. So I think one of the best things that they learned is to be humble when you win. Overall, be classy if you lose. So take that to heart. Congratulations on a great season. Scrumpy, Ruben, Coach Franco did a phenomenal job under the leadership of Ruben, the commissioner. It's been a long effort, and congrats.

Doing a great job.

and all those accomplishments, but you mentioned about what's happening today. Obviously, the World Cup is highlighting everything about soccer, but it's highlighting, too, the city of Pico Rivera and its commitment to soccer, right? Now, there's more participants in AYSO than there are in many other leagues that we've got going on. So, outside of the World Spirit Festival that is soccer-related happening this weekend, a lot of you know that the United Soccer League is interested in building a team here, we're still in the communication stages, but nonetheless, AYSO is front and center in that conversation. And everything that is done, if it even materializes, is gonna be with AYSO in mind, because this is the champions we wanna produce, and we got the next, you know, Cristian Rodon in here somewhere. So congratulations again, thank you, let's give one more round of applause.

Right there.

Right there.

Ready, guys?

Ready? One, two, three. One, two, three. All right, now just the team.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

Right there.

Right there.

All right, ready? One, two, three. Say cheese. One, two, three. Oh, yeah. I always forget.

Yeah. Appreciate you guys.

Look.

audience. All right. My apologies. I got excited about the AYSO team and I forgot to introduce our commissioners in attendance. We have Pat Salcedo, Parks and Recreation Commission. Thank you for being here, Pat. And Bob Perez, our sister city commissioner. Thank you for being here and all you do for us as the commissioners. We do have getting into now our Our public hearing is... WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. I'D LIKE TO, THIS PUBLIC HEARING I'D LIKE TO, THIS PUBLIC HEARING I'D LIKE TO, THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS IN REGARDS TO IS IN REGARDS TO IS IN REGARDS TO THE ZONE CODE AMENDMENT, THE ZONE CODE AMENDMENT, THE ZONE CODE AMENDMENT, NUMBER 200, AMENDING SECTION NUMBER 200, AMENDING SECTION NUMBER 200, AMENDING SECTION TITLE 18, ZONING CODE OF TITLE 18, ZONING CODE OF TITLE 18, ZONING CODE OF THE PECOTA RETA MUNICIPAL THE PECOTA RETA MUNICIPAL THE PECOTA RETA MUNICIPAL CODE RELAT THERE'S A FIRST. SECOND. AND A SECOND. ROLL CALL VOTE, PLEASE.

COUNCIL MEMBERS GARCIA.

YES.

LARA. YES. LUTZ. YES. MAYOR PRO TEMP, DR. SANCHEZ. YES. MAYOR CAMACHO. YES. MOTION PASSES 5-0.

GREAT. THAT LEADS US INTO OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS. I HAVE A FEW GREEN CARDS HERE AND A WRITTEN COMMENT SUBMITTED ONLINE. I'LL START WITH John Gonzalez regarding sheriff cooperation with ICE.

Good evening, everyone. That was very fast. That was before I could finish my comment over here. Last week, I wanted to bring to everyone's attention that on Friday, June 19th, at the sheriff's department right across the parking lot, A man was handed over from local sheriffs to federal immigration authorities. This flies directly in the face of what the county and city profess to the residents of LA and Pico Rivera. They will not collaborate or support or facilitate people being abducted from the communities. Just a few minutes ago, we all pledged to a flag that supposedly symbolizes liberty and justice for all. For all, not just whites, not just citizens, not just immigrants who do things the right way, So I asked this council to try to uphold those values. Do not let them sneak in the shadows and transfer people where they're never found. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers who tirelessly look for details and try to locate family members who are taken, we were able to find who this man was and make sure his family had the support that they need. But how often does this happen and pets are left at home, minors, ELDERLY PARENTS WITHOUT A TRACE. AND THE CONDITIONS IN THESE DETENTION CENTERS ARE JUST ABYSMAL. I THINK I FEEL A LOT OF PEOPLE MANY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY KNOW THAT BEING SUBJECT TO THOSE CONDITIONS IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT. THEY WERE JUSTIFIED FOR THE MINOR INFRACTIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT IN FOR. SO JUST PLEASE CONSIDER TRY TO FIND A WAY TO LET THESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS KNOW THE VOLUNTEERS KNOW WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE THAT ARE BEING TAKEN OFF THE STREET to minimize that time because sometimes it takes days or weeks to find these people. And by that time, of course, they're held in detention where they're not able to solicit legal assistance or counsel, which again is another concept. Everyone has the right to legal counsel. And to move people from state to state or from detention center to detention center is stripping people of that right. Whether you're a citizen or not, you're deserving of those things. You're deserving of health care. And that's being withheld in these detention centers. And it's just... It's so messed up in so many ways. So I just, I implore you all to please consider having some sort of system in place on the city level to let volunteers know that people are being transferred from the Sheriff's Center right across the parking lot. And that'll help connect families to the support they need. Thank you.

