[13:47] and All right good morning

[13:48] everyone.

[13:53] I will now call the City

[13:53] Council meeting of Tuesday

[13:54] MARCH 10th 2026 to order Clerk

[13:55] Please call the roll.

[13:59] Thank you.

[14:00] Council PRESIDENT Council

[14:00] Member Campbell Dear

[14:01] Councilmember Whipper here

[14:05] Councilmember Foster here

[14:06] Council Member Yvonne Wilpert

[14:10] Council PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee

[14:11] Councilmember Campo

[14:12] Councilmember Moreno Present

[14:16] Council Isla Dara and Council

[14:17] PRESIDENT Look and also

[14:18] attending the meeting our Chief

[14:23] Deputy City Attorney Gary new

[14:24] four independent budget analyst

[14:24] Charles Monaco a Council

[14:25] Affairs advisor the Mayor's

[14:28] office Code advisor and myself

[14:29] your city clerk Diana Fuentes.

[14:29] Thank you.

[14:30] Council presidents All right.

[14:30] Thank you.

[14:31] A quorum is now present.

[14:34] We will begin this morning with

[14:34] the acknowledgment and

[14:35] the Pledge of Allegiance led by

[14:35] council member Moreno.

[14:38] Please stand.

[14:39] We respectfully acknowledge

[14:44] that the culmination or

[14:44] the original inhabitants of

[14:45] the Unceded land now known as

[14:50] San Diego despite enduring

[14:51] the horrors of genocide and

[14:51] colonization, the Kumara spirit

[14:55] remains unbroken.

[14:56] We honor the resilience of

[14:57] their ancestors who fought to

[14:58] protect their culture and land

[15:02] Today they carry their legacy

[15:03] forward ensuring that their

[15:03] traditions continue to thrive

[15:07] and gratitude and strength We

[15:08] stand with the coming nation

[15:08] connected to our past and

[15:13] committed to a thriving future

[15:13] .

[15:14] Please raise the flag Put your

[15:15] hand over your heart and repeat

[15:15] after me.

[15:19] I pledge allegiance to the flag

[15:20] of the United States of America

[15:24] and to the Republic for which

[15:24] it stands one nation under GOD,

[15:25] indivisible with liberty and

[15:33] justice for all.

[15:33] All right.

[15:39] So yesterday afternoon we had

[15:40] to adjourn our council meeting

[15:40] during non agenda public

[15:44] comment because we were losing

[15:45] quorum.

[15:45] There were six speakers left in

[15:46] the queue at the moment We

[15:50] adjourned this morning we will

[15:51] be letting those six speakers

[15:51] provide their non agenda public

[15:55] comment before we continue with

[15:56] our regularly scheduled

[15:56] business our regular non agenda

[16:01] public comment will be taken at

[16:02] the end of this morning

[16:02] sessions as is the usual case.

[16:07] So with that clerk please go

[16:07] over how the public can offer

[16:08] their testimony and continued

[16:12] with the trailed non agenda

[16:12] public comment for the six

[16:13] speakers from yesterday's

[16:13] meeting.

[16:14] >> Thank you Council PRESIDENT.

[16:17] Just as a reminder you will be

[16:18] having two minutes each and per

[16:19] rule 2.7 non agenda public

[16:20] comment is an opportunity for

[16:23] members of the public to

[16:24] comment on items that are not

[16:25] on the agenda but within

[16:25] the subject matter jurisdiction

[16:29] of the City Council.

[16:30] If you are one of the six that

[16:31] was on the queue yesterday I do

[16:31] have those annotated please

[16:35] raise your hand now by tapping

[16:35] a raise your hand icon or if

[16:38] you are calling participant

[16:39] star nine As mentioned only

[16:39] these six will be taken now

[16:43] the others will be taken during

[16:44] the regularly scheduled time

[16:45] starting with John Stump.

[16:49] If you can please unmute.

[16:54] >> Hey, good morning.

[16:55] Happy days.

[16:56] You know after yesterday's

[17:00] meeting I reflected on

[17:05] the homecoming ceremony for

[17:11] Jesse Jackson and the Bloody

[17:16] Sunday crossing of the Pettus

[17:20] Bridge and seeing how much

[17:25] progress we had made.

[17:31] >> And I was reflecting on that

[17:32] during the period I was already

[17:36] a high school and as a kid and

[17:41] very active and reflecting on

[17:42] that and reflecting on

[17:43] yesterday's meeting, I was very

[17:48] disappointed that the idea and

[17:52] council did not require any

[17:53] report concerning race and

[18:03] equity participation of

[18:03] the 68,000 employees if you

[18:08] included contractors and what

[18:14] was a race, sex age and all

[18:18] those other factors.

[18:19] And particularly what I was

[18:20] disappointed from was that my

[18:24] council districts District four

[18:25] District nine didn't ask how

[18:30] many of the zoo employees at

[18:35] the are from District four and

[18:36] District nine.

[18:36] Why is the council not

[18:41] concerned about employment

[18:41] participation from their

[18:46] council districts?

[18:47] You know there should have been

[18:51] a report that said 600 to 800

[18:56] people were employed from Henry

[18:56] Foster and shot in those

[19:01] district Each But there's no

[19:02] data on that.

[19:03] I guess the progress we made

[19:06] crossing the Pettus Bridge is

[19:07] falling away.

[19:07] >> Thank you very much.

[19:08] Thank you.

[19:12] Next is phone number ending in

[19:16] 7499 if you can please unmute

[19:19] 7499 after that will be initial

[19:20] 749 Please proceed.

[19:25] >> Bob Kozinski here.

[19:26] The Torrey Pines glider port

[19:27] has been a world famous hang

[19:28] gliding site since the 1970s.

[19:29] That land is owned by the city

[19:30] of San Diego and is part of

[19:34] the Torrey Pines City Park.

[19:35] But the city doesn't manage

[19:36] the Torrey Pines Glider Park as

[19:36] a city park.

[19:40] Instead the city under Joe

[19:40] LaCava and Todd Gloria leases

[19:41] our city park to a private

[19:45] business and allows that

[19:46] business to ride roughshod over

[19:46] citizens rights to use their

[19:49] own city park.

[19:50] Imagine if the city of San

[19:51] Diego leased your own favorite

[19:55] beach or park to a private

[19:56] business and allowed that

[19:56] business to charge money to use

[19:57] the park or beach.

[20:01] Imagine if the city leased your

[20:01] favorite park to a business and

[20:02] allowed that business to refuse

[20:05] service to anyone they wanted.

[20:06] Imagine if the city leased your

[20:07] favorite park to a business and

[20:08] allowed that business to

[20:11] require membership in a private

[20:12] club to use our city land.

[20:16] And imagine if that club could

[20:17] expel anyone they wanted for

[20:17] any reason.

[20:18] That's what's been happening at

[20:21] the Torrey Pines Glider Park

[20:22] for decades.

[20:23] Essentially the city is given

[20:26] absolute power over our park to

[20:26] a business.

[20:27] And we all know that absolute

[20:28] power corrupts absolutely.

[20:32] There's been a long history of

[20:32] bullying accidents and even

[20:33] deaths at that site under that

[20:36] business.

[20:37] Yet Todd Gloria, Joe LaCava and

[20:38] this entire city council look

[20:42] the other way.

[20:42] So far both the Lloyd Town

[20:43] Council and Longshoreman's

[20:44] Association have submitted

[20:46] written letters to Joe LaCava

[20:46] requesting an improvement of

[20:47] the situation.

[20:51] Among their recommendations are

[20:51] reestablishing the Torrey Pines

[20:52] City Park Advisory Board and

[20:56] replacing the abusive insurance

[20:56] requirements with a simple

[20:57] waiver.

[20:57] We know that the waiver

[20:58] solution works because

[21:01] the county of Los Angeles has

[21:02] been using that exact same

[21:03] solution at Dockweiler Beach

[21:06] hang gliding site since 217.

[21:07] Yet Todd, Gloria and Joe LaCava

[21:10] continue to dodge the most

[21:11] obvious and sensible solution

[21:12] The city should never be

[21:12] leasing our natural public land

[21:16] to a private business.

[21:17] I'm again for the hundredth

[21:18] time asking Todd, Gloria and

[21:20] Joe LaCava to implement

[21:21] the Torrey Pines waiver and

[21:22] reactivate the Torrey Pines

[21:22] City Park Advisory Board.

[21:26] Thank you.

[21:26] >> Next is Anish.

[21:30] If you can please you.

[21:31] Hi, My name is Aneesh.

[21:36] My name is And I'll be

[21:37] continuing what my friend

[21:38] Jonathan talked about yesterday

[21:40] during the non agenda public

[21:41] comment which is about the lack

[21:42] of quality waste resources for

[21:45] residents in San Diego.

[21:46] Specifically I'll be talking

[21:47] about potential changes that

[21:47] could be implemented to bring a

[21:50] greater awareness and educate

[21:51] the public about property waste

[21:52] disposal while also simplifying

[21:52] things for them.

[21:55] So some things that we thought

[21:56] about was that our local

[21:57] government could have some type

[21:57] of awareness campaign for

[22:00] educating the public on

[22:01] property waste disposal

[22:01] practices because we held a

[22:06] e-waste drive at the ucsd

[22:07] campus the other week and we

[22:07] found that the majority of

[22:11] people have no idea of how to

[22:12] properly dispose of the waste

[22:13] and tend to just throw them in

[22:13] the regular trash.

[22:15] This could be done through

[22:16] social media or something as a

[22:16] pamphlet sent to every

[22:17] residents.

[22:21] We know that there is an annual

[22:21] flier which is the What Goes

[22:22] Where guide sent to San Diego

[22:23] residents which details proper

[22:26] waste disposal practices.

[22:26] But there's only a very small

[22:27] section about bringing quote

[22:31] unquote household hazardous

[22:31] waste to more and more

[22:32] household hazardous waste

[22:33] transfer facility.

[22:35] But we believe there should

[22:36] also be a paragraph of

[22:37] information being more specific

[22:37] about the negative effects of

[22:41] improper disposal which could

[22:41] lead the public to making

[22:42] better decisions on waste

[22:45] disposal and understanding what

[22:46] it does to the environment.

[22:47] Another program which we think

[22:50] could possibly be implemented

[22:51] is having like we know that

[22:52] there's a weekly like the waste

[22:56] management trucks that come and

[22:56] pick up the recycling of

[22:57] the waste every week.

[22:58] But and so we we think that

[22:58] there should also be a e-waste

[23:01] specific like truck or some

[23:01] type of pickup service which

[23:05] happens like maybe twice a year

[23:06] so that it'd be simpler for

[23:07] residents rather than them

[23:07] having to take appointments

[23:11] with facilities and having to

[23:11] drive to these locations and

[23:12] possibly like you know a lot of

[23:15] time scheduling conflicts.

[23:16] Once again thank you for giving

[23:17] an opportunity to speak about

[23:20] e-waste disposal here in San

[23:21] Diego And I hope you take this

[23:21] this content into

[23:22] consideration.

[23:25] Thank you.

[23:30] Next is Andrea Ebbing?

[23:35] Andrea, if you can please

[23:35] unmute.

[23:36] >> Hi, this is Andrea Ebbing.

[23:36] I'm sharing some information

[23:40] this morning that I really hope

[23:40] the entire city.

[23:41] Please pay attention to what

[23:41] I'm saying.

[23:44] This won't go over your head.

[23:45] This is not going to be very

[23:46] complex These I found.

[23:49] I found quite a massive issue

[23:54] in our budget last night.

[23:58] I am somebody that found $142

[23:58] million of something called

[23:59] other pay on transparent

[24:00] California issued to city

[24:03] employees which was not pension

[24:04] which is not benefits which was

[24:05] not overtime, which was not

[24:08] regular pay.

[24:09] No one has provided an answer

[24:09] to it.

[24:12] In 2024 we had 152 million of

[24:12] their pay paid out to

[24:13] employees.

[24:17] I think whatever I'm about to

[24:17] share right now I think I want

[24:21] to on the record and this

[24:21] should be mandated reporting

[24:22] attached to this.

[24:26] You can validate my claims on

[24:26] Transparent California when I

[24:27] looked up other pay.

[24:31] There was an individual named

[24:31] Sheryl Looney who was an admin

[24:34] aide who made $537,000 in

[24:39] the year 2023 Her regular pay

[24:43] was very low and her other pay

[24:43] was like $337,000 a year.

[24:49] So she was a question mark.

[24:50] I phone 952 records of a Looney

[24:53] family all of which make

[24:54] hundreds of thousands of

[24:55] dollars in multiple different

[24:58] roles throughout California.

[24:58] However, that's not the worst.

[25:02] What I found was last night

[25:03] that our trash refuse

[25:08] supervisor Kenneth Biggers was

[25:09] as an employee that makes $0 in

[25:11] the year 2024 but he makes

[25:16] $148,000 and other pay as well

[25:17] as 147 or something in an

[25:17] overtime.

[25:20] There's 103 employees in

[25:21] the city of San Diego in

[25:25] the year 2024 that made $0 in

[25:25] regular pay high level

[25:25] employees.

[25:29] There are hundreds that made

[25:30] less than $100 a year.

[25:30] Okay.

[25:34] So we have a huge issue that's

[25:35] running through the payroll big

[25:39] time.

[25:39] >> Thank you.

[25:40] Your time has concluded.

[25:42] Our final speaker for the trail

[25:42] the people from yesterday is

[25:47] Becky Rupp.

[25:47] Good morning.

[25:48] My name is Becky Rapp and today

[25:52] I'd like to discuss

[25:53] the socially equitable cannabis

[25:53] program presented at the Ed and

[25:56] I r committee last week.

[25:57] Was troubling that

[25:57] the conversation revolved

[26:01] around equity for some but not

[26:02] all.

[26:02] Our city is struggling

[26:06] financially and it a decision

[26:07] that requires city funds and

[26:07] resources should be evaluated

[26:11] to the highest level of

[26:12] scrutiny.

[26:12] Across California the data

[26:16] shows that these programs have

[26:16] produced very little.

[26:20] Very few operating businesses.

[26:21] A report titled Cannabis and

[26:22] Crisis produced by researchers

[26:25] using data from California

[26:26] Department of Cannabis Control

[26:26] studied the performance of

[26:30] marijuana equity programs

[26:30] across the state.

[26:31] And findings raise serious

[26:34] concerns about whether these

[26:35] programs are actually achieving

[26:36] their intended results.

[26:39] These programs require

[26:40] administrative staff oversight,

[26:44] consulting services and grant

[26:44] funding.

[26:45] Yet the outcomes across

[26:45] the state show that the number

[26:49] of businesses that actually

[26:50] open remains extremely small

[26:54] yet costing the city a

[26:54] significant amount of money.

[26:58] In fact a Los Angeles Times

[26:58] review of state cannabis

[26:59] licensing data found that over

[27:00] 90% of applicants in these

[27:03] programs never even became

[27:04] operating businesses before

[27:08] Moving forward.

[27:09] I urge this council to

[27:10] carefully review the statewide

[27:13] data and take an honest look

[27:14] and consider how this program

[27:15] could seriously our already

[27:19] fragile financial situation.

[27:19] >> Thank you.

[27:19] Thank you.

[27:24] That concludes public comment.

[27:24] >> You're trilled from

[27:25] yesterday's meeting.

[27:25] All right.

[27:26] Thank you, city clerk.

[27:29] And again thank you to those

[27:30] sextet and the patients for

[27:30] returning this morning to

[27:33] finish off not agenda public

[27:34] comment from yesterday's

[27:34] session.

[27:35] So with that clerk please

[27:38] introduce item 30.

[27:39] >> Item 30 is an information

[27:42] ceremonial item the 2026 city

[27:43] of San Diego Women of

[27:43] Distinction.

[27:47] If you'd like to speak on this

[27:48] item please be sure to submit a

[27:49] speaker up to the front of

[27:49] the room in the clear box.

[27:52] Or if you're participating

[27:52] remotely now's the time to

[27:53] raise your hand by pressing

[27:56] Star nine or the raise your

[27:56] hand icon.

[27:56] All right.

[27:57] And please proceed with public

[27:57] comment.

[28:01] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.

[28:02] I do not see any speakers here

[28:09] in person for the ceremonial

[28:09] item.

[28:13] Just double checking.

[28:14] We'll go to those participating

[28:14] online.

[28:18] You'll have one minute each for

[28:18] the women's of distinction.

[28:20] Lori Saldana if you can please

[28:25] unmute.

[28:26] Yes.

[28:26] Good morning and

[28:27] congratulations to all

[28:27] the women who are working on

[28:31] behalf of the City of San Diego

[28:32] and beyond to earn the honors

[28:35] that they have today.

[28:36] I do want to point out that

[28:36] these proclamations and

[28:40] the ability for myself and

[28:41] others to speak would not be

[28:41] possible without lawsuits

[28:42] coming against the city.

[28:45] Several years ago when they

[28:45] used to restrict speech during

[28:51] proclamation bans and there's a

[28:51] saying that well-behaved women

[28:52] rarely make history.

[28:55] So I'm very proud to be among

[28:55] women who sued the city and

[28:59] have had to do so multiple

[29:00] times to make sure that we have

[29:01] a chance to speak not only

[29:04] positively and to congratulate

[29:04] people but when questioning or

[29:05] criticizing the city.

[29:09] So proclamation like this are

[29:09] important.

[29:13] They're meaningful and they

[29:14] also deserve full commentary

[29:15] from everyone who wishes to

[29:15] participate.

[29:19] And I think women made that

[29:19] happen without the women who

[29:22] filed that lawsuit in 2018.

[29:23] You would not be able to hear

[29:27] people make comments right now

[29:27] .

[29:28] So congratulations again to

[29:28] the women of distinction.

[29:29] Thank you for that concluding

[29:29] comment.

[29:32] Next is Andrew Irving.

[29:36] >> If you can please unmute.

[29:36] This Andrea Irving

[29:37] congratulations to all

[29:38] the women who are being honored

[29:40] today.

[29:41] Thank you so much for your

[29:42] strength and participation.

[29:46] I want to honor the women that

[29:46] have been destroyed by our

[29:47] county and city of San Diego

[29:51] and their children as well.

[29:52] For example woman who gave

[29:56] birth to a baby unexpectedly in

[29:57] her bathroom passed out and

[30:01] woke up and her child was

[30:01] stillborn.

[30:02] And our district attorney

[30:05] Summer Stephan sent her to

[30:06] prison calling it murder.

[30:09] i also want to honor Alexander

[30:10] Van Tonder who's whose husband

[30:11] was a predatory doctor neighbor

[30:15] of Summer Stephan and she

[30:16] abandoned her after she was

[30:20] abused terribly and she tried

[30:20] to commit suicide.

[30:25] Multiple cases in which Nancy

[30:29] Sussman, for example a 72 year

[30:29] old U.S. Attorney who Summer

[30:30] Stephan created a fake case

[30:33] against when her son died.

[30:34] So she sent her to prison to

[30:38] for two years with the fake

[30:39] high speed chase.

[30:39] >> Thank you.

[30:40] Thank you And Kelly original If

[30:42] you can please unmute.

[30:43] Yes I would like to add some

[30:47] women to this list one of them

[30:48] being Andrea Epping.

[30:53] Another being Evelyn Lopez,

[30:53] another one being Jennifer

[30:57] Royston and the list could go

[30:57] on.

[30:58] These are all women that should

[31:01] be honored for having to be

[31:02] tortured by the system, by

[31:06] the city, by the county, by all

[31:07] of the people that are supposed

[31:07] to be there.

[31:11] And clean to protect and care

[31:15] about the well-being of others

[31:15] .

[31:16] So I would like to add these

[31:20] women to and all of the other

[31:21] women that in the county

[31:21] actually you know what across

[31:25] the world that have had their

[31:25] children ripped from their

[31:30] lives, some of them have had

[31:30] their parental rights

[31:35] terminated and some of them

[31:36] have lost their children to

[31:39] the negligence of the county

[31:40] like Arabella McCormick.

[31:40] She died.

[31:44] You guys had to pay quite a

[31:45] pretty penny for her.

[31:45] So I just would like to keep

[31:46] adding these type of women to

[31:47] the list.

[31:51] Thank you.

[31:52] >> Thank you.

[31:53] Next is 8700 If you can please

[31:59] unmute 80 700 stars six to

[32:04] unmute.

[32:08] >> Thank you Joyce And you have

[32:08] three.

[32:09] Thank you for this beautiful

[32:13] ceremony item.

[32:13] It's just a great one.

[32:18] And of course congratulations

[32:19] to all these women of

[32:23] distinction.

[32:23] And I just want to add this

[32:26] this just popped up a second

[32:27] ago.

[32:30] Every single woman's journey

[32:31] every single human journey is

[32:36] beautiful and it's sacred.

[32:37] Thank you very much and have a

[32:40] wonderful day.

[32:41] >> Thank you.

[32:44] Next is 7499.

[32:47] And your final speaker on this

[32:53] item, Bob, because this key

[32:54] here I also want to echo

[32:57] the comments of Laurie Saldana

[32:58] about our ability to speak on

[33:01] these proclamations In addition

[33:02] to the women that Laurie

[33:03] mentioned.

[33:03] I'd like to thank the local

[33:07] attorney Craig Sherman and his

[33:07] Center for Local Government

[33:12] Accountability that he created

[33:12] .

[33:13] As mentioned by Laurie Saldana,

[33:13] this council had previously

[33:17] passed all of these ceremonial

[33:18] items without giving the public

[33:21] an opportunity to speak.

[33:22] The city would hand out

[33:26] the items and basically

[33:27] the people getting the items

[33:28] would leave the council before

[33:31] the council would hear any of

[33:32] the people speaking on those

[33:36] items who might want to endorse

[33:37] or sometimes even oppose these

[33:37] proclamations.

[33:41] And then the city would have

[33:42] already voted on them but

[33:42] people would have already

[33:46] gotten their awards before

[33:47] the citizens got to speak.

[33:47] So I want to thank the people

[33:48] that Laurie Saldana you

[33:51] mentioned and Craig Sherman and

[33:52] the Center for Local Government

[33:55] Accountability for giving us

[33:56] the right to speak before these

[33:57] agenda items.

[34:00] >> And that does conclude

[34:00] public comment on

[34:01] the ceremonial item.

[34:01] >> All right.

[34:06] Thank you to a woman of

[34:06] distinction in her own right.

[34:08] >> Our city clerk the is.

[34:13] >> Now I invite the now I

[34:18] invite to kick off the ceremony

[34:19] as well as present his honoree

[34:19] the honorable mayor of the City

[34:26] of San Diego Todd Gloria.

[34:26] >> Thank you so much.

[34:31] Council PRESIDENT And members

[34:31] of the city council.

[34:32] It is always a pleasure to join

[34:36] you for this annual gathering

[34:36] to celebrate women of

[34:37] distinction here in the city of

[34:37] San Diego.

[34:40] First and foremost I want to

[34:41] acknowledge and thank the women

[34:41] who we are honoring today as

[34:44] well as their friends and

[34:45] family members who've come to

[34:45] support them.

[34:46] Thank you all for coming to

[34:46] City Hall today.

[34:49] I also want to acknowledge our

[34:49] commissioners from

[34:50] the Commission of the Status of

[34:51] Women here at the City of San

[34:55] Diego, many of whom are with us

[34:55] today to celebrate our ten

[34:56] honorees to our commissioners.

[34:59] When you stand and wave I think

[34:59] they're all here together.

[35:00] Very good.

[35:00] We have Gail, Susan, Wendy,

[35:03] Natasha and Maryland.

[35:04] >> Ladies, thank you for your

[35:08] service and for your leadership

[35:08] .

[35:13] >> So for ten years now dating

[35:13] back to my time in

[35:14] the legislature, I've taken

[35:16] the opportunity to mark women's

[35:17] History Month to reflect on and

[35:21] honor excellence amongst women

[35:22] in our community.

[35:22] Women whose leadership service

[35:26] creativity and courage have

[35:27] made a lasting impact on

[35:27] the city of San Diego and

[35:28] beyond.

[35:31] You can see it in the mentor

[35:31] who helps young people find

[35:32] their path forward in

[35:36] The Advocate who refuses to

[35:36] accept that that is just how

[35:37] things are in the entrepreneur

[35:40] who creates opportunity for

[35:41] others in the organization

[35:42] the educator, the public

[35:45] servant, the women who show up

[35:46] again and again because she

[35:47] believes that our community is

[35:51] worth it Because when we tell

[35:51] the story of San Diego how we

[35:52] grow and how we solve problems,

[35:56] how we take care of each other.

[35:56] My fellow San Diegans, women

[35:57] are not a chapter in that

[35:57] story.

[36:00] They are the authors of it.

[36:01] So you need look no further

[36:05] than this dais today to see

[36:06] some of the great women who are

[36:06] helping to lead our city.

[36:09] And our honorees also represent

[36:10] the very best of our city as

[36:11] well.

[36:15] Their impact is not abstract.

[36:15] It is visible, very visible in

[36:16] the lives that are improved in

[36:19] the doors that are open and

[36:20] the communities that are

[36:21] protected in the families that

[36:21] are strengthened and in

[36:24] the communities that function

[36:25] better.

[36:25] Because these women decided to

[36:29] step forward and lead to these

[36:29] extraordinary women who are

[36:30] here today.

[36:31] I want to say that your

[36:34] resilience, your dedication and

[36:35] your unwavering love for our

[36:39] city helps to make San Diego an

[36:39] even better place for all of

[36:40] us.

[36:40] And it is because of you that

[36:44] we continue to grow, thrive and

[36:45] inspire future generations.

[36:49] Today we gather to celebrate

[36:49] you and the role that you play

[36:50] in making San Diego the world

[36:54] class city that we are.

[36:54] And with that council PRESIDENT

[36:55] It gives me great pleasure to

[36:59] start our ceremony today by

[36:59] recognizing the women of

[37:00] distinction of citywide.

[37:11] Maria Chavez.

[37:15] Big sister Maria is going to be

[37:16] our test case.

[37:17] >> Our four of us are here,

[37:17] right?

[37:18] So camera is there for your

[37:18] friends.

[37:20] You can't join us today.

[37:21] They can just make sure that

[37:21] they see you.

[37:22] Maria, thanks for being our

[37:24] guinea pig.

[37:25] My friends, let me tell you a

[37:26] little bit more about Maria

[37:26] Chavez.

[37:27] She is the immigration legal

[37:29] director at the Partnership for

[37:30] the Advancement of New

[37:30] Americans.

[37:31] Many of you MAY know that

[37:31] organization as partner.

[37:34] She is also the owner of her

[37:35] own immigration law firm Maria

[37:38] Chavez La maria's efforts are

[37:39] critical now more than ever to

[37:40] provide high quality legal

[37:43] representation to individuals

[37:44] who are navigating some of

[37:45] the most difficult moments of

[37:45] their lives.

[37:49] She represents clients in a

[37:49] wide range of immigration

[37:53] matters from removal defense in

[37:54] immigration court to family

[37:55] based petitions to humanitarian

[37:55] remedies.

[37:58] But let's be honest those words

[37:59] do not truly capture all that

[38:00] it means and all that she is

[38:04] doing because the people that

[38:05] Maria serves it's about keeping

[38:07] a family together.

[38:08] It's about a parent trying to

[38:09] work and provide for their

[38:09] family.

[38:12] It's about a young person

[38:13] trying to stay in school and

[38:13] build a future.

[38:14] It's about someone who is

[38:17] seeking safety after

[38:18] unimaginable trauma.

[38:19] And it's about a community that

[38:22] is trying to live without fear.

[38:23] My friends, at a time when

[38:24] the national rhetoric around

[38:27] immigration is so divisive and

[38:28] so inflammatory, we know that

[38:29] Maria's leadership is

[38:32] particularly meaningful.

[38:33] She's bringing clarity,

[38:33] compassion and expertise to

[38:37] communities that too often face

[38:38] fear and misinformation.

[38:38] And she does not stop there.

[38:42] Maria frequently educates

[38:43] the public on immigration

[38:44] issues, helps people understand

[38:47] their rights under the law and

[38:48] gives her time to immigrant

[38:49] rights organizations across San

[38:52] Diego including the Community

[38:53] Law Project and the San Diego

[38:56] Immigrant Rights Consortium.

[38:57] See Diego Today we celebrate

[38:58] Maria Chavez for her

[39:01] professional accomplishments

[39:01] and her unwavering dedication

[39:02] to justice and to the community

[39:05] that she serves.

[39:06] We San Diego is a proud

[39:07] binational city.

[39:08] We are a city that has been

[39:10] built by immigrants and we are

[39:11] stronger because of that.

[39:15] Economically, culturally and as

[39:15] a community.

[39:16] So Maria Chavez represents

[39:19] those very values that make up

[39:20] the bedrock of our city.

[39:21] Her work has helped countless

[39:24] families remain together secure

[39:24] safety and build stable

[39:25] futures.

[39:25] It is truly an honor to

[39:29] recognize her as our 2026

[39:30] citywide Woman of Distinction

[39:30] honoree.

[39:34] Please join me in recognizing

[39:44] Maria Chavez Have more.

[39:58] >> Maria thank you.

[39:59] >> Council PRESIDENT I turn it

[40:00] back over to you for your

[40:00] presentation.

[40:00] All right.

[40:02] Thank you, Mayor And thank you

[40:03] for initiating this program

[40:03] several years ago.

[40:07] I am honored to celebrate Karen

[40:08] Bladen.

[40:09] If you wanted to come up to

[40:12] the mic Karen executive

[40:12] director of Shoreline Community

[40:15] Services District one 2026

[40:16] Woman of Distinction.

[40:20] Karen began her career as a

[40:21] professional ballet dancer with

[40:22] the Milwaukee Ballet.

[40:25] Prior to moving to San Diego

[40:25] and focusing on community

[40:29] development and empowerment in

[40:30] 2016, Karen founded Pacific

[40:31] Beach Street Guardians, a

[40:35] social enterprise that employed

[40:35] unhoused neighbors to care for

[40:36] her streets, work for local

[40:39] businesses and provide event

[40:39] services.

[40:40] This experience provided

[40:44] members with job skills,

[40:44] self-sufficiency and hope.

[40:48] This model is one I hope

[40:48] the city can duplicate with our

[40:49] safe sleeping tenants.

[40:53] In 2020 Karen came on board to

[40:53] Shoreline Community Services

[40:58] which was then a meal service

[40:58] that Karen grew into a

[41:02] comprehensive resource provider

[41:03] that now includes a drop in

[41:03] resource center at

[41:06] the Compensation and Pacific

[41:07] Beach Volunteer Community

[41:08] Outreach to build support and

[41:08] trust.

[41:12] The Medical Respite hotel

[41:12] program for individuals

[41:16] released from a medical stay

[41:16] and the community care crew

[41:20] using her guardians experience

[41:21] and recognize this resource

[41:22] center is in the middle of a

[41:25] single family neighborhood a

[41:26] testament that you can provide

[41:27] homelessness services and be a

[41:31] good neighbor.

[41:31] Karen is my nominee not only

[41:32] because of her dedication to

[41:36] service to others but because

[41:36] of where and how she has been

[41:37] successful.

[41:40] As I said, Karen provides

[41:41] services and service right in

[41:45] the district one coastal

[41:46] residential neighborhoods.

[41:46] She built and maintained strong

[41:51] networks in Pacific Beach,

[41:51] Mission Beach and Lahaina

[41:52] Shores by being communicative,

[41:55] clear dedicated, proactive and

[41:56] downright kind.

[42:00] She is at every community group

[42:01] meeting introducing, describing

[42:01] and protecting her work and

[42:04] the people she serves.

[42:05] Karen focuses on similarities

[42:09] rather than differences and as

[42:10] it turns out we all want safe,

[42:10] thriving neighborhoods for all

[42:14] our neighbors.

[42:14] And with that, join me in

[42:18] congratulating Karen as a woman

[42:19] of distinction in District one.

[42:27] >> Thank you, Karen.

[42:28] >> And with that I will turn it

[42:29] over to Council PRESIDENT Pro

[42:32] Tem Lee and his honorary.

[42:32] >> Thank you, Council

[42:33] PRESIDENT.

[42:37] It is my honor to recognize

[42:38] Jemma Samoa as the District six

[42:39] honoree who is currently

[42:41] serving her second term as

[42:42] the PRESIDENT Of the University

[42:46] City Community Association.

[42:46] Upon her leadership,

[42:47] the association has expanded

[42:47] its engagement efforts

[42:50] including hosting open

[42:51] community hours, facilitating

[42:51] direct conversations with local

[42:55] representatives and launching

[42:56] initiatives such as the Senior

[42:57] Watch program to better connect

[43:00] older residents with resources

[43:00] and information.

[43:01] Jim has also served as editor

[43:04] of the Community Newsletter for

[43:05] more than a decade overseeing

[43:05] the coordination and

[43:08] distribution of 6000 copies

[43:09] throughout the community

[43:10] through a strong volunteer

[43:10] network.

[43:13] Her record of service extends

[43:14] well beyond her current role.

[43:15] Since 1999, Jim has held

[43:19] various leadership positions

[43:19] with Spreckels pta,

[43:20] the University City Little

[43:23] League, The Educate Foundation

[43:24] and the U.S. High School

[43:24] Centurion Foundation

[43:27] consistently contributing to

[43:28] the strength of local schools

[43:29] and neighborhood institutions.

[43:32] She established the holiday

[43:33] Adopt a family program at U.S.

[43:34] High school to support families

[43:35] in need helped form

[43:38] the University City Fire Safe

[43:39] Council to promote fire safety,

[43:39] education and revitalize

[43:43] the U.S. Garden Club, which now

[43:44] serves more than 225 members.

[43:44] I don't know where she finds

[43:48] the time but she does all of

[43:49] this on top of her day job at

[43:52] the Vista Hill Foundation.

[43:53] Java has been a pleasure to

[43:53] work with in District six and

[43:57] for all of those on my team,

[43:57] our staff and many in

[43:58] the community.

[44:01] As a recent voice that helps us

[44:02] work together and ensure that

[44:02] we provide University City

[44:06] the leadership it needs to move

[44:07] forward together as a

[44:07] community.

[44:07] Through her sustained

[44:11] leadership and civic engagement

[44:11] she's demonstrated a clear

[44:12] demonstrated a clear commitment

[44:15] to strengthening community

[44:15] institutions and fostering

[44:16] collaboration amongst

[44:16] residents.

[44:17] And so this morning we are

[44:20] proud to recognize her

[44:21] continued dedication to public

[44:21] service and her meaningful

[44:26] contributions to the university

[44:26] city community.

[44:27] >> Please join me in

[44:27] congratulating Jim Gemma's

[44:35] small go to Councilmember

[44:39] Campbell and her honoree.

[44:40] Thank you so much.

[44:41] Council PRESIDENT Council

[44:44] PRESIDENT Pro Tem This year

[44:45] District two woman of

[44:49] distinction is Lynn Haimes.

[44:49] Lynn has lived in Claremont for

[44:50] 20 years, is an active member

[44:53] of the community.

[44:54] She works full time at a

[44:55] company that provides backup

[44:58] power for large entities like

[44:59] hospitals in case of a power

[44:59] outage.

[45:03] But on top of that, Lynn is a

[45:04] tremendously active community

[45:04] volunteer.

[45:07] In 2016 she joined

[45:08] the Claremont Town Council

[45:12] known as ctc for Claremont Town

[45:12] Council which has many hundreds

[45:16] of members and she's held many

[45:17] roles over the past ten years

[45:17] there.

[45:18] She's currently vice PRESIDENT

[45:22] Of the ctc and the PRESIDENT Of

[45:22] the ctc Foundation.

[45:27] As a member of the cdc, Lynn

[45:27] established the Marina

[45:28] Boulevard banner program.

[45:32] The partnership with sd Genie

[45:33] to have local artists beautify

[45:36] transformer boxes in Claremont.

[45:37] And she chairs the annual

[45:37] Claremont Garden tour.

[45:41] And she planned the Claremont

[45:46] Neighborhood 75th anniversary

[45:46] Sherie of Claremont birthday

[45:50] party last summer as well.

[45:51] She's also a member of

[45:51] the committee that plans

[45:52] the Claremont Family Day every

[45:52] year.

[45:55] The largest community event

[45:56] that the ctc runs.

[46:00] She has been honored by

[46:01] the community as the Person of

[46:05] the Year in the past and now

[46:06] she is honored as woman of

[46:09] distinction for District two.

[46:10] Her service and dedication to

[46:13] improving her community truly

[46:13] makes her a woman of

[46:14] distinction.

[46:18] There is no test too small or

[46:19] too large for Lynn to take on

[46:20] and succeed and so I am so

[46:23] grateful for her leadership.

[46:24] As I know the entire Claremont

[46:24] community is.

[46:27] Thank you Lynn and

[46:37] congratulations.

[46:37] >> Next up council member

[46:38] Whitburn Thank you, Council

[46:38] PRESIDENT.

[46:40] Thank you, Mayor And

[46:41] congratulations to all of this

[46:42] year's Women of Distinction.

[46:46] This morning I am pleased to

[46:46] recognize an extraordinary

[46:47] woman whose work has left a

[46:51] lasting mark on downtown's San

[46:52] Diego and across our city.

[46:52] District Three's 2026 Women of

[46:56] Distinction.

[46:57] Ruth and Dawn.

[46:58] Ruth Ed is a visionary

[46:58] entrepreneur.

[47:01] Gallerist filmmaker and

[47:02] cultural advocate who has spent

[47:02] decades supporting artists and

[47:06] bringing creativity and culture

[47:07] into our community.

[47:07] She's the founder of Exclusive

[47:11] Collections Gallery which she

[47:12] launched in the late 1980s and

[47:13] which has grown into a

[47:16] respected platform showcasing

[47:16] art showcasing artists from

[47:17] around the country and around

[47:17] the world.

[47:21] In recent years, Ruth, that has

[47:22] played an especially important

[47:23] role in the continued cultural

[47:27] revitalization of the Gaslamp

[47:27] Quarter.

[47:28] As a proud member of

[47:28] the Wrinkled Band of U.S.A.

[47:31] Indians she made history as

[47:32] the first Native American to

[47:33] purchase property at

[47:33] the Gaslamp Quarter.

[47:36] Reclaiming space at an area

[47:37] where Native people were once

[47:41] excluded, she transformed

[47:42] the historic Yuba Building into

[47:43] a destination that celebrates

[47:45] indigenous creativity and

[47:46] entrepreneurship.

[47:49] With the opening of her Native

[47:49] Star Boutique in 2025 which

[47:54] features fashion art jewelry

[47:54] and products created by native

[47:55] makers from around the country

[47:59] through her galleries and

[48:00] cultural events and

[48:00] storytelling work, Ruth has

[48:01] created a space that elevates

[48:03] native voices, celebrates

[48:04] indigenous culture and connects

[48:05] people through art.

[48:09] Ruth Ed, thank you for your

[48:10] leadership, your creativity and

[48:14] your commitment to uplifting

[48:14] artists and communities.

[48:15] On behalf of Council District

[48:18] three it is our utter to

[48:19] recognize you as the 2026

[48:19] District three woman of

[48:20] distinction.

[48:25] Thank you.

[48:30] Next up council member Henry

[48:31] Foster, the third and his

[48:32] honoree Thank you Council

[48:36] PRESIDENT.

[48:36] And I want to first start by

[48:37] thanking the mayor and my

[48:38] council colleagues for

[48:41] continuing the tradition of

[48:41] recognizing women of

[48:42] distinction during the Women's

[48:45] History History Month and for

[48:46] uplifting the women who

[48:47] strengthen communities across

[48:47] San Diego.

[48:50] Congratulations to all of

[48:50] today's honorees.

[48:51] Each of you represents

[48:55] the leadership, resilience and

[48:56] service that Women's History

[48:56] Month is meant to celebrate.

[49:00] I am especially proud to

[49:01] recognize District Four's

[49:05] honoree La Rosa Webb, a proud

[49:05] resident of southeastern San

[49:06] Diego whose work reflects a

[49:09] deep commitment to uplifting

[49:10] our people and investing in our

[49:10] community.

[49:14] Through her leadership at Ramo

[49:15] residence and her background in

[49:18] business and organizational

[49:19] psychology, La Raza has

[49:20] dedicated her career to helping

[49:23] others grow, thrive and find

[49:24] opportunity.

[49:25] La Raza has used art and

[49:28] culture as powerful tools for

[49:29] connection and awareness.

[49:33] From her environmental art

[49:33] initiatives to co-founding

[49:34] The Block Club a space that

[49:38] preserves and celebrates black

[49:39] art and culture while also

[49:43] providing a place for community

[49:43] members to gather and

[49:44] collaborate.

[49:44] La Raza represents the very

[49:48] best of district four through

[49:48] creativity, leadership and a

[49:52] strong commitment to community

[49:53] .

[49:53] It is my honor to recognize her

[49:54] today as one of this year's

[49:58] women of distinction.

[49:58] >> Please join me in

[50:06] congratulating La Raza when we

[50:12] will now go to Councilmember

[50:12] Van Wilpert and her honoree.

[50:16] >> Thank you very much And

[50:16] thank you again to all

[50:17] the women who are here today.

[50:18] I am very honored to be

[50:21] recognizing that Dianne Weyrich

[50:22] as district fives women of

[50:26] distinction today for 34 years.

[50:26] Dianne has dedicated her career

[50:30] to the ymca of senior county

[50:31] helping young people Thousands

[50:31] of young people around our

[50:36] region grow, learn and succeed

[50:36] .

[50:36] Over the course of those

[50:37] decades.

[50:38] She has become one of the most

[50:40] respected leaders in gymnastics

[50:41] in the community now only here

[50:42] in San Diego but across

[50:46] the entire state of California

[50:46] today and serves as the program

[50:47] director and head coach for our

[50:50] very own Rancho Canyon Skeeters

[50:51] in Escondido.

[50:51] Ymca gymnastic programs where

[50:55] she creates opportunities for

[50:56] hundreds of young athletes

[50:56] every month.

[50:59] Through her leadership, more

[51:00] than 700 youth participants are

[51:00] learning new skills building

[51:04] confidence in themselves,

[51:05] developing friendships in a

[51:06] supportive environment and

[51:06] getting off of their devices.

[51:09] Through her leadership she has

[51:10] also earned recognition for her

[51:13] competitive gymnastics teams of

[51:14] more than 130 athletes helping

[51:15] guide them through

[51:15] the discipline and dedication

[51:19] to sport required while

[51:19] teaching lessons that extend

[51:20] far beyond the gym.

[51:23] Over the past year, Dianne has

[51:23] especially stepped into an

[51:24] important leadership role

[51:27] across our ymca as

[51:28] collaborative chair of

[51:28] gymnastics department.

[51:29] She has worked with colleagues

[51:32] across the association to

[51:33] strengthen programs and expand

[51:33] opportunities for all young

[51:37] athletes regardless of income

[51:38] or where they live.

[51:38] Recently Diane was honored with

[51:39] a lifetime achievement award

[51:43] from us gymnastics of Southern

[51:43] California.

[51:44] Recognizing the extraordinary

[51:45] impact she has had on so many

[51:50] young athletes and what stands

[51:51] out most about Diane is

[51:51] the lasting impact she has on

[51:54] her young people that she

[51:54] mentors.

[51:55] We have been told that she

[51:56] always comes to work with a

[51:57] smile no matter how tired she

[51:59] might be and she motivates

[52:00] the young people to keep doing

[52:01] their best every single day.

[52:04] So for decades you have helped

[52:05] build young athletes into

[52:06] confident, resilient young

[52:09] people in our community and we

[52:09] very much appreciate you.

[52:10] It is truly an honor to

[52:11] recognize you today as District

[52:16] five Woman of distinction.

[52:22] We will now turn to

[52:22] Councilmember Camp Hill and his

[52:23] honoree Thank you Council

[52:26] PRESIDENT And thank you to

[52:27] the mayor and his staff for

[52:27] organizing this great event And

[52:30] congratulations to all

[52:30] the honorees.

[52:31] I am proud to announce this

[52:32] year's District seven woman of

[52:32] Distinction.

[52:36] Alison Garner who is joined

[52:36] this morning by her husband

[52:37] Travis and her parents Randy

[52:40] and Susan and her son.

[52:41] Last year tragedy struck our

[52:42] community when a plane crashed

[52:46] in Murphy Canyon neighborhood

[52:46] in tears into in the early

[52:49] hours of MAY 22nd, 2025, 42

[52:50] families woke up to a

[52:54] terrifying and uncertain

[52:54] circumstance.

[52:55] Some had lost their vehicles.

[52:58] Some had lost their homes.

[52:59] Some were significantly injured

[53:00] and nearly lost their lives.

[53:03] All of them were shaken by this

[53:04] tragedy as our whole city was.

[53:08] It was a heartbreaking morning

[53:08] for everyone connected to that

[53:09] neighborhood and it even had

[53:09] global resonance.

[53:13] And for those 42 families

[53:13] directly impacted on Sample

[53:14] Street in the middle of that

[53:17] tragedy, Alison Garner stepped

[53:18] forward.

[53:18] Alison is the director of

[53:19] Strategic Partnerships and

[53:22] Military Relations for

[53:23] the Armed Services Y.M.C.A.

[53:23] Center.

[53:27] She's also a military spouse

[53:28] and mother herself.

[53:28] Because of those roles and

[53:29] because of the deep trust she

[53:32] has built within the military

[53:33] community, Alison became

[53:34] the primary point of contact

[53:37] and liaison for everyone

[53:38] affected.

[53:39] This work was personal for her

[53:42] too because these were her

[53:43] fellow military families people

[53:44] living the same life that she

[53:47] lives raising children in

[53:48] the same military community she

[53:48] has called home.

[53:52] Alison advocated for them

[53:52] tirelessly because to her

[53:53] the military community is an

[53:57] abstract.

[53:57] Those are her family members

[53:58] and her neighbors and the life

[54:01] she lives every day.

[54:01] She coordinated communications

[54:02] between dozens of federal and

[54:06] local agencies, organize

[54:07] the distribution of donated

[54:07] goods and ensure that every

[54:11] single family had temporary

[54:11] housing.

[54:12] She also led long term recovery

[54:16] efforts helping families find

[54:17] new homes and even organizing a

[54:17] two week scholarship to Camp

[54:21] Hero for the children of

[54:22] the impacted families.

[54:23] That is why Alison represents

[54:26] exactly what this recognition

[54:26] is about.

[54:27] She never sought the spotlight.

[54:30] She's the everyday person with

[54:31] extraordinary heart who when

[54:32] tragedy struck her community

[54:35] stepped forward and made sure

[54:36] her neighbors were safe and

[54:40] supported and not alone.

[54:41] She made them know that they

[54:44] mattered because of her

[54:45] compassion and her leadership

[54:46] and her quiet determination to

[54:46] take care of others.

[54:50] Our community was able to begin

[54:50] healing after an unimaginable

[54:54] tragedy.

[54:55] What she will tell you that she

[54:56] was just doing her job.

[54:59] I know And those 42 family

[55:00] knows and our city knows

[55:04] the truth that you are a hero.

[55:04] Alison.

[55:05] Alison, you're a hero and we

[55:06] are deeply grateful for your

[55:09] service and your heart for this

[55:09] community.

[55:10] So I just want to say thank

[55:10] you.

[55:11] Thank you to your family for

[55:14] your service and your sacrifice

[55:15] And we are praying for you and

[55:15] your family and all our

[55:19] military families at this time.

[55:20] And so it is my honor to

[55:20] recognize you as our District

[55:21] seven woman of distinction.

[55:30] >> Thank you.

[55:31] >> With that we will go now to

[55:32] council member Moreno and her

[55:35] honoree.

[55:35] >> Thank you.

[55:36] Congratulations to all

[55:36] the women being recognized

[55:40] today.

[55:40] It's with great pleasure to

[55:41] partner with the mayor every

[55:42] year to recognize these

[55:45] astonishing women from all over

[55:45] San Diego.

[55:46] And it is truly an honor to

[55:50] recognize an extraordinary

[55:51] leader, mentor, fearless

[55:56] Chicana and advocate for young

[55:56] people in District eight.

[55:56] MS..

[56:02] Salt MRS. Soichi Alvarez.

[56:03] >> Today we celebrate her as a

[56:06] woman of distinction in

[56:07] the city of San Diego a

[56:11] recognition that reflects more

[56:12] than 50 years of dedication to

[56:12] helping first generation

[56:16] students and their families

[56:16] navigate the path to college

[56:21] and beyond.

[56:22] Now as director of the Graduate

[56:22] Support Program and Activity

[56:25] Prep, MS. Alvarez has guided

[56:26] hundreds of young scholars

[56:30] through middle school all

[56:31] the way through college

[56:31] graduation, turning the dreams

[56:35] of higher education into real

[56:36] opportunities and lasting

[56:40] success not only changing

[56:41] the lives of the students but

[56:41] changing the lives of their

[56:42] whole families.

[56:45] As the daughter of immigrant

[56:46] parents and first generation

[56:50] college college graduate

[56:50] herself, she understands

[56:51] the journey firsthand.

[56:55] Her commitment to community

[56:55] also extends beyond her

[57:00] professional work, including

[57:01] being a mom, a good daughter, a

[57:05] sister, a dear GOD mother.

[57:06] Also years of volunteering at

[57:10] the Sherman Elementary School

[57:11] pta and serving as a Girl Scout

[57:15] leader for Troop 6177 in Logan

[57:16] Heights.

[57:20] On top of all this mentoring

[57:21] young young girls and helping

[57:25] shape our future leaders, I

[57:25] want to thank all the students

[57:26] from Nativity Prep that are

[57:29] here today to support MRS.

[57:34] Alvarez.

[57:41] >> It allows Grace herself

[57:41] Familia Mira montes get

[57:42] components saw children we so

[57:44] Mama Super pac so stressed

[57:45] Hermanas Jose Calexico this

[57:50] week is going to assess her

[57:50] location skills Torres learned

[57:55] as we hear that business was

[58:00] possible w I'm going to say

[58:00] check out all of law

[58:01] agreements.

[58:02] Circuit All of law grows in one

[58:02] matrimonial song Comparatives

[58:03] So with that MS. Alvarez your

[58:06] dedication has changed lives

[58:07] and strengthened our community.

[58:11] Congratulations on being

[58:12] recognized Women of Woman of

[58:13] Distinction and thank you for

[58:16] everything that you do have

[58:17] done and will continue to do

[58:19] for the city of San Diego which

[58:30] has got to Yes, Thank you.

[58:31] >> And with that we will go to

[58:31] council member Isla Rivera is

[58:34] honoree All right thank you

[58:34] council PRESIDENT Thank you

[58:39] Mayor for doing this with us I.

[58:43] Before I get started on Rama I

[58:44] want to make sure I say

[58:44] congratulations to all

[58:45] the recipients today and I'll

[58:48] give a special shout out to two

[58:49] who do their work in District

[58:49] nine.

[58:53] Maria, thank you for your work

[58:54] supporting immigrant

[58:54] communities with Pena.

[58:57] MRS. Alvarez thank you for your

[58:58] work in District nine and

[58:58] Nativity Prep.

[59:02] As for Ramos, she is an

[59:03] incredible community leader

[59:03] with an incredible story As

[59:07] the director of campaigns and

[59:07] organizing Rummo works with

[59:08] the leadership team at

[59:11] the Partnership for

[59:12] the Advancement of New

[59:12] Americans to accomplish their

[59:13] organizational priorities, she

[59:16] trains and meets regularly with

[59:17] Pena's organizers.

[59:20] She was born in Mogadishu and

[59:21] came to the United States as a

[59:22] refugee and personally

[59:22] understands the many

[59:23] difficulties of adjusting to

[59:25] life in a new country while

[59:26] preserving her cultural

[59:26] heritage.

[59:31] She has led work with young

[59:31] women from the Middle East,

[59:32] Asia and Africa and founded

[59:36] the International Refugee Girls

[59:36] Association.

[59:37] She worked as the executive

[59:40] director of Somali Youth United

[59:40] where she worked to ensure

[59:41] young people acquire

[59:42] the critical skills necessary

[59:45] for success.

[59:46] And she has shown a passion and

[59:50] aptitude for increasing access

[59:50] and exposure to steam for women

[59:51] and girls throughout

[59:55] the African Diaspora.

[59:56] All of that is really important

[59:56] work.

[1:00:00] But what I want to say more

[1:00:01] than anything is that Rameau is

[1:00:01] an incredible advocate for her

[1:00:04] community whether it's

[1:00:05] supporting tenants rights or

[1:00:06] immigrants rights and making

[1:00:09] sure that her community is safe

[1:00:10] from from the impacts of

[1:00:14] surveillance or standing up to

[1:00:15] the day care providers who have

[1:00:15] been unfairly attacked in

[1:00:19] recent months.

[1:00:20] Rameau is an incredible example

[1:00:23] of what a community leader can

[1:00:24] and should be.

[1:00:25] And she's doing this at a time

[1:00:29] where community is increasingly

[1:00:29] under attack.

[1:00:30] And so from I want to say thank

[1:00:33] you for doing that for not just

[1:00:34] not backing down during this

[1:00:35] time but standing even taller

[1:00:38] and being even stronger.

[1:00:39] All of San Diego benefits from

[1:00:43] your advocacy and obviously

[1:00:44] the folks who are closest to

[1:00:48] you benefit in a great and a

[1:00:48] great way as well.

[1:00:49] But I just cannot say thank you

[1:00:52] enough for the advocacy and

[1:00:53] the leadership that you show

[1:00:54] and what a great example of you

[1:00:55] are, what a great example you

[1:00:57] are of a woman who's making

[1:00:58] history here in San Diego.

[1:00:59] So thank you for all your

[1:00:59] contributions and

[1:01:09] congratulations.

[1:01:09] >> All right.

[1:01:14] Thank you to my colleague.

[1:01:15] You know City of San Diego is

[1:01:19] America's finest city because

[1:01:19] of the work that these ten

[1:01:20] distinguished women do And

[1:01:24] every woman in our city does,

[1:01:25] whether it's the everyday lives

[1:01:29] of being a mother or spouse,

[1:01:29] whether it's leaders of

[1:01:30] industry, whether it's

[1:01:34] the service providers,

[1:01:34] the teachers and every segment

[1:01:39] of what we call our city.

[1:01:40] We are a great city because of

[1:01:40] their work and I'm glad that

[1:01:44] we're able to take a moment and

[1:01:45] recognize these ten individuals

[1:01:45] in particular.

[1:01:48] But all of our all the women of

[1:01:49] distinction of what makes us a

[1:01:50] great city deserve to be

[1:01:50] recognized.

