Welcome to the new Jeromeck Park.

This park has been in the community since 1984.

Its last improvement was in 1994.

Specifically, what have we done?

We have two children's play areas, new fitness equipment.

Suffice to say, all together, this is a nearly $8 million project.

We were able to navigate that thanks to a name that you're going to remember, Assembly Member Brian Mainshine.

This would not have been possible if Brian didn't use his seat in the legislature to go and find his four million dollars in Sacramento and bring those dollars back to San Diego.

We are excited to finally enjoy all the new amenities.

These improvements restore Jaraback Park to full use.

It's such a great gathering spot for our community.

I wanted to tell you that this park has been special to Script Ranch since the day it opened.

This is one of many great park improvements we have across the city.

By the end of this year, we will complete 93 new or improved park projects across the city of San Diego in just the last five years.

And I hope that that's reflective of a city administration that knows that infrastructure is a priority, that quality of life is what makes us special and unique in San Diego, and that the city's priorities are correct to benefit residents and children, particularly.

Three, two, one.

We are here today in Oak Park to celebrate Kate Sessions Day and to honor a woman who helped make San Diego what we all know and love today as America's finest city.

Kate Sessions knew a good idea when she planted one.

She believed the trees could turn uh what was then a city of dry brush hills into something absolutely beautiful and something that we all enjoy today.

All right.

Look at that.

Not only are we just celebrating new treats that we plant in the ground, we want to celebrate our existing trees that we have that already provide us lots of benefits and shade and ecosystem services.

Kate Sessions taught us that when you plant a tree, you're literally planting hope for cooler streets, cleaner air, and stronger communities.

And that's what you all are doing here today.

And I'm so grateful that you take time out of your busy schedules to help plant these 30 trees all across Oak Park.

Happy Kate Sessions Day, everybody.

Coast Ride, please.

I was in Coronado.

I was in the Navy for four years.

So this is our annual veteran and military uh spouse uh appreciation breakfast.

This is my fourth time coming here.

I will not miss this.

I love coming here.

I love this event.

I think by by this event right here, it shows that they support the veterans.

I feel appreciated.

I feel valued.

I learned a lot of skills in the military that helped me to be the person that I am.

The military service has definitely been a benefit to me in how I do my city work.

I'm appreciating us.

Join our support to the military.

This year there was more police officers than ever before.

We never had this many police officers.

I think it would be encouraging if we could just get the other veterans to get here.

I've seen this grow.

And like I said, I know that there are a lot more veterans that can be here.

We can pack this place out.

You have given to this nation, and you continue to give to this city.

And we see you, we salute you, we respect you, and most of all, we thank you.

Three, two, one.

Peter Seidler loved this city.

And he didn't just talk about making San Diego a better place.

He actually did it.

And so naming this street Peter Seidler Way uh is a promise that we will continue the work that he began to lead with heart, to lift up those in need and to build a San Diego where everyone has a place in this great city.

For both Peter and Trevor and Tony, who all have had a tremendous impact on the Padres franchise and a tremendous impact in our San Diego community.

It's fitting that these three streets named after these three great men will continue to greet Padres fans when they come to Petco Park for decades to come.

Peter Love, Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman.

For me personally, whenever I get to drive up Imperial and now part of Peter Sidler Way in the car, I get a big kick out of it because my kids are always excited.

Go hey, Trip or Dad.

We're gonna get on and go on your street for a minute.

I just think of Peter's family and the fun that those kids will have when they get to come up on Death Street.

His compassion, his vision that has left an indelible mark on the city of San Diego.

And today it quite literally becomes a part of our city's map.

Peter showed us the way, and now fittingly, he has one named after him.

Behind us, what you see is our transportation department street light electricians, and they're repairing a lot of outages across our citywide network for street lights.

High priority projects that are going to happen because of that 1.8 million dollars.

It's all going to be taking place within the parking district.

So where people pay to park, that's where the improvements are going to be seen and felt.

The need downtown is huge in terms of our infrastructure.

We have over 1,200 streetlights that are out downtown.

So this is going to make a huge impact in terms of the safety, visibility, and the right of way, and making sure that our city is lit up.

Streetlight repairs actually require really technical expertise.

That's why you see their electricians on the job.

They're working in a very high voltage, high consequence type of situation.

They need to perform the work really safely, and they also need to do the diagnostics to figure out exactly what's happening with the street light.

