[9:37] can
[13:08] go
[13:42] well
[14:29] and with your.
[14:29] >> All right.
[14:30] Good morning.
[14:30] I will now call the city
[14:31] council meeting of Tuesday
[14:34] SEPTEMBER first, 2026 to order
[14:35] Clerk Please call the roll.
[14:35] >> Thank you.
[14:36] Council PRESIDENT Council
[14:39] Member Campbell Council Member
[14:40] Whitburn here.
[14:40] Council Member Foster here.
[14:45] Council Member Von Wilpert
[14:45] Council PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee
[14:49] here Council Member Be here
[14:49] Council Member Moreno.
[14:50] Council Member Ella Rivera and
[14:55] Council PRESIDENT LaCava.
[14:55] Present Also attending
[14:56] the meeting our Chief Deputy
[14:57] City Attorney Steve Lester
[14:59] Mirsky Independent Budget
[15:00] Analyst Charles Monaco Council
[15:01] Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's
[15:04] office Code Advisor and myself
[15:05] your city Clerk Diana Fuentes
[15:05] Thank you.
[15:06] Council PRESIDENT All right.
[15:06] Thank you.
[15:07] City Clerk.
[15:10] A quorum is now present.
[15:10] We will begin this morning with
[15:11] the land acknowledgment and
[15:12] the Pledge of Allegiance led by
[15:17] Council member Foster.
[15:22] We respectfully acknowledge
[15:23] that the culmination or
[15:23] the original inhabitants of
[15:27] the Unceded land now known as
[15:28] San Diego despite enduring
[15:28] the horrors of genocide and
[15:32] colonization, the community
[15:32] spirit remains unbroken.
[15:33] We honor the resilience of
[15:36] their ancestors who fought to
[15:37] protect their culture and land
[15:38] Today they carry their legacy
[15:41] forward ensuring that
[15:42] traditions continue to thrive
[15:43] and gratitude and strength we
[15:47] stand with the culmination
[15:48] connected to our past and
[15:50] committed to a thriving future
[15:50] .
[15:55] Please face the flag and begin
[16:00] allegiance to the flag and
[16:04] republic for which it stands
[16:05] One nation under GOD
[16:19] indivisible.
[16:20] >> All right, City Clerk and
[16:24] Mother Isabella, please go over
[16:25] how the public can offer their
[16:25] testimony.
[16:25] Thank you.
[16:26] I'd like to review and
[16:29] highlight the slide on
[16:29] the screen that reviews how
[16:30] the public can offer their
[16:31] public testimony during today's
[16:31] meeting.
[16:34] Please At the time allocations
[16:34] for proclamations and consent
[16:35] items for meeting management
[16:36] purposes the order can be found
[16:39] on the agenda summaries found
[16:40] online or at the table in
[16:41] the back of the room.
[16:41] If you are in person please
[16:43] complete a speaker slip located
[16:44] at the entrance of chambers and
[16:45] bring it to the front of
[16:45] the room.
[16:46] Council ambassadors are
[16:49] available to assist with
[16:49] speaker slips and questions.
[16:50] No further in-person testimony
[16:51] will be taken once the council
[16:54] begins Virtual testimony.
[16:54] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.
[16:55] All right.
[16:55] Thank you.
[16:56] We will now dispense with
[16:59] the approval of
[16:59] the proclamation items.
[17:00] >> Clerk Please proceed with
[17:00] public comment.
[17:01] Thank you.
[17:04] The public comment period for
[17:04] the proclamation items is now
[17:05] open.
[17:05] Each speaker will have one
[17:06] minute per item per person.
[17:09] If you'd like to speak on three
[17:10] or more items you will have a
[17:11] maximum of three minutes.
[17:11] The proclamation items being
[17:15] approved are items 3030 1s5
[17:15] hundred and 5a1 choice
[17:19] initiative if you can please
[17:20] come forward You'll be speaking
[17:20] on items 30 and 31 and Paul
[17:23] Krueger if you can come up to
[17:24] the front row to be ready to
[17:28] speak as well as Jill Weber
[17:28] thank you.
[17:33] >> On 30 Foundation for
[17:37] Developmental Disabilities 40
[17:37] is Happy Anniversary day My
[17:42] likes from the where as this
[17:42] emergency assistance
[17:46] scholarships affordable housing
[17:47] champions inclusion and
[17:52] independence includes the whole
[17:57] family Dear Foundation Happy
[18:02] anniversary You are GOD special
[18:02] angels here on earth love to
[18:07] all a number 31 I'm really
[18:08] excited about this one because
[18:12] I just spoke with the founder
[18:12] of the California Waves.
[18:16] He tells a really great story
[18:17] I'm hooked on girls baseball
[18:22] and it did start when I was a
[18:22] young girl.
[18:26] I was a tomboy between two
[18:27] brothers on their baseball team
[18:31] at least for a short period
[18:32] There were there was no girls
[18:32] team back then.
[18:36] So I'll say this Dear Padres
[18:41] MR. Group nerd, please consider
[18:42] sponsoring the waves Love to
[18:43] all It's going to be a great
[18:43] day.
[18:46] It was really it was It was
[18:51] really, really exciting to get
[18:51] to know the waves And so thank
[18:57] you Love to all again Thank you
[19:00] and call Krueger Here's being
[19:01] an item as 500 Please proceed
[19:05] Thank you.
[19:06] I just can't let this go
[19:07] without saying again that I
[19:07] think is a more appropriate
[19:10] time to do these commendations
[19:15] is before a meeting, after or
[19:16] on another day.
[19:20] But having said that I just
[19:21] wanted to offer my
[19:25] congratulations to owners and
[19:26] staff of Bandar Restaurant and
[19:30] where I've been familiar with
[19:31] since they opened and I was
[19:35] working downtown But I think
[19:35] there's more of a story and
[19:36] what they've done and what they
[19:37] really need to be acknowledged
[19:40] for is that they have stuck it
[19:40] out downtown in the worst of
[19:45] times and the block they're on
[19:46] was one not ten years ago a
[19:50] thriving full of shops and
[19:54] they're all gone and and our
[19:55] just stays there family
[19:59] operated just the kind of
[20:00] business that we need to be
[20:01] supporting and I want to thank
[20:04] them and thank you for
[20:05] recognizing thank you for that
[20:05] concluding comment.
[20:13] Jill Weber began Item 30 Hi,
[20:14] good morning.
[20:14] I'm city council members and
[20:18] community leaders on behalf of
[20:19] everyone at the Foundation for
[20:20] Developmental Disabilities I
[20:20] would like to express our
[20:23] gratitude to the city for
[20:27] proclaiming SEPTEMBER 15th as
[20:28] the 40th anniversary day.
[20:31] We are deeply honored by this
[20:32] recognition.
[20:32] 40 years is a significant
[20:33] milestone and this proclamation
[20:36] celebrates not only our
[20:36] organization's history but
[20:37] the countless individuals
[20:41] families, donors and community
[20:41] members who have made our
[20:44] mission possible over the past
[20:45] 44 scuse me.
[20:45] For decades since our founding,
[20:46] ftd has served our community
[20:50] with compassion, dignity and
[20:50] dedication.
[20:51] These 40 years we have
[20:54] witnessed tremendous growth and
[20:54] change.
[20:55] But our commitment to helping
[20:56] individuals with developmental
[20:59] disabilities has made
[21:00] consistent every success story,
[21:01] every life touched and every
[21:04] challenge overcome has been
[21:04] made possible through
[21:05] the support of this community
[21:08] We are especially grateful to
[21:09] the city for recognizing
[21:10] the importance of our work and
[21:14] being a valued partner in our
[21:14] efforts.
[21:15] This proclamation reminds us.
[21:15] Thank you so much.
[21:19] Appreciate you.
[21:20] >> Thank you.
[21:20] And Laurie Saldana, if you can
[21:21] please come forward your final
[21:22] speaker here in council
[21:22] chambers also speaking on item
[21:26] 31.
[21:31] >> Good morning Council.
[21:32] I just this is an amazing
[21:32] accomplishment.
[21:35] I had no idea that they had one
[21:36] of these national championships
[21:37] And I think it's a sign that
[21:40] women's sports the girls sports
[21:40] often get overlooked.
[21:41] So thank you council member for
[21:42] bringing this forward to
[21:45] acknowledge their incredible
[21:46] achievements.
[21:46] I think it's a good time also
[21:50] to recognize how the power of
[21:51] Title nine has transformed
[21:51] opportunities for girls and
[21:52] women.
[21:55] It's not just about sports.
[21:56] It's about everything in
[21:56] education.
[21:57] But it certainly has made a
[22:00] difference in I suspect in
[22:00] these young women's lives.
[22:01] They are too young to remember
[22:05] what a battle it was to get
[22:05] Title nine accomplished but it
[22:06] opened the doors for equal
[22:10] opportunity in all aspects of
[22:10] education And of course that
[22:11] meant in sports and athletics
[22:14] as well.
[22:15] So congratulations to these
[22:15] teams, to their coaches.
[22:19] And just like Ted Lasso this
[22:20] year is focused on women's
[22:20] football.
[22:24] I hope that they can find good
[22:24] sponsors and get the funding
[22:25] they need to continue their
[22:26] incredible success.
[22:28] Thank you.
[22:33] >> Thank you.
[22:34] >> There are no nobody with
[22:34] their hand raised in
[22:35] the virtual queues That does
[22:38] conclude public comment on
[22:38] proclamations.
[22:39] >> Thank you Council PRESIDENT
[22:40] All right Thank you for
[22:40] the work with that will go to
[22:43] my council colleagues for
[22:43] comments questions and
[22:44] entertain a motion and we'll
[22:47] start with council member cam
[22:47] to you.
[22:48] Thank you Council PRESIDENT
[22:48] I'll move approval of
[22:51] the proclamations starting with
[22:52] item number 30.
[22:52] It's an honor to recognize
[22:53] the foundation for
[22:56] Developmental Disabilities as
[22:57] it celebrates an incredible 40
[22:58] years of service to the San
[22:58] Diego community And especially
[23:01] I want to thank Jill and Ashley
[23:01] for being here today for
[23:02] helping us celebrate
[23:05] the important milestone.
[23:05] Since 1986 the foundation has
[23:06] worked to create greater
[23:07] opportunity and independence
[23:10] and inclusion for individuals
[23:10] with intellectual and
[23:11] developmental disabilities and
[23:14] their families And through
[23:15] emergency assistance,
[23:15] scholarships, affordable
[23:16] housing and other critical
[23:16] programs.
[23:20] The foundation has made a
[23:20] meaningful difference in
[23:21] the lives of thousands of San
[23:22] Diego And so on behalf of
[23:25] the Sandy city of San Diego,
[23:25] I'm proud to congratulate them
[23:28] on 40 years of service with
[23:29] Band Our Restaurant 30th
[23:30] Anniversary Day.
[23:30] I want to thank Councilmember
[23:31] Whitburn for bringing that
[23:33] forward Certainly a premier
[23:34] Persian restaurant in our
[23:35] community And I want to thank
[23:38] the Farahani family for their
[23:39] very good work here in
[23:39] downtown.
[23:43] But we know that Persians from
[23:44] all over San Diego County come
[23:44] to the Gaslamp to have food
[23:44] there.
[23:48] Certainly mine does as well.
[23:49] And last but not least I want
[23:49] to thank council member Ella
[23:53] Rivera for recognizing the San
[23:53] Diego wave and congratulate
[23:57] them on their sheer and utter
[23:58] dominance that they had this
[24:02] year And I totally agree with
[24:03] one of our public speakers our
[24:07] former assembly member
[24:07] Macedonia that they deserve far
[24:08] more recognition And again I
[24:11] thank Councilmember Yellow for
[24:12] Rivera for bringing it forward.
[24:12] And with that that concludes my
[24:13] comments.
[24:13] All right.
[24:14] Thank you, sir.
[24:16] So we have a motion by
[24:17] Councilmember Kemp here to move
[24:18] The proclamation will go next
[24:18] to council member Whitburn.
[24:21] Thank you Council PRESIDENT
[24:22] Happy to support the motion to
[24:22] approve the proclamation.
[24:23] So I want to congratulate all
[24:26] of the organizations and
[24:26] individuals being honored
[24:27] recognized with proclamations
[24:28] this morning.
[24:31] I'm pleased to bring forward
[24:32] this morning's proclamation
[24:32] recognizing band our restaurant
[24:37] on its 30th anniversary and its
[24:38] founder is Chef Behrouz Farhadi
[24:40] and Saku Farahani appreciated
[24:41] the comments of Councilmember
[24:41] Carpio and I know we all feel
[24:45] that way.
[24:45] Since 1996 they have shared
[24:46] the traditions of Persian
[24:49] cuisine and hospitality with
[24:50] San Diego and built a beloved
[24:51] local institution downtown.
[24:54] Delighted to share this
[24:55] milestone to The Graduate,
[24:56] the Farahani family and
[24:59] the entire about our team 30
[25:00] years of success.
[25:00] Thank you Council PRESIDENT All
[25:01] right.
[25:01] Thank you Council members.
[25:04] So we have a motion by council
[25:05] member camp and the second by
[25:05] Council member Whitburn
[25:06] The move the proclamation will
[25:09] go next to council member Eli
[25:09] Rivera.
[25:09] >> All right.
[25:10] Thank you Council PRESIDENT And
[25:13] thank you to my colleagues for
[25:13] bringing forward
[25:14] the proclamations that they
[25:14] did.
[25:17] I'll circle back to those in a
[25:18] moment but I want to start by
[25:19] recognizing the California
[25:22] waves Um, such an incredible
[25:27] accomplishment.
[25:28] You made all of San Diego proud
[25:31] and doing that on a national
[25:36] and a national level in front
[25:37] of the whole country is just a
[25:41] really, really a thing that I
[25:42] hope you will hold with you for
[25:42] the rest of your lives because
[25:45] it's something to be so proud
[25:46] of.
[25:47] And before I say any more I
[25:47] want to make sure I name
[25:50] the folks who met me who
[25:51] accomplished all this because I
[25:55] know you did it as a team but
[25:55] you all deserve to hear your
[25:59] names specifically mentioned
[26:00] for this accomplishment.
[26:04] So and let me start with our 20
[26:04] 2612 and under national
[26:05] champions anyone from the 1200
[26:10] group if you want to stand up
[26:15] and this team was made up of
[26:21] average Sicilia, Isabella Cora
[26:25] Coral Riley Emerson Riley,
[26:25] Kelsey, Arianna, Arianna and
[26:29] Amelia.
[26:30] Congratulations and
[26:30] congratulations to your coaches
[26:35] Ken, Jason, Cara and Chris.
[26:35] What an amazing, amazing job
[26:36] you all have done.
[26:37] So congrats to our 12 and Under
[26:46] Champions And if our 14 other
[26:47] champions would like to stand
[26:55] up now and our 14 and unders
[26:56] include Brynn Bristol, Krista
[26:59] Gabby Isabella.
[27:00] Layla.
[27:00] Victoria.
[27:00] Zoe.
[27:01] Lyla.
[27:04] Chloe, Lily and Audrey.
[27:09] And we're coached by Cherise,
[27:09] Hugh and Noah.
[27:10] >> Congratulations to our 14
[27:13] other champions.
[27:17] >> And last but certainly not
[27:18] least our six other champions.
[27:22] >> If you'd like to stand up,
[27:27] Yuki Ava Elisa Sage Cassidy.
[27:31] Brianna Evie Peyton, Fatima,
[27:32] Peyton and Noelle.
[27:37] Congratulations.
[27:38] And to your coaches Tim Kellen
[27:38] and Marcus.
[27:38] Great job.
[27:44] We're so proud of all of you
[27:49] And I want to just to to share
[27:50] a little bit about the context
[27:50] for this.
[27:51] Where did this happen?
[27:54] This is a national
[27:54] championship.
[27:55] This happened with an
[27:58] organization baseball for all
[27:59] that is the largest girls
[28:00] baseball organization in
[28:00] the United States.
[28:04] And what I really appreciated
[28:04] is that baseball for all makes
[28:08] it clear that it's about more
[28:08] than just what happens on
[28:09] the field.
[28:10] It empowers girls to push their
[28:13] limits, lead in their
[28:14] communities and mentor one
[28:14] another.
[28:18] And I want you all to know that
[28:19] while there I'm sure there's
[28:19] athletes that you all look up
[28:22] to undoubtedly there are
[28:23] athletes who are now looking up
[28:27] to you and that's an incredible
[28:28] ,incredible thing to be proud
[28:28] of.
[28:29] It's also a responsibility my
[28:33] son is very into Spider-Man
[28:33] right now and so I am being
[28:36] inundated with the lesson that
[28:37] with great power comes great
[28:37] responsibility.
[28:38] You all obviously have
[28:38] the power.
[28:41] With that comes responsibility
[28:42] .
[28:42] But again thank you so much for
[28:46] for making San Diego proud for
[28:47] being the leaders that you are
[28:48] not just on the field but in
[28:48] your communities and making
[28:51] sure that that's an integrated
[28:52] into how you approach being
[28:52] student athletes.
[28:56] So congratulations again to our
[28:56] California waves.
[29:05] >> We're so proud of you And
[29:06] then thank you again to my
[29:06] colleagues for bringing forward
[29:10] the proclamations that they
[29:10] did.
[29:11] Very grateful to see those.
[29:16] I did want to just say thank
[29:17] you to our friends from our in
[29:20] your previous location right up
[29:21] the street from Cal Western Law
[29:25] School That was like a special
[29:25] place to get lunch.
[29:26] You know, when we weren't
[29:27] grabbing pizza from whoever was
[29:29] giving it to us for free that
[29:30] was that was a place where we
[29:31] could go get a really, really
[29:34] good meal.
[29:35] That was always a great treat.
[29:40] And so And your new place is
[29:40] beautiful.
[29:41] So thank you for staying
[29:44] committed to San Diego and
[29:45] congratulations for making it
[29:46] as long as you have because
[29:48] that is no small feat either.
[29:49] >> Thank you, Council
[29:49] PRESIDENT.
[29:50] All right.
[29:53] Thank you, Councilmember Rivera
[29:54] .
[29:54] >> We'll go next to council
[29:55] member Marino.
[29:58] Thank you and congratulations
[29:59] to California waves on all your
[30:00] achievements and
[30:04] congratulations on all
[30:04] the chief comments that you
[30:05] guys will have in the future.
[30:08] I know we have a very how
[30:13] should I say it's a very
[30:13] impactful group here.
[30:14] You guys are going to do
[30:14] tremendous things.
[30:17] You guys are already ready,
[30:18] dedicated and committed And so
[30:19] I look forward to seeing your
[30:22] guys's name on
[30:23] the Union-Tribune and all good
[30:27] things And so congratulations
[30:28] on Vendor for your 30th
[30:32] anniversary day.
[30:32] Thank you for everything that
[30:33] you guys have provided to
[30:37] the community and really
[30:37] appreciate your guys's
[30:38] commitment to the city of San
[30:38] Diego.
[30:43] I have comments on item s5a1
[30:44] which is Kevin Mattson Day and
[30:46] I want to also think
[30:47] Councilmember Foster for
[30:51] joining me in this proclamation
[30:51] .
[30:52] >> I believe he is here.
[30:52] Oh, there you are.
[30:56] Today we recognize MR. Mattson,
[30:57] a health care leader whose work
[31:01] has transformed access to care
[31:01] for families throughout San
[31:02] Diego County.
[31:06] MR. Mattson has more than 35
[31:07] years of leadership experience
[31:10] across federally qualified
[31:11] health care centers hospitals,
[31:12] medical groups, independent
[31:16] practice associations and
[31:17] health care management
[31:17] organizations.
[31:21] He earned a bachelor's of arts
[31:22] in business administration and
[31:26] accounting from Calderon, a
[31:26] state college preparing him for
[31:27] a career focused on
[31:30] organizational quality and
[31:31] financial stability.
[31:32] MR. Mattson joined San Ysidro
[31:35] Health in 2000 during a
[31:36] critical period when
[31:40] the organization faced
[31:41] the possibility of closure as
[31:45] part of a small three member
[31:45] leadership team, he played a
[31:46] pivotal role in stabilizing
[31:49] the organization and ensuring
[31:50] that essential health care
[31:53] services remained available to
[31:54] the community.
[31:55] Now before becoming PRESIDENT
[31:59] And chief executive officer,
[31:59] MR. Madsen served as senior
[32:00] vice PRESIDENT Overseeing
[32:04] operational responsibility.
[32:04] He's focused on quality growth
[32:08] and long term financials and
[32:09] stability.
[32:10] Now under his leadership listen
[32:10] to this you guys.
[32:14] San Ysidro health care grew
[32:17] from serving approximately
[32:18] 30,000 patients at three sites.
[32:21] That's a good number two
[32:22] serving more than 162,000
[32:26] patients throughout 52 clinics
[32:27] and program locations.
[32:32] Today San Ysidro Health
[32:35] provides nearly 900,000 visits
[32:36] annually and has become one of
[32:40] the largest community health
[32:41] centers in the nation.
[32:42] Now MR. Madsen also helped
[32:45] expand the San Diego program of
[32:46] all inclusive care for
[32:50] the elderly elderly.
[32:50] Now one of the largest and
[32:51] fastest growing pace programs
[32:54] in the United States now
[32:55] through strategic partnership
[32:59] and merging with organizations
[33:00] such as an Asthma Comprehensive
[33:04] Health Center Chaldean Middle
[33:05] Eastern Social Services and
[33:05] Mountain Health health He
[33:09] helped preserve health care
[33:10] access for vulnerable and
[33:14] deserving communities.
[33:14] His leadership ensures that San
[33:15] Ysidro health remains what he
[33:19] called a safety net to
[33:20] the safety net.
[33:24] MR. Madsen has also
[33:24] strengthened the Community
[33:25] Health Center movement
[33:28] nationally as a founding member
[33:29] of Advocates for Community
[33:29] Health.
[33:33] His leadership extends across
[33:34] California through his service
[33:34] with the California Primary
[33:39] Care Association Health Center
[33:39] Partnership of Southern
[33:43] California and Cal Peace.
[33:44] MR. Mattsson has been
[33:44] recognized by the San Diego
[33:45] Business Journal as a top
[33:48] influence maker ceo of the Year
[33:49] and cfo of the year.
[33:52] Now he also championed
[33:57] investment in San Ysidro Health
[33:58] with more With its more than
[33:59] 3200 employees through
[34:06] initiatives such as $25 by 2025
[34:06] living wage and company
[34:10] sponsored retirement benefits.
[34:11] What truly defines MR. Madsen's
[34:12] legacy is not only
[34:16] the extraordinary growth of San
[34:16] Ysidro health but his
[34:17] unwavering belief that every
[34:21] person deserves access to
[34:22] quality health care delivered
[34:26] with compassion and dignity.
[34:29] Now MR. Madsen, you're one of
[34:30] the greats and you gave access
[34:34] to people who didn't even know
[34:35] that they needed it.
[34:39] You delivered and you were so
[34:40] quiet about it.
[34:40] That's the other thing I've
[34:44] known you for so many years and
[34:44] you provided so much to so many
[34:45] families.
[34:48] So I want to thank you for your
[34:48] visionary leadership, your
[34:49] extraordinary service and your
[34:53] lasting contributions to San
[34:54] Ysidro health and the community
[34:54] it serves.
[34:57] So it is an honor to recognize
[34:58] him and to proclaim SEPTEMBER
[35:02] 1st, 2026 as Kevin Mattson Day
[35:02] in the city of San Diego.
[35:10] >> Thank you.
[35:11] >> If you would like to say a
[35:20] few words well I'd like to
[35:21] speak as it needs to be done.
[35:21] Thank you for the support from
[35:22] the city.
[35:25] We have some great partnerships
[35:26] throughout San Diego County,
[35:27] the city of San Diego, other
[35:29] cities.
[35:30] >> It's been the honor of my
[35:35] life to work at Cedar Health
[35:35] and serve the community.
[35:36] >> So thank you very much for
[35:49] the recognition.
[35:49] >> Thank you.
[35:50] All right.
[35:50] Thank you, COUNCILMAN Moreno.
[35:51] We'll go next to Councilmember
[35:53] Foster.
[35:53] Yes, Thank you.
[35:57] Council PRESIDENT And just
[35:58] congratulations to all of
[36:02] the proclamation recipients to
[36:03] the California waves.
[36:04] Congratulations on your
[36:07] achievement.
[36:08] Keep working hard to perfect
[36:12] your craft And you know we're
[36:13] not supposed to use that term
[36:17] Never but never let anyone tell
[36:18] you you can't.
[36:18] Yeah, right.
[36:24] Keep looking forward.
[36:30] Um, with that I would also like
[36:31] to comment on item as 5a1.
[36:35] >> I'm Kevin Madsen de.
[36:36] I just like to thank my
[36:38] colleague Councilmember Moreno
[36:39] for bringing forward this
[36:44] recognition for 26 years of
[36:44] leadership and service to San
[36:48] Jose Trail Health.
[36:49] We've seen the impact of that
[36:49] leadership directly in District
[36:50] four.
[36:53] We're starting to see to a
[36:53] health is continue to expand
[36:54] access to health care for our
[36:55] residents.
[36:58] That includes a new urgent care
[36:59] center that will soon open at
[36:59] the Jacobs Center.
[37:03] Give me families in our
[37:12] community a convenient place to
[37:12] receive urgent care.
[37:17] >> My apologies to be
[37:18] emotional.
[37:18] This is something that my
[37:21] community has been waiting on
[37:22] for probably 40 years to now
[37:27] have a place where a family is
[37:31] sick or a child is sick that
[37:31] needs urgent care, that has a
[37:32] place to go that doesn't have
[37:36] to drive to Claremont or down
[37:40] to Chula Vista but can drive
[37:44] right to the heart of District
[37:44] four.
[37:45] And that just speaks volumes.
[37:49] So thank you for that.
[37:49] This investment is also
[37:55] creating jobs.
[37:55] Seniors Cedar Health has
[37:56] already been out in our
[37:57] community recruiting for
[37:58] the new center with additional
[37:59] hiring opportunities coming as
[38:00] they continue to staff
[38:03] the facility.
[38:04] Kevin thank you for your years
[38:04] of service and for helping grow
[38:07] an organization that continues
[38:08] to invest in health opportunity
[38:13] and well-being of communities
[38:13] throughout San Diego including
[38:14] District four.
[38:19] Thank you.
[38:20] All right.
[38:25] Thank you, Councilmember Foster
[38:26] And not see anyone else in
[38:26] light.
[38:27] >> So I'll wrap up by thanking
[38:29] my colleagues for bringing
[38:30] these proclamations forward.
[38:30] Congratulations all
[38:31] the recipients the special
[38:34] congratulations of
[38:35] the California wave all three
[38:39] teams and a remarkable
[38:40] achievement you've done this
[38:40] year.
[38:41] I don't know that any region's
[38:44] ever going to be able to
[38:45] duplicate it except you guys
[38:49] because this is a remarkable
[38:50] town, a remarkable region that
[38:50] is not only to the individuals
[38:54] that play but also the coaches
[38:55] that take the time and
[38:56] the parents that support you in
[38:59] going forward.
[38:59] And I'm going to lay all
[39:00] the money that I have in my
[39:02] wallet right now that there is
[39:03] no one prouder today than this
[39:07] person city clerk D.A. Fuentes
[39:08] and Isabella.
[39:08] But I know all the parents.
[39:12] It takes a lot of committing it
[39:13] to deal with a traveling team
[39:14] that have the practice and
[39:17] the games and where they're
[39:18] going to play next and making
[39:19] that big trip to the East
[39:19] Coast.
[39:22] So again, congratulations to
[39:23] everybody at every level in
[39:23] this.
[39:27] So with that we have a motion
[39:28] by Councilmember Campo and a
[39:28] second by council member
[39:31] Whitburn.
[39:32] >> Please call the roll I'm
[39:33] sorry the voting system Please
[39:41] cast your vote That passes
[39:42] unanimously 7 to 0 with Council
[39:43] member Van Wilbert and Council
[39:46] member Campbell Absent.
[39:46] Thank you, Council PRESIDENT.
[39:47] All right.
[39:47] Thank you.
[39:48] With that we will now take a
[39:48] pause for photos and we're
[39:51] going to start with Band our
[39:51] restaurant.
[39:56] So if you could come up and for
[39:56] the other two sessions follow
[39:58] Heidi she'll give you
[41:58] directions about
[46:06] okay.
[46:10] Okay.
[46:11] >> You can now proceed with
[46:12] the approval of the consent
[46:12] items.
[46:13] Are there any request to pull
[46:16] an item by council members Not
[46:16] seen any request with that
[46:17] clerk Please proceed with
[46:20] public comment.
[46:21] Thank you Council PRESIDENT
[46:21] Please note each speaker will
[46:22] have one minute per item per
[46:22] person.
[46:25] If you would like to speak on
[46:26] three or more items you will
[46:26] have a maximum of three
[46:26] minutes.
[46:27] The consent agenda includes
[46:33] items 101 to 1 as 502 and it
[46:34] 504 joyce And if you can please
[46:36] come forward you'll have 100
[46:37] 101 and 504 so you'll have
[46:41] three minutes.
[46:42] Thank you.
[46:46] 100 The flat Iron litigation
[46:50] settlement I'm actually saying
[46:58] yes to $2,500,000 because
[47:03] the city delayed time ing of
[47:06] construction of two bridges and
[47:07] they're paying one.
[47:07] Well this isn't positive but on
[47:15] it's excuse me 1,500,000 and
[47:16] more from the general fund.
[47:20] I believe it is not possible to
[47:20] do an audit on a litigation
[47:25] settlement yet the list of
[47:25] cities delays to this project
[47:30] is long and includes
[47:30] the permits and approvals added
[47:35] project scope design revision
[47:36] funds owner furnished items and
[47:39] approvals owner closeout
[47:40] related item issues fail to
[47:44] make timely payments.
[47:45] I didn't see the name of
[47:46] the department anywhere I look
[47:49] through the back up I couldn't
[47:49] find it.
[47:50] But anyway I think somebody
[47:51] needs to look at this What
[47:53] happened?
[48:01] Thank you 1.1 Excuse me 101 for
[48:06] okay.
[48:07] Emergency due to raw sewage and
[48:08] so forth from t one to Mexico
[48:11] good news.
[48:12] I just read this last night San
[48:13] Diego county supervisors
[48:17] unveiled a new local initiative
[48:21] to design a united states side
[48:21] treatment center center system
[48:27] capturing raw sewage before it
[48:27] crosses the border.
[48:28] Isn't this good news?
[48:32] A big thank you to board Chair
[48:32] Larson.
[48:33] I hope that you say this right.
[48:36] Remember and Supervisor Paloma
[48:36] Aguirre and the rest of
[48:40] the board also a big thank you
[48:45] for the Clean Water Act lawsuit
[48:46] by Imperial Beach Chula Vista
[48:50] and the Port of San Diego.
[48:51] Thank you Port of San Diego
[48:55] Love to all And then lastly on
[48:59] s5o4 yes to authorize a First
[48:59] Amendment.
[49:00] Oh, I'm doing great.
[49:00] Yes.
[49:02] To authorize a First Amendment
[49:03] to nonprofit urban core of San
[49:08] Diego for storm water
[49:08] facilities maintenance services
[49:12] This is a great nonprofit.
[49:17] They serve as a bridge to a
[49:20] better life for young adults
[49:21] ages 18 to 26.
[49:26] Urban Core is looking for more
[49:26] youth to participate in their
[49:30] programs.
[49:31] Do you know someone who needs
[49:35] their support for a better life
[49:36] for ages 18 to 26 and then
[49:40] beyond in their life?
[49:41] Please let them know I got to
[49:45] speak with a gentleman from
[49:46] the Corps and he was so cool.
[49:49] Thank Paula Kruger for speaking
[49:50] on item 100 And I understand
[49:51] there's an image you'd like to
[49:54] share.
[49:59] Yes, we have.
[50:00] This is just the detail on
[50:04] the settlement The choice read
[50:05] I want to say I've heard you a
[50:09] couple of you express concerns
[50:09] about in very polite terms
[50:10] about the mayor's office and
[50:14] the fact that you don't have
[50:15] control over these kind of
[50:15] issues.
[50:18] But this is just incompetence
[50:22] and it's costing us 25 $2.5
[50:23] million five times the amount
[50:24] of the restrooms that were
[50:27] closed.
[50:28] If any of you worked in public
[50:32] in a private company like I did
[50:33] my whole life, people are
[50:37] accountable when things like
[50:37] this happen And week after week
[50:42] we come here and we read about
[50:43] these settlements and we as
[50:47] members of the public have no
[50:47] sense of whether anybody is
[50:52] ever held accountable for these
[50:52] kinds of lapses.
[50:53] It shouldn't happen.
[50:56] And when it does you need to
[50:57] speak about it.
[51:01] Thank you very much, Gloria
[51:02] Saldana if you can please come
[51:03] up And then after that is Ocean
[51:07] Eddie Ray lawyer speaking on
[51:10] items one on 1s5 of four and
[51:13] 100 I know you have a
[51:14] PowerPoint on the first item
[51:15] You'll have three minutes for
[51:15] all three items.
[51:18] Thank you.
[51:19] This has to do with
[51:19] the resolution that's been
[51:22] announced now for over 30 years
[51:23] and it's something that I
[51:24] actually was a litigant related
[51:27] to the Tijuana River Valley
[51:28] International Wastewater
[51:28] Treatment Plant.
[51:31] i was a plaintiff in
[51:32] the federal lawsuit trying to
[51:33] change the treatment capacity
[51:36] or treatment levels.
[51:37] Next slide please.
[51:38] Sea level rise is harming our
[51:41] coastal infrastructure and
[51:42] there are other items on this
[51:43] agenda that relate directly to
[51:46] these problems.
[51:47] This is a slide from the us
[51:47] Geological Survey.
[51:51] It shows very clearly that as
[51:52] the sea level rises it pushes
[51:53] groundwater upwards, it
[51:56] disrupts our buried
[51:56] infrastructure not just water
[51:57] and sewer but communications
[52:01] line gas lines And this is also
[52:02] harming in the two other river
[52:02] valley.
[52:06] Next slide please.
[52:07] And so this is from fema and
[52:11] I'll be showing more of these
[52:11] slides because they've updated
[52:12] their flooding area and
[52:15] the international treatment
[52:16] plant is in a known area of
[52:16] flood risk.
[52:20] So that adds to the problems.
[52:21] I know I only supposed to take
[52:22] it one minute per item So let's
[52:22] go back.
[52:25] And let me just say that I'm
[52:26] here on behalf of a group of
[52:26] people asking questions of
[52:30] experts about sea level rise.
[52:31] Meanwhile, you all are passing
[52:31] projects forward that are
[52:35] making it worse and you're
[52:35] dealing with it with
[52:36] the settlement of Condon
[52:39] Johnson That is a bridge
[52:40] facility right next to Midway.
[52:41] This is an area that is having
[52:45] severe impacts from sea level
[52:45] rise.
[52:46] So they were trying to build
[52:46] that bridge across the Mission
[52:50] Bay Channel and I don't know
[52:51] what your delays were that were
[52:55] causing the problems and I
[52:55] think we're all done with
[52:56] the slides for no thank you.
[53:00] But sea level rise is going to
[53:01] disrupt operations like this in
[53:02] the future And if you were not
[53:04] dealing with a you are adding
[53:05] costs and a financial burden
[53:06] not only to ratepayers for
[53:09] future infrastructure rates
[53:12] will be paying to offset these
[53:13] costs 35% increases in some
[53:14] cases but you'll also be
[53:17] burdening us with these payouts
[53:18] when you can't meet
[53:19] the obligations of your
[53:23] contracts And if it has to do
[53:23] with sea level rise you really
[53:24] need to address that.
[53:25] And that brings me finally to
[53:28] s5 Bill for the urban core of
[53:29] San Diego.
[53:29] These are young people who will
[53:32] be here likely long after many
[53:33] of us are gone.
[53:34] And so it's great that they are
[53:37] taking part in preventing
[53:38] the type of flooding damage
[53:41] that we saw affect choice
[53:42] Creek.
[53:43] It is the least advantaged
[53:43] people including these young
[53:47] men and women in the urban core
[53:47] who are the most impacted by
[53:48] decisions you are making now
[53:52] today that are putting future
[53:53] generations like these young
[53:56] men and women at risk in
[53:57] the future If you do not build
[53:58] in areas that do not require
[54:01] extraordinary efforts to keep
[54:02] them from flooding, you will be
[54:05] putting families in the future
[54:06] in hazardous situations.
[54:07] MR. Lee, chair of Land Use and
[54:10] Housing.
[54:11] So I approve of this and I just
[54:12] say make their job less
[54:15] important in the future and
[54:15] plan better.
[54:16] >> Thank you.
[54:20] Ocean Eddie Ray.
[54:21] >> Again, please come forward.
[54:24] You're speaking on item s502.
[54:31] >> Let's see.
[54:31] Good morning Council.
[54:32] My name is Ocean Eddie Ray and
[54:33] the publisher of lgbtq San
[54:36] Diego County News.
[54:37] I'm here to speak in support of
[54:37] s502.
[54:39] At the height of the aids
[54:40] crisis those living with hiv
[54:41] but in particular gay and
[54:45] bisexual men were not only
[54:46] dying they were being blamed
[54:46] for dying.
[54:50] Fear became policy.
[54:51] Stigma became law.
[54:51] And for 38 years those
[54:52] assumptions have remained At
[54:55] San Diego's code.
[54:56] But that is not the full story.
[54:57] San Diego's bathhouse is among
[55:00] the nation's best It's clean,
[55:01] professionally operated and
[55:05] comparable to a luxury spa not
[55:05] the shadowy dangerous
[55:06] stereotype often preserved in
[55:10] laws like these during the aids
[55:11] crisis and later during covid
[55:14] 19 and impacts local bathhouses
[55:15] ,lead and education testing
[55:15] and referrals.
[55:19] Yet the law treated them as
[55:20] threats even while they
[55:21] protected our community.
[55:21] That stigma still has
[55:25] consequences and most places
[55:25] bath house permits cannot be
[55:26] transferred.
[55:26] The laws are often so
[55:29] restricted that owners have
[55:29] legally adopted staff simply to
[55:30] pass the license on and keep
[55:34] legacy Institute Your time has
[55:34] concluded.
[55:35] Thank you for that concluding
[55:35] Thank you.
[55:39] i'm sorry the five minute time
[55:40] going to those participating
[55:40] remotely.
[55:43] Hector if you can please unmute
[55:44] or like to talk about the clean
[55:47] up and do you want to river
[55:48] that point You'll have one
[55:49] minute Please proceed.
[55:53] I think we should build a sand
[55:58] mine there in mine The sand
[55:58] from the till on a river
[55:59] because we're going to have to
[56:00] make the sewer plant their top
[56:03] notch and then we could set up
[56:07] a sand mine and make a fortune
[56:08] .
[56:08] The river sand There's top
[56:09] quality sand.
[56:12] We just have to clean it up
[56:12] from sewage but concrete and
[56:17] road bass and all sorts of
[56:17] applications we could use it
[56:18] for We could even transport it
[56:22] up to Del Mar and build that
[56:23] dam Would that sand It would
[56:27] save us a ton of money when we
[56:27] get around to building the dam.
[56:31] And then also District nine
[56:31] should not be in the council
[56:32] meeting today.
