Janice Journal: Unmasking ICE

My motion with Supervisor Lindsey Horvath that was approved at our Board of Supervisors meeting this week will ban law enforcement agencies—including ICE—from concealing their identities and wearing masks in unincorporated LA County. 

We have heard countless stories of agents hiding their faces, swapping license plates, refusing to wear badges, and pulling people into unmarked vehicles at gunpoint. 

ICE is violating our residents’ rights every day they are on our streets. 

This is how authoritarian secret police behaves—not legitimate law enforcement in a democracy. 

We cannot have secret police terrorizing our communities. If this law means a fight in court, then I think it's a fight worth having. 

Not only is it possible, but the study found we can operate this water taxi for as little as $4 per seat.  

With this report in hand, the Metro board voted unanimously this week to take the next step by identifying potential operators and looking into our funding options. 

I’m grateful for my colleagues’ support—now let’s set sail.

More than 39,000 people will be getting letters soon in the mail letting them know their medical debt has been erased as part of the LA County Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program. 

This round of debt relief is eliminating another $180 million in medical debt, bringing the total to $363 million in medical debt that has been wiped out since we launched this pilot program last year. 

So if you get a letter in the mail from LA County and Undue Medical Debt—open it. We’ve eliminated medical debt for thousands more residents, with no strings attached. This is real relief for people who need it. 

This is LA County doing what government should do: making smart, compassionate decisions that make people’s lives better. 

It was an incredible performance, and the event was all the more special because it featured one of Downey’s very own: the extraordinary, Grammy-nominated Lupita Infante. 

The response to this event on Thursday was overwhelming—and it's easy to see why. 

This performance shows just how important it is that we continue to bring world-class music and arts experiences into our neighborhoods.

Harbor Interfaith Services has stepped up time and time again to partner with my office to house people in need, and this week I was glad to join their 50th anniversary celebration. 

My longtime staffer, Ivan Sulic, delivered the keynote address. He shared his experiences with the organization, including when he was a child, and he and his mom fell on hard times. Harbor Interfaith opened their doors to them. 

If you have unwanted firearms at home, come exchange them for gift cards. You can get some help with your holiday shopping and make your neighborhood a little bit safer, all at once. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas without tamales—so my office is partnering with Amapola and Northgate Market to host tamal kit giveaways for Fourth District residents on Saturday, Dec. 13.