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Advocates press council for $3 million TGI wellness and equity funding during public comment
Summary
Multiple speakers representing Trans Latina Coalition and allied groups urged the City Council to allocate $3,000,000 for a TGI (transgender, gender‑nonconforming and intersex) Wellness, Equity and Care Initiative and recommended $7,000,000 in ULA housing subsidies; the mayor’s proposed budget did not include the line item, advocates said.
Dozens of speakers representing Trans Latina Coalition and allied community organizations used public comment during Tuesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting to urge councilmembers to fund a $3,000,000 TGI (transgender, gender‑nonconforming and intersex) Wellness, Equity and Care Initiative and to earmark at least $7,000,000 in ULA funds for a housing subsidy.
Advocates said the funding would support community‑based organizations that serve transgender and gender‑diverse Angelenos and would address urgent needs including housing and legal services. Multiple speakers told the council that the Los Angeles County government had already taken steps to support TGI constituents and urged the city to match or complement that work.
Melissa Larkon of the Trans Latina Coalition said the investment would support newcomers and long‑term community members; other speakers — including Byron Jose and Jonathan (a community health navigator whose last name was not specified in the public record) — urged council offices to prioritize the initiative during the budget process. Several speakers thanked Councilmember Hutt and other council offices that have circulated memoranda supporting the funding request; they said the mayor’s proposed budget did not include a $3,000,000 line item for the initiative.
Advocates also asked for a $7,000,000 earmark for a housing subsidy that would be open to a range of applicants beyond just TGI Angelenos. Speakers described urgent needs among TGI migrants, asylum seekers and seniors and said community legal and casework capacity is strained.
What the council did at this meeting: the item remained part of the budget deliberations; public commenters sought to influence the budget process. The transcript records sustained public comment but does not show a council vote or appropriation on the initiative at this session.
Clarifying details recorded during public comment: advocates asked for $3,000,000 in city funding for the TGI initiative and for a $7,000,000 ULA housing subsidy earmark; they told the council the county had acted and that more city support was needed.
Next steps: speakers asked the council to include the funding in forthcoming budget paperwork and committee reports; the meeting record does not show a final council appropriation for the initiative.
