In response to the increase of hate crimes and incidents directed at Jewish-Americans, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to support a resolution to adopt the working definition of anti-Semitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), joining many other cities and countries. I cosponsored this Resolution which upholds the IHRA definition because it reflects the many forms of hate that Jewish people experience every day. Although it is not a legally binding definition, in this time of healing, we ask that our City departments learn and incorporate anti-Semitism in their trainings about racism and discrimination.
It is particularly important now because anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise in Los Angeles, California and across the country. It is also important because anti-Semitism has mutated over time and it isn’t just about about vilifying the Jewish religion as it once was, and it isn’t just about demonizing Jews for being inferior to “pure white” Aryans as Hitler promoted, and it isn’t just about just about tropes and stereotypes aimed at Jews and Jewish institutions. This IHRA definition attempts to capture a ugly breadth of anti-Semitism.
There were some that expressed concerns that this new definition might somehow stifle free speech or criticisms of Israel, even though Israel is not even mentioned in the actual definition we adopted. Consequently, I made it clear in my remarks that criticizing the government policies of Israel is not anti-Semitism; criticizing Israel’s right to exist is anti-Semitism.
We all saw the latest display over the 405 freeway last week. Efforts to marginalize any people and violate their rights, and by extension legitimize bigotry to all religious, ethnic, and other marginalized minorities, is flat out wrong. I wish in this day and age that this Resolution wasn’t necessary, but it is.
There is no room for anti-Semitism in Los Angeles and I will continue to do everything I can to make LA safe for all Jewish people and people of all backgrounds.
Copper wire theft and vandalism have led to an increase in streetlight outages, and the time it takes our Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) to make repairs. Not only must repairs be done, but the “targets must be hardened” to prevent future theft. Thanks to funding that Councilmember Blumenfield was able to secure in the City's FY22-23 Budget, BSL has additional repair crews to repair outages, and to install anti-theft measures.
Earlier this week, BSL crews were hard at work on Platt Avenue near El Camino High School repairing an extensive outage. BSL struggles to keep pace with maintenance needs in part because street lighting assessments have not been increased in more than 25 years. Blumenfield introduced a motion to combine all existing districts into a single Citywide Street Lighting Maintenance Assessment District which would allow for greater efficiency in the administration of street lighting operations rather than working with a multitude of piecemeal individual lighting districts.
The 22nd Annual Dia De Los Muertos Family Festival is happening this Sunday, November 6th from 10:00am - 5:00pm in Canoga Park. There will be live music, performances, vendors, arts and crafts, and ofrendas. Councilmember Blumenfield has been a proud sponsor of Dia for many years and hopes to see you there.
Also, stop by the Canoga Park Youth Arts Center just down the street for a Dia de Los Muertos Art Exhibition with over 400 student artworks, including altars and decorated Calaveras, created by local students. The center will also offer a free drop-in tin calavera art workshop. For more info, click here.
Elections are right around the corner and stakes are extremely high — not just on the National level, but right here at home. There are critical elections on the ballot and candidates that offer very different perspectives. How we move forward on homelessness, public safety, development and much more will be impacted by these elections.
If you can’t vote in person, please fill out and return your mail-in ballot. Ballots can be placed in any of 400 drop boxes around the county or sent to the LA County Registrar’s Office via mail. All registered voters should have received a ballot by mail but if you are planning on voting in person, many Voting Centers are open daily from 10am-7pm. On Election Day, November 8th, even more Voting Centers will be open and operating from 7am-8pm. Click here to find a Voting Center near you.
Metro recently adjusted some of their bus schedules to reflect today’s traffic levels and for riders, that means more buses arriving more often. The biggest change in the Third District is to Line 240 (Universal City Red Line to CSUN via Ventura Blvd and Reseda Blvd), which will see frequency improved from every 12 minutes during weekday peak hours to every 10 minutes. Find a full list of changes at metro.net/mybus.
To save on drinking water supplies, LADWP is offering recycled water to all customers for landscaping purposes, such as maintaining trees, shrubs, gardens, and lawns, and to water edible fruits, vegetables, and herbs. They recently just opened their Fill Station in the San Fernando Valley located at Delano Park at 15100 Erwin Street in Van Nuys. They are open every Saturday from 8am-2pm. For more information, click here.
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) invites you to participate in a virtual town hall on Thursday, November 10 at 6pm to receive your input as the City considers new progressive strategies for the enforcement of illegal cannabis activity. Your participation will help identify problems and discover new ideas and solutions. RSVP to join.
Councilmember Blumenfield joined StreetsLA on a tour of their new Commercial Vehicle Training Center in the San Fernando Valley. The City has a high demand for employees who hold commercial driver’s licenses to drive the heavy equipment that the City operates. This effort will provide training to get employees qualified.
Councilmember Blumenfield joined and thanked all the community groups including the West Valley Family YMCA, Winnetka Chamber of Commerce, Winnetka Neighborhood Council, West Valley Chamber, and Woodland Hills Rec Center for putting together safe Halloween festivities for all to enjoy.
West Valley Food Pantry provides essential services to the community and Councilmember Blumenfield was honored to present certificates to their Volunteers of the Year who have tirelessly donated countless hours to offer hope, hospitality, and a warm welcome to program participants.
Councilmember Blumenfield's Deputy Chief of Staff, John Popoch, joined Senator Henry Stern and law enforcement officials to celebrate the passage of Senate Bill 1472 which pushes criminal prosecution of extreme speeding, sideshows, and street racing. They were also joined by the Koeppel, Trujillo and Lynch families, all of who had children that were victims of reckless driving.
Blumenfield worked closely with the community to go after hot spots by spending $800,000 on the creation of a West Valley Street Racing Task Force and major infrastructure changes such as speed tables, speed humps, bollards, girders and more to deter this criminal behavior. Speeding and driving recklessly are causing a dangerous situation for the entire community and Blumenfield is proud to work with State leaders in making our streets safer for all.
This week's photo from the Los Angeles Public Library's archives is from the Valley Times Collection taken in 1964 at Melvin Avenue School in Reseda of students commemorating Veteran's Day. Students were given a taste of patriotism and a lesson on posture from local Marines.
Councilmember Blumenfield will be honoring Veterans at the 2022 San Fernando Valley Veteran's Day Parade on November 11 at 11:11 am. For more info, please visit sfvveteransdayparade.com