[1:01:54] But to conclude this segment,

[1:01:54] let us join one more time to

[1:01:55] recognize these ten women of

[1:02:27] distinction

[1:02:27] .

[1:02:28] >> And with that, as you see

[1:02:28] someone leading the door, this

[1:02:32] is a ceremonial item.

[1:02:33] No motion was required but we

[1:02:33] will pause for group photos.

[1:02:36] I will invite the ten women

[1:02:37] into the pit for a group photo

[1:02:37] and then we'll have an

[1:02:38] opportunity for individual

[1:03:25] photos

[1:05:25] of

[1:06:15] We will take Lynn next.

[1:06:18] Lynn is next for the picture

[1:06:19] Council District Council member

[1:07:01] Campbell and thank you Ruth And

[1:07:05] it's next And district three

[1:09:06] with with Ruth and

[1:16:38] all right again congratulations

[1:16:39] to the 2026 women in

[1:16:39] distinction thank you for

[1:16:43] the family members and

[1:16:44] the colleagues that joined in

[1:16:44] the celebration today.

[1:16:48] With that we will now dispense

[1:16:49] with the approval of

[1:16:49] proclamation items.

[1:16:52] Clerk Please introduce them and

[1:16:53] proceed with public comment.

[1:16:53] Thank you.

[1:16:54] Council PRESIDENT The public

[1:16:55] comment period for

[1:16:57] the proclamation items is now

[1:16:58] open.

[1:16:58] Each speaker will have one

[1:16:59] minute per item per person.

[1:17:02] If you would like to speak on

[1:17:03] three or more items you will

[1:17:03] have a maximum of three minutes

[1:17:04] for proclamation items being

[1:17:11] approved are items 3132 as 501

[1:17:14] as 502s504 and 505.

[1:17:15] I see no speakers here in

[1:17:16] council chambers for any of

[1:17:20] the proclamations going to

[1:17:21] those participating remotely.

[1:17:21] We have Andrea Irving if you

[1:17:25] can please unmute and let me

[1:17:26] know which item or items you

[1:17:30] wish to speak to.

[1:17:31] >> Hi this is Andrea and I'm so

[1:17:31] sorry I have to pass.

[1:17:32] I didn't have a chance to

[1:17:35] review it so thanks to this

[1:17:36] one.

[1:17:36] Thanks Laurie Sultana If you

[1:17:39] can please unmute speak on

[1:17:40] the proclamations, let me know

[1:17:41] which item or items you wish to

[1:17:43] speak to.

[1:17:44] Yes, thank you.

[1:17:44] I will speak to Women's History

[1:17:48] Month and well I'll actually

[1:17:49] I'll speak to all of them.

[1:17:49] >> Thank you.

[1:17:50] Thank you.

[1:17:53] You'll have three minutes.

[1:17:54] >> Please proceed.

[1:17:54] All right.

[1:17:58] So I'll just go in order 31

[1:17:58] diversionary theater.

[1:17:59] Thank you for being a community

[1:18:02] space and for celebrating and

[1:18:03] enriching our cultural and

[1:18:07] musical and appreciation on a

[1:18:08] regular basis.

[1:18:08] It's amazing what you have

[1:18:13] accomplished And it's 40 years

[1:18:13] and Women's History Month as

[1:18:17] I've mentioned before will be

[1:18:18] dead.

[1:18:18] Women rarely make history and I

[1:18:19] think it's important that

[1:18:20] people recognize here in

[1:18:23] California we created when I

[1:18:23] served in the legislature

[1:18:27] alongside Karen Bass, the mayor

[1:18:28] of Los Angeles, she made

[1:18:31] history as the first black

[1:18:32] woman in America in the United

[1:18:32] States history to become a

[1:18:37] legislative leader of a state

[1:18:37] legislative body.

[1:18:38] And when she appointed me to be

[1:18:41] her speaker pro tem we made

[1:18:42] history in California as

[1:18:42] the first two women in state

[1:18:46] history to serve as

[1:18:47] constitutional officers and

[1:18:47] lead the Assembly during a very

[1:18:51] difficult time and the economic

[1:18:52] collapse of 2008 and 2009.

[1:18:56] So I just wanted to add a

[1:18:57] little bit of history from

[1:18:57] the state level and even

[1:19:01] the national level as we finish

[1:19:02] up Black History Month because

[1:19:06] often women's voices are often

[1:19:06] silenced and our history is

[1:19:07] rewritten by others And if our

[1:19:11] voices weren't so powerful

[1:19:12] people wouldn't work so hard to

[1:19:12] silence them On St Patrick's

[1:19:15] Day Parade I want to

[1:19:16] acknowledge the contributions

[1:19:16] that the Irish community has

[1:19:21] made to San Diego and their

[1:19:21] parade is always boisterous and

[1:19:26] fun and it's a wonderful day

[1:19:27] for families to be out

[1:19:27] celebrating in the community

[1:19:31] and a Lowrider Stamp day.

[1:19:36] It's amazing how we have gone

[1:19:36] from criminalizing people who

[1:19:40] engage in what is really an art

[1:19:41] form to now recognizing their

[1:19:46] contributions to the especially

[1:19:47] Southern California cultural

[1:19:47] heritage.

[1:19:48] My father grew up in Los

[1:19:51] Angeles.

[1:19:52] He loved his cars and even

[1:19:56] though it was decades before

[1:19:57] Lowrider was became a term, he

[1:19:57] was certainly part of that

[1:20:02] culture in Los Angeles As a

[1:20:02] young man who treated their

[1:20:07] cars with what could only be

[1:20:08] called rubber and said respect

[1:20:09] to turn them into moving works

[1:20:11] of art.

[1:20:12] And finally I will say in

[1:20:16] response to Councilmember

[1:20:17] Moreno's recommendation,

[1:20:22] congratulations to her honoree

[1:20:23] she alvarez And I think that we

[1:20:27] have to always recognize

[1:20:28] the very diverse cultural

[1:20:32] impacts that people throughout

[1:20:33] San Diego have.

[1:20:33] Seeing the mayor at

[1:20:34] the proclamation ceremony

[1:20:39] earlier reminded me that when I

[1:20:39] was the chair of

[1:20:40] the Legislative Women's Caucus

[1:20:43] in Sacramento we would do our

[1:20:43] annual statewide recognition of

[1:20:49] women who impacted our state in

[1:20:50] powerful and positive ways.

[1:20:53] So congratulations to you and

[1:20:54] to all the women who were

[1:20:55] honored earlier today.

[1:20:55] Thank you.

[1:21:00] Next is the original and then

[1:21:01] it's 8700 the original If you

[1:21:01] can please let me know how many

[1:21:05] items or items you wish to

[1:21:06] speak to Which item or item.

[1:21:09] Yes or I would like to speak to

[1:21:15] women's history St Patrick's

[1:21:15] Day and let's do Jeff Davis

[1:21:16] Day.

[1:21:16] Thank you.

[1:21:20] Please proceed right so what is

[1:21:21] a woman is kind of what I'm

[1:21:21] wondering because you know we

[1:21:25] keep changing the definition

[1:21:26] The things we already change

[1:21:27] with the definition of a woman

[1:21:31] is so I'm wondering if that's

[1:21:32] part of the history and then if

[1:21:33] you or all of a sudden saying

[1:21:36] that men can be women, how does

[1:21:37] that history change?

[1:21:41] I mean how does that like

[1:21:46] reflect accuracy of women is

[1:21:47] what I'm wondering Because you

[1:21:52] know, sad to see an inversion

[1:21:53] of everything but if you really

[1:21:57] did want to honor women and all

[1:21:57] these women who are like

[1:22:02] activists like you know, for

[1:22:02] that it's just strange that

[1:22:03] they don't mind that that's

[1:22:07] happening and women are being

[1:22:08] raised to look like then you

[1:22:09] don't even know what a woman is

[1:22:12] And anybody can be a woman But

[1:22:13] people like Nancy Schaefer who

[1:22:18] were murdered who are trying to

[1:22:19] reform cps should be one that's

[1:22:19] honored, you know, along with

[1:22:23] again the other women that

[1:22:23] suffer on a regular basis

[1:22:28] throughout the world And then

[1:22:29] for, you know, St Patrick's Day

[1:22:30] all this stuff and you know,

[1:22:33] parade and all these events for

[1:22:34] it, you know, I'm just it's you

[1:22:35] know, there was a MARCH for

[1:22:39] children this last weekend on

[1:22:39] Saturday and there's actually

[1:22:45] one coming up on APRIL 11th.

[1:22:46] It's going to be at Waterfront

[1:22:46] Park and there's going to be a

[1:22:50] MARCH around downtown.

[1:22:51] And so I feel like, you know,

[1:22:52] when we honor certain things

[1:22:52] and we don't honor other things

[1:22:56] that would be nice to see.

[1:22:56] You know, all of you guys show

[1:22:57] support for children that are

[1:23:02] suffering and or you know, like

[1:23:07] Arabella McCormick, Delilah,

[1:23:08] you know, children who have

[1:23:09] starved to death because nobody

[1:23:12] wanted to do anything.

[1:23:13] Just wondering when we're going

[1:23:14] to spend some money to, you

[1:23:18] know, dishonor them and mothers

[1:23:19] who are currently suffering I

[1:23:20] mean Patrick was murdered.

[1:23:24] Oh, but you know, let's do

[1:23:25] other things And then so let's

[1:23:26] go to Jeff Davis.

[1:23:30] This one's interested because

[1:23:30] he's the veterans for you know,

[1:23:35] San Diego housing Commission or

[1:23:35] whatever.

[1:23:35] Right.

[1:23:40] And you know General straining

[1:23:41] steadfast commitment to

[1:23:42] advancing innovative housing

[1:23:46] solutions and improving

[1:23:47] the lives of low income

[1:23:48] families and individuals

[1:23:52] experiencing homelessness I'm

[1:23:53] sorry 27 years of that And look

[1:23:57] at where we're at.

[1:23:58] I don't know that I would be

[1:23:59] giving him an award when

[1:24:00] the state of the city is in

[1:24:04] such disarray I mean right

[1:24:05] outside of city chambers Again

[1:24:09] that building you know

[1:24:09] the awning right there when you

[1:24:10] walk in Right Right by security

[1:24:15] is filled with homeless every

[1:24:15] night.

[1:24:16] But then you do have

[1:24:16] the downtown partnership come

[1:24:17] and tell them to leave which

[1:24:22] isn't always so interesting.

[1:24:23] But yeah, let's clean that up

[1:24:23] and tent city and things before

[1:24:24] we talk to the people there.

[1:24:27] Thank you for that concluding

[1:24:27] comment.

[1:24:28] Next is 8700 If you can please

[1:24:29] unmute and let me know which

[1:24:31] item or items you wish to speak

[1:24:36] to in Star six To unmute.

[1:24:37] Thank you.

[1:24:42] A 30 254 please.

[1:24:42] Thank you.

[1:24:43] You have two minutes.

[1:24:46] Please proceed.

[1:24:51] 332 Women's History Month

[1:24:52] Council member Campbell von

[1:24:57] Wilpert and Marino three very

[1:24:58] strong women.

[1:25:02] Thank you for this item and

[1:25:08] special thank you to cd3

[1:25:09] honoree Ruth and Dawn to all

[1:25:14] these women in all women face

[1:25:15] challenges barriers and they do

[1:25:20] achievements Keep making

[1:25:27] history for equality and equity

[1:25:28] to all and then s5 all for

[1:25:31] the state or 226 San Diego

[1:25:32] Housing Commission is

[1:25:36] synonymous with care affidavits

[1:25:41] dedicated public servant 27

[1:25:42] year veteran of San Diego how

[1:25:42] the commission your leadership

[1:25:47] MR. Davis across critical

[1:25:48] operational areas of both San

[1:25:53] Diego Housing Commission and

[1:25:54] beyond is appreciated.

[1:25:55] Thank you for your service to

[1:25:59] all.

[1:26:00] Thank you.

[1:26:00] That does conclude public

[1:26:01] comment on the proclamation.

[1:26:01] All right.

[1:26:05] Thank you, City Clerk And with

[1:26:06] that I'll turn it over to my

[1:26:06] colleagues for questions Excuse

[1:26:07] me for comments and entertain a

[1:26:10] motion and we'll start with

[1:26:11] council member Von Wolpert.

[1:26:11] Thank you.

[1:26:12] i'm happy to move

[1:26:15] the proclamation today and

[1:26:16] congratulations to all

[1:26:16] the proclamation awardees As

[1:26:17] usual my colleagues have

[1:26:21] brought forth very wonderful

[1:26:22] things to celebrate including

[1:26:22] our Jeff Davis.

[1:26:23] Congratulations on your

[1:26:23] retirement.

[1:26:24] We thank you for all your

[1:26:28] service to the city and

[1:26:29] the Housing Commission over

[1:26:29] the years on item 31 for

[1:26:32] Diversionary Theater 40th

[1:26:33] Anniversary Day I am proud to

[1:26:33] join Mary Todd Gloria

[1:26:34] Councilmember Jennifer Campbell

[1:26:39] Councilmember Steve Whitburn in

[1:26:40] recognizing the Virgin Mary

[1:26:40] Theater as it celebrates its

[1:26:41] 40th anniversary here in

[1:26:44] the city of Sebago Since its

[1:26:45] founding in 1986 during

[1:26:46] the height of the hiv and aids

[1:26:46] crisis, the Virginia theater

[1:26:50] has used the power of

[1:26:51] performing arts to uplift

[1:26:51] the lgbtq 80 plus voices and

[1:26:52] create space for our community

[1:26:56] Healing and visibility.

[1:26:56] Over the past four decades,

[1:26:57] Diversionary has grown into one

[1:27:02] of the most respected lgbtq

[1:27:03] a-plus theaters in the country,

[1:27:03] producing more than 175

[1:27:04] mainstream productions and

[1:27:08] hundreds of performances.

[1:27:09] I have attended many

[1:27:09] the fantastic theater I

[1:27:10] encourage everybody to go.

[1:27:13] The theater has also served a

[1:27:14] creative home for many emerging

[1:27:15] and established artists helping

[1:27:16] to amplify voices and stories

[1:27:20] that deserve to be heard beyond

[1:27:20] the stage.

[1:27:21] Virgin Mary continues to impact

[1:27:21] our region through arts

[1:27:25] education programs and

[1:27:25] community engagement

[1:27:26] opportunities for people of all

[1:27:27] ages across the county.

[1:27:27] Congratulations on this

[1:27:31] incredible milestone.

[1:27:32] It is my honor to proclaim

[1:27:33] MARCH 28th, 2026 at

[1:27:36] the burgeoning theater 40th

[1:27:36] anniversary day in the city of

[1:27:37] San Diego In item 32 with

[1:27:38] Women's History Month, I'm

[1:27:42] proud to be joining Councilor

[1:27:43] Jennifer Campbell and

[1:27:43] COUNCILWOMAN Moreno to

[1:27:44] recognize Women's History Month

[1:27:47] in the city of San Diego.

[1:27:48] Women's History Month is an

[1:27:49] opportunity to reflect on

[1:27:49] the generations of women who

[1:27:50] pushed for progress, broke

[1:27:54] barriers and helped expand

[1:27:55] opportunities for the women and

[1:27:55] girls who came after them.

[1:27:56] Thank you to everyone who

[1:28:00] served on our commission on

[1:28:01] the fantastic Women many of

[1:28:01] whom are here today in our

[1:28:02] chambers across league We see

[1:28:05] that legacy every day for women

[1:28:06] leading small businesses,

[1:28:06] educators shaping the next

[1:28:07] generation.

[1:28:07] The community advocates working

[1:28:11] tirelessly to strengthen our

[1:28:12] neighborhoods.

[1:28:12] This year's theme is Leading

[1:28:13] the Change Women Shaping a

[1:28:17] Sustainable Future.

[1:28:17] And it reminds us that women

[1:28:18] continue to play a critical

[1:28:19] role in building resilient

[1:28:19] communities and helping guide

[1:28:22] the future of our city.

[1:28:23] It also reminds us that while

[1:28:24] we have a meaningful progress,

[1:28:24] there's still work ahead to

[1:28:25] ensure that women have equal

[1:28:29] opportunities to lead, succeed

[1:28:29] and thrive.

[1:28:30] I also want to recognize

[1:28:31] the many women serving in

[1:28:36] public service across our city

[1:28:37] from city staff to community

[1:28:37] leaders who work every day to

[1:28:38] make for a stronger and more

[1:28:39] equitable place for everyone.

[1:28:42] Women's History Month is not

[1:28:43] only about honoring the past

[1:28:43] but also about supporting

[1:28:44] the next generation women and

[1:28:45] girls who are lead our

[1:28:48] community in the years ahead.

[1:28:49] I still hold out hope that

[1:28:50] someday this nation will pass

[1:28:50] the Equal Rights Amendment and

[1:28:51] will restore the protections of

[1:28:54] Ruby Wade in this country.

[1:28:55] And today we celebrate

[1:28:56] the achievements of women

[1:28:56] across the globe, across our

[1:29:00] nation to recommit ourselves to

[1:29:01] continuing the work toward a

[1:29:01] future where every woman has

[1:29:02] the opportunity to succeed and

[1:29:02] lead.

[1:29:03] Thank you.

[1:29:06] And I read the proclamation.

[1:29:07] All right.

[1:29:07] Thank you.

[1:29:08] Council member Whitburn Excuse

[1:29:08] me Yvonne Gilbert.

[1:29:11] I haven't done that in two

[1:29:11] years.

[1:29:12] We have a motion by council

[1:29:17] member Von Wilbert to move

[1:29:18] the proclamation.

[1:29:18] We'll go next to Council

[1:29:19] Moreno.

[1:29:19] Thank you.

[1:29:23] Item 32 celebrates

[1:29:23] the accomplishment of women.

[1:29:24] Women's History Month is a time

[1:29:29] to honor women from the past

[1:29:29] and present acknowledging

[1:29:30] the issues that often affect

[1:29:34] women's advancements and

[1:29:35] celebrate our achievements.

[1:29:36] I am proud to partner with

[1:29:41] Councilmembers Campbell and Von

[1:29:42] Gilbert on this proclamation.

[1:29:43] Many people have tried to

[1:29:46] embrace women's history and our

[1:29:47] achievements from textbooks and

[1:29:48] Women's History Month reminds

[1:29:48] us for a moment of all of our

[1:29:53] great achievements.

[1:29:54] The idea of Women's History

[1:29:54] Month with a different lens

[1:29:59] since I became a mother to a

[1:30:00] daughter and I hope for a

[1:30:00] brighter future for our next

[1:30:01] generation of female leaders

[1:30:05] And I know my daughter will

[1:30:05] have a very different

[1:30:06] experience than I did.

[1:30:07] So I want to extend

[1:30:11] the appreciation for the women

[1:30:12] that are powering and steering

[1:30:13] our city including my

[1:30:17] colleagues here on the dais.

[1:30:18] Item s502 celebrates at this

[1:30:23] Friday MARCH 13th usps will

[1:30:24] unveil the first ever low rider

[1:30:24] stamp.

[1:30:29] This historic unveiling will

[1:30:29] occur in Logan Heights Library

[1:30:30] within District eight.

[1:30:30] The event is acknowledging

[1:30:35] Logan Heights on a national

[1:30:36] level and it will showcase 21

[1:30:36] low riders that will be on

[1:30:42] display and feature at

[1:30:42] the talented Logan Memorial

[1:30:43] Educational Campus Mariachi

[1:30:43] Ensemble.

[1:30:47] The Low Rider Stamp is a huge

[1:30:48] milestone that showcases

[1:30:48] the cultural, artistic and

[1:30:53] historic impact of the low

[1:30:53] rider movement.

[1:30:54] Logan Heights stands out for

[1:30:54] many reasons including its

[1:30:59] proximity to Chicano Park best

[1:31:00] known and recognized for its

[1:31:00] murals and its significant

[1:31:01] Chicano movement.

[1:31:05] On APRIL 22nd, 1970, residents

[1:31:05] of Logan Heights alongside city

[1:31:11] college students and community

[1:31:11] activists rallied together to

[1:31:12] suspend the construction of a

[1:31:17] highway patrol station.

[1:31:17] Community resilience is

[1:31:18] ingrained in the history of

[1:31:18] Logan Heights and also Chicano

[1:31:23] Park and I would like to thank

[1:31:24] DR. Albert Alberto Pulido from

[1:31:25] the University of San Diego.

[1:31:29] MR. Rigoberto Reyes from

[1:31:30] the International Amigos Car

[1:31:30] Club for spearheading

[1:31:35] the stamps development process

[1:31:36] with usps over five years ago

[1:31:41] and making Turning this vision

[1:31:41] into a reality.

[1:31:42] I'm going to call you up to see

[1:31:43] if you want to say a few words.

[1:31:47] I also want to thank I want to

[1:31:48] thank you for all your service

[1:31:49] to Logan Heights and also for

[1:31:53] bringing this historic moment

[1:31:53] to the city of San Diego.

[1:31:54] I also would like to extend an

[1:31:58] open invitation to everybody

[1:31:59] here.

[1:31:59] The event will be this Friday

[1:32:00] and program starts at 11:00 at

[1:32:04] Logan Heights Library and

[1:32:05] stamps will be on sale before

[1:32:10] and after the program And I

[1:32:11] would like to congratulate all

[1:32:12] the folks involved everyone La

[1:32:17] Raza and I'm happy to second

[1:32:18] the motion on the floor.

[1:32:18] >> Thank you.

[1:32:19] All right.

[1:32:19] Thank you, Council member.

[1:32:23] So we have a motion by council

[1:32:24] member Von Wilbur and a second

[1:32:25] by COUNCILMAN Moreno to move

[1:32:25] the proclamation.

[1:32:28] We'll go next to council member

[1:32:29] Lippert.

[1:32:29] Thank you very much, Council

[1:32:30] PRESIDENT.

[1:32:30] Congratulations to all of those

[1:32:31] being honored with

[1:32:36] proclamations today.

[1:32:36] I want to thank councilmembers

[1:32:37] Campbell and Von Wilpert and

[1:32:38] Laredo for bringing the witness

[1:32:38] history.

[1:32:41] But the proclamation forward

[1:32:41] and more importantly for

[1:32:42] the leadership that they show

[1:32:43] every day on behalf of their

[1:32:49] communities outside of college.

[1:32:49] The incredible Libertad by

[1:32:50] District three Team Nancy

[1:32:53] Isabella Hudson, Bridgette Nay

[1:32:53] So Jordan Latchford and

[1:32:54] Christina Gaffney whose

[1:32:58] dedication to the residents of

[1:32:58] District three makes a

[1:32:59] difference every single day.

[1:32:59] We must continue pushing

[1:33:00] forward to ensure that all

[1:33:04] women have a seat at the table

[1:33:04] and have equal opportunities to

[1:33:05] succeed.

[1:33:05] I am proud to join my

[1:33:06] colleagues in recognizing when

[1:33:10] it's History Month and honoring

[1:33:11] the women who continue to shape

[1:33:11] our community for the better.

[1:33:15] I try to join Gloria

[1:33:16] Councilmembers Campbell Edward

[1:33:17] Wolpert in recognizing 40 years

[1:33:17] of incredible impact by

[1:33:21] diversionary theater an

[1:33:21] organization that has helped to

[1:33:22] shape the cultural and artistic

[1:33:23] life of our city.

[1:33:23] Located at University Heights

[1:33:28] Diversionary theater has been a

[1:33:28] cornerstone of Santiago's tcu

[1:33:29] plus cultural community for

[1:33:29] the past 40 years.

[1:33:33] It is the third oldest lgbtq

[1:33:34] plus theater in the United

[1:33:34] States and its presence here in

[1:33:35] San Diego reflects

[1:33:39] the creativity and resilience

[1:33:40] and diversity that make our

[1:33:41] city so special.

[1:33:41] Their work has elevated local

[1:33:46] artists and inspired

[1:33:47] generations of performers and

[1:33:47] audiences alike and I

[1:33:48] congratulate the leadership and

[1:33:52] artists, staff and volunteers

[1:33:53] and all the supporters who have

[1:33:53] made these past 40 years

[1:33:54] possible.

[1:33:58] About the Saint Patrick's Day

[1:33:59] Parade and Irish Festival takes

[1:34:00] place right here in District

[1:34:01] three at the beautiful Balboa

[1:34:03] Park.

[1:34:04] For more than four decades or

[1:34:05] so that has brought our

[1:34:06] community together to celebrate

[1:34:06] Irish culture, music, dance and

[1:34:10] tradition.

[1:34:11] What begins with the leadership

[1:34:11] of the Irish Congress and

[1:34:12] the Southern California

[1:34:13] dedicated Community volunteers

[1:34:17] has grown into one of

[1:34:17] the largest and most beloved

[1:34:18] cultural celebrations in

[1:34:18] the Southwest.

[1:34:22] Events like this remind us that

[1:34:23] nato strength comes from

[1:34:24] the cultures and traditions

[1:34:24] that bring people to our city.

[1:34:25] And I want to thank

[1:34:28] the organizers and volunteers

[1:34:29] who make the celebration

[1:34:29] possible every year.

[1:34:30] Encourage everybody to come out

[1:34:33] and enjoy the parade and

[1:34:34] celebrate the rich Irish

[1:34:35] heritage that is such a vibrant

[1:34:35] part of our community.

[1:34:42] I would also like to cede time

[1:34:43] to Treva West, middle of

[1:34:43] Ireland as the Civic Relations

[1:34:46] liaison for the 2026 St

[1:34:47] Patrick's Day Parade and

[1:34:47] Festival Committee.

[1:34:48] Please come up to the podium

[1:34:53] where all looking forward to

[1:34:53] the upcoming event.

[1:34:54] >> Invite you to share a few

[1:34:54] words.

[1:34:59] Thank you very much

[1:34:59] Councilmember Whitburn.

[1:35:06] Good morning COUNCILMAN

[1:35:06] PRESIDENT Carver Pro Tem Lee

[1:35:07] and other council members.

[1:35:11] My name is West Somervell as

[1:35:12] Council member stated.

[1:35:13] I'm honored to stand before you

[1:35:13] as a member of the Irish

[1:35:16] Congress of Southern California

[1:35:16] and of the entire Irish

[1:35:17] Diaspora here in San Diego.

[1:35:23] As Council member LeBron stated

[1:35:24] this Saturday, MARCH 14th we

[1:35:24] are inviting all of San Diego

[1:35:29] to join us along fifth and

[1:35:30] Sixth Avenues and in w Park for

[1:35:30] the 44th annual St Patrick's

[1:35:34] Day Parade and Festival.

[1:35:35] As Council member Whitburn

[1:35:35] stated, this event has been

[1:35:40] occurring for over four decades

[1:35:41] and it has served as a

[1:35:42] welcoming inclusive bridge for

[1:35:46] our community bringing San

[1:35:47] Diegans of all backgrounds

[1:35:47] together to celebrate Irish

[1:35:53] culture and heritage.

[1:35:54] In Ireland we have a saying.

[1:35:57] Came 100,000 volumes and that

[1:35:58] is exactly the spirit that we

[1:35:59] bring to our city streets.

[1:36:04] The Congress of Southern

[1:36:04] California would like to

[1:36:05] express our sincere gratitude

[1:36:06] to the offices of

[1:36:06] Councilmembers Whitburn and

[1:36:10] Foster and to Council PRESIDENT

[1:36:11] LaCava for warmly welcome to

[1:36:11] our committee to discuss

[1:36:16] the vibrancy and sustainability

[1:36:17] of what remains the largest

[1:36:17] Saint Patrick's Day parade west

[1:36:18] of the Mississippi.

[1:36:23] And to both council members and

[1:36:24] Campo along with Council

[1:36:24] PRESIDENT LaCava for accepting

[1:36:25] our invitation to participate

[1:36:28] in this year's parade.

[1:36:29] As we look toward the future,

[1:36:30] the Irish Congress is eager to

[1:36:31] maintain an open line of

[1:36:35] communication with all of you.

[1:36:36] We view the city as a vital

[1:36:36] partner in ensuring

[1:36:37] the celebration of culture and

[1:36:41] community continues to thrive

[1:36:42] in the heart of San Diego for

[1:36:43] another 44 years and beyond.

[1:36:48] Thank you for your support of

[1:36:48] this proclamation and look

[1:36:49] forward to seeing you in

[1:36:54] the parade on the route or in

[1:36:54] the festival on Saturday.

[1:36:55] >> Thank you.

[1:36:55] Thank you.

[1:36:56] We are very much looking

[1:36:57] forward to the Parade festival.

[1:36:59] And thank you for all that you

[1:37:00] do for the community.

[1:37:01] And last but certainly not

[1:37:01] least, a big congratulations to

[1:37:05] Jeff Davis and his retirement.

[1:37:05] MR. Davis has done a tremendous

[1:37:06] amount to help people

[1:37:07] experiencing homelessness get

[1:37:11] back on their feet and ensure

[1:37:11] that they get to have

[1:37:12] affordable housing.

[1:37:12] And we are very grateful for

[1:37:17] all of his efforts over so many

[1:37:17] years.

[1:37:18] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.

[1:37:18] All right.

[1:37:19] Thank you, council member.

[1:37:19] And we'll go next to

[1:37:22] Councilmember Campbell.

[1:37:23] Thank you, council PRESIDENT.

[1:37:23] Congratulations to all

[1:37:28] the proclamation recipients.

[1:37:29] What a wonderful day this is.

[1:37:30] I would like to first recognize

[1:37:35] Jeff Davis Day.

[1:37:35] MR. Davis are 27 years in

[1:37:36] the city housing homeless.

[1:37:41] He has helped thousands and

[1:37:41] thousands of people over

[1:37:42] the years and we are so

[1:37:42] grateful to him.

[1:37:46] We will MISS Him a great deal.

[1:37:47] He stepped in to be interim

[1:37:48] director of the housing

[1:37:52] commission.

[1:37:53] As we look for our new leader

[1:37:58] Lisa Jones and he's just a

[1:37:59] marvelous person who's always

[1:37:59] wonderful to work with.

[1:38:00] So thank you, Jeff, for all

[1:38:00] you've done.

[1:38:04] Congratulations on your

[1:38:05] retirement And I'd like to

[1:38:05] speak to Prop 31.

[1:38:10] I am honored to proclaim MARCH

[1:38:10] 28th, 26 as Diversionary

[1:38:14] Theater's 40th anniversary day

[1:38:15] in the city of San Diego.

[1:38:16] Welcome your time, Gloria.

[1:38:20] My colleagues, council members

[1:38:21] with your name on Wolpert

[1:38:22] diversionary third theater as

[1:38:25] has been said is the third

[1:38:25] oldest lgbtq theater in

[1:38:26] the United States founded way

[1:38:31] back in 1986.

[1:38:32] It is truly a unique and

[1:38:32] special place for the entire

[1:38:37] community to enjoy gay themed

[1:38:38] theater performances.

[1:38:38] Most importantly provides a

[1:38:43] creative home for many actors

[1:38:44] of all backgrounds to share

[1:38:44] their talents.

[1:38:49] Cheers to 40 years and now a

[1:38:49] proclamation over 32.

[1:38:50] In MARCH we celebrate Women's

[1:38:55] History Month acknowledge

[1:38:55] achievements of women

[1:38:56] throughout our history.

[1:38:56] There are so many trailblazing

[1:39:01] women in San Diego's history

[1:39:02] including Maureen o'Connor and

[1:39:03] who goes first Female Mayor

[1:39:07] Constance Carroll, the first

[1:39:08] black woman and first lgbtq

[1:39:08] person to serve as chancellor

[1:39:13] of the San Diego Community

[1:39:14] College District.

[1:39:14] Christine Kehoe, the first

[1:39:19] openly gay elected official in

[1:39:20] San Diego who was not only on

[1:39:20] council but went on through

[1:39:21] the state Assembly And as

[1:39:24] Senator in our state.

[1:39:25] I also want to congratulate

[1:39:30] Susan Davis, the first San

[1:39:31] Diego woman elected to Congress

[1:39:35] to represent San Diego district

[1:39:35] .

[1:39:36] Shirley Weber, California's

[1:39:37] first African-American

[1:39:41] secretary of state who also

[1:39:42] served in many other roles

[1:39:42] including the state Assembly

[1:39:47] Toni Atkins, the first woman

[1:39:48] and first lgbtq person to be

[1:39:52] speaker of the Assembly and

[1:39:53] then PRESIDENT Pro-Tem of

[1:39:54] the state Senate.

[1:39:58] Monica Montgomery Stepp Our

[1:39:59] former colleague on City

[1:40:00] Council the first black woman

[1:40:04] elected to serve as San Diego

[1:40:05] County supervisor.

[1:40:10] And my representative on county

[1:40:11] council.

[1:40:11] This morning we recognize ten

[1:40:12] incredible women who are making

[1:40:13] a difference in their

[1:40:16] communities.

[1:40:17] And I want to thank them all

[1:40:18] for their contributions to our

[1:40:18] city.

[1:40:23] Happy women's History Month.

[1:40:24] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.

[1:40:24] All right.

[1:40:25] Thank you, Council member

[1:40:25] Campbell.

[1:40:29] We'll go next to council member

[1:40:29] foster Thank you Council

[1:40:30] PRESIDENT.

[1:40:30] And I just want to speak

[1:40:35] briefly on a few of these

[1:40:35] items.

[1:40:36] We'll start with item 32

[1:40:36] Women's History Month.

[1:40:37] Thank you to council members

[1:40:41] Campbell von Wilpert and Marino

[1:40:41] for bringing forward this

[1:40:42] recognition of Women's History

[1:40:46] Month and for the leadership

[1:40:47] each of you show every day on

[1:40:48] behalf of the city of San Diego

[1:40:48] and your communities.

[1:40:53] As we recognize women across

[1:40:53] our city with this

[1:40:54] proclamation, I also want to

[1:40:57] acknowledge the example you

[1:40:58] three set on this council as

[1:40:59] women helping shape the future

[1:40:59] of San Diego.

[1:41:03] Women's History Month is a time

[1:41:04] to reflect on the many ways

[1:41:04] women have strengthened our

[1:41:05] communities, broken barriers

[1:41:05] and opened doors for

[1:41:10] generations that follow.

[1:41:11] In this moment I can't help but

[1:41:11] to think about the strong women

[1:41:15] in my life including my mother

[1:41:16] ,my wife and my daughter who

[1:41:16] remind me regularly of

[1:41:21] the strength resilience and

[1:41:22] leadership that women bring to

[1:41:22] our families in our

[1:41:23] communities.

[1:41:23] So today I join my colleagues

[1:41:28] in celebrating the women of San

[1:41:28] Diego and simply thanking you

[1:41:29] for all that you do.

[1:41:34] Also we'd like to comment on s5

[1:41:35] or two Low Rider Stamp Day.

[1:41:36] I want to begin by thanking

[1:41:39] Councilmember Vivian Marino for

[1:41:40] bringing forward this

[1:41:40] recognition and for helping

[1:41:41] highlight such an important

[1:41:42] moment for our city and for

[1:41:45] the lowrider community.

[1:41:45] San Diego has long been home to

[1:41:46] a vibrant lowrider culture that

[1:41:51] reflects deep pride, creativity

[1:41:51] and community.

[1:41:52] For generations little riding

[1:41:53] has served as a form of

[1:41:57] artistic expression and

[1:41:57] cultural storytelling that

[1:41:58] brings people together across

[1:41:58] our neighborhoods.

[1:42:02] The unveiling of the first ever

[1:42:03] Lowrider Stamp is a historic

[1:42:03] milestone that recognizes a

[1:42:07] culture the cultural

[1:42:08] significance of this movement

[1:42:09] and honors the artists,

[1:42:09] builders and community leaders

[1:42:13] who helped shape it.

[1:42:14] I also want to recognize DR.

[1:42:20] Alberto Pulido and MR. Reyes

[1:42:21] MR. Reyes for their dedication

[1:42:25] and advocacy in helping

[1:42:26] bringing national recognition

[1:42:26] to the lowrider community.

[1:42:27] I'm looking forward to joining

[1:42:31] the community this Friday at

[1:42:32] the Logan Heights Library for

[1:42:32] the stamp unveiling and

[1:42:33] celebration and to celebrating

[1:42:37] this important moment alongside

[1:42:37] the many lowrider enthusiasts

[1:42:38] who have helped make this

[1:42:42] culture what it is today.

[1:42:43] Lastly, I would like to comment

[1:42:48] on 5 or 3 Jeff Davis Day.

[1:42:49] Just really want to

[1:42:50] congratulate Jeff on 27 years

[1:42:50] of service with the San Diego

[1:42:55] Housing Commission.

[1:42:55] Your work has helped advance

[1:42:56] housing solutions to not only

[1:43:00] support our families with

[1:43:01] housing options but also

[1:43:01] the work that you have done in

[1:43:02] regards to our homeless

[1:43:07] population.

[1:43:07] Also just want to congratulate

[1:43:08] all of the proclamation

[1:43:08] recipients.

[1:43:15] And that concludes my comments.

[1:43:16] All right.

[1:43:16] Thank you, Councilmember Foster

[1:43:19] Not only because my thought

[1:43:20] kind of wrap things up.

[1:43:21] I joined Councilmember Lippert

[1:43:21] and Councilmember Campo on

[1:43:25] items five and one to celebrate

[1:43:26] Saint Patrick's Day parade and

[1:43:26] Festival day here in the city

[1:43:27] of San Diego.

[1:43:30] I want to thank the Irish

[1:43:31] Congress of Southern California

[1:43:32] for highlighting celebrating

[1:43:32] Irish culture here in San

[1:43:33] Diego.

[1:43:37] Keeping culture alive is no

[1:43:37] easy feat let alone running a

[1:43:42] festival of this size for 44

[1:43:42] years.

[1:43:43] My wife Lorraine was half Irish

[1:43:44] and I look forward to

[1:43:46] celebrating on Saturday at

[1:43:47] the Saint Patrick's Day Parade.

[1:43:47] However you choose to celebrate

[1:43:48] this day whether you're

[1:43:52] incorporating some green into

[1:43:53] your retire or attending

[1:43:54] the Saint Patrick's Day.

[1:43:54] I wish you all a happy and

[1:43:58] pennsbury Saint Patrick's Day.

[1:43:59] I was honored to join

[1:44:02] COUNCILMAN Marino in bringing

[1:44:03] forth 5 or 4 and respecting his

[1:44:04] wishes.

[1:44:04] I'll simply say thank you and

[1:44:09] item 32 Women's History Day

[1:44:10] Recognize the amazing women in

[1:44:10] my life.

[1:44:15] My mother who immigrated here

[1:44:16] from Italy to start a new life

[1:44:16] in this country.

[1:44:21] A recognition that seems to be

[1:44:22] lost on so many people who call

[1:44:27] themselves Americans And

[1:44:27] the good work she did in

[1:44:28] raising me and my sister my

[1:44:29] mother in law who was a nurse

[1:44:33] for the early part of her

[1:44:34] career.

[1:44:34] My daughter Valerie who set

[1:44:35] the standards of what

[1:44:39] compliance and the industry

[1:44:40] meant and is now the mother of

[1:44:40] my grandchild Olivia, 34.

[1:44:45] Next month and my daughter

[1:44:46] Melanie with her Ph.D. In

[1:44:51] genomics and advancing

[1:44:52] the conversation in protecting

[1:44:52] endangered species.

[1:44:53] And thank you to my colleagues

[1:44:58] for all the recognition and

[1:44:59] proclamations I've been brought

[1:44:59] forward today.

[1:45:00] I see Councilmember Lippman

[1:45:01] wants to jump back in again.

[1:45:01] Thank you.

[1:45:04] Council PRESIDENT Sorry we were

[1:45:05] looking forward to just be part

[1:45:06] of diversionary theater being

[1:45:06] with us this morning.

[1:45:09] It turns out he's with us

[1:45:10] virtually and I wanted to

[1:45:11] invite him to join us and say a

[1:45:11] few words.

[1:45:15] We are very much delighted to

[1:45:15] utter diversionary theater on

[1:45:21] its anniversary and really

[1:45:22] appreciate all that you have

[1:45:23] done to make it the great venue

[1:45:24] that it is about To invite you

[1:45:30] to say a few words.

[1:45:31] Hello.

[1:45:31] Hi.

[1:45:31] Can you hear me?

[1:45:37] Yes.

[1:45:38] >> Hi, This is Jesse Marquez.

[1:45:38] Thank you so much for having me

[1:45:39] today And the director of

[1:45:40] development and resident

[1:45:42] dramaturg at Diversionary

[1:45:43] Theater.

[1:45:43] You've all spoke so beautifully

[1:45:44] about the work and its impact

[1:45:48] on our city.

[1:45:49] Thank you so much.

[1:45:49] As you mentioned, for

[1:45:50] the nation's third oldest

[1:45:55] continuously operating lgbtq

[1:45:55] plus theater.

[1:45:56] San Diego was only theater of

[1:45:57] its kind and one of very few in

[1:46:00] the country dedicated to

[1:46:00] telling exclusively a lesbian,

[1:46:01] gay, transgender and stories.

[1:46:05] We're celebrating our 40th

[1:46:06] anniversary this year and we'll

[1:46:07] be taking to the streets on

[1:46:07] MARCH 28th for our Ruby

[1:46:12] anniversary Ball which we will

[1:46:12] celebrate under the stars on

[1:46:13] Park Boulevard outside of our

[1:46:18] historic theater and university

[1:46:18] heights.

[1:46:19] And I look forward to seeing

[1:46:19] some of you there.

[1:46:20] If you haven't bought tickets

[1:46:23] today is the last day to rsvp.

[1:46:24] Please do that.

[1:46:24] You've spoken so beautifully

[1:46:25] about our work and about our

[1:46:29] free arts education programs

[1:46:29] which really are one of

[1:46:30] the most important things we do

[1:46:35] to speak to just how we work

[1:46:36] towards the full diversity of

[1:46:36] our lgbtq community our newest

[1:46:42] arts education program.

[1:46:42] Frontlines of Pride is a great

[1:46:43] example of how we serve our

[1:46:44] community and its fullest.

[1:46:48] It's a collaboration with Armed

[1:46:48] Services Arts Partnerships and

[1:46:49] it's a playwriting class geared

[1:46:54] toward the healing of lgbtq

[1:46:54] veterans and their families.

[1:46:55] We really believe that

[1:46:59] representation matters and that

[1:47:00] stories have the power to save

[1:47:00] lives.

[1:47:01] I really want to thank City

[1:47:06] Council for your unwavering

[1:47:06] support of all of our programs

[1:47:07] over the years.

[1:47:11] With your help we impact

[1:47:11] the lives of nearly 10,000

[1:47:12] community members and we look

[1:47:16] forward to doing so for another

[1:47:17] 40 years and beyond.

[1:47:18] >> MR. Marchese thank you very

[1:47:22] much for being with us and

[1:47:23] thank you very much for all you

[1:47:24] do for diversionary theater.

[1:47:29] It has a national reputation.

[1:47:30] Its work has always been

[1:47:30] important and I think

[1:47:36] especially in today's national

[1:47:36] climate celebrating the many

[1:47:37] cultures that make up our

[1:47:41] community And this case in

[1:47:42] particular the lgbtq community

[1:47:43] and the transgender community.

[1:47:43] Your work is so important and

[1:47:48] very much appreciated So thank

[1:47:48] you again.

[1:47:49] Looking forward to the upcoming

[1:47:49] event.

[1:47:49] Thank you.

[1:47:50] Council PRESIDENT.

[1:47:50] All right.

[1:47:51] Thank you.

[1:47:54] Thank you for jumping in

[1:47:55] because it made me realize I

[1:47:55] forgot to thank one woman in my

[1:47:59] life and that would be my wife

[1:48:00] Laurie.

[1:48:00] >> So if I want to go home

[1:48:06] tonight to my wife Lorraine who

[1:48:06] is the mother of our two

[1:48:07] daughters and our grandmother

[1:48:11] to Olivia and a beloved

[1:48:12] kindergarten teacher for 25

[1:48:13] years and touched the lives of

[1:48:13] so many children who still come

[1:48:17] back and thank her for what she

[1:48:18] taught them during her

[1:48:18] kindergarten years.

[1:48:19] >> That was close.

[1:48:24] So with that we have a motion

[1:48:29] by Catherine Wolpert and a

[1:48:29] second by COUNCILMAN Marino to

[1:48:30] move the proclamation.

[1:48:31] Clerk Please call the vote.

[1:48:31] That's right The voting system

[1:48:36] Please cast your vote that

[1:48:37] passes unanimously 9 to 0.

[1:48:43] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT

[1:48:43] All right.

[1:48:44] Thank you Again we will take

[1:48:45] another pause for photos

[1:48:48] starting with I think item 31

[1:48:49] diversionary theater.

[1:48:50] Are they here in person?

[1:48:54] The virtual okay.

[1:48:55] Then we'll start with the Saint

[1:49:00] Patrick's Day parade and

[1:49:01] Festival day.

[1:49:02] I'm not out of sorry boy.

[1:49:03] I'm just really rattling off

[1:49:03] women's History Month so we

[1:49:09] want to do that for good.

[1:49:16] Is there someone here?

[1:49:16] Oh, yeah.

[1:49:17] Okay, that sounds good.

[1:49:17] And then I'll let Heidi take

[1:49:20] over because she actually knows

[1:51:11] what

[1:53:11] it

[1:53:32] I received 14 Webcam informs in

[1:53:38] opposition and I don't want to

[1:53:39] one received 21 webcam informs

[1:53:40] in opposition both all those

[1:53:44] were forwarded to the city

[1:53:45] Council I will also note for

[1:53:45] the record the potential

[1:53:51] reappointment so that are on

[1:53:51] the agenda this morning I don't

[1:53:52] want all five is the potential

[1:53:53] reappointment of DR. Joan Chen

[1:53:56] to the privacy Advisory Board

[1:53:57] starting with those that are

[1:53:57] speaking here in council

[1:53:58] chambers If I can have Barbara

[1:54:02] Holton please come forward and

[1:54:02] then Gary London.

[1:54:08] Joe Hassler and Blair Beekman

[1:54:09] if you can all come forward to

[1:54:09] the front row.

[1:54:14] Barbara Holton You have time

[1:54:15] ceded to you by Templeton to

[1:54:16] please raise your hand.

[1:54:16] Thank you so much.

[1:54:19] You'll have two minutes on item

[1:54:19] 55 Please come up to

[1:54:24] the microphone.

[1:54:30] I'm here today to support

[1:54:30] Historicity.

[1:54:31] You will be approving for

[1:54:36] the final time package.

[1:54:37] My name is Barbara Holton.

[1:54:43] I represent coastal caretakers

[1:54:43] .

[1:54:44] I want to say to you the city

[1:54:49] is responsible for ensuring

[1:54:49] that all of its decisions

[1:54:50] comply with the California

[1:54:57] Coastal Act and the care of

[1:54:57] the Environmental Quality Act

[1:55:01] the Ocean Beach Historical

[1:55:02] District is included within

[1:55:07] the state's coastal zone

[1:55:08] Package ordinances and

[1:55:13] resolutions do not meet

[1:55:14] California Coastal or

[1:55:14] Environmental Quality Act

[1:55:20] requirements.

[1:55:25] In addition, item 100 requires

[1:55:26] that item 55 be passed first

[1:55:31] This domino effect within a

[1:55:31] consent calendar is unusual and

[1:55:33] questionable.

[1:55:39] Thank you.

[1:55:40] Thank you.

[1:55:41] Next we have Gary London Are

[1:55:41] you here?

[1:55:45] Gary London?

[1:55:45] No.

[1:55:51] Then we have Jo Jo.

[1:55:52] Okay you're speaking on item

[1:55:52] 101.

[1:55:53] You'll have one minute.

[1:55:58] Please proceed.

[1:55:58] Hello, my name is Joe Heisler.

[1:55:59] I'm with Pentland Property

[1:55:59] Partners.

[1:56:03] We're asset manager Most of

[1:56:04] the retail and restaurant in

[1:56:04] Liberty Station the former Navy

[1:56:09] Naval training Center Liberty

[1:56:10] Station is a national treasure

[1:56:10] and some of the properties I

[1:56:15] asset manage are on a covered

[1:56:16] by 66 year round leases.

[1:56:16] The redevelopment agency has

[1:56:21] been dissolved for many years

[1:56:22] and the city of San Diego is

[1:56:27] supposed to compensate other

[1:56:27] taxing entities.

[1:56:28] Market value for the properties

[1:56:32] City of San Diego is currently

[1:56:33] offering a number that is based

[1:56:38] upon a valuation 15 years ago

[1:56:38] to pay them.

[1:56:39] Currently our company has

[1:56:44] offered seven times the number

[1:56:44] for the properties we control

[1:56:45] through ground leases.

[1:56:49] We also have two other ground

[1:56:50] lessees at Liberty Station that

[1:56:54] are willing to pay seven times

[1:56:54] the number.

[1:56:55] I would say this is

[1:56:56] disingenuous to schools and

[1:56:56] community college districts

[1:57:01] within our community.

[1:57:01] Thank you.

[1:57:02] Market value should be paid.

[1:57:08] Blair Beekman, New York began

[1:57:11] times 5105 and 503 You'll have

[1:57:11] three minutes.

[1:57:12] Please proceed.

[1:57:17] Hi.

[1:57:18] Thank you.

[1:57:19] Beekman More in blue today.

[1:57:19] A blue shirt.

[1:57:23] I hope it can be okay.

[1:57:23] Um.

[1:57:24] I think it is East Village.

[1:57:28] Uh, green phase one project.

[1:57:29] This project was actually

[1:57:30] brought to sandag a few months

[1:57:30] ago.

[1:57:35] They are working in conjunction

[1:57:35] with you.

[1:57:36] There is a future of smart city

[1:57:40] smart, smart, smart city

[1:57:41] development for the future of

[1:57:41] this project.

[1:57:45] It's really important to sandag

[1:57:46] that has absolutely zero

[1:57:47] mention in this item so I'm a

[1:57:52] little concerned what exactly

[1:57:53] you're working on with this

[1:57:53] item and how you're how you're

[1:57:58] working on it and you have a

[1:57:58] big parking project involved.

[1:58:02] You have art funding over

[1:58:03] $700,000 That's a lot.

[1:58:09] So it's my guess is my fear

[1:58:09] actually that is your art

[1:58:10] project Things going towards

[1:58:14] tech practices at all?

[1:58:15] I just ask we have to be

[1:58:16] mindful with so much parking

[1:58:21] involved with this item I hope

[1:58:22] pick your tech can be a really

[1:58:23] easy subject to talk about.

[1:58:27] A parking check is usually easy

[1:58:28] to talk about or community Good

[1:58:29] luck that we are accountable

[1:58:33] with this technology you're

[1:58:34] building a good luck It should

[1:58:39] be clear and open Don't fear it

[1:58:40] That's my always I always say

[1:58:41] that one I was appointment to

[1:58:41] the Privacy Advisory Board

[1:58:45] really important items of um we

[1:58:46] are still working towards how

[1:58:51] to address block and how to

[1:58:52] address the future So much tech

[1:58:57] placed in the city war makes it

[1:58:58] really difficult to work on

[1:58:59] best practices I tried to offer

[1:59:00] yesterday I think we still can

[1:59:03] work towards best practices.

[1:59:04] Good luck how we can do that.

[1:59:05] I think it's our good examples

[1:59:10] at the local level that it will

[1:59:10] give hope to our national

[1:59:11] international level and they

[1:59:15] they can learn from our good

[1:59:16] examples At this time we're not

[1:59:17] in a 911 paranoid era of war

[1:59:21] anymore.

[1:59:22] It's our best practices at

[1:59:23] the local level to create peace

[1:59:23] and continue aboard

[1:59:27] the international level at this

[1:59:28] time.

[1:59:28] Good luck that we continue our

[1:59:29] good work.

[1:59:34] It helps a lot at this point in

[1:59:38] our lives And finally I am a

[1:59:39] survivor of three continuing

[1:59:40] state of emergency issues.

[1:59:45] Thank you very much for

[1:59:45] the words of counsel person on

[1:59:46] yesterday who spoke on

[1:59:49] the climate action reports in

[1:59:50] need of a bit more

[1:59:51] accessibility and public just

[1:59:56] dialog and understanding just a

[1:59:57] bit more fun basically and how

[1:59:58] it described itself the water,

[2:00:02] the sewer issues into your

[2:00:02] water could have been mentioned

[2:00:03] what we could be working on

[2:00:04] together the fact that we need

[2:00:07] to be working on things

[2:00:08] together that could have made

[2:00:09] it into the report and good

[2:00:13] luck that we have good

[2:00:14] communication, good luck in our

[2:00:14] open communication.

[2:00:15] >> Thank you.

[2:00:19] Thank you for that Concluding

[2:00:19] comment.

[2:00:20] Gary London And then our final

[2:00:21] speaker is Mitch Moline who's

[2:00:24] leading.

[2:00:25] >> Thank you.

[2:00:25] Good morning City Council

[2:00:26] members.

[2:00:26] My name is Gary London.

[2:00:31] I'm here on behalf of my client

[2:00:31] Seligman who are the as you

[2:00:35] know the lessees at Liberty

[2:00:36] Station And I want you to know

[2:00:37] that I don't have a

[2:00:42] philosophical argument against

[2:00:42] the city owning city owned

[2:00:43] properties.

[2:00:43] There's opportunities always to

[2:00:47] own it.

[2:00:48] This is not one of them.

[2:00:49] I think that Liberty Station is

[2:00:53] a is an opportunity to to offer

[2:00:58] up to some of the concept where

[2:00:59] they can go ahead as stewards

[2:01:00] of this property is owners of

[2:01:05] this property to do a good job

[2:01:06] for the next couple of decades.

[2:01:10] We did a report which I think

[2:01:11] had been submitted to you I'll

[2:01:12] submit to clear that addresses

[2:01:16] the financial upside of their

[2:01:16] potential ownership of this

[2:01:21] property versus the city going

[2:01:22] forward releasing it including

[2:01:23] the fact that what resonates

[2:01:28] for me is that the city hasn't

[2:01:29] done a good job with this is

[2:01:29] what I heard in comment.

[2:01:30] Your time has come.

[2:01:30] Thank you.

[2:01:38] Thank you Mitch you're speaking

[2:01:39] on I don't want to one Good

[2:01:39] morning council My name is

[2:01:42] Mitch Politics I've been

[2:01:43] intermittently involved with

[2:01:43] the Liberty Station issues for

[2:01:44] about 30 years When I was a

[2:01:47] staff person for Mayor Susan

[2:01:48] Golding and I think it's really

[2:01:53] exceeded expectations in that

[2:01:53] time of the vision we

[2:01:54] originally had.

