[1:12] Oh

[2:07] , I'm leaving

[2:07] .

[2:08] Mm hmm.

[3:36] Oh, well

[3:36] .

[3:37] Mm hmm.

[3:41] All right.

[3:42] >> Good morning.

[3:46] I will now call the city

[3:47] Council meeting of Tuesday,

[3:48] MARCH 3rd, 2026 to order.

[3:51] Clerk Please call the roll.

[3:52] Thank you.

[3:52] Council PRESIDENT Council

[3:53] Member Campbell.

[3:56] Council Member Whitburn or

[3:57] Council Member Foster.

[3:57] Council Member Yvonne Wilpert.

[4:02] Council PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee

[4:02] here.

[4:03] Council Member Campos here.

[4:05] Council Member Moreno.

[4:06] Present Council Member Ella

[4:06] Rivera.

[4:07] And Council PRESIDENT LaCava.

[4:10] Present Also attending

[4:11] the meeting our City Attorney

[4:11] Heather Ferber, independent

[4:12] budget analyst Charles Monica

[4:15] and myself for City Clerk Diana

[4:15] Fuentes.

[4:16] Thank you Council PRESIDENT.

[4:16] Thank you.

[4:20] Quorum is now present.

[4:20] We will begin this morning with

[4:21] the land acknowledgment and

[4:22] the Pledge of Allegiance led by

[4:27] Council PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee.

[4:32] Good morning.

[4:33] We respectfully acknowledge

[4:34] the commune nation or

[4:37] the original inhabitants of

[4:37] the Unceded land now known as

[4:38] San Diego.

[4:39] Despite enduring the horrors of

[4:42] genocide and colonization and

[4:43] the Cuzmy spirit remains

[4:43] unbroken, we honor

[4:44] the resilience of their

[4:47] ancestors who fought to protect

[4:48] their culture and land.

[4:49] Today they carry their legacy

[4:51] forward ensuring that their

[4:52] traditions continue to thrive

[4:52] in gratitude and strength.

[4:57] We stand with the community

[4:58] nation connected to our past

[4:58] and committed to a thriving

[4:59] future.

[5:02] If you'll join me in facing

[5:03] the flag, where do you begin?

[5:07] I pledge allegiance to the flag

[5:07] United States of America and to

[5:11] the Republic which stands one

[5:12] nation under GOD, indivisible

[5:14] with liberty and justice for

[5:14] all.

[5:19] MADAM City Clerk, please go

[5:24] over how the public can offer

[5:24] their testimony.

[5:25] >> Thank you.

[5:25] Council PRESIDENT.

[5:26] I'd like to highlight the slide

[5:28] that's on the screen that does

[5:29] review how the public can offer

[5:30] their public testimony.

[5:30] During today's meeting please

[5:31] note the time allocations for

[5:33] proclamation and consent items

[5:34] for meeting management

[5:34] purposes.

[5:37] One minute per item maximum of

[5:38] three minutes for three or more

[5:38] items are there.

[5:42] The order can be found on

[5:43] the agenda Summary found online

[5:43] or at the back table in

[5:47] the back of the room If you are

[5:47] in person please complete

[5:48] the speaker slip looking at

[5:49] the entrance of chambers and

[5:49] bring it to the front of

[5:52] the room in the clear box.

[5:52] Council ambassadors are

[5:53] available near the entrance and

[5:56] can assist with questions and

[5:57] speaker slips knowing no

[5:57] further in-person testimony

[6:01] will be taken once the council

[6:02] begins Virtual testimony.

[6:02] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.

[6:03] All right.

[6:03] Thank you for that.

[6:06] We will now dispense with

[6:07] the approval of

[6:07] the proclamation items.

[6:08] Please introduce them and

[6:08] proceed with public comment.

[6:11] Thank you.

[6:11] The public comment period for

[6:12] the proclamation items is now

[6:12] open.

[6:15] Each speaker will have one

[6:15] minute per item per person.

[6:16] If you would like to speak on

[6:20] three or more items you'll have

[6:20] a maximum of three minutes.

[6:21] The proclamation items being

[6:23] approved are items 30 and 31.

[6:24] Jacob Edwards if you can please

[6:32] come forward and you're

[6:37] speaking on item 30.

[6:37] Thank you.

[6:41] City Council.

[6:42] Thank you for the work you do

[6:46] for the city of San Diego.

[6:47] Senior Chief Deputy City

[6:47] Attorney Donna Adams Today is

[6:51] very important to the city of

[6:55] San Diego being that the city

[6:56] attorney's office is very

[6:57] important to the city of San

[7:00] Diego.

[7:01] With that, I'm standing in

[7:05] front of you today to encourage

[7:06] a lawsuit to the federal

[7:11] government by the city

[7:11] attorney's office.

[7:15] In doing so along with

[7:16] the federal lawsuit could come

[7:19] protection orders.

[7:20] It could protect city hall,

[7:24] the mayor's office, the police

[7:29] department witnesses and go far

[7:29] and wide.

[7:33] >> That would be standing up

[7:33] for us citizens.

[7:38] Our city and our country.

[7:43] >> I highly encourage you to

[7:44] encourage the city Attorney's

[7:44] office to thank you for that

[7:45] concluding remark.

[7:48] >> Your time has concluded.

[7:49] Thank you for that concluding

[7:49] remark.

[7:50] I've started the you minute

[7:50] timer going to those

[7:53] participating remotely.

[7:54] Please let me know which item

[7:55] or items you wish to speak to.

[8:00] Hector if you can please unmute

[8:01] I'd like to respond to what

[8:05] that guy was saying whatever

[8:06] thing he was on So you're

[8:13] speaking on just item 30.

[8:14] You'll have one minute.

[8:14] Please proceed.

[8:15] Yeah, I think my Internet's

[8:15] kind of break.

[8:18] I'm like, Well I knew what that

[8:18] guy was talking about that

[8:19] item.

[8:23] I think the city attorney

[8:26] should list and deport all

[8:27] these guys and rapidly open up

[8:31] all the different places Now

[8:32] that we have 75,000 guys on

[8:37] Medicare that the government

[8:38] knows about and captain to San

[8:40] Diego of 75,000 people that are

[8:40] here illegally taking benefits.

[8:44] They should be the top of

[8:45] the list at the city attorney

[8:49] to protect us Most.

[8:59] Yeah yeah And and out in

[9:04] the last here we did a bunch of

[9:05] stuff we've been have of

[9:09] protective citizens of San

[9:09] Diego.

[9:14] Not the criminals not the guys

[9:14] and then the government

[9:15] the state guys.

[9:18] Those guys got to go.

[9:19] So hopefully the city attorney

[9:23] will proclaim Ice Day every

[9:23] day.

[9:24] >> Your time has concluded.

[9:27] Moving on to Michael Schmidt If

[9:28] you can please let me know

[9:29] which item or items you wish to

[9:32] speak to.

[9:33] >> Good morning everyone.

[9:41] My lovely friends on Santa I'm

[9:41] speaking to one on one.

[9:42] One on one.

[9:46] Is it worth doing proclamation

[9:46] Just 30 and 31 right now?

[9:47] >> Oh you are.

[9:50] I'm thinking of the consensus.

[9:51] >> Okay.

[9:51] We'll come back to you during

[9:52] consent.

[9:52] Thank you.

[9:55] That does conclude public

[9:56] comment on the proclamation.

[9:56] >> Thank you, Council

[9:57] PRESIDENT.

[9:57] All right.

[10:00] Thank you.

[10:01] City Clerk We'll turn it over

[10:02] to council members questions

[10:05] and comments and entertain a

[10:05] motion and we'll start with

[10:06] Council member Whitburn.

[10:06] Thank you.

[10:10] Council PRESIDENT I am pleased

[10:11] to bring forward item 31

[10:11] proclaiming APRIL 25th as

[10:15] Soroptimist International of

[10:16] San Diego Day in the city of

[10:17] San Diego for 95 years

[10:20] Soroptimist International of

[10:21] San Diego has been a powerful

[10:21] force for expanding opportunity

[10:25] and economic independence for

[10:26] women and girls across our

[10:27] community through their Live

[10:30] Your Dream Awards.

[10:30] Soroptimist International

[10:31] provides critical financial

[10:34] support to women who are their

[10:35] primary breadwinners for their

[10:35] families, helping them to

[10:36] access education and career

[10:40] training that transforms

[10:40] people's lives through their

[10:44] dream It be it a program local

[10:45] girls receive mentorship and

[10:45] encouragement to pursue their

[10:49] educational and professional

[10:49] goals with confidence

[10:50] Soroptimist International of

[10:51] San Diego also partners with

[10:54] organized and serving survivors

[10:55] of sex trafficking and domestic

[10:59] violence ensuring that women

[10:59] have access to the resources

[11:00] they need to rebuild their

[11:04] lives in a safe and dignified

[11:04] way.

[11:05] We appreciate their continued

[11:06] commitment to empowering women

[11:11] and girls in our city to and

[11:12] Lady Judy Lawton is with us

[11:13] from Soroptimist International

[11:14] of San Diego.

[11:15] I'd like to invite her to come

[11:15] up to the podium and thank you

[11:18] very much for being here and

[11:19] please share a few words with

[11:19] us this morning.

[11:20] What an honor.

[11:23] Thank you so much.

[11:24] Good morning.

[11:24] Council PRESIDENT And council

[11:25] members.

[11:28] My name is Judy Ludden and I'm

[11:29] a proud to be a 45 plus year

[11:30] member of Soroptimist

[11:33] International of San Diego and

[11:34] the chair of our 95th

[11:34] anniversary celebration.

[11:35] I'm here today to recognize

[11:38] this remarkable milestone as we

[11:41] will celebrating on Saturday

[11:42] MARCH 7th at the Bankers Hill

[11:43] Club for nearly a century.

[11:47] Soroptimist has been dedicated

[11:47] to empowering women and girls

[11:48] throughout our community by

[11:51] providing access to education,

[11:52] mentorship and financial

[11:56] support, helping them achieve

[11:56] economic independence, build

[11:57] back better, build brighter

[12:00] futures.

[12:01] Reaching 95 years of service is

[12:02] a testament to the dedication

[12:06] of generations of volunteers

[12:06] committed to improving

[12:07] the lives of girls and women in

[12:11] San Diego County.

[12:12] It is truly an honor to lead

[12:12] the celebration of our legacy

[12:16] and continue impact.

[12:16] Thank you.

[12:17] Thank you.

[12:20] And we look forward to APRIL

[12:20] 25th being Soroptimist

[12:21] International of San Diego Day

[12:22] in the city of San Diego.

[12:25] And with that I am happy to

[12:25] move the proclamations.

[12:26] All right.

[12:26] Thank you, sir.

[12:29] So we have a motion by

[12:30] COUNCILMAN Whitburn to move.

[12:31] The proclamation will go next

[12:31] to council member Vaughn

[12:34] Wolpert.

[12:35] Thank you Council PRESIDENT For

[12:35] item 31.

[12:36] I also want to take a moment to

[12:38] recognize Soroptimist

[12:39] International in San Diego for

[12:40] the extraordinary work that

[12:40] you've done in our city for 95

[12:41] years.

[12:43] It's also wonderful that it

[12:44] marches Women's History Month

[12:45] as well And so thank you for

[12:49] all the work especially you do

[12:49] around helping survivors of

[12:50] domestic violence get out of

[12:53] those situations so they can

[12:54] then be empowered to lead their

[12:54] own lives.

[12:55] And I know in District five in

[12:58] my particular community in

[12:59] Rancho Bernardo and Pena's

[13:00] career so hard to Soroptimist

[13:00] work So thank you for all that

[13:02] you do.

[13:03] I am also honored to bring

[13:07] forth on item 30 to join our

[13:07] city attorney Heather Ferber to

[13:11] recognize Senor Chief Deputy

[13:12] City Attorney Dana Adams.

[13:12] I cannot believe that Danny,

[13:16] you are already time to leave

[13:17] our city.

[13:17] I hope you can come back as

[13:21] original but more For more than

[13:22] 28 years, Diana has dedicated

[13:22] her career to serving

[13:23] the people of San Diego with

[13:25] integrity, professionalism and

[13:26] unwavering commitment to

[13:26] justice.

[13:29] A San Diego native like me,

[13:30] Dana built her an extraordinary

[13:31] career rooted in service for

[13:34] the United States Navy judge

[13:35] advocate general Corps to

[13:36] United States Attorney's Office

[13:39] and ultimately to the city's

[13:40] attorney's office where she has

[13:43] made a lasting impact since

[13:44] joining the city in 1997, she

[13:44] has handled more than 1300

[13:47] hearings, 400 depositions, 14

[13:48] trials and seven appeals.

[13:49] Those numbers reflect not only

[13:52] expertise but tireless

[13:53] preparation and steady

[13:53] leadership and deep

[13:57] institutional knowledge as

[13:57] chief of our Workers

[13:58] Compensation unit, Diana led

[13:58] with both strength and

[14:01] compassion.

[14:02] She mentored 11 attorneys,

[14:03] foster collaboration with our

[14:06] risk management division and

[14:07] worked diligently to ensure

[14:08] city employees receive timely

[14:08] access to benefits and medical

[14:11] care During the covid 19

[14:12] pandemic, she played a key role

[14:12] in advancing critical

[14:16] presumptions to protect our

[14:16] safety, protect our officers,

[14:21] lifeguards and firefighters.

[14:22] Danny's career is defined not

[14:23] just by legal excellence but by

[14:25] her commitment to the people

[14:26] she worked alongside and

[14:26] the employees she served.

[14:27] On behalf of the city Council

[14:30] and residents of San Diego, I

[14:31] want to thank you so much for

[14:32] your decades of service not

[14:32] only to our city but to our

[14:36] nation as well.

[14:36] And it's my privilege to be

[14:37] able to join our city attorney

[14:38] Heather Ferber in proclaiming

[14:41] MARCH third, 2026 as senior

[14:42] Chief Deputy City Attorney

[14:43] Danny Adams Day The city of San

[14:44] Diego.

[14:44] Dan, you want to come up and

[14:53] say a few words So I want to

[14:54] say thank you so much.

[14:58] >> It's been a pleasure and an

[14:58] honor serving the city of San

[14:59] Diego.

[14:59] We have the ability to

[15:03] collaborate with our

[15:04] colleagues, take responsibility

[15:05] for our own cases and most

[15:08] importantly to do the right

[15:08] thing.

[15:09] And I have really enjoyed being

[15:10] in the workers comp unit and

[15:13] providing timely and accurate

[15:14] benefits along with our risk

[15:17] adjusters for all of our city

[15:17] employees.

[15:18] >> So thank you so much.

[15:27] I really appreciate it.

[15:28] >> Thank you.

[15:28] I will second

[15:29] the proclamations.

[15:29] All right.

[15:30] Thank you.

[15:33] Council members, do we have a

[15:34] motion by Councilmember

[15:34] Whitburn, the second by council

[15:35] member Von Wolpert to move

[15:37] the proclamation And we'll go

[15:37] to our city attorney.

[15:38] Thank you so much.

[15:39] Council PRESIDENT Today I have

[15:41] the honor of joining

[15:42] Councilmember Yvonne Wilbert in

[15:43] recognizing a truly exceptional

[15:43] member of the city attorney's

[15:46] office and senior chief Deputy

[15:47] City Attorney Diana Adams.

[15:50] After more than 28 years of

[15:50] dedicated service to the city,

[15:51] Diana is concluding a career of

[15:55] unwavering commitment to public

[15:55] service.

[15:56] As the councilmember mentioned,

[15:57] she was born and raised in San

[15:59] Diego.

[16:00] She is a graduate from San

[16:01] Diego High.

[16:01] The second we have honored this

[16:05] year who have left our office.

[16:05] She received her bachelor's

[16:10] degree from St John's College,

[16:10] a master's degree from

[16:11] the University of New Mexico

[16:12] and came home for her law

[16:12] degree at the University of San

[16:15] Diego.

[16:15] Diana joined the city

[16:16] attorney's office in 1997 as a

[16:20] criminal prosecutor.

[16:21] One year later she joined Civil

[16:22] Litigation Division and in 1999

[16:22] she joined the Workers

[16:25] Compensation Unit where she has

[16:26] been assigned ever since.

[16:26] For more than 20 years Diana

[16:30] has served as chief of

[16:31] the Workers Comp Unit where

[16:31] she's mentored attorneys,

[16:32] fostered a culture of

[16:35] camaraderie and it's a

[16:35] testament that her team is here

[16:40] and the risk adjusters that she

[16:40] works with on a daily basis

[16:41] It's not always every attorney

[16:44] who has clients who actually

[16:44] want to come and celebrate

[16:45] them.

[16:45] For more than 26 years Diana

[16:48] has been a trusted advisor for

[16:49] risk management and has played

[16:50] a critical role in

[16:50] strengthening collaboration

[16:54] between attorneys and adjusters

[16:54] and helping risk management

[16:59] towards awards that they've

[16:59] received recently.

[17:00] Her impact on city employees

[17:00] has been immeasurable.

[17:03] Diana advanced the city's

[17:04] ability to timely and

[17:05] accurately deliver workers

[17:08] compensation benefits and was

[17:09] instrumental during the initial

[17:09] covid 19 Workers Comp

[17:13] Resumptions for safety after

[17:13] office hours.

[17:14] You've heard about the numerous

[17:15] hearings that Diana has already

[17:18] handled which is remarkable

[17:19] given anyone's caseload.

[17:19] So I am especially proud to

[17:23] join Councilmember von Wilber

[17:23] today in honoring Diana's

[17:24] extraordinary career.

[17:24] Her deep commitment to public

[17:27] service and her profound impact

[17:28] on the city of San Diego.

[17:29] You will be missed and we hope

[17:30] you enjoy every moment of your

[17:31] retirement.

[17:35] >> Thank you so much.

[17:41] All right.

[17:41] >> With that, I'll thank my

[17:42] colleagues and the city

[17:43] attorney for bringing these

[17:45] proclamations and resolutions

[17:46] robbing us of San Diego for

[17:47] the work you do every day And

[17:50] congratulations to MISS Adams

[17:50] on your retirement.

[17:51] You will be missed.

[17:55] With that we have a motion by

[17:56] Councilmember Lipper and

[17:56] the second by Councilmember

[17:57] Yvonne Wolpert clerk Please

[17:58] call the roll.

[17:59] >> I'm sorry The voting system

[18:03] Please cast your vote that

[18:08] passes unanimously 8 to 0 with

[18:09] council member Ella Rivera

[18:09] absent.

[18:10] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.

[18:11] All right.

[18:11] Thank you.

[18:13] So we will take a brief pause

[18:14] for photos and we'll start with

[18:15] senior chief deputy City

[20:25] Attorney Donna Adams and

[21:59] all right with that we will now

[22:00] proceed with the approval of

[22:01] the consent items.

[22:04] >> Are there any requests to

[22:05] pull an item by the council Not

[22:09] seen any request?

[22:10] Clerk Please introduce

[22:10] the items and proceed with

[22:11] public comment.

[22:11] Thank you.

[22:14] Please now each speaker will

[22:14] have one minute per item per

[22:15] person.

[22:15] If you would like to speak on

[22:16] three or more items you'll have

[22:19] a maximum of three minutes.

[22:20] The consent agenda includes

[22:23] items 5060 101.1 and 500.

[22:23] Blaire Beekman if you can

[22:27] please come forward you'll have

[22:27] three minutes.

[22:29] You're speaking on items 50 as

[22:33] 501 hundred.

[22:34] Please proceed when ready at

[22:38] the mic.

[22:43] Hi everyone.

[22:44] Everyone I'm back from Maui.

[22:48] It's been a month and it's nice

[22:48] to be back.

[22:49] Nice to be back in

[22:49] the building.

[22:53] Um, I wanted to speak.

[22:54] I wrote three items I think I

[22:57] only want to mainly speak on

[23:01] two items items 50 and 100.

[23:02] >> Um, thank you for this.

[23:06] So Soroptimist item that was

[23:07] here earlier working on child

[23:11] trafficking issues a young

[23:12] women can get help can relate

[23:13] well to trafficking issues here

[23:16] in San Diego on many levels.

[23:16] A really interesting item.

[23:17] Thank you.

[23:23] Um, for item 50 um the My Water

[23:27] City web portal is getting

[23:28] software service agreements.

[23:29] It was that committee a few

[23:33] weeks ago and I went on and on

[23:37] about the importance of

[23:38] the mobile applications that

[23:38] this service agreement is going

[23:42] to serve and how awesome you

[23:43] guys are doing in public works

[23:47] to build a more public process

[23:47] for the public utilities

[23:48] department and smart water

[23:52] meter issues that Councilperson

[23:53] Campbell and Bond will really

[23:57] worked on in the past few years

[23:57] They did Awesome.

[23:58] I went a little overboard.

[23:58] Sorry about that.

[24:01] Um, but just to be clear

[24:02] they've done awesome work to

[24:07] make a real good public process

[24:07] that this item is serving.

[24:08] Good luck and the continued

[24:10] good efforts.

[24:11] It's I think a crowning

[24:11] achievement of what this

[24:16] current council is doing and

[24:16] and creating a public space.

[24:17] Good luck in the continued

[24:21] efforts And for item se 500 um

[24:26] resolute and excusing council

[24:27] person one will appear from

[24:27] certain City Council committee

[24:30] meetings.

[24:31] I made a references a few

[24:35] references last week um we're

[24:36] beginning a new stage of war at

[24:39] this time The work that I do

[24:40] with tech accountability

[24:41] immediately gets thrown under

[24:46] the bus At these times Council

[24:47] PRESIDENT Van Wolpert in her

[24:48] She's in a campaign an

[24:50] important campaign.

[24:51] I really like Councilperson

[24:51] Manuel and what she can do

[24:52] running for Congress.

[24:55] She's going to be a little

[24:55] tender and fragile to talk

[24:56] about how we can move forward

[24:59] with best practices in public

[24:59] safety.

[25:04] I want to hope this year we can

[25:04] still have those good

[25:05] conversations here at the local

[25:08] level and that we can be

[25:09] building a really smart, more

[25:10] intelligent future.

[25:14] Uh, you know it's based on best

[25:15] practices and civil rights and

[25:16] civil protections and privacy

[25:19] and we don't have to forgo or

[25:20] give those things up because of

[25:25] war, because of So we have

[25:25] the PRESIDENT Van Wilbur can

[25:28] have a good campaign and he's

[25:29] actually she's been learning a

[25:29] lot And I hope we can learn how

[25:33] to speak more clearly together

[25:33] that we really can still

[25:34] continue best practices in

[25:35] the coming year and good luck

[25:38] in the ways to talk about this

[25:39] publicly and that we can do it

[25:39] together.

[25:40] Thank you.

[25:43] I started the five minute timer

[25:44] because there are no other

[25:44] speakers here in council

[25:45] chambers.

[25:45] We have three in the virtual

[25:48] queue starting with 7499 If you

[25:49] can please let me know which

[25:53] item or items you wish to speak

[25:54] to on the consent agenda.

[25:58] >> 7499 Item 5100 and 101

[25:59] You'll have three minutes.

[26:03] >> Please proceed.

[26:07] But because it's key here all

[26:08] three of these items are

[26:08] contracts of one form or

[26:12] another with private businesses

[26:13] and organizations.

[26:13] I understand that the city

[26:17] sometimes needs to enter into

[26:18] such contracts for products and

[26:22] services but I have to ask who

[26:23] exactly in this city is on

[26:27] the hook for the conduct of

[26:27] these businesses?

[26:31] There should be at least one

[26:32] person who is publicly

[26:36] accountable for the conduct of

[26:37] any private business

[26:38] contracting with the city of

[26:42] San Diego and that one person's

[26:42] name and contact information

[26:47] should be provided internally

[26:48] and publicly available to all

[26:52] citizens not some bureaucrat

[26:53] that we have to go find should

[26:57] be publicly and prominently

[26:58] available.

[26:58] For example, who is the one

[27:02] person who is accountable for

[27:03] the conduct of the business

[27:04] leasing our Torrey Pines Glider

[27:08] port And where would citizens

[27:08] find the name of that one

[27:13] person with those thoughts in

[27:14] mind I am asking the City

[27:14] Council to ensure that each and

[27:18] every contract with a private

[27:19] business including these three

[27:20] that I've mentioned includes

[27:24] the name of the person in this

[27:24] city who is publicly

[27:25] accountable for the conduct of

[27:28] those businesses.

[27:29] Do not approve any contract

[27:32] unless such an appointment is

[27:32] made.

[27:37] >> Thank you.

[27:38] Next is Michael Schmidt.

[27:38] If you can please unmute and

[27:39] let me know which item or items

[27:46] you wish to speak to.

[27:47] >> Speaking to one on one So

[27:50] you'll have one minute.

[27:50] >> Please proceed.

[27:51] All right.

[27:56] Good morning everyone.

[27:57] Oh my GOD.

[28:00] I'm very happy The fact that

[28:07] we're going to be having the I

[28:11] guess you But I just I have

[28:12] been missed.

[28:17] I mean, someone I've been

[28:18] listening to.

[28:21] I appreciate that Everyone

[28:32] should come from so speaking to

[28:32] everyone here.

[28:39] So please try to contact.

[28:44] >> Thank you.

[28:45] Our final speaker is 8700.

[28:56] If you can please unmute 80/700

[28:56] .

[28:57] >> There you go.

[28:57] Which item or items do you wish

[29:00] to speak to?

[29:01] I'll speak to 50 6100.

[29:01] Please proceed.

[29:07] You'll have three minutes.

[29:07] Thank you Joy.

[29:09] You had a cd three First of all

[29:10] I'm number 50.

[29:14] I want you to know that I do

[29:15] approve this Yet I must say

[29:19] the following Some old energy

[29:20] water for my water ski web

[29:24] portal Total employees 135 or

[29:31] admin workforce 57 Asian male

[29:36] 21 Asian female 33 white male

[29:37] out of 105 135 That's 111 on

[29:42] the eeoc I disagree with their

[29:43] under represented represented

[29:47] categories yet they say they

[29:53] are doing better so I hope

[29:54] that's true but the I just I

[29:58] don't see it once once

[29:59] the public registers for the my

[30:04] water safety web portal

[30:05] automatic switch to paperless a

[30:09] question how many customers so

[30:09] far are now paperless?

[30:14] The company rating is 2.5 out

[30:20] of five points Employee

[30:20] comments generally very

[30:25] negative Yet this is a win win

[30:26] and I know a lot of people like

[30:30] this If this is a win win for

[30:30] our customer service let's

[30:36] modify the service agreement.

[30:37] Yes I do think we can do better

[30:42] on contracts.

[30:43] >> Thank you Love to all number

[30:47] 60 California Believe what

[30:47] the 60 California Building

[30:48] standards codes and associated

[30:52] beauty codes a question Does

[30:53] the muni code states have

[30:58] safety procedures for public to

[30:59] evacuate the 12th floor And if

[31:02] so could you please post on

[31:03] the 12th floor in a clear

[31:03] location for reading by

[31:08] the public attending meetings

[31:09] How to do that evacuation a big

[31:14] big thank you on that.

[31:14] Please listen to me I'm 100

[31:18] Since legal matters permeate

[31:19] most of what the city is

[31:24] involved in, I fully support

[31:25] our great office of the city

[31:26] Attorney and this panel outside

[31:30] counsel I also want to welcome

[31:35] back Council member Campo and

[31:36] to once again congratulate he

[31:41] and his wife Nadya and

[31:41] the birth of their daughter.

[31:42] I have a beautiful day.

[31:47] Thank you for listening and

[31:47] love to all.

[31:48] Thank you.

[31:48] That concludes public comment

[31:49] on the consent agenda.

[31:52] All right.

[31:53] Thank you, city Clerk.

[31:53] And with that will turn it over

[31:54] to council members for any

[31:58] questions, comments Entertain a

[31:58] motion and we'll start with

[31:59] Councilmember Lambert.

[32:00] I thank you very much.

[32:03] I'm happy to make the motion to

[32:04] approve the consent agenda.

[32:05] I just wanted to comment on

[32:08] item 1 to 1 for the f y 26

[32:09] community programs Projects and

[32:10] services funding allocation for

[32:14] the Rancho Bene Scooters Town

[32:15] Council to support our annual

[32:15] very low Spanish growth very

[32:19] much looking forward to this

[32:20] event this year And I want to

[32:20] thank especially our

[32:21] Transportation Department for

[32:25] working overtime to get all

[32:26] the people feel on the roads so

[32:27] we can actually do that.

[32:27] We are still on that road So I

[32:31] very much appreciate everybody

[32:31] and looking forward to joining

[32:32] our community.

[32:33] I'm happy to make the motion to

[32:36] approve the consent agenda.

[32:37] All right.

[32:37] Thank you.

[32:38] So we have a motion by council

[32:39] member Barton Wolpert to move

[32:39] the consent items.

[32:43] I will go ahead and second and

[32:43] offer some brief comments on

[32:49] item 50 the pd customer service

[32:49] portal.

[32:50] This item was heard at

[32:50] the Environment Committee in

[32:51] FEBRUARY.

[32:51] I want to thank the public

[32:54] utilities team for

[32:55] restructuring this contract and

[32:55] continue to save ratepayers

[32:56] money.

[32:56] This portal has proven

[33:00] successful in letting customers

[33:01] access their accounts and

[33:02] streamlining their payments.

[33:05] When the original contract came

[33:05] before council in 2021, I made

[33:06] the amendment to remove credit

[33:07] card fees from being paid by

[33:11] the public Utilities department

[33:12] That still allows customers to

[33:12] pay through automatic debit

[33:13] from their checking account and

[33:17] avoid any fees and as a result

[33:20] saves all ratepayers over $14

[33:21] million in fees.

[33:22] Keeping the continuity This

[33:22] platform is helpful for

[33:23] the customer experience and

[33:27] thank you again to the good

[33:28] folks of public utilities for

[33:29] restructuring this contract And

[33:30] with that we have a motion by

[33:33] Council member of on Wolpert a

[33:33] second by myself Please call

[33:44] the roll that passes

[33:45] unanimously 9 to 0 Thank

[33:46] Council PRESIDENT All right All

[33:50] right Thank you.

[33:51] Do we have any comments from

[33:52] the mayor's office, city

[33:53] council member, city Attorney

[33:56] and if anybody Analyst or city

[33:57] clerk not seeing any will move

[33:57] right along.

[34:04] We will now take out

[34:05] Councilmember Gallardo.

[34:05] I think you guys read it.

[34:06] I just I won't take too much

[34:08] time on this and just as has

[34:09] been so often the case for

[34:13] the last 13 months or so, 14

[34:14] months, things that are would

[34:19] be absolute extraordinary or

[34:20] becoming quite routine.

[34:20] That doesn't mean that they

[34:21] should be normal.

[34:25] Over the weekend the PRESIDENT

[34:26] Launched an illegal war that is

[34:27] putting the lives of San

[34:31] Diegans and the friends and

[34:32] family of San Diegans at risk.

[34:37] And I just didn't want things

[34:38] to kind of go on as if that's

[34:38] not happening right now.

[34:43] We've already lost service

[34:44] members and there's also been

[34:45] tremendous loss of life beyond

[34:49] that.

[34:50] So again, just for the sake of

[34:57] not normalizing the what should

[34:58] never be normal but like what

[34:59] Saying something like thank

[34:59] you.

[34:59] All right.

[35:01] Thank you, sir.

[35:02] Not seeing anybody else We will

[35:02] now take up non agenda public

[35:07] comment The council members

[35:08] respect and appreciate

[35:08] the public's input and are

[35:09] fully committed to protecting

[35:10] every participant's free speech

[35:13] rights at Council and committee

[35:14] meetings but please proceed

[35:15] with public comment.

[35:15] >> Thank you.

[35:20] Council PRESIDENT Pearl 2.7 On

[35:20] the agenda Public comment is an

[35:21] opportunity for members of

[35:22] the public to comment on items

[35:25] that are not on the agenda but

[35:26] within the subject matter

[35:26] jurisdiction of the City

[35:27] Council.

[35:27] Each speaker will have two

[35:28] minutes.

[35:31] Please know if there are eight

[35:32] or more speakers on a single

[35:33] topic the maximum time for

[35:33] the topic will be 16 minutes.

[35:34] If you're in chambers place

[35:38] some of your speakers late.

[35:39] If you're joining us virtually

[35:39] now's the time to raise your

[35:40] hand by pressing the raise your

[35:41] hand icon or if you are calling

[35:43] participant Star nine If I

[35:44] could have Jacob Edwards please

[35:45] come forward and if I can have

[35:45] Blair Beekman, please come

[35:49] forward to the other reserved

[35:49] seats.

[35:53] Jacob Edwards You'll have two

[35:54] minutes When you get to the mic

[35:55] you can proceed when ready.

[35:58] >> Thank you for being the two

[35:59] men Excuse very quick I'm going

[36:00] to try some this off as quickly

[36:00] as possible.

[36:04] There's a lot to it.

[36:05] We have a lot of concerns in

[36:05] this country.

[36:09] Our country has been hijacked

[36:10] our federal government agencies

[36:11] by the mafia.

[36:12] It sounds crazy and it is It is

[36:16] absolutely the case They're

[36:16] doing such things as rolling

[36:17] federal grant money through

[36:18] mayors offices.

[36:21] Did the same thing in San

[36:22] Francisco outing the past mayor

[36:23] where the entire city is mafia

[36:28] in where is is the tug of war

[36:29] You had federal threat of

[36:33] federal indictments over him

[36:34] for mismanaging federal money.

[36:39] Now this is madness absolutely

[36:40] crazy And the Chinese I've

[36:45] recently become aware of well

[36:46] aware of what's going on they

[36:47] have paid close attention to

[36:51] that The allegiance was working

[36:52] for the mob and what they do

[36:57] going in behind them Bamboozle

[36:58] them, bamboozling them for

[36:59] the hijacking city is really

[37:03] maybe hijacked by the Chinese

[37:04] that we have some serious

[37:09] national security threat issues

[37:10] And that's why I was speaking

[37:10] upon a lawsuit with the federal

[37:15] government offering protection

[37:16] orders protecting the mayor You

[37:22] city council seats this city

[37:22] hall, the police department

[37:23] which would be standing up for

[37:28] the citizens of San Diego who

[37:28] would be standing up for

[37:29] the city and our country our

[37:34] country's future is at stake.

[37:35] Our lives are at stake.

[37:40] Chinese well aware that

[37:41] the Gambino's and the Genovese

[37:45] and the crime families would

[37:46] have us disposed of and badly

[37:47] hurt American citizens.

[37:47] They were keeping it under

[37:52] wraps waiting, waiting for

[37:52] the crime families to badly

[37:53] hurt us to swoop in as our

[37:58] savior, take out our

[37:59] government, take out the crime

[38:00] families.

[38:00] That's why Donald Trump bomb

[38:03] Iran to beat China and we're

[38:04] building comment blurb Ackerman

[38:08] If you can please come forward

[38:09] .

[38:15] All right where we can be nice

[38:15] to think that all the whales I

[38:16] was hanging around with in

[38:17] Hawaii and now we can be

[38:20] listening to this conversation.

[38:21] It's nice listening to their

[38:26] conversations this past month.

[38:27] I hope I can offer a few words

[38:28] from the international level

[38:29] that I relate to at work here

[38:32] at the local level.

[38:33] It's time to note the surprise

[38:33] of the recent us Israel

[38:38] airstrikes in Iraq.

[38:39] In Iran there was also a

[38:40] respected negotiation process

[38:41] that was taking place between

[38:45] these different sides in

[38:45] the Middle East.

[38:46] It makes these current

[38:46] airstrikes all the more

[38:47] surprising as it possibly has

[38:51] no clear end plan and reminder

[38:52] and how often the us itself can

[38:52] break agreements of trust.

[38:57] Thank you for the words of

[38:58] counsel personnel aware that

[38:59] our national security here at

[39:00] the local level does need to be

[39:02] seriously questioned by

[39:03] ourselves.

[39:03] Good luck in the work we do

[39:09] together at this time.

[39:09] It's from this to note at a

[39:10] local level we are simply

[39:11] getting better and how to

[39:11] seriously limit and to not

[39:15] simply allow the practices of a

[39:16] continual war from the national

[39:16] level to overly affect the day

[39:21] to day practices here at

[39:21] the local community level.

[39:22] The current growth at the local

[39:23] level, better reasoning and

[39:27] best practices and the current

[39:28] local efforts that specifically

[39:28] can work towards peace and not

[39:32] war can simply offer incredibly

[39:33] good examples in how countries

[39:33] at the national level can also

[39:34] limit war as these ideas of

[39:39] best practices.

[39:40] Here we're doing content We

[39:40] help work towards the dialog

[39:41] piece to solve differences in

[39:45] the future.

[39:46] I can't stress enough that

[39:47] the work we do attack

[39:47] accountability just creates

[39:51] incredibly good examples of

[39:51] open democracy best practices

[39:58] dialog We work on these things

[39:58] locally.

[39:59] It creates incredible examples.

[39:59] Our federal level will have to

[40:03] take notice of So good luck to

[40:04] ourselves in our continued work

[40:05] at doing best practices here

[40:09] What we know how to do best and

[40:10] that will just bring peace to

[40:10] everyone.

[40:11] >> Thank you.

[40:16] Thank you.

[40:17] I started the moment of time

[40:17] are going to those

[40:18] participating remotely.

[40:19] Growing up or speakers in

[40:20] the queue 8700 if you can

[40:21] please unmute after that is

[40:24] Peggy Walker 8700.

[40:24] Thank you.

[40:30] Thank you.

[40:30] Another 53 or excuse me our

[40:31] precious water.

[40:36] It begins with snow Then it

[40:36] becomes the Colorado River

[40:41] water.

[40:42] Then after a long journey of

[40:47] over 242 miles we cook and

[40:52] drink the miracle of water.

