2023-2024 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Final Report

Conclusions 2

• CL1 Page 156
  Compton Creek was scratched out of the flood plain to make a drainage channel cutting toward the main channel of the Los Angeles River. (See photo Compton Creek, circa 1940.) Since then, it has been a drainage canal for heavy industry discharging waste into the river system. A major problem for Compton Creek, and the nearby residents, is that at the final mile-long sector before joining the Los Angeles River is soft bottom. It has been allowed to become overgrown with vegetation, which slows the flow the pollutants, which can seep down into the water table. Cleaning up ceased when the homeless made encampments in this stretch and scared off volunteers who used to annually pick up trash collected in the swampy vegetation. The flow of wastewater and pollutants often does not flow at all. It is time to address this issue before the world comes to visit Los Angeles for the Olympics. The red flag is raised, and the threat of Dengue Fever is very real in our region. Having an eight-mile- long vector generator of disease agents emanating from Compton Creek (and spreading throughout the County) makes this a group effort rather than a local one. Compton Creek has been neglected far too long – out of sight so out of mind, from most of the County’s residents. 146
• CL2 Page 359
  It is not a stretch to assert that much of American History has been a struggle for equity, diversity and inclusion.162 The Revolution was fought for the idea that it was unfair and unjust to be ruled by a King. But it was only unfair for certain property-owning men. In 1861, the country was torn in two over the disagreement on whether human beings could be considered property.163 Women could not vote until a little more than a century ago.164 “Secret societies” terrorized and murdered black Americans openly, while stigmatizing Roman Catholics and Jews.165 Segregation was practiced in the South; redlining was practiced nationwide.166 United States citizens were sent to 162 Library of Congress. American Revolutionary War. 2024. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united- states-history-primary-source-timeline/american-revolution-1763-1783/overview/ (Accessed on May 7, 2024) 163 Britannica. American Civil War. 2024. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War 164 US Constitution. Amendment 19. https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-19/ 165 WBUR. The History of White Supremacist Groups in the US. August 16, 2017. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/08/16/history-white-supremacist-groups-us 166 Tracy Jan. Washington Post. Redlining Was Banned 50 Years Ago. It’s Still Hurting Minorities Today. March 28, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/03/28/redlining-was-banned-50-years-ago-its-still- hurting-minorities-today/ (Accessed on May 7, 2024) 342 internment camps during World War II.167 To this day, Black people, Jews and women remain stigmatized by the vestiges of once having been property, or quasi-property, on top of race, gender or religious prejudices. Native Americans were dispossessed of their lands and rounded up on reservations.168 These are just a few examples from history. America is not always a nice place. Yet, members of this Committee as part of the Civil Grand Jury and as private citizens of LA County insist with pride that it is, “self-evident that all men are created equal,” and our government is formed to “secure the blessings of liberty.”169 Given this history, it seems radical that BOS chose to integrate the ideals– equity, diversity and inclusion – into every aspect of civic life through by unanimously-approved policy. Simply: stop fighting people, embrace our self-evident ideals. The Creative Strategist program was designed to put “words into actionable plans.”170 Is it the answer to every problem? No. It can be a bulwark against a belief that pursuing equity is a fool’s errand. A counter to those who believe that inclusion is an affront to some subjectively determined, arbitrary claim about “individual freedom.” It is a dose of reality for those who believe diversity is so scary that the fight to defeat Hitler is ignored or forgotten by some Americans now marching while chanting Nazi slogans like, blood and soil.171 Shake it up. The Department of Arts and Culture needs to be fully and adequately staffed to integrate the County’s Cultural Policy ideals into every aspect of civic life. The beauty? A full integration of artists working cross-sector should not even be a fight. This is the County’s unanimously approved policy after all. Departments countywide need to fully embrace this policy now more than ever. 167 National Archives. Lessons. Japanese Relocation. 2024. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese- relocation (Accessed on May 7, 2024) See also: The Japanese American Museum in Little Tokyo has an amazing exhibit, Ireichō, that has close ties to a former Creative Strategist. Our Committee encourages anyone to please give this it a visit and honor our Japanese neighbors: https://www.janm.org/exhibits/ireicho 168 National Library of Congress. Materials. Immigration. Native Americans. 2024. https://www.loc.gov/classroom- materials/immigration/native-american/ 169 National Archives. Constitution. July 4, 1776. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript 170 Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Policy Manual, 3.180 https://www.lacountyarts.org/sites/default/files/cultural_policy_final.pdf, Exhibit 1; Countywide Cultural Policy Strategic Plan https://www.lacountyarts.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdfs/cultural-policy-strategic-plan_7-1- f.pdf (Accessed on May 7, 2024) 171 US Holocaust Museum. Origins of Neo-Nazi and White Supremacist Terms and Symbols. Glossary. 2024. https://www.ushmm.org/antisemitism/what-is-antisemitism/origins-of-neo-nazi-and-white-supremacist-terms-and- symbols (Accessed on May 7, 2024) 343 344