[2:01:59] But the city, with all due

[2:02:00] respect isn't a great steward

[2:02:00] of real estate and I think

[2:02:05] there's a good case example

[2:02:06] There is the radio station Now

[2:02:06] if you look at it it's very

[2:02:10] clean, it's very productive,

[2:02:10] it's very nice But then you

[2:02:11] come upon this smoldering heap

[2:02:16] of ash well that's building 619

[2:02:20] which the city which was a nice

[2:02:21] 20,000 square foot building

[2:02:21] that the city said you know

[2:02:22] what, we're going to keep this.

[2:02:23] We're going to redevelop it and

[2:02:26] make it nice.

[2:02:26] They never did anything.

[2:02:27] They've had them all this time.

[2:02:30] The museum wanted to come in

[2:02:31] there and take over.

[2:02:32] They said No, no, we've got a

[2:02:32] plan that eventually, you know,

[2:02:35] degraded homeless, moved in and

[2:02:36] then it burned to the ground

[2:02:37] around last Christmas.

[2:02:37] The business model it's in

[2:02:41] place now.

[2:02:41] >> Thank you for that

[2:02:42] concluding remark.

[2:02:47] Any written comments can

[2:02:48] definitely be submitted and we

[2:02:48] will be sure to get those to

[2:02:53] the council If I can have

[2:02:53] Laurie Sultana please unmute

[2:02:54] I'm sorry the five minute timer

[2:02:58] Laurie Saldana please let me

[2:02:59] know which item or items you

[2:02:59] wish to speak to on the consent

[2:03:00] agenda.

[2:03:00] >> Good morning again.

[2:03:03] Thank you.

[2:03:04] I'll say all of them because I

[2:03:05] couldn't see the screen until

[2:03:08] just this moment So put me down

[2:03:09] for all of them and I will try

[2:03:10] to read from the screen.

[2:03:14] Let me just say regarding

[2:03:15] Liberty Station and other

[2:03:15] agreements do I?

[2:03:19] I can't agree more strongly

[2:03:19] with the speakers.

[2:03:20] Your predecessors consistently

[2:03:20] gave away valuable public

[2:03:24] resources for private profits.

[2:03:25] The city gave the Macmillan

[2:03:30] Puerto Rican the land at

[2:03:30] Liberty Station for a dollar.

[2:03:31] Your predecessors really

[2:03:35] contributed to the housing

[2:03:36] crisis we have now Other

[2:03:37] development agencies around

[2:03:37] California have used their

[2:03:40] assets to build and preserve

[2:03:41] more affordable housing than

[2:03:41] San Diego consistently for

[2:03:45] decades the city is an outlier

[2:03:45] and as one of the worst track

[2:03:46] records on creating and

[2:03:47] protecting naturally occurring

[2:03:51] affordable housing and that is

[2:03:52] evident to anyone who drives

[2:03:52] along our streets and freeways

[2:03:56] where encampments are popping

[2:03:57] up elsewhere they can be taken

[2:03:57] down.

[2:03:58] So I encourage you to

[2:04:02] reconsider how you're using

[2:04:02] these successor agency funds

[2:04:03] because other cities as I have

[2:04:07] stated before when I was chair

[2:04:07] of the Assembly Housing and

[2:04:08] Community Development Committee

[2:04:11] I was invited to other cities

[2:04:12] to see how they use their

[2:04:13] redevelopment funds and it

[2:04:17] really put San Diego to shame.

[2:04:18] Let me comment on the minutes I

[2:04:19] believe of the council previous

[2:04:26] of those part of this as well

[2:04:26] the minutes of the previous

[2:04:27] council meetings.

[2:04:27] I'll just go ahead.

[2:04:30] Ice actions were mentioned by

[2:04:31] one of the councilmen.

[2:04:32] I want to remind you that civil

[2:04:32] protest is still a basic

[2:04:35] constitutional right of

[2:04:36] everyone citizens and residents

[2:04:37] regardless of legal status.

[2:04:40] We now have the resignation,

[2:04:41] thank goodness of the former

[2:04:42] director of homeland security

[2:04:45] And it's a reminder that

[2:04:46] increasingly violent actions

[2:04:47] against American citizens as

[2:04:51] well as immigrants can often be

[2:04:51] dealt with by following

[2:04:52] the money.

[2:04:52] It's still an effective way to

[2:04:55] hold the powerful accountable.

[2:04:56] And finally, I want to close

[2:04:57] with an item that has to do

[2:05:02] with an ongoing hearing.

[2:05:02] No, wait a minute.

[2:05:05] I'm looking on my website here

[2:05:06] to one two River Valley sewage

[2:05:06] crisis.

[2:05:07] It's hard to say that this is a

[2:05:10] crisis because it's gone on now

[2:05:11] for decades And I was both a

[2:05:11] plaintiff in a lawsuit to force

[2:05:16] them to change the design of

[2:05:17] their treatment plans And then

[2:05:17] a research fellow at ucsd at

[2:05:18] the Center for U.S. Mexican

[2:05:21] Studies examining how it had

[2:05:22] failed on so many levels.

[2:05:26] This is almost 30 years ago now

[2:05:26] And what is happening now is

[2:05:27] entirely the city of San

[2:05:30] Diego's responsibility.

[2:05:31] Let me explain why you were

[2:05:32] part of the driving force

[2:05:36] through your employees, through

[2:05:37] your agencies in creating that

[2:05:37] treatment plan at the border

[2:05:41] that it's never had a chance to

[2:05:41] work properly and safely and

[2:05:42] protect the health and

[2:05:46] well-being of San Diego

[2:05:46] residents and others in

[2:05:47] the treatment of River Valley

[2:05:47] area.

[2:05:51] Those of us who were working on

[2:05:51] transboundary environmental

[2:05:56] issues knew that this failure

[2:05:56] would come.

[2:05:57] We knew that people would be so

[2:05:58] poisoned and this city promised

[2:06:02] the regional water board,

[2:06:02] the state water agencies that

[2:06:03] you would assist Tijuana in

[2:06:03] developing an industrial

[2:06:07] pretreatment program as part of

[2:06:08] their compliance efforts to

[2:06:08] keep toxic waste out of that

[2:06:11] river valley.

[2:06:12] The city has failed to live up

[2:06:13] to that promise.

[2:06:14] I encourage you to do that but

[2:06:17] stop poisoning your time have

[2:06:18] concluded after that as

[2:06:20] the original after the original

[2:06:21] is 8700 please let me know

[2:06:22] which item or items you wish to

[2:06:26] speak to.

[2:06:29] One of five 500 as 5030 three

[2:06:30] minutes Please proceed.

[2:06:30] First I want to say that is

[2:06:34] ridiculous that we spent that

[2:06:35] long on proclamations as if

[2:06:39] things are going on quickly

[2:06:40] Dory while you then cut down

[2:06:44] the people and you know just

[2:06:45] always silence them with a

[2:06:46] minute, you know it's just so

[2:06:51] disrespectful that you guys sit

[2:06:51] up there and spend all this

[2:06:55] time doing that.

[2:06:55] The appointment to the Privacy

[2:06:56] Advisory Board I mean you guys

[2:06:59] have sit here, you create this

[2:07:00] board but then it's like you

[2:07:04] don't and you circumvent all

[2:07:05] the time.

[2:07:05] You basically tell them you

[2:07:06] know like they go and do all

[2:07:10] this work and then they get

[2:07:10] bypassed.

[2:07:14] So it's just interesting to see

[2:07:15] what's going on there and

[2:07:16] anything that is having to do

[2:07:19] with sharing of information

[2:07:20] that should encompass everybody

[2:07:21] not just a certain class of

[2:07:25] people or groups of people it

[2:07:26] should be everybody that is

[2:07:29] included and not in these

[2:07:30] appointments of the mayor and

[2:07:31] you guys to outside

[2:07:35] organization And it's just like

[2:07:36] you guys are failing miserably

[2:07:36] at the city when you go into

[2:07:39] all these other boards like

[2:07:40] sandag and you know whatever it

[2:07:41] is empty and water boards and

[2:07:45] blah blah blah and if you can

[2:07:46] you're failing in the city that

[2:07:49] you're representing and it

[2:07:50] should be, you know, driving.

[2:07:54] Thank you.

[2:07:54] And then you should go to other

[2:07:55] boards and do that But instead

[2:07:59] you know, it's just like this

[2:07:59] incestuous thing that happens.

[2:08:04] And so all of the whole

[2:08:04] anything that it touches,

[2:08:08] anything you guys touch is

[2:08:09] going to be tainted at that

[2:08:09] point.

[2:08:10] I mean again if you if things

[2:08:13] were better it's like you'd be

[2:08:14] like yeah I want them on that

[2:08:15] because then they're going to

[2:08:15] be doing really great But it

[2:08:18] just it's like very disturbing

[2:08:18] And that goes into even the 212

[2:08:23] River Valley and the state of

[2:08:23] an emergency.

[2:08:24] I mean even with covid anytime

[2:08:28] you're in a state of an

[2:08:28] emergency you get funding for

[2:08:29] it.

[2:08:29] Your money comes in for certain

[2:08:33] things and it's like it's very

[2:08:33] sad to see that people have

[2:08:37] been suffering for decades for

[2:08:38] decades and we just like

[2:08:38] declare this continued state of

[2:08:42] an emergency And it's like how

[2:08:43] long are people going to have

[2:08:47] to suffer because nobody wants

[2:08:48] to really get down to

[2:08:48] the bottom of it which if it's

[2:08:52] coming from Mexico again quit

[2:08:53] doing business with Mexico

[2:08:53] until it stops.

[2:08:57] That's a lot of money that you

[2:08:58] guys obviously care more about

[2:09:01] because it shows that you know,

[2:09:02] nothing really gets done or

[2:09:02] mitigated.

[2:09:07] And even if you pretend to try

[2:09:07] with a sewage treatment plant

[2:09:11] like you fail at it And so it's

[2:09:12] like when is anybody going to

[2:09:12] be held accountable and people

[2:09:13] are going to stop suffering.

[2:09:17] I mean a state of an emergency

[2:09:18] at the border should have been

[2:09:18] when people were flooding

[2:09:18] across.

[2:09:21] Now we're seeing the effects of

[2:09:21] them coming in.

[2:09:22] But the fact that they were

[2:09:25] incentivized in a lot of money

[2:09:26] of the nation went to

[2:09:27] facilitate these people coming

[2:09:31] across and now you're worried

[2:09:31] about them suffering.

[2:09:32] You should have been worried

[2:09:33] about them being murdered and

[2:09:35] raped along your time has

[2:09:36] concluded.

[2:09:36] >> Next is 8700 If you can

[2:09:40] please unmute after that Is

[2:09:43] Andrea ebbing and then 7499

[2:09:44] 8700 if you can please a mute

[2:09:48] star six Thank you.

[2:09:53] I will be speaking on 5051 5253

[2:09:57] went on 4115503 please Thank

[2:09:57] you.

[2:09:58] You'll have three minutes.

[2:10:01] Please proceed on 50.

[2:10:06] East Village Green Phase one

[2:10:07] It's beginning to be a little

[2:10:11] tough to look at these moving

[2:10:12] pieces of money and funds.

[2:10:16] Yes, this seems appropriate.

[2:10:17] So yes to the amendments 51

[2:10:21] construction contract with Blue

[2:10:24] Pacific Workforce Agreement

[2:10:28] Admin 68 Hispanic Trade 9,981%

[2:10:33] 81 are Hispanic

[2:10:33] Underrepresentation Asian

[2:10:38] female African American female

[2:10:42] Construction laborers 52

[2:10:46] Contract with c Construction

[2:10:46] 224 employees Lots of

[2:10:47] underrepresentation They state

[2:10:50] they are monitoring

[2:10:51] the situation.

[2:10:55] Can we trust that 53 agreement

[2:10:59] with Lewis and third 399

[2:10:59] employees?

[2:11:04] Ditto and what I just said for

[2:11:07] 52 and 104I love you San Diego

[2:11:11] Fire Rescue San Diego Project

[2:11:16] Heart Beat to date 216 People's

[2:11:20] Hearts beating and safe.

[2:11:24] We love you and I give you five

[2:11:29] star award for your work One of

[2:11:34] five to love the p b board and

[2:11:34] your dedicated work on

[2:11:35] the trust for the next super

[2:11:39] big Thank you for what you've

[2:11:39] done.

[2:11:43] You helped us come forward so

[2:11:43] greatly.

[2:11:44] I just really really appreciate

[2:11:49] all of you and I will ask 5 or

[2:11:53] 0.03 j Mexico pollution Crisis

[2:11:54] Emergency The momentum seems to

[2:11:57] have increased Please even

[2:12:03] small yet effective Step step

[2:12:04] Some see that again

[2:12:07] the momentum seems to have

[2:12:08] increased even small effective

[2:12:13] steps.

[2:12:13] I appreciate it.

[2:12:14] Thank you very much for

[2:12:14] listening.

[2:12:17] Love to all.

[2:12:18] Thank you.

[2:12:19] Next is Andrea Ebbing and then

[2:12:21] our final speaker is 7499.

[2:12:22] The five minute timer did

[2:12:22] conclude no additional speakers

[2:12:26] will be taken.

[2:12:27] >> Morning this is Andrea being

[2:12:30] I want to speak on sorry all of

[2:12:31] them because I can't see that

[2:12:31] at the very moment I speak on

[2:12:34] all of them.

[2:12:35] I want to start with

[2:12:36] the employee holiday pay

[2:12:40] benefits package and

[2:12:41] the repayment of what whatever

[2:12:41] is has been missing or was

[2:12:44] missing.

[2:12:45] It's very, very, very important

[2:12:46] that whatever information I'm

[2:12:49] sharing, anybody that can

[2:12:50] follow a lead or follow a trail

[2:12:51] or kind of come to their own

[2:12:54] conclusions on this

[2:12:54] information, I highly encourage

[2:12:59] you do we have one hundred and

[2:12:59] three San Diego City of San

[2:13:04] Diego employees look it up on

[2:13:05] Transparent California We have

[2:13:08] 103 critical employees,

[2:13:09] important employees, high level

[2:13:10] employees making $0 a year in

[2:13:13] pay.

[2:13:14] Then they're making tons of

[2:13:14] money and other pay.

[2:13:18] So we have money being

[2:13:19] laundered and filtered and

[2:13:26] improperly I guess put into a

[2:13:30] byline of of the payroll for

[2:13:31] the city of San Diego.

[2:13:32] >> So on Transparent California

[2:13:34] San Diego has several alerts

[2:13:35] which is an anomalous thing.

[2:13:36] Several other cities do not

[2:13:40] have these alerts.

[2:13:41] This one in particular says

[2:13:41] the city of San Diego does not

[2:13:45] provide the cost of pension

[2:13:45] benefits on an employee level

[2:13:46] and as such the total benefits

[2:13:49] value for each individual

[2:13:50] reported is incomplete and

[2:13:55] significantly understated.

[2:13:55] That's really important to

[2:13:56] consider just as a fact.

[2:13:59] So from a very high level and I

[2:14:00] don't think this is a city

[2:14:01] council issue you guys I think

[2:14:04] it's whoever Todd Gloria,

[2:14:04] Summer Stephan whoever is in

[2:14:08] charge of the rico Enterprise

[2:14:09] that many people are

[2:14:09] unknowingly operating under

[2:14:13] the case I don't blame them.

[2:14:15] Look at the leadership now also

[2:14:18] on the water sewage crisis.

[2:14:19] This has been going on for how

[2:14:19] long?

[2:14:20] Right?

[2:14:22] Everybody just mentioned it's

[2:14:23] been going on for how long?

[2:14:24] It's right in front of our

[2:14:28] faces but it continues And

[2:14:33] while it continues we do things

[2:14:34] And by the way, I'll be really

[2:14:37] clear on this I am suspicious

[2:14:38] and concerned about

[2:14:39] the appointment of Mario or so

[2:14:43] to the head of sandag.

[2:14:43] Personally I think he works for

[2:14:44] Mexico and not San Diego

[2:14:47] Personally I think he's helping

[2:14:51] people move freight such as a

[2:14:52] big rigs and such over

[2:14:52] the border and around

[2:14:57] the border in the name of

[2:14:58] reducing pollution.

[2:15:00] In fact his since his

[2:15:01] appointment he wants to put

[2:15:05] $1.3 billion into automating

[2:15:06] trucks to pass at the Otay

[2:15:06] border.

[2:15:09] Everything he does is at

[2:15:10] the old tight border.

[2:15:14] >> We have a one hundred and

[2:15:15] $2,929 million while the sewage

[2:15:16] crisis is taking place being

[2:15:19] invested into the old timey

[2:15:20] support of entry for

[2:15:21] underground utilities and

[2:15:24] grading work package as part of

[2:15:28] California's investment of $3

[2:15:29] billion to enhance safety and

[2:15:29] improve travel times.

[2:15:33] While the crisis goes on.

[2:15:33] I think this is a drug tunnel

[2:15:34] and I think that the trucks are

[2:15:38] narcotics in humans.

[2:15:38] >> Thank you.

[2:15:39] Your time has concluded.

[2:15:40] I will note for our speakers

[2:15:43] that we do need you to list

[2:15:43] what items you are speaking to

[2:15:44] for recordkeeping purposes.

[2:15:48] We cannot assume or guess which

[2:15:49] items your comments go to so if

[2:15:52] you can please take the time to

[2:15:53] review the agenda and let us

[2:15:53] know we will reach out to those

[2:15:57] that have already spoken to

[2:15:58] make sure we get that accurate

[2:16:02] For the record 7499 If you can

[2:16:02] please unmute and let me know

[2:16:03] which item or items you wish to

[2:16:11] speak to Items 5051 5253 100

[2:16:16] 101 1 or 2 123124105 and s 500

[2:16:17] You'll have three minutes

[2:16:22] Please proceed.

[2:16:23] I won't take all that time Bob

[2:16:24] Kozinski here I want to say

[2:16:27] again that I've witnessed gross

[2:16:28] negligence by this city in its

[2:16:31] awarding and managing of

[2:16:32] contracts.

[2:16:33] I also want to say again that

[2:16:36] this city is not providing

[2:16:37] appropriate citizen oversight

[2:16:41] and citizen involvement in

[2:16:42] the many contract leases and

[2:16:46] advisory boards in this city.

[2:16:47] I MAY know of these problems

[2:16:48] through my decades of dedicated

[2:16:52] involvement with the Torrey

[2:16:52] Pines Glider port but these

[2:16:53] problems are not limited to

[2:16:57] that one property.

[2:16:57] These problems are endemic

[2:17:02] throughout this city and they

[2:17:02] need to be addressed.

[2:17:03] I particularly want to endorse

[2:17:06] the comments by Lori Saldana

[2:17:06] regarding this city giving away

[2:17:10] and leasing our public property

[2:17:11] to private businesses.

[2:17:12] Our public property should be

[2:17:16] for the public and not to

[2:17:17] enrich private businesses and

[2:17:21] individuals.

[2:17:21] Businesses should be purchasing

[2:17:22] their own property and not

[2:17:26] hijacking our public land for

[2:17:26] their private profit.

[2:17:30] Shame on all of you for your

[2:17:31] entire careers of mismanaging

[2:17:35] the properties and resources of

[2:17:36] this city.

[2:17:36] That's all I have.

[2:17:36] Thank you.

[2:17:37] Thank you.

[2:17:41] That does conclude public

[2:17:41] comment.

[2:17:42] >> All right.

[2:17:42] Thank you City clerk for

[2:17:46] management's alternative to my

[2:17:46] colleagues for any comments and

[2:17:50] entertain a motion and if

[2:17:51] nobody wants to kick it off

[2:17:55] then io0 Councilmember Yvonne

[2:17:59] wolpert moves the consent item

[2:18:00] seconded by Campbell I was just

[2:18:02] here I would just like to

[2:18:03] register a new one item 53

[2:18:04] because it's an expired

[2:18:04] contract.

[2:18:05] However I do want to note that

[2:18:08] I received a great email from

[2:18:09] Bethany because I guess morning

[2:18:09] detailing the work the city

[2:18:10] that she and Claudia are going

[2:18:13] to do to make sure we have no

[2:18:14] more expired contracts.

[2:18:15] But I will record a no vote on

[2:18:16] that and move the rest of that

[2:18:18] proclamation or consent.

[2:18:18] >> Thank you.

[2:18:19] All right.

[2:18:23] Again, not so We have a motion

[2:18:24] by Councilmember Val Wolpert

[2:18:24] and a second by Councilmember

[2:18:25] Campbell.

[2:18:27] I actually will offer a couple

[2:18:30] of comments on sw 500 We're

[2:18:35] revising the appointments and

[2:18:36] the only change that we're

[2:18:37] actually making is

[2:18:37] reassignments on the San Diego

[2:18:40] Public Safety Committee.

[2:18:40] I just wanted to thank

[2:18:41] Councilmember Foster for his

[2:18:44] brief tenure on that committee

[2:18:45] and thank Councilmember Moreno

[2:18:46] for stepping up and serving on

[2:18:47] sandbags public Safety

[2:18:57] Committee The I'm just thinking

[2:18:57] about public comment and it

[2:18:58] just strikes me I want to

[2:19:02] register no vote on the item 55

[2:19:02] preservation and progress While

[2:19:06] there's a lot of good clean up

[2:19:07] ,I cannot support the de novo

[2:19:08] hearing process the more

[2:19:08] limited hearing process I've

[2:19:11] been working for many years.

[2:19:12] I also want to register a no

[2:19:16] vote on 50 a recognizing that

[2:19:17] say the construction cannot be

[2:19:21] reversed but stopping this and

[2:19:22] stopping this action could do

[2:19:22] more harm than good.

[2:19:23] But I want to be consistent

[2:19:25] with my prior votes.

[2:19:26] So with that we have a motion

[2:19:30] by council member Von Wilpert

[2:19:31] and a second by Council member

[2:19:31] Campbell and there's a few

[2:19:35] registered no votes which I

[2:19:35] know the clerk has captured but

[2:19:40] otherwise please call the roll

[2:19:40] .

[2:19:41] As far as voting system, please

[2:19:44] cast your vote That does pass

[2:19:49] unanimously with District five

[2:19:49] voting no on item 53, District

[2:19:54] one voting no on 55 and 58 and

[2:19:55] the rest of it passes and

[2:19:58] missing.

[2:19:59] All right.

[2:20:00] Thank you City clerk So with

[2:20:00] that are there any comments

[2:20:03] from the mayor's office for

[2:20:04] council members, City attorney,

[2:20:05] independent budget analyst or

[2:20:05] city clerk?

[2:20:08] We'll go first to Council

[2:20:08] Member Campo Thank you.

[2:20:09] Council PRESIDENT I'll try to

[2:20:12] make this as brief as possible.

[2:20:13] I thank you for recognize me

[2:20:14] and I appreciate my colleagues

[2:20:17] for bearing with me for a

[2:20:17] moment.

[2:20:17] Yesterday a member of

[2:20:18] the United States House of

[2:20:21] Representatives from Tennessee

[2:20:22] who I will not name tweeted

[2:20:23] something so heinous I felt

[2:20:26] compelled to stand up for my

[2:20:26] family and friends and

[2:20:27] constituents.

[2:20:31] The tweet read as follows

[2:20:31] Muslims, he said, don't belong

[2:20:35] in American society.

[2:20:36] Pluralism is a lie.

[2:20:40] He ended 47,000 people liked

[2:20:40] that.

[2:20:41] Many thousands shared it with

[2:20:44] praise and in his safe

[2:20:45] congressional district we all

[2:20:45] know he will not be held

[2:20:48] accountable for that statement

[2:20:49] .

[2:20:49] But when an elected official

[2:20:50] says this he is striking at

[2:20:51] the American idea that a free

[2:20:54] people different in creed and

[2:20:54] custom can nevertheless live

[2:20:58] together in peace under GOD and

[2:20:59] under law.

[2:21:00] The Constitution of the United

[2:21:03] States doesn't say that only

[2:21:03] some faiths belong.

[2:21:04] The First Amendment rises above

[2:21:08] that smallness which led to

[2:21:09] millennia of religious war and

[2:21:09] violence.

[2:21:12] The First Amendment says

[2:21:13] the government has no authority

[2:21:13] to tell a muslim she does not

[2:21:17] belong any more than it MAY

[2:21:17] tell a Christian, a Jew, a

[2:21:22] Hindu, a person of no faith or

[2:21:23] anyone else that he or she

[2:21:23] stands outside the protection

[2:21:26] of our law.

[2:21:26] And why?

[2:21:27] Because in this country our

[2:21:28] rights do not come from

[2:21:31] the prejudices of small minded

[2:21:32] politicians.

[2:21:32] They come from the GOD given

[2:21:36] dignity of the human person

[2:21:37] secured by a Constitution wise

[2:21:37] enough to know that freedom

[2:21:41] must belong to all or in time

[2:21:42] it will belong to none.

[2:21:46] As PRESIDENT Kennedy reminded

[2:21:46] us, those who foolishly sought

[2:21:47] power by writing the back of

[2:21:51] the tiger ended up inside this

[2:21:52] tweet from a congressman from

[2:21:55] Tennessee and his sentiment is

[2:21:56] not constitutionalism it was

[2:21:56] sectarian arrogance.

[2:22:00] It was not patriotism.

[2:22:05] It was pandering to ignorance.

[2:22:06] But beyond the Constitution,

[2:22:06] let us speak plainly about

[2:22:07] the morality of the statement.

[2:22:10] It was vile and ugly and

[2:22:11] beneath the dignity of public

[2:22:11] office.

[2:22:15] It took millions of people each

[2:22:15] a child of GOD, each possessed

[2:22:16] of infinite worth and reduced

[2:22:20] them to a category of suspicion

[2:22:20] and contempt.

[2:22:21] It tells families including

[2:22:24] mine that they are forever

[2:22:25] foreign.

[2:22:25] It tells children they will

[2:22:26] never be accepted.

[2:22:29] It tells peaceful and decent

[2:22:30] people that no matter how hard

[2:22:31] they work and no matter how

[2:22:31] faithfully they love their

[2:22:34] country no matter how honorably

[2:22:35] they live that they will still

[2:22:38] be told they do not belong.

[2:22:39] I took this insult quite

[2:22:39] personally.

[2:22:43] Obviously I support my Muslim

[2:22:44] constituents in Sarah Mesa

[2:22:45] largely Afghans who risked

[2:22:46] their lives with our armed

[2:22:52] forces for two decades.

[2:22:52] The people in that in Sarah

[2:22:53] Mesa asked for nothing more,

[2:22:54] nothing less than what every

[2:22:56] American should be able to ask

[2:22:57] to be treated equally, to live

[2:22:58] in peace, to raise their

[2:23:01] families, to worship freely, to

[2:23:02] walk through this country

[2:23:06] without being marked as lesser

[2:23:06] .

[2:23:07] I kid you not that the only

[2:23:07] thing my Muslim constituents in

[2:23:11] Sarah Mesa have ever asked me

[2:23:12] for as a council member was to

[2:23:13] help them fix their fence and

[2:23:16] to move their bus stop a little

[2:23:16] bit closer to the front door of

[2:23:17] their mosque.

[2:23:20] I support our city workers and

[2:23:21] our police officers, engineers,

[2:23:25] lawyers, road pavers and an

[2:23:26] excellent member of my own

[2:23:26] staff who work to serve

[2:23:29] the public and improve

[2:23:30] everyone's lives.

[2:23:31] These city workers work hard

[2:23:31] all day and during this month

[2:23:35] of Ramadan eat not a morsel and

[2:23:36] drink not a drop while serving

[2:23:39] the people of the city of San

[2:23:39] Diego.

[2:23:40] I love my father in law, my

[2:23:44] other in-laws and my wife who

[2:23:45] are Muslim.

[2:23:45] I know my wife's goodness and I

[2:23:48] know her patriotism and

[2:23:49] the seriousness with which she

[2:23:50] takes American citizenship and

[2:23:53] the oath she has taken as an

[2:23:54] attorney and as an elected

[2:23:55] official herself to faithfully

[2:23:55] defend the Constitution of

[2:23:58] the United States.

[2:23:59] She's a prosecutor who holds

[2:24:00] defendants accountable and

[2:24:03] delivers justice for victims.

[2:24:04] And even if she was not.

[2:24:05] No government gets to say she

[2:24:08] or anyone like her doesn't

[2:24:09] belong in America without me

[2:24:09] responding to it.

[2:24:13] She and the Muslims of our city

[2:24:14] are not strangers to the nation

[2:24:14] they help sustain.

[2:24:15] And then lastly there's

[2:24:18] the falsehood wrapped inside

[2:24:19] the phrase that reflects an

[2:24:19] absolute anti-American

[2:24:23] sentiment that plural ism is

[2:24:23] somehow a lie.

[2:24:24] Pluralism is not a lie.

[2:24:27] It is the reality of America

[2:24:28] and every true democracy.

[2:24:29] Pluralism is the discipline of

[2:24:33] coexistence and it is one of

[2:24:34] the greatest achievements of

[2:24:34] human civilization.

[2:24:37] It is the understanding that

[2:24:38] people can profoundly differ

[2:24:38] and still live as neighbors

[2:24:42] honor each other's rights and

[2:24:42] still bind themselves to

[2:24:43] the common civic life.

[2:24:47] In fact, his statement defeats

[2:24:47] itself because the very freedom

[2:24:48] that allows this congressman

[2:24:51] from Tennessee to say such a

[2:24:52] sick thing exists only because

[2:24:52] he lives in a pluralistic

[2:24:53] society.

[2:24:56] His exercising liberty in a

[2:24:57] nation that protects conscience

[2:25:01] precisely because it refuses to

[2:25:02] turn one sect into the ruler of

[2:25:02] all the others.

[2:25:06] So in denouncing pluralism, he

[2:25:06] is standing on the very ground

[2:25:07] that pluralism built

[2:25:07] the gospel.

[2:25:10] According to Matthew teaches us

[2:25:11] that the man who built his

[2:25:15] house on such sand Jesus Christ

[2:25:16] called such a person a fool And

[2:25:20] as a Christian and Catholic I

[2:25:21] must say clearly my faith does

[2:25:21] not permit me to hate broadly

[2:25:25] or lazily or hate at all.

[2:25:25] My faith calls me higher.

[2:25:29] His tweet is so antithetical to

[2:25:30] Christian faith one has to

[2:25:31] wonder just what faith does a

[2:25:31] congressman from Tennessee

[2:25:34] practice.

[2:25:35] I'll end with this council

[2:25:36] PRESIDENT And the ancient

[2:25:39] prayer of the Catholic Church

[2:25:40] when I say on Sunday mornings

[2:25:44] Gloria and Excelsis Deo we say

[2:25:45] glory to GOD in the highest and

[2:25:45] on earth peace to people of

[2:25:49] goodwill, peace to people of

[2:25:50] goodwill.

[2:25:54] That is the call not suspicion

[2:25:54] and not exclusion.

[2:25:58] Peace Not the sorting of human

[2:25:58] beings into the worthy and

[2:25:59] the unworthy.

[2:26:00] That alone is left to GOD.

[2:26:03] So let me answer this ugliness

[2:26:04] with moral clarity.

[2:26:07] Muslims belong in America fully

[2:26:08] ,freely and equally as all

[2:26:13] people of goodwill belong.

[2:26:13] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.

[2:26:14] All right.

[2:26:14] Thank you for bringing that to

[2:26:18] our attention and your good

[2:26:18] words.

[2:26:19] We'll go next to the city

[2:26:19] clerk.

[2:26:22] Thank you for the time council

[2:26:23] PRESIDENT.

[2:26:23] I did just want to note for

[2:26:24] the record that the following

[2:26:28] public examination periods are

[2:26:28] starting to run.

[2:26:29] If we can make that a little

[2:26:33] bit bigger on the screen.

[2:26:33] Kevin The candidates statement

[2:26:34] of qualifications and

[2:26:35] designation of principal

[2:26:38] profession vocation or

[2:26:38] occupation runs from MARCH 6th

[2:26:39] through MARCH 16th.

[2:26:42] Ordinances calling the election

[2:26:43] ordinance placing measures on

[2:26:44] the ballot is MARCH 9th through

[2:26:44] MARCH 19th.

[2:26:47] The City Attorney's impartial

[2:26:48] analysis ballot title summary

[2:26:52] and Mayor eBay City Ordinance

[2:26:53] Fiscal Analysis will run at

[2:26:53] MARCH 10th through MARCH 20th.

[2:26:56] And as noted yesterday

[2:26:57] appellate arguments are due

[2:26:57] tomorrow and then that public

[2:27:00] examination period will run

[2:27:01] MARCH 12th through MARCH 22nd.

[2:27:01] You can find all of this

[2:27:05] information as well as all of

[2:27:06] the materials to be viewed by

[2:27:06] the public at San diego.Gov

[2:27:10] Backslash 2026 elections.

[2:27:11] i'd also just like to give a

[2:27:11] big thank you to my staff

[2:27:14] deputy director Christina

[2:27:15] Hernandez, Mark Moreno, my

[2:27:16] elections analyst and everyone

[2:27:19] who helped with the candidate

[2:27:19] nomination period that

[2:27:20] concluded last Thursday with a

[2:27:24] record breaking 25 candidates

[2:27:25] for districts two, four, six

[2:27:25] and eight.

[2:27:26] Thank you for all your efforts

[2:27:29] to make democracy happen.

[2:27:30] Thank you, council PRESIDENT

[2:27:30] For the time.

[2:27:31] All right.

[2:27:32] Thank you, City Clerk And we'll

[2:27:34] go next to council member

[2:27:35] Whitburn.

[2:27:35] Thank you.

[2:27:36] Council PRESIDENT Council

[2:27:36] Councilmember Campos.

[2:27:38] Eloquent words a moment ago

[2:27:39] speak for themselves but I just

[2:27:40] wanted to thank him for saying

[2:27:40] them.

[2:27:41] Thank you.

[2:27:43] Thank you.

[2:27:43] All right.

[2:27:44] A couple of comments here given

[2:27:48] some of the public comment

[2:27:48] earlier today.

[2:27:49] I just wanted to recognize

[2:27:50] the operation staff and

[2:27:53] the good work they do every day

[2:27:53] and especially those in need

[2:27:57] who have taken over a real

[2:27:58] estate department that was not

[2:27:58] in very good shape and has

[2:28:02] really worked wonders to bring

[2:28:06] that into shape and especially

[2:28:06] updating 700 Dash ten which

[2:28:07] affects so many of our

[2:28:11] decisions.

[2:28:11] And then a reminder that we do

[2:28:15] have a special with excuse me a

[2:28:16] reminder that we have an

[2:28:19] evening session starting at 6

[2:28:20] P.M. Tonight for public comment

[2:28:20] on budget.

[2:28:21] i appreciate all those who

[2:28:24] showed up at the earlier effort

[2:28:25] and we continue to welcome

[2:28:29] public comment on the upcoming

[2:28:30] f y 2027 budget.

[2:28:34] With that we will now take up

[2:28:35] non agenda public comment and I

[2:28:38] hope at least four of my

[2:28:39] colleagues will stick around.

[2:28:40] The council members respect and

[2:28:43] appreciate the public

[2:28:44] standpoint and are fully

[2:28:44] committed to protecting every

[2:28:45] participant's free speech

[2:28:47] rights at council and committee

[2:28:48] meetings with that clerk.

[2:28:49] Please proceed with public

[2:28:49] comment.

[2:28:49] Thank you.

[2:28:52] Council PRESIDENT Pearl 2.7 An

[2:28:53] Agenda Public comment is an

[2:28:57] opportunity for members of

[2:28:58] the public to comment on items

[2:28:58] that are not on the agenda but

[2:28:59] within the subject matter

[2:29:02] jurisdiction of the city

[2:29:03] Council.

[2:29:03] Each speaker will have two

[2:29:04] minutes.

[2:29:04] Please note if there are eight

[2:29:05] or more speakers on a single

[2:29:07] topic the maximum time for

[2:29:08] the topic will be 16 minutes.

[2:29:08] If you are in chambers please

[2:29:11] submit your speaker slip.

[2:29:12] If you are joining us virtually

[2:29:13] please raise your hand now to

[2:29:14] speak by tapping the Raise your

[2:29:18] hand icon or if you're calling

[2:29:18] participant Star nine.

[2:29:19] Begin with the following

[2:29:21] individuals Please come forward

[2:29:21] to the front row.

[2:29:22] Joel Sharpe You can come up to

[2:29:23] the microphone after that.

[2:29:26] Jacob Edwards, Barbara Holton,

[2:29:31] Scott Chipman and Blair Beekman

[2:29:31] .

[2:29:32] Joel, you'll have two minutes.

[2:29:32] Please proceed.

[2:29:32] Yes.

[2:29:36] Good afternoon.

[2:29:36] I'm Joel Sharp, property owner

[2:29:37] in the University Heights area.

[2:29:41] I'm here today to talk about

[2:29:42] the Stewards Underground

[2:29:42] program in partnership with

[2:29:45] the city about my property in

[2:29:49] 2011 and the 10th Avenue Finger

[2:29:50] just south of Mission Valley

[2:29:50] the canyon there.

[2:29:54] And when I called City Genie in

[2:29:55] 2011 they gave me an

[2:29:58] approximate date of 2026

[2:29:58] telling me of course that

[2:29:59] the city controls the schedule

[2:30:02] So stay on the streets not as

[2:30:03] De Jeannie But I was a little

[2:30:07] disappointed Therefore here are

[2:30:07] 20 2615 years later and nothing

[2:30:12] is planned to remove the poles

[2:30:13] and the canyon behind our

[2:30:16] properties on 10th Avenue

[2:30:17] University Heights The map show

[2:30:18] that's just a blank is not

[2:30:20] scheduled is nothing.

[2:30:21] So I'm really here to tell you

[2:30:26] as a retired architect that my

[2:30:26] recommendation is that you guys

[2:30:27] should be removing the poles

[2:30:30] and overhead power and all of

[2:30:31] the canyon and hillside areas

[2:30:34] of the city first as a phase

[2:30:35] one because you have limited

[2:30:35] budget and then do the standard

[2:30:39] concrete sidewalk street

[2:30:40] installation removals as a

[2:30:40] phase two throughout the old

[2:30:44] neighborhood.

[2:30:45] That's common sense to me Since

[2:30:48] the Canyon Locations offers

[2:30:49] higher fire risk overall as a

[2:30:50] canyon owner of course I'm

[2:30:54] required to manage the brush

[2:30:55] 100ft away from my house as

[2:30:59] defensible space which I do out

[2:31:00] of self interest of course as

[2:31:00] an owner but for

[2:31:04] the neighborhood as well and as

[2:31:04] Jeannie by the way sent a drone

[2:31:07] over my area and Canyon a

[2:31:08] couple of weeks ago to assess

[2:31:09] the fire hazard of their

[2:31:13] equipment in the canyon areas.

[2:31:14] So that's my message really is

[2:31:15] you guys should be doing

[2:31:18] the canyon area rules for

[2:31:19] undergrounding first before you

[2:31:19] do the Standard Street

[2:31:23] installations.

[2:31:24] That's kind of my my beef and

[2:31:27] request you guys give me that

[2:31:28] You guys have limited budget

[2:31:28] overall but just do the canyon

[2:31:31] areas first then do the regular

[2:31:36] is next door use politics or

[2:31:37] arbitrariness to to make

[2:31:38] the decision Thank you for

[2:31:38] thanks.

[2:31:39] Comment Jacob Edwards If you

[2:31:43] can please come forward.

[2:31:44] Thank you City Council for

[2:31:45] the work you do for San Diego.

[2:31:47] I don't think two minutes is

[2:31:48] enough time to explain this but

[2:31:51] I'm going to try.

[2:31:52] I'm speaking about one of

[2:31:53] the last assassination attempts

[2:31:57] against me last Super Bowl

[2:31:57] evening.

[2:31:58] I was going around the Gaslamp

[2:32:02] area educating people of what's

[2:32:03] really going on in this

[2:32:03] country.

[2:32:06] Not long thereafter I had all

[2:32:07] black suv, government suv

[2:32:11] swarming circling around me

[2:32:12] driving them were wiseguy

[2:32:12] gangsters.

[2:32:16] Then I was pointing that out

[2:32:16] which was being recognized

[2:32:17] within the event.

[2:32:21] I had gangsters approaching me

[2:32:22] straight in the street being

[2:32:26] weathered and experienced to

[2:32:26] avoid danger.

[2:32:27] I came here to City Hall under

[2:32:31] cameras at the front door.

[2:32:36] They put up to a young girl a

[2:32:36] teenage girl approaching me

[2:32:37] head on with a bulge in her

[2:32:41] pocket wearing a hoodie.

[2:32:45] I yelled No you don't circle

[2:32:46] around her startled her.

[2:32:47] She was walking off holding a

[2:32:50] revolver.

[2:32:51] A young girl police department

[2:32:55] handle it very poorly.

[2:32:56] I consider it police department

[2:33:00] department infiltration Days

[2:33:01] later I'm in records to get

[2:33:05] records of how it was handled.

[2:33:06] There were two Department of

[2:33:10] Homeland Security folk in there

[2:33:10] to request to meet with

[2:33:11] the chief's office Human

[2:33:11] Resources.

[2:33:15] They said, which is Chief.

[2:33:20] The lady was laughing at me

[2:33:20] laughing in my face.

[2:33:21] I said to her You think this is

[2:33:24] funny?

[2:33:25] She said, Oh it's hysterical.

[2:33:29] Went into the chief's office to

[2:33:29] cry, dehumanize me and

[2:33:30] validate, discredit me and

[2:33:34] probably say he's down there to

[2:33:35] sue you all We're here for you

[2:33:38] know I went in there to sue

[2:33:38] you.

[2:33:39] I wouldn't harass through

[2:33:40] the police department.

[2:33:44] I would not sue San Diego.

[2:33:45] >> I was there to show Thank

[2:33:48] you for that federal activity

[2:33:49] and what it's doing.

[2:33:51] Barbara Holton I don't see

[2:33:51] Barbara Holton here.

[2:34:01] Scott Chipman Good afternoon 50

[2:34:01] year resident of Pacific Beach

[2:34:02] and Planning Group member and

[2:34:06] founding member of Save ppb

[2:34:10] Save ppb Board With over 400

[2:34:10] members on Monday you will

[2:34:11] consider the issue of a secret

[2:34:15] exemption for 710 Club Street

[2:34:19] three 710 Garnet Avenue under

[2:34:19] secure exemptions are

[2:34:23] interpreted narrowly and

[2:34:24] the burden is on the city to

[2:34:25] show the exemption applies.

[2:34:28] On Monday you will hear that

[2:34:29] there is a reasonable

[2:34:30] possibility even likelihood of

[2:34:33] significant environmental

[2:34:34] impact due to unusual

[2:34:34] circumstances.

[2:34:38] Those circumstances include but

[2:34:39] are not limited to hundreds of

[2:34:43] noise complaints including

[2:34:43] amplified vulgarity and

[2:34:48] obscenity exacerbated by roll

[2:34:48] up doors.

[2:34:49] A superior Court mandated

[2:34:53] mediation agreement over noise

[2:34:53] loss of critical beach parking

[2:34:54] and increased demand for

[2:34:58] parking by increasing

[2:34:58] occupancy.

[2:35:02] That was two minutes.

[2:35:03] No, my apologies.

[2:35:03] I think I got confused.

[2:35:04] Keep going.

[2:35:06] Thank you.

[2:35:07] And increased demand for

[2:35:11] parking by increasing occupancy

[2:35:12] .

[2:35:12] I've provided correspondence

[2:35:13] from the Coastal Commission

[2:35:16] that should have been

[2:35:17] distributed Represented

[2:35:22] Representative Alexander Lee

[2:35:23] Andre to two Project Manager

[2:35:31] Nature or Sir Doug Howard quote

[2:35:31] all on street parking removed

[2:35:35] to construct a street ratio be

[2:35:36] replaced with an equivalent

[2:35:36] number of off street parking

[2:35:41] spaces provided at no cost to

[2:35:42] the public and if there is not

[2:35:45] a one for one replacement out

[2:35:49] of the five occupied parking

[2:35:50] this project is not approvable

[2:35:54] and must be removed in summary

[2:35:58] coastal zone parking is

[2:35:59] directly tied to public access

[2:36:00] under the Coastal Act

[2:36:04] the exemption cannot apply due

[2:36:05] to unusual circumstances.

[2:36:09] >> Thank you Blair Beekman If

[2:36:13] you can come forward Blair

[2:36:14] Brickman is our final speaker

[2:36:15] here in council chambers.

[2:36:15] If you are participating

[2:36:19] remotely please be sure to

[2:36:19] raise your hand.

[2:36:20] Please proceed.

[2:36:20] Hi Blair Beekman.

[2:36:23] Thanks for the morning meeting.

[2:36:24] Um, we're going to do some

[2:36:28] difficult times at

[2:36:29] the international level that

[2:36:30] are hopefully trying to ease

[2:36:32] themselves down.

[2:36:33] Um, I.

[2:36:34] I don't want to be difficult

[2:36:37] here at this time, but I think

[2:36:38] it's important to point out

[2:36:42] from the um agenda item

[2:36:47] yesterday on zoological uh uh

[2:36:48] society issues and their

[2:36:51] contract things it states in

[2:36:52] the first memo at the very end

[2:36:53] it gives a very clear summary

[2:36:57] that the future of parking fee

[2:37:02] issues there is going to be $3

[2:37:03] million allocated that was

[2:37:06] going to go to general fund

[2:37:07] items that also concerned

[2:37:10] zoological Society.

[2:37:11] And that was a beginning

[2:37:16] promise and concept that I

[2:37:17] think still has some validity

[2:37:21] that I need more clarity about

[2:37:22] and that I felt Councilperson

[2:37:26] LaCava didn't really work

[2:37:26] towards that clarity.

[2:37:27] He worked towards a finality

[2:37:31] and absolution ism and a

[2:37:31] certain condescending tone

[2:37:32] towards the community but

[2:37:36] didn't offer I think a true,

[2:37:36] you know, idea of what

[2:37:41] the future parking piece is

[2:37:41] like.

[2:37:42] So until that is cleared up

[2:37:42] better I'm going to try to

[2:37:46] continue to operate here in

[2:37:46] the public space a shared

[2:37:51] compromise idea that some ps

[2:37:51] are going to Balboa Park

[2:37:52] issues, some are going to

[2:37:55] the general fund.

[2:37:56] Uh hopefully a conversation can

[2:37:57] better develop.

[2:38:01] And I hope that can be an open

[2:38:01] clear conversation for all of

[2:38:02] us.

[2:38:02] It doesn't have to be fearful

[2:38:03] and very much of a thank you in

[2:38:05] yesterday's item that we talked

[2:38:10] about climate change issues

[2:38:10] the purpose of community energy

[2:38:15] was not also talked about that

[2:38:16] I hope we can learn to make of

[2:38:17] a more of a regular

[2:38:17] conversation we're trying to

[2:38:21] address a state uni.

[2:38:22] >> I think that's an important

[2:38:22] concept.

[2:38:22] Thank you.

[2:38:23] Thank you for that concluding

[2:38:25] comment.

[2:38:25] Sorry the five minute timer

[2:38:26] going to those participating

[2:38:26] remotely.

[2:38:29] We currently have ten speakers

[2:38:30] on the queue just we have ten

[2:38:33] speakers that's 20 minutes I

[2:38:34] think we just power through and

[2:38:34] get it done.

[2:38:35] I know someone's going to leave

[2:38:37] but we understand we have five.

[2:38:42] Let's hold the five going

[2:38:43] forward.

[2:38:43] Andrea Irving if you can please

[2:38:44] unmute after that as Laurie's

[2:38:47] all done.

[2:38:47] >> Please proceed.

[2:38:48] This is Andrea having and.

[2:38:48] Perfect.

[2:38:51] Thank you MR. LaCava for saying

[2:38:52] that because you guys don't

[2:38:53] want to hear what we have to

[2:38:56] say.

[2:38:57] That's the problem.

[2:38:58] If this were a triage and you

[2:39:01] had to figure out who you could

[2:39:01] help most immediately in

[2:39:05] the community, it's the people

[2:39:06] that are presenting directly to

[2:39:06] you.

[2:39:07] And MR. LaCava, a moment ago

[2:39:08] you said that you were just

[2:39:11] distracted by public comment.

[2:39:11] What a nuisance We are

[2:39:12] the people that pay your

[2:39:12] salary.

[2:39:15] What a nuisance We are

[2:39:16] the people that have the guts

[2:39:17] to come up and present to you

[2:39:21] guys And when we present facts

[2:39:21] and you roll your eyes and

[2:39:22] leave and you don't have a

[2:39:22] quorum anymore and we have to

[2:39:26] come back another day.

[2:39:26] Thank GOD we will come back

[2:39:27] another day.

[2:39:27] But guess what?

[2:39:31] When we do you still don't

[2:39:31] listen to us And the comments

[2:39:32] about discussing the items

[2:39:35] we're talking about.

[2:39:35] >> That's great.

[2:39:36] Good idea.

[2:39:37] However, you guys don't put in

[2:39:37] our comments.

[2:39:40] So what's the point?

[2:39:40] Why do I have to follow your

[2:39:41] structure when the only thing

[2:39:45] that you put that I say is my

[2:39:46] name Raul Campo.

[2:39:46] I am District seven.

[2:39:50] I am Linda Vista and I have

[2:39:51] often wondered why you have

[2:39:54] done zero about the father in

[2:39:55] Linda Vista that got detained

[2:39:58] in front of the elementary

[2:39:59] school as a Mexican-American

[2:39:59] man.

[2:40:02] I wondered why you wouldn't do

[2:40:03] anything about that, why you

[2:40:04] made that Afghan evac video and

[2:40:07] you said you will not stop

[2:40:08] fighting for Afghan rights when

[2:40:08] me.

[2:40:09] I am your constituent.

[2:40:13] I live in districts seven and I

[2:40:13] present to you every single

[2:40:14] week And you look over my head

[2:40:17] and you leave and you do

[2:40:18] nothing And my children were

[2:40:19] abducted and you just had a

[2:40:19] baby.

[2:40:22] I wonder why you're fighting so

[2:40:23] hard for these people you've

[2:40:23] never met has nothing to do

[2:40:27] with Muslim.

[2:40:27] >> We're not.

[2:40:28] Nobody doesn't love me?

[2:40:28] No.

[2:40:31] Sorry.

[2:40:32] There is a huge thing against

[2:40:32] Muslims.

[2:40:33] However, we did go to war with

[2:40:37] Afghanistan and they are our

[2:40:37] war adversary.

[2:40:38] Love your neighbor.

[2:40:38] Love your enemy.

[2:40:38] Great.

[2:40:42] But when people like me are

[2:40:42] almost murdered and children

[2:40:46] are abducted, it makes perfect

[2:40:47] sense that you wouldn't help me

[2:40:47] because your prosecutor wife is

[2:40:51] a prostitute shooter who

[2:40:52] doesn't want to help me.

[2:40:53] >> Your time has concluded.

[2:40:57] Lori Saldana, if you can please

[2:40:57] unmute after that.

[2:40:58] Thank you.

[2:40:58] Hello.

[2:41:00] Please proceed.

[2:41:01] Thank you.

[2:41:01] Council PRESIDENT Thank you for

[2:41:02] reading what people jokingly

[2:41:06] call the Saldana statement that

[2:41:07] was required to be read as part

[2:41:07] of the settlement after a

[2:41:11] brownout violation a few years

[2:41:12] ago in response to certain

[2:41:12] council members efforts to

[2:41:15] silence public comment related

[2:41:16] ignoring members of the public

[2:41:17] as they are speaking virtually

[2:41:21] joking with your colleague next

[2:41:22] to you.

[2:41:22] It shows the disdain for our

[2:41:25] voices and perspective leaving

[2:41:26] before we can even speak is

[2:41:26] even worse.

[2:41:27] Look especially for those of

[2:41:30] you who are intending to run or

[2:41:31] are already running for other

[2:41:31] elected offices.

[2:41:35] We will remember you ignoring

[2:41:36] the public's comments and

[2:41:37] talking through our comments.

[2:41:41] We see you as you speak.

[2:41:41] We see you on the city tv

[2:41:42] webcast And when you leave

[2:41:45] before or during our remarks or

[2:41:46] talk and laughed with

[2:41:46] the person next to you, it

[2:41:49] strongly reflects your

[2:41:50] unwillingness and inability to

[2:41:51] listen to public voices.

[2:41:54] Finally, I want to remind you

[2:41:55] that APRIL is Sexual Assault

[2:41:56] Awareness Month something that

[2:41:59] I worked with other groups to

[2:42:00] acknowledge and recognize for

[2:42:04] decades now and for decades you

[2:42:05] and your predecessors delayed

[2:42:05] and denied justice for

[2:42:09] survivors of sexual assault and

[2:42:09] other violent crimes.

[2:42:10] Last year the police department

[2:42:14] finally acknowledged they had

[2:42:15] failed to test and identify dna

[2:42:19] found in thousands of sexual

[2:42:20] assault evidence kits and over

[2:42:20] 500 suspects were finally

[2:42:24] identified and they're already

[2:42:25] in the criminal justice system

[2:42:28] and related in NOVEMBER after a

[2:42:29] friend and I were assaulted in

[2:42:30] downtown San Diego, our efforts

[2:42:33] to report the crime were met

[2:42:33] with delays.

[2:42:34] To the degree that she has

[2:42:35] never been able to file a

[2:42:38] police report and I waited

[2:42:39] seven hours for a police

[2:42:40] officer to come to my home

[2:42:43] Don't you dare say we are

[2:42:44] America's safest big city.

[2:42:48] Because what is happening is

[2:42:48] you are simply not listening to

[2:42:49] survivors of violence whether

[2:42:53] it's sexual assault or other

[2:42:53] types of assault.

[2:42:54] The police are ignoring our

[2:42:58] efforts to report the crimes

[2:42:58] just as you are ignoring our

[2:42:59] comments during council your

[2:43:03] time has concluded the original

[2:43:04] and after that is 8700.

[2:43:04] >> That is absolutely true.

[2:43:08] Sexual assaults are being

[2:43:09] ignored, even deaths.

[2:43:10] That's what's happening at Tent

[2:43:10] City.

[2:43:13] You guys contract with people

[2:43:14] who hire people who sexually

[2:43:18] assault individuals and you

[2:43:19] refuse to do anything about it.

[2:43:20] You know it So you are

[2:43:23] complicit in it and they are

[2:43:24] being told not to report it.

