Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from the corporate world to serving your local community as a city mayor? We sat down with Ariel Pei, the Mayor of Lakewood, who shared his unique journey from trading his corporate life at Vans to embracing the unpredictable world of local politics. Join us as we delve into his Filipino-American heritage, his steadfast Catholic faith, and how these factors inspired him to make a difference in his community, starting with a humble printing business.
Ariel's story is one of risk, resilience, and reward. His shift from a secured corporate life to running a printing business is filled with insightful experiences, underlining the importance of networking, nurturing relationships, and the power of giving back to the community. From campaigning for his political role to dealing with the challenges of fundraising and articulating his story, Ariel's journey is a testament to his tenacity and commitment. Listen in as he candidly shares the hurdles of campaigning, the adversities of being an immigrant, and how it all contributed to his growth as a leader.
Our conversation doesn't end there! Ariel shares his bold visions for the future of Lakewood, which includes plans for inclusive recreation, football fields, and innovative housing and mall spaces. We explore how he motivates the youth to get involved in government and politics, and the significant role of representation in community success. Plus, catch Ariel's thrilling surfing stories and how he uses this passion to connect and inspire the youth of Lakewood. It's an episode packed with insightful stories, political wisdom, and a whole lot of heart. Tune in!
Thanks for taking the time to listen in. Please leave us 5 stars on Spotify & Apple Podcasts with a review. THANK YOU!
Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from the corporate world to serving your local community as a city mayor? We sat down with Ariel Pei, the Mayor of Lakewood, who shared his unique journey from trading his corporate life at Vans to embracing the unpredictable world of local politics. Join us as we delve into his Filipino-American heritage, his steadfast Catholic faith, and how these factors inspired him to make a difference in his community, starting with a humble printing business.
Ariel's story is one of risk, resilience, and reward. His shift from a secured corporate life to running a printing business is filled with insightful experiences, underlining the importance of networking, nurturing relationships, and the power of giving back to the community. From campaigning for his political role to dealing with the challenges of fundraising and articulating his story, Ariel's journey is a testament to his tenacity and commitment. Listen in as he candidly shares the hurdles of campaigning, the adversities of being an immigrant, and how it all contributed to his growth as a leader.
Our conversation doesn't end there! Ariel shares his bold visions for the future of Lakewood, which includes plans for inclusive recreation, football fields, and innovative housing and mall spaces. We explore how he motivates the youth to get involved in government and politics, and the significant role of representation in community success. Plus, catch Ariel's thrilling surfing stories and how he uses this passion to connect and inspire the youth of Lakewood. It's an episode packed with insightful stories, political wisdom, and a whole lot of heart. Tune in!
Thanks for taking the time to listen in. Please leave us 5 stars on Spotify & Apple Podcasts with a review. THANK YOU!
Ariel Pei, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for taking time to be here. Man, appreciate it. You're busy with family. This is Rad. I'm really excited to actually have you on. It's pretty cool, man. Thank you, I'm pretty excited. This is awesome. Yeah, this is cool. So, to get this started really. So everybody knows you are the mayor of Lakewood, I am the mayor of Lakewood, yeah.
Speaker 1:Let's go. That's pretty big, but it's interesting how I just met you tonight. This is really cool, but how you and Jordan met, so I don't know how. You guys want to tell that story real quick. Well, it's classic story Classified.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, actually I was looking at some golf stuff and so kindly found something that Ariel was selling, and now that's how we ended up having a little small talk Talking about what I did, and I was kind of threw it out there and he's like I'm actually like the mayor of Lakewood, I'm like no way, get out of here. This is way too casual of a conversation. I feel like I should have been standing up straight or something so humble.
Speaker 3:Wait, I didn't tell you that did I? Yeah, straight out, not. No, I'm embellishing it. I was going to say no. No, it wasn't. Like you know, I'm a mayor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he wasn't. He wasn't arrogant about it.
Speaker 3:Not at all. That's why, when you said it, I was like I felt like my response is like no way, really, like okay and like not that every person in a position like that can't be cool and seem normal. You know what I mean Like in that way. But just wasn't ready for that and so I immediately was like do you want to come out of the podcast? You know, you know, I just you know. Anyways, it kind of worked out that way and the launch monitor I got is super rad, and now it's publicly known that I really appreciate it. Yeah, they should be a sponsor of the show.
Speaker 1:I know you too, so you two connected pretty much because of golf.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you smell like surf wax out of the blue. I don't know what it was. You smell like surf wax.
Speaker 3:I'm like I ran out of deodorant and I just hit the pass with some sticky.
Speaker 2:I was looking in your truck and I was like did he have one of those thingies hanging in? Oh yeah, they almost smell like wax.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I'm like yeah, I just naturally smell like sticky bumps because you serve so much baby.
Speaker 1:Oh, maybe I used to.
Speaker 3:Not as much anymore.
Speaker 1:This is okay, let's get this straight. Can we just call you Ari? Is that what people call me, ari? Man, this is cool, this big deal. We've never had a mayor on here, so we really appreciate your time off the first. But, man, I kind of read up on you a little bit so you're your homegrown liquid. Yes, sir, same here, homegrown.
Speaker 2:Like a group and liquid.
Speaker 1:So I grew up off of across the street from airplane park, delomo or Delval Park. Okay, yeah, yeah, my parents are still there. Oh, good, good. Yeah, my brother lives in Lakewood. His family, my first two homes are in Lakewood, and then I just moved down the street over here on Long Beach.
Speaker 2:Okay, good, I'm here but yes, we grew up so you need my number so they can all complain to me. No only the complaints.
Speaker 1:That was my job man, it's my job, it's all good. But so you were also. I think I read you were the first. What is it the?
Speaker 2:first Filipino American on Lakewood City Council ever in the history. Let's go. What year was that? What year? Yeah, it was 2020, when I first got elected. Wow, what got you into politics, man? That's a good story. I think politics found me. Okay, I'm a politician, I am a public servant, though, man, I like that.
Speaker 2:I'm a public servant, I'm a chronic volunteer and I think it's found me because of I guess you can say like being Filipino and being Catholic going up around this area where it's all about sports. You go to church, you help, you help family, you help friends. When your uncle needs to come by, when your friends need to help, you just help, right? Yeah, what happened to me was worked in corporate America. I worked in the action sports sector, so I worked for Vans.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I was on Vansville marketing team for about nine years Look at you, dude. Yeah, nine years I worked with all the big dogs, some heavy hitters, yeah, some heavy hitters they're the ones that really changed the game, right, I truly believe. But I also worked at the brand when it was still that brand, that fun brand. You walk into work and you just grind, you just work and you just don't know you're working so much because you're having fun, right? And then, long story short, got married and had a little one.
Speaker 2:Yeah baby, them kids. She's like the raddest little human. I look back and like and just like our conversation. Before we walked in we had water bowl this morning. Now she's golfing and she also serves right, oh, she serves and snowboards.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, we do it all.
Speaker 2:I left corporate America probably well, let's say, 15 years ago. She's 15. I left corporate America, right, and I left Vans and I left this huge safety net, like, and this amazing, like brand life, like going to school. I went to St John Bosco and then from there I went to Bosco. I actually want to go to Lakewood because I played Pop Warner for Lakewood and I want to play baseball for Lakewood. Oh okay, I don't know if you, I don't know how old you are, I'm pretty old.
Speaker 1:I'm 37. You got your young bucks. Yeah, I don't feel like that.
Speaker 2:I played 80s early 90s this area was pretty tough man Like, like gang activity was pretty heavy and all the kids I played sports with it was easy to get swayed right Because, like the homies from Long Beach, you know, and all the Pop Warner kids and all the Patrick Henry kids I played baseball with, I mean, you know, and then we just had it. It was so diverse but could be easily swayed. So eventually dad's like you're going to Bosco, I'm like what I want some cover travel down, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So he's like, I'm like didn't have an eighth grade after because I went to St Pan Crecious and then I didn't have an eighth grade summer. Okay, I went right into football, had an amazing time, man, like I mean, the program now is completely different and kudos to the boys that smashed it this weekend. Nice Smashed modern day kept them at zero.
Speaker 3:Modern day, modern day.
Speaker 2:They 28 to zero, 28, zero. We don't even know. I've never seen that in my life, whoa, and it was like two tanks fighting each other. It was just like I mean, even though the scores got to where, like 14, zero, it still didn't seem like it was a free game, like there was work, but anyways.
Speaker 2:So, going back from Bosco and then had a little one, and I had grown up in this area, right, you, you want to start a clothing line, that's true. All me and the boys did an area with surf and ride dirt bikes. Right, that's all we did. And we go camp and Baja, and then we go down up North and then we're in Glamis, you know, doing the whole thing, and then start a clothing line and then bought some printing equipment and then started a small brand. Then I turned the business. Then I figured out someone would pay me to make their shirts and then that was the garage business. So I can buy more sleds, I can buy more surfboards and buy more motorcycle parts, right.
Speaker 2:And then when I left corporate America, I I scaled my garage business up so chased all like the Procule schools and PE printing T-shirts, just chased it so I can be home and because I traveled a lot when I was at working for the big companies. I mean you're gone. I mean, don't get me wrong, working for big brands is amazing but it's a grind. Yeah, like you're on the road, you have inspiration tours, you have sales meetings and you have trade shows. And you know trade shows, people like I remember my wife's, like dude, like you're never home, like I mean like during the day you didn't call me. I'm like, yeah, because I'm at the trade show booth from 7 am to like 5 pm and then the beer starts flowing at 3 and then the dinner started at like 4. Then then the pre-party start and then you still have athletes you got to take care of and those guys just want to rage wherever we're at. Right, it's like five days straight. Then you go to another state and then see it again Like go down to Florida. You know so was a grind and then just scaled it up Like anything. You start a small business, you kind of.
