Recommendation to approve naming the park site located at Del Amo Boulevard and Oregon Avenue as "C. David Molina Park".
Thank you. So that concludes public comment. So we're going to go a little out of order. We have a I know there's a lot of people waiting here, but we have one more brief item to get to before that item. So we'll take item number 11, please. Communication from Councilman Austin, Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilman Andrews and Council member would UNGA recommendation to refer to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee. The request to consider naming the park at Del Amo Boulevard and Oregon Avenue after C David Molina. Thank you, Councilman Austin. Thank you. And I want to thank council members Gonzalez Andrews in Urunga for signing on in support of this item. As many of you may know, we will start very soon work on a new 3.3 acre park at the southwest corner of Delano and Oregon Avenue in a district. The neighborhood has been anxiously awaiting this park ever since it was originally acquired by the redevelopment agency almost a decade ago. Now, thanks to the actions of this City Council last year in the partnership with Integral Communities, this park is about to be built. This park will provide athletic fields a lot and a playground walking paths and access to the Dominguez Gap wetlands to an underserved community. After discussing this issue with many people, I would like to recommend for consideration that we named this park after someone who was a pioneer in the health care field and left a lasting legacy not only for Long Beach but throughout the nation. Dr. C David Molina was born in Yuma, Arizona in 1926, and he studied education at San Diego State University. He began his career as an elementary school teacher at Yuma Indian School and later taught in Long Beach. After earning his medical degree, he set up a private practice in Long Beach in 1962. He started Long Beach's first intensive care unit at Pacific Hospital, where he also served as the director of emergency department of the emergency department for 21 years. He earned a grant to develop a paramedic system for the Long Beach and trained the city's first firefighters to become paramedics. Dr. Molina noticed that low income, uninsured and non-English speaking patients were coming to the emergency room in need of general health care services. So in 1980, David Molina opened the clinic to Long Beach to provide low income families with a place to get personalized health care. He soon found it Molina Medical Center's and served as its president and chief executive officer. By 1994, Molina Health Care was a licensed health care plan in California. Dr. Molina, unfortunately, passed away in 1996, but his legacy continues. His children Mario, John, Martha, Josephine and Janet and the extended Molina family continue to serve this city in a number of fields and endeavors. Two of them are joining us today. John and Janet, thank you. Today. MOLINA Health care's a Fortune 500 multi-state health care organization. It serves more than 5 million individuals and families. Melina Health care is still headquartered in Long Beach. And David Melina's grandchildren I'm sorry, his children now run the company. His grandchildren are still involved in the city as well. Given the lasting contributions of Dr. David Melina to the city of Long Beach and his legacy of providing critical medical services to underserved communities throughout the nation, it is fitting to consider the new park at the Alamo, an organ in his honor. I move to refer this recommendation to the Parks Recreation Commission and Housing and Neighborhoods Committee for consideration and recommendation back to the City Council. And I would ask for my council colleagues for support in this endeavor. Thank you. Thank you. Council member. Would you like to make the motion this item? Is there a second? Great. Next up, Councilmember Ringa. Without question, the Molino family has been a staple and a steady source of hope here in the city of Long Beach. Their philanthropic endeavors in Long Beach and elsewhere is unquestioned and welcomed. And I see no cause to name this part anything other than the Sea Molina Park. Thank you, supporter. Thank you, Councilwoman Mongo. I too am very supportive of this. I think that they are a staple of our community. And when you go to anywhere. Else, Washington, D.C. or otherwise, and people. Say, wow, Long Beach is not only. Diverse, but one of the largest Hispanic owned businesses in the country is right here in Long Beach. And it's not just about being the biggest for them. It's also about providing quality. And I think that they provide not only quality to their customers. But knowing people that work there. They really provide a quality work environment and a lot of jobs to our neighbors. So we appreciate. All of that. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Andrews. Thank you, Vice Mayor. You know, I want to thank Councilman Osman bringing this item forward. You know, I have a lot of respect for the Parks and Recreation Commission. I hope they take into consideration this suggestion. John Molina was a wonderful person who looked out for the underserved. His legacy carries on, but we should honor him in a special way. And this park will be it. And I want to thank you guys again and thank you again. The stars of the great news for. Thank you, Councilmember Pearce. I also wanted to say this is a great item. I think honoring people that have done great work in Long Beach is always a great opportunity. A park where we talk about health as as we try to engage our youth to be active is also really important. And I also want to thank the Molina Foundation for their support of things like the aquarium, places of education. I think that you guys are doing a great job and we're really lucky to have you in Long Beach. So thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman Price. I want to echo everything that my colleagues have said, and I want to thank Councilman Austin for bringing this item forward. It's fitting and appropriate. And this is exactly the type of situation that we should keep in mind when