Downey will stop flying Pride flag. Some call it ‘a step backward for our city’

The Progress Pride Flag flies along with the Los Angeles city flag over the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown L.A. Three years after first flying the LGBTQ+ Pride flag from City Hall, the Downey City Council narrowly voted Tuesday during a six-hour meeting in favor of enacting a “neutral flag” policy that strikes down such displays. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose area covers Downey, issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon, in part saying she “was disappointed in the Downey City Council’s decision, and I worry about the message it sends to LGBTQ+ residents in Downey.” She said the flag would not disappear from the city, however, and could be seen on county property within the city, including at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the county’s library headquarters and Los Amigos Golf Course. “My colleagues and I put in place a new policy last year to fly the Pride flag at all county facilities every June — including our eight county facilities in Downey.” Last year, Hahn and the board also voted to fly the Pride flag at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration building in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang, president of the L.A. County LGBTQ+ Elected Officials Assn., said he was stunned three City Council members would openly vote against two LGBTQ+ officials in Trujillo and Ortiz.