Speaker 2:You find networking circles right, and my friend goes you need to join the Rotary Club of Lakewood. I'm like Rotary, not saying cars, right, like. And she's like not cars, ari, it's like a service organization you would fit right in, and prior to that I had a couple events. I would feed the homeless. I ran this program that my, my mom and dad and all my friends did. We'd feed like 500 people on Long Beach, delivered three towers. We did it for 30 years strong until the until the pandemic hit right and then she was like you'd fit right in, I'm like all right.
Speaker 2:So I joined this club and I was like mind blown, like it was this. It was service above self right. But for me, I fit right in because it was part of my DNA. I was all about volunteering. Volunteering is not like a like a hassle. To me, it's like something you naturally do. Hey, go volunteer, go help, okay, good, like you don't. It's like I didn't like have a choice, like it was just part of my DNA. So being part of this organization now put me with people that had the same mentality. Right Now you're. Now it's not just friends helping you do things. If now you're with like elected leaders, you're with like municipal employees, you're with CEOs, retired educators, now you're with like educators, you know school districts and it's like whoa. But again, it was about service and that's for me when the doors opened, okay, so I became active and they said, hey, you know, we need help growing our club. I'm like, all right, I'll take on the marketing, marketing background, right? So I just taught a bunch of old people how to use Facebook, right. So, just thinking me like running this meeting, we had this old guard and this new guard, like the old generation that was there, that were understanding what the new generation wanted to do, and it was cool because there was not conflict. I was like the time where I was bridging the two, the two age demographics together to do the same thing like service above self, right. But now let's share to the younger generation. But I would start meetings like teaching okay, this is how you log on Facebook. Now, my, this thing runs Like I have all my old people scanning and taking pictures and reposting and everybody's watching. Yeah, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:And then being part of Rotary just opened more doors. So here it goes, ymca hey, would you like to throw it on the board? I'm like hell, yeah, let's go Next. You know, I'm the board chair for two years and I was the president of Rotary Club and then YMCA led to Chamber of Commerce. Okay, board chair there. And then two years there and grow that and build that and it just kept going like pathways, you know, nights of Columbus. Then it came. Now it's in like St Joseph High School. I serve on the board Long Beach City College Foundation Board. I serve. I serve on the regional hospital board, bro yeah.
Speaker 3:How do you keep all the badges? I feel super lazy right now. I was like man, I thought I was busy, but apparently not busy enough I'm like the leader locally.
Speaker 2:I don't have no money, man, but I'm blessed man. I'm like and then my friends that are like big CFL is like, dude, you got way too much in a player. I'm like, bro, you're work for a corporation. You know, when you work for big corporations, you have access to program development. What's my program? How am I going to grow as a person? Boards meet you meet, networking circles, boom, boom, boom. Let me learn how these people do it and kind of bring it on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've definitely learned that it is. It is all about connecting with people, yeah, and you want to do well and go somewhere. You can't do it alone. You got to be involved. Yeah, that's the way to get your name out, your brand Now is your company. Is it in Lakewood?
Speaker 2:It is so. I had a printing business that I opened a door like I opened a off Delamo in Woodruff. I had it for six years. I turned it into like this, like a mans cave slash art, creative, nice. Or we can print, do live printing, we can do run production at the same time, host events there and we'd have music festivals. Not music festivals, we'd have like music events and then we'd have like car shows, fundraisers, the whole mine yard. Delamo, delamo, woodruff. We're right next to the liquor store Johnny's Liquor.
Speaker 1:That's fine, oh man, yeah, okay, I know exactly what you're talking about. Sorry, you're like what is it.
Speaker 3:I was like for the record I don't know where that is, it's just a local boys dog. Yeah, that's awesome, I mean just the whole process of starting it up and what I find interesting, so like when you left like a corporate or vans right, scary just let you know 100% because what you said, the safety net and I can only imagine like married kid Dairy kid's house.
Speaker 2:I got a house, got a mortgage.
Speaker 3:There's a ton on the line when you make a big jump like that. So kudos, and obviously it seems to have worked out fantastically Still alive, well, right.
Speaker 1:Still trucking baby.
Speaker 3:But when that took place, how long was it before? You know, because it seems like you maybe jumped into the like the sailing of doing the screen printing and whatnot. But when that point like how long did it take before you got into like the rotary and started entering in towards the chain or commerce and stuff?
Speaker 2:So right when I got into printing, I was printing already. So it wasn't like I was going from being a startup business. I already had clients because I was a side hustle. It was a side hustle like I mean, make an extra like 500 so I can get some wanks and get some new sleds, you know, shaped out right. And then so I had clients. I was just able to do the business during the day now, because I always had to do it at night through emails. So I already had the business. But going to the rotary, that was just friends of friends. I mean, you know the saying your network is your net worth, like at one point in time someone found me just through volunteering and then she's like dude, you need to join the club. I'm like, okay, so I don't. I think it was probably about no more than like a less than a month is what.
Speaker 1:Oh wow.
Speaker 3:Okay, because how it happened is how it happened.
Speaker 2:It was on a Sunday and then we were going to go visit my grandma. She was at a, at a at a home, and my wife. We went to church. My wife and daughter were like, hey, we're gonna take a nap at Grandma, grandpa's house before we go. I said, all right, cool, I'm going to the car show. So Lakewood had a car show that day. So I rolled the car show by myself just to go check it out, because I like cars and that's one of my favorites. Yeah, you rolls and he's a night. You know Columbus, and I ran and they had a booth, rotary had a booth and she's like are you to join this club? And I'm like that's where happened. I went to the car show to go look at cars and she was, they had a booth and they were just kind of marketing their booth there. And they go you fit ready and come to meeting next Thursday. I'm like all right, I'll be there, Haven't left yet, wow.
Speaker 1:Now to that, all these connections that you made. I want to remember this, remember this correctly you started city council first, right, no, no, you went straight to mayor. No, where'd you start? I?
Speaker 2:started on the rotary, rotary right came board members Right, and then I got the tap on the shoulder. So as when I was the board chair for the Chamber of Commerce, okay, I got the tap, the mayor tapped me on the shoulder. Goes, hey, you need to consider something. So the when he told me that I was like whoa, the mayor just tapped me on the shoulder. I know, I'm just like this, just seeing him, right, yeah, but we weren't like. I mean, we're not like bro, bro, bra, right, bro, bra right. He's like. I said, come to my house and have coffee. And I'm thinking I'm like let me get on a commission, yeah, building a skate park in Lakewood, building a wave pool on Lakewood, yeah, I get my say you know, tired of these old things, I want like some cool rock climbing gyms in Lakewood. And then he's like he just pushed, we even. I don't even think we had coffee, not, I think about it, just write to business.
Speaker 2:He just shoved over this thick deck of paper and I was like what's this? He goes, you need to run for counsel. I'm like what? That's exactly what I said.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say it to you.
Speaker 2:I'm like me, you want me to do it. That's the second thing I said exactly. Then he's like hey, this is the reason why You're from Lakewood, your parents are from Lakewood, you grew up in Lakewood, you're a product of this community. You give back People at home and you are not by telling your story. People are telling your story for you. I was like okay, but I didn't see it that way, right.
Speaker 2:You just have volunteer. And then when I look back, it was weird, because when you serve on multiple organizations you look back, right. And when he said people tell your story I was like what, who's telling my story? And he first thing like your social platform, right. And then I realized certain conversations I remember vividly when we had the car show, when I was the board chair for a chamber and I was in charge of the car show, we had Congresswoman Linda Sanchez there, speaker Emeritus, so Emeritus Speaker Anthony Rendon. There we had some pretty big elected officials in the state Congress that was there and then all council was there. So I was standing there and I got introduced to them and I go hey, my name is Ariel Pig, just the board chair of Chamber of Commerce, thanks for coming out and saying a few words. And then they're like okay. And then someone else would say, hey, he's well, okay, he's the board chair there, he's on the YMCA, he does this, this, this and this. And I was like, yeah, you know that felt good.
Speaker 2:Because I wasn't propagating it, I wasn't telling him, I just do it. It happened naturally. It was organic and you just do the work and people will see right, and that's what happened.
Speaker 1:Did he convince you that night Were you like you wanna go home and steal this for a little bit.
Speaker 2:No, I went home. Mois watched a team. I sit down next to my wife sitting right there. I'm like, hey, what's up? And I go. How'd your meeting go? She goes, I went. Good, he wants me to run for counsel.
Speaker 1:He's like what?
Speaker 2:Is that what you think of me, babe?
Speaker 1:Yeah, is that what you think he's like?
Speaker 2:what does that mean? She's like how are you gonna fit that in? I'm like I don't know. I go what do you think? And I said to her I go hey, this is a us thing.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, this ain't about me, because I you go, she's going, bro.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you go, and then that means our lives will be a little shifted because we have little one, we have sports, and you had to ask my mom and dad too. Mom dad, I'm running for counsel, huh. And my parents? There's no political, they have no political Political action or anything in the background, anything. They're like conservative, they're just work Lakewood, work hard, retire. I'm good. My parents are immigrants. They got here, their boys went to a good school, they're educated. We did our job. We don't need to shake the system up. We just wanna go on vacation, hang out and hang out with our friends.
