Los Santos Insider | Los Santos City Council's First 2024 Meeting

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Los Santos City Council's First 2024 Meeting

 

Written by Shai Griffin, 26/2/2024

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On Sunday, February 25th at exactly 8:00 PM, the City Council convened at City Hall to get the council's first of many summits of the year underway. The councilmen and women poured into the chambers and onto the floor several minutes prior to the beginning to converse with each other and prepare to address several topics listed on the agenda in front of plenty curious spectators. As the clock crept closer to eight, seats in the audience began to fill up, and after a brief few moments of waiting, the Mayor Hank Preston strolled into the chambers and 2024's first meetings had officially begun. 

 

All of the councilmen and women, namely Sophie Wu of the Western District - (D), Olivia Zhao of the Central District - (D), Josély Martinez of the Northern District - (R), Frank Buntz of the Southern District - (R), and Ted Cook of the Los Santos County District - (R), were present. 

 

(Pictured Above, From Left to Right: City Operations Officer Tamara Sage, Mayor Hank Preston, Deputy Mayor Frederick Coleman)

 

Hank Preston kicked the meeting off by listing all of the items on the agenda that would be discussed and addressed over the course of the night. The first item on the council's list of topics to tackle was the Presiding Officer nomination, a member of the council who fills in for the Mayor in the event that they are absent from the meeting for any reason. The second item was the City Charter Amendment for Health and Human Services to be renamed to Health and Welfare, as well as "a few clerical updates" to their roles. Lastly, but arguably the most important for some, was the Municipal Business Code. Preston mentioned that the city has a "City of Los Santos Business Code" that lacks clarity, and has several provisions that makes it difficult for businesses to register and license appropriately.

 

 

(Pictured Above: A Photo of Josély Martinez, who was elected to the position of Presiding Officer to begin the nights' proceedings.)

 

The Mayor, after a few moments of waiting to scan the room for any questions the councilmen and women may have, started the Presiding Officer nomination discussions. Sophie Wu, after Preston inquiring whether or not Ms. Wu or Ms. Zhao would nominate themselves, spoke into the microphone and declared that she "will not be standing for the position", electing to give Olivia Zhao her nomination. Quickly after Wu's declaration, Buntz spoke firmly into his microphone, announcing that the Republicans would be nominating Councilwoman Martinez for the position of Presiding Officer. After confirmation from the Mayor, the vote went underway. Two councilpersons voted for Olivia Zhao to be elected to Presiding Officer, namely Sophie Wu and Olivia Zhao herself. Shortly after, the vote for Josély Martinez commenced, with Martinez amassing three votes from the council, namely Frank Buntz, Ted Cook, and Josély Martinez herself. Martinez, as expected due to the Republicans' number's advantage, was elected to the position of Presiding Officer after a 3-2 vote.

 

(Pictured Above: Los Santos' Mayor, Hank Preston, begins speaking about his bill, the City Charter Amendment 1.24.)

 

After Martinez was elected to the position of Presiding Officer, the next course of action was to discuss the City Charter Amendment. The Mayor began by saying, verbatim, "Since taking office some time ago, I've put great effort into making sure the city's welfare programs began building steadily under the leadership of Director Sade Aliz, who joined this administration the same year." Preston continued, adding on to his explanation of the bill and its effects by saying "We've introduced Haven Homes for minors and battered spouses, medical licensing, proper distribution of handi-capable parking permits, and reformed measures to make Affordable Housing more accessible." He also included the realization of foster care and child protective services, as well as mentioning Director Sade Aliz's involvement. 

 

Councilwoman Josély Martinez spoke shortly after Preston concluded his explanation, saying that "The residents of the Northern District and myself are extremely proud of the accomplishments Director Aliz has managed to make in such a short time." After a few, quiet murmurs and in-group discussion, Olivia Zhao buzzed herself in, asking a question about the bill directed toward the mayor, that question being: "Many of these support programs are in my district, and it is of the upmost importance that our constituents are supported. But financially, these programs cost a lot. My constituents want to know that these programs have a financial plan to make them more than hopeful dreams." Mayor Preston's full answer to the question can be found below.: 

 

Mayor Preston: "As for fiscal statements, welfare is indeed a very costly aspect— but a necessary one in order to support constituents all across the City. At the moment, Health and Human services is operating on a surplus budget that was decided before my tenure as Mayor began, subject to any increases or decreases for when the next quarterly budget vote comes around. At the moment, I can, along with Director Aliz testify to the fact that the money for these programs are indeed going to the right places. The City has purchased real estate for Haven Homes, the Sacred Hearts Homeless Shelter, among other forms of aid for the Affordable Housing Programs we've deployed, which have been promoted very heavily both online and in the communities we serve."

 

After Preston's lengthy but detailed answer, Frank Buntz buzzed himself in, questioning the meaning behind changing the name of the department, saying that it "might cause confusion down the line." The Mayor answered, saying that the reason for the change was to make the department more easily recognizable by the public. After all questions by the council members were exhausted, the City Charter Amendment Bill was brought to the floor to a vote. The bill passed unanimously. This was the council's first passed bill, acknowledged and celebrated by Mayor Preston. 

 

(Pictured Above: The Council Discusses the 'Municipal Business Code')

 

The final item on the council's agenda for the night was the Municipal Business Code, which aimed to replace the "City of Los Santos Business Code" which had been passed in 2020. Josély Martinez quickly buzzed herself in, and spoke after being given the floor by the Mayor, saying that she is, personally, in agreement with the changes, but adding that "..constituents of the Northern district have reached out to me with concerns regarding the potential for individual licensing officials to overstep the boundaries of their position." The Mayor addressed these concerns of the councilwoman, saying that "The revised bill implements a standard procedure, where business owners are the first line to be approached, or a manager if need be. There has also been certain revisions, as well as fail safes implemented to reduce and prevent abuse of the system."

 

Councilwoman Sophie Wu then began to speak, raising a concern of her own. "Chapter five, section two states that any department finance representative may confiscate goods that are in violation of the code. My questions being what exactly would a department of finance representative be confiscating? More so, why is it their duty to confiscate goods and not law enforcement?" Mayor Preston swiftly answered Wu's question, saying that particular provision was "intended to be struck", and "that it's a leftover from the old law." Wu's concerns seemed to be alleviated after Preston's answer, then suggesting that these inspectors be accompanied by law enforcement if possible. 

 

The last question of the business agenda was asked by Frank Buntz. He leaned forward into the microphone, then saying "So, let's say there was a small business that could technically fall under the definition of a shell company. If their intent wasn't to break the law, but was rather a misinterpretation of it and an innocent error, would they still be treated as creating a shell company under this definition?" Preston's answer can be found below.:

 

Mayor Preston: "When it comes to the law, everyone is equal, big or small. If a company is suspected of being a shell, or front. They'll undergo the same process as anyone else suspected of a Business Code violation. The current standard operating procedure is to first inform the owners of the company of any items of concern, and suggest amendments— the second is moving on to enforcement by issuing a sanction or fine. If the owners believe they have grounds to justify themselves or feel they're innocent of the claims, they're able to take it up with the Business Dispute Resolution Board or the courts."

 

After Preston's answer, he asked about any further concerns from the council members, to which there were none. The business section of the meeting had officially been adjourned, and the councilmembers moved on to answering questions from the public. 

 

Mayor Preston's Closing Statement: "Thank you, to our members of the public, everyone from concerned citizens to councilors alike. Today has been an incredibly productive first city council session for 2024, and we are all looking forward to many more to come."

 

The full transcript, including voting outcomes and discussions, will be uploaded online for the public to view.

 

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Edited February 26 by onlydemia