Shekar Krishnan
1:56:44
I I can how you're looking at the numbers, it's not adequate.
1:56:46
Now of those positions, 50 of them are temporary one year positions.
1:56:52
So 50 urban park rangers every year, the council funds for a year.
1:56:55
Have you met with or spoken anytime with those urban park rangers who are on that temporary line?
1:57:01
Have you had any conversation with them?
1:57:03
I can tell you I have and I've heard from them directly what it means to not be sure that you'll have a job when the next fiscal year starts, what it means to not be sure that you'll have income to support your family, to take care of your childcare expenses, and to know whether or not you'll have what you need when it comes to your position when the new year starts.
1:57:23
And that's in a moment right now where at the national level, the National Park Service is losing its urban park rangers.
1:57:29
So I don't understand why every year we have to fight for 50 positions who are vastly understaffed when it comes to park rangers that care for our parks.
1:57:38
But at those positions every year, their jobs disappear at the end of the year unless the city council funds them.
1:57:43
And how we still haven't moved into a world where they are permanently funded and they're not worrying about their jobs or their families shocks me.
1:57:52
But beyond shocking me, I've seen their faces, I've heard the conversations, and I know their concerns.