Speaker 1:Yeah right.
Speaker 2:And then they're just like huh, and my dad's like looking at me, like yeah. And then, with my marketing background, we just ran. I didn't even know what the first thing to do was, right, when I said, okay, I'm gonna do this, and I told them okay, do this. Okay, and they go, let me know if you need help. I'm like I don't even know what to ask. Yeah, right to run, that's what I was gonna ask you.
Speaker 3:How does that like? Because when you get asked that, it's like, okay, you obviously represent a lot of pieces of stuff at the moment and like it sounds like you've been in a very hardworking kind of grinder type.
Speaker 1:Volunteers where I am Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Just whether it's volunteering, how, whatever, trying to make everything work. When you had that like, what was the like, what was that next thought process of once, it's like you kind of get past, like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna actually I'm gonna do it Like what was the first thing that you have to like, how do you like, are you, do you secure some sort of popularity or secure some sort of I mean like, obviously I know there's financing and things like that that go into running, but like, what was that first step? Basically, if you kind of remember how you felt and you know, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I just sat there and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna run for counsel. What do I do next? I don't know. There's no book on this. I think there is. I didn't like go and search how to run a campaign because I knew marketing, I knew strategic branding, you know. I knew messaging, I knew you know you're you're like for marketing. It's like print, social, like your web platform, and then community development right, if you can manage all three of those and find monies for that, then you're good and you can tell a story, right. And but it was still it's politics, right. I knew I'd zero. The only political circle I had was a TV. I don't know what he in politics outside of the council that I run to at events. Right, cause they would come to my events, like my, like my homeless feeding and my turkey and my Thanksgiving day. They would come to my events. Oh, okay, like yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Clown dude, and I'm like exactly, I didn't know, I'm just doing my thing, right, like with my friends and family and kids are teaching kids like this big how to use a knife and de-boned a turkey. But again, and then, a good friend, they referred me to another friend of his and he was a political. He was a political like campaign manager, right. And then I sat with him and he's like, okay, let's do this. And then I guess, how does this all work? How does people get paid? What do you gotta do? You gotta raise money? Who to ask? I got, I never asked for money. I haven't.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, that's tough dude, or sorry, I mean I never asked for money, like no, like that's not my jam, right, you need to like start putting a list together. And I'm like, where do I start? Right. And then, but he got me to understand this, the whole like broad scope of what has to happen, messaging. But I think for him he goes it's easy for me to tell your story. The problem is I can't grab everything because you have so much shit, don't wanna I'll quick-hust.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're fine we have so much shit going on, I can't grab everything. I can tell your story, that's the thing versus somebody that's hey, I'm gonna run and they have to start making stuff up. They couldn't grab everything that I was doing because I was I was I was full tilt going, just having fun doing what I do. And then we ran a campaign, we raised money because I had to ask people and had a kickoff party and had people talk and do the wine and dying thing and like I mean, campaign parties or kickoffs are like two hours max, dude, it's perfect. Dude, they're not like drawn out parties, right, right, okay. And then we raised money, we won and that in that 2020 election there was seven of us running for two seats. Wow, so I was the second top vote-getter my first time. I was probably like around I wanna say a thousand votes under the incumbent that's been on council for almost eight, nine years. That's excellent to know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like a like less around a thousand and a little bit more shy, and I was like cause there was a gap between us two and then everybody else.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So when you go you you got city council. Now when you, how tough was it between the two going for mayor and city council? Was there a big difference? No, but pretty much the same.
Speaker 2:You just like copy and paste type of thing, but you.
Speaker 1:Hey, I'm going for mayor.
Speaker 2:No. So Lakewood, the mayor ship gets transferred, transitioned, so you have to get on council and when you're on council, your council term is four years and then the mayor gets handed to you once, once in your four year term. So you get handed it. So basically, we make decisions based on the five of us. But I'm right now on the face, I get it. Okay, that's how it happens in Lakewood. But Long Beach and LA, they're elected, they're elected mayors, right, that's why they get paid.
Speaker 1:The big bucks. Dude, you are just going for it. My man, Somebody wanna hit on actually ask you. You said your parents are immigrants. Yeah, what's that story? How do?
Speaker 2:they come over here, okay, and where are they from? Okay, so my parents are from the Philippines, okay, my father's an engineer and my mother is a nurse, obviously cause she's Filipino. So so you guys are probably young, but my, yeah. So my father was recruited to come to work here in the US because it was an engineer, really, and then they needed nurses. So he came to work, for he got recruited by Firestone, which is now the Citadel Right, and then he worked for another firm and retired there for after, like.
Speaker 1:What year was that Were?
Speaker 2:you born, here you were born here?
Speaker 1:I was born here, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, so your first generation, first generation, yeah, so I was born in Culver City but grew up in Cherry Cove. Okay, you know Cherry Cove, oh yeah, oh yeah, I was one of the. We were one of the first Filipino families in Cherry Cove. Look at what the heck dude, dude.
Speaker 2:I got here. I got called out on that dude. Yeah, I would imagine, because my first election. So I'm campaigning right. And let me tell you a story. It's funny I'm campaigning and I sit down with the guy Dick Brown that owns Glory Days. Oh my God he's an OG Lakewood guy. Right, yeah, yeah, Over there Viking Way. No, this one's off Delamo and Woodruff.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, no, Carson and Woodruff. Yeah, yeah, I know, Charlie.
Speaker 2:Cross Street from YMCA. And then he's like, hey, you grew up in Cherry Cove, right? And I said, yes, sir, we were just like talking cause you know, like support, can I put a sign in front of your place? He's like do you know the Youngblood family? And I was like whoa. I said, yes, sir, I do. So Youngblood family was an African American family I grew up with in Cherry Cove. I went to military school with cause all of us live in Cherry Cove. We went to either Bret Hart or we went to military school, which was in Signal Hill back in the days. And he's like I said, yes, sir, I do. I do know the Youngblood family and the Williams family. He's like, okay, you're an OG Lakewood guy too. I was like, oh God, oh, that's a wrap. What a small world, dude. I was like whoa, like yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's awesome. The story of the process, of how you got to where you're at, is pretty amazing, man, and I just want to say cause you said something about it earlier and you're talking about you know, you're like being Filipino and kind of just a family culture of like you help each other out like no questions asked, it just it wasn't even like a thought process to do things and how you parlay that into volunteer work and it's just you just do it.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:I just like my wife's Filipino and so seeing some of the cultural stuff of the family it's like anytime anything.
Speaker 1:So when you said that, I was like yeah, they'll like drop the hat you go Good, bad and indifferent it's just you just do it, you just do it yeah.
Speaker 3:And it's like and I think that's a unique trait and it's interesting to see, cause obviously I've met a ton of politicians and that kind of stuff. But having that background, to me, that makes so much more sense. As far as having the volunteer base right, you just kind of get involved, do your thing and whether it's for money, charity, whatever, you're just like, hey, like I'm here, I'm here to help, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I could see how that made you very likable and, in that way, right and obviously you probably can you know towards your success of this so far. And, dude, that's awesome. And my next question is how long are your terms and are you gonna run?
Speaker 2:Hello, is that too weird? Is that a weird?
Speaker 1:question. No, it's nowhere no.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go into it right now. Don't wanna talk about it. You said you're shaping boards. No, no, no, I'm not shaping boards.
Speaker 1:He's just buying them, baby, I'm buying them dude.
Speaker 2:I got no time to shape dude, I think you and I have an addiction.
Speaker 1:It's called surfboards and I've weighed too many.
Speaker 2:My shaper has my dims down bro. I'm like yo, I need a fish for a big boy Dude. I was knocking out in like two weeks. I'm good, yeah, yeah, yeah, so, yes, I am. So my four years is up in March. I am running for reelection as the mayor in March 2024.
Speaker 3:All right man.
Speaker 2:I am not and I'm going against the incumbent because we are now our city is now going in districts, so part of the city is in districts right now. One, two and fives in districts and there's three and four and myself and an incumbent are running for three and there's a new council person coming out of four, so I got some work to do. I'm going against a guy that's been in the game for 12 years.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, I would don't worry about that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, honestly, man, I just when I hear that kind of stuff I'm just like, yeah, so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's more of the reason for you to run. Absolutely, man.
Speaker 3:And I don't wanna be too negative about politicians because you know.
Speaker 2:No, there's some good ones out there. There are some good ones. There's some good people out there, yeah.
Speaker 3:But that's what I'm saying. It's like there's people that have been able to make careers of being this person or this representative that maybe aren't you know maybe doing what their constituents think they should be doing yeah and I think like it's refreshing meeting someone like yourself. Thank, you because it makes me feel like I'm like good, good, you know what? There aren't. There's grinders. Do you that care and that you know are doing it because they have the. The passion is there to do the work, not to just be the face.
Speaker 1:Not to take a photo.
Speaker 3:Yeah right, cuz, like you're saying you know, hey, you're right, You're running a homeless food outreach. How many politicians so for the meet and greet and go, enjoy your meal, and then they're, you know, like couple minutes here and all I gotta go.
