Updates - Concerned City Workers

Letter to the Mayor and City Council

General · 25 Jun 2020

Dear Mayor Garcetti and Members of the Los Angeles City Council:

We, the undersigned members of the Los Angeles City Family, are informed by a wide variety of life experiences and serve in City government in a multitude of ways. We work and live on Indigenous land not given freely. For many of us, our personal histories and identities as Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQIA+ people are inseparable from our sense of professional duty. We choose to honor these histories as we fight to reverse institutionalized racism and work towards an equitable city.

There is one dominant issue that demands our immediate attention and action — the ongoing brutalization of Black people at the hands of law enforcement, and the nationwide uprising to demand justice, accountability, and the reallocation of funds to provide community-driven solutions to safety. This story did not begin with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd in other U.S. cities, but we are moved by how the injustices inflicted upon these three individuals have entered the national consciousness and sparked a movement for change.

In Los Angeles, despite record levels of public engagement in Council and committee meetings, and following unprecedented protests across the City, elected officials have failed to make significant changes to the Fiscal Year 2020-21 City budget, or meaningfully address community demands. The City of Los Angeles must not only acknowledge, but directly work to uproot anti-Black racism and its long-standing history of disinvestment in Black and Brown communities.

In these times, as we grieve and reflect, the Movement for Black Lives and People’s Budget LA present a unique and inspiring opportunity to bravely reimagine our priorities as a City. We recognize this is a longstanding movement. We draw inspiration and strength from the activists and community members that have led this movement here in our own city, many of whom played a key role in launching it to national prominence.

We unequivocally align with Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and People’s Budget LA. We recognize that as civil servants we are uniquely positioned to uplift calls for change. While decision makers lay out priorities, we are charged with delivering them on a daily basis. Our work can and should reflect the priorities spelled out in the People’s Budget LA, where more than 24,000 Angelenos have articulated their needs. We uplift their calls to prioritize human-centered services by investing in the Built Environment, Universal Aid and Crisis Management, and Reimagined Community Safety. We envision a future where community safety and security is provided through secure housing, education, food security, and healthcare, and not over-policing. The call to defund police and fund communities is urgent and timely for our City’s Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities facing the dual crises of COVID-19 and structural racism.

We are moved by the actions of other agencies and fellow Angelenos, including the protests by unionized dockworkers against police brutality, demands for Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles Public Library, and Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to sever ties with the police, and calls for a care-first budget for Los Angeles County.

We too are making the political and moral argument that public safety can be reimagined to truly protect those who are most affected by various forms of oppression. Within our departments, we commit to build tools to center racial equity and dismantle racism; foster meaningful collaboration with historically oppressed and systems-impacted populations; and seed, nurture, and advance a new path forward toward full inclusion, holistic well-being, and self-determination for all communities—especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.

The Mayor and the City Council must act immediately to:

REINVEST: Reallocate funds to essential social services for communities of color as spelled out in the People’s Budget LA with a commitment to decrease LAPD’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 and in the years that follow. Top priorities include low-income housing assistance and rent cancellation, alternatives to public safety, mental health support, food assistance, and free public transportation. Ensure a just transition for City Employees as we embrace this mission.
RELEASE: Investigate any LAPD officer who has been accused of using unreasonable, excessive, and/or deadly force, and provide justice for the 886 Black and Brown deaths at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles County since 2000. Start with an investigation of LAPD tactics used at the May 30, 2020 protests in the Fairfax district as called for by an alliance of community, labor, policy and academic organizations in LA.
RESPOND: Acknowledge the demands for justice that more than 50 Black Los Angeles leaders authored in April 2020 to address the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on the region’s Black communities. Key demands include adequate testing, small business protections, and safe housing during the pandemic, as well as reparations, universal healthcare, food security, and education access in the long term.
REBUILD: Restore public trust in the public sector. Commit to authentic partnership with Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members on re-prioritizing the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 budget. Partner with community members to implement these budget priorities across City departments. Commit to implementing a participatory budgeting process for all future budgets.

