Special Act of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting - July 13, 2023
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Special Act of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting - July 13, 2023
The meeting was held on July 13, 2023, at 17:00:00+00:00 (morning session). The committee, chaired by Councilmember Lee, with Vice Chair Lakava, and members Montgomery Step and Von Wilbert, considered consent items, an information item on the Pacific Beach Shuttle pilot, and an update on ADA compliance. Public testimony was heard on each item, and non-agenda public comment was taken at the end.
Consent Calendar
- Items 1-3 were approved unanimously (4-0). The consent agenda included:
- Item 1: Award of consultant agreement to Harris and Associates for stormwater pump station D component upgrade project.
- Item 2: Extension of contractual obligations with Dick Miller Incorporated for Maple Canyon Restoration Phases 1 and 2.
- Item 3: Reimbursement agreement between City of San Diego and Tri-Point Homes for a portion of T-11.1 Caliente Avenue in Otay Mesa.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Blair Beekman (on consent items): Asked about federal funding for stormwater projects and Tijuana River issues. Expressed support for the work but requested clarity on funding sources.
- Lori Saldania (on consent items): Encouraged solar/battery backup for pump stations to align with climate goals. Criticized lack of presentations on consent items, noting difficulty for public to obtain information. Also raised concerns about EOC evaluation and cross-border sewage contamination linked to ocean outfall location.
- Paul Kruger (on item 4, Pacific Beach Shuttle): Supported the shuttle but argued that the council's earlier approval of a 1-mile walking distance to transit is unrealistic; a half-mile is the maximum. Urged focus on connecting the Blue Line trolley to the beach quickly.
- Brooks Rogers (on item 4): Supported the shuttle as a stopgap but suggested longer-term solutions like a gondola from Mission Valley to the beach. Provided cost estimate of ~$100 million for a 4-mile gondola.
- Mark Ian (Circuit representative, on item 4): Expressed excitement about serving Pacific Beach and thanked city and SANDAG partners.
- Dan Schmikowski (on item 4): Called the shuttle a "toy" for Disneyland, criticized safety concerns with speeding drivers, and urged a tram on Grand Avenue instead.
- Lori Saldania (on item 4): Suggested north-south shuttle route to relieve congestion on Mission Boulevard. Recommended app design to collect data on user residency to identify short-term vacation rental patterns and charge visitors more.
- Blair Beekman (on item 4): Supported free fares and north-south connections, emphasized accessibility and frequency.
- Lori Saldania (on item 5, ADA compliance): Criticized lack of ADA compliance in homeless shelters, particularly the mayor's "dangerous camping area" near Pershing (no running water, inadequate sanitation, no ADA-compliant office). Noted older adults with disabilities are fastest-growing homeless population. Urged committee members to visit facilities in wheelchairs.
- Blair Beekman (on item 5): Criticized 10-minute walk to shuttle stops as not disability-friendly. Raised concerns about data collection and surveillance from smart kiosks.
- Wayne Landon (Paralyzed Veterans of America, on item 5): Thanked city for progress but requested more funding for ADA barrier removal (noting less than half of projects funded) and additional staff for the ADA office.
- Non-agenda public comment:
- Paul Kruger: Highlighted lack of workable transit in San Diego, giving example of 22-minute drive vs. 1 hour 48 minutes by transit from Talmadge to University City. Warned that parking shortages hit working poor hardest.
- Lori Saldania: Reiterated ADA failures for homeless disabled individuals, citing lack of compliance at the mayor's camping site and called for better shelter standards.
- Dan Schmikowski: Thanked Mayor Gloria for stance against hate, urged participation in Pride events, and condemned anti-Semitism and hate speech.
- Blair Beekman: Discussed Ukraine split and NATO, then criticized city's smart streetlight program and requested reduction in ALPRs from 500 to 250 or less.
Discussion Items
Item 4: Pacific Beach Shuttle Pilot (Beach Bug)
- Presentation by Christy Reeser, Crystal Ayala (City Mobility Division), and April de Jesus (SANDAG). The shuttle launched July 12, 2023, with four neighborhood electric vehicles (one wheelchair accessible). Service is on-demand via the Ride Circuit app, initially free for three months, then $2.50 per trip (free to/from Balboa Avenue Trolley Station and free for youth 18 and under). The two-year pilot is funded by SANDAG one-time contribution and future parking meter revenue. Survey of 500+ respondents showed average willingness to wait 10-15 minutes, walk 10 minutes to a stop, and pay $2.50. Committee members expressed strong support. Vice Chair Lakava asked about personal data collection; staff confirmed no personal data is collected. Councilmember Montgomery Step asked about expansion; staff said they are exploring additional priority areas and will use lessons learned for replication. The item was informational only, no motion required.
