Speaker 2: Okay. Thank you all very much. And we will be moving on to the next item, which is 21.
Speaker 3: Communication from Vice Mayor Richardson, Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilmember Pierce, Councilwoman Price recommendation to request the city manager to work with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine and the Commission on Youth and Children to update their purpose and structure to better serve the youth of Long Beach and report back within 90 days.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Vice Mayor Richardson.
Speaker 9: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think a lot of. Mr. Mayor, your attention on the commissions has opened up some opportunities for us to update and modernize. So the Commission on Youth and Children was established in 2003 and is currently overseen by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine. At that time, the purpose was to advise and make policy recommendations to the City Council of the Needs, Concerns and Problems of Children and Youth promote coordination with Long Beach Unified School District and other youth based organizations, and to review various city plans that are now outdated. The Commission is a youth adult board consisting of ten adults and nine youth. You know, we've we have very highly, highly qualified and capable committee members, but according to staff, has been challenging to fill all the positions, particularly youth seats. And it's been increasingly difficult to reach a quorum because of that. Currently, 13 of the 19 maximum positions are filled. Additionally, I've spoken with a number of the adult commissioners who feel there's a lack of clarity from the Commission's point of view on the purpose and scope of work as it relates to current city priority priorities. So in working with the mayor's office and working with staff and commissioners, it seems like a good point in time now to pause, assess the current status of the Commission and evaluate how how to ensure that the Commission has an updated purpose, a more defined scope, a scope of work based on the city's current programs, our current initiatives. And so while I know that many of our separate Council districts have youth commit youth advisory boards or youth committees, we're also exploring, you know, what might look like if we were to explore the feasibility and advantages of of a separate citywide youth youth led commission and an adult commission. So we want the so essentially this motion is asking our commission to look at these things outlined in the recommendation in the background and make some recommend some actionable recommendations that the city council can, can, can do to make sure we update this commission and take on some of our fantastic work to support our youth. Thanks.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Councilwoman Pryce.
Speaker 1: I think I'm.
Speaker 8: Next.
Speaker 0: Oh, I'm sorry. You're right.
Speaker 2: I messed that up. Councilman Gonzales.
Speaker 8: Well, thank you. I just wanted to thank Vice Mayor Richardson for the opportunity to speak on this. I think it's great. So many of us have middle schools and high schools and definitely elementary schools. And so to be able to get a better understanding of what this commission will provide and do for all of the youth in our city is going to be great. So thank you for bringing this forward. Vice Mayor.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Councilman Price.
Speaker 8: Thank you. I, too, want to thank Vice Mayor Richardson for bringing this forward. This this committee has so much potential. And I know that he and I and Councilwoman Gonzales and Councilwoman Pierce all have young children that we're raising in the city, along with other people on the council. And I think that, you know, about a year and a half ago, I brought an item to council that asked the Commission on Youth to come back with an analysis and a report for us on after school activities. And I still haven't received that report, and it's been a year and a half. So I think there's a lot of opportunities for us to really emphasize and focus on the structure and help them give them the support that they need. It's not a criticism. It's more of a maybe just some assistance is needed because that's an area where I think as a vice mayor, Richardson has pointed out to me on several occasions, we all have a common bond, so I want to thank him for bringing this forward. I think it's great and I wholeheartedly support.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Councilmember Pierce.
Speaker 6: Absolutely. I want to thank Vice Mayor for bringing this item up. I know through my years of work in organizing that often spaces where we have youth and adults, sometimes our visions are different. Sometimes the way we work is a little bit different, the way that we learn is a little different. And so if we are going to prioritize this commission, which I think we should, I think we also have to challenge ourselves and start to think about how do we engage with the youth if we are looking at two separate commissions or we're looking at having two separate that they then come together. If there's some support for some of that staffing, this commission on facilitation and creative ways to engage with them. And I also know that it's a challenge on us as council members to think about what are we giving this commission to work on so that they have meaningful engagement? And so with that, I just want to say thank you for this. I hope we continue to do great work. And I also would like us to explore is there any connection here with Elba USD? Are we collaborating at all with them?
Speaker 9: That was some of the original focused. We we now have a joint use committee with the school district and that's where My Brother's Keeper and things like that live. So this is really taking a moment to look at and reevaluate all of those things and come back specifically with recommendations for this commission.
Speaker 6: Great. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Councilwoman Mongo.
Speaker 1: And having challenges with our microphone. I'm very excited about this opportunity. I think that there's a lot that can be done. I know that we have a partnership item coming before council as well, and I think that there are a lot of opportunities both after school and with our commissioners and to get a group of students involved . We've actually been discussing in our district what we need to do to recruit younger commissioners that can serve a full term versus seniors in high school for our youth commission. And so we're really excited about this upcoming process we're launching. So I'll use that as my plug opportunity soon to be in the newsletter and then to support this item. I'm really glad that we're having this opportunity.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I want to make a couple comments. Open it up. First, I. I really am thankful that this came forward. I've been talking to Vice Mayor Richardson about this, as well as to some of the members of the commission. I want to thank some of the members of the commission that are actually here. Particularly want to thank two members of the commission that both wear double hats. And that is Vivienne, who we know also serves on our community college board, my Lulu over here, and as well as Megan Kerr, who also serves on the Long Beach Unified School Board. And the fact that we have these two women who also serve our community and our youth on this board, as well as a variety of other youth and community members, bless you with expertize is a really great resource for us at the city. And so I think that and I think it's important to note that this item is not a reflection of what we want is to empower this commission and we want the commission to work with staff to inform us what is it that we need to do to support the Commission more? And what is how can we restructure the commission in a way? Do we ensure that you both and and everyone else that's involved are successful as commissioners on the Commission on Youth and Children? And so maybe the scope needs to be enlarged, maybe it needs to be smaller, maybe there needs to be other, maybe the membership could be different. I don't think we know the answer to those questions. I do know and I want to note the commission has already started some of this work. And so the commission internally has already been discussing how they can improve their their mission or expand their mission and change it to serve the needs of the community. And so I just want to also recognize staff who's been working with the commission. The commission has been taking the initiative on this issue. And I think this kind of solidifies the Council's support in supporting the work that's happening and beyond as well. So I want to thank and all the members of the commission that are here and that are, I know, watching as well. So let's give them a round of applause and thank them for their service. And with that, let me open it up to public comment. Please come forward. It's like the women of education.