We, as City employees, chose to do this work in the public sector because we believe in the power of our labor for social good. We are asking you, as our elected leadership, to join this urgent moral call to action and reimagine with us.

Signed,

Adam Bucholz, Recreation & Parks
Adam Gertz, Mayor’s Office
Adam Villani, Department of City Planning
Aisha Khan, Department of Transportation
AJ Ferrara, Los Angeles Zoo
Alex Freedman, Department of Transportation
Alex Heath, Department of City Planning
Alex Linz, Department of City Planning
Alex Mullenix, Housing Authority
Alexander Wikstrom, Department of Transportation
Alexis B. , Personnel Department
Alexis N., Personnel Department
Alina Borja, Department of Cultural Affairs
Alissa Gordon, Department of City Planning
Alonso Castillo, Recreation & Parks
Amalia Merino, Department of City Planning
Amanda Leal, Personnel Department
Amir Farah, Public Works
Amitis Motevalli, Department of Cultural Affairs
Amy Perkins, Mayor’s Office
Amy Zhou, Department of Cultural Affairs
Anacany Hurtado, Department of City Planning
Andrea More, Department of Animal Services
Andres Rodriguez, Department of City Planning
Andrew Jorgensen, Department of City Planning
Andrew Miller, Housing + Community Investment Department
Andrew Torres, Housing + Community Investment Department
Angela Vasquez, Los Angeles City Retirement System
Angelica Loa Perez, Department of Cultural Affairs
Anna M., Recreation & Parks
Anna Vidal , Department of City Planning
Anna Van, Department of City Planning
Ari Simon, City Council
Ariane Briski, Department of City Planning
Ariel J., Department of City Planning
Arturo C., Personnel Department
Aryeh Cohen, Department of Transportation
Ashley Atkinson, Department of City Planning
Aujanee Baldwin, Housing + Community Investment Department
Babak Dorji, Department of Transportation
Barry S., Los Angeles World Airports
Becky Snodgrass, Department of Cultural Affairs
Ben Sullivan, Department of City Planning
Bianca S., Office of the City Administrative Officer
Blair Miller, Office of the City Administrative Officer
Blair Smith, Department of City Planning
Bonnie Kim, Department of City Planning
Brett Shears, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Briana L., Department of Transportation
Brittany A., Department of City Planning
Brittany Batong, Housing + Community Investment Department
C. G., Department of City Planning
Calandra C., Los Angeles Zoo
Cally Hardy, Department of City Planning
Cameron Phillips, Department of City Planning
Caridad Avila , Personnel Department
Cassandra Baron, Los Angeles Zoo
Celeste P., Recreation & Parks
Celeste R., Mayor’s Office
Cerrina T.-R., Department of Cultural Affairs
Chandler Tso, Personnel Department
Char Santi, Community Redevelopment Agency
Chelsea Jensen, Los Angeles Zoo
Chelsea Lucktenberg , Office of the City Controller
Cheryl Aguilar, Office of the City Administrative Officer
Chris M., Los Angeles World Airports
Chris P., Department of City Planning
Christina M., Mayor’s Office
Christina P., Department of City Planning
Christine B., Department of City Planning
Christopher Hicks, Housing + Community Investment Department
Cindy Luna, Recreation & Parks
Claire Bowin, Department of City Planning
Clare Eberle, Department of Transportation
Clare Kelley , Department of City Planning
Colin Piethe, Department of Transportation
Corii Richardson, Department of City Planning
Courtney Hamilton, City Council
Courtney S., Department of City Planning
Courtney Shum, Department of City Planning
Crystal J., Department of Water & Power
Dahlia Ferlito, Department on Disability
Daisy Benicia, Department of City Planning
Daisy Ellen Evans, Community Redevelopment Agency
Danai Zaire, Department of City Planning
Dang Q Nguyen, Department of City Planning
Daniel D., Housing + Community Investment Department