[2:43:27] My dreams for change staff and

[2:43:28] you guys are sitting here and

[2:43:29] talking about a St Patrick's

[2:43:32] Day parade and all this stuff

[2:43:33] at Balboa Park right off

[2:43:33] the inspiration point way At

[2:43:37] the end of that is Tent City

[2:43:38] and Dreams for Change has been

[2:43:42] for the last year and a half in

[2:43:46] the news about clients who have

[2:43:47] alleged that sexually the staff

[2:43:48] has been sexually assaulting

[2:43:51] them at your safe sleeping

[2:43:52] sites and they are actually a

[2:43:57] subsidiary of the United Way

[2:43:57] And we're being paid by

[2:43:58] the Franchise Tax Board to help

[2:44:02] immigrants who are not yet

[2:44:02] citizens including some

[2:44:03] undocumented immigrants to get

[2:44:07] tax id numbers and file tax

[2:44:07] returns so that migrants can

[2:44:08] have cash on hand from

[2:44:12] the state In a program called

[2:44:16] the Cow itc the they have to be

[2:44:17] wants to look for specific

[2:44:17] families and ask dreams for

[2:44:18] change to do that so they can

[2:44:21] get more cash back than people

[2:44:21] without children.

[2:44:22] There is a particular focus on

[2:44:25] families who have children that

[2:44:26] are six years or younger as

[2:44:27] they get the maximum cash

[2:44:30] payout available when they're

[2:44:31] engaged in this type of thing

[2:44:35] And 211 is is directing people

[2:44:36] to dreams for change.

[2:44:36] You guys know that Dreams for

[2:44:40] Change is failing to uphold

[2:44:41] their contracts because

[2:44:41] the city is there on site and

[2:44:45] there are many, many code

[2:44:46] violations.

[2:44:46] The conditions that these

[2:44:47] people have to live in are

[2:44:51] atrocious and you continue to

[2:44:51] give our money to them all

[2:44:52] while they are putting children

[2:44:56] at risk to be able to be taken

[2:44:56] from school because of this

[2:44:57] information that they are

[2:45:00] collecting And before nine five

[2:45:01] where anybody can go in and

[2:45:01] claim they're a family member

[2:45:04] and take a child So you guys

[2:45:05] need to figure out what you're

[2:45:06] doing and quit contracting with

[2:45:09] these people and actually care

[2:45:10] about people who are being

[2:45:10] sexually assaulted concluded

[2:45:14] after that is 8700.

[2:45:14] Then Hector the five minute

[2:45:15] timer also concluded no

[2:45:19] additional speakers will be

[2:45:19] taken.

[2:45:20] There are ten speakers in

[2:45:20] the queue and the timer

[2:45:23] concluded 3700.

[2:45:23] Please proceed.

[2:45:29] Thank you so much, Joyce And

[2:45:29] you have a three.

[2:45:29] Okay.

[2:45:32] I'll see my items in a minute.

[2:45:37] I mean there won't.

[2:45:37] Okay.

[2:45:41] Can you imagine if all our

[2:45:47] voices were not I love this

[2:45:47] about our country.

[2:45:51] We can speak and can you

[2:45:52] imagine what it would be like

[2:45:55] if they were repressed and

[2:46:01] covertly underground Not heard.

[2:46:05] Can you imagine the point of

[2:46:06] explosion that would happen at

[2:46:10] some point because of that

[2:46:11] pressure?

[2:46:11] I don't think we want to go

[2:46:15] with it.

[2:46:15] Thank everybody for expressing

[2:46:20] your views.

[2:46:21] You have a right to do that.

[2:46:21] We must hear you.

[2:46:25] It's critical.

[2:46:25] It's critical to our democracy.

[2:46:26] Okay.

[2:46:30] Thank you for listening on

[2:46:31] that.

[2:46:31] So get to my three items.

[2:46:35] I'll try to be real quick.

[2:46:36] I really would like us to look

[2:46:39] further at the idea of

[2:46:44] the oversupply of office supply

[2:46:49] in our downtown and how we use

[2:46:50] that do number two council

[2:46:54] member Ella Rivera I think you

[2:46:55] said something very, very

[2:46:55] important.

[2:47:00] You said we need a policy on

[2:47:00] the eye.

[2:47:01] Let's do that.

[2:47:03] Okay.

[2:47:04] We really really really really

[2:47:04] really need to do that.

[2:47:07] Can you please put an effort

[2:47:08] into that?

[2:47:08] I would appreciate that.

[2:47:14] And then last only No, I better

[2:47:14] skip that because it's too

[2:47:14] long.

[2:47:18] So anyway, it's a great

[2:47:18] morning.

[2:47:19] It's absolutely a great morning

[2:47:22] There was a little bit of

[2:47:23] everything the excitement of

[2:47:28] life, everything has to be

[2:47:29] included in whether we want it

[2:47:29] is not a good time has

[2:47:32] concluded and my apologies

[2:47:33] Hector if you can please unmute

[2:47:38] after that 7499 Nice.

[2:47:38] Thanks for taking my call.

[2:47:42] Hey I want to call attention to

[2:47:42] the fact that there were 50

[2:47:47] cars set on fire in Tijuana

[2:47:47] just recently for the drug

[2:47:50] dealers when we took out that

[2:47:51] one drug dealer.

[2:47:56] And so Tijuana is the city in

[2:47:56] the hemisphere by far.

[2:48:00] So we're at risk with that plus

[2:48:01] your recent invasion and I'm

[2:48:05] calling out the occupiers of

[2:48:06] our land right now in San Diego

[2:48:06] County.

[2:48:10] The people who invaded are

[2:48:10] those illegal aliens that live

[2:48:11] here Now They just came here.

[2:48:14] Those are the real occupiers or

[2:48:15] county and they're draining our

[2:48:16] systems.

[2:48:19] 75,000 of them are on Medi-Cal

[2:48:24] and medical system is going

[2:48:24] under.

[2:48:25] So we got to we got to get rid

[2:48:28] of those guys.

[2:48:29] Trump's fighting the drug

[2:48:29] dealers now with the South

[2:48:30] American guys.

[2:48:33] All the countries they're

[2:48:33] getting serious.

[2:48:34] They're coming after the guys

[2:48:37] in San Diego County that hide

[2:48:38] their money.

[2:48:39] The drug dealers have got a lot

[2:48:39] of houses here.

[2:48:43] They're like shelter in their

[2:48:43] businesses, in their stock.

[2:48:44] So it could get really pretty

[2:48:48] crazy that plus we all know

[2:48:49] the mayor of Tijuana's hooked

[2:48:52] up with the drug dealers And I

[2:48:53] know some guys Mexican guys you

[2:48:57] know that guys know that Even

[2:48:57] our border supervisor lady

[2:48:58] who's who was an anchor baby

[2:49:02] she was born in San Diego was

[2:49:03] raised in Mexico.

[2:49:07] I call that an anchor baby.

[2:49:08] She's hooked up with the drug

[2:49:09] dealers So it's going to get

[2:49:13] crazy.

[2:49:13] Matt Trump's going to was going

[2:49:14] to take over Cuba and he's kind

[2:49:15] of come back to San Diego

[2:49:17] County and start start doing it

[2:49:18] with us man.

[2:49:22] Plus the we should have a a day

[2:49:26] commemorating up with all

[2:49:26] the genders.

[2:49:27] There's 16 genders.

[2:49:28] It's kind of homophobic to have

[2:49:30] a day of a woman because we

[2:49:31] don't know what a woman is.

[2:49:32] You know what's going on with

[2:49:32] that?

[2:49:36] How can you have a day

[2:49:36] celebrating women when we can't

[2:49:40] define what a woman is?

[2:49:41] Your time has concluded next to

[2:49:47] 7499 after that is back you up

[2:49:47] Bob Kozinski here I again want

[2:49:52] to assert that this city is

[2:49:52] abusing the hang gliding and

[2:49:53] paragliding communities through

[2:49:54] your negligent oversight of

[2:49:57] the business operating

[2:49:57] the Torrey Pines flight or

[2:49:58] port.

[2:49:58] The glider port is a natural

[2:49:59] treasure just like our other

[2:50:01] beaches and open spaces

[2:50:02] throughout San Diego.

[2:50:03] However, unlike those other

[2:50:03] parks, the glider port is

[2:50:07] exclusively leased to a private

[2:50:07] business that charges citizens

[2:50:08] to use our park.

[2:50:11] And unlike those other parks,

[2:50:12] the business that the Torrey

[2:50:12] Pines Glider Park requires

[2:50:13] citizens to be members of a

[2:50:17] private club that expels

[2:50:17] citizens for testifying in

[2:50:18] court cases against

[2:50:21] the business or even for

[2:50:22] speaking to the city council.

[2:50:23] Joe LaCava As PRESIDENT You it

[2:50:25] is your duty to bring this

[2:50:26] matter to the Council to

[2:50:27] reactivate the Torrey Pines

[2:50:30] City Park Advisory Board and to

[2:50:31] implement a waiver similar to

[2:50:32] the successful Dockweiler

[2:50:35] waiver to allow citizens to use

[2:50:36] our park without belonging to

[2:50:36] any abusive private

[2:50:40] organization.

[2:50:41] In addition to advocating for

[2:50:42] our rights at the glider port I

[2:50:42] feel compelled to spend some of

[2:50:45] my non agenda time advocating

[2:50:45] for citizens who speak here In

[2:50:49] past years the City Clerk would

[2:50:50] list upcoming remote speakers

[2:50:51] and she would say something to

[2:50:53] the effect of the next speaker

[2:50:54] is 1234 followed by three,

[2:50:57] four, five six and 5678.

[2:50:58] The city clerk often says most

[2:50:59] of that but she does not

[2:51:02] reliably list the upcoming

[2:51:03] speakers.

[2:51:04] This means that speakers often

[2:51:04] have no idea when they will be

[2:51:07] called.

[2:51:08] Speakers have no idea if they

[2:51:08] are first in the queue or 10th

[2:51:09] in the queue.

[2:51:12] Speakers have no advance notice

[2:51:12] of when they are expected to

[2:51:13] unmute and begin speaking

[2:51:14] the best case This is

[2:51:16] inefficient.

[2:51:17] In the worst case citizens are

[2:51:18] often surprised when called and

[2:51:22] unable to unmute in time to

[2:51:22] speak.

[2:51:23] Please at least announce each

[2:51:23] speaker along with the two

[2:51:27] following speakers every time.

[2:51:28] With regard to MR. Campfield,

[2:51:28] your comments might be taken

[2:51:29] seriously if you weren't so

[2:51:31] hypocritical about protecting

[2:51:32] the rights of all citizens in

[2:51:32] our city.

[2:51:33] Charity begins at home.

[2:51:36] Shame on you for grandstanding

[2:51:36] on the national issue while

[2:51:37] ignoring the obvious local

[2:51:37] abuses.

[2:51:41] Finally MS..

[2:51:42] Saldana is spot on with regard

[2:51:42] to the disrespect that this

[2:51:43] Council shows the public Thank

[2:51:46] you to MISS Saldana.

[2:51:47] >> Thank you.

[2:51:47] Thank you.

[2:51:50] Wrap your next please on mute.

[2:51:55] After that as Madison.

[2:51:55] Good afternoon.

[2:51:59] My name is Becky Rapp and I

[2:52:00] come here out of concern

[2:52:00] regarding the proposal to add

[2:52:04] 36 new pot permits for

[2:52:05] the socially equitable cannabis

[2:52:05] program.

[2:52:06] It's important to look at

[2:52:10] neighboring cities as they have

[2:52:10] already pursued and implemented

[2:52:11] this program.

[2:52:15] One example is Los Angeles as

[2:52:15] their program has shown serious

[2:52:16] shortfalls.

[2:52:19] First the financial reality

[2:52:20] Hundreds of cannabis licenses

[2:52:20] were issued including many

[2:52:21] through their social equity

[2:52:24] program.

[2:52:24] Yet they're struggling.

[2:52:25] Reports indicate that hundreds

[2:52:29] of businesses owe back taxes

[2:52:29] and the city is facing hundreds

[2:52:30] of millions of dollars in

[2:52:33] unpaid marijuana tax revenue.

[2:52:34] When an industry cannot meet

[2:52:35] its tax obligations, it raises

[2:52:38] an important question Is

[2:52:38] expanding the program fiscally

[2:52:39] responsible?

[2:52:43] Second, these programs have not

[2:52:43] reduced the illicit market

[2:52:44] which was one of the major

[2:52:47] justification for permitting

[2:52:48] these businesses in the first

[2:52:48] place.

[2:52:52] Even after years of licensing

[2:52:53] and enforcement, Los Angeles

[2:52:53] still deals with numerous

[2:52:57] illegal operations.

[2:52:58] San Diego should learn from

[2:52:58] these experiences.

[2:52:59] Our city is already facing

[2:53:02] significant budget pressures

[2:53:03] and we know that our permitted

[2:53:07] businesses have also struggled

[2:53:08] with paying taxes and we

[2:53:08] the public have yet to be

[2:53:09] presented with an updated

[2:53:12] auditing report showing exactly

[2:53:13] how significant our lack of

[2:53:16] back taxes is.

[2:53:17] Now is not the time to expand

[2:53:18] programs that MAY require

[2:53:21] substantial oversight,

[2:53:22] administrative resources and

[2:53:23] enforcement.

[2:53:23] While we struggle to monitor

[2:53:27] for the existing businesses we

[2:53:27] already have committed in our

[2:53:31] city, I urge the Council to

[2:53:32] carefully evaluate whether this

[2:53:33] approach or approach truly

[2:53:36] meets our goals for public

[2:53:37] safety, fiscal responsibility

[2:53:37] and community well-being.

[2:53:41] Thank you.

[2:53:41] >> Thank you.

[2:53:46] Next is Madison After Madison

[2:53:46] is 1822.

[2:53:46] Hi.

[2:53:47] Thank you.

[2:53:47] Good afternoon.

[2:53:51] Council members an issue in San

[2:53:52] Diego that deserves special

[2:53:55] attention is what happens when

[2:53:56] young people begin using

[2:53:56] marijuana regularly and develop

[2:54:00] dependance adolescent is a

[2:54:01] critical period for brain

[2:54:01] development.

[2:54:02] The brain continues developing

[2:54:05] into the mid-twenties

[2:54:05] especially the areas

[2:54:06] responsible for memory decision

[2:54:10] making and emotional

[2:54:10] regulation.

[2:54:11] When teenagers are repeatedly

[2:54:15] exposed to high levels of thc

[2:54:15] during this time, research

[2:54:16] shows it can interfere with

[2:54:19] those developmental processes

[2:54:20] according to physicians and

[2:54:21] toxicology researchers.

[2:54:25] Thc spreads quickly into

[2:54:26] tissues throughout the body

[2:54:26] rather than remaining in

[2:54:30] the bloodstream where it can be

[2:54:30] easily measured.

[2:54:31] This means that even when a

[2:54:35] drug test appears negative, thc

[2:54:35] and its biological effects MAY

[2:54:36] still be present in body

[2:54:39] tissues.

[2:54:40] Young people who develop

[2:54:41] cannabis dependance are more

[2:54:44] likely to experience long term

[2:54:45] problems with attention

[2:54:46] learning and mental health.

[2:54:49] Studies have also linked

[2:54:50] frequent adolescent marijuana

[2:54:50] use to increased risks of

[2:54:54] anxiety, depression and even

[2:54:55] psychosis.

[2:54:59] What begins as experimentation

[2:55:00] can turn into a pattern that

[2:55:00] affects a young person's

[2:55:04] academic success Mental health

[2:55:04] and future opportunities.

[2:55:08] As these policies continue to

[2:55:08] evolve, I also agree that we

[2:55:09] should not be doing

[2:55:10] the socially equitable Cannabis

[2:55:13] program and encourage the city

[2:55:14] to keep youth prevention and

[2:55:15] education at the center of

[2:55:18] the conversation so that we

[2:55:19] don't normalize this harmful

[2:55:19] drug.

[2:55:22] And the next generation can

[2:55:23] have the healthiest possible

[2:55:23] start.

[2:55:24] >> Thank you.

[2:55:24] Thank you.

[2:55:32] Next is 1822.

[2:55:33] After that is Terry and Kelly

[2:55:33] 1822.

[2:55:36] Please proceed.

[2:55:36] >> Good morning.

[2:55:37] Thank you.

[2:55:41] I too opposed to expansion of

[2:55:42] the social equity program.

[2:55:42] As a public health advocate and

[2:55:43] youth manner.

[2:55:46] I wondered why concern over

[2:55:50] tobacco's adverse impact on

[2:55:51] public health has been extended

[2:55:51] to marijuana which presents

[2:55:55] similar risks but worse.

[2:55:56] Finally, media is acknowledging

[2:55:59] this mistake.

[2:56:00] I'd like to share a few

[2:56:01] headlines from just the past

[2:56:04] few weeks that challenged

[2:56:05] misperceptions about marijuana

[2:56:09] safety and commercialization in

[2:56:10] New York Times.

[2:56:10] 20 million Americans say

[2:56:14] they're always high.

[2:56:15] Even liberals recognize

[2:56:19] the craze has gone too far.

[2:56:20] Wall Street Journal.

[2:56:20] High schools are losing

[2:56:24] the fight against pot at

[2:56:24] the Times.

[2:56:24] Yeah.

[2:56:25] She goes up in the body

[2:56:28] influencing inflammation and

[2:56:28] immunity.

[2:56:29] Multimedia.

[2:56:34] Which study links adolescent

[2:56:34] cannabis use to double the risk

[2:56:38] of psychotic and bipolar

[2:56:38] disorders?

[2:56:39] Former White House drug czar

[2:56:42] calls Marijuana Massively

[2:56:43] Destructive.

[2:56:47] 40% of drivers killed in

[2:56:47] crashes had an active thc in

[2:56:51] their systems.

[2:56:52] Another study reveals cannabis

[2:56:56] adverse impact on working

[2:56:56] memory.

[2:56:57] Marijuana linked to premature

[2:57:01] cardio vascular disease.

[2:57:02] And here's one Department of

[2:57:06] Justice makes the case

[2:57:10] marijuana users should lose

[2:57:10] Second Amendment rights because

[2:57:11] they're unpredictable and prone

[2:57:15] to violence.

[2:57:15] This is a small sampling.

[2:57:16] I urge you to follow

[2:57:19] the science and the articles I

[2:57:20] just published weekly.

[2:57:24] They signal a pro legalization

[2:57:25] reversal by the media now

[2:57:29] admitting they were wrong and

[2:57:30] calling for policy change to

[2:57:30] protect public health.

[2:57:34] I hope you'll do the same.

[2:57:35] >> Thank you.

[2:57:35] Thank you.

[2:57:38] Next is Terry and Scully After

[2:57:38] that is Kathleen Lippert.

[2:57:43] Please unmute.

[2:57:43] Hello.

[2:57:47] Can you hear me?

[2:57:48] >> Yes.

[2:57:48] Please proceed.

[2:57:49] Okay, great.

[2:57:52] I was having some audio

[2:57:53] problems.

[2:57:53] Hello.

[2:57:53] Good afternoon.

[2:57:54] My name is Terry and Scully.

[2:57:58] I'm a parent and a planning

[2:57:58] group member and a public

[2:57:59] health educator and economic

[2:58:02] development and governing

[2:58:03] Governmental Relations

[2:58:03] Committee.

[2:58:06] Last week I spoke to item five

[2:58:07] entitled Establishment of a

[2:58:11] Cannabis Social Equity and

[2:58:12] Economic Development or Seed

[2:58:16] program in county Public

[2:58:16] Health.

[2:58:16] We are very aware of

[2:58:17] the increase in adolescents who

[2:58:20] are experiencing health

[2:58:21] problems associated with their

[2:58:22] smoking and vaping and

[2:58:25] the effect it had on their job

[2:58:26] and their school trajectory.

[2:58:30] So last week's item number five

[2:58:30] was very confusing to me since

[2:58:35] marijuana products are most

[2:58:35] often smoked or made,

[2:58:36] the tobacco industry has

[2:58:39] strategically targeted black

[2:58:40] Americans for decades

[2:58:44] drastically, drastically

[2:58:44] affecting their their health

[2:58:45] outcomes And now the marijuana

[2:58:46] industry is doing the same

[2:58:49] thing.

[2:58:50] The Truth Initiative, a premier

[2:58:50] nonprofit recognized this

[2:58:54] situation and joined the acp In

[2:58:55] announcing a partnership to

[2:58:59] address the industry's

[2:58:59] exploitation of black

[2:59:00] communities and empower

[2:59:04] individuals to quit their

[2:59:05] recent factsheets states and I

[2:59:09] quote early and heavy marijuana

[2:59:10] use is linked to a lack of

[2:59:11] economic and social attainment

[2:59:14] for young people.

[2:59:14] Early and heavy marijuana use

[2:59:19] is linked to increased risk of

[2:59:19] psychiatric disorders including

[2:59:23] psychosis, depression, anxiety

[2:59:23] and other substance use

[2:59:24] disorders.

[2:59:28] Frequent smoking of marijuana

[2:59:29] increases the risk of lung

[2:59:32] issues such as bronchitis.

[2:59:33] The c program is the wrong

[2:59:37] program because of diminish

[2:59:38] the health outcomes for young

[2:59:39] people and other vulnerable

[2:59:43] populations and communities of

[2:59:43] concern.

[2:59:44] Thank you for hearing my

[2:59:48] concerns this afternoon.

[2:59:49] Thank you.

[2:59:49] Kathleen Lippert If you can

[2:59:52] please unmute.

[2:59:52] >> Thank you.

[2:59:53] Good afternoon.

[2:59:57] Thank you for letting me speak.

[2:59:58] I'd like to address

[3:00:01] the disconnect between the city

[3:00:02] and what the city claims to

[3:00:06] support and and fund versus

[3:00:07] what it actually does in

[3:00:07] practice.

[3:00:11] So last year dsd sent out a

[3:00:12] news release touting how

[3:00:16] critical it was to hear from

[3:00:17] community members to best

[3:00:20] improve our communities to

[3:00:21] inform their five year

[3:00:25] infrastructure plan.

[3:00:26] San Diegans submitted more than

[3:00:26] 1200 ideas.

[3:00:31] This is a great title but it

[3:00:31] was too bad that it bore no

[3:00:35] resemblance to actual community

[3:00:35] priorities that they

[3:00:36] identified.

[3:00:36] They identified Parks

[3:00:40] Recreation centers, places to

[3:00:40] play as top priorities followed

[3:00:45] by safe sidewalk walks, open

[3:00:46] spaces and libraries.

[3:00:49] They never mention pot shops,

[3:00:50] equity licenses, sidewalk pop

[3:00:54] out that prevent pedestrian

[3:00:55] walking bicycle lanes and void

[3:00:59] and they but boy did you

[3:01:00] avoided independent cost

[3:01:04] analysis that allow you to

[3:01:05] continue to support what you

[3:01:09] want versus what are going to

[3:01:10] be the ramifications and

[3:01:10] harmful side effects and

[3:01:14] unintended consequences.

[3:01:15] But the city has also endorsed

[3:01:19] rezoning laws.

[3:01:19] Community residents want that

[3:01:24] to keep their residential

[3:01:24] zoning.

[3:01:25] They do not want developers to

[3:01:29] destroy their single family

[3:01:30] residences and the investments

[3:01:33] that they made in those in

[3:01:34] those homes that they spent a

[3:01:38] lot of money to build and

[3:01:43] provide for their families.

[3:01:44] The negative impacts of

[3:01:47] rezoning and mixed use zoning

[3:01:48] without public input are

[3:01:49] negatively impacting diverse

[3:01:53] communities across the city

[3:01:53] with a claim of increasing low

[3:01:58] income instead.

[3:01:58] Thank you for letting me speak.

[3:01:59] Thank you.

[3:02:00] That does conclude not a

[3:02:02] general public comment for

[3:02:03] today's meeting.

[3:02:03] >> All right.

[3:02:04] Thank you City Clerk We will

[3:10:14] P.M. Or shortly thereafter

[3:12:14] And

[3:14:27] I

[3:14:27] .

[3:14:28] >> Good afternoon.

[3:14:28] I will now reconvene the city

[3:14:32] council meeting of Tuesday,

[3:14:33] MARCH 10th, 2026 clerk Please

[3:14:36] call the roll.

[3:14:36] Thank you.

[3:14:37] Council PRESIDENT Council

[3:14:38] Member Campbell Councilmember

[3:14:41] Weapon Oh okay.

[3:14:45] Thank you for letting me know.

[3:14:46] Councilmember Foster here

[3:14:50] Councilmember Von Wilpert

[3:14:50] Council Member Council

[3:14:55] PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee here

[3:14:55] Councilmember Campos here

[3:14:56] Councilmember Moreno Present

[3:15:00] Council member Ella Rivera and

[3:15:01] Council PRESIDENT LaCava

[3:15:04] present also attending

[3:15:05] the meeting our Assistant City

[3:15:05] Attorney Leslie Fitzgerald

[3:15:06] Independent budget Analyst

[3:15:09] Charles Monica and myself your

[3:15:10] city clerk Diana Fuentes.

[3:15:11] Thank you Council PRESIDENT All

[3:15:11] right.

[3:15:11] Thank you.

[3:15:14] City Clerk.

[3:15:15] Quorum is now present So with

[3:15:18] that please introduce item 330.

[3:15:18] >> Item 330 is an informational

[3:15:23] item City of San Diego Fiscal

[3:15:23] year 2027 through 2031 five

[3:15:28] year capital infrastructure

[3:15:28] Teacher Planning Outlook If

[3:15:29] you'd like to speak to this

[3:15:30] item and are here in chambers

[3:15:33] please be sure to submit your

[3:15:33] speaker slip to the front of

[3:15:34] the room in the clear box If

[3:15:37] you are participate remotely

[3:15:38] now's the time to raise your

[3:15:39] hand by pressing Star nine or

[3:15:41] the raise your hand icon.

[3:15:42] Thank you.

[3:15:47] All right.

[3:15:48] I see staff is making their way

[3:16:08] through the drive and now that

[3:16:08] you're settling in introduce

[3:16:09] yourselves for the records and

[3:16:12] let us know how much time you

[3:16:12] need.

[3:16:13] Good afternoon.

[3:16:14] Council PRESIDENT Lee Carver

[3:16:17] and Distinguished Council

[3:16:17] members.

[3:16:18] My name is Karen McGriff and I

[3:16:18] am the assistant director over

[3:16:22] the project Management office

[3:16:23] in the Engineering and Capital

[3:16:23] Projects Department.

[3:16:26] We will need approximately 15

[3:16:27] minutes for a presentation

[3:16:27] today.

[3:16:28] All right.

[3:16:32] When you're ready with me today

[3:16:33] I also have Michael Puleo who

[3:16:33] is our who is a financial

[3:16:36] operations manager overseeing

[3:16:37] cip in the Department of

[3:16:37] Finance.

[3:16:41] And today that we will present

[3:16:41] to you the 12th annual five

[3:16:42] year Capital Infrastructure

[3:16:45] Planning Outlook covering

[3:16:46] fiscal year 27 through 31.

[3:16:50] Before we start I really do

[3:16:51] want to take this opportunity

[3:16:52] to thank everybody who has

[3:16:52] contributed to this effort.

[3:16:55] Many of whom are both online

[3:16:56] and in chambers today and

[3:17:00] available to help answer any

[3:17:01] questions that you MAY have at

[3:17:01] the end of the presentation.

[3:17:05] Without them we possibly could

[3:17:05] not gathered all of the data

[3:17:06] needed to prepare a or

[3:17:09] meaningful report for areas.

[3:17:10] The document is a planning tool

[3:17:14] to assist all of us in long

[3:17:14] term capital infrastructure

[3:17:15] planning.

[3:17:15] The report helps to monitor

[3:17:19] project and evaluate

[3:17:19] the availability of funding to

[3:17:20] meet long term needs.

[3:17:24] The report also helps to ensure

[3:17:25] alignment between the city's

[3:17:25] multiple asset managing and

[3:17:28] service providing departments

[3:17:29] to achieve the city's vision

[3:17:30] and objectives for community

[3:17:33] infrastructure.

[3:17:34] While this report is not a

[3:17:35] budget, it does help to guide a

[3:17:38] financial guide financial

[3:17:38] decisions on infrastructure

[3:17:42] priorities and to facilitate

[3:17:43] the development of the upcoming

[3:17:44] fiscal year 27 budget.

[3:17:48] I will as previously mentioned

[3:17:53] this is the 12th report that we

[3:17:54] have prepared In the report we

[3:17:57] summarize citywide capital

[3:17:58] needs and expected revenues for

[3:17:59] the reporting period.

[3:18:03] We quantify the asset

[3:18:03] management department's needs

[3:18:04] to meet their desired levels of

[3:18:07] service and because we

[3:18:08] recognize that not all needs

[3:18:10] can or will be met in the five

[3:18:11] year period, we have also begun

[3:18:14] to quantify the high level

[3:18:15] needs for years 2032 and beyond

[3:18:15] which are outside of

[3:18:19] the outlook period.

[3:18:20] The means identified

[3:18:20] incorporate input gathered from

[3:18:24] the community via the Planning

[3:18:25] Department's Community Input

[3:18:25] survey as well as

[3:18:28] the prioritized priorities

[3:18:29] identified in your council

[3:18:30] priority memos both of which

[3:18:33] are incorporated into asset

[3:18:34] management plans developed by

[3:18:34] the amd's themselves

[3:18:38] Engineering and Capital

[3:18:38] Projects and Department of

[3:18:39] Finance work together to

[3:18:43] forecast the eligible cip

[3:18:44] revenues that are expected to

[3:18:44] be available to the program

[3:18:48] Needs are matched with revenues

[3:18:49] to help us provide

[3:18:49] the financial outlook or gap

[3:18:53] number diving directly into

[3:18:56] the report results over

[3:18:57] the next five years the city

[3:19:00] scape has an estimated $12.82

[3:19:01] billion of identified needs.

[3:19:05] These needs are represented by

[3:19:06] the blue bars on the graph We

[3:19:09] estimate that just over $5

[3:19:10] billion of funding will be

[3:19:10] available to meet

[3:19:11] the identified needs over

[3:19:14] the outlook period.

[3:19:14] Funding availability is

[3:19:15] represented by the green bars

[3:19:16] on the graph There is an

[3:19:19] additional $5.96 billion of

[3:19:19] needs identified beyond

[3:19:23] the outlook period shown on

[3:19:24] this slide in blue Are

[3:19:24] the revenues projected to be

[3:19:28] available for the sip program

[3:19:29] for each of the last five years

[3:19:33] shown in yellow are the actual

[3:19:34] budgets that were added to

[3:19:34] the sip program.

[3:19:38] I'm very pleased to note that

[3:19:39] over the past five years

[3:19:40] the funding anticipated for

[3:19:43] the sip program has been

[3:19:44] available as projected.

[3:19:44] Notable variances have come

[3:19:48] from windfall opportunities

[3:19:49] such as straight state or

[3:19:49] federal grants.

[3:19:50] The green bar on this graph

[3:19:54] also shows the increased output

[3:19:54] production and project

[3:19:55] execution levels for the sip

[3:19:59] program Fiscal year 26 is

[3:20:00] showing activity only through

[3:20:03] the midway through the fiscal

[3:20:04] year and both the yellow and

[3:20:05] green bars will be growing by

[3:20:08] fiscal year end.

[3:20:08] >> We do expect the positive

[3:20:09] execution trend to continue for

[3:20:13] several years as ecp continues

[3:20:13] to streamline delivery to

[3:20:14] increase cost effective

[3:20:18] production.

[3:20:18] However, we recognize that

[3:20:19] the industry has limitations

[3:20:20] and areas are already starting

[3:20:25] to feel the strain Each year we

[3:20:26] look for new ways to analyze

[3:20:27] the data.

[3:20:30] >> This year we separated

[3:20:31] projects that were already in

[3:20:31] process somewhere in

[3:20:35] the delivery pipeline from

[3:20:35] those projects that still

[3:20:36] needed to be initiated.

[3:20:39] We also prioritized matching

[3:20:40] revenues to existing projects

[3:20:41] so that our five year plan

[3:20:45] emphasizes finishing what we've

[3:20:45] started.

[3:20:45] What you see here shows

[3:20:49] the total capital program on

[3:20:50] the white lines were $12.8

[3:20:53] billion At the top is funded

[3:20:54] with $5 billion in the middle

[3:20:54] leaving a total programmatic

[3:20:58] funding gap of $7.8 billion at

[3:20:59] the bottom existing projects

[3:21:02] are in light blue and new

[3:21:03] projects are in the darker

[3:21:03] blue.

[3:21:07] As you can see in the first few

[3:21:07] years of the outlook needs are

[3:21:08] higher and the vast majority of

[3:21:11] funding is planned to complete

[3:21:11] existing projects.

[3:21:12] New projects have a lesser

[3:21:16] funding need and also funding

[3:21:17] program at the beginning of

[3:21:17] the outlook.

[3:21:20] But this ramps up significantly

[3:21:21] towards the end of the outlook

[3:21:25] period as we continue to break

[3:21:26] down the overall programmatic

[3:21:30] needs for the capital program.

[3:21:31] This table identifies the $3.5

[3:21:34] billion of identified needs

[3:21:35] from our enterprise funded

[3:21:35] departments.

[3:21:36] Enterprise funds operate

[3:21:39] similarly to private businesses

[3:21:40] and set rates charged to end

[3:21:40] users.

[3:21:44] These rates ensure that

[3:21:45] sufficient income is available

[3:21:45] to support all operations,

[3:21:46] maintenance and capital

[3:21:49] investment activity for

[3:21:50] the Enterprise Fund shown on

[3:21:51] this table in order from

[3:21:53] highest to lowest needs are

[3:21:58] the city's enterprise funds.

[3:21:59] >> This table shows the Non

[3:22:00] enterprise Fund asset needs

[3:22:00] broken down by the various

[3:22:03] asset types They are shown from

[3:22:04] largest need to smallest with

[3:22:07] storm water infrastructure

[3:22:08] making up the city's largest

[3:22:11] single asset type need at over

[3:22:12] $5.5 billion Transportation and

[3:22:12] transportation pavement and

[3:22:17] parks are the city's next two

[3:22:20] largest identified needs And of

[3:22:20] the $9.3 billion of identified

[3:22:24] general fund asset needs $1.5

[3:22:24] billion of funding or roughly

[3:22:29] 16% is expected to be available

[3:22:29] to meet these needs.

[3:22:33] This leads an overall gap of

[3:22:33] $7.8 billion and now turn it

[3:22:34] over to Michael to discuss

[3:22:38] revenues even though there is a

[3:22:41] sizable gap we have identified

[3:22:41] over $1.5 billion in funding

[3:22:42] that is expected to be

[3:22:46] available for the General Fund

[3:22:47] capital Improvements program.

[3:22:48] This table shows the expected

[3:22:52] funding sources for the c I p

[3:22:52] program from largest to

[3:22:56] smallest the largest funding

[3:22:56] source is expected to be

[3:22:57] general fund financing.

[3:23:00] Most of the 665 million in

[3:23:01] projected financing will be

[3:23:05] allocated to ensure compliance

[3:23:06] with the terms of the already

[3:23:09] executed stormwater with yellow

[3:23:10] based on previous general fund

[3:23:11] monitoring exercises.

[3:23:14] The outlook reflects that

[3:23:15] approximately $96 million of

[3:23:16] general fund financing could be

[3:23:20] added to the vip program each

[3:23:21] fiscal year citywide for

[3:23:25] mobility parks, fire and

[3:23:25] libraries are ramping up and

[3:23:29] projected to bring in nearly

[3:23:30] 230 million over the outlook

[3:23:30] period.

[3:23:34] There is no infrastructure fund

[3:23:35] contribution planned for

[3:23:35] the cip during the outlook

[3:23:39] period And while we do project

[3:23:39] climate equity funds to be

[3:23:40] available, those funds are

[3:23:41] eligible to support

[3:23:44] infrastructure related

[3:23:45] activities and MAY not be

[3:23:49] allocated to the scope program

[3:23:49] as part of the upcoming budget

[3:23:50] development cycle or MAY be

[3:23:54] waived shown Here are the needs

[3:23:59] and anticipated revenue trends

[3:23:59] for the last five outlook

[3:24:00] reporting periods including

[3:24:04] this year.

[3:24:04] Both needs and revenues have

[3:24:08] increased over time.

[3:24:09] However the increase in needs

[3:24:10] is outpacing that of revenues

[3:24:13] Additional revenue sources

[3:24:14] would need to be identified to

[3:24:19] close the gap.

[3:24:19] We have noticed a dip in

[3:24:20] the needs in the middle of

[3:24:22] the preceding slide.

[3:24:23] This step occurred in the first

[3:24:24] year that the beyond five years

[3:24:27] category was added to

[3:24:28] the outlook when we show all

[3:24:31] identified needs for both

[3:24:32] the five year period and beyond

[3:24:33] the five year period the city's

[3:24:36] current infrastructure needs

[3:24:37] outlook is $18.78 billion.

[3:24:41] Why do we continue to fear

[3:24:42] growth and needs Several

[3:24:43] factors contribute to

[3:24:46] the growth primarily

[3:24:46] the infrastructure itself in

[3:24:50] addition to the new to the need

[3:24:51] for new infrastructure that

[3:24:52] addresses growth existing

[3:24:55] infrastructure aging and goes

[3:24:56] through a cycle of

[3:24:56] rehabilitation and replacement.

[3:25:00] Another major contributor is

[3:25:01] the rise and the associated

[3:25:02] cost to design and construct

[3:25:05] these projects due to increased

[3:25:06] regulations replacement to

[3:25:10] higher standards and industry

[3:25:10] limitations on what can be

[3:25:11] delivered both arterials and

[3:25:15] labor.

[3:25:15] There is some good news as we

[3:25:18] look beyond a five or even ten

[3:25:19] year horizon we see

[3:25:20] the completion of major efforts

[3:25:23] that ultimately result in lower

[3:25:24] needs in the far outer years.

[3:25:28] I will now turn it over to

[3:25:29] the Chief of Community Services

[3:25:29] Rania Ahmed for the concluding

[3:25:33] remarks.

[3:25:33] Thank you Michael.

[3:25:37] I just want to closing by

[3:25:38] summarizing what Michael and

[3:25:43] and Karen has presented here

[3:25:43] this afternoon.

[3:25:47] So over the next five years

[3:25:47] Rania, I'm sorry to interrupt

[3:25:48] Can you turn your mic on and

[3:25:50] have a little bit closer to

[3:25:55] maybe I need a closer or make

[3:25:56] sure that folks remotely can

[3:25:57] hear you Can you hear me better

[3:25:57] now?

[3:26:00] Yeah, perfect.

[3:26:00] Thank you.

[3:26:01] So over the next five years

[3:26:04] the projected cost increases

[3:26:04] really reflect several factors

[3:26:09] that cities across the country

[3:26:09] are experiencing.

[3:26:10] Many of our public assets are

[3:26:14] aging as the team mentioned

[3:26:14] earlier today.

[3:26:15] And when maintenance is

[3:26:19] deferred due to funding

[3:26:20] limitation, the cost of repairs

[3:26:23] grows as conditions worsen.

[3:26:24] At the same time construction

[3:26:25] cost, labor and materials has

[3:26:28] increased significantly in

[3:26:28] recent years and there is less

[3:26:29] competition for contractors In

[3:26:33] addition, projects today must

[3:26:34] meet evolving regulatory

[3:26:37] requirements environmental

[3:26:38] standards, city priorities,

[3:26:39] policy direction and service

[3:26:42] and community expectations.

[3:26:43] Together these factors

[3:26:47] contributed to the growing

[3:26:47] funding gap outlined in this

[3:26:48] report.

[3:26:49] We must continue to balance

[3:26:52] funding allocations between

[3:26:53] maintaining existing assets and

[3:26:57] delivering new infrastructure.

[3:26:58] We're also advancing long term

[3:26:58] affordable asset management

[3:27:02] plans.

[3:27:02] At the same time we will

[3:27:03] continue to pursue design and

[3:27:06] construction grand particularly

[3:27:07] for non enterprise

[3:27:11] infrastructure over the past

[3:27:12] several years the city has made

[3:27:16] progress and I just want to

[3:27:16] acknowledge all that that

[3:27:17] progress has been made in

[3:27:21] developing cp prioritization

[3:27:21] policies, service level

[3:27:22] standards and completing

[3:27:26] condition assessment for some

[3:27:26] assets such as the pavement

[3:27:27] management plan.

[3:27:31] However many assets remain

[3:27:32] outdated including those for

[3:27:36] facilities system and updating

[3:27:36] these inventories and condition

[3:27:37] d that will require additional

[3:27:41] investment based on current

[3:27:41] information as was shared by

[3:27:45] the team here.

[3:27:49] The estimated funding gap of

[3:27:53] 7.8 billions or an average of

[3:27:54] 1.5 billion a year this is a

[3:27:58] significant amount addressing

[3:27:59] this challenge will require

[3:27:59] continued investment in a

[3:28:02] disciplined data driven

[3:28:03] approach that strengthen asset

[3:28:04] management, prioritize

[3:28:08] prevention maintenance,

[3:28:09] preventive maintenance is very

[3:28:09] critical and continue shifting

[3:28:13] toward programmatic delivery so

[3:28:14] we can make strategic long term

[3:28:18] infrastructure investment.

[3:28:18] Ultimately this work is about

[3:28:19] making informed strategic

[3:28:23] investments so we can protect

[3:28:24] the infrastructure we have

[3:28:27] today while responsibly

[3:28:28] planning for the city long term

[3:28:28] needs.

[3:28:32] With that I will conclude our

[3:28:33] presentation and then we'll be

[3:28:34] more happy to take questions.

[3:28:34] >> All right.

[3:28:38] Thank you all for the work and

[3:28:38] the presentation this

[3:28:38] afternoon.

[3:28:42] We will now turn it over to

[3:28:43] the Office of the Independent

[3:28:43] Budget analyst for a

[3:28:44] presentation.

[3:28:44] Thank you.

[3:28:46] Council for PRESIDENT Council

[3:28:47] Member Thank you to staff for

[3:28:48] their presentation.

[3:28:52] Last week my office released a

[3:28:52] review of the five year Capital

[3:28:53] Infrastructure Planning Outlook

[3:28:57] as we do each year to present

[3:28:58] our office with review of that

[3:28:59] annual How Challenged and

[3:28:59] Aleena who will lead you

[3:29:01] through our analysis and then

[3:29:02] we will follow that up with

[3:29:03] some additional comments from

[3:29:06] Kym Desmond from our Division

[3:29:07] of Race and Equity about using

[3:29:11] an equity lending lens to look

[3:29:12] at the outlook as well.

[3:29:12] So Julianne, I'll turn it over

[3:29:13] to you.

[3:29:13] Great.

[3:29:15] Thank you so much.

[3:29:16] Thank you.

[3:29:16] Council PRESIDENT And council

[3:29:17] I'm Gillian and Ilene about

[3:29:20] the office of the aba.

[3:29:21] Our office released our review

[3:29:22] of this type outlook last week

[3:29:22] so I'll walk you through

[3:29:25] the major points of it during

[3:29:26] this presentation as shown in

[3:29:27] this slide.

[3:29:30] Capital needs and the gap are

[3:29:31] expected to grow significantly

[3:29:31] throughout the five year period

[3:29:34] while funding is expected to

[3:29:35] decline slightly.

[3:29:35] The net increase in capital

[3:29:39] needs is also and higher almost

[3:29:40] entirely driven by stormwater

[3:29:40] which accounts for water

[3:29:44] quality regulatory deadlines

[3:29:45] coming due in fiscal year 2031

[3:29:49] and compound needing drainage

[3:29:50] assets aging past their useful

[3:29:50] life.

[3:29:54] The slight decline in revenue

[3:29:54] is primarily driven by

[3:29:55] declining availability of

[3:29:58] welfare funding for stormwater

[3:29:59] in fiscal year 2029 and a

[3:30:03] decline in water and wastewater

[3:30:04] revenues due to a three year

[3:30:07] delay For certain cip projects

[3:30:08] to mitigate the need for rate

[3:30:12] increases in the near term and

[3:30:13] in response to the approval of

[3:30:14] a two year water rate increase

[3:30:17] last year.

[3:30:18] >> This slide shows

[3:30:19] the projected funding gap for

[3:30:23] each asset type as shown and

[3:30:24] consistent with previous years.

[3:30:27] The $7.8 billion funding gap is

[3:30:31] 100% attributed to general fund

[3:30:32] assets that do not have a

[3:30:33] dedicated funding source

[3:30:33] supported by rate paying

[3:30:36] customers.

[3:30:37] This year's funding gap is an

[3:30:41] increase of $1.3 billion from

[3:30:41] last year and again is

[3:30:42] overwhelmingly driven by

[3:30:45] stormwater which itself saw

[3:30:46] $1.3 billion increase in

[3:30:53] funding gap and makes up 65% of

[3:30:54] the $7.8 billion funding gap.

[3:30:58] This slide shows the makeup of

[3:30:59] the projected resources in

[3:30:59] the cfp outlook.

[3:31:03] Projected revenue is revenue is

[3:31:04] projected to decline by 7%

[3:31:07] compared to last year's report

[3:31:08] totaling $5 billion.

[3:31:12] The increase I'm sorry

[3:31:13] the decrease is largely driven

[3:31:13] by changing wastewater and

[3:31:17] water needs but is also related

[3:31:18] to no assumed revenue from

[3:31:19] the infrastructure fund.

[3:31:22] Since requirements for deposits

[3:31:23] into the fund are not

[3:31:26] anticipated to be met over

[3:31:26] the outlook period since

[3:31:27] funding availability and

[3:31:31] eligibility are key factors in

[3:31:32] determining which projects

[3:31:36] receive funding and the scope

[3:31:37] budget, it's important to

[3:31:40] recognize that 66% of

[3:31:41] the projected funds are for

[3:31:41] wastewater and water

[3:31:45] infrastructure.

[3:31:46] General fund financing shaded

[3:31:50] above in Gray is the city's

[3:31:50] only funding source with

[3:31:51] minimal restrictions and is an

[3:31:54] important funding source for

[3:31:55] many general fund capital

[3:31:56] projects such as stormwater

[3:32:00] streetlights and upgraded fire

[3:32:01] stations since they're often

[3:32:01] ineligible for other resources

[3:32:05] shown on the pie chart that can

[3:32:05] be restricted based on the type

[3:32:07] of asset or the geographic

[3:32:12] location.

[3:32:13] In our report we took a closer

[3:32:17] look at two key resources for

[3:32:17] general fund capital projects

[3:32:18] and that's general fund

[3:32:22] financing and development

[3:32:23] impact fees.

[3:32:23] Starting with financing

[3:32:27] the issuance of lease revenue

[3:32:28] bonds is the most significant

[3:32:29] source of flexible funding for

[3:32:32] general fund capital projects

[3:32:32] Out of the $531 million

[3:32:35] anticipated over the five year

[3:32:36] period.

[3:32:36] Almost half of it is for

[3:32:41] stormwater and within that 150

[3:32:41] million reserved for

[3:32:42] anticipated emergencies Another

[3:32:46] large portion of general fund

[3:32:46] financing is expected to go to

[3:32:50] support street repaving.

[3:32:50] Citywide difference are

[3:32:51] increasingly becoming more

[3:32:52] accessible to general fund

[3:32:55] capital projects as we continue

[3:32:56] to transition from community

[3:33:00] based def community based If

[3:33:01] long term funding that can be

[3:33:05] only spent in certain

[3:33:06] communities whereas citywide

[3:33:06] live can generally be spent

[3:33:09] citywide.

[3:33:10] >> The city recently created

[3:33:14] four citywide funds The fire

[3:33:15] library mobility and parks

[3:33:15] diffs.

[3:33:19] While these are more flexible

[3:33:19] than community based if they

[3:33:20] still have restrictions on

[3:33:21] the types of projects they can

[3:33:24] support as the transition

[3:33:25] continues it's expected that

[3:33:29] citywide diff revenue will

[3:33:29] continue to increase while

[3:33:33] community def decreases.

[3:33:34] Moving to projected capital

[3:33:38] needs this slide shows

[3:33:39] the makeup of projected capital

[3:33:42] needs over the five year period

[3:33:46] totaling 12.8 billion which is

[3:33:47] $950 million or 8% above Last

[3:33:51] year's report.

[3:33:52] As with the increase in funding

[3:33:53] gap, stormwater capital needs

[3:33:56] make up the over whelming

[3:33:57] majority of the total increase

[3:34:01] in capital needs as shown on

[3:34:02] the pie chart.

[3:34:02] It now makes up 43% of all

[3:34:06] capital needs and has

[3:34:06] the highest total needs of any

[3:34:10] asset including water and

[3:34:11] wastewater combined.

[3:34:15] To understand what drives this

[3:34:16] billion dollars and billions of

[3:34:16] dollars of needs, our report

[3:34:20] focuses on stormwater street

[3:34:21] pavement and all three facility

[3:34:25] categories which is new

[3:34:25] expanded and existing

[3:34:26] facilities all of which make up

[3:34:30] nearly 80% of all general fund

[3:34:30] capital needs.

[3:34:34] First we will cover stormwater

[3:34:37] Stormwater is projected to have

[3:34:38] a $5.5 billion capital need

[3:34:39] over the five year period which

[3:34:42] is an increase of $1.4 billion

[3:34:43] over last year's report.

[3:34:47] Flood resilience or flood

[3:34:48] mitigation is a major driver

[3:34:49] making up nearly $1 billion of

[3:34:53] this increase.

[3:34:53] As mentioned earlier, this is

[3:34:54] due to more and more drain

[3:34:57] drainage assets passing their

[3:34:58] useful life as well as cost

[3:34:59] increases.

[3:35:03] As shown on the table, $30

[3:35:06] million per year or a total of

[3:35:07] 150 million is included for

[3:35:08] anticipated emergency projects

[3:35:11] which is a very inefficient and

[3:35:12] costly way to replace

[3:35:12] infrastructure.

[3:35:16] Funding for stormwater is

[3:35:17] expected to drop after fiscal

[3:35:18] year 2028 due to the planned

[3:35:21] use of most of the remaining

[3:35:22] work alone funds.

[3:35:22] The remaining funds in

[3:35:26] the future year is expected to

[3:35:27] mostly go to either emergency

[3:35:27] projects or in-house repair

[3:35:31] crews for green infrastructure

[3:35:31] or water quality projects.

[3:35:35] It's largely driven by water

[3:35:40] quality regulatory deadlines

[3:35:41] moving to street paving.

[3:35:44] Total capital needs are 970

[3:35:48] million which is an increase of

[3:35:48] 132 million.

[3:35:49] This is an increase despite an

[3:35:53] assumption that the city will

[3:35:54] maintain streets at a pavement

[3:35:57] condition index of 65 instead

[3:35:58] of the former 70 which was

[3:36:01] considered good.

[3:36:02] This aligns with the pavement

[3:36:03] management plan update

[3:36:06] indicating that maintaining

[3:36:07] streets at a pci of 65 is more

[3:36:11] financially feasible than 70.

[3:36:12] In the context of the current

[3:36:16] budget deficit although the pci

[3:36:21] target has decreased, costs are

[3:36:21] still higher than last year's

[3:36:22] report because there's an

[3:36:25] increase in streets due to for

[3:36:26] treatment and repair within

[3:36:26] the outlook period.

[3:36:27] Funding for streets is

[3:36:30] projected to decrease by 45% as

[3:36:31] compared to last year's report

[3:36:35] due to no infrastructure fund

[3:36:36] contributions as well as this

[3:36:36] year's assumption that

[3:36:39] significantly less funding will

[3:36:44] support repaving.

[3:36:45] Finally in our report we

[3:36:46] highlight all three categories

[3:36:49] of facilities existing new and

[3:36:53] expanded together needs total

[3:36:53] 890 million which is $75

[3:36:54] million above last year's

[3:36:54] report.

[3:36:58] The vast majority of these

[3:36:58] needs are for new facilities

[3:37:01] but I'll touch on existing

[3:37:02] facilities first.

[3:37:06] >> Sorry there's 183 million in

[3:37:10] capital needs for existing

[3:37:10] facilities in the five year

[3:37:14] period but an additional 661

[3:37:14] million listed outside the five

[3:37:18] year period is reported which

[3:37:19] is related to prior facility

[3:37:20] condition assessments.

[3:37:23] We note that this figure in

[3:37:24] the out years is likely

[3:37:24] understated given that

[3:37:28] the assessments were conducted

[3:37:29] between 2014 and 2016 and do

[3:37:34] not include all facilities.

[3:37:34] But getting back to the five

[3:37:37] year window, the 183 million

[3:37:38] showing in the outlook is an

[3:37:41] increase of 14% and this is

[3:37:45] driven by $44 million needed

[3:37:46] for fire rescue facilities to

[3:37:48] move away from natural gas and

[3:37:49] $20 million for police range

[3:37:53] refurbishment Phase two

[3:37:53] remediation.

[3:37:54] And these increases are offset

[3:37:57] by about $40 million in

[3:37:58] existing facility projects not

[3:38:01] included in this year's report

[3:38:02] .

[3:38:02] Some were left off

[3:38:03] inadvertently while others were

[3:38:07] intentionally removed due to

[3:38:07] changes in priorities or

[3:38:12] developing alternate solutions

[3:38:12] .

[3:38:12] There's also $78 million

[3:38:13] included for general life cycle

[3:38:17] needs that we encourage in

[3:38:18] the future outlooks that this

[3:38:19] get a little bit more fleshed

[3:38:22] out as to whether it's for

[3:38:22] specific projects, anticipated

[3:38:26] emergencies or related to

[3:38:27] unaddressed condition

[3:38:27] assessment items.

[3:38:28] Ultimately we will need updated

[3:38:31] facility condition assessments

[3:38:32] to know the true needs for

[3:38:33] existing facilities and which

[3:38:36] ones are most pressing and

[3:38:37] turning to new and expanding

[3:38:37] facilities.

[3:38:42] Demands for new facilities make

[3:38:42] up the vast majority of total

[3:38:43] needs in this category and

[3:38:46] the largest project totals 250

[3:38:47] million.

[3:38:50] Updated cost could be closer to

[3:38:51] 370 million which is for a new

[3:38:55] training center to replace

[3:38:56] the one located at the Naval

[3:38:56] Training Center station that

[3:39:00] will be impacted by pure water

[3:39:05] in fiscal year 2029.

[3:39:06] Moving on, our report also

[3:39:06] compares the outlook against

[3:39:10] the city's the City Council's

[3:39:10] infrastructure budget

[3:39:13] priorities which for fiscal

[3:39:14] year 2027 were transportation

[3:39:18] and mobility streets including

[3:39:19] unimproved streets, stormwater

[3:39:19] sidewalks and facilities.

