The Councilwoman said she was building her team and asked for patience as the team grows. She noted that her field responses were already impressive as her team is experienced in different levels of government, and reiterated her commitment to constituent services. She informed the group that she has been left with very little budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, due to expenditures undertaken by her predecessor. The new budget cycle begins on July 1st.

Homelessness: The Councilwoman has already begun to work on the issue of homelessness She has partnered with Mayor Bass on her Inside Safe initiative and housed over 80 people in Venice, and another 50 people in Del Rey. She said most people had stayed in housing with a very small number having declined or abandoned what has been offered. 

41.18: With respect to 41.18, she said this was a tool with which to bring homeless people indoors and engage them with services. She drew the contrast between Inside Safe, which is outrach and interim housing; and 41.18 which is a tool to keep encampments from repopulating after they have been dismantled and services provided. Notably, 41.18, she said, only applies to schools, parks and sensitive use sights. Repopulation continues to be a concern and communities can help by bringing activities back to those areas that are cleaned-up, and make them vibrant spaces.

Mayor's Emergency Declaration: She said that the new Mayor’s declaration of emergency surrounding homelessness was a good idea and a monthly review of the declaration ensures that the funds are being used correctly. The Mayor and her team have now assumed primary responsibility for the citywide response to homelessness, and as such, it has become less of a direct responsibility at the Council level.

Mental health and the county collaboration: Traci believes that the city needs its own collaborative mental health department. The county response has proven inadequate. She has met with Horvath and they both agree that there needs to be more mental health and substance abuse support/interventions to help deal with homelessness. 

Renter Protections: Traci has introduced a Motion to  seek relief for mom and pop landlords who have been impacted by renter protections as a response to the needs of renters during the COVID emergency.

LAFD: The Councilwoman said she had already visited all LAFD stations and heard directly from Captains and Chiefs. She has asked for evacuation drills to be implemented for the Palisades.

LAPD: She believes there is a lacks of staffing at LAPD that must be addressed. She noted an expected loss of  another 500 officers due to retirement and attrition. She believes some desk workers can be back on the streets and that some calls do not need to be responded to by LAPD. But she is committed to increasing budgetary resources for LAPD and is going to fight for increased levels of funding for hiring.

Committees: Councilmember Park is happy with her committee assignments. She currently Chairs the Travel and Tourism Committee. She Vice Chairs the Transportation Committee and is a member of the Economics and Community Development Committee, the Public Safety and Government Reform Committee, and the Claims Board - where she sees the litigation faced by the City and finds is alarming that we do not fix our infrastructure issues so that we face fewer law suits.

Critical Infrastructure: the Councilmember said that she believes city pipes and roads are in need of care and would like to see more long-term planning, rather than simply responding to emergencies when they happen. She is looking into infrastructure and capital improvement projects in order to work on prevention. 

Transportation: She believes that mobility is an important topic and that transportation options other than cars are crucial to citywide mobility. But she does not believe that taking lanes of traffic away from already congested roads is the answer and so she is looking for new an innovative ways to address westside gridlock. She would like see LADOT engage with communities for ideas, before they implement plans.