City of Inglewood, CA 2023 City of Inglewood Events, 31 Aug 2023

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From YouTube: Let's Chat Podcast- Episode 2

Description

In the second installment of Let's Chat with City Clerk Aisha Thompson, the City Clerks holds conversation with District 2 Councilman Alex Padilla, District 3 Councilman Eloy Morales, IUSD County Administration Dr. James Morris and Owner of 1500 Sound Academy, Grammy Award-winning Producer, Larrance Dopson.

A

A

Hello: everyone, it's your city, clerk, Aisha, L, Thompson back again with my second podcast of let's chat, I want to thank everyone who tuned in to my first podcast. So let's jump right into it. My special guest for this segment I have all men by the way I have none other than our council member from the Third District councilman Eloy Morales.

A

We have our councilman from the second district, none other than councilman Alex Padilla, then I have none other than our County Administrator Dr James Morris here with us today, and then lastly, from the 1500 or Nothing Mr, Lawrence Dobson. Thank you all for being here with me today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's just a treat to have all men sitting on one stage.

B

A

Is a pleasure, it's a pleasure to be here with you. Thank you. Thank you. Councilman. Let's just go right into it. Councilman Padilla you're from our second district. Go ahead. Will you introduce yourself, please sure.

B

I'm Alex paduc, as you mentioned, councilman from the second district, my wife, Stella and I- have lived here in Inglewood, uh actually going to be 40 years in September, as we celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. So we're excited about that. We have three adult children, Priscilla, Alex and Michael, and we are proud Englewood residents.

A

Thank you so much councilman councilmember Morales, my councilman from the Third District. Can you give us a little introduction? Please sure.

C

In a similar fashion, I'll say my name is Eloy. Morales uh I grew up here in the city of Inglewood, very proud of that I've. Seen some much uh my family's been here for about 48 years, my mom. She still lives in the same house where I was raised, my dad passed away in 2020 loved, also the city of Inglewood.

C

um You know we have three kids, uh Nico, Benny and Toshi. You of course have met at least one of them. I.

A

Met all of them.

C

And and I'll tell you that you know uh we're actually sitting in the library where I worked my way through school for 10 years right here and met my wife, so you know special place, we're sitting in and I just you know, it feels right.

A

Awesome, thank you councilman Dr Morris. Can you give us a little introduction? Please.

D

Certainly, it really is a pleasure to be here. My name is Jim Morris I'm, the County Administrator for the Inglewood School District I have the responsibility to educate, Challenge and Inspire. The 7 500 students who come to school in Inglewood I have been in this position since last January and I am here for the long term. I on a personal side, I've been married to the most amazing woman in the world for 40 years, I have four children, and each of my four children has one child. So I have four grandkids.

A

Wow married 40 years 40 years.

D

A

D

Because my wife is a saint.

B

A

Right Lorenz, can you give us a little introduction and tell us who you are hey.

E

How y'all doing my name is: Laurence Dobson I'm, a producer musician on the school in Inglewood called 1500 South Academy, um with some amazing partners that I have James, Fowler and Tyler. True um I've. We've always had this place in Inglewood for the last, maybe 18 years ago, I've had a studio. So ever since I've started the music business we've been here, so you know we're supporting, and our goal is just to bring the the industry to to the talent and really change and shift culture. Awesome.

A

Awesome, thank you so much councilman Padilla can you let me know, tell us tell our residents: what's the what's your favorite part about being a council member, you.

B

Know for me it's about connecting with the community. You know it's about being able to help our residents, as you know, with whatever issues or concerns that they might have as it comes to working uh dealing with local government. uh Any of those issues, as well as with our business Community, to make sure that our mom and pops uh stores are taken care of to make sure we work our way through the red tape.

B

I enjoy the fact that you know with everything that we've done in Inglewood, with with the Forum Sofi Stadium, the Intuit Dome Hollywood Park work. That's all important for what's just as important and even in my opinion, more important is connecting with our residents right, making sure they have everything. They need making sure that, through all this development, economic development that we're providing jobs for our folks here in the city of Inglewood, and so as we work together.