Commendations 5

• CM1 Page 54
  The MMD Committee would like to thank all of the individuals at UCLA Police Department, El Camino Community College, Cal/State/Los Angeles, Commuter Services/Transportation Department, Deputies at Los Angeles South West College, Compton Community College, the Sheriff at Los Angeles City College and West Los Angeles College, the Transportation Department of the City of Glendale, City of Inglewood and the City of Long Beach for taking the time to speak with the MMD Committee. Your input in this investigation was important to us. 48
• CM2 Page 96
  We would like to give our thanks to Damian Martin, Esq. a Cannabis Attorney whose input assisted the Committee with focus and direction throughout our investigation. We would also like to thank Tatyana Brenner, Esq., another Cannabis Attorney, for her insight, and also our appreciation to the forthright responses and valuable information from dispensary owners Whitney Beatty, Timeka Drew and Carlos Zepeda. We would also like to give our thanks and appreciation to all the various individuals who took time from their busy schedules to speak candidly with us and provided valuable information for our investigation. 88
• CM3 Page 184
  A “SHOUT-OUT!” to Manager Estela Inouye and her tireless band of workers in the Office of Decedent Affairs for making one sacrifice after another after another to produce an uplifting outcome in the Memorial Ceremony. The Committee strongly commend the Office of Decedent Affairs for their many years of doing “the heavy lifting” to provide a respectful, dignified, and meaningful Burial Service to send-off those souls amongst us, who don’t have any family or friends to do so for them. ODA intervenes to be “the last resort” in giving these forgotten and overlooked and ignored folks a decent ‘good- bye’. And “Good-bye is the saddest word you can say. In particular, may our Committee’s total appreciation be bestowed upon Mrs. Estella Inouye and Ms. Angela Baca-Cooper for their many, many and long, long hours of sacrifice? Kudos to you all! 173
• CM4 Page 266
  The Law Enforcement Use of Force Involving Racial Bias Committee would like to commend the Burbank Police Department. Our team visited this law enforcement agency in August 2023. The department is an impressive and efficiently run agency. They are a community-based bureau who 251 has a good relationship with its citizens. They have routinely scheduled training for their officers, including de-escalation and Use of Force which their police officers utilize proficiently, thereby alleviating potential assault issues in the department. The officers have a strong relationship with the residents and businesses in the community. Additionally, the Burbank Police Department has a clean and efficiently run jail system. The Law Enforcement Use of Force Involving Racial Bias Committee would like to commend LAPD Office of The Inspector General for their tireless efforts to be transparent and help us source information about the department including assisting our efforts to acquire ride alongs, training academy access, and introduction to various command officers as well as statistical information about the LAPD. We would like to extend special thanks to the main person in the office who helped us tremendously. Without mentioning names. You know who you are. The Law Enforcement Use of Force Involving Racial Bias Committee would like to commend a member who had to resign for reasons outside our control. This juror performed exceptionally in the gathering of information and the writing of this investigative report; their contributions to this exceptional report are monumental and made this report possible. 252
• CM5 Page 304
  The ISD’s EV CIT should be commended for their achievement creating EVCS access countywide using limited resources. They were able to triple the number of EVCS installed for the same yearly budget they were allotted. As a result, of their diligence and proactive measures secured additional state and Federal Grants for EV Charging.156 We would like to offer our highest praise and commendation to Minh Le, head of the Energy Environmental Services Division and head the EV Charging Infrastructure for LAC. Director Minh Le has always been very responsive to all our phone calls, interviews and questions. He and his team have worked tirelessly to populate the County with high quality charging stations. The County has given him a limited budget to do this work. Because of the diligence and hard work of himself and his team, he has tripled the number of charging stations because, in addition to his budgeted funds, he has applied for and successfully received additional money from state and federal grants to install more charging stations. In addition, Minh Le and his team has recently signed a $17M agreement for LAC for thirty six buildings to have solar energy panels to reduce energy costs. The County will buy electricity from the solar company installer which will cost less than if purchased from Southern California Edison.157 It has been a privilege and an honor to have met and spent time with such a high quality individual. Thank you Minh Le for all you have done and continue to do in behalf of the fellow citizens of the County. 156 Interview with CIT Management of ISD and Staff on March 1, 2024 157 Interview with the CIT Manager of ISD 288

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