[40:53] This miracle this is our utmost

[40:59] respect and that is not what is

[41:00] happening from the people

[41:01] involved and the systems they

[41:05] have put in place to harness it

[41:05] and manage it.

[41:10] Please read the article from

[41:11] this past Valentine's Day

[41:16] titled Western States Again

[41:22] The Deadline for Water Bill.

[41:23] Here's what We need.

[41:28] Crowfoot California's Natural

[41:29] resource secretary said talks

[41:34] would continue even after

[41:34] today's deadline.

[41:40] Negotiations and even after

[41:41] today's deadline.

[41:42] Negotiations in recent weeks

[41:47] have centered on the five year

[41:48] plan during which states share

[41:48] in water cuts.

[41:53] While the states in

[41:54] conservation conservation

[41:59] naturally in hopes of

[41:59] stabilizing the water supply to

[42:00] a longer term water sharing

[42:04] deal can be struck.

[42:05] End of quote from me from

[42:06] Google If the federal

[42:12] government interested change it

[42:12] will involve legal pushbacks

[42:17] involving our precious miracle

[42:18] of water.

[42:18] Please don't let that happen.

[42:23] More from me later.

[42:24] I'm really following this

[42:24] closely.

[42:29] Please join me in this blog to

[42:30] all thank you.

[42:30] >> Next is Peggy Walker.

[42:35] If you can please unmute Peggy

[42:36] Walker after that is 749.

[42:36] Thank you.

[42:41] Good morning.

[42:42] As a public health professional

[42:43] and use mentor I came to share

[42:47] that yesterday was world team

[42:47] Mental Wellness Day.

[42:48] It's observed worldwide

[42:49] annually to raise awareness

[42:53] about mental health issues

[42:54] impacting teenagers but it

[42:59] should be a daily observation.

[43:00] We need to better educate about

[43:01] the devastating devastating

[43:05] impact of the increasing number

[43:06] of intoxicating addictive drugs

[43:06] being normalized and made

[43:11] available to young people in

[43:12] today's marketplace.

[43:13] Easy access to high potency

[43:18] marijuana bounce and dispenser

[43:18] and on the Internet promises

[43:19] that legalization would prevent

[43:24] youth access have failed.

[43:25] And studies show youth use goes

[43:25] up when dispensaries are

[43:29] located where young people

[43:30] live.

[43:30] The harmful mental health

[43:31] impacts are well documented.

[43:36] Further teens are confronted by

[43:37] a bevy of unregulated

[43:37] intoxicating drugs.

[43:42] So the neighborhood convenience

[43:42] and liquor stores, gas stations

[43:47] and smoke shops many are

[43:48] exported from China.

[43:48] The sheriff's department has

[43:53] issued warnings about these and

[43:54] a multitude of candy and snack

[43:55] products packaged to attract

[43:59] kids that are mislabeled,

[44:00] intoxicating and cannot be

[44:06] trusted in terms of content.

[44:06] Addictive Kratom seven products

[44:12] are increasingly available but

[44:12] unregulated as are nitrous

[44:13] oxide products like Galaxy Gas.

[44:18] The da's office and doctors are

[44:19] warning that youth are

[44:23] suffering addiction and serious

[44:24] cold burns from nitrous oxide.

[44:25] I'm here to urge increased

[44:29] public education which is

[44:30] critical for public

[44:30] understanding that these

[44:35] intoxicating but unregulated

[44:36] products are increasingly

[44:36] common and dangerous.

[44:43] Thank you for your time.

[44:43] Thank u next 27499 if you can

[44:44] please And after that is our

[44:44] next go.

[44:48] So before I let Bob Kazuki here

[44:49] my recent speeches have been

[44:53] highlighting the problems that

[44:54] arise when a government shirks

[44:55] its duties and turns government

[44:59] functions over to a private

[45:00] business.

[45:00] That's been happening in San

[45:01] Diego for years under recent

[45:02] administrations and I've given

[45:06] several notable examples.

[45:07] Let's remember San Diego Mayor

[45:07] Jerry Sanders allowing a

[45:08] private business to set up

[45:12] their own red light camera

[45:13] system to issue tickets to

[45:13] citizens and take a cut of

[45:14] the profits.

[45:14] But Mayor Filner discontinued

[45:18] that practice.

[45:19] Let's remember a private

[45:20] business deciding that they

[45:20] didn't want to accept cash in

[45:21] our city parking structure.

[45:25] They were forcing citizens

[45:25] these electronic payment to

[45:26] park in our own city parking

[45:26] structure.

[45:27] Let's remember the ongoing

[45:30] requirement for citizens to be

[45:31] tracked by constant contact in

[45:32] Highland Cloud in order to

[45:32] obtain updates and to access

[45:36] city documents like the agendas

[45:37] for this meeting.

[45:37] Let's remember the ongoing

[45:38] requirement to join use for

[45:42] private business and sign an

[45:43] abusive contract with our

[45:44] California adventure and other

[45:44] private business in order to

[45:48] hang glider paraglider to our

[45:49] own Torrey Pines City Park.

[45:50] That abuse of contract requires

[45:50] citizens to pay to use their

[45:55] park and agree not to sue

[45:55] the business even if

[45:56] the business is negligent.

[45:57] But it's even worse than that

[46:00] because being a member of you

[46:00] limits citizens rights to even

[46:01] speak to this council or to

[46:07] even testify in court against

[46:07] you.

[46:07] But back to businesses.

[46:08] In other words, in order to use

[46:12] our city park we cannot come

[46:13] and speak to this council about

[46:13] abuses at that park.

[46:14] We cannot testify in court

[46:19] about abuses at that park or we

[46:20] risk expulsion from use but

[46:21] which denies us access to our

[46:24] city park That is outrageous.

[46:25] These are just the examples

[46:25] that I've personally

[46:26] encountered in the city.

[46:31] It's likely just the tip of

[46:31] the iceberg In all of these

[46:34] cases citizens are forced into

[46:35] relationships of one form or

[46:36] another with a private business

[46:37] in order to access city owned

[46:37] resources.

[46:41] This must not be allowed to

[46:42] continue.

[46:42] Joe Lacob It's time to

[46:43] reactivate the Torrey Pines

[46:47] City Park Advisory Board and

[46:48] implement the Torrey Pines

[46:48] waiver to protect citizens

[46:54] against the abuse of business

[46:54] that you've put in.

[46:59] >> If you can please unmute.

[47:00] >> Yes.

[47:06] Ernie Casco Lori Resident

[47:06] Senior Pilot Torrey Pines gone

[47:07] to court.

[47:08] I second Bob's statement there.

[47:12] It's time to stop decline

[47:12] within the college

[47:13] administration.

[47:13] Torrey Pines My report

[47:17] complaint is welcome mounted on

[47:18] your desk.

[47:19] I should not be forced to sign

[47:23] a leaseholder Illegal access

[47:24] pass waiver when city

[47:25] liabilities are already covered

[47:25] by California statutes laws.

[47:30] It is misappropriation of

[47:30] public funding going into

[47:31] private accounts and demands

[47:36] for transparent city audit that

[47:36] would end the corruption.

[47:42] It is illegal for anyone for

[47:42] anyone Joe Lacob to turn our

[47:43] freedom into a privilege for a

[47:44] license and a fee under any

[47:48] terms, circumstances or

[47:49] conditions.

[47:49] Allowing this crime to continue

[47:50] is a violation of your oath of

[47:54] office and automatic forfeiture

[47:55] of your chair.

[47:55] We have a petition to block

[47:59] the beach recreational scandal

[48:00] to stop the illegal

[48:00] commercialization and

[48:06] privatization of Torrey Pines

[48:06] Glider Park.

[48:07] What else do we have?

[48:12] We have unanimous letter of

[48:12] support from La Hoya Town

[48:13] Council Locations Association

[48:18] to Stop the corruption out of

[48:18] your administration and

[48:19] reconvene Torrey Pines Advisory

[48:24] Board for Public Safety and

[48:25] Oversight.

[48:25] Why haven't you taken action?

[48:30] What City Council has a

[48:31] beautiful proven solution known

[48:31] as the San Diego Recreational

[48:36] Waiver that would end

[48:36] the dispute on your desk?

[48:37] The San Diego recreational

[48:41] waiver stops the city lease

[48:42] over internal corruption by

[48:42] separating the business.

[48:47] You're out of control Business

[48:47] from public access.

[48:48] Your city leaseholder is caught

[48:48] blatantly robbing America

[48:54] forcing citizens into an

[48:54] illegal contract.

[48:55] It is your job to stop it.

[48:59] The City Council is ultimately

[48:59] liable and needs to address

[49:00] victims and witness witnesses

[49:06] who have been damaged.

[49:07] >> The San Diego Your time has

[49:08] concluded Judy Strang if you

[49:12] can please on know the five

[49:13] minute timer is also concluded

[49:13] No additional speakers will be

[49:16] taken to restrain and then

[49:17] hector Me?

[49:17] >> Yes.

[49:18] Good morning.

[49:18] Thank you for this opportunity

[49:22] to speak to you from my

[49:22] workshop.

[49:23] I do not take this opportunity

[49:23] lightly.

[49:29] I wanted to share with you that

[49:29] California is an act of

[49:33] the first law ab 455 that

[49:34] requires sellers of single

[49:34] family homes to disclose in

[49:39] writing any known indoor

[49:40] smoking, vaping or thirdhand

[49:44] smoking or vapor contamination

[49:45] to prospective buyers.

[49:51] This is marijuana or tobacco.

[49:52] Third hand smoke refers to

[49:57] toxic residue left behind from

[49:58] smoke or vapor When they settle

[49:58] into surfaces into building

[50:03] materials.

[50:04] These pollutants are classified

[50:05] under Prop 65 as carcinogens

[50:09] and reproductive toxins because

[50:10] they can persist for years and

[50:11] pose particular risks to

[50:15] children, the elderly and

[50:16] immunocompromised individuals.

[50:22] It's very hard to remove Baby

[50:22] four by five classifies third

[50:28] hand Smoke is an environmental

[50:28] hazard comparable to investors

[50:29] radon and lead paint.

[50:34] I bring this to your attention

[50:35] because it is the first in

[50:35] the nation.

[50:40] It's so pervasive that it

[50:41] becomes part of the California

[50:42] Department of Toxic Substances

[50:42] Control and it'll go in

[50:46] the homeowner's Guide to

[50:47] Environmental Hazards.

[50:47] It's significant that it

[50:52] recognizes the role of tobacco

[50:53] and marijuana smoke and vapor

[50:53] in the health of everyone

[50:54] around us.

[50:58] One has to ask ourselves here

[50:59] in the city why we have

[50:59] businesses that promote and

[51:05] make available those things

[51:05] that can be smoked and baked

[51:06] when it's so clearly hazardous

[51:07] to all of our health.

[51:11] Thank you.

[51:12] >> Thank you.

[51:12] And our final speaker is

[51:13] Hector.

[51:17] If you can please unmute.

[51:17] Thanks for taking my call to

[51:18] Hector here.

[51:24] I got another message to

[51:24] the people the occupiers of San

[51:25] Diego County counter invaders

[51:29] and here illegally that are

[51:29] using our benefits medical

[51:30] benefits.

[51:35] It was in the paper that 75,000

[51:36] guys on Medicare that are

[51:36] illegal aliens.

[51:42] So there's a these guys get to

[51:42] take their bodies and their

[51:49] families and go back to their

[51:49] countries, man.

[51:50] MR. Trump, you got your number

[51:51] now you got those illegal

[51:51] benefits.

[51:54] You don't want to have

[51:54] the knock on the door when I

[51:55] start wrapping up the raids.

[52:00] So if you care about your

[52:00] family, sit down with them.

[52:01] I go back to wherever it is we

[52:05] came from because we're afraid

[52:06] of the knock on the door.

[52:06] You know, if that's what's

[52:12] going to happen they know where

[52:13] you're not.

[52:14] So to actually free up a lot of

[52:17] housing for American citizens

[52:21] in San Diego County just like

[52:22] the 75,000 people have to go,

[52:26] that's probably 120,000 people.

[52:27] That's got to lower the rent.

[52:32] It'll create less traffic on

[52:32] the freeways, open up a lot of

[52:38] jobs for American citizens.

[52:38] And we can go about trying to

[52:39] build that dam before it breaks

[52:44] And so if it does break up

[52:45] there, it might wipe out Bill

[52:46] Gates house.

[52:50] You've got a house on the beach

[52:50] down there.

[52:51] Maybe it'll be a good thing if

[52:51] it does break takes out Bill

[52:56] Gates House and we can move on

[52:56] with our lives.

[52:56] Okay.

[52:57] Thanks a lot.

[52:57] Thank you.

[53:01] That concludes our agenda

[53:01] Public comment for today's

[53:02] meeting.

[53:03] I thank you, City Clerk And

[53:06] with that we will now adjourn

[53:07] for the noon recess and

[53:08] reconvene open session at 2

[53:52] I can count to five.

[53:52] Good afternoon.

[53:53] I will now reconvene the City

[53:58] council meeting of Tuesday

[53:58] MARCH 3rd, 2026.

[53:59] >> Please call the roll.

[53:59] Thank you.

[54:00] Council PRESIDENT Council

[54:04] member Campbell Councilmember

[54:04] Whitburn Councilmember Foster

[54:09] Councilmember Bunuel for

[54:10] Council PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee

[54:15] Councilmember Campeon

[54:16] Councilmember Moreno Present

[54:17] Councilmember Eloy Rivera and

[54:22] Council PRESIDENT LaCava

[54:23] present.

[54:23] Also taking the meeting are Sin

[54:24] City Attorney Michelle Garland,

[54:28] independent budget analyst

[54:29] Charles Monaco, Council Affairs

[54:29] advisor and the Mayor's office

[54:30] for I'm sorry and myself our

[54:34] city clerk Diana Fuentes.

[54:34] >> Thank you Council PRESIDENT

[54:35] All right.

[54:35] Thank you city clerk for that.

[54:39] The quorum is now present.

[54:39] >> clerk Please introduce item

[54:44] three three zero three Council

[54:44] PRESIDENT Item 330 As an

[54:45] informational item it is

[54:45] the performance audit of

[54:46] the city's key performance

[54:51] indicators.

[54:52] If you'd like to speak to this

[54:52] item please submit a speaker

[54:53] slip to the front of the room

[54:54] in the clear box If you are

[54:56] participating remotely now's

[54:57] the time to raise your hand by

[54:57] pressing Star nine or the raise

[54:58] your hand icon.

[55:02] Thank you Council for that.

[55:03] All right Thank you With that

[55:04] staff as you're trying to

[55:08] settle in, please introduce

[55:08] yourselves for the record and

[55:09] let us know how much time you

[55:13] need.

[55:14] Good afternoon.

[55:15] Council PRESIDENT Council

[55:19] Members Andy House City Auditor

[55:20] We are here to present our

[55:21] performance audit of the city's

[55:23] key performance indicators or

[55:24] KPIs And we have about ten

[55:25] minutes please.

[55:25] All right.

[55:26] When you're ready.

[55:29] Thank you.

[55:30] According to the city's

[55:31] strategic plan, the city values

[55:31] transparency and the use of

[55:35] data to make informed

[55:36] decisions.

[55:36] To that end, kpi should be a

[55:37] key management and transparency

[55:41] tool.

[55:42] But we found the city

[55:43] underutilized as them due to

[55:43] concerns about accuracy and

[55:47] relevance and a lack of venues

[55:48] for the City Council to discuss

[55:49] and provide feedback on

[55:53] the KPIs departments produce.

[55:53] We want to thank

[55:54] the performance and analytics

[55:55] department for all of their

[55:55] assistance on this audit and

[55:59] all the city departments and

[56:00] council offices who responded

[56:01] to our survey on how they use

[56:05] KPIs and their suggestions for

[56:05] improvement.

[56:06] We heard back from almost every

[56:10] department and council office

[56:11] and we appreciate all the time

[56:12] and feedback you are provided

[56:12] to help this audit identify

[56:17] many key issues and make

[56:18] actionable recommendations to

[56:18] improve the usefulness of KPIs

[56:23] for various stakeholders.

[56:24] The audit team with me here

[56:25] today is Principal Performance

[56:25] Auditor Nathan Auto Senior

[56:30] performance under Nicky Thomas

[56:30] and performance auditor Alberto

[56:31] Mario and I handed over to them

[56:32] for the details on what we

[56:35] found and recommended.

[56:35] Thanks Andy.

[56:36] So for any large complex

[56:37] multibillion dollar

[56:37] organization performance

[56:42] measurement is an essential

[56:42] tool in this case allowing

[56:43] residents and taxpayers to

[56:44] monitor and engage with how we

[56:47] as a city are performing.

[56:48] And as you're aware, of course

[56:49] the city is facing considerable

[56:49] fiscal challenges for

[56:54] the foreseeable future which

[56:55] makes performance monitoring

[56:55] just that much more important.

[56:56] You can see.

[56:59] Three formal audit objectives

[57:00] there on the slide.

[57:00] But overall we had two formal

[57:01] findings.

[57:05] And broadly we found that KPIs

[57:06] are underutilized like Andy

[57:06] said.

[57:07] The result of that is that a

[57:08] city is missing chances to make

[57:11] the best data driven decisions

[57:12] in monitoring for key services.

[57:13] We found that improved

[57:13] oversight of the city's kpi is

[57:17] needed to ensure accuracy and

[57:18] accountability.

[57:18] And a formal kpi philosophy is

[57:23] needed to improve comparability

[57:24] .

[57:25] So we made five recommendations

[57:25] to address the issues we found

[57:26] and the management did agree to

[57:30] all of those recommendations.

[57:31] So that's a good thing.

[57:32] And just the last slide for me

[57:36] here just by way of background

[57:37] KPIs as you know are reported

[57:37] annually and published for each

[57:38] department in the city's budget

[57:43] documents.

[57:43] There's also a kpi dashboard

[57:44] but you can see the more

[57:45] familiar version there the blue

[57:48] and white table that is in

[57:49] the budget documents.

[57:50] This is a generic form here to

[57:50] keep your eyes include a

[57:55] baseline which is based off of

[57:55] recent historical data and a

[58:00] goal set by the Department.

[58:01] And performance and analytics

[58:01] plays a supporting role.

[58:02] But the departments have a lot

[58:03] of autonomy.

[58:07] They're responsible for

[58:08] selecting, monitoring and

[58:09] reporting their own KPIs.

[58:09] Go ahead.

[58:09] I'll happen again.

[58:13] Another time for the findings

[58:14] and recommendations.

[58:15] I looked at performance order

[58:18] in this project and finding

[58:19] one.

[58:19] We found that in our survey of

[58:20] city council offices and city

[58:23] departments only one out of

[58:24] seven council officers and nine

[58:25] out of 27 departments reported

[58:25] routinely using KPIs to inform

[58:29] budget policy and or

[58:30] operational decisions.

[58:30] Thus the city is not

[58:31] consistently using KPIs to

[58:35] inform high level decisions.

[58:36] When used correctly, KPIs can

[58:36] lead to meaningful

[58:36] improvements.

[58:40] We found examples of city

[58:41] departments and other cities

[58:42] using KPIs to help deliver

[58:42] improved outcomes for residents

[58:46] and evaluate present programs

[58:47] and services.

[58:47] For example, quotes on this

[58:48] slide are from our survey

[58:49] showing specific examples of

[58:52] how departments have used KPIs

[58:53] for decision making.

[58:54] The Office of the City Clerk

[58:54] used their performance data to

[58:55] improve customer satisfaction.

[58:59] Similarly the library

[59:00] department use their kpi to not

[59:00] only improve their future

[59:01] performance but also taking

[59:04] actions to meet

[59:05] the accessibility needs of

[59:05] the community.

[59:06] There are limited controls and

[59:07] oversight that would ensure key

[59:10] performance indicators are

[59:10] accurate and reliable.

[59:11] For example part of Council

[59:15] policy 000-02 requires

[59:15] departments provide

[59:16] explanations for performance

[59:17] measures not meeting or

[59:21] training towards performance

[59:22] targets shown on the slide.

[59:22] We found that departments were

[59:23] not consistently provided

[59:26] explanations.

[59:27] Additionally for the past for

[59:28] the last ten years

[59:28] the Statement of Budgetary

[59:29] Principles has included

[59:33] guidance for KPIs to be

[59:34] reviewed at the Budget and

[59:34] Government Efficiency

[59:35] Committee.

[59:35] However, we found no evidence

[59:39] that KPIs have been discussed

[59:40] in a systematic or regular

[59:41] manner at b n g from fiscal

[59:43] year 2015 through fiscal year

[59:43] 2025.

[59:44] Reviewing performance data on a

[59:49] regular basis can help identify

[59:50] trends before they become

[59:51] problems and help ensure timely

[59:51] performance management.

[59:52] Because kpi has received

[59:56] limited scrutiny and

[59:57] examination, a standalone

[59:58] performance report specifically

[59:58] for KPIs could strengthen

[1:00:01] oversight create a culture of

[1:00:02] continuous improvement and

[1:00:02] promote performance monitoring

[1:00:03] as a year round activity

[1:00:08] inaccurate or unreliable KPIs

[1:00:09] put the city at risk of

[1:00:10] inaccurate performance

[1:00:10] assessments resulting in

[1:00:11] improper policy or management

[1:00:15] decisions.

[1:00:16] Shown on the Slide 11 different

[1:00:16] audits by oci have identified

[1:00:17] various issues with KPIs that

[1:00:21] were unrealistic, inaccurate,

[1:00:21] not relevant or did not follow

[1:00:22] best practices.

[1:00:22] We also found that council

[1:00:26] officers have concerns

[1:00:27] regarding the accuracy of

[1:00:27] the current KPIs reported in

[1:00:28] the budget.

[1:00:28] Although pen requires all

[1:00:32] the city's KPIs to meet certain

[1:00:33] standards such as calculation

[1:00:34] methodology and it does not

[1:00:34] have the capacity to check a

[1:00:37] kpi for accuracy Thus

[1:00:38] publishing the kpi calculation

[1:00:39] methodology and annual

[1:00:39] performance report can

[1:00:44] strengthen the oversight of

[1:00:45] KPIs by providing a dedicated

[1:00:46] forum for departments to review

[1:00:49] their kpi methodologies and

[1:00:50] potentially discuss them with

[1:00:51] City Council or city

[1:00:51] leadership.

[1:00:56] The city's KPIs are currently

[1:00:56] published in tables in

[1:00:57] the annual Budget and

[1:00:57] the performance dashboard.

[1:00:58] However, the city does not

[1:01:01] publish tables or graphs with

[1:01:02] historical kpi data.

[1:01:02] We found that most cities that

[1:01:03] we benchmark publish their

[1:01:07] historical performance in

[1:01:07] online dashboards.

[1:01:08] Therefore the city can improve

[1:01:09] its online kpi dashboard by

[1:01:13] incorporating visuals and

[1:01:14] historical data.

[1:01:14] Being able to visualize

[1:01:15] historical data can help

[1:01:16] identify performance trends

[1:01:20] over time and improve

[1:01:21] monitoring and oversight.

[1:01:21] As a supplement to this audit

[1:01:22] report we built a performance

[1:01:26] dashboard which is shown on

[1:01:26] the right as an example of how

[1:01:27] the city's dashboard could be

[1:01:28] improved to include historical

[1:01:32] trends and description.

[1:01:33] You can access the city.

[1:01:34] You can access the dashboard we

[1:01:34] created to view the city's

[1:01:38] current KPIs at the link on our

[1:01:38] slide and in our report.

[1:01:39] Therefore in this finding we

[1:01:40] recommend developing a

[1:01:44] publishing an annual

[1:01:44] performance report for

[1:01:45] the city's KPIs creating a kpi

[1:01:46] data validation process and

[1:01:50] ensure accuracy of the city's

[1:01:50] KPIs and developing a publicly

[1:01:51] accessible dashboard that

[1:01:57] includes historical performance

[1:01:58] .

[1:01:58] Nick You know what you're

[1:01:59] finding too.

[1:02:00] Thank you all there To become a

[1:02:02] senior performance auditor on

[1:02:02] this project.

[1:02:03] In finding two we found that

[1:02:04] Panda provides support,

[1:02:04] training and guidance to

[1:02:09] departments on their KPIs but

[1:02:09] the three does not have a

[1:02:10] formal enforceable policy on

[1:02:10] whether kpi should be

[1:02:15] aspirational or realistically

[1:02:15] achievable.

[1:02:16] For example, one department may

[1:02:20] set aspirational kpi goals

[1:02:21] meaning at the ideal service

[1:02:21] level and therefore MAY not be

[1:02:22] able to achieve all of

[1:02:26] the goals with their

[1:02:27] department's budgeted

[1:02:27] resources.

[1:02:28] At the same time another

[1:02:29] department means that its kpi

[1:02:32] goals to be attainable and

[1:02:33] therefore can report meeting

[1:02:33] all of their kpi goals.

[1:02:34] Thus we found that meeting a

[1:02:38] kpi goal is not necessarily

[1:02:39] indicative of how a department

[1:02:39] is performing.

[1:02:44] As a result, as you can see on

[1:02:44] the graph we found that

[1:02:45] the percent of KPIs that met

[1:02:46] their targets varies widely

[1:02:50] across city departments ranging

[1:02:51] from 0% to 100% due to

[1:02:52] the differing ways in which

[1:02:56] departments select kpi goals.

[1:02:57] It is unclear what conclusions

[1:02:57] decision makers and the public

[1:03:02] are supposed to reach.

[1:03:03] Further, our survey found mixed

[1:03:04] beliefs on whether kpi should

[1:03:04] be more realistic or

[1:03:05] aspirational.

[1:03:08] The quotes on this slide are

[1:03:09] from our survey.

[1:03:10] One response is that kpi should

[1:03:14] be aspirational so council can

[1:03:14] decide if increased budget is

[1:03:15] required.

[1:03:15] But the other state that

[1:03:16] aspirational KPIs could lead to

[1:03:20] unreasonable expectations from

[1:03:20] the public.

[1:03:21] Most departments and council

[1:03:22] offices that took our survey

[1:03:26] did agree that departments

[1:03:27] should have at least one

[1:03:27] realistic kpi and one

[1:03:28] aspirational kpi.

[1:03:32] Thus a city wide kpi policy

[1:03:33] where departments must clearly

[1:03:34] define if a target is realistic

[1:03:38] or aspirational would help city

[1:03:39] council and the public to

[1:03:39] compare KPIs across the city

[1:03:40] and understand how a kpi should

[1:03:44] be used.

[1:03:45] Finally at the time of

[1:03:45] the audit the city Attorney's

[1:03:46] office was the only department

[1:03:51] without at least one kpi due to

[1:03:51] its concern that certain KPIs

[1:03:52] could lead to the perception of

[1:03:56] improper motives or incentives

[1:03:57] to meet them from their office.

[1:04:01] However we benchmarked against

[1:04:01] eight comparable offices and

[1:04:02] found that many do have

[1:04:03] performance measures.

[1:04:07] Therefore in this finding we

[1:04:08] recommend that panel work

[1:04:09] collaboratively with city

[1:04:12] leadership to create a formal

[1:04:13] policy documenting the city's

[1:04:14] kpi philosophy and that

[1:04:14] the City Attorney's office work

[1:04:19] with Panda to establish and

[1:04:19] report a kpi or KPIs.

[1:04:25] Panda and City management

[1:04:26] agreed to all five of our

[1:04:26] recommendations.

[1:04:27] This is an informational item

[1:04:29] so no action is required and

[1:04:30] we're happy to answer any

[1:04:31] questions that you MAY have.

[1:04:36] Thank you.

[1:04:43] But they were all right.

[1:04:43] >> So we actually have a

[1:04:44] presentation I think first by

[1:04:44] Panda.

[1:04:48] Alex, I want you to inject

[1:04:49] yourself for the record.

[1:04:49] >> Sure.

[1:04:50] Thank you.

[1:04:54] Good afternoon And thank you.

[1:04:54] Counsel Present.

[1:04:55] My name is Alex Compton and I

[1:04:56] serve as director of

[1:04:56] the Performance and Analytics

[1:05:00] Department.

[1:05:01] Our department's mission is

[1:05:01] simple to improve how the city

[1:05:02] works.

[1:05:04] We do that by putting people

[1:05:05] first by making data more

[1:05:06] usable processes easier and

[1:05:10] services better for

[1:05:11] the residents of San Diego.

[1:05:11] I'll say candidly in a

[1:05:12] transparent and holistic

[1:05:16] information sharing hasn't

[1:05:17] always been the city's

[1:05:17] strongest area.

[1:05:18] We know that our key

[1:05:22] performance indicators can and

[1:05:23] must be outcome driven clearer,

[1:05:23] more useful to both decision

[1:05:24] makers and the public.

[1:05:29] The good news is that we are

[1:05:30] making steady incremental

[1:05:30] progress even within limited

[1:05:31] resources.

[1:05:35] Thanks in part to this audit

[1:05:36] and to the work already

[1:05:37] underway across departments

[1:05:37] we're seeing measurable

[1:05:38] improvement.

[1:05:41] One important step forward this

[1:05:41] year is the release of

[1:05:42] the first volumes of our

[1:05:43] comprehensive citywide

[1:05:47] performance report.

[1:05:48] For the first time this report

[1:05:48] will provide a city wide view

[1:05:53] of how the organization is

[1:05:53] performing.

[1:05:54] It will include performance

[1:05:55] details for every city

[1:05:55] department and will complement

[1:06:00] and strengthen department's

[1:06:00] annual KPIs.

[1:06:01] This is about more than just

[1:06:01] reporting metrics.

[1:06:05] It's about helping us measure

[1:06:06] what truly matters for San

[1:06:06] Diegans and ensuring that

[1:06:07] performance information is

[1:06:11] clear, accessible and aligned

[1:06:12] with community priorities.

[1:06:13] I want to thank the City

[1:06:13] Auditor and the audit committee

[1:06:17] for their support and

[1:06:18] recognition of the importance

[1:06:19] of this work And I would also

[1:06:20] like to thank the independent

[1:06:23] budget analyst and Kim Desmond

[1:06:24] and the Division of Race and

[1:06:25] Equity for their partnership

[1:06:25] and collaboration on this

[1:06:26] effort.

[1:06:30] We look forward to continuing

[1:06:31] this work and strengthening how

[1:06:31] we measure share and improve

[1:06:32] performance across the city.

[1:06:36] Thank you.

[1:06:36] All right.

[1:06:37] Thank you Alex for that.

[1:06:38] And now I'll turn it over to

[1:06:38] the office of the Independent

[1:06:42] journalist.

[1:06:42] Thank you and good afternoon.

[1:06:43] Council PRESIDENT LaCava and

[1:06:48] members of the Council.

[1:06:49] I'm Erin Noel with the Office

[1:06:50] of the ipa.

[1:06:50] And with me is Kim Desmond from

[1:06:54] Reese and Equity.

[1:06:55] Our office does not have

[1:06:56] concerns about this item but I

[1:06:59] would like to provide brief

[1:06:59] comments on three items and

[1:07:00] after I conclude I'll pass it

[1:07:01] off to Kim to make some

[1:07:05] comments regarding

[1:07:06] the importance of KPIs and race

[1:07:07] inequities work First as

[1:07:12] the City auditor staff noted.

[1:07:13] This report is intended to help

[1:07:14] start a broader conversation on

[1:07:17] the city's use of key

[1:07:18] performance indicators.

[1:07:18] The audit highlights and we

[1:07:23] agree that KPIs are essential

[1:07:23] for transparency,

[1:07:24] accountability and data driven

[1:07:30] decision making especially as

[1:07:30] the city faces ongoing fiscal

[1:07:31] challenges.

[1:07:35] KPIs can be valuable tools for

[1:07:36] prioritizing programs and

[1:07:37] services, evaluating program

[1:07:41] effectiveness and enabling

[1:07:42] course correction and ensuring

[1:07:43] that limited resources are

[1:07:47] allocated to areas with

[1:07:48] greatest impact.

[1:07:48] This means focusing on outcome

[1:07:53] oriented KPIs rather than just

[1:07:53] outputs or activities.

[1:07:54] For example, dsd has a current

[1:07:59] output focused kpi measuring

[1:08:00] the percentage of building

[1:08:01] inspections completed by

[1:08:01] the target date which provides

[1:08:05] more actionable insight than

[1:08:06] simply counting the number of

[1:08:06] inspections.

[1:08:11] Second, our office works with

[1:08:12] the performance and analytics

[1:08:13] department and race inequity to

[1:08:14] provide feedback for some key

[1:08:17] department KPIs in DECEMBER and

[1:08:18] JANUARY.

[1:08:19] And we plan to continue

[1:08:23] reviewing departmental KPIs as

[1:08:24] part of our overall review of

[1:08:29] the proposed budget.

[1:08:29] And lastly regarding the Budget

[1:08:30] and Government Efficiency

[1:08:35] Committee's review of KPIs as

[1:08:35] mentioned by MR. Hampton, Panda

[1:08:36] is anticipating bringing an

[1:08:41] item on the comprehensive

[1:08:41] Citywide Performance report

[1:08:42] related to kpi philosophy to be

[1:08:47] Jenny and potentially JUNE or

[1:08:47] JULY.

[1:08:53] And this will help to initiate

[1:08:54] review and discussion of KPIs.

[1:09:00] And now I'll pass it off to

[1:09:01] Kevin Desmond from Reason

[1:09:01] Equity.

[1:09:02] Good afternoon.

[1:09:05] Council PRESIDENT Carbone

[1:09:06] Members of Council Kim Desmond

[1:09:06] here serving as the Director

[1:09:07] for the Division of Region

[1:09:11] Equity and ipa.

[1:09:12] So wanted to provide some

[1:09:13] comments in three categories.

[1:09:14] First and foremost you heard

[1:09:17] the current state and thank you

[1:09:18] to the auditor for providing

[1:09:19] this level of analysis will be

[1:09:23] candid from a reasonably

[1:09:24] perspective to say it is a

[1:09:25] challenge to identify equity

[1:09:29] without consistent KPIs.

[1:09:29] And so with that in this

[1:09:35] partnership to address gaps,

[1:09:36] disparities in efficiencies in

[1:09:36] recreation programs and

[1:09:37] stormwater systems, we need to

[1:09:41] be clear about the data equity

[1:09:42] is an outcome and if it's

[1:09:42] inconsistent around

[1:09:48] the departments it is really a

[1:09:49] challenge for us to do our work

[1:09:49] to really systematically

[1:09:54] dismantle inequity in the way

[1:09:55] that we allocate either fiscal

[1:09:55] allocations or how we change

[1:10:00] ongoing operations.

[1:10:01] And so with that grateful for

[1:10:01] that.

[1:10:02] And so as noted in the report

[1:10:07] we see the inconsistency in

[1:10:07] that.

[1:10:08] So for recent equity to do our

[1:10:09] job we want to make sure that

[1:10:12] we're partnering with Panda to

[1:10:12] work with all the departments

[1:10:13] to get more pointed in precise

[1:10:19] around the subjectivity in

[1:10:19] the way that KPIs are set.

[1:10:20] And so that is a huge culture

[1:10:20] shift.

[1:10:24] So some of the things that we

[1:10:24] have seen for example is making

[1:10:25] sure the department goals and

[1:10:30] objectives actually match their

[1:10:30] KPIs.

[1:10:31] And so in order to measure

[1:10:31] progress to the auditor's

[1:10:37] comment, how do you know

[1:10:37] historically you're addressing

[1:10:38] the challenges if that's

[1:10:39] inconsistent each year?

[1:10:39] And so these are the things

[1:10:43] that dray instead of just

[1:10:43] complaining about it, we're

[1:10:44] working with kind of to figure

[1:10:48] out how do we fix these things

[1:10:48] and how do we make sure that

[1:10:49] there is an organizational

[1:10:50] shift towards what it means to

[1:10:54] be more concise with setting

[1:10:55] KPIs in that manner?

[1:10:56] And so with that I will say

[1:10:59] this data without context is

[1:11:00] just information.

[1:11:06] And so what we endeavored to do

[1:11:06] is to look at the technical

[1:11:07] equity plan infrastructure as a

[1:11:12] way to contextualize how we're

[1:11:13] talking about problematic

[1:11:13] disparities through our

[1:11:14] different departments.

[1:11:19] And so the tv dashboard is

[1:11:20] going to be used to provide

[1:11:20] context.

[1:11:21] So when you're talking about

[1:11:21] I'm looking at you talking

[1:11:26] Moreno around your excellent

[1:11:26] work with your programing

[1:11:26] audit.

[1:11:27] That's the context, right?

[1:11:28] And so in that context we made

[1:11:31] an ask questions.

[1:11:31] I'm looking to Councilmember

[1:11:32] Foster around where are we at

[1:11:33] with addressing those

[1:11:36] problematic get?

[1:11:37] So these are all KPIs.

[1:11:38] Equity is an outcome and we got

[1:11:43] to do better with how we

[1:11:43] showcase that in our work to

[1:11:44] address those gaps disparities

[1:11:45] in efficiencies.

[1:11:50] And so in that we know

[1:11:50] the evidence is hard to digest

[1:11:54] we could all look at that

[1:11:55] right?

[1:11:56] And so it is counter we want to

[1:12:01] consider how do we have a value

[1:12:01] to charter really gives us

[1:12:02] the information that we need to

[1:12:03] increase the auditor's

[1:12:07] perspective built around who's

[1:12:08] actually utilizing these Keep

[1:12:08] your eyes And so we want to

[1:12:09] make sure that the velocity

[1:12:13] that you have is easily

[1:12:14] digestible and understandable

[1:12:14] as you are looking at volume

[1:12:15] two of the budget book.

[1:12:19] And so I do want to close with

[1:12:20] this by saying the work to

[1:12:24] change a cultural shift We do

[1:12:25] consider KPIs is a large

[1:12:26] structural change in this

[1:12:26] organization.