Item 5: ADA Compliance and Accessibility Programs
- Presentation by Time Curtis (City ADA Coordinator). Key statistics: 25% of US adults have a disability; 40% chance by age 65. As of Jan 1, 2023, there were 428 open ADA complaints (165 fully funded, 13 partially funded, 233 unfunded). 94% of complaints are in the public right-of-way. The city's transition plan includes 182 facilities; 43 completed, 28 funded, 105 unfunded (cost $35-45 million). A public right-of-way self-evaluation and transition plan update will begin in FY2024, focusing on neighborhoods south of I-8. IBA representative Aaron Noel suggested considering a new sidewalk assessment and ensuring geospatial data is shared across departments. Committee members discussed unfunded liability and the need for prioritization. Vice Chair Lakava asked about curb ramp standards; staff noted the city engineer is reviewing standards. The item was informational only.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar (Items 1-3) passed unanimously (4-0).
- Item 4 (Pacific Beach Shuttle) : No action taken; staff will monitor ridership and provide updates. The shuttle will be free for the first three months, then $2.50 per trip with free trolley connections and youth fares.
- Item 5 (ADA Compliance) : No action taken; committee members noted the need for increased funding and prioritization of unfunded ADA barrier removal projects. The next regularly scheduled ATI committee meeting is September 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Welcome to the Special Act of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting of July 13th, 2023. Our committee liaison, Sarah Jordan will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting. Thank you, Chairley. While members of the public are able to attend the meeting in person, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or an internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. Councilmember Montgomery Step. Here. Chair Lee. Here. Also attending the meeting is IBA Representative Aaron Knoll, City Attorney Representative Ryan Garrity, and Mayor of Representative Randy Wilde. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the speaker's lectern at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Chair. Hearing none, um, do we have any other requests for continuance? Hearing none, we will now move on to our agenda for today. As a note for the public, we will be hearing non-agenda public comment at the end of today's meeting this morning after our agendized items. Um, sir, will you please introduce consent items number one, two, and three? Thank you, Chair. The consent agenda includes item number one, award a consultant agreement to Harris and Associates for professional design services and construction support services of the stormwater pump station D component upgrade project. Item number two, authorize an extension of contractual obligations with Dick Miller Incorporated for construction of Maple Canyon Restoration Phases one and two. And item number three reimbursement agreement between the City of San Diego and Tri-Point Homes for project number a portion of T-11.1 Caliente Avenue in the Otai Mesa community. If you're watching on City TV or the live stream online and would like to dial into the meeting to speak, please call 1669-2545252 and when prompted, input webinar ID 161-119-1457 pound. Chair. Thank you. Um these items will remain on the consent agenda unless a committee member wishes to remove an item. Um are there any requests to pull items for the consent agenda? Hearing none, um, sir, will you please proceed with public comment? Thank you, Chair. We do not have any speaker slips here in chambers, but we do have a few hands raised in the virtual queue. So I will begin the five-minute timer for all those to indicate if they wish to speak. We will begin with Blair Beekman. Each consent item will be given one minute. So, Blair, I have given you permission to speak. Please unmute yourself and provide your comments. All right. Uh we may just speak to the uh first item on the consent agenda about uh the new uh contracts around uh water issues. Um it's been my understanding. Uh you know, you you're receiving a bunch of new federal funding dollars for sewer treatment, uh water and water runoff issues. Uh you had an item on your agenda yesterday, economic agenda, I think it was the afternoon meeting that uh very nicely talked about you're working towards new federal funding dollars for the uh Tijuana River area. And uh I just wanted to ask if those federal funding dollars that are going to pay for this sort of project at this time, uh the pump station things. Is that what federal funding also going to be helping the Tijuana River issues? And if they are, I've heard some nice words from Lori Soldano that uh it's the San Diego River portion, uh the San Diego portion uh with its sewer pipes into the uh ocean, or you know, runoff pipes into the ocean that's been causing a lot of these troubles. Uh good luck in looking into this. Thank you. Thank you for those comments. We will move on to our next speaker, uh, Miss Larry Saldania.
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