MINUTES
Special Meeting of the
City of Huntington Park City Council
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
The special meeting of the City Council of the City of Huntington Park, California was called to order at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 6550 Miles Avenue, Huntington Park, California; Mayor Arturo Flores presiding.
PRESENT: Council Member(s): Macias, Sanabria, Vice Mayor Martinez, and Mayor Flores
ABSENT: None
CITY OFFICIALS/STAFF: City Manager Ricardo Reyes; Eduardo Sarmiento City Clerk; Cosme Lozano Police Chief; Gerardo “Gerry” Lopez Public Works Director; Jeff Jones Finance Director; Sergio Infanzon Community Development Director; Cynthia Norzagaray Parks and Recreation Director; Andrew Sarega City Attorney.
INVOCATION
Invocation lead by Mayor Arturo Flores.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Jonathan Sanabria.
PRESENTATION(S)
1. None
PUBLIC COMMENTS
The following people/ person provided public content:
1. Vera De Vit- Not support of appointment. Illegal.
2. Karina Rivas- Select somebody who is qualified.
3. Albert Robles- You personally will be taking risk.
4. Maria Ruvaculba- Community is not happy with what is occurring.
5. John Doe- Have the opportunity to make a change tonight.
6. Jane Doe
7. Yesenia- Look into getting more funds to get programming for kids.
8. Jennifer Selbaya- Support of Nancy Martiz
9. Yvonne CorreaSTAFF RESPONSE
All concerns and issues were addressed accordingly.
SPECIAL AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL
1. CONSIDERATION OF CITY COUNCIL VACANCY – APPLICANT
PRESENTATIONS AND POSSIBLE APPOINTMENT TO FILL VACANT COUNCIL SEAT
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT CITY COUNCIL:
1. Receive presentations from applicants seeking appointments to the vacant City Council seat.
2. At the Council’s discretion, discuss the applications and/or ask questions of the applicants; and
3. Consider making an appointment to fill the vacant City Council seat in accordance with Government Code § 36512 and Huntington Park Municipal Code § 2-9.02(a), pursuant to the recent stay issued by the California Court of Appeal.
Applicant Presentations:
1) Christopher Garcia- 20 yrs old, son of immigrant parents, lifelong resident of Huntington Park, received K-12 in Huntington Park. Past 6 years, dedicated to student/ school role. Recently attended UCR, a government entity fighting to protect student visas. Although young, he has already written legislation and continues to build momentum.
2) Diana Garcia- Absent
3) Blake McCormack- Resident with Husband in City of Huntington Park. Homeowners and Neighbors deserve to be proud of their community. Advocate for investment in communities that lack resources. Sees the need in community for assistance. This council is not trusted by the community. It is not fair that their time, effort, and money leads to unfinished projects. Will work on making the council a pillar of this community.
4) Valentin Palos Amesquita- Qualified City Council pick. Lived in City since 1970s, and homeowner since 1988. Graduated from High School and USC Graduate. Worked for Board of Los Angeles as a project manager. Wants to work with the youth and the seniors.
5) Frank Angeles- Born and raised in Huntington Park. Has a PHD from UCR. Son of two immigrants. Sacrifice hard work and determination you can achieve anything.
He is grateful for the city that raised him. Huntington Park deserves leadership that will face the challenges head on and can be the strong voice of decisions that will be made and implemented for members of this community. Solve complex problems, plan effectively, and work with the challenges city faces. He knows the issues that community members face. He represents both sides, the families that have built it and for the next generations. Wants to collaborate to provide services to the city of Huntington Park.
6) Carlos Aragon- 37 years old. Born and raised in Huntington Park. Worked in HUB Cities and YMCA. Volunteered both inside and outside of Huntington Park. Will continue to support city council to improve the city council. 7) Hairo Avila- Resident of Huntington Park. Lived in City most of the life. Aware of the City’s History. He knows the struggles as his family had similar ones; however, he knows that this city still can be great. Bachelors from Cal State University, Los Angeles and Masters from Cal State University Northridge. 8) Vicente Cadena- Huntington Park resident for 55 years. Cares about the future. He would support law enforcement and first respondents. His priorities would include restoring the city to it’s former glory. A city with integrity, quality, and charm. With more than 33 years of political experience. He can negotiate and navigate the complexity of the government.
9) Ruben Cardiel- Just because I know the Councilmember doesn’t mean that I am going to be selected. 50-year-old Chicano. Resident for 16 years and homeowner.
Went to Bell High School and lived in Huntington Park. I lived in southeast LA for a long time. He’s worked in social services for 27 years. 10 of those are a residential director.
10)Cynthia Constanca11)Carlos Córdova- 30+ Year resident of Huntington Park. Has seen the many challenges this city has faced. Raised his family and is deeply invested in this community. He also has business here. He will listen to the voice of residents.
Looking forward to possibility of serving.
12)Ernie Cortez- Help create a better city for the residents. He wants to work towards parking solutions. Looking to bring night life and stronger businesses to pacific boulevard. Will not make unnecessary spending.
13)Rodolfo Cruz- It’s nice to see people. Been a resident since 1977. The city has fallen a lot since them. We need to bring programming back to the youth and elderly. We need to bring businesses back to Pacific Boulevard. The past actions of the city are dragging the future of the city. He wants to serve humans. 14)Lorena Valenzuela- Served on the Civil Service and Health and Education Commission. Wants to see City thrive. Leadership experience in the community. Has held local leadership positions since the 2000s. She would be an asset to the City.
