Posted on 11/13/2024
ONE BIG THING: WHY WE VOTED “NO” ON THE NEW LAPD CHIEF
What Happened?
Yesterday, City Council voted to approve the nomination of the new LAPD Chief, Jim McDonnell. The vote was 11-2, with our office voting “no”.
Why We Voted “NO”
While Chief McDonnell brings extensive experience in law enforcement, we joined immigrant rights groups, workers, and community members in raising concerns about his history interacting with the immigrant community.
When Chief McDonnell was Los Angeles County Sheriff, he worked with ICE to deport undocumented Angelenos, and opposed a sanctuary policy at the state level.
During yesterday’s hearing, Chief McDonnell offered some assurances that he would not collaborate with ICE to deport Angelenos or separate families. However, his answers did not reflect a strong enough understanding of the immigrant families and undocumented Angelenos who are most affected by these policies.
The Elephant in the Room
With Trump’s election, the threat of mass deportation and family separations now looms as an immediate, life-changing situation, which would have a catastrophic effect on hundreds of thousands of families in LA.
One in three LA residents is an immigrant, with one in ten undocumented - and we know that millions of US Citizens have at least one undocumented parent or family member living with them in their homes.
Because of this threat, we need to stand unequivocally with the migrant community in our City.
What's Next?
Council can ensure that no city department works with federal deportation authorities by passing the Sanctuary City Ordinance that we introduced last year, which we expect to be heard by City Council before Trump takes office.
We remain laser-focused on keeping families together and building a safer LA for all. Stay tuned for many more updates in the coming weeks about how we are preparing for the Trump administration in LA.
Three More Quick Hits!
1. 35 More People Move off the Streets and Safely Indoors!
Rampart Village has one of the highest concentrations of homelessness in both our district and the entire city.
Thanks to our work this week with Mayor Bass, trusted service providers, and the Inside Safe team – dozens of residents near Beverly x Virgil; the Temple x Silver Lake Underpass; Juanita x Beverly; and the Shatto Recreation Center now have a safe place to sleep and are on their way to receiving the help they need and deserve.
2. Urging President Biden to Extend Temporary Protected Status to Central American Angelenos
We introduced a resolution at City Council urging the Biden Administration to protect the 30,000 Angelenos—and 250,000 people nationwide—currently safeguarded by Temporary Protected Status (TPS). These protections are set to expire in early January, just as Trump takes office.
President Biden has the authority to extend TPS for another 18 months, and we’re calling on him to act now to keep our families and communities together.
3. AEDs Coming to LA City Parks
This week, council officially expanded automated external defibrillators (AEDs) access at all public parks in the City of LA.
This motion was introduced after a teenage boy named Michael Isayan had the tragic experience of witnessing his father go into cardiac arrest before his eyes at an LA Public Park. Thankfully, his father survived, – but that wouldn’t have happened if park staff hadn’t responded immediately with CPR and an AED. In the aftermath, Michael became dedicated to expanding the availability of AEDs across LA to save lives.
He took the idea of requiring AEDs at all parks to his local councilmember, and Council President Paul Krekorian was able to turn Michael’s idea into a reality by passing this motion in City Council, and finding the funding to secure AEDs for all city parks.