Speaker 2:I got a thing you know, we know what you. But there's also the politics that came in. I even other politicians Duh, are this there like? I'm like, oh wow, you're an elected leader. It's like, yeah, you've been coming to the same for five years. I didn't know who he was. I thought you're kidding my aunt's friend. No thanks for coming out.
Speaker 2:You know I Mean I guess proofs in the pudding right nowadays, right, cuz I mean there's so much noise and marketing. You know and and and, just just know that there's some good people out there, like I have and I've come across a lot of. That's why I'm not Jaded by this industry. Let's call it an industry, let's call it a game. I'm not jaded because I don't. I can go to sleep at night. You know, when I first got elected, I asked I'll say his name out right now. You know, america speaker, anything rending of the assembly. He told me when asked for his endorsement, he goes, just make the decision based on your values, your morals, you know. You know your heart made right decision, stick to it and you're good. Bro, you can go to sleep, alright, cool you know, so don't read the comments.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was like to ever read the comments.
Speaker 3:Because haters hate and that's, that's what it is keyboard assassins everywhere.
Speaker 2:Right, and everyone you know. The keyboard assassins are probably in their basement and their underwear. Just like, let's go, let's just rally. I'm like bro, like over it.
Speaker 3:I always envision them in their underwear too.
Speaker 2:Which is the latest that you said that.
Speaker 1:Frumpy person.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You seem like a man of faith, which I am Catholic. Yeah, that's all good. I have my own faith. Yeah, same, and it has that also been a big driver. And the things that you're doing, decisions you're making, because, let's be real, right You're, you are the face of liquid, right, you're the mayor.
Speaker 1:That's that's a big undertaking that's gonna change your life, which I'm sure it has. Yeah, so I'm sure you've had to lean on certain things to get you through Certain tough moments or times being mayor, city council because that's a lot to take on, including your family. You need to be a present husband, Yep, father, yep. You take care of yourself, all on top of being the mayor. Like, how's that all encompassed for you? Because you seem like you got your with it, which is great. How do you handle all that?
Speaker 2:Oh man, it's you. Just, you just take it on right. You know, yeah, faith is huge. You know I'm Catholic. We go to church Sundays and get my 45 minutes to kind of like Slow it down a little bit. But I think too, on top of like, let's talk about church, right, it's, it's one of those places where it's always gonna be there and you can always kind of go back and kind of like Reflect, right, and then sometimes you can take yourself out of this world we're in and just reflect and listen to the stories and how it happened, how they did it Okay, cool. But on top of that, my circles have been really real. I'm blessed with really good circles, good people. Home. I can be me still and not have to worry about like.
Speaker 2:So important anti-liquid like I mean, like I grew up in liquid man, people like don't understand how diverse Liquid has always been. I get it like in the 50s and the 40s and when the housing came here and redlining. But I grew up culturally diverse, right. I had my mom open-door policy, everybody eating my mom's culture, food, every nationality, everybody you know like eating the crazy stuff like the pigs, blood foods, you know the oxtail, and then mom's like oh hey, they're coming over, they want the barbecue or they want the. You know it's like it's stuff like that growing up and like people don't realize that. But going to like back, to like faith, faith has always been there, right, because you just kind of it allows you to. I think for me it allows me to slow it down, like sometimes, okay, let me go through the prayers. It's kind of like it's like when you before you're gonna go shred right, yeah, you got a stretch. Oh, yeah, man. So like do you count? What do you?
Speaker 1:do. Oh, you know what I do this every time. So I've been surfing sozate yeah group here at Lakewood boards, longboarding mid-length, and I always put I don't lay the board down, I kind of stand it up on its rail, okay, and I squat down, I just kind of move side and I take a deep breath. Look, I stand up, stretch down. I do the same way every time. Okay, take a deep breath.
Speaker 2:gone, see, I pray, I love it, dude because if I Lay back, twist my back and sit there, if I do the hell Mary, yeah, then that's count on that side and I do another hell Mary on the other side. And you're giving time, right, you're not like a one, you know, and you're got use it to like stretch, yeah, like a grab. Stretching my like my lower back, upper back or my arms. Kaylee means to accounting. I easy prey, that's cool, it's kind of weird.
Speaker 3:No that's a good routine. Yeah, two birds out with one stone.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's very time-efficient yeah we've talked.
Speaker 1:We talked about surfing here all the time. For me it's, it's. You know, in our line of work we need to diffuse. So when I get off duty, you see there mountain bike and trail running. I go surf, ice-sky dive for fun and paragliding all this. I do a lot of ridiculous stuff.
Speaker 2:But yeah, we're involved. We do a lot jack-of-all-trades masters, and that's right.
Speaker 1:But the surfing it to me. It does sound weird to people who don't serve, but I always say it is a very spiritual thing, it's, it's the. The ocean is healing in so many ways, man, because you get to go out, you get that cold water dip right splashing the face, the first wave. But you have to focus so much in your timing and balance and working on you know, hanging five, whatever you're gonna do on your board. Yeah, you're focused in. Yeah, and I'm always smiling. Yeah, as soon as I get on that wave, you know you're all in it. So I leave the ocean every time better than when I came, you know. So, being the water and being out there, it's, it's a great experience. I try to tell people like you just got to surf, go surf, that's your wave, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:You're preaching like I think too, on top of that there's a process Leaving, like leaving here, and then you have that time to think, yeah, before you get there. And then when you have a process coming, when you're done, like what, you go grab coffee, you get something, eat, you stop right, can you buy something? But like there's a process of like, like decompressing from Having fun, right, and it just kind of like lower. Yeah, trust me, you're preaching the car.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's good you said you taught her serves right, yeah, she does she, sir.
Speaker 2:So I also am a lot an avid longboarder in the midlinks. Now, yeah, she serves, and but it's tough because we have sports, we have water polo and she's. She loves snowboarding, but I can't have her ruin her wrist, man, and then she's not gonna throw the the polo ball right.
Speaker 3:So I'm like, oh, yeah, you can wear wrist guards underneath, but it looks I was thinking about that.
Speaker 2:I used to. We used to ditch. I'd have her ditch school in elementary. I love it. We just got dumped on. Let's go, don't worry, mom's not gonna get mad. You're such a red boy back before by three o'clock Do. We'll get like 10 runs in, 15 runs in locally and come back. We're good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so okay. So being in politics kind of like you are, you know reality is you're liked, and then you have people who don't like you absolutely, you know. So you're trying to figure that out. You want to. Let's be real, right, there's people who are faith and there's people weren't, which that's fine. You believe what you want, but we're gonna always make the best decision right for the people. I mean, how's that been trying to make decisions knowing like, okay, someone's not gonna be happy with this decision, but it is what it is.
Speaker 2:So, going back to values and morals, right, like, obviously it's values and morals of yourself. And then the decisions I make is based on my community. Yeah, like, I think of like, like you guys, like group of my community, like my parents are still alive and they're in the community. Yeah, right, my little ones in the community, how does she get to be a kid still and enjoy being a cool human and still be a kid? And my parents, they're Kim, their age. I'm not built this community. How do I have the right programming for that, right?
Speaker 2:So when you look back at it, it's more of like, make a decision based on that of like the people, like okay, don't want to raise taxes, you know we don't need a tax measure because you're just taking more money away, but you know what? Then I look back we haven't raised taxes in 20 years, right. You look at CPI and inflation, like, okay, exactly, and it costs more to do, construction would cost more and everything stuck on the Boat's. Like, okay, like, how do I now? How do I navigate verbally to this? I mean, there's so much going on, right?
Speaker 1:now, yeah, you guys is industry. Yeah, I mean that you bring up such a good point, right, because we're middle-class, we all are. Our crew field is still middle-class. We live in middle-class communities, right, and you bring up a great point when it comes to inflation right now. Right, and we hear it a lot too. All the raising taxes, again, they're just taking our money. You're hitting the you know, the middle-class hard. But it's like have you really read into everything? You know? I'm saying like, do a little more homework, don't just read the headline, because you're trying to make a decision as best as a community. Sometimes it's gonna be a hard one, you know, and you got to do what's best, and people are you're taking more money from us. You're like, well, here's why you know it's not what you think.
Speaker 2:But yeah, no, going back to that. Yes, it's. It's one of those things where you just I just make like it's navigating conversations. Going back to that it's because If they understand why, then it's sometimes they just the information they get is really minimal.
Speaker 2:Yeah and then then you share it like the breadth of the information and it's like okay, it makes sense. Yeah, I remember when I got elected the first time but this guy was like just anti me, like he didn't even know who I was. Right, I go, let's have coffee. And I was like I told my wife like bro, like you want to have coffee, this dude.
Speaker 3:I don't know who he is.
Speaker 2:I'm like.
Speaker 3:I don't know he was busting my chops.
Speaker 2:He was hitting me hard. I'm like, okay, let's have coffee. So I meet this guy, coffee right and I go, he's like the first thing you said you don't like, I don't like anything rending. Well, let's bleep his name out. I don't like the assembly speaker that you guys are talking to or you guys talk to in the city that represents us. I was like, okay, why don't you tell me why? And then I'll call him and I'll tell him. He's like what? That's my job for you to tell me why you don't like other things doing, and I'm gonna tell him. Then he's like, oh yeah, I'm like Then he was kind of taking a back right and I go, okay, that's my job, my job, you're my boss, like I.
Speaker 2:People say you made it to the top. I said I made it to the bottom. Take that pyramid and flip it upside down, because I got 80,000 people that are telling me what to do now. Right there, my boss, you live in Lakewood, you're my boss, your brother, your family are my bosses. They need to tell me what's going on so I can fix it.