Speaker 8: Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Council Members Megan Curry, district resident, parent and member of the Miami Unified School District Board of Education. It's a it's an amazing commission to sit on. We have some really powerful, knowledgeable people in that room. And the problems that we've run into really are in the very narrowly defined scope of why the commission was created in the first place. It was actually created in conjunction with a city program that no longer exists. So this commission was actually supposed to advise that particular program. So once that program went away, the commission remained. Yet the very narrow scope of our work has to do with a non-existent program. So when we would do our work and have conversations, we really realized that we didn't have any kind of authority or purview to talk about the activities that were really pertinent to the youth who are currently serving on the committee. So I think this is a great opportunity to refocus, look at the priorities of the city, the priorities of this council around the issues of youth and children, and really create a collaborative board that and commission that can work with you could answer your questions. I do apologize. We we met several times to talk about that data. But the reality is the members of this commission do not have the availability to data to create any kind of report and analysis that really is a staff job. So we kept running into was that that wasn't something that we could even actually accomplish. It wasn't for lack of wanting to. I think we had five subcommittee meetings to try and make it happen. So it really is around the technical description of this commission, and I welcome being part of the conversation to restructure it to better serve the city.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, please.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Good evening, everybody. Happy Election Day to our honorable city council and our wonderful staff. My name is Vivian Marla Zulu, and tonight I am wearing.
Speaker 8: My commissioner hat.
Speaker 1: I have had the great sweet chore of serving as the chair of this commission for the past, I believe, 18 months. And I'd like to take a moment to introduce the commission staff there. We've got our our director, Parks and Rec, Marie Knight. We've got our Gladys Kaiser, who oversees the program manager for Parks and Rec. And we've got Joy Warren, who is the superintendent in charge of our commission. We also have one more staff person who's not here, Norma Salazar Walker. They've been great. We, like Councilmember Rex Richardson mentioned we have experienced a lot of frustration serving on this commission. And a lot of the frustration has to do with the fact that we've got so many awesome people on the commission who are doers and we have so many ideas.
Speaker 8: And there are so many plans that.
Speaker 1: We would like to take on and connect throughout the city for our youth. We are educators, we are parents. We are involved with youth in the community, both as our employment, many educators, but also as volunteers. We've got coaches and we've tried.
Speaker 8: Several.
Speaker 1: Times to implement programs and introduce new ideas, but we've had some roadblocks and it has to do with the resolution of how the commission was established. Like my colleague Megan Kerr stated, this commission was actually established to support the Long Beach Youth Network, which is has been defunct for several years. There is no longer a Long Beach youth network, so our commission has sort of been in limbo. Now I'm very grateful for the opportunity. We have had lots of meetings to try to evaluate our use. We do have ideas and I would just like to urge the Council to please vote yes to move forward on this action item so that we can have a little bit more flexibility. Also, you know, the structure, the number of commissioners. We've got great youth commissioners. Councilmember Mongeau Emma Parsons in your district is fantastic. She's fantastic. And I would I would love to have her continue as an adult commissioner. So just there are so many limits and restrictions on this particular commission that it would just really, truly be a blessing to us if you would consider expanding and allowing us to spread our wings. Also, I would just like to close that. I believe that this commission, like you all said, has a lot of potential to also educate our community about what our youth, the role that our youth really play in this city and the future of the city. So if you please allow us to do that. I'm sure we can come up with great ideas.
Speaker 8: Thank you very much.
Speaker 2: Thank you very much. Next speaker, please.
Speaker 1: Karen recite, I live in the First District and I'm going to talk on this in a couple of positions. I used to work for the Boys and Girls Club and worked with the Youth Commission, which had very dedicated, committed people. I had issues. I tried to get the kids on the commission as youth representatives. And the the nominees tended to be the people that were more successful, the youth that were more.
Speaker 10: Successful.
Speaker 1: In terms of grades and academics. And I just want to make sure that.
Speaker 10: The underrepresented.
Speaker 1: Communities would be considered as any part of the structure of this committee. And I just want to. I've done a lot of work through the Great Panthers with the number of commissions. And the problems that they're talking about are not just particularly related.
Speaker 10: To the youth commission and really think that all the commissions.
Speaker 1: Need to be examined as to what the roles are. The city has shifted its dynamics.
Speaker 10: So tremendously just in the last just since you've taken office, Robert, and done.
Speaker 1: A fabulous job. And it's time to look at how do our commissions.
Speaker 10: Function.
Speaker 1: So in use more technology.
Speaker 10: Within the structure of the commissions.
Speaker 1: And look at what role can the commissions really serve to advance and assist city staff and council members in making our city great.
Speaker 2: Thank you. See no other public comment. We have a motion and a second. Members, please go ahead and cast your votes. And again, thank you to our speakers and to our two commissioners that spoke today.
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine and the Commission on Youth and Children to update their purpose and structure to better serve the youth of Long Beach, and report back to the City Council within 90 days.