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Hello, and thanks for joining us, for sustaining us here on KLCS Public Media.

I'm David Nazar.

What's going on with Los Angeles these days?

Seems everyone you talk to has some sort of complaint.

The homeless, the crime, the cost of living.

LA is one of the most expensive U.S. cities.

You can't purchase an affordable home.

The rents are crazy.

The traffic is a bear.

Takes hours to get from one part of the city to the other in your car.

Los Angeles has some of the highest taxes in the nation, and some of the city's older infrastructure needs an overhaul.

And yet, with all that said, who's going to deny that L.A. also has the most amazing weather in the US?

Probably the best scenery anywhere.

Lots of opportunities and this can be a great city.

However, the question is, and what so many people are asking these days, can all the negatives be improved for a better Los Angeles future?

And joining me now to discuss all of this is L.A. City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.

Councilwoman Rodriguez represents the city's seventh district, which includes great communities like Sylmar, Pacoima, other parts of the North East, San Fernando Valley, and more.

Monica, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much for having me.

Now you really have an amazing story, your background, your family.

It's inspiring.

We're going to get to that.

We're going to share some of your personal story later in the broadcast.

First though, we've got to get to the issues.

As you know, every Angelino is talking about crime these days beginning whether it's on the streets, on the L.A. Metro, trains and busses.

Monica, you've heard the complaints from so many who are concerned about the crime here.

And really, no matter how the stats are spun or skewed, crime is bad all over the city.

And you chair the public safety committee, so you really know about the crime situation, which is not being exaggerated no matter what some people in this city say.

So what is going on here?

Well, people feel unsafe.

And it's for, many of the issues that you raised, whether it's, you know, we've seen an increase of home invasion robberies to experiences on the metro system.

And I think we have a collective responsibility to have a stronger public safety presence.

And that includes even the agencies that are not over, you know, overseen by the city of Los Angeles.

With respect to public safety, I think for our part, we're doing a really concerted effort to help make sure that we are increasing police response that we are offloading because of our, shortage in law enforcement personnel.

We are now onboarding more, alternative responses for individuals suffering with mental health issues and that comes as a result of not having a systematic approach, in the county of Los Angeles.

I know a lot of people are are struggling with mental health and substance use disorder issues.

And so we're really trying to better align the resources with the call modes and the demands for public safety response.

But as someone who was very vocal and critical of even the experiences that so many residents have on our public transit system, particularly when that was the only, form of transportation that many people have to rely on.

I inserted myself into that conversation because we must demand better to have everyone feel safer in Los Angeles.

And for me, you know, as a child growing up, our home was burglarized three times when I was growing up.

So it's personal for me.

I know what that feels like, a feeling of violation.

I just I think people's feelings are warranted based on what they're seeing, what they're experiencing, what they're hearing.

And we have a collective responsibility to make sure that we're helping to turn page.

You know, there's sort of a sad thing about the crime situation to give you just a moment, I'm not going to blow V8 or preach or anything, but I do want to share with you I often wonder why, no one in the city admits to owning any of this, the crime situation.

And believe me, I am not referring to you.

You really take on issues.

I like your sort of tough mentality and everything.

I've once in a while check out some of the city council meetings.

And you know what?

It's no holds barred for you.

I've seen you take on your own colleagues.

I like that style.

With that, said Monica.

You know, there are some city officials, and I hate to say this, but they continue to blame Covid of all things, on the crime.

The, you know, others blame.

They say, well, it's sort of a Republican, or a conservative talking point crime is not really spiking.

And as you just said, Monica, the reality is people are scared in L.A. today.

Crime is bad.

And just give me a second to clarify even further, because you you talked about it a second ago.

If you say, for example, when I say you, I mean the city and you know this all too well, let's say on one month during the year, there's one less homicide in Los Angeles.

All of a sudden, everyone in the city is celebrating, even some in the liberal media, some politicians, they're saying, hey, crime is decreasing.

They celebrate about crime.

It's not really that bad.

It's just being fabricated.

This is not true.

I know you know this.

It's insulting to all the LA residents.

And so you have to take crime in its totality.

Based upon my reporting, what I read, what I see, the people I talk to, the violent crimes, the home invasions, the burglaries, the carjack gangs, the robberies, all of that.

And it is disingenuous when city folk say crime is decreasing when it's really not.

So how do you battle that?

And I'm sorry, I preach, but I just need to let you know that.

No, I think it's, you know, it's a legitimate issue.

And I think we have to own the fact that people do feel a certain way.

Safety is a feeling.

When you look at, the street takeovers, for example, when you go into your local grocery store or you go into your local, drugstore and you see everything, the locked up that you used to be able to just go pick up very quickly.

Those are indications that things are not normal and that there is a problem.

