WEBVTT - Work in Progress: Mayor Karen Bass 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:04.480 Hi, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in progress. 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:17.960 High whips Marties. 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:22.040 As many of you know, I consider myself very blessed 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:25.079 to be a Californian and even more blessed to be 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.920 an Angelino. I loved growing up in LA and I 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:33.559 love the city for its diversity and its energy, and 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:38.200 its art and it's people. And as my home city 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:44.640 is being ravaged by ice and aggression coming from the 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:46.520 White House, I can't believe I have to even say 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:48.879 that out loud, but here we are. I wanted to 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:51.839 ask some questions of someone who has been tasked with 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.640 holding us together and tasked by us by the people. 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.840 Today's guest is none other than our esteemed Mayor Karen. 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.000 She serves as our forty third mayor of Los Angeles, 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:06.640 and prior to becoming mayor, she served in the US 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:09.959 House of Representatives in the thirty third and thirty seventh 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:14.280 district in California, also in the State Assembly, and was 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:17.760 the Speaker of the California State Assembly during her final term. 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:22.919 Karen is also an angeline. She is someone who inspires 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:27.200 me so much. She's carried her passion for public health 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.760 through her entire career. Through her many degrees, and she 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:34.319 has been a community organizer for nearly as long. I 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:38.560 don't know many emergency medicine physician assistants or clinical instructors 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:42.040 who have also studied philosophy, but Mayor Bass has done 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:46.960 it all. I so appreciate the way she looks at 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:50.640 our human responsibilities, how we show up for each other, 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:53.720 how we make space for each other, and how we 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:58.440 go farther together. So, today, as the President wants to 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.720 put a target on the city of Los Angeles is back, 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:04.639 I want to talk to the woman who's actually standing 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.080 in front of our city with a shield and making 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:11.240 sure that everyone in Los Angeles and in the surrounding 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.960 areas knows they're safe with us. Let's dive in with 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:28.920 Mayor Karen Bass. Mary Bass, thank you so much for 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.040 joining us today. It means the world to have you 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:34.360 call in from Los Angeles, and first and foremost, I 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.160 just want to thank you for all of your efforts 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:41.160 to hold the city together in such a fraught time 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:41.960 for the nation. 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:45.160 Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate that it 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:47.680 is a tough time, but you know we've been down 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:49.760 this road before. We'll be okay. 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:54.639 But it doesn't mean that we don't fight, are we Absolutely? Absolutely? 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:59.160 And something I admire so much about you for folks 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:02.320 who might not be from our city or necessarily know 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:05.760 everything about your background, is that you've always been so 0:03:06.720 --> 0:03:12.640 deeply invested in public health in California, in our city 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:18.000 of Los Angeles. You know, from Keech Medical School to 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:24.920 cal State University, you have leaned towards studying health and science, 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.840 and you've been a community organizer since the nineteen eighties. 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:31.079 You are the definition of a person who shows up 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:35.840 for good for their community. So I want the world 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.040 to know how long you've been at this before we 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.240 dive into what's happening in the present moment. 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:45.720 Well, thank you, I appreciate you raising that, And I 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.040 do think that a lot of times people do not 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:52.720 see the centrality of health in so many social and 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:54.320 sonomic issues. 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:59.560 Absolutely, and I think perhaps it's a great background for 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:02.800 the moment we find ourselves in. You know, we are 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:09.119 experiencing six months into this second Trump administration, so much 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:14.360 national trauma, with people realizing that this administration wants to 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:18.280 cut our health services, wants to deregulate our clean air 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:23.840 and water protections, wants to destabilize families that are low 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:28.039 income from having any access to things like food, I 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:32.839 mean basic resources, and that all speaks to public health 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:38.200 in our city in particular. I think it's incredibly relevant 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:41.279 because what folks who don't live near us might not 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:45.480 know is that one in nine Americans lives in California 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:50.799 and one in thirty five Americans lives in Los Angeles County. 