[56:35] We should be up in Sacramento
[56:39] pounding on the governor's door
[56:40] and make him sign
[56:41] the proclamation so we get
[56:45] the real money.
[56:45] That's where it's going to
[56:46] happen.
[56:47] That's the that's the stopping
[56:50] block of this whole thing.
[56:51] So we should quit having these
[56:54] meetings number nine and get
[56:55] your up to Sacramento and
[56:55] pound on his door.
[56:59] >> Your time has concluded.
[57:00] Natalie Raskin If you can
[57:00] please unmute and let me know
[57:01] which item or items you wish to
[57:06] speak to.
[57:07] Sorry I was last with
[57:08] the numbers I know I want to
[57:10] speak on the bathhouses
[57:11] the language that is used
[57:16] around many many things here in
[57:17] the city of San Diego has
[57:20] become a little out outrageous
[57:25] And we do in the state of fear
[57:26] want to place labels that makes
[57:30] other people feel comfortable
[57:31] and it's really overwhelming.
[57:32] And I think the more that it's
[57:35] talked about in the more open
[57:36] we discuss things about what is
[57:40] work, the less fear there is to
[57:41] have you know, with covid and
[57:45] now affordable housing.
[57:46] I feel like that's gotten a
[57:50] label a label on it.
[57:51] What we consider when we say
[57:55] homeless are the homeless
[57:55] population, mental health all
[57:59] of that has been lumped into
[58:00] this one big negative aspect
[58:04] and it affects me personally
[58:05] and my children And so I want
[58:06] to speak on being available to
[58:09] have more language about these
[58:10] words that create fear in our
[58:10] community.
[58:14] Thank you.
[58:15] >> Thank you.
[58:15] Next is Blair Beekman and for
[58:16] the record you are speaking on
[58:19] item s502 Blair Bateman If you
[58:20] can please unmute and let me
[58:23] know which item or items you
[58:24] wish to speak to.
[58:29] I Blair Beekman I wanted to
[58:33] speak to the chair on a river
[58:33] issue.
[58:36] I don't want to one place
[58:41] Please proceed.
[58:41] Thank you.
[58:42] Yes just the one item today I
[58:46] just wanted to comment that a
[58:46] county measure is coming
[58:47] through.
[58:51] I read in the newspaper to
[58:51] create some sort of treatment
[58:55] plant on the us side with using
[59:00] sales tax increases to pay for
[59:00] it.
[59:01] Good luck in that idea and that
[59:01] we can work on the pollution
[59:05] issues and good luck that we
[59:06] continue talking to Mexico that
[59:06] they can offer their own
[59:09] solutions to address pollution.
[59:10] Also sometimes difficult
[59:14] conversation to have but it's
[59:15] an important conversation to
[59:19] have and it'd be nice to be
[59:19] hearing dialog with Mexico on
[59:20] this stuff.
[59:20] They do have the ability to
[59:23] also build another plant.
[59:24] So good luck on those efforts
[59:28] Working on pure water issues
[59:28] any sort of dialog sand that
[59:33] can help with There are good
[59:34] facilitator, a dialog those
[59:38] things are clear with each
[59:39] other That's that's true
[59:39] working working out these
[59:42] issues.
[59:43] >> Thank you.
[59:44] Thank you Tony Your final
[59:44] speaker in the queue please
[59:46] unmute and let us know which
[59:47] item or items you wish to speak
[59:51] to.
[59:55] >> I will speak to s5o2 to
[1:00:00] the Tijuana sewer The continued
[1:00:01] state of emergency regarding
[1:00:02] raw sewage, solid waste and
[1:00:02] sediment coming from Do you
[1:00:06] want to please proceed?
[1:00:07] You have one minute and that's
[1:00:10] item 101 The declaring an
[1:00:11] emergency Thank you and support
[1:00:14] of item 121 Thank you to
[1:00:15] the work of Lori Saldana
[1:00:19] earlier Excellent presentation
[1:00:19] very informative And I do think
[1:00:20] that we need to be thinking
[1:00:24] about rising sea levels and
[1:00:24] their impact on some of
[1:00:27] the developments that we have
[1:00:28] going on in some of these areas
[1:00:29] and how that's going to be
[1:00:33] affecting our waste plants all
[1:00:34] of our septic all of the piping
[1:00:38] undergrounding that we have in
[1:00:38] some of these areas.
[1:00:41] But I'm definitely in support
[1:00:42] of item 1a1.
[1:00:42] Hopefully we can make good
[1:00:47] progress on that and thank you.
[1:00:47] >> Thank you.
[1:00:48] And that does conclude public
[1:00:49] comment on the consent agenda.
[1:00:52] All right.
[1:00:52] Thank you, City Clerk.
[1:00:53] I'm going to kick things off by
[1:00:56] moving the consent items and
[1:00:57] speaking to item as 5o2
[1:01:01] repealing the muni code
[1:01:02] regarding bathhouses.
[1:01:02] As many know I have prioritized
[1:01:06] cleaning up our council
[1:01:07] policies and municipal code.
[1:01:08] My staff came across this
[1:01:11] particular code section while
[1:01:12] researching another policy
[1:01:12] issue Once we thought it could
[1:01:16] not be unseen or ignored it was
[1:01:17] immediately evident to all of
[1:01:18] us This language does not
[1:01:21] reflect the values of who we
[1:01:22] are as a city On a pragmatic
[1:01:26] level we do not regulate these
[1:01:27] gathering places and this code
[1:01:27] is not in force.
[1:01:28] But that is not a reason to
[1:01:31] ignore it.
[1:01:31] More critically, this code
[1:01:32] reflects an offensive and
[1:01:35] outdated perspective of our
[1:01:36] lgbtq plus community.
[1:01:37] I want to state clearly and
[1:01:40] explicitly that I do not
[1:01:41] support this kind of language
[1:01:42] and I ask my colleagues to join
[1:01:45] me in repealing this section of
[1:01:46] the code.
[1:01:47] It reflects the kind of hateful
[1:01:47] rhetoric that has been leveled
[1:01:50] against our lgbtq plus
[1:01:51] neighbors for generations.
[1:01:55] I thank them for their bravery
[1:01:56] and strength in pushing back
[1:01:57] against homophobia every step
[1:02:00] of the way and claiming their
[1:02:01] rightful place in the open.
[1:02:01] Repealing this code section is
[1:02:05] a small signal of how far their
[1:02:06] advocacy and pride and fight
[1:02:10] has brought us as a society.
[1:02:10] Today's action is right and
[1:02:11] proper.
[1:02:15] And with that I'll turn it over
[1:02:15] to Council member Whitburn.
[1:02:16] Thank you very much.
[1:02:17] Council PRESIDENT I think it is
[1:02:20] worth noting that it is not one
[1:02:21] of the lgbtq council members
[1:02:24] bringing forward item as 502
[1:02:25] Council PRESIDENT Thank you for
[1:02:29] bringing forward the repeal of
[1:02:30] this language and thank you to
[1:02:30] your staff.
[1:02:34] I regularly tell my friends in
[1:02:35] the lgbtq community that they
[1:02:35] could be proud that we have
[1:02:36] such strong allies on this City
[1:02:40] Council.
[1:02:41] This is just another example of
[1:02:41] that.
[1:02:42] So thank you to those on this
[1:02:45] council those of the community
[1:02:46] who have spoken in favor of
[1:02:46] this as well.
[1:02:47] Happy to second the motion.
[1:02:47] All right.
[1:02:48] Thank you.
[1:02:50] Council member Whitburn With
[1:02:51] that will go next to Council
[1:02:51] Member Campion.
[1:02:52] >> Thank you.
[1:02:53] Council PRESIDENT Just briefly
[1:02:55] comment on se 5o2 on behalf of
[1:02:55] my family and my Uncle
[1:02:58] Francisco who died in 1992 from
[1:02:59] hiv aids.
[1:02:59] We appreciate you and your
[1:03:00] staff's work on this means a
[1:03:00] lot.
[1:03:04] Thank you.
[1:03:04] >> Thank you, sir.
[1:03:05] And council member Eli Rivera
[1:03:05] the Eagles residents want to
[1:03:08] thank you and your staff for
[1:03:13] the work But going through
[1:03:13] the municipal code to make sure
[1:03:17] that we're not just not keeping
[1:03:18] things on the books that don't
[1:03:19] need to be there but that
[1:03:22] shouldn't be there does take a
[1:03:23] lot of time and effort And I
[1:03:24] appreciate you all doing this.
[1:03:27] I know that in the past that we
[1:03:28] I think we we took an action to
[1:03:32] rescind the resolution that
[1:03:33] the city council had passed.
[1:03:37] Um, many, many, many years ago
[1:03:38] that did not reflect the values
[1:03:38] of the city today And that was
[1:03:42] meaningful to the community
[1:03:43] then I'm glad to see that we're
[1:03:43] doing this as well.
[1:03:46] Thank you, PRESIDENT All right
[1:03:46] .
[1:03:47] >> Thank you.
[1:03:48] Council member Ala Rivera not
[1:03:48] see anybody else in the light
[1:03:51] We have a motion by myself in
[1:03:52] the second by Council member
[1:03:53] Whitburn to move the consent
[1:03:55] item clerk Please call the roll
[1:03:56] I'm sorry the voting system
[1:04:01] Please cast your vote And that
[1:04:02] passes unanimously 7 to 0 with
[1:04:05] council member Bong Lippert and
[1:04:06] Council member Campbell absent.
[1:04:06] >> Thank you, Council PRESIDENT
[1:04:07] All right.
[1:04:07] Thank you.
[1:04:10] City Clerk With that are there
[1:04:11] any comments from the mayor's
[1:04:11] office, council members, city
[1:04:15] attorney, independent budget
[1:04:15] analyst or city clerk not
[1:04:16] seeing or hearing any.
[1:04:20] We will now take up non agenda
[1:04:20] public comment.
[1:04:21] Council members respect and
[1:04:24] appreciate the public's input
[1:04:25] and are fully committed to
[1:04:25] protecting every participant's
[1:04:29] free speech right that Council
[1:04:29] and committee meetings.
[1:04:30] With that Deputy Clerk please
[1:04:34] proceed with public comment for
[1:04:38] all 2.79 Agenda Public comment
[1:04:39] is an opportunity for members
[1:04:39] of the public to comment on
[1:04:42] items that are not on
[1:04:42] the agenda but within
[1:04:43] the subject matter jurisdiction
[1:04:47] of the City Council.
[1:04:47] Each speaker will have two
[1:04:48] minutes.
[1:04:48] Please note if there are eight
[1:04:49] or more speakers on a single
[1:04:52] topic the maximum time for
[1:04:52] the topic will be 16 minutes.
[1:04:56] If you are in chambers please
[1:04:57] submit your speaker slip.
[1:04:58] If you are joining us virtually
[1:04:58] please raise your hand to speak
[1:05:01] by tapping the raise your hand
[1:05:02] icon or if you are a call
[1:05:05] participant Star nine We will
[1:05:06] begin in press and public
[1:05:10] comment with David Lombardi.
[1:05:14] >> Good morning everybody.
[1:05:15] I'm a resident long time in
[1:05:19] Mission Beach.
[1:05:20] I've had a neighbor that ran a
[1:05:24] for us next door and it brought
[1:05:25] to light the city's police
[1:05:29] policy of if they issue a
[1:05:33] warning they have to come back
[1:05:33] within 24 hours and witness
[1:05:37] the same infraction in order to
[1:05:38] write a citation.
[1:05:42] It makes the whole policy moot.
[1:05:42] They get nothing done.
[1:05:47] I had to live next to a frat
[1:05:47] house for six years.
[1:05:48] I took them to small claims
[1:05:51] court and I lost.
[1:05:52] The policy needs to change so
[1:05:55] that they can come back within
[1:05:55] 30 days.
[1:05:56] We're understaffed in
[1:05:56] the police department.
[1:06:00] They never come back within 24
[1:06:00] hours.
[1:06:01] So effectively there is no
[1:06:04] police enforcement of the noise
[1:06:05] policies and it's part of
[1:06:05] the code.
[1:06:09] So it's real simple.
[1:06:14] The kids know that that all
[1:06:15] they have to do is wait 24
[1:06:15] hours to have another party.
[1:06:19] If you extend that to 30 days
[1:06:20] then we'll have some
[1:06:20] enforcement.
[1:06:24] All you have to do is write a
[1:06:24] couple citations.
[1:06:25] The word will get out and get
[1:06:26] the money from the citations
[1:06:29] and we'll have an effective
[1:06:29] noise policy.
[1:06:30] That's what I'm hoping for.
[1:06:33] I, I brought a page which you
[1:06:34] all should have.
[1:06:35] >> I need your help.
[1:06:38] Authors I don't know.
[1:06:39] I can't get an appointment with
[1:06:40] MISS Campbell.
[1:06:43] I've tried 6 or 8 times.
[1:06:44] I'm getting no help in
[1:06:48] the community and this is my
[1:06:49] last step So I got to get some
[1:06:49] help here.
[1:06:52] If there's anybody that would
[1:06:53] like to help me get this, I'm
[1:06:54] also going to start a petition
[1:06:57] drive.
[1:06:58] You know, like I said, get in
[1:07:01] touch with the police and let's
[1:07:01] get something done.
[1:07:06] Boys.
[1:07:06] Okay.
[1:07:06] Thank you.
[1:07:07] Thank you.
[1:07:25] Enjoy Sanada, could you just
[1:07:30] pass me for just a moment,
[1:07:30] please?
[1:07:31] I really appreciate it.
[1:07:34] I blew it.
[1:07:35] I'm okay.
[1:07:35] Thank you so much.
[1:07:36] I appreciate that so much.
[1:07:39] Okay.
[1:07:40] At the last Rules Committee
[1:07:44] meeting due to time constraints
[1:07:45] I only had a minute I spoke in
[1:07:49] opposition to the Dark Money
[1:07:50] ordinance only because I
[1:07:54] disagree with the vision
[1:07:55] statement and I quote a San
[1:07:59] Diego that works for all San
[1:08:00] Diego and not just the wealthy
[1:08:06] and the powerful All but
[1:08:10] Abraham Lincoln, our PRESIDENT
[1:08:11] At one time said this Better
[1:08:15] angels of our nature would rise
[1:08:16] up and preserve unity end of
[1:08:16] quote.
[1:08:20] This is part of his first
[1:08:24] inaugural address in 1861.
[1:08:29] From that quote I like
[1:08:30] PRESIDENT Lincoln's two words
[1:08:37] preserve unity Council member
[1:08:42] Eli Rivera your work for all
[1:08:42] the people is very important.
[1:08:46] I believe your work affects
[1:08:47] preserving unity in San Diego
[1:08:50] like PRESIDENT Lincoln speaks
[1:08:55] of the Dark Money ordinance,
[1:09:00] the missions statement Steps
[1:09:01] are right on.
[1:09:05] It's just a vision statement
[1:09:06] that I oppose at the San Diego
[1:09:10] table that I speak of and where
[1:09:15] we do our shared conversations
[1:09:16] I include the wealthy and
[1:09:21] the powerful Dear Council
[1:09:22] member Elvia please reconsider
[1:09:25] your vision statement on this
[1:09:25] ordinance.
[1:09:26] >> I'd love to All Thank you.
[1:09:29] Joseph Rodriguez if you can
[1:09:30] please come forward After that
[1:09:32] is Paul Krueger and then Laurie
[1:09:37] Saldana.
[1:09:38] >> >> Good morning everyone.
[1:09:44] My name is Joseph Rodriguez.
[1:09:44] I am a descendant of the Rincon
[1:09:47] banner Louisiana Indians and
[1:09:48] North County San Diego.
[1:09:48] Um I'm also pursuing a master
[1:09:52] of social work at San Diego
[1:09:52] State University.
[1:09:53] This is my first city council
[1:09:56] meeting and honestly I'm
[1:09:57] excited about the engagement
[1:10:01] and participation here today.
[1:10:02] Today I do not bring any
[1:10:02] concerns but rather an
[1:10:06] invitation invitation to stay
[1:10:07] curious about San Diego's rich
[1:10:07] culture especially those of our
[1:10:11] indigenous brothers and
[1:10:11] sisters.
[1:10:12] I challenge us all to dream
[1:10:16] beyond the land acknowledgments
[1:10:16] and propose more ways to
[1:10:17] acknowledge indigenous history
[1:10:21] and their sacrifice, says As
[1:10:22] elected officials I hope you
[1:10:22] wake up every day imagining how
[1:10:26] we can give back to and protect
[1:10:27] indigenous communities.
[1:10:31] Please stay steadfast in your
[1:10:31] service to San Diego City
[1:10:32] residents and thank you for
[1:10:35] your time.
[1:10:35] Thank you.
[1:10:36] Paul Kruger I understand you
[1:10:37] have a PowerPoint image that
[1:10:42] you'd like to share.
[1:10:43] After that is Lori Saldana.
[1:10:44] If you can please come forward
[1:10:47] to the front row for better
[1:10:47] meeting management.
[1:10:48] >> Yes, thank you.
[1:10:52] This is just a portion of
[1:10:53] the front page story about
[1:10:57] the Barns Tennis Center lease.
[1:11:02] Um, I know that you're you make
[1:11:02] your best effort to hear what
[1:11:06] people are concerned about and
[1:11:06] I know some of you have
[1:11:07] expressed frustration about
[1:11:11] the refusal of voters to raise
[1:11:16] taxes or when we push back
[1:11:16] against fees.
[1:11:17] And I just want you to keep in
[1:11:20] mind that stories like this do
[1:11:21] more to undermine
[1:11:25] the credibility of our local
[1:11:26] government and to make people
[1:11:30] who would otherwise contribute
[1:11:34] to the financing of this city
[1:11:35] have significant second
[1:11:35] thoughts.
[1:11:40] You're aware of this?
[1:11:41] I think it's coming up tomorrow
[1:11:42] at the audit committee.
[1:11:45] I can't stress enough what tens
[1:11:46] of thousands of San Diegans
[1:11:51] must be thinking when they read
[1:11:51] that the Barnes Tennis Center
[1:11:55] pays $50 a month in rent that
[1:11:59] they make tens of millions of
[1:12:00] dollars in revenue And then in
[1:12:04] fact this lease was subject to
[1:12:05] revision.
[1:12:09] It did not have to go in in its
[1:12:10] current form for 30 years.
[1:12:13] The auditor said it could be
[1:12:14] amended both to recognize
[1:12:15] the new amenities and to make
[1:12:18] rent more equal to the money
[1:12:19] the property generates.
[1:12:24] So again we all live in our
[1:12:24] bubble.
[1:12:25] We all surround ourselves with
[1:12:28] our friends.
[1:12:29] We all have staff where we
[1:12:30] work.
[1:12:33] I can't stress enough my sense
[1:12:34] from reading social media that
[1:12:38] the income allowance of
[1:12:39] the department that allowed
[1:12:43] this to happen has real world
[1:12:44] consequences on people's faith
[1:12:48] in their government And this
[1:12:49] issue with leases is not new.
[1:12:54] >> So please thank you for that
[1:12:54] concluding sentence.
[1:12:55] >> Lori Saldana if you can
[1:12:57] please come forward And there's
[1:12:58] a PowerPoint as well.
[1:13:02] Yes, Thank you.
[1:13:03] So over the weekend the state
[1:13:06] legislature met in a weekend
[1:13:06] session and one of the urgent
[1:13:07] bills they approved has to do
[1:13:11] with a project that many of us
[1:13:12] are calling Midway thinking.
[1:13:16] Let's go to the next slide
[1:13:16] please.
[1:13:17] And this is another fema map
[1:13:21] similar to what I showed you
[1:13:22] earlier that has been updated
[1:13:23] as of a few months ago and now
[1:13:25] includes the Brown area.
[1:13:26] That red dot is the Midway
[1:13:30] Project proposed area and
[1:13:31] the Brown area is an updated
[1:13:31] flood risk assessment that
[1:13:35] shows that where people are you
[1:13:35] all are about to consider
[1:13:36] building housing and a sports
[1:13:39] arena.
[1:13:40] A venue is going to be more
[1:13:44] expensive to insure from flood
[1:13:44] with flood insurance because
[1:13:45] it's now been added to a flood
[1:13:49] hazard area.
[1:13:50] So why in the world would you
[1:13:50] ever put thousands of more
[1:13:51] people in homes and have a
[1:13:55] sports venue in an area that's
[1:13:55] already sinking?
[1:14:00] And let's go to the next slide
[1:14:00] please.
[1:14:04] The groundwater in that area is
[1:14:05] creating this flood hazard.
[1:14:06] Residents will have a hard time
[1:14:06] if they can't afford flood
[1:14:09] insurance.
[1:14:10] It will be more expensive.
[1:14:10] Higher insurance costs are not
[1:14:11] compatible with housing
[1:14:15] affordability.
[1:14:15] The construction just as with
[1:14:19] that recent lawsuit you just
[1:14:20] settled could be delayed
[1:14:21] because of these groundwater
[1:14:21] problems.
[1:14:25] Change orders due to flooding
[1:14:25] just as we've seen with
[1:14:29] the pure water program can go
[1:14:29] up.
[1:14:30] And these higher construction
[1:14:30] costs will interfere with
[1:14:31] affordability in the long run.
[1:14:33] Next slide, please.
[1:14:34] It's already happening.
[1:14:38] Flooding is already happening
[1:14:39] in incredible amount of
[1:14:40] billions of dollars of
[1:14:43] stormwater infrastructure are
[1:14:44] already identified but we don't
[1:14:45] have the funds for that.
[1:14:49] So all of these impacts public
[1:14:49] safety, contamination, air
[1:14:50] quality.
[1:14:53] Just like in the two on a river
[1:14:54] valley could happen as a result
[1:14:55] of building in that midway
[1:14:58] thinking area.
[1:14:59] Next slide I think I have one
[1:14:59] more.
[1:14:59] I do not.
[1:15:00] Okay.
[1:15:04] So that concludes my comments.
[1:15:04] >> Thank you.
[1:15:05] Thank you.
[1:15:08] That does include public
[1:15:09] comment here in council
[1:15:09] chambers.
[1:15:10] >> Excuse me.
[1:15:13] Going starting the five minute
[1:15:14] timer and going to those
[1:15:15] participating online we have
[1:15:18] seven speakers in the queue.
[1:15:19] Blair Beckman if you can please
[1:15:19] unmute.
[1:15:20] After that is Natalie Rush can
[1:15:23] back you up.
[1:15:24] >> All right we're we.
[1:15:25] We don't meet next week to
[1:15:27] continue my words from
[1:15:28] yesterday.
[1:15:28] There simply can be a long list
[1:15:31] of problems created because of
[1:15:32] 911 and it's ideas of continual
[1:15:32] war.
[1:15:33] I think the local level can be
[1:15:36] much be of much help to develop
[1:15:37] dialog and conversation in
[1:15:38] healing to more clearly
[1:15:41] understand the events of
[1:15:41] the day itself and why 911 was
[1:15:42] allowed to happen.
[1:15:46] Thankfully we are beginning to
[1:15:47] again better address this
[1:15:47] country's previous human
[1:15:48] rights, civil rights and best
[1:15:50] practices.
[1:15:51] Interestingly, local California
[1:15:52] governments and communities
[1:15:55] know how to gear up now know
[1:15:56] how to gear up towards
[1:15:56] practices of peace when our
[1:15:57] U.S. National level continues
[1:16:00] to go to war at this time in
[1:16:01] history.
[1:16:01] And believe it or not, we have
[1:16:04] also created an important new
[1:16:05] set of civil rights and civil
[1:16:06] protection policies for both
[1:16:06] immigration and technology for
[1:16:10] our local U.S. Communities.
[1:16:10] I hope San Diego can also take
[1:16:11] to heart we are creating best
[1:16:15] practices that local police
[1:16:15] departments previously running
[1:16:16] around with violent war
[1:16:20] policies from the possibly very
[1:16:20] fabricated events of the 911
[1:16:21] and wartime.
[1:16:24] Now have to better answer local
[1:16:25] elected officials and
[1:16:26] the everyday public and
[1:16:26] community and that local
[1:16:30] communities now work closely
[1:16:31] together and how to address
[1:16:31] de-escalation with the use of
[1:16:35] lethal force and hopefully more
[1:16:36] responsible less serious with
[1:16:36] future surveillance technology
[1:16:40] to conclude, we MAY also be
[1:16:40] starting to better consider
[1:16:41] that working towards
[1:16:44] the humanity and oversight of
[1:16:45] more open, cooperative
[1:16:45] participatory democracy can
[1:16:49] make more sense than overly
[1:16:50] focusing on this country as a
[1:16:51] representative a representative
[1:16:55] representative of republic as a
[1:16:55] decision making and
[1:16:56] policymaking of only a few
[1:16:59] representative elites in
[1:17:00] the past 20 years of this
[1:17:01] country has often brought a new
[1:17:04] level of harm and death to
[1:17:04] the everyday people of local
[1:17:05] communities.
[1:17:08] I hope this can provide some
[1:17:09] context and how to better
[1:17:09] consider our past and future in
[1:17:13] San Diego and across this
[1:17:13] country.
[1:17:14] Thanks for the meeting today
[1:17:18] and see you guys.
[1:17:19] Good luck in our upcoming work
[1:17:20] that we can all work on
[1:17:24] together as a community.
[1:17:24] >> Thank you.
[1:17:25] Thank you.
[1:17:25] Next is Natalie Raskin If you
[1:17:26] can please unmute.
[1:17:28] After that is back you wrap and
[1:17:32] then 7499 by Natalie Rafferty.
[1:17:33] >> I didn't get a chance to
[1:17:34] raise my hand for the girls in
[1:17:34] the sports.
[1:17:37] I don't know if they're still
[1:17:37] there.
[1:17:38] >> Coming from a girl who had
[1:17:42] to play baseball because there
[1:17:43] was an I was a Air Force brat
[1:17:47] so I didn't have they didn't
[1:17:47] have girls teams.
[1:17:48] I had to play with the boys And
[1:17:49] also coming from a collegiate
[1:17:52] athlete and a woman is a girls
[1:17:53] high school basketball coach I
[1:17:56] commend them and applaud them
[1:17:57] and hope they use that skill to
[1:18:01] move forward in life as I have
[1:18:02] now being in the position I am
[1:18:06] being in a team like that will
[1:18:07] build confidence in your
[1:18:07] ability to speak out when you
[1:18:11] need to speak out in that sense
[1:18:11] as well.
[1:18:12] Coming from a woman that has
[1:18:16] some sports methodology
[1:18:16] methodologies available that
[1:18:20] I'm trying to get my foot in
[1:18:21] the door, it still seems that
[1:18:22] women have a hard time reaching
[1:18:25] the same level as a man when
[1:18:26] there are ideas to bring
[1:18:30] revenue to this city.
[1:18:31] I have my son plays for mls
[1:18:35] next and I still can't seem to
[1:18:36] get my foot in the door because
[1:18:40] it seems either if I'm a woman
[1:18:41] or the ideas and the revolution
[1:18:45] innovation that I have has not
[1:18:46] reached the level to there
[1:18:50] under standings.
[1:18:51] So I know there are some of you
[1:18:54] up there that have sports
[1:18:55] connections.
[1:18:55] I'd like to put this in front
[1:18:59] of you and bring some revenue
[1:19:00] to the city.
[1:19:00] This is where I live.
[1:19:04] This is where my kids have born
[1:19:04] and raised and I am still out
[1:19:05] of 318.
[1:19:09] There are still 388 of these
[1:19:10] that have nowhere to go.
[1:19:13] NOVEMBER 30th me and my family
[1:19:17] one son has already left me.
[1:19:18] We are going to be homeless.
[1:19:19] I don't want to be in this
[1:19:19] trap.
[1:19:23] I have used in research and
[1:19:24] I've been studying A.I. And I
[1:19:27] think there are ways to bring
[1:19:28] more revenue into this city.
[1:19:28] It's just getting my foot in
[1:19:32] the door and being able to talk
[1:19:33] to somebody.
[1:19:33] We have 318 families that are
[1:19:36] going to be homeless on
[1:19:36] NOVEMBER 30th.
[1:19:37] Time has concluded.
[1:19:38] Thank you Becky Rapp If you can
[1:19:39] please unmute and after that
[1:19:44] will be 7499.
[1:19:44] >> Good morning.
[1:19:45] My name is Becky Rapp and I'm
[1:19:49] here today to ask the council
[1:19:52] to support California ab 2249
[1:19:53] and to reach out to
[1:19:54] the governor's office urging
[1:19:58] him to sign this important
[1:19:58] piece of legislation.
[1:20:02] When fornia passed Proposition
[1:20:03] 64, protecting children and
[1:20:03] youth was an important part of
[1:20:07] the framework.
[1:20:08] The goal was to make marijuana
[1:20:08] legal for adults while keeping
[1:20:12] children and young people
[1:20:12] protected.
[1:20:13] But experience has shown that
[1:20:17] the existing language regarding
[1:20:17] packaging and labeling that MAY
[1:20:18] appeal to children is not clear
[1:20:21] enough.
[1:20:22] >> ab two two four nine takes
[1:20:26] an important step forward by
[1:20:27] providing clear standards for
[1:20:28] what is considered attractive
[1:20:28] to children.
[1:20:32] It addresses cartoons, child
[1:20:33] oriented characters candy and
[1:20:37] dessert imagery and other
[1:20:38] designs that can appeal to
[1:20:38] young people.
[1:20:42] This bill is about making sure
[1:20:42] that products intended for
[1:20:43] adults are not packaged or
[1:20:47] labeled in ways that are
[1:20:47] designed to attract children.
[1:20:48] So I'm asking the council to
[1:20:51] recognize the importance of
[1:20:55] this legislation and support hb
[1:20:55] 2249.
[1:20:56] This bill gives California a
[1:21:00] clear and stronger way to do
[1:21:01] that.
[1:21:01] >> Thank you.
[1:21:01] Thank you.
[1:21:05] Nexus 7499I know you have
[1:21:09] materials to share.
[1:21:10] >> Please play the video.
[1:21:14] Thank you.
[1:21:15] >> Here on JUNE 15th I was hang
[1:21:15] gliding at Dockweiler State
[1:21:19] Beach in Los Angeles under
[1:21:19] the Dockweiler waiver that has
[1:21:20] been in place since 2017.
[1:21:24] The public has been able to
[1:21:24] hang gliding Dockweiler Beach
[1:21:25] for nearly ten years Under that
[1:21:29] waiver.
[1:21:29] A decade ago however hang
[1:21:30] gliding a while It was not
[1:21:31] allowed by the county of Los
[1:21:34] Angeles without use for
[1:21:34] membership.
[1:21:35] Fortunately that all changed
[1:21:38] due to a sequence of events
[1:21:39] that started right here in San
[1:21:42] Diego on JULY 24th, 2011.
[1:21:43] A female student named Shannon
[1:21:44] Hamby was taking lessons at
[1:21:47] Torrey through the city's
[1:21:47] concessionaire.
[1:21:48] She was under radio supervision
[1:21:51] when she was flown directly
[1:21:52] into the path of another
[1:21:52] student.
[1:21:53] She crashed and was badly
[1:21:53] injured.
[1:21:57] I was contacted by Shannon's
[1:21:58] lawyer and asked to testify as
[1:21:58] an expert witness and I did.
[1:22:02] My testimony in SEPTEMBER of
[1:22:03] 2014 was solid and the case was
[1:22:03] quickly settled in Shannon's
[1:22:07] favor for an undisclosed amount
[1:22:08] but ended up losing their
[1:22:11] insurance coverage.
[1:22:12] By NOVEMBER of 2014.
[1:22:12] I was retaliated against by
[1:22:16] your concession chair who
[1:22:17] conspired with you but in
[1:22:18] the spring of 2015 to have me
[1:22:21] expelled for my testimony which
[1:22:22] ended my ability to fly at all
[1:22:26] use for sites including Torrey
[1:22:26] Pines and Dockweiler.
[1:22:27] In early 2017 we met with newly
[1:22:31] elected Barbara Bree for help.
[1:22:32] Barbara Bree suggested a flight
[1:22:35] waiver to solve the problem but
[1:22:36] she never followed through.
[1:22:37] Joe Foulston I also spoke to
[1:22:40] the Los Angeles County Board of
[1:22:41] Supervisors.
[1:22:42] While Barbara Bree did nothing
[1:22:45] here in San Diego, Los Angeles
[1:22:46] Supervisor Janice Hahn stepped
[1:22:50] up and actually instituted a
[1:22:50] waiver.
[1:22:51] The first dockweiler waivers
[1:22:52] were issued to Joe Foust Frank
[1:22:55] Culver and myself.
[1:22:56] On JULY 26th, 2017 And we have
[1:23:00] flown under those waivers
[1:23:01] without incident.
[1:23:01] Ever since Barbara Barrie
[1:23:05] dodged the issue for the rest
[1:23:05] of her term until her failed
[1:23:06] mayoral bid in 2020.
[1:23:07] Joe LaCava has followed her
[1:23:10] lead throughout his entire
[1:23:10] term.
[1:23:11] Reactivate the Torrey Pines
[1:23:14] City Park Advisory Board and
[1:23:15] institute a Torrey Pines flight
[1:23:15] waiver now.
[1:23:19] Thank you.
[1:23:20] >> Thank you.
[1:23:20] That concludes your comments.
[1:23:24] And there's a timer.
[1:23:24] Next is Toni.
[1:23:28] If you can please unmute
[1:23:29] The five minute timer also did
[1:23:30] go off during the last speaker.
[1:23:34] There were five speakers and
[1:23:34] there were six speakers in
[1:23:35] the queue.
[1:23:35] There are now five.
[1:23:38] No other speakers will be taken
[1:23:39] .
[1:23:39] >> Please proceed.
[1:23:40] Just before I begin I just
[1:23:41] wanted to ask a clarifying
[1:23:43] comment.
[1:23:44] How would I send materials like
[1:23:45] the like the video that Bob
[1:23:48] Kozinski sent?
[1:23:49] >> How would I send that in And
[1:23:50] please please email us at City
[1:23:52] Clerk at San diego.Gov and we
[1:23:52] can give you all
[1:23:53] the information.
[1:23:54] >> Okay And do I have to send
[1:23:57] it in 24 hours ahead of time?
[1:23:58] >> It's two hours in advance If
[1:23:58] you can send us an email.
[1:24:01] You can go to San Diego dot gov
[1:24:01] slash participate as well.
[1:24:02] >> Okay.
[1:24:02] Thank you.
[1:24:03] Is it possible to restart my
[1:24:06] time?
[1:24:06] >> Please proceed.
[1:24:06] Thank you.
[1:24:13] I would like to uplift and
[1:24:14] double down on the voices that
[1:24:14] have spoken this morning
[1:24:15] especially that of Paul Kruger
[1:24:18] and Bob Kozinski.
[1:24:18] I think both incidents
[1:24:22] highlight cases where we have
[1:24:23] public case public parks or
[1:24:24] public facilities that aren't
[1:24:27] being managed properly and
[1:24:28] we're not getting the financial
[1:24:29] revenue that we should be
[1:24:29] getting.
[1:24:32] And in Brzezinski's case he's
[1:24:33] what he's asking for seems to
[1:24:34] be very fair.
[1:24:37] He's asking for more than a one
[1:24:41] word sentence saying hey, we
[1:24:42] looked into this.
[1:24:43] I asked my office and they said
[1:24:46] that there's nothing to this.
[1:24:47] It's it's he's asking for both
[1:24:48] an advisory board to be
[1:24:51] reinstated which those advisory
[1:24:52] boards are all volunteers
[1:24:52] anyway.
[1:24:56] So I don't see why that has to
[1:24:56] that had to be dissolved.
[1:25:00] And also the form that he's
[1:25:01] asking for to.
[1:25:02] That doesn't seem like a hard
[1:25:05] ask And he's been asking for
[1:25:06] these things for close to 20
[1:25:06] years And now Paul Kruger
[1:25:10] independently is talking about
[1:25:10] another case of corruption
[1:25:15] Where the city is is being
[1:25:15] grossly underpaid for a
[1:25:20] publicly owned facility that we
[1:25:20] should be getting way more
[1:25:21] money from And these types of
[1:25:25] issues where we're not our our
[1:25:30] financial astuteness is not
[1:25:31] being realized lead to the lack
[1:25:34] of public trust that makes
[1:25:35] people hesitant to pay
[1:25:36] the taxes that you want to
[1:25:39] raise in order to receive
[1:25:40] the revenue that we need to
[1:25:40] take care of the things we need
[1:25:41] to take care of.
[1:25:42] So let's be financially
[1:25:42] responsible.
[1:25:45] Let's take care of this stuff.
[1:25:46] >> Your time has concluded.
[1:25:46] Thank you Hector.
[1:25:47] If you can please unmute.
[1:25:49] After that will be Peggy
[1:25:50] Walker.
[1:25:50] >> All right.
[1:25:51] I'd like to talk about
[1:25:54] the leases to I read that
[1:25:54] article in the paper and about
[1:25:55] the tennis courts you're
[1:25:59] getting the super bargain.
[1:26:00] Why don't we just lease out
[1:26:03] the island to the homeless and
[1:26:04] they'll pay a hundred bucks a
[1:26:08] month for all the whole place?
[1:26:09] That would be equitable for all
[1:26:10] the homeless people that could
[1:26:14] just live on siesta Island and
[1:26:14] it would be great And then make
[1:26:15] double what The tennis courts
[1:26:17] are banned.
[1:26:18] You would actually cause
[1:26:22] revenue for the city and then
[1:26:23] before you guys do we should
[1:26:25] take all these leases There's
[1:26:26] probably 100 leases like that.
[1:26:27] This is not an isolated case.
[1:26:32] This is par for the course Bad
[1:26:33] like that Torrey Pines glider
[1:26:36] port The guy pays $4,000 a
[1:26:36] year.
[1:26:40] He's making a million bucks.
[1:26:41] Let's have an audit of that
[1:26:43] thing one day a week.
[1:26:44] Set aside council meetings all
[1:26:48] day to examine all the leases
[1:26:52] and the city has probably as a
[1:26:52] thousand leases and half of
[1:26:53] them are just probably just
[1:26:56] giving it away and there's no
[1:26:57] way anyone's going to vote for
[1:27:01] a tax increase for any thing
[1:27:02] man And it also let's shut down
[1:27:06] half the city bathrooms on
[1:27:07] the building you're sitting on.
[1:27:11] Times are tough, man Shut down
[1:27:15] half the bathrooms with pants.
[1:27:16] You'll save at least $500,000.
[1:27:17] Th's what they were talking
[1:27:20] about when the shut in ones
[1:27:21] down at the mission bay.
[1:27:22] So just think of the toilet
[1:27:26] paper you'll save You won't
[1:27:26] have to use that one to buy It
[1:27:30] won't have to clean it won't
[1:27:31] have to do whatever we have to
[1:27:31] do with it.
[1:27:32] But that'll be a great savings
[1:27:34] of money and you could
[1:27:35] implement that right tomorrow
[1:27:39] and shut it down, talk to
[1:27:40] the mayor and have to shut it
[1:27:41] down And then the mayor Is
[1:27:44] lawlessness down in Mission
[1:27:45] Beach Lawlessness.
[1:27:45] The boardwalk needs to be
[1:27:49] cleared out of all those guys.
[1:27:50] Drug cartels are selling stuff
[1:27:50] down there.
[1:27:54] They need to be cleared out now
[1:27:55] Your time has concluded.
[1:27:56] >> Peggy Walker and then Judy
[1:27:56] Strang for you.