Speaker 2:Yeah so we sit and have any. We get to that. That that first question. His second question was like Well, you're gonna raise taxes, you're gonna pass a measure in Lakewood. I'm like okay, okay, the last time we raised taxes was 20 years ago. How long you lived here? I lived here 25 years. Like bro, I've been here 50, 50 years, bro, yeah. And he looks at me is like really, I'm like yeah, 50 years, dude, I can tell you anything about the city, how it's turned, how it's changed. He's like, yeah, I go, you're a business owner, I'm a business owner. Do you like working past five o'clock and missing time with your family's? Like no, well, you know, everything's gone up in price. Cost of a good soul have gone up, cpi's got, inflation's gone up. Yep, something has to budge.
Speaker 2:Yeah and he's like, yeah, give me five signs.
Speaker 1:You know what that? That's how it's done, right? We've said this. I've said so many times on here. It's almost like sometimes it just takes you that simple conversation. Is it gonna be a little intimidating at first? Oh yeah, yeah, but I mean what happened to the days where why can't I come to you and talk to you? And if we agree to agree, cool. If we agree to disagree, cool. Maybe I'll learn something from what you're educating me on. Maybe you'll learn something from me that you'll get educated on. You can take that back to somebody else. But it's almost like so much has changed the point of it's like if you don't believe what I believe, it's just boom, boom, you're a piece of this, you're that? You're kind of it's like whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's know this is about talking right, have a conversation. I love that you did that. That's huge.
Speaker 3:I think that's like the breakdown of kind of where society though is a little bit and I don't mean that like I'm not singling any group or anything out, but I'm just saying like that, like what you're saying the ability for like, let's say, if you're gonna do a town hall meeting, right and someone's gonna stand up, and if you know, if you ever turn on your local channel and watch, there's always characters. I think it's a safe way to say that. I think it's fun to show up. That can or can't be, but like, instead of being the one on the like watching the screen if you disagree with something, or even if you have a question about something, you know, I mean, at the end of the day, like that, you gotta get past the awkwardness, you gotta get past that uncomfortable feeling and you know, if you have a problem, speak up, say something, and you know, and on the other end of it, like dude, you're trying to 80,000 you represent, okay, so there's gonna be a couple of people that are always gonna be pissed because and your family, I'm sure there's one person that shows up to a holiday, at least one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was like just maybe, I mean depending, you know that's that pissed off at everything person. You know they happen to exist, you know, and I think that's really cool of having that. You know, I hate to use the transparency word because I don't like these buzz words sometimes, but having that is very important. And being approachable let's use that instead. I like that.
Speaker 3:But having the ability to be approachable constantly, I mean, we'll pay dividends for you, I'm sure, long term, but that's what hopefully people that are representing the groups in these cities are. You know, and all the way up right, that you hope for that. Now, at the end of the day, you're not gonna be able to call up, you know, our governor and say I don't like this. That was going on, you know, or maybe you can, but you know, I think it starts at the local level and being able to do that I think is cool and that's a good story. Man, like you know, because I'm sure that guy was probably coming in that conversation like, oh, I'm gonna get him. He was coming in hot.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna get him. I know exactly what to say. You know we're gonna raise taxes.
Speaker 3:you're like no shit dude. No one likes paying more money. Okay, that's a dumb statement. Of course, I don't wanna do it either, but we gotta pay for shit it affects me too.
Speaker 2:I gotta pay for taxes, totally, you know. But yeah, it's. I mean going back to our conversation with the governor. Right, I was in Sacramento a couple weeks ago and there's these issues we have with broadband and the digital divide and digital inequity, right, yeah, what I've learned in this game of politics, it's the art of compromise and it's having the conversation. It's kind of like you know, endorsing the higher elected leaders. You know they're calling me to endorse them and I told them straight out like, yeah, I'm gonna endorse you. I don't agree with half the shit you say, right Makes me mad, but you give me a lot of money for my city so I can do this, this and this and I like that. I can text you and you respond.
Speaker 2:It's about the conversation, because they got a tough game too, and like with we're in governor's office and we didn't go in there pumping our fists, man, we just came in there. We had a strong conversation. We held United on one of the other organizations that I lead, almost so, in Southeast LA, you know. We came together and we kind of like told them like, hey, you can't take this money away from us. We left a mark and it was good, but again it was more of the conversation piece. Right, because it is the art of compromise and sometimes there's so much information out there. Right, because I never understood, like, how these elected leaders knew so much. What I'm learning now is the more you get involved, the more you get to learn. And then the ones that don't know or assume or like, say I have an answer for homelessness. That's huh.
Speaker 3:I would immediately stop listening.
Speaker 2:I mean especially you guys as a sector of business.
Speaker 1:Man, you see it all the time, man, I'm like, you see it all the time.
Speaker 2:No, you're stop. You know you cannot solve that. Yeah, no one can right now.
Speaker 3:And I think that's like, you know, like going forward just with, and hopefully there's, I think, a larger change of that political representation approach.
Speaker 3:You know, at least I'm hoping because I feel like, at the end of the day, like there's people that you know they're interested in politics, then there's people that get pissed off at politics, and then there's people that never question politics, which I find fascinating, but there's all these different types of folks with how that goes.
Speaker 3:And it's like, at the end of the day, I think, having someone that you can like, not just accepting the position that they're in and being like, oh, I trust this random person to make all the best interest for me, but having someone that really represents that, you know, and again, like we don't have to get all super political, because there's always going to be, you know, differences and ideologies and whatnot.
Speaker 3:But at the end of the day, I feel like, even if someone was, you know, represented my area that I didn't agree with, how they present themselves, how they carry themselves, how they're, you know, not just like I mean what I'm saying, that I don't, you know, like the old school politician student tie and we're going to end this and blah, blah, blah. You know, because, like dude, it's hard to do, it's hard to say that, and then ask for, like you're saying, ask for a measure, raise Right. And then, as the citizen of the area, I'm looking around going, damn dude, my taxes went up and I don't see new roads, I don't see this, I don't see that. So that creates that you know kind of term, I don't know tumultuous, tumultuous.
Speaker 1:Does that say, that Termulges Like Sam too? Is that an?
Speaker 3:appropriate binocular.
Speaker 1:OK.
Speaker 3:Tumultuous Tremultuous, Anyway, makes me sound like I have a speech impediment. But either way, what I'm getting at is that it's good to have that as the platform of how you represent yourself and in that process, in the politician game. I think that's what I hope to see on a larger base, and there are good people that have the ability to do that. But it's being able to like, do it and have you believe it.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean Versus like it's just like a car salesman or like you know, that kind of Anyway, it goes back to proofs in the pudding right and I'll share, because you mentioned a story about being like the politician. So when I got elected the first one I got elected someone said do not change who you are, like your personality, or nothing.
Speaker 1:Accurate yes.
Speaker 2:And it was like there's times for me to be suited and booted Like and I'm all about seats. Next I got a tailor and I love.
Speaker 1:Dude, you're, I think. Your photo, your mayor photo is in a bow tie, right? Yeah, fantastic, I love it. Thank you, it looks great, thank you.
Speaker 2:But like I do a lot of talks to like a lot of local high schools and I remember I was at I think it was it was Mayfair High School. I did a talk there like three weeks ago and I did like eight periods, right, and then the moderator were like OK, we're going to have the mayor come in and they're just expecting some dude in like a suit to just kind of like just send all this information out to them, right, and I was in my joggers and my Nikes, you know, a T-shirt and a hat and they're just like, and I sat from the crowd, they're like whoa, you know, even I was at Lakewood High School last week, right To their leadership class, and I was there and again I showed up in a Hawaiian shirt and because I wanted to show that these kids, because I need to figure who I mean I've only been in this game for like less than four years I need to figure who the next round of leaders are. So I can Very good, so I can kind of like be like mom and dad and chill and know that there's some kid thinking out there that he wants to do like a skate park. He wants to, and I don't like the word change, I like the word evolve. Right, like that. We evolve like.
Speaker 2:My job is not to change my counsel. My job is to make sure I bring my lens to the table right, whether it's looking at something different, and I have my ideas get shot down all the time. But they heard it and they're not anti my ideas. It just doesn't make any sense financially, or how do we do this? Where's the space? I said, ok, that's cool, that's fair, right, and that's the job, right.
Speaker 2:And now I'm looking for, like I try to get these younger kids. Like you know, I got to be in a suit all day. If you want to rock a blazer in a suit all day, cool for you. But I'm not. I'm going to run around in my vans. I tell these kids you're lucky, I'm wearing socks today, because, no, we don't wear socks in my vans, right? Because? And they're like what I'm like, dude, yeah. And then, and what I did to is, instead of like, telling them information, I change it to the method of inquiry. I let them, I just start off like I walk in, yell it up in the mayor of Lakewood, ari Pay, the first Filipino-American.
Speaker 1:Let's go.
Speaker 2:And then they're like OK, and then I say, ask me a question. And it always happens right out of the gates, random, like Conakari, lot 677, lincoln Continental airbag on Supremes. And then they're like which favorite color? Cobalt, blue, candy with a little pearl? They're like, and then they asked me like you know? Like how much money make I'm a local elected leader. I don't make much, you know. But they asked me. And then they get deeper, right, they said, ok, so what was your? What was a thing that turned you to get in the politics? And I tell them that story. And then it's. I change it to method of inquiry versus telling them the story, because then they're going to fall asleep, they're going to be on their phones and that's whack. I don't kids on their phone.
