San Diego City Council Meeting - March 25, 2025
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San Diego City Council Meeting - March 25, 2025
The San Diego City Council met on March 25, 2025, to consider proclamations, consent items, and several major agenda items including affordable housing loans and a construction contract. The meeting began with a land acknowledgment and pledge of allegiance, followed by public comment on proclamations and consent items. Council members discussed and voted on multiple items, with unanimous approval on most except for a cannabis tax increase which saw one dissenting vote.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes and Consent Items (Items 10, 50-56, 100-101, S504-505): Approved unanimously (9-0) with Councilmember Foster voting no on item 52 (cannabis business tax increase). The consent agenda included approval of minutes, a cannabis tax increase from 8% to 10% for retail, and appointments/reappointments to the Mobility Board and Community Reinvestment Review Advisory Board.
- Special Note on Item 52: Public comment was heavily opposed, citing concerns about driving consumers to the illicit market and harming equity. Councilmember Foster voted no, stating the city should first implement its social equity program before raising taxes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Proclamations (Items 30-34, S500-511): Several speakers addressed the proclamations. One speaker expressed support for Transgender Day of Visibility but urged action against hate crimes. Another speaker criticized the transgender proclamation, arguing it ignores impacts on women's sports and children. A speaker supported the Housing Federation and suggested adding 'equity' to the proclamation language. A speaker praised Captain Jordan's retirement but noted concerns about ALPR use.
- Consent Agenda: On item 52 (cannabis tax), multiple speakers opposed the increase, arguing it would hurt patients, veterans, and small businesses while failing to address social equity. One speaker supported the modest increase, stating it would not significantly impact the legal market.
- Item 330 (2025 Council Work Plan): Public comments focused on equity, youth protection from cannabis, hate crime prevention, and smoke-free multi-unit housing. Speakers urged prioritizing equity and public health.
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Speakers raised issues including sidewalk vending regulations, homelessness, cannabis legalization, and calls for a resolution supporting military personnel in light of a recent security breach.
- Item S507 (Swift Avenue Apartments): Speakers included Stephen Russell of the San Diego Housing Federation, who urged fixing fragmented financing processes, and Sean Spear of Community Housing Works, who highlighted challenges from federal and state funding uncertainty. Several community members expressed frustration with the complexity and perceived lack of transparency in affordable housing funding.
- Item S508 (Marina Pipeline Contract): Public comment included questions about asbestos in old pipes, cost of SDG&E relocations, and the need for seismic considerations. One speaker praised the project but noted the workforce was entirely Latino, raising equity concerns.
Discussion Items
- Proclamations: Council members spoke in support of each proclamation, emphasizing values of inclusion, recognition of service, and community pride. Council President LaCava noted proclamations allow the council to state values clearly, especially for Transgender Day of Visibility. The proclamations were approved unanimously.
- Item 330: 2025 Council Work Plan: Presented by Brian Elliott, Policy Director. The work plan focuses on seven goals: implementing a responsible budget, improving infrastructure, advancing environmental justice, expanding economic opportunity, creating more homes, reducing homelessness, and ensuring good governance. Committees are tied to each goal. The item was informational; no vote required.
- Item S507: Swift Avenue Apartments (Affordable Housing Loan): Staff recommended a $5.7 million CDBG loan to Community Housing Works. The IBA reported that $1.7 million of this was intended to backfill a reduction from the Housing Commission, but that the commission had since restored its full $4 million award. Councilmember Ilo Rivera moved to amend the motion to reduce the city loan to $4 million and ensure the $6 million CDBG allocation intended for the Housing Commission from a previous budget action was preserved. The amendment passed unanimously after discussion about communication and process improvements.
- Item S503: Goodwin on Glacier Apartments (Affordable Housing Loan): A $4 million loan for 130 senior apartments in Grantville. Approved unanimously after discussion about developer fees and county collaboration.