[3:39:23] As you can see on the table,

[3:39:24] funding is anticipated for all

[3:39:24] of them except for unimproved

[3:39:28] streets.

[3:39:29] Although there's anticipated

[3:39:29] funding for all of the asset

[3:39:33] types that were priorities,

[3:39:34] there's still a significant

[3:39:34] funding gap remaining in

[3:39:38] council's upcoming review of

[3:39:39] the proposed budget.

[3:39:42] It could consider reallocating

[3:39:42] eligible funding to better

[3:39:43] align with infrastructure

[3:39:43] priorities.

[3:39:47] But given that flexible funding

[3:39:48] is so limited, prioritizing

[3:39:52] infrastructure needs will come

[3:39:53] with difficult tradeoffs and

[3:39:56] challenges.

[3:39:57] In closing, I'll leave you with

[3:39:58] a few of our main takeaways.

[3:40:01] The first is stormwater needs

[3:40:02] certainly dominate this type

[3:40:02] outlook.

[3:40:06] It's the asset type with

[3:40:07] the largest capital needs

[3:40:08] accounting for almost all

[3:40:11] the growth in the funding gap

[3:40:11] and emergency projects are

[3:40:12] making up a growing share of

[3:40:15] the department's project

[3:40:15] portfolio.

[3:40:16] Given the magnitude of

[3:40:16] stormwater needs, the strain

[3:40:20] and and the city's limited

[3:40:25] resources and the risk that

[3:40:25] field infrastructure presents

[3:40:26] for the city and the public

[3:40:29] action should be taken to

[3:40:30] secure additional dedicated

[3:40:31] funding for stormwater.

[3:40:34] And second, underinvestment in

[3:40:35] maintenance and rising costs

[3:40:38] compound capital infrastructure

[3:40:38] challenges.

[3:40:39] Although this report talks

[3:40:43] about city's capital needs,

[3:40:44] there's also significant

[3:40:45] funding unfunded maintenance

[3:40:48] needs that if left unaddressed

[3:40:48] will lead to increased capital

[3:40:52] needs as new facilities come

[3:40:53] online such as new fire

[3:40:54] stations forecast in the copy

[3:40:54] outlook.

[3:40:58] It's critical that maintenance

[3:40:58] plans be developed and funded

[3:41:02] and given limited resources on

[3:41:03] both the operating and capital

[3:41:03] sides of the budget.

[3:41:04] The city must increasingly

[3:41:07] focus on prioritizing and

[3:41:08] completing existing projects

[3:41:12] and maintenance of existing

[3:41:12] assets which makes it difficult

[3:41:13] to support key policy goals

[3:41:17] such as providing more

[3:41:17] significant infrastructure

[3:41:18] investment in underserved

[3:41:21] communities or implementing

[3:41:26] the Climate Action Plan.

[3:41:27] Finally we need new funding

[3:41:27] streams.

[3:41:32] I'd like to note that if

[3:41:32] the city were to focus on

[3:41:33] supporting stormwater needs

[3:41:36] this would have the largest

[3:41:37] impact on addressing the $7.8

[3:41:37] billion funding gap and could

[3:41:41] free up significant resources

[3:41:42] for other critical capital

[3:41:45] infrastructure priorities.

[3:41:46] This concludes my presentation

[3:41:47] and I'll now pass it to Kim

[3:41:50] Desmond for remarks from

[3:41:51] the Division of Race and

[3:41:51] Equity.

[3:41:51] Thank you.

[3:41:56] Good afternoon.

[3:41:57] Council PRESIDENT Kava and

[3:41:57] Council Kim there's been here

[3:41:58] the director for the Division

[3:41:59] of Race and Equity.

[3:42:00] As part of the review for

[3:42:01] the five year capital

[3:42:04] infrastructure Planning outlook

[3:42:05] process we set out we found

[3:42:09] several equity implications.

[3:42:10] It's important to making these

[3:42:14] comments in the context of

[3:42:15] operations.

[3:42:16] That's the important contextual

[3:42:16] part too When applying

[3:42:20] the equity lens.

[3:42:20] So you're going to see some

[3:42:21] nuance or here some nuance

[3:42:24] information in that endeavor.

[3:42:25] There were three significant

[3:42:25] considerations equity wise that

[3:42:28] our team discovered.

[3:42:34] One is the vip data tracking

[3:42:34] process.

[3:42:35] I will give some comment in

[3:42:35] that category.

[3:42:39] Two is the cio p prioritization

[3:42:40] score.

[3:42:44] If council recalls we revised

[3:42:48] that policy 814 in 2022 and

[3:42:49] it's important to look back to

[3:42:53] look at the outcomes of what we

[3:42:53] were trying to accomplish with

[3:42:54] that policy.

[3:42:56] Third is five year outlook

[3:42:57] alignment.

[3:42:57] So those are the three

[3:43:01] categories that our team has

[3:43:02] some equity observations in to

[3:43:07] start out in terms of the data.

[3:43:08] As you heard from my colleague

[3:43:12] in the team from the operations

[3:43:16] side, the unfunded conversation

[3:43:16] mainly regarding the facilities

[3:43:17] condition assessment that

[3:43:22] creates a challenge to make

[3:43:22] sure that we're measuring how

[3:43:23] we address cleared deficiencies

[3:43:27] in different areas.

[3:43:27] I do want to contextualize

[3:43:28] something that's really

[3:43:31] important in regards to equity

[3:43:32] as it connects to policy 814.

[3:43:39] In our observations out of

[3:43:40] the 504 request for cip

[3:43:47] projects in fiscal year 2027 to

[3:43:48] 20 2027 to 2031 we found it in

[3:43:52] both structurally excluded

[3:43:53] communities and non struggling

[3:43:53] school communities.

[3:43:58] If council recalls we refer to

[3:43:58] those communities in different

[3:43:59] ways.

[3:44:02] Promise Zones Climate Equity

[3:44:03] Index So these are historically

[3:44:07] disinvestment districts which

[3:44:08] is why the policy was created

[3:44:08] to score those projects.

[3:44:15] So in this context out of

[3:44:16] the 504 total sip projects that

[3:44:20] were requested for funding,

[3:44:21] only 90 were marked as being in

[3:44:26] structurally excluded

[3:44:26] communities.

[3:44:27] So that that number shared with

[3:44:30] you only 90 were funded Not my

[3:44:34] my apologies.

[3:44:35] Only 90 were requested to be in

[3:44:38] those communities and only 45

[3:44:39] were fully funded.

[3:44:39] So only 45 was fully funded.

[3:44:43] Of the 504 requests that's

[3:44:47] the districts the excluded

[3:44:47] communities.

[3:44:48] To offset that in

[3:44:53] the non-strategic wooded areas

[3:44:57] there were 413 requests in of

[3:44:58] that 151 projects were funded.

[3:45:02] So I'm going to give you some

[3:45:02] percentages to offset those

[3:45:03] numbers.

[3:45:07] Meaning that in structurally

[3:45:07] excluded communities 23% of

[3:45:12] those total projects were

[3:45:13] funded.

[3:45:13] So that's the number I want you

[3:45:14] to sit with.

[3:45:17] And structurally excluded

[3:45:18] communities Of the 504 projects

[3:45:21] that were fully funded, 23% was

[3:45:22] in structurally excluded

[3:45:26] communities.

[3:45:27] That in itself is an equity

[3:45:27] implication.

[3:45:30] And then the other 77% was not

[3:45:35] in strokes the excluded when

[3:45:35] we're doing our work

[3:45:36] operationally to apply equity

[3:45:36] lands.

[3:45:39] The question is why?

[3:45:40] Why is that so?

[3:45:44] So one thing we did our team

[3:45:45] set out to my team for finding

[3:45:45] one of the whys.

[3:45:49] One of the whys is making sure

[3:45:50] that our departments are

[3:45:50] actually reporting on when they

[3:45:51] make their request.

[3:45:55] What is a structurally excluded

[3:45:55] community as it pertains to

[3:45:56] the request?

[3:46:00] So we saw a number of requests

[3:46:01] that actually had like blank.

[3:46:04] So we couldn't really ascertain

[3:46:05] that number could go up or

[3:46:05] down.

[3:46:06] So one of the operational

[3:46:09] implications is make sure that

[3:46:10] you record in your data

[3:46:10] correctly so we can make sure

[3:46:11] we can get an accurate

[3:46:14] percentage of the project that

[3:46:15] are being funded in say

[3:46:15] communities.

[3:46:19] >> The other way I would say we

[3:46:23] have talked about the emergency

[3:46:23] need for funding.

[3:46:24] So that's a part of it as well

[3:46:25] And I know that the team is

[3:46:28] looking at ways to actually

[3:46:28] allocate more funds to address

[3:46:29] ongoing emergencies.

[3:46:33] And so we're allocating $30

[3:46:34] million planned fully then we

[3:46:35] still should be thinking about

[3:46:38] what is the target.

[3:46:39] So in the policy we didn't set

[3:46:39] a target.

[3:46:43] Our percentage for what

[3:46:44] percentage of our cip funds

[3:46:47] should go in structurally

[3:46:48] excluded communities So there

[3:46:49] is no clear target.

[3:46:52] So it's hard to track around

[3:46:53] where did you go versus what

[3:46:54] you're allocating.

[3:46:54] And so I want to make those

[3:46:58] comments purposely so that way

[3:46:58] you look at the fiscal

[3:47:03] allocation for emergencies you

[3:47:03] got to balance the fact that we

[3:47:04] don't have a clear goal or

[3:47:05] target for the percentage of

[3:47:08] projects that we should fund

[3:47:09] instructs the excluded

[3:47:09] communities.

[3:47:13] That was not the policy goal.

[3:47:13] The policy goal was to set

[3:47:14] the scoring.

[3:47:17] That's why I gave you

[3:47:18] the numbers because you do

[3:47:18] still see a clear difference.

[3:47:22] And so if you see a clear

[3:47:22] difference of 23% from my

[3:47:26] equity perspective it causes me

[3:47:26] to ask what should be

[3:47:27] the target.

[3:47:28] Although we are still budgeting

[3:47:31] for emergencies that's a

[3:47:31] question that we like to leave

[3:47:32] in this space for that

[3:47:35] conversation.

[3:47:36] I'm hoping that you are

[3:47:40] tracking those numbers.

[3:47:41] The other equity implications I

[3:47:45] mentioned cleaning up the data

[3:47:45] in terms of how our departments

[3:47:46] report when they are requesting

[3:47:50] a project and the identifying

[3:47:50] when it's in a structurally

[3:47:54] excluded community that impacts

[3:47:55] our data processes.

[3:47:59] The third that we found is a

[3:48:00] alignment with the five year

[3:48:04] outlook and a five year capital

[3:48:04] infrastructure planning

[3:48:05] outlook.

[3:48:09] So effectively with aligning

[3:48:10] and having a nexus if we were

[3:48:14] to fund a study for our levees

[3:48:14] for example, you would see that

[3:48:18] funded for perhaps in our five

[3:48:19] year outlook but the work

[3:48:19] wouldn't happen until you look

[3:48:23] at to your plan and get look

[3:48:24] maybe year 3 or 4.

[3:48:24] So our team made

[3:48:28] the observation where you want

[3:48:28] to be planful at looking when

[3:48:29] things are funded and then be

[3:48:33] strategic around when you're

[3:48:33] planning to work.

[3:48:34] This shows up in your planning

[3:48:34] outlook.

[3:48:35] And so as we're looking at that

[3:48:38] we want to have a nexus between

[3:48:39] the two because in one year you

[3:48:42] MAY see an uptake in projects

[3:48:43] based on what was allocated for

[3:48:43] in the five year financial

[3:48:48] outlook.

[3:48:49] And so we noted that there

[3:48:49] might need to be a clear nexus

[3:48:52] as you're reporting on that to

[3:48:53] kind of look at why you have

[3:48:54] more projects in one year

[3:48:56] the five year outlook like your

[3:48:57] five versus year one.

[3:49:00] And so the nexus for the two we

[3:49:01] noticed a gap in the way that

[3:49:01] those two things are aligned.

[3:49:05] And so our recommendation was

[3:49:06] to look at the way in which

[3:49:06] those things communicate with

[3:49:10] each other within the five year

[3:49:10] sequence.

[3:49:15] Those items conclude my

[3:49:15] comments around applying

[3:49:16] the equity lens to operations

[3:49:20] but more pointedly applying an

[3:49:21] equity lens to the percentage

[3:49:21] of projects that were funded.

[3:49:24] Thank you.

[3:49:25] >> All right.

[3:49:30] Thank you for the robust

[3:49:31] presentations by acp and

[3:49:32] the Good work Department of

[3:49:35] Finance with contribution and

[3:49:35] of course the contribution of

[3:49:36] the office of the ipa Clerk

[3:49:37] Please proceed with public

[3:49:40] comment.

[3:49:41] >> Thank you Council PRESIDENT.

[3:49:42] If I can have Blair Beckman

[3:49:43] come up to the microphone and

[3:49:46] Courtney Brown if you can come

[3:49:46] up to the other reserved seats

[3:49:47] at the front.

[3:49:53] Larry you'll have you'll have

[3:50:00] two minutes less.

[3:50:04] Blair Beckman Um, thank you for

[3:50:04] this item.

[3:50:08] Good reporting.

[3:50:09] Good information.

[3:50:09] Thank you.

[3:50:10] This is the third or fourth

[3:50:14] time this item has been here in

[3:50:15] the past three, 4 or 5 months

[3:50:15] now.

[3:50:15] Thank you.

[3:50:16] I mean, we're really trying to

[3:50:19] work on it.

[3:50:20] I'm trying to better understand

[3:50:21] it.

[3:50:21] Thank you.

[3:50:24] Really nice.

[3:50:25] Last public or less

[3:50:29] informational item talking

[3:50:30] about equity that is not only

[3:50:34] serving new equity goals but in

[3:50:35] its goals can actually be

[3:50:35] serving best practices of

[3:50:39] the city and how we can space

[3:50:40] out our projects better

[3:50:40] overall.

[3:50:45] It was really nice to hear.

[3:50:45] Thank you.

[3:50:49] Good luck in these efforts.

[3:50:50] The work I do with tech

[3:50:54] accountability.

[3:50:55] Some issues where we're talking

[3:51:00] about um I think having a good

[3:51:01] procurement process with tech

[3:51:05] making it clear what what our

[3:51:05] capabilities are and what we

[3:51:06] want to practice as a community

[3:51:10] about open public policies and

[3:51:11] sharing of information and

[3:51:16] ideas.

[3:51:16] Making that clear in

[3:51:17] the procurement process for

[3:51:17] these upcoming projects.

[3:51:20] It's set out important goals

[3:51:21] and standards of what people

[3:51:25] can expect from San Diego and

[3:51:26] that we do this well.

[3:51:27] People will want to come here.

[3:51:27] A certain group of people want

[3:51:31] to come here to better address,

[3:51:32] you know, practices of good

[3:51:36] reasoning and open democracy

[3:51:41] and peace instead of war And

[3:51:41] all of its misery.

[3:51:47] And I think if we promote that

[3:51:48] it share something important

[3:51:48] what our future is wanting to

[3:51:52] be about Good luck How a good

[3:51:57] communication between a and how

[3:51:57] we talk about good

[3:51:58] communication skills between an

[3:52:00] openness Thank you.

[3:52:01] Thank you Courtney if you can

[3:52:06] please come forward.

[3:52:06] Good afternoon.

[3:52:07] Thank you.

[3:52:07] Hi.

[3:52:08] My name is Courtney Brown.

[3:52:11] I'm a staff attorney for San

[3:52:12] Diego Coast Keeper and I'm here

[3:52:13] today to echo a message that

[3:52:16] you should be used to hearing

[3:52:17] from Coast Keeper which is

[3:52:18] the urgent need for dedicated

[3:52:22] stormwater infrastructure

[3:52:23] funding.

[3:52:23] As we just heard throughout

[3:52:27] the Abbott presentation and in

[3:52:28] the report stormwater dominated

[3:52:29] the city's capital funding gap.

[3:52:32] And without belaboring points

[3:52:33] that you already know the gap

[3:52:34] between funding needs and

[3:52:34] available and availability

[3:52:38] stretches exponentially every

[3:52:38] year.

[3:52:39] And while this disparity is

[3:52:43] compounded by climate change

[3:52:44] and factors that are not within

[3:52:45] our control, what we can't

[3:52:46] control is how we respond to it

[3:52:50] and you know it's the direct

[3:52:51] result of funding cuts, lack of

[3:52:51] investment and inefficient

[3:52:55] emergency spending Something I

[3:52:56] read in the report and ideas

[3:53:00] report is that emergency

[3:53:00] stormwater spending has surged

[3:53:04] from $8.9 million in fiscal

[3:53:05] year 2021 to $93.6 million in

[3:53:09] fiscal year 2025.

[3:53:10] That's nearly $200 million in

[3:53:10] five years spent reactively

[3:53:15] premium costs on in-kind

[3:53:15] repairs that often need to be

[3:53:16] redone.

[3:53:19] The longer we defer action

[3:53:20] the worse it gets and you all

[3:53:20] know that.

[3:53:21] So I really just want to

[3:53:22] emphasize three points.

[3:53:25] And that's one we strongly

[3:53:25] support The aba's

[3:53:26] recommendation to focus on new

[3:53:29] revenue streams for stormwater

[3:53:30] .

[3:53:30] Two we absolutely cannot cut

[3:53:31] anymore from the stormwater

[3:53:31] budget.

[3:53:36] Doing so would be a recipe for

[3:53:37] catastrophic disaster.

[3:53:40] And three if anything we really

[3:53:41] urge Council to increase

[3:53:42] funding for public education

[3:53:42] surrounding this extremely

[3:53:43] pressing issue.

[3:53:46] The public needs to understand

[3:53:47] how dire the situation is.

[3:53:47] Our aging infrastructure is at

[3:53:52] a tipping point that demand

[3:53:52] urgent action.

[3:53:53] Coast Keeper will continue

[3:53:54] doing everything we can to work

[3:53:54] on this issue and we'd be happy

[3:53:58] to set up meetings to discuss

[3:53:58] how we can work together in

[3:53:59] the future.

[3:53:59] Thanks for the opportunity.

[3:54:03] You have for the five minute

[3:54:04] time we're going to those

[3:54:04] participating remotely.

[3:54:05] We have four people in

[3:54:05] the queue.

[3:54:06] John Stump If you can please

[3:54:06] unmute.

[3:54:07] >> You'll have two minutes to

[3:54:12] proceed.

[3:54:12] Hi.

[3:54:19] First of all very good that we

[3:54:19] saw MS..

[3:54:19] Desmond there.

[3:54:20] Thank you, MS. Desmond.

[3:54:20] Okay.

[3:54:24] There are a couple of things

[3:54:24] that are missing in the report

[3:54:29] or brought up questions we

[3:54:30] didn't talk about the use of

[3:54:31] the new Bell Hall parking fund.

[3:54:36] We didn't talk about

[3:54:36] the coordination with sd g and

[3:54:40] e and really important is what

[3:54:41] should be driving this And it

[3:54:42] relates to MS. Desmond is

[3:54:46] claims where has

[3:54:47] the infrastructure created

[3:54:53] liability and human claims.

[3:54:53] And that's you know I'm only

[3:54:57] thinking about flooding but

[3:54:58] there's also accidents.

[3:54:58] So that should be the next

[3:55:03] thing.

[3:55:04] >> Can you can you hear me?

[3:55:04] Yes.

[3:55:08] Please proceed.

[3:55:09] >> Okay.

[3:55:09] The next thing is stormwater.

[3:55:14] It's not an imposition.

[3:55:15] It is a result of development

[3:55:21] and urban and zation costs.

[3:55:22] You don't really need a

[3:55:26] stormwater program unless

[3:55:27] you've done development where

[3:55:28] you've created a place where

[3:55:32] runoff is forced off

[3:55:33] the property.

[3:55:38] >> The zoo is a prime example

[3:55:38] of that.

[3:55:39] There's also a mistake in

[3:55:39] the description.

[3:55:44] It's not the police firing

[3:55:44] range.

[3:55:45] It's the City Gun and Pistol

[3:55:45] Club.

[3:55:50] So maybe correct that.

[3:55:55] Finally the listing of projects

[3:55:56] is kind of an engineer's

[3:55:56] approach.

[3:55:57] The right approach would be

[3:56:01] Maslow's hierarchy of needs

[3:56:02] where you're talking about

[3:56:07] housing and physical needs of

[3:56:08] people food, air, water.

[3:56:13] And then you're talking about

[3:56:13] safety needs.

[3:56:14] And finally you get to these

[3:56:14] development needs.

[3:56:20] Maslow's hierarchy of Needs

[3:56:20] Thank you.

[3:56:21] >> After the 8700 than

[3:56:34] the original 8700 please unmute

[3:56:34] .

[3:56:35] Thank you.

[3:56:36] Joining me at a seed tree.

[3:56:39] Thank you to both.

[3:56:40] The first two presentations

[3:56:45] were excellent Director Desmond

[3:56:46] I want to tell you I love

[3:56:52] the contextual focus and I love

[3:56:52] the Nexus Focus.

[3:56:57] I'm thrilled to tell you I'm

[3:56:58] able to follow your reporting

[3:57:04] because it's imperative

[3:57:05] physically that in a way it is

[3:57:06] and it's kind of a new language

[3:57:06] for me.

[3:57:10] But I think you it's it's

[3:57:10] doable and I really appreciate

[3:57:11] that.

[3:57:11] So just one thing on

[3:57:15] the reporting the basics of

[3:57:22] mitigation, mitigating risk

[3:57:22] prevention, ladies maintenance

[3:57:23] is my favorite preventive

[3:57:23] maintenance.

[3:57:28] I want you to my own outlook

[3:57:28] involving only one area So take

[3:57:33] a deep breath right now.

[3:57:34] I am not asking for any money

[3:57:39] which will increase the gap.

[3:57:40] This is just a whisper a

[3:57:40] whisper.

[3:57:45] Planning And it's this point of

[3:57:51] time infrastructure cloud based

[3:57:51] Systems Act as a modern digital

[3:57:52] infrastructure in a city

[3:57:58] functioning as the backbone for

[3:57:59] smart city initiatives, data

[3:57:59] storage and public service

[3:58:04] management That's an end of

[3:58:05] quote.

[3:58:05] Can you imagine bodies without

[3:58:09] a backbone starting in 2030?

[3:58:10] I will flip the switch for our

[3:58:15] New York City cloud based

[3:58:15] system infrastructure.

[3:58:16] It's equal to the importance of

[3:58:21] water sewage and transportation

[3:58:21] and so forth.

[3:58:22] So I'm just putting a whisper

[3:58:28] in your ear that we need to

[3:58:28] start with a policy and we need

[3:58:35] to start planning for a more

[3:58:36] outlook and we have to wait to

[3:58:36] the next one.

[3:58:38] But I'm just going to use your

[3:58:39] time has confused my apologies

[3:58:39] the original and then Hector

[3:58:44] talk about a racket.

[3:58:45] I mean this just shows

[3:58:45] the gross willful negligence

[3:58:50] and gross malfeasance that is

[3:58:50] taking place in the city.

[3:58:51] You guys have billions of

[3:58:56] dollars at your disposal to do

[3:58:57] the things that you're supposed

[3:59:03] to do and you neglect to do it

[3:59:03] .

[3:59:04] As we can see that there's

[3:59:05] declining in the storm water

[3:59:05] infrastructure.

[3:59:09] It's passed its life and this

[3:59:10] has been going on for a very

[3:59:11] long time.

[3:59:11] This is like a decades long

[3:59:15] issue just like the Tijuana

[3:59:16] River Valley where you guys are

[3:59:17] taking money from here and

[3:59:17] putting it over there and

[3:59:21] you're not doing what needs to

[3:59:22] be done and yet you want more

[3:59:23] money from the people.

[3:59:23] You're supposed to be good

[3:59:27] stewards of our money and

[3:59:28] you're not.

[3:59:29] And this just shows that when

[3:59:29] you've already had billions at

[3:59:33] your disposal and look at

[3:59:34] the state of the city, it's in

[3:59:34] disarray.

[3:59:35] It is not looking good Even

[3:59:36] though you guys try and paint a

[3:59:40] picture as though that's

[3:59:41] the case and you take our money

[3:59:42] and you don't do what you're

[3:59:43] supposed to do, then you want

[3:59:46] to come after us and say we

[3:59:47] need more money for you to keep

[3:59:47] up with what we were supposed

[3:59:48] to be doing.

[3:59:51] You guys are getting ahead of

[3:59:51] yourself.

[3:59:52] You need to be finishing what

[3:59:53] you've started instead of

[3:59:57] having all these emergencies

[3:59:58] that come into place because

[3:59:59] you are neglecting what you're

[3:59:59] supposed to be doing.

[4:00:04] I mean how much money more

[4:00:04] money do you guys need and

[4:00:10] promises Are you going to make

[4:00:10] when I mean I'm terrified to

[4:00:11] think about these billions of

[4:00:12] dollars that's going to be out

[4:00:15] Your guys is disposable when

[4:00:16] you see the world around us is

[4:00:17] it's crumbling and there are

[4:00:21] people suffering because of

[4:00:21] the choices that you guys have

[4:00:22] made.

[4:00:22] So before you start any new

[4:00:27] projects you need to complete

[4:00:28] the projects that you already

[4:00:28] started and not take money from

[4:00:29] here and over there and

[4:00:33] contract with people that are

[4:00:34] also wasting our money like

[4:00:34] Dreams for Change in downtown

[4:00:39] partnership and doing things

[4:00:39] like having people die on their

[4:00:40] watch and being raped and

[4:00:41] trying to hide it.

[4:00:45] So you guys need to course

[4:00:46] correct because this just shows

[4:00:46] how negligent you took Your

[4:00:47] time has concluded.

[4:00:51] Hector, if you can please

[4:00:52] unmute your final speaker.

[4:00:52] The five minute timer has

[4:00:57] concluded Please proceed.

[4:00:57] >> Thanks for taking my call.

[4:00:58] This is like capital

[4:01:03] infrastructure planning outlook

[4:01:03] in the famous words of Mike

[4:01:04] Tyson.

[4:01:04] Everyone has a plan until they

[4:01:09] get hit in the face.

[4:01:10] The dam is condemned by

[4:01:10] the state.

[4:01:11] They said it's gonna break in

[4:01:11] moment.

[4:01:15] So anybody go down stream from

[4:01:16] the dam in Del Mar?

[4:01:21] I hope they cancel their

[4:01:22] homeowners insurance or update

[4:01:22] I hope State Farm as my carrier

[4:01:26] doesn't have any policies down

[4:01:27] downstream from the dam and

[4:01:27] take them out.

[4:01:32] The recent fires that

[4:01:33] Democratic leadership has

[4:01:33] brought us here, the fires in

[4:01:39] the Democratic leadership.

[4:01:39] No water in the reservoir

[4:01:40] the thing that didn't even work

[4:01:45] And then we had a state farm

[4:01:46] had all those claims and it's a

[4:01:46] total nightmare.

[4:01:50] So hopefully State Farm will

[4:01:51] wake up and insurance company

[4:01:56] will not insure houses down

[4:01:57] stream from that dam When it

[4:01:58] rains it's going to be a total

[4:01:58] disaster city.

[4:02:02] You're going to get sued

[4:02:03] because now you know, it's

[4:02:08] condemned basically from state

[4:02:08] .

[4:02:09] So what can you do?

[4:02:10] Yeah, I don't know what you can

[4:02:11] do but it's a total liability

[4:02:14] Now the warrant So if you

[4:02:15] proceed without fixing it it's

[4:02:16] it's everyone's you know

[4:02:21] the money's there But anyway I

[4:02:22] say divert the Do you want a

[4:02:22] sewer line back into town?

[4:02:26] You want about 45,000 yards

[4:02:32] past border Just convert it

[4:02:33] back into Mexico let those guys

[4:02:34] figure it out put up an earthen

[4:02:37] dam or do you want a sewage

[4:02:38] line back into them and then

[4:02:39] park the actual space in

[4:02:43] Imperial Beach and get rid of

[4:02:44] all that toxic sand that's in

[4:02:44] there?

[4:02:49] You can use that same to build

[4:02:50] a dam in Del Mar and save some

[4:02:50] money.

[4:02:50] Anyway, good luck.

[4:02:57] Here we go again.

[4:02:58] >> Thanks for your time Creator

[4:02:59] Henry Lee It already noted that

[4:03:04] the biometric included other

[4:03:04] speakers will be taken They

[4:03:05] think elsewhere that it could

[4:03:05] be common.

[4:03:07] Thank you for the clerk Again

[4:03:07] this is an information item No

[4:03:08] motion is required.

[4:03:09] I'll turn over to my colleagues

[4:03:12] for any questions and comments

[4:03:13] and we'll start with the Chair

[4:03:13] of the Active Transportation

[4:03:14] and Infrastructure Committee

[4:03:18] Council member Whitman.

[4:03:19] Thank you very much.

[4:03:20] Council PRESIDENT Thank you to

[4:03:25] the staff team, to the eBay to

[4:03:26] this Desmond Desmond I wanted

[4:03:31] to follow up on a point that

[4:03:31] you were emphasizing which was

[4:03:36] that 23% of the funded projects

[4:03:42] are in structurally excluded

[4:03:43] communities and you wanted to

[4:03:43] make sure that we understood

[4:03:48] that and recognize

[4:03:49] the significance of that.

[4:03:50] But I want to be sure I do

[4:03:51] understand exactly what that

[4:03:54] means.

[4:03:55] So first of all, I guess my

[4:04:00] first question is you know what

[4:04:00] how are you defining a

[4:04:06] structurally excluded community

[4:04:06] ?

[4:04:07] Is that a term that I

[4:04:08] personally have used a lot by

[4:04:08] understand because it could

[4:04:12] include within could be

[4:04:12] considered a structurally

[4:04:13] excluded community.

[4:04:13] But I think what you're

[4:04:14] referring to is something that

[4:04:18] has more of a geographically

[4:04:19] identifiable component to it

[4:04:20] And you could you could tell

[4:04:23] you otherwise.

[4:04:24] And then so that we could put

[4:04:25] the 23% in context What

[4:04:30] percentage of the city is in a

[4:04:31] structure, what percent of

[4:04:35] the city is located in

[4:04:36] structurally excluded

[4:04:36] communities?

[4:04:37] >> Great question.

[4:04:42] I'll answer that in two ways.

[4:04:43] One, when I came to San Diego

[4:04:47] there were several definitions

[4:04:48] for the way that we talk about

[4:04:48] a geographic area that have

[4:04:54] different factors.

[4:04:55] And so one way is we call them

[4:04:55] climate equity index zones in

[4:05:00] overlays is in terms of promise

[4:05:01] zones essentially as the same

[4:05:01] areas with different terms.

[4:05:06] And so when we revise a policy

[4:05:07] we made it structurally

[4:05:07] excluded to stop blaming

[4:05:12] the people who live in

[4:05:12] the neighborhood for the issues

[4:05:13] their deficit in their

[4:05:13] neighborhood.

[4:05:17] The second part of your

[4:05:17] question is this team as a

[4:05:23] follow up could do with overlay

[4:05:23] around because we do have

[4:05:24] projects by council district to

[4:05:28] show a geographic overlay

[4:05:29] mapping those projects.

[4:05:30] So we did let for our analysis

[4:05:35] of the equity lands.

[4:05:36] So to your question around

[4:05:37] where they located that it's in

[4:05:37] the promise zone climate equity

[4:05:42] zone areas.

[4:05:43] >> So if you don't use actually

[4:05:43] excluded that's okay.

[4:05:44] The problem is on areas That's

[4:05:44] very helpful.

[4:05:47] Thank you.

[4:05:48] Council PRESIDENT.

[4:05:48] All right.

[4:05:49] Thank you Council member

[4:05:49] Whitburn.

[4:05:50] We'll go next to council member

[4:05:53] Eli Rivera.

[4:05:54] PRESIDENT, thanks for

[4:05:55] the presentation here.

[4:05:59] Thank you to the idea for your

[4:06:00] work and thank you as always

[4:06:00] for what you provided as well.

[4:06:03] This is always a very important

[4:06:10] conversation And the numbers

[4:06:10] you know they were startling

[4:06:15] Our first year on council and

[4:06:16] they only get more startling

[4:06:21] each year And those numbers,

[4:06:22] you know, represent like real

[4:06:26] tangible impacts on communities

[4:06:27] sidewalks that grandmothers in

[4:06:32] my district, you know, struggle

[4:06:33] to navigate um, homes that are

[4:06:38] at risk from from flooding

[4:06:39] during not even catastrophic

[4:06:39] rain events but basic rain

[4:06:45] events and you know our beaches

[4:06:46] and bays being too dirty This

[4:06:47] woman go on and on and

[4:06:51] the impacts are real And I have

[4:06:51] real concerns that the gaps

[4:06:52] aren't distributed equally And

[4:06:56] I appreciate Kim pointing out

[4:07:03] what she did.

[4:07:04] The Climate Equity Fund exists

[4:07:04] because we acknowledge that we

[4:07:08] have equity in the city so I am

[4:07:09] curious if you can pinpoint

[4:07:14] kind of show us how

[4:07:15] the projects in the outlook are

[4:07:15] sequenced to address

[4:07:19] the communities with

[4:07:19] the largest deficits first and

[4:07:20] if there are any accountability

[4:07:21] mechanisms in place to ensure

[4:07:25] that actually happens rather

[4:07:26] than simply defaulting to

[4:07:27] what's easiest or what feels

[4:07:32] politically acceptable in

[4:07:32] the moment.

[4:07:33] >> Great nuance question and

[4:07:39] I'll call and run and care

[4:07:40] until answer Being there

[4:07:41] originally was written into

[4:07:41] the resolution for the Climate

[4:07:44] Equity Fund.

[4:07:44] I can't say the allocation of

[4:07:45] that.

[4:07:46] It was not a 1 to 1 in terms of

[4:07:48] the way we do projects.

[4:07:49] So I know that just from being

[4:07:50] a part of the process to

[4:07:51] identify projects So I do

[4:07:55] appreciate the nuance around

[4:07:55] that fund being used in those

[4:07:56] particular areas.

[4:07:56] So perhaps a follow up but I

[4:08:00] don't know if you've got Yeah,

[4:08:01] I mean Karen, you can first

[4:08:06] walk them through the data

[4:08:07] points that considered in

[4:08:08] compiling the report and then i

[4:08:12] can put some much light on

[4:08:13] the Dash 14 and how it's

[4:08:13] implemented.

[4:08:18] I do think that when one thing

[4:08:18] that I want to point out before

[4:08:19] I dive into all the details is

[4:08:24] this is designed to be a high

[4:08:25] level programmatic really

[4:08:29] forward looking report.

[4:08:30] Councilmember I think I think

[4:08:31] the one true mechanism that we

[4:08:35] have to make sure that people

[4:08:36] stay on point that dollars are

[4:08:40] allocated that we're going to

[4:08:41] the highest neighborhoods first

[4:08:41] is the budget development

[4:08:42] process, the actual budget

[4:08:46] development and adoption

[4:08:47] process.

[4:08:47] As part of this effort we

[4:08:53] collect the information for for

[4:08:53] structurally excluded

[4:08:54] communities.

[4:08:57] We looked first at really

[4:08:58] funding those things that were

[4:08:58] already in the pipeline.

[4:08:59] We wanted to finish those

[4:09:03] things.

[4:09:04] If there were projects that

[4:09:05] were in construction that had

[4:09:06] new needs pop up finishing

[4:09:09] those fully funding

[4:09:10] construction for projects that

[4:09:10] were in design all of those

[4:09:15] things happen and they're kind

[4:09:16] of they're not competing but

[4:09:17] they are definitely overlapping

[4:09:21] and corresponding interest in

[4:09:21] that.

[4:09:22] We are looking both at

[4:09:22] the stage of the project

[4:09:27] the available funding sources

[4:09:28] where we might have community

[4:09:29] only or park funds that are you

[4:09:33] know specific to communities of

[4:09:33] concern or not that we are

[4:09:39] allocating those restricted

[4:09:40] funding sources really getting

[4:09:40] the most that we can we out out

[4:09:44] of those restricted funding

[4:09:45] sources we do take into account

[4:09:51] the 814 scores as well as

[4:09:51] the location of the project and

[4:09:57] where it is in the project

[4:09:58] delivery pipeline.

[4:09:58] I hope that helps.

[4:10:02] Just to shed more light on this

[4:10:03] one again this is a five year

[4:10:03] outlook.

[4:10:04] We're looking into the future.

[4:10:08] I think the main drivers of

[4:10:08] the data collected is the asset

[4:10:09] management information and

[4:10:13] understanding what it's feeling

[4:10:14] and what needs attention

[4:10:19] globally across the entire city

[4:10:20] .

[4:10:21] And then after that as we take

[4:10:21] a closer look to the f y 27

[4:10:26] budget, this is where we trying

[4:10:26] to ensure that there is a

[4:10:27] priority score assigned to each

[4:10:32] project where in 814 we work

[4:10:33] collectively with Council on

[4:10:33] adopting this new policy we

[4:10:39] ensure that to a point

[4:10:39] councilmember that equable

[4:10:40] outcome is coming from

[4:10:44] sustainability standpoint from

[4:10:44] a safety standpoint all those

[4:10:45] different factors are being

[4:10:50] accounted for as we score every

[4:10:51] project and then then we try to

[4:10:52] recommend a project with

[4:10:55] the higher score to be funded

[4:10:55] first.

[4:11:01] Okay we've limited time but I

[4:11:01] do think it's another context

[4:11:07] as well where we're being

[4:11:08] aspirational versus where we're

[4:11:08] actually setting standards in

[4:11:09] the city And this feels like an

[4:11:10] important area to set standards

[4:11:13] and I appreciate that We don't

[4:11:14] want to call it competing but

[4:11:14] it is competing so long as we

[4:11:19] continue to allow ourselves to

[4:11:19] live in a place of scarcity

[4:11:20] rather than the abundance that

[4:11:21] we should be able to exist

[4:11:25] within here in San Diego.

[4:11:26] But in a in a world where we're

[4:11:26] living with scarcity of

[4:11:31] resources that ends up becoming

[4:11:31] competing or we can use all

[4:11:37] sorts different words to

[4:11:38] describe it but we're not doing

[4:11:38] at all.

[4:11:39] And so I understand that

[4:11:43] there's a system in place for

[4:11:44] making decisions But I will

[4:11:44] also say that the budget for

[4:11:50] the building process I'll be

[4:11:50] honest saying that that's

[4:11:51] the time for us to fix and

[4:11:55] reprioritize that I don't think

[4:11:56] that puts us in a really tough

[4:11:57] spot by the time we're at that

[4:12:01] point in the process.

[4:12:02] I don't think it's realistic

[4:12:02] for us to reorder the entire

[4:12:07] list that's been provided to us

[4:12:08] and I know that we would be

[4:12:09] given enormous, enormous

[4:12:09] pushback if we if we try to do

[4:12:13] that if what we were presented

[4:12:14] with the proposed budget

[4:12:15] the council said this is not

[4:12:15] hit the mark when it comes to

[4:12:18] equity and we would order it

[4:12:19] entirely it would blow up

[4:12:20] the budget process And so it

[4:12:24] needs to be better baked by

[4:12:25] the time it gets to us from an

[4:12:25] equity standpoint.

[4:12:31] So that instead we've got real

[4:12:31] funding gaps.

[4:12:37] I do want to talk about how we

[4:12:38] spend and we've talked about

[4:12:38] this before there was mention

[4:12:39] that bundling bike lane

[4:12:39] installations with street

[4:12:41] repaving and utility work has

[4:12:42] helped in terms of being more

[4:12:47] cost effective.

[4:12:48] So my understanding is that

[4:12:48] when we use standardized

[4:12:54] designs and bundle repetitive

[4:12:54] work we stop treating every

[4:13:00] single curb ramp installation

[4:13:01] like a unique engineering

[4:13:01] challenge.

[4:13:02] We can actually bring down

[4:13:02] costs, accelerate delivery.

[4:13:03] It doesn't seem like we're

[4:13:07] doing that across the system

[4:13:07] though.

[4:13:08] You know the thousands of

[4:13:09] street lights that we need to

[4:13:15] install that feels like an area

[4:13:16] where we could be standardizing

[4:13:17] and pre engineering solutions.

[4:13:21] So can you talk to us about

[4:13:22] the extent to which we are

[4:13:23] doing more of standardizing

[4:13:28] design vouching procurement and

[4:13:28] in order to reduce this off

[4:13:29] cost?

[4:13:29] Yeah.

[4:13:33] I mean one of the policy I can

[4:13:33] think of that we were trying to

[4:13:34] implement as we initiated

[4:13:35] project is complete street and

[4:13:38] in exactly to your point

[4:13:39] council member we were trying

[4:13:40] to identify all the different

[4:13:44] assets within this corridor

[4:13:45] that we need to be addressed at

[4:13:46] the challenge as the different

[4:13:51] state that each asset within

[4:13:51] this corridor is and and

[4:13:57] available funding So if we want

[4:13:58] to go and treat the lighting

[4:13:58] the sidewalk, the programs,

[4:14:03] the paving right that that

[4:14:04] present additional cost where

[4:14:05] the priority could be mainly in

[4:14:09] this in the street light So

[4:14:10] we're trying to balance

[4:14:10] the available funding with all

[4:14:14] the conditions of the existing

[4:14:15] assets within that corridor and

[4:14:16] trying to bundle as much as we

[4:14:20] could that making sense to

[4:14:21] advance it all together as one

[4:14:22] project And some of that work

[4:14:26] is identified to be done by

[4:14:27] city forces while other other

[4:14:32] areas require further design

[4:14:33] and been executed through an

[4:14:34] outside contractor.

[4:14:38] So we're trying to at

[4:14:39] the beginning with the project

[4:14:43] we are trying to implement all

[4:14:44] of those policies that

[4:14:45] facilitate the opportunity to

[4:14:49] be more efficient in delivering

[4:14:50] major assets.

[4:14:56] >> I just for me it's not just

[4:14:57] the major assets.

[4:14:57] It's like in fact it might even

[4:14:58] be more important unlike

[4:15:02] the medium and smaller scale

[4:15:03] ones to make sure that we're

[4:15:03] being more efficient there.

[4:15:08] I just want to make that point

[4:15:09] so and I'll just ask for

[4:15:10] the next three minutes now if I

[4:15:10] MAY.

[4:15:13] Council PRESIDENT Yeah, that

[4:15:14] this the structural issue in

[4:15:14] front of us in terms of

[4:15:15] the budget we've talked about

[4:15:19] this for years We were handed a

[4:15:20] multibillion dollar deficit for

[4:15:25] infrastructure That's a reality

[4:15:31] and it is directly related to

[4:15:32] the insufficient amount of

[4:15:33] revenue that the city brings

[4:15:33] in.

[4:15:33] We were not resourced well

[4:15:37] enough for easily 1.4 million

[4:15:38] people that is sitting on

[4:15:39] rotting infrastructure that was

[4:15:40] allowed to erode over

[4:15:46] generations.

[4:15:48] So I do have a what is what is

[4:15:53] the administration's or staff's

[4:15:54] plan to start addressing that

[4:15:59] part of the equation

[4:15:59] the revenue side because

[4:16:00] the council's come up with

[4:16:04] ideas about measures.

[4:16:05] I'm curious if

[4:16:05] the administration's

[4:16:10] considering anything We want to

[4:16:16] take this one Councilmember I

[4:16:22] think we've always tried to

[4:16:23] explore additional revenue

[4:16:24] options to make sure that we

[4:16:28] are at structural balance so we

[4:16:29] can continue the long term

[4:16:30] investment and planning to be

[4:16:33] able to deliver on these

[4:16:34] significant ip backlog.

[4:16:35] I don't think any option is off

[4:16:35] the table and we will continue

[4:16:40] to work on towards whatever

[4:16:41] options we have to be able to

[4:16:42] make sure that we are in

[4:16:42] structural balance.

[4:16:46] The city is well resources well

[4:16:47] resourced to meet our growing

[4:16:52] backlog.

[4:16:52] Okay.

[4:16:53] I think they'll want to

[4:16:53] continue that conversation.

[4:16:58] We've talked a couple of times

[4:16:59] I brought this up and we

[4:17:00] haven't really drilled down too

[4:17:00] much and I'm not an expert in

[4:17:04] this and I will acknowledge

[4:17:04] that But that's why we have

[4:17:05] the smart folks on that side of

[4:17:10] the dais environmental impact

[4:17:11] bonds, as I understand it, have

[4:17:12] been used in on the East Coast,

[4:17:13] the Chesapeake Bay in

[4:17:16] particular to successfully

[4:17:17] improve green stormwater

[4:17:17] infrastructure.

[4:17:22] I believe other cities have

[4:17:23] followed their path Private

[4:17:24] investors fund infrastructure

[4:17:24] up front.

[4:17:25] The city repays based on

[4:17:28] measurable outcomes actual

[4:17:29] flood reduction, actual water

[4:17:30] quality improvement, the risk

[4:17:34] transfer that is real.

[4:17:35] It provides access to private

[4:17:35] capital.

[4:17:39] We have a we have $5 billion in

[4:17:40] stormwater needs depleting

[4:17:45] federal loan and active

[4:17:46] political effort to further

[4:17:51] blow holes in our budget.

[4:17:52] Is there been any exploration

[4:17:52] of environmental impact bonds

[4:17:53] for stormwater infrastructure

[4:17:57] or other sort of creative

[4:17:57] financing mechanisms?

[4:18:03] All I can say that the director

[4:18:04] of Stormwater Todd Snyder's

[4:18:04] been exploring all possible

[4:18:05] options to really address this

[4:18:10] major deficit in

[4:18:10] infrastructure.

[4:18:11] So I'm not sure if you're here

[4:18:15] in the audience Yes, thanks

[4:18:15] Councilmember.

[4:18:16] I can tell you very familiar

[4:18:21] with those programs from my

[4:18:22] general experience in

[4:18:23] the stormwater field I think

[4:18:27] the fundamental need to make

[4:18:28] that type of environmental bond

[4:18:32] program work is you need to

[4:18:33] revenue in the assurance to be

[4:18:34] able to pay the private sector

[4:18:34] back to deliver those outcomes

[4:18:39] And that's where we struggle is

[4:18:40] we're relying on general fund

[4:18:41] primarily So without a

[4:18:44] dedicated revenue source got a

[4:18:45] fee bringing in consistent

[4:18:46] revenue it's really hard to get

[4:18:46] a program like that off

[4:18:51] the ground because you need to

[4:18:52] have a payback mechanism And if

[4:18:52] the payback mechanism is

[4:18:56] general fund competing with

[4:18:57] police, fire libraries, parks

[4:18:58] you know you've got to you've

[4:18:58] got to basically earmark

[4:19:02] the funding for stormwater.

[4:19:03] >> Yeah, but types of projects

[4:19:09] that we need to fund Yes.

[4:19:09] Scale of the projects we need

[4:19:10] to fund all work.

[4:19:10] Yes, absolutely.

[4:19:14] Green infrastructure, flood

[4:19:15] resilience that type of work is

[4:19:15] being delivered in

[4:19:16] the Chesapeake Bay example that

[4:19:20] you brought up.

[4:19:21] So with dedicated revenue is

[4:19:22] that a method financing

[4:19:26] mechanism that you think would

[4:19:27] be appropriate and you want to.

[4:19:28] >> I do I think I think it's it

[4:19:29] helps to get to the type of

[4:19:32] scale that we were talking

[4:19:33] about in terms of our need.

[4:19:34] It allows you to bundle

[4:19:34] projects particularly on

[4:19:38] the water quality side.

[4:19:39] It opens up the potential to do

[4:19:39] water quality improvements on

[4:19:44] private parcels and in addition

[4:19:44] to just public parcels that we

[4:19:45] have land ownership of.

[4:19:46] So I think there's a lot of

[4:19:51] advantages to it.

[4:19:52] It's just a real long term

[4:19:52] financial commitment that's

[4:19:53] tough to make when you're

[4:19:54] reliant on the general fund

[4:19:57] That's that short compared to

[4:19:58] the total needs of the city I

[4:20:02] think so I well I mean thank

[4:20:03] you for that.

[4:20:09] I appreciate the work that

[4:20:09] you've done And I we've been

[4:20:10] talking about it since we got

[4:20:10] here.

[4:20:15] We need dedicated revenue.

[4:20:15] We appreciate that.

[4:20:16] Coast Skipper continues to

[4:20:20] remind us of that.

[4:20:20] We are behind the way we're

[4:20:26] behind because of

[4:20:27] the structural budget deficit

[4:20:27] that we've experienced for

[4:20:28] decades now and

[4:20:32] the under-resourcing of

[4:20:32] the city In this moment we're

[4:20:33] staring at the deficit that we

[4:20:37] just looked at the gap that we

[4:20:38] have We have the leaking club

[4:20:44] the former mayor who left us

[4:20:44] billions of dollars in in

[4:20:50] broken infrastructure and

[4:20:51] meadow lined outside groups

[4:20:52] pursuing a ballot measure that

[4:20:55] would defund $100 million in

[4:20:55] core city services, $100

[4:20:56] million annually and course in

[4:21:01] services which means that all

[4:21:07] of this would get worse and i

[4:21:08] mention that because this

[4:21:08] conversation is not abstract

[4:21:13] like this stuff is impacting

[4:21:13] our neighborhoods.

[4:21:14] We have people who are still

[4:21:14] dealing with floods that

[4:21:18] happened a couple of years ago

[4:21:18] .

[4:21:19] There are parts of the city

[4:21:20] that have no sidewalks, unpaved

[4:21:25] streets, unpaved alleys and we

[4:21:31] are allowing hopefully we're

[4:21:31] not going to allow this group

[4:21:36] of radicals who broke the city

[4:21:37] to try to light it on fire

[4:21:42] through the political actions

[4:21:43] that they're considering right

[4:21:44] now that will not make the city

[4:21:48] leaner.

[4:21:49] It will make things much worse.

[4:21:50] And so I just I felt

[4:21:54] the necessity to say that

[4:21:55] council PRESIDENT Because to be

[4:21:56] staring at what we're staring

[4:21:56] at already and know that there

[4:22:01] are folks who are again

[4:22:01] actively attempting to defund a

[4:22:02] core city service is extremely

[4:22:07] alarming to me because

[4:22:07] the impacts will be felt by

[4:22:08] less stormwater work being

[4:22:09] done, fewer sidewalks being

[4:22:13] repaired, fewer potholes being

[4:22:13] built and that is not

[4:22:14] the effort of anyone who's

[4:22:19] serious about becoming a better

[4:22:20] place to live or quite frankly

[4:22:21] who cares at all that

[4:22:25] the people of San Diego so I

[4:22:25] thank you again for all of

[4:22:26] the work that you have done.

[4:22:31] We have a lot more work to do.

[4:22:32] I do hope that we can build on

[4:22:32] what Kim presented to us and

[4:22:37] see more of a standardization

[4:22:38] in terms of how we approach

[4:22:39] the inequities in terms

[4:22:39] infrastructure, investment,

[4:22:40] the city.

[4:22:41] But I do appreciate the effort

[4:22:44] and taking the extra time.

[4:22:45] Council PRESIDENT I give you

[4:22:46] two of my two of my minutes So

[4:22:48] Councilmember Foster Oh yes,

[4:22:54] Thank you Council PRESIDENT And

[4:22:55] thank you staff for

[4:23:01] the presentation and thank you

[4:23:01] to to my colleagues.

[4:23:06] I think Councilmember Eli

[4:23:12] Rivera touched on a lot And I

[4:23:13] think I also appreciate

[4:23:14] the question of Councilmember

[4:23:18] Wimmer in regards to what is a

[4:23:24] structurally excluded community

[4:23:24] or the terms that we use.

[4:23:30] For me I'll go back in time

[4:23:35] with I want to say my education

[4:23:36] and training.

[4:23:36] I have always used the term

[4:23:37] historically underserved

[4:23:42] communities and I think that is

[4:23:48] a term that is used in quite

[4:23:49] honestly in my time stems from

[4:23:54] the Federal terminology as we

[4:23:59] deal with disparities and

[4:24:00] things of the sort.

[4:24:06] We also used at some point

[4:24:06] the term of communities of

[4:24:07] concern which I never really

[4:24:11] cared for to be quite honest

[4:24:12] And I do appreciate the work at

[4:24:18] the time of our sustainability

[4:24:19] director Cody Hoving that came

[4:24:23] up with the Climate equity

[4:24:24] Index which I think developed

[4:24:29] from a state document that

[4:24:30] really made it specific to

[4:24:31] the city of San Diego and made

[4:24:35] sure that we were including all

[4:24:36] of the appropriate underserved

[4:24:41] communities based on our data

[4:24:42] versus leaving it to

[4:24:47] the Federal legislators in

[4:24:48] the in the state level because

[4:24:54] I am the first to tell you that

[4:24:54] the way they drew

[4:24:55] the opportunities zones just

[4:24:55] baffles me On how you draw a

[4:24:59] line in the middle of

[4:24:59] the street and I can take you

[4:25:00] to the section that was left

[4:25:01] out which is a black arts and

[4:25:05] culture district that has not

[4:25:06] seen any true redevelopment or

[4:25:11] any attention since I was since

[4:25:11] I was a baby.

[4:25:16] To be quite honest.

[4:25:17] But also I'm a little troubled

[4:25:23] in regards to the reference of

[4:25:23] the five year outlook.

[4:25:28] I do agree that if we were to

[4:25:29] come to council and try to

[4:25:34] unwind the proposed cip, I

[4:25:35] think that would be a

[4:25:37] disservice to our process and

[4:25:44] would create several

[4:25:44] challenges.

[4:25:45] I think it is not

[4:25:49] the appropriate method that I

[4:25:50] would recommend and quite

[4:25:51] honestly look forward to

[4:25:55] sitting on the dais and going

[4:25:56] through that level of of of

[4:26:01] information.

[4:26:02] But I think if I recall

[4:26:02] the five year outlook and I'm

[4:26:07] going to refer to it as a

[4:26:08] planning document it is to give

[4:26:13] us the path and the vision to

[4:26:13] move this ip forward.

[4:26:18] And as you hear from our

[4:26:19] Department of Race and Equity

[4:26:24] that 23% of the projects are in

[4:26:25] historically underserved

[4:26:29] communities and 77% are in what

[4:26:30] I will just say are high

[4:26:36] The highest resource areas is

[4:26:37] troubling to me If I am

[4:26:42] interpreting quick points that

[4:26:47] were made here today.

[4:26:48] And so I think we have more

[4:26:48] work to do.

