Recommendation to receive and file the Letter of Completion from the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk for the Long Beach Minimum Wage for Healthcare Workers.
Vice Mayor Richardson. Motion carries nine zero. Thank you. 22, please. Communication from City Clerk Recommendation to receive and file the letter of completion from the Los Angeles Registrar Quarter County Clerk for the Long Beach Minimum Wage of Health Care Workers. Thank you. As a staff report here. There is no staff report on file. Mr. Modica, did you from the city clerk's office? This is. Yes, Johnny Vallejo. I can give a short staff report on this item. Thank you. Good evening, Vice Mayor and council members. So this this item here is to bring a petition that was submitted to to city clerk and confirmed and certified by the county clerk related to a petition in regards to health care, minimum wage increase. So in addition to this is somewhat related to a previous request for a minimum wage study that was requested previously from economic development staff, which we are currently in process of conducting. So we shared out via TFF recently an update on the status of that excuse me, of that minimum wage study. So as I understand you will be provided the, the certification in the language that was certified tonight and you will have certain actions that you may take tonight. Uh, one of those being an opportunity to wait for the completion of the study and reconsider this item at a later time. And that concludes my staff report. All right. Thank you, Councilman Ciro. Thank you, Vice Mayor. So is I mean, based on the TFF, is there any outcome of this study so far? So we have not completed the study. So the study is in process right now. We, the consultant LLC is currently working to um, to circulate a survey, uh, that is already being circulated with some of our partners and will be more broadly circulated starting tomorrow. And when do you expect us to get something that we will be able to review? It will be tight. I think we shared some of the timing considerations related with the study, the complexity of the study, and some of the, the hurdles that were, um, that were expressed to us by the consultant. They will, though, attempt to have a study completed in draft for presentation to the Economic Development Commission on August 1st and a very tight turnaround. We will then bring that that that study for review to the city council the following day, August 2nd. Thank you. I'd like to to. To motion that we continue the study until we're able to get it by August 1st to be able to have further discussion. And as far as how. How to proceed with our options. Thank you. Councilmember Garrincha. A very supporter of the site. I'm looking forward to the completion of the study. Thank you, sir. Public comment here. If there are any members of the public that would like to speak on item 22 in person, please line up at the podium in Zoom. Please use the raise hand feature or dial star nine now. We have one in Zoom. And over nine in line. Okay. So that means we go down the 90 seconds. So let's do this handle Zoom. Matter of fact, let's start here because they're going to actually be standing and the people on Zoom are going to be at home. So let's start right here. Thank you. All right. You recognize. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. Good evening. Um, honorable counsel officials here. And, uh, everybody. My name is Cynthia Okafor. I am a licensed vocational nurse at one of the psychiatric facilities here in Long Beach City. I am here to humbly implore you to. Consider raising minimum wage. For health care workers to $25 an hour. I know he mentioned about 30. And, um. While that is a process, I am still requesting that you listen to us and maybe be swayed by our arguments. So a $25 minimum wage for us. Minimum wage. Minimum, uh. Minority group actually because I say minority, because majority of the people who work, uh, at healthcare facilities, well, I'll use the place where I work. Uh, you know, mostly people. Of the minority group and majority of us, um. I'm really living beyond the poverty threshold in California. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It beats me. I don't know. Health care is something that nobody should be. Should be taking a back seat that I remember. Thank you. 2020 time many. Of us had okay. Many of us had in 2020 when the COVID case happened, when we had like the first outbreak of COVID things. You worked alone many times because I was burnt out. I almost gave up. You know, I worked with so many of. My colleagues and well, some of my colleagues felt the same way. We walked. Along. We were burnt out. If only we had therapy. Right. Thank you. Thank you. Think we really have to be fair to everyone. But thank you so very much for your testimony. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello. My name is Marcella. I just want to first off say that, you know, it's a privilege to hear us out, us as workers. Through this pandemic as health care workers have been there. When you think of health care, it's dedication, time, devotion, blood, sweat, tears. I have three kids and there's been many a times where I would have to do doubles and, you know, not see my kids off to school. And, you know, it hurts. But my devotion was to take care of patients. It's a struggle at times. But as a single mother, I tried to push through. But with everything on the rise, as far as groceries, rent, kids, there's no limit to payments. So I just hope that you guys really taking consideration to our struggle and our needs and we need help just as well as our patients do in our unit. We have COVID patients and it takes time, you know, away from our family to help them in order, you know, to save their lives and to help us keep our head above water, you know, to provide for our family. So I ask that you