[1:27:59] Walker please unmute.
[1:27:59] >> Thank you.
[1:28:00] Good morning.
[1:28:04] I came to a plateau and
[1:28:05] acknowledge the city's San
[1:28:05] Diego Association of
[1:28:09] Governments or sandag.
[1:28:13] They're a ward of the Sandy
[1:28:14] over $1 million as part of Prop
[1:28:18] 64 grant funding for their
[1:28:19] program titled San Diego
[1:28:20] Integrated Development and
[1:28:23] Cannabis Enforcement
[1:28:24] Initiative.
[1:28:28] This is a program associated
[1:28:29] with health and safety issues
[1:28:33] related to cannabis
[1:28:34] commercialization.
[1:28:35] This project is in cooperation
[1:28:38] with the San Diego Police
[1:28:39] Department and will integrate
[1:28:43] enforcement and youth
[1:28:44] development programs to enhance
[1:28:48] public safety and deliver
[1:28:49] prevention and mentoring
[1:28:50] services to youth and parents
[1:28:53] In San Diego.
[1:28:58] It happens that ironically
[1:28:58] the Board of Supervisors today
[1:29:03] just accepted a similar grant
[1:29:04] for $6 million for the county
[1:29:08] and the sheriff's department.
[1:29:11] The Board of Supervisors does
[1:29:17] this as it goes to allow 35 new
[1:29:18] businesses canvass businesses
[1:29:22] that are unwanted in rural
[1:29:22] areas.
[1:29:26] And those funds at 6 million
[1:29:27] awarded to the sheriff's
[1:29:31] department does signify
[1:29:32] significant public health and
[1:29:32] safety issues existing with
[1:29:36] the county.
[1:29:37] As a result of existing
[1:29:40] businesses let alone 35 new
[1:29:44] ones to be added I just wanted
[1:29:45] to say that these grants are
[1:29:49] helpful but I heads up As
[1:29:50] the county adds more businesses
[1:29:51] they will also mean more
[1:29:55] negative outcome harms and
[1:29:56] the need for more programs like
[1:29:59] these that are addressed in
[1:29:59] the Prop 64 funding.
[1:30:00] So thank you.
[1:30:04] Thank you.
[1:30:04] Judy Strang If you can please
[1:30:07] unmute Also if you raise your
[1:30:08] hand after the five minute
[1:30:08] timer we cannot take your
[1:30:09] testimony today but you can
[1:30:12] definitely send in comments to
[1:30:13] City Clerk at San diego.Gov.
[1:30:16] >> Judy Stratton Please unmute
[1:30:17] Excuse me.
[1:30:17] Good morning San Diego City
[1:30:18] Council.
[1:30:22] Thank you for this opportunity
[1:30:25] to share some thoughts I've had
[1:30:26] regarding these Prop 64 grants
[1:30:26] that you just heard about
[1:30:30] the one that you received at
[1:30:30] the city 1.1 million and
[1:30:31] the one that the county's
[1:30:35] sheriff department received for
[1:30:35] 5.9.
[1:30:40] i was very impressed with what
[1:30:41] the sheriff wanted to
[1:30:41] accomplish for
[1:30:45] the unincorporated area and I
[1:30:46] suppose for the nine contracted
[1:30:49] cities under their purview And
[1:30:50] of particular interest to them
[1:30:55] was the illegal pot market.
[1:30:55] And I wondered if there might
[1:31:00] be a nexus for the city of San
[1:31:00] Diego since so much of
[1:31:01] the illegal pot market is
[1:31:04] demonstrated through
[1:31:05] deliveries.
[1:31:05] And this city has taken on
[1:31:09] the task of understanding
[1:31:09] what's going on with deliveries
[1:31:10] where those deliveries are
[1:31:14] coming from and where they
[1:31:15] might be storing those
[1:31:15] properties in the city, those
[1:31:19] marijuana products in the city
[1:31:19] .
[1:31:20] And does anybody know?
[1:31:24] And I just would hope that we
[1:31:24] could get to the bottom of some
[1:31:29] of the illegal activities that
[1:31:30] go on in the city And now that
[1:31:30] we've always known about in
[1:31:34] the county and there could be
[1:31:34] some sort of cooperative effort
[1:31:35] your desire to do something or
[1:31:39] identify delivery seems like a
[1:31:43] first rate step and perhaps
[1:31:44] county could assist you because
[1:31:44] it is on there.
[1:31:48] Grant As well to understand
[1:31:49] about the illegal activities
[1:31:53] and put them out of business.
[1:31:54] However the county grant does
[1:31:55] say it has to be data driven at
[1:31:58] some data that always occurs to
[1:32:02] me is that wherever there has
[1:32:03] been permitted pot businesses
[1:32:07] there is an increase of illegal
[1:32:07] marijuana businesses.
[1:32:11] So yes, the lessons learned
[1:32:12] facilitating marijuana
[1:32:13] businesses makes things worse,
[1:32:13] not better.
[1:32:17] Thank you.
[1:32:17] >> Thank you.
[1:32:18] Next and our final speaker is
[1:32:21] Michael Schmidt.
[1:32:26] >> Well, good morning.
[1:32:27] Can you hear me?
[1:32:27] City clerk.
[1:32:27] Yes.
[1:32:31] Please proceed.
[1:32:31] >> Okay.
[1:32:32] Hey, good morning friend for.
[1:32:36] And welcome to you guys.
[1:32:43] I was going to report on
[1:32:44] the Twin Field View Drive and
[1:32:44] also a Dodge Charger.
[1:32:49] I've been seeing that pothole
[1:32:49] or really bad potholes around
[1:32:50] the whole area of all those
[1:32:53] drive and trying to get there.
[1:32:57] I don't know when they need to
[1:32:58] get it done as is possible and
[1:32:59] I hope you guys are having a
[1:33:02] great day without me.
[1:33:03] I'll probably see you next week
[1:33:06] for the other council meeting
[1:33:07] before my surgery though I MISS
[1:33:12] You guys for sure.
[1:33:12] >> Thank you Michael.
[1:33:13] That does conclude it on agenda
[1:33:16] public comment for today's
[1:33:17] meeting.
[1:33:17] >> All right.
[1:33:18] Thank you, City Clerk.
[1:33:18] And with that we will now
[1:33:21] adjourn for the noon recess and
[1:33:22] reconvene open session at 2
[1:33:22] P.M. Or shortly thereafter.
[1:39:55] >> And
[1:44:14] to
[1:46:13] go
[1:46:13] .
[1:46:14] >> Okay, folks, we're going to
[1:46:17] get started.
[1:46:18] >> Good afternoon.
[1:46:19] I will now reconvene the city
[1:46:19] council meeting of Tuesday,
[1:46:22] SEPTEMBER first, 2026.
[1:46:23] Clerk Please call the roll.
[1:46:23] Thank you.
[1:46:24] Council PRESIDENT Council
[1:46:27] member Campbell.
[1:46:28] Council Member Whitburn here.
[1:46:32] Council Member Foster.
[1:46:33] Council Member Ron Wilbur.
[1:46:37] Council PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee.
[1:46:38] Council Member Can you hear
[1:46:39] Council Member Moreno Present
[1:46:42] Council Member Eli Rivera and
[1:46:43] Council PRESIDENT LaCava.
[1:46:43] Present also attending
[1:46:46] the meeting or Assistant City
[1:46:47] Attorney Leslie Fitzgerald
[1:46:47] Independent Budget Analyst
[1:46:48] Charles Monaco.
[1:46:51] Council Affairs Advisor in
[1:46:52] the Mayor's office Kota Sizer
[1:46:53] and myself your city clerk
[1:46:53] Diana Fuentes.
[1:46:56] Thank you Council PRESIDENT.
[1:46:56] >> All right.
[1:46:57] Thank you, City Clerk.
[1:46:59] We have one item on this if
[1:47:00] afternoon agenda It's an
[1:47:03] informational information item
[1:47:03] .
[1:47:04] This item was previously heard
[1:47:05] in environment but is so
[1:47:08] important we're going to do it
[1:47:09] again here.
[1:47:09] So with that clerk please
[1:47:12] introduce item 503 Thank you.
[1:47:13] >> Council PRESIDENT As you
[1:47:14] noted is an informational item
[1:47:17] Item s5o3 is El Nino
[1:47:18] preparations and 2026 annual
[1:47:22] Storm Water Department Update
[1:47:22] Public comment time for this
[1:47:23] item will be two minutes per
[1:47:27] person.
[1:47:28] If you'd like to speak on this
[1:47:28] item please be sure to submit
[1:47:29] your speaker slip to the front
[1:47:31] of the room or if you are
[1:47:32] participating online now's
[1:47:35] the time to raise your hand by
[1:47:35] pressing Star nine or the raise
[1:47:36] your hand icon.
[1:47:44] Thank you Council PRESIDENT Can
[1:47:45] we have those conversations
[1:47:47] outside chambers Because we can
[1:47:52] hear you up here.
[1:47:53] Yeah.
[1:47:53] All right.
[1:47:57] Staff I see you're starting to
[1:47:57] settle in.
[1:47:58] Please introduce yourselves for
[1:47:59] the record and let us know how
[1:48:02] much time you need.
[1:48:02] Good afternoon.
[1:48:03] Chris McFadden Chief
[1:48:07] Infrastructure Officer About 40
[1:48:08] minutes for the presentation.
[1:48:08] All right.
[1:48:09] Begin when you're ready.
[1:48:11] Good afternoon, council
[1:48:12] members.
[1:48:12] I appreciate the time today
[1:48:13] We're in front of you.
[1:48:17] This is much different.
[1:48:17] Typically stormwater does an
[1:48:18] annual report to environment
[1:48:21] committee to reflect back
[1:48:22] the work that we did
[1:48:23] the previous fiscal year and
[1:48:26] the work we have planned for
[1:48:27] the year to come.
[1:48:27] This is much different with a
[1:48:31] strong El Nino predicted this
[1:48:31] fall.
[1:48:32] We really coordinated early
[1:48:36] with the newly reformed Office
[1:48:37] of Emergency Services now under
[1:48:41] the fire department to bring an
[1:48:42] all hands approach to this.
[1:48:42] This involves every department
[1:48:46] in the city and also is a
[1:48:46] start.
[1:48:47] I really want to emphasize it
[1:48:48] emphasize that a start to
[1:48:51] the discussion we're having
[1:48:52] with the community and with
[1:48:52] the council members and this is
[1:48:56] really where we want to get
[1:48:56] input to make sure we get this
[1:48:57] right.
[1:49:00] We're here to increase
[1:49:01] awareness but also to receive
[1:49:02] input and how can we better
[1:49:05] communicate to the communities
[1:49:06] particularly to those ones that
[1:49:10] are most likely to be affected
[1:49:10] ?
[1:49:11] We can expect our
[1:49:12] infrastructure to be tested
[1:49:15] indeed and I can't emphasize
[1:49:16] enough the resources that we're
[1:49:20] going to go through.
[1:49:21] People looking early, preparing
[1:49:21] early, knowing if you're in a
[1:49:25] floodplain or not and looking
[1:49:26] at the resources available to
[1:49:30] you.
[1:49:31] I'm also Todd Snyder will go
[1:49:31] into detail on how we're
[1:49:35] leveraging the money that was
[1:49:36] actually restored in stormwater
[1:49:40] budget to deliver more dredging
[1:49:40] than we've ever done before.
[1:49:44] This is also a reminder however
[1:49:45] we still do have a $5 billion
[1:49:49] unfunded need in stormwater but
[1:49:49] we are really leveraging all
[1:49:50] the resources to bear.
[1:49:54] I really want to thank all
[1:49:55] the staff from Emergency
[1:49:56] Services Stormwater Department
[1:49:59] and indeed every department in
[1:50:00] the city for what we know is
[1:50:03] just a start for a continuous
[1:50:04] communication And with
[1:50:04] the efforts I know we will get
[1:50:08] through this storm together.
[1:50:09] I'll now turn it over to chief
[1:50:13] resending.
[1:50:13] Thank you, Chris.
[1:50:14] Council PRESIDENT, council
[1:50:17] members, members of the public
[1:50:18] thank you for your time as
[1:50:19] Christmas And this is a very
[1:50:22] important topic and we want to
[1:50:23] make sure that we provide as
[1:50:24] much information and also
[1:50:27] receive as much information as
[1:50:28] we can to ensure that our
[1:50:28] preparedness is is ready.
[1:50:32] As mentioned, this is
[1:50:33] the beginning of
[1:50:33] the preparation phase.
[1:50:37] I took over the position of
[1:50:37] the Office of Emergency
[1:50:38] Services about two months ago
[1:50:39] and in order for us to properly
[1:50:42] serve and receive information
[1:50:42] from all the different
[1:50:43] departments and coordinate we
[1:50:44] needed to ensure that
[1:50:46] the infrastructure of
[1:50:47] the office was capable of
[1:50:47] receiving information and then
[1:50:48] acting on it.
[1:50:52] So at this point we are we've
[1:50:53] moved forward but we're still
[1:50:54] at the beginning of what is
[1:50:57] going to be a marathon and not
[1:50:57] a sprint.
[1:50:58] This is going to be six months
[1:51:01] or more of constant vigilance,
[1:51:01] constant coordination, constant
[1:51:02] communication, identifying
[1:51:06] challenges and trying to
[1:51:07] overcome both prepare before,
[1:51:11] during and after any incidents
[1:51:11] .
[1:51:12] So we look forward to working
[1:51:13] with your offices as we have
[1:51:13] already.
[1:51:16] We would look forward to
[1:51:17] continue to do so to make sure
[1:51:18] that we are on the right track.
[1:51:18] I'm going to turn it over now
[1:51:24] to Dustin Ivers.
[1:51:25] >> Thank you, Chief Presenting.
[1:51:25] We're going to bring up
[1:51:26] Sebastian from the National
[1:51:29] Weather Service San Diego
[1:51:30] office for a brief on El Nino.
[1:51:33] Sebastian.
[1:51:38] >> Okay.
[1:51:43] >> Hello.
[1:51:43] All right.
[1:51:44] We're going to briefly touch on
[1:51:48] the Enzo phase that we're
[1:51:49] looking at Ends up being
[1:51:49] the phenomenon which drives El
[1:51:53] Nino And then Nina.
[1:51:54] So as many of you know, we're
[1:51:58] currently in an El Nino phase
[1:51:58] of the tropical equatorial
[1:51:59] Pacific which means the sea
[1:52:02] surface temperatures are much
[1:52:03] higher than average right now
[1:52:07] which entails a change in
[1:52:08] the atmospheric patterns and
[1:52:13] typically as seen in that
[1:52:13] diagram displayed above, we
[1:52:17] tend to get a more extended jet
[1:52:21] stream which is effectively
[1:52:22] the conveyor belt of storms.
[1:52:23] So when you have a more
[1:52:27] extended jet stream you can get
[1:52:27] more storms And the more storms
[1:52:31] that we have the higher
[1:52:32] the probability there is for a
[1:52:36] soaking atmosphere forever that
[1:52:37] can cause impacts here in
[1:52:41] the city.
[1:52:42] And just to take a look at
[1:52:46] the future forecast for El
[1:52:47] Nino, we're currently in and
[1:52:50] out Nino and advisory which
[1:52:51] which means that if anyone is
[1:52:55] still wondering whether El Nino
[1:52:56] is coming it's already here.
[1:52:57] But the anticipation is that
[1:53:00] the El Nino that the sea
[1:53:01] surface temperatures are going
[1:53:01] to continue to warm to
[1:53:05] the point where we're seeing
[1:53:06] almost a 70% chance for
[1:53:06] historic event by the time we
[1:53:14] get into winter and at least
[1:53:15] 90% chance for a very strong El
[1:53:16] Nino which has a pretty
[1:53:19] significant signal to give us a
[1:53:23] higher probability for above
[1:53:24] average rainfall whether that
[1:53:25] be many storms or whether that
[1:53:28] be a few storms that are highly
[1:53:32] impactful.
[1:53:32] All right.
[1:53:40] Thank you very much, Sebastian
[1:53:40] .
[1:53:41] Turn it over to Chief.
[1:53:45] Any.
[1:53:45] >> So in the beginning of
[1:53:46] the development of that
[1:53:50] structure we established a some
[1:53:51] working group which is made up
[1:53:55] of every city department.
[1:53:56] Currently approximately 80
[1:53:56] participants on a biweekly
[1:54:00] meeting to ensure that we are
[1:54:01] in alignment and making sure
[1:54:01] that there isn't a parallel
[1:54:04] path being taken during
[1:54:05] the preparation phase in order
[1:54:05] to to better refine what
[1:54:09] the gaps and the needs that
[1:54:10] were were identified by this
[1:54:10] working group, by this working
[1:54:14] group we developed nine sub
[1:54:14] working groups that are
[1:54:19] identified and these nine sub
[1:54:20] working groups have members
[1:54:20] from a variety of different
[1:54:21] departments and different
[1:54:24] divisions within the city.
[1:54:25] That has allowed for us to do
[1:54:29] cross-cutting work and arriving
[1:54:30] at some identified gaps
[1:54:34] identified funding needs
[1:54:34] identified procedures that
[1:54:39] either due to revision of
[1:54:40] the audit recommendations which
[1:54:40] does and will cover we've been
[1:54:43] able to address a lot of those
[1:54:44] concerns to make sure that we
[1:54:45] we are prepared and better
[1:54:51] prepared than last time.
[1:54:52] >> We'll break over to
[1:54:52] the objectives now So
[1:54:56] the objectives for the sub
[1:54:57] working group was to identify
[1:55:00] and analyze gaps in current
[1:55:01] capabilities and deliver clear
[1:55:05] actionable recommendations to
[1:55:06] resolve identified
[1:55:06] deficiencies.
[1:55:11] The second one is coordinate
[1:55:11] across city departments to
[1:55:12] develop integrated plans and
[1:55:15] procedures and propose policy
[1:55:15] enhancements that support
[1:55:16] citywide preparedness.
[1:55:19] The third one is design and
[1:55:20] implement a comprehensive
[1:55:20] public communications campaign
[1:55:23] that promotes personal
[1:55:24] preparedness, informs
[1:55:25] the community of the city's
[1:55:28] efforts in highlights available
[1:55:29] resources.
[1:55:33] Fourth, ensure that all
[1:55:33] projects, initiatives and
[1:55:34] communications are here to
[1:55:38] the city Policies and meet
[1:55:39] standards for accessibility,
[1:55:43] equity and inclusiveness.
[1:55:44] And fifth, enhance interagency
[1:55:44] collaboration by strengthening
[1:55:48] coordination with external
[1:55:49] partners including governmental
[1:55:49] agencies, NGOs, faith based
[1:55:52] organizations and community
[1:56:01] based organizations.
[1:56:02] >> The working group oversees
[1:56:03] nine different sub working
[1:56:07] groups So as we see Bissau, El
[1:56:08] Nino is here we see
[1:56:08] the forecast.
[1:56:11] We have the information coming
[1:56:12] from National Weather Service
[1:56:13] that there is a real threat out
[1:56:13] there.
[1:56:16] We've put together the citywide
[1:56:16] working group with every city
[1:56:17] department and office together
[1:56:18] and we have those five
[1:56:18] objectives.
[1:56:21] So we've separated out into
[1:56:22] nine different sub working
[1:56:22] groups to focus on very
[1:56:26] specific areas of preparedness.
[1:56:26] We have communications web page
[1:56:30] and mapping community
[1:56:31] engagement, sandbag planning
[1:56:31] evacuations which leads into
[1:56:35] the care and shelter components
[1:56:36] ,emergency access points,
[1:56:40] extreme temperature response
[1:56:40] emergency operations center
[1:56:41] logistics and finance debris
[1:56:44] removal shoreline and bay
[1:56:49] protective berms.
[1:56:50] So the working group right now
[1:56:50] in those nine different
[1:56:53] subgroups are working on 60
[1:56:54] different projects concurrently
[1:56:58] several of those projects align
[1:56:59] with audit recommendations from
[1:56:59] the JANUARY 2024 floods and
[1:57:02] that audit that came in JUNE
[1:57:03] 2025.
[1:57:04] So on this slide you'll see in
[1:57:07] the parentheses the recommended
[1:57:08] missions and the numbers that
[1:57:09] align from these projects but
[1:57:09] this is just an example of a
[1:57:12] few of them centralize this
[1:57:13] communication strategy El Nino
[1:57:14] preparedness public outreach
[1:57:17] emergency Operations center
[1:57:18] training and exercises for city
[1:57:22] leadership and staff areas
[1:57:22] specific emergency response
[1:57:23] playbooks, evacuation and
[1:57:27] sheltering coordination and
[1:57:28] coordination and planning with
[1:57:28] partner agencies like San Diego
[1:57:29] Gas and Electric, the county of
[1:57:32] San Diego and the American Red
[1:57:37] Cross amongst several others.
[1:57:37] >> In addition to working
[1:57:38] towards audit deliverables,
[1:57:42] we're also taking a know from
[1:57:42] after action reports from
[1:57:43] previous incidents that have
[1:57:47] happened in San Diego as well
[1:57:47] as the rest of the state and
[1:57:48] the country and taken best
[1:57:51] practices and lessons learned
[1:57:52] and incorporating them into
[1:57:52] the city of San Diego.
[1:57:53] Some of those projects are
[1:57:56] accessible River access points
[1:57:57] for swift water rescue teams.
[1:57:58] That way they have a clear
[1:58:01] access point to get to victims
[1:58:01] that could be in the flood
[1:58:02] danger zone.
[1:58:05] Winter Weather Workshop We're
[1:58:06] bringing in subject matter
[1:58:07] experts to provide information
[1:58:10] and resources to city staff.
[1:58:11] City response Tabletop
[1:58:11] exercise.
[1:58:16] So we're working on these 60
[1:58:16] different projects We need to
[1:58:17] validate and test them.
[1:58:20] Stress test these projects to
[1:58:20] ensure that we identify any
[1:58:21] gaps before we use them and we
[1:58:25] address those.
[1:58:26] So that's what that tabletop
[1:58:26] exercise will be.
[1:58:27] The emergency emergency
[1:58:30] operations center responder
[1:58:30] training we've already started
[1:58:31] with the emergency operations
[1:58:35] center responder orientation a
[1:58:35] couple of weeks ago and we'll
[1:58:36] continue with section specific
[1:58:40] training for those responders.
[1:58:40] Public sandbag distribution,
[1:58:41] extreme temperature response
[1:58:45] planning and critical vendor
[1:58:46] and contractor readiness
[1:58:54] assessment and then
[1:58:55] collaboration with the city's
[1:58:55] communications department as
[1:58:56] well as performance analytics.
[1:58:59] The working group has published
[1:58:59] the San diego.Gov/on your
[1:59:04] website and developed a El Nino
[1:59:04] preparedness education
[1:59:08] materials to provide residents
[1:59:09] with useful information and
[1:59:09] resources.
[1:59:10] Also sharing this information
[1:59:13] through digital platforms,
[1:59:14] fliers, handouts, news media
[1:59:14] and mailers in multiple
[1:59:18] languages and
[1:59:18] the communications Department
[1:59:19] is also developed a toolkit for
[1:59:22] council offices to help share
[1:59:23] El Nino preparedness
[1:59:27] information with constituents.
[1:59:28] >> So what we're doing is we're
[1:59:32] encouraging the public to stay
[1:59:32] ready.
[1:59:33] Preparedness is everyone's
[1:59:33] responsibility.
[1:59:37] We'd like everyone to visit San
[1:59:38] diego.Gov/ondina for more
[1:59:38] information on how to make a
[1:59:42] plan to build a kit to stay
[1:59:42] informed.
[1:59:43] I will now turn
[1:59:43] the presentation over to
[1:59:46] the Director of Stormwater
[1:59:47] department Todd Snyder.
[1:59:47] >> Okay.
[1:59:48] Thank you Dustin.
[1:59:51] I'm going to begin my annual
[1:59:52] Stormwater department update by
[1:59:52] highlighting some of the key
[1:59:53] communications that our
[1:59:56] Stormwater department carries
[1:59:57] out that build upon the work
[1:59:57] that you just heard about from
[2:00:01] os and City Communications.
[2:00:02] So just this week we mailed out
[2:00:03] more than 7000 informational
[2:00:06] fliers to properties that are
[2:00:07] located within federally
[2:00:08] designated flood hazard areas.
[2:00:10] Also called flood plains.
[2:00:11] So flooding can occur anywhere
[2:00:12] in the city but mapped
[2:00:16] floodplain areas are considered
[2:00:16] the highest risk locations.
[2:00:20] So the mailers that we sent
[2:00:21] were sent out to both
[2:00:22] registered property owners and
[2:00:22] the physical resident at
[2:00:25] the address and we amplified
[2:00:26] awareness with a press release
[2:00:27] that just went out yesterday.
[2:00:27] Mailers of course are also
[2:00:31] available on our website as
[2:00:31] well as city libraries and rec
[2:00:32] centers in both English and
[2:00:36] Spanish language.
[2:00:36] The mailers really emphasize
[2:00:37] two things of course
[2:00:40] the readiness component that oh
[2:00:41] you guys just spoke to but also
[2:00:41] connecting residents who live
[2:00:45] in flood plains with flood
[2:00:45] insurance resources.
[2:00:46] There's a number of other
[2:00:50] additional communications that
[2:00:51] we push out including sending
[2:00:55] mailers to repetitive loss
[2:00:55] notifications for neighborhoods
[2:00:56] that have experienced multiple
[2:00:59] damage claims in recent years.
[2:01:00] And we've also mailed out
[2:01:01] information to over 180
[2:01:03] properties who have private
[2:01:04] storm channel maintenance
[2:01:09] responsibilities themselves.
[2:01:14] >> >> I want to focus for a
[2:01:15] minute on these areas of
[2:01:15] highest flood risk in the city.
[2:01:19] >> As I mentioned, fema pushes
[2:01:19] out maps of our special flood
[2:01:22] hazard areas which are
[2:01:23] otherwise known as 100 year
[2:01:23] flood plains.
[2:01:24] So there's over 15,000 acres of
[2:01:27] Mount flood plain citywide.
[2:01:27] Importantly there are 7000
[2:01:28] parcels that actually have
[2:01:32] structures that are in these
[2:01:32] high risk zones.
[2:01:33] So we encourage everybody to
[2:01:36] know if they live in a high
[2:01:37] flood risk area by visiting
[2:01:38] the El Nino website that we
[2:01:41] just mentioned on their website
[2:01:42] you can link to fema's website
[2:01:43] where you can enter your
[2:01:46] address to see if your property
[2:01:47] exists and one of the highest
[2:01:48] risk flood areas.
[2:01:51] So if you live in a flood
[2:01:51] plain, one of the most
[2:01:52] important actions you can take
[2:01:56] is to purchase flood insurance
[2:01:56] federally backed mortgages And
[2:02:00] these zones require flood
[2:02:01] insurance But for properties
[2:02:01] that are owned outright or for
[2:02:04] renters, flood insurance is not
[2:02:05] required.
[2:02:05] Typical homeowners and renters
[2:02:09] insurance policies won't cover
[2:02:10] flood damage.
[2:02:10] So we encourage people to act
[2:02:13] now to purchase flood insurance
[2:02:14] because there is a 30 day
[2:02:18] waiting period.
[2:02:19] >> >> So the city has worked
[2:02:23] really hard over the last few
[2:02:24] years to secure discounts for
[2:02:25] any San Diego and who wishes to
[2:02:28] purchase flood insurance.
[2:02:29] Because of our efforts such as
[2:02:33] conducting public outreach and
[2:02:34] having a strong municipal code
[2:02:34] that limits new development
[2:02:37] within flood plain areas, we
[2:02:38] have qualified for Class seven
[2:02:39] status under the community
[2:02:39] rating system.
[2:02:43] So all San Diegans qualify for
[2:02:43] a 15% discount on their
[2:02:44] insurance premium.
[2:02:48] When purchasing and fip policy
[2:02:49] this is a benefit that's not
[2:02:51] necessarily available to all
[2:02:56] cities in the region.
[2:02:57] >> Okay, So now I'm going to
[2:02:58] transition to a status update
[2:03:00] and what has the city and what
[2:03:01] has the Storm water department
[2:03:02] been doing to maintain and
[2:03:02] upgrade our stormwater
[2:03:05] infrastructure over the last
[2:03:06] year?
[2:03:07] First of all as a reminder our
[2:03:10] drainage system is comprised of
[2:03:11] a number of different assets
[2:03:14] that are shown on this slide
[2:03:15] including 15 pump stations
[2:03:19] almost 70 miles of above ground
[2:03:19] storm channels, six miles of
[2:03:20] levees and more than 1000 miles
[2:03:23] of underground storm drain
[2:03:24] pipes and over 40,000
[2:03:24] structural components such as
[2:03:31] inlets outlets and clean outs.
[2:03:32] So I'm going to start by going
[2:03:33] through our efforts on this
[2:03:34] storm drain the underground
[2:03:40] storm drain system.
[2:03:40] So this year our goal is to
[2:03:41] inspect each and every drain
[2:03:42] inlet and clean out at least
[2:03:45] once per year.
[2:03:45] And we met that goal in fy 26.
[2:03:48] As you can see, we inspected
[2:03:49] and cleaned over 32,000 storm
[2:03:54] drain inlets between JULY and
[2:03:54] MAY of 2026.
[2:03:55] When we do these inspections,
[2:03:56] if there's debris that we can
[2:03:59] clean out by hand, we do that
[2:03:59] with our hand crews or if we
[2:04:03] need mechanical support from
[2:04:04] the vector trucks that you see
[2:04:04] on this slide.
[2:04:08] We schedule those for follow up
[2:04:08] cleaning.
[2:04:09] So in the month of JUNE since
[2:04:10] we got through our whole
[2:04:12] inventory in 11 months we went
[2:04:13] back and re inspected and re
[2:04:17] cleaned several of the more
[2:04:18] problematic areas that are
[2:04:19] known to accumulate debris.
[2:04:22] So those got an extra round of
[2:04:22] cleaning.
[2:04:23] From an upgrade perspective
[2:04:26] thinking about our capital
[2:04:27] improvement program we were
[2:04:28] successful in replacing one and
[2:04:31] a half miles of deteriorated
[2:04:32] pipe through a variety of
[2:04:36] different types of cip projects
[2:04:36] from the WiFi your funded
[2:04:37] projects through our low
[2:04:41] interest loan through work
[2:04:41] that's done by our in-house
[2:04:42] crews but also emergency
[2:04:43] projects that I'll talk about
[2:04:45] in a little bit.
[2:04:46] With support from the ecp
[2:04:46] department.
[2:04:50] In addition we responded to
[2:04:51] over 4000 service notifications
[2:04:52] related to our underground
[2:04:52] system and you can see
[2:04:54] the totals here broken out by
[2:04:59] council district despite
[2:05:03] responding to more than 4000
[2:05:03] service notifications, we have
[2:05:07] seen our backlog increase by
[2:05:08] almost 1500 in fiscal year 26.
[2:05:08] So what this means is that
[2:05:12] issues are coming into our
[2:05:13] department faster than we can
[2:05:14] address them with our existing
[2:05:17] staffing levels.
[2:05:18] So in general this is a
[2:05:18] reflection of the aging
[2:05:19] condition of our drainage
[2:05:22] system which just continues to
[2:05:22] to age over time.
[2:05:23] I mean these were put in
[2:05:26] decades ago a lot of these pipe
[2:05:34] systems looking ahead to fiscal
[2:05:34] year 27.
[2:05:35] We did start our new round of
[2:05:39] annual inspections and cleaning
[2:05:39] JULY 1st and we're starting
[2:05:40] from south to north within
[2:05:40] the city.
[2:05:43] So we've already completing
[2:05:44] completed the annual round of
[2:05:45] cleaning in the Tijuana River
[2:05:48] and the Choice Creek areas And
[2:05:49] we're moving on shortly to
[2:05:50] the San Diego Bay watershed.
[2:05:53] A couple newly implemented
[2:05:54] efficiencies I wanted to
[2:05:57] highlight We have a list of
[2:05:57] over 500 different locations
[2:05:58] that frequently very commonly
[2:06:01] need support from our vector
[2:06:02] trucks that mechanical
[2:06:02] cleaning.
[2:06:03] So we actually have a dedicated
[2:06:06] vector team that's just going
[2:06:07] and roving around those areas
[2:06:07] to ensure that they can be
[2:06:10] addressed more efficiently
[2:06:11] rather than getting to them
[2:06:12] when we get to them.
[2:06:16] We've also attached a dedicated
[2:06:16] vector truck team to our
[2:06:20] channel cleaning teams so that
[2:06:21] when the channels are cleaned
[2:06:21] out and dredged in these
[2:06:25] communities we're ensuring that
[2:06:26] all the drains and inputs that
[2:06:27] go into those channels are
[2:06:27] cleaned at the same time.
[2:06:30] So these are efficiencies that
[2:06:31] are improvements over how we've
[2:06:32] handled maintenance in years
[2:06:35] past.
[2:06:36] >> One of the most important
[2:06:40] things that the department has
[2:06:40] done over the past ten years is
[2:06:41] to develop drainage master
[2:06:42] plans for several of our
[2:06:45] watersheds.
[2:06:46] Choice Creek was the first plan
[2:06:49] that we worked on in 2018 and
[2:06:49] we've completed three
[2:06:50] additional plans since.
[2:06:54] So what a drainage master plan
[2:06:55] is is it helps us identify and
[2:06:58] prioritize where drainage
[2:06:59] upgrades and improvements are
[2:06:59] needed the most.
[2:07:03] The table here shows that a
[2:07:03] significant portion of our
[2:07:04] underground storm drain pipes
[2:07:08] do not have enough capacity to
[2:07:08] handle flows from a 100 year
[2:07:09] storm.
[2:07:12] So 100 year storm is the design
[2:07:13] standard where if we're going
[2:07:16] to build infrastructure today
[2:07:17] it's going to be built big
[2:07:17] enough to handle flows from 100
[2:07:18] year storm.
[2:07:21] You can see from the slide that
[2:07:21] drainage capacity is
[2:07:22] particularly lacking.
[2:07:26] Some of our older communities
[2:07:27] around San Diego Bay and Choice
[2:07:27] Creek in particular.
[2:07:31] The reality is that drainage
[2:07:32] infrastructure has not kept up
[2:07:32] with development.
[2:07:36] And so more paid services,
[2:07:36] buildings, roads mean more
[2:07:37] runoff is reaching these pipes
[2:07:41] than they were designed to
[2:07:41] handle.
[2:07:42] And so climate change is
[2:07:42] definitely not helping in this
[2:07:46] as well as sand storms are
[2:07:46] becoming bigger and more
[2:07:47] intense.
[2:07:47] So the message here is that
[2:07:50] independent of our maintenance
[2:07:51] programs maintenance is
[2:07:51] absolutely critical.
[2:07:52] But there is a certain amount
[2:07:55] of rain and intensity of rain
[2:07:56] that will overwhelm our system
[2:07:57] just based on capacity
[2:08:03] limitations.
[2:08:04] >> So I talked about capacity
[2:08:07] with capacity is not the only
[2:08:08] factor that causes risk.
[2:08:08] It's the condition of
[2:08:09] the system as well.
[2:08:13] The aging condition of our
[2:08:13] pipes.
[2:08:14] We know that certain pipe
[2:08:14] materials are more likely to
[2:08:18] fail based on corrosion and
[2:08:18] wear over time and that
[2:08:19] the highest risk pipe types are
[2:08:23] corrugated metal.
[2:08:23] So we've been making a
[2:08:24] concerted effort to replace as
[2:08:28] much of this corrugated metal
[2:08:28] pipe or icmp as possible.
[2:08:29] We've been using our WiFi alone
[2:08:33] since we're in the process of
[2:08:33] replacing about six miles of
[2:08:34] Samp citywide.
[2:08:37] But even after this investment
[2:08:38] we estimate that there's still
[2:08:40] another 20 miles of camp
[2:08:41] throughout the city that will
[2:08:46] need to be replaced.
[2:08:50] >> So the deteriorated samp has
[2:08:51] been the single largest factor
[2:08:52] contributing to an increase
[2:08:52] that we've seen in storm water
[2:08:56] failures such as sinkholes and
[2:08:57] failures.
[2:08:57] The map that showed on this
[2:09:01] slide shows more than 50
[2:09:01] emergency stormwater cip
[2:09:05] projects that we've undertaken
[2:09:05] across the city over the past
[2:09:06] five years.
[2:09:09] Close to 20 of these projects
[2:09:09] are in active construction and
[2:09:13] being managed by either the ecp
[2:09:14] department or our in-house
[2:09:18] crews in storm water.
[2:09:19] >> Over the past five years
[2:09:22] we've allocated $230 million to
[2:09:23] emergency stormwater caps.
[2:09:27] The chart here shows a sharp
[2:09:28] increase in emergency spending
[2:09:30] following the 2024 storms.
[2:09:31] But even last year which was a
[2:09:35] relatively average storm year
[2:09:36] we allocated over $40 million
[2:09:40] towards emergencies in the in
[2:09:44] fiscal year 27 budget We have
[2:09:44] earmarked $30 million in
[2:09:45] anticipation that there will be
[2:09:49] new emergency repairs that pop
[2:09:49] up.
[2:09:53] And just in the first two
[2:09:53] months of this fiscal year,
[2:09:56] JULY and AUGUST we've already
[2:09:57] declared six new stormwater
[2:09:57] emergencies.
[2:10:00] >> One of the strategies that
[2:10:01] we're implementing to reduce
[2:10:05] the cost of emergency skips is
[2:10:05] to perform as much of
[2:10:06] the repair work in-house as
[2:10:07] possible.
[2:10:10] So our in-house teams completed
[2:10:11] three emergency projects last
[2:10:11] year.
[2:10:12] And we'll be working on even
[2:10:18] more in fy 27.
[2:10:19] >> So now I'm going to
[2:10:23] transition to talking about our
[2:10:24] aboveground stormwater channel
[2:10:24] system.
[2:10:25] And as a reminder we do have
[2:10:27] about 70 miles of channel
[2:10:31] citywide.
[2:10:32] >> I'm really happy to report
[2:10:33] that the stormwater departments
[2:10:36] performing more channel
[2:10:37] maintenance than ever before
[2:10:41] prior to the 2024 flood
[2:10:41] emergency.
[2:10:42] The department was funded to
[2:10:42] maintain about four channel
[2:10:46] segments across about two miles
[2:10:46] each year.
[2:10:50] In fy 26 we maintain 30 channel
[2:10:51] segments across more than 11
[2:10:51] miles.
[2:10:55] A lot of our work is focused on
[2:10:56] keeping up with the maintenance
[2:10:57] that occurred after the flood
[2:11:00] emergency particularly in
[2:11:01] the Curious Creek area.
[2:11:01] And so it's really important to
[2:11:02] stay on top of this maintenance
[2:11:04] because it becomes easier to
[2:11:05] prevent significant vegetation
[2:11:06] regrowth and sediment
[2:11:09] accumulation.
[2:11:10] And I'll emphasize it's not
[2:11:11] just a one time cleaning.
[2:11:12] A lot of these channels
[2:11:14] especially the ones that have
[2:11:15] earthen bottoms have to be
[2:11:16] cleaned multiple times each
[2:11:19] year to really keep all
[2:11:23] the channels free of any debris
[2:11:24] .
