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Hector Sosa Newsletter — July 19, 2026
📬 Councilmember Hector Sosa | District 2, Downey | July 20, 2026
Happy Monday, Downey,
A few dates on the calendar belong to this city, and today is one of them. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon, carried there by a command module our neighbors built on a factory floor right here in Downey. Fifty-seven years later, the week behind us showed the same city still building: a tax roll that just crossed a milestone, new leadership stepping up for our business community, a housing proposal working through public review, and a Saturday morning farewell to a mentor Downey will not forget. Let's get into all of it.
💰 Budget & Finance
🔹 Downey Property Values Climb Past $17 Billion: Figures released this week by the LA County Assessor show Downey's assessed valuation rising to just over $17 billion in 2026, up roughly $637 million from last year, a gain of about 3.9 percent. That growth came as the county's overall roll hit a record $2.27 trillion, its 16th straight year of increases. Downey's roll covers more than 23,000 parcels, the large majority of them single-family homes.
→ 💡 What this means for you: Assessed value is the base that property taxes are calculated from, and those dollars flow back into the services residents count on every day, including public safety, schools, libraries, and parks. One important note: because of Proposition 13, most homeowners will not see their own bill jump anywhere near 3.9 percent. Annual increases on a property's assessed base are generally capped at 2 percent unless the property sells or adds new construction.
→ 🎯 My take: A growing roll is a quiet vote of confidence in this city, cast by everyone who buys a home, improves a property, or opens a business here. Steady revenue like this is what gives Downey options: room to plan ahead, maintain full services, and invest without gimmicks. My job on this Council is making sure those options get used wisely, and you can count on me to keep watching that closely.
💼 Economic Development & Local Business
🔹 New Leadership at the Downey Chamber of Commerce: On Monday, July 13, the Downey Chamber of Commerce held its annual installation at the Downey Theatre, marking the transition from outgoing president David Kantar to incoming president Jennifer DeKay. As I shared this week: congratulations to newly installed Downey Chamber of Commerce President, Jennifer Dekay. You're going to have a great year as leader of the Chamber!
→ ⚡ Why this matters: A strong Chamber is one of the best partners a city can have. When City Hall and our business community pull in the same direction, small businesses get real support, workshops get organized, and our commercial corridors stay healthy. My thanks to David Kantar for his year of service, and I look forward to working with President DeKay to keep that partnership strong.
👉 View my congratulations (Instagram)
🔹 145 Townhomes Proposed for the Former Honda Service Site: A proposal to replace the former Honda service facility on Dollison Drive with 145 for-sale townhomes went to the Planning Commission for a public hearing this past Wednesday, July 15. The plan from Meritage Homes calls for two-, three-, and four-bedroom ownership units across 14 three-story buildings, with 15 of the homes reserved for moderate-income households under the city's inclusionary housing rules.
→ 💡 What to know: The site sits inside a housing overlay the Council adopted in January 2025, which identified underused commercial properties as opportunities for new homes. Neighbors have raised concerns about traffic and speeding on nearby streets, and the recommended conditions address that directly: the city would run new traffic counts after the project opens, and the developer would fund a traffic-calming study and any improvements it calls for.
→ 🎯 Where I stand: Reducing speeding citywide is one of the initiatives I ran on, so I take those neighborhood concerns seriously. Ownership housing that gives Downey families a path to buy in their own city is worth studying carefully, and so is protecting the quiet residential streets that surround this site. I will be following this one as it moves through the process, and I encourage residents to do the same.
👉 Read the full project details
🤝 Community
🔹 A Farewell at Sussman: On Saturday morning, family, friends, and generations of the young people he guided gathered at Sussman Middle School for the memorial service honoring Darrell Jackson. I have written about Darrell in these pages the past two weeks, so today I will simply say this: the size of that gathering told the story better than any words could. A life spent showing up for kids fills a room.
→ 🎒 The best tribute is a working one: Gangs Out of Downey, an organization Darrell poured himself into, hosts its Backpack Giveaway on Saturday, August 8, from noon to 2:00 PM at Golden Park, with free backpacks and school supplies for Downey students. If you have been looking for a way to honor him, sending a kid into the school year ready and confident is exactly the kind of thing he would pick.
👉 Read the Downey Patriot's tribute
📅 Coming Up
🔹 🏛️ Next Regular City Council Meeting: Tuesday, July 28, 6:30 PM, Council Chambers, Downey City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Avenue. The agenda posts ahead of time on the city website. Give it a look this weekend, and weigh in on anything that matters to you, in person, in writing, or by livestream.
👉 View agendas and city documents
🔹 🎶 Concerts in the Park: Wednesday at 7:00 PM, Furman Park, 10419 Rives Avenue. Same park, new performer each week. If you have not made it out yet this summer, this is your nudge.
👉 View upcoming Parks and Recreation events
🔹 👮 National Night Out: Tuesday, August 4, 5:30 to 8:30 PM at the Downey Civic Center. Put it on the family calendar now and come shake hands with the officers who serve your neighborhood.
🔹 🎒 Gangs Out of Downey Backpack Giveaway: Saturday, August 8, noon to 2:00 PM at Golden Park. Details above in the Community section.
📱 Stay Connected
Got a pothole to report, graffiti to flag, or a service request to submit? The Downey Connect App is the fastest, most direct path to getting things done. Available for both Apple and Android.
👉 Download the Downey Connect App
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more real-time updates, event highlights, and a look at what I am working on between newsletters.
The people who built that moon-bound spacecraft were not celebrities. They were Downey residents who did careful work, went home to their families, and trusted that the details mattered. Fifty-seven years later, that is still the standard this city deserves from everyone who serves it, myself included. Thank you for reading, for writing back, and for caring how the details turn out. See you at Council Chambers on July 28.
Questions, concerns, or ideas? Hit reply. I read every message.