It might be an underground issue, it might be a wiring issue, it might be a fixture issue above.

And so they're doing that assessment, and then they're doing the fix after they've done all of that.

If you see a San Diego work best out in the field and our employees, please give them a high five, uh, a thumbs up because they are doing the work on behalf of the city and our residents, and they're really proud to be doing what they're doing.

We have now surpassed 90 days since we signed an agreement with Caltrans, allowing the city to access state rights of way along the I-5 and 94 freeways, uh, basically about five miles uh in and around downtown to address the unsafe and unsanitary encampments in this area.

Our goals have been to dispose of the trash and debris to protect uh both those living in the encampments and the surrounding communities and to connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter services and ultimately a pathway off the streets for good.

And a few short blocks, people can move from an unsafe encampment right here to a managed encampment where there's food, there are bathrooms, there are places for people to put their head inside that's not just a dirt pillow, and importantly, there are caseworkers who can help people get their lives back together.

So far, 184 encampments have been addressed.

151 tons of garbage and debris have been removed.

43 people have been connected to shelter, and 37 have accepted other forms of assistance.

This will help us to make more progress in reducing street homelessness town, and most importantly, it will help us to get the most vulnerable San Diegans into a safer and healthier place and begin the process of getting back on their feet.

This is not mission accomplished.

We recognize and know uh that they are on many more encampments along with uh San Diego County freeways.

Uh, those are outside of the delegated maintenance agreement.

Uh, and we aspire uh to be able to show Calchan's, the governor of the legislature, uh, that when working with localities like the city of San Diego, we can bring change to these very, very important pieces of property.

We are coming together to revitalize the Encanto recreation center here.

In addition to some plants, uh, we're also gonna do a little touch-up, a little paint here and there to make sure that this great community has a great uh park and recreation space.

I wanted to tell you that this uh effort, particularly with the trees, are a part of something that we call Ready Set Grow San Diego, a 10 million dollar federal grant from our partners in the U.S.

Department of Agriculture allowed us to plant 2,249 trees in fiscal year 2025, and we have 2,700 trees planned in fiscal year 26.

Urban Forestry program, our mission is to plant, protect, promote, and like I said, maintain our existing trees for a more livable and sustainable San Diego.

Let's grow a green San Diego, everyone.

Trees have amazing benefits to you all as neighbors in the community in that they not only help clean the air but also help to address traffic control, provide shade, address the heat island effect, and so forth.

So we're all very, very excited to see this happen today in Nikanto.

The best day to plant a tree was about 30 years ago.

The next best day is today.

So let's get to work today.

Let's invest in Encanto.

Let's make this neighborhood better, and let's come back tomorrow and do it all over again.

Today I'm proud that we are able to be here to cut ribbon on phase two of this incredible project, making 228 new affordable homes available to San Diegans.

And my friends, this project is not happening in a vacuum.

It is the third that we've opened in just the last week on what I've been calling our Build More Housing San Diego Tour.

These apartments are within walking distance of grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants, and they're connected to the rest of the city by some major transit corridors.

The transformation of the site into an intergenerational community with a total of about 400 housing units is truly remarkable.

The units that have already come online for seniors, the units that we're celebrating today, and the units to come are going to continue to be a core piece of how we change our community and we develop housing.

This is the way it should be done.

Too many in our neighborhoods have been pushed to the margins, forced to endure housing insecurity and displacement.

That is unacceptable.

Housing is not a privilege, it is a human right.

And with this project and the many more that we have down the pipeline, we are at a turning point.

For the city of San Diego, this project represents exactly the kind of partnership that we have worked to try and scale citywide.

We can do it faster, and here is your proof.

Every ribbon that we cut, every key that we place into the palm of a new tenant brings us closer to the collective goal that I have for our city, which is a roof over every San Diegan's head at a price they can't afford to make a doctor or take care of a sick family member.

If you work in the city of San Diego, you earn paid sick leave.

That means you can take time off when you're sick, need a checkup, or have a family emergency.

For every 30 hours you work, you earn one hour of sick leave.

You can use up to 40 hours of sick leave per year.

That means you can take time off when you're sick, need a checkup, or have a family emergency.gov slash minimum wage.

All right, good morning.

I will now call the special city council meeting of Monday, November seventeenth, twenty twenty-five to order.

Clerk, please call the role.