Speaker 1:You're getting engaged.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really.
Speaker 1:We're getting engaged, yeah, that's super important, because that's what I was going to ask you is, like you know, from your point of view, we see this all the time. We hear people OK, we're part of a union, right, so voting all that stuff, right. You're going to hear people squawk, yeah, and it's like, ok, well then, what are you going to do about it? Oh well, I ain't got the time.
Speaker 3:You know this is an ass counter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like, oh, I ain't got the time, I can't do that, but how do we get younger people involved with volunteering and government and running for office, because that is a big ripe, I would say. At least I hear from people I know just around and also in work is oh, you know, politicians, just old people up there all the time, and that's another all older people being up there, but you hear that all the time. So it's like OK, so how do we get the younger generations to get involved, to see what you have done and other officials and be like, hey, we can do this at a younger age. We can make a difference, we can be involved with the community and go farther than we thought. How do we like? My question is like how do we do that? I?
Speaker 2:just expose them. So, so, going start. I'm going to do a heavy, heavy plug right now. Is that cool? Go for it, all, right.
Speaker 2:So I had this conversation with my ASM, my assistant city manager, probably about the right, after less than seven months in when I was on council. I go, hey. So I was a product of not going through the commission system. I went from chronic volunteer board chair, president of like five or six different organizations, skipped that part, ran an election, got on council, right. The normal path would be high school, student, government, civics, asb. Oh, make your way around, get on a commission, serve on a commission, then get in right to council would be the normal. But in Lakewood our commissioners are so old that they didn't want to get to the next level, which is OK, right. So I go.
Speaker 2:We got to figure something out, so I go. How do we get these kids to be exposed to something? But will we do this? I don't want just like your youth in government man, Like that. Just it's just like being on a leather piece of hide for hours and then it's not cool or fun, like. But how do we blend this together? Right, so I told them OK, I'll go find the money and then we'll figure it out, and then we'll figure out the curriculum. But what I do want I told my Paul about training my assistant city manager.
Speaker 2:I go, hey, I want them to be exposed to profit, nonprofit, public sector, private sector and then everything that falls between that. Let's figure it out. Because all these other like academies or in other local cities, they do more of like the public policy side of things, which is cool. But I want to blend, because the reason why is I want to expose them but also let them share and learn other things too, because if it's always public policy and municipal level, it's like OK, ok, ok, ok, but like there has to be like nonverbal communication, there has to be like DI, you know, like especially with, you know, race, equity and inclusion, and there has to be like something cool. So what we did was I went to Supervisor Han man. I go, hey, I need 10 grand to launch a program.
Speaker 2:Straight up straight up, dude, straight up. This is the lake. We didn't even have a curriculum built, but we had the shell right, yeah, and then we had to fill it in backwards, so in, and now let's fast forward three years. It took us a year and a half to write the curriculum, my staff and then we launched this thing called the Lakewood Leadership Academy and it wasn't for high school kids, it was for like older, like, like, like your age, demographic, 20 to like 50. And it was more of like the way I looked at. It was more like a certification right, because you guys are applying for a job, you guys are neck and neck. Oh, this guy went through the Lakewood Leadership Academy, which has diversity and equity training and nonverbal communication. Oh, you know, they had they. They went through team building right, conversations and it just gives you a step ahead.
Speaker 2:But the speakers were key, like we did. Like History of Lakewood, I had the family, a good friend, steve Van Doran, the family that started the Vans company, shoe company. Yeah, he came down and he spoke to the crew and he gave them books and he talked about how to build teams and what their families did in the brand right, and everything that encompassed that and inspired this whole room and I have a room full of. There was, I think, 42 that originally signed up and I think 37 just graduated the first cohort of a nine month program and there was a buy-in because if it's free then some people won't show up, right. We made a pay to shop and everybody showed up. I think a couple of people, like a couple of girls, got pregnant. They were like on their pregnancy, yeah.
Speaker 2:But we had a diverse amount of like age demographic, from YMCA to some guys that work for the state, some guys work for the city. They just wanted to learn more. But we had, like my buddies, brandon Ball from Starch Creative we used to work at Vans together but now he does all the merchandising for all the big brands like Red Bull and Vans and Adidas, right. And then we had like nonverbal communication, just the ray of things and this core just just bounded together. They're all different, but now they started like volunteering together. Some of them started another like leadership, women's and leadership academy. They started strictly for women's and then and they're all still connected and that's like I think the I don't want to say the word groom, but more of like the like stirring the pot.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, stirring the pot you're teaching about you're also it's like that succession planning. We hear that all the time.
Speaker 3:Who's like.
Speaker 1:We need to know who's going to be next in line, that we can show how to do this, but in a great way, like you're doing.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's huge, man. You brought together these people. Yeah, they pay, but they came, now they're starting their own group. I mean that's huge. Now you're creating community. Yes, now you know that you, we need community. Right, that's what we're made that way. We got to be around people and now you're showing them. Hey, here's how we do it. Here's, you know, here's how to be involved. If I can do it, you can do it. And that's honestly how it became a firefighter. I never thought I could do it.
Speaker 1:I was a terrible student. I was not good at school. Yeah, I was just horrible. But I ended up doing the Explorer program. You know that's thing that it shows you as a kid. Ok, we're going to get you involved. It's paramilitary. You need to cut your hair. We need to see your grade report.
Speaker 1:So I started getting my grades up, working harder. Teach you how to work as a teammate. You know they taught us how to talk confidently with people, because in our line of work, we're called to anyone's house. It doesn't matter if you worship Satan, god, atheist, whether you're gay, straight, black, white, indian, it doesn't matter. We serve you with respect. You could be the richest person or you could be the poorest person. We're going to help you. You know, and it taught me so much confidence. You know working as a team, so what you're doing is huge. Because that's always my question what are we doing to get good leaders in young, start them young, get them in here, start working and hopefully come on City Council one day, be a mayor and then, who knows, go hire?
Speaker 2:And that's why I purposely like. Like the joke between my our executive assistant is like is it that Lakewood casual or is it already casual? Serious because it depends on my audience. Right, because you know, if there's an older immigrant I'll adjust, you know, but I want the kids to see. Like you know, like I can do that too. I had someone approach me to a golf tournament. We're playing a golf tournament. He's like bro, one of us is up there, man. He's like this, I'm like you, just straight out, dude.
Speaker 2:He's like that straight out, Like one of us is up there, like it's like this is attainable. Or when I did that the talk at Lakewood High School, like these kids were just engaged and then no one walked up and shook my hand on what they did. They go, yo, and they gave me the like. They didn't have to come acknowledge me. I knew I got to them when they were just gave me the, the piece like, or they weren't like this to me.
Speaker 2:I'm like Matt was more than just hey, hi, hello, can I have your business card? He just gave me the chest pump and the fist. I was like yo, like that was cool man. So it's stuff like that, right, Like I wanna I show up because, like, like my little one, like, okay, she's been born into this, this, this, this giving life Right and like, and she's going to be fine. But like what about everybody else? Cause I have this networking structure. It's so expansive. That's why I share it. Cause what? Let me use myself? Yeah, you must have shared Never, ever already have fun, right. Rising's tides raises all ships, man, oh, my man. Absolutely I win, we all win, man, it's like, that's just the way it goes, yeah.
Speaker 3:That's cool to hear, like I mean just the like the attainability of the success in this, this line of service, right, I think that it's you know, like I don't know.
Speaker 3:Like, like what you're saying earlier, when you're like when someone asked you about that, you're like I, whether you never thought about doing it or how do I even get to that point, or like start the process in it, and I think having that representation is very important, you know, cause I don't know, like if you would. I mean, obviously now maybe I've learned things as I've gotten a little bit older, it just. But going back to when I was in my early twenties, like if you said, hey, we're gonna get in politics, you'd be like, dude, I didn't go to college, I am not, you know, from an affluent family. Like you know all this kind of stuff of what I thought had to be a thing to get involved in that way. So you know, by starting up the program, and like you know whether it's or at an academy, or just the certification or even how you want to label it, but like that's super rad to hear and you know, hopefully, listening to if you're younger and you're involved and you're passionate, dude, get involved.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like a leisure academy. I mean it's for everybody just to kind of like get a check, but it's like we want it to be fun too right, and have engaging speakers, cause when I worked in the industry, man, we had some rad speakers and there's nothing better than walking away from like a keynote. You're like whoa. I remember I'll tell you right now what happened. Why I got in the action sports sector was I was at Long Beach State with my business law class and this had his presenter. Come in, right, white dude comes in, slick back, slick back hair, look like a veteran, white t-shirt, blue jeans, had his cons on and he was talking about business law class. I'm like, what's he gonna talk about business law?
Speaker 2:He was the dude that launched Roxy, presented the brand, the concept of Roxy through Billabong and then went from there and he showed us their first, their lookbook. Right, dude, their first lookbook was shot at like La Fonda, k30. I'm like, no, that's La Fonda, right there, that's red. I was like, dude, I know La Fonda, I go, is that La Fonda? I was like, yep, you know La Fonda over there by K30? Yes, sir, that's red, yeah. So I was like, okay, I'm getting in this game. Yeah, so I think that's what got me into the action sports sector, was that? But dude, he just rolled in, he wasn't suited and booted. He came in like the industry you guys know the industry right Like, and I tell people all this all the time, like I'm hoping my city starts, it's starting to not loosen up, but like even being a municipal, I mean people spend like eight hours a day there, man, like let's have fun. Like you know, I mean it hasn't happened yet.