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:57.440 Oh yes, I mean a massive statistic. There are forty 0:04:57.480 --> 0:04:59.719 states in this country with less population than we have 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:02.760 a county. Medam Mayor, And I say that for our 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:05.920 listeners at home, just to give them the backdrop of 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:10.080 how big our city is and the way our city 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:16.640 shows up for its people, including our incredible immigrant communities, 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.039 is because these are our neighbors and our friends. 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:22.880 You know that's exactly right. But I will tell you 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:26.520 that after serving twelve years in Congress and watching year 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:31.839 after year after year Republicans wanting to cut everything anything 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.680 that has to do with people who are poor, and 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:36.719 what I believe is at the root of it is 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:40.920 that they have absolutely no experience with people who are 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:45.719 struggling economically, and they get themselves out of well, you 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.479 just need to do X, Y and z not that 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:52.560 there's any systemic barriers, not that there's any reasons. It's 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:56.400 the fault of the individual. Therefore they don't deserve but 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:58.120 corporations deserve everything. 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:01.919 Oh well, what an insane thing, isn't it that we 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.120 treat corporations like people more than people? 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.520 You know, I think you illustrate. 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.760 Such a beautiful point that if you're not on the ground, 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:12.400 if you don't know people, if you don't know their struggle, 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.720 if you've never known a family that's trying to decide 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.000 between paying rent or putting food on the table, you 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:22.000 might not understand what those decisions feel like. Clearly, Mike Johnson, 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.080 who's the Speaker of the House, doesn't you know he's 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:27.359 out there saying that their six figure salary of one 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:29.920 hundred and seventy four thousand dollars a year and free 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:33.919 healthcare as elected officials is not enough to support a 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:38.320 family in America, while he's trying to cut things like 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:42.160 SNAP for families that live below the poverty line. Social 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:47.600 services help people generate more successful lives. They don't make 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:52.479 people lazy. We know this. We know that immigrants in 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:57.320 our country commit crimes at far lower rates than citizens, 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:01.359 But for some reason, these talking points that we know 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:05.080 not to be true about how oh it's that guy 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:07.760 over there, it's his fault that you're not doing better, 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:09.800 or he's the one who took your job, or he's 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:14.600 someone you can't trust. They get through because fear takes hold, 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:21.560 especially when it's making you afraid of something irrational. Understanding 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:26.600 the human tendency to be afraid and what we're up 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:30.800 against at the federal level in terms of harm being done, 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:34.560 how does that make you, as the mayor of our 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:41.640 great city analyze where this kind of rhetoric is coming from. 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.720 How does it make you operate in our community? Knowing 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:49.480 how much we in La love all of our neighbors. 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:55.080 How do you kind of contextualize the misinformation they're spreading 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:58.520 about these communities? As you know, ice is moving through 0:07:58.760 --> 0:07:59.600 Los Angeles. 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:04.160 Well, you know, I think that oftentimes we do not 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:08.200 pay attention or even are knowledgeable of history, and so 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.320 it's very, very important to link events that are happening 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:13.680 today with events that happened in the past to give 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:17.200 people some sort of insight as to where it could go. 