[2:11:24] In addition to our proactive
[2:11:25] channel maintenance, we
[2:11:28] responded to 339 service
[2:11:29] notifications for our channels
[2:11:32] many of which relate to trash
[2:11:37] illegal dumping or encampments
[2:11:37] .
[2:11:42] >> Similar to the drain chart
[2:11:43] that I showed, this is
[2:11:43] the backlog of our channel
[2:11:44] issues.
[2:11:47] And so we responded to 339
[2:11:48] service notifications but we
[2:11:48] have continued to see our
[2:11:52] backlog increase again.
[2:11:53] This means the issues are
[2:11:53] coming in faster to us than
[2:11:59] we're able to resolve them.
[2:12:00] >> Looking ahead to fiscal year
[2:12:04] 27, we already started to
[2:12:04] execute a greatly expanded
[2:12:05] channel maintenance program
[2:12:06] this fiscal year.
[2:12:09] So in the month of JULY alone
[2:12:10] we've completed maintenance on
[2:12:13] 18 segments in four miles.
[2:12:14] In AUGUST we addressed another
[2:12:17] 11 segments and three and a
[2:12:17] half more miles.
[2:12:18] Most of our efforts have been
[2:12:21] focused in districts four,
[2:12:22] eight and nine.
[2:12:23] But we've also maintained
[2:12:25] critical channels in districts
[2:12:25] two and seven and we're
[2:12:29] planning to address critical
[2:12:30] areas and Sorento Valley in
[2:12:30] District one starting in mid
[2:12:31] SEPTEMBER.
[2:12:35] There's been a few factors
[2:12:35] critical to our success that
[2:12:39] have allowed us to expand so
[2:12:40] significantly.
[2:12:40] First of all we've been working
[2:12:41] very closely with multiple
[2:12:44] federal and state agencies to
[2:12:45] support expedited permitting
[2:12:45] requests.
[2:12:48] And we've been getting really
[2:12:49] excellent cooperation.
[2:12:50] I'm happy to report also with
[2:12:54] the additional $1 million in
[2:12:54] one time budget that was made
[2:12:55] available to storm water.
[2:12:58] We can have our crews out
[2:12:59] working overtime six days a
[2:13:00] week, 12 hours a day.
[2:13:04] And that has enhanced our
[2:13:04] efficiency really, really
[2:13:05] enormously.
[2:13:05] So the extra budget also allows
[2:13:12] us to enhance contract support
[2:13:12] .
[2:13:13] >> The next couple of slides
[2:13:13] I'm going to show you just give
[2:13:16] you a visual of where
[2:13:17] the channels are that we're
[2:13:18] maintaining for f y 27.
[2:13:21] So starting in the South you
[2:13:21] can see there's several
[2:13:22] critical channels in the San
[2:13:26] Isidro and Nestor areas.
[2:13:31] >> As I mentioned, a lot of our
[2:13:32] channel maintenance work is
[2:13:33] focused in the Choice Creek
[2:13:33] area.
[2:13:36] Several of these channels
[2:13:37] including those with Earth and
[2:13:37] Bottoms and South Crest
[2:13:41] Mountain View Encanto Skyline
[2:13:42] are going to be maintained
[2:13:42] multiple times during
[2:13:43] the fiscal year to stay on top
[2:13:49] of that vegetation growth.
[2:13:49] >> This line highlights several
[2:13:50] channels in the San Diego Bay
[2:13:53] San Diego River mission bay
[2:13:53] areas.
[2:13:54] And as I mentioned, Sorrento
[2:13:57] Valley is a key area that we're
[2:13:57] going to be moving into later
[2:14:02] this month.
[2:14:03] >> So every time we maintain a
[2:14:07] channel, what essentially we're
[2:14:07] doing is we're taking out
[2:14:08] wetlands from that channel.
[2:14:12] And according to maintain our
[2:14:12] environmental compliance we
[2:14:13] have to put that wetland
[2:14:17] function back somewhere else in
[2:14:17] the city.
[2:14:20] And so in fiscal year 26 we
[2:14:21] completed three mitigation
[2:14:22] projects that totaled more than
[2:14:22] 15 acres.
[2:14:23] This allows us to keep up with
[2:14:25] that expanded channel
[2:14:26] maintenance activity.
[2:14:27] We've got another three
[2:14:27] projects that are under
[2:14:31] construction and currently that
[2:14:31] will provide another eight
[2:14:32] acres.
[2:14:35] And then looking out over
[2:14:36] the next eight years or so we
[2:14:36] anticipate needing about 36
[2:14:40] acres of additional mitigation
[2:14:40] to keep expanding
[2:14:41] the maintenance program.
[2:14:45] And as a reminder, a lot of
[2:14:45] this construction work
[2:14:46] associated with wetland
[2:14:47] mitigation is funded through
[2:14:52] our environmental growth Fund.
[2:14:52] >> Okay.
[2:14:53] Similar to my slide about
[2:14:57] the capacity of our storm drain
[2:14:58] system, this slide shows some
[2:14:59] of the current conditions how
[2:15:02] much capacity to our
[2:15:03] aboveground channels have.
[2:15:07] The reality is only 17% of our
[2:15:10] 180 channel segments are
[2:15:11] designed to handle a 100 year
[2:15:11] storm.
[2:15:12] And you can think about a 100
[2:15:15] year storm as in simple terms
[2:15:16] if we get about an inch and a
[2:15:19] half to two inches of rain over
[2:15:20] a three hour period, that's a
[2:15:20] 100 year storm.
[2:15:23] Generally if we get two and a
[2:15:24] half to three inches of rain
[2:15:27] over a 12 hour period, that's
[2:15:27] 100 year storm.
[2:15:28] So those amounts don't seem too
[2:15:33] outrageous And it's important
[2:15:33] to note that some of our
[2:15:34] channels not only do they not
[2:15:35] convey a 100 year storm,
[2:15:37] they're only sized to handle
[2:15:38] say a two or a five year storm.
[2:15:42] So we can get intense rainfall
[2:15:43] of just an inch and see some of
[2:15:43] our channels starting to
[2:15:44] overtop.
[2:15:47] >> So a lot of times the thing
[2:15:48] is that flooding is always due
[2:15:51] to lack of maintenance but
[2:15:52] the capacity limitations are a
[2:15:52] significant factor.
[2:15:57] We are investing a lot of our
[2:15:57] WiFi dollars to upgrade and
[2:16:00] enhance some of our critical
[2:16:00] channel areas.
[2:16:01] This graphic here shows an
[2:16:04] example of just one of those
[2:16:05] investments we're making.
[2:16:06] This example is for
[2:16:09] the Hammerschmidt Channel and
[2:16:09] Skyline which is currently a
[2:16:10] 60% design.
[2:16:14] And we have another very large
[2:16:15] ship project in the works in
[2:16:16] the South Crest adjacent to
[2:16:19] Beta Street that we've been
[2:16:19] working very closely with
[2:16:20] Caltrans and fema to understand
[2:16:23] the parameters of what we're
[2:16:24] allowed to build since we're
[2:16:24] tying into their
[2:16:25] infrastructure.
[2:16:28] We're getting to a pretty good
[2:16:29] point In our approaching a 30%
[2:16:33] design milestone soon.
[2:16:35] >> So now I'll move on to our
[2:16:40] pump stations.
[2:16:41] >> The department performs year
[2:16:44] round maintenance of 15 pump
[2:16:44] stations, 24 interceptor
[2:16:48] stations, 54 diversion valves
[2:16:48] and six Typekit.
[2:16:49] Some of the significant
[2:16:50] improvements that were made
[2:16:53] last fiscal year We installed
[2:16:53] warning signs flood warning
[2:16:58] signs at pump Station see in
[2:16:59] the midway area.
[2:16:59] We replaced time gates at some
[2:17:02] of the areas in mission Beach.
[2:17:03] And really importantly we
[2:17:07] provided backup power to some
[2:17:07] of our biggest pump stations
[2:17:08] most critical pump stations
[2:17:09] each and that are along the San
[2:17:11] Diego River and Mission Beach
[2:17:16] areas.
[2:17:16] >> Looking ahead to fiscal year
[2:17:17] 27 so all of the electrical and
[2:17:21] mechanical component within our
[2:17:21] pump stations are on a regular
[2:17:22] inspection and maintenance
[2:17:26] frequency schedule.
[2:17:26] It's something that we do year
[2:17:27] round.
[2:17:31] And then one thing to highlight
[2:17:32] is Position l which is located
[2:17:35] on ncr de San Diego is
[2:17:36] undergoing emergency repairs
[2:17:37] and those repairs will be
[2:17:40] continuing through the rainy
[2:17:40] season.
[2:17:41] So we're coordinating closely
[2:17:45] with ecp in an emergency
[2:17:46] contractor to ensure that those
[2:17:50] flows will be handled from a
[2:17:51] capacity standpoint.
[2:17:51] Very similar story you're going
[2:17:52] to hear about our pump stations
[2:17:55] as our channels and our storm
[2:17:55] drains.
[2:17:56] 14 of our 15 stations are sized
[2:18:00] to convey something less than a
[2:18:00] 100 year storm.
[2:18:01] And that's not surprising when
[2:18:04] you consider that seven of
[2:18:05] the pump stations were built in
[2:18:08] the 40s and four were built in
[2:18:08] the 70s.
[2:18:09] So it's just not a piece of
[2:18:09] infrastructure that's been
[2:18:13] upgraded significantly in
[2:18:13] decades.
[2:18:18] We do have some enhancement
[2:18:19] planned from a capital
[2:18:19] improvement site for Pump
[2:18:22] Station d which is our largest
[2:18:23] pump station that services old
[2:18:23] town.
[2:18:24] So those are in design but
[2:18:26] currently we do not have funds
[2:18:30] for construction.
[2:18:31] >> Okay.
[2:18:31] Last major storm drain asset.
[2:18:34] I'm going to talk about our
[2:18:39] levees So I'm happy to report
[2:18:43] that the fiscal year 27 budget
[2:18:44] includes important new funding
[2:18:44] for the Stormwater Department
[2:18:48] to address work that is needed
[2:18:48] to secure permanent
[2:18:49] accreditation of the levees
[2:18:53] that exist along the San Diego
[2:18:53] River.
[2:18:54] Accreditation from fema and
[2:18:54] the Army Corps of Engineers is
[2:18:57] really critical for a couple of
[2:18:58] reasons.
[2:18:58] First, accreditation provides
[2:19:02] the city access to federal
[2:19:03] emergency assistance in
[2:19:03] the event of a catastrophic
[2:19:06] event that damaged or
[2:19:07] compromised the levee system.
[2:19:12] And then secondly, it basically
[2:19:13] prevents all the properties you
[2:19:13] see mapped in orange year from
[2:19:15] being mapped in the 100 year
[2:19:16] flood plain which would then
[2:19:17] kick in flood insurance
[2:19:20] requirements.
[2:19:21] So in 2025 we initiated a
[2:19:21] process to re accredit our
[2:19:25] levees because in 2011 they
[2:19:30] were downgraded to a downgraded
[2:19:30] to a provisional accreditation
[2:19:31] status.
[2:19:34] So we're going to use this new
[2:19:34] $1.9 million that's in our
[2:19:37] budget for fy 27 to start
[2:19:38] maintaining and repairing known
[2:19:38] deficiencies.
[2:19:42] To do land surveyors and
[2:19:43] engineering studies that are
[2:19:43] going to help us demonstrate
[2:19:44] the current capacity, capacity
[2:19:47] and condition of the system is
[2:19:48] and we're going to be working
[2:19:49] with oas to develop emergency
[2:19:52] response plans.
[2:19:52] And it should be noted that we
[2:19:53] have a much smaller and more
[2:19:57] recently constructed levee
[2:19:57] system that protects a single
[2:19:58] neighborhood in the Tier one
[2:20:01] River Valley area.
[2:20:02] >> Okay.
[2:20:03] So now I'll speak very briefly
[2:20:07] about a flood prevention
[2:20:07] program that's not managed by
[2:20:08] the storm water department but
[2:20:10] is critical to minimizing
[2:20:11] damage to city assets in
[2:20:12] the Mission Beach area.
[2:20:15] So each fall parks and Rec
[2:20:16] installs sand berms at Sandy
[2:20:21] beach areas along ocean Front
[2:20:21] and Mission Bay to prevent
[2:20:22] flooding of city assets.
[2:20:26] This work typically occurs in
[2:20:26] OCTOBER to get us ready for
[2:20:27] the King tide season in
[2:20:27] DECEMBER.
[2:20:30] But unfortunately Parks and Rec
[2:20:31] experienced a 40% reduction in
[2:20:35] their beach mechanized crew.
[2:20:36] That's going to impact how we
[2:20:36] go about setting up these berms
[2:20:37] in the first place and then
[2:20:40] repairing them after major
[2:20:41] storms.
[2:20:41] So the strategy is going to be
[2:20:45] to work to start work earlier
[2:20:45] this year, this month and
[2:20:46] SEPTEMBER.
[2:20:46] And that's going to require
[2:20:49] close coordination with
[2:20:50] the lifeguards to make sure
[2:20:50] we're maintaining safe beach
[2:20:51] access and passage around
[2:20:56] the berms throughout the season
[2:20:57] .
[2:20:58] So what happens when rain is in
[2:20:58] the forecast?
[2:21:02] This slide outlines what we
[2:21:02] call our storm patrol
[2:21:03] procedures prior to any
[2:21:07] forecasted storm.
[2:21:07] Representatives from multiple
[2:21:08] city departments convene.
[2:21:12] We discuss storm preparation
[2:21:12] and response roles and
[2:21:13] responsibilities, equipment
[2:21:13] availability and public
[2:21:17] communications.
[2:21:18] One of the things we're adding
[2:21:19] this year is better integration
[2:21:22] with the National Weather
[2:21:23] Service and experts at Scripps
[2:21:24] Institution of Oceanography to
[2:21:27] take advantage of the latest
[2:21:28] forecasting tools to give us a
[2:21:28] clearer picture as possible of
[2:21:32] what is expected with a given
[2:21:32] storm.
[2:21:33] But I'll caveat that even with
[2:21:36] that assistance it's really,
[2:21:37] really challenging to predict
[2:21:38] through forecasting where
[2:21:41] the heaviest storm cells are
[2:21:41] going to hit.
[2:21:42] But depending on the severity
[2:21:46] of the forecast you see in
[2:21:47] the bottom right of the slide
[2:21:47] that we trigger different
[2:21:50] levels of staffing and staff
[2:21:51] are really deployed to perform
[2:21:52] pre-storm inspections and
[2:21:55] cleaning of critical drain
[2:21:56] locations.
[2:21:56] This year we're going to
[2:22:00] provide training to an expanded
[2:22:01] pool of staff so we'll have
[2:22:02] even more eyes and ears out in
[2:22:06] the field doing inspections,
[2:22:06] looking at issues as it's
[2:22:07] raining.
[2:22:07] And then once it starts raining
[2:22:10] we enter storm patrol mode.
[2:22:11] And so essentially what this
[2:22:12] means is most of the crews and
[2:22:15] the transportation and
[2:22:16] stormwater department stop what
[2:22:17] they were doing and they start
[2:22:20] roving these different
[2:22:20] geographic areas you see
[2:22:21] reflected on the map.
[2:22:22] And we found that this is a
[2:22:25] very efficient way to triage
[2:22:26] and address flooding calls,
[2:22:26] downed trees, things like that.
[2:22:30] And then we could literally
[2:22:31] have hundreds of staff that are
[2:22:32] roving these different areas
[2:22:37] for a large storm event.
[2:22:38] >> And then for my last slide I
[2:22:39] wanted to highlight some of
[2:22:39] the efforts that are being
[2:22:42] spearheaded by our partners at
[2:22:42] Panda and Communications.
[2:22:46] Road closures is something that
[2:22:47] we've made an improvement on.
[2:22:48] It's been a centralized into a
[2:22:52] single app so all city
[2:22:53] employees are logging road
[2:22:53] closures in a systematic
[2:22:57] centralized way which is much
[2:22:58] more streamlined from how it
[2:22:58] was done previously.
[2:23:01] And then we're pushing that
[2:23:01] information out through our
[2:23:02] open data portal.
[2:23:06] We have a road closure website
[2:23:07] and we've integrated this
[2:23:07] information with Waze and
[2:23:11] Google Maps so residents who
[2:23:12] use those features can see
[2:23:12] the closures much more easily.
[2:23:16] And then of course the upgrades
[2:23:16] to the Get It Done app itself
[2:23:17] which make it much easier for
[2:23:21] the public to report issues to
[2:23:21] us.
[2:23:24] And then I'll close with just a
[2:23:25] reminder that the one stop shop
[2:23:25] where you need to go in to get
[2:23:26] prepared before, during and
[2:23:29] after a storm is this El Nino
[2:23:30] website hub that Dustin spoke
[2:23:33] to.
[2:23:34] So that does conclude our
[2:23:35] presentation.
[2:23:35] Of course we're available for
[2:23:38] questions.
[2:23:39] >> All right.
[2:23:40] Thank you for the presentation.
[2:23:40] Thank you.
[2:23:43] Everybody has participated in
[2:23:44] the working group.
[2:23:44] With that I'll turn it over to
[2:23:48] the office of the rba.
[2:23:49] All right.
[2:23:49] Thank you.
[2:23:50] Council PRESIDENT, council
[2:23:50] members.
[2:23:51] I'm going to turn this right
[2:23:52] over to Kim Desmond who is
[2:23:53] the director of our Division of
[2:23:54] Race and Equity to give some
[2:23:57] comments on equity implications
[2:23:57] for this.
[2:23:58] >> Thank you, Charles.
[2:23:59] Good afternoon.
[2:24:02] Council PRESIDENT LaCava and
[2:24:03] members of Council in
[2:24:04] preparation for El Nino
[2:24:08] the ideas the vision of recent
[2:24:08] equity has participated in
[2:24:09] planning committee
[2:24:13] conversations to provide some
[2:24:13] early equity implications to
[2:24:17] oas Mayor's office around
[2:24:18] the considerations for
[2:24:18] the storm.
[2:24:22] El.
[2:24:22] The comments that we're going
[2:24:23] to make right now it's actually
[2:24:27] in front of you and it's going
[2:24:27] to be in four categories.
[2:24:31] One is the context of operation
[2:24:32] in terms of preparation,
[2:24:32] mitigation response and
[2:24:33] recovery.
[2:24:37] So the first implication is
[2:24:38] around community engagement.
[2:24:42] As stated there are high flow
[2:24:43] risk throughout all council
[2:24:43] districts.
[2:24:47] So from an equity from a
[2:24:48] equality standpoint
[2:24:48] the implication is to
[2:24:52] continually host tailored
[2:24:53] workshops in engagement events
[2:24:57] to prepare all the residents
[2:24:57] throughout the city.
[2:24:58] So that's equal You want to do
[2:24:59] that throughout all districts.
[2:25:02] From a equity perspective
[2:25:07] historically in currently
[2:25:08] the inequities differ for d
[2:25:08] four, eight and nine
[2:25:09] specifically.
[2:25:11] And we want to be county in
[2:25:12] terms of the fact that these
[2:25:13] districts are still recovering
[2:25:15] from the 2024 floods.
[2:25:20] Therefore the approach around
[2:25:21] preparation and response is
[2:25:25] should differ namely the way in
[2:25:26] which you convene Organizations
[2:25:27] in trusted partners should be a
[2:25:31] clear focus not as in the 2024
[2:25:31] floods.
[2:25:32] Many of these organizations was
[2:25:35] on the ground in supporting a
[2:25:35] response strategy in actively
[2:25:40] currently still supporting
[2:25:40] recovery efforts.
[2:25:41] I really want to be clear there
[2:25:45] in that these are our trusted
[2:25:45] partners in at times these
[2:25:49] organizations entrusted
[2:25:50] partners can convey a message
[2:25:50] more effectively and
[2:25:55] efficiently continuously.
[2:25:55] And so from a equity
[2:25:56] perspective you want to be
[2:26:00] conscious of that in terms of
[2:26:00] what your community engagement
[2:26:01] strategy entails.
[2:26:04] That didn't rolls on to
[2:26:05] resources given the city's
[2:26:09] current budget and fiscal
[2:26:09] position.
[2:26:10] Any information about resources
[2:26:14] should be very clear in avoid
[2:26:15] ambiguity in regards to
[2:26:16] response and preparation.
[2:26:20] So we should clarify how
[2:26:24] the county MAY provide rental
[2:26:25] assistance if there an
[2:26:29] evacuation that is needed in
[2:26:29] the 2024 approach.
[2:26:30] The county did provide some
[2:26:33] temporary lodging options.
[2:26:34] And so in the event where
[2:26:39] there's an evacuation, be very
[2:26:39] clear about that.
[2:26:40] If you're going to provide
[2:26:44] vouchers to stay in other
[2:26:44] locations and so want to
[2:26:48] clarify that part and also in
[2:26:49] regards to resources being very
[2:26:53] clear and concise around what
[2:26:53] types of resources will be
[2:26:54] provided by the city.
[2:26:57] So if we're providing sandbags
[2:26:58] then being very clear about
[2:27:02] when we will provide access to
[2:27:02] sand for the sandbags.
[2:27:03] As it could be a barrier for
[2:27:07] folks to go in, locate sand at
[2:27:08] another location.
[2:27:11] So in other words, people
[2:27:12] should not be looking for how
[2:27:13] to get the clear resources
[2:27:16] during the emergency.
[2:27:17] So the equity implication is to
[2:27:18] be very clear and concise
[2:27:18] around what we're providing
[2:27:21] versus what we're not
[2:27:21] providing.
[2:27:22] In all these things are also
[2:27:26] notated in our auditor's
[2:27:26] finding of the storm that
[2:27:27] occurred in 2024.
[2:27:31] Last but not least it was
[2:27:32] referenced in the presentation
[2:27:36] But an equivocation includes
[2:27:37] being very clear about
[2:27:37] the development of
[2:27:41] the emergency response playbook
[2:27:41] for our organizations and
[2:27:42] trusted partners to support our
[2:27:46] efforts.
[2:27:47] We should be clear and concise
[2:27:47] around the area plan in those
[2:27:48] playbooks.
[2:27:51] Those planning playbooks could
[2:27:52] include identifying evacuation
[2:27:56] locations in ways where folks
[2:27:57] know where to go resource
[2:28:01] distribution and also recovery
[2:28:01] efforts.
[2:28:02] And so I understand that there
[2:28:06] are efforts in q to develop set
[2:28:07] playbooks starting from
[2:28:11] the fact that we know that
[2:28:12] these floods occurred in 84 in
[2:28:12] the 89.
[2:28:16] So that gives you a plan in
[2:28:16] place for where these plans
[2:28:17] could help you start out with
[2:28:20] plenty of information.
[2:28:21] And so our team kind of
[2:28:22] referenced that with making
[2:28:22] sure that these playbooks are
[2:28:25] concise of the public in such
[2:28:26] words understand that.
[2:28:30] So in that Gray recommends that
[2:28:31] storm water continue, we
[2:28:32] provide any maps in hydraulic
[2:28:35] models around these high risk
[2:28:36] areas around people in
[2:28:36] buildings to make sure that
[2:28:40] we're reiterating where and how
[2:28:40] things will occur.
[2:28:45] And I'll close with this in
[2:28:45] that from an equity perspective
[2:28:46] being conscientious that those
[2:28:49] districts before 99 are still
[2:28:50] in recovery.
[2:28:51] And so we want to be very
[2:28:53] meticulous with how we prepare
[2:28:54] ,recover or address any
[2:28:55] mitigations around resources.
[2:28:59] I am here and available for any
[2:29:00] comments in stand ready to
[2:29:03] support.
[2:29:04] >> All right.
[2:29:04] Thank you for those comments.
[2:29:08] Always very helpful.
[2:29:09] >> And with that Clarke, please
[2:29:10] go to public comments.
[2:29:10] Thank you.
[2:29:14] Council PRESIDENT Starting with
[2:29:15] Laura Saldana if you can please
[2:29:15] come forward.
[2:29:16] It is two minutes per person.
[2:29:19] I understand you have a
[2:29:19] PowerPoint.
[2:29:20] So please come forward And if I
[2:29:20] can ask the following
[2:29:23] individuals to please come up
[2:29:24] to the reserved seats in
[2:29:25] the front row.
[2:29:28] Troy Sonata Laurie Lipson,
[2:29:29] Charlotte Monica Hill and
[2:29:29] Cheryl Hernandez.
[2:29:33] You'll have two minutes.
[2:29:33] >> Please proceed.
[2:29:34] Thank you.
[2:29:35] Thank you gentlemen for
[2:29:41] the reports and I was married
[2:29:42] to a combat engineer and he
[2:29:45] used to talk about fighting
[2:29:46] the last war.
[2:29:47] And I think it's easy to look
[2:29:47] at Choice Creek and look at
[2:29:50] other places that flooded.
[2:29:51] And it's harder to look forward
[2:29:52] and figure out where is
[2:29:55] the next flood going to come
[2:29:56] from.
[2:29:56] And earlier today I showed a
[2:29:57] slide about groundwater
[2:30:01] intrusion And because a lot of
[2:30:01] the water that you are trying
[2:30:02] to plan for is not going to be
[2:30:05] visible from above.
[2:30:06] It's not coming from the rain
[2:30:07] is not coming from the surface.
[2:30:07] It's coming from below.
[2:30:10] And that groundwater because of
[2:30:11] sea level rise rise is pushing
[2:30:15] into these areas including
[2:30:15] the midway area which if you go
[2:30:16] to the next slide the reason
[2:30:19] I'm referring to it and many
[2:30:20] people are now calling it
[2:30:20] midway thinking those levees
[2:30:24] that are not accredited or all
[2:30:25] that stand in the way of
[2:30:26] flooding in an area that is now
[2:30:29] being discussed as future
[2:30:30] housing, why put people in
[2:30:33] harm's way and make these
[2:30:34] gentlemen's jobs more difficult
[2:30:35] if we know that that is a high
[2:30:39] flood area according to fema
[2:30:39] maps and now we've just been
[2:30:40] told those levees are not
[2:30:41] accredited that you're trying
[2:30:44] to bring them up to accredited
[2:30:44] status.
[2:30:45] Next slide, please.
[2:30:48] You mentioned emergency repairs
[2:30:53] in the Midway area.
[2:30:54] Midway Drive is already
[2:30:54] flooding.
[2:30:55] Let's this was from an earlier
[2:30:58] report.
[2:30:58] Let's go on to the next slide.
[2:30:59] Midway Drive is already
[2:31:03] flooding without a storm surge
[2:31:03] during king tides.
[2:31:08] One more slide.
[2:31:08] Oh, there we go.
[2:31:09] It didn't show this morning.
[2:31:12] There it is.
[2:31:12] Thank you, Kevin.
[2:31:13] That is from two weeks ago
[2:31:14] during King Tides without a
[2:31:16] drop of rain.
[2:31:17] We already have flooding So you
[2:31:21] gentlemen are doing your best
[2:31:22] to prepare based on what
[2:31:23] happened with choice and other
[2:31:23] floods last time.
[2:31:26] But this is the future.
[2:31:27] It is sea level rise.
[2:31:30] The water is coming at us from
[2:31:30] four directions.
[2:31:31] And I wish you the best in your
[2:31:32] planning and preparation
[2:31:35] because this is a situation
[2:31:36] where already and thank you.
[2:31:37] >> Thank you for that
[2:31:37] concluding comment Royce And
[2:31:43] yet it I was so looking forward
[2:31:47] to this after being watching
[2:31:51] the or being at
[2:31:52] the environmental Committee
[2:31:52] meeting.
[2:31:57] You all were fabulous At that
[2:31:58] meeting I was just riveted to
[2:32:01] what you said and that
[2:32:02] conversation that chair ilo
[2:32:06] Rivera had with some of you It
[2:32:07] was just absolutely we're ready
[2:32:11] as ready as we can be or we
[2:32:12] will be because I just felt
[2:32:16] that in that presentation and I
[2:32:20] feel it today and that
[2:32:21] PowerPoint is just terrific.
[2:32:25] So I love the power.
[2:32:29] I call him the powerhouse of
[2:32:29] the five preparation
[2:32:30] objectives.
[2:32:30] They're fabulous.
[2:32:34] I love the tool kit for
[2:32:35] the council offices to share
[2:32:38] information.
[2:32:43] >> Now Kim Desmond, you have to
[2:32:47] put a uniform on when this
[2:32:48] occurs and you have to be out
[2:32:52] there leading us for your area
[2:32:53] because it's going to be
[2:32:57] terrific that you're there And
[2:32:57] we have to prepare
[2:32:58] the residents that are in
[2:33:01] the weakest areas they're
[2:33:02] vulnerable.
[2:33:02] They need to know what
[2:33:06] the rescue plan is.
[2:33:07] They need to know just whatever
[2:33:11] you can gives to them.
[2:33:12] >> So let's see.
[2:33:13] And so I do want to speak to
[2:33:16] the public and say dear public,
[2:33:17] this is really up to you.
[2:33:21] Our city is going to do
[2:33:21] the best they can do for you.
[2:33:22] But this is really up to you.
[2:33:26] Our infrastructure here is in
[2:33:26] trouble so be prepared.
[2:33:30] There's a storm ahead.
[2:33:30] Make a plan.
[2:33:31] Build a kit.
[2:33:35] Stay informed dear public it's
[2:33:36] everyone's responsibility.
[2:33:36] We're in this together.
[2:33:40] We're going to do it and we're
[2:33:41] going to be a-okay.
[2:33:41] >> Love to all.
[2:33:42] Thank you.
[2:33:42] Thank you.
[2:33:47] Next is Laurie Lipson.
[2:33:52] Hello City Council Laurie Lips
[2:33:53] Man Pronouns She her district
[2:33:57] three I have sat here in these
[2:33:58] chambers and heard you speak
[2:33:58] passionately about community
[2:34:02] yet you voted to increase
[2:34:02] funding for police and keep
[2:34:06] mass surveillance.
[2:34:07] You caved on parking and trash
[2:34:07] fees and you inadequately
[2:34:11] explained a sales tax increase
[2:34:12] to your constituents.
[2:34:16] All of these decisions reduced
[2:34:17] the funding for infrastructure
[2:34:17] and other services needed to
[2:34:20] build a caring and
[2:34:25] compassionate city.
[2:34:26] How is this providing safety to
[2:34:30] San Diego residents?
[2:34:31] Shame on the City Council for
[2:34:35] not prioritizing city
[2:34:35] infrastructure and putting
[2:34:36] preparedness on the backs of
[2:34:40] those most vulnerable.
[2:34:44] >> Good luck Charlotte.
[2:34:45] If you can please come forward
[2:34:51] and I'll ask if Monica Hill had
[2:34:51] out along with Landers Ricky
[2:34:55] friend Sotelo can all please
[2:34:55] come up to the front row?
[2:34:59] Please proceed when ready.
[2:35:00] >> As we prepare for
[2:35:00] the upcoming El Nino season and
[2:35:01] the possibility of heavy rain
[2:35:04] and flooding, I want to make
[2:35:05] sure that we learn from what
[2:35:06] happened during the 2024
[2:35:06] floods.
[2:35:09] Advocated heavily for proper
[2:35:10] mental health care for our
[2:35:10] flood impacted families.
[2:35:14] Then in I'll continue to do so
[2:35:14] today what I witnessed was
[2:35:15] the constant passing of
[2:35:18] the buck when families
[2:35:19] desperately needed mental
[2:35:19] health and substance use
[2:35:23] support agencies and individual
[2:35:24] those in positions of power had
[2:35:25] opportunities to coordinate
[2:35:25] care yet responsibility was
[2:35:28] pushed from one person and
[2:35:28] organization to another.
[2:35:32] That failure placed community
[2:35:33] advocates and frontline workers
[2:35:33] in situations that were outside
[2:35:37] of our scope because we were
[2:35:38] trying to fill gaps that should
[2:35:39] have already been addressed by
[2:35:39] the system.
[2:35:42] I'm not asking this time I'm
[2:35:42] demanding that we have a
[2:35:43] coordinated mental health
[2:35:44] response in place for the next
[2:35:46] crisis.
[2:35:47] During this rainy season season
[2:35:48] families impacted by flooding
[2:35:52] needs access to 24 hour mental
[2:35:52] health and crisis services,
[2:35:53] clear referral pathways,
[2:35:57] substance use support and
[2:35:57] trauma informed care.
[2:35:58] We need to know who is
[2:35:58] answering the call, who is
[2:36:01] responsible for coordinating
[2:36:02] the care and who is accountable
[2:36:03] When a family needs help,
[2:36:07] the families impacted by
[2:36:07] the 2024 floods experienced
[2:36:08] significant trauma and many
[2:36:12] continue to struggle with
[2:36:12] mental health and addiction
[2:36:13] related challenges.
[2:36:14] They deserve better then and
[2:36:17] they deserve better now.
[2:36:18] Mental health cannot be an
[2:36:18] afterthought to disaster
[2:36:19] response.
[2:36:21] The affected communities must
[2:36:22] be included in every step of
[2:36:22] the planning.
[2:36:26] We need a plan before the rain
[2:36:26] comes and after our families
[2:36:27] are already in crisis.
[2:36:29] Thank you.
[2:36:30] >> Thank you.
[2:36:35] Monica Hill.
[2:36:35] >> Hello.
[2:36:36] My name is Monica Hill and I'm
[2:36:40] here to represent District nine
[2:36:41] also District four and eight.
[2:36:45] I wasn't really prepared but
[2:36:46] I'm just going to give a little
[2:36:46] bit of what we're asking
[2:36:47] the city to include our
[2:36:49] communities in real planning
[2:36:50] and decision making to invest
[2:36:51] in long term solutions not just
[2:36:54] performative actions or more
[2:36:55] ballot measures to make sure
[2:36:59] vulnerable neighborhoods have
[2:36:59] what they need before, during
[2:37:00] and after disasters.
[2:37:04] Build trust by asking by taking
[2:37:05] action not just talking about
[2:37:06] it and just to collaborate on
[2:37:09] that.
[2:37:10] I live in constant fear that
[2:37:13] another flood can happen again
[2:37:14] .
[2:37:14] I experience anxiety, ptsd and
[2:37:15] for one thought of another a
[2:37:18] major disaster or rainstorm or
[2:37:23] flood brings everything back.
[2:37:24] One fear the uncertainty
[2:37:25] the feeling of not knowing what
[2:37:28] is going to happen or whether
[2:37:33] my family will be safe or not.
[2:37:34] With that last essay I ask that
[2:37:35] you bring our communities and
[2:37:36] our voices and our futures
[2:37:38] together We can make a
[2:37:39] difference.
[2:37:43] >> Thank you Herrera Hernandez
[2:37:43] .
[2:37:44] Afternoon.
[2:37:49] I know that on this I lived on
[2:37:49] Better Street.
[2:37:50] I know you guys know.
[2:37:53] I know you for once.
[2:37:53] You're just there.
[2:37:54] I'm here because of you Guys
[2:37:58] are not listening to us.
[2:37:58] You guys are calling this
[2:37:59] mayor.
[2:38:02] Say this Our super ninos coming
[2:38:02] to prepare ourselves.
[2:38:03] We are ready prepared
[2:38:03] ourselves.
[2:38:07] We have we went through it.
[2:38:08] 2018 and then 2024.
[2:38:09] In 2018 you guys said you were
[2:38:12] cleaning out their never seen
[2:38:13] you guys ones out there never
[2:38:16] seen you guys out there 28
[2:38:16] 2024.
[2:38:17] >> I'm disabled.
[2:38:21] I will I will work I would pay
[2:38:22] attention wherever I lived on
[2:38:26] better street never seen
[2:38:27] the county there when I was
[2:38:28] born They would show up when it
[2:38:30] wasn't.
[2:38:31] And I think it's time for you
[2:38:32] guys to start listening because
[2:38:33] it's going to happen again
[2:38:36] especially right down in South
[2:38:37] Chris I'm 38th to bursary if
[2:38:40] that that creek doesn't get
[2:38:41] dig down deeper the left side
[2:38:45] is going to happen again
[2:38:45] believe me.
[2:38:46] Listen to me is going to happen
[2:38:46] again If you guys don't get up
[2:38:50] on it before this this these
[2:38:50] storm start coming.
[2:38:51] You know we went through a lot.
[2:38:54] I've been through a lot.
[2:38:55] If you guys only knew my story
[2:38:59] I relapse.
[2:39:00] I almost committed suicide
[2:39:00] because of all this.
[2:39:04] I'm tired and disabled.
[2:39:05] I wish I could go out and work.
[2:39:09] It hurts me that I can't do
[2:39:10] that.
[2:39:10] But these people just because
[2:39:15] we're brown don't you know
[2:39:15] that?
[2:39:16] Think what happened in La Hoya?
[2:39:19] You guys jump Donnie right away
[2:39:20] .
[2:39:20] $20 million.
[2:39:21] I heard you guys fix it like
[2:39:21] that.
[2:39:23] How can we get Jean jump on our
[2:39:23] neighborhoods?
[2:39:24] Neighborhoods?
[2:39:24] We're not white.
[2:39:28] That's why I wear this Because
[2:39:28] I'm proud.
[2:39:29] I'm proud and I've changed my
[2:39:32] color.
[2:39:33] I'm not racist.
[2:39:34] But come on, you guys got to
[2:39:38] listen to us.
[2:39:38] I got a son and a daughter that
[2:39:39] I got to teach.
[2:39:42] They're old enough but I that's
[2:39:43] what's tearing me going.
[2:39:43] If not, I would be gone.
[2:39:47] I hope I am my neighbor.
[2:39:48] They passed away.
[2:39:48] Two neighbors have passed away.
[2:39:52] Thank you for all your remarks.
[2:39:52] Your time is included.
[2:39:56] Thank you so much Ricky After
[2:39:57] Ricky we all have friends that
[2:39:58] a lot of us are up there And
[2:40:03] Sandra Garcia see them beside
[2:40:03] me in the aisle.
[2:40:03] All right.
[2:40:05] Third quarter, please proceed.
[2:40:05] >> Yeah.
[2:40:09] Um, you you guys are asking us
[2:40:14] to prepare.
[2:40:15] >> We're already prepared.
[2:40:15] The thing is you guys are not
[2:40:16] prepared.
[2:40:19] You guys need to finish your
[2:40:20] work out.
[2:40:20] There are the creeks and
[2:40:21] the canals out there.
[2:40:23] There's still full of debris
[2:40:24] out there.
[2:40:24] So what's what's going on?
[2:40:25] How come you guys can't finish
[2:40:28] up out there?
[2:40:29] You guys are saying that we're
[2:40:30] going to have we're going to
[2:40:33] have the Super Nino coming up.
[2:40:34] Okay.
[2:40:38] Why don't you just finish what
[2:40:38] you're doing out there?
[2:40:39] There's still a lot of stuff
[2:40:42] out there that would help that
[2:40:47] would help a whole lot.
[2:40:48] Have you guys been out there to
[2:40:51] take a look?
[2:41:06] >> Anybody friends until Good
[2:41:07] afternoon council members I'm
[2:41:11] here today as the lead of
[2:41:12] the Southeast disaster
[2:41:12] community meetings at Jackie
[2:41:16] Robinson ymca.
[2:41:16] To date we've had over 120
[2:41:17] meetings.
[2:41:20] It's a lot you know.
[2:41:21] Thank you for the report today
[2:41:25] by this city staff our fire we
[2:41:25] appreciate you.
[2:41:30] I love my city but it's been
[2:41:31] two and a half years.