Councilmember Campbell.

Councilmember Whitburn.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Von Wilbert, President.

Council President Pro Tim Lee.

Here.

Councilmember Campillo.

Councilmember Moreno.

Councilmember Eli Rivera.

And Council President Lacava.

Here.

Also attending the meeting, our city attorney, Heather Ferbert, Independent Budget Analyst Charles Monica, and myself, your city clerk at the end of Fuentes.

We respectfully acknowledge that the Kumeay Nation are the original inhabitants of the unceded land now known as San Diego.

Despite enduring the horrors of genocide and colonization, the Kumiyai spirit remains unbroken.

We honor the resilience of their ancestors who fought to protect their culture and land.

Today they carry their legacy forward, ensuring that their traditions continue to thrive in gratitude and strength.

We stand with the Kumeay Nation, connected to our past and committed to a thriving future.

If you'll join me for the Pledge of Allegiance and face the flag, ready to begin.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Madam Clerk, please go over how the public can offer their testimony.

Thank you, Council President.

Per rule 2.7, non-agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda but within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city council.

Each speaker will have two minutes.

Please note if there are eight or more speakers on a single topic.

The maximum time for the topic will be 16 minutes.

If you're in chambers, please submit your speaker slip.

If you're joining us virtually, please raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon.

Or if you're a call-in participant, star nine.

I'll start with uh non-agenda.

No, actually, we'll uh actually we're gonna do it in reverse.

We're gonna have you read the closed session items into the record first.

Oh, my apologies.

Conference with legal council existing litigation pursuant to California Government Code Section 54956.9 D1.

SCS-1 is Save Our Access versus City of San Diego.

SES-2 is Juan Moreno versus City of San Diego.

Conference with legal council existing litigation pursuant to California Government Code Section 54956.9 D1 is SES 3, January 22nd, 2024 flood litigation.

I will note that SES4 was removed from the agenda.

Next is public employment appointment pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957 B1 is CSC5 title executive director, commission on police practices, conference with labor negotiators pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957.6 is SCS6, City Council designated representatives.

The purpose of this closed session is for the City Council to review its position and instruct a seasonated representatives on presenting a conditional offer of employment to the selected candidate and negotiating compensation.

The City Council will appoint the executive director of the Commission on Police Practices and make its final determination on compensation, including salary, at a future open session meeting of the City Council.

SES 7, City Designated Management Team Representatives.

The purpose of this closed session meeting is to review the city's position and instruct the city's designated representatives on the negotiations with the Deputy City Attorney Association, San Diego Municipal Employees Association, and San Diego Police Office Association related to the proposed operating procedures for the Commission on Police Practices.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you.

City Clerk, please proceed with public comment on the closed session agenda.

Thank you, Council President.

We'll start with Paul Kruger.

After that is Kate Callan.

If you can please come up to the yellow reserve seats.

And then Mr.

Kruger, you can come up to the microphone.

You'll be speaking on just item SCS1.

So you'll have one minute and we have a item to show.

Please proceed already.

Um well, my biggest concern about this item is that uh I'm gonna urge you to, when you return, to please state for the public your position on this item and how you voted, which I'm I understand that's a requirement that you do, but I would ask each of you to explain why you voted the way you did vote, because I believe it this is not at its core a legal issue.

It's a policy and political issue about whether or not you support this uh upzoning or not, and the extent to which you want to pursue that.

So, my uh biggest concern is that according to this agenda, it doesn't look like you have a set time to come back.

I how are we gonna know when you come back?

Are we supposed to wait here for the duration of the closed session?

It's a very long agenda.

So I would urge you to please set a time at which you're gonna come back and reveal and disclose what you did in closed session.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Kate Callan.

Our city is struggling with two separate crises.

We have a financial crisis, and we have a crisis in public faith in our city government.

You and the mayor have addressed the financial crisis by devising several ways of extracting money from the people of San Diego.

But there is only one way you can address the crisis in public faith.

You must be completely open and honest with your constituents.

You can start today by blocking Todd Gloria's attempt to pursue a reckless action behind closed doors.

Gloria wants to overturn an appellate ruling that restores the 30-foot height limit in the Midway district.

That would be a futile effort, and it would be a political ploy.

You should be deliberating this issue in full public view.

You should give the public a chance to express their opinions in an open hearing.