Thank you. Isaiah Robles, Treatment Contract.

GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS ISAIAH ROBLEZ. MY NAME IS ISAIAH ROBLEZ. MY NAME IS ISAIAH ROBLEZ. I'M THE SERGEANT AT ARMS I'M THE SERGEANT AT ARMS I'M THE SERGEANT AT ARMS AT LAUNA LOCAL 300 LABORS UNION. AT LAUNA LOCAL 300 LABORS UNION. AT LAUNA LOCAL 300 LABORS UNION. AND I'M SPEAKING THIS EVENING AND I'M SPEAKING THIS EVENING AND I'M SPEAKING THIS EVENING ON BEHALF OF ON BEHALF OF ON BEHALF OF OUR B WITH WEST COAST ARBORISTS THROUGH THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD'S RECENTLY AWARDED COOPERATIVE CONTRACT. WEST COAST ARBORISTS IS A LONGSTANDING UNION CONTRACTOR. THEY'VE BEEN SIGNATURED WITH LOCAL 300 FOR A LONG TIME AND THE WORK UNDER THIS CONTRACT IS GOING TO BE DONE SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY BY UNION LABORERS WHO LIVE IN THE CITY. APPROVING THIS CONTRACT SUPPORTS LOCAL UNION JOBS AND BENEFITS AND FAMILY SUSTAINING MIDDLE CLASS WAGES AND IT'S GOING TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY'S URBAN FOREST IS MAINTAINED SAFELY AND PROFESSIONALLY BY CERTIFIED ARBORISTS. WE BELIEVE THIS COOPERATIVE CONTRACT OFFERS THE CITY AN EFFICIENT PROCUREMENT OPTION WHILE MAINTAINING THE HIGH STANDARDS OF QUALITY, SAFETY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY THAT YOUR RESIDENTS EXPECT. WE RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER THIS SUPPORT AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU FOR COMING. NEXT IS DR. CASAS, CANDIDATE.

SIR, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, MY NAME IS DR. PEDRO ANTONIO CASAS, COLONEL, UNITED STATES ARMY, RETIRED, I'm a licensed clinical forensic aeromedical psychologist, and I am the candidate for 38th Congressional District. I'm here because I need your support. With your support, I have a good chance of winning this election and making some positive change to the area. Without your support, I have zero chance. So what are the top three things that I want to accomplish? Number one, Both Democrats and Republicans have kicked us to the curb for decades on immigration. I have a plan that will establish residency for wonderful Latinos so that they can stay without the drama that we've been going through for the past 20 to 30 years. We also need to get rid of the bad apples. Under policy right now... Can I pause you for a second?

I just wanted to get some guidance from our city attorney because, as you know, YOU SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS OR NON-RELATED ITEMS, PICO RIVERA. YOU'RE DOING A POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING HERE, AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FROM OUR SERVICE ATTORNEY, WHETHER THAT'S OKAY OR NOT.

MR. MAYOR, THIS FORUM IS NOT FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING. THIS FORUM IS TO ADDRESS ISSUES AND TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO ADDRESS ISSUES. TO THE COUNCIL WITHIN THE SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS, SIR. HOWEVER, MR. MAYOR, I WOULD SUGGEST THEY ARE OUT OF ORDER OR INAPPROPRIATE. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WISH TO ADDRESS TO THE COUNCIL ABOUT THE CITY OF PICO RIVERA, IRRESPECTIVE OF YOUR CANDIDACY, YOU HAVE... SIR, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY TELL YOU YOU'RE INCORRECT.

THIS IS COVERED UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

SIR, YOU KNOW...

I'll respect whatever the mayor says.

Sir, now you've made a mistake. You're telling me whether I'm right or wrong. That's a mistake. Mr. Mayor, this gentleman is out of order for his comments.

So, Dr. Costas, this is why I'm getting our legal opinion because I know what I know, but I want to make sure it's clear. Nothing against you or what you're trying to accomplish here, but it's pretty clear as to what we approach protocol here. It's either agenda items or Pico de Vera related. I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE CAMPAIGNING IN THIS PLATFORM. SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAY SOMETHING IN RELATION TO PICO RIVERA, THEN I'LL LET YOU MOVE FORWARD. IF NOT, THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE TO CUT YOU OFF RIGHT NOW.

YES, SIR. I RESPECT WHAT YOU JUST SAID. I HAVE NOTHING ELSE REGARDING THE CITY. BUT IF YOU ALL NEED TO REACH ME, YOU CAN ALL CALL ME. MY APOLOGY, SIR.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. I APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

GOOD NIGHT.

LAUREN TELBITT.

GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS LAWRENCE HALBITT AND I'M THE COMMUNITY LIBRARY MANAGER AT THE PICO RIVERA LIBRARY AND THE RIVERA LIBRARY. Here are our updates for June and July. So the Pico Rivera Library will be open on Friday, June 26th and Saturday, June 27th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the World Spirit Festival events on Mines Avenue. However, public parking in the library's parking lot won't be available on those days. We recommend library visitors park on Dunlop Crossing Road or in nearby neighborhoods. There is also event parking at Rio Vista Park and at El Rancho High School. The Pico Rivera Library will be closed next week on Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th for the 4th of July holiday. And the Red Cross is hosting a blood drive at the Pico Rivera Library on Wednesday, July 8th from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please drop by and donate. Thank you.

You always come with good news. I'm just kidding. Thanks for coming. WE UNDERSTAND. KEEP THE LIBRARY OPEN. OKAY. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR LAST PUBLIC COMMENT. IT'S A WRITTEN COMMENT SUBMITTED ONLINE, AND IT'S FROM VICTOR GONZALEZ IN REGARDS TO REPAIRS, FREE PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH AND SENIORS. AND I'LL SUBMIT THE COMMENT FOR THE RECORD. WITH THAT, WE'RE DONE WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. Okay, we're done with public comment. I'd like to move us on to our city council agenda, which we have items two through 14.

I would like to request to you just to remove item number 10, just for a question.

So we're pulling item number 10 and any other items to be pulled? HEARING NONE, I'D LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ALL ITEMS TWO TO 14TH, EXCEPT NUMBER 10. SO WE'VE GOT A FIRST AND A SECOND. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? HEARING NONE, MOTION CARRIES. And so now look into item number 10, Mayor Pro Tem.

Yes, my question is regarding the contract for landscaping mariposas. This is a month to month extension of a contract. My question is why is this being proposed versus a piggyback as we've seen in other proposals? WAS HIS FIRST CITY MANAGER OR?

YEAH. NO, HE'S NOT HERE. HE'S OUT SICK. BUT I THINK WHENEVER WE EVALUATE A CONTRACT, WE DO AN ASSESSMENT. AND IF THERE'S A CURRENT CONTRACT, IF MARIPOSA PARTICIPATED IN A CURRENT CONTRACT, WE WILL EVALUATE THAT. I'LL HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECENT CONTRACT THAT WE COULD PIGGYBACK OFF OF THAT, BUT I'LL HAVE TO GET THAT CLARIFIED FROM STAFF.

So the, I'm not opposed to this. I'm just asking questions. So this is a, in the memo, it says it's going to go for a request for bid. So this is similar to RFP, right? Request for proposal or request for bid. That is correct. Yes. Okay. Correct. Okay. Thank you. I do find this favorable and I'll move to approve this item as proposed.

So we have a first. Second. Second. Any opposed? ABSTENTIONS? HEARING NONE, SO MOVED. ITEM NUMBER 10. AND SO THAT NOW LEADS US INTO OUR... YEAH, WE DID. OKAY. I DID HEAR NO OPPOSITION, SO I USED THE... I TRICKED YOU GUYS. YOU GOTTA STAY ON TOP OF YOUR TOES. COME ON, GUYS. FOLLOW ME, FOLLOW ME. LET'S DO THIS. All right. Okay, so now we have regular agenda. We have item number 15, an ordinance amending Title VIII, health and safety of the Pico Rivera Municipal Code. Mr. City Manager, any presentation or anything on it?

No, there's no presentation.

Okay. Hearing none, I'd like to entertain actually a motion first. Motion to approve. Can I get a second? Second. And a second. Roll call vote, please.

Council members Garcia?

Yes.

Lara?

Yes.

Lutz?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Sanchez? Yes. Mayor Camacho?

Yes.

Motion passes 5-0.

Thank you. Item number 16, Senate Bill 707, Compliance Requirements and Adoption of City Council Policies Related to Remote Participation and Public Agenda Posting. City Manager, any presentations?

We do have one if council desires.

Would you like to see a presentation, colleagues, or are you guys okay with this report? I'm okay with the report. Okay. No presentation required. I'd like to entertain a motion. I'd like to make a first. You got a first. SECOND. AND A SECOND. A ROLL CALL VOTE, PLEASE.

COUNCIL MEMBERS GARCIA?

YES.

LAURA?

YES.

LUTZ?

YES.

MAYOR PRO TEMP, DR. SANCHEZ? YES. MAYOR CAMACHO? YES. MOTION PASSES 5-0.

THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER, STAFF REPORTS.

YES, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL. I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO JAVIER JUST TO GIVE A QUICK UPDATE ON THE WORLD SPIRIT FESTIVAL HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND. IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK.

One, two, one, two.