[2:41:35] We have to learn from what we
[2:41:36] did and did not do right.
[2:41:40] We can be better right now
[2:41:40] there's not one government
[2:41:41] entity that or know how many
[2:41:44] people are left with unmet
[2:41:44] needs.
[2:41:45] Answer that question How many
[2:41:49] still need to be made whole?
[2:41:50] No one could answer that
[2:41:54] question and we as a city with
[2:41:55] all this technology we don't
[2:41:55] know.
[2:42:00] So let's look at what we can do
[2:42:00] to be together.
[2:42:04] Start with not checking the box
[2:42:05] with this trusted partners that
[2:42:09] invest in those partners.
[2:42:10] Let's not just talk about it.
[2:42:10] Let's be about it.
[2:42:11] Let's really bring them into
[2:42:14] the discussion.
[2:42:15] Number two, this city does less
[2:42:18] than 4% in procurement Would
[2:42:19] diverse vendors That's a
[2:42:20] travesty because it does it
[2:42:23] fairly represent our city.
[2:42:24] So I'm going to ask you to
[2:42:25] question how many diverse
[2:42:28] vendors are part of emergency
[2:42:29] response for when we have to
[2:42:29] react?
[2:42:33] How many we need to be
[2:42:34] inclusive because those
[2:42:34] responders that fairly
[2:42:38] represent the community don't
[2:42:38] understand the community and
[2:42:39] when it comes time to response.
[2:42:43] Next we need a database
[2:42:44] yesterday So when it not when
[2:42:48] something happens it's the day
[2:42:49] it happens the database is
[2:42:53] ready to go because today I
[2:42:53] haven't heard that No one's
[2:42:54] talking about a centralized
[2:42:57] database from day one so that
[2:42:58] we know what happens when it
[2:42:58] happens.
[2:43:02] Wiretaps.
[2:43:03] So I thank you.
[2:43:04] Together we could do better.
[2:43:07] I love San Diego but like I
[2:43:14] said, let's do better.
[2:43:14] >> Thank you.
[2:43:14] Riverside Active.
[2:43:15] You know, we're thrilled to see
[2:43:16] the partnership with our
[2:43:20] planning process.
[2:43:21] Cortez But our power transfer
[2:43:21] requirement or whether us less
[2:43:24] aggressive okay When I start as
[2:43:25] member of council I hope you
[2:43:28] know that are members of
[2:43:29] the City Council Me number is
[2:43:30] where my side of things my
[2:43:33] activist communitarian funeral
[2:43:34] as primeros risk Artistas de la
[2:43:35] la la comunidad My name is I
[2:43:37] set out there and I am an
[2:43:37] active community member and was
[2:43:38] one of the first rescue
[2:43:42] rescuers at those floods
[2:43:47] Because if we all know as we in
[2:43:48] those you know my house was one
[2:43:49] of the houses that actually
[2:43:52] flooded Yeah I look at me by
[2:43:53] the end of the other and
[2:43:56] despite the fact that my house
[2:43:57] was flooded mi familia because
[2:44:01] I don't know we're desperado
[2:44:01] nationals my family and my
[2:44:07] house was open to all donations
[2:44:08] It a member of reserve
[2:44:09] commander client and we start
[2:44:09] community the yellow
[2:44:11] subdivision and this this area
[2:44:12] and we were open and we were
[2:44:15] giving away free hot meals and
[2:44:15] a place to be to all
[2:44:22] the survivors of that day
[2:44:23] continue almost as henlopen
[2:44:23] mutual mutual then withdraws
[2:44:28] and then crossover event
[2:44:29] There's nobody tales there are
[2:44:29] no podium was a single man We
[2:44:30] were doing this for a very long
[2:44:30] time.
[2:44:31] A lot of the survivors could
[2:44:34] not go to the hotels and we
[2:44:35] were there to support them.
[2:44:39] Convalescence General Paso When
[2:44:39] the emergency floods and
[2:44:44] natural disaster happen No
[2:44:45] Saddam was prepared.
[2:44:45] We were not prepared not
[2:44:48] anymore to keep we didn't have
[2:44:49] any equipment as he responded
[2:44:55] And even like that we were able
[2:44:55] to respond Our pocket animals a
[2:44:59] couple Now we still don't have
[2:45:00] any equipment as becomes
[2:45:04] the plan we hear of The plan is
[2:45:05] I you know preparation.
[2:45:05] We hear that there are
[2:45:09] preparation is better
[2:45:14] preparation packing is but
[2:45:15] the preparations are for who
[2:45:16] their community have already
[2:45:18] been This season has been under
[2:45:19] response to our community and
[2:45:22] our survival.
[2:45:23] Ours are still awaiting a
[2:45:27] response from the city disposal
[2:45:28] community.
[2:45:29] >> I was honorably parcel after
[2:45:32] all of this happened to a very
[2:45:33] vulnerable committee a
[2:45:37] community as well as a trauma.
[2:45:43] There was a lot of trauma in
[2:45:44] the Orlando Premier The parcel
[2:45:46] trauma that continues to hurt
[2:45:47] us like the first day when it
[2:45:48] all happened is small through
[2:45:51] strength It is very
[2:45:52] frustrating.
[2:45:56] Myra Sabine to see and to know
[2:46:01] Gentleman MR. Comunidad that
[2:46:02] all of our community is taken
[2:46:06] is very tired.
[2:46:07] It's a conservative middle.
[2:46:07] It's very tired.
[2:46:11] It's scared It get into a
[2:46:12] collaboration and it wants to
[2:46:13] work in collaboration.
[2:46:15] But I prepared to prepare
[2:46:16] itself.
[2:46:22] La Comunidad the community said
[2:46:22] You'll see me as my helps
[2:46:23] itself communities see to
[2:46:26] Mozilla polio the covenant not
[2:46:27] to stay but we still need
[2:46:28] the support of each one of you
[2:46:32] for this woman because we are
[2:46:32] human beings not almost
[2:46:33] invisible.
[2:46:38] We are invisible.
[2:46:38] >> It's almost only harmful but
[2:46:39] stressful to us.
[2:46:40] Controls and we are an example
[2:46:41] for future generations European
[2:46:45] women and I think guarantors
[2:46:50] that together in collaboration
[2:46:50] and collaboration.
[2:46:51] E ground of includes
[2:46:54] the Confianza and creating ways
[2:46:58] of trust Podemos diferencia we
[2:46:59] can make the difference e
[2:47:04] career and create wellness.
[2:47:05] You have me for a better city.
[2:47:05] Gracias.
[2:47:09] Thank you very much But you
[2:47:10] seem aggressive and you're
[2:47:15] Sandra Garcia Sounds like
[2:47:16] accessible from any one mental
[2:47:17] aware relative Supermarine
[2:47:18] Francis Cortez What a pleasure
[2:47:19] to see you.
[2:47:23] My name is Andrew Garcia and
[2:47:24] that has been a strategy before
[2:47:24] anything I want to share that
[2:47:29] it is very difficult to be here
[2:47:30] And so we're working with our
[2:47:33] tormentor just to remember
[2:47:33] the last the last floodings I
[2:47:37] felt a sense of fulfillment on
[2:47:38] the field Two years ago I was a
[2:47:39] victim of these floods but
[2:47:43] limited Gaza and lost my home
[2:47:44] Isla Muscat ido and the most
[2:47:48] miserable that I mean I lost my
[2:47:48] husband because they made Gaza
[2:47:49] the pillar of my house.
[2:47:53] Yeah let me let them say that I
[2:47:54] just aren't prepared by this
[2:47:56] predators and to do at my age
[2:47:56] as a senior citizen where we
[2:48:00] were trying to start our next
[2:48:01] life and life together, would
[2:48:09] you feel even if there are a
[2:48:10] lot ahead them beside me as a
[2:48:11] competitor that he passed away
[2:48:14] and I had to confront
[2:48:15] the reality that I have to do
[2:48:16] this all alone?
[2:48:20] I mean that is very difficult
[2:48:21] and my age this is very
[2:48:21] difficult stuff.
[2:48:28] >> You know, I remember But
[2:48:29] there's always competition as
[2:48:32] we know that will be individual
[2:48:33] Premier me emphasized
[2:48:33] the Oracle war I was a part of
[2:48:34] Europe and my age It is very
[2:48:35] difficult to start from
[2:48:36] the bottom all the way back up
[2:48:36] again.
[2:48:41] You meet pregnant day is that
[2:48:42] it must be a paradox but I look
[2:48:44] Paris that you are But I'm a
[2:48:44] grandmother and my question is
[2:48:49] are we really prepared for this
[2:48:49] storm?
[2:48:50] I am very scared.
[2:48:50] The point this is the toll
[2:48:54] the city imposed after all of
[2:48:54] that time which are
[2:48:55] the investors familiar to
[2:49:00] the animals and me a lot of our
[2:49:01] families are scared it on this
[2:49:05] and this is a protection I say
[2:49:06] what he recommended stay most
[2:49:08] but we need the protection and
[2:49:08] the security that we deserve.
[2:49:09] Not every I must And let me let
[2:49:10] me read Philip is that are you
[2:49:14] aware 40 were killed last
[2:49:14] family We shouldn't be scared
[2:49:15] of thinking oh is it going to
[2:49:16] rain?
[2:49:17] Forgive me We must all look
[2:49:21] innocent with a or b because we
[2:49:22] live something that cannot be
[2:49:26] forgotten.
[2:49:27] >> This was it.
[2:49:30] The graphic data after each
[2:49:31] house that was affected Una
[2:49:32] familia only historia there was
[2:49:32] a family.
[2:49:37] There was a story I knew
[2:49:37] the effective we feel in this
[2:49:38] state of Gaza years of
[2:49:43] sacrifice in our homes episode
[2:49:44] records to be there and people
[2:49:46] that are still there trying to
[2:49:46] reconstruct our lives.
[2:49:47] Yeah look can you not recommend
[2:49:50] a thing or keep it both ways?
[2:49:51] I don't want any other family
[2:49:57] to have to lose everything.
[2:49:58] Get it Must give it Well again
[2:50:02] actually we want that somebody
[2:50:03] should finally act Do this be
[2:50:03] in The rains are coming in
[2:50:05] Those letters and we remember
[2:50:06] You think you must have been
[2:50:09] under respuesta and we keep
[2:50:10] asking and waiting for
[2:50:10] responses This responsibility
[2:50:16] that responsibility a total and
[2:50:16] above all action this capital
[2:50:20] taken on this community actions
[2:50:21] that will actually protect our
[2:50:22] neighborhoods much of which you
[2:50:23] see addresses in your that does
[2:50:24] conclude public comment here in
[2:50:25] council chambers going to those
[2:50:29] participating remotely.
[2:50:29] We have eight people in
[2:50:30] the queue.
[2:50:30] Marissa while if you can please
[2:50:33] unmute you will have two
[2:50:33] minutes.
[2:50:34] Thank you.
[2:50:38] My name is Maria so while I MAY
[2:50:39] shout on a resident I am a
[2:50:43] flood survivor and I am
[2:50:43] president of Shelter was
[2:50:44] Shelter Resilience which is
[2:50:48] made up of flood survivors that
[2:50:48] were there to help each other
[2:50:49] when the city wasn't.
[2:50:53] I live on Beda Street one of
[2:50:53] the areas discussed today I
[2:50:57] survived the 2024 flood and
[2:50:57] nearly three years later our
[2:51:01] community still recovering.
[2:51:02] Today you are asking us to
[2:51:03] prepare for Nino But what we
[2:51:06] heard in this presentation is
[2:51:06] that you're not prepared.
[2:51:07] The city is not prepared.
[2:51:11] Our stormwater system is aging
[2:51:12] critical area still lacking
[2:51:12] capacity.
[2:51:15] Serious vulnerabilities remain
[2:51:16] Yet survivors are being told to
[2:51:17] prepare with sandbags sand
[2:51:21] evacuation plans and hotel
[2:51:21] vouchers.
[2:51:22] Those are emergency resources.
[2:51:26] They are not flood protection.
[2:51:26] A hotel voucher gives us
[2:51:27] somewhere to go After I leave
[2:51:31] my home it does not keep labor
[2:51:32] full of water out of my home
[2:51:35] And this is about priorities.
[2:51:36] For years the city has made
[2:51:37] choices about where to invest,
[2:51:40] what critical stormwater
[2:51:40] infrastructure has remained
[2:51:41] underfunded.
[2:51:45] We have a right to shelter
[2:51:45] safely and our own homes
[2:51:46] without the fear that rain is
[2:51:47] going to come in.
[2:51:50] We said we survived the flood
[2:51:51] once.
[2:51:51] We should not have to survive
[2:51:55] the city's failure again and we
[2:51:56] are demanding that impacted
[2:51:56] communities be included in
[2:52:00] the planning and decisions
[2:52:00] about our safety engage
[2:52:01] community.
[2:52:04] We haven't heard from you.
[2:52:05] We're still waiting.
[2:52:05] We're still waiting for
[2:52:06] responses.
[2:52:09] The city remains silent while
[2:52:10] you guys spend the money on
[2:52:11] other things and completely
[2:52:14] ignored survivors And we're fed
[2:52:14] up.
[2:52:15] We're tired or scared and we
[2:52:16] need answers from all of you
[2:52:19] Not just the mayor, from all of
[2:52:20] you council members up there.
[2:52:20] So it's time.
[2:52:23] Thank you.
[2:52:24] Thank you.
[2:52:25] Next is Courtney If you can
[2:52:28] please unmute.
[2:52:33] Thank you so much for
[2:52:34] the critical presentation.
[2:52:35] >> My name is Courtney Ball
[2:52:37] Tiki with the ymca of San Diego
[2:52:38] County.
[2:52:38] We appreciate this being
[2:52:39] considered by the full council
[2:52:42] and the mayor as this will take
[2:52:47] a regional response as shared.
[2:52:47] >> It's the start of a
[2:52:48] conversation and that's much
[2:52:51] appreciated.
[2:52:52] >> It's a signal that perhaps
[2:52:52] we're ready to do things
[2:52:56] differently in San Diego So
[2:52:57] many of us will never forget
[2:52:59] witnessing the 2024 floods and
[2:53:00] partners working on the ground
[2:53:04] together have looked at each
[2:53:04] other time and time again week
[2:53:05] after week for almost three
[2:53:09] years and said never again As
[2:53:10] community members today have
[2:53:10] shared their stories of
[2:53:14] survival, they shouldn't feel
[2:53:15] scared.
[2:53:15] We should all feel ready And
[2:53:19] the ymca stands ready by
[2:53:20] the good graces and honor of
[2:53:24] the community to be a part of
[2:53:25] the preparedness and response.
[2:53:25] We have locations in all of
[2:53:29] the potentially impacted areas
[2:53:29] and we look support
[2:53:30] the collaboration between
[2:53:34] community, the city, the county
[2:53:35] for a succinct emotional
[2:53:38] response.
[2:53:39] Thank you.
[2:53:39] Thank you Alexandra.
[2:53:42] If you can please unmute
[2:53:46] Alexandra I can unmute for you.
[2:53:56] There you go.
[2:53:57] Alexandra We're not hearing you
[2:53:57] here in council chambers.
[2:54:01] I'm not sure of the device that
[2:54:02] you're speaking into MAY be
[2:54:02] muted as well.
[2:54:05] We will need to move on to our
[2:54:06] next caller if you're not able
[2:54:06] to unmute properly.
[2:54:06] Hello?
[2:54:07] Can you hear me?
[2:54:11] Yes, Please proceed.
[2:54:11] Good afternoon, Council
[2:54:11] members.
[2:54:15] My name is Alexander Martin,
[2:54:15] the legal program manager for
[2:54:16] San Diego Coast Keeper thank
[2:54:20] you to the stormwater
[2:54:20] department for this
[2:54:21] presentation and for the work
[2:54:22] you're doing to keep our region
[2:54:25] safe and informed.
[2:54:25] Despite our efforts to stretch
[2:54:29] a limited budget and reinstate
[2:54:30] some funds, there still remains
[2:54:31] a massive $5 billion funding
[2:54:33] gap over the span of five years
[2:54:34] which is about to be tested by
[2:54:35] a very serious El Nino.
[2:54:38] As we heard today, the odds of
[2:54:39] a strong El Nino event this
[2:54:41] year are above 90% with
[2:54:45] projections showing sea surface
[2:54:45] temperatures 3 to 4 degrees
[2:54:46] above normal.
[2:54:47] This means atmospheric rivers
[2:54:51] in San Diego, the kind of
[2:54:51] the same kind of storm that
[2:54:54] flooded Choi's Creek in JANUARY
[2:54:55] 2024 and damaged a thousand
[2:54:59] homes in Shelton.
[2:54:59] We should assume the Cedar
[2:55:00] bring storms at least that
[2:55:04] severe and possibly worse.
[2:55:04] The numbers we heard from
[2:55:05] today's presentation are
[2:55:05] sobering.
[2:55:08] 15,000 acres of our city sit in
[2:55:12] high flood risk zones and only
[2:55:12] 17% of our channels are sized
[2:55:13] to handle a 100 year storm.
[2:55:16] $30 million allocated for
[2:55:17] fiscal year 2027 and we've
[2:55:21] already declared for
[2:55:22] emergencies this year which
[2:55:22] highlights the need for more
[2:55:23] funding.
[2:55:26] What we desperately need is
[2:55:27] storm water funding Ballot
[2:55:28] measure to fix this El Nino
[2:55:31] isn't going to wait until 2028.
[2:55:31] This is why we also need to
[2:55:32] think outside the box to better
[2:55:35] prepare for the upcoming El
[2:55:36] Nino storm event.
[2:55:36] We support the Storm Water
[2:55:40] Department's outreach efforts
[2:55:41] and partnership with nonprofits
[2:55:42] like Urban Core to prevent
[2:55:45] flooding and build more
[2:55:45] capacity.
[2:55:46] But this isn't going to fix all
[2:55:47] of our problems and we need to
[2:55:50] come up with a long term
[2:55:50] solution.
[2:55:51] With the recent cuts to think
[2:55:51] with funding which has become
[2:55:55] an even steeper uphill battle
[2:55:55] because people will keep
[2:55:56] showing up to fight for
[2:56:00] the storm water infrastructure
[2:56:00] our city needs.
[2:56:00] Thank you.
[2:56:01] Thank you Hector.
[2:56:04] If you can please unmute.
[2:56:05] >> All right, Hector here.
[2:56:09] I'll try not to do this spiel
[2:56:10] but one thing the city needs
[2:56:14] that map for the storm thing
[2:56:14] all this storm thing they're
[2:56:15] working on that was a great
[2:56:15] map.
[2:56:18] We need to direct the finance
[2:56:19] guy to get a map of all
[2:56:24] the leases in San Diego because
[2:56:25] all the leases are give us
[2:56:25] the money that we're not
[2:56:29] getting and treat it because we
[2:56:29] need money to do this storm
[2:56:33] drain problem to throw money at
[2:56:34] it.
[2:56:34] That would be one of those
[2:56:35] lease maps and all the city and
[2:56:38] will attack that like we're
[2:56:39] attacking storm drains.
[2:56:40] And then one thing the biggest
[2:56:43] thing I think is going to be
[2:56:44] Tijuana River.
[2:56:45] That thing's going to be a huge
[2:56:47] monster flood And we need to
[2:56:48] get the Homeland Security and
[2:56:53] Border Patrol to put a border
[2:56:53] wall right in the culvert of
[2:56:57] the center of the tech not
[2:56:58] technology but the sea.
[2:56:58] You want a river?
[2:57:01] We'll build the wall right
[2:57:01] there.
[2:57:02] It's like a strainer.
[2:57:05] We'll build three walls back to
[2:57:06] back every 20ft.
[2:57:06] It'll strain all the trash
[2:57:10] the you know, the cars that
[2:57:11] sofas probably dead bodies have
[2:57:16] been floating down the river.
[2:57:16] Who knows what's going to
[2:57:17] happen?
[2:57:17] That's one thing I definitely
[2:57:20] can do.
[2:57:20] And then riding on the trolley
[2:57:25] up north of pb, we're going to
[2:57:29] take the trolley north past
[2:57:30] the in and out burger up there
[2:57:31] Those engineered culverts,
[2:57:35] the concrete ones they're full
[2:57:35] of dirt.
[2:57:38] You know, I go, Wow, man, it's
[2:57:39] so it's more than half full of
[2:57:40] dirt and trees growing.
[2:57:43] Those have never been cleared
[2:57:44] So it's like the Rose Creek
[2:57:48] goes up there but somewhere
[2:57:49] around Rose Creek I think needs
[2:57:50] to be cleared too or it's going
[2:57:53] to flood.
[2:57:54] Maybe it'll flood it'll flood
[2:57:55] out some stuff in pb but
[2:57:58] nothing like in San Diego or
[2:57:59] you know in Logan Heights and
[2:58:03] all those places.
[2:58:04] So that's one thing I notice
[2:58:04] how it was full of dirt bad So
[2:58:08] good luck guys.
[2:58:09] >> You got to think guys doing
[2:58:10] a good job but you got a long
[2:58:10] way to go.
[2:58:11] Your time has concluded.
[2:58:13] Blair Brickman if you can
[2:58:13] please unmute the five minute
[2:58:14] timer Also consider four
[2:58:15] speakers in the queue.
[2:58:19] No additional speakers will be
[2:58:19] taken.
[2:58:19] >> Please proceed there.
[2:58:20] All right.
[2:58:20] Very Big Ben.
[2:58:22] Thanks a lot for this item.
[2:58:23] Thanks that you're making
[2:58:24] something open.
[2:58:27] We're and public You guys want
[2:58:28] to be working on this?
[2:58:32] You're making it clear you've
[2:58:32] heard a lot of voices today
[2:58:33] that says you guys aren't doing
[2:58:37] enough And hopefully by having
[2:58:38] this sort of item here today it
[2:58:42] can be a really important step
[2:58:43] that we can have more clear
[2:58:46] conversations with each other.
[2:58:51] Why are people from you know,
[2:58:52] Choice Creek area not being as
[2:58:57] well addressed as the people in
[2:58:57] The Hoya if that is an issue
[2:59:01] and that was mentioned today,
[2:59:01] what's going on?
[2:59:02] What's the differences?
[2:59:03] What are the subtle differences
[2:59:06] in that and how can those
[2:59:07] subtleties be better addressed
[2:59:11] towards equity?
[2:59:12] That's the stuff we need to be
[2:59:13] really working on and I hope
[2:59:15] we're going to be working on it
[2:59:16] in the next few months to
[2:59:16] really answer questions that
[2:59:20] things can be solved ahead of
[2:59:21] time instead of afterwards.
[2:59:25] So good luck in those efforts.
[2:59:25] It's really important that we
[2:59:30] are finding ways to address
[2:59:31] climate change.
[2:59:31] The Midway Rising project has
[2:59:32] made it really difficult for
[2:59:36] yourself as city government to
[2:59:37] talk more about sea level rise
[2:59:40] And Lori Saldana has done an
[2:59:40] awesome job to make more clear
[2:59:41] that we can talk about
[2:59:44] the issue in the future of
[2:59:45] the project No matter how it
[2:59:49] goes we should be able to talk
[2:59:50] about the issue and you guys
[2:59:50] aren't allowing that
[2:59:51] conversation to be open in
[2:59:51] public.
[2:59:55] You are allowing this subject
[2:59:55] to be open in public.
[2:59:56] Thank you and I hope it is a
[2:59:59] part of a trend that you guys
[2:59:59] can be just.
[3:00:03] The idea is to be open about
[3:00:03] the conversations.
[3:00:04] There are uncomfortable
[3:00:05] conversations but learning to
[3:00:08] have those conversations openly
[3:00:09] is so key to a good community a
[3:00:13] sustainable community and good
[3:00:14] luck in learning the skills to
[3:00:18] practice things openly when
[3:00:19] they're uncomfortable to talk
[3:00:19] about.
[3:00:20] >> Thank you.
[3:00:20] Thank you.
[3:00:21] Francine Maxwell if you can
[3:00:23] please unmute.
[3:00:23] Francine Maxwell Southeastern
[3:00:28] San Diego resident Hopefully we
[3:00:28] are also looking at small
[3:00:33] businesses that have jet skis.
[3:00:33] We have an opportunity in
[3:00:37] procurement to make sure that
[3:00:38] we love our firefighters but
[3:00:38] they're going to be over worked
[3:00:42] and we have small businesses
[3:00:43] that have jet skis that can
[3:00:43] assist with people being
[3:00:47] rescued because we know that
[3:00:47] they're going to be rescued.
[3:00:48] I would appreciate somebody put
[3:00:49] that on the agenda and there's
[3:00:52] a conversation so that you'll
[3:00:53] have an answer when
[3:00:53] the community ask Also a list
[3:00:57] that shares the shared duties
[3:00:58] of when there is a disaster.
[3:01:02] We have watched our
[3:01:02] firefighters go hard for
[3:01:07] the recent fires but again
[3:01:07] they're going to be called on
[3:01:08] to not only the rain but
[3:01:12] there's going to be other
[3:01:13] things that are occurring.
[3:01:14] If there is a paper that can
[3:01:17] show people this is what your
[3:01:18] state representative was for,
[3:01:22] this is what so that people can
[3:01:23] feel armed and educated so that
[3:01:23] they're not standing or sitting
[3:01:27] and crying to the wrong person
[3:01:28] and having to tell their story
[3:01:28] 3 or 4 times.
[3:01:32] Let's help do something really
[3:01:33] quickly and educate people and
[3:01:33] share what are the shared
[3:01:37] responsibility And this falls
[3:01:38] directly on the federal
[3:01:38] government.
[3:01:42] We have a lot of work that can
[3:01:43] do and we want to be very
[3:01:44] careful when we keep saying
[3:01:47] that these are the chosen
[3:01:48] organizations that we're going
[3:01:49] to talk to remind everyone that
[3:01:52] nobody wanted to sleep at
[3:01:53] Lincoln.
[3:01:53] But Lincoln stands ready.
[3:01:54] San Diego Unified stands ready
[3:01:57] Red Cross stands ready.
[3:01:58] But if you don't want to be
[3:01:59] there, let them tell you where
[3:02:02] they would want to go, where
[3:02:02] they want to be so that we can
[3:02:03] already have it prepared,
[3:02:07] written down, have everything
[3:02:07] already signed.
[3:02:07] We can do this.
[3:02:08] We are San Diego strong.
[3:02:12] If you want to be smart and
[3:02:12] talk to the right people no
[3:02:16] more just Oh that's their
[3:02:17] title.
[3:02:17] That's their title.
[3:02:18] No.
[3:02:18] Everyone roll up their sleeve.
[3:02:21] Let's get to work with Fresh
[3:02:22] innovative ideas and the people
[3:02:22] with boots on the ground.
[3:02:23] Thank you so much.
[3:02:26] Thank you Carlos, Maria and
[3:02:27] Crystal, if you can please
[3:02:31] unmute.
[3:02:31] Hello.
[3:02:36] Are you able to hear me?
[3:02:36] Yes.
[3:02:37] Please proceed.
[3:02:37] Hi.
[3:02:40] Thank you for welcoming me
[3:02:40] today.
[3:02:41] I my name is Crystal and I
[3:02:46] stand for all those people that
[3:02:46] were affected and continue to
[3:02:50] be affected by the generator
[3:02:51] any second 2024 flood that
[3:02:55] impacted our lives and
[3:02:56] continues to do so in many,
[3:03:00] many ways.
[3:03:05] For many this one incident or
[3:03:05] you know, previous ones from
[3:03:06] the past but this one being
[3:03:10] the greatest one that hit us It
[3:03:10] wasn't the only one that year
[3:03:14] alone.
[3:03:15] There was three other incidents
[3:03:19] that happened this year.
[3:03:19] I'm sorry.
[3:03:22] The first one was JANUARY 1st,
[3:03:23] 2026.
[3:03:23] Rarely did anybody hear about
[3:03:28] this because I was at smaller
[3:03:28] scale.
[3:03:29] But nonetheless for someone
[3:03:29] that has been through this
[3:03:33] traumatic event, it does
[3:03:34] something and you do And do you
[3:03:34] fear for your life?
[3:03:37] You fear for the life of your
[3:03:38] loved ones and you flee.
[3:03:42] So water was close to our knees
[3:03:43] and we evacuated as well as
[3:03:44] the second incident being
[3:03:48] FEBRUARY 16 of 2026 with
[3:03:48] similar effects of water
[3:03:49] rising.
[3:03:53] So we fled the scene.
[3:03:53] And the third event happening
[3:03:57] FEBRUARY 19th, 2026 this year
[3:04:02] alone And it was a panic mode
[3:04:03] But because of the previous
[3:04:06] experience we we sort of knew
[3:04:07] what to do But nonetheless it
[3:04:12] was a very traumatic event And
[3:04:12] many of us face that with
[3:04:16] little children and and we just
[3:04:17] had to leave evacuate our home
[3:04:17] everything we ever knew.
[3:04:21] And so unless you've been
[3:04:22] through this, you'd know that
[3:04:23] it's a very terrifying
[3:04:27] experience And you we so we
[3:04:28] hold you accountable And I need
[3:04:28] to make sure that the funds are
[3:04:31] being actively moving into
[3:04:32] engineering and not stalled in
[3:04:32] bureaucracy.
[3:04:37] That's what I have to say.
[3:04:37] >> Thank you.
[3:04:38] Thank you.
[3:04:47] Our final speaker is Amanda.
[3:04:47] >> I Can you hear me?
[3:04:48] Yes.
[3:04:48] Please proceed.
[3:04:49] Hi.
[3:04:51] I'm in the district seven.
[3:04:52] >> Well, you know, I had a
[3:04:56] little prepared thing to read.
[3:05:00] I'm furious at you guys.
[3:05:01] This is insane.
[3:05:06] I want you guys to imagine of
[3:05:10] the few people that were able
[3:05:11] at 2:00 on a Tuesday to come
[3:05:11] speak to you today.
[3:05:14] There's a thousand of them out
[3:05:15] there in San Diego.
[3:05:22] Three years later still waiting
[3:05:22] .
[3:05:23] I'm sorry.
[3:05:23] I'm just so angry.
[3:05:28] I thought we're being proactive
[3:05:28] this time.
[3:05:29] I guess that's good.
[3:05:32] I'm also curious about
[3:05:32] the local news Suppress
[3:05:33] the story Probably because
[3:05:34] the city told them to because
[3:05:36] it made them look bad because
[3:05:37] they weren't prepared.
[3:05:38] Glad we're at least preparing
[3:05:41] this time.
[3:05:42] I want to say I appreciate Lori
[3:05:46] Saldana and Blair for bringing
[3:05:46] up the Midway Thinking Project.
[3:05:47] I'm just sitting here listening
[3:05:51] and I'm like I cannot believe
[3:05:51] that they're going to try to do
[3:05:52] this again.
[3:05:56] And I understand you guys need
[3:05:56] to generate revenue to try to
[3:05:57] fix the problem, get more
[3:05:57] creative.
[3:06:01] Like Francine said, we are San
[3:06:02] Diego.
[3:06:02] We have community.
[3:06:06] We have hands.
[3:06:06] We have big hearts.
[3:06:07] You guys need doesn't just tuck
[3:06:08] your tail between your legs Say
[3:06:11] we don't have the money.
[3:06:11] We need community engagement.
[3:06:12] We need to hear what you guys
[3:06:12] need.
[3:06:15] We need everyone to roll up
[3:06:16] their sleeves, everyone to dig
[3:06:16] in.
[3:06:17] You guys need to get creative.
[3:06:18] You need to reach out.
[3:06:21] You need to be proactive if
[3:06:21] because like they're saying 90%
[3:06:22] chance of this is going to
[3:06:22] happen.
[3:06:24] We have a thousand families
[3:06:25] already suffering and going
[3:06:26] through that in our city.
[3:06:29] That's unacceptable.
[3:06:30] If this is coming it's going to
[3:06:30] be even worse.
[3:06:35] I hope that you guys are again
[3:06:35] took your tail between your
[3:06:36] legs.
[3:06:36] Be honest.
[3:06:37] Appreciate the transparency.
[3:06:39] Please reach out to all
[3:06:40] the community agencies and all
[3:06:41] the community groups that you
[3:06:44] can to make sure that this
[3:06:45] never happens again.
[3:06:45] >> Thanks.
[3:06:46] Thank you.
[3:06:48] If you'd raise your hand after
[3:06:49] the five minute time when you
[3:06:50] could definitely send in
[3:06:50] comments to City Clerk at San
[3:06:53] Diego Dot gov and those will be
[3:06:54] distributed to the council.
[3:06:54] Thank you.
[3:06:57] Council PRESIDENT.
[3:06:58] >> All right.
[3:06:58] Thank you, City Clerk.
[3:06:59] Again, this is an information
[3:07:02] item.
[3:07:02] No motions require.
[3:07:03] We'll turn over to the council
[3:07:03] members for questions and
[3:07:07] comments And I'm going to
[3:07:11] actually turn it over first to
[3:07:12] the chair of the Environment
[3:07:12] Committee, Councilmember Isla
[3:07:13] Rivera and then we'll go to
[3:07:16] Councilmember Campi are next.
[3:07:16] >> Thank you, council PRESIDENT
[3:07:17] And thank you for having this
[3:07:21] conversation in front of
[3:07:21] the full Council.
[3:07:22] In addition to the conversation
[3:07:22] we had in an environment
[3:07:25] committee definitely a kind of
[3:07:29] a conversation that is worthy
[3:07:30] of citywide discussion.
[3:07:30] Thank you again for
[3:07:35] the presentation.
[3:07:35] I will start by acknowledging
[3:07:36] what I acknowledge last time
[3:07:39] which is that a lot of work has
[3:07:40] been done and that work is
[3:07:44] important and leaves us in a
[3:07:44] better place than we were but
[3:07:49] obviously still with lots of
[3:07:49] questions to be asked.
[3:07:53] I want to make sure I also
[3:07:54] acknowledge some of the folks
[3:07:58] who spoke here today not just
[3:07:58] for the comments that were
[3:07:59] provided but for the work that
[3:08:03] was done not just the day of
[3:08:04] the flood but in the weeks and
[3:08:07] months and years since people
[3:08:08] spoke to us today who provided
[3:08:12] critical mentalealth support
[3:08:13] and advocated for additional
[3:08:13] mental health support.
[3:08:17] In a moment of crisis.
[3:08:18] Folks are here who made sure
[3:08:22] that the families with babies
[3:08:23] in their neighborhoods had a
[3:08:27] place to stay in the immediate
[3:08:31] aftermath of of the floods.
[3:08:32] >> There are folks who spoke
[3:08:33] who were key in convening not
[3:08:37] just community but bringing
[3:08:37] community and city officials
[3:08:41] together When city officials
[3:08:42] were not connecting with
[3:08:46] the community And that was
[3:08:46] critical work.
[3:08:47] And I appreciate you all so
[3:08:50] much for for doing that work
[3:08:51] And there's much more that
[3:08:53] could be named But I just want
[3:08:56] to say thank you for that.
[3:09:01] I think about I hear
[3:09:06] the presentation within
[3:09:06] the context of of what I saw a
[3:09:11] few years ago two and a half
[3:09:12] years ago and what I would have
[3:09:16] hoped to have seen and where we
[3:09:17] were which is community feeling
[3:09:17] abandoned, discarded and
[3:09:20] ignored not just in those
[3:09:21] moments but in the months and
[3:09:22] years that led up to that.
[3:09:25] Those moments and where we
[3:09:26] should be which is a place
[3:09:30] where the community especially
[3:09:30] in times of crisis and
[3:09:31] emergency feels loved and
[3:09:35] supported And I see the work
[3:09:39] that is being done and I, I
[3:09:40] appreciate it.
[3:09:41] >> But it also leaves me
[3:09:44] wondering if we're if we're
[3:09:45] doing the things that need to
[3:09:49] be done to fill that The gap
[3:09:50] that existed last time in
[3:09:54] the city seemed so unable to
[3:09:54] hear And it wasn't about
[3:09:59] machines showing up or even
[3:10:02] emergency responders showing up
[3:10:08] But like how people's human
[3:10:09] needs were being met in a time
[3:10:12] of crisis and the preparation
[3:10:17] that we do now not just to
[3:10:18] prevent any floods that can be
[3:10:22] prevented or mitigate flooding
[3:10:23] but to meet those human needs
[3:10:23] is going to be a direct
[3:10:26] reflection of our city's love
[3:10:27] for our community.
[3:10:28] And so with that in mind,
[3:10:32] there's a couple of questions
[3:10:33] that I want to ask it.
[3:10:36] First following up on something
[3:10:37] that we were asked last time
[3:10:38] and then some new ones.
[3:10:40] The first is we had a really,
[3:10:41] really important dialog from
[3:10:45] some community leaders at
[3:10:46] the Environment Committee
[3:10:46] meeting and I'm curious what
[3:10:49] was heard from the community in
[3:10:50] that public comment and from
[3:10:54] the comments from from from Kym
[3:10:55] that have been incorporated
[3:10:57] into our planning since that
[3:11:02] meeting.
[3:11:02] Yeah.
[3:11:03] Thank you.
[3:11:03] Thank you, sir.
[3:11:07] Yes, we have not only heard
[3:11:08] the comments that were made, we
[3:11:09] had an opportunity to meet with
[3:11:12] the Harvey Foundation.
[3:11:12] Oh yes.
[3:11:13] And discuss those further.
[3:11:17] It was a it was a good
[3:11:18] conversation And that also
[3:11:22] parlayed directly into our
[3:11:23] community outreach some working
[3:11:23] group and provided some
[3:11:26] deliverables, some working
[3:11:27] group members were some of them
[3:11:28] were there as well for that
[3:11:28] conversation to make sure that
[3:11:32] we have the point that led to
[3:11:33] some of the recommendations and
[3:11:36] needs that were not met
[3:11:37] identified so that we can start
[3:11:37] working on a process to to
[3:11:41] improve those and get those
[3:11:42] gaps filled to include coming
[3:11:46] up with a the contact
[3:11:47] information of all the actual
[3:11:48] the community leaders that we
[3:11:48] need to reach out to who are
[3:11:51] the people that are trusted in
[3:11:51] the communities that we can
[3:11:52] make sure that we can provide
[3:11:55] them with as much resources and
[3:11:56] information as we can?
[3:11:57] I can then if you want to
[3:12:00] elaborate on the supporting
[3:12:01] group.
[3:12:01] >> So one of the efforts of
[3:12:02] that sub working group for
[3:12:06] community engagement is we're
[3:12:06] working with each one of
[3:12:07] the council districts as well
[3:12:09] as an opportunity to get
[3:12:10] feedback from each one in areas
[3:12:10] that we can focus more on as
[3:12:11] well.
[3:12:14] So within that that starting
[3:12:15] point is we want to make sure
[3:12:16] that we have a tailored
[3:12:16] approach to each and every
[3:12:19] community.
[3:12:20] We don't want to make a one
[3:12:21] size fits all approach and go
[3:12:21] out there because that's
[3:12:24] obviously not going to work.
[3:12:25] We've seen that not work in
[3:12:26] the past several times before.
[3:12:28] So we want to team up with
[3:12:29] the community.
[3:12:30] We want to team up with
[3:12:30] the council districts and
[3:12:31] ensure that we're having a
[3:12:34] tailored approach to our
[3:12:34] community engagement.
[3:12:38] >> I appreciate that.