If you stop the mayor from conducting government business in secret, you can halt the erosion of public trust in City Hall.

Please have the courage to do that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm sorry the five-minute timer here in Council Chamber is going to those participating remotely, starting with Zoom user.

If you can please let me know which item or items on the closed session agenda you'll be speaking to.

Uh the first item, please.

You'll have one minute, please proceed.

Oh, yeah, thanks a lot.

I guess when we do all these things, the mayor is the one that sets everything.

The city council seems to be just there to soothe everybody's anger.

And I don't know if you got he just blows you guys off and does what he wants.

So anyway, I think we should make a move to get rid of the Coastal Commission altogether.

And San Diego cares about the coast.

We all care about where we live, who's to who's making the decisions.

We don't need California Democratic Party making our decisions.

We just got to get rid of the Coastal Commission, just blow them off.

I say we build the place, go for it.

But I don't know.

I'm sure there's a lot of money kicked back going on underneath the underneath the thing, who gets the money.

And we could also, in a lot of things, like the parking thing.

We could get some accountants that are forensic accountants, not our not our own accountants, get the forensic guys looking at where the money's going.

That's what people want to know.

Where is the money going?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Mandy.

If you can please unmute and let me know which item or items you're speaking to.

Hi, I I am uh speaking to the first item.

Please proceed.

Sure.

Good morning, City Council members.

I urge you not to move forward with an appeal to the California Supreme Court on the midway rising litigation.

The Court of Appeals made it clear the environmental impact report was incomplete.

That is not a technicality.

It is a failure that prevents the public and staff from making informed decisions about a project of this scale.

CEQA exists to ensure transparency, accuracy, and environmental responsibility.

Appealing instead of fixing the EIR sends the message that the city is prioritizing a predetermined development outcome over public trust and legal compliance.

The Midway area has well documented issues of soil liquefication, traffic congestion, inadequate evacuation routes, and failing infrastructure.

Ignoring ignoring these risks will not solve our housing crisis.

And let's be honest, the affordable units proposed here are for people making over a hundred thousand dollars a year.

What we need is truly deeply affordable housing, and where we build housing.

Thank you for that concluding statement.

Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute and let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

Hi, uh, Blair Beekman.

Uh SCS1 and SCS3.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Hi, thank you.

Uh, first about SCS1.

Um I know very much about this matter, uh, but I do know that Lori Soldano has spoke regularly on the subject that uh water uh rise issues are are uh a significant factor to the future of this project, describing overall environmental concerns.

Are you addressing those types of concerns?

Um, what's previously stated, um uh avoiding the environmental impact reports themselves and going straight through an appeal process uh may be questionable.

Um I just I hope I can help some this sort of help and information, however small it can be.

Uh for uh item SC uh S3 uh about the uh upcoming flood issues.

Um I'm actually I'm gonna be traveling to San Diego.

I'm at the airport right now.

I'm gonna be in San Diego this week.

Uh you guys had serious rain.

Uh thank you that you actually made the effort to um this is kind of a bold item to have at this sort of time.

Um I hope that we are working um towards you know uh the concepts of counter suing and and just really holding that into account.

Uh I I think it's a good thing that you're having this sort of item here at this time with all the weather concerns at this time, so at least you're acknowledging the importance of the situation, it sounds like that's a good start.

Uh, I hope we can acknowledge the counter-suing by yourselves towards people who've been harmed, uh, even if they're being a bit strong.

Uh I hope we can come to a soft landing on this kind of subject matter.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our final speaker for closed session is Al Del Mastro.

If you can please unmute and let me know which item or items you wish to speak to.

Uh, yes, I'd like to speak on item one and item three, please.

You'll have two minutes, please proceed.

Uh yes, my name's Al Del Mastro.

I'm a small housing provider.

Me and my wife uh own a fiveplex, and um uh the uh the the policies that have been put on in front of us are insane.

I mean, I you know, I can't help you know, you guys have catered to the city council president Shawnee La Rivera to the deparation of the the people that live in the city over and over again.

I wish somebody would have enough courage to stand up to him because when this flood hit, the first thing he put on his website was the go sue your landlord over it.

Um now he's trying to do uh a thing that the land the small landlords are gouging people.

Um if you want to know who's gouging people, it's the city.

Barking, trash, uh water, you know.

We had our water meters run this year in uh, I mean, this this last term, and they they were exploded.

