City to create human rights committee
Group will provide advice, recommendations
PALMDALE — The City Council approved creation of a Human Rights Advisory Committee on Tuesday night.
The committee will provide advice and actionable recommendations to the mayor, City Council and city manager to help build and maintain an inclusive community by cultivating awareness, creating diversity, encouraging sensitivity, promoting equity and improving relations with various segments of the community, according a description.
The committee’s membership was a sticking point with some members of the Council.
Mayor Steve Hofbauer has been working with a steering committee to develop the committee. There is no official list of proposed members.
There will be at least seven voting members who would be appointed by the mayor with the approval of the City Council. Committee members would serve a two-year term and may be reappointed for additional terms.
There is no residency requirement for the committee.
“We want to be able to let our residents have a voice,” Councilwoman Laura Bettencourt said. “Not having a residency requirement means that anybody from another state, another city, another county, can come in try to influence and make decisions for people that live within our community.”
Hofbauer said it is up to the
Council to confirm his appointees. He noted a member of the steering committee lives in Lancaster.
“Always try to let people within our immediate nuclear family of Palmdale have the opportunity to have their voices and their pains and their life experiences and things that they’re dealing with in our own community; they should have the voice first,” Bettencourt said.
Councilman Juan Carrillo sup
ported membership priority for Palmdale residents before it is opened up to residents of the Antelope Valley, or beyond.
Mayor Pro Tem Richard Loa seconded Councilman Austin Bishop’s motion for the Council to accept the proposed ordinance as written.
Carrillo added a substitute motion to direct staff to bring the ordinance back with amended language that would allow each Council member to appoint a member of the committee to be ratified by the council. Bettencourt seconded Carrillo’s motion. She also wanted to give preference to Palmdale residents.
That motion failed 3-2, with Hofbauer, Bishop and
Loa dissenting.
The council approved Bishop’s original motion on a 4-1 vote, with Carrillo dissenting.
“I just want to make it clear I said yes so that we could get this ball rolling, but I expect those changes to be made, probably at our next Council meeting,” Bettencourt said.
Community members supported the proposed committee.
City Manager J.J. Murphy read an email from a community member who suggested the council table the proposed committee and instead work to reactivate the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force, then include citizens from both cities and the Antelope Valley’s unincorporated communities.
Another community member thanked Hofbauer for his efforts and urged the City Council to support the proposed committee.
“For the city to adequately assess issues of human rights, it is important to have a diversity of life experiences and the ability to adapt to changing societal concerns,” the community member wrote.
Members of the public were allowed to address the Council in person for the first time in about five months since restrictions were put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Palmdale resident Matthew Wheeler, who is gender non-conforming, grew up in the city and came to adulthood as a gay person.
“In the 32 years I’ve lived here I have never seen any support for my community in this Valley,and I would really like to see that change,” Wheeler said in comments at Tuesday’s meeting. “And so I’m very thankful that the City of Palmdale is being proactive in creating commission.”
Wheeler added he wants the proposed committee to see the LGBTQ community as allies acknowledge the struggles LGBTQ people have to deal with.
“We always hear what people in government are doing wrong,” Wade Alexander said. “We rarely ever hear what they’re doing right. I think that this, on behalf of the City Council and everyone else here is definitely a step in the right direction in establishing this committee.
As a bisexual man, it means a lot to me, personally, that our community is acknowledged and we have a seat at the table.”
Xavier Flores also expressed for the proposed human rights advisory committee.
“If the proposed committee is to provide advice and actionable recommendations to the mayor, City Council and city manager for the purposes of building and maintaining an inclusive community, it will need to, one, be composed of individuals who truly understand the nature of racism and discrimination and how it permeates every level of our society through the institutions and systems,” Flores said.
Flores added members of the proposed committee need to work independently and maintain as much distance as possible from the council’s interference.
Juan Blanco served on the
AV Human Relations Task Force for 10 years until it was disbanded.
“I appreciate, Mr. Mayor, your wanting to outreach and work towards improving relations with our community,” Blanco said. “But any committee formed for such a purpose needs to stand aside from and not be seen as political, or under the influence or obligation of the government.”
Sky Jung, who submitted an email comment, also addressed the City Council in person.
Jung, a member of the transgender community, urged the Council to pay attention to the importance of the lived human experience.
“When you’re dealing with human rights, the human experience is probably one of the most key portions,” Jung said. “It is important that the voices of the African American community, the Hispanic community,and all other protected communities under the federal government be acknowledged within this body.”
The establishment of the Human Rights Committee will become effective 30 days after adoption of the ordinance, or Oct. 1.
“I just want to make it clear I said yes so that we could get this ball rolling.” — Laura Bettencourt Palmdale councilmember