[1:12:30] And so pointing to

[1:12:31] the auditor's finding around

[1:12:32] there's one fte in our team has

[1:12:37] started to offer workshops with

[1:12:38] those employees.

[1:12:38] So I want to give a shout out

[1:12:42] to Alex Tang and Justin around

[1:12:42] .

[1:12:43] Getting into the work of an

[1:12:44] outcome is different than an

[1:12:44] input.

[1:12:48] Don't say you're making

[1:12:49] progress when you're counting

[1:12:49] by people, right?

[1:12:50] And so we want to make sure

[1:12:55] that we are being more concise

[1:12:56] with the way that we are

[1:12:56] reporting outcomes.

[1:12:57] And also I would say the ways

[1:13:01] in which different council

[1:13:02] districts MAY have different

[1:13:02] levels of engagement as a part

[1:13:03] of this conversation.

[1:13:07] And so these are all the things

[1:13:08] that we want to make sure that

[1:13:08] we are able to shift that

[1:13:12] culture especially in the space

[1:13:13] where the city budget

[1:13:14] constraints will happen.

[1:13:19] Our ability to allocate more

[1:13:20] staffing to this endeavor.

[1:13:21] But I will close with this by

[1:13:25] saying for recent equity to do

[1:13:25] this work will we need to fix

[1:13:31] the inconsistency in KPIs that

[1:13:32] is our huge challenge.

[1:13:32] And so happy to address any

[1:13:33] questions and how we see that

[1:13:37] throughout all the departments

[1:13:37] .

[1:13:37] All right.

[1:13:38] Thank you to the Office of

[1:13:39] the Independent Auditor.

[1:13:43] Thank you to Panda and thank

[1:13:44] you to the Office of

[1:13:44] the Independent Budget analyst

[1:13:49] and Kim's work under recent

[1:13:49] equity.

[1:13:50] >> So with that please proceed

[1:13:51] with public comment.

[1:13:55] We have no speakers here in

[1:13:56] council chambers going to those

[1:13:57] participating remotely.

[1:13:58] We currently have four speakers

[1:14:02] with their hands raised.

[1:14:02] Doreen Diaz if you can please

[1:14:06] unmute and to speak on the item

[1:14:06] 330 regarding the performance

[1:14:07] audit.

[1:14:12] >> Yes, thank you.

[1:14:13] I'm very happy to hear that

[1:14:14] Raised in auditing Sorry I

[1:14:18] didn't write down the full

[1:14:18] name.

[1:14:19] Recent equity is going to be

[1:14:24] looking at the kpi for accuracy

[1:14:31] There is issues other than

[1:14:31] inconsistency and kpi but

[1:14:36] please please special attention

[1:14:37] to all the kpi you receive from

[1:14:42] developmental services and from

[1:14:48] the Planning Department because

[1:14:49] only in areas domestic areas

[1:14:55] fostering stating that in very

[1:14:56] tight fire zones and

[1:15:01] applications when in fact they

[1:15:01] are and the developers are

[1:15:06] getting away with it So when

[1:15:07] you see something unless you're

[1:15:13] actually verifying it please do

[1:15:14] not rely on this kpi.

[1:15:15] Another example is the drainage

[1:15:18] can.

[1:15:24] It's been cleaned twice since

[1:15:24] the JANUARY 22nd 2024 flood

[1:15:31] twice and it is still invasive

[1:15:31] weed.

[1:15:32] I had a neighbor report last

[1:15:37] month or JANUARY Gary again

[1:15:42] that the drainage channel had

[1:15:42] come into her backyard

[1:15:48] destroyed grass it made mud but

[1:15:48] your records might say oh we

[1:15:49] had maintenance done in this

[1:15:55] area If you do not go there

[1:15:55] right there and look at it,

[1:16:00] please do not believe what is

[1:16:00] put on paper from that

[1:16:01] stormwater department or that

[1:16:06] dsd or planning because we are

[1:16:12] witnessing breaking flood and

[1:16:13] what your time has concluded

[1:16:14] next is John Stump.

[1:16:18] >> If you can please unmute

[1:16:19] after John Stump of the 8700

[1:16:23] piece procedure Hi John Stump

[1:16:24] keep copies.

[1:16:30] I want to thank the very

[1:16:31] talented and committed persons

[1:16:35] who worked on this project and

[1:16:36] are committed to it.

[1:16:37] You know I am past CHAIRMAN Of

[1:16:41] the Equal Opportunity

[1:16:42] Commission under three mayors

[1:16:43] and I served on the government

[1:16:47] efficiency and fiscal reform

[1:16:48] body.

[1:16:48] I also serve the city and

[1:16:54] county on a Joint Powers Agency

[1:16:58] for more than 20 years.

[1:16:59] You know the problem with CPAs

[1:17:04] at the moment it's it's like

[1:17:05] rearranging the deck chairs on

[1:17:10] the Titanic.

[1:17:11] The ship you are in fiscal

[1:17:16] crisis you don't have

[1:17:17] the ability to budget and you

[1:17:22] overspend that council needs to

[1:17:23] focus its time on reducing its

[1:17:27] spending and learning how to

[1:17:28] budget.

[1:17:33] You know it's very nice that

[1:17:34] we're going to spend a lot of

[1:17:39] time I think there's what six

[1:17:40] staff persons here working on

[1:17:45] KPIs but yet the city is $100

[1:17:49] million overspend.

[1:17:50] The first thing that you need

[1:17:51] to do is get the performance

[1:17:56] indicators that you can spend

[1:17:57] only within your revenues.

[1:18:03] Thank you very much.

[1:18:04] Thank you.

[1:18:05] Next is when I'm running an

[1:18:12] 8700 If you come please and you

[1:18:12] think you are Joyce said you

[1:18:17] had a cd three First of all I

[1:18:23] have a dream realized you have

[1:18:24] now and that is because

[1:18:24] the CPGs are have been looked

[1:18:29] at in audits and it's unfolding

[1:18:30] And the second part of

[1:18:34] the degree is can dezmond and

[1:18:35] she's part of reason equity

[1:18:40] thank you to the forces that be

[1:18:41] you know here we go I vote for

[1:18:46] really realistically all

[1:18:46] realistic okay this is my

[1:18:52] letter to start with the public

[1:18:53] I think your public I have to

[1:18:56] at the top of my f 127 budget

[1:19:01] needs any additional needed

[1:19:02] cost and funding for

[1:19:03] implementation and monitoring

[1:19:07] that she can transparency and

[1:19:08] oversight of what the audit

[1:19:11] committee so beautiful is

[1:19:17] recommending your public

[1:19:18] the best way to get your needs

[1:19:23] realized in your communities is

[1:19:24] with the vigilant use of kpi.

[1:19:28] If we need more resources let's

[1:19:29] get them.

[1:19:29] If we need more money let's

[1:19:30] find it.

[1:19:35] Councilmember Rivera this shell

[1:19:40] shell provide one answer to

[1:19:41] your beautiful important

[1:19:47] question What city are we

[1:19:47] trying to be?

[1:19:48] Office of the City Auditor By

[1:19:52] standards Award on this Thank

[1:19:52] you Panda.

[1:19:53] Thank you.

[1:19:58] Thank you, Officer Grayson

[1:19:58] Equity.

[1:19:59] And lastly, could we please

[1:20:00] have panda shadow each

[1:20:03] department during

[1:20:04] implementation like they did

[1:20:05] with the p u d?

[1:20:09] This is a beautiful moment.

[1:20:10] Let's celebrate and let's get

[1:20:10] it done now.

[1:20:11] Love you all.

[1:20:15] I'm so excited.

[1:20:16] >> Thank you.

[1:20:16] Next is Alvin.

[1:20:17] Let's try it again.

[1:20:19] Please unmute.

[1:20:25] And my name's Allerdale Mastro

[1:20:25] and the Performance de

[1:20:26] Performance Indicator.

[1:20:30] I can't tell you how

[1:20:30] disappointed I am in San Diego.

[1:20:31] I know that the revenues are at

[1:20:36] an all time high than our

[1:20:36] staff.

[1:20:40] Your staff has increased 27%

[1:20:41] over the last five years even

[1:20:46] though the population has only

[1:20:47] increased 1%.

[1:20:47] Some of the decisions that have

[1:20:52] been made I can't find anybody

[1:20:56] that even would understand why

[1:20:57] going out and spending $65

[1:21:03] million on trash cans in

[1:21:03] the middle of this crisis when

[1:21:04] many of the citizens have

[1:21:08] pretty functional trash cans

[1:21:13] and being able to replace them

[1:21:14] is just baffling to me.

[1:21:15] The other thing that's baffling

[1:21:19] is the accountability here that

[1:21:20] you have for your employees In

[1:21:25] 2004 a turn an attorney that

[1:21:25] worked for the city made

[1:21:30] $200,000 and she was in she got

[1:21:30] a $100,000 raise and was able

[1:21:34] to take a four month cruise

[1:21:35] which was considered working at

[1:21:35] home.

[1:21:40] This is the kind of waste and

[1:21:41] abuse that the public sees And

[1:21:42] and we just don't understand

[1:21:42] it.

[1:21:46] You want us to believe that if

[1:21:47] you cut that out I don't

[1:21:51] understand why you wouldn't cut

[1:21:51] that.

[1:21:52] i haven't heard an explanation

[1:21:53] by these panels on these

[1:21:53] different issues.

[1:21:57] I don't even know how many city

[1:21:57] employees go into the office

[1:22:02] every day what the policy is.

[1:22:03] There could be a lot of

[1:22:07] overstepping there and only

[1:22:08] thing that seems to be willing

[1:22:11] to be cut is a library or a

[1:22:12] park or some one is a staff so

[1:22:13] large and how is that helping

[1:22:16] any performance as our roads

[1:22:21] are terrible our street lights

[1:22:22] on on.

[1:22:26] Oh thank you.

[1:22:26] Thank you.

[1:22:27] The five minute timer has

[1:22:28] included There were five

[1:22:28] speakers with their hands at

[1:22:31] the time.

[1:22:32] No additional speakers will be

[1:22:33] taken there only two speakers

[1:22:33] with their hands raised now as

[1:22:34] well.

[1:22:38] No additional speakers will be

[1:22:38] taken.

[1:22:39] Beekman if you can please on

[1:22:39] it.

[1:22:40] All right.

[1:22:40] Thank you.

[1:22:42] We're Big Ben.

[1:22:42] Thanks a lot for this item.

[1:22:43] It's kind of new to myself.

[1:22:47] I mean I have been here you

[1:22:47] guys talking about kpi for

[1:22:48] the past year or so and I'm

[1:22:51] still not totally familiar with

[1:22:52] it.

[1:22:52] I'm kind of slow at this stuff

[1:22:56] and but I'm trying to catch up

[1:22:57] .

[1:22:57] >> I really liked the comment

[1:22:58] from the first public comment

[1:23:02] or today on this item is she

[1:23:03] made a lot of sense and how I

[1:23:04] can understand this issue

[1:23:07] the way I'm understanding it

[1:23:08] for myself and understanding is

[1:23:13] that kpi can be a very nice

[1:23:18] reference point and factual

[1:23:18] reference point of how to

[1:23:19] understand you know your

[1:23:24] projects and items and how

[1:23:24] they're working And it sounds

[1:23:25] like what you were talking

[1:23:26] about in the presentation is do

[1:23:29] you want to add to that and

[1:23:30] present it more in terms of

[1:23:34] what can be project goals and

[1:23:35] how do you incorporate kpi into

[1:23:39] actual corporate project goals

[1:23:40] or do you want to treat kpi

[1:23:44] Well I think kpi should be

[1:23:45] treated as a very factual

[1:23:48] accountable thing giving

[1:23:49] information about the project

[1:23:54] very specific and and you

[1:23:55] shouldn't try to overemphasize

[1:23:59] being persuasive or overly

[1:23:59] flowery with its subject

[1:24:00] matter.

[1:24:04] Now that comes back to what

[1:24:05] the first public comment you

[1:24:06] said where he was describing

[1:24:06] they're just getting their

[1:24:10] facts wrong and something is

[1:24:10] going wrong with the facts

[1:24:11] process.

[1:24:11] >> You're not even doing that

[1:24:14] part correctly fully.

[1:24:15] So I think you've got to really

[1:24:16] pare down and make sure that

[1:24:19] kpi is doing something

[1:24:19] incredibly factual and we can

[1:24:24] just trust it to no end That

[1:24:25] there's no partizanship

[1:24:25] involved with it just

[1:24:26] delivering you know, straight

[1:24:29] back about it This is happening

[1:24:30] and this is happening and that

[1:24:31] takes practice to do that And

[1:24:34] then on top of that then you

[1:24:35] can add the flowery intentions

[1:24:39] and what you know I hope it can

[1:24:40] be of a project on top of that

[1:24:40] That's my guest work.

[1:24:41] >> Thank you.

[1:24:41] Thank you.

[1:24:45] Our final speaker is Francine

[1:24:45] Maxwell You're going to take

[1:24:46] from you Afternoon Francine

[1:24:49] Maxwell Southeastern San Diego.

[1:24:50] Thank you so much for

[1:24:51] the presentation from a

[1:24:54] department the audit committee

[1:24:55] audit department that we truly

[1:24:55] trust.

[1:24:56] We have some suspects when it's

[1:25:00] time to shift and look at other

[1:25:00] departments that are

[1:25:01] independent and who they

[1:25:04] actually are working for and

[1:25:05] reporting for And so k p I's

[1:25:09] are extremely important because

[1:25:10] right now given our fiscal

[1:25:15] challenges we are going to be

[1:25:16] leading and paying close

[1:25:16] attention.

[1:25:17] We're looking for the city

[1:25:20] council who happens to be

[1:25:20] the housing authority

[1:25:24] Absolutely to let go over 33

[1:25:25] since San Diego Housing

[1:25:25] Commission did.

[1:25:26] And so when we're looking at

[1:25:30] cuts, when we're looking at a

[1:25:30] continuation of care, when

[1:25:31] we're looking at equity

[1:25:35] absolutely equity for

[1:25:35] the taxpayers, the citizens,

[1:25:39] the residents And again, when

[1:25:40] we're looking at the fact that

[1:25:44] there's too many deputy

[1:25:45] directors, too many middle

[1:25:46] management, this tanda

[1:25:49] department should be screaming

[1:25:54] Kay, eyes on how much waste we

[1:25:55] have when we look at our org

[1:25:55] chart.

[1:25:59] So again, thank you so much for

[1:25:59] this presentation.

[1:26:03] We look forward to 10th and we

[1:26:04] have a lot of work to do as a

[1:26:04] city.

[1:26:07] Thank you so much for allowing

[1:26:08] me to speak.

[1:26:08] >> Thank you.

[1:26:09] That does conclude public

[1:26:10] comment on this item.

[1:26:12] All right.

[1:26:13] Thank you, City Clerk As a

[1:26:14] reminder this is an information

[1:26:17] item No motions required but

[1:26:18] I'll turn it over to council

[1:26:19] members for questions and

[1:26:20] comments And we'll start with

[1:26:20] the chair of the audit

[1:26:22] committee.

[1:26:23] >> Council Member Moreno Thank

[1:26:24] you for the presentation and

[1:26:27] thank you again to the audit

[1:26:27] team for another great audit

[1:26:32] Key performance indicators are

[1:26:32] important tools for not just

[1:26:33] the department using them as

[1:26:37] metrics throughout the year but

[1:26:38] also for the public and

[1:26:38] the City council which is why I

[1:26:43] request id for this audit to be

[1:26:43] done When done right they allow

[1:26:47] us to make budget decisions

[1:26:48] based on data and allow us to

[1:26:51] see the effectiveness of

[1:26:55] spending taxpayer dollars on

[1:26:56] one activity versus another.

[1:27:00] Unfortunately the way many KPIs

[1:27:01] are used and produced here in

[1:27:01] the city not are not very

[1:27:05] useful for members of

[1:27:06] the public or the city Council

[1:27:10] to utilize when evaluating

[1:27:11] the effectiveness of a

[1:27:11] department in providing a

[1:27:12] service.

[1:27:15] The annual budget includes KPIs

[1:27:16] within each department and I

[1:27:17] could attest to the fact that

[1:27:20] they are often simply not a

[1:27:21] good metric to use to determine

[1:27:25] a department's effectiveness at

[1:27:26] providing a surface service.

[1:27:30] This creates a scenario where

[1:27:31] the KPIs are not relied upon by

[1:27:32] the City Council During

[1:27:35] the annual budget discussion

[1:27:36] and that is just very

[1:27:36] unfortunate.

[1:27:40] We love to say we're a data

[1:27:41] driven city but this audit

[1:27:42] shows we are budgeting year in

[1:27:45] and year out without good data

[1:27:49] to support budget allocations.

[1:27:50] One part of the problem is that

[1:27:51] the KPIs are all over all over

[1:27:55] the place and not consistent in

[1:27:56] what is being measured.

[1:27:59] Some as was mentioned are

[1:28:00] aspirational goals while some

[1:28:04] are focused unrealistic

[1:28:05] outcomes based solely on what

[1:28:09] can be done down to the dollar

[1:28:10] ,these inconsistencies make

[1:28:10] them less meaningful measures

[1:28:14] for policymakers to consider

[1:28:15] when balancing the budget to

[1:28:19] ensure these are improved and

[1:28:20] helpful to the public,

[1:28:21] the Council and public must

[1:28:21] have an opportunity to

[1:28:25] interface with department staff

[1:28:25] to create meaningful KPIs.

[1:28:29] Recommendation 1.1 is to

[1:28:30] develop and publish an annual

[1:28:33] performance report for

[1:28:34] the city's KPIs separate from

[1:28:35] the city's budget document and

[1:28:39] to discuss it at the Budget and

[1:28:40] Government Efficiency

[1:28:40] Committee.

[1:28:41] I think this makes sense and is

[1:28:44] definitely a good start to

[1:28:45] making improvements to our

[1:28:45] KPIs.

[1:28:48] In fact our own statement of

[1:28:49] budgetary principles say that

[1:28:50] the KPIs will be reviewed and

[1:28:53] discussed at committee so we

[1:28:54] should already be doing it.

[1:28:59] However, I would go beyond just

[1:29:00] issuing an agenda using a

[1:29:03] report and say that multiple

[1:29:04] council committees should

[1:29:05] discuss the KPIs of the major

[1:29:09] city departments that are

[1:29:09] tasked with monitoring each

[1:29:10] year that we're tasked with

[1:29:13] monitoring each year pd

[1:29:14] Transportation stormwater stp

[1:29:18] fire Those are some that could

[1:29:23] be a focus conversation that

[1:29:23] provides department directors

[1:29:24] with clear direction about what

[1:29:27] would be the what would be most

[1:29:28] helpful in determining

[1:29:28] the effectiveness of a

[1:29:29] department's activity

[1:29:33] throughout the year.

[1:29:33] Finally, I do very much agree

[1:29:34] with the recommendations

[1:29:37] regarding the city having a

[1:29:38] publicly accessible dashboard

[1:29:38] that includes historical data

[1:29:43] to demonstrate departmental

[1:29:43] performance over time.

[1:29:47] Other cities do this and

[1:29:52] updating it regularly is good

[1:29:52] and transparent government

[1:29:53] policy and it would be very

[1:29:57] useful to the members of

[1:29:57] the public especially when

[1:30:01] discussing the budget each year

[1:30:02] .

[1:30:02] The report includes five

[1:30:03] recommendations including

[1:30:04] developing an annual

[1:30:06] performance report establishing

[1:30:07] kpi data validation process and

[1:30:11] creating a policy that

[1:30:12] documents the city's kpi

[1:30:16] philosophy.

[1:30:16] I.

[1:30:22] I do want to make note that

[1:30:22] the performance in Natalie an

[1:30:23] analytic department is doing

[1:30:27] well with the resource is that

[1:30:27] have that they have an interest

[1:30:31] in assisting departments with

[1:30:31] their KPIs but any real success

[1:30:35] at updating the metrics we use

[1:30:36] comes down to the management

[1:30:40] within each department coming

[1:30:41] to hand with accurate and

[1:30:42] meaningful metrics to be

[1:30:45] considered and then using their

[1:30:49] expertise to redefine it So

[1:30:50] once again thank you for

[1:30:51] the audit and that concludes my

[1:30:51] comments.

[1:30:55] Council PRESIDENT Thank you.

[1:30:56] All right.

[1:30:56] Thank you, Councilmember

[1:30:56] Moreno.

[1:30:57] We'll go next to council member

[1:30:59] Ella Rivera.

[1:31:00] Thank you Council PRESIDENT

[1:31:04] Thank you to the auditor

[1:31:05] the officers of the auditor as

[1:31:05] always for the work that you

[1:31:08] all do.

[1:31:09] Thank you Councilmember Moreno

[1:31:14] for your commitment to not just

[1:31:14] the officers to be able to make

[1:31:18] sure that we have robust

[1:31:18] discussions about what's

[1:31:23] brought to your committee.

[1:31:24] Our KPIs are should be very

[1:31:28] important and could should

[1:31:28] serve as a backbone of

[1:31:29] effective governance and

[1:31:33] accountability And the city

[1:31:33] does not have a formal

[1:31:34] enforceable policy that clearly

[1:31:38] defines whether our KPIs should

[1:31:38] be aspirational or

[1:31:42] realistically achievable.

[1:31:43] I appreciate that this was

[1:31:43] named in the report.

[1:31:44] I often talk about

[1:31:46] the difference between

[1:31:47] standards and goals and what do

[1:31:51] we want to set standards for

[1:31:52] our city and what do we want to

[1:31:56] aspire to be as a city in

[1:31:56] the future?

[1:31:57] And the city should absolutely

[1:32:01] be aiming high and signaling

[1:32:01] what excellent looks like

[1:32:02] excellence looks like And at

[1:32:06] the same time we need targets

[1:32:07] that are honest about current

[1:32:08] capacity and budget so we can

[1:32:08] measure our progress toward

[1:32:11] those standards.

[1:32:12] So finding two lays out a

[1:32:12] couple of recommendations.

[1:32:16] I'm wondering if if the auditor

[1:32:16] could walk us through what

[1:32:21] implementation of those

[1:32:21] findings would look like in

[1:32:25] practice Specifically are there

[1:32:26] changes in department

[1:32:27] operations reporting structure

[1:32:30] oversight?

[1:32:31] I can take a first crack at

[1:32:31] that.

[1:32:35] So finding two there's a couple

[1:32:36] of recommendations that go with

[1:32:36] that.

[1:32:39] The easier one is a smaller one

[1:32:40] just has to do with the city

[1:32:43] attorney's office to develop a

[1:32:44] kpi and they've actually agreed

[1:32:45] to do that.

[1:32:45] So implementation to your

[1:32:48] question there implementation

[1:32:49] should be good to go there and

[1:32:49] we'll check that with our

[1:32:53] regular recommendation follow

[1:32:53] up process.

[1:32:54] The other recommendation in

[1:32:58] that finding was essentially

[1:33:02] the kpi philosophy which goes

[1:33:03] to that chart we had on there.

[1:33:04] The blue bars are all over

[1:33:04] the place.

[1:33:08] Some departments are achieving

[1:33:08] 0%, some are achieving 100%.

[1:33:12] So the to bring it back to your

[1:33:13] question about what would

[1:33:13] implementation look look like

[1:33:14] there, I think Panda would

[1:33:17] probably be the lead

[1:33:17] quarterback working with city

[1:33:18] leadership hopefully such as

[1:33:19] yourselves in your offices in

[1:33:22] terms of like what do we want

[1:33:22] to do?

[1:33:23] Do we want to do a mix of

[1:33:26] realistic and aspirational KPIs

[1:33:27] like they do at the federal

[1:33:31] government or the city and

[1:33:32] county of San Francisco?

[1:33:32] Some other examples So it would

[1:33:35] really be probably Panda

[1:33:36] working with city leadership to

[1:33:37] articulate that guidance for

[1:33:40] departments so that we as a

[1:33:41] city are not just all of the So

[1:33:42] all over the place.

[1:33:45] Yeah well I certainly like

[1:33:46] the idea of us setting some

[1:33:50] standards vary across

[1:33:51] departments of setting some

[1:33:55] baseline nice expectations

[1:33:55] about what the public and

[1:33:59] the council should expect from

[1:34:00] different departments And then

[1:34:04] you know always aspiring to do

[1:34:05] to do better And and in that

[1:34:09] conversation there should be an

[1:34:10] understanding of what would be

[1:34:10] required in terms of resourcing

[1:34:13] in order to get to that higher

[1:34:13] level.

[1:34:14] So thank you again for all

[1:34:15] the work that went into this.

[1:34:19] I very much appreciate it.

[1:34:20] >> That concludes my comments.

[1:34:20] Council PRESIDENT All right.

[1:34:21] Thank you.

[1:34:24] Council Member We'll overall go

[1:34:25] next to Council member Von

[1:34:25] Wolpert.

[1:34:27] >> Thank you for the audit and

[1:34:28] the work on this.

[1:34:29] It has been a challenge to try

[1:34:33] and negotiate how KPIs are

[1:34:33] tracked across budget years and

[1:34:34] sometimes KPIs are different

[1:34:37] across budget years without any

[1:34:37] notice and sometimes there are

[1:34:38] no KPIs And so I just

[1:34:41] appreciate you doing this work

[1:34:42] as well.

[1:34:43] I think one question I do have

[1:34:46] and it might be for our

[1:34:47] management side is how do we

[1:34:47] involve our workers in

[1:34:51] developing our KPIs Because our

[1:34:52] unions are represented,

[1:34:53] Employees are the ones doing

[1:34:56] the work every day and so they

[1:34:57] MAY see things on the ground

[1:34:57] that our management doesn't.

[1:34:58] So how do we involve

[1:34:58] the workers in developing our

[1:35:03] goals for our city?

[1:35:04] That's a great question and I

[1:35:05] know for our team working on

[1:35:09] KPIs where we want to involve

[1:35:12] as many people as possible in

[1:35:13] the process.

[1:35:13] One of our constraints last

[1:35:14] year was we see positions from

[1:35:18] the team that works on KPIs

[1:35:19] were reduced and this year

[1:35:19] we're anticipating another

[1:35:22] reduction.

[1:35:23] So that does kind of limit our

[1:35:24] capacity to do as many

[1:35:27] workshops and get as much input

[1:35:28] as we as we would like.

[1:35:32] But I think you bring a really

[1:35:32] valid point and we do work with

[1:35:33] departments largely upon

[1:35:37] request from the departments

[1:35:38] will reach out for a coaching

[1:35:38] session and that's a great

[1:35:41] opportunity to analyze

[1:35:42] the employee sentiment survey

[1:35:43] results we do twice a year So

[1:35:46] that's one great way to

[1:35:47] incorporate feedback but we can

[1:35:48] look into that more and make

[1:35:51] sure that we're casting a wider

[1:35:52] net.

[1:35:52] Yeah, immediately within

[1:35:53] the areas for example

[1:35:56] the represented employees all

[1:35:57] have leadership within their

[1:35:57] unions and so they could be

[1:35:58] very helpful in providing

[1:36:01] feedback to us.

[1:36:01] All right.

[1:36:02] Well I appreciate the work on

[1:36:03] this and I'm looking forward to

[1:36:07] improving our KPIs going

[1:36:08] forward.

[1:36:08] >> Thank you.

[1:36:08] All right.

[1:36:09] Thanks.

[1:36:11] Councilmember Velma Wolpert not

[1:36:12] see anybody else in the lights.

[1:36:13] Phil offer a few closing

[1:36:13] comments.

[1:36:16] I want to thank you, COUNCILMAN

[1:36:16] Foster.

[1:36:17] You can jump in.

[1:36:17] Thank you.

[1:36:18] i have my apologies.

[1:36:20] Council PRESIDENT I mean I'll

[1:36:24] keep my comments brief because

[1:36:25] this has been something that

[1:36:26] has been discussed for quite

[1:36:30] some time and I appreciate

[1:36:34] the work of the auditor on

[1:36:34] this.

[1:36:39] I think it's good to have this

[1:36:39] item come forward acknowledge

[1:36:40] that the KPIs do need

[1:36:44] the extensive work that they do

[1:36:44] need.

[1:36:45] Also appreciate the comments by

[1:36:47] the ipa when as it relates to

[1:36:51] equity.

[1:36:52] But I do want to say this and I

[1:36:53] do appreciate how this

[1:36:56] conversation is tied to

[1:37:01] the budget but it does leave me

[1:37:02] in a position as I have dealt

[1:37:06] with these over the years and

[1:37:11] it takes me back to operations

[1:37:12] and as I say, do our directors

[1:37:16] truly understand what their

[1:37:17] book of business, their

[1:37:21] obligation and how to execute

[1:37:22] in accordance with all of our

[1:37:25] standards The charter federal

[1:37:26] statutory requirements, state

[1:37:30] requirements and our policies

[1:37:31] that we set right As we talk

[1:37:35] about the council, as we talk

[1:37:36] about council policies, as we

[1:37:40] talk about how important equity

[1:37:41] is as you can see when we have

[1:37:44] an equity conversation I do

[1:37:45] appreciate the transparency

[1:37:45] that we're hearing as now

[1:37:49] the you know, the Department of

[1:37:50] Race and Equity is in

[1:37:55] the office because Kim, I will

[1:37:55] tell you I appreciate

[1:37:56] the conversations that we've

[1:37:59] been having over the past month

[1:37:59] as we are looking at what

[1:38:00] improvements we can make.

[1:38:04] But I think this drives to

[1:38:04] the bigger picture And what I

[1:38:05] have been saying that it's very

[1:38:09] important that we do have a ceo

[1:38:10] and someone with operational

[1:38:13] experience because I think we

[1:38:14] need that expertise to make

[1:38:19] sure that we are executing and

[1:38:20] meeting our obligation.

[1:38:21] So with that council PRESIDENT

[1:38:24] I will leave that there As

[1:38:25] Budget Chair I will say I am

[1:38:25] very open to this conversation

[1:38:28] Looking forward to this

[1:38:29] conversation but I am looking

[1:38:33] for impact transparency and

[1:38:34] accountability, right?

[1:38:35] I just can't I just have to

[1:38:39] make sure I state that.

[1:38:39] So thank you.

[1:38:40] All right.

[1:38:40] Thanks Councilmember Foster

[1:38:44] again, not to anybody else No

[1:38:44] lights off for a few closing

[1:38:45] comments.

[1:38:48] Thank you To the office of

[1:38:48] the Independent Audit Auditors

[1:38:49] for the good work that you've

[1:38:52] done in bringing this forward

[1:38:53] and putting it in good plain

[1:38:54] speak so that we could wrap our

[1:38:57] heads around it.

[1:38:58] Thank you for the work of

[1:39:02] Performance Analytics Panda for

[1:39:03] the work that you do and thank

[1:39:07] you to the office of the ipa.

[1:39:08] Clearly the move that the City

[1:39:11] Council made last JUNE to embed

[1:39:12] the Office of Race and Equity

[1:39:17] in ipa was a very smart one and

[1:39:18] I think it's ultimately going

[1:39:18] to be very productive.

[1:39:21] I was one of those individuals

[1:39:22] who had a very, very, very low

[1:39:26] opinion of KPIs going forward

[1:39:31] and until I actually heard a

[1:39:32] briefing from MR. Iseman and

[1:39:35] folks from Panda I had little

[1:39:36] hope that there was anything to

[1:39:36] be resurrected recommendations

[1:39:40] or not if there was no path

[1:39:40] forward why bother?

[1:39:41] And I think it's somewhat

[1:39:44] ironic that most of the work

[1:39:45] that's going to be done going

[1:39:46] forward is being done by those

[1:39:49] middle managers who often get

[1:39:50] castigated as the problem with

[1:39:50] our city budget.

[1:39:54] So I look forward to those

[1:39:55] middle managers who bring that

[1:39:59] expertise to the conversation

[1:39:59] and change it.

[1:40:00] The only thing I didn't hear

[1:40:04] and I appreciate Councilmember

[1:40:05] Moreno and her leadership at

[1:40:05] the audit committee and

[1:40:08] Councilmember Whitman's role on

[1:40:09] the audit committee as well is

[1:40:13] where do we go from here?

[1:40:14] And a couple of things that

[1:40:15] were mentioned I would like

[1:40:18] this is there's no action item

[1:40:18] here but to suggest that we

[1:40:22] don't do a dashboard we've

[1:40:23] already convinced ourselves

[1:40:24] that the KPIs historically were

[1:40:27] not worthy.

[1:40:28] Why bother repeating them And

[1:40:33] even to go so far as to suggest

[1:40:34] that we don't put any KPIs in

[1:40:37] the f y 27 budget The work that

[1:40:38] panned out and the Office of

[1:40:39] recent Equity is doing I've

[1:40:42] already heard will not be

[1:40:43] completed or reintroduced until

[1:40:48] after the budget has to be

[1:40:48] adopted So why keep repeating

[1:40:49] stuff that actually is not

[1:40:52] helpful that the councils are

[1:40:53] not off Council members are not

[1:40:54] using that departments don't

[1:40:57] really believe in And so that

[1:40:58] would be my suggestion just to

[1:41:02] strip the KPIs out of the f y

[1:41:03] 27 proposed budget.

[1:41:03] Let's take a let's start a

[1:41:04] clean slate.

[1:41:07] Let's go back to Ground Zero

[1:41:08] Given what we've learned what

[1:41:12] the auditors figured out, what

[1:41:13] the aba is determining and use

[1:41:16] that as the new baseline going

[1:41:17] forward and maybe allows us to

[1:41:18] focus a little bit more on how

[1:41:19] we're going to balance in our

[1:41:21] budget rather than creating

[1:41:22] tools that won't be done in

[1:41:22] time.

[1:41:26] The last thing I'll say is and

[1:41:30] I it probably didn't need to be

[1:41:31] said in this audit but I would

[1:41:32] throw out there the city

[1:41:35] departments don't produce

[1:41:36] widgets.

[1:41:36] Some departments do something

[1:41:37] You can say did you produce You

[1:41:40] should be producing ten widgets

[1:41:41] a day Are you producing ten

[1:41:42] Which is a very easy metric.

[1:41:45] A lot of what departments do is

[1:41:50] responding proactively or

[1:41:51] reactively to what we see going

[1:41:51] on around us.

[1:41:55] They're responding to new state

[1:41:56] laws.

[1:41:56] I'm working on policy that I

[1:41:57] don't want to be working on but

[1:41:59] Sacramento made a new law and I

[1:42:00] have to stop everything I'm

[1:42:00] doing.

[1:42:04] Focus on that So but

[1:42:05] the initial briefing of what

[1:42:10] When I see where panda and

[1:42:10] the eBay is going gives me hope

[1:42:11] that we can actually figure out

[1:42:15] and tailor KPIs.

[1:42:16] I know my colleagues have said

[1:42:19] both can be very fundamental,

[1:42:20] can also be aspirational and

[1:42:24] that also tries to figure out

[1:42:25] what resources we need to

[1:42:25] actually deliver those KPIs

[1:42:29] which I think has always been

[1:42:30] sorely lacking.

[1:42:30] So with that I'll stop.

[1:42:31] Again, thank you to everybody

[1:42:32] that's brought this forward.

[1:42:33] This was an important thing to

[1:42:34] hear.

[1:42:34] It took us a while.

[1:42:35] The agenda is out so I

[1:42:38] appreciate your patience as

[1:42:38] well.

[1:42:38] All right.

[1:42:39] Thank you Again, that was an

[1:42:43] information item No motion was

[1:42:43] required.

[1:42:44] So with that Clark, please

[1:42:49] introduce item f501.

[1:42:49] >> Thank you.

[1:42:52] Council PRESIDENT Items 501 is

[1:42:53] the consideration of an empty

[1:42:53] homes tax ballot measure

[1:42:54] proposal by council member

[1:42:57] Shawn Illo Rivera If you're

[1:42:58] here in council chambers and

[1:42:59] would like to speak to this

[1:43:02] item please be sure to submit a

[1:43:02] speaker slip to the front of

[1:43:03] the room in the clear box.

[1:43:04] If you have people seating you

[1:43:06] time please be sure to submit

[1:43:07] those speakers slips together

[1:43:08] If you are joining us virtually

[1:43:11] now's the time to raise your

[1:43:12] hand by pressing Star nine or

[1:43:13] the raise your hand icon so

[1:43:17] that we can hear from you.

[1:43:18] >> Thank you, Council PRESIDENT

[1:43:18] All right.

[1:43:21] Thank you City Clerk With that

[1:43:22] And before we turn it over for

[1:43:26] the presentation, I see a

[1:43:27] number of individuals some of

[1:43:27] you perhaps even many of you

[1:43:31] MAY be in chambers for the very

[1:43:31] first time and just want to

[1:43:32] offer a little bit of thought

[1:43:35] about protocols going forward.

[1:43:36] There's clearly a lot of

[1:43:40] passion about this item You

[1:43:40] will hear things you agree

[1:43:41] with, you will hear things you

[1:43:44] disagree with, extend

[1:43:45] the courtesy to whether it is

[1:43:46] staff, whether it is a council

[1:43:46] member or whether it is a

[1:43:50] member of the public that is

[1:43:50] speaking.

[1:43:54] What we have found at is really

[1:43:55] quite effective is by giving us

[1:44:00] hand signals You like what a

[1:44:00] speaker is saying thumbs up

[1:44:01] from up here.

[1:44:04] It's very obvious what your

[1:44:04] feelings aren't If you hear

[1:44:05] things you don't like Thumbs

[1:44:05] down.

[1:44:08] Again a very strong visual

[1:44:08] there but do extend

[1:44:09] the courtesy to whoever is

[1:44:13] speaking.

[1:44:14] I know we're going to have a

[1:44:14] lot of speakers here.

[1:44:16] We want to give them every one

[1:44:17] of them a chance to say their

[1:44:17] piece.