We had I hired a professional plumber to go over there to see if I had leaks.

Your time is included for CSC3.

If you can please move on to CSS one.

Uh CS1 for the building.

I really don't know who's gonna live in all these places that we're building.

I mean, we don't have enough water right now.

Our bills are going through the roof.

Um, I know you guys get a lot of money from the developers for your elections, but you shouldn't deprimate the city.

We don't want to be Los Angeles.

I I don't believe there's gonna be adequate parking even put into this environment.

I don't know how you we all can't ride bicycles.

There's plenty of seniors on the city council.

I don't know how you're gonna ride bicycles.

I don't know how to repair people are gonna ride bicycles.

We have to have parking, we have to have a reasonable layout of our city.

We just can't every if you want to see what the city would look like with these plans, go look at city heights.

No parking, no place for anybody to go.

It's a disaster.

And that's what we're gonna do.

Thank you for that concluding remark.

I will just note for the record we receive 26 uh web comment forms in opposition, one in favor for item C S C S C S one and for item three, one in favor.

That does conclude public comment for the closed session.

Thank you, Council President.

All right, thank you, City Clerk.

Uh, because the council's agenda it anticipates that the city council will be in closed session for the entire day, uh, and possibly until as late as six o'clock.

Uh, we will now take up non-agenda public comment.

The council members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at council and committee meetings.

Clerk, please proceed with non-agenda public comment.

Thank you, Council President.

My apologies for earlier parole 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 within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city council, each speaker will have two minutes.

If you're here in chambers, please submit a speaker slip.

If you're joining us virtually, please have the raise your hand icon or star nine.

Paul Kruger, if you can please come forward.

Okay, hey, thank you.

And thank you, Council President, for that explanation.

But it doesn't solve the problem.

Um again on this item uh one on save our access.

I have no position on it, but I want to stress again to me and I think to most observers, it is not a legal question.

You may ask how much is it gonna cost to appeal and should you know, is the cost of the appeal worth the odds whether or not you would support the appeal.

But this boils down to a uh you're talking to the item that was on closed session.

Okay, so let me talk around it.

Um I'm gonna ask again if you um when you finish your closed session, give the public notice about when you're gonna come back.

Don't come back here at six o'clock tonight with no notice and then disclose how you voted.

You're disenfranchising the public when you do that.

It is absolutely unacceptable.

If you want to do it tomorrow, maybe the city attorney will tell you that's okay, and that would be fine.

Come back tomorrow before uh in your meeting and do it, but do not uh finish your closed session at whatever time you do it, and then come back in in open session to disclose your votes in front of an empty chamber where nobody has any notice to do it.

That is undemocratic.

It disenfranchises people who are interested in what you did in a really important issue and want to hear what you're saying on this issue.

Um for my 29 seconds, I'll just say that my effort to obtain information about the closed session agenda in general was uh stymied at every uh turn that I made.

The city attorney had the audacity to say that asking for the process, asking to explain to me the process by which you put something on the agenda is my seeking legal guidance.

It's ridiculous on its face.

Thank you.

I started the five minute timer going to those participating remotely.

We have seven speakers in the queue.

Blair Beekman, if you can please unmute.

Hi, thank you, Blair Beekman.

Um the people of San Diego are starting to ask the same current questions about block as the city of Oakland at this time, as local cities around the country are realizing there can possibly be different more responsible tech and data collection vendors with options and choices besides the young growing monolith of block.

As it honestly seems, we could be looking for and procuring different ALPR vendors at this time while still respecting the current public safety standards and practices of San Diego.

And that it seems a reasonable ask uh overall in wanting a more trusting, responsible tech company demand is the future of local San Diego OPR tech and data privacy.

Data and privacy.

Uh, people may have current ways of working to more clearly address how to end flock in San Diego in the next month or two.

If it cannot be better worked out at this time, I hope uh another reasonable idea to consider at this time is that San Diego City government, STPD, and everyday community can better work together from now into the spring of 2026 to review and to better understand possibly uh more responsible, responsible ALP care vendors other than flock with the future of San Diego.

From the efforts of trusting and shared dialogue, if decisions cannot be reached by this upcoming April or May, maybe a final vetting and selection process can take place by the fall of 2026.

I'm hopeful a community dialogue and change away from Flock in six to twelve months is a realistic goal to all of the more knowledgeable regular participants in San Diego public safety, surveillance, and continual flock concerns.

