San Diego City Council Meeting - April 15, 2025

The San Diego City Council convened on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at approximately 9:00 a.m., recessed for lunch around 12:45 p.m., and reconvened at 2:00 p.m. The meeting covered proclamations, consent items, and several substantive discussion items including a landmark ordinance banning algorithmic rent price fixing, the annual salary ordinance, and updates to the sewer system management plan.

Consent Calendar

• Item 30: Proclamation honoring Father Joe's Villages' 75th anniversary.
• Item 31: Proclamation for Arab American Heritage Month.
• Items 32-34: Proclamations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, Black April Memorial Month, and Operation Frequent Wind.
• Item 35: Proclamation recognizing Parkinson's Awareness Month.
• Item 37: Proclamation designating San Diego Veg Week 2025.
• Item S502: Recognition for Laura Tancredi-Baese retiring as CEO of Home Start.
• Item 59: Ordinance on grocery pricing transparency (requiring paper coupon availability). Passed with commitment to amend before effective date.
• Item 102: Emergency capital improvement funding for Mission Beach Lifeguard Station (deemed structurally unsafe).
• Item S501: Appointment of Bart Meesfeld as interim Executive Director of the Commission on Police Practices at an annual salary of $216,009.
• Items 104-110, 112-116, S503: Various appointments, reappointments, and Arts, Culture, and Community Festival funding allocations.
• All consent items passed unanimously except item 58 (unrelated), which had two no votes.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Proclamations: Over a dozen Vietnamese-American community members spoke powerfully about their families' experiences during and after the fall of Saigon, expressing support for the proclamations and urging the city to remember the tragedy and honor resilience.
• Grocery Pricing Transparency (Item 59): Speakers included seniors, AARP volunteers, and grocery industry representatives. AARP strongly supported the ordinance, citing digital divide barriers for seniors. Grocers and retailers raised concerns about the paper coupon mandate and potential loss of digital discounts.
• Rent Price Fixing Ban (Item 332): More than 20 speakers testified, including tenants, community organizers, legal aid representatives, and labor unions, all in strong support. They described how algorithmic software like RealPage artificially inflates rents. Opponents included the apartment industry and the Chamber of Commerce, who argued the ordinance is vague and could chill housing development.
• Salary Ordinance (Item 333): One speaker criticized high salaries and questioned city employee productivity.

Discussion Items

Automated Rent Price Fixing Ordinance (Item 332)

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera introduced an ordinance prohibiting the sale, licensing, or use of algorithmic devices that use non-public competitor data from two or more landlords to recommend rental rates or occupancy levels. The definition explicitly excludes appraisals, market reports using public or aggregated historical data (older than 90 days), and affordable housing programs. An amendment proposed by Councilmember Campillo to remove the 90-day data restriction and add a benchmarking exemption was defeated 4-5. The original ordinance passed 8-1 (Campillo voted no). The ordinance includes a private right of action for tenants, with attorney fees for prevailing parties.

Annual Report on Internal Financial Controls (Item 331)

Staff presented the 2024 report, noting the city received a clean audit opinion for FY2024, the 10th consecutive GFOA award for financial reporting, and no material weaknesses. A risk was identified in revenue compliance audits for lease revenue, which is being addressed by the Economic Development Department.

Salary Ordinance for FY2026 (Item 333)

The ordinance incorporates previously negotiated wage increases for all six recognized employee organizations, ranging from 3% to 5% effective July 1, 2025, with some additional increases in January 2026. Unrepresented employees receive increases consistent with the largest union. Equity adjustments were added for several classifications to address compaction. The ordinance passed unanimously.

Sewer System Management Plan Update (Item 334)

The Public Utilities Department presented the required six-year update, reflecting regulatory changes, climate resilience measures, and improved spill response procedures. The plan was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Proclamations approved unanimously (9-0).
• Consent agenda passed (9-0 on most items, with two no votes on item 58).
• Automated rent price fixing ban passed (8-1). Effective immediately; enforcement begins after a 90-day implementation period.
• Salary ordinance passed (9-0).
• Sewer system management plan approved (9-0).
• Item 330: Contract extension with AED Brands for defibrillator program approved (7-0, two absent).
• The council committed to amending the grocery pricing transparency ordinance before its effective date (mid-August 2025) to address industry concerns.
• Virtual non-agenda public comment was held at the end of the meeting, addressing cell tower safety, marijuana use, e-cigarette disposal, and public health.