[4:26:49] I also think that I would agree

[4:26:53] with with Kim that we need to

[4:26:54] look at how we're presenting

[4:27:00] this information so that we can

[4:27:00] effectively and efficiently

[4:27:05] receive the information,

[4:27:06] analyzing information and not

[4:27:11] only for council and our staffs

[4:27:12] but also the public because I

[4:27:17] will say that I am used to

[4:27:17] the what I will call

[4:27:18] the bureaucratic dump and where

[4:27:24] you just unload information and

[4:27:25] you just kind of look at

[4:27:25] everything and say Catch me if

[4:27:26] you can.

[4:27:27] And I think we need to get out

[4:27:39] of that Also I will say if I

[4:27:39] can have just a few more

[4:27:40] minutes as I look at

[4:27:46] the council policies and I just

[4:27:47] want to be clear because I have

[4:27:47] since I have been on the dais

[4:27:52] have have taken issue with our

[4:27:53] processes and how we do things.

[4:27:57] I do just want to make a

[4:27:58] comment so that everyone knows

[4:27:58] that I have reached out to

[4:28:03] the city auditor and I have

[4:28:04] asked the city auditor to add

[4:28:09] to his audit potential audit

[4:28:10] list for f y 27 as needed

[4:28:15] contracts based on our recent

[4:28:16] conversations that we have had

[4:28:17] and have also asked the auditor

[4:28:20] to add job order contracts

[4:28:21] which are essentially similar

[4:28:27] to methodology and most

[4:28:28] importantly emergency contracts

[4:28:33] because clearly we are changing

[4:28:34] our method and process and

[4:28:34] actually including a defined

[4:28:40] allocation within our budget

[4:28:41] process for emergency projects

[4:28:41] And and I will continue to say

[4:28:47] this those are done on a time

[4:28:47] and material basis which means

[4:28:52] we are paying a premium and we

[4:28:52] essentially due to

[4:28:58] the emergency way of just about

[4:28:59] every program or certain

[4:29:00] standards that we have as part

[4:29:04] of our municipal code.

[4:29:05] And that's very troubling for

[4:29:05] me.

[4:29:10] I'm also hearing that it seems

[4:29:11] that the emergency contracts

[4:29:11] are going above what

[4:29:17] the initial emergency is and

[4:29:18] that they are actually coming

[4:29:18] out with phase funding which is

[4:29:23] very problematic for me which

[4:29:23] is why I made the request.

[4:29:24] So I want to make sure everyone

[4:29:29] knows that as I was sitting

[4:29:30] here listening to

[4:29:30] the presentation and

[4:29:31] the questions I also sent to

[4:29:35] the city auditory request to

[4:29:40] add Council policy 800

[4:29:40] Dashboard team as now I think

[4:29:41] we have based on

[4:29:45] the information that was

[4:29:46] provided I think we have three

[4:29:47] years worth of implementation

[4:29:51] and data so that we should have

[4:29:52] a clear data set so that we can

[4:29:53] see just how effective that

[4:29:56] policy is.

[4:29:57] The other thing that I will say

[4:29:58] is that really troubles me is

[4:30:02] we made changes to council

[4:30:03] policy 000 Dash 31 in regards

[4:30:09] to the transparency of dc ip

[4:30:13] And at the time if you go back

[4:30:14] that policy was developed to

[4:30:20] what I will say streamline our

[4:30:20] process to allow

[4:30:21] the engineering and capital

[4:30:25] projects in our public works

[4:30:26] team to present their ip and to

[4:30:32] get approval for projects so

[4:30:32] you don't have to bring every

[4:30:33] single project to city council

[4:30:38] and so I'm not sure if that

[4:30:39] actually served us in the best

[4:30:39] interest as we look at the city

[4:30:42] as a whole.

[4:30:43] And so I think that's something

[4:30:48] that we also need to look at

[4:30:49] And I think what I'm seeing is

[4:30:50] that as we are talking about

[4:30:54] equity, I think as we use

[4:30:55] the term nexus as we are

[4:31:00] connecting the dots, I don't

[4:31:01] think there's one policy that

[4:31:05] will give us the proper path.

[4:31:06] I think we have to use all our

[4:31:11] tools, use them together to get

[4:31:11] the outcomes that are needed

[4:31:16] and I just want to make sure

[4:31:17] when I talk about outcome it's

[4:31:22] about leveling that playing

[4:31:22] field, right?

[4:31:28] There's a reason why you hear

[4:31:29] the dissatisfaction when folks

[4:31:32] come from District four When

[4:31:33] you look at what happened with

[4:31:34] the floods, where you look at

[4:31:38] how we have all the unimproved

[4:31:42] streets between four, eight,

[4:31:43] nine and alleys this is not a

[4:31:48] this is not something that is

[4:31:48] made up.

[4:31:49] It's a reality.

[4:31:49] And so I think it is time that

[4:31:54] we continue to work.

[4:31:54] Kym, I would ask and maybe I'll

[4:31:59] see the debate is I do

[4:31:59] appreciate your comments.

[4:32:00] I think it would be good if

[4:32:04] the council can receive those

[4:32:05] comments in a formalized

[4:32:06] fashion in a memorandum because

[4:32:10] I think this is a start of a

[4:32:11] longer and broader conversation

[4:32:15] to continue to right

[4:32:16] the wrongs.

[4:32:16] And again what's really

[4:32:17] troubling is oftentimes you

[4:32:21] hear the city of San Diego this

[4:32:22] is just the way we do things

[4:32:22] right.

[4:32:26] And as you look at the budget

[4:32:27] deficit, as you look at

[4:32:28] the issues that we have and as

[4:32:32] my good friend said, Kevin

[4:32:37] Faulkner is now standing at a

[4:32:38] podium in Balboa Park where he

[4:32:42] played a major part in this

[4:32:48] deficit problem that we have

[4:32:49] And to do what he is doing now

[4:32:50] I think is is such a great

[4:32:53] disservice.

[4:32:54] And quite honestly this honor

[4:32:59] for someone who has sat in

[4:32:59] the mayoral office and to do

[4:33:04] what he's doing to look folks

[4:33:05] in the eye I think is just

[4:33:05] totally unacceptable and speaks

[4:33:10] to his character.

[4:33:11] And so as long as I'm on this

[4:33:15] dais, I think we are going to

[4:33:15] continue to have these

[4:33:16] conversations and continue to

[4:33:17] push forward And I'm going to

[4:33:21] lean on you, Karen I'm going to

[4:33:21] lean on you, Rania I'm going to

[4:33:25] lean on you and leave to get

[4:33:26] this right because we can no

[4:33:30] longer do this.

[4:33:31] Our communities can no longer

[4:33:31] suffer.

[4:33:32] We have folks that have lost

[4:33:36] everything everything And it is

[4:33:42] a long road and I don't know if

[4:33:43] they will ever get back to

[4:33:47] where they were And so thank

[4:33:47] you Council PRESIDENT I'll

[4:33:48] conclude my comments there We

[4:33:53] have a lot of work to do And

[4:33:54] again, Kim, thank you for your

[4:33:58] comments and your work And I

[4:33:58] think it shows why it was so

[4:33:59] important to move

[4:34:03] the Department of Race and

[4:34:03] Equity to the office.

[4:34:04] So thank you.

[4:34:04] All right.

[4:34:09] Thank you.

[4:34:09] Captain Member Foster will go

[4:34:10] next to Council member Board

[4:34:11] Member Thank you and thank you

[4:34:15] for the presentation.

[4:34:16] We heard this it committee

[4:34:16] already so I won't really move

[4:34:17] my comments.

[4:34:17] It's important planning

[4:34:19] document I agree and I'm glad

[4:34:19] we are doing this.

[4:34:23] I do want to again ask about

[4:34:24] our ability to protect the city

[4:34:29] from fire and I look at

[4:34:30] the committee hearing we talked

[4:34:30] about the need for another city

[4:34:31] type study.

[4:34:34] It doesn't have to be city gate

[4:34:35] itself but so do we have that

[4:34:36] in the process where we're

[4:34:37] going to do another study about

[4:34:37] how we're going to prepare for

[4:34:40] fire?

[4:34:41] Are there growing housing

[4:34:41] needs?

[4:34:42] Chief Moran and the audience

[4:34:44] perhaps he could speak to that

[4:34:54] if he's able and council member

[4:34:55] Currently I'm not aware of any

[4:35:00] plan in place to move towards

[4:35:00] another city gate study but I

[4:35:01] can tell you the department is

[4:35:01] open to it.

[4:35:04] That's a discussion that we can

[4:35:05] have with Chief Logan.

[4:35:05] >> Okay.

[4:35:10] What about the mayor's office?

[4:35:11] Yes, more than happy to follow

[4:35:11] up on that.

[4:35:11] Okay.

[4:35:12] The last one was when over a

[4:35:15] decade ago, 2017 I believe when

[4:35:16] it was public.

[4:35:20] Okay.

[4:35:20] That would be helpful.

[4:35:21] I mean with the more housing we

[4:35:25] approve we need we need to make

[4:35:26] sure we can actually protect

[4:35:27] people from fire and respond to

[4:35:30] you know, that's called on that

[4:35:30] in What about the fire training

[4:35:31] facility committee we heard

[4:35:36] there what the land is there we

[4:35:37] are the age we vote But what

[4:35:38] are we going to do about

[4:35:40] building the facility?

[4:35:40] So as I mentioned that

[4:35:41] committee the price tag is a

[4:35:45] big concern.

[4:35:46] Um, we do have property off of

[4:35:50] Copley Drive and we've been

[4:35:50] looking at a phased approach to

[4:35:51] make it more economically

[4:35:55] feasible.

[4:35:56] But as of right now I'm not

[4:36:00] sure exactly when that will go

[4:36:00] into play.

[4:36:01] We're also looking for other

[4:36:05] ways of funding this facility

[4:36:06] such as b three or public

[4:36:06] private partnership and and

[4:36:10] what it can be a regional

[4:36:11] facilities that been used by

[4:36:15] other municipalities And then

[4:36:15] we can prioritize of course our

[4:36:20] fire rescue department when it

[4:36:21] comes to the usage of that

[4:36:21] facility.

[4:36:25] So we're exploring the option

[4:36:26] as well giving the high price

[4:36:28] tag of of constructing such a

[4:36:34] facility.

[4:36:34] >> Okay.

[4:36:35] We still have time.

[4:36:35] We're working closely with

[4:36:39] public utilities department

[4:36:40] about their scheduling for

[4:36:40] phase two and then work into

[4:36:41] this closely.

[4:36:44] So make sure we do not run out

[4:36:44] of time.

[4:36:45] We understand the critical

[4:36:48] operations of this facility

[4:36:49] right now as it's as I said.

[4:36:50] So we're ensuring that we have

[4:36:54] enough time to do

[4:36:54] the transition when the time

[4:36:55] comes.

[4:36:55] Okay.

[4:36:56] And do we do we have an

[4:36:59] estimate about the hangars for

[4:37:02] the wildfire helicopters or

[4:37:02] three helicopters?

[4:37:03] I believe we're close to

[4:37:07] environ environmental clearance

[4:37:12] But the plan that was in place

[4:37:13] and this is an internal meeting

[4:37:14] that I had with staff several

[4:37:18] months ago I think initial plan

[4:37:22] was a little ambitious.

[4:37:23] So I will say our number one

[4:37:23] priority is to get those

[4:37:27] helicopters out of the elements

[4:37:27] So however we can either scale

[4:37:32] back that project and again

[4:37:36] phase it so that future needs

[4:37:37] can be put into place later

[4:37:37] down the road.

[4:37:42] We're willing to to look at it

[4:37:43] differently And I know there

[4:37:44] was a smaller hangar and a

[4:37:47] large hangar If we can

[4:37:47] accomplish what we need, meet

[4:37:51] our operational goals and

[4:37:52] maintain our service to

[4:37:55] the community, we are open to

[4:37:56] going to one hangar As long as

[4:37:57] we can accomplish that and save

[4:38:00] some money.

[4:38:00] Okay.

[4:38:01] I mean maybe the Fire Rescue

[4:38:05] Foundation can help us source

[4:38:06] private dollars to fundraise

[4:38:10] for a project like that.

[4:38:11] Yeah, so that's a conversation

[4:38:15] that we can have with

[4:38:15] the foundation.

[4:38:15] Okay.

[4:38:19] But if I could add facility and

[4:38:20] all the environmental

[4:38:21] permitting requirements that is

[4:38:21] needed to be able to utilize

[4:38:24] that area will be completed.

[4:38:25] So making it ready for any type

[4:38:29] of funding to use as possible.

[4:38:30] Okay.

[4:38:30] All right.

[4:38:31] Thank you.

[4:38:31] I appreciate it.

[4:38:32] Those papers are very expensive

[4:38:34] and very important and very

[4:38:35] useful.

[4:38:35] So I'd like to put a roof over

[4:38:36] their heads.

[4:38:36] Okay.

[4:38:39] Thank you very much.

[4:38:40] Thank you.

[4:38:44] Council member Von Loper.

[4:38:44] I guess I'll wrap up and at

[4:38:45] the risk of now that I've given

[4:38:48] away all my time I want to

[4:38:49] thank you all for being in

[4:38:53] the hot seat for things that

[4:38:53] you inherited And despite your

[4:38:58] very good work it seems a

[4:38:58] challenge to actually make

[4:38:59] progress here.

[4:39:02] The path ahead doesn't look

[4:39:03] very clear given the scale that

[4:39:07] you describe.

[4:39:08] And one thing I didn't hear

[4:39:09] that I want to highlight is I

[4:39:12] think there has been more

[4:39:13] transparency in how we talk

[4:39:17] about our infrastructure

[4:39:18] deficit than I've seen since

[4:39:19] I've been following it for

[4:39:21] the past 1520 years where as my

[4:39:22] colleagues kind of alluded to

[4:39:26] back in the day everybody hid

[4:39:27] behind sewer and water spending

[4:39:27] and look how much

[4:39:30] infrastructure dollars we're

[4:39:31] spending almost all of that

[4:39:32] with sewer and water dollars

[4:39:35] very little was going to any of

[4:39:36] the other infrastructure needs.

[4:39:37] And as we know when we don't

[4:39:40] invest things each out and I

[4:39:40] appreciate the data driven

[4:39:44] approach but it's so hard

[4:39:49] because it's not a static

[4:39:50] world.

[4:39:50] It's a dynamic world.

[4:39:51] Things keep changing on you.

[4:39:52] You don't know what a facility

[4:39:54] is going to age out.

[4:39:55] You don't know what new state

[4:39:56] mandates are going to come and

[4:40:00] hit us.

[4:40:00] You don't know what lawsuit

[4:40:01] there's going to be that forces

[4:40:02] the settlement discussions

[4:40:05] going forward And yet we strive

[4:40:10] to try to be data driven going

[4:40:10] there And it occurs to me that

[4:40:15] again watching over the many

[4:40:15] years I think we get distracted

[4:40:16] by the next good idea.

[4:40:17] I think I remember talking

[4:40:20] about let's have one design for

[4:40:20] fire stations, let's have one

[4:40:21] design for libraries.

[4:40:23] We'll just keep repeating that

[4:40:24] it doesn't work out quite that

[4:40:28] way going forward.

[4:40:29] So I'm curious and I'll follow

[4:40:34] up with Kim on some of the data

[4:40:34] that came up that you came up

[4:40:38] with in terms of what get

[4:40:38] funded.

[4:40:41] That's something when we

[4:40:42] updated 800 Dash 14 and even

[4:40:46] the early days of 814 over

[4:40:46] the years have proven

[4:40:50] particularly important But I

[4:40:51] think there is a larger

[4:40:54] conversation to be had here.

[4:40:55] The other thing in terms of

[4:40:56] the report I appreciate

[4:40:56] the idea actually

[4:40:59] differentiated stormwater

[4:41:00] between flood resilience and

[4:41:01] green infrastructure because

[4:41:01] there's two different things

[4:41:05] driving those future reports I

[4:41:05] think should differentiate

[4:41:10] those as well.

[4:41:11] Still a big number and we still

[4:41:11] can't figure out how to fund

[4:41:12] that but maybe that would be

[4:41:14] helpful.

[4:41:15] I'm going to wrap up there

[4:41:15] because my colleagues asked a

[4:41:16] lot of good questions.

[4:41:19] There was a lot of good

[4:41:19] responses But thank you.

[4:41:20] Thank you for bringing this

[4:41:24] this forward.

[4:41:24] I know everybody's working to

[4:41:25] do better and we'll figure out

[4:41:28] that path.

[4:41:28] >> All right.

[4:41:33] Well oh, Councilmember Campbell

[4:41:34] ,thank you very much, Council

[4:41:34] PRESIDENT.

[4:41:39] I've been on and off lights

[4:41:39] trying to decide if I should

[4:41:40] bring something to the public's

[4:41:43] attention that has maybe

[4:41:47] slipped their viewpoint.

[4:41:48] I've been here seven years now.

[4:41:49] When I first came I noticed

[4:41:52] that we had a big gap in our

[4:41:56] stormwater budget of $2

[4:41:57] billion.

[4:42:01] I see now it's up to probably 5

[4:42:01] billion maybe more.

[4:42:06] Uh, I think the reason for this

[4:42:07] has been actually alluded to

[4:42:15] especially by my colleagues

[4:42:16] Councilmember Rivera and

[4:42:16] Councilmember Foster and that

[4:42:21] is I would say for probably

[4:42:24] the last 150 years I things

[4:42:25] have been ignored that should

[4:42:29] have been taken care of and I

[4:42:30] think they alluded to that.

[4:42:31] But I want to just set out

[4:42:35] simple and plain the cost to

[4:42:39] the consumer for our stormwater

[4:42:43] is $0.98 a month $0.98 a month.

[4:42:47] Now when I first came here I

[4:42:48] looked up other cities in

[4:42:48] California.

[4:42:52] I remember Sacramento at that

[4:42:53] time was $13 a month for

[4:42:57] stormwater We're still $0.98.

[4:43:01] I don't know what Sacramento's

[4:43:01] up to.

[4:43:02] I haven't looked it up lately

[4:43:06] but this is the problem.

[4:43:07] The problem is that we have had

[4:43:11] people elected to office who

[4:43:11] are afraid who have been

[4:43:12] afraid.

[4:43:15] I'm not talking about my

[4:43:16] current colleagues.

[4:43:16] I'm talking about the past To

[4:43:20] say to people plainly you have

[4:43:21] got to pay for what you get.

[4:43:24] Nothing is free.

[4:43:25] Let's be honest You get

[4:43:29] services.

[4:43:30] They cost money.

[4:43:31] How do you expect the city to

[4:43:31] pay for it?

[4:43:35] We don't have a printing press.

[4:43:35] We cannot print our own money

[4:43:38] And so what we have to do is

[4:43:43] collected.

[4:43:44] So if it is I wonder I was

[4:43:47] really happy when you mention

[4:43:48] priorities I'm so glad you guys

[4:43:49] have listed in priority what

[4:43:53] actually we really do.

[4:43:53] We really have to do

[4:43:57] The biggest part of the gap is

[4:43:58] the stormwater.

[4:43:59] Is that the highest priority at

[4:44:00] this time or do we have other

[4:44:05] projects higher priority

[4:44:06] stormwater and transportation

[4:44:09] assets continue to be the two

[4:44:10] highest priorities.

[4:44:10] Okay.

[4:44:14] Well this is a horrible time to

[4:44:17] ask people to pay more but

[4:44:18] $0.98 and go do it folks.

[4:44:19] So I just want the public to be

[4:44:22] aware that they have been

[4:44:23] getting away with $0.98 for I

[4:44:27] don't GOD knows how many

[4:44:28] decades.

[4:44:28] It's ridiculous Prices have

[4:44:32] gone up.

[4:44:33] So just think about it Nobody

[4:44:36] suggesting we do anything about

[4:44:37] that for right at this moment.

[4:44:42] But I'm telling you we have to

[4:44:45] do something about it And then

[4:44:46] one thing we can do is to

[4:44:46] increase it so that it tries to

[4:44:50] start to cover the gap.

[4:44:51] The gap is huge 5 billion.

[4:44:55] The other thing we could do and

[4:44:56] I'd love if the finance people

[4:45:00] would come up and explain about

[4:45:00] bonds and what we could do if

[4:45:05] we issued certain bonds to

[4:45:06] raise money or maybe I'm not

[4:45:06] even using the right in

[4:45:10] the right words to explain what

[4:45:11] we could do But there are

[4:45:15] certain things that governments

[4:45:16] can do to issue investment

[4:45:20] vehicles so that tax free bonds

[4:45:25] or whatever could be issued to

[4:45:26] raise money to help fill that

[4:45:26] gap.

[4:45:29] But still $5 billion That's

[4:45:29] outrageous.

[4:45:30] So if you could help us out

[4:45:34] with that.

[4:45:34] Yes.

[4:45:35] Good afternoon.

[4:45:36] Council members Jody Butler,

[4:45:36] assistant director with

[4:45:38] the Department of Finance like

[4:45:43] MR. Snyder indicated primarily

[4:45:43] the issue is the dedicated

[4:45:44] revenue source.

[4:45:48] The current methodology be

[4:45:49] issue to be used to issue bonds

[4:45:50] of the city which are lease

[4:45:53] revenue bonds rely on

[4:45:54] the existing revenues of

[4:45:58] the general fund which as been

[4:45:59] brought to your attention we

[4:45:59] are reaching our debt capacity

[4:46:02] limit pretty soon So for

[4:46:03] typically a lot of other cities

[4:46:07] could use general obligation

[4:46:08] bonds but that comes with an

[4:46:08] additional tax levy.

[4:46:12] So that's the kind of bonds

[4:46:13] that would come with its own

[4:46:14] revenue source.

[4:46:17] Otherwise we would need some

[4:46:18] other revenue source that we

[4:46:22] can pledge to issue bonds So

[4:46:22] when you say revenue source in

[4:46:27] order to issue the bonds, are

[4:46:31] we talking about a fee for

[4:46:32] stormwater that is actually

[4:46:36] somewhat realistic whereas

[4:46:40] the $0.98 is like from 1850

[4:46:41] the year 1850 If we had when

[4:46:45] there was more here the near

[4:46:45] the year 1950 would be better

[4:46:46] off.

[4:46:49] But is that what you're saying

[4:46:50] as a revenue source?

[4:46:50] In other words if those who

[4:46:51] want to purchase these bonds

[4:46:55] invest in these bonds would

[4:46:56] look at the city and say look,

[4:46:59] they're charging $20 a month

[4:47:00] for the stormwater problem of

[4:47:01] trying to fill the gap We can

[4:47:04] afford to take a chance on

[4:47:04] these bonds.

[4:47:05] That's right.

[4:47:09] We would need to identify a

[4:47:09] dedicated revenue source to

[4:47:10] repay the bonds.

[4:47:10] Right.

[4:47:10] Okay.

[4:47:13] So public listen up.

[4:47:14] I'm being transparent.

[4:47:14] I'm being honest.

[4:47:18] I'm known to be down to earth

[4:47:19] completely Maybe sometimes not

[4:47:23] so tactful.

[4:47:27] But I'm telling you, my dear

[4:47:27] public $0.98 a month and go do

[4:47:28] it.

[4:47:32] So get ready because some time

[4:47:32] in the future hopefully sooner

[4:47:37] than later when things are a

[4:47:37] bit better we're going to have

[4:47:38] to face this reality that we

[4:47:42] must raise our fees on

[4:47:46] stormwater And so I'm very

[4:47:47] sorry and I'm sure all

[4:47:47] the politicians are turning

[4:47:51] bright red and wishing I had

[4:47:52] never brought this up But I am

[4:47:53] bringing it up and I'm going to

[4:47:56] bring up some other stuff.

[4:47:57] The city needs more revenue.

[4:48:00] How do cities get revenue in

[4:48:01] the rest of the United States?

[4:48:05] Several different ways.

[4:48:06] One is the county keeps our

[4:48:11] property tax Sandy Hill County

[4:48:12] gets a buck from each one of us

[4:48:15] more than a buck on properties

[4:48:16] And what do they do with it?

[4:48:18] We get $0.12 back.

[4:48:19] This is not right according to

[4:48:19] state law.

[4:48:23] It's supposed to be based on

[4:48:24] services provided to

[4:48:28] the population involved.

[4:48:29] We have I'm kind of

[4:48:30] interpreting that but I think

[4:48:30] that's what it means.

[4:48:33] I'm no lawyer.

[4:48:34] I'm only a doctor.

[4:48:38] But what I see is that our city

[4:48:38] has one third of the population

[4:48:42] of this county at least maybe a

[4:48:43] bit more than that.

[4:48:46] So we should probably get at

[4:48:47] least one third of our dollar

[4:48:51] back to help our city revenue.

[4:48:52] We had $0.12.

[4:48:52] So when taxpayers call and say

[4:48:57] I pay my taxes, I want this, I

[4:48:57] want that guess what?

[4:48:58] You only pay $0.12 on

[4:49:01] the dollar to the city.

[4:49:01] So that's number one.

[4:49:06] We need more How do we get it?

[4:49:06] The state legislature has to

[4:49:07] change the rules.

[4:49:11] The state legislature has to

[4:49:12] tell the county and maybe other

[4:49:12] counties as well.

[4:49:15] At the same time you've got to

[4:49:16] give more money back to

[4:49:19] the cities from the property

[4:49:20] tax you collect from

[4:49:20] the cities.

[4:49:24] So there's one thing here's

[4:49:25] another thing Most cities

[4:49:25] collect an income tax.

[4:49:30] Income tax is considered very

[4:49:30] fair because it's usually

[4:49:34] graduated The poorer you are

[4:49:34] the less you pay.

[4:49:35] The richer you are, the more

[4:49:39] you pay.

[4:49:40] The state tax is a good example

[4:49:41] The state income tax I'm not

[4:49:44] going to say the federal

[4:49:45] because I think it stinks Right

[4:49:45] now rich people pay less.

[4:49:49] Poor people middle class pay

[4:49:49] more.

[4:49:50] So that's not right.

[4:49:51] That's not how it's supposed to

[4:49:53] be.

[4:49:54] All right.

[4:49:54] Was based on the state income

[4:49:58] tax which is more fair If we

[4:49:59] had a graduated income tax of

[4:50:03] even a half a percent in this

[4:50:03] city, that would help us

[4:50:07] tremendously.

[4:50:08] Another thing another thought

[4:50:09] our 1% sales tax that was on

[4:50:13] the ballot two years ago didn't

[4:50:13] pass.

[4:50:14] I don't think we passed this

[4:50:17] year either because everybody's

[4:50:17] having a hard time even buying

[4:50:18] groceries.

[4:50:23] But sales tax is a this is like

[4:50:23] a flat tax.

[4:50:24] Everybody pays the same on

[4:50:26] whatever they buy a certain

[4:50:27] percent And if we raise it 1%

[4:50:30] we would have had $4 million

[4:50:31] more income we think in which

[4:50:35] case the city would be in

[4:50:36] better shape Still not enough

[4:50:41] certainly not even a crack in

[4:50:41] the $5 Billion storm water

[4:50:45] deficit.

[4:50:46] So anyway citizens I just

[4:50:50] wanted to be open honest I

[4:50:50] think I have ten more months to

[4:50:55] serve and I'm termed out and I

[4:50:55] just want you to know reality

[4:50:59] and and honesty from your city

[4:51:00] government.

[4:51:00] Thank you.

[4:51:01] Thank you.

[4:51:04] Council member Campbell, I

[4:51:05] think we've heard a lot of

[4:51:05] candor this afternoon and I

[4:51:09] appreciate the patience of

[4:51:09] chief.

[4:51:10] I'm in the engineering capital

[4:51:14] project MR. Snyder from Storm

[4:51:19] Water be a Department of

[4:51:20] Finance for your contribution

[4:51:24] to a very robust conversation

[4:51:24] on some of the challenges we've

[4:51:28] inherited that we face going

[4:51:29] forward.

[4:51:29] So we'll close that item again.

[4:51:33] Thank you And with that clerk

[4:51:34] please introduce item 331.

[4:51:35] >> Thank you Council PRESIDENT

[4:51:38] Item 331 is also an

[4:51:39] informational item is City

[4:51:42] council informational training

[4:51:42] on zero based budgeting?

[4:51:43] If you would like to speak on

[4:51:47] this item please be sure to

[4:51:47] submit a speaker slip to

[4:51:48] the front of the room in

[4:51:49] the clear box and if you are

[4:51:52] participating remotely now's

[4:51:52] the time to raise your hand by

[4:51:53] pressing Star nine or the raise

[4:51:56] your hand icon.

[4:51:57] Thank you Council PRESIDENT All

[4:52:16] right, I'm going to kick it

[4:52:16] off.

[4:52:21] Yeah.

[4:52:21] All right.

[4:52:22] MR. Molokai is going to kick it

[4:52:23] off and then we'll have those

[4:52:25] making the presentation

[4:52:26] introduce themselves and let us

[4:52:27] know about how much time you

[4:52:27] expect.

[4:52:27] Great.

[4:52:28] Thank you.

[4:52:28] Council PRESIDENT And council

[4:52:30] members.

[4:52:31] As you are aware, one of

[4:52:31] the council's requirements is

[4:52:35] to receive budget related

[4:52:36] training each year We provide

[4:52:40] you two different trainings.

[4:52:41] One is kind of a item of

[4:52:41] budgetary interest that has

[4:52:44] been expressed by Council and

[4:52:45] one is usually a little bit

[4:52:45] more rote disclosure practice

[4:52:46] of general debt policy etc.

[4:52:49] This is hopefully one of

[4:52:50] the ones that we slightly more

[4:52:50] interesting to you but we

[4:52:51] certainly do appreciate your

[4:52:53] attention regardless we have a

[4:52:54] presentation today to give you

[4:52:57] some background on zero based

[4:52:58] budgeting.

[4:52:58] This was something that was

[4:52:59] discussed pretty significantly

[4:53:02] as a request both from Council

[4:53:03] Committee for Budget and

[4:53:07] Government Efficiency Chair I'm

[4:53:08] going to foster to know more

[4:53:09] about zero based budgeting and

[4:53:09] how it can be used in

[4:53:12] the city's budgeting process.

[4:53:13] As was mentioned in the several

[4:53:17] Council budget priority memos,

[4:53:17] we are lucky enough to be able

[4:53:18] to partner with the Department

[4:53:19] of Finance to provide you

[4:53:22] training.

[4:53:23] Our team will talk a little bit

[4:53:23] about what zero based budgeting

[4:53:26] is and how it works in practice

[4:53:27] And then the Department of

[4:53:28] Finance will jump in to talk

[4:53:28] about some zero based budgeting

[4:53:32] elements of our current budget

[4:53:32] process.

[4:53:33] With that I will turn this over

[4:53:33] to Jill and Alina.

[4:53:37] So she's doing a lot of work at

[4:53:37] the staff table today.

[4:53:41] She and Sergio Alcalde will

[4:53:42] prepare the and present the ipa

[4:53:43] section and then we'll turn it

[4:53:45] over to Ben Battaglia from

[4:53:46] the Department of Finance.

[4:53:46] Great.

[4:53:47] Thank you so much.

[4:53:50] Before I dive into today's

[4:53:50] training I just want to provide

[4:53:51] a little bit of background on

[4:53:52] the City Council financial

[4:53:55] training program that's led by

[4:53:55] our office.

[4:53:58] It was adopted in 2006

[4:53:59] following a report from our

[4:54:00] office that responded to a call

[4:54:03] report recommendation that

[4:54:04] the council receive financial

[4:54:04] training.

[4:54:05] The program calls for two

[4:54:08] trainings a year and four major

[4:54:09] areas of public finance and

[4:54:12] that's including debt issuance

[4:54:13] and administration financial

[4:54:14] disclosure, financial Statement

[4:54:18] overview or the Act four and

[4:54:19] current and multi-year budget

[4:54:19] planning.

[4:54:23] Today's training will be zero

[4:54:24] based budgeting or is eb which

[4:54:28] falls under the current and

[4:54:29] multi-year budget planning

[4:54:29] subject area.

[4:54:30] Today's training comes in

[4:54:33] response to Council's fiscal

[4:54:33] year 2027 budget Priorities

[4:54:38] process where the Budget

[4:54:38] Committee chair Foster

[4:54:39] requested our office in

[4:54:40] the Department of Finance to

[4:54:42] provide a presentation on zbb.

[4:54:43] Our office has actually

[4:54:48] provided training on zbb before

[4:54:48] It was about ten years ago when

[4:54:53] the city did a zbb pilot That

[4:54:53] training referenced in a report

[4:54:56] 16 Dash 16 which is called zero

[4:55:01] based budgeting and examples.

[4:55:01] The information in that report

[4:55:02] generally still applies today.

[4:55:06] So we will be referencing

[4:55:07] information in that report to

[4:55:08] give you a sense of what will

[4:55:10] be discussing today our office

[4:55:11] will cover an overview of zbb

[4:55:15] and how it works In theory

[4:55:16] versus in practice And then

[4:55:16] we'll transition to how

[4:55:17] elements of zbb have been put

[4:55:21] into practice by looking at

[4:55:21] other jurisdictions including

[4:55:22] the city of San Diego's pilot

[4:55:26] program in fiscal year 2017.

[4:55:27] And Department of Finance will

[4:55:31] cover how the city incorporates

[4:55:31] zbb elements into the budget

[4:55:36] process that exist today and a

[4:55:36] discussion of this year's

[4:55:40] effort to zero based external

[4:55:40] contracts for the fiscal year

[4:55:44] 2027 budget and the ongoing

[4:55:45] analysis of general fund

[4:55:48] unclassified employees.

[4:55:49] So let's get into it.

[4:55:50] What is zero based budgeting?

[4:55:54] Zbb is a process that develops

[4:55:55] budget from the ground up

[4:55:58] starting from zero.

[4:55:58] This is different from

[4:55:59] the traditional incremental

[4:56:02] budgeting approach where

[4:56:03] the prior year's budget is used

[4:56:04] as the starting point under zbb

[4:56:07] funding is allocated

[4:56:07] irrespective of what was

[4:56:08] previously budgeted.

[4:56:12] In theory, zbb requires every

[4:56:13] budget request to be thoroughly

[4:56:17] evaluated and approved with

[4:56:17] service levels clearly

[4:56:21] identified and prioritized.

[4:56:22] Zbb breaks down an organization

[4:56:26] into Decision Unit which are

[4:56:27] the lowest level at which

[4:56:28] budget decisions are made such

[4:56:31] as a department division or

[4:56:32] programs can also be used as

[4:56:32] well.

[4:56:36] Each decision unit is supposed

[4:56:36] to develop a detailed overview

[4:56:37] of their activities

[4:56:41] the resources needed to meet

[4:56:42] their goals and alternative

[4:56:46] ways to deliver services.

[4:56:47] These become decision packages

[4:56:47] which outline different

[4:56:51] spending levels and their

[4:56:52] impacts on service delivery.

[4:56:52] According to guidance from

[4:56:56] the government Finance Officers

[4:56:57] Association or give away each

[4:57:01] decision decision Unit should

[4:57:02] prepare at least three decision

[4:57:02] packages.

[4:57:05] The first is your barebones

[4:57:06] package which provides only

[4:57:10] the most essential services.

[4:57:11] The second is current service

[4:57:11] package which continues

[4:57:16] existing service levels.

[4:57:16] And finally the enhanced

[4:57:17] service package which expands

[4:57:20] services beyond what is

[4:57:20] currently provided.

[4:57:21] And each decision package

[4:57:25] should include detailed

[4:57:26] information on inputs such as

[4:57:27] dollars and positions that are

[4:57:30] needed to provide the services

[4:57:30] described in that package as

[4:57:31] well as specific performance

[4:57:35] measures that explain how

[4:57:35] different funding levels would

[4:57:36] affect service levels.

[4:57:40] After all packages are

[4:57:41] developed they are ranked from

[4:57:41] highest to lowest priority

[4:57:42] within the department and then

[4:57:46] management uses these rankings

[4:57:46] along with desired service

[4:57:50] outcomes to make final budget

[4:57:50] decisions.

[4:57:51] So now I'll go into

[4:57:55] the advantages and drawbacks of

[4:57:56] again theoretical zbb in its

[4:58:00] fullest form.

[4:58:00] Cited advantages include when

[4:58:05] cuts are necessary.

[4:58:05] Zbb offers a rational and

[4:58:06] comprehensive way to determine

[4:58:10] budget reductions as opposed to

[4:58:10] across the board cuts.

[4:58:14] It requires taking a closer

[4:58:15] look at everything the city

[4:58:15] spends on soda.

[4:58:16] It's more clearly it can be

[4:58:19] more clearly compared to

[4:58:20] services that provide the most

[4:58:23] value.

[4:58:24] It can provide better insight

[4:58:29] into detailed active use of

[4:58:29] departments.

[4:58:30] It can enhance decision making

[4:58:31] by allowing stakeholders to

[4:58:34] look at the entire budget

[4:58:34] rather than focusing on

[4:58:35] incremental changes to it.

[4:58:39] And finally, zbb focuses on

[4:58:39] performance measures and

[4:58:43] results for programs.

[4:58:44] >> Theoretical zbb also

[4:58:48] presents a number of drawbacks

[4:58:49] such as being extremely time

[4:58:52] consuming and intensive

[4:58:53] Developing, reviewing and

[4:58:54] ranking Numerous decision

[4:58:58] packages requires significant

[4:58:58] time commitment from staff.

[4:58:59] Because of this department

[4:59:03] struggled to create multiple

[4:59:03] service level options and are

[4:59:04] rarely able to develop

[4:59:08] alternative delivery

[4:59:08] approaches.

[4:59:09] Managers MAY also hesitate to

[4:59:12] propose packages that are below

[4:59:13] current spending levels.

[4:59:17] And when there's not full buy

[4:59:18] in for zbb it could lead to

[4:59:19] gaming the process, for example

[4:59:22] by managers offering only a few

[4:59:23] packages to limit choices or

[4:59:26] assigning low rankings to

[4:59:27] popular services knowing they

[4:59:28] are unlikely to be cut.

[4:59:32] Decision packages also reflect

[4:59:36] can also reflect management's

[4:59:37] preferences more than

[4:59:37] the priorities of elected

[4:59:38] officials or the communities

[4:59:42] served.

[4:59:42] And finally, zbb doesn't

[4:59:43] address whether a government

[4:59:44] should be providing a

[4:59:47] particular service in the first

[4:59:47] place.

[4:59:51] Now we will turn to how zbb

[4:59:52] works in practice.

[4:59:56] I'll note that a 2020 dfa paper

[4:59:56] indicates that true or

[5:00:01] theoretical zbb is very rare in

[5:00:01] practice.

[5:00:05] The drawbacks previously

[5:00:06] mentioned make it difficult to

[5:00:06] implement across all

[5:00:07] departments in a large

[5:00:10] organization.

[5:00:10] Some jurisdictions have found

[5:00:11] that zbb efficiencies would

[5:00:15] likely have been found through

[5:00:15] the normal budget process or

[5:00:19] that they should only be using

[5:00:20] zbb elements which makes sense

[5:00:21] for them and only for areas

[5:00:25] where it can have the most make

[5:00:28] the most difference in the next

[5:00:29] few slides Sergio will be

[5:00:30] providing examples of how

[5:00:34] elements of zbb again not for

[5:00:35] zbb have been used by

[5:00:39] jurisdictions successfully.

[5:00:40] Thankfully in the state of

[5:00:41] Georgia previously implemented

[5:00:44] a nontraditional zbb approach

[5:00:44] to review programs against

[5:00:45] their statutory

[5:00:49] responsibilities Purpose cost

[5:00:50] to provide services and desired

[5:00:50] performance outcomes in

[5:00:54] conjunction with its annual

[5:00:54] budget process, Georgia

[5:00:58] evaluated select programs for

[5:00:58] cost effectiveness relative to

[5:00:59] the targeted performance

[5:00:59] measures.

[5:01:03] Georgia's zbb requirement was

[5:01:03] automatically repealed in 2020.

[5:01:04] However, a Senate bill

[5:01:08] introduced in JANUARY of this

[5:01:09] year proposes to make this

[5:01:09] approach permanent.

[5:01:13] Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

[5:01:13] used a Michigan based form of

[5:01:17] zbb to develop its 2013 budget.

[5:01:17] Departments evaluate how their

[5:01:18] existing activities align with

[5:01:22] their mission and outline an

[5:01:23] ideal organizational structure

[5:01:23] to accomplish that mission.

[5:01:27] Their finance office then

[5:01:27] reviewed each department's

[5:01:28] project budget to assess

[5:01:32] whether they were aligned with

[5:01:32] the department's mission and

[5:01:33] the city of Chicago.

[5:01:36] Zbb for its non-personal

[5:01:37] expenditures were was

[5:01:40] introduced in fiscal year 2015

[5:01:41] where each mp line item was

[5:01:45] zeroed out.

[5:01:45] According to Chicago staff,

[5:01:46] the sby approach was again

[5:01:48] proposed during the fiscal year

[5:01:49] 2020 budget process but does

[5:01:49] not appear to have been

[5:01:50] implemented beyond that budget

[5:01:53] cycle.

[5:01:54] From 2012 to 2019 the city of

[5:01:58] Calgary, Alberta and Canada

[5:01:59] evaluated business business

[5:01:59] units outside of the regular

[5:02:00] budget process.

[5:02:04] With support from external

[5:02:04] consultants, Calgary conducted

[5:02:05] reviews of select business

[5:02:08] units to identify changes to

[5:02:09] service levels or delivery

[5:02:13] methods that could reduce costs

[5:02:14] or improve effectiveness.

[5:02:14] Calgary staff said that

[5:02:18] the review process mostly

[5:02:19] improved how services were

[5:02:19] delivered helping them to do

[5:02:23] more without spending more.

[5:02:24] Rather than cutting costs per

[5:02:28] council's action, Calgary will

[5:02:29] be reinstating this review of

[5:02:30] the fiscal year 20 their fiscal

[5:02:36] year 2027 budget.

[5:02:36] The slide notes some of

[5:02:37] the benefits and drawbacks that

[5:02:38] these jurisdictions have

[5:02:41] experienced with the foremost

[5:02:41] hub they put into practice

[5:02:42] starting with the benefits.

[5:02:46] Several of the jurisdictions we

[5:02:47] review reported to have

[5:02:47] generated savings.

[5:02:50] For example in George's first

[5:02:50] year of implementing its zbb

[5:02:53] approach resulting in $8.9

[5:02:54] million in savings and

[5:02:58] Montgomery County generated a

[5:02:59] net of approximately $20

[5:03:00] million by selling a nursing

[5:03:03] home that no longer aligned

[5:03:04] with its mission.

[5:03:04] Jurisdictions also noted

[5:03:08] improvements in its fiscal

[5:03:08] transparency and oversight and

[5:03:09] that legislators were provided

[5:03:13] with a better understanding of

[5:03:13] operations.

[5:03:18] Moving on to noted drawbacks.

[5:03:19] Again, zbb required substantial

[5:03:19] staff time and resources.

[5:03:23] For example, Calgary noted

[5:03:27] spending approximately 8.9

[5:03:28] million cad on the 11 zero

[5:03:28] based reviews it conducted.

[5:03:32] Jurisdictions reported having

[5:03:32] faced resistance and challenges

[5:03:33] related to department buying.

[5:03:36] Jordan noted that if directors

[5:03:37] did not see the value in

[5:03:37] the process it was difficult to

[5:03:41] get valuable information and

[5:03:41] make meaningful changes.

[5:03:45] Jurisdictions also noted that

[5:03:46] it was challenging to implement

[5:03:47] In Chicago, for instance, zbb

[5:03:50] was not applied to personal

[5:03:51] expenditures as it would be too

[5:03:52] complex given their large

[5:03:55] workforce.

[5:03:55] >> Next we will cover several

[5:04:00] lessons learned based off in

[5:04:01] these jurors that in these

[5:04:01] jurisdictions that again have

[5:04:05] implemented only elements of

[5:04:05] zbb.

[5:04:06] First jurisdictions emphasized

[5:04:10] the importance of developing a

[5:04:11] clear implementation plan

[5:04:14] before launching a zbb effort

[5:04:15] and to budget enough time for

[5:04:15] the process.

[5:04:19] Second, zbb should emphasize

[5:04:20] program improvements and

[5:04:20] performance enhancements rather

[5:04:21] than than focusing solely on

[5:04:24] cost cutting.

[5:04:25] Third jurisdictions should be

[5:04:26] should secure a strong

[5:04:30] leadership commitment and

[5:04:30] ensure staff buy in, according

[5:04:31] to Montgomery County's former

[5:04:34] cfo, zbb is only successful

[5:04:35] when leadership is committed to

[5:04:38] the process and willing to use

[5:04:39] the resulting information to

[5:04:40] make tough and politically

[5:04:44] difficult decisions.

[5:04:45] Fourth Council should be

[5:04:45] engaged throughout the whole

[5:04:48] zbb process.

[5:04:49] And finally, zbb needs to be

[5:04:50] tailored to each organization's

[5:04:53] needs and applied only where

[5:04:53] feasible.

[5:04:54] Calgary staff noted that there

[5:04:57] is no one size fits all model

[5:04:58] for their zero based review

[5:05:01] process And in Chicago staff

[5:05:02] recognized implementing zbb for

[5:05:03] mp could help identify savings

[5:05:07] But using it for p was too

[5:05:07] complicated and would not work

[5:05:08] without major modifications to

[5:05:11] their accounting system.

[5:05:12] Moving on to how the city of

[5:05:16] San Diego has used zbb in

[5:05:16] the past.

[5:05:17] In 2015 two council members

[5:05:21] requested the mayor's office to

[5:05:21] implement a zbb pilot process

[5:05:22] for the fiscal year 2017

[5:05:22] budget.

[5:05:26] The performance and analytics

[5:05:27] Department of Banda and

[5:05:27] the Facilities Division within

[5:05:31] the Public Works Department

[5:05:31] were selected to participate

[5:05:32] with both developing developing

[5:05:33] three types of decision

[5:05:35] packages in addition to

[5:05:35] the regular budget development

[5:05:36] process.

[5:05:40] These packages included a core

[5:05:40] decision package reflecting

[5:05:44] only the funding funding needed

[5:05:45] to support mandatory programs

[5:05:45] or services.

[5:05:49] A current decision package

[5:05:50] reflecting the department's

[5:05:50] existing budget levels and

[5:05:54] enhance or efficiency decision

[5:05:55] package which includes funding

[5:05:55] requests to improve programs,

[5:05:59] expand service levels or

[5:05:59] achieve operational

[5:06:00] efficiencies.

[5:06:03] The pilot program was

[5:06:04] structured for program or

[5:06:04] service based budgeting rather

[5:06:08] than the organizational

[5:06:09] organization based budgeting

[5:06:09] model that the city used at

[5:06:10] the time and still continues to

[5:06:13] use today.

[5:06:14] We note that the pilot program

[5:06:18] did not reduce the budgets of

[5:06:19] Panda or the Facilities

[5:06:19] division.

[5:06:20] Instead the pilot program

[5:06:23] increased them.

[5:06:23] Several items from each of

[5:06:24] the departments in hand

[5:06:25] Decision packages were

[5:06:28] converted into budget additions

[5:06:33] in the fiscal year 2017 Budget

[5:06:37] Report from Financial

[5:06:37] management in 2016 noted some

[5:06:38] benefits of the city zbb pilot

[5:06:42] program departments were able

[5:06:43] to more clearly identify their

[5:06:43] funding needs.

[5:06:47] The processing is lower level

[5:06:47] management in the budgeting

[5:06:48] process empowering department

[5:06:51] staff and it also gave decision

[5:06:52] makers insights into

[5:06:52] the department's day to day

[5:06:53] operations and allowed them to

[5:06:56] select different service

[5:06:56] levels.

[5:06:57] The report also noted some

[5:07:01] major challenges of the program

[5:07:01] .

[5:07:02] The pilot required extensive

[5:07:02] manual tracking and analysis

[5:07:06] developing multiple decision

[5:07:07] packages, demanded considerable

[5:07:07] time and effort from staff.

[5:07:11] Good performance measures were

[5:07:11] needed such as the cost of

[5:07:15] different service level options

[5:07:15] .

[5:07:16] And lastly it created costly.

[5:07:16] It created costly, complex and

[5:07:20] time consuming processes.

[5:07:21] On top of gathering data and

[5:07:22] developing multiple decision

[5:07:25] packages, both departments

[5:07:26] still had to perform

[5:07:26] the standard budget process

[5:07:30] work will conclude our portion

[5:07:30] of the training today by

[5:07:34] providing some takeaways.

[5:07:35] Zero based budgeting could

[5:07:36] identify savings by performing

[5:07:39] an in-depth review of

[5:07:40] expenditures but it also

[5:07:44] requires complex time consuming

[5:07:44] and potentially costly

[5:07:45] processes.

[5:07:45] However, there are ways that an

[5:07:49] in-depth review could be part

[5:07:50] of the current budget process

[5:07:50] as the Department of Finance

[5:07:51] will cover in their

[5:07:54] presentation.

[5:07:54] There are also alternatives to

[5:07:55] zbb such as conducting

[5:07:59] strategic programmatic reviews

[5:08:00] during the standard budget

[5:08:03] process or more in-depth review

[5:08:04] .

[5:08:04] More in-depth review outside

[5:08:05] the budget process that MAY

[5:08:08] also produce similar results to

[5:08:08] zbb.

[5:08:09] In terms of budgetary savings.

[5:08:13] When the city piloted a zbb

[5:08:14] program for the fiscal year

[5:08:14] 2017 budget, it resulted in

[5:08:18] budget additions for enhanced

[5:08:18] service levels.

[5:08:19] We know that significant budget

[5:08:23] savings come from reduced

[5:08:23] service levels.

[5:08:24] Council members could become

[5:08:24] involved in service level

[5:08:28] discussions at committee or

[5:08:29] they MAY consider evaluating

[5:08:29] and prioritizing individual

[5:08:33] programs and service services

[5:08:34] rather than entire departments.

[5:08:38] Finally, the budget Committee

[5:08:38] could take a deeper look into

[5:08:39] the zbb efforts.

[5:08:42] The city is already currently

[5:08:43] using including how

[5:08:43] the Department of Finance

[5:08:44] budgets for non-discretionary

[5:08:47] expenditures hourly positions

[5:08:48] as well as the zbb of external

[5:08:49] contracts and services for

[5:08:52] the fiscal year 2027 budget.

[5:08:53] This leads us to your

[5:08:56] presentation and I'll now hand

[5:08:57] it over to you and will tell

[5:09:01] you.

[5:09:01] Thank you Sergio.

[5:09:06] Good afternoon.

[5:09:07] Council PRESIDENT Lacob and

[5:09:07] Council members.

[5:09:08] i'm Ben Battalion Director of

[5:09:08] Finance.

[5:09:11] Today I'll be discussing how

[5:09:11] the Department of Finance is

[5:09:12] incorporating zero based

[5:09:14] budgeting principles into

[5:09:15] the city's current budget

[5:09:16] development process and

[5:09:20] highlighting several additional

[5:09:21] areas where a zero based review

[5:09:24] is being applied to the f y

[5:09:24] 2027 budget.

[5:09:29] >> The city uses various zbb

[5:09:30] approaches in the current

[5:09:30] budget development process.

[5:09:34] Departments are required to

[5:09:34] apply a zero based budgeting

[5:09:35] approach to several key

[5:09:39] categories including

[5:09:39] non-discretionary accounts for

[5:09:44] things like utilities rent and

[5:09:45] debt service information

[5:09:49] technology accounts non

[5:09:50] standard hour positions such as

[5:09:50] interns and other hourly staff

[5:09:54] fixed fringe benefits including

[5:09:55] the annual pension payment.

[5:09:58] Worker's compensation, long

[5:09:59] term disability and retiree

[5:10:00] health as well as public

[5:10:03] liabilities costs.

[5:10:04] Additionally, the Department of

[5:10:05] Finance identifies other areas

[5:10:08] that MAY benefit from a zero

[5:10:09] based review each year.

[5:10:13] For example, a review of fire

[5:10:14] rescue or police overtime

[5:10:14] needs.

[5:10:17] And finally departments are

[5:10:18] required to assess their

[5:10:19] baseline budgets to determine

[5:10:19] if incremental adjustments are

[5:10:23] necessary to maintain or

[5:10:23] enhance existing service

[5:10:24] levels.

[5:10:28] In these cases departments will

[5:10:28] develop a budget adjustment

[5:10:31] proposal to be evaluated and

[5:10:31] considered during the budget

[5:10:36] development process.

[5:10:36] >> Expenditure categories that

[5:10:37] are zero based each year

[5:10:41] represent represent about 40%

[5:10:41] of the total general fund

[5:10:42] budget.

[5:10:46] The fiscal year 26 adopted

[5:10:49] general fund budget includes

[5:10:50] about 836 million of the $2.2

[5:10:53] billion budget that is zero

[5:10:53] based.

[5:10:54] The remaining budget primarily

[5:10:58] consists of budgeted positions

[5:10:58] as well as other non personnel

[5:11:02] expenditures such as supplies.

[5:11:07] >> There was a new focus this

[5:11:08] year on a zero based review of

[5:11:09] external contracts and services

[5:11:12] for the general fund as well as

[5:11:12] some select non general funds.

[5:11:13] Each department was asked to

[5:11:17] review their fy 26 external

[5:11:18] contracts and services budgets

[5:11:21] and itemize how they are

[5:11:22] projected to be spent in

[5:11:22] the current fiscal year.

[5:11:26] By account and contract

[5:11:27] accounts that are part of this

[5:11:27] review include professional

[5:11:31] technical and consulting

[5:11:32] services, insurance fees and

[5:11:36] permits, rent training and

[5:11:37] travel among others.

[5:11:41] Each expenditure was reviewed

[5:11:42] and justified individually with

[5:11:46] projections developed for both

[5:11:47] fiscal year 26 and fiscal year

[5:11:47] 27.

[5:11:51] Departments also documented

[5:11:52] the service levels supported by

[5:11:52] the expenditures and they

[5:11:55] identified whether the costs

[5:11:56] were either ongoing or one time

[5:12:00] in nature.

[5:12:01] >> The information prepared by

[5:12:01] departments is still being

[5:12:05] reviewed and analyzed by

[5:12:05] the Department of Finance.

[5:12:09] However, approximately 250

[5:12:09] million is projected to be

[5:12:10] spent on external contracts and

[5:12:13] services for fiscal year 2026.

[5:12:17] The data shows that the ten

[5:12:18] largest spending categories

[5:12:18] account for about 85% of all

[5:12:22] external contracts and services

[5:12:23] expenditures.