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:21.480 For me, the way I deal with it here is 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:24.920 really lifting up the reasons why people struggle because in 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:28.960 Los Angeles it's a very very expensive city and the 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:32.760 divide is massive. For example, in our city we have 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:36.880 sixty two billionaires. We have you know, I don't even 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:42.120 know how many millionaires. And so to explain to people 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:47.040 how much it costs to rent an apartment, to you know, 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.880 put gas in your car, you total those up and 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:53.360 paint a very real picture, and then you take away 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.880 the belief that this isn't this is the lack of 0:08:56.920 --> 0:08:59.720 individual effort. I mean, if they just worked harder, they 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:03.400 would millionaire like me. And I'm a billionaire because I'm 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:07.640 so brilliant, as opposed to I inherited four hundred million 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:10.679 dollars from my friend and then by the way, I've 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:12.199 made it all by myself. 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.680 Must be nice, honey, right. 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:20.080 I think it's important to illustrate in very practical terms, 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:24.679 link it to history, paint a picture why people are struggling, 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:28.840 attach the policies that contribute to that, and then put 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.400 it in its historical context. That's the way I analyze things. 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:34.480 And I think it's so important because we tend to 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.920 be an in the moment culture and we don't link 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:40.760 up to the past. We don't link up to systemic structures. 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:43.200 We just talk about what is in front of us. 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:45.959 Right, and if we don't know our history, we're doomed 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.640 to repeat it. You know, there's a reason the phrase exists. 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:49.760 Absolutely. 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:52.240 And now a word from our sponsors who make the 0:09:52.320 --> 0:10:07.040 show possible. I am curious knowing the history of our 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:10.800 city as well as you do, having worked on advocacy 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:12.840 as well as you have. I mean, I have watched 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:16.320 the number of unhoused people you've gotten off the streets 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:23.640 and into safe housing, into restorative repair organizations in ways 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:25.880 that no one has been able to in the city 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:30.160 in so many years prior to your becoming our mayor. 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:36.240 It's it is such a massive city to understand again, 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:40.480 one in thirty five Americans in Los Angeles County. How 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:44.840 do you then work at the state level, like with 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:48.520 our governor, because y'all are you're doing the work, you know, 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:53.400 from helping us recoup from the fires to dealing with this. 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:56.840 And I can imagine, although you are not the mayor 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:00.320 of San Diego, when you knew ice raids began and 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.240 in San Diego, were you then in communication with the 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:08.719 state understanding how quickly they'd be in Los Angeles? Did 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:11.200 you know Los Angeles was next? Is it kind of 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:15.240 a guessing game with these agencies? Do they tell you anything? 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:18.120 No, As a matter of fact, right now, we have 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:20.200 no idea how long this is going to go on. 0:11:20.920 --> 0:11:23.560 Is it going to be every day? How many are 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:25.880 they going to do a day? Where is it going 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.240 to be. No, we are not knowledgeable of any of that. 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.360 In terms of other mayors, yes, mayors are in contact 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.120 with each other all the time. As a matter of fact, 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:36.880 once a week we meet. And that is not all 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.160 of the mayors in California, but it's the mayors from 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:43.160 the thirteenth largest cities and we byquically have an advocacy 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:47.200 agenda that always centers on homelessness, but there might be 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:52.600 other issues. So yes, Mary, Gloria and I are definitely 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:56.960 in regular contact. But again that is part of the 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:03.479 reason for the sense of fear and just you know, anxiety. 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.920 You are an undocumented person, You've been working every day 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:12.760 for twenty years, you know, supporting your family legally, and 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:15.280 then I go to work to them. Should I go 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.960 to this kid's school and drop them off? You know, 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:21.240 should I go to the store. I mean that level 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:24.679 of fear and anxiety. I mean, I think the well, 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:26.720 I mean, you just can't imagine it, you know, Am 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:28.680 I going to be walking down the street? Is somebody 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.840 gonna snatch me? You know? And so that it's exactly 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:35.839 your point of Are you in contact with No, they 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:40.120 do not communicate with us. In terms of state legislature. Yes, 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:42.920 I'm very very comfortable there. I serve there for six 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:46.720 years and speaker in my last two years. I have 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:50.240 a fine relationship with the governor. We collaborate on a 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:53.160 lot of things. You know. We spent the first five 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:55.400 months of the year collaborating on the fires, and now 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:58.720 we're collaborating on the presidential overreach, right. 