[3:12:43] One of the things that I saw
[3:12:44] last saw in in 2024 that that
[3:12:48] really concerned me and I think
[3:12:49] still echoes in the community
[3:12:53] was the feeling that the city
[3:12:54] was attempting to petition to
[3:12:58] to shift responsibility to
[3:12:59] community based organizations
[3:13:02] or nonprofit entities before
[3:13:07] accepting and kind of owning
[3:13:08] everything that they could own.
[3:13:09] And there is a big difference
[3:13:12] between sharing responsibility
[3:13:13] and shifting blame or shifting
[3:13:17] responsibility.
[3:13:22] And I'm curious to what extent
[3:13:22] there are internal
[3:13:23] conversations about what could
[3:13:24] have been done differently on
[3:13:29] that front.
[3:13:30] >> So one of the key components
[3:13:34] for us to step up the working
[3:13:34] group was to actually identify
[3:13:35] identify those audit
[3:13:38] recommendations and start to
[3:13:39] work carefully on ensuring that
[3:13:40] we have those that have been
[3:13:40] identified already as gaps
[3:13:44] during that response and those
[3:13:45] can be shored up for to ensure
[3:13:48] that that doesn't happen again
[3:13:49] in the future.
[3:13:49] So work the larger working
[3:13:53] group is looking at that larger
[3:13:54] audit picture and to making
[3:13:55] sure that our sub working
[3:13:58] groups are working to identify
[3:13:59] those gaps.
[3:13:59] >> So as I mentioned in our
[3:14:03] presentation we've we've
[3:14:04] addressed quite a few of them
[3:14:08] and we're still working on a
[3:14:09] few a lot of other ones that
[3:14:09] we're trying to get to that
[3:14:10] state where we can say we've
[3:14:13] shared that up and we feel
[3:14:14] confident with work that's been
[3:14:22] done something that is related
[3:14:27] to that and also was a a I
[3:14:28] think sense of frustration in
[3:14:32] the community that I didn't
[3:14:36] blame anyone for was not
[3:14:37] knowing who was in charge
[3:14:41] especially in the immediate
[3:14:42] aftermath of the flooding, not
[3:14:46] on an organizational chart
[3:14:47] necessarily but like who on
[3:14:48] the ground and who in
[3:14:55] practicality was in charge and
[3:14:55] that was a sense that folks had
[3:15:00] even when people with the title
[3:15:01] were in the room And now we
[3:15:06] have a city structure where
[3:15:10] there is no ceo with a ceo is
[3:15:10] the mayor.
[3:15:11] And so from a practical
[3:15:15] perspective, if disaster were
[3:15:19] to strike by the way of flood,
[3:15:25] who is in charge is that would
[3:15:29] depend during the response
[3:15:29] typically is going to be
[3:15:30] the incident commanders that
[3:15:31] are in charge of making those
[3:15:31] decisions on the ground that
[3:15:34] are strategy and tactics for
[3:15:35] search and rescue and
[3:15:35] operations.
[3:15:38] They would be in charge of that
[3:15:39] operation.
[3:15:39] So there's there's more than
[3:15:43] just the search and rescue
[3:15:43] component.
[3:15:44] Right.
[3:15:48] And so again, I think this is
[3:15:49] the part is is at a certain
[3:15:53] point someone else needs to get
[3:15:54] pulled in to the effort And
[3:15:57] that was the piece that was was
[3:15:58] missing.
[3:15:58] So there might be the person
[3:16:02] who is in charge of the thing
[3:16:02] that's happening directly in
[3:16:06] front of of the community or in
[3:16:07] that exact moment.
[3:16:08] But it is very obvious to
[3:16:08] everyone and involved that
[3:16:09] there needs to be other
[3:16:14] departments involved from that
[3:16:15] perspective who is who is
[3:16:19] quarterbacking the full
[3:16:20] operation?
[3:16:20] Yeah.
[3:16:21] So that would be me
[3:16:24] the director of the eoc is
[3:16:25] the coordinator of those types
[3:16:25] of responses to ensuring that
[3:16:29] we have the departments
[3:16:29] appropriately engaged,
[3:16:30] coordinating and collaborating
[3:16:34] on resources to ensure that we
[3:16:34] have a big picture response and
[3:16:35] you will have the authority to
[3:16:39] direct everyone in the city.
[3:16:40] Now that would be the head
[3:16:44] coach in your analogy which in
[3:16:45] the organizational structure of
[3:16:49] the city is as the mayor as
[3:16:49] the emergency manager for
[3:16:50] the city and what is
[3:16:51] the protocol for you being able
[3:16:54] to tell mayor excuse me
[3:16:57] the mayor in that situation
[3:16:58] that they need to bring in
[3:17:03] additional resources,
[3:17:03] additional departments to give
[3:17:08] you the authority that you will
[3:17:09] need in order to direct
[3:17:09] the resources where they need
[3:17:10] to go?
[3:17:10] Yeah, that's a great question.
[3:17:12] That's that's a coordination
[3:17:13] piece that happens at the eoc
[3:17:13] director level with the agency
[3:17:17] administrator Typically a sign
[3:17:18] on behalf of the mayor and that
[3:17:21] and those two basically one of
[3:17:22] the executive directors that
[3:17:22] would be there And that
[3:17:23] coordination is how we get
[3:17:26] the requested information and
[3:17:27] the explanation for the reasons
[3:17:27] behind whatever the resource
[3:17:31] request is final authorization
[3:17:32] even gets gets made at that at
[3:17:32] that level and then
[3:17:35] the authority gets bestowed
[3:17:36] back to the eoc director to
[3:17:36] make that happen.
[3:17:40] Thank you.
[3:17:41] And so maybe I don't know if
[3:17:45] this is for cota or Chris.
[3:17:45] What is the conversation at
[3:17:49] the executive level about what
[3:17:49] needs to be done differently
[3:17:55] Things that should have been
[3:17:55] done differently and will be
[3:17:56] done differently in the future?
[3:17:56] Sure.
[3:17:59] So Chris McFadden Chief
[3:18:00] Infrastructure Officer Well
[3:18:00] we've already developed with
[3:18:04] emergency off plus emergency
[3:18:05] management is that like you
[3:18:05] mentioned you're going to have
[3:18:08] she presented there as head of
[3:18:09] the eoc?
[3:18:12] We're also going to be rotating
[3:18:12] 24 hours.
[3:18:13] One of the chiefs other myself,
[3:18:17] Bethany Casey Rania Rolando to
[3:18:18] be basically their right arm
[3:18:22] person If there are resources
[3:18:27] they need to flex that they'll
[3:18:27] be able to have quick access to
[3:18:28] them.
[3:18:29] In addition to that, we'll also
[3:18:32] have a mayoral representative
[3:18:32] rotating through from a 24 hour
[3:18:33] operation.
[3:18:36] We're going to we've already
[3:18:37] identified people at least
[3:18:37] three deep.
[3:18:41] Just anticipation if you have
[3:18:42] to be 12 hour shifts you have
[3:18:43] someone who's going to backfill
[3:18:46] them to have that continuity of
[3:18:47] operations.
[3:18:47] So to answer your question from
[3:18:52] the eoc perspective, you're
[3:18:52] going to have the eoc director
[3:18:53] but you're also going to have
[3:18:54] one of the chiefs who's going
[3:18:56] to have direct contact with
[3:18:56] the mayor and also someone from
[3:18:57] policy in the aoc to have
[3:19:02] contact with the mayor but also
[3:19:02] be that liaison for council
[3:19:06] officers and council member at
[3:19:07] the point of the policy group
[3:19:08] here is to be the intermediary
[3:19:11] between eoc agency
[3:19:11] administrators and the council.
[3:19:12] I think a gap last time was
[3:19:16] folks did not know where to
[3:19:16] direct inquiries or requests or
[3:19:20] elevate community needs which
[3:19:21] resulted in essentially
[3:19:21] shopping around to whoever
[3:19:25] would pick up the phone which
[3:19:26] you know you're replicating and
[3:19:26] duplicating requests.
[3:19:27] It was chaos.
[3:19:30] And so the policy group will be
[3:19:31] council's main point of contact
[3:19:34] to elevate requests over to
[3:19:35] the eoc and the agency
[3:19:39] administrator back down.
[3:19:40] >> And to be clear, none of
[3:19:44] those processes and procedures
[3:19:45] were in place last time were
[3:19:45] they not implemented?
[3:19:50] I can speak to that.
[3:19:51] So no, these processes are
[3:19:55] standard operating procedures
[3:19:55] across emergency management
[3:19:59] through fema, nems Sims,
[3:19:59] the processes got hung up and
[3:20:03] not properly executed at the at
[3:20:04] the levels that they probably
[3:20:05] should have at the time.
[3:20:05] One of the things that we
[3:20:06] worked on and will be
[3:20:08] delivering to your staff and
[3:20:09] some of the other city staff is
[3:20:13] precisely some of that training
[3:20:14] to clarify what are the points
[3:20:14] of contact, who are
[3:20:15] the liaisons, What's how does
[3:20:18] that communication flow from
[3:20:18] the eoc to the joint
[3:20:22] information centers to you back
[3:20:23] to us, to the community?
[3:20:23] Back to us?
[3:20:24] That system exists and it's
[3:20:28] been shored up and bolstered
[3:20:29] now with our community
[3:20:29] communications department
[3:20:33] leading the leading the charge
[3:20:33] of havg a large group of
[3:20:35] people identified to be doing
[3:20:36] just that during
[3:20:41] the emergencies.
[3:20:41] Okay.
[3:20:42] I appreciate that.
[3:20:42] I think and I'm sure you all
[3:20:43] sense this from public comment
[3:20:46] today public comment, an
[3:20:47] environment committee and some
[3:20:47] of the conversations you've
[3:20:51] had, the experience of before
[3:20:52] are going to shape folks
[3:20:55] expectations and fears today
[3:20:56] and in the future And it raises
[3:21:00] the bar for what needs to be
[3:21:00] done in order to instill
[3:21:05] confidence because a community
[3:21:06] that is anxious that is
[3:21:09] responding from a place of
[3:21:10] trauma and not confident that
[3:21:14] the things that went wrong last
[3:21:15] time are not going to go wrong
[3:21:16] again.
[3:21:19] It's going to be more difficult
[3:21:20] to engage them and ensure that
[3:21:25] they're trusting of the city to
[3:21:29] provide information to and
[3:21:30] aren't looking somewhere else
[3:21:31] as the first resource resort
[3:21:35] because last time they what
[3:21:35] they were trained to see last
[3:21:36] time was that their city wasn't
[3:21:39] there for them when they needed
[3:21:39] them.
[3:21:40] And so I the relationship
[3:21:40] building piece is essential
[3:21:44] here and I know that that's not
[3:21:44] new information but I want to
[3:21:48] reemphasize it And the clock is
[3:21:49] ticking to shore those up
[3:21:54] before the first trains arrive
[3:21:55] .
[3:21:59] There was one point that pretty
[3:22:00] pretty in the weeds but I think
[3:22:01] it was an important one that i
[3:22:02] wanted to make sure I asked
[3:22:05] this in the up last time in
[3:22:05] terms of evaluating vendors
[3:22:10] what is being done to assess
[3:22:10] whether or not the if it's a
[3:22:11] vendor that's providing
[3:22:14] something that it's going to
[3:22:15] kind of require interaction
[3:22:16] with the community that they
[3:22:19] have the appropriate
[3:22:19] relationships and knowledge of
[3:22:23] the community to actually be
[3:22:24] able to deliver the thing that
[3:22:28] they're being paid to deliver.
[3:22:29] >> That's a good question.
[3:22:33] The vendor process follow city
[3:22:34] pass process for for vendor
[3:22:35] vetting and working through
[3:22:38] those those contracts and and
[3:22:39] pursuing contracting looks at
[3:22:40] looks through those We don't
[3:22:43] have a direct decision making
[3:22:44] on that But I can answer to you
[3:22:48] directly but I can find out for
[3:22:49] you.
[3:22:49] Okay.
[3:22:50] I don't want to speak for
[3:22:51] COUNCILMAN Foster but he is
[3:22:52] the expert on the purchasing
[3:22:57] and contracting front and that
[3:22:58] seems really important.
[3:23:02] This is in a we're not talking
[3:23:02] about just materials here in
[3:23:03] this sense.
[3:23:05] We're talking about services is
[3:23:11] resources that human beings are
[3:23:16] are in an emergency need of and
[3:23:16] the ability to understand how
[3:23:20] to deliver those is not
[3:23:21] necessarily something that our
[3:23:21] typical contracting process
[3:23:26] would account for but it is
[3:23:26] essential here and I hope that
[3:23:27] will be taken into account.
[3:23:28] Council PRESIDENT Thank you for
[3:23:30] being No, no This the only item
[3:23:31] on the agenda This is really a
[3:23:35] big deal.
[3:23:36] There's a lot of people out
[3:23:36] here that want to hear what we
[3:23:37] have to say about it.
[3:23:39] I'm going to turn the five
[3:23:40] minute three minute thing off
[3:23:41] and the thrust to you that
[3:23:42] you're going to be on point and
[3:23:44] focus on the conversation.
[3:23:44] But this is the best
[3:23:45] opportunity that we have in
[3:23:45] front of the media people
[3:23:49] watching to really talk about
[3:23:49] something.
[3:23:50] I know this is just the first
[3:23:54] of several conversation that
[3:23:55] we're going to have but I don't
[3:23:55] want to limit those of you that
[3:24:01] really want to dig in on this.
[3:24:01] So Councilmember Rivera, you
[3:24:02] still have the floor in case
[3:24:06] you're having other questions.
[3:24:07] I appreciate that.
[3:24:07] Council PRESIDENT I actually
[3:24:08] did want to turn it to Ken if I
[3:24:09] if I MAY.
[3:24:10] You provided your your
[3:24:10] comments.
[3:24:10] You've heard some of
[3:24:14] the community feedback, some
[3:24:15] questions I've asked Want to
[3:24:15] provide you an opportunity for
[3:24:18] any follow up questions or
[3:24:19] comments that you have based on
[3:24:23] what you've heard so far.
[3:24:25] >> I would say in terms of
[3:24:28] the comments just being very
[3:24:29] concise.
[3:24:33] We're approaching DECEMBER,
[3:24:33] we're in the window And so
[3:24:34] the implication has been just
[3:24:38] that be concise around
[3:24:39] the resources and also be
[3:24:39] deliberate with talking about
[3:24:44] the clear strategy in a way
[3:24:44] that's inclusive.
[3:24:45] It shouldn't be cumbersome,
[3:24:45] right?
[3:24:48] You have a lot of organizations
[3:24:49] that were actually very active
[3:24:50] in this conversation And so I
[3:24:53] would say from an equity
[3:24:54] perspective the time is now But
[3:24:55] recognizing how some of those
[3:24:58] relationships were kind of
[3:24:59] there's a lack of trust there
[3:25:00] with some of these
[3:25:00] organizations just to be very
[3:25:03] candid.
[3:25:04] So like you're trying to repair
[3:25:05] as is trying to partner And so
[3:25:08] I think that those are things
[3:25:09] that have to be clear in your
[3:25:10] strategy like how often are you
[3:25:14] going to hold these
[3:25:14] conversations location
[3:25:15] logistics wise?
[3:25:15] Are you doing teams meeting or
[3:25:18] you going to rec centers?
[3:25:19] So these things just feel a
[3:25:20] little bit ambiguous in terms
[3:25:23] of like the strategy part.
[3:25:24] So I think those are parts
[3:25:25] where outlining the implication
[3:25:29] is the whole the win in the how
[3:25:30] and then being clear around
[3:25:33] what are they convening around
[3:25:34] what plan are we all on
[3:25:34] the same play page.
[3:25:39] So those are the things why I
[3:25:39] pointed out the application
[3:25:40] around organizational
[3:25:43] engagement interest They
[3:25:43] partners Are they convening
[3:25:44] around talking about evacuation
[3:25:48] plans or we should situation so
[3:25:49] that I hope that answers your
[3:25:52] question Councilmember thank
[3:25:53] you I think I just have one
[3:25:57] other question and it it stems
[3:25:57] kind of from the entire
[3:26:02] conversation here because you
[3:26:03] have a you have a game plan
[3:26:07] right?
[3:26:07] You have a strategy that's
[3:26:08] built of best practices And I
[3:26:11] appreciate the diligence in
[3:26:12] trying to stay true to that And
[3:26:17] there are dynamics and or
[3:26:22] variables that can make
[3:26:23] implementation more or less
[3:26:26] difficult.
[3:26:32] And one of those variables is
[3:26:32] the historical context of
[3:26:33] the communities that we're that
[3:26:36] we're preparing with and
[3:26:41] the distrust that that
[3:26:42] community has of its government
[3:26:47] because of lack of investment
[3:26:47] or abandonment of that
[3:26:51] community in the past seems
[3:26:52] like such an important factor
[3:26:52] to keep in mind when we're
[3:26:56] preparing.
[3:26:57] >> And so this is an almost
[3:26:58] impossible question to ask but
[3:27:01] it feels like a really
[3:27:02] important one who who is
[3:27:02] directing that honest
[3:27:06] conversation within the city
[3:27:06] about what the current
[3:27:10] relationship is between
[3:27:11] the city and that community as
[3:27:16] we're preparing to you know, as
[3:27:17] we're preparing for different
[3:27:20] emergencies of any sort.
[3:27:21] Yeah.
[3:27:21] Thank you for that question.
[3:27:25] As it relates to El Nino
[3:27:26] preparation specifically we
[3:27:27] have in this community there's
[3:27:27] a working group community
[3:27:31] outreach and working group and
[3:27:32] the components that the people
[3:27:32] that are there have an
[3:27:36] incredible credibility.
[3:27:36] Well they have diverse
[3:27:37] experience direct community
[3:27:41] relationships from a variety of
[3:27:45] different city functions.
[3:27:46] Our recommendation is as we
[3:27:47] continue to do more and more
[3:27:50] outreach that all of our
[3:27:51] outreach efforts from your
[3:27:51] council offices, the mayor's
[3:27:56] offices, oas continues to
[3:27:56] funnel through that community
[3:28:01] outreach group because really
[3:28:01] the they're they're going to be
[3:28:02] the experts in knowing exactly
[3:28:06] what's the best way to deliver
[3:28:06] whatever the message is or
[3:28:07] receive the message the most
[3:28:12] appropriate way based on that
[3:28:13] community experience that they
[3:28:13] have.
[3:28:14] So to answer your question, be
[3:28:16] the community outreach some
[3:28:17] working group has the expertise
[3:28:21] put together to really
[3:28:22] understand and begin to do that
[3:28:22] outreach.
[3:28:23] So like we talked about, this
[3:28:26] is just the beginning of a lot
[3:28:27] of this work and that's going
[3:28:27] to include shoring up those
[3:28:31] relationships hopefully with
[3:28:32] familiar faces that are in
[3:28:33] these some working groups to
[3:28:37] improve the communication.
[3:28:37] Really the biggest thing for me
[3:28:38] at least in the communication
[3:28:41] that's coming to me not so much
[3:28:42] what I want to say this is
[3:28:43] important The safety component
[3:28:43] is important to safety
[3:28:47] messaging is important so that
[3:28:48] everybody understands But
[3:28:48] really what we need to hear,
[3:28:51] what we're missing and that's
[3:28:52] what I'm looking forward to
[3:28:53] hearing from the Community
[3:28:53] Outreach Sub Working Group
[3:28:55] Thank you.
[3:28:56] >> I'll just wrap up with this
[3:29:01] council PRESIDENT I can close
[3:29:02] my eyes and picture what I saw
[3:29:06] on JANUARY 22nd of 2024 and
[3:29:10] the days that followed And one
[3:29:11] of the things that stood out so
[3:29:12] much to me and my team was what
[3:29:15] we didn't see from the city
[3:29:20] that night And in the days that
[3:29:21] followed there are things that
[3:29:30] I, I saw that amaze me and and
[3:29:30] made me sad and mad.
[3:29:31] But the absence of the city in
[3:29:36] certain ways is something that
[3:29:37] just really stuck out as stood
[3:29:37] out to me.
[3:29:38] And when I think about what I
[3:29:40] want to close my eyes and see
[3:29:40] in the future if there are
[3:29:41] the disasters that cannot be
[3:29:46] prevented, it's a city that
[3:29:47] shows up and there is no
[3:29:51] confusion whatsoever in that
[3:29:51] neighborhood that it that that
[3:29:52] their city loves them and is
[3:29:55] there for them and they can
[3:29:56] feel that And I'm going to keep
[3:30:00] working on that piece.
[3:30:01] I, I just hope that that
[3:30:07] feeling is not lost in all
[3:30:07] the technical preparation for
[3:30:08] what is to come.
[3:30:08] Thank you.
[3:30:11] Got the resident All right.
[3:30:12] Thank you Councilmember Rivera
[3:30:12] We'll go next to Council member
[3:30:16] Campion Thank you Council
[3:30:16] PRESIDENT Thank you to
[3:30:17] the members of the public who
[3:30:18] spoke today both publicly in
[3:30:21] person and in virtually and
[3:30:21] thanks to our Office of
[3:30:22] Emergency Services and Storm
[3:30:26] Water and of course Fire rescue
[3:30:27] all of the departments that are
[3:30:27] coordinating the preparations.
[3:30:28] It's great to see that we have
[3:30:31] multiple departments working as
[3:30:32] a group covering everything
[3:30:33] from the evacuation,
[3:30:36] the sandbags to the debris
[3:30:37] removal, emergency access eoc
[3:30:38] logistics and updating us on
[3:30:41] how much more we've spent in
[3:30:41] the last two years to get
[3:30:42] things out of our storm
[3:30:43] channels that weren't removed
[3:30:46] beforehand.
[3:30:46] One point I raised during
[3:30:47] the briefing that we had this
[3:30:51] last week when you all informed
[3:30:52] me what was going on is that we
[3:30:53] should be we should be thinking
[3:30:56] more broadly about who can help
[3:30:57] us communicate with San Diego
[3:30:58] before and during an emergency.
[3:30:58] And I would strongly encourage
[3:31:01] us to coordinate with
[3:31:02] the Unified School District and
[3:31:03] all the local school districts
[3:31:07] because part of the strategy of
[3:31:07] communication is about trust.
[3:31:08] And I know that when families
[3:31:09] receive an email from a teacher
[3:31:12] or a principal they almost
[3:31:13] always read it And so we need
[3:31:13] to partner with those school
[3:31:14] districts on getting
[3:31:15] the messaging out and we can
[3:31:17] send emails and alerts and
[3:31:18] social media posts and of
[3:31:18] course we should.
[3:31:21] But schools are one of
[3:31:22] the strongest direct
[3:31:23] connections to parents and
[3:31:23] families to get that message
[3:31:26] out as quickly as possible.
[3:31:27] I would also like to see
[3:31:28] the preparedness information
[3:31:31] shared before the storm season
[3:31:32] particularly information about
[3:31:33] the sandbags and preparedness,
[3:31:36] the emergency alerts folks
[3:31:37] should know what app or website
[3:31:41] to trust in terms of
[3:31:42] the oncoming storm that would
[3:31:47] be here And of course if
[3:31:47] significant flooding occurs
[3:31:48] during school hours, how we are
[3:31:52] going to communicate to parents
[3:31:53] quickly on at the moment
[3:31:53] transportation disruptions
[3:31:57] whether it's school busses,
[3:31:58] whether it's the trolley.
[3:31:58] Sheltering in place evacuation
[3:32:02] if necessary.
[3:32:03] I also raise during
[3:32:04] the briefing that we should not
[3:32:05] limit our planning to what city
[3:32:08] develop departments can
[3:32:08] accomplish alone the sandbag
[3:32:09] distribution plan I know that's
[3:32:13] been a point of frustration in
[3:32:13] the past.
[3:32:14] We have city contractors and
[3:32:18] other private sector partners
[3:32:19] who can assist us with sand and
[3:32:20] equipment, transportation and
[3:32:20] distribution.
[3:32:24] i know you have already
[3:32:24] discussed that with various
[3:32:25] folks you know, companies that
[3:32:29] do significant business within
[3:32:30] the city not just with the city
[3:32:34] I think would want to step up
[3:32:35] as much as they can And so we
[3:32:36] need to call on those
[3:32:36] partnerships well before we
[3:32:40] need them And I think also set
[3:32:41] the expectation that we expect
[3:32:45] them to be part of the solution
[3:32:46] And it goes a long way with
[3:32:50] just setting an example as a
[3:32:51] community partner that folks
[3:32:56] whether it's you know, home
[3:32:56] improvement stores or big box
[3:33:01] stores or small businesses I
[3:33:01] know that they would be noticed
[3:33:02] by the community for their
[3:33:06] support And obviously there's a
[3:33:07] larger issue that goes beyond
[3:33:07] preparing for one El Nino
[3:33:11] the under investments or water
[3:33:12] infrastructure.
[3:33:12] For decades, as has been
[3:33:16] reported before, only 17% of
[3:33:17] city maintain channel segments
[3:33:20] are sized to convey that 100
[3:33:21] year storm.
[3:33:22] 14 out of 15 of our pumps are
[3:33:22] sized below that level and
[3:33:25] seven of the pumps date back to
[3:33:25] 1940.
[3:33:26] Those deficiencies have not
[3:33:30] impacted every community
[3:33:30] equally.
[3:33:31] Communities south of the eight
[3:33:31] have repeatedly experienced
[3:33:35] the consequences of
[3:33:36] the flooding and environmental
[3:33:36] hazards.
[3:33:37] And so the report that you
[3:33:37] provided us obviously shows how
[3:33:40] much more we ought to have, how
[3:33:41] much more ought to have been
[3:33:42] done there And there's no
[3:33:46] possible way to upgrade all of
[3:33:47] our systems to be able to
[3:33:48] withstand a dramatically
[3:33:48] forceful storm before the fall
[3:33:51] and winter.
[3:33:52] But I'm glad that we showed how
[3:33:52] much more has been done over
[3:33:53] the last few years and more
[3:33:56] attention and funding has been
[3:33:56] spent on that.
[3:33:57] So the immediate priority has
[3:33:58] to be saving homes and lives
[3:34:02] and communication out to
[3:34:02] the public.
[3:34:07] Is there part of the plan is
[3:34:08] part of the plan to have police
[3:34:08] officers and firefighters and
[3:34:09] lifeguards stationed
[3:34:12] appropriately in advance of
[3:34:13] rain falling in order to assist
[3:34:13] as much as needed?
[3:34:17] We always talk about overtime
[3:34:18] and overtime is overtime is
[3:34:19] something that matters to our
[3:34:23] budget Obviously and we always
[3:34:24] talk about keeping it down but
[3:34:29] when this type of rare event
[3:34:29] happens I think there's no
[3:34:34] resource that ought to be not
[3:34:34] used to protect people's lives.
[3:34:39] What's the plan right now?
[3:34:39] Yes.
[3:34:40] So we have thresholds that
[3:34:44] trigger the staffing of our
[3:34:45] lifeguards rescue swift water
[3:34:45] rescue teams.
[3:34:49] In addition, the technical
[3:34:50] rescue swift water rescue teams
[3:34:51] that we have within the fire
[3:34:55] department and then as well as
[3:34:55] anything that's beyond those
[3:34:56] staffing plans, we have
[3:34:56] the ability to reach out to
[3:35:00] Carlos Yes.
[3:35:01] And request state swift water
[3:35:01] rescue teams and then
[3:35:06] internally to the city If it's
[3:35:06] a really catastrophic event
[3:35:07] we'd still have our fema use
[3:35:08] our task Force eight which has
[3:35:11] the ability to also come to
[3:35:12] the assistance of the city.
[3:35:16] So as far as the ability to to
[3:35:17] staff up resources, we have a
[3:35:21] plan and we have the thresholds
[3:35:22] that are necessary to to do
[3:35:22] that.
[3:35:23] In addition, stormwater has
[3:35:26] thresholds themselves to also
[3:35:27] get those resources out to
[3:35:28] the field to identify any
[3:35:32] challenges down trees clogged
[3:35:33] drains anything that needs to
[3:35:34] be addressed before the rain
[3:35:38] really really gets here.
[3:35:38] >> Okay.
[3:35:39] We've talked a lot about a lot
[3:35:40] of departments in terms of
[3:35:44] police setting up emergency
[3:35:44] pathways for people to evacuate
[3:35:45] if necessary.
[3:35:46] That's part of this as well And
[3:35:49] as part of the plan of all of
[3:35:49] our evacuation plan.
[3:35:50] So our evacuation plan
[3:35:50] throughout the city of San
[3:35:51] Diego will go beyond just
[3:35:51] flooding.
[3:35:54] It goes fire, tsunami,
[3:35:54] earthquake.
[3:35:55] Obviously that one's a little
[3:35:59] harder to predict But we have
[3:36:00] evacuation plans associated and
[3:36:04] going through our systems of
[3:36:05] the technology that cpd has as
[3:36:06] the ability to activate
[3:36:10] evacuation orders.
[3:36:10] Those are all still in place
[3:36:11] and that includes police
[3:36:12] remaining behind if people
[3:36:15] evacuate their homes to make
[3:36:16] sure that intruders don't start
[3:36:16] to ransack people's homes that
[3:36:21] are empty.
[3:36:21] >> That includes that aspect of
[3:36:22] it too.
[3:36:22] I can't speak to San Diego pd's
[3:36:26] details on those plans.
[3:36:27] >> I know that that is part of
[3:36:28] the fire evacuation plan.
[3:36:29] I would hope it's part of
[3:36:32] the flood plan So okay.
[3:36:33] Thank you for pointing that
[3:36:33] out.
[3:36:34] Is there what sort of
[3:36:36] technological monitoring do we
[3:36:37] have to observe upstream storm
[3:36:42] drains backing up or at least
[3:36:42] as the water starts to rise
[3:36:43] before it comes downstream?
[3:36:48] Yeah, I thank you council
[3:36:48] members.
[3:36:49] So I will say very little
[3:36:49] technology.
[3:36:53] We do have a proactive flood
[3:36:53] forecasting model that's been
[3:36:58] deployed in the San Diego River
[3:36:59] watershed and that's been there
[3:37:00] for a number of years.
[3:37:00] So that gives us some advance
[3:37:04] warning hours in advance that
[3:37:05] we deploy our crews out there
[3:37:06] to close gates so that people
[3:37:09] don't drive through flooded
[3:37:09] roads.
[3:37:10] But it's really something that
[3:37:10] we don't have anywhere else in
[3:37:15] the city So we don't have that
[3:37:15] real time flood forecasting.
[3:37:20] It's basically static
[3:37:21] information from a planning
[3:37:21] standpoint When we do a
[3:37:22] drainage master plan that I
[3:37:25] mentioned or when we do a
[3:37:26] capital improvement project we
[3:37:31] have modeling information that
[3:37:32] can kind of predict inundation
[3:37:33] areas but it's not time to real
[3:37:37] time data.
[3:37:38] So it's static from that
[3:37:38] standpoint.
[3:37:39] So basically we're just going
[3:37:39] to have people watching
[3:37:43] particular creeks in particular
[3:37:44] storm drains to see if they're
[3:37:44] going to be getting filled up
[3:37:48] faster than normal.
[3:37:49] Yeah, that's right.
[3:37:49] And that one of the challenges
[3:37:50] that I tried to emphasize is
[3:37:51] it's really difficult to see
[3:37:54] where those really strong
[3:37:55] intense cells of rain are going
[3:37:56] to hit any more than an hour or
[3:37:56] two in advance.
[3:37:59] We're working with Scripps
[3:38:00] Institution of Oceanography on
[3:38:01] some of their newer tools to
[3:38:01] see if we can get better
[3:38:05] information.
[3:38:06] But it's a real challenge to
[3:38:07] predict, you know, is this
[3:38:07] going to hit in the north part
[3:38:08] of the city or the south?
[3:38:11] It's really hard to know more
[3:38:11] than a couple of hours in
[3:38:12] advance.
[3:38:12] Okay.
[3:38:12] All right.
[3:38:17] I appreciate you admitting that
[3:38:17] terrible fact but I know that
[3:38:18] we are going to do what we can
[3:38:22] do with what we got.
[3:38:23] My final point here we also
[3:38:27] need a specific plan for people
[3:38:28] who are particularly vulnerable
[3:38:28] during storms That includes
[3:38:29] individuals living at or near
[3:38:33] the riverbed and flood prone
[3:38:33] areas.
[3:38:34] Of course that should include
[3:38:35] partnerships with community
[3:38:35] organizations that conduct
[3:38:39] outreach, help people clear
[3:38:39] help clear people from
[3:38:40] dangerous areas before
[3:38:44] the rainfall begins and a
[3:38:45] contingency for safe sleeping
[3:38:45] and parking sites if those
[3:38:49] locations become dangerous.
[3:38:50] What outreach have we done at
[3:38:54] this point?
[3:38:55] Obviously we have a task force
[3:38:56] working group within the city
[3:39:00] and our departments where
[3:39:01] homeless services providers
[3:39:02] that are contracted to the city
[3:39:06] as well where are they on this
[3:39:06] plan?
[3:39:07] >> Thank you Council Member So
[3:39:11] we have a couple different
[3:39:12] staff working groups that are
[3:39:13] addressing those concerns.
[3:39:16] One is the emergency access
[3:39:16] points, some working group and
[3:39:21] their main objective is to
[3:39:22] ensure that there are clear
[3:39:22] access points for the swift
[3:39:23] water rescue teams.
[3:39:24] But part of that effort was
[3:39:27] also coordination with the San
[3:39:28] Diego River Park Foundation and
[3:39:29] Homeless Services.
[3:39:29] And while we're doing tours in
[3:39:33] those areas and making sure
[3:39:34] that Campmates and whatnot
[3:39:34] weren't interfering with those
[3:39:35] access area so there was a lot
[3:39:38] of outreach and coordination
[3:39:39] with the different groups that
[3:39:43] work within the River Park And
[3:39:44] as far as homeless strategies
[3:39:45] goes we also have them in our
[3:39:46] evacuation which goes into our
[3:39:50] care and shelter.
[3:39:51] So working group So we've been
[3:39:51] working with them every week
[3:39:55] meeting on the different
[3:39:56] sheltering options and ensuring
[3:39:56] that the facilities are ready
[3:40:01] to go at a moment's notice when
[3:40:02] we do need to do the sheltering
[3:40:02] aspects.
[3:40:06] Understood.
[3:40:07] Last point I brought up in our
[3:40:07] briefing and I'll just
[3:40:08] reiterate here outreach to
[3:40:12] faith communities It should be
[3:40:13] an important part of this given
[3:40:18] the resources they have in
[3:40:18] the willingness they have to
[3:40:19] support folks I know that's not
[3:40:24] typically is not typically one
[3:40:25] of the one of the parts of our
[3:40:25] community that we think of as
[3:40:26] partnering with the city on a
[3:40:30] lot of different issues But
[3:40:31] this has to be one of them.
[3:40:31] So I'll leave you with that and
[3:40:32] thank you for the extra time.
[3:40:34] Council PRESIDENT Thanks for
[3:40:35] your good work.
[3:40:35] >> All right.
[3:40:35] Thank you.
[3:40:36] Council Member Committee I'll
[3:40:39] go next to Councilmember Foster
[3:40:40] .
[3:40:40] Oh yes.
[3:40:40] Thank you.
[3:40:44] Council PRESIDENT Thank you
[3:40:50] staff for the presentation.
[3:40:55] I guess just in transparency I
[3:40:56] was not at the city of San
[3:41:02] Diego at the time of the floods
[3:41:02] in 2024 I was actually at
[3:41:08] the county of San Diego as we
[3:41:08] experienced the floods.
[3:41:13] So at that point I was serving
[3:41:14] as a chief of staff to
[3:41:15] supervisor Monica Montgomery
[3:41:24] Step So I don't know all of
[3:41:24] the I guess I'll say shortfalls
[3:41:25] or circumstances in some of
[3:41:30] the internal conversations that
[3:41:30] took place or from an intimate
[3:41:31] detail.
[3:41:35] I just got what I received
[3:41:36] second hand as we were dealing
[3:41:41] with Callaway as in all
[3:41:42] the different agencies that
[3:41:47] were involved.
[3:41:48] I guess just before I dive into
[3:41:52] this and in my apologies
[3:41:59] the gentleman that is I guess
[3:42:00] the in charge of os what's your
[3:42:00] name again?
[3:42:05] I'm sorry Assistant Chief
[3:42:05] Rogers And these are and if I
[3:42:06] understand correctly you were
[3:42:10] not the individual that was in
[3:42:15] charge during the 2024 floods?
[3:42:15] No sir.
[3:42:16] In fact I was part of
[3:42:17] the incident management team
[3:42:20] for the rescues.
[3:42:20] Okay.
[3:42:26] And I think now we have os
[3:42:26] under fire.
[3:42:32] Chief Logan, where was Oh yes
[3:42:33] in 2024 it was its own
[3:42:37] department.
[3:42:38] Okay.
[3:42:38] All right.
[3:42:43] And then just before I go in
[3:42:44] and we've talked quite a bit
[3:42:45] about outreach community
[3:42:45] outreach.
[3:42:49] I see we have Armand Harvey in
[3:42:49] the room.
[3:42:55] If I can just borrow you for a
[3:42:56] moment if you can help me to
[3:42:59] understand as we've gotten to
[3:43:05] this point, what type of
[3:43:06] involvement have you had city
[3:43:10] staff reached out to you?
[3:43:11] Have they been actively
[3:43:11] engaging?
[3:43:16] I'm trying to understand
[3:43:16] lessons learned and what took
[3:43:17] place as we were looking at
[3:43:22] putting this together As I come
[3:43:23] to this point, yes.
[3:43:24] >> The only thing that we have
[3:43:29] have so far was listen to
[3:43:29] the committee I've sat down
[3:43:30] with.
[3:43:30] Oh yes.
[3:43:35] But as far as the actual
[3:43:35] planning and involving
[3:43:36] community, we have not we have
[3:43:40] not sat down or been a part of
[3:43:41] that subcommittee or anything
[3:43:41] like that.
[3:43:45] We've only had one meeting so
[3:43:46] far where we where we address
[3:43:51] where some of the shortfalls
[3:43:52] were but haven't really dug in
[3:43:52] And that's one thing that we
[3:43:56] are looking forward to actually
[3:43:56] doing.
[3:43:57] Okay.
[3:43:57] So I'm hearing very little very
[3:43:58] limited.
[3:43:58] Yes.
[3:44:03] Engage me at this point with
[3:44:03] community at this point.
[3:44:04] Yes.
[3:44:04] Right.
[3:44:08] Okay.
[3:44:08] Thank you.
[3:44:09] And I guess just to to to
[3:44:13] start, one of the things that I
[3:44:18] did observe during the 2024
[3:44:18] floods and I think my colleague
[3:44:19] council member Ella Rivera
[3:44:23] touched on who's in charge And
[3:44:24] I think that was probably one
[3:44:29] of the most significant
[3:44:30] internal missteps.
[3:44:30] Yeah.