[1:44:18] And again, whether you agree or

[1:44:22] disagree, extend the courtesy

[1:44:22] to them and let's get started.

[1:44:27] So with that I'm a turn over to

[1:44:28] my colleague council member

[1:44:28] Isla Rivera and after that will

[1:44:31] turn to staff for

[1:44:31] the presentation sir.

[1:44:32] All right.

[1:44:33] Thank you Council PRESIDENT.

[1:44:36] Appreciate the opportunity.

[1:44:37] I've just got some introductory

[1:44:38] comments before we handed over

[1:44:40] to Maya.

[1:44:41] We're here for a really simple

[1:44:46] reason and that's because San

[1:44:47] Diego are paying too much for

[1:44:50] housing and families can no

[1:44:50] longer wait for additional

[1:44:55] action when homes sit empty for

[1:44:55] most of the year during a

[1:44:56] housing shortage That hurts all

[1:44:56] of us.

[1:44:57] It hurts renters.

[1:45:00] It hurts first time homebuyers.

[1:45:00] It hurts the communities that

[1:45:01] depend on teachers,

[1:45:04] firefighters and other

[1:45:05] essential workers being able to

[1:45:05] live near where they serve.

[1:45:09] Throughout this process we've

[1:45:09] referenced the vision and

[1:45:10] values that motivate this

[1:45:14] proposal.

[1:45:15] That's why I bring that up

[1:45:16] because we want to reiterate

[1:45:19] those and we simply want to.

[1:45:20] And are you going to be a city

[1:45:21] that works for the people who

[1:45:23] live here where the people who

[1:45:24] live here can see a future for

[1:45:24] themselves, for their families

[1:45:28] and their friends And we know

[1:45:28] that that is only possible when

[1:45:29] people believe that they will

[1:45:33] be able to afford to live in

[1:45:33] this city and ideally own a

[1:45:37] home that can provide

[1:45:38] the foundation they need to

[1:45:38] grow a family and pursue their

[1:45:39] dreams.

[1:45:41] The proposal Maya will present

[1:45:42] is the product of months and

[1:45:43] months and months of rigorous

[1:45:43] work.

[1:45:46] We work closely with

[1:45:47] the Treasurer's office to build

[1:45:48] a measure that is operationally

[1:45:48] sound and implementable.

[1:45:52] We worked extremely closely

[1:45:52] with the city Attorney's office

[1:45:56] since late spring of last year

[1:45:57] who brought in expert outside

[1:46:00] counsel to ensure that council

[1:46:01] and the public can feel

[1:46:01] confident in the legal

[1:46:06] foundation that this measure is

[1:46:06] built upon.

[1:46:11] To that point, some have raised

[1:46:11] a similar measure in San

[1:46:12] Francisco as a reason for

[1:46:15] concern about the legal defense

[1:46:15] ability of our proposal And I

[1:46:20] saw what I will actually refer

[1:46:21] to as pretty irresponsible not

[1:46:21] even reporting but opinionated

[1:46:25] about whether or not the amount

[1:46:26] the proper amount of due

[1:46:30] diligence has gone into

[1:46:30] bringing this measure forward.

[1:46:31] I want to reiterate that

[1:46:34] the city attorney's office has

[1:46:35] been working on this since last

[1:46:39] summer.

[1:46:40] They've brought in outside

[1:46:40] counsel and they've worked

[1:46:41] extremely hard and I want to

[1:46:44] make sure that that work is

[1:46:45] appreciated because there has

[1:46:48] been a significant amount of

[1:46:49] work And the result of that is

[1:46:53] is a measure that is clearly

[1:46:54] distinguishable from San

[1:46:54] Francisco much more closely

[1:46:58] modeled on one that has

[1:46:59] withstood this is operating

[1:47:03] successfully without successful

[1:47:03] legal challenge for over two

[1:47:04] years.

[1:47:05] With that I'll hand it over to

[1:47:08] Maya for the presentation.

[1:47:08] Thank you.

[1:47:09] Good afternoon.

[1:47:09] My name is my process Deputy

[1:47:13] Chief of Staff for Policy on

[1:47:14] behalf of Councilmember Eli

[1:47:14] Rivera.

[1:47:14] I'm here to present

[1:47:17] the considering of an empty

[1:47:18] homes tax ballot measure

[1:47:19] proposal by Councilmember Shawn

[1:47:20] Eli Rivera and I will need 12

[1:47:25] minutes.

[1:47:26] The requested action for this

[1:47:30] item is as follows requests

[1:47:31] the City Council adopts

[1:47:34] the ordinance and some item

[1:47:34] eight a place on the JUNE 2nd,

[1:47:35] 2026 municipal Special election

[1:47:39] consolidate it with

[1:47:40] the California State primary

[1:47:43] election one measure amending

[1:47:44] the San Diego Municipal Code by

[1:47:47] adding Chapter three Article 12

[1:47:48] Division one Sections 32 0101

[1:47:52] through 30 201 23 relating to

[1:47:52] an empty homes tax.

[1:47:57] Furthermore requests that

[1:47:58] the City Council adopt

[1:47:58] the resolution and so we do so

[1:48:01] item b directing the city

[1:48:02] Attorney to prepare a ballot

[1:48:02] title and summary and an

[1:48:06] impartial analysis directing

[1:48:07] the Mayor, independent budget

[1:48:07] analyst and city auditor to

[1:48:08] prepare a fiscal impact

[1:48:11] analysis and assigning ballot

[1:48:12] arguments all regarding one

[1:48:12] measure amending the San Diego

[1:48:16] Municipal Code by adding

[1:48:16] Chapter three Article 12

[1:48:20] Division one Sections 32 0101

[1:48:20] through 30 201 23 relating to

[1:48:25] an empty homes tax to be

[1:48:25] submitted to qualified voters

[1:48:29] of the City of San Diego at

[1:48:30] the Municipal Special election

[1:48:30] consolidated with

[1:48:31] the California State primary

[1:48:34] election to be held on JUNE

[1:48:39] 2nd, 2026 2026.

[1:48:40] Once again our vision of San

[1:48:40] Diego that works for the people

[1:48:43] who live here where everyone

[1:48:44] can see a future for

[1:48:44] themselves, their families and

[1:48:48] their friends is what guides us

[1:48:49] as well as our goals.

[1:48:50] Homes for San Diegans Protect

[1:48:53] San Diegans from displacement,

[1:48:54] protect San Diego's

[1:48:54] neighborhoods and make

[1:48:56] speculative investors pay their

[1:49:01] fair share.

[1:49:02] In the United States there are

[1:49:02] nearly as many homes kept for

[1:49:05] seasonal recreational or

[1:49:06] occasional use than

[1:49:07] the combined number of homes

[1:49:10] listed for rent or listed for

[1:49:11] sale.

[1:49:11] The us Census Bureau found that

[1:49:14] in 2020 there were over 4.6

[1:49:15] million homes vacant for

[1:49:19] occasional use compared to 3.8

[1:49:22] million for rent and 1.2

[1:49:23] million for sale.

[1:49:24] At the same time, the current

[1:49:24] housing supply shortage is

[1:49:27] estimated at 2.8 million homes

[1:49:32] nationally.

[1:49:32] Other cities are taking a stand

[1:49:33] to counter the negative impacts

[1:49:37] of empty homes and they are all

[1:49:37] tailoring their approach based

[1:49:38] on local circumstances.

[1:49:42] In Berkeley voters approved

[1:49:43] the empty homes tax in 2022.

[1:49:46] The tax is imposed on homes

[1:49:47] vacant for more than 182 days

[1:49:48] annually and Berkeley has begun

[1:49:51] collecting the tax.

[1:49:52] The Montana legislature

[1:49:55] increased taxes on residential

[1:49:56] properties used as vacation

[1:49:57] homes while reducing taxes for

[1:50:01] primary residences and

[1:50:02] Washington dc adopted a tax for

[1:50:02] vacant residential and

[1:50:06] commercial properties.

[1:50:11] What is an empty home Empty

[1:50:11] homes are homes that are not

[1:50:12] the primary residents of a San

[1:50:15] Diego and are left vacant for

[1:50:16] more than 182 days a year or

[1:50:17] over half a year.

[1:50:20] These MAY be speculative

[1:50:21] investments or a vacation home

[1:50:21] for personal use.

[1:50:25] Bottom line these are homes

[1:50:26] the owner has chosen to keep

[1:50:31] empty what is not an empty

[1:50:31] home.

[1:50:32] This tax will not apply to

[1:50:35] homes where San Diegans live.

[1:50:36] If you live in the home you

[1:50:36] own, this does not apply to

[1:50:39] your home.

[1:50:40] If you are a renter in San

[1:50:41] Diego you do not pay this tax

[1:50:45] If you are a landlord to San

[1:50:45] Diego tenants you and your

[1:50:49] tenants do not pay this tax

[1:50:49] whether your tenants are long

[1:50:50] term or even medium term such

[1:50:53] as traveling nurses who rent

[1:50:54] for more than 30 days.

[1:50:57] If you live in your home with

[1:50:58] an 80 you that you keep empty

[1:50:59] as an office or for occasional

[1:51:03] visitors he will not be taxed

[1:51:04] for your 80 you and whole home

[1:51:06] year round 2 or 3 and for short

[1:51:06] term rentals are not empty

[1:51:07] homes in this ballot measure

[1:51:10] and won't be taxed as they can

[1:51:11] be occupied up to year round

[1:51:12] and contribute revenue to

[1:51:15] the city via Toti.

[1:51:16] In other words 99% of San Diego

[1:51:20] homes are not taxed, 99% of San

[1:51:24] Diegans are not taxed and 100%

[1:51:25] of homes lived in by San

[1:51:25] Diegans are not taxed by

[1:51:29] the empty homes tax.

[1:51:30] Empty homes can be high priced

[1:51:34] downtown condos with bay views

[1:51:35] such as these on Pacific

[1:51:35] Highway.

[1:51:39] As you can see many of the Bay

[1:51:40] facing and top floor condos are

[1:51:40] vacant in La Hoya.

[1:51:44] Many of these beachfront condos

[1:51:44] are also sitting empty.

[1:51:49] But this is not just an issue

[1:51:49] with luxury high rises and

[1:51:50] beachfront properties which are

[1:51:54] not affordable to most San

[1:51:55] Diegans even if they did return

[1:51:55] to the market.

[1:51:59] There are also homes in our

[1:52:00] neighborhoods that are being

[1:52:00] left vacant.

[1:52:01] These are homes that many

[1:52:03] though certainly not all San

[1:52:04] Diego families could

[1:52:05] realistically afford if given

[1:52:08] an opportunity Along Friars

[1:52:09] Road there are 48 condos

[1:52:13] sitting empty and not available

[1:52:14] for a San Diegan to move into.

[1:52:17] There are 36 in the college

[1:52:18] area including three in this

[1:52:22] condo.

[1:52:22] The most up to date figure is

[1:52:26] that there are currently 5140

[1:52:26] homes sitting vacant with no

[1:52:30] renter or owner living in them

[1:52:31] based on the owners filing of a

[1:52:32] second home exemption of

[1:52:35] the rental unit business tax

[1:52:35] with the Treasurer's office.

[1:52:39] That exemption is the mechanism

[1:52:40] available for identifying empty

[1:52:40] homes.

[1:52:41] The Treasurer's office will be

[1:52:45] able to identify empty homes

[1:52:45] using this available data that

[1:52:47] has the flexibility to adapt in

[1:52:52] the future.

[1:52:53] The data shows that while these

[1:52:53] properties exist across

[1:52:56] the city in every community

[1:52:57] they are especially

[1:52:58] concentrated 45% of empty homes

[1:53:02] are in the downtown La Hoya,

[1:53:03] Pacific Beach and Peninsula

[1:53:06] Communities.

[1:53:07] Currently owners of empty homes

[1:53:11] do not pay any additional taxes

[1:53:12] or fees for their impact on

[1:53:12] the cost of housing or

[1:53:16] additional impacts such as

[1:53:17] hollowing out neighborhoods,

[1:53:17] reducing school enrollment and

[1:53:21] changing the neighborhood

[1:53:21] character.

[1:53:22] For all these reasons we have

[1:53:25] proposed an $8,000 annual tax

[1:53:28] per empty home beginning in

[1:53:29] 2020 2027 which increases to

[1:53:29] $10,000 beginning in 2028.

[1:53:33] With cpi increases beginning in

[1:53:38] 2029 empty homes held by

[1:53:38] corporate and institutional

[1:53:39] investors impose additional

[1:53:42] burdens on San Diego's housing

[1:53:43] market by removing homes from

[1:53:43] residential use and treating

[1:53:47] housing primarily as a

[1:53:48] financial asset.

[1:53:48] Corporate ownership is also a

[1:53:52] reasonable proxy for commercial

[1:53:53] scale activity and speculative

[1:53:53] behavior that undermines

[1:53:57] neighborhood stability, reduces

[1:53:57] housing availability and makes

[1:53:58] it harder for San Diego

[1:54:01] families to compete for

[1:54:01] homeownership in

[1:54:02] the communities where they live

[1:54:03] and work.

[1:54:03] Corporate entities often

[1:54:07] benefit from structural

[1:54:07] advantages that individual

[1:54:08] homeowners do not including

[1:54:12] easier access to capital.

[1:54:12] The ability to make all cash

[1:54:13] offers portfolio strategies and

[1:54:16] the capacity to hold properties

[1:54:17] vacant without the same

[1:54:17] pressures faced by a household

[1:54:21] seeking stable housing.

[1:54:21] Those same structures can also

[1:54:22] make enforcement more

[1:54:22] difficult.

[1:54:25] When an empty corporate owned

[1:54:26] home creates blight code issues

[1:54:30] or neighborhood impacts, it is

[1:54:31] often harder for the city and

[1:54:31] neighbors to quickly identify

[1:54:35] responsible decision makers and

[1:54:36] secure compliance in practice.

[1:54:40] Llc and similar entities can

[1:54:40] reduce transparency and diffuse

[1:54:41] accountability Increasing

[1:54:45] public costs and delaying

[1:54:45] remediation.

[1:54:46] For these reasons, imposing a

[1:54:50] higher rate on corporate owned

[1:54:50] empty homes is a fair and

[1:54:51] administrative way to reflect

[1:54:54] their disproportionate impact

[1:54:55] promote compliance and protect

[1:54:55] housing availability and

[1:55:00] neighborhood quality.

[1:55:00] Accordingly, the measure

[1:55:01] applies an additional surcharge

[1:55:04] of $4,000 beginning in 2027

[1:55:07] increasing to $5,000 beginning

[1:55:08] in 2028 with cpi increases

[1:55:11] beginning in 2029.

[1:55:11] We developed exclusions from

[1:55:16] the tax that are reasonable and

[1:55:16] allow for some empty homes to

[1:55:17] not be taxed.

[1:55:17] With appropriate verification

[1:55:21] by the Treasurer's office.

[1:55:21] Exclusions include disaster

[1:55:25] period Family and residence

[1:55:26] period homeowner period lease

[1:55:30] period newly built housing

[1:55:34] period non ownership period

[1:55:35] owner death period Legacy owner

[1:55:39] hardship period owner in care

[1:55:40] period and qualifying military

[1:55:44] service period.

[1:55:45] Exemptions are slightly

[1:55:49] different than exclusions but

[1:55:49] still require verification from

[1:55:50] the Treasurer to be exempted

[1:55:50] from the tax.

[1:55:54] This exemption an owner of an

[1:55:55] empty home that had a bonafide

[1:55:59] lease or leases for occupancy

[1:55:59] for that specific residential

[1:56:00] unit for more than 182 days in

[1:56:04] the calendar year prior to its

[1:56:04] becoming an empty home can

[1:56:05] cover several different

[1:56:08] scenarios where a rental

[1:56:09] property is not occupied for

[1:56:10] more than 182 days in a

[1:56:13] calendar year.

[1:56:13] Another exemption is for an

[1:56:18] owner of a property composed of

[1:56:19] four or fewer separate

[1:56:19] residential units where

[1:56:22] the owner occupies one of

[1:56:23] the residential units as their

[1:56:27] principal residence.

[1:56:28] >> Our office began meeting

[1:56:28] with the city Attorney's office

[1:56:32] in MAY of last year to start

[1:56:33] developing our original tax

[1:56:33] proposal which followed a

[1:56:34] similar framework as

[1:56:37] the proposed empty homes tax

[1:56:37] being presented today.

[1:56:38] Ten months later our work with

[1:56:42] the city Attorney's Office

[1:56:42] which included engaging with

[1:56:46] our outside counsel focused on

[1:56:47] answering legal questions to

[1:56:48] ensure that we felt comfortable

[1:56:51] moving forward.

[1:56:52] Before we even began drafting

[1:56:52] the measure we presented our

[1:56:56] previous proposal twice at

[1:56:57] committee creating significant

[1:56:57] opportunities for feedback from

[1:56:58] the public and committee

[1:57:01] members and shaping the current

[1:57:02] proposal for an empty homes tax

[1:57:04] that we brought forward two

[1:57:05] rules last week.

[1:57:06] If the measure moves forward

[1:57:10] today and is placed on

[1:57:10] the ballot that will be

[1:57:11] the result of nearly ten months

[1:57:12] of working in close partnership

[1:57:14] with the city Attorney's office

[1:57:15] and the Treasurer's office to

[1:57:15] build a strong and legally

[1:57:19] defensible ballot measure.

[1:57:20] Then if this passes in JUNE

[1:57:21] the Treasurer's office will

[1:57:24] have over a year and a half to

[1:57:25] develop administrative

[1:57:25] regulations, hire staff and

[1:57:28] procure tools needed to

[1:57:29] implement the measure before

[1:57:33] they will send the first bill.

[1:57:34] The requested action for this

[1:57:34] item again is as follows

[1:57:38] Request the city Council adopt

[1:57:39] the ordinance and submit them

[1:57:42] to place on the JUNE 2nd, 2026

[1:57:43] Municipal Special Election

[1:57:43] Consolidated with

[1:57:44] the California State Primary

[1:57:44] election.

[1:57:47] One measure amending the San

[1:57:48] Diego Municipal Code by adding

[1:57:51] Chapter three Article 12

[1:57:51] Division one Sections 32 0101

[1:57:54] through 30 201 23 relating to

[1:57:55] an empty homes tax.

[1:57:59] Furthermore request that

[1:57:59] the City Council adopt

[1:58:00] the resolution in five Item b

[1:58:01] directing the City Attorney to

[1:58:04] prepare a ballot title and

[1:58:04] summary and an impartial

[1:58:05] analysis directing the mayor

[1:58:08] independent budget analyst and

[1:58:09] city auditor to prepare a

[1:58:10] fiscal impact analysis and

[1:58:14] assigning ballot ballot

[1:58:14] arguments all regarding one

[1:58:15] measure amending the San Diego

[1:58:16] Municipal Code by adding

[1:58:19] chapter three Article 12

[1:58:22] Division one Sections 32 0101

[1:58:23] through 30 201 23 relating to

[1:58:24] an empty homes tax to be

[1:58:28] submitted to qualified voters

[1:58:28] of the City of San Diego at

[1:58:29] the Municipal Special election

[1:58:33] Consolidated with

[1:58:33] the California state primary

[1:58:34] election to be held on JUNE

[1:58:37] 2nd, 2026.

[1:58:37] I want to express our team's

[1:58:42] appreciation for David and

[1:58:42] Brett from the City Attorney's

[1:58:43] office as well as Liz Ricardo,

[1:58:46] Matt and Hiroto from

[1:58:47] the Treasurer's office.

[1:58:47] We are all available for

[1:58:48] questions.

[1:58:51] Thank you.

[1:58:51] All right.

[1:58:52] Thank you Mayor for your

[1:58:52] presentation.

[1:58:53] With that we'll turn it over to

[1:58:54] the Office of the Independent

[1:58:56] Budget Analyst.

[1:58:56] Thank you Council PRESIDENT And

[1:59:00] council members to help inform

[1:59:01] the Rules Committee's

[1:59:01] consideration of this item Last

[1:59:02] week our office released a

[1:59:05] report analyzing the potential

[1:59:06] fiscal impacts of this measure

[1:59:06] on Tuesday of last week.

[1:59:10] As you are all aware and as you

[1:59:11] heard in the recommendations,

[1:59:12] should this item move forward

[1:59:12] to the ballot?

[1:59:15] My office in consultation with

[1:59:16] the City Order and the cfo will

[1:59:17] be tasked with preparing

[1:59:19] the fiscal impact Statement for

[1:59:20] the ballot.

[1:59:21] Given the timeline for when

[1:59:21] that statement must be

[1:59:24] submitted which is MARCH 10th,

[1:59:25] a week from the day we have

[1:59:26] been working with the cfo and

[1:59:28] the auditor over the last

[1:59:29] several weeks and continued

[1:59:29] working with them to finalize

[1:59:30] our assumptions and fiscal

[1:59:33] modeling that will go into that

[1:59:34] potential fiscal impact.

[1:59:35] I would note that some of our

[1:59:38] projections have shifted

[1:59:38] slightly since last week to

[1:59:39] take into account their input.

[1:59:43] And our presentation today will

[1:59:43] reflect that although by and

[1:59:44] large the overall takeaway that

[1:59:48] we presented in our report in

[1:59:48] our analysis last week remained

[1:59:49] today.

[1:59:49] Noah Fleishman from our team

[1:59:51] will walk you through our

[1:59:52] analysis and his presentation

[1:59:53] will take about 12 minutes.

[1:59:56] Thank you very much Charles.

[1:59:57] Last Tuesday, FEBRUARY 24th our

[2:00:00] office released ibm report 20

[2:00:01] 6-25 which analyzed

[2:00:01] the proposed empty homes tax.

[2:00:02] We presented the report to

[2:00:05] the rules Committee last

[2:00:06] Wednesday.

[2:00:06] This will be a similar

[2:00:07] presentation with a new fiscal

[2:00:08] impact modification that I'll

[2:00:12] note later on.

[2:00:13] The proposed tax if placed on

[2:00:14] the JUNE 2026 ballot and

[2:00:14] approved by voters would create

[2:00:18] a new excise tax on empty homes

[2:00:18] in the city of San Diego.

[2:00:21] The tax would be $8,000 in

[2:00:22] the first year and $10,000 in

[2:00:22] the second year.

[2:00:23] There would be an additional

[2:00:25] surcharge of $4,000 in

[2:00:26] the first year and $5,000 in

[2:00:27] the second year on empty homes

[2:00:30] owned by corporations not

[2:00:30] individuals.

[2:00:31] The base tax and surcharge

[2:00:32] would be increased annually by

[2:00:32] the change in the consumer

[2:00:35] price Index which has grown at

[2:00:38] an average rate of 3.2% over

[2:00:39] the last four decades.

[2:00:40] The ordinance language provides

[2:00:40] multiple ways for owners to be

[2:00:44] exempted or temporarily

[2:00:44] excluded from paying the tax.

[2:00:45] However, we'd like to draw your

[2:00:46] attention to the bottom right

[2:00:49] hand box of four potential

[2:00:50] scenarios where owners MAY exit

[2:00:50] the taxpayer base which is

[2:00:53] different than receiving an

[2:00:53] exemption.

[2:00:54] These include converting

[2:00:55] the property to a short term or

[2:00:58] long term rental the latter of

[2:00:59] which is a stated policy goal.

[2:00:59] The property is sold to a new

[2:01:00] owner who does not use it as an

[2:01:03] empty home.

[2:01:03] The owner reclassifies

[2:01:04] the property as something other

[2:01:05] than an empty home or the owner

[2:01:08] avoids paying the tax by other

[2:01:08] means.

[2:01:09] Both exemptions and exits would

[2:01:09] require documented prove to be

[2:01:12] provided to the City Treasurer

[2:01:13] and there will be enforcement

[2:01:13] mechanisms in place that I'll

[2:01:14] discuss in a later slide.

[2:01:17] The number of units exempted or

[2:01:18] that exit the taxable base will

[2:01:19] have a direct impact on

[2:01:21] the potential revenue the city

[2:01:22] MAY receive from the tax.

[2:01:23] This dynamic was observed in

[2:01:25] other cities with similar taxes

[2:01:26] .

[2:01:26] >> To help frame expectations,

[2:01:27] our office compared San Diego's

[2:01:31] proposal with vacancy taxes in

[2:01:32] four cities Berkeley, Oakland,

[2:01:33] Washington dc and Vancouver.

[2:01:36] While the type of tax and

[2:01:37] structure varied, I'd like to

[2:01:37] direct your attention to

[2:01:38] the two columns on the far

[2:01:38] right.

[2:01:40] These columns show the variance

[2:01:41] between the preliminary

[2:01:42] estimates those cities had for

[2:01:42] their projected number of

[2:01:45] taxable units and revenue and

[2:01:46] the actual number of taxable

[2:01:47] units there were in revenue

[2:01:50] they received after the taxes

[2:01:51] were implemented.

[2:01:51] The pattern across all four

[2:01:52] cities was that early estimates

[2:01:55] of taxable units and revenue

[2:01:56] were significantly higher than

[2:01:56] what was actually realized.

[2:02:00] The exceptions were Oakland

[2:02:00] because staff there already

[2:02:01] assume that 60 to 70% of

[2:02:04] parcels were initially exempted

[2:02:05] .

[2:02:05] In Washington dc where

[2:02:06] the vacancy tax was assessed as

[2:02:07] an ad valorem property tax that

[2:02:09] increased with the value of

[2:02:10] the homes resulting in revenue

[2:02:14] growth or vacancy taxes in a

[2:02:15] relatively new tool for cities

[2:02:15] to generate revenue and

[2:02:16] disincentivize real estate

[2:02:19] speculation.

[2:02:20] There are a few key takeaways

[2:02:20] I'd like to highlight from our

[2:02:21] office's research.

[2:02:22] First cities experience high

[2:02:23] exemptions or drop off rates

[2:02:24] and revenue tended to decrease

[2:02:27] over time as more units were

[2:02:28] occupied or exempted.

[2:02:28] Cities reported data accuracy

[2:02:32] challenge challenges including

[2:02:32] inconsistencies in

[2:02:33] self-reported data and the need

[2:02:33] to for extensive data cleanup

[2:02:36] prior to billing.

[2:02:37] And lastly, vacancy taxes do

[2:02:38] help reduce the number of empty

[2:02:38] homes.

[2:02:42] However, recent research shows

[2:02:43] limited evidence that these

[2:02:43] taxes alone improve housing

[2:02:46] affordability because effects

[2:02:47] on rents and new construction

[2:02:47] tend to be minimal unless

[2:02:48] paired with broader housing

[2:02:51] policies.

[2:02:51] These findings inform

[2:02:52] the assumptions and estimates

[2:02:56] in our fiscal impact analysis

[2:02:57] After this item was heard and

[2:02:57] Rules Committee last week our

[2:02:58] office met with the Chief

[2:03:01] Financial Officer and City

[2:03:01] Auditor to refine and update

[2:03:02] our fiscal impact model.

[2:03:03] The significant changes include

[2:03:03] new data from the City

[2:03:06] Treasurer which indicates

[2:03:07] the potential taxpayer base is

[2:03:07] actually 5140 units a small

[2:03:11] half percent increase from

[2:03:11] the previous number reported.

[2:03:12] We increased the number of

[2:03:13] exempted units for our

[2:03:15] conservative estimate in

[2:03:16] the first year of

[2:03:16] implementation to adjust for

[2:03:17] outcomes seen in benchmark

[2:03:17] jurisdictions.

[2:03:21] We also assume a new 10%

[2:03:22] decline in the taxable unit

[2:03:22] base in year two as units

[2:03:26] become rentals or become

[2:03:26] permanently excluded from

[2:03:27] the tax in different ways.

[2:03:28] And lastly we incorporate a tax

[2:03:31] collection rate of 90% into

[2:03:31] the model to account for

[2:03:32] the reality that not all

[2:03:33] the bills will be paid While

[2:03:35] appeals, audits and penalties

[2:03:36] are processed.

[2:03:36] This collection rate is

[2:03:37] consistent with the current

[2:03:38] collection rate of the city's

[2:03:40] rental unit Business tax.

[2:03:41] We believe these changes better

[2:03:42] reflect a revenue forecast for

[2:03:42] this new tax or shifts in owner

[2:03:48] behavior or highly unknown.

[2:03:49] >> Based on the City Treasury's

[2:03:49] rental unit business tax data

[2:03:51] or ebitda, we identified 5140

[2:03:52] units that were self-reported

[2:03:55] as vacation or second homes in

[2:03:55] 2025.

[2:03:56] These are the properties most

[2:03:57] likely to meet the ordinances

[2:04:00] Definition of an empty home

[2:04:01] which is a residential unit

[2:04:02] that is not the owner's primary

[2:04:04] residence and is a vacant 483

[2:04:04] days or more in a calendar

[2:04:05] year.

[2:04:05] Of the 5140 units.

[2:04:09] We believe that 5097 or 99% are

[2:04:10] owned by individuals or

[2:04:13] revokable trusts and the other

[2:04:14] 43 units are owned by

[2:04:15] corporations.

[2:04:15] We'd like to note that the rv

[2:04:18] exemption data is a proxy for

[2:04:19] the potential number of vacant

[2:04:20] units but does not include all

[2:04:20] units that MAY fit

[2:04:23] the Ordinance's definition of

[2:04:24] an empty home and MAY also

[2:04:24] include units self-reported as

[2:04:25] empty homes that no longer meet

[2:04:28] the proposed taxes definition.

[2:04:29] The latter is The latter is a

[2:04:30] data accuracy challenge that

[2:04:33] will need to be addressed by

[2:04:33] the City Treasurer if the tax

[2:04:34] is approved.

[2:04:37] We estimate there to be a total

[2:04:38] of 5140 units that MAY be empty

[2:04:38] homes.

[2:04:39] There are multiple ways for

[2:04:42] the units to be excluded from

[2:04:43] paying the tax that will reduce

[2:04:43] the total number of taxable

[2:04:44] units and therefore the actual

[2:04:49] revenue of the new tax to model

[2:04:49] potential number of units that

[2:04:50] MAY be excluded from paying

[2:04:50] the tax.

[2:04:54] We looked at Barkley's

[2:04:55] experience implementing a

[2:04:55] similar vacancy tax.

[2:04:56] As we previously noted in our

[2:04:59] benchmarking table Berkeley saw

[2:04:59] a 45.5% drop between

[2:05:00] the initial estimated numbers

[2:05:01] of units that would be subject

[2:05:03] to the tax and the actual

[2:05:04] number of units that were

[2:05:04] built.

[2:05:05] Some differences between

[2:05:06] Berkley's tax and the San Diego

[2:05:09] proposal that we believe

[2:05:09] justify modeling a more

[2:05:10] conservative range of excluded

[2:05:11] units include.

[2:05:13] Berkeley's data came from

[2:05:14] the Rent Stabilization Board

[2:05:15] which maintained data more

[2:05:15] likely to accurately estimate

[2:05:20] the number of vacant units and

[2:05:20] San Diego's are beat data.

[2:05:21] Also while Berkeley tax was

[2:05:23] targeted towards homes already

[2:05:24] on the rental market, intended

[2:05:24] taxpayer in San Diego MAY be

[2:05:25] more likely to have the ability

[2:05:28] and incentive to change their

[2:05:29] behavior to be excluded from

[2:05:30] paying the tax.

[2:05:30] And lastly the relative tax

[2:05:33] amount in San Diego is larger

[2:05:33] than the amount in Berkeley.

[2:05:34] Taken together we believe it's

[2:05:38] reasonable to project that of

[2:05:38] the 5140 units the percentage

[2:05:39] that MAY be excluded from

[2:05:42] having to pay the taxable range

[2:05:43] between optimistically 45% and

[2:05:43] conservatively 70%.

[2:05:47] This range is also in line with

[2:05:48] other benchmark cities like

[2:05:52] Oakland and Vancouver.

[2:05:53] Based on our office's updated

[2:05:53] model we estimate net general

[2:05:56] fund revenue in year one which

[2:05:57] is fiscal year 2028 to be

[2:05:59] between $9.2 million and $21.4

[2:06:00] million.

[2:06:00] Then in year two revenue is

[2:06:05] projected to increase to

[2:06:06] between $10.4 million and $24.2

[2:06:06] million.

[2:06:08] The increased revenue in year

[2:06:09] two is a result of a larger tax

[2:06:10] amount beyond year two.

[2:06:10] We would expect revenue to

[2:06:13] decline over time as more units

[2:06:13] convert to rentals, sell or

[2:06:14] otherwise become occupied which

[2:06:15] is one of the stated policy

[2:06:20] goals of the proposed tax.

[2:06:21] These revenue ranges reflect

[2:06:21] different scenarios for

[2:06:22] the proportion of units

[2:06:25] excluded from paying the tax

[2:06:26] and tax collection rate a 10%

[2:06:27] plus and minus contingency for

[2:06:27] uncertainty And the Treasurer's

[2:06:29] preliminary estimated cost to

[2:06:33] administer the program.

[2:06:34] >> The City Treasurer indicated

[2:06:35] that administering the tax

[2:06:36] would require an additional

[2:06:38] four employees and a one time

[2:06:39] it system upgrade which

[2:06:41] together would potentially cost

[2:06:42] $1 million in the first year of

[2:06:42] implementation.

[2:06:43] A potential challenge will be

[2:06:43] establishing a clear,

[2:06:47] enforceable standard of proof

[2:06:47] for occupancy.

[2:06:48] This will likely require

[2:06:48] the City Treasurer to implement

[2:06:51] new processes and procedures to

[2:06:51] validate self-reported

[2:06:52] documents.

[2:06:52] The relative magnitude of

[2:06:53] the new proposed tax MAY

[2:06:55] incentivize avoidance but

[2:06:56] violations would result in a

[2:06:57] misdemeanor and the Treasurer

[2:06:57] would have the power to audit

[2:07:01] owners or office would like to

[2:07:01] clearly explain the assumptions

[2:07:02] and limitations that underpin

[2:07:06] our fiscal impact estimates.

[2:07:06] We assume the tax will be

[2:07:10] effective JANUARY 1st, 2027 and

[2:07:10] that exemptions will be

[2:07:11] processed and billing completed

[2:07:12] in the third quarter of fiscal

[2:07:12] year 2028.

[2:07:14] Significant delays That

[2:07:15] timeline would likely change

[2:07:16] the estimate of revenue.

[2:07:16] We assume the Treasurer's

[2:07:19] operating costs will be

[2:07:20] the only new cost to the city.

[2:07:21] We also assume the tax

[2:07:21] collection rate for the units

[2:07:25] subject to the tax will be at

[2:07:25] 90%.

[2:07:26] We assume 50% of the units

[2:07:30] excluded from the empty homes

[2:07:30] tax will pay the rental unit

[2:07:31] business tax fee But since

[2:07:33] the rebate tax is about $55 per

[2:07:33] unit it will have minimal

[2:07:34] fiscal impact.

[2:07:38] And lastly, we assume that

[2:07:38] the taxable pool of units will

[2:07:39] decrease by 10% in the second

[2:07:40] year and that corporate and

[2:07:41] individual owned units will

[2:07:42] have the same tax exclusion

[2:07:46] rate.

[2:07:47] >> The scope of our model's

[2:07:47] projection is limited by timing

[2:07:48] and data availability most

[2:07:51] notably we are unable to

[2:07:52] estimate the potential revenue

[2:07:52] from property tax growth after

[2:07:53] the sale of homes or from

[2:07:56] the collection of penalties for

[2:07:57] late payments.

[2:07:57] The range of excluded units we

[2:07:58] assume is an aggregate of all

[2:08:02] exemptions and exits and we

[2:08:03] cannot estimate the number of

[2:08:04] empty homes not in the rv

[2:08:04] exemption data.

[2:08:06] And lastly our office's

[2:08:07] analysis was conducted in a

[2:08:07] relatively limited time frame

[2:08:09] and therefore we were unable to

[2:08:10] solicit significant stakeholder

[2:08:14] feedback.

[2:08:15] In closing, our office finds

[2:08:16] that the proposed empty homes

[2:08:17] tax would be likely to generate

[2:08:19] additional net general fund

[2:08:20] revenue and increase the number

[2:08:21] of homes available for long

[2:08:21] term rental or occupancy over

[2:08:22] time.

[2:08:24] At the same time revenue from

[2:08:25] the tax will likely decline

[2:08:25] over time.

[2:08:28] If the measure is effective in

[2:08:28] reducing vacancy which aligns

[2:08:29] with the policy goals of

[2:08:30] the tax, our office's updated

[2:08:33] Fiscal impact estimate in

[2:08:34] consultation with the cfo and

[2:08:34] auditor projects the city

[2:08:37] collecting $9.2 million to

[2:08:38] $21.4 million in net revenue in

[2:08:42] year one and $10.4 million to

[2:08:42] $24.2 million in year two.

[2:08:43] Then we note the fiscal and

[2:08:46] housing impacts will depend

[2:08:47] heavily on owner behavior.

[2:08:48] Thank you very much and will be

[2:08:48] available to answer questions

[2:08:54] that you MAY have.

[2:08:54] >> Okay.

[2:08:55] Thank you very much for

[2:08:55] the presentation.

[2:08:58] We always appreciate the office

[2:08:59] of the rba weighing in on these

[2:09:00] important matters.

[2:09:02] So with that City Clerk please

[2:09:07] proceed with public comment.

[2:09:08] Thank you.

[2:09:08] Council PRESIDENT We do have

[2:09:09] over 50 speakers here today

[2:09:12] plus those on line another 14

[2:09:13] So they will be going down to a

[2:09:17] minute per person.

[2:09:18] If I can have the following

[2:09:18] individual please come up to

[2:09:22] the yellow reserved seats at

[2:09:22] the front of the room and then

[2:09:23] this first individual please

[2:09:24] come up to the microphone.

