09 (2)Public Comment
From: Kenneth Mejia<
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 12:38 PM
To: Public Comment
Subject: Anaheim Public Comment - Police Robot
To Anaheim City Council,
Our friends of Anaheim have asked for a letter of support and I and our campaign are here to give it. My name
is Kenneth Mejia, I'm running for Los Angeles City Controller in 2022. I'm a housing activist and a certified
public accountant with over 10 years of accounting experience. I want to use my expertise to audit the city's
finances, determine departmental effectiveness, eliminate wasteful spending and aid policymakers on where to
reallocate funds. We want to give the people the tools needed to hold the city accountable and shift the budget
where the people want it.
A budget is a moral document and describes our priorities.
We fail to see how a police robot costing $64,618 plus the additional fees needed to maintain and upgrade the
equipment contributes to real public safety. This police robot would be a significant amount of wasteful
spending and does not help Anaheim residents with their current crisis. Anaheim should reallocate funds from
its inflated police budget to services that create real public safety. For example, there is a real need to fix the
growing crisis of unhoused community members. The city has a moral obligation and responsibility to house
our unhoused neighbours. Anaheim is the least prepared city for the climate crisis. The Notre Dame Global
Adaptation Initiative rated Anaheim the least prepared city for climate change and 3rd most risky city to climate
change in the United States. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states we have less than 9 years to
radically transform our society to avoid 1.5C of warming above pre industrialized levels. There is a serious need
for the City of Anaheim to decarbonize our economy in under 9 years and create thousands of good paying jobs
through a clean energy transition.
This police robot is not on Anaheim resident's priority list. The city fails to present the financial information
related to this purchase in a complete and people -friendly manner. When making purchases, the city should be
presenting it's purchasing information to the public in a people friendly and accountable manner so the public
can make sound decisions.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Mejia
Mejia for LA City Controller 2022
meiiaforeontroller.com