To conclude, an important reminder that there are also well-established good neighborhood public safety standards that are more strategic, limited, minimal, and reduced placement of ALPRs and surveillance technology in local community neighborhoods can be about as effective as continuously wanting to place more and more surveillance technology within our local San Diego neighborhoods.

Good luck in how San Diego San Diego can address these current block issues and to hopefully be connecting with the Oakland community and their current block issues as well.

And good luck how these sort of words can help the police commission process uh review tonight.

Um I think it's important.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Barbara Gordon, if you can please unmute.

Um, good morning.

As a public health educator and someone who works with young people, I am here today to share a big health and safety concern.

A national organization, action on smoking and help, whose focus is to push back against big tobacco, has uncovered a 42% increase in tobacco lobbyists in the U.S.

As they as these lobbyists work to influence policymakers, they often downplay the health risks associated with tobacco products and promote misleading narrative about their safety.

This aggressive marketing strategy targets young people, aim to create a new generation of users.

With the use of e-cigarettes and nicotine products, the tobacco industry has shifted tactics.

Appealing to youth has been their primary target.

Lobbyists push for regulations that flavor these products, weaken laws aimed at restricting youth access and advertising.

The presence of these lobbyists can undermine public health initiatives designed to educate young people about the dangers of tobacco, reducing the efforts to discourage use.

Please consider how this cancel council can counter the influences of the tobacco industry.

I urge you to strengthen the city's tobacco retail licensing by reducing tobacco retailers, restricting advertisements, and increase tobacco taxes can counter some of the regulations designed to protect our public and especially our young people.

Thank you for letting me speak.

Thank you, Nexus Madison.

If you can please unmute.

Hi, can you hear me okay?

Yes, please proceed.

Okay.

So November is lung cancer awareness month, a time to recognize the thousands of families in San Diego and across the nation who are impacted by a disease that remains the leading cause of cancer death.

Lung cancer does not care about age, neighborhood, income, or background.

But what does shape who gets sick and who survives are the commercial industries that continue to profit from products that harm public health.

Cigarettes and the rapidly expanding vaping market are not lifestyle choices in a vacuum.

They are products designed and engineered for addiction.

They're aggressively marketed, especially to young people.

These products generate billions in revenue each year while shifting the cost to local communities.

Higher health care expenses, lost productivity, and the emotional and financial full on families caring for loved ones of preventable diseases.

San Diego has taken important steps in tobacco control, but we still see vaping and tobacco sales clustering in vulnerable neighborhoods, and we continue to see use uptake rise with each new product that hits the market.

These trends are the results of strategic commercial practices that target our communities.

I'm here today to simply remind us that awareness is not passive.

When we acknowledge lung cancer awareness, we're recognizing our power and our responsibility to keep harmful commercial interests from undermining public health.

Please consider prioritizing policies that reduce youth access, these harmful industries accountable and support permits resources.

Every step we take affects more lives.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The five-minute timer did conclude.

We have four speakers in the queue.

No additional speakers will be taken.

Becky Rapp, if you can please unmute.

Good morning, Council President and Council members.

My name is Becky Rapp, and I'm here to respectfully request greater transparency and accountability within the city's marijuana department.

At last week's economic development and intergovernmental relations committee meeting, a proposal was discussed to permit out-of-town marijuana delivery services as well as increase uh the fines on illegal deliveries.

And this seems like a responsible way to generate additional tax revenue and strengthen for it, which I do support.

However, this proposal highlights a much larger concern, which is the city's ability to collect cat taxes and penalties from the marijuana businesses already permitted and operating in our city.

We need to understand whether our current system is functioning as intended.

For years, community members have raised concerns that taxes are not being collected and penalties may be accruing without resolution.

If the city is unable to collect from our existing permitted businesses, how can we expect effective enforcement of any new regulations?

Today I'm requesting that the city place on a future agenda a full discussion item directing staff to provide transparency report on tax revenue collected to date, a breakdown of outstanding penalties and enforcement actions, and a complete audit of the marijuana department's operations, oversight, and compliance mechanisms.

Before the city expands, marijuana delivery or adopts new enforcement tools, the public deserves confidence that the current system is being responsibly responsibly managed and transparency should come first.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, Nexus Elda Mastro, if you can please unmute.

Hi, my name is El Del Mastro.