- Item S506: Mercado Apartments (Affordable Housing Loan): A $15.275 million CDBG loan for 92 new units and rehabilitation of 132 existing units in Barrio Logan. Approved unanimously.
- Item S508: Marina Pipeline Construction Contract: Award of $63 million contract to OHLA USA for water pipeline, sewer, water, bike lane, and median improvements. This is the first project under the citywide Project Labor Agreement (PLA). Councilmembers praised the PLA and emphasized contractor accountability. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Proclamations approved unanimously (9-0).
- Consent agenda approved (9-0) with Councilmember Foster voting no on cannabis tax increase (item 52).
- Item S507 amended and approved (9-0): City loan reduced to $4 million; $6 million in CDBG funds preserved for Housing Commission.
- Item S503 approved (9-0).
- Item S506 approved (9-0).
- Item S508 approved (9-0) – first PLA project.
- The council committed to working with the mayor's office, IBA, Housing Commission, and EDD to improve coordination between affordable housing funding processes.
- The meeting adjourned to the next regular meeting on April 14, 2025, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
2025 to order be council before we call the roll. I will turn it over to Councilmember Moreno to make a statement on her remote participation. Um thank you. Um I'm notifying the city council that I will be attending the meeting today remotely due to just cause uh related uh to child care needs pursuant to the Brown Act. I am disclosing that there are no individuals 18 years of age or older present in the room with me, and I will update this disclosure if it changes during the course of the meeting. Thank you, Councilmember. Clerk, please call the roll. Thank you, Councilmember Campbell. Councilmember Whitburn. Here councilmember Foster. Councilmember Ron Wolper, present, Council President Pro Tem Lee. Here, Councilmember Campillo, Councilmember Moreno. President Councilmember Elo Rivera. And Council President Lacava. Present. Also attending the meeting our city attorney Heather Ferber, independent budget analyst Charles Monica, Council Affairs Advisor in the Mayor's Office, Coda Zeiser, and myself, your city clerk, Diana Fuentes. Thank you, Council President. All right, thank you, uh City Clerk. The quorum is now present. This is when I normally read the disruption warning language, but for some reason I don't think we have to worry about that this morning. So we will begin this morning with the land acknowledgement and the pledge of allegiance led by Council Member Campbell. Thank you. Please rise. We respectfully acknowledge that the Kumyai Nation are the original inhabitants of the unceded land now known as San Diego. Despite enduring the horrors of genocide and colonization, the Kumyai spirit remains unbroken. We honor the resilience of their ancestors who fought to protect their culture and land. And today they carry their legacy forward, ensuring that their traditions continue to thrive in gratitude and strength. We stand with the Kumiai Nation connected to our past and committed to a thriving future. Please face the flag, put your right hand over your heart, and let's begin the pledge. And to the public for religious hands, one nation undervisible the liberty and justice for all. The clerk will now go over how the public can offer their public testimony. Clerk, please proceed. I'd like to highlight the slide on the screen that reviews the public testimony information about how you can call in or click on the Zoom webinar. Please note the time allocations for proclamations and consent items for meeting management purposes is one minute per item, maximum of three minutes if you're speaking on three items or more. The order can be found on the agenda summary found online or at the table in the back of the room. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and bring it to the front of the room. Council of Bassers are available near the entrance of chambers and can assist with questions and speaker slips. No further in-person testimony will be taken once the council begins a virtual testimony. Thank you, Council President. All right, thank you, City Clerk. We will now dispense with approval of the proclamation items. And for clarification on the record, items S509 and S510 are being presented by myself and Council President Pro Tem Lee. With that, Clerk, please proceed with public comment. Thank you, Council President. Public comment period for proclamation items is now open. Each speaker will have one minute per item per person. If you would like to speak on three or more items, you will have a maximum of three minutes. The proclamation items being approved are items 30 through 34, S500, S501, S502, S509, S510, and S511. If you can please come forward, you are speaking on 3031, 32, 33, and 34, as well as S501 as 402, S509, all of them. So you'll have three minutes.
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