City Councilman John Lee was sworn in at City Hall on Friday, August 30 after a long battle for his seat in the 12th District, winning with 51.5% of the vote. Saturday, September 7, he took his inauguration to the community with a swearing in ceremony at the Oakridge Estate in Northridge. Community members turned out in force on a day destined to rapidly hit ninty and took shelter under a large tent. PRNC Treasurer Jason Hector and Board Members Asaad Alnajjar, Mihran Kalaydjian and Becky Leveque were on hand to join in the celebration. "This was a proud historic moment for all of us, especially Councilmember Lee's parents, that he was the first minority to be elected to this seat," shared Leveque.
Todd Leitz, the Voice of Dodger Stadium emceed the event which started with John Lee's mother processing to her seat in a beautiful traditional Korean ensemble. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, welcomed everyone, "John is already getting it done. Everyone has already got their own AC", referring to the paper fans everyone was using. She shared that no one would lead with more heart than he would in service to his community.
The Devonshire Area Cadets presented the colors, Barney Leone, MoMM2c, USN, Wings Over Wendy's led the Pledge of Allegiance and Pastor Michael Yearley, The Church at Rocky Peak said the invocation.
Various speakers then proceeded to congratulate the Councilmember, starting with Wade Trimmer, National Health Foundation, Executive Director, Housing and Homeless Services. Trimmer described Lee as spending decades being a unifier. When Trimmer was leading the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, he gave Lee keys to the shelter, because he was scheduling so many tours. The shelter was developed in a unique collaboration with the community in a mixed zone neighborhood.
The next speaker, LAPD Devonshire PALS graduate and new student at Piece College Alex Ortiz, stole the show for a moment as he shared his experience with Lee and the transformative experience Ortiz had through PALS. He reminded guests "Potholes don't have politics...He is CD 12, I am CD 12, we are all CD 12."
Councilmember Joe Buscaino, joked that Andrew could run against Lee in March. He espoused the importance of experience, "I don't understand why politics is the one arena where experience works against you." He continued to outline the many years of experience and dedication to community service of Councilmember Lee.
After musical interlude of Ko's Korean Dance Institute performing a drum dance, Jangu Chum, Councilwoman Nury Martinez asked, "What does a girl from Pacoima who lives in Sun Valley have in common with a guy in Porter Ranch?" She answered that they both believed in hard work and sacrifice, like their parents who came here so their children could be successful.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey swore in Lee who then thanked his supporters and all their volunteer effort to make this the safest, best part of the city of Los Angeles. He promised to listen and focus on issues that residents care about, "safe neighborhoods, clean streets, meaningful solutions to homelessness and protecting our quality of life." One touching story was when his family was at a debate and a woman declared afterwards that she didn't know who she would vote for when she walked in but had decided to vote for him. When he asked what he had said that had convinced her, she said that it was not anything he said, it was that his son had insisted on giving her his seat, since there were none left. He also shared other moments about how his father had said he was so proud of him regardless of whether he won.
"The PRNC congratulates Councilmember Lee and is looking forward to partnering with him on on matters that are important to our community," said PRNC President Issam Najm.
After the swearing in, guests were invited to view the interior of The Oakridge Estate, the 1937 Paul R. Williams designed home built for actress Barbara Stanwyck. The beautiful murals in the living area are some of the unique design features to this public treasure. The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks owns and operates the house and is considering how to restore it. The Oakridge Estate Foundation conducts monthly in depth tours; signing up for their email list is the best way to find out about them. The land surrounding the house is a public park with a walking path.
Facebook video of the Celebration
Image credits: Jason Hector, Becky Leveque, Wendy Moore