Um I don't believe we have any city accountability.

I believe that we have plenty of revenue coming in here without gouging the public and lying to them like we did with the trash, where many of the city council members that I called told me this is only going to affect single family homes.

It was told that to my tenants also.

A lot of us have already informed our tenants.

In fact, I take the trash fees separately because I'm hoping that lawsuit against the city will go through so I can give that money back to the tenant.

I think that we make plenty of money.

I don't know how many people that work for the city actually go to work every day.

I think we need to have accountability.

And do we have too many people on the payroll?

They don't doing anything.

I know the race that this city council got is just unbelievable.

In five years, your salary went from 75,000 to 186,000.

I never heard of anybody that does the exact same job that got a raise like that in private industry or in public industry in public service, if that's what this is.

I mean, that if you guys want to restrict people's incomes like you want as a small landlord on me, I mean, why don't you lead it by example?

Why don't you only take a three or four percent raise?

I mean, this is unbelievable that you guys would keep doing this over and over again, gouging the public and then saying the landlords are doing it.

We mean parking.

My water bill came in and it's $500 missed estimate.

And I think there's a lot of people in my community that got a lot of inflated water bills this period.

Thank you.

That does conclude your time.

Zoom user, if you can please unmute.

And then John Stump is our final speaker.

Howard here.

Yeah, on the uh recently I was watching the city council meetings about the uh Fiesta Island and all the different things down there where 30% of the rent goes uncollected, and you guys got to get a new computer system to figure it out and spend a lot of money on the new system to figure it out.

I think you should fire all the guys that work there and just get a piece of paper and put down the names of the people that they're rent there, the lease.

There's 50 people or something, and have one guy go around collecting the rent.

If he doesn't pay, kick him out.

Move in the homeless over there or something.

You know, that's ridiculous.

You don't need a computer program to collect the rent unless there's something shaky going on.

30 percent like got a 50-unit apartment building, 30% of the people aren't paying the rent, and my manager's going, oh, they're not paying.

Oh, how come you don't collect the rent on number 21, Johnny?

Oh, that's because two girls live there, and they're every time I go over there, they kind of bob my knob.

So I kind of wait till the next month.

That some of that stuff could be going on.

Who's ever collecting the rent over there on Fiesta Island?

There's could be some shaky stuff going on.

30%, that's not like one person.

That's a lot.

So bring back the yellow pad, have one guy collecting the rent.

That's it.

We don't need no computer to figure it out.

You write it down in the paper and then publish it on the city website.

Who are the names that aren't paying the rent?

You know, it's ridiculous, man.

I got fired from that guy was talking about the trash thing.

So every I think everything in the city should have a notepad, no more computers because you're not collecting the rent all sorts of places.

Okay.

Okay, thanks a lot.

John Stump, if you can please unmute.

Hi, John Stump.

Great rain we had.

Uh I'm calling about a disturbing article that was basically a restatement of a press release prepared by the San Diego police lieutenant Chris Tavarick to Vanian.

Suspect arrested for murder of woman in City Heights.

Well, that's that's news.

A woman was found dead inside the hotel room in City Heights neighborhood on October 20th yesterday.

The suspect was arrested in Los Angeles.

Um October 20th, the San Diego police received a call for an unresponsive adult female who appeared deceased in a room at the La Cresta Hotel at 4980 Alcalm Boulevard.

Okay.

Um they then tell in the story that the woman was a black female.

Here's the problem.

First of all, the La Cresta Motel is not in City Heights, it's in Talmudge.

But maybe if it's something bad is happening, the police want to tell everybody it's happening in City Heights.

So one, they need to buy a map at the police department.

Second, what is the race of a victim?

Why is that important?

Do they only report black females?

They shouldn't be reporting the race of victims unless it has some police.

Is it going to bring her back to life?

I think they're racist at the police department, and they need to get a map.

La Cresta isn't in City Heights.

My apologies.

That does conclude non-agenda public comment for today's meeting.

All right.

Thank you, City Clerk.

The council will now recess into closed session.

And as I mentioned earlier, the council is anticipated to be in closed session all day to perhaps as late as six o'clock this evening.

We will reconvene in open session to make any appropriate report out of closed session.

Again, as a reminder, uh you can certainly watch City 24 City TV or online to find out what happened at closed session or anything reportable at a closed session.

So with that, we will now recess.