Tuesday Morning Bullpen: Rockets In And Outside City Hall

I retired the Bullpen a few years ago, but after Monday’s big meeting I decided to dust it off one more time.

As I exited the Convention Center on Monday at halftime of the big Council meeting, I noticed everybody with their phones pointed skyward.

A rocket was streaking through the sky leaving a beautiful white and blue wave in its wake.

It was a sight to behold.

One woman asked me if I thought it was a UFO. Actually now it’s a UAP or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.

Yeah I know.

I’m still telling people I’m Black and not African American and now they spring this on me. 

My response was this … 

“All I know is if they’re watching Pasadena Media, they’re not landing here, not tonight.”

Wouldn’t shock me if they were watching, Pasadena Media is a world-class operation. 

Here’s hoping the House of Falardeau gets some extra dollars when budget hearings come around.

They do a lot, and Monday they were front and center making sure local residents could tune in on the meeting.

That meeting well it was about rockets also. 

The rockets being launched back and forth in the Gaza strip. 

The City Council met to discuss the conflict in the Middle East and decide if the City should take an official position. 

And 200 people had something to say about it. 

Yeah, 200 people.

Big meetings like this are always fascinating to me, and this one was no exception. 

For four hours, Tyron Hampton, Felcia Williams, Justin Jones, Gene Masuda, Jessica Rivas, Steve Madison and Jason Lyon just listened.

Nothing else.

Mayor Victor Gordo got to do a little more as he called on speakers.

“Sir … ma’am.” that kind of thing.

At one point, Vice Mayor Madison called for a point of order and asked how many speakers were left.

That was it. 

The rest of the time they listened to those supportive of a ceasefire and those who stood in opposition.

Anybody considering a run for City Council should watch that meeting. 

Nothing sexy or glamorous.

Just listening. 

Try this.

Tonight, listen to your spouse and kids ask for separate things for 200 minutes straight and say nothing.

Two minutes is too much for me. 

Yeah, about that divorce … nevermind. You didn’t tune in for that.   

I was sitting on the front row and I took the opportunity to study each councilmember several times.

They were all struggling. 

Rivas not as much as the others. She had a draft resolution ready to go. 

Still it was a long tiring meeting that took a lot of patience.  

You could see the inner struggle.

Councilmembers were looking for balance, a way to support  peace and be sensitive to cultural issues at the same time.

Later in deliberations, Jason Lyon explained that struggle best.

Lyon said he would never tell a Black person something is not racist and would never tell a Jewish person something is not antisemitic.

That’s a paraphrase and a great lesson.

Respect.  

Lyon admitted he was still working through the issue. Yes, he had dozens of conversations with people on both sides of the issue.

He was looking for his conviction on the matter. 

He needed more.

Other Councilmembers in their own way echoed similar sentiments.

In the end, Rivas’s resolution and a declaration by the Mayor came together.

Rivas was determined to make sure the word ceasefire was included and Mayor Gordo didn’t want to lose the overall message of peace.

Hampton, Williams, Jones, Masuda, Lyon and Madison helped them smooth it out.

In other words, they found common ground on a greater good. 

Maybe that was the ultimate message in Monday’s meeting.

With discussion and a willingness to work together, nobody needs to drop bombs, yell or point fingers.

Maybe if we did that, the aliens could land here after all.