[5:12:27] This concentration helps focus

[5:12:28] review efforts on the areas

[5:12:28] with the most significant

[5:12:32] financial impact.

[5:12:33] The reimbursement agreements

[5:12:33] category represents about a

[5:12:36] quarter of the total projection

[5:12:37] .

[5:12:37] This category primarily

[5:12:38] consists of the transfer to

[5:12:42] the Public Liability Fund and

[5:12:42] transfers to the San Diego

[5:12:43] Housing Commission to support

[5:12:44] shelter operations and

[5:12:49] the eviction prevention program

[5:12:50] .

[5:12:50] >> Looking at the preliminary

[5:12:51] results of the fy 26

[5:12:54] projections, approximately 15.8

[5:12:55] million is in Decreased

[5:12:59] spending was identified across

[5:13:03] the 55 accounts and

[5:13:04] approximately 20.9 million in

[5:13:04] increased spending was

[5:13:07] projected across 40 accounts.

[5:13:07] Overall the net projected

[5:13:11] increase of approximately 5

[5:13:11] million is primarily driven by

[5:13:16] inflation as well as the rising

[5:13:17] cost of doing business.

[5:13:17] This exercise has helped

[5:13:21] departments identify where cost

[5:13:22] savings measures could be

[5:13:22] implemented to help address

[5:13:25] the current year's projected

[5:13:26] budget deficit as well as to

[5:13:26] support other under budgeted

[5:13:30] priorities.

[5:13:31] I want to highlight a few

[5:13:31] examples.

[5:13:34] The police department is

[5:13:35] projecting to exceed their

[5:13:36] external contracts and services

[5:13:39] budget by approximately 2

[5:13:40] million which includes support

[5:13:40] for core essential services

[5:13:43] that cannot be managed in-house

[5:13:44] such as forensic medical

[5:13:44] examinations.

[5:13:49] Translation services and

[5:13:49] interagency agreements with

[5:13:50] the state and the county.

[5:13:53] The Parks and Recreation

[5:13:53] Department is projecting to

[5:13:56] exceed their budget by

[5:13:57] approximately 3 million

[5:13:57] primarily as a result of

[5:14:01] contractual increases as well

[5:14:02] as non-routine joint use site

[5:14:02] repairs And the Transportation

[5:14:07] Department is projecting to

[5:14:07] increase their budget or exceed

[5:14:11] their budget by approximately a

[5:14:11] million primarily due to

[5:14:13] increased contractual costs for

[5:14:19] concrete and asphalt.

[5:14:22] For fy 2027 projections about

[5:14:23] 4.4 million and decreased

[5:14:26] spending was identified across

[5:14:27] 23 accounts and about 16

[5:14:27] million in increased spending

[5:14:31] was projected across 48

[5:14:31] accounts.

[5:14:32] Similar to fy 26, this net

[5:14:36] increase is largely driven by

[5:14:36] inflation and increased

[5:14:40] operating costs which are

[5:14:40] necessary to maintain fy 2026

[5:14:44] service levels.

[5:14:45] The results of this analysis

[5:14:46] will help determine which areas

[5:14:46] of the budget could be

[5:14:49] decreased to support other

[5:14:50] areas which are projected to be

[5:14:51] under budget to maintain

[5:14:54] current service levels.

[5:14:55] For example, the police and

[5:14:55] parks and recreation

[5:14:59] departments are projecting to

[5:15:00] two need an additional

[5:15:00] 1,000,007 million respectively

[5:15:03] and this is primarily due to

[5:15:04] contractual cpi increases for

[5:15:09] their contracts.

[5:15:10] >> In addition to the review of

[5:15:10] external contracts and services

[5:15:14] departments are also conducting

[5:15:15] a comprehensive review and

[5:15:19] inventory of all unclassified

[5:15:20] fired positions across

[5:15:20] the city.

[5:15:21] Departments have been asked to

[5:15:24] document the program or

[5:15:25] divisions Each of their

[5:15:28] unclassified positions oversee

[5:15:29] the key responsibilities of

[5:15:30] each role and the span of

[5:15:33] control for those positions.

[5:15:34] This information will support

[5:15:34] budget decision making and

[5:15:38] organizational review as part

[5:15:39] of the broader effort to

[5:15:39] structurally balance about

[5:15:43] the budget.

[5:15:43] >> In summary, zero based

[5:15:47] budgeting is currently being

[5:15:48] applied to non-discretionary

[5:15:49] accounts spending hourly

[5:15:53] positions, fixed fringe

[5:15:53] benefits and public liability

[5:15:57] costs citywide.

[5:15:58] >> External contracts and

[5:15:59] services are being analyzed and

[5:16:01] justified as part of the fy

[5:16:02] 2027 budget process and

[5:16:06] departments are conducting a

[5:16:07] citywide review of unclassified

[5:16:07] positions to support informed

[5:16:11] budget decisions As the city

[5:16:11] continues its effort to

[5:16:15] structurally balance the budget

[5:16:15] .

[5:16:16] Additional components of zero

[5:16:17] based budgeting MAY be

[5:16:17] incorporated in the future

[5:16:21] fiscal year such as potentially

[5:16:21] zero basing entire budgets for

[5:16:25] specific departments pending

[5:16:25] available resources.

[5:16:26] That concludes my presentation.

[5:16:30] I'm happy to answer any

[5:16:31] questions or thank you to my

[5:16:31] team and to do you all for

[5:16:36] participating with us on this.

[5:16:36] As we move to Councilmember

[5:16:37] question of the comments, just

[5:16:40] reminder we have to pass out a

[5:16:41] survey.

[5:16:42] If you can fill it out to let

[5:16:42] us know what we are doing well

[5:16:44] and how we can improve.

[5:16:45] And with that I'll wrap it up.

[5:16:46] All right.

[5:16:46] Thank you.

[5:16:49] Charles Gillian, Sergio and Ben

[5:16:50] for this training that was

[5:16:53] requested by several

[5:16:54] individuals and partially meets

[5:16:59] our requirements for budget

[5:16:59] training.

[5:17:00] So with that Clark, please

[5:17:04] proceed with public comment.

[5:17:04] >> Thank you.

[5:17:05] Council PRESIDENT We have one

[5:17:05] speaker here in council

[5:17:09] chambers Blair Beckman if you

[5:17:10] can please come forward.

[5:17:10] We currently have five people

[5:17:12] in the virtual queue.

[5:17:17] You'll have two minutes.

[5:17:18] All right.

[5:17:22] Thank you, everyone.

[5:17:22] Uh, pretty good item.

[5:17:23] This is the first time I've

[5:17:27] heard of these efforts and work

[5:17:27] and so it's learning for me.

[5:17:32] I'm a bit behind.

[5:17:32] I'm trying to better

[5:17:32] understand.

[5:17:33] Thank you.

[5:17:37] I know the memo within the memo

[5:17:37] is said Councilperson Lee wants

[5:17:42] to be better understanding this

[5:17:42] issue from previous

[5:17:46] presentations so hopefully he's

[5:17:47] be nice to hear his comments

[5:17:48] and questions on this to know

[5:17:51] today.

[5:17:52] Um thank you that overall

[5:17:56] you're trying to be addressing

[5:17:56] uh not just immediate issues

[5:18:01] but uh you know with your

[5:18:02] capital items previously you're

[5:18:05] really trying to take a long

[5:18:06] term view of how to address our

[5:18:06] issues.

[5:18:10] It's nice to hear.

[5:18:11] I think it's really important

[5:18:11] to do.

[5:18:11] Thank you.

[5:18:15] Um, I know retirement board

[5:18:16] issues can have a really

[5:18:20] important way to look at more

[5:18:20] long term forecasting and ideas

[5:18:24] of how to be budgeting that MAY

[5:18:25] be of help to this entire

[5:18:25] process.

[5:18:29] We're going through right now.

[5:18:30] Thank you very much That um

[5:18:34] Council personnel although Vera

[5:18:35] seems to have very nicely

[5:18:38] described that um and

[5:18:38] Councilperson Campbell that

[5:18:43] revenue is simply really it is

[5:18:44] vital to figure out those ways

[5:18:48] Um we can't just simply cut

[5:18:52] things and say we're caring um

[5:18:53] it takes a lot of effort and

[5:18:54] council personnel over there

[5:18:55] and others really want to do

[5:18:58] this decently and you are

[5:18:58] working on that on the previous

[5:19:02] item.

[5:19:03] Thank you.

[5:19:04] Good luck with what we do well

[5:19:07] together that we save our

[5:19:08] practices together and our best

[5:19:08] selves together.

[5:19:12] That's it's a tough time.

[5:19:13] Good luck how we're creative

[5:19:16] and come up with really

[5:19:17] constructive answers and not

[5:19:21] just other things.

[5:19:22] >> Thank you.

[5:19:23] Thank you for that concluding

[5:19:23] comment.

[5:19:24] The five minute timer has been

[5:19:26] started five speakers in

[5:19:26] the queue starting with John

[5:19:27] Stump.

[5:19:30] After that The Gambler one of

[5:19:34] my favorite subjects budgeting

[5:19:35] .

[5:19:35] First I want to say again

[5:19:39] the way the budget is arranged

[5:19:40] does not It's alphabetical.

[5:19:45] It should be arranged based on

[5:19:46] Maslow's hierarchy of needs

[5:19:50] The things that are most

[5:19:50] essential to the needs of

[5:19:55] people like housing are should

[5:19:57] be on top and then things

[5:20:03] should be in declining order.

[5:20:03] >> Zero based budgeting There's

[5:20:08] an opportunity to add to

[5:20:08] the list that we could zero

[5:20:12] based and that is subsidies to

[5:20:17] activities that are costing

[5:20:18] the city money and could be

[5:20:22] reimbursed that you know what I

[5:20:23] think about is when the city

[5:20:27] sends police or fire or other

[5:20:27] support services like

[5:20:31] ambulances, those organizations

[5:20:32] that require those

[5:20:36] significantly should be

[5:20:37] reimbursing the city so that we

[5:20:37] don't have to think about

[5:20:41] laying off police officers or

[5:20:49] fire workers and then the third

[5:20:49] area that is zero based

[5:20:54] budgeting could be looking at

[5:20:54] is stormwater.

[5:20:58] You know there was a stormwater

[5:21:03] is a development cost.

[5:21:04] It's something you do when you

[5:21:05] build new neighborhoods and you

[5:21:08] cover land.

[5:21:09] So what the combination has to

[5:21:13] be is first fees to develop

[5:21:17] land that's going to cost more

[5:21:22] stormwater impacts the fees

[5:21:22] raising taxes just on the basis

[5:21:26] of water use or something like

[5:21:27] that is not the only way to do

[5:21:32] it and it should No one should

[5:21:36] get a lower rate on it than

[5:21:36] common citizens.

[5:21:37] >> Thank you Your time has

[5:21:38] concluded Gambler If you can

[5:21:40] please unmute.

[5:21:46] After that is 8700 gambler I

[5:21:47] cannot unmute for you There you

[5:21:52] go Daniel here You know what so

[5:21:52] crazy I worked with the county

[5:21:56] of San Diego for 20 years and I

[5:21:57] had the opportunity to help fix

[5:22:01] the budget of the San Diego

[5:22:01] Registrar of Voters.

[5:22:02] The craziest thing is are

[5:22:05] the things that we budgeted for

[5:22:06] really it's just a copy and

[5:22:06] paste job every single time.

[5:22:09] No one at the top really knows

[5:22:10] what is actually in there And

[5:22:14] so I was tasked to go ahead and

[5:22:15] actually do the budget And it's

[5:22:19] not that hard.

[5:22:19] My surprise is the fact that we

[5:22:20] don't do it.

[5:22:23] We don't have supervisors

[5:22:24] making sure that each

[5:22:29] department is properly doing

[5:22:29] this and then you come up with

[5:22:33] that So use it or lose it And

[5:22:34] then when they go ahead and cut

[5:22:35] costs then they go ahead and

[5:22:38] add costs doing special things

[5:22:39] and all that stuff I find it Do

[5:22:40] we actually have supervisor I

[5:22:43] mean do we have any qualified

[5:22:48] people working at the county or

[5:22:48] the city that understands money

[5:22:49] at all or do you guys think

[5:22:53] that the people are just a

[5:22:54] piggy bank for you?

[5:22:54] I mean because that's the way

[5:22:58] that you act.

[5:22:59] I mean that was a way that

[5:23:00] Cynthia Byers, the registrar of

[5:23:02] voters treated it.

[5:23:03] I mean we tripled the cost of

[5:23:03] an election because they were

[5:23:08] lazy to and they just wanted to

[5:23:08] mail out everything without

[5:23:09] doing any security checks.

[5:23:12] That's why we get people like

[5:23:12] Shawn leading us.

[5:23:16] These people are unqualified.

[5:23:17] No one wanted them except for

[5:23:18] the fraudsters and this is what

[5:23:23] we're up to now We have to

[5:23:23] teach you guys how to do

[5:23:24] budget.

[5:23:26] Richardson's going to flat out

[5:23:27] ignore and you're going to

[5:23:27] continue doing what you're

[5:23:31] going to do because you know

[5:23:32] people are going to cheat for

[5:23:32] you.

[5:23:33] I don't like this system.

[5:23:35] I don't like the fact that we

[5:23:36] no longer want qualified people

[5:23:37] working for us and we don't

[5:23:41] have proper supervisors.

[5:23:41] If you want to go ahead and get

[5:23:42] any information on how to

[5:23:46] actually properly do that,

[5:23:47] can't talk to the county of San

[5:23:52] Diego and particularly Nicole

[5:23:52] Alejandro.

[5:23:53] >> So we're going to why didn't

[5:23:54] you up And you know time has

[5:23:57] concluded at 700 if you can

[5:23:57] please let me know after that

[5:24:04] is the original 8700 star six.

[5:24:05] Thank you, Joy.

[5:24:12] Senator cd3, I just have so

[5:24:12] much to say.

[5:24:16] I'm so excited.

[5:24:17] Councilmember Rivera and

[5:24:19] Councilmember Foster the third

[5:24:20] fabulous sharing on that last

[5:24:24] item.

[5:24:25] I was mesmerized.

[5:24:29] It's just good work And in

[5:24:30] being she'll just keep doing it

[5:24:35] that way and and PRESIDENT Kind

[5:24:36] of was so generous with time it

[5:24:39] was just wonderful.

[5:24:40] So on this item of Department

[5:24:44] of Finance five stars because I

[5:24:45] think your implementation of

[5:24:49] the zbb the last time is

[5:24:54] really, really good and I like

[5:24:54] the I.T.

[5:24:59] >> Account being part of that I

[5:24:59] guess you call it the pilot

[5:25:03] project and and the fact that

[5:25:04] you pointed out that you know

[5:25:08] inflation and rising costs are

[5:25:08] really maybe the main thing

[5:25:12] that that hurt us So it's good

[5:25:17] stuff and I call it a hybrid a

[5:25:18] zbb hybrid And I want you to

[5:25:22] continue because I think it's

[5:25:23] too impractical to go all

[5:25:27] the way with it.

[5:25:28] But I do like where it's headed

[5:25:28] And and I just think you're

[5:25:32] doing great in let's just keep

[5:25:33] doing what we're doing, add

[5:25:37] some things, subtract some

[5:25:38] things But it's I think it's

[5:25:38] really, really a good route

[5:25:42] today for our budget.

[5:25:42] So thank you again I have a

[5:25:43] couple of other things that

[5:25:46] I'll give it to you tonight So

[5:25:47] thank you very much.

[5:25:47] Love to all.

[5:25:48] Thank you.

[5:25:49] Next is the original If you can

[5:25:50] please unmute after that Our

[5:25:55] final speaker is 8813.

[5:25:56] Anything you guys talk about

[5:25:56] with the budget it's a little

[5:25:57] bit frightening because you say

[5:26:00] that there's not enough money.

[5:26:00] I don't know how billions of

[5:26:01] dollars isn't enough money to

[5:26:05] do the things that you're quote

[5:26:06] unquote supposed to do And then

[5:26:10] so you come continue Lee after

[5:26:11] the people going like was isn't

[5:26:12] enough when you more for me

[5:26:14] like oh my gosh talk about like

[5:26:15] just robbing people that are

[5:26:20] suffering and you know it too

[5:26:20] and it's all at the hands of

[5:26:21] new guys And this seems like

[5:26:22] more of another way to kind of

[5:26:24] hide things because it then you

[5:26:25] know, are you not keeping up

[5:26:30] with your required means?

[5:26:30] Is this supposed to not be

[5:26:31] happening twice a year and it's

[5:26:34] only happened what I mean as

[5:26:35] far as you documented or it

[5:26:38] could have been before 2016 but

[5:26:39] basically twice in the last 20

[5:26:40] years that it's been in place.

[5:26:43] And so what are we paying for

[5:26:43] with this?

[5:26:44] But if you can sit there and

[5:26:48] say that we're going to go from

[5:26:48] zero and up.

[5:26:49] Well, if you don't look at what

[5:26:50] was spent last year on a

[5:26:53] certain entity or program or

[5:26:58] whatever, then you this seems

[5:26:59] more like you want to hide that

[5:26:59] you've already given say an

[5:27:03] entity like Dreams for Change

[5:27:04] this month's money and we need

[5:27:07] to kind of start from zero and

[5:27:07] say we need to give them this

[5:27:08] much money this year.

[5:27:11] I just think it's crazy because

[5:27:11] like all of the things that

[5:27:16] have been going on especially

[5:27:16] with like the police overtime

[5:27:21] you guys literally or the count

[5:27:21] some of you in the councils

[5:27:25] before you implemented to make

[5:27:26] your employees get back to and

[5:27:26] so you lost a third of your

[5:27:30] police department and we have

[5:27:31] to pay for that because they're

[5:27:35] no longer, you know, full of

[5:27:36] people that can be doing

[5:27:39] the job And so they have to pay

[5:27:40] for overtime.

[5:27:41] And so I mean if you guys quit

[5:27:45] doing things that are making us

[5:27:45] have to pay more, those

[5:27:46] billions of dollars that you

[5:27:49] get should be suffice.

[5:27:50] You need to be good stewards of

[5:27:51] our money and not try and look

[5:27:54] for other ways to hide

[5:27:55] the racketeering that's going

[5:27:55] on.

[5:27:56] It is so clear people just pay

[5:27:59] attention Your time has

[5:28:00] concluded 8813 If you can

[5:28:01] please unmute your final

[5:28:07] speaker.

[5:28:11] Okay So here Amen to that.

[5:28:12] Now it's always a red flag to

[5:28:12] me when you're getting

[5:28:16] information from other

[5:28:16] metropolitan cities like

[5:28:17] Chicago and to utilize it here

[5:28:21] in San Diego if that's not an

[5:28:22] indicator of system slowly

[5:28:26] leading us toward a one world

[5:28:26] government structure I don't

[5:28:30] know what is this These

[5:28:30] packages being presented are

[5:28:31] not beneficial for the people.

[5:28:35] They're only efficient for

[5:28:36] the expansion of government

[5:28:40] control price price I hope

[5:28:40] the staffers in this room

[5:28:41] understand that the work you're

[5:28:42] doing contributes to

[5:28:44] the systems that further

[5:28:45] control and manage people

[5:28:49] including your own loved ones

[5:28:50] Under what is openly discussed

[5:28:51] as the United Nations agenda

[5:28:54] for the 21st century.

[5:28:54] I promise you it does.

[5:28:58] Meanwhile, all of our hard

[5:28:58] earned tax dollars are being

[5:28:59] wasted prioritizing an agenda

[5:29:03] rather than addressing

[5:29:03] the basic urgent needs of

[5:29:04] the people.

[5:29:08] Wake up, catch up.

[5:29:09] More and more people are

[5:29:09] speaking about things like

[5:29:10] the 15 minute city model and

[5:29:12] the broader global frameworks

[5:29:13] being pushed by organizations

[5:29:14] like the World Economic Forum,

[5:29:18] the un and the World Health

[5:29:18] Organization.

[5:29:19] There's no theory about it.

[5:29:22] These discussions are publicly

[5:29:23] documented.

[5:29:23] What's really concerning is

[5:29:24] that people have forgotten

[5:29:27] something very important.

[5:29:28] It was things are sovereign.

[5:29:32] Quite frankly, we were never

[5:29:33] meant to be endlessly governed

[5:29:33] especially not by systems that

[5:29:37] have repeatedly shown

[5:29:38] corruption and a lack of

[5:29:38] accountability.

[5:29:42] So I look forward to the day

[5:29:42] when more people begin to see

[5:29:43] through the smoke and mirrors

[5:29:47] of government both locally and

[5:29:47] federally because once people

[5:29:51] truly see it everything changes

[5:29:51] .

[5:29:52] Thank you.

[5:29:57] That concludes public for this

[5:29:57] item.

[5:29:58] >> All right.

[5:29:58] Thank you, City Clerk.

[5:30:02] This is an information item No

[5:30:02] motions required.

[5:30:03] I'll turn it over to my

[5:30:06] colleagues for questions and

[5:30:06] comments and we'll start with

[5:30:07] the chair of the Budget

[5:30:07] Committee.

[5:30:10] Councilmember Foster Yes.

[5:30:11] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT

[5:30:16] And thank you to the ipa and

[5:30:20] Department of Finance in

[5:30:21] putting this presentation

[5:30:21] together.

[5:30:25] I do appreciate

[5:30:26] the presentation.

[5:30:30] I think there's a lot to unpack

[5:30:34] Um, based on what we just

[5:30:35] received.

[5:30:36] Um, I think there's probably

[5:30:40] for me to be in a more

[5:30:40] comfortable place to have a

[5:30:44] more detailed type conversation

[5:30:44] especially as we look to look

[5:30:49] at um I want to say the areas

[5:30:54] that we currently exercise zbb

[5:30:54] and the outcomes and what those

[5:30:58] have been and the thought

[5:30:59] process that goes into

[5:31:06] the decisions that are made in

[5:31:07] .

[5:31:07] I guess I will I will always

[5:31:11] say this as you look at this

[5:31:11] process, I think I will go back

[5:31:15] to what I have said since day

[5:31:19] one of of serving as a council

[5:31:19] member for the fourth District.

[5:31:23] I think it even speaks more in

[5:31:24] regards to the importance of

[5:31:25] directors to understand their

[5:31:33] departments and their roles

[5:31:33] responsibilities.

[5:31:37] And I'll say that in working to

[5:31:38] core services versus non-core

[5:31:43] type services I think that is

[5:31:43] something that we really still

[5:31:47] need to work on and get our

[5:31:52] arms around in order for I'm

[5:31:53] gonna say any type of budgeting

[5:31:54] to truly truly work especially

[5:31:57] when we are in this situation

[5:31:57] and dealing with this

[5:31:58] structural deficit and we are

[5:31:59] trying to make the decisions

[5:32:02] that we have in front of us

[5:32:03] when we're trying to work to a

[5:32:03] balanced budget.

[5:32:07] Um also I'll go back to that

[5:32:12] that um, you know we did have a

[5:32:12] presentation by the city

[5:32:16] Attorney's office in regards to

[5:32:16] what I will term mandated core

[5:32:17] services.

[5:32:22] I think there's still some more

[5:32:22] conversation that needs to take

[5:32:25] place There to truly land to

[5:32:30] where we have consensus um from

[5:32:35] the mayor's office also with

[5:32:36] this body the aba's office and

[5:32:40] our departments to to make sure

[5:32:41] we are all on the same page and

[5:32:45] operating from a place of

[5:32:45] consensus.

[5:32:50] Um I will say this as well and

[5:32:50] I'm just I'm going to go back

[5:32:51] to your slide.

[5:32:54] I think it's Slide nine where

[5:32:54] we were talking about

[5:32:55] theoretical zbb.

[5:32:59] Um zero based budgeting and

[5:32:59] cited drawbacks.

[5:33:04] Just as I look at this, I think

[5:33:06] any time we are dealing with a

[5:33:07] $6 billion budget and

[5:33:12] complexities the when you start

[5:33:13] drawing into the different

[5:33:18] various um fund accounts in

[5:33:18] the way we do business I think

[5:33:22] it's complex No matter what

[5:33:23] system you use And I think it's

[5:33:27] all a time um a time sensitive

[5:33:32] type type issue and takes time.

[5:33:36] But I am a little in I think I

[5:33:37] understand this when you talk

[5:33:42] about reluctance of managers to

[5:33:43] suggest decision packages.

[5:33:43] When you talk about lack of buy

[5:33:47] in um can lead to gaming

[5:33:47] the system When you talk about

[5:33:51] decision packages are often

[5:33:52] driven by management

[5:33:56] preferences and MAY not reflect

[5:33:57] priorities of stakeholders.

[5:33:58] >> I feel like a lot of this be

[5:34:02] current is currently being

[5:34:03] practiced by the city of San

[5:34:06] Diego in the various

[5:34:07] departments as we are putting

[5:34:08] our budget together.

[5:34:11] And I just have to say you know

[5:34:12] for me when we talk about lack

[5:34:17] of buying can lead to gaming

[5:34:17] the system, I must say I view

[5:34:22] that as simply insubordination.

[5:34:23] If the if the policy is set in

[5:34:27] place and directors are to to

[5:34:32] to then in turn implement and

[5:34:36] execute and there are issues in

[5:34:37] regards to philosophy or

[5:34:42] the desire to do so.

[5:34:43] Um I quite frankly read that as

[5:34:43] insubordination and I think

[5:34:47] that's another conversation

[5:34:48] that needs to be had as we talk

[5:34:49] about the operations of

[5:34:50] the city of San Diego.

[5:34:56] Um other thing that I will say

[5:35:00] and really what I'm interested

[5:35:01] as we looked at are the things

[5:35:03] that you brought up when we

[5:35:09] talk about our

[5:35:09] non-discretionary type items.

[5:35:10] I would like to get a detailed

[5:35:14] sit down with you guys to truly

[5:35:15] understand that.

[5:35:15] I think if you look at our

[5:35:16] budgets internally those

[5:35:20] non-discretionary lines are

[5:35:20] tend to be larger lines with

[5:35:25] just in a council office, right

[5:35:26] versus what our own spend is in

[5:35:26] other areas.

[5:35:30] But we have no say so in what

[5:35:34] that is or how that's developed

[5:35:35] .

[5:35:35] And so I think it would behoove

[5:35:36] all of us to have some more

[5:35:40] insight into those as well.

[5:35:41] And quite frankly, as we talk

[5:35:45] about the one thing that I'm

[5:35:46] losing in here are some of

[5:35:50] the decisions that are made as

[5:35:51] we look at travel, as we look

[5:35:55] at those types of things.

[5:35:56] You know, I have traveled on

[5:36:01] any type of um one of the trips

[5:36:06] we do to on our delegation or

[5:36:07] delegation trips.

[5:36:07] I haven't gone to the state or

[5:36:12] to to on the Mexico trip or to

[5:36:17] D.C. And I'm continuing to um

[5:36:17] to not do those.

[5:36:18] That's a decision that I make

[5:36:22] as the head of my office but I

[5:36:23] don't know if how those types

[5:36:27] of decisions are being made

[5:36:27] right.

[5:36:28] Also as we go into

[5:36:29] the decisions when we purchase

[5:36:33] equipment and vehicles, Right.

[5:36:34] So I think there are some other

[5:36:34] things that that that are that

[5:36:38] play into not only a zbb

[5:36:38] process but just how certain

[5:36:39] decisions are made and how

[5:36:43] those line up as we are

[5:36:44] creating or going through this

[5:36:44] process.

[5:36:48] So I think it's a little more

[5:36:49] complex And then then kind of

[5:36:50] saying hey takes time winding

[5:36:50] down.

[5:36:55] I think there's a lot of things

[5:36:55] that we need to go through.

[5:36:56] But I do thank you for this.

[5:37:00] I think it's a good start.

[5:37:01] I would like to look at

[5:37:01] the outcomes on what you did

[5:37:02] and have a more detailed

[5:37:04] conversation as we go through

[5:37:05] the Budget review Committee and

[5:37:09] as we go to finalize the fiscal

[5:37:09] year 27 budget.

[5:37:10] So I'll be asking those types

[5:37:14] of questions dig digging a

[5:37:15] little deeper.

[5:37:15] And probably having some

[5:37:19] preliminary discussions as we

[5:37:20] as we go into things to give

[5:37:21] you an opportunity to to brief

[5:37:26] my office and to do certain

[5:37:27] things that we can try and be

[5:37:27] as efficient as we can as we

[5:37:28] come to the day.

[5:37:31] So thank you again And that

[5:37:32] concludes my comments.

[5:37:32] Council PRESIDENT All right.

[5:37:36] Thank you Councilmember Foster

[5:37:37] We'll go next to Councilmember

[5:37:37] Eli Rivera Thank you.

[5:37:38] Council PRESIDENT.

[5:37:38] Thanks for this presentation.

[5:37:41] Appreciate it.

[5:37:42] I I'm really glad we're having

[5:37:43] this conversation.

[5:37:45] I think that zero based

[5:37:46] budgeting has an opportunity to

[5:37:51] be a more rigorous and I guess

[5:37:56] honest way of building a budget

[5:37:56] .

[5:37:57] But it also brings me back to

[5:37:58] something I said a couple weeks

[5:38:02] ago and I probably will say in

[5:38:07] a couple of hours and it we

[5:38:08] need it We need to decide who

[5:38:09] we want to be as a city first.

[5:38:13] I don't know if this tool which

[5:38:18] is how I see it can be yielded

[5:38:24] will that as a as effectively

[5:38:25] as it otherwise could be If we

[5:38:26] haven't done that work to

[5:38:30] determine what we should be

[5:38:31] doing in the first place?

[5:38:31] And I think that that was a

[5:38:32] really important takeaway for

[5:38:35] me and I think we're struggling

[5:38:40] with that right now Without

[5:38:41] that without us determining

[5:38:47] what services are essential And

[5:38:47] I appreciate the work that

[5:38:48] COUNCILMAN Foster's doing to

[5:38:52] kind of understand that

[5:38:53] the answer to that question

[5:38:53] from a from a legal sense But I

[5:38:54] think there's a there's a even

[5:38:58] broader question that goes

[5:38:59] beyond the charter about who do

[5:39:04] we want to be what we think is

[5:39:04] essential to deliver to

[5:39:05] the constituents, what outcomes

[5:39:06] are we trying to achieve for

[5:39:09] residents And then once we do

[5:39:10] that we can start asking

[5:39:10] ourselves okay, what are we

[5:39:11] willing to stop doing to do

[5:39:15] less of to to actually get

[5:39:15] there?

[5:39:16] And so I do really hope that we

[5:39:21] have that conversation both as

[5:39:22] a council and with the mayor in

[5:39:23] this budget process in a way

[5:39:27] that gives all of us and

[5:39:33] the residents of the city a

[5:39:34] clear sense of where we are

[5:39:34] trying to go.

[5:39:35] >> I do have just a couple of

[5:39:38] questions and I don't know how

[5:39:44] I'm much you are willing to

[5:39:44] share right now.

[5:39:49] Are there any programs or

[5:39:50] service areas that the idea is

[5:39:51] are most ripe for that sort of

[5:39:51] scrutiny during this budget

[5:39:54] cycle?

[5:40:01] >> So very open ended question

[5:40:02] to some extent everything

[5:40:02] because if you're going to be

[5:40:03] saying in a couple hours we are

[5:40:07] going into this budget cycle

[5:40:08] needing to fill $120 million

[5:40:08] hole.

[5:40:09] Yeah to that extent additional

[5:40:10] scrutiny is important upon

[5:40:13] every item I think some to

[5:40:14] focus on our programs and

[5:40:19] potentially the departments we

[5:40:19] just simply have never

[5:40:20] adequately funded asking

[5:40:21] ourselves if those programs or

[5:40:25] services are really essential.

[5:40:25] If they are then we should

[5:40:26] probably looking at adding

[5:40:26] more.

[5:40:30] If they're not then we should

[5:40:31] probably be asking whether or

[5:40:32] not we should continue to only

[5:40:32] partially fund programs.

[5:40:36] One of the interesting things

[5:40:36] that you see from some of

[5:40:37] the examples to be including

[5:40:41] our own nearly ten years ago

[5:40:42] now is that the cbp exercise

[5:40:42] doesn't always lead to

[5:40:48] expenditure reductions.

[5:40:49] It often leads to folks looking

[5:40:50] at a service level One thing

[5:40:51] that terms of want and that

[5:40:51] requires additional resources

[5:40:57] beyond what we are doing today

[5:40:58] That's one of the things that

[5:40:59] we are likely to run into.

[5:41:02] What we are again faced with is

[5:41:03] a constrained and real lack of

[5:41:04] resources to provide

[5:41:04] the services that we are today.

[5:41:09] So those discussions are going

[5:41:10] to be particularly challenging.

[5:41:14] Yeah, I appreciate that We

[5:41:15] the 2017 pilot was mentioned

[5:41:15] because I think it's actually

[5:41:20] really indicative of how we got

[5:41:20] to where we were at my opinion

[5:41:21] at least we did a process that

[5:41:26] said Oh we actually need to

[5:41:26] resource things better and

[5:41:27] rather than do that and have

[5:41:28] that conversation we said How

[5:41:31] about we just go back to our

[5:41:32] old way of doing things which

[5:41:33] is insufficiently funding

[5:41:33] the things that we say are

[5:41:38] super important to Charles You

[5:41:39] want to respond to that part?

[5:41:42] I the other question I had

[5:41:43] there's this mention of

[5:41:49] the decision packages often

[5:41:49] being driven by management

[5:41:50] preferences that didn't

[5:41:51] necessarily reflect stakeholder

[5:41:51] priorities.

[5:41:55] Are there any what sort of of

[5:41:56] community engagement would you

[5:42:01] recommend to make sure that we

[5:42:02] don't if we were to really,

[5:42:03] really lean into zero based

[5:42:07] budgeting that we don't make

[5:42:08] that mistake habit in this over

[5:42:13] my team but initially I would

[5:42:14] say input sessions like you're

[5:42:15] having now surveys like you're

[5:42:19] going out it's a little bit

[5:42:19] difficult because how many

[5:42:20] people are always going to open

[5:42:26] up an email from a city news

[5:42:27] blast to respond to a survey.

[5:42:27] But that's a that's important

[5:42:30] input on what we believe our

[5:42:31] citizens will likely want to

[5:42:31] see the city do.

[5:42:32] So to the extent that each of

[5:42:37] the council members can reach

[5:42:37] out to their communities to

[5:42:38] figure out what those

[5:42:38] priorities and programs are, I

[5:42:43] think that that is important.

[5:42:44] One note that I would note of

[5:42:45] some of the drawbacks in here

[5:42:50] including certain packages or

[5:42:50] financial preferences that's a

[5:42:51] drawback not just zero based

[5:42:51] budgeting.

[5:42:55] It's not exclusive through

[5:42:56] based budgeting.

[5:42:57] It's a drawback to almost any

[5:42:57] budgeting system that you can

[5:42:58] think of.

[5:43:00] I don't think that there is a

[5:43:01] perfect budgeting process or

[5:43:01] system.

[5:43:06] But that said, in terms of

[5:43:07] trying to ensure that there's

[5:43:07] additional stakeholder input

[5:43:08] turn back to my team If they

[5:43:09] have examples from some of

[5:43:12] the cities that we talked with.

[5:43:13] I would just add I think

[5:43:14] the point that we're trying to

[5:43:14] make there is that a lot of

[5:43:18] the decision packages come kind

[5:43:19] of from the lowest decision

[5:43:24] making level possible that

[5:43:25] could be at the division level

[5:43:25] or even department level.

[5:43:26] I think what we're trying to

[5:43:31] say too is that there needs to

[5:43:31] be input from the elected

[5:43:36] officials level to make sure

[5:43:36] that it does represent

[5:43:37] the service levels that they

[5:43:43] expect to be delivered as they

[5:43:43] understand their public their

[5:43:49] communities desires as well.

[5:43:49] Got it.

[5:43:50] To kind of bring us back to

[5:43:51] the original question of who do

[5:43:51] we want to be?

[5:43:55] What is essential in our eyes

[5:43:55] to deliver to our residents?

[5:43:56] Thank you again for the work on

[5:43:56] this.

[5:44:00] Like I said, I think this is a

[5:44:01] really important practice.

[5:44:01] It's one that I'd like to see

[5:44:02] us lean into more and I think

[5:44:06] we will be selling ourselves

[5:44:07] short in its utility until we

[5:44:08] really articulate as a council

[5:44:12] and alongside the mayor about

[5:44:13] what it actually is that we're

[5:44:13] trying to achieve as a city

[5:44:17] the outcomes we want to deliver

[5:44:18] .

[5:44:18] We haven't hit the mark I don't

[5:44:19] think in terms of clarity there

[5:44:25] and I hope we do better on that

[5:44:25] front.

[5:44:26] >> Thank you, Council

[5:44:26] PRESIDENT.

[5:44:27] All right.

[5:44:27] Thank you.

[5:44:29] I will go next to Councilmember

[5:44:30] Voldemort.

[5:44:30] Thank you.

[5:44:31] I'll be very quick.

[5:44:31] I just want to thank you for

[5:44:36] the training and the comparison

[5:44:37] other cities and to know that

[5:44:37] the cities are already doing

[5:44:38] this in some regard.

[5:44:38] One thing that does alarm me

[5:44:42] about the good work you've been

[5:44:43] doing is in the f y 2026

[5:44:48] impacts of the rule based

[5:44:49] budgeting on external contracts

[5:44:49] and services.

[5:44:50] The good news is that the Board

[5:44:54] of Finances figured out how to

[5:44:55] lower our cost by 15.8 million

[5:44:58] in decreased spending across 55

[5:44:59] accounts but we're still

[5:44:59] outweighed by 20 million

[5:45:02] The projected projected

[5:45:03] increased spending in 40

[5:45:04] accounts and the net increase

[5:45:04] is driven by inflation and

[5:45:05] increased cost of doing

[5:45:09] business And we see a similar

[5:45:10] pattern projected for every 27.

[5:45:15] So that's a huge problem for

[5:45:15] us.

[5:45:15] Are these contracts these

[5:45:16] outside service contract

[5:45:22] contracts that are going up in

[5:45:23] the middle of the contract or

[5:45:24] relocating them or the new

[5:45:24] contracts are coming at a

[5:45:27] higher price?

[5:45:27] It's probably all the above

[5:45:28] across all departments within

[5:45:32] the general fund.

[5:45:33] In some cases we are seeing,

[5:45:34] you know, increased contractual

[5:45:34] costs but then these

[5:45:38] departments are not receiving

[5:45:38] the adequate or appropriate

[5:45:39] budget to support those

[5:45:45] contracts.

[5:45:45] Okay.

[5:45:45] Got it.

[5:45:46] I'd love to hear as we go into

[5:45:47] this budget not love but it

[5:45:47] would be important for me to

[5:45:51] hear as you go into the budget

[5:45:51] cycle about what's happening in

[5:45:52] creating the tariff and

[5:45:53] increase the cost of everything

[5:45:56] around us And what's happening

[5:45:57] with Donald Trump's war in

[5:45:58] the Middle East is now causing

[5:46:01] our energy prices to increase.

[5:46:02] And so I just it's important

[5:46:03] for us to realize what we're

[5:46:08] dealing with externally that we

[5:46:09] can't even control as we try

[5:46:09] and budget.

[5:46:10] This is quite alarming to see

[5:46:13] how much our outside contracts

[5:46:14] have had to increase due to

[5:46:15] inflation the cost of business.

[5:46:16] So thank you very much.

[5:46:16] All right.

[5:46:20] Thank you, gentlemen.

[5:46:21] Not for anybody else in

[5:46:25] the light I'll add okay.

[5:46:30] >> I'll add my thanks for

[5:46:31] the good work and trying to

[5:46:37] break this down in a rather

[5:46:38] brief training session to help

[5:46:38] us kind of understand what

[5:46:42] the opportunity is.

[5:46:43] I think we'll continue to

[5:46:44] struggle to look at a budget in

[5:46:48] which we know that we're

[5:46:49] actually underfunding

[5:46:49] the programs and somehow

[5:46:50] the departments make these

[5:46:54] things work.

[5:46:55] We also know much like

[5:46:56] the earlier item it's not a

[5:47:00] static situation If we could

[5:47:01] just get it right we're not a

[5:47:01] business where we say how many

[5:47:06] widgets per hour do we need to

[5:47:07] build to be able to make a

[5:47:07] reasonable profit?

[5:47:11] It's quite dynamic in terms of

[5:47:12] what is happening out there

[5:47:13] with our constituents, with our

[5:47:18] infrastructure, what is

[5:47:19] happening there with unfunded

[5:47:19] mandates from the state or

[5:47:23] the federal side changing

[5:47:24] dynamics from whoever is

[5:47:25] the elected official and what

[5:47:29] their priorities are and what

[5:47:30] our assets are all make that a

[5:47:35] very challenging situation.

[5:47:36] I guess the only thing I would

[5:47:37] add in terms of what I think of

[5:47:41] rather than to to a certain

[5:47:42] degree zero based budgeting is

[5:47:42] rather the confidence of each

[5:47:47] level of management so that

[5:47:48] given the size of our our

[5:47:48] employee or the number of our

[5:47:53] employees that there has to be

[5:47:54] confident that each level when

[5:47:54] the front line workers say

[5:47:59] you're asking me to do this I

[5:48:00] don't have the resources And my

[5:48:01] favorite one to pick on is

[5:48:05] Parks and Rec.

[5:48:05] We don't increase our budget

[5:48:06] and yet we keep approving new

[5:48:07] parks and we somehow expect

[5:48:11] them to maintain a service

[5:48:12] level with no additional money

[5:48:13] and with more acreage that they

[5:48:17] have to maintain.

[5:48:17] I'm not going to vote against

[5:48:18] new parks because we're

[5:48:19] typically going into our

[5:48:23] under-resourced communities But

[5:48:24] yet how can I look at Parks and

[5:48:25] Rec and say you've got to cut

[5:48:28] your budget to meet our

[5:48:29] projected deficit?

[5:48:30] And I think the other you know,

[5:48:35] we're going to hear hopefully

[5:48:36] we heard last time we did a 6

[5:48:40] P.M. We're going to hear

[5:48:40] another one tonight And it's

[5:48:41] mostly people going to talk

[5:48:45] about what they want to save

[5:48:46] and no one's going to say in

[5:48:46] order to save this.

[5:48:47] I want to cut that And I've

[5:48:51] said it before and people don't

[5:48:52] like it But if you just say

[5:48:52] middle management it doesn't

[5:48:53] tell me anything And I'm

[5:48:56] looking forward to a more

[5:48:57] detailed or greater insight

[5:49:02] about our unclassified and what

[5:49:03] that really means and what

[5:49:09] portion that is of the of our

[5:49:10] total budget and a little bit

[5:49:10] of a spoiler.

[5:49:11] It's a very tiny portion of our

[5:49:15] budget And so that is not going

[5:49:16] to be the solution But it's an

[5:49:16] easy sound bite for people to

[5:49:21] throw out there that doesn't

[5:49:22] help us I think as council

[5:49:23] members to figure out how we're

[5:49:23] going to balance how we're

[5:49:27] going to balance this budget

[5:49:28] And I think it's not there but

[5:49:33] the presentation I think is

[5:49:33] very helpful.

[5:49:34] I think it's going to be

[5:49:34] helpful across all the council

[5:49:38] members So we appreciate when

[5:49:39] you and finance who as I've

[5:49:40] said before I think are more

[5:49:45] transparent than we've seen in

[5:49:45] the past and we should

[5:49:46] recognize that and leverage

[5:49:51] that to be work with the ipa

[5:49:52] does to try to distill all this

[5:49:53] and put it in formats that are

[5:49:56] a little more digestible by

[5:49:56] the council members and our

[5:49:57] staff in trying to make our

[5:50:01] recommendations we have very

[5:50:02] tough conversations over

[5:50:03] the next few months and this is

[5:50:08] helpful and trying to tackle

[5:50:09] that.

[5:50:09] So again I'll thank you for

[5:50:10] that good work.

[5:50:15] So with that again this was an

[5:50:15] informational item and no

[5:50:16] motions required And with that

[5:50:16] we will now recess and

[5:50:20] reconvene open session at 6

[5:52:55] P.M. Or shortly thereafter

[5:53:35] Thank you.

[5:53:40] All right all right Good

[5:53:41] evening.

[5:53:41] I will now reconvene the city

[5:53:44] council meeting on Monday MARCH

[5:53:45] 10th, 2026 to order Clerk

[5:53:46] please please call the roll.

[5:53:46] Thank you.

[5:53:47] Council PRESIDENT Council

[5:53:53] member Campbell Council Member

[5:53:53] Whitburn here.

[5:53:54] Council Member Foster here.

[5:53:58] Council Member on Wolper

[5:53:58] Present Council PRESIDENT Pro

[5:54:02] Tem Lee Council Member Campo

[5:54:03] Council Member Moreno Council

[5:54:07] Member Ella Rivera and Council

[5:54:08] PRESIDENT LaCava present Also

[5:54:08] attending the meeting our Chief

[5:54:12] Deputy City Attorney Brant

[5:54:12] Barletta, independent budget

[5:54:13] analyst Charles Monica and

[5:54:16] myself your city Clerk Diana

[5:54:17] Fuentes Thank you Council

[5:54:18] PRESIDENT All right, Thank you.

[5:54:21] With that please introduce item

[5:54:21] 332.

[5:54:22] Item 332 is an informational

[5:54:26] item The hearing for public

[5:54:27] input on the development of

[5:54:30] the fiscal year 2027 budget.

[5:54:31] If you're hearing council

[5:54:31] chambers please be sure to

[5:54:32] submit a speaker's up to

[5:54:35] the front of the room And if

[5:54:36] you're participating remotely

[5:54:37] now's the time to raise your

[5:54:37] hand Starting nine or the raise

[5:54:38] your hand icon.

[5:54:39] Thank you.

[5:54:40] All right.

[5:54:40] Thank you.

[5:54:41] There won't be any formal

[5:54:41] presentation.

[5:54:44] I'll make some opening remarks.

[5:54:45] I'll turn it over to Charles

[5:54:46] Mollica, our independent budget

[5:54:49] analyst and then he'll turn it

[5:54:49] over to the chair of our budget

[5:54:50] committee council member foster

[5:54:53] And then we'll go straight to

[5:54:54] public comment after that.

[5:54:59] So we'll be running this as we

[5:55:02] did the last opportunity for

[5:55:03] the public on FEBRUARY 23rd Our

[5:55:03] structural budget deficit has

[5:55:07] been a problem grown over time

[5:55:08] with decisions made at various

[5:55:09] times to kick the can down

[5:55:09] the road or take it off

[5:55:13] the back So city employees with

[5:55:13] consequences for service levels

[5:55:14] Last year following

[5:55:17] the rejection of the sales tax

[5:55:17] measure, the council worked to

[5:55:18] preserve essential services and

[5:55:22] trim where possible To achieve

[5:55:23] those service levels We raised

[5:55:23] fines and shared more services

[5:55:27] or cost recoverable and charged

[5:55:28] for parking at Belmont Park.

[5:55:32] Those were hard decisions and

[5:55:32] not actions I wanted to do.

[5:55:33] However, I did make those

[5:55:37] decisions in a vacuum.

[5:55:37] I did not make those decisions

[5:55:38] in a vacuum but instead

[5:55:41] considered the tradeoff impacts

[5:55:42] to rec centers, libraries and

[5:55:43] public restrooms which would

[5:55:46] have had to have been closed

[5:55:47] for this fiscal year.

[5:55:47] There are no feasible new

[5:55:51] revenue sources in my opinion

[5:55:52] and we must get serious about

[5:55:57] cuts.

[5:55:57] Ultimately if I'm going to

[5:55:58] support an expenditure I have

[5:55:59] to balance it with either a

[5:56:01] revenue increase or by cutting

[5:56:01] another service.

[5:56:02] Conversely, if I'm going to

[5:56:05] support cutting or eliminating

[5:56:06] ongoing revenue I need to see a

[5:56:10] replacement revenue or further

[5:56:11] cuts of expenditures.

[5:56:11] And for the public listening

[5:56:15] tonight and participating I ask

[5:56:16] you for your assistance to

[5:56:16] identify where to cut.

[5:56:20] That's a tough thing for us to

[5:56:21] sit up here and make an ask

[5:56:24] where to cut, what services do

[5:56:25] we provide that are no longer a

[5:56:26] priority to you so that we can

[5:56:29] preserve the services that are

[5:56:30] important to you.

[5:56:31] We have to balance a budget and

[5:56:35] a priority needs to come with a

[5:56:36] priority reduction.

[5:56:39] This will be that easy but I

[5:56:39] believe that we can and will do

[5:56:40] this together.

[5:56:43] And with that I'll close.

[5:56:44] Thank you for participating

[5:56:45] tonight either here in person

[5:56:49] or remotely and I'll turn it

[5:56:49] over to our independent budget

[5:56:50] analyst Charles Monica.

[5:56:50] Sir.

[5:56:51] Right.

[5:56:51] Thank you.

[5:56:53] Council PRESIDENT Council

[5:56:54] members So this is

[5:56:54] the council's second evening

[5:56:58] meeting to hear public input on

[5:56:59] the upcoming budget Given

[5:57:00] the deficit that we are facing,

[5:57:00] the next several months are

[5:57:03] going to involve a number of

[5:57:04] very difficult conversations

[5:57:05] and decisions.

[5:57:08] As I noted at our initial

[5:57:08] hearing context is important

[5:57:09] both for council and the public

[5:57:13] to understand how we got here

[5:57:14] and so that both counsel

[5:57:17] the public can have realistic

[5:57:18] expectations as we move into

[5:57:18] those difficult budget

[5:57:22] discussions.

[5:57:23] As my office has noted for some

[5:57:24] time the city has been facing

[5:57:26] significant fiscal challenges

[5:57:27] for years.

[5:57:27] The challenges that we face

[5:57:28] today have been decades in

[5:57:31] the making.

[5:57:32] While San Diego is a large and

[5:57:33] major city, its revenues are

[5:57:36] generally lower than comparable

[5:57:37] cities.

[5:57:37] The taxes that the city does

[5:57:41] charge notably sales taxes and

[5:57:42] hotel taxes are lower sometimes

[5:57:42] significantly so than our peer

[5:57:46] cities and there are a number

[5:57:47] of taxes and fees that the city

[5:57:48] does not charge at all such as

[5:57:51] parking taxes, utility users

[5:57:51] taxes and general obligation

[5:57:55] bond related property taxes

[5:57:56] that other cities often do.

[5:57:57] The proportion of taxes paid by

[5:58:01] city residents that goes to

[5:58:01] the city is also low For every

[5:58:05] dollar paid in property tax,

[5:58:06] only $0.18 comes back to

[5:58:06] the city For every dollar paid

[5:58:10] in the sales tax only $0.13

[5:58:11] comes back to the city And for

[5:58:15] every dollar paid in income tax

[5:58:15] no money comes directly back to

[5:58:19] the city Which means that while

[5:58:20] the city is tasked with

[5:58:20] providing some of the most

[5:58:21] commonly seen and expected

[5:58:24] public services streets, parks,

[5:58:25] police libraries the city also

[5:58:29] receives a relatively small

[5:58:30] proportion of tax dollars to

[5:58:34] provide those services.

[5:58:35] Given the lack of any

[5:58:36] additional revenues dedicated

[5:58:39] to the city it needs to be

[5:58:40] understood that the city's

[5:58:40] ongoing resources are

[5:58:41] insufficient to support its

[5:58:44] current operations.

[5:58:45] The city has been able to get

[5:58:46] by for the last 20 years or so

[5:58:49] by keeping its costs low

[5:58:50] largely through putting off

[5:58:51] infrastructure maintenance and

[5:58:54] keeping city salaries well

[5:58:55] below the median for comparable

[5:58:55] cities in our region.

[5:58:58] Both of those have had long

[5:58:59] term consequences and long term

[5:59:03] costs.

[5:59:04] The city did start making

[5:59:05] progress on infrastructure

[5:59:08] repair and city salaries over

[5:59:09] the last several years but we

[5:59:09] were only able to do so by

[5:59:12] tapping into significant one

[5:59:13] time resources that have since

[5:59:14] been exhausted.

[5:59:18] The city attempted to respond

[5:59:18] to this longstanding structural

[5:59:21] deficit through the 2024

[5:59:21] measure e sales tax measure but

[5:59:22] that ballot item failed and it

[5:59:26] left the city with a real need

[5:59:26] to realign its ongoing services

[5:59:30] with its ongoing resources.

[5:59:31] And that's where we are today

[5:59:32] and that's really where we've

[5:59:34] been for the last two years.

[5:59:35] Last year about this time we

[5:59:38] were facing a $260 million

[5:59:39] deficit which we closed through

[5:59:43] totaling reserve contributions

[5:59:44] of about 60 million of

[5:59:47] implementing roughly $100

[5:59:48] million in new revenues and

[5:59:49] fees to offset expenses that

[5:59:49] would have otherwise fallen to

[5:59:53] the general fund And by making

[5:59:53] about $100 million in painful

[5:59:57] cuts to city services such as

[5:59:58] library hours this year we are

[5:59:58] also facing a significant

[6:00:02] deficit for the upcoming year

[6:00:05] of roughly 100 to $120 million

[6:00:06] and that reflects continued

[6:00:06] delays to reserve contributions

[6:00:10] New revenue sources that we

[6:00:11] expanded over the last year

[6:00:11] have at this point also been

[6:00:16] tapped And the appetite for new

[6:00:16] revenues in the immediate

[6:00:17] future seems limited which

[6:00:20] means that the projected

[6:00:21] deficit we face today will have

[6:00:21] to be closed by and large

[6:00:25] through cuts.

[6:00:26] Finding enough cuts to close

[6:00:26] that deficit will be hard but

[6:00:30] by law the city's budgets need

[6:00:31] to be balanced and we cannot

[6:00:31] spend money that we do not have

[6:00:35] to begin accounting for

[6:00:35] the city's long term needs

[6:00:36] especially its long deferred

[6:00:40] infrastructure needs New

[6:00:40] revenue will ultimately be

[6:00:41] required But as we move into

[6:00:44] the fy 27 budget process we

[6:00:44] need to ensure that our

[6:00:45] expenditures match the revenues

[6:00:49] that we already have in hand

[6:00:50] today.

[6:00:50] To that end, as we have

[6:00:51] discussions tonight and as we

[6:00:55] continue to discuss the budget

[6:00:55] over the next several months,

[6:00:56] we need to be realistic about

[6:00:59] what we can fund with

[6:01:00] the resources that we have and

[6:01:00] we should focus our

[6:01:01] conversations on a core

[6:01:05] services that the Council and

[6:01:06] the public want to see

[6:01:06] maintained and frankly areas

[6:01:10] where the city can afford to or

[6:01:11] needs to pull back on or reduce

[6:01:15] services.