Speaker 2:I'm like you can bring your dog in and let's pull the rugs out, have cement, right. And like, have this energy level there that they just want to go to work? Because I remember being at Vans and like, oh, you haven't been on vacation in two years. You need to go on vacation, right, you need to like decompress, or hey, you've been on the road for like the last two week and a half. Go home for a couple of days, we'll figure it out, come back and let's go. You know, like giving you that balance, you know.
Speaker 3:So I was gonna say the balance that's the key, it's finding it both. Obviously, working hard and being involved with what you're doing is very important, but so is you know, even the reference. I'm talking about surfing, where you reset and growing the community within the process of what you're trying to do, or team building. Right, you gotta do that. I mean, who was it talking about? Someone on here was talking about the company stance, like the socks.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I said it's a. It kind of reminded me of like what I envisioned working for Google might be like and purely based on that movie with Owen Wilson, because it just seemed fun. But talking about like the break rooms had a mini pipe in it, you know, and they had like little putt-putt golf or whatever, Just to be able to unwind or maybe even create that kind of fun atmosphere while you're trying to work hard, you know. And, dude, I mean actually I'm just going to drop that. My next question are you doing a wave pool? We?
Speaker 2:don't have any room in Lakewood for that. What I'm really pushing, I'll say it straight out, man, I'm pushing for a pump track, all wheel-encompassing pump track. Right, because now it's not so skate-centric, even though and then maybe the pump track will have a skate section, but all wheel-encompassing your scooters, your bikes, whatever can roll it. You know, like the one up in San Marcos, exactly like that. So I want a pump track and then let's kind of go, because everybody has skate parks, you go to a skate park, you go to a skate park, no one has a pump track.
Speaker 2:I want a pump track, please, big one. We're working on it, I'm working on it, but there's a couple of capital improvement projects that has to go first. I know, and we're going over like a general 20-year master plan for the city of Lakewood, for the park systems, and you better believe my inputs. Like I want to make sure we like everything from you know, like the how do we call it? It's not the word, I don't know if I can say, it's like the inclusive or exclusive. Like they don't say the word disabled anymore.
Speaker 1:No, Inclusive, inclusive, inclusive.
Speaker 2:So like, like, like, like, like at the parks and like pump track, like for everybody in Lakewood, because you know Lakewood it's. We're not about Cubsports and Lakewood we all play Cubsports because we got introduced. Lakewood was built to be like, be affordable for families to play all sports. Yes, so it's subsidized. Like, you can play flag football, you can do hula, you can do gymnastics and it's not going to break the bank. So I grew up doing flag football dude yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's not, and it's not going to break the bank. That wasn't what Lakewood's about. But like I get heat all the time from all the Pop Warner presidents like, well, we need more football fields, I'm like, wow, where are? You going to build it, bro. We're here to expose flag football in hopes of playing Pop Warner, right. Right, we're not here to run Pop Warner programs because it's a little next level, right? So it's one of those things where yeah.
Speaker 1:So what about speaking of like land? Okay, so right next to City Hall, it's across the street from I want to say it's smart and final and there's like Home Depot. You know that big dirt lot in the corner. Yeah, clark and Dalama.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Is anything going to happen? That's been that way since I was a kid, since I can remember.
Speaker 2:Something's going to happen there, okay. I mean, if we're going to go on the record, off the record, so what we're doing, what's happening right now, like the state's pounding the shit out of us. I'm putting housing right, no, housing's not going to go there, okay. So they're pounding the shit on housing. So we have to look at the parcels in Lakewood and see how we're going to accommodate these numbers. And every city's getting pounded on and they're getting these ridiculous numbers. So we're trying to find a way where we can kind of meet in the middle.
Speaker 2:So the Lakewood Mall and like other malls, like Cerritos, downey or Stonewood and Cerritos, they're going to change. There's going to be blended use, right, it's going to be housing on top and then mall on the bottom, okay. So we're going to structure it right. Like let's get a cool little downtown. Like I want to cross between what they do in Europe, asia, lbx, what they do at the Lynx over there in El Segundo. I want to mix between all that. So we have things for, like to go to the brewery and the parents hang out to buy a fire, the kids go out, but I want outdoors, I don't want just buildings and retail. So that's going to change.
Speaker 2:So we, strategically, are trying to figure out what we can do in that property to complement what's going to go on there. Why are we going to put on restaurants here? If there's going to be restaurants there, why are we going to put you know? So we're trying to find ways to complement what's going to go down in the future, versus making a quick. You know, that's like a five year plan or more. I probably take a 10 year plan. 10 year plan, yeah, it's going to be cool, because if I'm here, I'm still here. I have my input. It's not going to be just buildings and walls, it's going to be cool. Shit, man. I'll tell you what I don't want no cool shit.
Speaker 1:There's one thing I like at the Lakewood Mall, and that's the bowling alley.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That place is packed all the time you have to reserve.
Speaker 2:So sender one. Yes, so you know. There's a rock climbing facility coming to Lakewood right. Get out of here. Really, it's where the office depot is. Okay, office Mac. So across the street they're part of the same umbrella. It's like, dude. They're just gone to the second level. They're building a rock climbing there now. Kevin. Hart's putting a restaurant on Lakewood. Oh, what Get out of here? Oh, kevin Hart, he's putting a restaurant on Lakewood.
Speaker 2:There's some good movement on the retail sector. But just know, lakewood is pretty much built out. It's 94% residential, okay community based and 6% commercial. So our commercial tax dollars comes from that whole area, plus a lot of the sales tax increase that we did in 2020. We capture all online sales too.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, which really helped a lot. You guys, you guys don't even know like Well, because everything's almost online now. Well, yeah, but before the business model was okay we're going to capture it by zip codes and it goes to up here, then they disperse it. And so what we did was we passed a measure, it passed and we captured it. If it's bought in Lakewood, it stays, the tax stays in Lakewood, versus buying it somewhere then having to pick it up in Lakewood. So we captured all of that. So we did that right out of the gate. So it's been very healthy for us.
Speaker 1:Our healthy is very financially stable, say man, that sounds like there's a good future ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, lakewood's good, our leadership and I've learned from the ones before me and the ones now. Right, there's two guys on there that are just super smart, that have been in the game a long time and I just haven't soaked in all their thinking, their information, because at one point in time they handed down and then I got to hand it down right. So it's very challenging.
Speaker 3:Is there a downtown Lakewood area? Like as far as like a Like, if you were to say hey, it's Saturday night, let's go out here.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's the mall, there's restaurants and stuff.
Speaker 3:Like there used to be flood workers.
Speaker 1:I mean it used to be I don't know.
Speaker 2:It's not a bad question. I'll tell you why. Because Lakewood was rated the most boring, I think, years ago.
Speaker 1:The rate of the most boring city in the Southeast LA County.
Speaker 2:But you know why the metric was based on bars and clubs. Unless you're going to go to our dive bars unless you're playing in the dart of Reagan. What do you call it? The travel circle? It's not happening. But you know, I mean this is exactly what happened at KTLA when they called me and I was like, okay, yes, we're not, that's our metrics, right. Okay, I get it, we're the most boring city. But come to our parks. We've got 11 parks. You know what? Take 20 minutes or an hour by your lunch and go sit at a park and tell me how you feel after you sit at one of our parks. Drive down our roads. Our roads are beautiful. I mean, we have retail.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when I was going with that wasn't a slam to the area. What I mean by where I was going with that is that having the envision of maybe re-outfitting the mall where you start and I don't think you would call it a taxpayer but like you have residential over commercial or retail and you start to bring that in I mean there's a lot of examples of cities that do that that by doing that increases one the appeal right, You're going to get more people coming into those areas, whether they're restaurants or a place to hang or I don't know. It's like, for some reason, a dueling piano bar came into my head, which is no which.
Speaker 1:I happen to like yeah.
Speaker 3:But you know what I mean. But I just mean like having that style of attraction with that. I think it's part of the evolution process of the area, because self-sustaining with a 96% residential of people that may have been there for more than 30 years, right, how are you going to grow as a city financially? I mean, whatever it's a topic, right? Yeah, yeah, and being able to rein in the money to put towards stuff for the city, for the next generations, for the kids growing up here, to sustain those parks or have cooler things at those parks, I think that's a neat idea and hopefully that takes. I don't know, did you say that was going to happen?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So it's going to happen everywhere. So it's blended use. You guys see it, you're going to see retail and then housing on top. My mom and dad have this big house in Lakewood and it's like they live by the mall. They're like, okay, we don't need this big house, I need you to build something up there. I want to go to church still, I want to see the senior center, I want to see my friends. I still want to be in Lakewood. So it's one of those things where we're going to reconfigure. We're in conversations right now with the owners, but Lakewood Mall was the very first mall on the West Coast.
Speaker 3:Oh, I didn't know that the Maesers Group.
Speaker 2:Yes, it was an outdoor mall. We turned the indoor and then we've had really great conversations with them this year on conversations on what we they're going to want something. We're going to want something different and it's coming to the terms of what it's going to be Like. You know, because there's things I need to be figured out, like logistics, like the Dalamo and Clark, like we can't Parking the gas station. The gas station needs to be. Things like that need to be reconfigured. It has to be done. But to me it's like I want the cool factor too. So we will have a downtown. I guarantee you we will. As long as I'm alive, there's going to be a downtown.
