Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting Summary – September 13, 2023
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Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting Summary – September 13, 2023
The Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met on September 13, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Chair Lee presided, with Vice Chair Lacava, Councilmember Montgomery Steppe, and Councilmember Von Wilpert present. Representatives from the IBA, City Attorney, Mayor's office, and city staff also attended. The committee addressed consent items, an electrical upgrade project, a proposed response to a grand jury report on street paving, and an update on the shared mobility program.
Consent Calendar
- Approved First Amendment to agreement with Kleinfelder for design of dams and reservoirs security improvement projects.
- Awarded construction contract to JR Filanc Construction and issued first amendment to consultant agreement with Kleinfelder for Lakeside Valve Station Replacement Project.
- Authorized use of city forces for four corrugated metal pipe repair projects and addition of one preliminary engineering project and one standalone project to the CIP.
- Passed unanimously 4-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda public comment: A commenter argued that the term 'transit-rich' is misused and that new housing near Elkahom Boulevard lacks adequate transit and affordable housing; they urged the committee to consider the realities of living without a car.
- Michael Schmidt reported severe potholes on Rancho Penasquitos Boulevard and Sundouble Way. Blair Beekman advised writing to Public Works and called for a long public review of the smart street light contract process.
- A commenter gave unrelated testimony about moving sidewalks and two-minute cities.
- On consent items: Lori Saldania supported the projects but expressed concern about contractor compliance with the EOC program and requested proactive reviews; another commenter gave sarcastic testimony opposing repairs.
- On Item 4: Danielle Lyman registered support; Lori Saldania asked about zero-emission goals and solar panels; Blair Beekman supported electrical upgrades and raised busker issues; another commenter opposed clean energy investments.
- On Item 6: David Modi raised concrete street repair gaps and CIP survey input concerns; Paul Kruger urged better public notification about paving and bike lanes; Lori Saldania encouraged implementation of grand jury recommendations; Judy Stray and Nicole Burgess spoke about notification, e-bike safety, and road repair costs; Jason Vance supported street redesign for biking and transit; other commenters expressed related concerns.
- On Item 7: Janet Rogers (Safe Walkways) called for revoking Bird's contract; Lori Saldania asked for litigation costs and raised sidewalk safety; Anar (Bike San Diego) asked how shared mobility can complement transit; Saad Assad described high costs and inconvenience; Jason Vance supported shared mobility; one commenter gave sarcastic testimony.
Discussion Items
Item 4: Balboa Park International Cottages Electrical Upgrades
- Staff presented a proposal to transfer $567,000+ in regional park improvement funds to create a planning project for electrical upgrades at the International Cottages.
- The project will assess electrical systems dating back to 1935, including circuit replacement and trench/conduit work.
- IBA's Aaron Noel highlighted the need for updated facility condition assessments and suggested bundling other repairs.
- Questions addressed timeline, costs, and funding; staff noted the Regional Park Improvement Fund revenue may now be $4.5–5 million annually, with potential for future funding.
- Approved unanimously 4-0.
Item 5: Returned to Staff
- Parks and Recreation requested to return item 5 to staff for future presentation.
Item 6: Proposed Response to Grand Jury Report
- Jordan Moore (IBA) presented the draft response to the grand jury report 'When Will My Streets Be Paved?'
- The city agreed with Findings 1 and 2, partially disagreed with Finding 3.
- Proposed responses did not support mandatory funding match or mandatory four-year OCI assessment, but supported data improvements and a five-year plan.
- Councilmember Von Wilpert moved amendments to add cost escalation context and to commit to exploring an ordinance/policy for regular condition assessments; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously 4-0.
- Discussion included budget flexibility, charter roles, and the potential for in-house street repair.
Item 7: Shared Mobility Program Update
- Staff reported 595,000 trips in the first year of the new program and a deployment reduction by design; current daily deployment is ~1,400 devices from one operator, Bird.
- Complaints dropped 86% (sidewalk blockage down 80%, roadway blockage down 93%). 950 corrals are in place. 24,000–33,000 tons of CO2 were avoided.
- Staff cited theft, vandalism, sidewalk detection technology, and GPS issues as challenges.
- Bird representatives expressed commitment and discussed geofencing technology; Lime's representative criticized the 3 mph sidewalk throttle requirement as not commercially feasible.
- The committee discussed the concern of a single-operator market and the program's long-term viability. Information item; no action taken.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda and Items 4 and 6 approved unanimously 4-0.
- Item 5 returned to staff.
- Item 7 received as an information item.
- Next meeting scheduled for October 11, 2023, at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Welcome to the Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting of September 13th, 2023. Our committee liaison Sarah Jordan will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting. Sarah, please proceed. Thank you, Chair Lee. While members of the public are able to attend meetings 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 the 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. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair Lee. Vice Chair Lacava. Present. Councilmember Montgomery Step. Here. Councilmember Von Wilfurt. Present. Chair Lee. Also attending the meeting is IBA Representative Aaron Knoll, City Attorney Representative Dana Fairchild, and Mayorial 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. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, please dial 1669-2545252 and when prompted, input webinar ID 161-119-1457 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Chair Lee. Thank you. We will now move. So moved. We have a motion by Councilmember von Wilbert. And a second by uh Council President Patem Montgomery Step. Um, sir, will you please call the roll? And that does pass unanimously 4-0. Thank you. We will now take up non-agenda public comment. The council members uh respect and appreciate the public's input and fully and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at council and committee meetings. Sarah, will you please proceed with any further instructions? Per rule 2.7 on agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda but are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the committee. Each speaker will have two minutes. If you are watching on City TV or the live stream online and would like to call into the meeting to speak, please call 1669-2545252 and when prompted, input webinar ID 161-119-1457 pound. If you have already joined the Zoom webinar online or by phone, please raise your hand if you wish to speak. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. Unmute yourself by either selecting the unmute button or by pressing star six. Uh hello and good afternoon. Thank you for allowing the public to speak. I wanted to focus today on something that I and others who share my concerns frequently read and that I've expressed to you before, which is the frequent use of this term transit rich, and the importance of doing a reality check on what that actually means. Because the word transit rich has fallen into this misuse of a system or a geographical location which actually serves people to get where they're going. And presumably to not have a vehicle, to not own a vehicle. We've seen the construction of a number of units, high-rise units. By the way, they do not uh contain more than 5% of lower, very low income housing. The most recent one on Elkholm Boulevard uh has starting market rents for a studio at 2,500 a month. Um, but the point is it's uh 110 units, has 35 units of parking, um, which in addition to rent costs more than 100 a month for people who have a car.
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