B

You know, as a city council, working with the mayor working with our staff, it's about putting the city and our residents first and to me, that's the most rewarding part of.

A

It that's awesome. Thank you. That's right! That is that's awesome and rewarding absolutely councilman. Thank you Laurence. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself as far as what kind of work you do with our young people here with your Academy? Yes,.

E

We have a 35 000 square feet facility, that's in Inglewood, where we basically created the X-Man school for the best creatives in the world, and um um most of them are from England.

B

Hey that's awesome for.

E

Sure know we, basically, the cool thing about the school is all the teachers are superstars, so we've had everyone from Bruno Mars to Justin Timberlake to Kendrick Lamar, we've had Gary, Vee teach, nft classes, side, Guru teach classes on sound and meditation. So it's uh it's more a life school, but we we do teach music and business, and you know how to write hit songs, but the whole point of the school is to basically teach the students how to be unemployable. What I say is to where's.

E

You know where they can only get their thoughts licensed. But to do that, you have to be the best employee to know how to know know the rules to break them. So we're.

A

E

Breaking rules at the school is.

A

It easy to get into 1500 or nothing. You.

E

Just got to be crazy enough to believe in yourself, and and for that you know we can. We've took people that has no skill and music and have the most skills in music and there's still stuff for them to learn. There.

A

How old do they, how old do they have to be.

E

um It's normally 18 and up, but we we have so many programs too, for young Childs and as long as you have a parent.

A

It's amazing awesome. Thank you so much councilman Morales. What are your you know? What do you think about? You know your District. You have such an amazing District. We had to redistrict you know about a year ago, and so now you know you've Incorporated, some more land filled over there on the right side of Market Street across from yes. So um tell us tell us about your District. You.

C

Know, uh as a matter of fact, I'll touch on the the fact that um that additional piece was District three back many years ago. So when I grew up that was District three. So when it when it was time to kind of add an additional uh area, I said well, we should get that back. You know uh that being said, you know, I I am in the southwest area. uh You know it is considered.

C

uh You know, there's a lot of Latino population right there. It's evolved, uh the the the bottom line is it surprisingly. It is the highest revenue generator of the city of Inglewood, and it has been for years. Our businesses are everything from Industrial to car dealerships and there's an area over by um uh west of the 405. That is more expensive square foot than any other area. Why? Because it's mostly import export, they can do four trips to the airport with one driver a day.

C

But so, if you go and you rent out, let's say in another city- that's further away: you're going to be paying for personnel. So you know that's why the value is so high. But you know I I want to talk a little bit about the district where I'm at I mean you know, I love, my district, you know I grew up there and when you grow up in an area you're so attached right, if I do something that somebody doesn't like the first one who calls me is my mom, you know right.

C

What are you doing and it's mostly about quality of life issues, the parks, the people, uh the businesses and it's it's an evolution that we've had since I grew up. I mean it's amazing. I, don't know, I mean we could talk about it all day, but the truth of the matter is. Is that it's also the answer entry point and we have things like Randy's Donuts.

C

You know we have our hotel Corridor, which will be improved and we have so many uh things that are coming in line, we're also probably leading the way in housing right now. We have. We have three projects three in downtown here, two of which are already up. One is open, one is going up almost done and then on the other side of the train, there'll be another one similar, that's uh we're, probably gonna get about close to 800 new housing I'm, also uh we're leading the way in affordable housing.

C

You know, so those are the items that you know we're we're quietly quietly making an impact.

A

And they're very proud of the seniors, though yeah one of.

C

The exactly and that was a 40 unit, yeah I, went back and forth with a developer who wanted to build their own version of it and I. Honestly, we had to fight for about two years before they agreed to the senior housing and and the seniors love it there. Oh man, it's right in the middle of it right, so it's it's been growing and then we have these Sparks. You know, 1500 Academy happens to be in my area right and you know they don't.

C

Let me touch the mic man, but but no, no, but really the the bottom line is that's a gem. It's a jam, there I mean Bruno. Mars gets the Grammy Awards and he gives them a shout out.

A

Absolutely and then yeah.

C

They're in Englewood- absolutely you know so I mean those are the Sparks. We are such a diverse District. It's amazing uh I love it I I could talk for a day, so I'm gonna stop.