Daniel Herman, Housing + Community Investment Department
Daniella L., Personnel Department
Danielle J., Personnel Department
Darryl Kitagawa , Public Works
David Choi, Office of the City Administrative Officer
David Somers, Department of Transportation
David Tres, Los Angeles Zoo
David Woon, Department of City Planning
Delia Arriaga, Department of City Planning
Denesse Elias, Public Works
Denise Chavez, Department of City Planning
Diana Jimenez, Department of City Planning
Diego Janacua Cortez, Department of City Planning
Dominick Ortiz, Department of City Planning
Dorothea Rodgers, Recreation & Parks
Drew Glucksman, Los Angeles Zoo
Dwayne Wyatt, Department of City Planning
Dylan S., Department of City Planning
Ebony C., Mayor’s Office
Edber Macedo, Department of City Planning
Edgar Rojas, Recreation & Parks
Edith Hannigan, Emergency Management Department
Eduardo Park, Los Angeles City Retirement System
Eliza D., Personnel Department
Edward Huang, Community Redevelopment Agency
Elis Fernández , Police Department
Elizabeth J., City Council
Elizabeth Rubin, Emergency Management Department
Ellen Slezak, Office of City Attorney
Emely C, City Council
Emily Gable, Department of City Planning
Emma G. H., City Council
Eric Claros, Department of City Planning
Erick Lopez, Department of City Planning
Erika Cui, Department of City Planning
Erika Mitchell, Housing + Community Investment Department
Erin C., Department of City Planning
Erin Strelich, Department of City Planning
Esther Ahn, Department of City Planning
Esther Serrato, Department of City Planning
Eva B., Recreation & Parks
Eve B., Housing + Community Investment Department
Ezequiel Olvera, Department of Cultural Affairs
Fabiola Inzunza, Department of City Planning
Fatima S., Department of Water & Power
Fausto Macario, Office of Finance
Felipe Ortega, Department of Water & Power
Forrest Tiffany, City Council
Gabriela J., Department of City Planning
Gibson Nyambura, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Gonzalo M., Recreation & Parks
Greg Reed, Department of Water & Power
Griselda Gonzalez, Department of City Planning
H. Cooke Sunoo, Community Redevelopment Agency
Harmony Jones, Housing + Community Investment Department
Haydee Urita-Lopez, Department of City Planning
Hayley B., Recreation & Parks
Heather J., Public Works
Héctor Huezo, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Helen Campbell, Department of City Planning
Helen Rigg, Personnel Department
Helene Rotolo, Office of the City Administrative Officer
Henry C., Los Angeles Zoo
Hunter Owens, Information Technology Agency
Ian Rose, Information Technology Agency
Ian Schiffer, Office of City Attorney
Isa Hopkins, Recreation & Parks
Isabelle L., Department of Cultural Affairs
Ivette Serna, Office of the City Controller
J. W., Police Department
Jackie Cornejo, Housing + Community Investment Department
Jacob Wasserman, Department of Transportation
Jacquelyn A., Recreation & Parks
Jaime Espinoza, Department of City Planning
James A., Police Department
Jamileh A., Department of Transportation
Jane Choi, Department of City Planning
Janna S., Department of Transportation
Jasmine Alvarez, Department of Cultural Affairs
Jason King, Department of Transportation
Jeanalee Obergfell, Department of City Planning
Jeffry Carpenter, Community Redevelopment Agency
Jennifer Caira, Department of City Planning
Jennifer Ly, Department of Transportation
Jerome Gross, Community Redevelopment Agency
Jerry Hammond, Community Redevelopment Agency
Jes McBride, Department of City Planning
Jessa Ross, Department of City Planning
Jessica Mosleh M., Public Works
Jessica Salans, City Council
Joana Sabbagh, Office of the City Administrative Officer
Joann Lim, Department of City Planning
Jocelyn O., Public Works
Joe Luckey, Department of City Planning