All right, thank you, city manager, mayor, members of the council. Thank you, it's always an honor and a pleasure. Yeah, we have a very exciting weekend ahead of us. Starting on Friday at 4 p.m., as you know, begins the World Spirit Festival that we're hosting here in the city of Pico Rivera. On Friday evening, the event is contained largely to Smith Park and Mines Avenue, where we have a series of different fun, family-friendly activities planned for the night. starting off with a number of different watch parties for the various games that are taking place. We have games at five o'clock, games at eight o'clock, some good games, Uruguay versus Spain. So we're anticipating a good crowd to come on out and cheer on their team. We also have a carnival that's going to begin to start assembling out on the parking lot of Smith Park as well. We're going to have a VIP lounge, as well as a main stage and a number of different live performances that'll take place throughout the evening as well. And then we're also very fortunate on that same day, Friday, we have the FIFA sponsored clinics. And if I understand correctly, we have well over a hundred people that have been registered, youth from our local AYSO groups. So in fact, they were telling me earlier today, that a lot of them are really excited. So they're all going to walk away with FIFA-related swag and bags and balls and things like that. So it's very exciting. On Saturday is the bigger event. That's where we have the Open Streets event, where we are going to be closing to vehicular traffic Whittier Boulevard, Passins Boulevard, Mines Avenue from Passins to Rosemead. and the Open Streets event essentially to ensure public safety. We're not allowing vehicular traffic. However, we are inviting the entire community and those around to come out, bring your bikes, walk, jog your dog, stroll, roll in true Open Streets fashion. Because on Whittier Boulevard, we have a number of different businesses who are actually participating and hosting their own unique activation within their respective business. So we have In-N-Out, Chick-fil-A, some of our smaller businesses as well, La Mano, Mario's Tacos, Tommy's, the Pizza Spot, a number of different businesses that are participating in this, but on Whittier Boulevard in the former Rite Aid parking lot, we're going to have a jumbo screen for a public watch party there as well. Again, we'll have three major games that'll be presented that evening or that day. And then we're also going to have, of course, our big car show in the AutoZone parking lot. So of all things, that seems to be the one thing that's the most popular. So it's building up a lot of excitement, a lot of momentum. And then, of course, Brujeria has partnered with eight other breweries in and around Pico Rivera to bring them on site and host the Micro Brew Fest. And then on both sides of Whittier Boulevard, on the west side near Rosemead Boulevard and on the east side on the San Gabriel River Bridge, there'll also be two activity hubs. So we have a number of different partners, government agencies that are all coming to share information about different projects, initiatives, programs. There's a whole lot of excitement. We have ESPN who's going to be on site doing a number of different activities. The Pico, I'm sorry, the El Rancho soccer teams are also going to be doing some activations. We have the song program that's going to be doing live presentations and performances. So just a whole lot of different activities. I just encourage everybody to visit the website or the Instagram handle for to learn more about the event and more importantly, of course, the closures. And I did also want to just make a quick note that for any and all residents that live on Passins or Mines Avenue, It is true the street is gonna be a hard closure, so there will be no to limited access to the properties, but we did have the ability in partnership with the school district to offer parking at the local schools for those impacted residents. And so we've been fielding calls this entire week, walking through the details with our residents and our impacted businesses, but all in all, the overall sentiment is incredible excitement. So yeah, happy to answer any questions. I know it's quite a bit of detail there, but if anything else, always at your disposal.

Thank you, Javier. I appreciate that. I'm really, really excited. So talk to us more about the jumbo screen location and talk to us about the location for the concert stage.

Yeah, absolutely. So I'll start with the concert stage because most of the community here in Pico Rivera is familiar with our Summer Street Fest. So the footprint is very, very similar on both Friday and Saturday at Smith Park and Mines Avenue. So most people are familiar with the fact that we have the stage near Rosemead Boulevard in the street right next to the LA County Library. So the stage will be in the same location and we'll have programming throughout the day at that site. And then at Smith Park, the bigger baseball diamond closest to the parking lot will be transformed into the watch party area. So we'll have the jumbo screen in the infield and then the outfield lawn will be where people can roll a blanket, bring their lawn chairs and watch the games throughout the night. The jumbo screen on Whittier Boulevard will be up along the wall of the former ride aid building. If I'm not mistaken, the screen is about 20 feet wide, about 17 feet tall. So it's a pretty sizable screen complete with a full audio package as well so that we can really feel the excitement coming out of the announcements and the screen.

And the admission is free.

Yes, the admission to the event is 100% free. There is no controlled entry point to the event. It's an open streets event. However, of course, there are, of course, pricing for food, for beverages, for merchandise. We'll have a number of different vendor villages at Boatsmith Park. Mines Avenue and also on Whittier Boulevard. So we certainly encourage you to explore the knickknacks, the artisan wares that will be available. But more importantly, we really encourage everybody to walk into the local business establishments who are creating a very unique atmosphere within their business. So the idea is to turn that foot traffic into economic activity, but at the same time also celebrate what we've got going on here in Pico Rivera.