A

Okay, okay, I love; it I, love it Dr Morris. Can you inform us on the functions of a County Administrator? What what? What types of things do you do as a County, Administrator sure.

D

Probably my most important responsibility is making sure that children get a good education, we're very fortunate in Inglewood, I'm I'm, inspired every day by the teachers, the custodians, the cafeteria workers who come to work every day with really a heart and a passion for serving the community and serving the children who live in this community. The other, a big responsibility I, have is really making sure that the district has their financial house in order.

D

um You know, that's that's uh a lot of things happening in the state with school districts and School, District finance and declining enrollment, making sure that we have a school district. That is strong. That supports the good people who work in the school district and, at the same time, that we're being fiscally responsible, absolutely.

A

Thank you so much Dr Morris, councilmember Padilla, my guy, you know you, you I, think you are the king of events. You.

B

A

Enjoy doing events you have it hooked up late I mean you know: Council Morales. He got his thing hooked up over there at um Worcester, Park, Ash Park. Yes, but let's talk about North Park, you have the chili cook-off. You have these low riders. When we have our Hispanic Heritage Month talk about it. Let us know what kind of events you have coming up. What events you do for our community, so our community will know like hey our councilman brings us together. You.

B

Know and- and that's the key word together absolutely you know when we do any Community event, it's about bringing our community together to.

E

B

Bread you'll always hear me say that, because I think it's so important, we have such a diverse Community, our residents, our business community, that we invite them all to everything that we're doing it's about, highlighting the good things that the city of Inglewood has to offer absolutely, and so, even just most recently, two weeks ago, I teamed up with L.A County, Animal, Care and Control to do an event for our four-legged family members right right, our dog and our cats.

B

Yes standing room, only the folks really truly appreciated that and then just last week, I teamed up with the County Administrator right and we did a backpack giveaway for all the children within the Inglewood Unified School District, so that they can come and get a backpack with supplies so that they can be prepared for the upcoming school year. Awesome, and so again, these are things that we do for our community and now I'm going to touch on what we're doing tomorrow. Saturday at four o'clock is my annual District 2 picnic and chili cook-off.

B

Yes, so that is a standing room, only crowd it's at North Park. It starts at 4, P.M I've got 12 folks that are going to make homemade chili I've got three judges: okay and I'm, not going to tell you who they are because I don't want you calling them right. So I got three judges and I'm gonna have a ton of vendors folks coming out with with food entertainment, everything in North Park. It starts at four and then when that's over around 7 30, we transition into a movie in the park.

B

Yes and we're going to be watching Mario Brothers. So all the kids will be sticking around and even the big kids, meaning us adults, yes, we'll also get to enjoy watching the movie. So again, these are all events that I enjoy. Putting together. I got a great team, my wife, you know she's Stella's, tremendous helping me uh Ramon Quinones my assistant and then a ton of volunteers.

A

B

So nobody does anything alone and then I have the support of the mayor and our city council. When we do all these things, we do it for the residents of Inglewood, it's not just for any one District right, it's about bringing our community our city together, and so these are fun. Events just again meant to break bread and enjoy meeting each other building on our relationships with one another councilman.

A

But you forgot to mention the root beer floats.

B

Now I was gonna say that, but I was thinking, I was getting too carried.

A

B

E

A

B

Here's what happens we do I do like 500, hot dogs and everybody ends up making chili dogs right, because you've got all these 12 and then Republic Services. They are there with their root beer floats and they run out quick, because you know it's been a long time since we've had root, beer floats right, and so you know so these are the type of events that brings everyone together. You touched on the classic. Car shows.

A

B

I love, you know: I I've got my own classic cars right old, Chevys and I love doing those because again it brings everybody together from different segments of the population. Everybody loves watching and and looking at these nice shiny classic cars and so on, September 23rd we're doing our Hispanic heritage event. Yes, everyone is welcomed. It's going to be downtown. Market, Street and I will be having my classic car show there as well.

A

And you're going to take up the entire Market Street region, Street and Queen Street, with just your classic cars. Well.

