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Hector Sosa Newsletter — June 14, 2026
📬 Councilmember Hector Sosa | District 2, Downey | June 15, 2026
Friends and neighbors,
This Sunday is Father's Day, and June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes it a good week to check in on the men in your life, and on yourself. It is also the week the world's game arrives in Downey, with our city hosting an official World Cup Fan Zone at Stonewood Center this Saturday. Around those two headlines sit the everyday things that make this city worth the work: our college-bound graduates, our symphony, and neighbors who keep looking out for one another. Here is what's worth knowing this week.
🧠 Men's Mental Health & Fatherhood
🔹 A New Resource for Fathers, Right When It Counts: At this month's meeting of the LA County Commission on Local Government Services on Friday, June 12, where I represent the Independent Cities Association, the County's Department of Mental Health walked us through its Father's Support Hub. It is an online resource built around fatherhood and men's wellbeing, with support networks, practical self-care tools, and clear next steps for dads who need them. June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, and with Father's Day this Sunday, the timing could not be better.
→ 🎯 My take: I launched Downey's first Men's Mental Health Awareness Fair because I believe the stigma around men asking for help fades when neighbors talk openly and point one another toward the support that already exists. A resource like this Hub is part of that work. Strength is not pretending you are fine. Sometimes it is picking up the phone.
👉 Explore the Father's Support Hub
⚽ The World Comes to Downey
🔹 The Tournament Is Underway, and Saturday Is Downey's Turn: The 2026 World Cup has officially kicked off, with matches now running across the region and the U.S. opening its run at the stadium in Inglewood. This Saturday, June 20, the spotlight reaches us. Downey hosts its official Los Angeles World Cup 26 Fan Zone at Stonewood Center, a free, family-friendly celebration that runs all day, from 8:30 AM to 11:45 PM. Expect live broadcasts of two group-stage matches, Germany versus Côte d'Ivoire and Tunisia versus Japan, plus an opening ceremony, a large viewing area, soccer clinics and exhibitions, an art walk, interactive booths, food vendors, and a beer garden. General admission is free with advance registration, and the city has added optional VIP packages for anyone who wants the upgraded experience.
→ 🎶 The headliner: The city just announced that Ozomatli will perform live. If you do not know them, Ozomatli is a Grammy-winning band that came up out of Los Angeles in 1995, blending Latin, hip-hop, funk, and reggae into a sound that feels like the whole city at once. Booking a group like that says a lot about the kind of celebration Downey is throwing.
→ ⚡ Why it matters: Tickets to the matches at SoFi are out of reach for most families, and that is exactly why a free fan zone in our own backyard is such a win. It hands Downey residents a front-row seat to a once-in-a-generation moment, with a world-class hometown band to match, and it puts our diverse, welcoming character on display for visitors from across the region. A day like this does not come around often, and I would hate for anyone to miss it because they did not register in time.
👉 Register for the Downey Fan Zone
🎓 Youth & Community
🔹 Sending Off Our College-Bound Graduates: On Monday, June 8, the Assistance League of Downey held its Scholarship Awards Reception at Casa de Parley Johnson, putting real dollars behind college-bound Downey Unified graduates as they head into their next chapter. I had a great time being there, and meeting this group of deserving students was the kind of evening that reminds you exactly why this work matters. Casa de Parley Johnson is a Downey gem, and so are these kids.
→ 🎯 Why this lands for me: A community that invests in its young people early is a community betting on its own future, and that has been one of my priorities on the Council from the start. Scholarships like these turn a graduation into a real launch pad. Hats off to the Assistance League volunteers who made the night happen, and congratulations to every recipient.
🔹 In Downey's Corner for the Arts: I also took a moment this week to throw my support behind the Downey Symphony, one of the cultural institutions that gives this city its character. Backing local arts is not a luxury line item to me. It is part of what makes Downey a place people are proud to call home, and a reason families choose to put down roots here.
📅 Coming Up
🔹 🕊️ Juneteenth: Friday, June 19. A federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States, and a day to reflect on how far we have come together and the work still ahead.
🔹 ⚽ LA World Cup 26 Fan Zone at Downey: Saturday, June 20, Stonewood Center. Free with advance registration. Capacity is limited, so reserve your spot before the week gets away from you.
🔹 👔 Father's Day: Sunday, June 21. To every dad, granddad, and father figure in District 2, thank you for showing up for your families.
🔹 🏛️ Next Regular City Council Meeting: Tuesday, June 23, 6:30 PM, Council Chambers, Downey City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Avenue. Agendas post in advance on the city website, and public comment is still the most direct way to put something in front of the Council.
👉 View agendas and city documents
📱 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 it handled. Available for both Apple and Android.
👉 Download the Downey Connect App
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for real-time updates, event highlights, and a look at what I am working on between newsletters.
More than anything this week, I keep coming back to one simple idea: check on your people. Call the graduate you are proud of. Thank the volunteers who pour into this city. And reach out to the dad, the brother, or the friend who always insists he is fine. This Father's Day, in the middle of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, that last call might be the most important one you make. I am grateful to serve a community that looks out for one another, and grateful you keep reading.
Questions, concerns, or ideas? Hit reply. I read every message.
