|
The bell was rung and the meeting was started by President Mark Rogo. He reminded us of the Rotary International theme for this year is “Unite for Good”.
The pledge was led by Philip Gabriel followed by “The thought for the day” on The Economic Singularity, which was explained by Dave Stover. AI and robotics are developing exponentially. In the short-term the majority are out of jobs, and the minority are fabulously wealthy. In the long run the world will be run by rich Oligarch’s (which already exists) through AI.
PP and maestro Ed Guald led the singing of “America the Beautiful” wearing another of his marvelous hats.
President Mark thanked Lucy Tseng for being the greeter today.
A special presentation of recognition pins was made by President Mark Rogo to the club Avenue of Service chairs including PP Diane Good and Dave Stover who were present at the meeting.
Guests Rotarians included Jeff Lemen of the Pacific Palisades club and Shirin Mosavi-Negad Assistant Governor for the Westwood Club. Guests of Rotarians included Ron Estroff, a guest of Mark Rogo. Two UCLA potential Rotaract's attended the meeting but unfortunately got away before we got their names.
President Mark announced a donation from the Club was being made to “Foster the Love” in the amount of $1050 under the Youth Avenue of Service. This non-profit benefits Foster Care youths who are aging out of the system.
A club assembly is scheduled for next week’s club meeting on January 29, 2026, for the purpose of announcing and electing club officers for the 2026 -2027 Rotary year.
Announcements included:
-
A visit by club members to the Manhattan Beach Rotary club is scheduled for Monday, Jan 26th. Carpooling will take place with President Mark and PP Peter More.
-
Rotary 101 for new members is scheduled for March 7th.
-
District Breakfast is March 21st celebrating 7 new Interact clubs in the district.
-
District Conference Cruise will be May 15th to the 18, 2026 to Mexico. Rooms are limited, so if you are interested, register now.
The guest speaker LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto was introduced by President Mark.
Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. She is the City’s general counsel and serves as legal advisor to the Mayor, City Council, and to the hundreds of boards, departments, officers and entities that make up the City of Los Angeles. Hydee is the first female City Attorney and first Latina elected citywide in LA.
Hydee is currently running for another term as the city attorney who oversees 1,000 employees in her department. She has tried to keep the promises made in her past campaign. She is not planning to run for higher offices in government and will retire as the city attorney if elected, after her next term. Her job is to represent the city and be the chief prosecutor of misdemeanors.
Feldstein Soto was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moved to the mainland United States to attend Swarthmore College and then Columbia University School of Law. After law school, she moved to Los Angeles and has called Los Angeles home for more than 40 years. Feldstein Soto raised her family and built her career as a partner in private practice at large international law firms, earning wide recognition and acclaim for her leadership, problem solving acumen and legal ability.
One major accomplishment she is very proud of is the reduction of drug, sexual activities and the trafficking of children along Figueroa St in south LA which was out of control before she was elected. The trafficking especially of children is an area she plans to continue working in to reduce and eliminate in Los Angeles. She is concerned with the World Cup Soccer, 2027 Super Bowl and then the Olympics coming to Los Angeles as these events tend to bring the trafficking of children including boys and women with them.
She is involved in the planning of security for these future events in Los Angeles, including protecting against terrorism.
Crime in Los Angeles as reported by the LAPD has decreased by 40% since Hydee took office, but the number of LA city law enforcement officers is lower than other cities in our country. She is very concerned with the reduction of law enforcement officers in Los Angeles and is hoping something gets done with the city budget to increase hiring.
Hydee stated that 25% of the residents in Los Angeles are undocumented and most are law abiding members of society.
Hydee is very well spoken and appears to enjoy the job she has been elected to do. She answered many questions and posed for photos afterwards with Club members.
After presenting Hydee with a gift, the meeting was adjourned by President Mark on time.
| 
