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Tenants and vendors press council for eviction moratorium and vendor rebuttal to shuttle presentation
Summary
Public commenters urged a 90‑day eviction moratorium amid reported ICE activity and economic fear; Express Transportation Services demanded a future hearing to rebut what its president called inaccurate and “downright lies” in a prior presentation.
During public comment city residents and community organizers urged the council to take immediate action to protect tenants and small businesses.
Mateo Gil, a community organizer with ECR Communities for Environmental Justice and member of Caracol, called for a minimum 90‑day eviction moratorium and additional protections for tenants and local businesses, citing fear among immigrant residents and the need to prevent homelessness. He said a rent freeze and stronger nonpayment standards similar to protections in the city of Los Angeles should be considered to prevent people from “falling through the cracks.”
Avery Cervantes, speaking for day‑laborers, said the Home Depot on Slauson and Boyle had been subject to ICE enforcement operations multiple times and described people who now fear leaving their cars and have lost income; Cervantes asked the council to declare a state of emergency and vote on a 90‑day eviction moratorium.
Separately, Victor Caballero, president of Express Transportation Services (ETS), asked to appear at a future meeting under “presentations” to correct what he called inaccuracies in a previous staff presentation about the shuttle service. Caballero said the prior vendor left vehicles in poor condition in 2015, described the contract’s maintenance language as ambiguous and offered to provide the data he said staff had not requested: “Unfortunately, much of the presentation was inaccurate and false, downright lies,” he told council.
Why it matters: Testimony described urgent household and workplace impacts — fears tied to immigration enforcement, rising homelessness among families and students, and business interruption — and sought emergency and near‑term policy responses. Vendor testimony raised contract‑management and data‑transparency issues that the council and staff can address in follow‑up.
Next steps: Council did not take immediate action on a moratorium during this meeting. ETS asked to be scheduled for a future presentations slot so staff and the vendor can discuss contract data and reconcile differing accounts.