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:03.280 Well, and that's just it. The overreach is the problem. 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:07.080 What the president is doing is blatantly unconstitutional. It is 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.880 a violation of the law. And what frustrates me as 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.680 a constituent. You know, I'm not an elected official, but 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:16.800 I pay attention to politics. He would not call the 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:20.520 National Garden on an actual violent mob beating and killing 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:24.040 police officers and trying to kill elected officials in our 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:28.120 state house, right, But he sent the National Guarden against 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:33.800 the will of California state elected officials when protests were 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:37.920 still peaceful, and I'd love if you could speak to that, 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:42.080 because I know there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation, 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:45.800 and I know it began with certain issues around the wildfires, 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:48.760 and y'all have done as best you can to tell 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.720 people what the facts are. But now it seems the 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:56.800 misinformation is even worse because AI is powering crazy videos, 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:58.040 crazy images that. 0:13:58.120 --> 0:13:59.160 Are not real. 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:04.240 So are you how are you dealing with that letting 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.679 the public know what is happening, letting people know that 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:15.320 prior to the escalation that began with uniformed officers, these 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.480 protests were largely peaceful. 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.760 Well, they were largely peaceful, but even when they weren't, 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:25.320 it was a small amount of folks. So last Saturday night, 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:29.240 for example, when the President was tweeting that he led 0:14:29.280 --> 0:14:32.200 the peace in La because the National Guard did a 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.920 splendid job, the national Guard was not even here. They 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:41.600 didn't arrive until the next day. And the big outburst 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:43.680 that he was talking about was about one hundred and 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:48.800 twenty people and twenty years arrested. And so it doesn't 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:52.200 make sense any way, shape or form what you're referring 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:56.160 to around AI. I'm actually not aware of but we 0:14:56.280 --> 0:15:00.560 have just been communicating on every platform possible what is 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:04.640 actually happening and has been violence. I had to do 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:10.040 a curfew. Andalism is really what has been the most prolific, 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:16.280 graffiti just everywhere, and then on Monday night there was 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:18.960 looting of stores, and then a little bit of that 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:21.520 on Sunday, but on Monday it got worse. The point 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.400 is is that the National Guard is not doing any 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.880 of that. They are guarding one building. They are guarding 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:32.240 the Federal building. Anything else that's happened has happened with 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:36.600 local police. As local police, you know, they might have 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.200 other people with them, the share of other departments. But 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:43.080 I think it's always important to know why this even happened, 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:48.200 because one week ago today Los Angeles was completely peaceful, 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:53.760 nothing was happening. The problems started on Friday when Ice 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:59.120 came and did raids on several workplaces, and they also 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:03.480 did a high profile, pretty aggressive arrests of David Werta, 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:08.240 one of our beloved, well respected labor leaders. That is 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:12.200 what tip the whole thing off. And so it would 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:17.280 hear like it was a purposeful provocation, because again it 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:20.480 was fine. There was nothing happening on Thursday that warned 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:24.400 to Friday, and then that led into Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:26.920 So it is important to look back at the origin. 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.560 But one thing that you said that I think is 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:34.680 really important now this is even remembering recent history, okay, 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:39.280 is in Trump's first term, he did everything he could 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:44.080 to change the judiciary in terms of nominating and having 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:49.320 and passed judges that interestingly, we're all in around in 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:52.200 the same age range, which is around in their forties. 