And the venue opens at what time and closes what time?

On Friday, the event begins at 4 p.m. And then it goes all the way until 11 o'clock in the evening. The first game airs at 5 p.m. The second game airs at 8 p.m. Immediately after the game, we'll have the headliner performances on the Mines Avenue stage. On Saturday, the event kicks off at 12 p.m. in the afternoon. On Whittier Boulevard, we're advertising to the public that Whittier Boulevard will be as an open streets from 12 to 7 p.m. But once we start ushering people off of Whittier Boulevard, we're going to encourage them to head on over to Smith Park, Mines Avenue, where that will continue until 11 o'clock in the evening.

Very well. Any other questions? Yes.

My question is regarding transportation. Will there be available maybe our city shuttles to go around the perimeter or let's say someone doesn't have a bike because, you know, pass-ins to Rosemead, Rosemead to, you know, the park could be quite far, especially if it's warm. Are there anything available in that way or they have to take their own Uber or bike?

No, we don't encourage taking an Uber because the Uber is going to be stuck in the very same traffic. But we have been coordinating with Metro. For those who are taking Uber from outside of Pico Rivera to get to the area, then you can get to the perimeter of the footprint for the event. And then from there, you can walk. But for example, if you're hanging out on Whittier Boulevard for a couple of hours, what we would encourage is making your way to the Rosemead Boulevard intersection. And then in coordination with Metro, they're providing additional service that would then connect you down to Smith Park and vice versa from Smith Park to Whittier Boulevard. So that's serving as the primary shuttle, I guess, if you will. Bigger buses, they're branded buses with FIFA World Cup, so you won't miss it.

Um, is there a charge for this too? Or it's no, it'll be free that day. Got it. Okay, great. Thank you.

You're welcome. Um, of your is it possible the information you just shared and the questions of my colleagues, uh, shared it. We can get like a little fact sheet, a little layout so we can articulate that to the public and to the residents. And we could have that at our disposal. You know that the time, um, the locations and of that nature?

Yeah. In fact, on the event website, we have all the different activities and all the associated times with those activities, everything from the games to the open and close for each day. We also have a very interactive map that shows exactly which businesses are participating. We've tried to incorporate the actual activation that they're doing at their respective site. So we certainly encourage everybody to visit the website, play with the interactive map, plan your day accordingly so you can hop around throughout the community. If you want to go see a band perform on the main stage during a certain hour, but you want to make your way back to Whittier Boulevard at a certain hour to watch the game or come back to the, you know, so all of that information is on the project website. Oh, thank you. So the website is www.pico-rivera.org backslash WSF stands for World Spirit Festival. And Council Member, we'll get that memo out tomorrow.

Okay, great. Well, again, this is an exciting time for us to be able to host an event of this nature. I know that back in 1984, we were, you know, participated in a one-way connection with the Olympics via the pool and And now here it comes again. And for us to be able to host an event and do World Cup activity, if you will, once in a lifetime type of opportunity for some of us. So we definitely are looking forward to the event. It's going to be an exciting event. It's going to be a little bit for everyone to enjoy. AND, YOU KNOW, CAPTAIN WILL BE OUT THERE IN HIS BIKE, PATROLLING. BUT... ON HIS HORSE. ON THE HORSE, YEAH. BUT THIS IS EXCITING. I DO WANT TO, I DO, CITY MANAGER, HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH TO ANOTHER EVENT THAT WE NORMALLY HOST IN PICORRIERA, AND THAT'S THE 4TH OF JULY. I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS BEING ASKED ABOUT WHY WE'RE NOT HOSTING A 4TH OF JULY EVENT THIS YEAR, AND CAN YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THE REASON WE ARE NOT HOSTING A 4TH OF JULY EVENT?

SURE. AS WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR, WE NORMALLY HOST IT AT EL RANCHO UNIFIED. SINCE THEY INSTALLED THE NEW FIELD, WE CANNOT LIGHT FIREWORKS BECAUSE IT WILL DELETE THE WARRANTY THAT IT HAS ON THERE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS. SIMILAR TO WHAT WE INSTALLED AT SMITH PARK. AND THE OTHER ADDITION TO SMITH PARK IS THAT WE'RE STARTING CONSTRUCTION ON OUR POOL. AND SO THAT PREVENTS US FROM HAVING A CENTRAL LOCATION THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO PARK AND HAVE THE OTHER ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES THERE. AND WE'LL GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC SHORTLY.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR THEM TO SEE THAT BECAUSE THE ISSUE HERE IS SPACE. WE DON'T HAVE SPACE NOT ONLY FOR FAMILIES TO CONGREGATE, BUT ALSO WHERE THE FIREWORKS GET SHOT OUT IN THE FALL AREA AS WELL. UP UNTIL WE FIGURE THAT ONE OUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE ISSUE, UNFORTUNATELY. WE LOVED OUR 4TH OF JULY EVENT. I THINK IT WAS A GREAT EVENT. YOU KNOW, WE'VE SOLVED SOME PROBLEMS, BUT UNINTENDEDLY CREATED ANOTHER ONE AS IT RELATES TO THE EVENT AS WE'RE DOING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

AS SOON AS WE FINISH CONSTRUCTION ON THE POOL, WE CAN REEVALUATE AT THAT TIME.