[3:44:36] If I can just be be be candid I
[3:44:41] mean and I'm still a little
[3:44:41] concerned because I think when
[3:44:47] we were introduced to Cal oh
[3:44:48] yes, they were very adamant and
[3:44:53] they said that your director
[3:44:54] who's who's over the emergency
[3:44:59] services that is your subject
[3:44:59] matter expert that is
[3:45:00] the person that's in charge
[3:45:05] doing a disaster And it's very
[3:45:05] critical because of
[3:45:06] the communication system and
[3:45:11] how everyone that's involved in
[3:45:16] a disaster communicates and I
[3:45:17] think there was a very, very
[3:45:17] big misstep in 2024 and having
[3:45:22] that clear understanding even
[3:45:23] if it is regards regarding
[3:45:28] the city requesting services
[3:45:28] from the county or the state
[3:45:33] those missteps cost us time and
[3:45:34] what this time causes us in a
[3:45:40] disaster potentially causes us
[3:45:41] slight more damage.
[3:45:46] Right And so I'll tell you
[3:45:46] where I am concerned is we are
[3:45:47] looking at putting this plan
[3:45:52] together and just my I guess
[3:45:53] I'll say limited knowledge of
[3:45:58] the city of San Diego and how
[3:45:58] it functions.
[3:45:59] You always hear me talk about
[3:46:04] administrative regulations and
[3:46:04] they are very, very important
[3:46:05] documents especially when you
[3:46:06] talk about a citywide effort
[3:46:10] because it's such a hierarchy
[3:46:10] It sets a standard who's in
[3:46:11] charge, how that communication
[3:46:16] works and it goes one step
[3:46:17] further it as a piece of
[3:46:18] accountability.
[3:46:22] So if there is a misstep if
[3:46:23] someone does not follow
[3:46:24] procedure, if someone goes out
[3:46:24] of line, if we have a mayor or
[3:46:29] staff that is in the operation
[3:46:30] center trying to dictate what
[3:46:35] is to take place and mitigates
[3:46:36] most of that And as I look at
[3:46:41] the hours it says we have
[3:46:41] administrative regulation 1.01
[3:46:42] It is titled Emergency
[3:46:46] Operations Procedures and
[3:46:51] the date is 12 2118 When I look
[3:46:56] at administrative regulation
[3:46:56] 1.02 it says use of
[3:46:57] the emergency operations center
[3:47:01] and is dated five 175 As I look
[3:47:06] at 1.03 titled Citywide
[3:47:07] Emergency Plans and Protocols
[3:47:11] it is dated eight 3118 My
[3:47:11] initial concern is that these
[3:47:16] are all quite outdated.
[3:47:22] We've had a series of floods
[3:47:23] 2024 was not the first flood
[3:47:28] but yet we have not sat down as
[3:47:29] we are going through this
[3:47:30] process and updated those
[3:47:35] regulations.
[3:47:35] So I am concerned that we have
[3:47:36] not sat down and taken our
[3:47:40] lessons learned Look at our
[3:47:41] internal policies and
[3:47:41] procedures when to update and
[3:47:46] correct these so that at least
[3:47:52] we understood what that
[3:47:52] communication process should
[3:47:53] be.
[3:47:57] Who's on first base, second
[3:47:58] base, third base, so on and so
[3:48:03] on And so that we are all
[3:48:08] operating on one accord So if
[3:48:09] someone can help me to
[3:48:10] understand why we have not done
[3:48:15] that and I think as
[3:48:16] the administrative regulations
[3:48:16] are your responsibility it
[3:48:21] seems cool you MAY be the best
[3:48:21] person to provide that type of
[3:48:26] insight.
[3:48:27] Yeah Councilmember I appreciate
[3:48:27] that.
[3:48:28] I can't answer for why for
[3:48:28] years passed in the previous
[3:48:33] leadership these hours weren't
[3:48:33] well just if I'm not asking
[3:48:38] about past I'm asking about
[3:48:39] 2024 how can we have not
[3:48:40] reacting to this And I think
[3:48:44] with the audit findings there's
[3:48:45] a significant number of them
[3:48:45] that looked at and recommend
[3:48:50] updating these policies,
[3:48:51] establishing the framework
[3:48:51] needed to get approval for
[3:48:56] the plans that has already has
[3:48:57] basically a draft form right
[3:48:57] now under the new leadership
[3:48:58] here we are going through
[3:49:02] the process of working on
[3:49:03] the official governing bodies
[3:49:04] things like the Disaster
[3:49:04] Council which is an existing
[3:49:08] municipal code to basically
[3:49:09] create a vetting body to
[3:49:10] approve these policies which is
[3:49:14] the vehicle in which these
[3:49:15] powers would be updated.
[3:49:15] So it's all work in progress
[3:49:16] right now.
[3:49:16] I hear you though that it's
[3:49:21] concerning that we have decades
[3:49:21] worth potentially outdated
[3:49:22] powers but that is something
[3:49:26] that through the audit response
[3:49:27] we are working on updating now.
[3:49:27] Okay.
[3:49:27] Thank you for that.
[3:49:32] And I just want to just stress
[3:49:33] my concern is we had a
[3:49:33] representative that started
[3:49:38] this meeting from the National
[3:49:39] Weather Service.
[3:49:39] I believe that's where
[3:49:44] the young person was from.
[3:49:45] And one thing that I found
[3:49:46] interesting is that in his
[3:49:50] statement he indicated that El
[3:49:51] Nino is here.
[3:49:56] It's not coming.
[3:49:57] It's not down the road.
[3:49:57] It's not six months out.
[3:50:02] It's here And we don't have an
[3:50:08] updated air or a hours.
[3:50:12] And so I'm just very, very
[3:50:12] concerned that one Number two,
[3:50:13] if you can help me to
[3:50:18] understand the area plans,
[3:50:19] where exactly are we at with
[3:50:24] those plans?
[3:50:25] So the area plan is one of
[3:50:26] the things the great things
[3:50:31] about the coming out of
[3:50:31] the fire rescue department is
[3:50:36] that we do risk management on a
[3:50:36] daily basis 100 times a day
[3:50:37] from small incidents all
[3:50:38] the way to the big Sorento
[3:50:38] fires either fire which could
[3:50:41] fire And the way we make those
[3:50:42] plans is based on risk
[3:50:47] management and risk analysis.
[3:50:48] So we utilize threshold scales
[3:50:48] to ensure that we understand
[3:50:53] what the risk is but we also
[3:50:54] take into consideration beyond
[3:50:55] just hey it's going to rain
[3:50:55] tomorrow.
[3:50:59] It's there's additional risk
[3:51:00] factors that need to be taken
[3:51:01] into place to make sure that
[3:51:02] we're making the right decision
[3:51:05] And at the end of the day that
[3:51:06] decision with coordinating with
[3:51:06] Chief Logan will be that
[3:51:10] decision within the fire rescue
[3:51:11] department to make
[3:51:12] recommendations as to what is
[3:51:12] the appropriate actions based
[3:51:17] on the thresholds Will analyze
[3:51:17] those.
[3:51:18] So I say all of that to say
[3:51:19] that those specific thresholds
[3:51:19] for every single watershed
[3:51:24] location in the city is in
[3:51:24] progress.
[3:51:25] We don't have all of them in
[3:51:28] place now So we're currently
[3:51:29] actively working on identifying
[3:51:30] a clear cut threshold decision
[3:51:35] making process that's more
[3:51:35] informed working with our
[3:51:36] National Weather Service and
[3:51:36] working with the Scripps
[3:51:40] Institution of Oceanography to
[3:51:41] really kind of give us a
[3:51:41] better, more accurate higher
[3:51:46] definition Look at those
[3:51:47] locations so that we can
[3:51:47] provide those thresholds which
[3:51:52] then will help us make those
[3:51:53] decisions leading up to an
[3:51:53] anticipated rainstorm.
[3:51:57] However, the two days to
[3:51:58] the rain storm is something we
[3:51:59] can definitely risk analyze.
[3:51:59] It's the rainstorm that you
[3:52:04] have about an hour to react to
[3:52:05] which is where immediate action
[3:52:05] plan that's got to be fluid and
[3:52:09] able to be adjusted and not set
[3:52:10] so strict into anticipated
[3:52:15] patterns because every single
[3:52:16] time is different.
[3:52:17] And so one of the benefits of
[3:52:17] us being under the fire from
[3:52:18] the fire department with
[3:52:21] the experience that we have is
[3:52:22] we do those just in time action
[3:52:22] planning which often deviates
[3:52:27] from what you thought was going
[3:52:28] to happen versus what you
[3:52:28] actually are presented with and
[3:52:29] still be able to make decisions
[3:52:30] in a short period of time.
[3:52:33] So I do think that we're better
[3:52:34] suited to do that now and I do
[3:52:35] think that we need to continue
[3:52:39] to evaluate those those
[3:52:40] thresholds that are better,
[3:52:41] more granular level which we
[3:52:41] are working to do that with
[3:52:42] the evacuations of working
[3:52:53] group I appreciate the detail.
[3:52:54] I think Chief Logan is the fire
[3:52:59] chief and I think we all have
[3:52:59] confidence that he will remain
[3:53:05] fluid to take care of any
[3:53:05] emergencies that come up.
[3:53:06] I guess what I'm looking at is
[3:53:10] is we have a presentation
[3:53:11] before us today where it's
[3:53:12] indicated we are preparing for
[3:53:16] El Nino.
[3:53:17] We are asking the public to be
[3:53:21] prepared And one of the items
[3:53:22] that is being presented is this
[3:53:27] specific plan per district that
[3:53:28] the way I understand and what
[3:53:28] was presented is these plans
[3:53:32] are going to be per district
[3:53:33] because each district is
[3:53:38] different different needs when
[3:53:39] will those plans be made
[3:53:39] available?
[3:53:44] What's the status of them Again
[3:53:45] ,I'm going back to timeline in
[3:53:46] execution When will we have
[3:53:51] something that we can even
[3:53:52] provide to the public to have
[3:53:52] an informed conversation to
[3:53:57] build that trust to show that
[3:53:58] we are moving in the right
[3:53:58] direction?
[3:53:59] That's where I'm trying to get
[3:54:03] to.
[3:54:03] Where are we at?
[3:54:04] So I think the plan now we
[3:54:09] don't have specific plans that
[3:54:10] we're not ready because we need
[3:54:11] to talk to the public as well
[3:54:11] because the people that have
[3:54:15] those experiences we MAY have
[3:54:16] some threshold, some analysis
[3:54:17] from the National Weather
[3:54:17] Service but we really do need
[3:54:21] to know from the communities
[3:54:22] that know this happens every
[3:54:22] time even though it MAY not be
[3:54:23] in your in your map.
[3:54:23] Right.
[3:54:26] So we need to have those
[3:54:27] communications so then we can
[3:54:28] then have a better more just as
[3:54:29] part of that high definition
[3:54:34] granular map that I'm talking
[3:54:35] about that actually has
[3:54:36] community community into it Not
[3:54:36] to cut you off I'm still not
[3:54:39] hearing a timeline.
[3:54:40] I just had MR. Harvey come up
[3:54:41] here and he said he had one
[3:54:44] conversation with you.
[3:54:45] You just said we need his input
[3:54:46] to put the plans together.
[3:54:46] Correct.
[3:54:49] But yet you had one
[3:54:49] conversation.
[3:54:50] This isn't a new topic.
[3:54:51] When are we going to have when
[3:54:55] are these plans going to be
[3:54:56] worked on?
[3:54:56] When are they going to be moved
[3:54:57] forward?
[3:54:57] When can I have something to
[3:55:00] see?
[3:55:01] They're actively being worked
[3:55:01] on now.
[3:55:02] Our hope is to get some form of
[3:55:07] a draft available for you all
[3:55:08] sometime in OCTOBER.
[3:55:09] I can't give you a date but
[3:55:09] the conversations that are
[3:55:10] going to happen with our mine
[3:55:13] and some of the folks other
[3:55:14] folks in the field are our are
[3:55:15] going to be happening leading
[3:55:15] up to that draft to be
[3:55:18] available to you sometime in
[3:55:19] OCTOBER.
[3:55:25] Okay.
[3:55:25] Thank you for that.
[3:55:31] I'm not sure that you you know,
[3:55:31] depending on how these
[3:55:32] the weather impacts things,
[3:55:37] what that timing looks like.
[3:55:38] So again, I'm just going to say
[3:55:38] I'm concerned.
[3:55:39] Right.
[3:55:41] I appreciate this update but
[3:55:42] I'm concerned that we are not
[3:55:47] moving obviously fast enough to
[3:55:48] to make sure we're meeting
[3:55:54] the needs right.
[3:55:55] One thing I don't want to do is
[3:55:55] you know, as you talk about 80
[3:56:00] people in a room right, that we
[3:56:01] end up in a position of
[3:56:01] analysis what do you call it
[3:56:05] Paralysis by analysis.
[3:56:06] Right.
[3:56:07] i want to make sure that we are
[3:56:07] are moving efficiently and
[3:56:08] trying to make sure that we
[3:56:15] meet those needs.
[3:56:16] The other thing that I I think
[3:56:19] I'm a little unclear on and you
[3:56:20] talked about the subgroups and
[3:56:26] you had a list I'm trying to
[3:56:27] find this slide but if you can
[3:56:35] help me to understand and
[3:56:41] subgroups items one through
[3:56:47] nine one thing that is item
[3:56:48] number eight and I don't know
[3:56:49] if there's a hierarchy here is
[3:56:54] just a just a list but as we
[3:56:55] are not in a per se moister
[3:56:59] situation I know in District
[3:57:00] four we still have issues in
[3:57:06] our creeks with debris and it's
[3:57:06] a constant issue.
[3:57:07] So if you can help me to
[3:57:12] understand as we are trying to
[3:57:13] work concurrently through all
[3:57:14] of the issues to be in a good
[3:57:18] place, how are we taking
[3:57:18] advantage of the time that we
[3:57:19] do have where we are not
[3:57:23] experiencing moisture rain?
[3:57:24] How are we utilizing
[3:57:30] the various folks in
[3:57:30] the subgroups say our
[3:57:31] homelessness division, our
[3:57:36] neighborhood policing division,
[3:57:37] our environmental services
[3:57:42] division, our stormwater
[3:57:43] department how are we utilizing
[3:57:48] those various resources in
[3:57:51] going into our creeks and one
[3:57:58] removing or trying to get our
[3:57:58] unsheltered in a better
[3:57:59] position to where they are not
[3:58:04] in the creeks to where you see
[3:58:05] all you know where you start to
[3:58:09] mitigate the debris,
[3:58:10] the sometimes you can go into a
[3:58:11] creek and you will see a
[3:58:11] village right?
[3:58:16] You will see a house or a
[3:58:17] mattress.
[3:58:17] You will see solar panels.
[3:58:21] You will see televisions, you
[3:58:22] will see lazy boys.
[3:58:23] You will see all of these
[3:58:23] different things.
[3:58:28] What are we doing now as we
[3:58:29] have the opportunity to go in
[3:58:29] and remove the debris and
[3:58:34] the vegetation so that if
[3:58:35] something does happen that we
[3:58:36] were not expecting that we were
[3:58:40] in a better place.
[3:58:41] >> So Councilmember I can speak
[3:58:42] specifically to the channel
[3:58:46] aspect that you're bringing up
[3:58:47] and maybe I'll ask my assistant
[3:58:48] deputy director Amanda Parra.
[3:58:48] She's in charge of coordinating
[3:58:52] all the channel cleanups and
[3:58:53] prioritizing where our crews
[3:58:53] are going and and calling in
[3:58:54] support from folks like urban
[3:58:58] core or Environmental Services
[3:58:59] Department to help address
[3:58:59] those encampment issues.
[3:59:03] I'll have her speak to
[3:59:04] the process that we go through
[3:59:05] because we are actively calling
[3:59:05] on all of those different
[3:59:11] resources across the city.
[3:59:12] I will say this at a high level
[3:59:12] when she's walking up here once
[3:59:13] we do the cleanings of a lot of
[3:59:16] these encampments, they
[3:59:17] repopulate very quickly And so
[3:59:17] that's why it's a constant
[3:59:18] cycle of needing to stay on top
[3:59:22] of it.
[3:59:23] >> Thanks.
[3:59:23] Good afternoon.
[3:59:24] The assistant Deputy director
[3:59:28] of stormwater operations as you
[3:59:29] touched on we are partnering
[3:59:29] with folks from esd as well as
[3:59:30] Urban forestry for a
[3:59:35] collaborative approach to
[3:59:35] tackle some of our our most of
[3:59:36] our high priority channel
[3:59:36] locations.
[3:59:40] Those are primarily been in
[3:59:41] District 489 What that looks
[3:59:41] like in terms of a
[3:59:42] collaborative effort in
[3:59:46] partnering with different
[3:59:47] resources is our channel team
[3:59:48] consists of 18 staff there
[3:59:51] working six hours, six days a
[3:59:52] week, 12 hour days.
[3:59:57] We've also consolidated some
[3:59:57] resources in-house and pulled
[3:59:58] an additional in-house vip team
[4:00:02] Again another team of 16
[4:00:02] resources to help facilitate
[4:00:03] the channel maintenance outside
[4:00:08] or ahead of the rainy season.
[4:00:08] In addition to that we're
[4:00:09] tapping resources from our
[4:00:10] drains inspection and cleaning
[4:00:10] crews.
[4:00:15] So after hours meaning from 230
[4:00:15] to 630 we have additional staff
[4:00:20] providing support to facilitate
[4:00:21] the additional channel
[4:00:21] maintenance removal of
[4:00:22] vegetation partnering with
[4:00:26] urban core as well to expedite
[4:00:27] tree removal.
[4:00:28] We're also working with urban
[4:00:28] forestry and high priority
[4:00:33] channel locations.
[4:00:34] If we can't if we're not able
[4:00:34] to get a contractor on board,
[4:00:35] we're partnering with Urban
[4:00:39] Forestry to expedite tree
[4:00:40] removal in specific areas as
[4:00:40] well.
[4:00:41] So it's definitely been an all
[4:00:44] hands on deck since for a while
[4:00:45] now but primarily ramping up
[4:00:51] efforts consistently ahead of
[4:00:52] the rainy season.
[4:00:52] So that has primarily expedited
[4:00:57] starting JULY first with
[4:00:57] the additional funding that has
[4:00:58] been allocated to us, we have
[4:00:59] been able to ramp up efforts
[4:01:03] significantly.
[4:01:04] That being said, we've been
[4:01:05] able to clear seven and a half
[4:01:05] almost eight miles of channels
[4:01:09] from JULY 1st up until August
[4:01:10] September 1st and we're
[4:01:15] actively working on identifying
[4:01:16] those locations, doing
[4:01:16] everything we can to keep
[4:01:21] vegetation clear, notify
[4:01:22] the communities of illegal
[4:01:22] dumping concerns, partnering
[4:01:28] with esd to work ahead of
[4:01:28] providing public notices to
[4:01:29] ensure that folks are getting
[4:01:30] the resources they need before
[4:01:30] we go in and do the channel
[4:01:33] clearing effort.
[4:01:34] So it's been a collaborative
[4:01:35] effort and we still have a lot
[4:01:35] of work to do ahead of us.
[4:01:40] We have 20 miles identified for
[4:01:40] this fiscal year but like I
[4:01:41] said we are making fantastic
[4:01:45] efforts and to date that
[4:01:49] consists of about 20 over over
[4:01:49] 30 segments of channels.
[4:01:50] We have 67 segments identified
[4:01:56] for this year our high priority
[4:01:56] channel locations.
[4:01:57] We've also plan to go back
[4:01:57] prior to rainy season those
[4:02:01] being the Alpha One Channel
[4:02:02] Beta and Birch all the way up
[4:02:03] to National Imperial.
[4:02:07] So the locations that districts
[4:02:08] 489 are aware of that have
[4:02:13] the flooding concerns that have
[4:02:14] high build up of trash maybe
[4:02:15] revegetation regrowth in those
[4:02:20] areas we're doing everything we
[4:02:21] can to make sure that we're in
[4:02:21] good shape going into OCTOBER
[4:02:22] 1st.
[4:02:22] >> Thank you for that.
[4:02:25] And what tools do you use to
[4:02:25] monitor this?
[4:02:26] Do you use any type of
[4:02:27] scheduling software that you
[4:02:31] guys have in place where we
[4:02:32] have things identified?
[4:02:37] Can can I don't know about my
[4:02:38] colleagues but if I can get a
[4:02:43] get a regular regular update
[4:02:44] What That's good really So we
[4:02:48] know what your anticipated
[4:02:49] workflow is and how often that
[4:02:55] you are going out to the creeks
[4:02:55] and doing the clearing.
[4:03:01] I think that would be helpful
[4:03:01] for my team.
[4:03:02] I do send my team out.
[4:03:03] I know that they are working on
[4:03:07] getting information over to you
[4:03:08] and they've identified some
[4:03:08] concerns on on the locations
[4:03:13] that we monitor on a regular
[4:03:13] basis.
[4:03:14] But I think that would be
[4:03:15] helpful to understand your
[4:03:19] workflow where your attention
[4:03:25] is being provided at any given
[4:03:26] point in time.
[4:03:27] I think that would be helpful
[4:03:27] at least for me as this is
[4:03:28] something that's very important
[4:03:31] to me.
[4:03:32] >> Yeah.
[4:03:32] Thank you.
[4:03:33] We're happy to follow up on it.
[4:03:33] Okay.
[4:03:35] Thank you.
[4:03:41] The other I just wanted to make
[4:03:42] sure as we talked about
[4:03:42] communication I think one of my
[4:03:43] colleagues talked about
[4:03:47] utilizing Senegal unified in
[4:03:52] conducting outreach to parents
[4:03:53] and so forth.
[4:03:54] But also I want to make sure
[4:03:59] that we are looking at our
[4:03:59] facilities, our libraries, our
[4:04:00] park and rec locations, making
[4:04:04] sure that we have
[4:04:05] the information available
[4:04:05] there.
[4:04:06] I think it should also be
[4:04:06] available in our police
[4:04:10] stations and southeastern
[4:04:10] Division things of that nature
[4:04:11] so folks can have access.
[4:04:12] One thing that I don't want to
[4:04:16] do and that's a concern to me
[4:04:17] is to think that everybody
[4:04:18] receives their information by
[4:04:22] digital communication.
[4:04:23] Right?
[4:04:23] I think if one thing that we
[4:04:24] have that we can all agree on
[4:04:29] is that when we talk about
[4:04:29] equity, right, one of those is
[4:04:30] access to Wi-Fi.
[4:04:31] So we need to make sure that we
[4:04:34] are doing the best that we can
[4:04:35] do to make hard copies
[4:04:36] available and to get that
[4:04:41] information out also with our
[4:04:42] partners right.
[4:04:42] We have Groundworks who's in
[4:04:43] our district that has quite a
[4:04:46] bit of work where I think they
[4:04:47] can help in getting certain
[4:04:53] things out there also and
[4:04:53] apologies my mind is just going
[4:04:58] Council PRESIDENT Also how are
[4:04:59] we handling things with
[4:05:05] development services or
[4:05:05] permitting process?
[4:05:06] Are we looking at how we are
[4:05:10] going to as we go into
[4:05:11] disasters shore up our
[4:05:16] permitting process making sure
[4:05:17] that we can expedite permits as
[4:05:17] needed?
[4:05:22] Also what are we doing with say
[4:05:23] the Army Corps of Engineers?
[4:05:24] What type of preemptive type
[4:05:28] work are we doing with that
[4:05:29] agency?
[4:05:29] I'm doing 2024.
[4:05:30] I know I had to work with
[4:05:35] Vargas's office to make sure
[4:05:36] that we have things teed up in
[4:05:36] regards to when their analysis
[4:05:40] or their review or permitting
[4:05:41] process is required.
[4:05:42] What steps are we taking to
[4:05:46] make sure that we can operate
[4:05:47] efficiently and not kind of be
[4:05:47] in a position where we have to
[4:05:52] stand there and look at
[4:05:53] everyone going through a
[4:05:53] disaster because we didn't get
[4:05:54] our permits or work with
[4:05:55] the appropriate agencies in a
[4:05:59] timely manner.
[4:05:59] Thanks Council Member So as I
[4:06:00] mentioned in one of my slides
[4:06:05] we have been we a couple months
[4:06:06] ago submitted a request to each
[4:06:06] of the regulatory agencies We
[4:06:10] need approvals from to get our
[4:06:11] maintenance done one of those
[4:06:12] being the Army Corps Coastal
[4:06:16] Commission you know regional
[4:06:17] Water Quality control Board,
[4:06:18] Fish and Game Fish and Wildlife
[4:06:18] the list goes on.
[4:06:23] So we submitted those expedite
[4:06:24] permitting requests basically
[4:06:24] letting them know here's all
[4:06:28] the areas that we want to
[4:06:29] maintain, here's our priority
[4:06:29] list.
[4:06:30] Please align your resources
[4:06:31] accordingly to quickly turn
[4:06:31] around these permits and
[4:06:35] approvals.
[4:06:35] I will say specific to the Army
[4:06:36] Corps of Engineers we were
[4:06:37] getting a little bit of a slow
[4:06:41] response from them so we
[4:06:41] elevated that immediately
[4:06:42] through our government affairs
[4:06:46] and engage Senator Padilla's
[4:06:47] office who immediately got
[4:06:47] responses back to us.
[4:06:48] We started to see staff
[4:06:53] response within literally two
[4:06:53] days of the senator's office
[4:06:54] reaching out all of the permits
[4:06:55] that we had expected.
[4:06:59] You to have in hand right now
[4:07:00] what we have in hand.
[4:07:00] So sometimes it does take that
[4:07:04] escalation and so we've been
[4:07:05] taking that approach through
[4:07:06] government affairs and have
[4:07:06] seen a turnaround in terms of
[4:07:10] responsiveness.
[4:07:11] I appreciate that And I guess I
[4:07:13] understand I'm trying to work
[4:07:20] through embassy work through
[4:07:21] colleagues at your level but I
[4:07:25] think cota I mean this instance
[4:07:26] i think we should be operating
[4:07:32] concurrently because I can tell
[4:07:37] you in 2024 any time we called
[4:07:38] our Congress members they
[4:07:44] answered the phone.
[4:07:44] Steve Padilla was at Lincoln
[4:07:45] having a meeting.
[4:07:50] They are there.
[4:07:50] They are willing to help.
[4:07:51] Our constituents are often you
[4:07:55] know, their constituents And I
[4:07:56] think sometimes we lag out of
[4:08:01] what we want to term
[4:08:02] professional courtesy where
[4:08:02] it's not personal, it's just
[4:08:07] business.
[4:08:08] We are here to do a job for our
[4:08:08] constituents and I think we
[4:08:09] need to run that concurrently
[4:08:14] and so I'd like to see us
[4:08:14] making sure that we are
[4:08:15] updating at that level as well
[4:08:20] on what our needs are.
[4:08:21] I mean that that takes that who
[4:08:22] takes it upon ourselves?
[4:08:25] What are we at Storm Water We
[4:08:26] briefed by all state and
[4:08:27] federal partners last week on
[4:08:31] our current preparation efforts
[4:08:31] .
[4:08:32] They have offered any
[4:08:33] assistance that we need moving
[4:08:33] ahead and we will continue that
[4:08:34] communicate that line of
[4:08:39] communication through the next
[4:08:40] six months as we get on.
[4:08:42] You know and previously in
[4:08:42] the 2024 storms it was
[4:08:43] the outreach we made to
[4:08:44] the federal government at that
[4:08:44] time one of the Biden-Harris
[4:08:47] administration that helped kind
[4:08:48] of open the you know, the gates
[4:08:49] for federal relief to come and
[4:08:54] disaster recovery aid to come
[4:08:55] down to San Diego.
[4:08:55] So yeah, those lines of
[4:08:56] communication I think at this
[4:09:00] point professional courtesy
[4:09:01] aside, we will make every act
[4:09:02] that we need to to make sure we
[4:09:03] are prepared and whatever
[4:09:03] pertinent regulations are
[4:09:06] handled.
[4:09:07] And then I think circling back
[4:09:07] to the conversation we had
[4:09:12] earlier about the lack of
[4:09:13] plans.
[4:09:13] Right.
[4:09:14] I know it's frustrating to have
[4:09:14] a physical copy of here's
[4:09:15] the plan for us.
[4:09:18] Here's the plan for how much I
[4:09:19] would have a community And I
[4:09:23] think that is why this campaign
[4:09:24] to get out there is so
[4:09:24] critical.
[4:09:25] The value and the benefit of
[4:09:25] the community engagement
[4:09:30] subgroup is that I know that I
[4:09:30] MAY not be the best messenger
[4:09:31] for a lot of the info that we
[4:09:32] want to communicate.
[4:09:35] I know it MAY not be a uniform
[4:09:36] either and it's whether it's a
[4:09:37] council member or a community
[4:09:37] based organization that
[4:09:42] community engagement subgroup
[4:09:43] that is intended to create that
[4:09:43] address book So I know who I
[4:09:44] can call to deliver that
[4:09:48] message.
[4:09:48] And so as we go through
[4:09:49] the next month or two to
[4:09:53] finalize the community specific
[4:09:54] plans, that doesn't mean that's
[4:09:55] when engagement starts.
[4:09:55] It will start now and it
[4:09:59] already has.
[4:10:00] We briefed each of your offices
[4:10:01] and have asked to collaborate
[4:10:01] with each of your offices
[4:10:02] through the communication
[4:10:02] subgroup.
[4:10:05] We're compiling that
[4:10:06] information now And so while we
[4:10:07] finalize the community specific
[4:10:12] plans, it was critical for us
[4:10:12] to get out that top line
[4:10:13] messaging of stay ready, be
[4:10:13] informed, make a plan.
[4:10:18] So I just want to throw that
[4:10:18] out there.
[4:10:19] >> Councilmember I appreciate
[4:10:19] that.
[4:10:20] And just in all transparency
[4:10:25] and to be candid, you know, I
[4:10:31] get a little frustrated.
[4:10:32] You know, the public comes in,
[4:10:36] you're talking 2024 floods and
[4:10:41] you can see the emotion I don't
[4:10:42] I don't think they will ever be
[4:10:42] the same.
[4:10:47] I don't know if I will when I
[4:10:48] when I went down 42nd Street in
[4:10:54] hurt And so one thing I will
[4:10:59] say that was really
[4:11:00] disappointing is when you hear
[4:11:00] the public come to this dais
[4:11:05] and they say city council, you
[4:11:06] are not answering the call.
[4:11:10] We can't tell you what to do.
[4:11:11] We can't tell you when to go
[4:11:16] into a creek that's operations.
[4:11:17] And so I say that if we are
[4:11:25] sincere about engagement then
[4:11:26] we need to do more than just in
[4:11:27] this room.
[4:11:32] We need to be out right.
[4:11:32] Ymca I think still has still
[4:11:38] has the meetings need to be out
[4:11:38] .
[4:11:39] We need to be truly engaged.
[4:11:43] I mean and so you know this is
[4:11:44] we received comment I don't
[4:11:45] ever see you know mayors
[4:11:50] representative representatives
[4:11:51] jumping to respond and address
[4:11:55] the concerns of the public And
[4:11:56] that's something that I think
[4:11:57] needs to needs to improve as
[4:12:01] well.
[4:12:08] The so talk a little bit about
[4:12:08] the debris removal.
[4:12:09] That's something as we are
[4:12:10] going through this planning
[4:12:13] phase that I will adamantly be
[4:12:14] pushing because as we take on
[4:12:20] the rainfall, if we have debris
[4:12:21] we're putting what is that good
[4:12:25] money on you know on that or
[4:12:25] whatever that phrase is We're
[4:12:26] not making progress.
[4:12:27] We're actually getting in our
[4:12:31] way And so I will be watching
[4:12:32] that quite closely.
[4:12:38] Lastly, I would like to make a
[4:12:42] request a couple of requests.
[4:12:42] One in regards to the area
[4:12:43] plans, I would like a
[4:12:44] commitment from the mayor's
[4:12:47] office that the office of Race
[4:12:48] and Equity will have an
[4:12:49] opportunity to review those an
[4:12:54] opportunity to conduct a full
[4:12:55] analysis and provide
[4:13:00] information not only for staff
[4:13:01] but also for the council in
[4:13:02] the mayor's office as well so
[4:13:06] that we can make sure that we
[4:13:07] are doing our due diligence,
[4:13:10] due diligence in approaching
[4:13:18] this from an equity perspective
[4:13:19] I think I kind of touched upon
[4:13:19] So So can I have that
[4:13:20] commitment?
[4:13:20] Yes COUNCILMAN, we have
[4:13:23] the commitment.
[4:13:23] Okay.
[4:13:24] Thank you.
[4:13:24] One thing just going back to
[4:13:25] dsd, the other thing that I
[4:13:26] also want to make sure that we
[4:13:29] are really making sure that
[4:13:29] we're bringing some
[4:13:34] accountability to the table as
[4:13:35] we have, you know, quite a bit
[4:13:40] of development happening in
[4:13:41] the city, quite a bit of
[4:13:42] projects that are taking place
[4:13:42] in the city.
[4:13:47] I want to make sure that we're
[4:13:48] also out addressing our piece
[4:13:53] our our inlets and things that
[4:13:53] are associated with those
[4:13:54] projects to make sure that they
[4:13:59] are in compliance, to make sure
[4:14:00] that we still are able to have
[4:14:04] the proper flow and things and
[4:14:05] water going into the storm
[4:14:10] system and keeping the debris
[4:14:10] out.
[4:14:11] What I do not want to see is
[4:14:12] those bumps, you know, not
[4:14:16] improperly or causing more
[4:14:17] flooding in certain things.
[4:14:18] I want to make sure that we are
[4:14:23] actively also making sure that
[4:14:24] we have some accountability
[4:14:24] with all of our construction
[4:14:28] projects as well.
[4:14:29] Also just make sure you guys
[4:14:34] address things like like oh
[4:14:34] right.
[4:14:35] That's a that's a that's a
[4:14:36] there's a major there So make
[4:14:40] sure you have bumps and make
[4:14:41] sure we're taking care of that
[4:14:42] as well because you will flood
[4:14:47] those folks out in case there's
[4:14:47] flooding There probably need to
[4:14:48] figure out what's an
[4:14:53] alternative location if things
[4:14:53] get out of hand depending on
[4:14:54] what the rain flow is, what
[4:14:58] the rainfall is.
[4:14:59] Right.
[4:14:59] Because then you will have a
[4:15:00] lot of people displaced there.
[4:15:05] So I just think there's quite a
[4:15:06] bit of a lot of work to do in a
[4:15:10] short period of time.
[4:15:11] The other thing just one more
[4:15:16] request if I can have Dre
[4:15:17] provided this document I know
[4:15:17] it's not as formal as you
[4:15:18] typically would with a written
[4:15:23] memorandum but if we can just I
[4:15:24] think it would be beneficial to
[4:15:24] MADAM Clerk if we can get this
[4:15:28] added to the item as far as
[4:15:29] backup because right now we
[4:15:33] have this I don't know
[4:15:34] the public has seen it but I
[4:15:35] don't want to lose track of
[4:15:36] this as we continue to have
[4:15:40] this conversation.
[4:15:41] So if we can get that added
[4:15:41] onto the supporting materials
[4:15:46] it would be greatly
[4:15:46] appreciated.
[4:15:47] I look forward to the continued
[4:15:52] conversations if you need
[4:15:52] anything anything from me I
[4:15:58] think I cannot stress
[4:15:58] the importance of sitting down
[4:15:59] with the Harvey Family
[4:16:04] Foundation and the Southeastern
[4:16:10] Disaster Response Team.
[4:16:10] They learned quite a bit while
[4:16:11] building the ship.
[4:16:15] I'll say.
[4:16:16] Right And one thing we know
[4:16:17] that we will run into where we
[4:16:21] have that collaboration right
[4:16:26] of way versus private property
[4:16:27] .
[4:16:27] Right.
[4:16:28] And they played a very, very
[4:16:28] significant role when it came
[4:16:33] to private property when
[4:16:34] the city said I can not cross
[4:16:34] that line.
[4:16:35] And so I think we need to think
[4:16:39] through this and make sure we
[4:16:40] have everything in place.
[4:16:40] I have confidence in
[4:16:45] the director of Purchasing and
[4:16:45] contracting right?
[4:16:46] We have a process in place for
[4:16:51] disaster for emergency
[4:16:51] contracts.
[4:16:52] We learned lessons with
[4:16:52] the fires We know how to set up
[4:16:58] as the contracts and to have a
[4:16:58] bench and to have a rolling
[4:16:59] process to select contractors
[4:17:02] to go out and deploy and take
[4:17:03] care of things that we need to
[4:17:04] take care of.
[4:17:09] So we got a lot of work to do.
[4:17:09] I appreciate the fire chief
[4:17:10] having the courage on
[4:17:15] the budget time to come and
[4:17:15] request some additional
[4:17:16] resources where we were able to
[4:17:21] provide almost $2 million in
[4:17:27] additional resources if I
[4:17:27] recall about 800,000 900,000 on
[4:17:28] ongoing offers for some El Nino
[4:17:33] things and Storm water and then
[4:17:33] the million dollars which you
[4:17:34] addressed in regards to
[4:17:38] overtime and being able to
[4:17:38] provide some relief there but
[4:17:44] got a lot of work to do and I'm
[4:17:45] telling you guys I am going to
[4:17:45] ask for schedules just even as
[4:17:50] you're planning this out when
[4:17:51] you talk about your timeline so
[4:17:52] you can put everything into a
[4:17:56] schedule, everything into a
[4:17:57] schedule for me that shows me
[4:17:58] you are doing your due
[4:18:02] diligence and you're crossing
[4:18:02] your t's dot your eyes and
[4:18:03] everyone has a place where they
[4:18:08] can go and see if they are
[4:18:08] meeting the call or failing.
[4:18:09] And so I think that's one tool
[4:18:13] that I think we need to see
[4:18:13] implemented in this process.
[4:18:14] So with that council PRESIDENT
[4:18:19] I believe that they're looking
[4:18:19] forward to the work that needs
[4:18:20] to be done.
[4:18:21] I'm here to help in any way I
[4:18:25] can but please get out to
[4:18:26] the community as quickly as you
[4:18:26] can.
[4:18:31] The community is they have
[4:18:32] their lived experience through
[4:18:32] this as well.
[4:18:37] One last thing popped in my
[4:18:37] mind that I'm concerned about
[4:18:42] We talked about permits.
[4:18:42] We're going through some
[4:18:43] significant litigation now
[4:18:47] based on the 24 floods.
[4:18:48] But one thing that came out of
[4:18:53] that we do have homeowners that
[4:18:54] are responsible for certain
[4:18:54] sections of storm water, creeks
[4:18:58] and so forth.
[4:18:59] I think as you develop those
[4:19:00] plans you need to make sure
[4:19:04] that they are informed on what
[4:19:05] they need to do in order to and
[4:19:06] the different steps that need
[4:19:10] to be made to do things.
[4:19:11] That's where that equity lands
[4:19:12] is going to come into play.
[4:19:12] Not everyone can afford a
[4:19:12] permit.
[4:19:17] Not everyone can afford to do
[4:19:17] certain things And so those are
[4:19:18] all the things we need to make
[4:19:19] sure that we take into
[4:19:22] consideration because you can't
[4:19:23] just throw your hands up and
[4:19:24] say I'm not going to worry
[4:19:24] about it.
[4:19:24] Right.
[4:19:28] It's something that we need to
[4:19:28] address and we should address
[4:19:29] it.
[4:19:29] Look forward to see what we can
[4:19:34] put to conversations with
[4:19:34] the county.
[4:19:35] The county stepped up in a big
[4:19:39] way $30 million plus in 2024
[4:19:39] not something that they
[4:19:40] typically do.
[4:19:40] I don't know if they'll be
[4:19:44] willing to do it again.
