I am proud to serve you on the City Council and make your voice heard. Please enjoy a quick update on a few legislative and community projects that my staff and I are working on. This is a new streamlined Buzz format I hope you enjoy.
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In an ongoing effort to promote public health and improve fairness for women in LA, the Los Angeles City Council passed a measure authored by Councilmember Blumenfield to report on the feasibility of providing these products for free in all restrooms in City-owned facilities.
“It’s time to end the stigma around periods and menstrual health that has prevented this common sense policy from being implemented before,” Blumenfield said. “Providing feminine hygiene products at no cost in City-owned facilities should be just as normal as providing toilet paper or soap.”
With the passage of this motion, Los Angeles is joining a national movement pushing for menstrual equity, making feminine hygiene products accessible to all women, regardless of their socio-economic status. Blumenfield’s motion passed shortly after Governor Newsom’s budget proposal which calls for a two year moratorium on taxing menstrual products and diapers. To learn more, be sure to read the full press release on free feminine hygiene products.
More details will be available once the report is concluded, which will have estimated costs and other details pertinent to the implementation of the program. This motion comes on the heels of Blumenfield’s Equal Pay LA motion, another major push to address the gender gap in Los Angeles.
Concerned about the uptick in hate crimes throughout Los Angeles, the City Council passed a Public Safety Report instructing the LAPD to develop new law enforcement tools aimed to protect marginalized groups from hate crimes and aid victims. This report was authored thanks to efforts made by Councilmembers Blumenfield, Koretz, Ryu and Englander who all in 2017 authored this measure encouraging the LAPD to tackle the influx of hate.
If funded and developed, this measure would create a single point of contact for critical incident coordination so that in the event of a threat against a religious, cultural or civic institution or active hate incident, the LAPD would be able to assess the situation and appropriately alert other institutions within a selected radius based on the nature of that incident.
Blumenfield recently participated in a community forum at the IAC Shepher Center in Woodland Hills to discuss this motion and other resources offered by the LAPD to keep religious communities safe. Blumenfield was joined by LA Consul General Hillel Newman, LAPD Chief Michel Moore, Deputy Chief Jorge Rodriguez, and Councilmembers Lee and Koretz.
With the passage of this hate crime measure, the LAPD will report back to the City Council with recommendations related to implementing these tools. The Public Safety Report detailing policy recommendations can be found online
Putting forward a bold new environmental agenda to help tackle climate change, on February 10, Councilmember Blumenfield joined Mayor Garcetti to unveil LA’s ‘Green New Deal’ which outlines a slew of policy proposals for the #DecadeOfAction. From divesting from risky peddlers of fossil fuels, to rethinking how we build, to continuing the growth and maintenance of our urban tree canopy, we are telling Washington DC, and the rest of the world, that Los Angeles is not afraid to take bold action to save our planet. Learn more by reading the full press release on LA’s Decade of Action.
Team Blumenfield is partnering with the Los Angeles Public Library’s (LAPL) photo archive to highlight historic photos of the West Valley. This week's photo was taken in 1987 along Ventura Blvd in Tarzana. To learn more about this photo and use the digital photo archive, click the link here.
Spend Valentines Day with a New Furry Friend from the Valley Animal Shelter. Click to see this edition's featured pets.
Read up on Addressing Homelessness, Reseda Rising, Emergency Preparedness, Transportation Infrastructure Improvements, Canoga Park Arts Hub, and Reseda Blvd Street Improvement Project
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