we're talking about naming our public spaces. So thank you very much. And thank you to the Molina family for all they've done and all that you continue to do for our community. It's very much appreciated. Thank you, Councilman Andrea. So I mentioned John, but I know it's David was just trying to name a park after you already, so just stick around, buddy. Thank you. And I'll just add congratulations and thank you to Councilman Austin, everyone who signed on this, I think. MOLINA It's no secret these folks are very present in the community and this just sort of reaffirms that commitment. So you'll have my my clear support on this. So is there any public comment on this item? Hi. I'm Janet Molina. What? I just wanted to say thank you for considering. Honoring this our father by considering naming this park after him as one of five children. Parks are very important. Growing up, we were at Eldorado. Whaley taking different parks and. Rec classes from when we were growing up and then to our families. Now we still use the parks our kids ride, their bikes, their walk, their Greenspaces are so important. To the livelihood of communities and the health and well-being of. Everybody. So we really consider this an honor. Thank you. Thank you. Any further public comment? Is this the last public comment? If so, we'll close it after this. Good thinking, honorable mayor and members of the city council. My name is Rita Cox and I live in the eighth District and in Long Beach all my life. I love Long Beach and everything that it has to offer. I treasure the city's past, and I'm confident the future holds many positive changes. One of the positive changes that I'm happy to speak to you about tonight is the importance of the new 3.3 acre park at Alamo Boulevard and Oregon Avenue and the naming it in honor of Dr. Molina. This is an exceptional, wonderful opportunity for the community of the eighth District. There is more to a livable community than the development of property for residential and commercial uses. There is a need for parks, libraries and open space. Parks and open spaces are necessary components of a healthy, well-balanced community in the eighth District. There is just this need. As you're probably aware, the district is a high density residential community with mixed commercial uses. This new 3.3 acre park will improve and add to the quality of life for many. A place where people can go and get away from the everyday hustle and bustle. The location is ideal next to the Los Angeles River, with its additional benefits of walking, hiking trails, horses, ducks, a bike path to the beach. Just as importantly, I sincerely hope the park will remain open space now and in the future for the people. We need to protect our parks and open spaces for the precious resources they are. This is truly a win win situation. More open space for the community and also importantly, no fiscal impact for the city. I hope input from the surrounding community will serve to be a valuable part of the planning process and I hope plans will be available online along with the new library and the improvements of the first wetlands. This new park is a much needed and welcome addition to the district. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. CARROLL Sean and I live two. Blocks down the street from this park. And what better. Way to remember somebody. Continually by naming a park after them, especially since they've done so much for this city. Thank you. Thank you. And we have someone queued up up top to speak next. Wave your hand if you queued up to speak of top. Okay. Seeing none will move forward. The next speaker here. And Control. And no, I don't live in this district, but I am very happy to see that there is going to be another park in Long Beach. When this was being proposed. The developer who is providing the money for the park said that. The city wanted to put in artificial turf for the sports complex or the soccer field there. And he. Would be willing to put in natural grass with all of these people talking about open space. I hope you will consider putting in natural grass instead of artificial turf. As you are aware, artificial turf has to be fenced so that there is no damage to the field with food, with chewing gum, with bicycles, all the things that can tear up artificial turf. And so the general public is not going to have access to this section of the park that is going to be a soccer field . That's I'm glad that you are naming it after Dr. Molino, but I think you should also be considering having open space for the whole public. And this would be accessible to everyone, not just soccer. Thank you. Thank you. I don't see any other public comment. I'm going to turn this back over to council member Austin. Thank you. And I want to thank my and my colleagues for all of the supportive comments. I've heard a lot of supportive comments from the public as well. I want to make just a couple of points on this. This park has been been the long awaited resource for for the city. Again, it's been almost ten years getting to this point. And we have a lot of great assets that are connected to this park, including the DeForest Wetlands area, which is beautiful, natural open space just across the Alamo. We are developing the the Forest Wetlands Restoration Project, which is going to be beautiful, natural open space. It's right along the L.A. River, where people have the access to ride their bikes through recreation. And in the future, we hope to have uses of the L.A. River as recreational opportunities for for the public. And so when we talk about creating open space, that's exactly what we're doing in the eighth District in North Long Beach. There's going to be acres and acres of open space created. This is going to be an active, mostly active recreational space, which I think is going to be a tremendous addition to this community. And so, again, members, I would ask for your support. Thank you and great recommendation here. So we're very happy about this. Please go ahead. Cast your votes. Motion carries. Great. Thank you. And that moves on to the Parks and Recreation Commission. And now we're moving back over to item number ten.