WHICH IS A GOOD SETWAY FOR THE POOL. CAN YOU GIVE A QUICK UPDATE? I MEAN, THE POOL IS AROUND THE CORNER FINALLY. WE'RE DOING SOME GROUNDBREAKING PRETTY SOON.

YES, JULY 8TH. WE WILL HAVE AN EVENT AT 3 P.M. WHICH WILL PUT A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND AND START CONSTRUCTION ON THAT PROJECT.

THE POOL IS FINALLY HERE. IT'S TAKING SOME TIME. AND, YES, WE'RE ALL EXCITED. THE COMMUNITY, I'M SURE, IS WONDERING WHETHER WE WERE GOING TO CLOSE THE POOL COMPLETELY. BUT, NO, IT WAS A LOT OF FUNDING, DESIGN, AND PLANNING AND SO FORTH. IF YOU'VE SEEN THE DESIGN, IT'S GOING TO BE A SIGNATURE PROJECT FOR THE CITY OF PICO RIVERA, BOTH THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND THE AQUATIC CENTER, THEY'LL HAVE TWO. DIFFERENT ENTRANCES. RIGHT NOW THERE'S ONE MAIN ENTRANCE, AND SO YOU SEPARATE, SO NOW YOU'VE GOT A LOT MORE SPACE AND ENJOYMENT. SO THAT'S COMING FORWARD. SO ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE, SENATOR?

THAT'LL BE ALL. YES, MAYOR, IF I MAY. JUST ONE FINAL ITEM ON OUR WORLD SPIRIT FESTIVAL. WE ARE UTILIZING THE METRO AS OUR TRAM, SO TO SPEAK. delivering folks from the north end on Whittier Boulevard to Smith Park on the south end in increments of how many minutes?

That's a good question. I'll have to get back to you on that. I know that their normal service on any typical day. So any typical weekend is 18 minutes service in the peak hour. I just got to follow up with you to understand exactly what the service levels will be for this event. Thank you. Yeah, but there'll be at least the 18 minute intervals.

Okay, great. And before I move on to our GOOD OF THE ORDER. I DO WANT TO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ITEM NUMBER FOUR THAT WE ADOPTED OUR OPERATING BUDGET, OUR 26-27 OPERATING BUDGET AND YEAR TWO OF THE FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. I'D LIKE TO JUST GIVE A QUICK LITTLE JUST HIGHLIGHT. IF YOU CAN ALL STAND BECAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KIND OF MIXED IN THE GROUP HERE. YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR FINANCE TEAM AND YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB JUST TO KEEP OUR FINANCES IN ORDER. I MEAN, WE, AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT RECOGNITION AND AWARDS, AND WE'VE RECEIVED AWARDS, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO PROCUREMENT, FINANCING, YOU KNOW, JUST OVERALL BUDGET PRACTICES. SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. I APPRECIATE YOU.

HIDDEN FIGURES, RIGHT? YOU DON'T ORDINARILY SEE US, BUT WE WORK VERY HARD, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

DEFINITELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. I APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT. LET'S KEEP IT GOING. LET'S KEEP THE MOMENTUM.

THANK YOU.

YOU'VE SEEN THE BUDGET. IT'S A GOOD BUDGET, AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS, YOU KNOW? Well, thank you for that. With that, then, I will lead us into the good of the order, and I'll start with my left with Councilmember Lara.

No comments.

Great. I'll go back to my right to Councilmember Lutz.

Mayor, thank you for the opportunity. I have no items for today.

Thank you, Councilmember, and Councilmember Garcia.

Thank you, Mayor. I have two requests. ONE IS SPEAKING WITH CITY MANAGER REGARDING PUBLIC SAFETY. MANY OF US RECEIVED THE ACTIVITY THAT GOES ON THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. AND I WANT TO LOOK AT SHOT SPOTTER. HOW MANY REQUESTS HAVE WENT IN WITH SHOT SPOTTER? HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT? HAVE THERE BEEN ANY APPREHENSIONS? AND PERHAPS WE CAN COME BACK WITH THE PRESENTATION TO LOOK AT OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE BANG FOR THE BUCK ON THAT.

WOULD BE GOOD. YEAH, I THINK WE'RE DUE FOR A PUBLIC SAFETY PRESENTATION AS TO NOT ONLY THAT, BUT JUST OVERALL WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CITY.