And so where we can celebrate some marked improvements and we do have those in our statistics still overwhelmingly show that, you know, in comparison, when you talk about homicides and you talk about those incidents, yes, those numbers statistically are low from some of the highest points in our city's history.

However, that doesn't shift.

People's feelings and feelings matter.

And I think feelings of safety for a lot of families and as a lifelong, you know, resident on the San Fernando Valley, that was one of the things that we used to celebrate was that feeling that you could go ride your bike in your neighborhood or you could go, to the local 7-Eleven and play video games.

I mean, all of those things.

And those are real, legitimate feelings that people have.

But we have an obligation to make sure that we do turn a corner on public safety.

And when we talk about what is not being enforced any longer, those are very real sentiments.

So when we have circumstance dances, for example, where there's, you know, there is an arrest and people are immediately released and out and, you know, engaging in these activities again, there's something wrong.

Yes, we have to correct some of the historic ills of overpolicing in certain communities.

However, we can't ignore the fact that right now there is certainly, a feeling of lawlessness for a lot of families that is actually contributing to this feeling of, a lack of security.

I don't know if you know this.

I was sort of your neighbor back in the day.

I'm a Cal State Northridge grad, so the Valley was my home for quite a while, and those were the good old days.

I mean, crime was not the way it is today.

Things have changed.

Although I do know you and your office have really taken a proactive sort of approach to trying to combat some of the crime.

Monica.

Yes, there's for me, there's like, for example, even activities that are very as simple as, helping to facilitate better communications with our local law enforcement personnel, making sure that the community recognizes that they, too, are part of helping to create a safer Los Angeles for me as a child, after our home was burglarized, the very first time my parents were involved in setting up that very first neighborhood watch and all of our neighbors, we started communicating with one another and sharing information with law enforcement.

It was that subsequent activity that actually led to the arrest and prosecution of the individuals that had, run their home.

So I think it's really important that the public also recognizes that they have a hand in this, that we need to be better neighbors to one another and communicating and working cooperatively with law enforcement to report things, because it can be done anonymously, because we have a city of over 460mi.

And it's important that people feel that they, too, can be a part of helping to create a safer Los Angeles for all of us.

And so it's for that reason that I've been working very closely, here in my district, with building out those relationships here with law enforcement, with the senior lead officers for demanding accountability and making sure that no one is just getting dismissed for the concerns that they're raising.

But I think there's really some constructive work that can happen to really build out a safer, environment for all of our communities.

The other issue that so many Angelinos are talking about, and you know this all too well, homelessness, to give some context, Los, the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority obviously, they recently did a survey earlier in 2024.

They're saying there's a bit of a slight decline in homelessness.

And yet the streets tell a completely different story in fact, just, last couple of weeks, we've been hearing a special two part that we put together.

I was investigating the homeless situation.

We talked to so many different people.

It's a disaster out there.

To your credit, if I'm not mistaken, you created a department on homelessness.

And you're really trying to also take this issue on as well.

Can you talk more about this, Councilwoman?

Yeah.

So, I have introduced a motion to create a department on homelessness, because right now we have homeless operations and services that are operating out of multiple departments.

And the lack of centralization is part of what I believe has contributed to a lack of transparency in the resources for the city of Los Angeles, also because, again, between the county and the city and the involvement of Lahsa, there's a lot of duplication.

And I think it doesn't do taxpayers any service to, again, it should be I don't believe homelessness is something that is a one time operation.

That is, that should be operated or led out of a political office.

I think it's responsible to say that for 100 years, homelessness has existed in the city of Los Angeles.

And while it was historically concentrated, in Skid Row, we have seen how it has really reached into so many of our neighborhoods.

So this is not a political issue.

This is a fundamental part of one of our services that we have to have in the city, which is why I don't believe it should be housed in any one political office.

It must be a centralized function and poor service for the city to make sure that we are making use of taxpayer dollars and being effective and efficient and transparent about how we are responding to this crisis.

And I think one of the issues that we continue to struggle with, born out of lawsuits and a number of issues, but obviously with, the lahsa, which is an intermediary between the city and the county, frankly, there's been a lot of duplication.

And, for me, a lack of transparency with how the resources are being expanded, nor have they been expanded equitably.

And I think those are real issues and concerns that affect all residents in Los Angeles.

Yeah.

I mean, I think we're reported they have something like an $800 million budget each year, and people to this day are still asking, where, where does all that money go?

I don't know if there is a true, accounting and oversight on this.

With that said, Monica, why is the homeless problem so out of control?

You know, you mentioned about the politics, but it has become such a politicized issue in Los Angeles.

And, I don't know if there is a solution.

What's your opinion about that?

Well, as I said, you know, sadly, we're saying it's it's not a, it's not a broad brush issue.

There's a lot of nuances to why people find themselves in homelessness.

You can, you can be an individual.

