Speaker 1: Okay, great. We're going to I had a request to move up item 67. So we're going to be 67 next.
Speaker 0: Communication from Councilmember Pierce, Councilman Zendejas, Councilmember Arango, Councilmember Richardson recommendation to refer the support of H.R. 1384 to the Federal Legislation Committee for Review and Consideration.
Speaker 1: OC Consumer Pierce.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Mayor. As the city clerk mentioned, this is an item to send the support to the Fed lunch committee so that the committee can discuss this in greater detail and give direction to the city staff. I know we had several nurses signed up to speak on this item that we're not able to stay on. And so I think deferring this to committee is the appropriate step.
Speaker 1: Is there any public comment? Yes, we have. Myron Wolin. Irene. Roland.
Speaker 4: Hello. Good morning, mayor. And City Council.
Speaker 1: Members.
Speaker 4: I am Myron Walden.
Speaker 1: President of the Long Beach Gray Panthers. Long Beach, Great Panthers, who supported Medicare for all for a long time. The seniors are members of beneficiaries of Medicare, which we all love. But we are not greedy. We would like everyone to have the same benefits. We have our children, grandchildren, our relatives, our neighbors. We believe health care is a human right, just like healthy drinking water is a human right. And if we can spend money to provide.
Speaker 4: Healthy drinking.
Speaker 1: Water, then we can spend money to provide health care for everybody. Right now.
Speaker 4: Over 2 million.
Speaker 1: Californians do not have health insurance and 12 million are under-insured. Medicare for All would solve this problem. In addition, in this time of COVID, workers have lost.
Speaker 4: Their jobs.
Speaker 1: And their health insurance, which is tied to their jobs. With Medicare for All, workers would not lose their health coverage when they lose or change their jobs. As current California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Speaker 4: Who's reportedly nominated.
Speaker 1: By President elect Joe Biden's.
Speaker 4: Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Speaker 1: Said in support of Medicare for All, I quote, When you give.
Speaker 4: People access to Medicare and.
Speaker 1: Talk to seniors who have their Medicare, we say, Keep your hands off my Medicare. I think it.
Speaker 4: Would have the same effect for most Americans that they know they could depend on something like Medicare for themselves.
Speaker 1: As well. We vote in favor of item 67, and I would like to.
Speaker 4: Honor outgoing.
Speaker 1: Council member Janine Pearce.
Speaker 4: Who has been a champion these many years.
Speaker 5: Thank you. Your next speaker is Tiffany Davey.
Speaker 4: Good morning. Making it just before the eight hour mark here on this meeting on support for this item.
Speaker 1: And to say that it almost goes without saying that the disparities in the discussion of this item. A while acknowledged and felt at a greater magnitude than ever before during this crisis. I just want to stress the importance of.
Speaker 4: Potentially the.
Speaker 1: Whatever, you know, conversation happens at committee next.
Speaker 4: To connect to the crisis and the.
Speaker 1: Impacts of this crisis upon our.
Speaker 4: Community.
Speaker 1: Potentially focusing on a community needs assessment. We haven't.
Speaker 4: Seen the.
Speaker 1: Depths of before to truly find out how the community has been impacted. All the receipts, folks can add it up.
Speaker 4: Something similar to the initial damage estimates done by FEMA.
Speaker 1: Forms 9081.
Speaker 4: Ways to make.
Speaker 1: This accessible for folks to apply to all aspects of care. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes public comment for this item. Okay. Thank you. I have a motion by Councilmember Pierce. I'll just I'll. Is there a second on this.
Speaker 2: Since they have.
Speaker 1: Okay. And they have. I'll just. I'll just personally just add and say it. I. I personally as mayor, separate of the council, have endorsed the bill that you're discussing. I think that long term health care should be tied to to the individual, the person not to not to employment. I also believe for many years, single payer, a single payer system is the future for our country. And certainly in a pandemic, we think are the the really weaknesses in our health care system have really shown itself. And so this is a great step forward. I think that there's an opportunity the next few years to get us to Medicare for All. I think that is we have Medicare, it already exists and it works great. Everyone should have access to that same system that already so many Americans have access to it. It's a big concern for also moving this forward to committee after further discussion and debate, a roll call vote is.
Speaker 0: District one. All right. District two. I. District three.
Speaker 2: I.
Speaker 0: District four.
Speaker 2: By District by District seven. By District eight.
Speaker 0: District nine. Motion carries.
Speaker 1: Okay. Now we're back to item 54.
Recommendation to refer the support of H.R. 1384 to the Federal Legislation Committee for review and consideration.