AND THE OTHER REQUEST, MAYOR, IF I MAY, IS TO UNDERSTAND OUR PROCESS WHEN WE PIGGYBACK WITH ANOTHER CITY WHEN IT COMES TO AN RFP TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOTTING I'S AND CROSSING T'S. I KNOW WE MOVED AN ITEM last council meeting. I would like to see a presentation come back to see what staff, what process they went through to make sure we are transparent, to make sure that there is confidence and we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. And we're on the up and up when you do piggyback on an RFP. So I would like to see a presentation from staff perhaps at the next meeting. In regards to? To the West Coast Arborist. City Manager? Yes, we'll do.

I would like to add to that, not just in terms of West Coast Arborist, but similarly to this Mariposas contract as well. So just an explanation of requests for bid, you know, what's the difference between piggyback? Why are we doing a request for bid versus RF, you know, the piggyback items? So just an overall explanation versus, you know, specific to the contracts.

Certainly, and we can expand that to cover our entire procurement process because we also use other cooperative purchasing agreements like SourceWell, similar to a lot of public agencies, so we can incorporate that as well.

Yes. Mr. City Manager, would that be, in essence, a study session? I wouldn't say it's necessary for a study session unless Council wants it.

Presentation should do.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Okay. Well, I just have a few items as well. Just an update of SIACA, Southeast Area Animal Control Authority. We were almost done with the comprehensive analysis. We have an acting executive director. We're in search of a permanent executive director. We're also have been engaged now by For labor negotiations, we haven't proceeded there yet, but that's forthcoming. So I just want to give an update as to where we are with, there's a lot of issues that we need, that need to resolve, but we're heading in the right direction. So it's just a quick little update for my colleagues in the audience. In addition to that, we had a meeting earlier today, the city manager and I, with the Army Corps of Engineers in relation to the Witter Narrows Dam Project. We had met with the colonel. The general was here amongst the entire team that's involved with the Witterdam project. We were able to, they had their meeting. It was an all hands on deck meeting over at the golf course, but they asked us to come. I spoke and basically reiterated what I've said in public. That is like, we appreciate the partnership, appreciate the open lines of communication. but we have our community that we want to make sure that the impacts are mitigated. And although if, you know, if something was to happen to, you know, a million people, Pico de Vera has already impacted with or without a catastrophe by the loss of land, of all our green space. And in addition to that, we got to mitigate the impact as it relates to noise, dust, public safety. There's a lot of issues that I brought up. They're making sure, and like I told the general, IT'S ONE THING FOR US TO HAVE A GOOD LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOU ALL, BUT IF IT BREAKS DOWN WITH YOUR GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND THE SUBCONTRACTORS, THEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM, BECAUSE IF WE'RE OPEN, LINE OF COMMUNICATION IS GREAT AND THEY'RE UNDERSTANDING, THEN EXCELLENT, WE'RE MOVING THAT DIRECTION. THAT'S, YOU KNOW, STILL WILL IMPACT THE COMMUNITY, BUT THAT NEEDS TO BE TRANSCENDED ALL THE WAY THROUGH FROM EVERYBODY'S THERE. SO THAT'S WHAT I REITERATED TO THEM, AND SO THAT WAS A MEETING EARLIER. THERE WAS ALSO A MOTION THAT WAS THAT I LAST MINUTE HEARD ABOUT THAT SUPERVISOR SOLIS INTRODUCED TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IN RELATION TO THE WHITTERNARROWS DAM AND BUT AS WE READ IT AND I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF STAFF WE RECOGNIZED THAT IT WAS MISSING A LOT AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO GET A HOLD OF SUPERVISOR JANICE HON TO DO A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT INCORPORATED A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE HERE IN THE CITY OF PICO RERA. There's a lot of missing components, so that motion now includes a lot of the work that we've done in the city of Pico de Vida to making sure, again, highlighting the issue, bringing in resources, trying to bring as much support as we need through this long project that if you live on the north side, ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE SOME IMPACTS THROUGHOUT. BUT, AGAIN, IT'S A PROJECT THAT IS NOT A CITY OF PICURIRETA PROJECT. IT'S AN ARMY CORPS PROJECT. IT'S A NECESSARY PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO OUR BEST TO MITIGATE ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF PICURIRETA. SO THAT IS MY REPORT.

JUST ONE SECOND. ARE THEY STILL TARGETING?

NOVEMBER IS STILL THE DATE. YEAH. SO THAT HAS CONTINUED. All right, with that in mind.

I didn't give my report.

Oh, I'm sorry. We got into this motion and I apologize.