[2:09:27] Ken Miller After Ken Miller Can

[2:09:31] I have George cheering Noah Yee

[2:09:35] Patricia Serrano Mohammed Omar

[2:09:36] Wesley Morgan.

[2:09:40] Laurie Lipson Christopher

[2:09:41] Kennison If you can all please

[2:09:41] come up to the front row and be

[2:09:42] prepared.

[2:09:45] And if you can proceed when

[2:09:50] ready you'll have one minute.

[2:09:50] Thank you.

[2:09:51] And with respect to the San

[2:09:55] Francisco case, that case is

[2:09:56] now before the court of appeals

[2:10:00] and it will have ramifications

[2:10:00] throughout the state of

[2:10:01] California and in particular

[2:10:05] here in San Diego.

[2:10:06] That case was resolved in

[2:10:06] the trial court by a motion for

[2:10:10] summary judgment where

[2:10:10] the court ruled that

[2:10:11] the measure violated the taking

[2:10:14] clause of the Fifth Amendment.

[2:10:15] It was preempted by

[2:10:19] California's Ellis Act.

[2:10:20] It was unconscionable burden

[2:10:24] upon due process equal

[2:10:24] protection and private rights.

[2:10:29] I think it'd be wise to wait

[2:10:30] for the outcome of the Court of

[2:10:30] Appeals decision instead of

[2:10:31] rushing to litigation.

[2:10:34] The United States Supreme Court

[2:10:34] has held that the right to

[2:10:38] exclude others for months

[2:10:39] Property is a core

[2:10:40] constitutional property right?

[2:10:43] The government cannot compel an

[2:10:44] owner to rent a unit over their

[2:10:48] objection by opposing

[2:10:49] financially coercive penalties

[2:10:54] on owners who choose to keep

[2:10:54] their property vacant if it is

[2:10:58] effectively taken including

[2:10:58] comment.

[2:10:59] If you have any written

[2:10:59] statements we can definitely

[2:11:00] continue to pass those out to

[2:11:01] the Council is where as well.

[2:11:07] George Good afternoon Council

[2:11:08] members Thank you for your

[2:11:08] time.

[2:11:11] My name is George Chen with

[2:11:12] the Pacific Southwest

[2:11:13] Association of Realtors here to

[2:11:13] speak in opposition to

[2:11:16] the proposed tax because

[2:11:17] the messaging for for this tax

[2:11:21] is targeting vacant properties

[2:11:21] .

[2:11:22] I don't think that the general

[2:11:22] public is aware that this is

[2:11:26] going to create a legal burden

[2:11:26] for every homeowner to prove

[2:11:27] that they live in their own

[2:11:28] home every year even if they're

[2:11:31] exempt they're going to have to

[2:11:32] file paperwork in order to

[2:11:33] prove that they're exempt And

[2:11:36] that's creating an opportunity

[2:11:37] for for errors and the need for

[2:11:37] appeals.

[2:11:40] The other thing is I'm

[2:11:41] reviewing the language of

[2:11:41] the actual ordinance.

[2:11:45] I don't see the particular

[2:11:46] section where properties that

[2:11:46] are in the process of being

[2:11:50] sold are vacant because they're

[2:11:51] being sold are exempted from

[2:11:51] this.

[2:11:52] So if you're an owner looking

[2:11:52] to sell your property there's

[2:11:55] the potential that it could be

[2:11:56] vacant for more than six months

[2:11:57] because of a transaction And

[2:12:01] then to consider making that

[2:12:01] increase of 8000 potentially

[2:12:02] into the price that they're

[2:12:05] asking for that they choose to

[2:12:06] rent it out that just creates

[2:12:06] less opportunities for people

[2:12:07] to buy a home.

[2:12:08] Please vote no.

[2:12:09] >> Thank you.

[2:12:13] Thank you, Noah.

[2:12:14] >> Good afternoon, council

[2:12:14] members.

[2:12:19] My name is no I'm a researcher

[2:12:20] and policy advocate and on

[2:12:20] policy initiatives.

[2:12:23] And we've known for years that

[2:12:24] our city has a structural

[2:12:27] budget deficit but every year

[2:12:28] we're not identifying any new

[2:12:28] revenue.

[2:12:28] Instead the mayor tries to

[2:12:32] balance the budget by cutting

[2:12:33] the programs and services our

[2:12:33] community members rely on.

[2:12:37] Cuts to libraries, parks, rec

[2:12:38] centers and public restrooms

[2:12:38] have become the norm.

[2:12:42] And this year is no different.

[2:12:43] There's over $120 million

[2:12:46] deficit and no new revenue has

[2:12:46] been identified.

[2:12:47] At the same time there are

[2:12:48] thousands of San Diegans that

[2:12:50] struggled to keep a roof over

[2:12:51] their heads while homes across

[2:12:52] our city sit empty owned by

[2:12:56] people wealthy enough to leave

[2:12:56] them vacant.

[2:12:57] That is why we must support

[2:13:00] the empty second homes tax It

[2:13:01] is a revenue solution that

[2:13:01] stops asking working class

[2:13:02] people to pay the price Instead

[2:13:05] ask the wealthiest to

[2:13:06] contribute their fair share.

[2:13:06] We urge you to support

[2:13:07] the empty empty homes tax Take

[2:13:11] a step away from austerity and

[2:13:11] toward a city that invests in

[2:13:12] people and prevents harm before

[2:13:15] it happens.

[2:13:15] >> Thank you.

[2:13:20] Patricia Serrano Good

[2:13:20] afternoon.

[2:13:25] My name is Patricia Serrano and

[2:13:26] I work with Partner.

[2:13:26] I'm in support of their homes

[2:13:29] for San Diegans working

[2:13:29] families, immigrant refugees,

[2:13:34] communities of color are

[2:13:35] the ones who are struggling

[2:13:35] because the housing cost is too

[2:13:39] high In San Diego while

[2:13:39] corporations and wealthy

[2:13:40] investors purchases thousands

[2:13:44] of property is leaving me

[2:13:49] leaving many of them begging

[2:13:50] These empty houses reduce

[2:13:50] the supply and driving up

[2:13:51] prices.

[2:13:53] This is about prioritizing

[2:13:54] homes for people who live in

[2:13:54] work.

[2:13:57] And here in San Diego this

[2:13:58] proposal creates accountability

[2:13:59] for the wealthiest.

[2:14:02] Thank you.

[2:14:07] Next is Muhammad.

[2:14:08] Good afternoon.

[2:14:13] Council members.

[2:14:13] My name is Mohammed Omar.

[2:14:14] I'm with the Partnership for

[2:14:15] the Department of Americans and

[2:14:17] also co facilitator for c d

[2:14:18] Coalition for Equitable

[2:14:18] Development.

[2:14:22] I would like to thank council

[2:14:23] member Shari Liberal for its

[2:14:24] leadership in bringing forward

[2:14:24] the homes for San Diego's

[2:14:27] proposal.

[2:14:28] San Diego continues to face a

[2:14:28] serious housing housing

[2:14:32] shortage when homes remain

[2:14:33] vacant it reduces availability

[2:14:33] supply and contributes to

[2:14:37] rising costs.

[2:14:37] This proposal provides a

[2:14:38] solution by encouraging

[2:14:38] properties to return to

[2:14:42] the market or generate revenue

[2:14:43] for affordable housing and

[2:14:43] infrastructure.

[2:14:47] This proposal creates

[2:14:47] accountability to encourage

[2:14:48] vacant homes to return to

[2:14:52] the market or contributes to

[2:14:52] building more affordable

[2:14:53] housing Homes should be for San

[2:14:56] Diego is not held empty as

[2:14:57] investment assets urge support

[2:14:58] for this measure.

[2:14:59] Thank you.

[2:15:04] Thank you Wesley.

[2:15:05] >> Good afternoon Council

[2:15:05] members.

[2:15:08] I had to look at the data

[2:15:09] before deciding whether or not

[2:15:09] this policy would be meaningful

[2:15:12] And it turns out it is in two

[2:15:13] ways especially in our coastal

[2:15:14] communities where it's

[2:15:14] the hardest to build new

[2:15:18] housing.

[2:15:19] The city's own data shows that

[2:15:19] Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach,

[2:15:22] Mission Beach and Peninsula

[2:15:23] have 1700 empty second homes

[2:15:28] are over this entire arena

[2:15:28] cycle Since 2021.

[2:15:30] Those same communities are

[2:15:31] permitted just 526 non-native

[2:15:31] homes.

[2:15:36] That's more than three empty

[2:15:37] homes for every new home we

[2:15:38] permitted in the last four

[2:15:42] years And the higher the ratio

[2:15:43] of 6 to 1 because of a beach 3

[2:15:44] to 1 Mission beach 18 to 1 in

[2:15:45] Ocean Beach and plan for 2 to

[2:15:45] 1.

[2:15:48] And in these coastal areas 80%

[2:15:49] of the owners are not local To

[2:15:50] San Diego where new

[2:15:53] construction faces the most

[2:15:53] resistance.

[2:15:54] We can't afford to let existing

[2:15:58] homes vacant.

[2:15:58] And turning to downtown alone

[2:15:59] there are 792 empty second

[2:15:59] homes.

[2:16:03] The equivalent of three full

[2:16:04] towers like Vina Noma or

[2:16:07] Bayside That stand empty.

[2:16:07] And 80% of those owners are

[2:16:10] also not local to San Diego.

[2:16:10] Thank you.

[2:16:15] Including Mark Laurie.

[2:16:16] >> Good afternoon.

[2:16:20] My name is Laurie Swim.

[2:16:21] She her resident of district

[2:16:24] three since 1988 in support of

[2:16:24] item 501.

[2:16:29] It is a disgrace that a city

[2:16:29] with such extreme wealth has an

[2:16:34] and housing crisis and a severe

[2:16:34] lack of low income housing and

[2:16:39] where people are being housed

[2:16:39] in tents.

[2:16:40] Stop capitulating to money and

[2:16:44] start working for your constitu

[2:16:45] tions taxed wealth individuals

[2:16:48] and corporations and invest in

[2:16:49] housing, health care and

[2:16:53] education for all.

[2:16:54] There is no excuse for this

[2:16:54] level of lack of basic needs

[2:16:57] for so many in a city where

[2:16:58] the wealth is abundant.

[2:17:03] >> Thank you.

[2:17:03] Thank you Christopher.

[2:17:04] After Christopher If I can have

[2:17:08] Zack Schlegel please come up

[2:17:09] and public advocate Shane

[2:17:13] Harris Karen Ede Bruce Karen

[2:17:17] Christopher Gomes and Ethan

[2:17:18] Chavis If you can all please

[2:17:23] come forward as well as

[2:17:23] Patricia Mondragon All please

[2:17:24] come forward to the other

[2:17:28] reserve seats Please proceed.

[2:17:28] >> The fact that we're here

[2:17:29] fighting for a better

[2:17:31] opportunity to get housing yet

[2:17:32] again is mind blowing

[2:17:33] opportunities is all we're

[2:17:36] asking for when it boils down

[2:17:37] to it, people shouldn't have to

[2:17:38] commute an hour or two just to

[2:17:38] get to work and still live.

[2:17:41] Check the check.

[2:17:42] I'm one of those people.

[2:17:45] I leave my home by 730 every

[2:17:45] morning just to get to work by

[2:17:46] 9 A.M..

[2:17:47] I'm not here to dismiss

[2:17:50] the opposition stats or

[2:17:50] feelings.

[2:17:51] I'm here to speak for

[2:17:51] the greater good of all

[2:17:52] the people.

[2:17:54] We have 5000 homes sitting

[2:17:55] unoccupied.

[2:17:58] The way I see it, there's 5000

[2:17:59] opportunities for people to

[2:17:59] give their families a better

[2:18:00] quality of life.

[2:18:03] That's 5000 opportunities for

[2:18:03] people to have a roof over

[2:18:04] their head.

[2:18:06] That's 5000 opportunities for

[2:18:07] kids to have access to a

[2:18:07] quality education.

[2:18:11] That's 5000 opportunities for a

[2:18:11] kid to grow up in a healthy

[2:18:15] home and strive for success.

[2:18:16] I grew up in a two bedroom

[2:18:17] apartment with seven plus

[2:18:20] people for most of my life.

[2:18:21] If we live in a true democracy

[2:18:21] we have to end the hypocrisy of

[2:18:25] elected officials and community

[2:18:25] members knowing the issues that

[2:18:29] need to be fixed.

[2:18:30] >> Thank you Zach.

[2:18:31] Good afternoon.

[2:18:35] I'm here on behalf of staff to

[2:18:36] support the proposed empty

[2:18:36] homes tax.

[2:18:37] I want to thank council member

[2:18:40] Ella Rivera and the Rules

[2:18:40] Committee for moving this item

[2:18:41] forward.

[2:18:41] At the end of the day what

[2:18:42] the people we serve need

[2:18:44] the most is affordable housing.

[2:18:45] This proposed tax could create

[2:18:45] that by opening up

[2:18:49] underutilized housing stock and

[2:18:50] by bringing in some much needed

[2:18:51] additional revenue to build new

[2:18:51] units.

[2:18:55] While this proposal won't solve

[2:18:55] homelessness on its own, every

[2:18:56] single unit of housing stock

[2:19:00] that would come online due to

[2:19:01] this tax would meaningfully

[2:19:01] impact our efforts to combat

[2:19:02] this trend and make

[2:19:05] homelessness more rare.

[2:19:05] Brief and non.

[2:19:06] We urge you to support this

[2:19:07] proposal to create more homes

[2:19:09] for San Diegans.

[2:19:10] >> Thank you.

[2:19:10] Public advocate Shane Harris

[2:19:14] You have people sitting you

[2:19:15] time they can please raise

[2:19:15] their hand.

[2:19:19] Frank took a ton of Frank Thank

[2:19:19] you.

[2:19:20] And then Ina Weitzman thank you

[2:19:21] so much.

[2:19:24] You'll have three minutes.

[2:19:24] >> Please proceed.

[2:19:25] Thank you.

[2:19:25] Good afternoon.

[2:19:26] Council PRESIDENT And members

[2:19:29] of the City Council I'm San

[2:19:29] Diego public advocate Shane

[2:19:30] Harris.

[2:19:30] I was born and raised here.

[2:19:34] I lost both of my parents at a

[2:19:34] young age and age out of

[2:19:35] the San Diego foster care

[2:19:37] system at 18 and went homeless.

[2:19:38] When you leave foster care you

[2:19:43] don't inherit property savings

[2:19:43] or a safety net.

[2:19:44] You're trying to build

[2:19:47] stability from nothing building

[2:19:48] something from nothing is

[2:19:49] something I understand.

[2:19:52] And some of the 5000 homeowners

[2:19:53] second homeowners come from

[2:19:53] that background to that

[2:19:57] experience shaped how I view

[2:19:58] housing and building yourself

[2:19:59] up from the ground.

[2:20:03] Housing is not just policy to

[2:20:03] me.

[2:20:04] It is a security.

[2:20:08] It is dignity and foundation

[2:20:08] for opportunity.

[2:20:09] I support housing but I still

[2:20:12] support smart, smart housing

[2:20:13] build through collaboration

[2:20:13] with neighborhoods, builders

[2:20:14] and stakeholders.

[2:20:17] But I cannot support this

[2:20:18] proposal as written today.

[2:20:19] My primary concern is simple If

[2:20:22] this measure passes the revenue

[2:20:23] does not go into a protected

[2:20:23] housing fund.

[2:20:24] It goes into the city's general

[2:20:28] fund the same fund facing a

[2:20:33] $121 million deficit and total

[2:20:34] mistrust from the voters.

[2:20:34] If this was truly about

[2:20:37] housing, the dollars would be

[2:20:38] locked into housing dedicated

[2:20:39] to building units and

[2:20:43] increasing affordability.

[2:20:44] Instead the revenue becomes

[2:20:45] general revenue and we've seen

[2:20:48] where that goes.

[2:20:49] That raises serious questions

[2:20:49] for me.

[2:20:50] This is about housing policy or

[2:20:54] is this about plugging a budget

[2:20:54] hole?

[2:20:55] I'd say a budget hole before

[2:20:58] asking homeowners second

[2:20:59] homeowners to pay more.

[2:21:00] We should take a serious look

[2:21:04] internally the city has and not

[2:21:05] fully examined the bloated

[2:21:05] middle management layers or

[2:21:09] whether consolidate adding

[2:21:10] the city's media department

[2:21:11] into the mayor's office where

[2:21:11] it already is working anyway

[2:21:14] Could save us somewhere between

[2:21:15] 1.5 million and $3 million

[2:21:15] annually.

[2:21:19] Those savings could go into

[2:21:20] parks, roads, infrastructure

[2:21:21] without imposing another tax.

[2:21:25] We should exhaust internal

[2:21:26] efficiencies before creating

[2:21:26] external burdens and we should

[2:21:31] stop framing second homes as if

[2:21:32] they automatically mean wealthy

[2:21:32] spectators.

[2:21:35] I met families in District four

[2:21:36] in District eight who bought

[2:21:36] modest homes in the 1990s.

[2:21:40] Today on paper those homes

[2:21:40] appreciated.

[2:21:41] That does not make them rich.

[2:21:41] That makes them long term

[2:21:45] homeowners.

[2:21:46] I met families in District nine

[2:21:46] who inherited a small house

[2:21:50] from their parents.

[2:21:51] It is not a luxury estate.

[2:21:52] It's not a it's a legacy home.

[2:21:52] The first generational

[2:21:56] stability their family ever

[2:21:56] had.

[2:21:57] Does that make them villains?

[2:21:58] Many second properties are

[2:22:01] inherited homes and probate

[2:22:02] modest condos purchased decades

[2:22:03] ago or small properties owned

[2:22:06] by retirees relying on rental

[2:22:07] income.

[2:22:07] These are not hedge funds.

[2:22:11] These are families.

[2:22:12] And this vacancy tax would be

[2:22:13] layered on top of overwhelming

[2:22:16] property taxes and one of

[2:22:17] the most expensive housing

[2:22:18] markets might I add property

[2:22:18] taxes in the country.

[2:22:22] If we're serious about solving

[2:22:22] the House housing budget

[2:22:27] crisis, this is not the route.

[2:22:28] >> Please say no to this

[2:22:28] erroneous tax measure.

[2:22:32] Karen, if you can please come

[2:22:32] forward.

[2:22:36] Hello Karen Aid.

[2:22:37] Tax revenue from this proposal

[2:22:38] as noted that it MAY not shall

[2:22:42] go to a general fund for

[2:22:43] specific specifically related

[2:22:43] to housing.

[2:22:47] Therefore this is an arbitrary

[2:22:48] tax to be used to fund anything

[2:22:49] from the general fund.

[2:22:49] It is a money grab tax.

[2:22:53] Owners of second homes have no

[2:22:53] obligation to subsidize other

[2:22:54] San Diego for their housing.

[2:22:58] They pay property taxes on

[2:22:59] their properties like everyone

[2:22:59] else.

[2:23:00] The people that own these

[2:23:04] properties successfully made

[2:23:04] good financial decisions to

[2:23:05] purchase and maintain these

[2:23:06] properties for their own

[2:23:09] enjoyment not for the benefit

[2:23:10] of everyone else.

[2:23:10] If people in San Diego cannot

[2:23:14] afford the local rental market

[2:23:15] or purchase market of a

[2:23:16] property they should likely

[2:23:16] relocate somewhere else that is

[2:23:19] financially responsible for

[2:23:20] them to live a good quality of

[2:23:21] life and not expect to be

[2:23:25] subsidized by others or expect

[2:23:25] a handout by others.

[2:23:26] This proposal is an arbitrary

[2:23:31] and discriminatory tax on

[2:23:32] select group of less than 1% of

[2:23:32] the homeowners.

[2:23:33] This proposal is in violation

[2:23:36] of the California Constitution

[2:23:37] which allows for the right to

[2:23:37] thank you.

[2:23:45] >> Thank you, Bruce.

[2:23:46] No first Karen.

[2:23:50] Next is Christopher.

[2:23:50] >> Good afternoon, council

[2:23:51] members.

[2:23:56] My name is Christopher Gomes

[2:23:57] and I'm an organizer with

[2:23:58] the San Diego Organized Labor

[2:23:58] Council.

[2:23:59] I want to thank Councilmember

[2:24:01] Yellow Rivera and his staff

[2:24:02] along with city staff for their

[2:24:02] hard work on this item.

[2:24:06] You know, at the Labor Council

[2:24:07] we represent over 130 unions

[2:24:08] and 200,000 working families

[2:24:11] across the county who don't

[2:24:12] want to move out of the county.

[2:24:13] Many of these folks are feeling

[2:24:14] the impacts of the growing

[2:24:18] economic uncertainty in

[2:24:19] the country and the crushing

[2:24:19] cost of housing in the city

[2:24:20] which is only made worse by our

[2:24:24] stock of homes that sit empty.

[2:24:25] Well, there are San Diegans

[2:24:25] living on the street with this

[2:24:29] federal administration showing

[2:24:29] zero interest in addressing

[2:24:30] the needs of the working class.

[2:24:31] It is incumbent on local

[2:24:34] government to do everything in

[2:24:35] their power to relieve some of

[2:24:36] that pressure to be bold, to

[2:24:36] put forth policy and to

[2:24:40] compromise when necessary in

[2:24:41] order to make the city more

[2:24:42] livable for the working folks

[2:24:42] who keep it running.

[2:24:47] We urge our support in this

[2:24:47] item.

[2:24:48] Let's move to the ballot.

[2:24:49] San Diego San Diego is going to

[2:24:49] have a say on the matter.

[2:24:50] Thank you.

[2:24:53] >> Thank you.

[2:24:59] Next is Ethan.

[2:24:59] >> Yes you do.

[2:25:00] Once you walk up into your city

[2:25:03] time by and that please raise

[2:25:04] your hand.

[2:25:04] And Aaron or diversity.

[2:25:07] And before I thank thank you

[2:25:08] You'll have three minutes

[2:25:08] please.

[2:25:09] No you have four minutes.

[2:25:09] Please proceed.

[2:25:10] Thank you.

[2:25:13] Good afternoon, Council.

[2:25:14] My name is Natalia Civic

[2:25:14] engagement director with

[2:25:18] Alliance and Diego and resident

[2:25:19] of Golden Hill in Council

[2:25:19] District.

[2:25:22] I called San Diego my home for

[2:25:22] over 26 years.

[2:25:23] And my experience in the city

[2:25:24] has always been that of a

[2:25:24] renter.

[2:25:28] I arrived here in 1999 and at

[2:25:29] that time my family of five

[2:25:33] shared a small room and a three

[2:25:33] bedroom apartment that housed

[2:25:34] at least five per room and a

[2:25:35] few others in the living room.

[2:25:39] My childhood memories are

[2:25:40] filled with a full house in

[2:25:40] the heart for smiles of working

[2:25:41] people.

[2:25:44] After a few years of working

[2:25:45] two jobs, my mom and Helen

[2:25:46] saved enough to get us into our

[2:25:48] own apartment just the five of

[2:25:48] us.

[2:25:49] That was probably about 25 And

[2:25:53] I remember the rent bill was

[2:25:54] about $1,200 for a spacious

[2:25:55] three bedroom apartment that

[2:25:55] allowed my siblings and I

[2:25:59] the personal space that we

[2:25:59] always wanted.

[2:26:00] >> Things were good for a

[2:26:00] while.

[2:26:01] However, as time went on my mom

[2:26:05] didn't want wages, didn't keep

[2:26:05] up with the rising rent cost

[2:26:06] and the cost of living.

[2:26:07] And we were fortunate to stay

[2:26:10] with family to keep up with

[2:26:10] the rising rents.

[2:26:14] But between the ages of 16 to

[2:26:15] 19 since we could only afford a

[2:26:16] two bedroom apartment at $1,600

[2:26:16] I slept on the living room

[2:26:20] couch.

[2:26:21] >> Fast forward 12 years and my

[2:26:25] husband and I pay $2,250

[2:26:26] monthly for a one bedroom and

[2:26:29] we have no option but to stay

[2:26:30] in our 500 square foot unit

[2:26:31] until we can afford to buy

[2:26:35] which we know is not anytime

[2:26:35] soon.

[2:26:36] And that directly impacts our

[2:26:36] ability to grow our family.

[2:26:41] We are both first generation

[2:26:41] graduates of San Diego State

[2:26:42] University actually the first

[2:26:46] in our families to cross many

[2:26:46] milestones And yet

[2:26:47] the possibility the possibility

[2:26:48] of buying a home in a city that

[2:26:51] raised does educated us and

[2:26:52] shaped our commitment to

[2:26:52] community feels more and more

[2:26:57] out of our reach.

[2:26:57] And unfortunately our story is

[2:26:58] not unique.

[2:26:58] It echoes across neighborhoods

[2:26:59] with young families doubling up

[2:27:03] in tiny apartments with our

[2:27:04] elders watching their children

[2:27:04] move away to more affordable

[2:27:09] cities and with essential

[2:27:09] workers commuting long hours

[2:27:10] because they cannot afford to

[2:27:11] live where they serve.

[2:27:17] While thousands struggle to

[2:27:18] find stable housing, homeless

[2:27:18] homes here sit vacant, they are

[2:27:21] treated as mere investment

[2:27:21] vehicles rather than places for

[2:27:22] people to live.

[2:27:22] Today in history today is

[2:27:23] history in the making and I am

[2:27:27] grateful for the opportunity to

[2:27:28] push San Diego into a better

[2:27:28] direction one that just makes

[2:27:29] sense.

[2:27:33] Today's vote will have a direct

[2:27:33] impact on my life And in

[2:27:34] the more than 5100 homes left

[2:27:38] vacant in the city were put up

[2:27:39] for sale.

[2:27:39] My husband and I might actually

[2:27:40] have a shot at making San Diego

[2:27:43] forever home three times

[2:27:44] the chances we have now.

[2:27:45] And if these homes are put back

[2:27:49] on the market for rent then you

[2:27:49] can have more homes to choose

[2:27:50] from that make better sense for

[2:27:51] their commute, their careers

[2:27:54] and their communities.

[2:27:55] Both of these options help San

[2:27:56] Diego significantly increase

[2:27:57] the housing supply and drive

[2:27:57] the costs down.

[2:28:02] This is a win win in Alliance

[2:28:02] and Diego.

[2:28:02] We are a human rights

[2:28:03] organization building community

[2:28:04] power to bring human rights

[2:28:06] home.

[2:28:07] We stand a strong support of

[2:28:08] the empty homes tax because we

[2:28:09] are invested in real solutions

[2:28:13] And we we stand strong today

[2:28:14] with community based and fair

[2:28:14] housing organizations, labor

[2:28:18] unions and everyday San Diego

[2:28:19] and that are just looking for a

[2:28:20] chance to keep calling San

[2:28:20] Diego our home.

[2:28:25] We urge that we urge you all to

[2:28:25] vote yes and move forward.

[2:28:26] The empty homes are so that

[2:28:30] voters can have a say and make

[2:28:30] that final decision.

[2:28:31] Thank you for your time.

[2:28:32] Thank you, Patricia.

[2:28:32] Another one.

[2:28:37] Thank you.

[2:28:38] Have time to go to my audience.

[2:28:38] Thank you so much.

[2:28:39] You have two minutes.

[2:28:43] Please proceed.

[2:28:43] Good afternoon, everyone.

[2:28:44] Day three Resident I'm here in

[2:28:48] support of attacks on second

[2:28:49] beget homes owned by wealthy

[2:28:49] investors and corporations.

[2:28:50] San Diego and North Park have

[2:28:54] been my home since 1969.

[2:28:55] Like many longtime residents,

[2:28:55] I'm still struggling to afford

[2:29:00] a home to stay in the city I

[2:29:00] love and retire here.

[2:29:01] I don't want to work for

[2:29:02] the rest of my life just to

[2:29:06] rent and build wealth for

[2:29:06] someone who MAY already be a

[2:29:07] billionaire.

[2:29:11] The cost of moving rising rent

[2:29:12] and wages that haven't kept up

[2:29:13] with the cost of living make

[2:29:13] that unsustainable.

[2:29:18] I wasn't able to buy earlier

[2:29:19] because of student loan debt.

[2:29:20] But year after year I watched

[2:29:23] prices rise beyond what working

[2:29:24] for and against could afford.

[2:29:25] Even when families qualified

[2:29:30] they were often outbid.

[2:29:30] Working in real estate, I

[2:29:31] routinely saw speculators beat

[2:29:35] out local families with all

[2:29:35] cash offers.

[2:29:36] When our neighbor passed away,

[2:29:41] an investor bought the house

[2:29:42] next to my parents in North

[2:29:42] Park.

[2:29:43] They left it vacant for over

[2:29:48] five years while its value more

[2:29:48] than doubled.

[2:29:53] It went from 464,000 to 940,000

[2:29:53] 940,000.

[2:29:58] That's a 103% increase on a two

[2:30:03] bedroom one bath cottage.

[2:30:03] No housing was created.

[2:30:04] No family was helped.

[2:30:09] Profit was the only gold.

[2:30:09] Corporations and wealthy

[2:30:10] investors have purchased

[2:30:11] thousands of homes in our city

[2:30:15] and left many empty.

[2:30:16] These vacant homes titans

[2:30:16] supply and drive up prices and

[2:30:17] erode the community.

[2:30:21] How we should not be for people

[2:30:22] who live at home should be for

[2:30:23] people who live and work here

[2:30:26] Not for corporations to

[2:30:27] warehouse wealth.

[2:30:28] As you have already today you

[2:30:33] will hear fearmongering and

[2:30:34] disinformation from those who

[2:30:34] profit from keeping housing out

[2:30:35] of reach for working San Diego.

[2:30:40] Please vote yes and let

[2:30:40] the voters decide.

[2:30:41] Thank you.

[2:30:46] Hazardous materials.

[2:30:47] Those materials.

[2:30:47] Yeah.

[2:30:53] If I can ask the following

[2:30:54] people to please come to

[2:30:55] the front row Jesse Schmidt.

[2:30:55] Anna Ramos.

[2:30:56] Gene Kelly.

[2:30:59] Florence, Steve Russell, Karen

[2:31:00] Barton and Robert.

[2:31:04] Come on it If you can all

[2:31:04] please come forward and you'll

[2:31:05] have one minute.

[2:31:05] >> Please proceed.

[2:31:06] Good afternoon.

[2:31:10] My name is Martin Munoz.

[2:31:11] I am a community organizing

[2:31:12] coordinator with the Chicano

[2:31:15] Federation, a member of

[2:31:16] the Community Budget Alliance

[2:31:17] and a resident of District

[2:31:17] eight.

[2:31:17] For the past three years we

[2:31:18] have been faced with a budget

[2:31:21] deficit which has

[2:31:22] disproportionately affected San

[2:31:23] Diego's most marginalized and

[2:31:24] disenfranchized communities.

[2:31:27] But this proposal could allow

[2:31:28] us to bring in a substantial

[2:31:29] amount of revenue to continue

[2:31:29] funding the services that our

[2:31:33] communities rely on.

[2:31:34] Furthermore, this proposal will

[2:31:35] allow individuals like myself

[2:31:39] to remain in San Diego.

[2:31:40] To the contrary and we will

[2:31:40] continue to continue down

[2:31:41] the path of becoming a city

[2:31:44] which does not cater to

[2:31:45] the working class like myself.

[2:31:45] On behalf of the Chicano

[2:31:46] Federation we urge you to vote

[2:31:51] in favor of this item to uphold

[2:31:52] our community's democratic

[2:31:52] values and to empower our

[2:31:53] residents to exercise their

[2:31:55] right to vote for their values

[2:31:55] .

[2:32:01] Thank you Jesse.

[2:32:02] >> Good afternoon.

[2:32:06] Council Jesse Schmidt, District

[2:32:07] eight resident here today in

[2:32:08] full support of the second home

[2:32:08] stacks.

[2:32:09] Growing up in San Diego, my

[2:32:12] family had anything but a

[2:32:13] stable housing situation.

[2:32:14] My mother often worked two and

[2:32:14] sometimes three jobs just to

[2:32:19] make sure that she had

[2:32:19] the means to provide for my

[2:32:20] sister and I from growing up

[2:32:21] and living inside a friend's

[2:32:24] houses to sleeping in freezing

[2:32:25] cold garages and on

[2:32:25] the couches.

[2:32:26] These challenges resonate

[2:32:27] deeply with the community

[2:32:30] behind me here today.

[2:32:31] Last week we heard a public

[2:32:32] comment to say Stop being poor.

[2:32:32] Let me ask you a question Do

[2:32:36] you tell that to the hands of

[2:32:37] farmworkers that put food on

[2:32:37] your table?

[2:32:38] Do you say that to the military

[2:32:42] families struggling to make it

[2:32:43] here in San Diego willing their

[2:32:44] life down for your greed?

[2:32:44] Or the teachers barely making

[2:32:47] it by just to make sure that

[2:32:48] your child has a bright future

[2:32:49] because that is who we are.

[2:32:49] Let me be abundantly clear

[2:32:54] Poverty is not a moral failure

[2:32:54] .

[2:32:55] It is a policy failure.

[2:32:56] If we're going to turn slogans

[2:32:56] around, here's three that

[2:32:57] actually work.

[2:33:01] Tax the rich invest in San

[2:33:01] Diego and build more housing.

[2:33:02] >> Thank you Council member Eli

[2:33:03] Rivera for your work on this.

[2:33:09] Thank you, Anna Ramos.

[2:33:10] >> Good afternoon council

[2:33:10] members.

[2:33:11] My name is and Ramos, a

[2:33:15] community organizer with

[2:33:15] the Alliance of Californians

[2:33:16] for Community Empowerment.

[2:33:17] And although I don't live in

[2:33:21] the city of San Diego, I've

[2:33:22] been organizing in District

[2:33:23] eight for some months now And

[2:33:27] in doing so have helped

[2:33:27] the community form the first

[2:33:28] ever East chapter in San Isidro

[2:33:29] with the goal of coming

[2:33:33] together as a group of

[2:33:34] neighbors who care deeply about

[2:33:34] improving their community and

[2:33:39] improving the quality of life

[2:33:39] of everyone there.

[2:33:40] They have been meeting for

[2:33:40] months talking about the issues

[2:33:44] their community faces and at

[2:33:45] the top of the list is of

[2:33:45] course housing affordability.

[2:33:46] We have members who have shared

[2:33:51] their struggles having to live

[2:33:52] with six people in a one

[2:33:52] bedroom apartment because that

[2:33:53] is the only thing that they can

[2:33:56] ever afford.

[2:33:57] There are folks living in

[2:33:58] mobile home parks who dream of

[2:33:59] one day being able to afford a

[2:34:03] home but that has become almost

[2:34:03] impossible.

[2:34:04] So on their behalf we strongly

[2:34:09] support this empty home tax.

[2:34:10] San Diegans really need this

[2:34:11] housing crisis to be addressed

[2:34:11] as soon as possible.

[2:34:15] Thank you for that Concluding

[2:34:15] remark.

[2:34:16] >> It's only the second row for

[2:34:20] people to find out It's

[2:34:21] important for the people you

[2:34:21] lay in the back.

[2:34:22] That's cool.

[2:34:22] There's nobody behind you But

[2:34:26] it's important that

[2:34:27] the audience can actually see

[2:34:28] the speaker or actually see

[2:34:28] the reaction of the council

[2:34:29] members.

[2:34:29] So thank you very much.

[2:34:31] No worries.

[2:34:32] Thank you.

[2:34:37] If you can please come up.

[2:34:38] >> Hello, my name is d.

[2:34:39] I'm a resident of District nine

[2:34:39] and I'm here in favor of

[2:34:40] the empty home tax.

[2:34:44] Again, I'd like to personally

[2:34:45] thank you Better for

[2:34:45] prioritizing people over

[2:34:46] property.

[2:34:49] It's imperative that we keep

[2:34:50] the San Diego for the families

[2:34:50] that have built it and we

[2:34:51] should forget that black and

[2:34:55] brown owners were barred from

[2:34:56] owning homes in the La Hoya and

[2:34:56] expensive districts just until

[2:34:57] recently.

[2:35:01] These people that own multiple

[2:35:01] homes were benefiting from

[2:35:02] systematic racism and white

[2:35:02] privilege.

[2:35:06] Yet the families that have been

[2:35:07] here for generations shaping

[2:35:07] the culture and character of

[2:35:08] the city by focusing on their

[2:35:13] neighbors were reinvesting in

[2:35:13] the stability of their

[2:35:14] communities which will yield in

[2:35:15] a stronger district and a more

[2:35:19] sustained local economy.

[2:35:19] Keeping vacant homes does

[2:35:20] the opposite.

[2:35:20] It contributes to nothing.

[2:35:21] It doesn't support the local

[2:35:21] tax base.

[2:35:25] It doesn't fill the seats in

[2:35:26] the schools and it certainly

[2:35:27] doesn't contribute to

[2:35:27] community.

[2:35:28] It's a depletion of the city's

[2:35:32] vitality and we hope to see you

[2:35:32] pass this and thank you again

[2:35:33] Shanita rivera Thank you,

[2:35:37] Kaylee.

[2:35:37] >> Hello council members.

[2:35:43] My name is Keeley Hawes and I'm

[2:35:44] here today as a member of

[2:35:45] the Alliance of Californians

[2:35:45] for Community Empowerment to

[2:35:49] show my support to put

[2:35:49] the empty home tax on

[2:35:50] the ballot.

[2:35:50] Although I am not a resident of

[2:35:55] San Diego, I do work three jobs

[2:35:56] in the city and yet I cannot

[2:36:01] afford to live in the city of

[2:36:01] San Diego where I spend most of

[2:36:02] my time, most of my commute and

[2:36:06] all of my money.