B

I'm hoping to have over 100 classic cars. So that's awesome! You know again, these are just fun community events, yes, that we do to bring everybody together. So it's just enjoyable we're doing a lot of great things in Inglewood. Let's keep it going.

A

That's right, thank you, councilman Lowrance, I'm, 18 years old ambition to learn about music. What's my first step, how do I get into this into the doors of wanting to become a part of you know this Academy and.

C

You're good, okay.

E

Good, we got a website and it's very simple: we we answer every call and we're really fast. Our name is Jeanette and um we'll give you a tour and the whole tour of the whole facility and break everything down. You might see the students there, you might see somebody there and um we get started from there. It's just the vetting process. Isn't that bad?

E

It isn't that bad, but we really want to want to help as many people as we can. So that's why we're really making sure we're following up and.

A

It's awesome: do they knock on the door? Do you go out and get them like.

E

Shout out to Instagram man, social media, yeah I mean because we're um you know, we're we're banned and we're a writers production team. So um the band side, you know I'm a musical director for like uh fiance's tour right now, Alicia Keys to her now so on. The music position.

D

E

You know they know what time it is, but uh yeah so people who know us from doing music, so he is in songwriting wise. You know between us. As a group we are, we got like 17 Grammys, you know within like four people, I.

A

E

We're at the point now where we we we we got the we got the look, so we want to really just you know, bring the light on other people and and train them. How to you know, do what we're doing absolutely.

A

That's awesome. That's awesome! Yes, Dr Morris, real, quick! Let me just ask with all your years in education because now I have to turn it into this voting aspect of it because you, you know, and I'm gonna get with the rants with it too when it comes to voting. But um you know, as a city clerk voting is very important.

A

That's a key responsibility that I have and so- and it's very important too, because our young people they do not know that at the age of 16 they can actually register to vote and then, when they turn 18 they're automatically ready to go to the polls and cast their their ballots now. I do want to give kudos to our president, our principal over at Inglewood High School. She was so kind to have me come and speak with her governmental students, and so you know wanted to say thank you to her. But what?

A

How do you feel about that? The voting with our young people, because you know I, think that's- that's really important. Well,.

D

You're, absolutely right, one of our responsibilities as a school district is really to teach citizenship and the responsibility that everyone has to register to vote and vote I. Think there are things like not just the government class, but the student body really having student leadership is probably the most effective when students are telling other students hey fill this out.

D

You need to register to vote, that's a great way to connect, but it really is student body organizations reaching out to young people, not just at one school, but next time you come we're going to have you at all three high schools I'm ready, because it's it's critically important. You.

C

D

We have a responsibility not just to teach kids to read and write, but we really want them to grow up to be good and decent responsible human beings absolutely participate because that's how you strengthen a community when young people know I'm a part of this community, my vote counts and guess what many times they'll have parents who haven't registered to vote? That's when we start registering the kids, then they go back and talk to.

A

Each other mom and dad.

C

E

And dads and say.

D

Hey it's really important and make sure that they're aware of the issues and how their vote can make a difference. Absolutely.

A

And you know a lot of times, kids think you know. Oh, it's not going to matter. It's not going to count, but then too it's good for them to see people like us. You know we we were in high school and, like you said, the student body I was, you know vice president of of my student body, so you know it's good for them to see us to to so that they want to become involved and get more engaged. So that is awesome, I'm, ready, look, even adults.

C

Don't think that even adults don't think that their vote matters sometimes and that's why we see the low numbers, so you start them young. That's very.

A

Important absolutely councilman. Thank you. So much um now we're going to move on we're going to go a little other way to Lowrance, because I want to ask you, you know: I know you have your focus with our youth and, like you say, you started at 18 years old, but why do you think it's important what what made you want to open this Academy? What made you want to do it? You didn't have to do it.

A

You could have taken your grams, you could you can take your skills, keep them with whoever you're working with you. Don't have to reach out to our community. Why reach out to our community? Well.

E

I'm, like living proof of what not to do in the music Community is like I've made so many bad decisions. We create a curriculum on how to be successful. You know what I mean, and um it's just it's just important for for the culture. We don't have any real leaders, that's teaching. We have people that talk, but we don't have people that's in the field with with them.

