good morning. Welcome to LA on the Record, City Hall’s newsletter. It’s Julia Wick, with the help of David Zernaiser and Hannah Wiley.

“Rek and Park? More like ‘Recked’ and ‘Parks’.”

These were the words of a field representative for City Council District 13. Laila Molinaaddresses a time-honored civic tradition in Los Angeles of badmouthing opponents before the Dragon Boat Race at the Echo Park Lotus Festival.

Los Angeles civics politicians and officials have long proved their mettle and earned their bragging rights by rowing rowboats around Echo Park Lake faster than other city hall losers. rice field.

The Lotus Festival, one of the city’s largest Asian festivals and a celebration of the eponymous flower, has been held by the Recreation and Parks Authority since the early 1970s. Dragon races were introduced shortly after the festival started. Elected officials and city officials have been putting together race teams for decades, and several will be at the festival this weekend.

row with other members of parliament Hugo Soto Martinezoffice, Molina will take on the Lek & Parks team on Saturday at 2pm.

“If you think CD 13 can beat us, I’m really disappointed.” Anita Meachamsaid the supervisor of Rek and Parks, which oversees the Lotus Festival, with a hearty laugh. (Meacham will be paddling for two different rec teams and the Park team this weekend, but CD 13 wants to reassess his hopes of winning, as he doesn’t remember exactly how many races he’s participated in so far.) may be.)

City Hall’s tradition of rivalry stems from the fact that both City Council Districts 1 and 13 sponsor the Lotus Festival, and at some point someone decided they should compete, he said. Stated. Stephen Lee, a member of the Lotus Advisory Board and Chairman of the Dragon Boat Race. The park is located on CD 13 but is adjacent to CD 1.

Fighting on the water was especially fierce. Mayor Eric Garcetti represented CD 13 and Ed Reyes was a councilor for CD 1. And Garcetti’s notoriously competitive team continued to raise the stakes when he was mayor.

“We were all surprised when they started calisthenics and asked for extra practice time.” Rolla Islandanother Lek and Parks supervisor who had previously overseen the festival, said of Team Garcetti:

A former Garcetti official denied rumors that the mayor at the time had invited college athletes to call for the Lotus Festival, saying the former team was simply “seriously recruiting people from the office who wanted to do boat racing.” said. If they happen to be doing well, so be it.

city ​​controller Kenneth Mejia The digitally savvy politician has already posted multiple videos to Instagram showing him and his staff training ahead of the festival.Mejia’s team faces the mayor’s staff Karen Bassoffice on Sunday afternoon.

“We are definitely looking to win,” Mejia said on Friday, noting that he and his staff had been preparing with shoulder and back training.

The air traffic controller, who is believed to be the only elected official who will actually be on the boat this weekend, will be rowing alongside the chief of staff. Jane Nguyen special project director Vincent de Vera Responsibility and Oversight Officer Sergio PerezCommunications Director Diana Chan Director of Research and Political Affairs Michael ShearChief of Staff Jackie Rodarte and Deputy Finance Manager Maria Rosas.

Bus Deputy Press Secretary Gaby Mars The mayor’s team hasn’t practiced on the water yet, but said they “have had more meetings” and are “getting stronger mentally.”

‘All Bus No Break’ race team includes Maas and Press Secretary Buss Clara KargerDeputy Mayor Brian K. WilliamsDeputy Mayor Randall WinstonDirector of the Legislative Bureau Christa KleinBudget Advisor Kenneth Ann and digital manager Lizbeth Chavez. (Klein is a former college rower, Maas said.)

After a painful year of chaos and chaos at City Hall, the playful tradition is a welcome respite for some.

“Sometimes things get gloomy and serious within the government. It’s just light and silly fun, but it’s pleasantly unexpected,” said one city official.

That said, the roots of dragon boat racing tradition are decidedly darker.

According to legend, the race began thousands of years ago to commemorate the death of the ancient Chinese poet and politician Qu Yuan, who committed suicide by drowning in the Miluo River.

