Our guest today is Jamie Tijerina, Director At-Large from the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, where she chairs the Culture and Equality Committee and serves as the Digital Communications Liaison. Jamie is part of a new breed of board members who recognize the platform Neighborhood Councils provide for young activists — a label she’s been reticent about in the past. Her community has transformed as much as any in recent years and she’s using the Neighborhood Council system to make sure more voices are heard. Thank YOU for showing up to this conversation! We hope you enjoy.
Show Notes:
What in the world is “Flow Cytometry”?
Jamie’s day job is in biotechnology working in Flow Cytometry. Read more about it here if you think you can keep up!
Community Impact Statement (CIS)
A Community Impact Statement (or CIS) is an official statement or position adopted by a Neighborhood Council on issues pending before the City’s decision makers. You can learn more about them here.
SB 54: The California Values Act
Jamie mentioned the “layers of protection” for immigrants in her community. She was referencing, in part, a recently adopted state law called Senate Bill 54, a series of non-cooperation policies between California authorities and federal immigration enforcement. The law and its implications were taken up by City Council, giving neighborhood councils an opportunity to provide formal comment as well.
Sanctuary City Policy
The Highland Park community made national news when Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials as he was dropping his kids off at school. This prompted Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council (HHPNC) to take action, writing a CIS in support of a proposed “sanctuary city” policy before the City Council. You can read their CIS here.
HHPNC Candidate Forum
In 2017, HHPNC held an innovative online candidate forum for Council District One candidates. You can find video of that forum here.
LawMaker Proposal for Weekend/Evening Meetings
Jamie is passionate about access. Her proposal to increase access to City Council by holding more weekend and evening meetings is being considered by the City Council right now. You can find her original proposal here. You can also find the council file from Councilman Ryu that called for the feasibility study here.
EmpowerLA’s monthly podcast is produced by Arin Abedian and hosted by Brett Shears.
The views expressed in the EmpowerLA Podcast do not necessarily reflect those of EmpowerLA or the City of Los Angeles. The veracity of any claims made during the recording are the sole responsibility of the host and guest(s).