E

You know what I mean, so we just wanted to create an environment where everybody's in the field, where and everyone's teaching and everyone's learning and it's Tech fashion, film, music, Sports, all in one there's such a disconnect be, and even politics, there's literally a disconnect between all of us and we're all cool and weird in our own way, but if we all become cool and we're together and actually spend more time with each other, and just just imagine if we hung out for two days we'll do what we can do now.

D

Now that I know all.

E

Everything you guys do is so many things I have in my head that we can do to help so many people just because we know, but we just got to create more things like this content to where we actually know, and we make voting cool and you know most people, don't they just don't know they don't know why they should vote. So it's really important for the cool people to be able to explain why. But it takes you guys to teach us.

A

E

Us to make it cool.

A

Absolutely thank you so much councilman Padilla, you know I'm gonna go back a little bit. You you have a beautiful District I like your District. You know why, because I drive down Centinela a whole lot, I take a right on La, Brea and right up to storm Burgers I.

C

A

Wanted to say that real quick I'll hang out.

B

With you, there.

A

Okay, okay, but you know like what what is like, what are your proud moments with District Two I mean it's, it's looking good councilman and.

B

Thank you and I am very proud of our district I'm, very proud of our city of Inglewood. All the dynamic changes that we've done, but let me just go to District Two And. So when I got an Alphas, I made my goal to make sure that we, you know, as we looked at all these vacant lots and we brought development.

B

Economic Development to the city, I wanted to make sure that we addressed these lots that were being used as dump sites right people were throwing their their beds and and furniture and everything else, and so we developed them right. We had a huge one that was empty for 40 something years and now FedEx. Is there right? Nobody wanted to touch that lot. They developed it was developed right and there's many other more examples of that and then also our streets. You know we, you know.

B

If you look back and I know the the mayor has touched on this and we've talked about it. uh We were at the brink of bankruptcy. You know, just you know, 10.

A

Years ago or right.

B

So we weren't able to do Street, repairs and infrastructure repairs now we're in a better position. So in my district I had all little abrea resurfaced, I mean not just slurry sealed I took the streets out and put new streets in I did the same thing on sentinela all of Centinela, from La Cienega to Florence did the same thing on Hyde Park had not been touched for years right for like another 40 years, resurfaced it all of it right in my district.

B

So we do these type of things, because our residents and our business owners they need to know that we care about the infrastructure of our community. People come through and they go wow. It looks nice. We talk about ingwood, you know being the city of Champions and so as we drive through it needs to feel that way. Right folks have to see that, and so all the stuff that we're doing as elected officials in our community, it's all geared towards Pride right Pride as a resident Pride as a business owner.

B

So as you go through the city of England, no matter where you go you're going wow. This truly is the city of Champions. This truly is the new Inglewood right, and so we are very proud of everything that we've done in the city and I'm very proud of everything that I've been able to do with the help of the residents. In my district in District number, two, that's North Inglewood, and so we've done a lot of great Economic Development. We've got a lot of great work with our streets with our sidewalk repairs.

B

We trim more trees than ever before and we're going to continue to improve on a good product, and so we're not done yet. We still got a lot more work to do. That's right! Well, we're on the right path.

A

That's right: that's right! Councilman, Morales, councilman Padilla said we're on the right path. You know you've been here.

C

For finally, Aisha I've been sitting here forever.

A

Waiting for my.

C

Next question you've been here for.

A

A long time yeah, but.

C

Here's sitting for a long time too, well.

A

C

A

Know we're on the right path.

C

Yeah yeah, no we're on the right path. You know you know he mentioned. Oh my God I mean I. I was here when we we growing up here. You really know how special this this uh city is by so many things, I mean when you grow broke, you you don't know, you're broke, you know and that's the the beauty of it, because you start seeing the beautiful parts of the people here.

C

Their families here tons of them that were here when I was growing up, um but just to see the changes and the impact one of the major impacts. Alex was talking about the infrastructure. That is something we could never do. We could never do sidewalks. We could never do streets of that capacity. I remember when one of my major infrastructure accomplishments is Century. Boulevard, 40 million dollar project. Amazing folks were thinking. Why can't you get it done?