Stop struggling with mental health issues.

You represent individuals suffering with substance use disorder.

Or you can be the family that is living paycheck to paycheck and or, the individual that just that, that really, that, you know, incredible.

Doctor Bill, that just puts you over the edge.

I mean, there are so many circumstances that lead people into homelessness.

That being said, having a singular solution or suggesting that it's just a merely a mere, issue around tenant protections or that, you know, there are it's so diverse.

But I think the bigger problem with what we're seeing right now is that we continue to struggle to even get the county to provide the services for the areas that they are responsible to provide consistently here in the city of Los Angeles.

Currently, taxpayers in Los Angeles are paying twice for services that they're not seeing consistently, and that comes as a result of the county not availing the mental use and the mental health beds, or the substance use disorder beds.

We're actually having to go by way of, court issuance.

Basically, we have a federal court, case that is, you might be familiar with Judge Carter and the Alliance settlement agreement that we have, but it's through those channels that we are actually pursuing, getting the county to be able to provide those services so that because the city of Los Angeles doesn't have a health department, doesn't have a mental health department, and so those services are or are obligated to the county to provide.

And yet we're not being informed of where the beds are made available, where those services are being rendered, so that we can appropriately get the individuals that are being housed in some of the facilities that we've constructed to be able to get those access to those services.

And you just gave Monica a great litany of things that, homeless folks have to deal with.

And I've always said it is neither the city nor the county's fault that these folks are sadly and tragically so mentally ill, or that they abused drugs or alcohol so much, or that they're the victims of domestic violence, these poor young women on the street, or they have no money, the victims of a horrible economy.

It's not their fault, meaning the city and the county that, you know, folks can't even find a place to rent, or that these veterans where the federal VA system has failed them, they bravely fight in wars and now they're living on the street.

What is the responsibility?

And I always beg for an answer from city and county leaders is there's got to be some personal accounting of this.

There's got to be some personal responsibility.

No, it's not your responsibility because you do not cause the root cause of homelessness.

But you've got to do a better job in trying to fix it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Monica.

I think the reality is, is how people got there is not the issue.

It's how do we get them out and how do we work together to help ensure that we have a very streamlined pathway to get there?

Unfortunately, there is a lot of money, that has been allocated from the state, from the federal government, taxpayers that have assessed himself through measure H or measure H to both build a housing and to provide the services.

But again, the bureaucracies on either side.

I know for our part in the city, we have stood up housing in record time, to provide the facilities.

We just want the same cooperation to be able to get the resources that our city, is eligible for, for the county to provide those mental health or substance use disorder services, but they're obligated and funded to provide.

And so the fact that we're not getting that consistently continues to give rise.

But there's a very big problem.

And, we know you talked about the the veterans and the VA.

I mean, these are dynamics that have occurred over decades where facilities were not made available for those, veterans to be able to have the VA facilities made available to them.

And they were camped out on the streets, just outside of the VA facilities.

And they were absolutely, fundamentally wrong.

I was really proud.

Among the first projects that I built, in my district, was a facility for to housed veterans, that were previously unhoused and, really proud of those projects because I think it shows a willingness in my community where, you know, individuals and residents which have historically, resisted a lot of these facilities being built in their communities and our neighborhoods.

We said yes and we said yes, but we want to continue to sustain the support services that will ensure that the operations of those facilities don't affect adversely the feeling of safety and security for residents.

And it was why I introduced a whole host of protections to make sure that when we inch, when we introduce these facilities or these, these housing, or interim housing facilities in communities that we have services that are not going to create this environment, that so often families are really concerned about, that those facilities are going to be have an adverse impact in their neighborhoods.

In fact, we've actually addressed a lot of that through policies that, I've introduced on the council, like the Good Neighbor policy, so that we can ensure that it doesn't disrupt any community.

And more communities will continue to say yes, so that we can both provide the housing and the solutions for individuals that are experiencing homelessness.

I do hear, and I appreciate that.

I like the fight moniker.

As I mentioned earlier, you really have a great story.

You represent the district that has been your home your entire life.

That in and of itself is kind of cool.

So talk about the seventh district, the communities you represent, and then really talk about you and your dad is a great story.

I read all about his story.

What a journey to get to where both of you, wound up.

And then we'll get back to one final issue.

Sure.

So I'm a first generation American of Mexican descent.

My parents are both immigrants from Mexico.

And, you know, my I don't know that my story is unique.

I think I'm just really blessed to have been born to parents that believed in me and fought to give every opportunity that they could, to my sister and I.

And so, my dad earned his citizenship and service to Vietnam, in Vietnam.

As a marine.

And, came back, got that first union job here in the San Fernando Valley at the former General Motors plant.

