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Cudahy council hears youth testimony and agrees to consider resolution backing regional SELA Youth Hub
Summary
City leaders heard emotional testimony from youth and partner nonprofits urging Cudahy to back the regional SELA Youth Hub. Council members signaled support for a formal resolution and discussed next steps including memoranda of understanding and potential facility use.
Emma Hernandez, chief executive officer of a Southeast community organization, asked the Cudahy City Council to endorse the SELA Youth Hub, a regional network that coordinates youth-serving providers across Southeast Los Angeles. "We need a formalized youth center process that connects our organizations and that makes sure that we follow through," Hernandez said, asking the council for a resolution to signal city support and to help secure funder and school-district participation.
Multiple youth leaders testified about the personal impact of after-school programs and the need for consistent supports. "I fell in love with the world of robotics," youth board member Giovanni Gomez said, describing how an after-school program changed his path. Jesus Rodriguez recounted struggling with substance abuse as a teen and credited school counseling and campus services for helping him recover; he asked the council to provide "a safe place to go when they need help." Several nonprofit partners, including Helpline Youth Counseling and the Southeast LA Collaborative, described the hub as a way to reduce service silos and improve referrals.
Council members broadly endorsed the concept. Vice Mayor Lomeli called the youth presentations "so powerful" and said the city should pursue both a resolution and a facility-use agreement; a council member asked staff to explore a facility use agreement (MOU) to cement program access. Council members also discussed options for youth programming such as debate and civic-engagement training, and urged staff to explore grant opportunities and partnerships with school principals.
Speakers urged attention to logistics: Susie of the Cudahy Youth Foundation asked the council to waive temporary-use permit fees for a fundraiser and requested internet access at future youth hub facilities so teens can complete research and homework. City staff said a future collaborative meeting will bring nonprofits and school principals together and that the city is already discussing an MOU with the school district to fold students into city programs.
The council did not adopt binding fiscal commitments at the meeting but directed staff to return with follow-up steps, including options for a resolution and a potential MOU or facility-use agreement. Council members also expressed interest in exploring a youth commission and continued collaboration with regional partners.