She was instrumental in creating and developing many school programs through ballot measures. She has brought many programs to local schools including Emanicipation Project in collaboration with UCLA. Open to discussing ideas of problem solving, expectations and enhancements to see the city progress. As well as provide residents with the best services possible.
15)David Sanchez- Dr. David Sanchez. Been in Huntington Park since the Civil Rights movement. Has always been involved.
16)Horacio Sanchez- Lifelong resident of Huntington Park. Been an activist for years.
Change takes time. With perseverance, advocacy and community we can be the change we want to see. Wants to give back to the community. Went to college and then returned home. My goal is to give back to the community. Huntington Park is his home. Professionally he has 15 years of experience in social services. He has built pathways to community programming. He is lead with ethics, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.
17)Jose Amed Padilla- Willing to solve problems. Works in STEM. Wants to work towards finding parking solutions. He isn’t seeking long term power. His focus is to serve with integrity.
18)Mario Rivas19)Beatrice Rivas- Over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship and as a professional tax preparer. She knows how to assist businesses. Businessowners in the city have shared their concerns already with her through her job. Residents deserve quality representations. In 2020 election, she ran for council. This city has the most Latin population than any other city in the region. 20)Stephanie Robles- Grew up in Huntington Park. She remembers when there was a pool in Salt Lake Park. Prides herself in the City. Possesses a bachelor’s degree in political science from CSULB. She would be honored to serve the city as a City Councilmember. Has volunteered for many political campaigns. 21)Raquel Roman- Huntington Park has been at her home since she was seven years old. Her family grew up with struggles; however, her school built her resilience. She established her base in this community due to their values. 22)Manuel Martinez- He is committed to creating a stronger local economy. He has worked for many non profit organizations. For over 30 years he has been a soccer coach, and has built team work and leadership skills.
23)Nancy Martiz- Resident since 2012, and homeowner since 2018. Child of immigrants who arrived in the 1970s. Her family was looking for a safe community to raise a family. She spent her teenage years on pacific with her friends. In High School she learned out the local history and environmental injustices. She saw how some leaders advocated for their community and others who stayed silent. She graduated from South Gate High School in 2004, the same year that Albert Robles was indicted on corruption charges for stealing 35 million dollars from residents of South Gate.
What happened angered her and sparked her goal to pursue a career in public service. In college she earned a degree in Government and American Studies and a master’s in public policy. She’s interned for the mayor’s office and for the City Attorney of South Gate. For the last 15 years she has built a career in Human Resources. She currently works for the Disney creating policies. She will work in creating green spaces and clean air; fair housing policies; safer streets; ethical leadership with vision to move forward.
MOTION: Councilmember Sanabria motioned to appoint Nancy Martiz to the Councilmember Vacancy until the next scheduled election scheduled for June 2, 2026. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Martinez. The motion was carried by unanimous consent.
AYES: Council Member(s): Sanabria, Vice Mayor Martinez, and Mayor Flores
NOES: Council Member(s): Macias
Nancy Martinez is sworn in as the Councilmember @9:10pm.
END OF SPECIAL AGENDA
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
Parks and Recreation: Congratulated Councilmember Martiz. Memorial Day event will be held on May 22. Any High School Seniors who want to apply to the Manuel Avila Scholarship. The applications are now open.
Communications: Art Walk this upcoming Sunday from 12:30pm-6pm. Hopefully we can have an extraordinary time.
Chief: Recognize all the Administrative Assistants as it is administrative assistant day.
City Manager: Congratulated newly appointed councilmember Nancy Martiz.
City Clerk: Congratulated Nancy Martiz. Thanked all the individuals who applied to the fill the council vacancy.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
None.
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
Councilmember Macias: Thank you to everyone who came. She just wanted people to know that this vacancy is very tied up at the moment. Thank you everyone for being here and have a good night.
Councilmember Sanabria: Thank you to all the applicants. Very wide net of individuals who are interested in this position. It was very nice to see this wide variety of applicants.
He doesn’t want people feel discouraged. We put aside one side interest, see what the community needs and select the best for the community.
Councilmember Martiz: Take a minute to thank all community members. There were many of us who were qualified. There is an election coming in March and hopes to find leaders who are ready to serve.
Vice Mayor Martinez: Last night as he was reading all the applications and was assessing. He had a lot of hope for the future. If these individuals were to run for office, they would benefit the city. If you weren’t selected he recommends they apply for vacant commission places. He wants to restore the spaces for the neighborhood watch program. Thanks everyone for coming to this. We will move forward together.
Congratulations to new council members.
Mayor Flores: It was an incredible experience reading the applications. The wealth of knowledge among our constituents was an honor to see. It’s an honor to serve as Mayor.
We were only able to appoint one person tonight. He met Ruben Cardiel when he was 16 years old. He wants to recognize him for his career. That individual will be need/ have support, and will have the ability to appoint commissioners.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Mayor Flores adjourned the meeting of Monday, April 21, 2025 @9:33pm.
The next Huntington Park City Council meeting to be held on Monday, May 05, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Eduardo Sarmiento, City Clerk