[2:36:07] I move to San Diego because I

[2:36:08] was originally pushed out of my

[2:36:08] hometown and community because

[2:36:12] of housing affordability and I

[2:36:13] could no longer afford to live

[2:36:18] there and I fear that that is

[2:36:19] the direction Sanyo was headed

[2:36:24] in If we do not make a change

[2:36:25] with this empty home tax to be

[2:36:25] put on the ballot we will be

[2:36:26] taking a step in the right

[2:36:30] direction to a more affordable

[2:36:30] city so that the people who

[2:36:31] work in this beautiful city MAY

[2:36:32] continue to live and grow in a

[2:36:36] place where we are proud to

[2:36:36] call home.

[2:36:37] And I've dreamed of living in

[2:36:37] the city.

[2:36:43] Don't make me change that

[2:36:43] dream.

[2:36:43] Thank you.

[2:36:44] Thank you.

[2:36:44] Steve Russell.

[2:36:45] Steve Russell You have time to

[2:36:49] give to you by Juliet Ornelas.

[2:36:49] Thank you.

[2:36:50] You'll have two minutes please.

[2:36:50] Thank you.

[2:36:54] Well, good afternoon.

[2:36:55] Honorable Council PRESIDENT

[2:36:55] Council members I'm Steven

[2:36:56] Russell, PRESIDENT And ceo of

[2:36:57] the San Diego Housing

[2:37:00] Federation and the Federation.

[2:37:01] We believe that everyone has

[2:37:01] the right to have

[2:37:06] the opportunity for safe and

[2:37:07] affordable home safe and

[2:37:07] affordable place to live

[2:37:08] because all other social goods

[2:37:09] come from having a stable home

[2:37:13] environment.

[2:37:13] We do know how housing crises

[2:37:14] develop.

[2:37:14] It's there's a very good

[2:37:18] scholarship on this.

[2:37:19] There's a simple formula

[2:37:19] basically create a lot of high

[2:37:20] wage jobs and then don't build

[2:37:21] the housing to house those

[2:37:21] workers.

[2:37:25] What will happen with

[2:37:25] resources?

[2:37:26] We'll find homes most typically

[2:37:26] homes that were previously

[2:37:31] rented or owned by poor folks

[2:37:31] And that is a downward ladder

[2:37:32] that reaches down to where we

[2:37:36] have families who are being

[2:37:37] forced out onto the streets.

[2:37:37] They're doubling up, tripling

[2:37:38] up or leaving the region.

[2:37:43] So this dynamic is well

[2:37:43] established in the supply and

[2:37:44] demand patterns and constraints

[2:37:45] in constrained housing markets

[2:37:48] to be clear, there are multiple

[2:37:48] strategies that are needed to

[2:37:49] address the housing crisis.

[2:37:50] One is expanding overall

[2:37:54] housing production to help

[2:37:55] increase availability and

[2:37:55] alleviate price pressure and

[2:37:56] the other is to increase

[2:37:57] the availability of affordable

[2:38:00] housing housing affordable to

[2:38:00] the lowest income individuals

[2:38:05] in our community and ensuring a

[2:38:06] strategy to ensure that

[2:38:07] existing homes are actively

[2:38:07] used rather than sitting

[2:38:07] unused.

[2:38:12] This measure today which we

[2:38:13] urge you to support focuses on

[2:38:13] improving availability of a

[2:38:14] portion of the existing housing

[2:38:17] stock in a market where supply

[2:38:18] is already limited and it also

[2:38:19] creates the opportunity to have

[2:38:19] new resources with which we can

[2:38:23] develop new affordable homes.

[2:38:24] The majority of properties are

[2:38:25] such as primary residences

[2:38:30] simply won't be affected.

[2:38:30] And it's important to remember

[2:38:31] though that a house is not a

[2:38:32] home if no one's living there.

[2:38:36] So we urge you to support

[2:38:36] the action before it today and

[2:38:37] give the voters the opportunity

[2:38:38] to vote on this issue.

[2:38:40] Thank you for your time and

[2:38:41] attention today, Karen.

[2:38:46] All right.

[2:38:47] Hello council members.

[2:38:51] I'm Karen Barton and I live in

[2:38:51] District two.

[2:38:52] I'm representing my neighbor

[2:38:56] today who's at work.

[2:38:57] She owns two homes on the same

[2:38:57] neighborhood.

[2:39:03] She's got three kids at home

[2:39:03] and her husband travels a lot.

[2:39:04] They work hard and have little

[2:39:05] time for themselves.

[2:39:09] Her parents come into town

[2:39:10] twice monthly to care for

[2:39:10] the little ones.

[2:39:11] They trade off with other

[2:39:15] grandparents.

[2:39:15] One week on, one week off she

[2:39:20] uses that second home 120 days

[2:39:20] per year.

[2:39:21] Is this a family you deem too

[2:39:26] rich or in need of double

[2:39:26] taxation?

[2:39:26] I don't think so.

[2:39:27] They have come up with a

[2:39:31] creative solution to use family

[2:39:32] to provide care instead of

[2:39:32] socking away savings for their

[2:39:33] own retirement or college.

[2:39:37] They're investing in their

[2:39:37] family.

[2:39:38] They want a second home, a

[2:39:38] modest condo providing a place

[2:39:43] to live for their parents to

[2:39:44] help raise children.

[2:39:44] Please vote no on this

[2:39:45] initiative.

[2:39:47] Thanks for your time.

[2:39:55] >> Robert.

[2:39:55] >> Yes.

[2:39:55] I'm Bob Kevin.

[2:39:56] As PRESIDENT Of the Senate

[2:40:02] Association Realtors

[2:40:02] representing 10,000 members.

[2:40:05] Look, I would appreciate if I

[2:40:05] could have three minutes.

[2:40:06] >> I'm really sorry We have to

[2:40:07] treat everybody exactly

[2:40:07] the same.

[2:40:08] Okay, fine.

[2:40:11] Thank you.

[2:40:12] We have submitted a formal

[2:40:12] letter to you setting forth

[2:40:13] some of the reasons why we're

[2:40:17] against the proposed empty home

[2:40:18] tax measure bill before us

[2:40:18] today.

[2:40:24] And I hope you come up with

[2:40:24] the right conclusion.

[2:40:25] Thank you very much.

[2:40:25] Thank you.

[2:40:26] If I could have the following

[2:40:31] individuals please come up to

[2:40:31] the other reserved seats and up

[2:40:32] to the microphone Daryl Cotton,

[2:40:33] Nicole Lilly and Rohana

[2:40:41] Hariharan.

[2:40:45] R White Barry As a last name

[2:40:45] Brenda Lindstrom, Shane

[2:40:51] Pendergrass and Brian Broad and

[2:40:52] Mary Burke.

[2:40:52] If you can all please come up

[2:40:53] to the first room.

[2:40:53] Please proceed already.

[2:40:57] Good afternoon Counsel.

[2:40:57] My name is Darryl Cotton and I

[2:40:58] am a 45 year resident of

[2:40:59] the city of San Diego And I am

[2:41:03] here because what I've got to

[2:41:04] tell this council is I don't

[2:41:04] think we really have a budget

[2:41:05] problem as much as we have a

[2:41:09] collection problem.

[2:41:09] And although we should

[2:41:10] incentivize people getting into

[2:41:11] homes, I believe there are

[2:41:15] other ways to do it If we can

[2:41:16] take care of the budget.

[2:41:16] The deep hole that we've dug

[2:41:21] here in this city and what I've

[2:41:21] come to find is that there are

[2:41:22] millions of dollars in cannabis

[2:41:23] tax revenues in the cannabis

[2:41:28] business tax that aren't being

[2:41:29] paid And I have evidence of

[2:41:30] that of two public records that

[2:41:30] try to get that information

[2:41:33] from the city.

[2:41:34] They won't give it to me.

[2:41:35] So I finally file a petition of

[2:41:35] mandamus to get the city to

[2:41:40] give me that record and they

[2:41:40] won't.

[2:41:41] The city attorney tells me they

[2:41:42] won't give it to them either.

[2:41:42] So I have a document here and

[2:41:46] put it on the council that's

[2:41:46] willing to see it should

[2:41:47] because if we can pick up just

[2:41:48] budget shortfalls we don't have

[2:41:51] to tax parking and we don't

[2:41:52] have to pick up the housing

[2:41:58] crisis by burdening owners.

[2:41:59] >> That shouldn't affect them.

[2:41:59] Thank you for the concluding

[2:42:00] sentence Nicole.

[2:42:01] You have time to get it to you

[2:42:04] by sparking me To think that

[2:42:05] Sparky was she wasn't sure

[2:42:10] somebody was clapping or

[2:42:11] raising your hand.

[2:42:11] Okay?

[2:42:12] You were raising your hand.

[2:42:15] Thank you.

[2:42:15] Yeah.

[2:42:16] Okay, so you have two minutes.

[2:42:17] Thank you.

[2:42:17] Hello.

[2:42:21] My name is Nicole Lilly.

[2:42:22] >> I'm a 23 year old renter

[2:42:23] resident of District three and

[2:42:24] executive director of our Time

[2:42:27] to Act where at youth led

[2:42:28] nonprofit organizing Powerful

[2:42:28] Youth for Housing justice.

[2:42:29] I'm here today again to urge

[2:42:34] you to vote for housing justice

[2:42:35] Every day San Diego boys are

[2:42:35] struggling to survive in

[2:42:36] the city a majority of you

[2:42:39] against our renters and

[2:42:40] the majority of renters are

[2:42:41] paying more than 30% of their

[2:42:41] income on housing alone.

[2:42:45] This is an unaccepted and

[2:42:46] avoidable reality.

[2:42:47] This is the result of treating

[2:42:47] housing as an investment and

[2:42:52] profit gouging tools rather

[2:42:52] than the human right.

[2:42:53] But it is as more of our

[2:42:54] neighbors are thrown into house

[2:42:57] lessness and housing insecurity

[2:42:58] every day as we continue to

[2:42:59] fall woefully short on our

[2:42:59] housing development goals as we

[2:43:04] face devastating cuts to

[2:43:04] essential services due to

[2:43:05] growing budget shortages.

[2:43:09] It is inexplicable to me why we

[2:43:10] should allow over 5000 homes to

[2:43:10] sit entirely empty without

[2:43:11] consequence.

[2:43:15] I want to live in a city that

[2:43:15] prioritizes its people not

[2:43:16] property and profit whether it

[2:43:20] creates revenue or puts these

[2:43:21] homes back into the hands of

[2:43:21] San Diegans.

[2:43:22] Your vote on this item tells us

[2:43:27] how you see housing.

[2:43:27] Do you believe housing is a

[2:43:28] tool for profit or a human

[2:43:29] right for your constituents?

[2:43:32] I urge this council to pass

[2:43:33] this item and bring this

[2:43:33] decision to the people.

[2:43:34] And finally, I'd like to speak

[2:43:38] to my fellow neighbors which

[2:43:39] you all are as well owners of

[2:43:40] second homes who allow them to

[2:43:44] sit empty while the rest of us

[2:43:45] struggle to survive in the city

[2:43:45] are not victims.

[2:43:46] The people who are struggling

[2:43:50] every day to pay your rent and

[2:43:51] to work and support the needs

[2:43:51] of the city need you to support

[2:43:52] them.

[2:43:57] We are human beings.

[2:43:57] Renters are human beings and

[2:43:58] this is not them being

[2:43:58] victimized.

[2:44:02] This is not them subsidizing

[2:44:03] their fellow neighbor.

[2:44:03] This isn't paying their fair

[2:44:04] share.

[2:44:04] This is only a first step and

[2:44:05] this deserves to go to

[2:44:09] the people.

[2:44:09] >> I appreciate your time

[2:44:10] today.

[2:44:10] Thank you.

[2:44:16] Thank you everyone.

[2:44:17] Oh, my name is Dan and I look

[2:44:20] at our contract alongside being

[2:44:21] a student at ucsd.

[2:44:21] I come here on behalf of all my

[2:44:22] friends and many students all

[2:44:27] of whom have who have not had

[2:44:28] an easy journey with finding

[2:44:28] off campus housing and who wish

[2:44:29] they could be here but have to

[2:44:33] prioritize their classes

[2:44:34] instead.

[2:44:34] This policy will affect over

[2:44:35] 5000 homes homes that would

[2:44:39] students of that house families

[2:44:39] Even by conservative numbers

[2:44:40] This could lead to housing

[2:44:41] thousands of families and

[2:44:44] students and if not the city

[2:44:45] can use the revenue from

[2:44:46] the tax to help fund our most

[2:44:46] basic needs and improve San

[2:44:50] Diegans lives.

[2:44:51] Youth are struggling with

[2:44:51] housing.

[2:44:52] We need you to help us.

[2:44:52] This is a step in the right

[2:44:58] direction and you can show us

[2:44:58] that you care about us by

[2:44:59] taking this step Those who own

[2:45:00] multiple homes while the rest

[2:45:02] of us struggle to survive are

[2:45:03] not victims for being asked to

[2:45:03] pay their fair share.

[2:45:04] I hope everyone understands

[2:45:08] the urgency of this.

[2:45:08] Thank you.

[2:45:15] Thank you very or very Hello

[2:45:15] Council.

[2:45:16] My name is Kristen Berry.

[2:45:17] I'm here with you as well to

[2:45:20] speak in support of the empty

[2:45:21] home tax going to the ballot.

[2:45:21] As someone who has spent many

[2:45:22] nights searching for a roof

[2:45:26] over my head at many points in

[2:45:27] my life, housing should be a

[2:45:28] fundamental right for all and

[2:45:28] not an opportunity for profit

[2:45:33] That does not seem to be

[2:45:34] the case currently in the city

[2:45:34] of San Diego though as we see

[2:45:35] the hoarding of empty

[2:45:35] properties by the very wealthy

[2:45:38] leaving both city and revenue

[2:45:39] leaving both city revenue and

[2:45:40] unhoused individuals by

[2:45:40] the wayside, we must rectify

[2:45:45] this greed that is costing San

[2:45:46] Diego stability, dignity and

[2:45:47] the right to a home.

[2:45:50] The home taxes a crucial step

[2:45:51] towards housing justice in San

[2:45:51] Diego.

[2:45:52] It is a great method for us to

[2:45:52] generate necessary revenue to

[2:45:57] address our budget deficit

[2:45:57] without burdening us

[2:45:58] the people.

[2:45:58] The less about the deficit

[2:45:59] the city finds itself into less

[2:45:59] of a burden.

[2:46:02] There is on programs and

[2:46:02] services that youth and

[2:46:03] families of San Diego happily

[2:46:03] rely on.

[2:46:04] It is important that this

[2:46:07] decision will ultimately be

[2:46:08] made by the people of San

[2:46:08] Diego.

[2:46:09] You are allowing the process of

[2:46:10] democratic decision rather than

[2:46:14] impeding it.

[2:46:14] >> Please vote yes today to

[2:46:15] move the home tax ballot to

[2:46:16] the ballot.

[2:46:21] Thank you Britta where do you

[2:46:22] have people sitting your time

[2:46:22] if they can please raise their

[2:46:25] hand joyfully and thank you.

[2:46:33] And Elizabeth Kelly, thank you

[2:46:33] so much.

[2:46:34] You'll have three minutes.

[2:46:34] Please proceed.

[2:46:34] Great.

[2:46:35] Hello council members.

[2:46:38] I am in opposition to fiber one

[2:46:39] I would like to focus on

[2:46:39] the legal and operational

[2:46:44] realities of implementing a

[2:46:44] vacancy based tax.

[2:46:45] First of all, how do you

[2:46:50] identify the vacancy?

[2:46:50] Is it utility usage thresholds

[2:46:55] self-reporting, physical

[2:46:56] inspection which presents legal

[2:46:56] and privacy implications?

[2:47:01] Second enforce ment in due

[2:47:01] process.

[2:47:02] Property owners must have clear

[2:47:07] notice standards, appeal rights

[2:47:07] and transparent evidentiary

[2:47:08] requirements.

[2:47:12] Ambiguous definitions increase

[2:47:13] rate disputes and legal

[2:47:13] exposures.

[2:47:18] Third administrative costs.

[2:47:19] These systems typically require

[2:47:20] compliance tracking databases,

[2:47:25] verifications staff audit

[2:47:25] procedures, appeals processing

[2:47:26] and legal defense capacity.

[2:47:31] Also what is the actual

[2:47:32] projected net revenue After all

[2:47:37] these full implementation

[2:47:37] costs?

[2:47:38] I believe it's much lower than

[2:47:39] projected.

[2:47:42] Third excuse me for legal

[2:47:43] exposure.

[2:47:48] Targeting tax structures can

[2:47:49] invite litigation on

[2:47:49] constitutional, statutory or

[2:47:50] procedural grounds.

[2:47:55] Has the city fully assessed

[2:47:55] the litigation risk and a long

[2:48:00] term administrative burden?

[2:48:01] Finally, scalability Once

[2:48:02] created compliance systems tend

[2:48:06] to expand over time.

[2:48:07] This can grow into significant

[2:48:08] regulatory structure and

[2:48:08] financial nightmares.

[2:48:13] So before even voting on

[2:48:13] something like this there must

[2:48:14] be the evidence of enforcement

[2:48:18] methodology, privacy

[2:48:19] safeguards, appeals framework,

[2:48:20] administrative cost estimates

[2:48:25] and net revenue projections and

[2:48:26] measurable affordability

[2:48:31] benchmarks.

[2:48:31] Do not develop and implement

[2:48:32] these processes after it's on

[2:48:33] the ballot.

[2:48:37] That without these processes in

[2:48:38] place our money will once again

[2:48:43] be spent without accountability

[2:48:43] and without reaching your

[2:48:44] stated objectives.

[2:48:49] Please do not create more

[2:48:50] chaos.

[2:48:50] Do the right thing.

[2:48:51] Do not advance this further.

[2:48:52] Your constituents are watching

[2:48:55] how you are voting but I would

[2:48:56] like to just make an additional

[2:48:57] comment and that is I

[2:49:01] completely empathize with

[2:49:02] the people here who are saying

[2:49:03] they cannot afford housing.

[2:49:07] Their work their hard workers

[2:49:08] are smart, They're dedicated.

[2:49:08] They cannot afford It makes no

[2:49:13] sense to me that now being

[2:49:14] built there are to use their

[2:49:15] 450ft and they're going to be

[2:49:18] gone for 1714 to $1700 a month.

[2:49:19] Nobody can afford that.

[2:49:25] This is not going to solve that

[2:49:25] problem.

[2:49:31] This is not the answer and it's

[2:49:31] not going to.

[2:49:31] It's going to fail in

[2:49:31] the courts.

[2:49:31] So please let's find an

[2:49:31] accurate solution.

[2:49:32] Let's stop this.

[2:49:37] There's no way I can afford any

[2:49:38] of this housing if I Thank you

[2:49:38] for that concluding comment.

[2:49:43] Shane Pendergrass and the woman

[2:49:49] Shane in the audience.

[2:49:49] Thank you for the opportunity

[2:49:50] to speak to you today.

[2:49:55] My husband and I bought our

[2:49:55] condo here 13 years ago.

[2:49:56] We have children and

[2:49:56] grandchildren here.

[2:50:02] We live in Maryland where I'm a

[2:50:02] retired state legislator and

[2:50:03] that's where we spend

[2:50:07] the majority of our year.

[2:50:08] We're here about 170 days a

[2:50:08] year.

[2:50:09] I get to be a part of my

[2:50:13] grandchildren's lives here and

[2:50:14] my grandchild's life back in

[2:50:14] Maryland.

[2:50:19] i'm very grateful for that.

[2:50:19] We worked hard.

[2:50:20] We both were government

[2:50:20] employees.

[2:50:25] We did not earn enormous

[2:50:26] amounts of money and we spent a

[2:50:26] lot of hours trying to do

[2:50:27] the right thing just as you do.

[2:50:31] I appreciate any consideration

[2:50:32] you can give to people like me

[2:50:37] who want to contribute to our

[2:50:38] grandchildren and our

[2:50:38] children's happiness and

[2:50:39] growth.

[2:50:47] Thank you Brian.

[2:50:48] >> I am from District five and

[2:50:49] I've made several changes to my

[2:50:54] comments based on the opening

[2:50:54] comments that were made.

[2:50:55] The San Francisco case is

[2:50:56] relevant to this measure

[2:51:00] The same constitutional issues

[2:51:01] apply and the Ellis Act

[2:51:01] applies.

[2:51:02] The Berkeley Property Owners

[2:51:06] Association filed an amicus

[2:51:06] brief opposing the San

[2:51:07] Francisco measure.

[2:51:08] They are watching the Court of

[2:51:12] Appeal decision very closely

[2:51:13] and the Court of Appeal agrees

[2:51:14] with the Superior Court ruling.

[2:51:17] They will undoubtedly sue

[2:51:18] the city of Berkeley to

[2:51:19] overturn the measure and they

[2:51:19] are most likely be successful.

[2:51:24] That being the case, don't move

[2:51:25] forward on this measure until

[2:51:25] litigation is settled.

[2:51:29] Otherwise if it's found to be

[2:51:30] illegal you'll have to refund

[2:51:31] taxes collected.

[2:51:31] Exhibit a The Trump Tariffs.

[2:51:36] Remember that?

[2:51:37] I love San Diego and I hate to

[2:51:38] see it making mistake after

[2:51:41] mistake one on one street to

[2:51:41] trash and double park parking.

[2:51:42] Today we have an opportunity to

[2:51:47] prevent another mistake.

[2:51:47] This measure is flawed and

[2:51:48] legally dubious.

[2:51:49] You can't vote away people's

[2:51:49] constitutional rights with a

[2:51:50] ballot.

[2:51:50] Thank you for that concluding

[2:51:51] remark.

[2:51:56] >> Mary.

[2:51:57] This measure is based on

[2:52:02] the assumption that properties

[2:52:02] that don't have a county

[2:52:03] homeowner's exemption and are

[2:52:03] not rented are empty.

[2:52:08] However, some owners no longer

[2:52:09] rent out a second home because

[2:52:09] they maintain and use their

[2:52:13] home to help not only immediate

[2:52:14] family but also an aunt and

[2:52:15] uncle and eastern half of your

[2:52:15] cousin and even close friends

[2:52:20] And they maintain and use a

[2:52:21] second home themselves.

[2:52:21] Examples include during times

[2:52:22] of illness surgery,

[2:52:25] rehabilitation through job

[2:52:26] losses and other calamities

[2:52:27] such as after the fires.

[2:52:27] The amount of taxes and

[2:52:33] substantial gated and arbitrary

[2:52:33] and has been set to motivate

[2:52:34] the rental or indeed sale of

[2:52:34] properties.

[2:52:38] The tax amount is unaffordable

[2:52:38] and for some owners to have to

[2:52:44] rent against their will or

[2:52:44] force to sell their properties

[2:52:45] against their will.

[2:52:46] There hasn't been a study of

[2:52:50] who this tax would affect.

[2:52:51] The people we know who own a

[2:52:51] second home are mostly between

[2:52:52] the ages of 65 and 80.

[2:52:56] Throwing seniors under the bus

[2:52:57] when their properties have

[2:52:57] already started changing hands

[2:53:02] and will continue to change

[2:53:02] hands Anyway.

[2:53:03] Thank you for that Very cool

[2:53:04] and unlawful Thank you for that

[2:53:04] concluding comic.

[2:53:08] Christina Christina Marie Green

[2:53:09] if you can please come forward

[2:53:10] after that will be Ted Womack.

[2:53:15] Liliana Soriano, Claire Snyder.

[2:53:15] Mike Frittelli.

[2:53:16] And then Jason Lopez.

[2:53:18] If you can all please come

[2:53:21] forward.

[2:53:28] Please begin already.

[2:53:28] Good afternoon City Council.

[2:53:29] My name is Christina Marie

[2:53:32] Green, a renter in District

[2:53:33] eight advocate for the aclu of

[2:53:34] Santiago Imperial County and

[2:53:38] the program director of

[2:53:38] the Poverty Project at ucsd

[2:53:39] advocating for housing insecure

[2:53:44] and how students I am in favor

[2:53:45] of the housing that empty house

[2:53:45] homes tax towards owners of

[2:53:49] second, third and more homes.

[2:53:50] As a former student who

[2:53:50] navigated being unhoused couch

[2:53:55] hopping in a housing market

[2:53:56] designed to price students out

[2:53:56] and to price our workers and

[2:54:01] families out, the city of San

[2:54:01] Diego was losing the bright

[2:54:02] minds and leaders met to stay

[2:54:03] and contribute to this amazing

[2:54:06] city during a time where

[2:54:07] federal funding is being cut

[2:54:08] from vital programs and

[2:54:12] the greed of homeowners who

[2:54:12] continue to escape paying their

[2:54:13] fair share.

[2:54:13] It's time to redistribute

[2:54:18] housing availability and punish

[2:54:19] those who continue to make

[2:54:20] the housing market unbearable,

[2:54:20] inaccessible and monopolized.

[2:54:24] Thank you so much for your

[2:54:24] time.

[2:54:25] >> And vote in favor of

[2:54:26] the empty homes tax.

[2:54:26] Thank you so much.

[2:54:27] Thank you, Ted.

[2:54:36] Woman.

[2:54:37] >> Hey, how are you doing

[2:54:37] today?

[2:54:38] i'm I'm here in support of

[2:54:39] the empty homes tax.

[2:54:42] I grew up in 84 where my

[2:54:43] grandfather was a homeowner

[2:54:43] before he passed away.

[2:54:49] He taught me the strategy and

[2:54:49] the steps about, you know,

[2:54:50] growing up and getting into

[2:54:51] those things of owning a home.

[2:54:51] Unfortunately today like those

[2:54:54] steps and that strategy is not

[2:54:55] possible because of

[2:54:55] affordability, affordability

[2:54:56] and availability.

[2:55:01] And you know, there's a lot of

[2:55:02] things that are said by folks

[2:55:02] who do own different homes.

[2:55:03] But my question to all those

[2:55:04] folks is why don't we deserve a

[2:55:07] chance to buy a home ourselves?

[2:55:08] There's a lot of different

[2:55:08] factors in why people can't buy

[2:55:12] homes ready talked about cost

[2:55:13] of living where you talk about

[2:55:14] how much you get paid versus

[2:55:14] how much that is.

[2:55:15] But you know, we hear a lot of

[2:55:19] people say that we need to do

[2:55:20] things for retirees.

[2:55:20] We need to do things for

[2:55:21] the revenue.

[2:55:21] We need to do things for all

[2:55:22] these other people.

[2:55:25] But what about real San Diego?

[2:55:26] You know, I want to have an

[2:55:26] opportunity to invite my family

[2:55:27] over from out of town to my

[2:55:27] home.

[2:55:30] I want to have an opportunity

[2:55:31] to maybe even games I can hold

[2:55:31] myself But at the moment that's

[2:55:32] not possible.

[2:55:36] So can we have the opportunity

[2:55:37] to gain one home for ourselves

[2:55:37] before we start saying this?

[2:55:38] You know, thank you but I

[2:55:45] completely comment Lily on it.

[2:55:45] Good afternoon council members.

[2:55:52] I am the Director of policy at

[2:55:52] Youth.

[2:55:53] Well that item before you is an

[2:55:54] important step to address

[2:55:54] the budget deficit.

[2:55:55] Young people for the past few

[2:55:57] budget cycles have not been a

[2:55:58] priority in many of your memos.

[2:55:59] Many of our youth members

[2:56:03] continue to express their own

[2:56:04] and their families inability to

[2:56:05] keep a roof over their heads.

[2:56:09] Meanwhile, around 5140 homes

[2:56:09] are empty.

[2:56:10] Cost of living continues to

[2:56:14] rise and services meant to be

[2:56:14] safety net before their eyes

[2:56:15] disappear as a community based

[2:56:16] organization.

[2:56:20] We strongly support this fair

[2:56:21] approach to reduce anticipated

[2:56:22] impacts to real public safety

[2:56:26] programs and services utilized

[2:56:27] by many youth.

[2:56:27] Please vote yes and let

[2:56:28] the voters decide to move or

[2:56:32] not move this tax forward

[2:56:33] because many of the residents

[2:56:33] will not be impacted by this

[2:56:34] and the people in this room do

[2:56:39] not represent the entire U.S.

[2:56:39] Especially those that are

[2:56:40] against this proposal.

[2:56:40] Thank you.

[2:56:44] Thank you, Claire Snyder.

[2:56:45] Good afternoon, counsel.

[2:56:45] My name is Claire.

[2:56:50] I am with youth.

[2:56:51] Well, I'm a resident of

[2:56:51] District three and I'm also a

[2:56:52] renter.

[2:56:53] I just want to make it very

[2:56:56] clear that if you can afford to

[2:56:57] home afford a home that can sit

[2:57:01] and you are much more well-off

[2:57:02] than anybody in San Diego, I'm

[2:57:03] a renter but paying rent is

[2:57:03] fine.

[2:57:08] Kind of but like I can afford

[2:57:09] it and I feel comfortable with

[2:57:09] that But that so me being

[2:57:13] comfortable that means that

[2:57:14] other people who can afford all

[2:57:14] these homes are much more

[2:57:15] well-off and other people in

[2:57:19] San Diego deserve

[2:57:20] the opportunity and the chance

[2:57:20] to be able to own a home and

[2:57:21] not have it be a dream that

[2:57:25] maybe they can afford a home

[2:57:26] when they're near dead at 85.

[2:57:27] It should be a reality for us

[2:57:31] now and I think that we should

[2:57:32] give this opportunity to

[2:57:33] the rest of San Diego to be

[2:57:37] able to vote on this matter in

[2:57:38] San Diego to make the decision.

[2:57:38] So I urge you to move this

[2:57:40] forward.

[2:57:47] >> Thank you, Mike.

[2:57:47] >> Good afternoon.

[2:57:51] Mike Patel District six.

[2:57:52] I'm speaking in opposition

[2:57:53] because there's three major

[2:57:57] problems with this proposed tax

[2:57:57] .

[2:57:58] One it MAY not help the city

[2:57:59] financially in the absence of

[2:58:00] budget budgetary reform there's

[2:58:03] no guarantee the additional

[2:58:04] revenue is to the extent that

[2:58:05] there is additional revenue

[2:58:05] would go to public safety or

[2:58:06] critical infrastructure

[2:58:10] maintenance.

[2:58:11] Two it probably won't make that

[2:58:11] much of a difference makes me a

[2:58:12] target more affordable.

[2:58:14] There are 1.5 million people in

[2:58:15] this city Focusing on 5000

[2:58:16] units is little more than a

[2:58:21] distraction.

[2:58:21] Three And most importantly it

[2:58:22] will create what has been

[2:58:23] referred to as an audit

[2:58:26] industrial complex.

[2:58:27] The idea has noted and I quote

[2:58:28] the magnitude of the proposed

[2:58:28] tax will incentivize tax

[2:58:33] avoidance given that the city

[2:58:34] will use and I quote

[2:58:34] flexibility to adapt to

[2:58:38] identify such avoidance is not

[2:58:39] reassuring.

[2:58:39] As a consequence, all

[2:58:40] homeowners be burdened by

[2:58:45] the possibility of an extensive

[2:58:45] and unaccountable monitoring

[2:58:46] and enforcement regime.

[2:58:47] Proving that you own your own

[2:58:47] house should not be more

[2:58:51] complicated than getting

[2:58:52] parking at the ballpark.

[2:58:52] Thank you very much for that

[2:58:53] concluding comment.

[2:58:58] Jason Lopez.

[2:58:59] After that it will be Paul

[2:58:59] Kruger and Thurman Estrada

[2:59:03] Kevin Ben.

[2:59:04] Conor Robbins.

[2:59:04] Grace Jimenez.

[2:59:05] Please proceed.

[2:59:05] Good afternoon, counsel.

[2:59:09] I'm just Lopez and I'm here to

[2:59:10] speak in opposition of the tax

[2:59:10] measure.

[2:59:11] I have the privilege of serving

[2:59:14] as the 2020 PRESIDENT Of

[2:59:14] the Pacific Southwest

[2:59:15] Association of Realtors here in

[2:59:16] San Diego and I currently

[2:59:19] serves on the board of

[2:59:20] directors and executive

[2:59:20] committee with the California

[2:59:21] Association of Realtors.

[2:59:25] Our members represent tens of

[2:59:26] thousands of homeowners in San

[2:59:27] Diego who also oppose moving

[2:59:27] this forward.

[2:59:31] I've often said that

[2:59:32] the association's exists for a

[2:59:32] couple of reasons.

[2:59:33] Among those are to protect

[2:59:33] private property rights and to

[2:59:37] promote homeownership

[2:59:37] opportunities.

[2:59:38] This measure would impact those

[2:59:39] negatively by putting

[2:59:43] the burden on homeowners to

[2:59:44] document their occupancy when

[2:59:45] they MAY not have need to.

[2:59:49] So we speak in opposition to

[2:59:50] this and would ask that you

[2:59:51] work in partnership with

[2:59:51] the associations and other

[2:59:55] local housing advocacy groups

[2:59:56] to come up with real solutions

[2:59:56] for San Diego.

[2:59:56] Thank you.

[2:59:57] Thank you.

[3:00:01] Paul Krueger.

[3:00:02] >> I know you have something to

[3:00:07] share so we'll get that up.

[3:00:08] >> What I'm going to show you

[3:00:08] is just two paragraphs from

[3:00:13] the Union-Tribune editorial.

[3:00:13] It's not the voters who are

[3:00:14] going to decide this issue.

[3:00:18] It's the courts And the San

[3:00:19] Francisco vacancy tax was

[3:00:23] struck down in the most

[3:00:24] forceful way possible which is

[3:00:25] that the court said there's not

[3:00:29] even enough argument to take it

[3:00:29] to trial.

[3:00:30] Berkeley has not gotten an

[3:00:35] exemption from court review.

[3:00:35] There is no indication that

[3:00:41] the Berkeley vacancy tax will

[3:00:41] ever be held to be legal

[3:00:42] because the landlords there are

[3:00:47] simply holding off their filing

[3:00:47] .

[3:00:48] The gentleman noted an amicus

[3:00:48] brief.

[3:00:52] If you think that this Supreme

[3:00:53] Court of California and more

[3:00:54] the Supreme Court of the United

[3:00:58] States is going to back a

[3:00:59] vacancy tax, you know they're

[3:00:59] not.

[3:01:00] Please don't rush into this.

[3:01:03] And more importantly, please

[3:01:04] listen to the aba.

[3:01:10] Those figures conflict greatly

[3:01:11] with what you're hearing.

[3:01:11] >> Thank you for that complete

[3:01:12] comment.

[3:01:16] I'm sorry my brother.

[3:01:16] Good afternoon, counsel.

[3:01:21] My name is Anselmo Jake Estrada

[3:01:22] Estrada.

[3:01:22] i am the clinical director for

[3:01:23] the San Diego Construction

[3:01:27] Trades Council.

[3:01:27] You know, working people work

[3:01:28] hard.

[3:01:31] It's literally in the name

[3:01:32] every day by every definable

[3:01:33] measure, every metric that we

[3:01:33] can we can speak to.

[3:01:37] They've been what we've been

[3:01:38] left behind at every step,

[3:01:43] every single benchmark like key

[3:01:44] point health care housing.

[3:01:48] Today like every day working in

[3:01:49] San Diegans or waking up and

[3:01:49] wondering how they're going to

[3:01:53] afford to buy a home, whether

[3:01:54] wondering whether they can

[3:01:55] afford to expand their family

[3:01:59] have a kid and right now they

[3:02:00] can't.

[3:02:00] So this is actually the only

[3:02:01] revenue measure that we might

[3:02:05] be able to have before working

[3:02:06] in San Diego And and the only

[3:02:07] one of the only opportunities

[3:02:10] that we have to actually put

[3:02:11] housing out there on

[3:02:11] the market.

[3:02:12] I'm asking you to please move

[3:02:12] this forward.

[3:02:13] Please give us a chance to

[3:02:16] actually have the housing that

[3:02:17] we've all been talking about

[3:02:17] for decades.

[3:02:22] >> Thank you, Kevin.

[3:02:22] Good evening.

[3:02:28] Council My name is Kevin Vino.

[3:02:29] I'm the housing justice

[3:02:29] director at our Times Act where

[3:02:30] a youth based nonprofit

[3:02:33] fighting for housing justice

[3:02:34] here in San Diego.

[3:02:35] So the average home price right

[3:02:38] now in San Diego is around $1

[3:02:39] million.

[3:02:40] So if people have the luxury to

[3:02:40] have two of these they're not

[3:02:44] just a millionaire but by

[3:02:44] definition a multimillionaire

[3:02:48] On average when the average San

[3:02:49] Diego can't even afford one of

[3:02:49] these homes.

[3:02:50] So I really appreciate Sean's

[3:02:53] office for bringing this as a

[3:02:54] tax because we are sick and

[3:02:54] tired of having taxes that

[3:02:59] target lower income and middle

[3:03:00] class San Diego And this is

[3:03:00] primarily going to be affecting

[3:03:04] people who can afford this tax.

[3:03:05] So I strongly advocate urged

[3:03:10] council to bring this to

[3:03:11] the ballot and so that we as

[3:03:12] San Diegans can vote on this.

[3:03:12] Thank you.

[3:03:18] Thank you, Conor Robbins.

[3:03:19] >> Good afternoon.

[3:03:23] City Council.

[3:03:24] I'm Conor Robbins, the chief

[3:03:28] steward for Teamsters Local 96

[3:03:28] representing San Diego

[3:03:29] Lifeguards.

[3:03:29] We're in strong support of

[3:03:33] the anti home tax and I

[3:03:34] appreciate Councilmember De La

[3:03:35] Rivera for bringing this item

[3:03:35] forward.

[3:03:39] I hear from my members all

[3:03:40] the time about how hard it is

[3:03:41] to live in San Diego and this

[3:03:44] is largely because of the cost

[3:03:44] of housing.

[3:03:45] This tax supports our members

[3:03:49] ability to build a stable

[3:03:50] future here in San Diego.