Yuan is said to have plunged into despair over government corruption.

connection of sacs

— Reversal in Sacramento: The state’s Public Safety Commission reversed course on Thursday by voting in favor of a bill that would increase penalties for repeated sex trafficking of minors, two days after it rejected the bill. The inflammatory debate around the proposal could spill over into next year’s city council elections, which will see three state legislators running. Wendy Carrillo and Miguel Santiago east side and Reggie Jones-Sawyer — Chairman of the Public Safety Commission — Mr. Carrillo of South Los Angeles, tweeted her support for the bill. The other two initially abstained, but later voted in favor, along with Jones Sawyer. hopeful “Improve this bill”.

state of play

— Giving and Receiving: Four months ago, Siti Ati. Heidi Feldstein Soto The city announced it had found a lawyer to defend the troubled Skid Row Housing Trust housing portfolio.Feldstein Soto recommends a lawyer Mark Adams He served as a court-appointed trustee for those assets, but was asked to be removed after a few weeks.What Feldstein Soto didn’t mention was that Adams hosted the fundraiser For her campaign last fall, she received at least $8,500 from Adams and co-workers.

— 100 Yard Buffer: Two people who participated in the protest Rich Serzienko and Mr. Italy, He was ordered to stay 100 meters away from the homes and offices of city councilors for the next 12 months. These requirements were met in court to enable Mr. Sergienko, co-founder of the People’s City Council, and Ms. Italia, who has been involved in J-Town Action & Solidarity, to avoid criminal charges filed over their case. It was part of the deal that was exchanged. Behavior at last summer’s chaotic city council.

— arson arrest…: Los Angeles Police Department officer arrested A 36-year-old homeless man suspected of arson linked to a fire at the office of the chief legislative analyst on Saturday Sharon Tso. Police said the man smashed a window in Tso’s second-floor office and threw an object with an accelerator inside. Ms Tso said the fire was extinguished after sprinklers were activated, causing extensive water damage to her office.

…and murder: A man was shot dead Thursday at a homeless camp across from Los Angeles City Hall. The mayor’s office said the man was a participant in the Bus Inside Safe program, which moves homeless residents to hotels and motels.

— Postpone: Los Angeles City Council Current price Successfully stayed arraignment on perjury, embezzlement and conflict of interest charges. The arraignment is now scheduled for Aug. 28, just three days after a congressional rules committee is scheduled to revisit the issue of whether he should be suspended. while he contests the charges.

– what to do: board member Kevin De Leon announced this week the city’s first pre-approved free attached housing standard plan. The Daily News’ Lynn Tat reported. The plan will allow residents to use the designs free of charge, which is expected to save ADU-seeking homeowners $20,000 to $30,000 in construction and design costs.

— Los Angeles Police Department Secrets: For two years, the Los Angeles Police Department did not disclose the names of the bomb squads that blew up much of the South Los Angeles area, nor did they outline the disciplinary actions they received. Our colleagues Britney Mejia, Revol Janney and Richard Winton have identified the police officers involved in the June 2021 explosion. One of the officers is now in the ministry’s training department, and another was promoted to sergeant at some point after the explosion.

— Journalism 101: Mejia and Janie have been accused of crossing an ethical line. LAPD Chief Michelle Moore and the police union board visited the home of the officer named in this article to see if she would like to comment. Knocking on doors to otherwise unreachable article subjects is standard practice and a cornerstone of responsible journalism. Reporters did not follow the woman home, as the police union claimed.

quick hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s program to bring people back indoors did not launch a new operation this week.But Bass signed the contract State of emergency declaration updated As for the homeless issue, she will continue to be able to circumvent competitive bidding requirements as she tries to address the crisis.

• Next week’s agenda is: The city council remains in recess. On the other hand, the fire committee meet It’s due Tuesday to elect a president and discuss the 2021 report on the fire department’s response to employee misconduct complaints.