[6:01:15] This will be difficult but

[6:01:16] necessary conversations.

[6:01:16] And to that end I look forward

[6:01:20] to hearing comments tonight

[6:01:20] from the Council and from

[6:01:21] the public without pitched over

[6:01:27] to Councilmember Foster.

[6:01:32] Thank you Charles for those

[6:01:32] comments.

[6:01:33] I thank you.

[6:01:37] Council PRESIDENT, for

[6:01:38] convening this meeting and

[6:01:39] thank you to the community for

[6:01:42] being here tonight.

[6:01:43] I cannot say this enough This

[6:01:47] is a tough budget cycle and we

[6:01:48] cannot continue business as

[6:01:48] usual.

[6:01:49] And as the mayor prepares his

[6:01:52] proposed budget, it's critical

[6:01:53] that staffing services and

[6:01:57] resources are aligned

[6:01:57] efficiently and that any

[6:01:58] adjustments are communicated

[6:02:02] clearly to residents.

[6:02:03] Reductions must be strategic,

[6:02:06] proportional and protect core

[6:02:07] services such as public safety,

[6:02:08] clean streets and functioning

[6:02:13] libraries, parks and recreation

[6:02:13] centers.

[6:02:14] For me equity remains a guiding

[6:02:18] principle and we must apply it

[6:02:18] carefully as we make difficult

[6:02:19] decisions and the public's

[6:02:23] voice is essential during this

[6:02:24] process.

[6:02:24] So I strongly encourage

[6:02:25] residents to complete

[6:02:28] the mayor's budget survey and

[6:02:29] to be vocal about your

[6:02:29] priorities and reduction

[6:02:34] recommendations.

[6:02:35] Your input matters and it will

[6:02:35] help shape a budget that

[6:02:38] balances fiscal responsibility

[6:02:39] with community needs.

[6:02:39] And tonight is another

[6:02:40] opportunity to share your

[6:02:44] feedback.

[6:02:45] Additional public comment

[6:02:45] meetings will be held on MAY

[6:02:48] 4th and MAY 18th.

[6:02:49] So please mark your calendars

[6:02:49] and please participate.

[6:02:53] There are challenging choices

[6:02:54] ahead but together with

[6:02:57] community input the city can

[6:02:58] build a budget that is

[6:02:59] equitable, effective and

[6:03:03] protects the services families

[6:03:03] in this.

[6:03:04] And protects the services

[6:03:05] families in this city rely on.

[6:03:09] I look forward to hearing

[6:03:10] public comment and again as my

[6:03:14] colleagues have said earlier

[6:03:15] today, this truly is about what

[6:03:20] type of San Diego do we want to

[6:03:20] be.

[6:03:21] And Council PRESIDENT That

[6:03:24] concludes my comments.

[6:03:25] And again, thank you for

[6:03:26] holding this hearing.

[6:03:26] Thank you, sir.

[6:03:30] And thank you for your leading

[6:03:30] the Budget Committee

[6:03:31] conversations with that clerk.

[6:03:35] Please proceed with public

[6:03:35] comment.

[6:03:35] Thank you.

[6:03:36] Council PRESIDENT.

[6:03:37] We do have several speakers

[6:03:40] here and online.

[6:03:41] We'll be going down to a minute

[6:03:42] and a half.

[6:03:46] Jacob Daughtry, if you can

[6:03:47] please come forward to

[6:03:47] the microphone after that if I

[6:03:48] can have the following

[6:03:52] individuals please come forward

[6:03:53] to the yellow reserved seats.

[6:03:56] Kelly Nephew Stephen Schmoke,

[6:03:57] Katherine Titans Ramsey and

[6:03:57] Liliana Soriano.

[6:04:01] If you can all please come up

[6:04:02] to the front row and you can

[6:04:02] begin when ready.

[6:04:07] Good evening Counsel My name is

[6:04:08] Jacob Forte and I work for

[6:04:08] the San Diego lgbt Community

[6:04:09] Center.

[6:04:13] I need to continue to fund

[6:04:13] the center's prevention work

[6:04:14] through the opioid settlement

[6:04:17] funds or any other funds that

[6:04:18] are available.

[6:04:18] Our community is being

[6:04:19] abandoned at the federal level.

[6:04:23] Lgbtq helpless individuals are

[6:04:24] dying from opioids at higher

[6:04:25] rates not because of who they

[6:04:28] are but because of how

[6:04:29] the world has treated them.

[6:04:30] Trauma, family rejection and

[6:04:30] the stress that comes from

[6:04:33] being part of idealized.

[6:04:34] These aren't just talking

[6:04:34] points.

[6:04:35] These are the reasons why

[6:04:38] people walk through our doors.

[6:04:39] According to the National

[6:04:43] Institute on Drug Abuse, 6.7%

[6:04:43] of lgbtq adults misused

[6:04:44] prescription opioids or heroin

[6:04:48] in the past year compared to

[6:04:49] just 3.6% of the general

[6:04:49] population.

[6:04:49] Nearly double.

[6:04:53] And yet only 28% of treatment

[6:04:54] facilities in this country

[6:04:58] offer any lgbtq plus specific

[6:04:59] services.

[6:04:59] The center provides affirming

[6:05:04] trauma informed care that works

[6:05:05] because it needs people and

[6:05:05] their full identity.

[6:05:06] The federal government has made

[6:05:10] it clear what their position is

[6:05:11] and now this Council must

[6:05:11] continue to step up for our

[6:05:12] community.

[6:05:12] Thank you.

[6:05:13] Yield back.

[6:05:14] Thank you.

[6:05:20] Next is Karina.

[6:05:21] >> Good evening, council

[6:05:21] members.

[6:05:22] My name is Corinne a few and

[6:05:25] their pronouns are she her?

[6:05:26] On behalf of the San Diego lgbt

[6:05:27] Community Center I request

[6:05:31] continued funding through

[6:05:31] the Opioid Settlement Fund or

[6:05:32] other funds available to

[6:05:32] the Center Substance Use

[6:05:36] Disorder Prevention and

[6:05:37] Education Work.

[6:05:37] Research shows that lgbtq plus

[6:05:38] folks particularly our youth

[6:05:42] are at a higher risk of using

[6:05:43] and abusing substances that

[6:05:43] there's this gender

[6:05:48] heterosexual peers.

[6:05:48] The center's work around

[6:05:49] substance use disorder revolves

[6:05:50] around prevention and education

[6:05:52] acknowledging that effective

[6:05:53] intervention begins before

[6:05:54] opioid use even becomes

[6:05:54] problematic.

[6:05:58] The center's strategy directly

[6:05:59] addresses the root causes that

[6:06:00] are significant risk factors

[6:06:00] for substance abuse youth

[6:06:04] disorder including minority

[6:06:04] stress, family rejection and

[6:06:05] trauma all of which

[6:06:10] disproportionately affect lgbtq

[6:06:10] plus individuals especially our

[6:06:11] youth.

[6:06:11] At a time where our federal

[6:06:12] government continues to

[6:06:15] threaten funding to lgbtq

[6:06:16] serving organizations, we call

[6:06:17] upon our city leaders to

[6:06:22] continue to boldly invest in

[6:06:23] the center affirming culturally

[6:06:24] competent services that mirror

[6:06:24] communities where they are at.

[6:06:26] Thank you.

[6:06:32] Thank you, Steve and Jamal.

[6:06:38] I'm Stephen Small While I am

[6:06:38] involved with the friends of

[6:06:39] the San Diego Public Library

[6:06:40] and the Friends of the North

[6:06:44] Park Library, I I'm speaking

[6:06:45] tonight as an individual.

[6:06:45] Thank you by the way for

[6:06:46] the opportunity to present my

[6:06:49] comments.

[6:06:50] San Diego will not be a first

[6:06:50] class city if its libraries and

[6:06:55] rec centers are only open some

[6:06:55] of the time the mayor and his

[6:07:00] staff simply don't get it when

[6:07:01] they use All right words about

[6:07:06] libraries and rec centers their

[6:07:07] actions and that is what counts

[6:07:11] All the sacrifice libraries and

[6:07:12] rec centers for other budget

[6:07:12] priorities.

[6:07:13] But the council has recognized

[6:07:18] the importance of libraries and

[6:07:18] rec centers in the past and it

[6:07:19] can do so again.

[6:07:23] Please consider making small

[6:07:24] cuts in the budget for police

[6:07:29] fire And yes, your staff's so

[6:07:29] that all libraries and rec

[6:07:30] centers regardless of what

[6:07:35] overall cuts they MAY have to

[6:07:35] take can be open for decent

[6:07:36] hours.

[6:07:40] Seven days a week.

[6:07:41] That is a core service.

[6:07:41] Thank you.

[6:07:43] Thank you.

[6:07:49] Next is Catherine.

[6:07:50] Good evening.

[6:07:50] I'm Catherine Terrence and I'm

[6:07:56] a member of the River library

[6:07:56] in the area.

[6:07:57] I believe that libraries are

[6:07:57] the great equalizers in our

[6:08:01] society.

[6:08:02] It is essential that all 37

[6:08:03] branches of our library stay

[6:08:06] open seven days of the week so

[6:08:07] that all can use them to learn

[6:08:08] to study, to find an internet

[6:08:12] connection and to prosper.

[6:08:13] When we fund the libraries we

[6:08:13] are telling young people and

[6:08:17] other students that they matter

[6:08:18] and that we care about their

[6:08:18] future.

[6:08:19] Thank you very much.

[6:08:33] Thank you Ramsey.

[6:08:34] So at the last budget

[6:08:35] discussion I kind of went on a

[6:08:35] little bit of a tangent about

[6:08:39] immigration rights and I didn't

[6:08:39] have any budget solutions to

[6:08:40] add to that.

[6:08:45] But what I really want to see

[6:08:45] this year is what I had

[6:08:46] the idea of doing is instead of

[6:08:52] having a direct way to you

[6:08:52] know, use general fund to pay

[6:08:57] for funding our defense for

[6:08:58] detainees and ice detention or

[6:08:58] legal observers are also being

[6:08:59] harassed by the federal

[6:08:59] administration.

[6:09:04] I have I had an internal

[6:09:05] conflict of if I wanted you

[6:09:05] guys to fund that directly

[6:09:06] the fences or what to do with

[6:09:10] that So what I think the best

[6:09:11] solution in this case is to use

[6:09:11] the existing civilian resources

[6:09:15] like the media pages, like

[6:09:16] the staff resources and

[6:09:16] whatever We have to first of

[6:09:22] all verify groups that have

[6:09:22] links to these are to

[6:09:27] the immigrants and verify that

[6:09:28] they are real Because I did

[6:09:29] have conversations with people

[6:09:29] at meetings that want to make

[6:09:30] donations but they also don't

[6:09:33] know for sure what are valid

[6:09:34] links, what are about

[6:09:35] the people to donate to.

[6:09:35] So if we have some city staff

[6:09:39] working on that I would be

[6:09:40] great.

[6:09:40] Also from the mayor this

[6:09:41] morning he posted a graphic

[6:09:45] saying overall crime dropped by

[6:09:45] 6.3%.

[6:09:46] Voters decreased by 25% and

[6:09:50] crimes against person by 3.2%.

[6:09:50] General trends is the crime

[6:09:56] across all across all levels is

[6:09:56] decreasing.

[6:09:57] I'd be great if we could reduce

[6:09:57] some of that apd budget and

[6:09:58] move it towards immigration

[6:10:03] protection.

[6:10:03] >> Thank you.

[6:10:04] Thank you.

[6:10:08] This is live unit So you know

[6:10:08] after Liliana Blair Beckman

[6:10:16] Andrew Banner Natalia Natalie

[6:10:17] Roski and Edward of all to if

[6:10:18] you can please come up to

[6:10:18] the other resources at

[6:10:21] the front please proceed.

[6:10:21] Thank you.

[6:10:22] Hi Counsel My name is Liam

[6:10:22] Soriano and I serve as

[6:10:23] the director of policy at

[6:10:23] YouthBuild.

[6:10:26] We are a youth advocacy

[6:10:26] organization and today I am

[6:10:27] honored to represent young

[6:10:28] people many from throughout

[6:10:32] your districts.

[6:10:32] Truly young people cannot

[6:10:33] afford for programs to be cut

[6:10:34] That includes libraries, parks

[6:10:38] and rec centers since they're

[6:10:39] the home of many of those

[6:10:39] programs.

[6:10:40] I also specifically want to

[6:10:43] elevate the opportunity to

[6:10:44] support the Office of Child

[6:10:45] Abuse success in your

[6:10:45] individual memos.

[6:10:46] Their existence is critical for

[6:10:50] youth to thrive in this city.

[6:10:51] Lastly, I do acknowledge

[6:10:51] the budget deficit and under

[6:10:55] the same breath we need to

[6:10:56] acknowledge the current

[6:10:56] economic crisis many families

[6:10:57] face or will face with

[6:11:01] the situation that's going on

[6:11:02] in our country And many of

[6:11:03] the constituents are struggling

[6:11:08] economically and so are their

[6:11:08] children.

[6:11:09] Therefore it is imperative to

[6:11:09] support young people.

[6:11:10] Please continue to support

[6:11:14] youth and I look forward to

[6:11:14] meeting with all of your

[6:11:15] officers individually.

[6:11:15] Thank you.

[6:11:16] Thank you.

[6:11:20] Blair Wickman All right.

[6:11:25] Thank you And thank you for

[6:11:26] the beginning words of

[6:11:27] Councilperson pastor and how to

[6:11:27] frame our conversation.

[6:11:32] I think I hope we can be good

[6:11:32] for ourselves in the coming

[6:11:37] year.

[6:11:38] I wanted to work on just some

[6:11:43] overall broad brushstrokes of

[6:11:43] how my idealism what I want to

[6:11:48] be thinking and working towards

[6:11:49] to begin.

[6:11:50] I hope we can continue to have

[6:11:55] I can continue to have open

[6:11:56] conversations with customers in

[6:11:56] the club and the council

[6:12:00] persons themselves about

[6:12:01] revenues and the use of general

[6:12:06] fund issues versus specific

[6:12:07] goals of things like parking

[6:12:07] fees.

[6:12:08] I hope that we can continue an

[6:12:08] open conversation on

[6:12:12] the subject and work together

[6:12:13] towards a good narrative.

[6:12:13] So I think we all can be

[6:12:18] eventually agreeable upon Good

[6:12:19] luck how we can do that It's

[6:12:20] important to figure that out as

[6:12:24] a full community process and I

[6:12:25] wouldn't be trusting and non

[6:12:26] fearful I think of budget

[6:12:30] issues before pre-covid we were

[6:12:31] really working on a future that

[6:12:35] was creating new funding

[6:12:36] program and funding streams

[6:12:37] that were really inventive and

[6:12:37] creative.

[6:12:41] Covid changed that and we're

[6:12:42] back into the regular patterns

[6:12:43] of you know, getting a lot of

[6:12:44] money and then taxing everybody

[6:12:44] for it.

[6:12:48] I hope we really work on

[6:12:49] different ways to be funding

[6:12:50] things in the future.

[6:12:50] >> It takes a lot of creative

[6:12:51] effort.

[6:12:51] Good luck.

[6:12:51] Teamwork.

[6:12:54] Thank you.

[6:12:54] >> Thank you.

[6:12:59] Next we have Andrew Benner this

[6:12:59] .

[6:13:06] >> Good evening Council members

[6:13:06] .

[6:13:06] Thank you.

[6:13:07] COUNCILMAN Henry Foster along

[6:13:08] with council members I support

[6:13:08] a kind of a social equity

[6:13:12] program along with the mayor's

[6:13:12] office.

[6:13:13] My name's Andrew but yes, I'm

[6:13:13] 39 years old, born and raised

[6:13:17] in south San Diego District

[6:13:17] four I'm here to speak in

[6:13:18] strong support of the cannabis

[6:13:19] social equity program.

[6:13:23] For too long the war on drugs

[6:13:23] disproportionately target

[6:13:24] communities of color and caused

[6:13:25] generational harm.

[6:13:29] Now that this industry is legal

[6:13:30] is only just that those same

[6:13:31] communities have a fair shot at

[6:13:32] the economic opportunities they

[6:13:35] create.

[6:13:36] We need more than just a plan

[6:13:36] on paper.

[6:13:37] We need funded technical

[6:13:37] assistance and bid waivers to

[6:13:41] bring down the high barriers to

[6:13:42] entry.

[6:13:42] We need more licenses.

[6:13:43] Please prioritize and fully

[6:13:44] fund these equity measures to

[6:13:47] ensure San Diego's cannabis

[6:13:48] industry is inclusive and just

[6:13:49] And I urge the Council to fully

[6:13:54] fund and prioritize these

[6:13:55] equity measures to ensure

[6:13:55] Santiago's cannabis industry is

[6:13:59] as diverse and resilient as

[6:13:59] the city itself.

[6:13:59] >> Thank you.

[6:14:00] Thank you.

[6:14:05] Next is Natalie Raskin.

[6:14:06] >> Hi Natalie Rafiki Thank you

[6:14:06] for hearing me today.

[6:14:11] So I have a couple ideas or

[6:14:11] after doing research it says

[6:14:12] the city auditor found that 13%

[6:14:13] of the police calls were

[6:14:17] reviewed and could have gone to

[6:14:18] police investigative service

[6:14:23] officers instead of regular

[6:14:23] police officers which would

[6:14:28] have led to 100 shows cost

[6:14:28] about 2.8 million to 10 million

[6:14:33] less per year.

[6:14:39] >> Cutting floc is another idea

[6:14:39] .

[6:14:40] Might be it be cut So

[6:14:41] potentially I'll be homeless

[6:14:44] again and I don't really think

[6:14:45] that this is what they should

[6:14:51] be doing to people.

[6:14:52] This seems like excessive

[6:14:52] excessive time ticketing make a

[6:14:53] some.

[6:14:57] These are just some and with a

[6:14:57] safe parking lot that allows

[6:15:02] our bees that are not overnight

[6:15:03] I'm looking at reliving this so

[6:15:07] instead of police officers

[6:15:08] being able to be somewhere

[6:15:14] besides harassing people that

[6:15:15] MAY be women in their vehicles

[6:15:15] because the bees have gotten

[6:15:19] cut, I think cutting some of

[6:15:20] their overtime and suggesting

[6:15:26] what I researched about that

[6:15:26] police and investigative

[6:15:27] service officers.

[6:15:27] Thank you.

[6:15:31] Thank you.

[6:15:32] If we can please have a word

[6:15:37] about this to.

[6:15:38] >> Good evening Council

[6:15:38] members.

[6:15:42] My name is of automotive staff

[6:15:43] Cannabis Social equity is

[6:15:44] important to the city of San

[6:15:44] Diego because legalization

[6:15:48] should not only create revenue

[6:15:49] for those already positioned to

[6:15:50] benefit, it should also create

[6:15:55] opportunity for the people and

[6:15:56] communities that were most

[6:15:56] harmed by prohibition.

[6:15:57] For years cannabis laws were

[6:16:00] enforced in ways that

[6:16:01] devastated families, limited

[6:16:02] economic mobility and left

[6:16:02] lasting damage in neighborhoods

[6:16:07] that are still trying to

[6:16:08] recover.

[6:16:08] Now the cannabis is a legal and

[6:16:09] profitable industry.

[6:16:12] San Diego has a responsibility

[6:16:13] to make sure equity is not

[6:16:14] treated like an afterthought.

[6:16:19] A real social equity program

[6:16:19] means access to business

[6:16:20] opportunities, job creation and

[6:16:21] pathways to ownership for

[6:16:25] people who were shut out of

[6:16:26] shut out for generations.

[6:16:26] Pardon me.

[6:16:27] It means recognizing that

[6:16:31] justice is not just about

[6:16:31] ending harmful policies but

[6:16:32] also repairing the damage was

[6:16:33] caused.

[6:16:36] San Diego should be leading on

[6:16:37] this issue not falling behind

[6:16:37] If we're serious about

[6:16:38] fairness, inclusion and

[6:16:43] economic opportunity then we

[6:16:44] must create a system that gives

[6:16:44] impacted communities a real

[6:16:45] chance to participate and

[6:16:48] succeed.

[6:16:49] Social equity is not a favor.

[6:16:50] It is a necessary step towards

[6:16:50] justice.

[6:16:54] Thank you.

[6:16:55] Thank you.

[6:16:55] That does conclude public

[6:16:56] comment here in Council

[6:17:01] chambers We are having some

[6:17:01] technical difficulties with

[6:17:02] the chair timer so I am going

[6:17:03] to be sharing the screen myself

[6:17:05] and doing it as a one stop shop

[6:17:06] So please bear with me on

[6:17:17] the shared okay okay Starting

[6:17:23] with we have six people in

[6:17:24] the queue I've started the five

[6:17:25] minute timer starting with

[6:17:25] Katherine Douglas.

[6:17:28] If you can please unmute you'll

[6:17:29] have a minute and a half.

[6:17:29] Thank you.

[6:17:34] It goes without saying that

[6:17:34] public safety is your number

[6:17:35] one responsibility.

[6:17:36] Chief Paul announced amazing

[6:17:40] numbers yesterday at a press

[6:17:40] conference and the only way to

[6:17:41] maintain those and even improve

[6:17:46] on those is to continue to

[6:17:46] fully fund public safety.

[6:17:52] It affects everything all

[6:17:53] persons in all parts of our

[6:17:58] city as we work on the 2027

[6:17:58] budget you must start a fresh

[6:17:59] zero based budget based

[6:18:03] budgeting across the board

[6:18:04] there's a need for more

[6:18:05] frontline workers and less

[6:18:05] middle management.

[6:18:09] Many say they should be

[6:18:10] outsourced to experts who can

[6:18:10] do the job for less.

[6:18:14] San Diego deserve an honest

[6:18:15] assessment of our pension

[6:18:16] liabilities, the structural

[6:18:16] deficit and the real cost of

[6:18:21] deferred infrastructure Not

[6:18:22] assumptions, not optimistic

[6:18:27] projections Real numbers.

[6:18:28] Pension obligations must be

[6:18:28] honored but failing to plan for

[6:18:33] them responsibly defends

[6:18:33] the deficit.

[6:18:34] Delaying infrastructure repairs

[6:18:35] only guarantees higher costs

[6:18:39] later and without a clear

[6:18:40] financial picture, budgeting

[6:18:41] becomes guesswork Instead of

[6:18:44] stewardship.

[6:18:45] This isn't about blame.

[6:18:46] It's about accountability.

[6:18:51] Before raising taxes, cutting

[6:18:52] services or approving new

[6:18:53] programs show the public

[6:18:57] exactly where the city stands.

[6:18:58] This is a minimum standard for

[6:18:58] responsible governments.

[6:19:05] No more guesswork that has seen

[6:19:05] disastrous results such as

[6:19:06] the trash in the Balboa Park.

[6:19:07] Thank you for that.

[6:19:10] Including comment Your time has

[6:19:11] concluded.

[6:19:11] And next is Hector.

[6:19:16] If you can please unmute.

[6:19:16] >> All right.

[6:19:22] Thanks for taking my call.

[6:19:23] It's going to be a tough budget

[6:19:24] cuts and I think all the budget

[6:19:29] cuts anything south of 94

[6:19:29] freeway at one hour there

[6:19:35] anything north of the freeway

[6:19:35] you got to cut three hours or

[6:19:36] three times more.

[6:19:39] One cut down in the south gets

[6:19:40] four cuts or three cuts in

[6:19:46] the north.

[6:19:46] The south has been neglected

[6:19:47] for decades.

[6:19:48] Just passing law anything What

[6:19:51] is libraries Bathroom clean

[6:19:52] Whatever it is sidewalks get

[6:19:57] put in north of 94 you got to

[6:19:58] put three sidewalks in south of

[6:19:58] 94.

[6:20:03] So I kind of do it that way.

[6:20:04] Plus I think we should go a

[6:20:04] different direction.

[6:20:09] You could think Donald Trump

[6:20:10] and ice with the drop in

[6:20:10] the crime rate everyone's

[6:20:15] afraid to get deported so

[6:20:16] they're not doing the legal

[6:20:16] stuff.

[6:20:17] So they came in and then we got

[6:20:21] to have a new committee.

[6:20:21] It's coming When the vice

[6:20:22] PRESIDENT Shows up for that

[6:20:23] broad thing we could have a new

[6:20:26] committees the rapid

[6:20:27] deportation Committee and get

[6:20:30] rid of the 80,000 guys on on

[6:20:31] welfare that are illegal aliens

[6:20:37] and no more money to the law

[6:20:38] firms for illegal aliens $1

[6:20:43] million Let them do it pro bono

[6:20:44] But we should not be giving

[6:20:44] legal fees to illegal aliens.

[6:20:45] They're not they're not

[6:20:49] American citizens.

[6:20:49] That's your number one.

[6:20:50] Thanks.

[6:20:50] Protect the American citizens.

[6:20:55] It's simple as that.

[6:20:55] That's the number one rule.

[6:20:56] Thank you.

[6:20:58] Next is the original If you can

[6:21:05] please unmute.

[6:21:06] >> Wow what a perfect time to

[6:21:06] say.

[6:21:07] That's pretty interesting

[6:21:11] because you guys want to know

[6:21:12] what you think You should cut

[6:21:13] your salaries, you should cut

[6:21:13] the mayor salary.

[6:21:14] You should cut all the people

[6:21:16] who work ensuring that nothing

[6:21:17] gets done around us, their

[6:21:18] salaries get cut but then you

[6:21:22] can go into your private action

[6:21:23] plan where you guys are

[6:21:24] implementing things that have

[6:21:24] nothing to do with saving

[6:21:25] the planet Even though that you

[6:21:28] were perpetrating.

[6:21:29] And so that's the case And go

[6:21:30] ahead and cut all of those

[6:21:35] things because it is impeding

[6:21:36] your ability to provide housing

[6:21:36] to get people off the streets.

[6:21:40] It is impeding our ability to

[6:21:41] travel all under the guise of

[6:21:42] saving the planet while you

[6:21:46] guys refuse to acknowledge all

[6:21:46] of the things that are

[6:21:47] happening in

[6:21:47] the geoengineering, the cloud

[6:21:52] seeding and things that took

[6:21:52] place in JANUARY 2021.

[6:21:53] So you guys sit here and you

[6:21:57] want to act like you know

[6:21:58] you're doing things that are

[6:21:59] bettering our community when in

[6:21:59] fact you're not you're spending

[6:22:03] money that isn't going towards

[6:22:04] what it should.

[6:22:04] We already saw that you guys

[6:22:05] need like $5 billion just to

[6:22:06] make up for the storm

[6:22:10] infrastructure because it's

[6:22:10] like 150 year old problem.

[6:22:11] I mean when are you guys

[6:22:12] actually going to use our money

[6:22:16] wisely and not take the money

[6:22:17] that people worked very hard

[6:22:18] for and throw it away?

[6:22:19] I mean you throw it into your

[6:22:23] pockets in your friend's

[6:22:23] pockets but it's like I mean

[6:22:24] and then you come out to

[6:22:25] the people for more money.

[6:22:25] When is that going to stop When

[6:22:28] you actually going to do your

[6:22:29] job and not make people like

[6:22:34] cry like that Because they're

[6:22:35] just wanting to survive in

[6:22:36] the community that you are

[6:22:36] pretending to protect.

[6:22:41] You're time has concluded and

[6:22:41] has a five minute timer.

[6:22:42] There are six speakers in

[6:22:43] the queue and no additional

[6:22:46] speakers will be taken after

[6:22:47] the Gambler If you can please

[6:22:52] unmute.

[6:22:59] Gambari can I go and gamble

[6:22:59] here?

[6:23:03] Well I understand that you guys

[6:23:04] got the money cut to go ahead

[6:23:05] and do the infrastructure and

[6:23:10] all that stuff and so you had

[6:23:10] to go to different programs in

[6:23:15] that.

[6:23:16] I don't understand why you keep

[6:23:17] on trying to tax That's why you

[6:23:22] don't investigate the programs

[6:23:22] that you have, why you don't

[6:23:23] even look back at the rules

[6:23:24] that we put in and see whether

[6:23:29] or not that they work.

[6:23:30] All we're trying to do is

[6:23:30] continuously put Band-Aids on

[6:23:31] and I can go on and tell you

[6:23:34] how you can make money right

[6:23:34] now for the county but you

[6:23:35] don't have to.

[6:23:40] Texas adopt technology and

[6:23:41] landfills and we could start

[6:23:45] making like $150 million a year

[6:23:45] for the county of San Diego.

[6:23:46] We can go ahead and fix our

[6:23:51] infrastructure.

[6:23:51] We don't have to rely on taxing

[6:23:52] people when we could just

[6:23:57] recycle our plastic and turn it

[6:23:58] into basically money fuel

[6:24:02] graphene and we could in our

[6:24:03] infrastructure it's not that

[6:24:03] difficult.

[6:24:04] But instead do you want to go

[6:24:09] ahead and find a way to cut

[6:24:10] money from the people that are

[6:24:10] struggling the most which is

[6:24:13] only going to cost one thing

[6:24:14] and one thing only?

[6:24:15] You needed to put more money to

[6:24:15] help more people out.

[6:24:19] There are organizations that

[6:24:20] you have focus on illegal

[6:24:20] immigrants.

[6:24:21] You send so much money of our

[6:24:24] money to illegal immigrants You

[6:24:30] want to go out and clean this

[6:24:31] dirt on how much we lose from

[6:24:31] all this.

[6:24:35] >> Your time has concluded.

[6:24:36] Next speaker is Becky Rapp.

[6:24:42] If you can please unmute.

[6:24:42] Good evening.

[6:24:43] My name is Becky.

[6:24:48] And tonight I would like to

[6:24:48] speak to the proposed expansion

[6:24:49] of the feed program and

[6:24:50] the serious financial concerns

[6:24:55] it raises for the city of San

[6:24:55] Diego.

[6:24:56] City was already facing a

[6:24:59] significant budget deficit at a

[6:25:00] time when our city's finances

[6:25:00] are fragile.

[6:25:01] Every decision involving public

[6:25:06] resources should be scrutinized

[6:25:06] to the highest level.

[6:25:07] Programs like Feed require

[6:25:07] staff oversight, permitting

[6:25:12] compliance monitoring and

[6:25:12] enforcement.

[6:25:13] All of that comes with real

[6:25:14] cost to the city and the public

[6:25:18] has not seen a clear breakdown

[6:25:18] of what expanding this program

[6:25:19] will actually cost taxpayers.

[6:25:24] Without that transparency

[6:25:25] moving forward would be

[6:25:25] irresponsible.

[6:25:29] If the city adds 36 additional

[6:25:29] permits essentially doubling

[6:25:30] the number of pot shops in San

[6:25:35] Diego, that would be a major

[6:25:36] policy shift with long term

[6:25:36] regulatory and financial

[6:25:41] impacts.

[6:25:41] Across California many social

[6:25:42] equity cannabis programs have

[6:25:47] struggled and only a small

[6:25:47] number of businesses

[6:25:48] successfully open while cities

[6:25:53] continue to absorb

[6:25:53] administrative burden.

[6:25:54] In many cases these programs

[6:25:54] have failed to generate

[6:25:55] meaningful tax revenue or

[6:25:59] reduce the illicit market.

[6:26:00] At a time when San Diego must

[6:26:05] focus on essential priorities

[6:26:05] like public safety

[6:26:06] infrastructure and core city

[6:26:07] services expanding a program

[6:26:11] with uncertain outcomes could

[6:26:11] an already fragile budget.

[6:26:12] I urge the Council to

[6:26:17] prioritize fiscally responsible

[6:26:17] responsibly and do not and do

[6:26:22] not bring the c program

[6:26:23] forward.

[6:26:23] Thank you.

[6:26:24] Thank you.

[6:26:24] The next speaker is Christine

[6:26:28] Wellborn.

[6:26:29] >> If you can please unmute.

[6:26:35] Hi, I, I don't think you should

[6:26:35] ask for another dime from

[6:26:36] taxpayers until you either

[6:26:40] repeal or amend measure l so

[6:26:41] that your pay raises are not

[6:26:42] linked to those of the superior

[6:26:46] court judges.

[6:26:47] It's simply not fair.

[6:26:48] Nobody in the private sector

[6:26:48] gets raises as frequently as

[6:26:53] you all do Plus you're going to

[6:26:53] get pensions and every.

[6:26:54] It's just not right.

[6:26:58] So please don't ask taxpayers

[6:26:59] to take on this burden without

[6:27:00] you doing something as well.

[6:27:05] Also, Gloria, salary is higher

[6:27:05] than that of Newsom's.

[6:27:06] We need to get rid of

[6:27:10] the strong mayor system that

[6:27:11] has not worked out so well.

[6:27:12] It doesn't matter what party

[6:27:17] our mayor is.

[6:27:17] It's just not working.

[6:27:18] Eliminate middle management

[6:27:18] roles.

[6:27:23] MR. McCarver, you said you

[6:27:24] wanted specifics.

[6:27:24] Okay, Let's get rid of

[6:27:25] the middle management roles

[6:27:29] that are unclassified meaning

[6:27:30] they aren't part of the civil

[6:27:30] service system.

[6:27:35] Do away with those first and

[6:27:35] then deal with the rest one by

[6:27:36] one.

[6:27:36] Go through it by line item.

[6:27:40] Thank you.

[6:27:41] Have a nice night.

[6:27:42] Next is 8700 If you can please

[6:27:48] unmute.

[6:27:48] Thank you.

[6:27:55] Joining me out of district

[6:27:56] three first of all council

[6:27:56] member Foster the third.

[6:27:59] You said something today about

[6:28:00] mandated core services and I

[6:28:06] don't get that but I think it's

[6:28:07] key for us public to know that

[6:28:08] and can see that list from

[6:28:12] the attorney.

[6:28:13] I don't know why we need it.

[6:28:14] We ought to know right away

[6:28:17] what our mandated core services

[6:28:18] .

[6:28:18] That would help me certainly

[6:28:19] make my decisions.

[6:28:19] So please, please, please tell

[6:28:24] us what that's about.

[6:28:25] Well, I've said this before and

[6:28:28] I'll say it again We are one

[6:28:29] people which make us one

[6:28:29] family.

[6:28:30] That includes everybody.

[6:28:36] The homeowners, the tourist,

[6:28:36] us, rich people.

[6:28:37] The poor people.

[6:28:40] The underserved people.

[6:28:41] Our employees.

[6:28:41] Everybody.

[6:28:42] We're all sitting around this

[6:28:49] table at the kitchen table.

[6:28:50] Make it come you know, just to

[6:28:53] vote And we have to cut the pie

[6:28:53] .

[6:28:54] How do we do it?

[6:28:54] I don't know.

[6:28:59] The big picture is it's person

[6:29:00] .

[6:29:00] I'm a public.

[6:29:01] I don't sit at the seats that

[6:29:01] you do.

[6:29:05] I can't see all these huge

[6:29:06] realm of uses and purchases and

[6:29:12] assets and liabilities.

[6:29:13] From my perspective you it's

[6:29:13] like for libraries and parks

[6:29:19] and police and public health

[6:29:19] and use.

[6:29:20] i don't know what to say but I

[6:29:20] will say this.

[6:29:23] Parks can be close to one per

[6:29:24] district.

[6:29:24] I'm sorry I concluded I'm sorry

[6:29:29] your time has concluded 2036 If

[6:29:30] you can please unmute by

[6:29:38] pressing star six 2036.

[6:29:38] Hello.

[6:29:44] Yes please proceed with your

[6:29:45] comments.

[6:29:45] >> So yes thank you council

[6:29:46] members for allowing us to

[6:29:51] participate in the balancing of

[6:29:52] the 2027 budget.

[6:29:57] I would like to emphasize six

[6:29:57] controls that I think you

[6:29:58] should follow.

[6:29:59] One is that the City of San

[6:30:03] Diego tax based is a high cost

[6:30:04] of living population due to

[6:30:09] lower cost states.

[6:30:10] Certainly there are some We're

[6:30:10] looking to implement a voting

[6:30:14] type function in San Diego

[6:30:14] which would be similar to

[6:30:15] the federal budget which is

[6:30:19] probably about 22,000 staff

[6:30:19] cuts at the federal level.

[6:30:24] So third in particular

[6:30:25] implementation of pension

[6:30:29] reform by implementing a

[6:30:30] defined contribution pension by

[6:30:36] the defined benefit pension.

[6:30:37] Fourth, I think that you should

[6:30:37] put up a good reason for this.

[6:30:40] Of course as you know is

[6:30:41] the council has voted to

[6:30:41] unsustainable cost of living

[6:30:47] increases for city staff.

[6:30:48] I would often also cut up I

[6:30:48] would be across the board stuff

[6:30:54] because in all departments that

[6:30:54] could be done through

[6:30:55] the donation function.

[6:31:00] But what I do recommend that

[6:31:00] you do not do you do not

[6:31:01] consider local income tax.

[6:31:04] Do not meet the water and sewer

[6:31:05] fund to supplement the general

[6:31:10] fund that has occurred in

[6:31:11] the past.

[6:31:11] >> Thank you for considering my

[6:31:12] comments, sir.

[6:31:12] Thank you.

[6:31:17] Our final speaker is Francine

[6:31:18] Maxwell, if you can please on

[6:31:18] me.

[6:31:18] Okay.

[6:31:19] Good evening.

[6:31:20] Francine Maxwell Southeastern

[6:31:23] San Diego resident.

[6:31:24] I'm looking for bold leadership

[6:31:24] during this time.

[6:31:25] Let's do something that you've

[6:31:25] never done before.

[6:31:28] Respect council policies.

[6:31:32] I think it's 700 dash ten 700

[6:31:33] dash 14 But the interpretation

[6:31:34] is that nobody is bold enough

[6:31:39] to raise the leases for these

[6:31:40] nonprofits that are doing

[6:31:40] things that the city isn't

[6:31:41] doing.

[6:31:41] That's interpretation.

[6:31:45] So again, let's look at

[6:31:46] the leases and let's increase

[6:31:47] their leases especially in

[6:31:47] Balboa Park.

[6:31:52] Before you add another tax to

[6:31:53] us taxpayers you have options.

[6:31:58] You can look at Ace parking and

[6:31:59] look at the leases that you

[6:31:59] give them.

[6:32:00] You get they give us no breaks

[6:32:00] in the city.

[6:32:04] So why is the city giving them

[6:32:04] so many breaks?

[6:32:05] There are so many other options

[6:32:10] before you doing the easy road

[6:32:10] .

[6:32:11] You did You did something that

[6:32:12] nobody has ever done before

[6:32:17] which is increase our trash

[6:32:17] fee.

[6:32:18] That used to be political

[6:32:18] suicide but it wasn't Joe

[6:32:19] The public good at the planning

[6:32:20] group hit us in the gut.

[6:32:23] So the planning group Power has

[6:32:23] gone from the community

[6:32:24] constituents for their voices.

[6:32:27] So hit somebody else in the gut

[6:32:28] .

[6:32:28] As we prepare for this.

[6:32:29] Appreciative of the extra night

[6:32:30] meeting that you gave

[6:32:34] the taxpayers.

[6:32:35] I really appreciate you having

[6:32:36] such a long day to day.

[6:32:37] And I'm sure you guys are what

[6:32:40] most people take off on Friday.

[6:32:41] But I know the council

[6:32:41] PRESIDENT MAY not work.

[6:32:46] But again, you have options

[6:32:47] that you can hit other people

[6:32:47] first before you hit our parks

[6:32:48] and libraries.

[6:32:49] Thank you for allowing me to

[6:32:53] speak.

[6:32:53] Thank you.

[6:32:54] If you raise your hand if

[6:32:55] matter has already concluded.

[6:32:55] There are no additional

[6:33:00] speakers will be taken today

[6:33:01] But if you have comments please

[6:33:01] feel free to email them to city

[6:33:02] at San diego.Gov and those will

[6:33:03] be distributed.

[6:33:06] I would like to note these that

[6:33:07] I did receive 19 comments in

[6:33:07] favor two comments in

[6:33:08] opposition to your comment form

[6:33:11] which had been distributed to

[6:33:11] the council.

[6:33:12] Thank you Council PRESIDENT.

[6:33:12] All right.

[6:33:13] Thank you City Clerk for

[6:33:13] managing that.

[6:33:17] Thank you to everybody that

[6:33:18] showed up in person those who

[6:33:18] participated virtually to that

[6:33:22] we really appreciate their

[6:33:23] input.

[6:33:23] I'm going to turn it over to my

[6:33:28] colleagues for their comments.

[6:33:29] Councilmember Elevado Thank you

[6:33:29] Council PRESIDENT.

[6:33:34] Appreciate the opportunity to

[6:33:34] have another evening session.

[6:33:35] Thanks for everyone who came

[6:33:40] down here and who called in

[6:33:40] Appreciate the priorities that

[6:33:41] you all shared.

[6:33:46] I agree with everyone who said

[6:33:46] that our libraries, our parks

[6:33:47] rec centers are core city

[6:33:52] services that there are folks

[6:33:52] who depend on those services

[6:33:57] and those programs.

[6:33:59] And I heard a mix of of just to

[6:34:04] be frank you know, reality

[6:34:05] about how difficult of a budget

[6:34:06] situation that we're in and you

[6:34:14] know, I think I said it earlier

[6:34:15] today a couple weeks ago if

[6:34:19] what we want as a city is a

[6:34:19] city where every library in

[6:34:23] the city is open seven days a

[6:34:24] week, every every hour that

[6:34:29] folks would want it open

[6:34:30] The same for our rec centers

[6:34:30] and parks that are clean and

[6:34:35] safe and roads that are

[6:34:36] well-paved and sidewalks that

[6:34:36] don't have cracks in them and

[6:34:41] responsive public safety you

[6:34:41] name it.

[6:34:42] This has to be a better

[6:34:42] resource city and I think

[6:34:46] that's where the tension lies

[6:34:47] Oftentimes in this conversation

[6:34:53] this council took extraordinary

[6:34:53] steps at the council PRESIDENT

[6:34:59] Reference to avoid devastating

[6:35:00] cuts last year And I understand

[6:35:04] the frustration with some of

[6:35:05] those steps And but for those

[6:35:11] steps the cuts have happened

[6:35:12] and and the fears that you have

[6:35:13] today would have been

[6:35:16] the realities that people would

[6:35:17] be facing today.

[6:35:23] And I, I say that because not

[6:35:24] to let us off the hook for

[6:35:24] those decisions was

[6:35:25] the decision that we made.

[6:35:29] We do stand by them or change

[6:35:30] them but we're going to need to

[6:35:30] hear from more people who want

[6:35:34] the city to be well resourced

[6:35:35] And we're going to have to have

[6:35:36] a real conversation about who

[6:35:41] we ask to provide those

[6:35:42] resources who we aren't willing

[6:35:43] to ask more from and who are

[6:35:47] willing to ask more from.

[6:35:48] But it all starts again

[6:35:48] determining as a city who we

[6:35:49] want to be, what we want to be,

[6:35:53] what we want to provide.

[6:35:53] I think we can do more.

[6:35:54] I know that the resources exist

[6:35:59] within the city to to meet

[6:36:00] hopes and aspirations of

[6:36:01] the people in this room.

[6:36:04] But the people that the people

[6:36:05] in this room work for and work

[6:36:09] with.

[6:36:10] So I just I'm going to keep

[6:36:11] hammering that home because

[6:36:15] that's the situation that we're

[6:36:15] in.

[6:36:21] And the other thing that I

[6:36:22] mentioned earlier but I'm going

[6:36:23] to mention again if libraries

[6:36:27] matter to you, if parks matter

[6:36:28] to you, if supporting people

[6:36:33] who are struggling with

[6:36:34] substance addiction matters to

[6:36:34] you.

[6:36:39] If any city service matters to

[6:36:40] you, you should know that

[6:36:41] the former mayor of the city

[6:36:45] and a group of big business

[6:36:45] radicals are attempting to

[6:36:50] defund a core city service at

[6:36:51] the tune of $100 million plus

[6:36:51] that would devastate

[6:36:52] the services that the city is

[6:36:56] able to provide And they're

[6:36:57] doing it in the guise of

[6:37:02] punishing us.

[6:37:03] It will not punish us.

[6:37:04] It punishes the people of this

[6:37:04] city.

[6:37:08] It makes our job more difficult

[6:37:08] for sure.

[6:37:09] But ultimately who will suffer?

[6:37:10] It's everyone who wants to see

[6:37:14] libraries open rec centers,

[6:37:15] open parks, clean public safety

[6:37:15] that's responsive.

[6:37:20] And so I cannot emphasize this

[6:37:21] enough because the person who

[6:37:26] used to be the mayor of this

[6:37:26] city who knows full well what

[6:37:31] the impacts will be, who left

[6:37:31] this place a disaster with

[6:37:37] rotting infrastructure and a

[6:37:37] employee a workforce that had

[6:37:42] no morale that had 30 to 40%

[6:37:43] vacancies in core departments

[6:37:48] is now attempting to light

[6:37:49] the city on fire so they can

[6:37:50] try a political maneuver in

[6:37:53] the years to come.

[6:37:54] And everyone who cares about

[6:37:55] these services needs to speak

[6:38:00] up and stand up against that.

[6:38:01] So I know that probably my

[6:38:01] colleagues who heard a bit of

[6:38:02] this tirade earlier but I just

[6:38:05] think it's super important that

[6:38:06] folks know what's going on

[6:38:06] here.

[6:38:07] They're going to say they're

[6:38:11] punishing politicians because

[6:38:12] that's popular.

[6:38:12] That's easy thing to say.

[6:38:13] We're that that's fine.

[6:38:17] That's the job we signed up

[6:38:17] for.

[6:38:18] People are going to come at us

[6:38:21] But who will actually suffer if

[6:38:22] they are successful Because

[6:38:23] everyone who I named earlier

[6:38:23] and the folks who showed up who

[6:38:28] took the time to show up here

[6:38:29] on the evening to talk about

[6:38:29] things you care about, you

[6:38:30] should know that that's

[6:38:33] happening And I really do hope

[6:38:33] that you all will push back

[6:38:34] against that.

[6:38:34] >> Thank you, Council

[6:38:35] PRESIDENT.

[6:38:35] All right.

[6:38:39] Thank you, gentlemen.

[6:38:40] >> I will go next to

[6:38:41] Councilmember Mumford and thank

[6:38:45] you very much to everybody who

[6:38:45] came out tonight to voice their

[6:38:46] concerns, opinion, thoughts on

[6:38:47] our city budget.

[6:38:49] You know, big cities around

[6:38:50] the nation are going through

[6:38:51] what we are going through here

[6:38:51] in San Diego which is

[6:38:55] significant cost increases and

[6:38:56] significant budget deficits.

[6:38:56] We are not the only ones.

[6:39:01] There are forces beyond our

[6:39:02] control terrorists and

[6:39:03] international war is being

[6:39:03] declared that a rise in

[6:39:06] the cost of everything And we

[6:39:07] are struggling here in

[6:39:07] the local government to provide

[6:39:08] the best service we can And it

[6:39:12] is my top priority to make sure

[6:39:13] that goodness forbid somebody

[6:39:14] calls 911 in our city that are

[6:39:18] responsible professional

[6:39:18] responders shows up on time

[6:39:19] every time whether that's an

[6:39:22] ambulance, a firefighter, a

[6:39:23] lifeguard, a police officer.

[6:39:24] It is critical that if you call

[6:39:27] 911 you get the help you need.

[6:39:28] We also need to make sure we

[6:39:29] take care of our crumbling

[6:39:29] infrastructure.

[6:39:30] The longer we let it go,

[6:39:33] the more expensive it becomes

[6:39:33] to fix.

[6:39:34] And we've seen it everywhere

[6:39:35] from the heart of Balboa Park

[6:39:38] to our library to our parks,

[6:39:39] our roads every day And it's

[6:39:40] going to be harder with our

[6:39:44] cost increases going up.

[6:39:44] I also want to thank the folks

[6:39:45] who came in from our lgbt

[6:39:49] center who talk about

[6:39:50] the ongoing need to do

[6:39:50] something for mental health

[6:39:51] treatment in our city and our

[6:39:54] region.

[6:39:55] There's a reason that the city

[6:39:56] of San Diego sued the major

[6:39:56] opioid providers years ago and

[6:40:00] we're still grappling with

[6:40:00] the effects of the addiction

[6:40:01] crisis they caused.

[6:40:05] So I will continue to be a

[6:40:06] champion to make sure that we

[6:40:06] do fund or subsidize treatment.

[6:40:10] And I have seen the federal

[6:40:10] government retreating from its

[6:40:11] basic responsibilities into

[6:40:12] mental health substance abuse,

[6:40:16] hiv aids treatment.

[6:40:16] And so we here in the city of

[6:40:17] San Diego need to take

[6:40:18] the reins and make sure our

[6:40:21] lgbtq community among others is

[6:40:21] is protected.

[6:40:22] So happy to keep fighting for

[6:40:22] that to make sure that we do

[6:40:27] get people off of our streets

[6:40:27] and off of drug use get it's

[6:40:28] been awful to see what

[6:40:31] the major companies have done

[6:40:32] to our American society.

[6:40:33] So just thank you everyone for

[6:40:33] being here.

[6:40:36] It's going to be a very, very

[6:40:37] tough budget cycle But I do

[6:40:38] have faith that our colleagues

[6:40:41] all want to work together on

[6:40:42] this and make sure that we make

[6:40:42] cuts that are smart if we have

[6:40:43] to.

[6:40:43] Hopefully we won't but we

[6:40:46] likely will.

[6:40:47] And I agree with my colleagues.

[6:40:47] I know across the board cuts we

[6:40:51] have communities that are

[6:40:52] vastly different and have

[6:40:53] different needs and we can be

[6:40:56] more precise and make sure that

[6:40:57] we take care of everyone from

[6:40:58] the seniors, you know, in

[6:40:58] Rancho Bernardo who need

[6:41:01] cooling centers in my district

[6:41:02] to students all over the city

[6:41:03] who have different

[6:41:03] opportunities to have library

[6:41:06] hours when they need them on

[6:41:07] Monday nights for example.

[6:41:08] We can do this in a way that

[6:41:08] makes sure that everybody is

[6:41:12] taken care of rather than

[6:41:13] across the board straight cuts

[6:41:13] that would hurt everyone

[6:41:14] equally to be honest.

[6:41:18] So I know everyone up here is

[6:41:18] working very hard on that and

[6:41:19] continue to let us know what

[6:41:23] your priorities are, what you

[6:41:24] want to what you want to see

[6:41:25] and your government because

[6:41:25] we're here to to listen.

[6:41:26] So thank you.

[6:41:28] Council PRESIDENT All right.

[6:41:28] Thank you Council member Von

[6:41:31] Wolpert All out If you thought

[6:41:37] things go one of the things I

[6:41:38] should have said at

[6:41:41] the beginning that I was remiss

[6:41:42] .

[6:41:42] You know, we wanted to give

[6:41:43] the public a direct opportunity

[6:41:47] to participate in the budget

[6:41:47] conversations.

[6:41:48] You should know that there are

[6:41:48] a lot of people right now hard

[6:41:52] at work diving into the budget,

[6:41:52] actually looking into the kinds

[6:41:56] of things that you brought up

[6:41:57] the so-called middle managers

[6:42:01] conversation not looking at new

[6:42:02] revenue ideas given how

[6:42:07] aggressive we were last year.

[6:42:08] And so we're taking very

[6:42:09] serious But a lot of people are

[6:42:12] working right now.

[6:42:12] We just wanted to see what

[6:42:13] the public's priorities might

[6:42:17] be and we got a lot of good

[6:42:17] conversation.

[6:42:18] So I'm very appreciative of

[6:42:21] your willingness to be candid

[6:42:22] in sharing those thoughts with

[6:42:26] I actually transcribed all that

[6:42:27] so I can make sure that I

[6:42:32] remember going forward and if

[6:42:33] that individual that has ideas

[6:42:33] about how to make money can

[6:42:37] actually send us some specifics

[6:42:37] on that I'd love I'd love to

[6:42:38] hear it.

[6:42:41] That sounded like an

[6:42:41] interesting business priority

[6:42:46] but I'll leave it there And

[6:42:47] unless I have any other

[6:42:51] comments we'll give it to MR.

[6:42:52] Monica for a closing

[6:42:52] announcement.

[6:42:53] >> Thank you council members

[6:42:56] and thank you to everyone who

[6:42:57] came out to give testimony.

[6:42:58] I just wanted to note that as

[6:42:59] we move through the next couple

[6:43:02] of months, public participation

[6:43:02] is absolutely critical in

[6:43:03] ensuring that the city is

[6:43:07] making the best decisions for

[6:43:08] the public and on the public's

[6:43:08] behalf.

[6:43:09] To that end, each year my

[6:43:12] office does put together a

[6:43:13] public budget crash course

[6:43:17] where we talk about the city's

[6:43:18] budget process, how equity can

[6:43:18] be incorporated into the city's

[6:43:22] budget and then dollars that

[6:43:23] are in the budget where they

[6:43:24] are and more frankly where they

[6:43:24] are not.

[6:43:27] Sometimes our course this year

[6:43:28] will be on MARCH 24th at 5

[6:43:28] P.M..

[6:43:29] It is open to the public.

[6:43:32] It is interactive.

[6:43:32] We will give a presentation but

[6:43:33] we also take questions as they

[6:43:33] come in.

[6:43:37] So I encourage folks to

[6:43:37] participate.

[6:43:38] You can find additional

[6:43:38] information on that course at

[6:43:42] our website which is San

[6:43:42] diego.Gov/ipa and look forward

[6:43:46] to any participation.

[6:43:47] >> Thank you PRESIDENT All

[6:43:47] right.

[6:43:51] Thank you for that Charles on

[6:43:51] protocol let me remind folks

[6:43:52] this was an information item in

[6:43:56] no motion was required and

[6:43:56] without any further comment we

[6:44:01] will now adjourn Counsel to

[6:44:02] the next regularly scheduled

[6:44:02] council meeting on Monday MARCH

[6:44:05] 16th, 2026 at 10 A.M..

[6:44:06] And again thank you to all of

[6:44:10] you that came out this evening

[6:44:10] and sharing your thoughts as

[6:44:11] well as those who participated

[6:44:14] virtually And thank you to city

[6:44:14] 24 for the coverage.

[6:44:15] >> Thank you The city clerk and

City Council Meetings — Tuesday Agenda Revised Added S500-S505

Transcript