Joe Mcnelly, LA Memorial/Coliseum
Joel Montano , Los Angeles Public Library
Joel Rodriguez , Department of Transportation
John Hemer, Community Redevelopment Agency
Johnny Rafter, Los Angeles Public Library
JoJo P., Department of City Planning
Jonathan P.B., Los Angeles Public Library
Jordan H., Department of City Planning
Jordan Fraade, Department of City Planning
Jordann Turner, Department of City Planning
Juan Lopez , Office of the City Controller
Julia Heidelman, Department of City Planning
Julie Chavez, Housing + Community Investment Department
Justin Bilow, Department of City Planning
Karen H., Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Kate H., Emergency Management Department
Kate Tucci-Share, Los Angeles Zoo
Katharine Mound, Office of the City Clerk
Katherine S., Department of City Planning
Kay Sasaki, Department of Transportation
Kelly Hickler, Police Department
Kelly Tobin, Department of Transportation
Kevin Cheng, Office of the City Administrative Officer
Kiran Rishi, Department of City Planning
Kylie F., Los Angeles Zoo
Kylie Knight, Los Angeles Zoo
La Wanda D., Department of Water & Power
Lameese C., Department of Transportation
Lance Sierra, Department of City Planning
Landy J., Department of City Planning
LaTanya R., Department of City Planning
Laura Barnard, Los Angeles Zoo
Laura MacPherson, Department of City Planning
Laura Dominguez, Department of City Planning
Lauren Ballard, Department of Transportation
Lena M., Department of City Planning
Lennon Cooper, Personnel Department
Leslie Rivas Q, Los Angeles Zoo
Leslie Shim, Department of Water & Power
Ligeia Gorre, Department of Cultural Affairs
Liku A., Department of City Planning
Lily Brown, Department of Transportation
Lilly O., Department of Transportation
Lisa B., Office of City Attorney
Lisa Marroquin, Mayor’s Office
Luke Shneour, Department on Disability
Luis H., City Council
Lulu Mickelson, Mayor’s Office
Lupita H., City Council
Maddy Ruvolo, Department of Transportation
Maeron Y., Los Angeles Zoo
Maidel L., Department of City Planning
Maira Sanchez, Department of City Planning
Margaret Collier , Police Department
Mariah Mendez, Los Angeles Zoo
Mashael Majid, Department of City Planning
Matt Gertz, Department of Transportation
Matt Milne, Office of Finance
Maryam Hosseinzadeh , Department of Cultural Affairs
Maya Abood, Housing + Community Investment Department
Maxfield Vermy, Department of City Planning
Meagan Elizondo, City Council
Melba Kirkendoll, Community Redevelopment Agency
Melissa A., Department of City Planning
Melissa Kaufler, Office of the City Controller
Melissa Petersen, Office of the City Controller
Melody S., Los Angeles Zoo
Micaela T.G., Department of City Planning
Michael F Davies, Department of City Planning
Michael Heinrichs, Office of City Attorney
Michael Ryzhov, Housing + Community Investment Department
Michell C., Department of Water & Power
Michelle B., Mayor’s Office
Michelle Carter, Department of City Planning
Michelle Montenegro, Department of City Planning
Michael S., Department of City Planning
Mickey Thompson, Los Angeles Zoo
Michiko Murakami, Department of Transportation
Miles Orr, Department of City Planning
Mindy Nguyen, Department of City Planning
Mukund Nair, Department of Water & Power
My L., Department of City Planning
Naima Pulliam, Public Works
Nancy T., Housing + Community Investment Department
Nancy Kim, Office of the City Clerk
Naomi Iwasaki, Mayor’s Office
Nat G., Department of Transportation
Nateene Diu, Department of Cultural Affairs
Nathalie F, Public Works
Neale Stokes, Los Angeles Public Library
Niall Huffman, Department of City Planning
Nicholas Ortiz, General Services Department
Nick A., Department of City Planning
Nicole Donanian-Blandón , Los Angeles Public Library
Nicole Rademacher, Department of Cultural Affairs
Nicole Ramirez, Office of the City Controller