[3:03:51] That's why we support this.

[3:03:56] Thank you all for considering

[3:03:56] and we hope you'll vote in

[3:03:56] favor.

[3:04:00] >> Thank you Grace Rock a few

[3:04:01] minutes after that if I can

[3:04:06] have Patrick for your heart You

[3:04:07] My apologies Jonathan Rain

[3:04:12] Carmen Penaloza, Valdez and

[3:04:12] Ramsey's If you can please come

[3:04:13] forward.

[3:04:13] These are our last speakers

[3:04:14] here in council chambers before

[3:04:20] we go virtual please proceed.

[3:04:21] My name is Grace Minutes and I

[3:04:22] was born and raised in San

[3:04:22] Diego.

[3:04:25] Kumi I territory.

[3:04:26] I'm a member of a's Alliance of

[3:04:27] Californians for Community

[3:04:31] Empowerment and Infant for cpi

[3:04:32] Students for Economic Justice

[3:04:35] and a Renter for District four.

[3:04:36] I'm here to support the empty

[3:04:37] home tax ballot measure Bake at

[3:04:41] Home should not be left to sit

[3:04:42] and stale for months when so

[3:04:46] many of our communities are in

[3:04:46] danger of becoming houseless or

[3:04:51] already are houseless If these

[3:04:51] homes were to open up and be

[3:04:52] made more affordable to renters

[3:04:56] it will help with safety to our

[3:04:57] San Diego residents and prevent

[3:04:58] displacement to families.

[3:05:01] The taxation of empty homes

[3:05:02] will ensure much needed

[3:05:02] investment on infrastructure

[3:05:06] and services for the people of

[3:05:06] San Diego.

[3:05:07] I also do not give consent of

[3:05:08] my tax dollars to be used for

[3:05:11] Israel's genocide on Palestine

[3:05:12] nor the terrorist group ice who

[3:05:17] are attacking our people.

[3:05:17] >> Invest in affordable housing

[3:05:23] for everyone not unjust wars.

[3:05:24] >> Patrick for Crane Friedman

[3:05:26] is sitting in a time You'll

[3:05:27] have two minutes.

[3:05:27] >> Please proceed.

[3:05:31] Council PRESIDENT LaCava

[3:05:32] distinguished members of

[3:05:33] council members of public here

[3:05:33] today to talk My name is

[3:05:37] Patrick Ferrier Straight day

[3:05:38] Director of San Diego City

[3:05:38] Firefighters Local 145 I'm here

[3:05:42] today to speak in favor look at

[3:05:43] 145 I was disappointed

[3:05:44] the initial version didn't make

[3:05:44] it.

[3:05:48] The Rules Committee However we

[3:05:48] are in strong support of

[3:05:49] the initiative as it stands

[3:05:52] before the full council today.

[3:05:53] I thank you Council member

[3:05:54] Yellow River for your hard work

[3:05:54] and your dedication to bring

[3:05:55] affordable housing to

[3:05:58] the firefighters and

[3:05:58] the citizens of the San Diego

[3:05:59] City.

[3:05:59] >> They all deserve a good

[3:06:02] place to live.

[3:06:03] I want to talk a little bit

[3:06:04] about our firefighters though.

[3:06:07] We have some of the bravest,

[3:06:08] the finest and most selfless

[3:06:09] people you're ever going to

[3:06:09] meet.

[3:06:10] They took an oath to lay their

[3:06:13] lives down for any one of us in

[3:06:14] this building here today.

[3:06:15] But they're exasperated.

[3:06:18] The inability to afford a home

[3:06:19] within the city limits has left

[3:06:20] them grasping at straws and

[3:06:23] frustrated and they bring their

[3:06:24] concerns to us.

[3:06:24] Now they're commuting from out

[3:06:28] of state, out of county,

[3:06:28] sometimes out of the country

[3:06:33] and it leaves them exhausted.

[3:06:34] I want to put you into a

[3:06:34] situation here.

[3:06:37] Imagine you're up all night in

[3:06:38] our fine city.

[3:06:38] You're going to fires.

[3:06:39] You're taking care of our most

[3:06:43] vulnerable populations and

[3:06:43] you're giving the best service

[3:06:44] that you can.

[3:06:47] Then you drive 2 to 4 hours to

[3:06:47] your house.

[3:06:48] Imagine trying to be a good

[3:06:52] parent, a good spouse or just

[3:06:52] enjoy your time off.

[3:06:53] Now whether this initiative

[3:06:57] brings revenue frees up homes

[3:06:57] are both.

[3:06:58] It's a win to the firefighters

[3:07:02] and the citizens of this great

[3:07:02] city.

[3:07:03] i urge you to please move this

[3:07:04] forward to the voters to decide

[3:07:05] and I thank you very much for

[3:07:13] your time today Jonathan Right

[3:07:14] .

[3:07:18] Hi and thank you for doing this

[3:07:19] .

[3:07:20] I just turned 62 on FEBRUARY

[3:07:20] 26th.

[3:07:21] I currently live in an

[3:07:24] affordable housing building for

[3:07:25] age 55 plus which actually I

[3:07:25] converted to a hotel with no

[3:07:29] kitchen run by the San Diego

[3:07:30] Housing Commission.

[3:07:34] I cannot legit I cannot find

[3:07:35] legit housing living on Social

[3:07:38] Security at three $1,350 per

[3:07:43] month I have resigned.

[3:07:44] I have resigned to never owning

[3:07:48] my own home condo or otherwise

[3:07:49] in a city that I have resided

[3:07:52] in since 1988.

[3:07:53] I would like to at least be

[3:07:57] able to rent a decent apartment

[3:07:58] in a safe neighborhood.

[3:07:59] I find this proposal very

[3:08:02] acceptable.

[3:08:03] We need to weed out corporate

[3:08:07] and rich people and once again

[3:08:08] make housing affordable In San

[3:08:12] Diego some say live within your

[3:08:17] own means What is living with

[3:08:18] your own means?

[3:08:21] Social Security does not allow

[3:08:22] Thank you for that.

[3:08:29] Thank you for doing Carmen So

[3:08:34] short for Hello My name is

[3:08:35] Carmen and I'm a resident and

[3:08:35] living in District nine.

[3:08:39] I'm here with you as well to

[3:08:40] comment on the empty home tax

[3:08:41] proposed to go to this year's

[3:08:44] ballot.

[3:08:44] Housing is a fundamental human

[3:08:45] right for all and not a profit

[3:08:48] opportunity for a select few.

[3:08:49] While thousands of San Diegans

[3:08:50] struggle to keep a roof over

[3:08:54] their heads including myself

[3:08:54] and other family members living

[3:08:55] on the street or on the verge

[3:08:59] of homelessness.

[3:09:00] Currently ownership of multiple

[3:09:00] properties is a reality for

[3:09:04] wealthy people and

[3:09:05] corporations.

[3:09:05] It is this greed that caused

[3:09:08] San Diego instability, dignity

[3:09:09] and their right to a home.

[3:09:10] The measure is clear this will

[3:09:14] not impact primary home owners

[3:09:15] or renters and only applies to

[3:09:15] homes sitting vacant for most

[3:09:16] of a year.

[3:09:19] If you're in San Diego and you

[3:09:20] can own this many homes, you

[3:09:24] can take this tax like this has

[3:09:25] been affecting us in low income

[3:09:29] marginalized communities for

[3:09:29] years.

[3:09:30] So yeah, please vote yes today

[3:09:32] to move the empty home tax

[3:09:33] proposal to a ballot.

[3:09:37] >> Thank you.

[3:09:38] >> And our final speaker here

[3:09:42] in council chambers is Ramsey's

[3:09:42] .

[3:09:42] >> Hello.

[3:09:44] I want to speak in favor of

[3:09:49] this item.

[3:09:50] So over the last year of

[3:09:51] the budget the budget

[3:09:51] discussion, one thing has

[3:09:54] become absolutely clear

[3:09:55] The poor people of San Diego

[3:09:56] can no longer afford to fill

[3:09:56] this budget deficit.

[3:10:00] We saw that with the failure of

[3:10:00] Balboa Park making a net of

[3:10:03] less than what, 3 million less

[3:10:04] than that.

[3:10:04] And now we have an option that

[3:10:05] could potentially get us tens

[3:10:08] of millions of dollars.

[3:10:09] So on that on that level alone

[3:10:09] it's a no brainer.

[3:10:13] Now personally I've wanted to

[3:10:13] live in San Diego my whole

[3:10:14] life.

[3:10:17] i was born in San Diego.

[3:10:18] My parents relocated to East

[3:10:21] County and we had a house and

[3:10:22] shortly after 2008 private

[3:10:22] equity purchased that house and

[3:10:26] we lost it.

[3:10:27] This year I tried moving into

[3:10:27] San Diego and unfortunately I

[3:10:31] was I was met with the prices

[3:10:32] and I was not able to So now I

[3:10:33] live exactly half a mile away

[3:10:36] from the border.

[3:10:36] But everything in San Diego

[3:10:37] still affects me.

[3:10:37] Everything that you guys do

[3:10:38] still affects me.

[3:10:40] So that's why I come to these

[3:10:41] these things One day I hope

[3:10:41] that I can afford to live in

[3:10:42] San Diego but right now that's

[3:10:45] not today.

[3:10:46] I'm saying the five minute time

[3:10:46] we're going to those

[3:10:50] participating remotely.

[3:10:51] We have 14 speakers in

[3:10:51] the queue starting with Mary

[3:10:52] Carson.

[3:10:57] If you can please unmute.

[3:10:58] >> Hello.

[3:11:03] My husband and I purchased a

[3:11:03] second home a two bedroom condo

[3:11:07] in 2011 for our family,

[3:11:08] children, grandchildren,

[3:11:09] siblings, parents and close

[3:11:09] family friends.

[3:11:12] What concerns us the most with

[3:11:12] this proposal?

[3:11:13] If it goes into effect it will

[3:11:17] significantly impact our local

[3:11:17] businesses.

[3:11:18] The one thing we all do when we

[3:11:22] visit San Diego is spend money

[3:11:22] by going out to eat, drink and

[3:11:23] we go to entertainment venues.

[3:11:26] And I haven't read any economic

[3:11:27] impact analyzes of the fiscal

[3:11:31] consequences to local

[3:11:32] businesses as a result than

[3:11:32] the reduction of second home

[3:11:33] ownership.

[3:11:36] The very people I feel

[3:11:37] Councilmember Ella Rivera is

[3:11:38] trying to support and protect

[3:11:41] are going to be hurt the most

[3:11:42] with the contracting business

[3:11:42] environment.

[3:11:45] This tax feels very punitive to

[3:11:46] not just second home owners but

[3:11:47] to the people who work locally.

[3:11:51] We are not a wealthy family and

[3:11:51] this proposal is not

[3:11:52] the answer.

[3:11:55] It hasn't worked well in other

[3:11:56] cities, often garnering far

[3:11:57] less revenue than projected as

[3:12:00] identified in the city's

[3:12:01] independent Budget Analyst

[3:12:01] report.

[3:12:05] Thank you for a no vote.

[3:12:06] >> Next a Zoom user if you can

[3:12:09] please unmute.

[3:12:14] >> Hi, my name is Diana

[3:12:14] Browning.

[3:12:15] I am totally against

[3:12:19] the proposed tax on vacant

[3:12:19] homes.

[3:12:20] People who spoke before me made

[3:12:25] good cases for the fact that we

[3:12:26] the city of San Diego will have

[3:12:29] to get involved in

[3:12:29] the inevitable litigation which

[3:12:34] could be costly and that other

[3:12:34] jurisdictions have not shown

[3:12:38] great success in impacting

[3:12:39] the availability of affordable

[3:12:43] housing.

[3:12:44] But on a personal note, let me

[3:12:45] tell you our story.

[3:12:48] The notion that many of these

[3:12:48] vacant home owners are wealthy

[3:12:52] and can afford the tax is

[3:12:53] totally unfounded.

[3:12:54] My husband and I are 87 and 82

[3:12:54] years old.

[3:12:58] We both worked and saved for

[3:12:58] decades.

[3:12:59] We've owned our house in old

[3:13:02] Scripps Ranch for 48 years,

[3:13:03] raised three children here.

[3:13:07] We also have a small home up

[3:13:08] near Seattle where we have

[3:13:08] other family.

[3:13:12] When we're out there our house

[3:13:12] is not vacant.

[3:13:13] It's occupied periodically by

[3:13:17] other family members.

[3:13:18] >> Please vote no to putting

[3:13:18] this on the ballot.

[3:13:19] Sorry your time has concluded

[3:13:21] although Maestro, if you can

[3:13:25] please unmute.

[3:13:30] Hi my name is Del Mastro.

[3:13:31] I'm a disabled veteran.

[3:13:32] I'm an ex blue collar worker on

[3:13:35] the senior year and I'm a small

[3:13:36] mom and pop landlord.

[3:13:40] This is being pushed through

[3:13:40] without being completely

[3:13:41] reviewed.

[3:13:48] I my issues with it is that in

[3:13:49] 2000 24th JANUARY I had a

[3:13:50] tenant give me notice.

[3:13:54] I was in such so much pain

[3:13:54] physically I had to have a hip

[3:13:55] replacement in MARCH.

[3:13:59] It took me longer than the 183

[3:14:04] days to be able to read to get

[3:14:05] my apartment up.

[3:14:08] The same thing happened for me

[3:14:09] in 2005 where I had another hip

[3:14:13] replacement not only need a

[3:14:13] knee replacement.

[3:14:14] Is there a way I can have an

[3:14:18] extension here if I have health

[3:14:19] issues?

[3:14:19] I'm a senior.

[3:14:20] I mean it shouldn't

[3:14:23] discriminate against disabled

[3:14:23] people or handicapped people.

[3:14:28] Most mom and pops or senior

[3:14:29] years and we have issues not

[3:14:30] being able to get your time has

[3:14:33] concluded after John Stump.

[3:14:37] After John Stump it is Tony and

[3:14:38] then 8700 John Stump please

[3:14:41] unmute I can't hear me for you.

[3:14:42] >> Thank you.

[3:14:46] I sent in a letter.

[3:14:47] This is a pure tax measure.

[3:14:51] If it was a housing measure

[3:14:56] housing would be the dedicate

[3:14:57] hated use of these funds.

[3:14:57] But of course there is no

[3:15:01] dedicated use of this fund.

[3:15:06] Please council members at least

[3:15:06] modify the proposal.

[3:15:11] So the fund is our dedicated to

[3:15:12] housing debt reporting on

[3:15:12] the actual number of housing

[3:15:16] units created by this occurs

[3:15:21] and that the audit of

[3:15:22] the number of housing units

[3:15:25] created by this tax.

[3:15:26] Otherwise you're pouring this

[3:15:31] tax into a general fund and

[3:15:36] it's going to disappear down

[3:15:37] the drain like all the other

[3:15:37] overspending.

[3:15:41] Thank you.

[3:15:41] >> Thank you.

[3:15:42] Next is Tony If you can please

[3:15:45] unmute.

[3:15:50] >> That also concludes the five

[3:15:50] minute time We're here in

[3:15:51] council chambers.

[3:15:51] There are 14 speakers in

[3:15:52] the queue.

[3:15:54] No additional speakers will be

[3:15:55] taken.

[3:15:55] >> Tony if you can please

[3:15:56] proceed with your comments.

[3:16:00] Hello City Council.

[3:16:00] Thank you very much for letting

[3:16:03] me speak with you all today And

[3:16:04] I want to start by apologizing

[3:16:08] to Councilmember Vivian Moreno

[3:16:08] .

[3:16:09] Yesterday I falsely attributed

[3:16:13] the credit that should have

[3:16:14] been given to you to Stephen

[3:16:15] Whitburn for supporting

[3:16:19] the empty House proposal in

[3:16:23] the committee last week And I

[3:16:24] wanted to speak today in favor

[3:16:25] of the measure.

[3:16:28] I also did want to address

[3:16:28] the concerns that have been

[3:16:33] raised in San Francisco and in

[3:16:33] Berkeley as well.

[3:16:34] I want to say that everyone's

[3:16:38] concerns about the litigation

[3:16:38] in Berkeley and and waiting for

[3:16:42] reservation for whatever

[3:16:43] happens there to determine what

[3:16:44] we decide to do here.

[3:16:47] I think we're missing the point

[3:16:48] .

[3:16:48] We need bold leadership.

[3:16:49] Now we don't need to wait for

[3:16:52] other cities to tell us what to

[3:16:52] do in our city.

[3:16:53] We that's why we have our own

[3:16:57] courts to decide those things

[3:16:57] for ourselves.

[3:16:58] >> And we need bold leadership

[3:16:58] to take action now.

[3:16:59] Thank you.

[3:17:02] Thank you.

[3:17:03] >> Next is 8700 If you can

[3:17:07] please unmute Star six turn

[3:17:12] mute.

[3:17:13] >> Thank you Joy from the cd

[3:17:14] three.

[3:17:17] I'm going to repeat what I said

[3:17:17] at Rules.

[3:17:18] I feel good about it.

[3:17:21] There are parts of this item

[3:17:26] that will only be clear as we

[3:17:27] implement and live them.

[3:17:30] Does this apply to all of life?

[3:17:31] Yet we must have the courage to

[3:17:35] take our leaps.

[3:17:36] Here is my main point.

[3:17:41] We are one people equals.

[3:17:45] We are one family in one San

[3:17:45] Diego.

[3:17:46] One family has one part of

[3:17:51] the money used to cover their

[3:17:55] needs in our city family.

[3:17:56] That includes all levels of

[3:18:00] income and revenue for sharing.

[3:18:04] For sharing with all San Diego

[3:18:05] homeowners are part of this

[3:18:09] family's assets.

[3:18:10] Let's do one step at a time.

[3:18:15] This is exciting on this item

[3:18:16] and if we get enough time has

[3:18:20] concluded the San Diego family

[3:18:20] moves this up.

[3:18:21] We try and if you can please

[3:18:21] unmute.

[3:18:24] After that is Francine Maxwell

[3:18:25] .

[3:18:25] >> Oh hi.

[3:18:32] My name We trained and I'm

[3:18:33] executive director of people.

[3:18:35] I'm one of kalinin to continue

[3:18:35] to attract my support for

[3:18:39] the ballot measure.

[3:18:39] Like I said a long time it's

[3:18:40] really difficult to build

[3:18:45] housing and the most thing that

[3:18:46] we can do is just ship a lot of

[3:18:49] the empty homes and make them

[3:18:49] make them available For many,

[3:18:54] many folks here And then I go

[3:18:55] and make it more affordable for

[3:18:55] them.

[3:18:58] Revenues increase so high none

[3:18:58] of that came in by home

[3:18:59] anymore.

[3:19:03] My friends are leaving the town

[3:19:04] and I really don't want them to

[3:19:04] leave.

[3:19:05] I don't want anymore about to

[3:19:05] leave.

[3:19:10] So please vote for days and

[3:19:10] support for that two and then

[3:19:12] put them on the ballot and

[3:19:13] thank you.

[3:19:13] >> Thank you.

[3:19:14] Next is Francine Maxwell If you

[3:19:19] can please unmute.

[3:19:20] >> Francine Maxwell District

[3:19:24] four in Opposition data can be

[3:19:25] manipulated.

[3:19:26] As we have seen before as it

[3:19:29] pertains to our trash free we

[3:19:30] had an outside attorney's I

[3:19:30] understand that was named.

[3:19:34] We have a plethora of city

[3:19:34] attorneys but we continually

[3:19:35] spend money to get an outside

[3:19:39] attorney.

[3:19:39] So again we are paying

[3:19:40] attention closely to how our

[3:19:43] tax dollars are being spent.

[3:19:44] When you look at this, this is

[3:19:48] going to be dedicated money for

[3:19:49] public safety because again we

[3:19:50] are one of the safest big

[3:19:53] cities and public safety is

[3:19:54] number one for all.

[3:19:55] So there is other ways that we

[3:19:55] can do this.

[3:19:58] And when somebody keeps saying

[3:20:03] that people are just so evil

[3:20:03] because they have to homes

[3:20:04] remember what it took for some

[3:20:08] people to purchase their

[3:20:09] parents home.

[3:20:12] And so they are also working

[3:20:13] two and three jobs and can't

[3:20:13] afford their parents home.

[3:20:17] But generational wealth starts

[3:20:17] with making sure that grandma

[3:20:22] and mom's house never gets sold

[3:20:22] .

[3:20:23] >> So please keep that in mind.

[3:20:24] Thank you for that concluding

[3:20:24] comment.

[3:20:25] Blair Beckman if you can please

[3:20:30] unmute high where we commenced

[3:20:34] this item Was it committee Last

[3:20:35] week I was in Maui learning

[3:20:38] about it and now back in San

[3:20:38] Diego and we're finalizing

[3:20:39] things.

[3:20:39] Good luck in your efforts.

[3:20:44] I think this is an important

[3:20:44] item.

[3:20:45] We're having an important shift

[3:20:47] in thinking that you're trying

[3:20:48] to develop a sense of care for

[3:20:52] our the people of our community

[3:20:53] and our society.

[3:20:54] I don't think anybody can fault

[3:20:58] councilperson Lapera and staff

[3:20:58] for what they're working on

[3:21:02] their goals their commendable

[3:21:03] really good luck in such

[3:21:03] efforts.

[3:21:07] I think we're trying to address

[3:21:07] San Francisco and that Oakland

[3:21:08] and Berkeley have improved upon

[3:21:12] San Francisco's ideas that that

[3:21:13] needs to be considered And I

[3:21:13] don't know quite what to do

[3:21:17] with the taxation issue how our

[3:21:18] founding fathers would view

[3:21:22] taxation versus an overall care

[3:21:23] for people that we're trying to

[3:21:23] offer for this item.

[3:21:24] Good luck how we can move

[3:21:27] forward in our human history

[3:21:28] and thinking of care as an

[3:21:29] important concept of our

[3:21:33] beliefs systems.

[3:21:33] >> Thank you.

[3:21:36] Next is phone number ending in

[3:21:39] 356356 and then after that evac

[3:21:45] 3856.

[3:21:46] This is Carol Shorter said I

[3:21:47] oppose this under tax on a

[3:21:49] residential real estate broker

[3:21:50] of over 40 years in San Diego

[3:21:54] loving this tax on likely

[3:21:58] nonresidents who have no voice

[3:21:59] in this conversation and they

[3:22:00] will have no vote is absolutely

[3:22:04] unconscionable.

[3:22:05] They already pay their fair

[3:22:05] share I for fair share a number

[3:22:08] of times they pay their fair

[3:22:09] share.

[3:22:09] It's all done on property tax

[3:22:10] valuation.

[3:22:10] Many of these people are

[3:22:13] recently purchasing They're

[3:22:14] paying over $10,000.

[3:22:14] You want to pay them another x,

[3:22:18] y, z amount arbitrarily.

[3:22:18] That's way more than their fair

[3:22:19] share.

[3:22:23] These are visitors to our city.

[3:22:24] What used to be like San

[3:22:28] Diego's Best Buy some you know

[3:22:28] Not anymore.

[3:22:29] Not if you're going to have

[3:22:32] this unwelcome mat at your door

[3:22:32] .

[3:22:33] I don't like where our city is

[3:22:33] headed.

[3:22:34] I don't think you have any

[3:22:38] right to tax second homes.

[3:22:41] What gives you the privilege to

[3:22:42] stand there discriminate

[3:22:42] against one group of people and

[3:22:46] you say to them oh you you

[3:22:47] people over here have to pay

[3:22:48] for our bad management.

[3:22:48] That's wrong.

[3:22:51] There's so many things wrong

[3:22:51] with that.

[3:22:52] >> Your time has come back.

[3:22:55] If you can please unmute I am a

[3:22:59] resident of d five and I am

[3:23:00] calling in to support this

[3:23:00] measure.

[3:23:04] I believe that housing is a

[3:23:04] human right.

[3:23:05] I believe that the city has a

[3:23:05] responsibility to ensure that

[3:23:09] its housing stock is being used

[3:23:09] by residents, by

[3:23:10] the communities, by people who

[3:23:14] are currently struggling to

[3:23:14] afford to live in

[3:23:15] the communities that they work

[3:23:18] in and serve.

[3:23:19] >> If somebody wants to have a

[3:23:20] second vacant home or have a

[3:23:23] vacation home or speculate on

[3:23:24] real estate, that's fine.

[3:23:25] That's not something the city

[3:23:28] will ever be able to stop.

[3:23:28] But I believe that the city has

[3:23:33] a duty to disincentivize it and

[3:23:33] if that goes to help provide

[3:23:38] more service is by giving a

[3:23:39] progressive tax measure that

[3:23:39] supports our general fund.

[3:23:42] I'm fine with that too.

[3:23:43] >> I live in this city.

[3:23:44] I benefit from the services

[3:23:44] here.

[3:23:48] Thank you.

[3:23:49] Next is respect a bird rug If

[3:23:57] you can please unmute.

[3:23:57] Good afternoon.

[3:23:58] I'm Henry Bevins With respect

[3:24:03] Bird one in La Hoya along

[3:24:03] the coast.

[3:24:06] We're here to say build more

[3:24:07] first homes first and support

[3:24:08] the empty second homes.

[3:24:11] That's but pair it with

[3:24:15] the coastal height limit Update

[3:24:16] on the 2026 ballot.

[3:24:17] Don't be scared Taxing

[3:24:20] vacancies Managers scarcity But

[3:24:21] it does not end in the 1972

[3:24:24] Nixon era coastal height limit

[3:24:25] update will end scarcity.

[3:24:29] For 54 years this Nixon Arab

[3:24:30] law has used I-5 as a concrete

[3:24:34] barricade to opportunity west

[3:24:35] of the freeway.

[3:24:35] Coastal neighborhoods approved

[3:24:38] only 25 affordable homes in

[3:24:38] three years.

[3:24:39] That's just not fair.

[3:24:43] These measures are partners.

[3:24:44] One treats a symptom, the other

[3:24:46] treats a disease An artificial

[3:24:47] Watergate error 50 years

[3:24:47] scarcity of land.

[3:24:51] Please place both on the 2026

[3:24:51] ballot a draconian 30 foot

[3:24:57] height limit until these miles

[3:24:57] from the coast is simply not

[3:24:58] serving San Diego.

[3:24:59] Great turnout today.

[3:24:59] I hope people work on that.

[3:25:05] Thank you.

[3:25:06] Next is Looper Rogers If you

[3:25:09] can please unmute and for that

[3:25:10] will be Narcan and and cpm

[3:25:14] please proceed.

[3:25:14] Thank you.

[3:25:15] Oh the metric community

[3:25:18] advocacy Network is in support

[3:25:19] of this proposal.

[3:25:20] Thank you Council Member de La

[3:25:20] Ribera.

[3:25:23] Since we believe that it is

[3:25:24] time to address the housing

[3:25:24] crisis that the city's

[3:25:25] residents have been

[3:25:27] experiencing in these recent

[3:25:28] years people who are actually

[3:25:29] working and are contributing to

[3:25:33] the city.

[3:25:33] Please people don't choose to

[3:25:34] be poor San Diego and are

[3:25:37] stepping up and doing what they

[3:25:38] can to continue living in

[3:25:38] the city.

[3:25:41] It is difficult to hear of

[3:25:42] parents taking second shifts

[3:25:43] just to be able to afford rent.

[3:25:46] For many mothers this is their

[3:25:46] first time working but they are

[3:25:47] willing to step up out of their

[3:25:50] homes and work because they

[3:25:51] understand the reality that

[3:25:51] they are facing.

[3:25:55] This year we will start to see

[3:25:55] the effects of the many budget

[3:25:56] deficits happening at every

[3:25:57] single level and it is

[3:26:00] difficult to imagine to imagine

[3:26:01] how much worse the housing

[3:26:01] situation will get.

[3:26:06] That is why we asked City

[3:26:06] Council to vote yes on this

[3:26:07] proposal and let us have final

[3:26:09] say in the JUNE elections.

[3:26:10] Like many advocates, we want to

[3:26:11] see more housing for working

[3:26:12] class San Diego and thank you

[3:26:15] for your time and consideration

[3:26:15] .

[3:26:15] Thank you.

[3:26:16] Next is on If you can please

[3:26:24] unmute I, I want to touch on

[3:26:28] the fact that Joe LaCava talked

[3:26:29] on it in the Rules Committee on

[3:26:30] this Is that what will happen

[3:26:35] if somebody takes a house back

[3:26:35] they get it back for three

[3:26:38] months or if they have to

[3:26:39] renovate it then they have to

[3:26:42] list the home and then most

[3:26:43] first time home buyers are

[3:26:44] going to need 60 days for loan

[3:26:48] approvals for that particular

[3:26:49] seller can just go and sell it

[3:26:52] to a corporate nation.

[3:26:53] The idea this law should be put

[3:26:57] into place is going to promote

[3:26:58] selling your home to a

[3:27:02] corporation over selling it to

[3:27:03] a first time home buyer.

[3:27:07] This six month period is is is

[3:27:07] a wrong idea without any kind

[3:27:12] of extension for motivation For

[3:27:13] me I have health issues so I

[3:27:17] need to have an extension at

[3:27:21] times longer than 183 days.

[3:27:21] >> Thank you.

[3:27:22] Thank you, Nancy.

[3:27:28] If you can please unmute I can

[3:27:28] you hear me?

[3:27:29] Yes.

[3:27:33] Please proceed.

[3:27:33] >> Thanks.

[3:27:34] I'm Nancy with of your Families

[3:27:35] for Justice calling in support

[3:27:37] of the empty homes tax ballot

[3:27:38] measure.

[3:27:38] I also work in homeless

[3:27:42] services with staff who have

[3:27:42] previously and currently are

[3:27:43] experiencing homelessness.

[3:27:44] We believe housing is a human

[3:27:48] right.

[3:27:48] We are grateful for Sean

[3:27:49] Rivera's persistence in finding

[3:27:50] a way to address our housing

[3:27:50] crisis.

[3:27:52] We need both bold solutions and

[3:27:53] this is one of them.

[3:27:54] It's all the better By being a

[3:27:57] voter decision.

[3:27:58] We are a collection of families

[3:27:58] who are finding it almost

[3:27:59] unbearable to raise our kids

[3:28:02] here under the burden of

[3:28:03] housing and child care costs.

[3:28:04] Many of us wish to have kids or

[3:28:06] more kids but can't because of

[3:28:07] the inability to rent or buy

[3:28:07] bigger.

[3:28:11] But the commenters with two

[3:28:12] homes that have called in these

[3:28:16] wake up you are not suffering.

[3:28:17] You can avoid this by making

[3:28:17] your property available for

[3:28:18] short term renters or other

[3:28:21] ways.

[3:28:22] >> It's not occupied.

[3:28:22] Maybe even increase your

[3:28:23] income.

[3:28:26] Last but not least our budget

[3:28:26] woes could be quickly solved

[3:28:30] with public outrage over apd

[3:28:30] murdering and spending $30

[3:28:35] million of our taxpayer dollars

[3:28:36] until the time has concluded.

[3:28:37] >> Chris Gene, if you can

[3:28:40] please unmute.

[3:28:40] >> After that is Lyn.

[3:28:41] Christine Please proceed.

[3:28:45] Hi, I'm in District one.

[3:28:46] I don't understand why there's

[3:28:50] a rush to get this on

[3:28:50] the ballot.

[3:28:51] You guys have had ten months

[3:28:53] you've been working on it for

[3:28:53] ten months to get your

[3:28:54] propaganda out and everything

[3:28:54] else.

[3:28:58] You know people in opposition

[3:28:59] only have a few months to get

[3:29:00] the other side out So I think

[3:29:03] that's really wrong.

[3:29:04] I also believe there's going to

[3:29:04] be a lot of unintended

[3:29:05] consequences that come with

[3:29:07] this.

[3:29:08] People are going to be turning

[3:29:12] their homes The Airbnbs it's

[3:29:13] going to destroy neighborhoods.

[3:29:14] I don't think it's a good thing

[3:29:18] And I just I don't like

[3:29:18] the rush.

[3:29:19] Also currently right now in my

[3:29:22] area rent is 10 to $20,000 a

[3:29:23] month.

[3:29:26] That's going to go up because

[3:29:27] when you guys changed

[3:29:27] the zoning, the fire zoning now

[3:29:32] all of a sudden we've lost our

[3:29:32] homeowner's insurance.

[3:29:33] So we're probably gonna have to

[3:29:34] go with the fair plan which is

[3:29:37] anything but fair.

[3:29:38] It's expensive And if people

[3:29:39] are renting their homes out if

[3:29:41] they're going to have to

[3:29:42] increase the rent from 10 to 20

[3:29:46] to 20 to 30,000, it's not a

[3:29:46] good thing.

[3:29:47] >> Please vote no.

[3:29:47] Your time has concluded.

[3:29:55] Next is Lynn.

[3:29:56] >> Hi there.

[3:30:00] My name is Lynn and I'm a San

[3:30:01] Diego resident strongly in

[3:30:05] support of the empty homes tax

[3:30:05] .

[3:30:06] I've been in San Diego over 30

[3:30:10] years and I once owned a condo

[3:30:11] that I lost in the crash of

[3:30:15] 2008 And after that I.

[3:30:16] I could never seem to get

[3:30:16] caught up.

[3:30:20] As prices continued to rise

[3:30:23] etc. But when the pandemic hit

[3:30:24] in 2020 all of my friends even

[3:30:28] the ones that were somewhat

[3:30:29] poor like me became

[3:30:29] millionaires overnight who

[3:30:34] owned homes, anybody who owned

[3:30:35] a home even if it was a you

[3:30:37] know, 400 square foot hovel.

[3:30:41] Well, I spent the last five

[3:30:42] years getting worrying about

[3:30:42] getting kicked out of my

[3:30:46] apartment that I rent.

[3:30:47] So I've been checking into all

[3:30:48] kinds of things that California

[3:30:51] dream for all addus tiny homes.

[3:30:55] >> But none of those things are

[3:30:56] doable because of permitting

[3:31:01] and all that kind of stuff and

[3:31:02] I'm glad some of that

[3:31:05] concluding comment Janika after

[3:31:06] that is Doreen Diaz and she is

[3:31:06] our final speaker.

[3:31:11] Janika Falconer Hi, can you

[3:31:11] hear me?

[3:31:12] Yes, Please proceed.

[3:31:15] How can you to me anyway I am

[3:31:16] Janika Addie for resident

[3:31:17] people who live and work in San

[3:31:20] Diego know firsthand that

[3:31:21] the cost of renting and buying

[3:31:21] a place to live is sky high.

[3:31:24] Part of our housing crisis is

[3:31:25] due to big corporations and

[3:31:28] wealthy investors snatching up

[3:31:29] over 5000 homes.

[3:31:29] These empty second, third and

[3:31:30] fourth homes tighten Housing

[3:31:34] market and make it more

[3:31:34] expensive to rent or buy.

[3:31:35] San Diego can increase access

[3:31:38] to housing by supporting a

[3:31:39] proposed ballot measure that

[3:31:39] would tax big corporations and

[3:31:42] wealthy investors who are

[3:31:43] keeping homes off the market.

[3:31:44] This will encourage them to

[3:31:48] either put homes on the market

[3:31:49] for Sandy against to rent or

[3:31:49] buy.

[3:31:49] Increasing the supply and

[3:31:53] lowering the cost or pay a tax

[3:31:53] to generate revenue to build

[3:31:54] more affordable housing and

[3:31:54] infrastructure.

[3:31:58] Please put voters in control of

[3:31:58] deciding how revenue for

[3:31:59] affordable housing and other

[3:32:02] items are spent.

[3:32:03] Through public input,

[3:32:03] transparent oversight and an

[3:32:08] independent budget audit.

[3:32:08] Thank you for serving our

[3:32:09] communities.

[3:32:12] Have a good night.

[3:32:12] Thank you.

[3:32:13] Our final speaker is during

[3:32:13] Diaz.

[3:32:16] If you can please unmute.

[3:32:16] >> Hi.

[3:32:22] I am in favor of this.

[3:32:23] That has been fighting a vacant

[3:32:27] hold for five years.

[3:32:30] This home was a public nuisance

[3:32:31] since DECEMBER 2021 Code

[3:32:31] enforcement abatement.

[3:32:35] There was no action taken.

[3:32:40] The project 112833 also states

[3:32:45] that this lot is empty because

[3:32:49] dsd allows fraud with Diva llc

[3:32:50] and broker committing fraud

[3:32:51] saying it's an empty lot.

[3:32:55] But as I ask you this with this

[3:32:56] vacant property it can an empty

[3:32:58] lot get a demolition permit?

[3:32:59] And why would an empty lot be

[3:33:03] given a demolition permit and

[3:33:04] they lie in the application

[3:33:05] saying it's known to very high

[3:33:09] fines then no to code

[3:33:10] enforcement.

[3:33:14] These vacant home is a nuisance

[3:33:15] and anybody who can't rent a

[3:33:19] home has a problem.

[3:33:20] >> The delivery not wanting.

[3:33:24] Your time has concluded That

[3:33:25] does include public comment.

[3:33:25] I would just note for

[3:33:28] the record that we did receive

[3:33:29] four speakers in favor that did

[3:33:29] not wish to speak.

[3:33:30] One speaker in opposition that

[3:33:33] did not wish to speak and we

[3:33:33] received 20 comments in favor

[3:33:37] and 94 comments in opposition

[3:33:37] very comment form which have

[3:33:38] been distributed to

[3:33:38] the Council.

[3:33:39] Thank you.

[3:33:41] Council PRESIDENT.

[3:33:41] All right.

[3:33:42] Thank you City Clerk.

[3:33:46] Before we move on, please join

[3:33:47] me in thanking City Clerk

[3:33:49] Fuentes for managing as well as

[3:33:54] her entire team going forward.