Speaker 1:Don't worry, I'll be there because I love going bowling over there. It's so much fun, dude. Honestly, it's got killer pizza. I was surprised.
Speaker 3:I'm a huge bowler. Which is like super nerdy to say it out loud and that's on tape. But I'm actually.
Speaker 2:What's his name on the Dodgers? A bowler or two? Mookie Mookie. Yeah, he's like really good.
Speaker 3:He has like a handful of like perfect games.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, well, they didn't do so well, well, we're going to wrap this up, but, dude, one last thing I want to ask you here what is going to be your future in politics? Where do you want to go? Do you want to go higher?
Speaker 2:I am at the local level right now and as like have I've taken, my steps have been not, I've walked every through. I've walked through every open door Got you. So if there's a calling and it makes sense, I'm in. I'm not saying no to that because I truly believe like I got. I mean. I mean there's a lot going on in general in like local politics, even in the upper echelon, but am I the person that will be fit there, right? So? But if the door opens, I'm going to walk through it.
Speaker 1:Why not? She got my vote.
Speaker 2:Like, why not? Like you know, like, like, like I told, when I chose to go down this elected official being an elected leader like it's I said to my wife. The doors cracked open. The question is, are we going to walk through it? I don't want to be the dude that's like oh man, we should have woulda coulda.
Speaker 3:Yeah, fuck that dude I love it.
Speaker 2:It's like you're going to go or you're not going to go and you're going to get pounding on if you don't go now.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, oh, I say that all the time. Yeah, hesitation kills you. Yeah, I snap many boards that way during the winter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could hold on your tail for so long before you got to go. Man Like let's go Is that a longboard reference?
Speaker 3:I would have no idea. No, I remember teaching Shortboard exclusive.
Speaker 1:No there was somebody I was like look, you can't hesitate, like you need to, especially like I always say don't, because I have my winterboards right, it always gets a lot more hollow here. I tell people like when you go out in the winter like, dude, you can't hesitate, you got to own it, you got to go and you got to power down.
Speaker 3:It is what it is, man Hesitation will get you it.
Speaker 1:Put me in the hospital, dude. Yeah, it swelled up my spinal cord, my neck. I couldn't feel my hands and stuff. Wife dial was like a 12, 14 foot day. I don't even Dude. I got like I think I had two waves.
Speaker 2:I don't even do that. No more man. That sounds cool, though.
Speaker 3:No, I know my, it was wild, it was wild.
Speaker 2:My barometer has actually shrunk. I know, fun and not fun, right, right, I can still take out my tri-fins or my quads still, but I've been in the mid-lengths lately. But funny story, right, I'll share this publicly, I don't care. So Hillary's coming, right, yeah, hillary came and the swell came and it was mac and it was just building up until Sunday, right, right. So I went out a week prior and I was like, okay, cool, this is good, I can handle it. Then, probably like four days out, it was still mellow and then I just got busy and then I went to three events on Sunday. That Sunday that Hillary was coming in to the wedge. And I get home I tell my little one dude, go on cameras right now. Dude, the wedge is starting to mac. It's like no way, let's go. I was like it's raining my wife's on the couch. She's like no, you're the mayor, there's flooding going on. No, you got to stay home, we can't go anywhere, right? And then I look up my little one. I'm like, man, go get your wrinkle, let's go.
Speaker 1:Let's get out of here we're going.
Speaker 2:You're more than welcome to go with us. Put our rain gear on, like, put our stuff on, and we went. And it was just mac-ing dude. Right when the black ball ended, dude, the shoreboarders were frothing to get in the water. Right when the black ball lifted, dude, they get in the water. And we were there when that kid did that somersault that one clip that everybody posted. We were there. That's rad Dude. It just lined up and he got to 20, then 25. I'm like dude. It's mac. My little one's never seen waves that big. That's huge, like in her face. It's like dad, like dude.
Speaker 1:It was like my wife's, just like oh, I can see that the biggest I've wiped out was 16 feet and I got held under for two waves. It was radical.
Speaker 3:You'll find them on the shore just cheering everyone on.
Speaker 2:I don't mess with anyone. I don't, I don't.
Speaker 3:I'm like it goes from being a fun day to like. I'm generally concerned about my well being. Yeah, it's like it's a lot of water moving around.
Speaker 2:It's powerful, you know. But once you know your brahmer, you're good. Because we just came back from Costa Rica. Oh see, nice, we saw Playa Grande over there by the state. We didn't set the ripjack in this time. We stayed there three years ago, four years ago, and we stayed at the Elmangar we're going to have to all go surf man Down there.
Speaker 1:I'll let my dad he's 82. He still surfs down there. Bolsa, the old guys.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what station he's at 16.5. Oh, he's the cool crew.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's the old the hipsters.
Speaker 2:I'm at 21. Yeah, 21. Now I do 21 and 25.
Speaker 1:That's right. Yeah, I'm at the North, yeah, just because I like kind of surfing to myself and have fun out of any people in the crowd. But what to go, and so people know can people get involved with the Thanksgiving, the feeding that you do, what's it called?
Speaker 2:We don't do that anymore. I had to stop that right at the pandemic and I was going to shift it towards, like a lot of the seniors in the area, because I realized, but I just, I think at that point in time, the lens I didn't understand how the lens of being elected leader was and I went people say, hey, do you just do that just because you want to get elected? But if you know, I was doing it 30 years prior. So we stopped in the pandemic, we stopped. But definitely there's so much to get involved in the city of Lakewood. I would definitely highly recommend there's 20, not 20, I think 25 nonprofit organizations. You can get involved Worth Rotary, suroptimus, like Meals on Wheels, there's so many like. There's like the library, there's like millions of them and there's things to do and I think we still have that community base here.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. What's your Instagram? Do you have Instagram people? I have Instagram, yeah. Do you want to ask you?
Speaker 2:questions about Lakewood. Yeah, I want to ask you a question about Lakewood, let me. Let me Just know. If it's about city business, it's going to go to staff. So it's Ari Pay, lakewood City Council.
Speaker 1:Okay, At Ari Pay City Council. Yeah, okay, awesome dude, people get you on there. Ari, thanks so much for coming to podcast.
Speaker 2:I want to keep going.
Speaker 1:but I'm like, yeah, we're at our time. Yeah, we want to have you back on here.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Also, if there's anything that comes up that you need help election stuff, whatever it may be, or outreach. Yeah, campaign. Hit us up, dude. We want to help out. We'd love to be involved. You're a great dude. You're one of us. Thank you, Appreciate that, dude. I just appreciate who you are man, what you're doing yeah, give back to community as long as you have but also how you're getting involved with the younger generations to bring them up. That's huge.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, dude, that's it's worth it's weight in gold man. Yeah, you're making a difference.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm so. I'm glad we crossed paths. I know it's crazy yeah. It's super cool and honestly, really, you know, to be honest, before the started I was kind of like I don't know Cool, not cool. It's like if we're going to be like super polished talker, like politically kind of thing, you know, you never know.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I think it's a true like refreshing situation. Hopefully people that either follow you or you gain some people out of this to be like hey, he's a real dude you know, for good, bad and indifferent, you know, and I think there's a lot of respect that carries with that.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for coming on. Yeah, it's fun. I'm really glad we got to do this and yeah, I would love to go surfing. I've been telling this guy we're going to go surfing, for about it's been like a year, maybe, apparently, when you have, you know other things a big time my time. Yeah, the third one's on the way, man.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so it's to get real for him. Get really real. So I just figure I'm good, right, yeah, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 3:We're super blessed and I'm excited and a little nervous, but more excited so good man. Yeah, that's anyways, this is about me, but thank you so much. Yeah, thank you guys, appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's refreshing, dude. And just to give you a fun fact, I used to work for the city of Lakewood Park and Rec. I was a terrible employee who was your boss? Valerie Frost. I can't remember it was so long. It was like 20 years ago. Yeah, it was a long time ago. I was a whole, I was like 17,. I was a terrible employee.
Speaker 2:So Valerie Frost was probably there when you were there and she is now the big kahuna there, the big proctor, oh really what?
Speaker 1:There was a guy out there, I can't remember. You used to have totally Friday night, you know there Do they still do that? I think they do. Yeah, oh, wow, yeah, I was just. I was just throwing it out there. I worked for Lakewood. I was not.
Speaker 2:I'm just you're learning your grow? Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 3:Everyone can change dude. Yeah, yeah, yeah, learn from my mistakes, people.
Speaker 1:Show up to work when you're supposed to be there, yeah, but hey, we do a. Let's Go on three. So we're going to do that right now. Again, thank you so much, ariel. Ari, mayor of Lakewood, you're the man, dude. Seriously appreciate you a lot, dude. All right, let's do this. One, two, three. Let's go Bye everybody. Thank you so much for listening in. If you liked what you just listened to, please leave us a five star review on Apple Podcast and on Spotify. Please follow us on YouTube, on Instagram and on Facebook, and a big shout out to Stephen Clark, our sound editor. He's a huge part of this team. That is unseen. It's eight, nine barbers. Our first sponsor. Look good, feel good, be great. That's two locations Orange, california, and Long Beach, california. Check your appointment online eight ninebarberscom.
Speaker 1:Bye everybody.