It's okay, thank you. I wanted to report that I attended for AB 1234, I attended the SASFA board meeting as the Pico Rivera representative. There are five of us as part of the JPA and they provide primarily food services for the seniors, food delivery, as well as at our senior center. and also job workforce information. So anyone that is looking for jobs, there are a number of programs. They have grant funding from the state and county. It's located in Santa Fe Springs, however they are our city provider for any types of those programs. So I wanted to share that. Secondly, I was able to attend the Taste of Rio. It's an annual fundraiser hosted by the Rio Hondo College Foundation. And so we were able to help support that event. Many of us attended Rio Hondo and we support education. So that was a wonderful event. There was a number of Pico Rivera vendors including Steichenstein, and ice cream, drinks, and food you can name, too much food. So I wanna recommend that for in the next year, any people that want to attend it, it was a great event. Thirdly, I went to, I was able to get a tour and a ride along with the LA County Fire Department, Station 25. So thank you so much to the firefighters for what they do. I was able to ride in the front and we had a code three. It was awesome. And everything, thankfully it was not the day of the Boyle Heights fire. But I did want to request an update from that. I see helicopters daily going that way and much of the wind factor is coming to us. I've seen some of the reports for Air Quality Management District. And so I don't know if we have an update in terms of the impact of that fire on our residents. And I know that the smell, we can smell it. And even the first day we smelled it. But some people on our side of town are not as aware if we can get an update on that.

Would you like that at the next meeting or do you want a quick update?

If you have any knowledge now and then next meeting too.

Yeah, Albie, I know I asked you earlier to just check the latest. In the past, we've been monitoring it. We've been issuing advisories out through our social media platforms. We actually have residents calling in, asking for masks, which we do have a limited supply of masks, so it's first come, first serve. We've also reached out to the county to get some additional masks in the event somebody needs them. BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE LEVELS HAVE BEEN MODERATED, BUT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO ALVEY SINCE HE LOOKED INTO IT.

GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I WANT TO PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE ON PICO RIVERA'S AIR QUALITY. OVERALL, OUR NUMBERS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE GOOD TO MODERATE RANGE WITH AN AIR QUALITY INDEX FLUCTUATING BETWEEN 35 AND 55. While these numbers look good on paper, our local atmosphere is still experiencing periodic impacts from the Boyle Heights warehouse fire. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended its particle pollution advisory as shifting wind patterns continue to transport fine particulate matter and localized haze into our jurisdiction. While regional metrics indicate acceptable levels for the general public, ambient smoke concentrations remain volatile. Consequently, we strongly advise sensitive groups, including seniors, children, and residents with respiratory conditions to limit prolonged outdoor exertion and keep home windows closed until containment operations are fully completed. The estimated timeline for the smoke to fully clear out according to the LA Fire Department is this Friday. Air quality advisory window, again, AQMD has formally extended the particulate pollution advisory through at least Wednesday afternoon. And finally, the facility where the fire is taking place is a massive, close to 500,000 square foot cold storage warehouse containing millions of pounds of frozen food. Because the building walls and roof are highly unstable, firefighters have had a difficult time to safely enter the interior. However, crews are using remote controlled firefighting robots, heavy excavators, and county helicopter water drops to fight the fire from the outside, which has unfortunately extended the containment timeline. And that concludes my report.

Thank you. All right. With that, we've finished the good of the order. We do have two closed session items. But before I... AS OUR CITY ATTORNEY LEAD US INTO CLOSED SESSION, I WANT TO CLOSE IN MEMORY OF TWO PICURIBEDA RESIDENTS. ONE IS CLARISSA JANEL GARCIA, WHO UNFORTUNATELY HAS LOST HER LIFE ON JUNE 5, 2026, AT THE AGE OF 32 YEARS OLD. AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, AMADITA SANCHEZ, WHO PASSED AWAY JUNE 14, 2026, AT THE AGE OF 99. COUNCILMEMBER GARCIA BROUGHT THIS TO OUR ATTENTION. Would anybody want to say something? Council Member Lutz?

Yes, Mayor. On behalf of the family of Amadita Sanchez, she was a great pillar of the community. She lived a beautiful life of 99 years, and she was the past president of the Pico Rivera Christmas Baskets, a wonderful organization nonprofit that provides food for those less fortunate. AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE GRADUATING SENIORS OF BOTH SALAZAR AND ALRANCHO HIGH SCHOOL. AND AMONGST OTHER ITEMS, SHE WAS ALSO PART OF THE SENIOR CLUBS. SHE WOULD BE GREATLY MISSED. AMALITA SANCHEZ.

MAYOR, SHE WAS JUST SIX MONTHS SHY OF 100 YEARS OF AGE.

Well, on behalf of Clarissa Janelle Garcia and Amadita Sanchez, we adjourn this meeting in their memory. With this, Mr. Attorney, can you please lead us into our closed session?

Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council. We have two items for closed session. They're both listed on the agenda as items A and B. It would be appropriate to recess in a closed session at this time for those items.

Thank you, everybody, for being here. Have a good evening.