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:56.560 So what you said is blatantly illegal. I'm not sure 0:16:56.600 --> 0:17:00.240 anymore because it a court ruling where if this it 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.960 happened six years ago, we would have said, well, I mean, 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:05.280 that's just ridiculous. The courts will throw that out. I mean, 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:07.600 we don't even need to worry about it. Oh no, 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:10.080 we need to worry about the courts at every level. 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:14.440 So it be important to remember what happened before, because 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:16.600 I think a lot of people would just say, I'm 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:19.520 not worried about it. It's just, you know, we can 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:21.320 just rely on the courts. 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:28.960 Absolutely, and you know, to try to reshape a democracy's judiciary, 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:34.280 to give yourself monarch powers is simply an American and 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.760 it bears repeating for all of us. And you know, 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:40.720 something that you just said is something I really want 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:43.800 to noodle on for a beat for our friends at home, 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:52.280 because the provocation, as you reference, is really crucial here 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:56.360 when you consider again, one in thirty five Americans lives 0:17:56.359 --> 0:17:59.639 in La County, and we know the blueprint of Project 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:04.120 twenty five is to weaponize the American military against our 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:08.760 own citizens, starting with Blue Cities, to come to the 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:15.600 biggest democratic city in America and provoke its people, enact violence, 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:21.480 arrest a labor leader for standing quote unquote in their way, 0:18:22.040 --> 0:18:28.320 to raid children's graduation ceremonies, and pick up people who 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:30.800 and this is important as well you reference this, are 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:35.960 here legally. Being undocumented is not illegal. People who are 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:39.960 going through their hearings and their asylum procedures, some of 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:44.879 whom it takes fifteen years for are here legally. They 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:47.560 are doing it the right way. They are simply not 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:52.080 documented yet. That's why these people are being arrested at 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:57.960 their court hearings with their families. They are provoking our 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:03.840 people by doing harm. They are choosing cruelty. They denied 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:07.399 Maxine Waters her absolute congressional right to go into that 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:10.639 ice facility and check on David Huerta, even though it 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:14.280 is the law that she be allowed in They are 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:18.400 coming to our cities to act lawlessly and harm our neighbors, 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:23.240 to try to provoke a response. And what's interesting to 0:19:23.400 --> 0:19:28.159 me is the protests that began, as you said, very peacefully, 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:33.320 even within twenty four hours. For again, one in thirty 0:19:33.320 --> 0:19:35.320 five people in the whole country lives in LA and 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:37.240 twenty seven people got arrested. 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:39.880 That's not a big deal for us. It's not a 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:43.600 big protest. It's a couple of people being a. 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:48.960 Little squirrely and like LA has seen way bigger things happen. 0:19:49.880 --> 0:19:52.199 And so to say that that is the reason to 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:57.040 deploy the National Guard when we have the LAPD at 0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:00.840 its size and budget and resource level is simply laughable. 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:04.199 And I think these things really are important to hammer 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:07.240 home for our listeners so they can go out armed 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:11.040 with these facts and make sure they don't get bamboozled 0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:14.280 by you know, the guy saying the National Guards saved 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:16.959 us on Saturday when they didn't even get there till Sunday. Like, 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:19.320 come on, bro, you gotta fact check yourself a little 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:19.640 bit here. 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:24.400 Well, there is an opinion about facts, right, true? 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:28.240 Yeah, you speak the truth, Madam mayor, can I ask 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:31.359 you a question just on a I know we're talking 0:20:31.359 --> 0:20:34.080 about all the politics, but I'm also really worried about 0:20:34.119 --> 0:20:39.200 our neighbors, and so to take it local for a minute, Yes, 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:41.639 for the folks in LA. But look, we know ice 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:47.360 is coming everywhere. Do you know who they're targeting is 0:20:47.720 --> 0:20:50.280 Because they've said it's criminals, we know it's not. It's 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:52.880 mothers and fathers. It's people who are you know, out 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:55.800 their asylum hearings, who are upstanding residents. 