guys deeply consider our needs. Thank you. Thank you. Next week or please. Very good. Thank you. I love when I start this. I mean, I'm Miller Carlin. Oh, I'm sorry. Uh. Trabajo para la. Salud aqui in Long Beach. But am. I a key player in La Paramo and help mentor the paramount nosotros. System? Must be the. End the. Maintenance salary of the minimal work aloneness as it damsel Cousteau they re. The more. We got on ESA. Is more rural Salida the land people can nosotros is. Is the movie mucho cost of. Para nosotros. De la leche tortillas. La. Gasolina todo acevedo la renta todo necesitamos sobre sally salida adelante. You're so you're persona. Get me your you will get real mucho nosotros gammas al in Los Gatos the Los Pacientes Black It. Is cal mental used. I This guy knows that his grandmother's thermostat has done the same prep work. I am from Barnoldswick and Lana from gold. P e. Buddhism knows better than most is the cost of a no law. No law meant then get in. Was it not less system of supplicant looking lamenting but utterly rather lanthimos utter convinced that I be the con mistress. For a possible. Mistress illusionist. Yeah, it's total craziness. Thank you. Speaker, please. Hello. Thank you so much. My name is Amelia Carlene. Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you so much for being here. And I want to just to let you know, I work with Long Beach between Long Beach, Blue Lagoon in Paramount and Health Care Mental Clinic. We kindly request to each one of you today that we need for you to increase wages is really difficult because we're barely making ends meet. It's very difficult for us. The cost of living just by itself milk, tortillas, gas, everything has increased drastically. So we actually want that change to make happen. I mean, I'm a person, I can tell you that I'm a hard working person. Every day of risking my life are risking working with patients, not just with them, but even actually even having the risk of getting hit by them. And also, we can only request once again that you make this change. We need that increase. It's getting very difficult just to make ends meet on a daily basis. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker, please. Thank you very much, Vice Mayor and members of the City Council, Alex Jones, speaking tonight on behalf of the Hospital Association. Of Southern California. I want to thank each of you individually for your engagement in recent weeks on this very complex issue. As you'll hear from members of the coalition tonight, we've got two major concerns. One I think was voiced earlier tonight as part of the motion, and that is with the timing of the economic impact study. It's a very complex issue. Long Beach is a very nuanced, complex city. If we rush into this without knowing what the economic impacts are directly or indirectly, I think we're doing the voters an injustice. The second issue is a good governance issue, and that is this should be put to the vote of the people. Again, Long Beach is a diverse constituency, lots of ideas, lots of complex issues. People have a diversity of opinion on it. We would ask that you wait for the economic impact study. Give yourselves and your voters time to digest the findings of that study. As a group, we are a stakeholder and we are engaged with leads. But what we've heard so far is that there will be significant time constraints on doing a proper study of this very complex issue. Number two, we would ask that from a good governance standpoint that you put this matter on the ballot and let the people of Long Beach decide. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next week, a police. Good evening. My name is Kristin Pugh. I'm the vice president for government relations for the memorial care health system. As you know. Our system includes. Memorial care at Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's and Women's Hospital, as well as other ambulatory sites of care in the city. We are proud of our long, deep history. With over 100 years providing compassionate and quality health care to the Long Beach residents. Our hospitals are top regional. Providers of medical services. And that is thanks in part by our dedicated workers. From environmental services to radiology to pharmacy and many others. I'm here today. To speak on the proposed. Health care wage measure and to recognize and thank you, the Council, for requesting an economic impact report. As with other hospitals. Community clinics. Workers and local organizations, we are concerned about this proposed measure. The measure is arbitrary, unequal and discriminatory. It excludes the. Majority of workers in the city. Could deepen inequities in the health care system. And jeopardize. Access to care. We are proud and appreciative of the professionalism, hard work and personal sacrifice that all of our employees make and have made to treat. Our patients during this pandemic. But unfortunately, on acting, this measure. Is not the way to show appreciation. Again, I want to thank this Council for recommending the city to conduct an economic analysis to better understand the impacts of this measure. We hope you agree this is something the voters should have the opportunity to inspect on their own. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Lock on some very much. My name is Florrie Munoz. I was working for 30 years at some Mary's Medical Center as a CNE and as well as a dialysis tech for 18 years working two jobs to support my family as I am a single mother. One of the big issues that the hospitals right now is they're being short of staff and during the pandemic got worse. The reality is that hundreds of health care workers are working for less than $25 per hour. And. After the pandemic. Got worse. Even after that, we risk our lives and our families lives taking care of patients during the pandemic. And we still do. The inflation is 8.4% higher. Yes. Last year alone. How we can live with a salary that barely cover our living expenses. We are here to ask you, all of you, please. Please support our. $25 minimum wage for clear language. And they did that and they did it. Please don't leave language behind with the servant. We are it. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next week, at least. Good evening, council members. My name is Celine Castillo. I've been a CNE for six years and I have been working for St Mary's Hospital in Long Beach since the beginning of the pandemic. But even in the work, even in my work as a skilled credential health care worker, I have to work two jobs to make ends meet because I also work as a CNE in San Pedro. I've been getting tested for COVID weekly since March of 2020 due to the degree of exposure. I faced many challenges in my life. I'm grateful for my opportunities as a student and a doc, a recipient. I am working hard to follow my calling and serve my community, but I have nothing to show for my sacrifices. Having to work two jobs has meant everything else in my personal life has been on delayed. We, as health care workers, are feeling broken throughout the pandemic. I had to isolate myself from my family, my friends, because I couldn't risk getting them sick. Even I had I. I even had to care for a fellow coworker who contracted COVID and passed away on my watch. The experience has been very lonely and hard on me psychologically. I can't. But I continue to work in health care because I love what I do. I could make 24 an hour at Target or become an insurance agent like some of my former coworkers, many who have decided is not worth staying to endure the stress while feeling undervalued and left short staffed. 80% of health care workers believe California is definitely going through a crisis of short staffing. It's real. Your time has expired, ma'am. Thank you so much. Thank you. Right next to the police. Good evening, Vice Mayor. City Council members. My name is Laura Culbertson. I am the chief human resources officer at College Medical Center. College Medical is a 221 bed acute care hospital with surgery, medical and behavioral health services. It has been a fixture in the community for 65 years. We employ over a little over a thousand employees and provide services for approximately 20,000 patients annually. Many of those patients are dramatically underserved in our community, including those with behavioral health issues and individuals with limited economic means. This measure, while it does increase all employee wages, it doesn't account for how we are reimbursed, which is generally a flat fee, which with no negotiation to increase. We're dedicated to serving behavioral health patients. We have plans in the works. We're about to open a 27 bed additional unit. However, due to this measure, there are concerns that we'll have to limit the number of beds in the community. Um. You know, I think that arbitrarily creating a two tier system is going to lead to work for lead to a workforce shortage at smaller clinics and public health care facilities, jeopardizing, jeopardizing access and quality of care for Long Beach's already underserved communities, including those 2000 homeless people that you spoke about earlier. Time has expired, ma'am. Thank you so much for your time. Okay. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Right. Hi. My name is Vanessa Rodriguez and I work at St Mary's Hospital. I have been working there for 15 years and I work in the IVF department. And as you can see, we have a thin kitchen people and we I work. Been working there 15 years. So since day one, we've been there working through the COVID period. Some people without vacation denied a vacation because of the shortage of the staff. So I feel we deserve it. Because we've been there day after day, working, seeing patients passed away. We've been there families. We've been there for them. We've been working in every single patient's. Room, cleaning the rooms. So we for me, emotionally. Having to see patients passed away, it's mentally hurt. My feelings and everything, having to be there. But we are still there. We never gave up. And we're still there. So I feel we deserve it. And then the cost of life. The life, the cost, the especially Long Beach. I grew up here. It's changed a lot. Really lot. Lost everything up. I'm pretty sure medical expenses have. Gone up too. So I feel we deserve it. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thanks to the police. Good evening. My name is Reverend Stanley Kim, and I am the director of Mission Integration, the St Mary Medical Center. And these are my colleagues. And it pains me to stand before you, but I ask for your counsel as well as your prudence. We all seem very supportive of our 400,000 patients annually and of which the 70% are under insured. Our outreach programs and medical care results in over $67 million of a net community benefit annually. We are your safety net hospital seeing high medical and uninsured. Our number one focus is maintaining access to the care we provide. Enacting measures that implement higher wages at some facilities while excluding the other majority of others, is not only inequitable, but also creates an unstable market. For instance, this will take a heavy toll on staffing as skilled nursing facilities. Since COVID, we have been struggling to place individuals in lower levels of care. With more surges happening as we speak, this would impact the total system of care in Long Beach. We can move patients out. We can take critical COVID patients in. We understand that the US has had a tight turn around and should the analysis exclude some important economic considerations? We believe continuing to do thorough research on this measure is important. Our residents also should have an opportunity to weigh the merits of this measure and determine whether the policy is good for the Long Beach community. So your time is strongly urge the Council to refer the measure to the ballot. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Thank you, everyone. Let's let's let's move through public comment. Thank you so much. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is James Bell and I'm a radiology tech. I work for Kaiser Permanente. And I'll be very upfront with you gentlemen and ladies. This does not impact me directly at all. But I am speaking here in support of the $25 minimum wage for healthcare workers. We've heard from the California Hospital Association of the various employers saying how this would be a negative impact to them. But the bottom line is they're trying to create a divide between health care workers of the haves and the have nots. It is labor's contention that everybody deserves $25 an hour as a minimum wage working in health care. You're doing an impact study. I was at Downey when they discussed doing the same thing. And the and the legal expert there said the likelihood of getting an effective and accurate assessment by August 1st is unlikely, in part because the data you're going to have to get is going to be from the California Hospital Association and the various employers who are not going to give out confidential information about their finances to you, because that could impact them in a competition. So they're not going to give you accurate information and they're going to tell you what they. Want you to hear. And they're going to spend millions of dollars to lie to the voters if it goes to the ballot. And we're talking about millionaires who run these hospitals. Sorry to tell. You that I make too much money. Thank you. So I'm asking. You, please. On behalf of labor. To support this measure for the health care heroes. So you're supposed to be honoring that, sir. Thank you. Good evening. Council members and Vice Mayor Richardson. I am from the Hospital. Association and I'm here today to speak with you. About the. Minimum wage health care worker initiative. The previous caller said that we are choosing winners and losers. But I want to make clear, this measure chooses winners and losers. This measure targets. Private facilities. And integrated systems. It excludes community clinics, Planned Parenthood clinics, acute care. Senior living facilities. This measure is the measure that causes a divide. And as you heard. From many of the speakers, there is already a workforce shortage going on. In health care. The hospitals are well aware of that. Those that are included and those are excluded are working to recruit and retain health care workers every day. This is not the way to do it. Choosing winners and losers. Just, just a moment, folks, please. Just a moment. This doesn't help us get through the process. We want to make sure everybody's heard no matter which side, and that you get your full 60 seconds. So when that happens, we have to roll back more time. So just respect, respect the process. Let's go ahead and move through. Thank you. Thank you. So this does not. We're asking you not to put us in a position where. You're choosing winners and losers. We're asking you to do an economic. Study to look at the overall impact on health care systems. And we applaud you for that step. Monterey Park has taken that step today. Inglewood sent this to the ballot. Duarte has sent this to the ballot. And yes, there has been some cities that have. Chosen to move forward. And those cities are currently experiencing a referendum. Because this issue is. Discriminatory and it chooses winners or losers. Losers matter. Time is up. Treats people working, doing the same job at different locations differently. Thank you for thank. You for your time. Next speaker, please. Hi. Good evening. I tried to do the best I could. Thank you for be here for us. Because you guys represent to all of us. And for that, we both for you guys. Well, we want to tell you about they really we need that. The rent is very expensive. You can find one bedroom, 1500, no minimum. That that is very expensive. The gasoline. What happened in Ukrainian? They sent already five packet the money of Crimea. So we need help like. Ukrainian to. You know sergeant do you represent us. So first. Here. Later there but very good help Ukrainian but help. Us to. We need that for candles so barber. And coming another thing like monkey part it's another thing impact to also everybody is scared because we don't know what's going to happen for you for me and we already have a lot employer death so my hospital is good because give me a good things but. We need you guys help you too. I everybody know only. Employee of the Empresario something like that. Everybody because if you have money for other things can have on it for us. So please help. To us in off of them and everybody because they can do their self. You represent and need to help everybody because we live in the United States. Thank you. Please. Thank you. Thank you for. Your time. Next week. The please. Yes. Sorry. Thank you. Come forward. Good evening. My name is Kimberly Estrada. And I'm. Speaking in support of raising the minimum wage. I would like to let you guys know that I am a food service. Worker at. St Mary's. My mother is here. She is a housekeeper at St Mary's. My sister works in the. Lobby in St Mary's. Checks in visitors and staff. My entire family has given its livelihood to this amazing hospital. But during the pandemic, you know, I. Have seen the change and we've all been short staffed, so much so that they. Eliminated. Positions and. Disperse the workload among the workers that. Stayed. And, of course, the pay didn't go up, you know, and it's not. Like just because you're sure you're. Not going to feed two floors of patients, we get it done because we have to. We care about our patients. So I'm here to ask you to support us in raising that minimum wage. The last five. People. That have been hired in my department this year to help us with that problem. All of them have quit. A day, a week, a month. Every single one of them. You think you're getting help and they all leave. And I ask myself, why is that? Our pays and competitive anymore. And it's bordering on unsustainable. So please help us, because we're asking for your help. We need it badly. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. And I can face six sense for president. I was born at 2776 Pacific Avenue. There used to be Pacific Hospitals, now college medical. I'm speaking in support of the workers. I think they should get more than $25. But I accept the number that you guys want. But it's interesting to me that we all obviously have a rank and file versus senior management conversation here as effectively split on the die the aisles here. But it's interesting to me that the woman from college made a medical reference that they might not be able to pursue a further 27 bed expansion to, you know, attack our homeless population due to this particular process. That's crazy, because currently, as it stands, the state of California, the highest medical fraud case was from Pacific Hospital when $900 million was stolen by Dr. Faustino Bernadette. And that money was still being used for why they can't pay people a fair wage. And also, the only person that Trump pardoned, uh, in California outside of Duncan Hunter, it's interesting to me where money the the lack of money is ignored. And and when it's supported, it's supported when you can pay people a couple of hundred thousand dollars to do kickback schemes and steal from the workers tax payers like ourselves. When workers come up here and ask for a fair wage, there's no money. That's wrong. Your time has expired. It's wrong. Thank you. Our last speaker. Hello, city councilman. My name is James Marks. I'm a former health care worker. I worked in health care for many years. And I'm here at a for support of these people who put their lives on the line every single day. They're underpaid. They're under-resourced, out of work that they do. They overdue. Trust me, I know. You know, they owe their lives on the line with COVID and everything else. Not only that, but in some institutions, they're working. They're working with. With their. Lives, their health is jeopardized. So I just want to say, I'm here for support of them and the working class. You all everyone up here, we all, we're working class people and some of us, we still are to this day, our parents, our great grandparents. We're working class people. So we're all able to relate to what they're saying. This is not about you have inflation going up. This is a. Survival thing going on right now with people. People are in dire straits. They're in desperate need. People need relief. And I don't know any one else who deserves it other than needs. And then you have someone who comes here from corporate who's saying what they don't need. I worked in College Medical Center. Trust me, I know they have the resources and the fans are everywhere and corporate, they have it. It's just a matter of the we'll the political will to do it for the people and the hard to do it for the people. Thank you very much. And ah, I missed it. Thank you. We have one speaker zoom does it. We have one speaker in Zoom. All right. Let's let's handle the Zoom. Speak three in a row. So that. Evening, my name is Serena Jo Cell, and I am assistant director of public affairs at Kaiser Permanente South Bay. I want to thank the Council for working with the L.A. EDC to conduct a thorough impact analysis. Kaiser Permanente has served Long Beach since 1954. We are the largest private employer in the state of California and we employ 147 staff in positions that are Long Beach medical officers who care for more than 32,000 members. We take. Great pride in providing competitive. Pay, strong benefits and exceptional support to our employees. Everyone is concerned about health care worker burnout, and that is why we have invested so heavily in supporting our workforce, particularly over the past two and a half years. We have provided additional COVID related benefits, including childcare, grant, alternative housing, additional paid sick leave and onsite counseling. And we provided bonus payments to all of our employees. The issue of burnout is serious, complex and multifactorial. The solution placed before you by the initiative's proponents will not fix this problem. Instead, it threatens to deepen the disparities in our broader health care system, exacerbating the challenges that community clinics already face in hiring as they struggle to compete for staff. We thank the Council for taking steps to fully understand the potential consequences of the proposed measure and ask that you ultimately let the voters decide. Thank you. That concludes public comment. All right. Thank you, sir. Will now take you back behind the rail. Thank everyone for their public comment. We have a motion. Mr. City Attorney, can you restate the motion. Has as I understand, the motion is to continue this item until you August 2nd when you have the economic study. Back at that time, the decision under the election code for the Council will be to either adopt the the initiative as written without changes or place it on the ballot. Right. Okay. So let's go ahead and move on to the roll call vote, please. Councilman's in the house. I. Councilman allen. I. Councilman Price, I. Councilman super. Now I. Councilwoman Mongo I. Councilwoman Ciro, I. Councilmember Your Honor, I. Councilman Austin. Hi, Vice Mayor Richardson. Motion carries nine zero. Thank you. Now we're going to move up item number 28, the sister cities presentation. I'm going to hand over hand it over to Councilman Austin to manage this one. Thank you. Item two so.