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Hector Sosa Newsletter — November 2, 2026
📬 Councilmember Hector Sosa | District 2, Downey | November 2, 2026
Good Morning, Downey,
Rain was supposed to win last weekend. The city's annual Pumpkin Patch had been planned for the outdoors at Columbus High, and when the forecast turned, our Downey Parks & Recreation team picked up the entire event and rebuilt it inside the Apollo Park gym with only days to spare. Families still got a fun, safe, and festive evening, and I had a great time seeing it come together. That quiet pivot says more about the professionalism of our city staff than any press release could, and I want to start this week by saying thank you to them. It capped a packed stretch: a working session on downtown safety, Downey Unified's State of the Schools, a farewell to a civil rights giant, and tomorrow, Election Day. Here is the full rundown.
🚨 Public Safety
🔹 A United Front for Downtown Downey: On Friday, I sat down with representatives of the Downtown Downey Improvement Association, downtown business owners, the Downey Police Department, and city leadership to work through late-night security concerns and disturbances in our downtown. The session built on a month of conversations I have had with business owners, and I was glad to have Councilwoman Dorothy Pemberton at the table with me. What encouraged me most: everyone named the challenges honestly and came ready to solve them, and a few of those measures are already in place.
→ 🎯 My take: Downtown is central to Downey's identity and its economic vitality, and it has to remain safe and welcoming for residents, families, visitors, and the businesses that bet on it. Working hand in hand with Downey PD is one of the commitments I brought to this Council, and this effort will have my full attention until the job is done.
👉 View my downtown meeting post (Instagram)
🔹 More Eyes on Our Parks After Dark: The City Council approved an expansion of the city's contract with RMI International to add dedicated overnight and early-morning security patrols across Downey's parks and recreational facilities: $268,596 over a 12-month period, with incident reports and analytics flowing to the city through an online portal so patrol schedules can be adjusted as conditions change. The Downey Patriot reports a similar contract for dedicated patrols covering Downtown and other city facilities has also come before the Council.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Our parks are where Downey's kids practice, play, and grow up, and ensuring equitable, safe access to those fields has been one of my council initiatives from day one. A park that is cared for at 2:00 AM is a park families trust at 2:00 PM.
👉 Read the Patriot's parks security article
🔹 Darker Evenings Are Officially Here: We set the clocks back on Sunday, which means this is the first full week of commutes ending in the dark. Headlights on early, extra patience at every crosswalk, and slower speeds on residential streets, please. Dusk now arrives before dinner, and our pedestrians need you sharp.
👉 Visit the Downey Police Department page
💰 Budget & Finance
🔹 Open Enrollment Season Has Arrived: Most weeks this section covers the city's books, but your household budget deserves the same discipline, and two important windows are open right now. Covered California's open enrollment began Sunday, November 1, and residents who enroll by December 15 can have coverage in place on January 1. Medicare's annual enrollment period is also underway and closes December 7.
→ 💡 What this means: Health coverage is one of the largest line items in most family budgets, and plans, networks, and costs change every year. An hour spent comparing options now can save real money for all of 2027.
→ 🎯 My take: I spend my workdays helping families plan for their financial futures, and the most expensive mistake I see is letting a deadline pass by default. The city reviews its budget on a schedule, in public, every single year. I encourage every household to give itself the same annual checkup.
👉 Explore Covered California options
👉 Review Medicare enrollment details
💼 Economic Development & Local Business
🔹 Welcome to Downey, B7 Pharmacy: On Thursday, October 29, the Downey Chamber of Commerce celebrated the ribbon cutting for B7 Pharmacy, one of the newest small businesses to open its doors in our city. An independent pharmacy is healthcare with a first name: a counter where someone knows your family and catches the question you forgot to ask.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Creating support for small businesses is one of my core initiatives, and the truth is the most powerful support never comes from City Hall. It comes from neighbors who walk in the door. Next time you need a prescription filled or a pharmacist's advice, consider giving the newest shop in town a chance to earn your business.
👉 Explore Downey business resources
🤝 Community
🔹 The Pumpkin Patch That Outsmarted the Rain: As I shared up top, this year's city Pumpkin Patch almost met a soggy end. Instead, Parks & Recreation staff reworked the logistics in a matter of days and moved the whole celebration from the Columbus High outdoors into the Apollo Park gym, and Downey families never missed a beat.
→ 🎯 My take: Recruiting and keeping the most qualified, professional staff at City Hall was one of the first commitments I made on this Council, and this is what that looks like in practice: problems solved before most residents ever knew there was one. My sincere respect and gratitude to the entire Parks & Rec team.
👉 See my Pumpkin Patch post (Instagram)
🔹 State of the Schools: Solid, and Then Some: On Friday I attended Downey Unified's annual State of the Schools, and the picture Superintendent Dr. Brossmer and his executive team laid out was a strong one: steady leadership, a dedicated school board, and teachers and staff doing excellent work. The outside world keeps agreeing, too. Just two weeks earlier, the State of California selected Downey Unified, out of 935 districts statewide, to be highlighted for its progress in improving student outcomes.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: This district educated me from Griffiths Middle School through Warren High, so I never take its success for granted. Building an even stronger partnership between the City and Downey Unified has been one of my priorities since I was elected, because when our schools thrive, every stakeholder in this community benefits.
👉 View my State of the Schools post (Instagram)
🔹 Remembering Dolores Huerta: Last week, we lost a true trailblazer. Dolores Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers and spent a lifetime fighting for working families and civil rights, and generations of leaders, including me, found courage in her example. I was honored to have shared a moment with her, and I will carry it with me. As the son of immigrants who came to this country from Mexico and Peru in search of the American Dream, I felt this loss personally. It felt fitting that Downey closed the week with Sunday's 13th annual Día de los Muertos Art Festival at the Downey Theatre, where community altars honored the people who made us who we are. Rest in peace, Dolores. Sí, se puede.
📅 Coming Up
🔹 🗳️ Election Day Is Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3: Vote centers across Los Angeles County will be open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and vote-by-mail ballots can be returned to any official drop box or vote center. Whatever your choices, please make them. Cities run on participation, and your voice belongs in this one.
🔹 🥕 Downey Farmers Market: Saturday, November 7, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at La Reina Avenue and 2nd Street. The first market of November is a good excuse to build the week's menu around what is actually in season.
🔹 🏛️ Next Regular City Council Meeting: Tuesday, November 10, 6:30 PM, Council Chambers, Downey City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Avenue. The agenda posts ahead of time, in English and Spanish, and your input on any item is always welcome.
👉 View agendas and city documents
🔹 🎖️ Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11: A day Downey takes seriously, because we owe our veterans a debt we can never fully repay. Watch the city's channels for observance details as the day approaches, and if you know a veteran, say thank you in person.
👉 View city news and announcements
📱 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.
This week asks something small of each of us. A ballot cast tomorrow. A slower drive at dusk. An hour spent on a health plan before the deadline, a prescription filled at a brand-new counter, an agenda read before November 10. None of these take long, and together they are how 113,000 people keep a city strong. Last weekend our staff moved an entire festival indoors rather than let families down. The least we can do is meet that standard in the small things this week.
Questions, concerns, or ideas? Hit reply. I read every message.
Together, we're building a community that works for everyone. Thank you for staying connected!
Hector Sosa
Councilmember, City of Downey