Nina Idemudia, Department of City Planning
Nina P., Public Works
Nithya Raman, Office of the City Administrative Officer
Omari Battles, Emergency Management Department
Paola Méndez, City Council
Patricia Gurrola, Housing + Community Investment Department
Patrick Whalen, Department of City Planning
Patrick Wolff, Los Angeles Zoo
Patsy Adams, Community Redevelopment Agency
Paul Pescador , Department of Cultural Affairs
Paul Yoon, Department of Water & Power
Paulina Samborska, Department of Cultural Affairs
Pauline Chan, Department of Transportation
Penelope UA., Department of Cultural Affairs
Pricilla C., Emergency Management Department
Primsuda Sakuntabhai, Department of Cultural Affairs
Priya Macwan, Recreation & Parks
Priya Mehendale, Department of City Planning
Quetzalli E, Department of City Planning
Raissa Echavarria, Recreation & Parks
Raul Anorve, Office of City Attorney
Raven O., Personnel Department
Rebecca Cruces, Personnel Department
Rebecca Horta , Department of Cultural Affairs
Rebecca Prater, Los Angeles Zoo
Renae Zelmar, Department of City Planning
Renata Ooms, Department of City Planning
Rey Fukuda, Department of City Planning
Richard Platkin, Department of City Planning
Richard Reaser, Department of City Planning
Robert Keatinge, Department of City Planning
Robert Paterno, Recreation & Parks
Robert Ramos, Los Angeles Zoo
Rochele Gomez, Department of Cultural Affairs
Rosemary C., Public Works
Rosemary McCarron, Department of Transportation
Roy Samaan, Department of City Planning
Ruben Vasquez, Department of City Planning
Rubina G., Department of Transportation
Sabrina B., Mayor’s Office
Sabina P., Los Angeles Public Library
Saira Gandhi, Streets Services Bureau
Salvador Gutierrez, Department of Transportation
Samuel Fernandez, Department of Water & Power
Sandra Tapp, Community Redevelopment Agency
Sara C., Department of City Planning
Sara W., Housing + Community Investment Department
Sarah Deiuliis, Personnel Department
Sarah Marquez, Los Angeles Zoo
Sean T., Mayor’s Office
Sharon Foster, Community Redevelopment Agency
Shauna Johnson, Community Redevelopment Agency
Sheimeikaa Wagstaff, Public Works
Shirley R. , Housing Authority
Sophie Gabel-Scheinbaum, Department of City Planning
Stacy Farfan, Department of City Planning
Stephanie Campbell, Housing + Community Investment Department
Stephanie Uy, City Council
Steven Bautista, City Council
Steven Katigbak, Department of City Planning
Steven W., Recreation & Parks
Steven Wong, Department of Cultural Affairs
Susan M., Office of Finance
Susan Zermeno, Department of City Planning
Tania P., Department of Cultural Affairs
Tanzi C., Police Department
Tayler L., Los Angeles World Airports
Taylor H., Office of the City Administrative Officer
Teresa Batson, Department of City Planning
Terry Scott, Department of Cultural Affairs
Tiffany Do, Recreation & Parks
Timothy Black, Department of Transportation
Tina B., Los Angeles World Airports
Tina B., Police Department
Tom M., Mayor’s Office
Tom Rothmann , Department of City Planning
Trevor Martin, Department of City Planning
Umi Hsu, Department of Cultural Affairs
Valentina Knox-Jones, Department of City Planning
Veronica Miyakawa, Community Redevelopment Agency
Victoria Keossian, Housing + Community Investment Department
Vinson W., Department of City Planning
Vivian Chang, Fire & Police Pensions Department
Wafa Azeem, Los Angeles Public Library
Wajiha I., Department of City Planning
William Friedman, Housing Authority
Yadi Hashemi, Department of Transportation
Yamilette Duarte, Department of Cultural Affairs
Yukio Kawaratani, Community Redevelopment Agency
Yvette Hernandez, Recreation & Parks
Yvonne Mayo, Office of City Attorney
Zachary Mitchell, Department of Water & Power
Zuriel Espinosa Salas, Department of City Planning

Total: 370 Signatories