Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting - September 15, 2021

The Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met virtually on September 15, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Chair Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert was absent due to a family emergency; Vice Chair Councilmember Joe LaCava presided. The meeting was held via Zoom due to public health concerns, with no in-person attendance. All committee members participated remotely. The meeting included approval of the consent agenda, a non-agenda public comment period, and two information items: proposed streamlining of capital improvement program (CIP) processes, and updates to the CIP prioritization policy.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1 – Reimbursement Agreement: Approved unanimously (3-0) for a reimbursement agreement between the City of San Diego and Tri-Point Homes, i.e. SD Inc., for a portion of Project T9.2 (Otay Mesa Road) and Project T35 (traffic signals) in the Otay Mesa community. No public speakers.

Public Comments & Testimony

Non-Agenda Public Comment: One speaker, Laura, requested interpretation services for a future speaker. Staff confirmed services would be available.

Item 2 – CIP Streamlining (Municipal Code & Policy Changes):

• Sally Small (Choiceland Community Planning Group, Emerald Hills Neighborhood Council, Chollas Creek Coalition): Opposed raising the mayor’s authority from $1 million to $5 million for consultant contracts, citing past issues with transparency and insufficient public information. Also requested that community planning groups and planners be included in the new customer service policy.
• Francine Maxwell: Asked that the department present to every community district to educate constituents, especially on the proposed increases in authority ($5 million and $30 million).
• Regina Evans (Collective of Black Community Members): Commended the work but requested full community engagement and meaningful input before policy changes.

Item 3 – CIP Prioritization Policy Updates:

• Esperanza Gonzalez (City Heights community group): Advocated for using the Climate Equity Index (CEI) to prioritize investments in vulnerable communities like Barrio Logan, City Heights, and Southeastern San Diego, which have suffered from disinvestment and are most affected by climate change.
• Michael (caller): Reported an incomplete street repair near his home; staff offered to follow up.
• Sally Small: Supported the equity focus but questioned why golf courses are classified as enterprise assets rather than neighborhood assets; urged inclusion of community planning groups.
• Roddy Jerome (San Diego resident, 12 years in City Heights): Highlighted that City Heights is overpopulated, underinvested, and highly vulnerable to climate change; urged integrating the CEI and prioritizing the most needy communities for the first five years.
• Kyle Haskela (Climate Justice Policy Advocate, Environmental Health Coalition): Supported centering equity but cautioned against a simple checkbox approach; urged nuanced, community-specific projects and ongoing collaboration with community organizations.
• Francine Maxwell (Southeastern San Diego resident): Stressed the need for community education on CIP terminology and funding sources so residents can effectively advocate.
• Regina Evans: Again requested community convenings for robust discussion on the policy, especially for historically underserved communities; emphasized the need for a clear, citywide definition of equity.

Discussion Items

Item 2 – Amendment to Municipal Code, Council Policies for CIP Infrastructure Process Improvements and Streamlining Staff (James Nagelvoort, Director of Engineering & Capital Projects, and Akron Bazizian) presented seven proposed improvements to consultant procurement, construction contracts, interagency agreements, council policies, private development, insurance, and contract closeout. Key proposals included:

• Raising the mayor’s authority for engineering/architectural consultant contracts from $1M to $5M for CIP projects, and from $250,000 to $1M for non-CIP.
• Eliminating cumulative limits on consultant contracts per fiscal year.
• Increasing mayor’s authority for consultant amendments (to $200,000 or 10% of contract, whichever greater).
• Allowing utilities undergrounding projects (not CIP-funded) to use same streamlining measures.
• Raising mayor’s authority for non-CIP construction contracts from $500,000 to $5M.
• Increasing change order authority for contracts over $10M from $500,000 to $1M.
• Raising city forces work threshold from $100,000 to $200,000.
• Streamlining cooperative agreements with Caltrans.
• Updating the Transparency Policy (Council Policy 31) and creating a new CIP Customer Service Policy.

The Independent Budget Analyst (IBA, Julianne Cassel) noted that not all proposals are CIP-related and suggested increased reporting (e.g., planned slurry seal contracts with locations, annual business diversity report to council).

Committee members (Councilmembers Montgomery Steppe, Ilo Rivera, and LaCava) expressed concerns about checks and balances, transparency, and the timing of delegating authority to the mayor’s office. They requested tying dollar limits to inflation or market indices, and emphasized the need for robust community engagement and reporting. Staff acknowledged the feedback and will work with IBA and unions before bringing action items back.

Item 3 – Proposed Updates to CIP Prioritization Policy (Council Policy 800-14) Staff (Myrna Dayton, Assistant Director of Engineering & Capital Projects, and Ryan Greek) presented recommended changes, including:

• Adding a new category for stormwater assets (currently under enterprise).
• Introducing equity into Factor 3 (renamed “Community Investment, Equity, and Economic Prosperity”) and Factor 5 (“Sustainability, Conservation, and Climate Equity”) by requiring use of the Climate Equity Index GIS layer.
• Adjusting weighted scores across factors to maintain a total of 100.
• Examples showed priority scores increasing (e.g., a paving project from 67 to 72.5; a park project from 68 to 75.5) for projects in underserved areas.

The IBA asked how the policy is used in funding decisions; staff explained it guides but does not override funding rules or elected officials’ decisions.

Committee members praised the equity focus but stressed the need for a citywide equity definition and more community outreach before formal action. Councilmember Montgomery Steppe asked about referencing other plans (parks master plan, complete communities). Councilmember Ilo Rivera raised concerns about the term “equity” being co-opted and urged a racial equity lens and inclusion of youth mobility needs. Councilmember LaCava suggested renaming Factor 5 to reflect climate equity and environmental justice, and adding parks as a separate category. He also offered to host a community webinar to help staff meet the tight timeline for the FY23 budget.

Kim Desmond, Director of the Office of Race and Equity (19 days in role), acknowledged the comments on defining equity and committed to working with staff.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken on the information items; both are expected to return for action at future meetings.
• Item 2: Staff will continue working with the IBA, unions (MEA, Local 127), and consider tying dollar increases to economic indices. The IBA will provide written recommendations.
• Item 3: Staff expressed desire to incorporate changes for the FY23 CIP budget (development starts late November). Committee members urged additional community outreach, including to the Community Planners Committee, before committee action. Councilmember LaCava offered to host a town hall. The chair will coordinate next steps with Councilmember Von Wilpert.
• Item 4 was continued to the October 13, 2021 meeting.
• Meeting adjourned at approximately 3:30 p.m.