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Council Meeting Recap: Dec 7, 2021

Updated: Dec 10, 2021

All council members were present for the Tuesday, Dec. 7 City Council meeting. Open session started at 5:03 p.m. and ended at 7:35 p.m. Here's what you missed:


District 4 Councilmember Arleen Rojas and City Clerk Myla Rahman sworn in. The big-ticket item on the agenda was the swearing-in of the winners of the Nov. 2, 2021 election winners: District 4 Councilmember Arleen Rojas and City Clerk, Myla Rahman. Rojas, 31, is an economic developer commissioner and the first Filipina American to join the Los Angeles Police Department. After being sworn in, Rojas thanked the council for having her and expressed her determination to her new post with three words: “Let’s do this.” The council congratulated her in return with Mayor Pro Tem Jim Dear stating “The city has not been moving forward to our potential. I believe with Arleen on the city council that will change.”

Myla Rahman is the District Chief of Staff for Senator Steven Bradford and appropriately Bradford lead the swearing in ceremony for the new city clerk.


City Clerk Myla Rahman abruptly resigns. One day after being sworn in, the new City Clerk, Myla Rahman, resigned from her position. 2UrbanGirls reported the story, and CAT confirmed the news with the City Clerk's department.


Senator Bradford Legislative Update: Before leading the swearing in ceremony for Myla Rahman, the city's newest City Clerk, Senate District 35 Senator Steven Bradford gave his legislative update, where he presented some of the seven bills, which he authored, that the Governor signed over the past two years.

  • SB 2The Kenneth Roth Jr. Police Decertification Act: This bill allows the decertification of police officers in California. With the passing of this bill, California joins 46 other states, which also have a fair and transparent way of removing rogue officers.

  • SB 796Bruce’s Beach Bill: SB 796 seeks to return the beachfront land known as Bruce’s Beach back to the remaining living heirs of the Bruce family. The property was purchased by Willa and Charles Bruce in 1912 and was one of two places in California in the early 1900s where African Americans could spend time at the beach without being denied access. After being harassed for twelve years by the KKK and other racist groups, in 1929 the City of Manhattan Beach used an eminent domain proceeding to take the land away from the couple under the guise of building a new park.

  • SB 655Insurance Diversity Bill: This bill will codify reporting requirements for underrepresented groups on insurance company governing boards, lower the existing California premium reporting threshold value for board and supplier diversity data from $100 million to $75 million, and define the term Diverse Investment Managers in the COIN program. Long story short: This bill allows women-owned, minority-owned businesses, disabled veterans, etc. to contract and procure insurance agencies and ask those insurance companies to provide an annual report of their diversity on their boards and corporate office.

  • SB 694 - Utility workforce diversity Bill: SB 694 requires utility companies to consider hiring into their wildfire prevention ranks workers from the California Conservation Corps, including those formerly incarcerated.

  • SB 26 - Fair Pay to Play Act 2.0: This bill seeks to expedite the effective date of the Fair Pay to Play Act from Jan 2023 to September 2021. Additionally, the bill will make the Fair Pay to Play Act Provisions applicable to California Community Colleges not just Universities. The Fair Pay to Play Act allows student athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness.

  • SB 586Criminal Administrative Fees: SB 586 seeks to end the assessment and collection of administrative fees imposed against people in the criminal legal system. Fees such as court costs and failure to appear, only adds on to spiraling debt according to Bradford.

Senator Bradford mentioned securing $140 million for District 35 of which $60 million went to Cal State Dominguez Hills. Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes asked the Senator to come back at a future meeting to disclose how much he secured for the City of Carson specifically.


Los Angeles County Public Works announces Dominguez Channel Odor Finally Abated. Reimbursements to end soon. Residents in the City of Carson will be able to enjoy this holiday season with fresh scents of pine trees and presents, and no more the putrid rotting egg smell coming from the Dominguez Channel since October 4th. Los Angeles County Department of Public Works Incident Commander for the Dominguez Channel Odor, Russ Bryden, announced that the source of the odor coming from the Dominguez Channel has been abated, “Since Oct. 29th, air quality monitoring levels for hydrogen sulfide collected by South Coast AQMD have consistently measured at or near pre incident levels.” Bryden did mention one exception, as the monitoring station at 213th St. and Chico St. has been consistently measuring ten parts per billion hydrogen sulfide level in the last three weeks. The water quality improved so remarkably that ducks, fish, and other healthy aquatic life has returned to the channel according Bryden. Los Angeles County Public Works will continue to monitor the air and water quality in the system as they work towards long term recovery of the estuary.


Bryden reminded the public that the county's reimbursement and assistance program will end on December 10th, and asked residents to provide their completed reimbursement requests and receipts by December 16th 11:59 p.m. “There are currently 4000 households that were approved for our assistance program but haven't submitted receipts yet,” said Bryden cautioning the public on the upcoming deadline, “It's currently taking approximately three to five weeks for residents to receive their reimbursement.” Councilmember Jawane Hilton requested that the County consider extending the deadline for people who may need time to gather their receipts.


City adopts Permanent Local Housing Allocation Plan. To receive funding from the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the council quickly approved the application and adoption of a Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Plan. The plan’s submission which is required by the end of the year, would help establish the city’s own PLHA program, which aims to provide affordable housing options for either first time home buyers, low income residents, or individuals either experiencing or at risk of homelessness. According to the Community Development Director’s presentation, the draft PLHA 5-year plan proposes the creation and funding of the following three programs at an even 33.33% (or approximately $500,000) allocation each:

  1. First-time homebuyer program

  2. Rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable ownership housing

  3. Assisting persons who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness


*Note: A special meeting was called by Mayor Pro Tem Jim Dear for Thursday Dec. 9 at 5:00 p.m and Monday Dec. 13 also at 5:00 p.m.

 

Events:







  • Winter Fest - Saturday Dec. 18, 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. @ the Carson Event Center.

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