0:20:57.080 --> 0:20:59.119 Is it strictly based on skin. 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:02.359 Color and low income areas? How are they finding these 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:06.800 folks who pay their taxes and participate in their communities. 0:21:07.200 --> 0:21:09.560 Let me just say, let me make it a little worse. 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:12.440 You talked about people going through their asylum hearings. There 0:21:12.480 --> 0:21:16.120 are people with green cards who are turning in, turning 0:21:16.200 --> 0:21:19.480 up for their annual appointment, which is supposed to happen, right, 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:23.399 So they are definitely here legally. All they're doing is 0:21:23.400 --> 0:21:27.159 they're checking appointment and then they get the pay and 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:31.359 maybe with their family. So if we remember, yes, we 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:36.800 started with violent drug dealers, gang members, and we translate 0:21:36.880 --> 0:21:39.840 and now we're at a place where exactly what you said, 0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:43.879 it's parents, it's people at a graduation. And I know 0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:48.400 that ICE agents showed up near my grandson's school and 0:21:49.320 --> 0:21:51.560 what they did was they snatched a couple of street 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:54.560 vendors selling food. I mean, again, I just have a 0:21:54.600 --> 0:21:58.399 hard time connecting that up with the original goals. But 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:03.639 I know minute to the violence that has happened, that 0:22:03.720 --> 0:22:07.800 has happened especially, I don't believe that anybody that is 0:22:07.840 --> 0:22:09.960 doing that is actually doing it in support of the 0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:13.760 immigrant community. They couldn't be now because if they supported 0:22:13.760 --> 0:22:18.560 the immigrant community, they would not be provoking and providing 0:22:18.680 --> 0:22:22.560 a reason quote unquote for there to be federal intervention. 0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:26.879 And part of what I think is happening here is 0:22:26.920 --> 0:22:31.119 that it's social media driven and those things that is 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:36.199 typical where social media gathers people to, you know, do 0:22:36.240 --> 0:22:39.320 a street takeover or something like that. So I think 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:43.280 that that's really important. And then some of the other 0:22:43.359 --> 0:22:46.960 stories I've heard people being picked up at a customer 0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:49.800 being picked up at a car wash and his son 0:22:50.240 --> 0:22:53.760 being left there to make his way home and take 0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:58.000 care of his family. I had somebody tell me that 0:22:58.040 --> 0:23:01.240 they went to their grocery store and the shelves were empty. 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:04.200 Why because people weren't showing up to work. So you 0:23:04.359 --> 0:23:08.760 look at the economy in LUs we have very specific 0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:13.280 sectors of our economy that cannot function without immigrant labor. 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:16.480 If you think about construction, if you think a bout hospitality, 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.600 that's just a but there's a lot of manufacturing jobs. 0:23:20.880 --> 0:23:25.159 And by the way, the plant that was raided on 0:23:25.240 --> 0:23:29.679 Friday was owned that was Korean owned, and the people 0:23:29.760 --> 0:23:33.200 that were detained were both Korean and Latino. And so 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:37.480 one of the biggest problems that the immigrant rights organizations 0:23:37.520 --> 0:23:39.639 are having. And you know, we're fortunate in LA to 0:23:39.760 --> 0:23:44.359 have a well established, well respected immigrant rights community and 0:23:44.400 --> 0:23:47.960 they for years and years, but they said they've never 0:23:48.080 --> 0:23:52.240 experienced where they could not contact people. They could sell 0:23:52.520 --> 0:23:55.720 them to their lawyers, which is, you know, to me 0:23:55.960 --> 0:24:00.600 denying them due process. And also the family members. So 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:03.199 when you have when you know, when the raid is 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:06.480 happening in a in a workplace and then people start 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:09.600 calling their family on their cell phone and the family 0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:14.400 shows up at the workplace watching their relatives being carted 0:24:14.440 --> 0:24:18.720 out into who knows where they downtown, if they're in 0:24:18.760 --> 0:24:22.040 another county, if they've been shipped off to El Salvador. 0:24:22.440 --> 0:24:25.240 The latest I heard is that he's talking about taking 0:24:25.280 --> 0:24:28.920 the people from LA and bringing them to Guantanamo. Rather 0:24:29.000 --> 0:24:32.480 hear that too, closing Guantanamo because there's no need for 0:24:32.520 --> 0:24:35.800 it anymore. You know, you are looking to occupy it 0:24:35.880 --> 0:24:39.119 with as many people as possible, and just all the 0:24:39.200 --> 0:24:42.000 money that the city of LA is having to spend, 0:24:42.440 --> 0:24:45.560 all of the money that is being spent on the 0:24:45.600 --> 0:24:49.240 military that has absolutely no role here. Do you know 0:24:49.320 --> 0:24:52.760 if all of the soldiers that he's talking about are 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:55.479 rolled out into our city, do you know there will 0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:59.160 be more military in Los Angeles than remains today in Iraq? 0:25:00.240 --> 0:25:03.679 And so those kind of things are just really really 0:25:03.760 --> 0:25:07.200 crazy that it's happening. And talk about creating a sense 0:25:07.200 --> 0:25:10.280 of fear and terror. But I do feel like that 0:25:10.320 --> 0:25:12.600 we're a test case. I think they're like, you know, 0:25:12.720 --> 0:25:16.680 flood the zone with little strategy and tactic, and let's 0:25:16.680 --> 0:25:19.520 see how it plays with the American people. Let's see 0:25:19.520 --> 0:25:22.360 how it plays in Los Angeles. But the trap you're 0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:25.119 kind of in is that if people rebel too much, 0:25:25.640 --> 0:25:29.159 then that becomes the pretense. Well, let's roll troops. The 0:25:29.200 --> 0:25:31.280 other thing. I think that's so important, and I love 0:25:31.359 --> 0:25:34.120 what you're saying in terms of one of thirty five people, 0:25:34.240 --> 0:25:37.800