[3:33:55] >> At this time you could clap

[3:33:59] Nobody.

[3:34:04] Anyway, it is not an easy task

[3:34:05] and her and her team do a

[3:34:05] fabulous job.

[3:34:08] We very much appreciated.

[3:34:09] Make sure everybody gets heard

[3:34:10] that wants to speak.

[3:34:13] Thank you all for showing up

[3:34:14] and speaking Those who

[3:34:14] participated remotely

[3:34:15] appreciate that as well.

[3:34:18] So now we'll turn it over to

[3:34:19] council members for questions,

[3:34:23] comments and entertain a motion

[3:34:24] and we'll start with council

[3:34:25] member Ella Rivera.

[3:34:25] >> Thank you.

[3:34:29] Council PRESIDENT Or say thank

[3:34:30] you to Mayor you and Molly for

[3:34:33] all the work that you put into

[3:34:33] this.

[3:34:34] Thank you so much.

[3:34:38] Thank you, Charles to you and

[3:34:38] your team for all the analysis

[3:34:39] that you provided Treasurer's

[3:34:43] office for their work and again

[3:34:44] the City Attorney's office I

[3:34:44] also want to say thank you to

[3:34:48] the folks who came down here to

[3:34:48] share your story.

[3:34:49] I think you helped ground us in

[3:34:52] what is at stake today and I

[3:34:53] could not help but notice how

[3:34:57] many young faces we saw here

[3:34:57] today.

[3:35:02] Um, the desire to just have a

[3:35:06] chance to live in this city is

[3:35:11] so strong and we need to

[3:35:11] encourage that.

[3:35:16] We need to make folks know that

[3:35:17] we are trying to give them

[3:35:17] again.

[3:35:20] No one's asking for a handout.

[3:35:21] No one here was asking for free

[3:35:21] housing.

[3:35:25] They want a chance to live in

[3:35:25] the city that they love and

[3:35:26] that they work in.

[3:35:26] We heard it from teachers.

[3:35:30] We heard it from firefighters.

[3:35:30] We heard it from students.

[3:35:31] We heard it from recent grads.

[3:35:32] And I so appreciate you all

[3:35:34] showing up here and sharing

[3:35:39] your stories And that's why

[3:35:40] home shouldn't be sitting empty

[3:35:43] during a housing crisis.

[3:35:44] We are making strides as a

[3:35:45] city.

[3:35:45] We've strengthened tenant

[3:35:48] protections.

[3:35:49] We've increased permitting and

[3:35:49] production.

[3:35:50] We've created tools to preserve

[3:35:53] affordable housing And we have

[3:35:54] an opportunity today to take an

[3:35:54] additional step and ask voters

[3:35:58] whether they want another tool

[3:35:59] that can directly help San

[3:36:00] Diego and stay in San Diego.

[3:36:03] The empty homes tax that's

[3:36:04] proposed would do two things

[3:36:04] that matter.

[3:36:05] First, it changes incentives.

[3:36:09] Some homes currently sitting

[3:36:09] vacant would are more likely to

[3:36:13] be rented or sold to people who

[3:36:13] actually live here.

[3:36:17] As a council we've celebrated

[3:36:18] breaking ground and approving

[3:36:18] financing for the development

[3:36:21] of 50 homes 75 homes, 100

[3:36:22] homes.

[3:36:22] And we should celebrate that

[3:36:26] every time we build a home we

[3:36:27] add a home.

[3:36:28] We relieve pressure in a market

[3:36:31] that has become a pressure

[3:36:32] cooker for everyday people.

[3:36:32] We cannot predict exactly how

[3:36:33] many homes will return to

[3:36:36] the long term market if this

[3:36:36] measure passes but we do know

[3:36:37] this incentives will change and

[3:36:40] homes will come back into use.

[3:36:41] And just like every new home we

[3:36:42] build, every home returned to

[3:36:46] the housing market is worthy of

[3:36:46] celebration because it opens a

[3:36:47] door to a family or a young

[3:36:51] professional that gets to stay

[3:36:52] in San Diego potentially even

[3:36:52] as a homeowner.

[3:36:56] The second thing it does is

[3:36:56] generate new revenue for

[3:36:57] general city services services

[3:37:00] that support housing stability,

[3:37:00] homelessness prevention and

[3:37:01] the basic infrastructure that

[3:37:02] residents rely on.

[3:37:05] They genuine win win for San

[3:37:06] Diego and for San Diegans.

[3:37:10] The overwhelming majority of

[3:37:11] San Diegans will never pay this

[3:37:11] tax because it does not apply

[3:37:12] to primary homes.

[3:37:15] It does not apply to long term

[3:37:15] rentals.

[3:37:16] It targets a narrow category

[3:37:20] homes left vacant for most of

[3:37:20] the year.

[3:37:21] Again in the middle of a

[3:37:24] housing shortage.

[3:37:25] I want to be explicit for

[3:37:26] the record I did this in

[3:37:26] committee.

[3:37:27] I'll do it again on a legal

[3:37:30] question that's come up in

[3:37:30] recent weeks regarding

[3:37:31] the Ellis Act.

[3:37:34] This measure does not require

[3:37:35] anyone to rent their home.

[3:37:36] It does not compel anyone to

[3:37:36] remain in the rental business.

[3:37:40] Nothing in this proposal

[3:37:40] changes The Ellis Act, changes

[3:37:41] eviction law or creates any

[3:37:44] right for the city or for

[3:37:45] anyone else to occupy.

[3:37:48] Private property owners retain

[3:37:49] the full right to keep a home

[3:37:50] vacant if they choose.

[3:37:53] What this measure does do is

[3:37:54] straightforward It sets an

[3:37:57] objective standard vacant for

[3:37:58] more than 180 days and says

[3:37:58] that if an owner chooses to

[3:37:59] keep a residential property

[3:38:02] vacant beyond that threshold

[3:38:03] during a housing shortage, that

[3:38:07] choice has a real public cost

[3:38:08] and a tax applies that is

[3:38:08] illegitimate exercises exercise

[3:38:11] of the city's taxing authority

[3:38:12] and is meaningfully different

[3:38:13] from what San Francisco tried

[3:38:13] to do.

[3:38:17] San Francisco's measures would

[3:38:18] strip San Francisco's measure

[3:38:19] was structured in a way that

[3:38:19] courts found effectively

[3:38:22] compelled rental of specific

[3:38:22] residential buildings.

[3:38:23] Ours is not that our scope is

[3:38:23] different.

[3:38:28] It's more carefully crafted and

[3:38:32] it exists in its exclusions and

[3:38:32] modeled closely on a measure

[3:38:33] which has operated successfully

[3:38:36] for over two years without a

[3:38:37] successful legal challenge.

[3:38:40] So while amateur legal analysts

[3:38:41] are throwing spaghetti at

[3:38:41] the wall because they know

[3:38:42] the people are broadly

[3:38:45] supportive of this proposal,

[3:38:46] the city's attorney's office

[3:38:46] with outside expert counsel has

[3:38:50] reviewed this carefully and I'm

[3:38:51] very confident in

[3:38:55] the foundation we built.

[3:38:56] I want to be clear about how

[3:38:56] carefully the rest of this

[3:38:57] proposal proposal has been put

[3:38:58] together.

[3:38:59] We work closely with

[3:39:00] the Treasurer's office and with

[3:39:00] people in the community to

[3:39:04] create a measure that is

[3:39:04] implementable.

[3:39:05] We took into account real life

[3:39:08] circumstances where a tax

[3:39:09] should not apply and I hope

[3:39:10] that some of the opponents who

[3:39:13] spoke today listen to this

[3:39:14] because some of the concerns

[3:39:18] were raised are not actually

[3:39:19] you're going to be exempt from

[3:39:21] this tax if a family member is

[3:39:22] living in a second home, that

[3:39:23] home should not be taxed and it

[3:39:23] won't.

[3:39:26] If a loved one has passed away

[3:39:27] and the family is navigating

[3:39:28] probate or cannot yet afford

[3:39:31] needed repairs, that home

[3:39:31] should not be taxed and it

[3:39:32] won't be.

[3:39:33] If someone is deployed in

[3:39:35] the military their home should

[3:39:36] not be taxed and it won't be.

[3:39:36] These exclusions exist because

[3:39:40] good policy has to be sensible

[3:39:40] and fair.

[3:39:41] While staying focused on

[3:39:41] the goal getting homes back

[3:39:45] into use for San Diegans who

[3:39:46] need them My priority is San

[3:39:47] Diego families its young

[3:39:50] professionals.

[3:39:50] It's the public workers who

[3:39:51] want to live in this city.

[3:39:52] This is one piece of a broad

[3:39:55] strategy to lower the cost of

[3:39:55] living and expand opportunity

[3:39:56] in the city.

[3:39:59] The opportunity before us today

[3:40:00] is straightforward.

[3:40:01] We can act or we can leave

[3:40:01] intact a system where thousands

[3:40:04] of homes sit empty while

[3:40:05] everyday people work their off

[3:40:08] just to afford a place to live

[3:40:09] .

[3:40:10] With that I move I move staff

[3:40:13] recommendation and authorize

[3:40:14] myself Councilmember Isla

[3:40:15] Rivera to sign and file a

[3:40:15] written ballot argument in

[3:40:18] favor of the ballot measure for

[3:40:19] inclusion in the voter

[3:40:19] pamphlet.

[3:40:20] Thank you Council PRESIDENT.

[3:40:20] All right.

[3:40:23] Thank you, Council members.

[3:40:24] >> So we do have a motion to

[3:40:25] move the staff recommendation

[3:40:27] that it's shown on the screen

[3:40:28] And we'll go next to Council

[3:40:33] PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee Thank you

[3:40:33] Council PRESIDENT And thank you

[3:40:34] council member Ella Rivera for

[3:40:37] bringing this proposal forward

[3:40:37] .

[3:40:38] We all know that San Diego is

[3:40:38] facing a housing crisis.

[3:40:41] We need more homes as part of

[3:40:42] that housing supply.

[3:40:43] Yet many homes that could house

[3:40:47] San Diegans are sitting empty,

[3:40:48] built, ready but unused while

[3:40:51] families struggle to afford

[3:40:52] rent.

[3:40:52] First time homebuyers struggle

[3:40:53] to compete.

[3:40:56] And young people who grew up

[3:40:57] here wonder whether they'll

[3:40:57] ever be able to stay.

[3:41:00] That disconnect is what this

[3:41:01] measure is intended to address.

[3:41:02] At its core, this proposal is

[3:41:06] about fairness and responsible

[3:41:06] use of housing in a city where

[3:41:07] housing is scarce.

[3:41:10] Homes should be lived in,

[3:41:11] rented out or sold to someone

[3:41:15] who will live in them.

[3:41:15] What this measure says is

[3:41:16] simple If someone chooses to

[3:41:19] keep a home empty then they

[3:41:20] should contribute a little more

[3:41:21] to the community that makes

[3:41:21] that investment possible.

[3:41:25] If someone can afford to own a

[3:41:26] second home and not use it for

[3:41:29] any purpose they can absolutely

[3:41:30] afford to pay this tax and

[3:41:34] should importantly this

[3:41:35] proposal still leaves

[3:41:35] the choice with the homeowner.

[3:41:39] A homeowner can continue to

[3:41:40] leave the home empty and pay

[3:41:40] the tax.

[3:41:41] Or they can put the home to use

[3:41:44] by living in it, renting it out

[3:41:45] or selling it.

[3:41:48] This is why I view this as a

[3:41:49] very reasonable and targeted

[3:41:49] approach.

[3:41:50] It does not impact as

[3:41:54] Councilmember Isla Rivera

[3:41:54] mentioned, any primary

[3:41:55] residences or renters and is

[3:41:58] focused specifically on

[3:41:59] the roughly 5000 homes that

[3:42:00] already file an exemption to

[3:42:03] the city's rental unit business

[3:42:04] tax and identify themselves as

[3:42:07] a second home or vacation home.

[3:42:08] That list already exists

[3:42:12] doesn't require some audit.

[3:42:12] Many of these are likely owned

[3:42:16] by people who live elsewhere

[3:42:17] and are not part of our local

[3:42:18] housing supply.

[3:42:21] The measure also includes

[3:42:22] thoughtful exemptions for

[3:42:22] homeowners facing unique

[3:42:26] circumstances such as those in

[3:42:27] long term care or on military

[3:42:27] deployment.

[3:42:28] And I also want to thank

[3:42:28] council member Ella Rivera for

[3:42:31] taking our amendment a

[3:42:31] committee to ensure that

[3:42:32] the measure does not impact

[3:42:35] newly built housing.

[3:42:36] >> We appreciate the report

[3:42:37] provided by the aba which helps

[3:42:37] us to understand how this

[3:42:40] measure compares with similar

[3:42:41] policies adopted in other

[3:42:41] cities.

[3:42:42] And the end result is a range

[3:42:45] of revenue expectations that I

[3:42:46] believe gives voters a

[3:42:50] realistic understanding of what

[3:42:50] this measure can generate.

[3:42:51] That revenue MAY be modest but

[3:42:55] at a time when the city faces

[3:42:55] ongoing budgetary challenges,

[3:42:56] every responsible source of

[3:42:56] revenue helps support

[3:43:00] the services that our residents

[3:43:01] rely on.

[3:43:01] Ultimately, today's action is

[3:43:05] about giving voters

[3:43:06] the opportunity to weigh in on

[3:43:06] a focused and reasonable

[3:43:07] proposal.

[3:43:10] I believe this is a thoughtful

[3:43:11] step for us to place before

[3:43:12] the voters again in a housing

[3:43:14] crisis.

[3:43:15] Homes should be for living in

[3:43:16] not sitting empty.

[3:43:20] And for these reasons I'm proud

[3:43:21] to support this measure and I'm

[3:43:24] happy to second the motion.

[3:43:25] All right.

[3:43:25] So with that we have a motion

[3:43:26] by council member Ella Rivera

[3:43:28] and a second by Council

[3:43:29] PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee to move

[3:43:33] the staff recommendation with

[3:43:34] the additional language as

[3:43:38] shown on the screen.

[3:43:39] All offer a few comments

[3:43:43] because I don't see anybody

[3:43:43] else on the lines of

[3:43:47] Councilmember Campos.

[3:43:52] Thank you Council PRESIDENT And

[3:43:53] thank you to the members of

[3:43:54] the public who came in at Rules

[3:43:58] Committee and today to express

[3:43:58] their views.

[3:44:01] And I appreciate the District

[3:44:02] nine staff for the work in

[3:44:03] bringing back a revised

[3:44:03] proposal.

[3:44:04] And I thank them for excluding

[3:44:07] tier three and Tier four short

[3:44:07] term vacation rentals.

[3:44:08] And the definition of an empty

[3:44:08] home.

[3:44:11] You know, I'm all ears on ideas

[3:44:12] that could potentially put

[3:44:13] homes on the market.

[3:44:16] And it seems that this proposal

[3:44:17] certainly would.

[3:44:17] And when this item came to

[3:44:21] the Rules Committee last week,

[3:44:22] I asked for one thing to help

[3:44:22] make my decision at full

[3:44:26] council a robust legal memo

[3:44:26] analyzing the taxes ability to

[3:44:27] withstand a lawsuit.

[3:44:30] I have not received it.

[3:44:31] It is hard to believe that

[3:44:32] after months of developing

[3:44:35] the proposal with significant

[3:44:36] similarities to a version

[3:44:38] that's been stopped in court in

[3:44:39] 2024 that there is no memo to

[3:44:39] share.

[3:44:43] When we have tight lines, tight

[3:44:44] timelines as we do today with

[3:44:45] less than one week between

[3:44:48] committee and council, we

[3:44:49] should rely on the analysis not

[3:44:53] just the conclusion to make

[3:44:53] responsible decisions.

[3:44:54] Councils past and present have

[3:44:58] relied on recommendations that

[3:44:59] ended up wasting staff time and

[3:44:59] taxpayer dollars without

[3:45:03] demanding the analysis first.

[3:45:04] I won't make that same mistake.

[3:45:08] Let me be clear that our deputy

[3:45:09] city attorneys are competent

[3:45:09] and diligent and dedicated

[3:45:10] public service servants working

[3:45:12] on the most important issues

[3:45:13] facing our city.

[3:45:13] i know this personally because

[3:45:17] I have worked with them for.

[3:45:20] As a council member for over

[3:45:21] five years and as one of them

[3:45:22] for two and a half years before

[3:45:22] that.

[3:45:26] But I weigh the potential legal

[3:45:26] viability and risk together

[3:45:30] with the net public benefit and

[3:45:31] the decisions I make no matter

[3:45:32] how compelling or urgent

[3:45:35] the motivation behind it is.

[3:45:36] And certainly there is an

[3:45:37] urgent and compelling

[3:45:40] motivation.

[3:45:41] I'm hesitant to vote for this

[3:45:41] today because I have not

[3:45:44] received the information I need

[3:45:45] to be confident in that

[3:45:46] decision and confidence in our

[3:45:50] decisions is something

[3:45:50] the public truly lacks these

[3:45:51] days.

[3:45:54] I wanted simple information to

[3:45:55] make the best decision for my

[3:45:56] constituents and I cannot in

[3:45:59] good faith vote yes today on

[3:46:00] the reasonable request I made

[3:46:00] last week has not been

[3:46:01] fulfilled.

[3:46:04] As stated earlier, there is so

[3:46:04] much at stake.

[3:46:09] I agree.

[3:46:09] And that's why moving forward

[3:46:10] without the final piece of work

[3:46:13] and perhaps the most

[3:46:14] consequential piece of work

[3:46:15] being done is inadvisable.

[3:46:20] Thank you.

[3:46:21] >> All right.

[3:46:21] Thank you.

[3:46:22] Councilmember Camp here for

[3:46:25] your comment.

[3:46:26] Again, not seeing anybody else

[3:46:30] on the lights.

[3:46:30] >> Okay.

[3:46:31] Well, I'll give you that extra

[3:46:34] time.

[3:46:36] Let me offer a few comments of

[3:46:40] my own and then maybe ask a

[3:46:40] couple of questions.

[3:46:44] So I do want to thank

[3:46:45] Councilmember Gil Rivera and

[3:46:49] your team for the good work in

[3:46:49] bringing this forward.

[3:46:50] I want to thank the aba for

[3:46:54] your in-depth analysis which

[3:46:54] this Council relies on and

[3:46:59] the candor you described in

[3:46:59] terms of trying to frame how

[3:47:03] much from purely a revenue

[3:47:04] point of view this could

[3:47:04] generate.

[3:47:08] I'm a little frustrated by

[3:47:09] those who throw the Bible under

[3:47:10] the bus when they don't like

[3:47:14] the numbers and then tell us to

[3:47:15] follow the debate carefully

[3:47:15] when they do like the numbers.

[3:47:19] But I do appreciate the good

[3:47:19] work you've done and the very

[3:47:20] thoughtful way in which you've

[3:47:23] approached it And I know

[3:47:24] there's more work to be done.

[3:47:25] Yeah, I have to get on to

[3:47:25] the ballot.

[3:47:28] I want to thank the city

[3:47:28] attorney's office for the good

[3:47:32] work that they did in helping

[3:47:33] to craft this language.

[3:47:37] And the one thing that I'm

[3:47:41] assured of is that the city

[3:47:42] attorney's office would not put

[3:47:42] something in front of this

[3:47:46] council for a final vote that

[3:47:46] not have had not been fully

[3:47:50] vetted in light of case law,

[3:47:51] federal law, local law, state

[3:47:55] law and litigation.

[3:47:56] I also want to thank all

[3:47:57] the members of the public

[3:48:00] whatever side you are on.

[3:48:01] You brought compelling

[3:48:05] arguments both for and against

[3:48:06] this measure.

[3:48:06] You were respectful to one

[3:48:10] another which as counsel

[3:48:11] PRESIDENT I certainly

[3:48:11] appreciate and I hear

[3:48:15] the passion in your voices.

[3:48:19] We face many challenges as a

[3:48:19] city and two of our most

[3:48:20] pressing are housing and our

[3:48:24] structural budget deficit.

[3:48:24] The Empty Homes Initiative is

[3:48:25] not a silver bullet in itself

[3:48:29] To solve these challenges we

[3:48:29] know there isn't one solution

[3:48:30] to make everything better.

[3:48:31] But let me be clear Every

[3:48:34] action we can take small and

[3:48:34] targeted big and bold is

[3:48:35] important.

[3:48:38] This measure has the potential

[3:48:39] to move us in the right

[3:48:39] direction by generating new

[3:48:42] revenue to fund city services,

[3:48:43] turning empty houses into homes

[3:48:44] for San Diego through some

[3:48:47] combination of the two and

[3:48:47] however this mix plays out.

[3:48:48] This is a good measure for San

[3:48:52] Diego and for San Diego.

[3:48:53] I also want to thank Council

[3:48:56] member Hill over here and his

[3:48:56] team for moving this proposal

[3:48:57] forward.

[3:48:57] Over the past several months

[3:49:01] for listening to stakeholders

[3:49:02] right sizing the initiative to

[3:49:03] the version we see today, I

[3:49:06] also want to put this measure

[3:49:06] in proper context because I

[3:49:07] heard a number of things that

[3:49:10] are a little bit at odds with

[3:49:11] reality.

[3:49:12] The fact is we all operate in a

[3:49:15] way driven by state, local and

[3:49:15] federal law.

[3:49:20] We also make decisions based on

[3:49:20] the tax code, the tax code,

[3:49:25] the federal and state tax codes

[3:49:25] is the very essence of driving

[3:49:26] the public's investments

[3:49:29] investments and financial

[3:49:30] decisions incentivizing their

[3:49:30] behavior.

[3:49:34] The federal tax code ironically

[3:49:35] in this conversation for

[3:49:39] example literally incentivizes

[3:49:40] empty second homes.

[3:49:44] How the tax code allows

[3:49:44] the owner to deduct mortgage

[3:49:45] payments, deduct a portion of

[3:49:49] property tax.

[3:49:49] This measure has

[3:49:50] the opportunity to level

[3:49:54] the playing field for the rest

[3:49:54] of us.

[3:49:55] However, the Empty Homes

[3:49:59] initiative plays out is in

[3:49:59] the hands of the empty

[3:50:00] homeowners.

[3:50:00] It is their choice.

[3:50:01] Pay the tax.

[3:50:04] Change Behavior.

[3:50:04] Offer their units for rent or

[3:50:05] sell the property.

[3:50:06] That's their choice.

[3:50:11] >> Many of those owners of

[3:50:12] empty homes tell us they

[3:50:16] operate in a certain way.

[3:50:17] This MAY be an incentive to

[3:50:20] slightly change how you operate

[3:50:21] as so many other laws and tax

[3:50:26] code provisions compel us to do

[3:50:26] so.

[3:50:27] >> Make no mistake every home

[3:50:28] that comes in the market for

[3:50:31] rent or for sale is something

[3:50:31] to celebrate whether it is high

[3:50:32] end or workforce housing.

[3:50:35] Every new unit that is

[3:50:35] available to San Diego is a

[3:50:36] win.

[3:50:36] This measure could bring

[3:50:40] hundreds of empty homes back

[3:50:40] into the marketplace making

[3:50:41] more homes available to San

[3:50:45] Diego residents.

[3:50:45] That's a win at any scale.

[3:50:46] This measure could generate new

[3:50:50] revenue.

[3:50:50] Even the low end estimate of

[3:50:51] what I hear now is 9 million

[3:50:54] per year will be a significant

[3:50:54] contribution towards our

[3:50:55] structural deficit.

[3:50:59] That's a win at any scale And

[3:50:59] if these homes are flipped to

[3:51:03] short term rentals, well that's

[3:51:04] new Totti that flows to

[3:51:04] the city budget as

[3:51:05] Councilmember Campo mentioned

[3:51:08] at committee and that's a win

[3:51:09] as well.

[3:51:09] So in closing, however, empty

[3:51:13] homes initiative plays out

[3:51:13] keeping that empty home empty

[3:51:18] and paying the tax.

[3:51:18] Changing the owners behavior

[3:51:19] based on the language of

[3:51:23] the ballot measure.

[3:51:23] Converting it to rental

[3:51:24] converting it to a short term

[3:51:25] rental or selling it no matter

[3:51:27] what choices owners make.

[3:51:28] It is a win for San Diego and a

[3:51:29] win for San Diego.

[3:51:32] So I will be voting to support

[3:51:33] the empty homes tax on the JUNE

[3:51:37] ballot.

[3:51:38] Sitting up here as council

[3:51:38] PRESIDENT.

[3:51:41] I hear a lot of things that I

[3:51:42] have to decide what I'm going

[3:51:42] to talk about.

[3:51:43] I'm a little bit disturbed that

[3:51:46] there is an implication in here

[3:51:47] that the city attorney has not

[3:51:48] responded to a committee

[3:51:52] members request for a legal

[3:51:52] interpretation.

[3:51:56] Now you would never ask your

[3:51:57] personal attorney to tell

[3:51:58] the world what your legal

[3:52:01] strategy is.

[3:52:01] That would be foolhardy And I

[3:52:02] think everybody in this room

[3:52:02] knows about it.

[3:52:05] It was very uncomfortable to

[3:52:06] listen to the questions at

[3:52:07] Rules Committee that

[3:52:10] essentially was asking the city

[3:52:11] attorney to resuscitate.

[3:52:15] That's not the right word.

[3:52:15] To repeat what their legal

[3:52:16] strategy is in defending this

[3:52:17] ballot measure.

[3:52:20] So I'm very concerned about

[3:52:21] the idea that is being

[3:52:21] represented in this chambers

[3:52:24] that the city attorney has done

[3:52:25] nothing since committee.

[3:52:26] They have done things in

[3:52:30] the best action that a city

[3:52:30] attorney should provide in

[3:52:31] terms of informing council

[3:52:35] members of a legal basis for a

[3:52:35] measure.

[3:52:36] You MAY disagree with that.

[3:52:36] That's okay.

[3:52:40] You can disagree with it.

[3:52:40] You can have your own opinion.

[3:52:41] We have attorneys on this

[3:52:45] council that MAY have a

[3:52:45] different interpretation.

[3:52:46] I'm okay with that.

[3:52:48] But to represent to this public

[3:52:49] that we have received no legal

[3:52:54] briefings on this measure is

[3:52:54] just frankly false.

[3:52:59] And I'm really disappointed by

[3:52:59] that.

[3:53:00] I'll leave it at that.

[3:53:00] But I will be supporting

[3:53:02] the measure.

[3:53:03] >> And we'll go next to council

[3:53:07] member Yvonne Wolpert.

[3:53:08] Thank you very much for

[3:53:09] the work and the presentation

[3:53:12] to council in the Oval Office.

[3:53:13] Thank you to everyone who has

[3:53:14] weighed in on this measure.

[3:53:17] I know it's been a lot of time

[3:53:18] and effort and thoughtfulness.

[3:53:19] I've heard from many of my

[3:53:21] residents not only in District

[3:53:22] five or across the city

[3:53:23] actually who have varying

[3:53:26] opinions on this on this ballot

[3:53:27] measure And some of

[3:53:31] the concerns that I did hear

[3:53:32] from residents are one not only

[3:53:33] we can't afford to live here my

[3:53:36] daughter became a teacher and

[3:53:37] she can't afford to stay in

[3:53:39] the city To folks who have a

[3:53:40] second condo in their parents

[3:53:41] come in to do childcare for

[3:53:44] their grandchildren and that's

[3:53:45] what they use it for.

[3:53:46] And so I've heard from all

[3:53:46] sorts of folks on this and I

[3:53:50] did have a couple of concerns

[3:53:50] that I'm glad have been

[3:53:51] addressed including our

[3:53:52] military service members.

[3:53:54] I have quite a few members of

[3:53:55] the military who live right

[3:53:55] outside of Miramar in my

[3:53:59] district and I'm glad to see

[3:54:00] that if they are deployed which

[3:54:00] is completely out of their

[3:54:03] control especially given

[3:54:04] the national events going on

[3:54:05] right now, this empty homes tax

[3:54:08] would not apply to their home

[3:54:08] while they're deployed.

[3:54:13] That's correct.

[3:54:14] >> Thank you Council everyone.

[3:54:14] Wolpert That's correct with

[3:54:15] the exclusion.

[3:54:17] Okay.

[3:54:17] Thank you.

[3:54:18] And I also have heard from many

[3:54:23] of my constituents are they own

[3:54:23] a second home but I have family

[3:54:26] members that live in that

[3:54:27] second home and they MAY not

[3:54:28] have a formal lease for

[3:54:28] example.

[3:54:30] Their children MAY come back

[3:54:31] from college for the summer and

[3:54:32] in the fall season and they are

[3:54:35] here more than 183 days a year

[3:54:39] but they don't have a lease

[3:54:39] with their kids.

[3:54:40] Maybe they should Maybe their

[3:54:41] kids are actually you know,

[3:54:41] should learn how to get into

[3:54:44] leases But my understanding is

[3:54:45] that there is a rental unit

[3:54:45] business tax exemption that's

[3:54:49] available for individuals in

[3:54:50] the circumstance where a family

[3:54:50] is using the home so that they

[3:54:54] can show what they're doing

[3:54:55] with their home.

[3:54:56] It's not an actual empty home

[3:54:56] that their children or their

[3:54:57] relatives are in it.

[3:55:00] So can anyone from your office

[3:55:00] or the city treasurer or anyone

[3:55:01] please speak to the process and

[3:55:04] what's involved in exempting a

[3:55:05] property or that has their own

[3:55:05] family staying in their second

[3:55:06] home?

[3:55:09] Thank you.

[3:55:09] I can start us off and if

[3:55:10] the Treasurer's office wants to

[3:55:11] chime in they're more than

[3:55:14] welcome to But you're right in

[3:55:18] the r u b t which owners of

[3:55:18] residential units they pay for

[3:55:23] the rental unit business tax.

[3:55:23] There's an exemption that is

[3:55:24] available for I forget what

[3:55:27] it's called in the rfp but

[3:55:28] there is an exemption for

[3:55:28] family members living on

[3:55:32] the property even if they don't

[3:55:33] have a lease even if they're

[3:55:34] paying less than the cost to

[3:55:34] operate the property And we did

[3:55:39] copy that same exemption

[3:55:40] practically into the into our

[3:55:44] empty homes tax as well.

[3:55:44] Okay.

[3:55:45] Got it.

[3:55:45] Understood.

[3:55:49] I don't know if the city

[3:55:50] Treasurer wants to weigh in on

[3:55:51] that now or later but happy we

[3:55:54] are residents will want to know

[3:55:55] what the process is to make

[3:55:55] sure that they are exempt from

[3:55:56] the tax If they do meet

[3:55:59] the qualifications of having

[3:56:06] their own family in their home

[3:56:06] .

[3:56:07] I have a link to I know I'm

[3:56:08] the business tax program

[3:56:08] manager with the city

[3:56:09] Treasurer's office So yes we do

[3:56:12] have a current exemption where

[3:56:13] the family member if a family

[3:56:14] was living in the property we

[3:56:18] have the exemption from we

[3:56:18] require to some certain

[3:56:23] documents for example like a

[3:56:24] proof of residence which could

[3:56:24] be like a bill utility bill.

[3:56:28] There's also the amount that

[3:56:29] that the property is being

[3:56:29] rented for.

[3:56:34] So that's we rented that land

[3:56:35] and in their owners owner's

[3:56:38] expense So if it's for a profit

[3:56:38] then it's not exempt.

[3:56:42] But there's a specific formula

[3:56:43] we use to exempt the homes and

[3:56:47] that will continue to run with

[3:56:47] it very quickly.

[3:56:48] And now we're talking about

[3:56:51] multiple exemptions at the same

[3:56:52] time.

[3:56:52] So to make sure so

[3:56:53] the exemption that was

[3:56:56] referenced there and and

[3:56:56] the Treasurer can correct me if

[3:56:57] I'm wrong there they're

[3:57:01] referring to the exemption from

[3:57:02] the rental business rental unit

[3:57:02] business tax, right?

[3:57:05] So we've got the exemptions and

[3:57:06] exemptions for this but

[3:57:11] the nuances of being able to be

[3:57:12] exempt from the rental business

[3:57:15] tax that we're just spoken to

[3:57:16] as well.

[3:57:16] >> Okay.

[3:57:17] Understood.

[3:57:17] Thank you.

[3:57:20] I appreciate that.

[3:57:21] Got it.

[3:57:22] So this is that I just read it

[3:57:23] knowing that if there is a

[3:57:25] homeowner who does have their

[3:57:26] children coming home for

[3:57:27] the summer or you know, parents

[3:57:27] coming in to help a grandchild

[3:57:32] care that will they will be

[3:57:32] able to use the existing

[3:57:33] exemptions and lohud to make

[3:57:35] sure that they're exempt from

[3:57:35] this tax when their home is

[3:57:36] literally empty.

[3:57:37] If it is empty you'd be a

[3:57:39] different discussion.

[3:57:40] Okay, Thank you.

[3:57:41] I appreciate that very much and

[3:57:44] I appreciate everyone who has

[3:57:45] weighed in on this since There

[3:57:45] are people who have very

[3:57:46] different opinions back and

[3:57:49] forth.

[3:57:50] But you know, we are in

[3:57:51] the middle of a real housing

[3:57:54] crisis here in San Diego and I

[3:57:54] do believe that big policy

[3:57:55] decisions like this deserve

[3:57:59] public input And I do support

[3:58:00] giving voters a chance to weigh

[3:58:00] in on the empty homes ballot

[3:58:03] measure.

[3:58:04] I've heard from too many local

[3:58:05] San Diego families who are

[3:58:08] struggling to find housing that

[3:58:09] they can afford and it's

[3:58:12] reasonable to ask whether a

[3:58:13] vacant second home should be

[3:58:14] part of that conversation.

[3:58:15] But I do appreciate that this

[3:58:17] ballot measure includes

[3:58:18] important protections for other

[3:58:21] San Diego families who are

[3:58:21] using their second homes to

[3:58:22] house their own family or to

[3:58:26] house their own parents who are

[3:58:27] coming in to make sure they can

[3:58:28] care for grandchildren other

[3:58:28] things.

[3:58:31] So since it would not apply to

[3:58:32] homes occupied by family

[3:58:32] members or properties that are

[3:58:33] vacant through no fault of

[3:58:36] the owner including military

[3:58:36] deployment disaster anything or

[3:58:41] inheriting a home suddenly due

[3:58:41] to a death in the family.

[3:58:42] I do think that this was

[3:58:46] crafted in a way to make sure

[3:58:46] that it only applies to truly

[3:58:47] vacant homes and this is about

[3:58:50] transparency and democracy And

[3:58:51] I believe that letting

[3:58:52] the voter decide how we address

[3:58:55] our housing challenges is

[3:58:55] appropriate and right.

[3:58:56] And I think that the goals of

[3:58:57] this are very important And so

[3:59:01] I will be supporting it today.

[3:59:01] Thank you.

[3:59:02] All right.

[3:59:02] Thank you.

[3:59:03] Council member Velma Alpert.

[3:59:04] We'll go back to Council member

[3:59:04] Campion.

[3:59:05] Thank you.

[3:59:06] Council PRESIDENT Respectfully

[3:59:06] sir, you and I are both bound

[3:59:10] by the attorney client

[3:59:10] privilege as members of this

[3:59:11] body regarding the legal advice

[3:59:15] we are given So I'm unable to

[3:59:16] respond to your assertion that

[3:59:18] you just made without violating

[3:59:19] that privilege.

[3:59:24] >> I'll just repeat the line I

[3:59:28] said in my comments We should

[3:59:29] rely on the analysis not just

[3:59:31] the conclusions to make

[3:59:36] responsible decisions.

[3:59:37] >> All right.

[3:59:38] I appreciate that clarification

[3:59:42] Not seeing anybody else but I'm

[3:59:42] sorry just on my very briefly

[3:59:49] my apologies Certainly the city

[3:59:50] attorney as the deputy city

[3:59:50] attorney is on this case As I

[3:59:54] pointed out, are diligent,

[3:59:58] competent and dedicated.

[4:00:03] Just to reiterate, I asked for

[4:00:04] a robust memo that went into

[4:00:04] some depth.

[4:00:08] You can see my comments at

[4:00:09] rules as to what that was

[4:00:09] asking for.

[4:00:10] That is what I have not

[4:00:10] received.

[4:00:16] Thank you.

[4:00:16] Okay.

[4:00:16] Fair enough.

[4:00:17] I'm tired of reading things in

[4:00:18] the paper that are not what we

[4:00:20] meant but how they get

[4:00:21] interpreted and that's

[4:00:22] the sandbox that we're all

[4:00:22] stuck in.

[4:00:25] So I appreciate your

[4:00:26] clarification.

[4:00:26] So with that I don't see

[4:00:27] anybody else in the lights.

[4:00:30] We have a motion by council

[4:00:31] member Ella Rivera that moves

[4:00:35] the staff recommendation with

[4:00:36] the authorization for himself

[4:00:37] council member Olivia to sign

[4:00:39] and file a written ballot

[4:00:40] argument in favor of the ballot

[4:00:41] measure for inclusion in

[4:00:44] the voter pamphlet and was

[4:00:45] seconded by Council PRESIDENT

[4:00:45] Pro Tem Lee.

[4:00:49] Clerk Please call the roll I'm

[4:00:50] sorry the voting system Please

[4:01:02] cast your vote that passes 8 to

[4:01:03] 1 with Councilmember Campos

[4:01:04] voting no Thank you Council

[4:01:04] PRESIDENT All right.

[4:01:07] >> Thank you.

[4:01:13] And with that final vote and

[4:01:13] final action we will now

[4:01:14] adjourn council to the next

[4:01:17] regularly scheduled council

[4:01:18] meeting on Monday MARCH 9th,

[4:01:23] 2026 at 10 A.M..

City Council Meetings — Tuesday Agenda Revised Added S500-S501

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