[4:19:45] I don't want to speak for them.
[4:19:45] Right.
[4:19:46] But that's why it's so
[4:19:50] important for us to get our
[4:19:50] stormwater system in
[4:19:51] the appropriate condition to
[4:19:52] handle the hundred year flood
[4:19:56] So we don't have to go to
[4:20:02] the county or another agency.
[4:20:03] We should be able to take care
[4:20:03] of our residents.
[4:20:04] So with that counsel present I
[4:20:08] think that will conclude my
[4:20:09] comments at this time.
[4:20:09] Thank you.
[4:20:10] All right.
[4:20:10] Thank you, Council member
[4:20:11] Buster.
[4:20:11] We'll go next to Councilmember
[4:20:12] Moreno.
[4:20:13] Thank you for the presentation
[4:20:14] and thank you to all
[4:20:15] the community members that came
[4:20:20] to provide their testimony and
[4:20:20] also to the aba for your
[4:20:21] recommendations.
[4:20:26] Residents in flood prone areas
[4:20:26] in my district have felt
[4:20:27] firsthand what climate change
[4:20:27] coupled with older
[4:20:32] infrastructure can do in parts
[4:20:33] of the city that were
[4:20:33] historically redlined.
[4:20:38] The devastation that I saw Bay
[4:20:38] Street is very difficult to
[4:20:39] overcome.
[4:20:39] I saw loss, frustration and
[4:20:44] anger on people's faces.
[4:20:45] Homes were destroyed, cars were
[4:20:45] dragged from their parking
[4:20:50] spots.
[4:20:50] People lost everything in
[4:20:51] the floods and this community
[4:20:55] needed immediate answers and
[4:20:56] assistance from the very start
[4:21:00] would happen in JANUARY 2024
[4:21:01] demands action from this
[4:21:01] administration to ensure that
[4:21:06] beach history is prioritized.
[4:21:07] The Beach History Channel and
[4:21:08] Storm Drain Improvement Project
[4:21:12] Capital Improvement Number
[4:21:12] 24011 Proposes Storm water
[4:21:19] infrastructure such as a pump
[4:21:20] station and levee to address
[4:21:20] the flooding.
[4:21:21] This this should be this
[4:21:25] administration's priority.
[4:21:26] The city must fund and execute
[4:21:26] this project in light of
[4:21:31] the devastation we've seen and
[4:21:32] what is to come with Super El
[4:21:32] Nino.
[4:21:33] I want to ask what is
[4:21:37] the current status of the Beta
[4:21:38] Street channel as 242011 and
[4:21:43] the storm drain improvement
[4:21:44] Project now Thank you Council
[4:21:44] members.
[4:21:45] So currently that project is in
[4:21:50] early phases of design and
[4:21:51] since that project essentially
[4:21:51] ties our local city of San
[4:21:52] Diego drainage infrastructure
[4:21:56] into infrastructure with
[4:21:57] Caltrans with the freeways one
[4:21:57] of the critical steps we've
[4:22:02] been going through over
[4:22:02] the last several months is to
[4:22:03] get Caltrans review on what can
[4:22:07] and cannot be tied into their
[4:22:08] system essentially.
[4:22:09] So they've done a red flag
[4:22:09] review, kind of highlighted all
[4:22:10] the things that we need to be
[4:22:14] looking at Now we have guidance
[4:22:14] for them which I think came to
[4:22:15] us by the end of MAY.
[4:22:20] We have we are our internal
[4:22:21] staff and stormwater plus our
[4:22:21] consultant engineers are
[4:22:22] working to advance the design
[4:22:25] because we now have a better
[4:22:26] sense of what's possible to
[4:22:27] build there.
[4:22:27] Like you mentioned a pump
[4:22:28] station, flood walls adding a
[4:22:32] new storm drain structure to
[4:22:33] the neighborhood that doesn't
[4:22:34] exist today.
[4:22:34] Those are all things that are
[4:22:35] being contemplated.
[4:22:38] So we're approaching probably
[4:22:39] by the end of this calendar
[4:22:43] year closer to a 30% design
[4:22:44] milestone which would be a good
[4:22:44] point for us to go out to
[4:22:45] the community to essentially
[4:22:49] say here's the type of system
[4:22:50] that we're looking to build.
[4:22:50] So that's kind of where we are
[4:22:55] in the project.
[4:22:55] A couple of other things are
[4:22:56] going on within a couple of
[4:22:57] months, a few months your city
[4:23:01] council see the second loan
[4:23:01] agreement with with yeah
[4:23:02] there's going to be an
[4:23:03] additional tranche of funding
[4:23:07] allocated to this project to
[4:23:07] ensure that it can keep
[4:23:08] progressing.
[4:23:11] This project will easily be
[4:23:12] over $100 million and so we're
[4:23:13] aggressively applying for grant
[4:23:17] funding to through fema and
[4:23:18] there's several grant
[4:23:19] applications that are pending
[4:23:19] that have been out there for a
[4:23:24] couple of years you know, to
[4:23:24] the magnitude of $40 million
[4:23:25] that we're trying to secure
[4:23:26] external resources to.
[4:23:30] We've passed a couple of
[4:23:31] the milestones with those
[4:23:31] grants So that's a good sign.
[4:23:32] But we still don't have
[4:23:33] certainty that that external
[4:23:36] funding will come in.
[4:23:36] Thank you.
[4:23:37] What sort of communication has
[4:23:37] there been to inform
[4:23:42] the community about capital
[4:23:43] improvement Project number
[4:23:43] 24011.
[4:23:43] Yeah.
[4:23:48] So as I mentioned we we need to
[4:23:48] be careful about understanding
[4:23:49] what it is we can build and we
[4:23:53] aren't getting to a point
[4:23:54] within the next few months
[4:23:55] where we will have a better
[4:23:55] sense of what that is.
[4:23:56] So we anticipate going out to
[4:24:00] the community soon with kind of
[4:24:00] a conceptual design for them to
[4:24:05] react to.
[4:24:06] Up to this point we haven't had
[4:24:07] that certainty to know what
[4:24:08] kind of systems will be allowed
[4:24:11] to be built again because
[4:24:12] there's so much complexity with
[4:24:13] fema and Caltrans and other
[4:24:13] agencies.
[4:24:14] We had to work that out first.
[4:24:18] So is it fair to say that there
[4:24:18] has been no communication with
[4:24:23] the community regarding regular
[4:24:24] street channel and storm water
[4:24:24] drain improvement project as it
[4:24:25] regards the p project?
[4:24:28] That's an accurate statement.
[4:24:29] Thank you.
[4:24:30] On this year's legislative
[4:24:30] platform I see direction to
[4:24:35] support funding opportunities
[4:24:36] for stormwater infrastructure
[4:24:36] repairs with the focus on
[4:24:42] historically disadvantaged
[4:24:42] communities.
[4:24:43] Does this include Baker Street
[4:24:46] See ip as 24011.
[4:24:46] I'm sorry can you repeat that
[4:24:52] first reference on this year's
[4:24:52] legislative platform?
[4:24:53] What we tell our lobbyists to
[4:24:59] basically lobby in Sacramento
[4:25:00] and dc there's direction to and
[4:25:04] I quote support funding
[4:25:05] opportunities for stormwater
[4:25:05] infrastructure repairs with a
[4:25:10] focus on historically
[4:25:11] disadvantaged communities.
[4:25:11] My question is does this
[4:25:17] include Baker Street crt as
[4:25:17] 242011 That definition this
[4:25:18] area of Baker Street definitely
[4:25:22] falls within that definition
[4:25:23] that you just cited.
[4:25:24] >> So I would say yes.
[4:25:24] Okay.
[4:25:25] And can that administration
[4:25:25] verify that?
[4:25:30] Yes, that's our belief as well.
[4:25:30] Councilmember, I don't know
[4:25:31] the status of federal and state
[4:25:32] your at this moment though And
[4:25:35] so I'll come from a government
[4:25:36] affairs of all the other words
[4:25:36] If you could let the community
[4:25:37] know please I thank you for
[4:25:41] the response as the chair of
[4:25:42] the audit committee and having
[4:25:42] personally witnessed
[4:25:43] the devastation it was
[4:25:47] important to me to have
[4:25:48] thorough understanding and
[4:25:49] documentation of what was
[4:25:53] lacking or insufficient during
[4:25:53] the JANUARY 2024 floods and
[4:25:54] know what the city can do
[4:25:55] differently to ensure that it
[4:25:59] doesn't happen again.
[4:26:00] Recommendation 1.1 in the audit
[4:26:01] report states that the mayor's
[4:26:01] office should work with City
[4:26:06] council, Office of Emergency
[4:26:06] Services, other relevant
[4:26:07] departments and stakeholders to
[4:26:12] develop a framework that
[4:26:12] clearly sets out the city's
[4:26:13] overall role in disaster
[4:26:17] response and recovery.
[4:26:18] In the audit it was shown that
[4:26:19] there was a lot of confusion in
[4:26:24] particular there was a lot of
[4:26:25] confusion about shelter what
[4:26:25] the city could offer, what
[4:26:30] the community expected which
[4:26:30] was specifically hotel vouchers
[4:26:31] versus shelter beds in a
[4:26:35] communal space.
[4:26:36] Have the city identified what
[4:26:37] kind of shelter options it
[4:26:39] could offer and the likelihood
[4:26:45] that it is needed?
[4:26:46] Yes, Councilmember.
[4:26:47] So the lead on sheltering
[4:26:47] throughout the region is
[4:26:52] the American Red Cross.
[4:26:53] So when there is an evacuation
[4:26:54] we reach out to our Red Cross
[4:26:54] partners and identify a
[4:26:58] location they have agreements
[4:26:58] with.
[4:26:59] Hundreds of facilities include
[4:26:59] schools, faith based
[4:27:04] organizations throughout
[4:27:05] the city and the county.
[4:27:09] The city of San Diego also has
[4:27:10] 13 identified city owned
[4:27:10] facilities that are ready to be
[4:27:11] utilized as city shelters.
[4:27:15] So if Red Cross our first call
[4:27:16] falls through or the capacity
[4:27:17] does not meet the need, then
[4:27:21] the city also has trained staff
[4:27:22] cots, equipment in 13 different
[4:27:22] locations that we can utilize
[4:27:23] for shelters.
[4:27:25] Thank you for that answer.
[4:27:32] I think it's safe to say that
[4:27:32] the city has not identified
[4:27:33] what kind of shelter options it
[4:27:38] could offer that the community
[4:27:38] and like I said, there was a
[4:27:39] lot of confusion about shelter.
[4:27:40] It was pointed out that Lincoln
[4:27:44] High was absolutely opened
[4:27:45] right away.
[4:27:46] I personally took a person to
[4:27:50] Lincoln High In that case this
[4:27:51] person did not need shelter.
[4:27:56] She needed medication and there
[4:27:56] wasn't even a person that spoke
[4:27:57] Spanish at Lincoln When I my
[4:28:02] personal experience there.
[4:28:03] So which leads me to a
[4:28:08] conversation about clear roles
[4:28:09] and responsibilities They were
[4:28:09] highlighted in the audit
[4:28:10] specifically for city
[4:28:14] departments but also agencies
[4:28:14] like the County of San Diego
[4:28:19] and the American Red Cross.
[4:28:20] The question of who was in
[4:28:21] charge I think kept on coming
[4:28:26] up just as a side note
[4:28:26] the Wednesday after the flood I
[4:28:32] personally went up to one of
[4:28:33] our directors at the time and I
[4:28:33] asked Can I have your cell
[4:28:34] phone?
[4:28:37] The person told me that they
[4:28:38] cannot give me their cell phone
[4:28:39] that I had to go through
[4:28:39] the proper lines of
[4:28:43] communication which was
[4:28:44] the mayor staff has the city
[4:28:45] Which leads to my question has
[4:28:49] the city worked with
[4:28:49] specifically the county in
[4:28:56] the event of an emergency?
[4:28:56] Have we touch base with
[4:28:57] the county to show them this
[4:29:01] document to let them give us
[4:29:02] their feedback?
[4:29:02] Has there been communication
[4:29:07] with the county?
[4:29:07] >> Yes.
[4:29:08] Council member So the county of
[4:29:09] San Diego as well as all
[4:29:13] the other jurisdictions that
[4:29:13] incorporated jurisdiction
[4:29:14] within the county of San
[4:29:15] Diego's operational area have
[4:29:18] been informed of our working
[4:29:19] group at the city of San Diego.
[4:29:20] I've been in contact with those
[4:29:21] different emergency managers.
[4:29:25] I've also been involved in
[4:29:25] the county of San Diego's El
[4:29:26] Nino task force which is their
[4:29:32] countywide response port
[4:29:32] preparedness training like
[4:29:33] we're doing at the city of San
[4:29:33] Diego.
[4:29:34] So I've been involved in their
[4:29:37] meetings there to have updates
[4:29:37] on what they're doing at
[4:29:38] providing updates on what we
[4:29:39] are doing as well.
[4:29:39] Wonderful.
[4:29:42] Thank you for that and that's
[4:29:43] very good to hear.
[4:29:43] I do want to recognize and
[4:29:44] thank Fire Rescue for
[4:29:48] implementing some of
[4:29:48] the recommendations sooner than
[4:29:49] the targeted implementation
[4:29:53] date listed in the audit.
[4:29:54] So thank you for this meeting
[4:29:55] and for all the work that has
[4:29:55] been put in.
[4:29:59] I want to conclude by
[4:30:00] emphasizing that communication
[4:30:01] in my opinion was what was very
[4:30:06] much lacking in the JANUARY
[4:30:11] 2024 floods and I want to
[4:30:12] emphasize how important
[4:30:17] communication a few things
[4:30:18] the emergency meetings that we
[4:30:19] had as a body I think they were
[4:30:23] a week out.
[4:30:24] I think they should be hours a
[4:30:27] day or two.
[4:30:28] That's one just communications
[4:30:33] internally And I think it was
[4:30:34] noted by my colleague council
[4:30:39] member Henry Foster that there
[4:30:40] was a lack of communication
[4:30:41] with the county and all of
[4:30:45] the needed all of
[4:30:46] the triggering points of an
[4:30:51] emergency the letter being sent
[4:30:51] to the county the county then
[4:30:52] sending the letter to
[4:30:53] the state, the state then
[4:30:53] sending it to the federal
[4:30:57] government.
[4:30:58] This is something that I, I, I
[4:30:59] you know, like I said,
[4:31:03] communication is key but
[4:31:04] there's also a language barrier
[4:31:05] communication especially with
[4:31:10] district eight.
[4:31:10] I can't emphasize enough how
[4:31:11] important it is to have Spanish
[4:31:16] speaking folks on the ground
[4:31:17] district And also this is I
[4:31:18] keep on saying this as an
[4:31:21] elected official for District
[4:31:22] eight and it sounds like it
[4:31:23] feels like nobody's listening.
[4:31:27] The digital divide is very
[4:31:27] extremely real.
[4:31:28] If we rely on the digital
[4:31:33] divide we will be at the same
[4:31:37] place where we landed in 2020
[4:31:38] for and a risk of information
[4:31:39] in times of an emergency is
[4:31:43] dire.
[4:31:44] It just proved to be
[4:31:48] devastating in in 2020 for
[4:31:49] communications in the flood
[4:31:49] plain dedicated in-person
[4:31:54] canvasing as I touch
[4:31:55] communities immediately
[4:32:00] immediately And I think
[4:32:00] the city must do better for
[4:32:01] their residents.
[4:32:02] So I will leave off with
[4:32:06] communications not only
[4:32:07] internally but also to
[4:32:12] the community Actually before I
[4:32:13] leave off I did want to state
[4:32:13] that if I'm not mistaken this
[4:32:18] administration brought a policy
[4:32:19] change in case of an emergency
[4:32:20] who would be in charge or if
[4:32:25] the mayor was outside of
[4:32:25] the country.
[4:32:26] It's my understanding that at
[4:32:26] this point it is the mayor
[4:32:31] the ceo and then the council
[4:32:31] president and then
[4:32:32] the emergency personnel Should
[4:32:37] an emergency head who will make
[4:32:38] the final decisions.
[4:32:39] I think those internal policies
[4:32:44] are very important and we
[4:32:44] should look into that.
[4:32:49] So with that, thank you for for
[4:32:50] the extra time and for
[4:32:51] the presentation.
[4:32:51] Thank you.
[4:32:52] Council member and I will go
[4:32:55] next to Council Member Weprin.
[4:32:56] Thank you Council PRESIDENT
[4:32:57] Thank you for the presentation
[4:32:57] this afternoon.
[4:33:01] I appreciate the comments of my
[4:33:02] colleagues who spoke who
[4:33:03] represents some of the most
[4:33:06] heavily impacted areas from
[4:33:06] the 2024 storms.
[4:33:07] I'll be brief here.
[4:33:08] I want to take you through
[4:33:08] the steps that you are taking
[4:33:12] city wide including here in
[4:33:12] District three to coordinate
[4:33:13] and prepare your departments
[4:33:18] for the threat of flooding from
[4:33:18] elderly.
[4:33:19] So as Councilmember Campo
[4:33:24] referenced, people have died
[4:33:24] where the San Diego River has
[4:33:25] flooded Admission Valley.
[4:33:25] People have lived in
[4:33:29] encampments along the riverbed
[4:33:30] and didn't get out in time.
[4:33:30] There are fewer encampments in
[4:33:36] the riverbed now due to
[4:33:36] the city's recent efforts to
[4:33:37] move people from the riverbed
[4:33:38] to our safe sleeping sites.
[4:33:41] But there are still some people
[4:33:42] there and it will be important
[4:33:42] to prevent future tragedies
[4:33:47] among people who have no hope
[4:33:47] at all.
[4:33:48] I also appreciate a
[4:33:49] Councilmember Foster's question
[4:33:53] about the dangers of
[4:33:53] the unsheltered population
[4:33:54] living in the channels along
[4:33:59] with the refugees and
[4:34:00] the debris that can result with
[4:34:00] that.
[4:34:01] And I noted MR. Snyder's
[4:34:05] comment that when crews clean
[4:34:06] up those encampments, people
[4:34:10] rapidly repopulate those
[4:34:11] locations.
[4:34:11] We're seeing that in
[4:34:12] the downtown area as well.
[4:34:17] It drives home the point that
[4:34:18] we don't have enough other
[4:34:18] places for people to go.
[4:34:23] We've all heard the numbers 90%
[4:34:24] of the time when somebody asks
[4:34:24] for a shelter.
[4:34:28] But in the city of San Diego we
[4:34:29] don't have anywhere for them to
[4:34:30] go and we can't offer them a
[4:34:31] shelter or a safe sleeping site
[4:34:35] So they live in the channels
[4:34:36] with their possessions.
[4:34:36] It adds to the flooding risk or
[4:34:37] they live on the sidewalks with
[4:34:41] their possessions.
[4:34:41] Many of those folks want to go
[4:34:42] into a shelter or a safe
[4:34:43] sleeping site If only we have
[4:34:47] available for them.
[4:34:47] I do appreciate the fact that
[4:34:48] there has been planning to
[4:34:52] relocate people who are staying
[4:34:53] in the shelters or in the safe
[4:34:54] sleeping sites should they be
[4:34:58] subject to flooding.
[4:34:59] Beyond that I will also say
[4:35:00] District three has some of
[4:35:00] the oldest neighborhoods
[4:35:06] Obviously including downtown of
[4:35:06] the surrounding neighborhoods,
[4:35:07] the oldest infrastructure in
[4:35:07] San Diego.
[4:35:11] We saw in your presentation
[4:35:12] the cluster of emergency
[4:35:17] stormwater caps in District
[4:35:18] three, the high number of
[4:35:18] service notifications related
[4:35:23] to pipes and drain components.
[4:35:24] The trolley bays on
[4:35:25] the southern edge of downtown
[4:35:29] have been severely damaged in
[4:35:29] floods in recent years.
[4:35:30] I remember seeing cars floating
[4:35:36] in North Park after a heavy
[4:35:36] storm some five years ago so
[4:35:37] there have been issues in other
[4:35:40] neighborhoods around District
[4:35:40] three as well.
[4:35:41] Anyway, thank you very much for
[4:35:41] the preparations that are
[4:35:46] underway citywide including
[4:35:47] here in District three.
[4:35:47] Thank you.
[4:35:47] Council PRESIDENT.
[4:35:48] All right.
[4:35:48] Thank you Council my return
[4:35:49] we'll go next to Council
[4:35:54] PRESIDENT Pro Tem Lee Dinkins
[4:35:55] present I'm going to add to
[4:35:56] what I want Sure appreciate
[4:35:57] the presentation Maybe my
[4:35:58] biggest take away from some of
[4:35:59] my colleagues that that
[4:36:04] continues to sort of give me a
[4:36:05] little bit of unrest is not
[4:36:06] necessarily again, I think as
[4:36:06] Councilmember Bailey noted, all
[4:36:09] the technical components of how
[4:36:10] we would respond.
[4:36:10] I do appreciate seeing how
[4:36:11] that's all coming together
[4:36:15] The support groups and
[4:36:15] the discussions that are being
[4:36:16] had on how we're going to meet
[4:36:17] each of the needs up to any
[4:36:21] potential disaster.
[4:36:22] What I always go back to
[4:36:23] thinking is the human component
[4:36:27] of it and it feels like some
[4:36:28] how not just in how we draft up
[4:36:33] these plans but when you plan
[4:36:33] to go out into the community
[4:36:34] engage with folks I don't know
[4:36:35] that we can do so without
[4:36:38] honestly engaging that human
[4:36:38] component first.
[4:36:39] I don't know how to recommend
[4:36:40] that you capture that other
[4:36:44] than noting that it doesn't
[4:36:45] feel like it's captured today.
[4:36:46] So I think some of that it just
[4:36:50] starts with acknowledging
[4:36:51] the pain and suffering folks
[4:36:52] who have experienced it have
[4:36:56] gone through the simple fact
[4:36:57] that this is not just preparing
[4:36:57] for a storm but we are really
[4:37:02] that the city is focused on
[4:37:03] trying to protect people's
[4:37:08] lives and livelihoods.
[4:37:09] Yeah, you know that's I think
[4:37:09] just if there's a takeaway for
[4:37:14] me there it's it's somehow
[4:37:15] the city does need to do a
[4:37:15] better job of connecting on
[4:37:20] that front and I hope we get to
[4:37:21] a point where we actually
[4:37:22] figure out how to do so so they
[4:37:22] can present or I think it
[4:37:25] council PRESIDENT Pro tem not
[4:37:26] seeing anyone on the lights.
[4:37:32] I'll offer a few comments So
[4:37:32] first of all thank you for
[4:37:33] coming to doing a full
[4:37:37] presentation environment
[4:37:37] committee and repeating that
[4:37:38] again today and your
[4:37:43] willingness to hear an extended
[4:37:44] amount of comments and
[4:37:48] questions from my colleagues I
[4:37:49] thought it was really important
[4:37:50] This was kind of a golden
[4:37:51] opportunity for really to open
[4:37:55] up the conversation.
[4:37:56] I appreciate the issues they
[4:37:56] put on the table the responses
[4:38:01] that you already anticipated
[4:38:02] and your candor and what needs
[4:38:07] to be done next.
[4:38:08] Having watch as a civil
[4:38:08] engineer stormwater was
[4:38:09] something I was always going to
[4:38:14] pay attention to way before I
[4:38:14] got elected to office And so
[4:38:15] I've always paid attention I
[4:38:19] don't think I've ever seen
[4:38:20] the city more responsive, more
[4:38:20] reactive, more aggressive in
[4:38:26] being prepared than I've seen
[4:38:26] right now.
[4:38:27] Certainly what happened in 2024
[4:38:31] was quite a kick in the pants
[4:38:32] about that.
[4:38:37] But still this is tremendous
[4:38:38] and I don't think I can
[4:38:39] emphasize enough and I hope
[4:38:39] everybody realizes just moving
[4:38:44] into fire rescue I think it's
[4:38:44] such a game changer as you
[4:38:49] mentioned, Chief, that you are
[4:38:50] geared towards emergencies and
[4:38:50] incidents and how to react and
[4:38:54] that muscle memory all day
[4:38:55] long, every day, seven days a
[4:39:01] week is always there and I
[4:39:01] think that was the game changer
[4:39:06] that we really, really needed.
[4:39:06] So very much appreciate it.
[4:39:07] And you didn't really have a
[4:39:07] good foundation to work from.
[4:39:07] I think it's important to
[4:39:12] emphasize that So and I you
[4:39:13] know, I feel that bluntness
[4:39:18] about saying as I said,
[4:39:19] the Environment Committee and
[4:39:20] I've said it before despite how
[4:39:25] aggressive our preparations and
[4:39:25] how beneficial they'll be,
[4:39:26] they're not going to address
[4:39:26] the larger issues.
[4:39:30] And you know, again also to
[4:39:31] give a shout out to talk to
[4:39:31] you, I've never seen the city
[4:39:35] be more candid about the state
[4:39:36] of our stormwater, how small
[4:39:36] capacity our channels are that
[4:39:43] have homes and businesses right
[4:39:43] up against that which our storm
[4:39:44] drains.
[4:39:49] We think about the ones that
[4:39:49] are failing.
[4:39:50] We're talking about the ones
[4:39:50] with the capacity and the pump
[4:39:51] stations.
[4:39:54] The candor about that doesn't
[4:39:55] paint a very pretty picture.
[4:39:56] But when people say you're not
[4:40:00] having the conversations we are
[4:40:00] having the conversations And
[4:40:01] for those of you who came in
[4:40:02] today hoping that
[4:40:06] the experience and the trauma,
[4:40:07] the pain that you suffered and
[4:40:08] the trauma that you had from
[4:40:12] what happened in 2024, I don't
[4:40:13] know that you're going to walk
[4:40:14] away feeling much better
[4:40:18] because it's a lot of this is
[4:40:19] looking forward Where are we
[4:40:19] now?
[4:40:20] How are we preparing?
[4:40:20] There's still a lot of
[4:40:24] unanswered questions litigation
[4:40:25] kind of tie that ties up a
[4:40:25] little bit.
[4:40:30] But I think there is much more
[4:40:31] work to be done.
[4:40:31] I know my colleagues are really
[4:40:35] engaged in those conversations
[4:40:36] but most of the preparedness is
[4:40:42] not for you because there's not
[4:40:42] much else you can do given what
[4:40:43] your situation is, what
[4:40:48] the conditions are in your
[4:40:48] particular neighborhood.
[4:40:49] I think the preparedness is for
[4:40:53] a lot of other people who do
[4:40:54] who MAY not have thought that
[4:40:55] they were in flood conditions
[4:40:59] but MAY very well be if
[4:41:00] atmospheric rivers come in and
[4:41:01] go after their neighborhood
[4:41:06] with the same viciousness that
[4:41:06] happened in 2024.
[4:41:10] So there's conversation for all
[4:41:11] 1.4 million San Diego and going
[4:41:17] forward and the candor of even
[4:41:18] I think the capacity charge you
[4:41:19] were saying about the channels
[4:41:22] that's assuming they're clear
[4:41:23] that we've removed all
[4:41:23] the brush and any debris out
[4:41:24] there.
[4:41:28] Those are the capacities.
[4:41:29] Yeah, that's correct.
[4:41:29] That assumes a fully maintained
[4:41:30] condition.
[4:41:30] Okay.
[4:41:34] And I think also again just to
[4:41:35] continue with this line of
[4:41:35] candor that the $5 billion
[4:41:40] deficit is only our projections
[4:41:41] for the next five years And I
[4:41:42] think it'd be safe for me to
[4:41:47] say that none of that none of
[4:41:48] that is actually part of
[4:41:48] the conversation we're having
[4:41:49] today about the shortfalls.
[4:41:53] Maybe there's some pump station
[4:41:54] repairs, some emergency
[4:41:54] generators.
[4:41:59] You know, that's not what our
[4:42:00] stormwater game plan really was
[4:42:01] geared to because the deficit
[4:42:05] is so big and the need is is so
[4:42:05] great.
[4:42:06] But I also see a lot of
[4:42:11] pivoting and I think that's
[4:42:11] the good news and good is maybe
[4:42:12] even too strong a word but it
[4:42:16] is going in the right direction
[4:42:17] and is as you said some of
[4:42:21] these changes to increase
[4:42:22] the capacity are very, very
[4:42:27] expensive going forward and
[4:42:28] some of them will stretch
[4:42:29] engineering creativity to
[4:42:29] figure out how do we how do we
[4:42:33] do that given the proximity of
[4:42:34] the homes and businesses next
[4:42:35] to those in those channels?
[4:42:40] And then as you said, you know,
[4:42:41] I was a baby engineer when I
[4:42:42] did the floodplain mapping way
[4:42:46] back when and we saw
[4:42:46] the constraints that
[4:42:47] the freeway under crossings had
[4:42:51] And when you look at the bay
[4:42:52] and then you look at the under
[4:42:53] crossings and the freeways that
[4:42:58] really ties our hands about
[4:42:59] what we we can do but we must
[4:42:59] do something.
[4:43:03] Let me be very clear about
[4:43:03] that.
[4:43:04] A couple of us my colleagues
[4:43:09] covered so much ground.
[4:43:10] I again appreciate coming to
[4:43:10] investment committee and coming
[4:43:11] here to the city council.
[4:43:15] I also know it takes a lot of
[4:43:16] work to tackle items to bring
[4:43:16] forward And the one of
[4:43:17] the thing I didn't hear but I
[4:43:21] would encourage I didn't ask my
[4:43:22] colleagues about this I would
[4:43:22] actually ask you to speak
[4:43:27] directly to my colleagues in
[4:43:28] four, eight and nine and not
[4:43:28] wait till the next time you can
[4:43:32] talk at something.
[4:43:33] Not that these issues are not
[4:43:34] important.
[4:43:34] Councilmember We've been talked
[4:43:35] about District three.
[4:43:37] There's even a couple of things
[4:43:38] in District one and in all our
[4:43:39] districts but the impact on
[4:43:44] individuals and the impact on
[4:43:45] equity is great.
[4:43:49] It's not just about our raising
[4:43:50] are so concentrated in those
[4:43:51] districts and the nimbleness
[4:43:51] that three council members can
[4:43:55] get together and have those
[4:43:56] conversations I think it'd be
[4:43:56] worthwhile to engage them
[4:44:01] directly even before you come
[4:44:02] to the next environment or next
[4:44:07] to the city council meeting.
[4:44:08] I also wanted to emphasize
[4:44:09] again, Chief, you had a chance
[4:44:09] to emphasize because you kind
[4:44:13] of talked about it in an
[4:44:14] environment you talked a little
[4:44:15] bit about it and I think you
[4:44:19] described this as kind of step
[4:44:19] one.
[4:44:20] This was just to get our annual
[4:44:24] stormwater update but also to
[4:44:25] say we are now convinced about
[4:44:25] El Nino.
[4:44:30] We don't know where it's going
[4:44:31] to happen.
[4:44:32] We don't know when it's going
[4:44:32] to hit but it's going to be big
[4:44:36] And a lot of the questions I
[4:44:37] think my colleagues asked were
[4:44:38] really about maybe step two or
[4:44:38] step three.
[4:44:43] The I guess a temper First this
[4:44:43] is only the fourth council
[4:44:44] meeting.
[4:44:44] So since coming back from
[4:44:48] summer recess but just get a
[4:44:49] confirmation from you and I
[4:44:53] maybe forgot about that.
[4:44:54] You are also concurrently
[4:44:54] working on that next stage
[4:45:00] which is what happens when
[4:45:01] something hits And what is that
[4:45:05] agency response in terms of
[4:45:06] saving lives, telling people
[4:45:07] where to go, having resources,
[4:45:12] whether it's shelters or
[4:45:12] medical or places for pets
[4:45:18] everything we do in a wildfire
[4:45:18] that that will be kind of that
[4:45:19] next step in the conversation
[4:45:24] that will be much more
[4:45:25] important to engage with
[4:45:25] the community members whether
[4:45:26] they have a role where the city
[4:45:30] is doing on its own or however
[4:45:31] we're going to do that.
[4:45:31] So is that kind of what
[4:45:32] the next step is?
[4:45:35] Thank you customers And yeah
[4:45:35] that's exactly it.
[4:45:36] As mentioned when I when I took
[4:45:37] over the office in JUNE we
[4:45:42] identified the El Nino was
[4:45:42] going to be something that
[4:45:43] needed to be taken look at and
[4:45:44] the foundation of what was
[4:45:47] present didn't really have
[4:45:48] the opportunity for us to
[4:45:48] actually develop the work,
[4:45:49] develop the products, received
[4:45:53] the information, put it all
[4:45:54] into actionable plans And
[4:45:54] the last thing that I wanted to
[4:45:55] do was to just pay lip service
[4:45:59] without the ability to actually
[4:45:59] do something about it.
[4:46:00] And so all of a sudden working
[4:46:03] groups and 90 people in
[4:46:04] the working groups that are
[4:46:05] meeting every two weeks and
[4:46:08] then the all the different nine
[4:46:08] sub working groups are meeting
[4:46:09] almost definitely every week
[4:46:10] sometimes every day trying to
[4:46:14] get that established is what's
[4:46:15] led us to here And that's why
[4:46:15] we're calling this
[4:46:16] the beginning of
[4:46:17] the conversation because we're
[4:46:17] finally at the point where I
[4:46:20] think that we can actually have
[4:46:21] tangible good conversations
[4:46:21] with the community to make sure
[4:46:26] that we do continue.
[4:46:27] So but to your point, this work
[4:46:31] is kind of a spectrum and less
[4:46:31] more of a step one step two
[4:46:32] step three we're doing
[4:46:32] concurrent work.
[4:46:33] Some subcommittees are actually
[4:46:34] getting to the point where
[4:46:36] they've completed their mission
[4:46:37] and they're ready to actually
[4:46:38] begin another project.
[4:46:42] So there's some really good
[4:46:42] productivity happening.
[4:46:43] There's some other some working
[4:46:44] groups that are just starting
[4:46:48] off because of where we are.
[4:46:49] So but I'm hopeful that we have
[4:46:50] a good framework now that can
[4:46:50] be very efficient.
[4:46:54] Okay, great.
[4:46:55] Thank you for for updating that
[4:46:55] And I had another line I'm
[4:47:02] going to leave it.
[4:47:03] I want to thank everybody for
[4:47:03] operations that are said in
[4:47:04] the audience.
[4:47:05] Just were ready to step up in
[4:47:06] case there was any questions.
[4:47:06] Thank you for the update on
[4:47:07] the channels.
[4:47:12] I think it helps the community
[4:47:13] to hear six days a week, 12
[4:47:14] hour days trying to catch up
[4:47:18] What's the best way?
[4:47:19] I don't know that I heard my
[4:47:20] colleagues or in my colleague's
[4:47:21] article what's the gentleman
[4:47:24] came here I thought channel It
[4:47:25] doesn't seem like it's been
[4:47:25] touched yet What's the best way
[4:47:30] for the community to reach out
[4:47:31] is through the council offices.
[4:47:31] Is it through Get it done?
[4:47:32] I mean what's the best way?
[4:47:36] Yeah so we encourage reporting
[4:47:36] through get it done primarily
[4:47:37] because it's documented on both
[4:47:37] ends.
[4:47:41] The concern from the public is
[4:47:42] documented and then the city's
[4:47:43] response is documented.
[4:47:43] However, if you know you're not
[4:47:47] getting the response you want,
[4:47:47] you feel it's an urgent
[4:47:48] situation.
[4:47:49] We also can advise people to
[4:47:53] call issues into our emergency
[4:47:53] dispatch center (619)527-7500.
[4:47:59] That's for more of an emergency
[4:48:00] situation particularly during a
[4:48:01] rain event If something is
[4:48:01] observed and we need to
[4:48:04] dispatch a crew right out there
[4:48:05] but get it done is the best way
[4:48:06] We are reviewing those every
[4:48:11] day and it's factoring into all
[4:48:11] of our priorities.
[4:48:12] So that's what I would
[4:48:12] encourage.
[4:48:12] Okay.
[4:48:13] I don't know how my colleagues
[4:48:17] work What I tell folks is when
[4:48:17] you get that confirming email
[4:48:22] to forward it to my office so
[4:48:23] that we are aware and we can
[4:48:23] nudge if we think it really
[4:48:28] rises to that level going
[4:48:29] forward and we know how hard
[4:48:29] you guys are working.
[4:48:30] I mean that's that's really
[4:48:34] the hard part and I think I'm
[4:48:35] just going to start oh I guess
[4:48:36] the last thing I'm going to say
[4:48:40] I think the other heads up part
[4:48:41] of this because I can't
[4:48:42] remember whether it was earlier
[4:48:46] maybe it was earlier this year
[4:48:47] where I got a phone call from
[4:48:47] the mayor's office And I assume
[4:48:48] my colleagues due to the big
[4:48:51] storms are coming.
[4:48:52] This is what we're doing to
[4:48:53] prepare And then the big storm
[4:48:57] never came and I think that's
[4:48:58] one of the things that I think
[4:49:03] about with both Operation side
[4:49:04] You're only human and super
[4:49:05] human but you're only human And
[4:49:09] for the communities who say get
[4:49:10] that warning, get ready, it's
[4:49:10] going to happen and then it
[4:49:14] doesn't happen because mother
[4:49:15] Nature does what Mother Nature
[4:49:16] is going to do And I think that
[4:49:16] will be one of the other
[4:49:17] challenges is not to have that
[4:49:21] exhaustion going into another
[4:49:22] false alarm.
[4:49:22] I'm not going to do anything
[4:49:26] but to constantly stay vigilant
[4:49:26] .
[4:49:27] And so even when there is a
[4:49:28] quote it didn't happen the way
[4:49:33] we thought it did.
[4:49:34] We knew we were ready for it
[4:49:35] and we'll be ready the next
[4:49:35] time if and when it happens.
[4:49:40] So I'll wrap it there.
[4:49:41] It's been a long afternoon So
[4:49:42] again I thank you for your
[4:49:44] willingness I think to my
[4:49:45] colleagues for for really
[4:49:46] digging and taking advantage of
[4:49:51] the opportunity for this and
[4:49:51] we'll look forward to staying
[4:49:52] in contact.
[4:49:57] So Council PRESIDENT I would
[4:50:02] just like to request that you
[4:50:03] guys do come out to District
[4:50:03] four.
[4:50:08] I think you know the 2024
[4:50:08] floods.
[4:50:09] Armand I think I'm going to be
[4:50:14] in touch with you and also
[4:50:14] Jackie Robinson ymca.
[4:50:15] I think that's an established
[4:50:16] location where the community
[4:50:19] knows yeah.
[4:50:19] Councilmember That is
[4:50:20] absolutely the plan whether
[4:50:26] it's an established group or
[4:50:26] just us getting out of
[4:50:27] the habit of going to
[4:50:28] the normal town council or
[4:50:28] planning group we want to meet
[4:50:31] folks where they're at.
[4:50:32] >> So that is absolutely that
[4:50:33] commitment there.
[4:50:33] Okay.
[4:50:33] Thank you.
[4:50:34] All right.
[4:50:36] A good way to conclude on all
[4:50:36] this again.
[4:50:36] Thank you.
[4:50:42] All right.
[4:50:43] Again, as a reminder, this was
[4:50:44] an information item and no
[4:50:44] motion was required.
[4:50:47] We will now adjourn council to
[4:50:48] the next regularly scheduled
[4:50:49] council meeting on Monday,