C

The problem was that because it's it's considered a highway and it's close to the the freeway you had to do cement concrete for 18 inches below about maybe a quarter mile in that's extremely expensive, so we had to get grants and everything else. I mean I, don't know if you remember, but when we did it, we broke ground. We did a groundbreaking for that. That was amazing right, um but you know what do I think about Inglewood I mean when you see this process right, you grow up.

C

You have this chip on your shoulder because wherever you go to school or whatever everybody thinks oh you're from Inglewood, you know there's nothing there. You know, but you know what you have so there's this chip on your shoulder and where we've come, is amazing right there are things that I can touch a little bit about everything. Like you know, Alex mentioned the events. I have to tell you, you know one of the things that's very special for our city is that we do have community events.

C

We have never stopped having community events even through the tough years. You know you know I I've gone to all of the MLK uh events parades day right, and it was amazing to me when I found out, not every city does that for Martin Luther King day. That was new to me right and so that started to really show me, like. You know we're celebrating each other Hispanic Heritage Month right, but our kids are watching how we celebrate ourselves. Our kids are watching how we handle ourselves.

C

You know and that's the impact that we have as a city now now going over like the humongous accomplishments right like the the stadium, the arena, The Forum, everything that has evolved. The truth of the matter is, is that nobody comes into a city and invests any money until they trust the fact that their money is going to be a good investment, and that took some time. I mean what Alex talks about. When we had the um we were about to go bankrupt, we had to renegotiate with six labor unions. That was amazing.

C

Who does that within the same six month period, we raised our water rates, 43 percent in one chunk hired a new Chief I mean these were all very dramatic impactful things that you couldn't really point to because they didn't. It didn't really go immediately to the quality of life. A resident wouldn't immediately feel it, but what it did do was it set this platform in this environment for investors to come in and see us as a viable City, and that was the true change that happened.

C

um The the bottom line is, you know the the evolution the city has made has been amazing, but you know I said it at a meeting before there are two things I want to point out about that about the change one is is yeah, you see all these amazing changes from when I was a kid, but it feels the same.

C

I have always felt this way about the city. Is that I mean that's? How I felt when I was little I thought I was living in the best place. You know it just looks better to other people right now, but the bottom line, that's one and another one is you know we're getting all these different folks moving into our city, which is completely interesting.

C

You know folks have their opinion on I love it right and it's interesting, because I got a phone call the other day from somebody who was complaining about something at the park and, of course, I said well we're Zero Tolerance on it right we're Zero Tolerance, just like you and she sees she's like why?

C

Isn't everybody as mad as I am right and I said I thought about it for a minute and I said, because we all want Zero Tolerance on certain bad things right, so I thought about it for a minute and I said you know you just moved here a year ago to you you're like freaking out, because this bad thing and you're, like oh you're, like I, mean I, can't believe everybody nobody's doing anything.

C

I can't believe this isn't changing right, but the truth of the matter is, is that everybody around you has lived here forever and they feel the momentum they remember where we were 20 years ago. They're, like hey, you know they they feel different about when they see what you see they're looking at it different and I started to really notice that and the new folks that are coming, but the the impact is there I mean it's amazing, so so I mean that was a long way of saying: hey we're in a good place right now,.

A

That's right: well, you know we're going to come to a close with the podcast I want to thank all of my my guests for being here, councilman Morales. Thank you. Councilman Padilla.

B

A

You Dr Morris, thank you. We only say Lowrance and Dawson what you want. Thank you so so much for being here uh on this second uh podcast here for the let's chat with the city clerk I would like to thank my staff, Miss Angela Allen, Miss, Destiny, Wesley, Miss, Sheree, Sutton, and also none other than Christine Padilla for all of their wonderful help, all of their their everything that they've done, I just have a great staff and I want to commend them and thank them on a job. Well done.

A

I wouldn't have done done it without them. So until then make sure you click of this link. You subscribe uh subscribe to our YouTube channel, subscribe to our city of Inglewood Facebook page to watch this podcast and be on the lookout for the next one. Thank you so much I'm your city clerk signing off have a great day. Thank you.

B

All right, thank you. Thank.

D

D