Public Comment
Agenda Item No. J. 12
Yvette Hall
From: Randall Abram
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 4:44 PM
To: Sean Moore
Cc: Yvette Hall
Subject: Re: 2/21/23 City Council Agenda Packet - Regular Meeting CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Mr. Moore,
Thank you for your clarification. I had hoped to attend tonight, but still recovering from minor surgery last Had I been able to attend, below are my concerns. The main one being whether donating this statute is a gift of public funds that would be best spent directly on City of Lawndale's operating needs.
California Government Code section 8314 and the California Constitution prohibit the gift of public funds to any individual, corporation or another government agency.
I had to read this item several times as I found it unbelieveable that it is even proposed that the City erect a statue to be placed at Leuzinger High School that could cost as much as $200,000. How is this not a gift of public funds?
The City Council is meeting with the Lawndale School District in order to obtain a sharing of costs for park maintenance, but what message does this send If the City is willing to spend $200,000 for a statutue at a high school? Why share costs if the City has a surplus of funds? Has Leuzinger been involved and approved the City placing this on their campus? After erected, who will maintain the statue? Will the City want to be fair and erect statutes for famous Lawndale High School alumni? How about Fred Dryer with his years with the NFL, including the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams? He also has had an extensive acting career. His show Hunter ran for seven seaons. Wikipedia lists 7 other notable alumni.
This $200,000 could be better spent in many ways: increased law enforcement, additional staffing and even salary increases to City employees. If the school needs a statute let them fund it.
Thank you,
Randall Abram
managean
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