And, because of the instability of that job environment, ended up becoming one of the first Latino firefighters on the L.A. City Fire Department after the adoption of the pension decree, which was intended to create more diversity on the L.A. City Fire Department.

And it was through those examples of what my dad endured as, and, you know, one of the early members of color on the L.A. City Fire Department, the stories that he would come back and share, really helped develop my grit and persistence to go make things happen for more people.

And, so as a young person, I started, just being really civically engaged, at school and being very active.

It was the LA riots that were really a transformative moment in my life that really put me focused on how I was going to make Los Angeles better, and I became determined to be part of that change.

My father, sadly, was, on duty at the time of the riots breaking out, and his fire truck was shot up, and he sustained multiple rounds in the semi-automatic and, you know, fire truck.

And, you know, thankfully, he was safe.

There were a few firefighters.

It wasn't.

But what I saw was how certain communities were protected and afforded protection and others were not.

And I decided that that moment that I was going to be part of changing, that, I saw that this dynamic with law enforcement and Rodney King and everything that prompted what occurred.

And I just became focused on how am I going to fix how am I going to be part of the solution?

Because for me, protesting never achieve that.

It was how do you go in and systemically change something and that was again, I learned that because of my father, because he became someone of a voice in the fire department who when, you know, he took a lot of the, you know, he he was experienced a lot of the resistance, when he was tenure.

He then became the voice for the individuals that so often were left voiceless.

And so I, out of admiration and inspiration from what his experience was, I pretty much the same person.

And as a result, I'm just really proud to represent a district that I've called home my entire life.

That I've seen some of the disparities where the how city services have cared for, communities like mine historically.

And it's for that reason that I very proudly lead in a manner that is trying to fight for every community that is no different than mine.

It shouldn't be based out of your zip code that you have a better experience living in Los Angeles.

And again, it was informed by a lot of experiences that I've had growing up.

A lot of the experience that I saw my friends endure that, I, I very proudly lead a very hard working class community that, I believe is deserving of just as good of city service and response from the local government that any other neighborhood in Los Angeles.

And so I want to make sure that all communities in Los Angeles, irrespective of their zip code, get that feeling from their local government.

And so I unapologetically fight for those things every day.

I'm trying to be very fair, and equitable in all that I do, because I think that's the responsibility that each of us have.

And I'm very proud to be in a situation to be, you know, to become the third Latina in the city's history.

You know, my family, we could have never dreamed, that their daughter, or their granddaughter would ever serve on the on a government body, as, like the city of Los Angeles.

And so I'm just really proud and grateful to, have had the experience that this country has afforded our family and to continue to give back and service.

That's such a great story.

In our last couple of minutes, we have just a couple of minutes left.

What is next for the city of L.A. but from your point of view?

In other words, where does this city go from here?

Because I know we've got so much going on.

There's the build out of la metro.

There's there's so many other city county projects being launched, you know, preparing for the 2022 Olympics.

What's on the horizon for you?

For me?

I want to help really shore up the, you know, financial, the economic environment for everyone to be able to have, good paying jobs here in Los Angeles.

And so while we have the Olympics and all of these large sporting events that are coming to the city, I want to make sure that small businesses have an opportunity to compete for that work.

Those are sustained, and those are long term jobs and investment in our city's future.

I think that is a fundamental I think I know people want to have a paycheck that they can be proud of, and making sure that we have an industry that stay and invest in Los Angeles, that we are able to build up the housing, that we are able to deliver a world class transportation system to meet all of those needs.

For me, as incredibly important.

And so I'm really fortunate that my district is really on the verge of all of those things, from the largest manufacturing areas to the investment in Metro that is going to be coming down into the up.

We've got a lot on the horizon, a lot of really great opportunities.

But I think, you know, if we all come together to really focus and harness our energies around creating a safer and more prosperous city for everyone, we're going to be great.

We're going to be we're going to we're going to be back in Los Angeles for the same day, which are all the wonderful memories that I've had growing up here.

You know, in my lifetime.

And I'm going to leave you with this, and I'll probably say it in the most clumsy way, which I always do, but I hope, you know, my heart is always in the right place.

You said something interesting.

I think you were too modest because you said, well, your story is not unique.

It actually is, because you also said you're just the third Latina in L.A history to be on the city council.

But however, if you take into account that now Los Angeles is now more than 50%, that 50% Latino, Hispanic, that is a unique story because you're just the third.

So don't, minimize or diminish what you've accomplished.

Monica Rodriguez, LA City Councilwoman, thank you so much for being here so greatly appreciated your interview.

Thank you so much.

Of course.

And now for more information about our program, just click on KLCS.org and then click Contact Us to send us your questions or comments, even your story ideas, so we can hear from you or you know, you can contact me at DavidNazarNews on all one word, DavidNazarNews or just go to DavidNazarNews on YouTube.

Contact me there.

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Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm David Nazar.